Autumn Wishlisht | High street Fashion

Clockwise: Bag - River Island / Kimono - River Island / Wrap Top - Matalan / Boots - Newlook / Jumper - Newlook

MUA Palette Collection and Swatches

I love MUA Cosmetics. I think they are a great budget makeup brand and the quality considering the price of the items in the line is great.

Some of my favorite MUA products are their eye shadow palettes. They currently have 12 on their website, and I have three of them (the immaculate palette doesn't seem to be available from their website at the moment). I decided to do a post on my collection, and to show you some swatches.

The quality of the palettes is great. The only issue I have is the matte shadows not being as pigmented as I'd like - but I get around this by scraping the matte shadows before use turning them into a sort of pigment and this seems to work really well.

They do take a little more effort blending than the likes of Urban Decay, but if you have a good brush it isnt too much trouble. Id definitely recommend these palettes to any makeup lover!

My favourite over all is the 

Do you have any MUA palettes? What do you think of them? 

My Top 5 Picks from Chi Chi | Wishlist

Have you ever gone on a night out and find three girls wearing the exact same dress as you? Or even worse, your best friend? Well, that has happened to me a lot over the years, as that original and unique dress you find in NewLook turns out to not be so original and unique after all.

In comes Chi Chi, an online site that sells gorgeous dresses for all occasions. The dresses are so pretty and unique, you can probably guarantee that no one will have the same dress as you!

Here are my top 5 picks from all the gorgeous dresses on their website:

Clockwise from left: | Salvadora | Erica | Jacinta | Isis | Dorita |

Bloggers: If you hurry, you too can write a wishlist for ChiChi and be in with a chance of winning £200 to spend on their site! Visit here: http://etailpr.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/chi-chi-blogger-competition-win-200.html for more info x

NOTD: Matte Black Nails

{please excuse my dry cuticles, I have tried a hand and nail cream and Sally Hansen cuticle remover and nothing seems to be working}

If you have been into Poundland recently, you will know that they have a really good selection of nail art bits in at the moment. I have picked up some lovely nail charms, bows, a polka dot top coat and this matte nail art kit.

The kit comes with a matte black nail polish and a clear gloss so you can create some designs (you guessed it, it costs £1). I went with this simple design sort of like a french manicure and I love it.

I found the polish doesn't last as long as a usual glossy one, but this is probably due to the fact that you cant add a base or top coat to it.

If you're into nail art, I highly recommend you pop into your local Poundland for a look!

Gem x

My Weight Loss Story: Updated August 2013

If you have read my original 'Weight Loss Story', you would know that last year I lost a total of around 2 and a half stone with Slimming World.

I had already lost around 1 stone due to pregnancy. I had a rough time and didn't eat a lot as I had very bad sickness, so after birth I was over a stone lighter but still I was obese.

The last straw for me was seeing a picture of myself on a night out, standing next to my gorgeous, thin friend. I decided to join a weight loss group and had heard only good things about Slimming World so decided to give it a go.

I was full of motivation and I found it relatively easy to shed the first 2 stone. But after that first 2 stone I seemed to hit a wall. Whether it was a mental or physical one I am not too sure, but I yo-yo'd between loosing a pound and gaining a pound for around 6 weeks.

I was very down about this, even my Slimming World leader could see and tried to re-motivate me but it didn't work. I decided to have a break from it, and thought that I could at least maintain my weight at the time.

Unfortunately, I didn't manage to maintain my weight or find the motivation to go back to the group. Eight months later I rejoined Slimming World and was nearly the same weight as I was when I started first time around.

This time I really plan to stick at it, and get to my target weight of 10.7 stone. At 5'5" that is the upper end of the BMI scale for a healthy weight, but I think it is a weight that I would be happy at. I have around 2 stone to loose now and it does scare me, but I know I can do it... I've done it before!

Heres some pictures for you to see.....

I've already lost 8 1/2 lbs so far in 4 weeks, so I'm over the moon about that. Its really kick started it all for me and I am already seeing benefits. My skin is looking SO much better and my double chin is starting to go!

Slimming World isn't really a diet as such, its more of a healthy eating program and if you are looking to join a weight loss group I thoroughly recommend it. I have tried weight watchers and found it much harder to stick to. If you would like any information or if you are on slimming world and want to stay in touch, drop me an email at gemseren@gmail.com


Gem x

July Favorites

Sleek Face Form Palette - I have it in light and absolutely love it. The blush is really pretty, the highlight is highly pigmented and the bronzer is completely matte. Keep your eyes peeled for a full review coming soon!

Bourjois Chocolate Bronzer, Shade 52 - I really like this as a bronzer and it smells gorgeous (not like chocolate really, more like sweets). I was originally going to use this as a contour, but there are glitter particles in it, and I spotted the Sleek palette in Superdrug just after buying this, so it worked out well anyway.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation - Love this foundation, its nearly perfect. The only problem I have is that it is slighly too dewy for my preferences so all I do is add a little bit of Rimmel Stay Matte powder and I am good to go.

Bourjois Colour Boost in Peach on the Beach - See my full review here - Its such a pretty shade!

No 7 Blush in Cool Pink - I have been looking for a cool toned blush for a while now and this one is perfect. It looks gorgeous paired with Mac Creme Cup lipstick.

So there are my favorites! I know its quite Bourjois heavy this month, I haven't been sponsored honest, haha! I took advantage of the 3 for 2 and absolutely loved everything I got!

What have you been loving this month?

Gem xxx

Watermelon Nail Art

These nails are really cute and quite easy to achieve. The pink colour is the new Gel Nail Polish from Collection (2000) and its really pretty on its own, but I decided to jazz it up a bit! The colour is called Watermelon, and so the name was my inspiration for this nail art!

Gem x