Never To Much Sparkle

Hi guys

So a few weeks back I did a post where I had used gems on my nails and as you can tell I've now become addicted to using them. I have since doing this almost ran out of gems but that might be a good thing at this rate.

The colour I used was a cheap and cheerful Barry M number called Shocking Pink I used this with the base and top coat also from Barry M. 

Shocking Pink 

Pink Is King

I always let the nail polish go tacky before I put the gems on using a tiny bit of blue tack on the end of a bobby pin. To get the most of lovely little gems I use several layers of clear polish over the top.

I hope your as much addicted to gems as I am! Thanks for reading

Seven Heaven

Hi Guys

When I started this blog I really didn't think hair was something I would go into. For years thanks to my mum, I had a lovely boys haircut and was never able to do anything with it. But for the last few years I've been growing it and absolutely love it, I love be able to actually try new things with it and create different looks.

I was watching a Dolly Bow Bow video and Kate was on about her hair and how when your younger and at a certain age most girls want to cut their hair. They want to do something different and start to experiment with their looks. Well anyway she was one who really wanted to cut her hair but her mother said not to as she would regret it and oh how I wish my mum had done the same. Kate's hair if you don't know is amazingly thick, long and healthy and hopefully one day my hair will be the same.

When my hair was short I felt like I had to wash it every day to style it but over time I have cut back and now, with the help of dry shampoo, I only wash it every three days or so. Go me right!

Well for work I try and look smart and keep my hair looking different as I'm a little paranoid about people saying I always look the same. And recently I've been getting compliments on my hair styles and thought I would share them and see what you guys think.

My hair product must haves to to create all these looks are..

Denman Styling 5 Row Handbag Brush

V05 Plump It Up Amplifying Blow Dry Lotion

V05 Give Me Texture Instand Oomph Powder

Loreal Paris Elnett Hair Spray

Bobby Pins In Two Sizes

Berber Oil Hair Treatment

Batiste Dry shampoo

Clear Hair Bands

Denman Big Barrel Brush in Head Hugger

Tail Comb

Regular Hair Bands

Velcro Rollers in assorted sizes

Donut Bun

Tangle Teezer

Now a lot of these styles or looks are for second day hair as I thought that's what most people would want to see as I always find it easy to wear down when its freshly washed.
Before we start I would like to point out yes I know the picture quality aint great and I do apologise but my camera is rubbish. And I would like to point out I am aware that my hair needs dying and on some of the up does you may notice it still has a red tint on the ends from about two years ago so my advise never dye your hair red.

Style One: Twist & Shake 

This has to be one of my most worn hair styles as its really simple. If needed spray the roots with a little dry shampoo and back comb at your parting. Select the size of the piece you would like to pin back and twist bringing the hair back as you go this will give you a tighter look. Pin with two bobby pins one upwards and one downwards crossing them over around an inch back from the ears, then repeat. Make sure that both sides are even and then fix with a generous amount of hair spray.

Shake Your Tail feather 

Twist & Shout

Style Two: Twisted Sister

This is a good one for both freshly washed or second day hair, make sure your parting is over on one side which ever you prefer for yourself. Start by twisting a section of hair about an inch square away from your face and adding more hair to it as you go. Make sure you keep the hair tight as you go moving slightly father away from your face as move down. Pin the hair about half an inch behind and above the ear making sure that you cover the pins with a small section of hair from the side of your head.

Twisted Soul

Twisted Sister

Style Three: Bun Deal

For years I honestly thought that this look could only be created if you had really long hair until I discovered the good old donut. I purchased mine from Primark for £1 and must wear it at least once a week, its a god send. This style is also perfect to get an extra day out of washing your hair and great if your trying to wash it less.

Step one is simply to put your hair into a high pony tail, I always back comb mine a little because I dont like it being flat to my head. Place the donut over the pony tail like you would another hair band and back comb the tail of your hair so that its nice and bushy. Next fan the hair over and around the donut so that none of it is showing and place another hair band around the bun to hold the hair in place. Finaly I use the large bobby pins to tuck in all the excess hair, use a generous amount of hair spray to hold in place and your done.

Tip - If your hair is to short to cover the donut fully simply buy a small piece of hair extension in the best matched colour for you and rap around the donut. This will hide any gaps you may have once you have fanned out your hair.

Bun Up

Hot Cross Bun

Style Four: Pinned It

This is my favourite hair style as it can be worn on fresh hair that just wont do as its told and second day hair to hide greasy bits.

This style is very similar to the 'Twist & Shake' style and is completed in the same way just choosing larger pieces of hair and back combing the hair slightly higher.

Pin Up

Back It Up

Style Five: Curly Wearly 

This is my going out hair or at least when I have time to keep my rollers in for long enough. Using rollers for the first time can be quite daunting but after practising a few times it becomes like second nature. I am going to do a more detailed post on how to use rollers as its going to be quite a long one. 

Curl In My step

Curly Wearly

Style Six: You Will Go To The Ball

This is a simple mix of 'Curly Wearly' and 'Pinned It' 

A Pin To Far

Always Kissing Frogs

You Will Go To The Ball

Style Seven: Lazy Sundays

I stole this look from The Beauty Department and loved how simple it was. Its just a high pony tail that is back combed and pinned under with bobby pins. Make sure you pull the hair tight at the very front of the pony tail to get it as high as you can and finish with generous amount of hair spray.

Lazy Sundays Up Do

Flying High High 

Up Up & Away

I hope that some of these styles have given you inspiration for your own styles and If anyone would like a more detailed post on any of these looks please just ask in the comments box.

Thanks for reading and I fancy doing a few more posts like this with other styles I use if you guys would like to read them. 

Sunshine After A Rainy Day

Hi guys, I hope you are all well

Here's a little outfit post of what I wore to a wedding reception on Saturday. I actually borrowed this dress off my mother and is a little to big but thought it was lovely and summery.

Dress- H & M £29.99 click here to purchase 

Shoes - Carvela 

Bag - Ted Baker

The pattern on this is a nice flowery one with a nice splash of colour with the green leaves. I also would wear this with a nice green or white blazer but the weather was in my favour so I didn't need it for once. 

The shoes are very old pair from Carvela and are in a nude satin with crystal bows.

The handbag is my go to bag from Ted Baker last winter with a quilted pattern on it.

Hope you liked my post and its inspired you into a little summary pattern.

Don't Rain On My Parade

Hi guys

How are we all? I like many am praying for this so called summer weather that is meant to be coming our way. But in the mean time I can pretend its nice and sunny outside and wear an outfit to match without showing loads of skin.

Now let me explain the angle of this picture just in case your wondering, I had my camera on the smallest tripod you have ever seen on top of my garden table hoping that it was at least aimed in the right direction. What I do for a decent picture when the boy isn't at my beckon call.

Here Comes The Rain Again

T-Shirt- International £7 check out my post about it here

Denim Shirt - H & M £20

Leggins - Zara Basics

Trainers - Converse £43

I Thought you might also like to know that I'm now on WIWT and you can check out other outfits that I might not always do outfit posts on my blog so check out my profile here 

Thanks for reading hope you liked my outfit 

Clean Machine

Hi guys

I like many I have been guilty of not washing my brushes often enough but since I started to take my skin care routine seriously I started taking my brush cleaning seriously. Now I'm sure there are many things involved in the fact my skin looks better then it ever has but I personally think that regularly cleaning my brushes has helped.

I have in the past purchased Mac Brush Cleaner but at £9.50 a go I now use good old Johnsons baby shampoo that I got from ASDA for £1.

I try to clean my brushes at least once a week, usually on a Sunday, making sure I clean every brush I've used even the mini ones in some of my sets.

Instantly I can feel and see the difference and I love how my Real Techniques stipperling brush becomes as good as new. And this is all you need, a sink, water, baby shampoo and your make up brushes.

Clean Machine

Clean and Shiney

I tend to squirt a small amount of baby shampoo into my palm, wet the end of my brush and rub them into the shampoo trying to be as gentle as I can but still making sure they get a good clean. One main tip I have is when cleaning make up brushes try and not get the top of the bristles wet as it can loosen the glue. And no one wants bristles on the face.

Squeaky Clean

Here's a before and after picture of my Real Techniques Stippering Brush

Foundation Coloured Bristles

Clean & White

I hope you already clean your make up brushes but this is the best way I found to clean mine. Do you have any tips of how you clean your brushes? 

Thanks for reading

Park Life

Hi guys

I thought I would share a little outfit post with you, I usually make the boy take pictures of me in the dinning room against a plain wall but while the sun was shinning I thought outside pictures would be nice. Now I must explain the reason for the frowny face, Its half due to squinting half due to the boy rushing me saying can we get this over with just in case some one sees us!!

Now the top underneath the cardigan is an very old vest top from whistles that I love but don't wear very often. The cardigan its self is from good old Primark and if I remember correctly was £5. The jeans are from River Island and are a skinny fit just turned up at the bottom. The boots are another River Island purchase I got in the sale for £7.50 check them out in this post here. The handbag is my Mulberry that I'm very lucky to own and treasure it like a child. 

Lurking In The Trees

These Boots Are Made For Walking

Vest- Whistles

Cardigan- Primark

Jeans- River Island

Belt- River Island

Boots- River Island

Bag- Mulberry

Thanks for reading I hope you like my little laid back Sunday outfit it would be great if we got some sunshine so I could wear my boots with some shorts but you can but pray. 

Festival Bracelets

Hi guys

As you might of guessed I'm going to V-festival this year and at any festival its always about the accessories.

I've also recently become addicted to Pinterest and have a board for things I want to make and this was on there. It originally came from Honestly WTF blog/website which is by two lovely american women called Erica and Lauren. I have to say they are amazing, have great style and there are loads of things to do and make that you would never guess of doing.

Now my decision to make my own bracelets was defiantly cost driven and I made these lovelies for the amazing cost of £1. Ok it may have cost a little more if I'd hadn't already had some things but even if you needed to buy everything you can still do it for under £5 for all four.

You can make these bracelets with any colours but I choose to use silver beads and black, pale pink, cream and pale blue embroidery cotton.

These next pictures are taken from the Honestly WTF website as their photography skills are much better then mine but I choice to re-write the instructions as I did struggle with a few parts.

 What you need is simple embroidery cotton a small button of a similar colour and beads in your chosen colour. The original instructions stated that you needed to use waxed linen cord but to keep costs down I used embroidery cotton even though I think that waxen linen would last longer.

 To start you need to cut two lengths of cotton, one at 26 inches and the other at 19 inches. You then need to line the two ends together fold in half so you are left with one short strand.

Next you need to knot the cotton creating a loop that will go over your button to fasten so make sure it is the right size for your chosen button. Then trim off the short strand so you are left with three.  

The next step is to start plaiting the three strands in the usual way and do this for about half an inch. The first bracelet I made I did the wrong length so consider the size of your wrist when doing this.

Now we can start to add the beads, the easiest way to describe this to you is similar to doing a French plait picking up the beads on the out side strands. You need make sure you keep the beads tight to the top before you fold over the stand and add the next bead. The best way to do this quickly is to thread on several beads onto each thread and moving them up when they are needed.

You need to continue doing this until you are happy you have done enough for you wrist size but not to much that you will end up with a loose bracelet.

Now you have measured the bracelet against your wrist and are happy with that length you need to finish it off by simply carrying on with the plait without the beads for another inch. Making sure you keep this tight all the way down or some of your last beads will become loose.

Now its time to add the button. Find the middle of the three stands splitting one of them in half I choose to thread the cotton through the button and back through opposite holes and then tie in a tight knot

And trim the left over cotton and your done. If you have made the bracelet slightly to long I tied an extra knot near the loop to make it fit better for my wrist.

For my first attempt to make these it must of taken me about 3 hours as I was threading the beads individually and I kept loosing my place. But now I can make one in about half an hour and will probably make a few for Christmas presents this year. I've seen a few other home made bracelets I like so if you have enjoyed this ill do more posts on future projects.

Thanks for reading and please share your home made bracelet projects.  

Smoke Without Fire

Hi guys!

If you have read my post The Whole Hog you would know that I spent quite a while last Saturday getting ready and doing a smokey eye look. Now for season professionals a smoky eye may be a little bit on the easy side but for me it's quite a feet. I'm not going to lie and say this is the first time I have attempted to do a smoky eye before but in the past I always seem to end up with a drag queen look and not in a good way.

Now to create this look I used two different eye shadows, two different eye liners a set of false eye lashes from eye-lure and my Benefit Bad Girl Lash mascara. 

Smoky Pewter eye shadow from Benefit 

Mac Gleam eye shadow

Bad Gal eyeliner from Benefit

An old black liquid liner from Maybelline

Just to clarify the pictures start in the top left corner and move in a clockwise direction.

Smoke Without Fire

1. Line the eye on both top and bottom lashes and smudge

2. Starting from the outer counter and working in I used the Smoky Pewter colour out of the Benefit smoky eye kit.

3. Starting from the inner corner I used the Mac Gleam eye shadow focusing on the crease slowing working my way up and outwards.

4. Curl eyelashes.

5. Apply false eye lashes of choice making sure the glue has had a good two minutes to go tacky. I always apply my lashes starting from the outer corner working inwards as some times if they are to close to the inside they can be quite painful.

6. Carefully line the lashes with a black liquid liner to hide the tell tale signs of false eye lashes

7. Use a good non clumpy mascara to mask the difference between your own lashes and the false one.

8. Go get your self a drink.

I hope this has been helpful for a simple smoky look 

Thanks for reading

Leeds Leeds Leeds

Hi guys

It's sort of a running joke at the moment about a day trip to Leeds in our house.  When I wanted to go out for the day a few weeks ago to Leeds the boy wouldn't let me. His exact words if I remember correctly were 'there is nothing in Leeds why do you want to bother going there'. Now I've never been to Leeds and really wanted to go. I don't actually know why but once I've decided on something there ins't much that will change my mind.

So off we set and even though we made one slight unexpected detour we made in one piece in reasonable time. Now one thing about Leeds and about any city centre is the the parking is expensive and I think we picked the most expensive car park. We parked in The Light which is pretty much in the heart of the city and cost £8.50 for over 6 hours. There is a park and ride some where but as we got a little bit lost we just parked at the first one we came across. It was really nice in The Light centre with a nice looking pub and few places to eat and even a cinema but we didn't really spent any time there as the weather was nice and we wanted to be outside.

On Route

Now when in Leeds where to begin for me it was straight to the Victorian Quarter and the Cross Arcade and to the Mulberry shop. No matter where I am if I pass a Mulberry shop I have to stop and have a look. I'm sure the boy now knows more about Mulberry Handbags then most women. And guess what I've picked my next Mulberry Purchase the lovely Bayswater Tote in black but ill need to be saving the pennies before hand.

Cross Arcade 

I really think we rely on the internet to much but god I'm glad of it as all I needed to do was Google nice places to eat in Leeds and this little lovely popped up. The Town Hall Tavern which is with a hint in the name straight across the road from the town hall. Here's their website if you want to have a nosey The Town Hall Tavern 

Town Hall

The Town Hall Tavern

Light Cuppa

Town Hall Portion

The décor was very nice I loved the tea pot and tea cup lights about the tables but it still had a very old traditional put feel and I found myself looking longingly at the turquoise brick tiles and the Smeg fridge to match.

I choose the Lancashire Sausage with mash and onion rings and the boy had traditional fish and chips and oh it was good. I really enjoyed this and if your out and about in Leeds and fancy an amazing pub lunch then I would recommend it. It is a good ten minuets walk from the main shops but its defiantly worth it and is a nice place for a sneaky afternoon drink. I think it cost about £20 (as I didn't pay) for the two of us and a couple of soft drinks each.

One of the biggest and by the looks of it the most popular shops in Leeds is the Harvey Nichols. It seems smaller then the Manchester one but I really enjoyed having a good nosey around doing some dream shopping. If you are going into Leeds during the week they have a nice restaurant on the top floor that has a nicely priced set menu for lunch. The beauty hall was literately manic I've never seen the Manchester one this busy even if it was sale time. 

Harvey Nic's

Harvey Nic's

As you may know I have a massive sweet tooth and my portion for lunch was to big to have a dessert so later on when we where walking though the Thorntons Arcade I just had to stop to have a lovely little cupcake. I cant remember the name of the shop but the package said Cupcakes by Charley, I however seem to be able to remember the different types of cupcake.

Thorntons Arcade

Cupcake Heaven

Can I Have More Please

Oreo Cupcake

The cupcakes are £1.90 each but were perfect, I choose the Oreo cupcake but I remember there being a Crunchie one and a Terry's Chocolate Orange one to. I now wish id bought all three could do with a cupcake round about now.

If you follow me on twitter you may have already seen the picture I added the other day of the bracelet I made. Well here's where I got some of the bits from, Yum Yum Beads who also have a website site and you can find it here. Now don't panic ill be doing a separate post on my bracelet making and a how to guide. 

Yum Yum Beads

Yum Yum Beads

I was so good with my spending it felt very wrong  to leave with nothing so before we headed off home we had to nip back to the Cross Arcade and a little mooch in the Vivienne Westwood shop. 

And oh look I made a little purchase of some earrings that I've been coveting for a while.

Leeds Must

Tell Me About It Stud

Vivienna Westwood Treats

I know these are probably old news for some people but I love them. I do already own the 'Original' sliver orb ear rings but they are to big for my midget ear lobes and I really need to sell them on but still haven't got round to doing it.

Thanks for reading and I hope this inspire you to have a little mooch to Leeds as I had a very good day and the weather was nice to so that just make it even better.