Christmas NOTD: Xmas Pudding Nails

I wanted to do a festive nail, but I am working all the way up til Christmas Eve (boo) so I needed it to be work appropriate.

 I settled on this: Nails Inc Porchester Square and a Christmas Pud on my ring finger as an accent. I think it turned out well and looks pretty cute!

Do you have festive fingernails?

Gem x

Area H2O Shampoo & Conditioner Review (Soft Water)

For the past two weeks I have been taking part in the Area H2O Healthy Hair Challenge. I have been using  Area H2O Shampoo and conditioner for two weeks, and now I am reporting back my results.

Depending on where you live in the UK you could have hard, soft, or medium water. Each water type has a specific problem when it comes to washing your hair and Area H2O is a shampoo that combats that problem.

I live in an area where the water is soft, which means that my hair is more likely to have product build up which could lead to unruly, flyaway hair.

On the first wash I could feel a real difference, my hair felt super clean, light weight, and so soft. It was definitely less flyaway and much easier to manage. 

I absolutely love this shampoo, I think that it really does make a difference and my hair is most definitely healthier.

Here are some photos of my healthier hair. I think it looks shiny and smooth :)

Gem x

Spa Day Treats: What to Take with You* guest post

Spa Day Treats: What to Take with You*

Whether you’re being treated to a spa day by your other half as an early Christmas present, or you’re treating yourself for no other reason than you deserve it, if you’re unfamiliar with how spa days work, they can be a little daunting. What do you need to take with you? What should you expect once you’re there? You’ll probably have a billion questions whizzing through your mind before the day, particularly if you’ve never been to one before. However, despite spas differing greatly, the bare essentials that you should consider taking with you tend to remain the same.

Swimwear

It’s common for women to take two swimsuits with them on a spa day so that they’re not stepping into a wet swimsuit after lunch. If you’re not too confident with your body shape, it may be sensible to take a onepiece for if you use the swimming pool, while reserving the bikini for any treatments and massages you organise – after all, it’s easier to keep bikini bottoms on than it is trying to be massaged in a cozzie! Take a look at George’s range of swimsuits if you don’t already have a suitable swimsuit to take with you.

Goggles

While they’re not essential, they’re ideal if you’re planning on going for a swim as part of the day. Depending on the spa you are booked into, if you do forget goggles, or decide that you’d like some once you’re there, you can usually buy them from the spa shop or reception.

Toiletries

Check to see what your chosen spa includes for you to use. If they don’t supply them, shampoo, conditioner and shower gel will be handy for when you take a shower. They usually provide a hairdryer though, so don’t worry about taking that along with you.

You will need to take along any hair products or make up that you use though – obviously, this depends on how much you rely on them and whether you’re happy to be seen in public without your face on!

A Fresh Change of Clothes

It can be rather nice to change into a fresh set of clothes once your spa day is over – this is completely up to you though.

A Book

While magazines are usually provided, you may as well put your spa day to good use and take your latest read to catch up on. There’s only so much celebrity gossip you can take, right?

Check with the spa before you go whether a robe and slippers will be provided. They usually are, but sometimes they can carry a surcharge. You’ll be given a locker key on arrival so that all of yourbelongings are safe and secure. Try not to stress or worry about what you should be taking along for your spa day and make sure that it’s as relaxing as it can possibly be, from the very beginning; all that’s left to do then is relax, unwind and enjoy the break!

Little Mix By Collection - Perrie Lipstick Review

I am not a fan of Little Mix, but I am a huge fan of purple lipstick. Little Mix by Collection (2000) Perrie's Lipstick had been out of stock for ages in my Superdrug. though the other day I was in luck as there was one left so I snapped it up.

I really liked the colour of the lipsticks from MUA's 1D makuep, but the packaging is way too tacky and childish for me to even contemplate buying. I think Collection have done a good job on this though, its not too obviously aimed at pre-teens.

 I love the colour, its the perfect purple and I think it suits me quite well. Its a nice change from my usual choice of pink.

The formulation is great, like all Collection Lipsticks. It is pigmented and is not at all drying. I would say the finish is semi-matte.

It lasted a really good time on my lips too, around 5 hours which is perfect.

Overall I absolutely love this lipstick and am on the look out for a back up as I love it that much. At £2.99 its an absolute bargain too.

Gem x

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge Review

I have wanted to try a Beauty Blender sponge for ages, but at around £16 they were out of my price range. So when Real Techniques brought out a Beauty Blender dupe I was so happy. I saved up my Boots points as I was still a little begrudged to spend £5.99 on a sponge.

It was well worth the money though, It really is great. I dampen mine by running it under warm water and then drying with a towel. I use the flat edge to apply my foundation in a sweeping motion which leaves me with really light coverage, so I then go in and use the sponge in patting motions over the areas that need high coverage (which is basically my whole face at the moment). This leaves me with a really flawless looking complexion - The sponge does exactly what it says on the tin!

I love the way that the sponge is designed, the flat surface is great for quick coverage and the point is great for under the eyes and around the nose. Its also great for spot concealing.

Overall I absolutely love this sponge and am going to purchase another as a back up. Its great for when you want a flawless finish to your makeup. The only gripe I have is that it is really hard to get completely clean, but I can overlook this for the sake of a flawless base.

Have you tried this?

Gem x

Manicure Monday: Purple and Silver

This manicure looks really effective and is really simple to do too. first I painted my nails with the silver colour and let it dry completely. Then I used sellotape to create the triangle shape and painted over with the purple. Let it dry and remove the tape and you are left with these cute nails!

Gem x

Manicure Monday: Greenberry and Black

I think Barry M Nail Gelly in Green Berry is my all time favorite colour nail polish. I love it and just because its winter, it doesn't mean you cant wear bright nails. I added the black outline using Avons nail art tool, it takes practice and a steady hand. As you can see I do need a little more practice, but I still like the end result.

Gem x

Poundland & Boots Beauty Haul

I made a few cheeky purchases the other day along with some essentials and I thought I would share.

I have wanted the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge ever since its release, but I was a bit weary of spending £5.99 on what is essentially just a sponge. I decided to save up my Boots points and get it with them.

Even though makeup is currently 3-for-2, I managed to restrain myself and only get what I needed - foundation. I love Revlon Color Stay, it is the only drug store foundation I have tried that truly lasts all day on my skin. I get the Normal - Dry version and am using the colour Buff, which I think is second to lightest in the range.

On to Poundland- I went in to buy my shampoo as I have run out. I picked Schwarzkopf Gliss Total Repair up on a whim to begin with and was blown away by how good it is. Its now my regular shampoo, and a total bargain.

I spotted these makeup brushes, they are new to my Poundland so of course I had to buy them to try them out. A full review will be coming as soon as I have road tested them, but first impressions are that they are super-soft and look really cute!

Have you picked up any bargains recently?

Gem x

Sleek Face Form Pallette (light) Review and Swatches

I have had the Sleek Face Form Palette in my stash for a few months now and have been loving it. The contour shade is the perfect colour for my pale skin and the blush and highlight are gorgeous.

The powders are all very pigmented, so I like to use a light hand with them. I must admit I don't use the blush and highlight as much as the contour shade, as day to day I prefer a more matte look.

Overall, this is a great palette. Thoroughly recommended .

Gem x

Pride of Britain awards: the best-dressed

One of the highlights of the year, the Pride of Britain Awards aims to reward the country’s unsung heroes. While this means celebrities can take a back seat for one evening, they still got glammed up to show their support and present a few of the prizes. While there were plenty of fancy frocks on display, these celebs were undoubtedly the best dressed.

Kimberley Walsh

Full-length white gowns can be difficult to pull off, unless you want to risk looking like a runaway bride. Lovely Kimberley managed it, however, opting for a gorgeous sleeved gown with a peekaboo cut out and thigh-high slit. Her crimson lips and blonde bob polished off this update on classic Marilyn Monroe glamour that suited curvy Kimberley perfectly.

Rochelle Humes

Pregnant Frankie was missing from the red carpet but the rest of The Saturdays looked stunning together. Rochelle really stood out in a nude evening gown with a sheer skirt and baroque detailing. Finishing with a rich plum lipstick and sleek side plait, she was right on trend with a look that ticked plenty of this season’s style boxes.

Tess Daly

Tess is used to glamorous dresses as the host of Strictly, and she showed us just how to rock a slinky LBD. The on-trend sheer detailing across her arms ensured that the star wasn’t showing off too much flesh, while her gold accessories added a touch of class. Apparently Tess was such a fan of this fabulous number that she's even been seen wearing it on a date night with husband Vernon! Get your own versatile evening look from the fabulous range of AX Paris dresses.

Myleene Klass

Animal print is set be a hit this season, and fashion forward Myleene channelled her wild side in a gorgeous leopard print gown. The single shoulder maxi dress proved that this bold trend can be elegant and saw Myleene making it onto plenty of best dressed round-ups. Not one to let the glamour go to her perfectly coiffed head, the TV presenter was later spotted rounding off the night with a McDonalds!

Christmas Wishlist: Beauty Gift Sets

EOS Lipbalm Set  £16 | Clinique Whole Lot of Candy £20 | Benefit Groovy Kind a Love £29.50 | Soap and Glory The Yule Monty £60 | Nars Fling Lips Set £30 | Mac Stroke of Midnight Nude Lip Set  £32 | Urban Decay Smoked 24/7  £26

I love getting Makeup for Christmas, what beauty blogger doesn't? I thought I would share what gift sets are on my radar this year, it may give you some ideas to add to your wishlist too.

Whats on your wishlist?

Gem x

Manicure Monday: Blue Daisies

With the lighting being so rubbish, I had to use flash for this picture. The colour is a little darker in real life. These daisies are so simple to create using a dotting tool and the result is so pretty.

Gem x

October Favorites

Over the past month I have now accepted the fact that it is not summer anymore, and have adjusted my makeup accordingly. I have been loving berry and purple shades for the lips and matte smokey eyes.

Top L-R: MUA Shade 2, MUA Wild Berry, Cherry Me Baby Lips

Bottom L-R: elf Mellow Mauve, Bourjois Bronzer.

As you can see I have been loving a MUA cosmetics, they have really upped their game with the matte pallette, its very very good! And I am loving the new matte lipstick in Wild Berry, although it is a little drying the colour is gorgeous. I like to put baby lips in Cherry Me underneath, although this does affect the matte look, its the colour that I love.

I have been paring my berry lips with elfs Mellow Mauve studio blush. I love elfs studio blushers, they are great quality and come in lovely colours.

I have been using the Bourjois bronzer to contour my face, its the perfect colour for my paler skin as its quite sheer, but the colour can be built up.

What have you been loving this past month?

Gem x

Are You The Most Annoying Facebook User

Facebook are going to be celebrating their tenth birthday in 2014, but although most of us haven't been using it as long as that, we are still starting to experience a few irritations about the social networking site.

Worst of all, are the users – our so called 'friends'. There always seems to be at least a handful of them that cause severe annoyance – to the point where we're tempted to block the user from our newsfeed. Or worse still, remove them as a friend altogether. It's handy that we at least have this option on facebook, as in real life, we just have to put up with those people that annoy us the most.

In this fun infographic which the website, lovemyvouchers.co.uk, has put together to demonstrate the results of a survey they carried out, you can see a list of the top ten most irritating facebook types. These include the friend from when you were two trying to befreind you on facebook, when you haven't seen them for twenty years; the person to constantly posts photos of the food they are eating, as well as those terribly annoying people who are always updating their facebook status, no matter how little their updates will be of interest to anyone else.

Have you managed to escape the top ten, or can you recognise some of your own facebook behaviour in some of these? If so, careful, as you may suddenly find your number of friends going down!

A Little Boots and Superdrug Haul

About two weeks ago now I popped into Boots, you know the story - I only wanted a new foundation. But 17 was on 3 for £10 and then I accidentally went next door to Superdrug and picked up another foundation and some MUA bits.

I have been testing these out, and some I am loving but some not so much. The highlighter is absolutely gorgeous and the MUA Palette is brilliant.

Keep an eye out for reviews coming soon - or if there is anything you want specifically reviewed let me know!

Gem x

Halloween NOTD : Bullet Hole and Dripping Blood

I love doing nail art, but haven't had any time recently. With Halloween coming up I just had to do some spooky/gory nail art.

I've seen a few people do something similar, but came across this image on pinterest and decided to recreate it. I love the added bullet hole.

I'm going out on Wednesday and dressing up as dead riding hood, so will probably be sporting these nails.

What are your plans for Halloween?

Gem x

Collection Gothic Glam Lipstick in Scorned - The Perfect Lipstick for Halloween

^The colour in the bullet looks a lot darker in real life. My camera seemed to pick it up a lot more purple, and photoshop couldn't fix it^

I was browsing in Superdrug the other day and I spotted the new Gothic Glam Collection by, um, Collection.

 I was on the look out for a deep plum lipstick and this is definitely deep. Its so dark, there is no way I would wear this on any other occasion other than Halloween. That being said, I have used this lipstick with a lighter purple to deepen the colour and it looked great.

The formulation is great, it lasts a good amount of time and it smells really nice. For £2.99 these are a bargain and I really want to try the deep red colour, perhaps that would be more wearable day to day.

Heres a picture of me wearing it, sorry the quality isnt great its from my iphone.

Gem x

Autumn NewLook Wishlist

Like everyone else, I am looking for some new clothes for my autumn wardrobe. I was browsing through the New Look website and decided to share a few of my favorite items with you. As you can see I am loving darker colours now autumn is here. I particularity love the floral dress, I think it would look lovely with thick black tights and a chunky knit cardi. It would also look lovely in spring, making it really versatile.

Please note that this is not a sponsored post, I am just loving New look and wanted to share!

What is your favorite store to shop in for clothes?

Gem x

Benefit World Famous Neutrals - Sexiest Nudes Ever - Review & Swatches

I was lucky enough to receive a £20 Feel Unique voucher a while ago, and when I realized they sell Benefit Cosmetics I knew exactly what I wanted to get

These kits have been out for a while now, I already have the Most Glamorous Nudes Ever and absolutely love it, so wanted to add another to my collection. The Sexiest Nudes caught my eye because the colours are so pretty. 

Purple is not the colour I would usually go for, but I thought I would try something a little out of my comfort zone and I'm glad I did.

The powder shadows have the right amount of pigmentation and the Creasless Cream Shadows really do last all day. I think I may have to purchase the full size Bikini-Tini, its perfect to use on its own or under shadow.

I would recommend this to anyone who likes their neutrals but are looking for an alternative to browns and beige. The kit is perfect for creating glamorous daytime and evening looks.

Gem x

Stargazer Cosmetics

A little while ago I was kindly asked if I would like to try some Stargazer Cosmetics products. Of course I accepted, I had never tried anything from the brand before and was intrigued.

They are on the cheaper end of the makeup scale, and you all know how much I love my budget brands. I was sent a lovely selection of products and I really like them all. My favorite has to be the eyeshadow, its so pretty and  perfect for using as an inner corner highlight.

The lipsticks are a little tougher than some to apply, but they are matte and they have really good lasting power, as does the blush. The eyeshadow pen needs a primer and is best when used under a powder eyeshadow. The nail polish is amazing and will be featured in an upcoming NOTD.

Below are swatches, and you can see the lipstick on my lips.

As you can see, all products have great pigmentation which for me is such an important thing. I would thoroughly recommend checking out Stargazer Cosmetics.

Gem x