Rita Ora For Rimmel: Pop Art Top Coat

Lookit, I've no grá for Rita Ora. For one, I couldn't name one of her songs for you (my transition into an auld one is complete with that sentence alone), the only things I know about her is that she used to go out with Calvin Harris, has an awful range of clothing with Adidas and has these Rimmel nail polishes to her name. I'm only interested in that last one. I really liked her pastel polish range that was out a while back but as I'm fearful I may be killed in an avalanche of bottles of pastel nail varnish that I already own, I left those be. This Pop Art top coat caught my eye in a Boots 3 for 2 splurge though- you can't say no to free. Plus I'm a sucker for anything related to pop art, so here we are. 

Pop Art is comprised of multicoloured circles suspended in a clear gel, for that Lichtenstein dotty effect. I like it because it looks like there's something fun but potentially complicated going on on my nails, which is great for me as I'm useless at the old nail art. It's easy to apply; you have to place the circles rather than brush them on and it dries fairly fast. I haven't tried taking it off yet although I can predict that that will be no barrel of laughs. 

I'm wearing it here over a new No7 polish (Persian Blue) that was sent to me. I've been wearing that base shade all week and am loving it, so much so that I didn't want to take it off and Pop Art was a nice solution to that- kind of like changing your entire nail look without any effort at all. Nail art for the lazy. At last! You could of course wear it over any shade, I'm looking forward to trying it over a few of the aforementioned pastels actually.

Pop Art is €5.49.

Is nail art your thing? Are you currently laughing at my inabilities or is the easier option something you'd go for too?

XX

Beauty Gift Ideas Christmas 2014

OK, so the market is saturated with make-up palettes, gift sets, new perfumes and various other pretty things to entice the beauty lover amongst us this Christmas. Here's my picks from what is a fairly varied selection to help with your own present shopping. The names in pink are a link to sites where they can be bought or viewed for further information. 

Nars Virtual Domination Cheek Palette

Nars do cheek products really well. This one contains four blushes; Miss liberty (a highlighting blush), Deep Throat, Sex Fantasy and Final Cut (both limited edition). There's also the famous Laguna Bronzer. This'll set you back about €56.

Bobbi Brown Warm Glow Eye Palette

This Limited Edition palette contains rich, bronzed metallics, rose golds and deep browns in a faux-croc case that's part of the "scotch on the rocks" Christmas collection. As with the rest of that range, this is apparently inspired by the late, great Lauren Bacall and you can tell- it's seriously old school Hollywood glamour and will be perfect for the festive season. It's £58 sterling though, so you may want to save this for someone you really cherish ;)

Hourglass Ambient Blush Palette

You may well have spotted this limited edition beauty on many blogs of late and with good reason. Hourglass are a much sought-after brand and their blushers in particular are well loved. In this palette you'll find Luminous flash (champagne rose blush fused with a luminous light powder for a subtle glimmer), Incandescent Electra (cool peach blended with incandescent light powder for a radiant glow) and Mood Exposure (a soft plum with mood light powder to brighten the complexion). Again, this will set you back a pretty penny at around €70. 

Topshop Lip and Cream Blush Set

Contains a dark red lipstick in Wicked and a coral cream blush in Head Over Heels (I have that one, it's lovely!). This costs £12.

Benefit Sweet Tintations Christmas Gift Set

The Benefits sets are gorgeous this year, as always. This one caught my eye because it's two different lip looks in the one set and is of course, super pretty to boot. There's "medium" sizes (that's 4mls btw) of Benetint and Lollitint with their matching full size balms. This is currently reduced to €26.55 from €29.50 on Debenhams online. 

Charlotte Tilbury Mini Lipstick Charms

Aah! These are so dinky. Three mini CT lipsticks in best selling shades; So Marilyn, Penelope Pink and Bitch Perfect. If you're that way inclined you can also hang these on your tree. Or, you know, carry them in your bag and show them off to everyone you meet...I don't know your life! This set is a reasonable €36. 

Laura Mercier La Petite Pâtisserie Soufflè Body Crème Collection

I featured this set in my Space NK Christmas post (HERE) and have to admit that I drooled a little bit when I saw it instore. The set contains 6x60ml Soufflè body Cremes in; Ambre Vanille, Almond Coconut Milk, Crème Brûlee, Fresh Fig, Crème de Pistache and Tarte au Citron. Being LM though this is pricey at around €57. Eep!

Clarins Must-Have Youth Boosters Christmas Gift Set

This Clarins set contains a 30ml of their fabulous Double-Serum, which I've only tried a sachet of but loved. There's also a 30ml of Gentle Refiner Exfoliating Cream and a 30ml Flash Balm (a must have). This is a great option for anyone with mature, dry or sensitive skin but I actually think this would suit a lot of skin types and would definitely be appreciated for the colder weather. You also get a wash bag. This is reduced to €53.20 on Cara Pharmacy at the minute.

Cocoa Brown Be Bronzed and Beautiful Gift Set

I have this set and can't get over what great value it is. Inside the gift box you'll find a full size Cocoa Brown 1 Hour Tan, a full size Gentle Bronze and a sachet of Tough Stuff scrub. I use and love all of these wonder products and if you know someone who loves their tan, then this is a great option for them. Plus it's only €9.95! Sure you may as well get one for yourself at that price while you're at it. 

Are any of these making your own Christmas wish list?

XX

The Christmas Tag!

Apologies to all you Grinches out there but I unashamedly love Christmas and was delighted to see Amy from Red Lips Red Hair had tagged me in her Christmas post. So, here goes!

Our Lego Christmas card from last year.

1. What is your favourite Christmas movie/s?

What isn't my favourite, more to the point- am I right?! I love them all but in particular, I always re-watch Elf (I wrote a whole blog post about how great it is HERE), It's a Wonderful Life (poor old George Bailey, always brings a tear to my eye), Home Alone, A Muppet's Christmas Carol (Tiny Tim always makes me cry too..the little crutch, the weak frog-cough. Sniff), Love Actually, Die Hard (you heard me), Planes, Trains and Automobiles, I'll give Miracle on 34th Street a watch and then there's all the classic non-festive movies that are on at that time of year anyway; Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, The Sound of Music, The Wizard of Oz and endless other musicals. 

The EMPTY CHAIR!! NOOOOO!

2. Do you open your presents on Christmas eve or Christmas morning?

Christmas morning. Sure Santa wouldn't have visited yet on Christmas eve. Pfft, that's just amateur hour, tag post.

3. Do you have a favourite Christmas memory?

I do! The time I woke up in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve cause I heard a noise and my granny told me it was Santa's sleigh bells on the roof. I was über excited! Midnight mass was always wonderful (even the actual mass part) and there was also the year that I asked for a Polly Pocket that was really popular and sold out everywhere- my mum and dad managed to get it but told me it was the magic of Santa and because of that I had another year believing that he existed. I still think that's really lovely. 

It could've been this one actually although I can't remember for sure. This was a princess PP. She had a castle, a throne, swans and a gazebo, a horse and carriage and amazingly, a hidden passageway (behind the suit of armour!). The pillars at the gate and the stars in the sky lit up too. Love. ( Image source.)

4. Favourite festive food

Well, everything really. Turkey and honey/clove baked ham, my mum's sage and onion stuffing (my sisters and I have been known to eat spoonfuls of it), roast potatoes, sprouts, honey roasted parsnips, trifle, mulled wine, baileys and brandy, and eh, a box of celebrations. 

5. Favourite Christmas gift

I loved my little plastic kitchen when I was small. It was called hamburger heaven and had a little oven and plastic foods. It instilled my love of fast food. Healthy. Obviously, the Polly pockets, I loved getting Lego and that doll head that you could practice hair and make up on. I think we all loved that one! These days himself always gets me lovely presents, I couldn't really pinpoint one in particular!

Image source

6.  Favourite Christmas scent?

The smell of a real tree. It's the best. I do love all of those cinnamon-y type scents as well so I usually light a few Yankee candles. I really want to try the Christmas Eve one they make but I'm not sure I can justify buying it for myself. Oh and mulled wine!

7. Do you have any Christmas Eve traditions?

Mostly just wrapping presents and placing them under the tree and getting into snuggly new Christmas jammies and slippers! We don't necessarily build a gingerbread house on Christmas eve but it's become a tradition to make one every year. Here's myself and himself's first effort, back in the day, right up to last years one with my lovely sister in law:

8. What tops your tree?

A star, although growing up we had a battered looking Santa doll that sat on top, fairly crooked and always looked drunk.

9. As a kid what was the one extravagant gift you asked for but never got?

I genuinely don't remember asking for anything crazy. I'm sure I did though!

10. What's the best part about Christmas for you?

Spending time with family, going for walks in the snow, how pretty everything looks all lit up, finding the perfect gifts for people, seeing friends, decorating the tree, and really just the general atmosphere. Everything seems a bit better at Christmas, doesn't it? It does though, it's the best. 

If you'd like to do the tag too, please do! I'd love to see your answers!

I'm tagging: 

Breige from Rare Opal Blog, 

Cat from Big Blonde Girl  

and Yvonne from One For the Wishlist.

XX

Clever Solutions From Boots For Surviving The Festive Season

You know the drill, you go into Boots to pick up some lemsip and a packet of those super soft balmy tissues to soothe your poor schnoz and while there you "treat" yourself to something pretty for when you're feeling better and out on the town. Well, it seems like the peeps at Boots have caught on to that particular shopping phenomenon and sent me a little festive season survival pack. You can't actually buy all of these things together (mores the pity) but this is just a taster of what to pop in your basket next time you're in. 

Firstly, the practical. 

If you're working and socialising whilst being out and about in the cold, teetering in high heels, you'll need the following:

Re-energise dispersable vitamins (€4.99 for 20). Lash one of these into a glass of water pre a night out or the morning after (uuurgh) and replete all your missing vitamins and minerals (including B Vitamins, Vitamin C, Folic acid, Calcium, Magnesium and Zinc). This won't prevent some wagon sneezing all over you on the Luas but it will help boost your immune system and may help keep that nasty cold at bay.

Speaking of which, the Cold & Flu Defence Nasal Spray (€8.99) is a great option for those of us prone to colds and sinusitis. One spray "traps and disperses viruses...stops cold & flu taking hold". Hurrah!

If you will be doing the afore-mentioned stumbling-in-stilettos this Christmas then you'll need these comforting Blister Plasters (€5.49 for 5). Truth be told, I've never bought the Boots own brand of these particular plasters before but these are cheaper than other brands on the market and do the same job. Regular plasters do nothing for protecting your heels from the friction of wearing uncomfortable shoes all night, whereas these guys provide an actual barrier against your skin and won't peel or come loose. Little feet miracles!

Other health heroes for the festive season you can pick up alongside your toothbrush include; Boots Skin, Hair and Nails Capsules (€7.99 for 30), Boots Irritated Eye Drops (€4.52) and Boots Anti-Blister Stick (prevents blisters before they even appear, €4.99).

The lighting is a bit bright here, in reality the lipstick and the polish are a wee bit darker.

Make up wise, it's all about a bit of drama, so you'll need some glamorous eyes. 

New No7 Midnight Lash Mascara (€17.50) has an unusual shaped brush to add volume and then tapers off so that you can get all the smaller lashes as well. The formula of the mascara itself is designed to prevent clumping and provide a rich, black pigment. Also, look at that there purdy packaging. So glittery.

With that there's the Limited edition No7 Stay Perfect Shade and Define in Precious (€10.60). This is a highly pigmented cream shadow stick to provide a golden shimmer across the eyelid. Once on, this won't budge. Believe me, I've tried! If you're not a big fan of gold eyeshadow on it's own, I suggest using this as a base for brown smokey shadows, use in the corner of the eye as a highlight shade or use it as an eyeliner against a liquid black flick- it'll look dramatic and very cool.

To compliment your sparkling eyes, there's Seventeen Stay Pout Lipsticks (€5.69). I have Rule Breaker, a rich, dark berry. This is one of those perfect Winter shades and not too dissimilar to MAC Rebel, one of my all time favourite lipsticks.

Lastly, for nails there's a new shade from No7 Gel Look Nail Colour in Persian Blue. This is a beautiful cobalt- the best way to wear blue on your nails in the Winter months. There's also a limited edition in exquisite gold which looks super sparkly.

Apologies that I'm not actually wearing the polish in the picture. Sure that'd be far too organised altogether. Again, the photo is making it look paler than it is.

Cream shadow stick in Precious and Stay Put Lipstick in Rule Breaker.

Those No7 suggestions are actually really handy too for when you've got a No7 voucher to spend, so bear these in mind and there's a 3 for 2 across make up ranges in Boots at the minute!

What are your fail safe buys to get you through the colder months?

XX

September & October Recently Read

September was a terrible reading month. I got horribly addicted to The Good Wife (I watched the first five seasons in about two weeks. I know) and only read two books so I didn't bother doing a monthly book round up at the time and have instead added them to my non-spooky October reads! You can read my Halloween reads in a separate post HERE.

The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith

I listened to this on audio and so it took me ages to get through it as I bought it just before I put my back out and I primarily listen to audiobooks when I'm walking. Doh! I did try listening to it at home when I was lying down but I kept falling asleep and having horrid nightmares based on what my ears were absorbing. Yup, this one is nasty. If you read the first Cormoran Strike novel, thought it was a relatively easy going detective story with well written characters and peppered with typical J.K. Rowling wit and were then expecting the same from this then you are wrong. Very wrong. If you have read the first book then you'll know that Strike is an ex military man who lost a leg in Afghanistan and now works as a private detective. His fiancé has left him and is engaged to someone much richer and better looking than he and his office is a bit of a kip. He does have a bright and eager assistant in the form of Robyn though- a young woman who is keen to join the business and build a career for herself. With her help they solved the case of the mysterious death of a supermodel in the first book and in The Silkworm they are now tasked with finding an eccentric author who has gone missing. It takes them a long time to gather all the necessary clues and figure out what's happened but it was an interesting journey and as with the first book, I enjoyed the writing and the character development. I just struggled with some of the more gruesome descriptions; primarily of the missing authors own work, which is really not for those with a weak stomach. I consider myself pretty hardy and even I felt queasy. Bleurgh.

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler

I got this in a kindle sale as it was in the Booker Prize shortlist and I'd heard good things. Rosemary is our narrator. She's twenty-two and is lamenting the loss of her twin sister, Fern, when she was five years old. Fern didn't die but was sent away by their parents and Rosemary is still coming to terms with the events that led to this incident. As a child she was extremely talkative and enjoyed learning and using big words. Now she has created a cocoon of silence for herself to block out the pain and confusion that comes with the sort of loss she feels. With the arrival of her fugitive brother visiting her in college, she finally starts to learn about what her five year old self did to have such an impact on Fern's fate. During the first chapter, we're told some fairly important facts about Fern that then shape the entire storyline and really make it a completely different book than what I've described here...but if I tell you that then I'm giving the whole thing away and I can't be doing that! What I will say is that this is a strange and distinctly different novel; engaging but at times slow in pace, emotive and disturbing but with very few actual likeable characters (which I always find interesting in a book). There's been some real differences of opinion on this one so if you are going to read it, keep an open mind and don't blame me if you hate it! 

Seriously…I'm Kidding by Ellen Degeneres

I've always been a big fan of Ellen and only have to hear her voice to start laughing so naturally I bought this on Audible. At first, I was confused by what this was supposed to be; was it a memoir? A series of anecdotes? Advice for living a better life? Well it's kind of all three. She does touch on some personal subjects but overall everything is spoken about in a jokey manner so it never feels like she reveals a huge amount about herself and I would say that's the one thing that bothered me about this; I finished it not knowing a great amount more about her as a person, That said, every time I listened to it I had a smile on my face and I was sad when it ended. I found myself loudly chuckling several times and really enjoyed it overall. She approaches everything with a positive attitude and throughout the book, encourages you to live your life with a better outlook. I genuinely felt uplifted reading it and found it to be the perfect accompaniment for walks- I could still concentrate on the surrounding scenery but be pleasantly entertained at the same time. I would definitely recommend this but only on audio; I feel you'd miss out on a lot of the humour without that. 

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

You know the drill by now, I'm reading the HP series for the first time this year. This is the fifth book and sees things getting much tougher for poor Harry. I actually felt really sorry for him throughout this one, he struggles with rumours flying around that he's a liar and that he made up the worrying news of the return of Voldemort. Once again, he stumbles into more life-threatening danger towards the end of the book. I cried like a baby at some parts of it and also did a "noooooo!". All very sad. Already onto number six!

The Nightingale Nurses by Donna Douglas

Same thing with this one, I'm reading this series about a group of young student nurses in 1940's Britain; how they cope with the difficulties of their harsh training, various family problems and the inevitable slide into World War 2. I started off thinking this one was more formulaic than the others but somehow it still got me and I ended up weeping away to myself (I cry a lot at books, apparently). There's a Christmas special I'm looking forward to getting stuck into soon!

Have you read and loved any of these?

What are you currently reading? 

XX