Merry Christmas!

Image from We heart it

Just a super quick post to say I hope all of my wonderful followers had a fantastic Christmas yesterday! I hope you got everything you wished for and more!

I wont be doing a 'proper' post for a couple of days Scott and I have ordered a new camera which comes on Wednesday and I want to get the hang of using it before posting! Hopefully this means you will have better quality pictures to look at in my future posts instead of the poopy ones i've had to put up from my iPhone!

Here's a sneak peek of what's coming up over the next couple of days...

My New Years Resolution

Lush Review

My Christmas Presents Haul

Witch Hazel Primer Review

If you have any requests for future posts please let me know!

With Love,

Rachel x

<3

Eyebrow Threading - A Review

After much umming and arring I finally decided to jump on the Eyebrow Threading band wagon and have my bushes of eyebrows threaded. To be perfectly honest, I didn’t look into threading at all before having it done, it was more of just a convenience thing… I had left it until the last minute to have my eyebrows done for my works Christmas night out and, being so close to Christmas all of my local salons were fully booked. I had seen an eyebrow threading bar set up in the middle of my local shopping centre and, knowing that an appointment wasn’t needed, decided to give it a try.




Picture taken from

	http://www.brow-beauty.co.uk/

http://www.brow-beauty.co.uk/

The brow bar I went to was called Brow Beauty and is located in Crossgates Shopping Centre, Leeds. Now, I don’t want to comment on the service I received too much as the main focus of this review is the actual threading technique, but  I will say I was less than happy with the service I received. The lady who was threading my eyebrows was quite rude – She did not explain the process to me before starting the procedure and didn’t provide any after care information either. She also moved my arms to where she wanted them to be as though I was a puppet instead of just asking me to move them which I really didn’t appreciate. This aside though, the lady (who’s name I didn’t get!) was very good when it came to the actual threading of my eyebrows and did a fantastic job.

For those of you who don’t know much about threading I’ll give a quick overview…

Eyebrow threading is a hair removal technique which is widely practiced in the Middle East. Threading consists of using a piece of cotton, which has been twisted into a double strand, to remove facial hairs. Threading is much more effective than tweezing as, instead of each hair being removed separately, numerous hairs are removed at the same time. This gives much straighter, cleaner and more precise lines.

I was quite apprehensive about having my eyebrows threaded as I had heard that it can be quite painful but, I’m glad to say, I found the whole experience to be quite painless and actually quite relaxing (I can be weird like that!). The feeling was quite strange at first, I could feel numerous hairs being pulled out together which was quite surreal but after a few minutes I was used to the feeling and felt myself relax. I obviously couldn’t see what was happening as my eyes were closed to avoid the hairs falling into them. After about three minutes the first brow was finished at the lady showed me the result in the mirror before starting on my left eyebrow, which hurt a lot more than the right one but was still bearable. When the left brow was completed, the lady tidied both of the brows up with a pair of small scissors before wiping them with some solution (she didn’t explain what it was). Overall the whole process took about seven minutes and was relatively pain free. I was very happy with the end result and love the shape and neatness of my eyebrows.



These pictures are really poor and don't do the final result any justice. As you can see though, the threaded brow looks much neater and tidier than the before picture and has more shape to it. Please note that I have not groomed the After brows for this pic - they look much neater when brushed!



I was really impressed with the price of threading too. It only cost me £7 which is an absolute bargain for such great results! (After looking at the online price list on Brow Beauty’s website, the price for Eyebrow Threading is shown as £10 but I was definitely only charged £7 – Perhaps they are doing a special Christmas deal?). They also currently have an offer on in which you receive a free threading session after your fourth visit.

Despite the less than satisfactory customer service I received, I will definitely have my eyebrows threaded again. For me, the results are far superior to what can be achieved with waxing or plucking and I am really happy with the way my eyebrows turned out.

For those living in or around Leeds and are interested in giving Brow Beauty Professional a try, have a peek at their website - http://www.brow-beauty.co.uk/

Have you ever had your eyebrows threaded? What were your thoughts? If you haven’t given threading a try yet, would you consider losing your threading virginity after reading this review?

With Love,

Rachel x

Skin Care Haul

Last night I had to nip to my local Tesco for a few bits for the Christmas Day starter (prawns and soup - exciting!). Needless to say, the inevitable happened and I soon found myself wandering up the health and beauty aisle... I think I was quite restrained though and stuck to the cheaper stuff so it wasn't too bad! Here's what I bought...

 

 

 

  

First up are the boring basics... Cotton buds, Baby Wipes and a pack of 100 cotton wool pads. The wipes were 97p (not sure how kind they will be to my skin yet but if they're good enough for a baby's bottom I'm sure they'll be good enough for me!), the cotton wool pads were 78p and the cotton wool buds were 30p - All cheap as chips which is what we like!

 

 

 

 

Next I needed some sort of lip balm/moisturiser as my poor lips were dry and cracked beyond belief! I managed to snap up the Blistex Daily Lip Conditioner and Intensive Moisturiser for just 90p each! (Currently on half price offer at Tesco so get yours now!).

 

 

 

 

I have seen quite a few reviews/features for the Witch Hazel Anti-Blemish Skin Clearing Primer lately and really wanted to give it a try. I picked a bottle up for £5.85 which I thought was quite reasonable for a primer and it seems perfect for my skin! I haven't had chance to use it yet though so I guess the proof will be in the pudding.... (Review to follow!)

 

 

 

Whilst browsing the skin care products I came across Tesco's own range of skin care. I picked up the Cucumber Face Scrub which was 80p (!) and the Sensitive Eye makeup remover which was also 80p (!). I also got the Skin Wisdom Night Cream which I thought was also 80p but I have just checked my receipt and it was actually £2.99!! I probably wouldn't have bought it if I had known it was that price but hey-ho!

 

 

 

 

The final item isn't something I bought but something I was given. I was rifling through my sister's make up bag and came across this MUA eye shadow which was unopened. She said she didn't like it and doesn't really wear eye shadow so kindly gave it to me :) The colour is Shade 1 - Pearl and I think it will make a perfect highlighter. I don't know the exact price of this as I didn't buy it but I'm guessing it was £1 from Superdrug as most MUA products are.

  

That's everything! Not a very interesting haul for you I'm afraid but a haul none the less! :)

 

I'll be reviewing some of these products in the near future so keep those eyes peeled!

 

With Love,

 

Rachel x

Barry M Nail Paints Review

As some of you may have read in my Mini Nail Varnish Haul I went shopping with my Mum last weekend and treated myself to a few Barry M nail varnishes.

  

Initially, I was after the Grey (293) and the Pink Crackle as my sister had painted my nails with these colours and they looked really nice together, but when I got into Superdrug and saw the rainbow of colours available all thoughts of the Grey and Pink Crackle were lost. I started picking up bottle after bottle like a woman possessed! (The shop assistant was looking at me as though I was just going to run out of the shop with an arm full of Barry M!) There were so many shades that I needed but I was on a budget and could only afford two as I had gone with the idea that I was only getting the Grey and Pink Crackle in mind... Eventually I decided that I would get the Grey as I had wanted it for a while and would probably regret it if I didn't buy it. Then I was faced with a tough decision, which other shade to get? I finally narrowed it down to two: Dusky Mauve (A purpley, greyish colour which changes colour depending on the angle you look at it - cool eh?) and the Purple Crackle. After much umming and ahhing I finally decided on the Purple Crackle as I thought it would look nice over the grey AND as I had spent over £6 on Barry M products I received a free bottle of Lilac Foil Effects (142) which strengthened my decision for Purple Crackle as the two would look cracking (see what I did there? Purple crackle, cracking? No?) together.

  

Now, I cant really review the Grey yet as I haven't applied it myself, but I can say that I absolutely LOVE the colour on and when worn with the Pink Crackle (as I did) it looks really nice. I haven't worn the grey by itself yet but will be sure to write a more detailed review as soon as I have.

Next on to the Lilac Foil and Purple Crackle which I will review together as I wore them together. The Lilac Foil didn't really appeal to me very much in the shop but I thought, what the heck, its free! And, I'll tell you what, I'm glad it was free because if it hadn't been I would never have bought it and I would never have discovered my love for it! It glides on like an absolute dream and is super easy to apply - I usually end up looking like I've dipped my fingers in paint pots when I attempt to paint my nails but I actually got them looking half decent with the Lilac Foil and didn't even need the old Nail Varnish Remover to tidy up the edges! The finish is supposed to be Foil Effect which I'm guessing is supposed to mimic Minx and the like... I have never tried Minx or anything similar so don't know if this look has been achieved but I personally am super pleased with the final result. I suppose the best way to describe it is 'Metallic'.

  

   

I loved the Lilac Foil on its own but just couldn't wait to try my purple crackle so went ahead and put that over the top. I sat back and watched in amazement as the crackle effect magically appeared on my nails! When I was painting it on I was so sure that I would do something wrong and end up with one big purple splodge on each nail but the Crackle Nail Varnish is so fool proof that not even I could mess it up! The thing I love most about the Crackle is that you don't have to be neat with it, you just smear it on et voila, look accomplished! It also hides the state of your base nail varnish if, like me, painting nails is not your forte! One thing I did find is that different looks can be achieved with the crackle: If a light coat is applied the crackle effect is much stripier and thinner, whereas if the Crackle is applied more liberally the crackle effect is larger. I preferred the bigger cracks so applied my Crackle thicker but its all a matter of personal preference.

  

Overall I am overjoyed with my new purchases and will definitely be adding more (lots more!) Barry M Nail Paints to my collection very soon so watch this space!

With Love,

Rachel x

Look Book - Wrapped Up Winter

Every woman needs a good coat, whether it be a mac, a thick, wool coat or a floor length cardigan coat, all of these make great layering devices and should definitely be a staple item of your wardrobe. Team this with this seasons must have knee length boots and you've pretty much got winter wrapped up....

The look for less...

Knee high boots - £20.00 - George at Asda

Cotton Mac - £7.00!! (Down from £25.00) - Matalan 


I can't believe that this Mac is only £7.00!! If I didnt already own two Macs I would definitley snap one up!

The Look On a £50 Budget...

Berry Dolly Coat - £30.00 (Down from ) - Dorothy Perkins

High leg boots - £17.49 (Down from £34.99) - New Look


I love the colour of this coat, its so festive and Christmassy! The boots are a bargain at £17.49 too!

The Sky is the Limit -

Classic Melton Coat - £690.00 - Vivienne Westwood

Leather Knee High Boots - £865 - Christian Louboutin - Net-a-Porter


Christian Louboutins, mmmmm! Scrumptious! But waaaaay out of my price range! They cost more than my first car!! I love the detailing on the buttons of the coat with the Vivienne Westwood orb. Another thing to go on my 'I'll never get it but I can dream' list!

Have you bought your winter coat yet? If so, will you be teaming it with over the knee boots this season?

Mini Nail Varnish Haul.

I went shopping last Sunday and picked up a few goodies of the nail varnish variety for myself so here is a quick haul, just for you...

Barry M Nail Paints - Superdrug.

As I said in my Sleek Storm Palette Review, I am useless at applying eye shadow. Another thing I'm useless at is painting my nails... So, what did I decide to buy on a recent shopping trip with my Mum? Not one, not two but three Barry M Nail Paints. Well, technically I bought two as one was free (more on that later).

The first shade I bought was Grey (293). I've had my eye on this colour for a while as I aren't usually a fan of bright nails and prefer the understated, subtle shades (I really want to try Mushroom and Dusky Mauve next). My sister painted my nails with the Grey the night before my shopping trip and I loved it so much I had to have it for myself. My sister also applied the Barry M pink crackle over the top of the grey and the two went together really well. I did contemplate actually buying the pink crackle when I bought the Grey but decided that if I wanted to recreate the look my sister had done for me I could just borrow her pink crackle so decided against it. Maybe I will eventually buy it though as I cant keep 'borrowing' nail varnish from my fourteen year old sister...

Although I decided against the pink crackle, I did want one of the crackle colours. My sister already has the pink and blue so it seemed pointless buying any of those. I thought the black was a bit dull and if I were to wear it with the Grey it would just be too dark and dreary. I contemplated white but quickly decided that this would probably look like I had just applied Tippex to my nails... (I could be wrong though so if you have tried the white crackle please share your thoughts!) Then I clapped eyes on the purple crackle. Purple is my favouritest colour EVER and I quickly snapped it up. It did look a teeny bit dark in the bottle but I thought it would look amazing if put with the right colour.

As I had spent over £6 on Barry M products I received a free gift which was the Lilac Foil Effects (142). This isn't a colour I would usually buy but it is very pretty and cute. I didn't quite understand the whole 'foil' thing as it didn't really seem like a 'new, ground-breaking thing' to me as the advertising and bottle suggested. Metallic nail varnishes have been around for a loooong time and I couldn't quite work out what made this product so different, until I applied it... I will write a review on this over the next few days, but for now, let's just say I LOVE it! Receiving the Lilac Foil as a free gift made my choice of crackle perfect as the Lilac Foil and purple crackle look scrumptious together.

Collection 2000 Nail Varnish - Wilkinsons.

As well as picking up the three Barry M Nail Paints, I also treated myself to a bottle of Collection 2000's Buried Treasure. I was actually looking for a Rose Gold nail varnish as I have seen this on a few blogs and you tube videos but I couldn't find any [insert sad face here]. Buried Treasure was the closest thing I could find to Rose Gold but it is more of a creamy gold than a pinky gold - in fact, it is nothing like Rose Gold but I was adamant that I would be taking a gold shade nail varnish home with me and Buried Treasure was the nicest one I could find! I haven't actually used this yet but I have done a quick swatch on paper and I absolutely love the colour.

All About Face Nail Varnish - Tesco!

As said above, I had a mad search for Rose Gold nail varnish and, despite searching high and low, I just could not find any. After our frenzied dash around our local shopping centre, we rushed to Tesco (it was half past three on a Sunday may I add, and the shop was shutting in half an hour!) and while my Mum was looking for a Christmassy DVD I scoured the make up aisle - Or I would have done if they hadn't put those silly shutters down over all of the popular branded make up! This left me with the cheapo stuff to look at, and, I have to say, I didn't hold out much hope! I checked the 99p nail varnishes first but they didn't have anything even remotely like Rose Gold so I turned my search to the £1.49 nail varnishes (Last of the big spenders!) and actually found a shade quite similar to Rose Gold (Please note, I use the words 'quite similar' very loosely as it doesn't really resemble Rose Gold at all but at this point I was desperate and I think if somebody had presented me with a lime green nail varnish I would have said it was similar to Rose Gold and rushed to the checkout with it...). It was by 'All About Face' which I thought was a rather iffy brand name for nail varnish as you don't apply nail varnish to your face... Anywhoo, the shade is Fudge which I think is about as relevant as the brand name as it looks nothing like fudge! And even though its not really anything like Rose Gold I likes it and I'm happy that I added it to my (slowly growing) collection :)



Upper Swatch - Fudge & Lower Swatch - Buried Treasure



I thought both the Fudge and Buried Treasure were both nice festive-y (is that even a word?) colours and aren't too tacky, which golds (in my opinion) usually tend to be. 


So there you go, five new nail varnishes added to my collection in the space of two hours! Now just to practice actually painting my nails without making it look like I've been dipping my fingers in paint...

I'm going to do a review of the Barry M Nail Paints and Crackle next so watch this space for that!

With Love,

Rachel x 

Look Book - December 2011 - English Heritage

English Heritage is a key trend this season and I wanted to show you how to achieve the look on a limited budget. With the English Heritage look, you can expect a lot of tweed, sheepskin, wool, faded florals and plaid materials and key colours for the trend include beige, brown and mustard as well as various orangey shades such as russet, rust and burnt orange. 

I am going to start my Look Book posts with three budget bands - The look for less budget will be £50, The Highstreet Budget will be £100 per outfit and I will also have a 'The sky is the limit' budget for designer brands. If you think that these budgets need tweeking a little please let me know and they can be changed!

Please also remember to recycle your existing clothes for this look...perhaps you have some old riding boots or wellies (it’s a good job I proof read this before posting as I had written Willies instead of Wellies! – Ultimate fail!) laying around? Some great vintage items that are perfect for the Heritage look can be picked up from car boot sales and charity shops too so always remember to include these places in your search!

English Heritage - The Highsreet Budget - Look 1

Boots - £24.99 – New Look

Turtle Neck Jumper - £22.00 – River Island

Owl Necklace - £7.00 – Matalan

Skinny Indigo Jeans - £25.00 – Dorothy Perkins

Black Horse Scarf - £8.00 (Down from £10.00) – Dorothy Perkins

Mustard Rectangular Ring - £8.50 – Dorothy Perkins - Dorothy Perkins

Bead Earrings - £2.00 (Down from £4.00) –  Miss Selfridge

Total - £97.49

I love the black horse scarf from Dorothy Perkins. I aren't usually a lover of printed scarves but this one caught my eye for some reason and I thought it would compliment the look perfectly. I think the owl necklace is AMAZING! I have a slight MASSIVE addiction for owls so will definitley be buying myself one of these!

English Heritage - The Highsreet Budget - Look 2

Roll Neck Jumper - £14.00 – River Island

Navy Quilted Jacket - £24.00 – New Look - New Look

Cross Body Bag - £10.00 (down from £20.00!) – River Island

Colour Block Belted Skirt – £24.99 – New Look

Shoes - £14.99 (From £29.99!) – H&M - H&M

Owl Necklace - £6.00 – Matalan - Matalan

Ribbed Navy Tights- £4.00 – F&F at Tesco


Total = £82.99!


Yep, you spotted it... another Owl necklace! I really need to purchase this for myself! Perhaps with my Christmas money? (Only 16 days to go!)

English Heritage – The Look for Less – Look 1

Rust Roll Neck Jumper - £4.00 (Down from £8.00) – F&F at Tesco

Camel Straight Leg Jeans - £14.00 – George at Asda

Slouch Ankle Boots - £10.00 – F&F at Tesco

Rose Print Earrings - £2.99 – Select Fashion

Mustard Printed Scarf - £1.99 (Down from £2.99) – H&M

Bird Ring - £1.99 (Down from £2.99) – H&M - H&M

Bangle – £8.50 – H&M - Dorothy Perkins

Bag - £3.49 (Down from £12.99!) – H&M - H&M

Total Cost = £46.96 (Bargain!)

This is a very simple, watered-down version of the English Heritage look but I think it works really well. The roll neck jumper is a snip at £4! So much of a snip in fact that I had to order it for myself! I also really like the bangle and the scarf which inject a bit of extra colour into the look.

English Heritage – The Look for Less – Look 2

WARNING! - I went a bit Select Fashion mad for this look but they just had so many nice things!

Distressed Riding Boots - £20.00 (Down from £30.00) – Select Fashion

Camel Basic Long Sleeved Top - £6.00 – Select Fashion

Waxed Cotton Cape - £10.00 (Down from £25.00) –  Select Fashion

Chocolate Leggings - £5.00 – Select Fashion

Patent Across Body Bag - £6.00 – Select Fashion

Butterfly Cameo Earrings - £3.99 – Select Fashion - Select Fashion

Total = £50.99 (Whoops! Slightly over the budget!)

I absolutley LOVE the butterfly cameo earrings! As well as my owl addiction I have a slight penchant for butterflies so I've definitley got to get me some of these earrings! I also love the waxed cotton cape and think it would go great with the distressed riding boots.

English Heritage – The Sky is the Limit Look

Boots - £72.00 (Down from £90.00) – Vivienne Westwood

Jodphurs - £99.95 – Barbour

Quilted Gillet - £139.95 - Barbour

Roll Neck Jumper – £14.90 – Mango - Mango

Sheep Skin Mittens - £59.00 – Jack Wills

Fur Headband – £24.00 – Jack Wills

Total = £409.80 (A girl can dream!)

Sleek Storm Palette Review

The Sleek Storm Palette is another purchase I made on the strength of reviews. Every review I read couldnt recommend it enough and, I have to say, I completely agree...

Sleek Storm Palette

Affordability - ♥♥♥♥♥

Vaule for money - ♥♥♥♥♥

Quality of product - ♥♥♥♥♥

Ease of use - ♥♥♥♥♥

Packaging - ♥♥♥♥♥

Affordability - The Sleek Storm palette is currently £6.49 from both Superdrug and the Sleek website. I think this is an absolutely amazing price for this product and wouldn't be surprised if the price does start to creep up now that the range is gaining popularity. I would pay up to around £10 for this palette as I think the quality is worth much more than £6.49! (Not that I'm complaining about the cheap price or anything - I likes cheap!).

Value for money - I have had this palette for around four months now and there are no major visible signs of use yet! Other than that fact that some of my favourite colours don't have the 'waffle' like pattern on top anymore but other than that you would think it was still an un-used palette. A little bit goes a loooong way as the eye shadows are so blendable and easy to work with which makes this palette even more amazing.

Quality of product - First of all, let me explain that I am usually absolutely useless when it comes to applying eye shadow - I end up with fall out all over my cheeks and smudges of eye shadow all around my eyes! I bought the Sleek Storm palette after watching a few tutorial videos on YouTube (ALBMakeup) which made application of these eye shadows look so easy and effortless and the results were great. I was extremely tempted to purchase more than one of the palettes when I saw how cheap they were but managed to stop myself until I had tried the Storm Palette. I really cannot fault the quality of these eye shadows - they are extremely pigmented and fool proof to use and I just love everything about them! The best thing for me about this palette is, with the exception of one or two, I will use every single shade which doesn't happen very often as I'm such a fussy bugger!

Ease of use - As mentioned above, I am usually useless at applying eye shadow. The first time I used the Sleek Storm palette I followed a tutorial video on YouTube and was amazed when I had finished and the result actually looked the same (or very similar at least!) as the video! I have tried following eye make up tutorials before using various other eye shadows and have not once managed to achieve an even remotely decent look! These eye shadows are so pigmented and blendable which makes them super easy to use. I honestly can not recommend this palette enough, I love every thing about it and always get compliments when I use it!

Packaging - I really love the packaging for this product. The palette itself looks sophisticated and tidy and I absolutely love the large mirror in the lid. The only criticism I have is that the box in which the palette comes in is utterly needless and is just a waste of time really!

Overall I really can't knock the Sleek Storm palette. It has become a firm favourite make-up item of mine and is always the thing I reach for when I want to create a new eye look (I even used this palette for my Halloween make up!). If you haven't given the Sleek palettes a try yet, get out and get yours now! You wont regret it!

Links - Sleek Storm Palette @ Superdrug

                 Sleek Make Up

           

Its SNOWING!

Okay, so I didn't anticipate that my second post would be so soon but it is SNOWING in Leeds and I feel this deserves a post! Now, please do not confuse my urgent need to post about the snow as excitement because, let me tell you, snow is the weather I despise the most. I would rather have wind, rain and hail stones than snow! It is just so inconvenient and causes so much chaos!


Perhaps I wouldn't find snow so horrid if I didn't live so close to my work and snow meant a snow day but I live less than a mile away from my work so I have absolutely no reason not to go in!


I haven't been driving very long (well, its actually been two years in ten days so I don't think I can get away with playing the 'new driver' card much longer!) and I lack confidence with my driving. When snow and icy road conditions are added to the equation I literally have no confidence in my driving at all and this means walking to work.


"You live less than a mile away from work, that's not so bad!" I hear you say! But, when you have my hair (Frizzy bush is the best way to describe my hair in its natural state) and have to wear a woolly hat, walking to work is the worst! By the time I get to work I look like I have an Afro and have just run a marathon which is really not a good look! Especially when you work in a predominately male environment and get the mick ripped out of you all day long for having such a fetching hair style!


With this in mind, Sunday night is the worst night imaginable for the sky to decide it would like to snow! Now I am going to go to bed with the dilemma of "Should I drive or walk?" in my head!


I just really really hope that I wake up in the morning and all is normal and not covered in the cold white stuff! Please God! Please!


On another note, I have just realised that it is my sister's dog's birthday today so I would just like to wish a very happy 13th birthday to Bonny! (That's 91 years old in dog years which I think you will agree is very admirable!) I know you may think it is extremely random for me to be wishing a dog happy birthday but Bonny was mine and my sister's childhood doggie until my sister moved out and took Bonny with her and I love her very much and she is very special to me! It only seems like yesterday that she was a puppy and now she is an old lady!