Winter Bedding 2015

To reflect the season one of the easiest things to change up around your home is your bedding. This year I feel like i've really perfected the perfect set up to make me feel all snug and christmassy so I thought i'd share it with you in this quick post.

Bed - Laura Ashley
Sheets - Primark
Throw - ?
Fairy lights - Urban Outfitters

Cushions (top image, left to right)
White - Store 21
Fluffy red - Debenhams
London Bridge - Dunelm
Red - Homebase
Floral - Homebase
Deer (cover) - Amazon

TTFN x

Autumn/ Winter - Lips & nails

Hello! I haven’t posted in so long which sucks but it’s because all my plans for blog posts have required a bit of photo snapping, and (to cut a long story short) I had my phone robbed (which the insurance company have finally managed to replace 3 months later) and I'm not getting a new camera till the end of the year.

So yes, apologies for the absence but I thought I would issue you my first Autumn post (bit late, sorry!).

Autumn is and always has been my favourite season which used to make me super cool and quirky but has become the thing among beauty bloggers. I think its because you can suddenly be so much more adventurous with your makeup in terms of bold lipstick and smokey eyes. Anyway, two of the easiest things, I think, beauty wise to change up and give a little nod to the season are lips and nails. So here are some of the nail vanish’s, lipsticks and glosses that have become my staples since the start of autumn, and will no doubt carry me right through winter.

Nails

 (Clockwise from the top)
Barry M - Gelly Hi Shine nail paint - Black Cherry
I am quite surprised this is the only Gelly nail vanish i've put in this post because I love these. I got this in October and i'm pretty sure it was part of a Halloween collection but don't quote me on that!
A few coats leaves this nail vanish really opaque and super shiny, plus the Gelly nail vanish and impressively chip proof. The shade is like a really-dark-red-almost-black and makes you look like some sexy, chic vampire goddess.

Essie - Angora Cardi
UNsurprisingly this isn't the only Essie vanish in this post. I'm going to through it out there and say Essie polishes are my favourite EVER. They have such an incredible range of colours and are INSANELY chip proof, even for lazy buggers like my who can't be asked with top coats and such. On first look, it's like a beigey dusty rose (not that you can tell from the awful picture - sorry!) but comes out a little bit darker on the nails. A very chic nude.

Maybelline Color Show - 241 Orange Attack
If you want something a bit brighter, I really like this unashamedly vibrant orange shade. The consistency of this particular vanish is quite thin and liquidy so requires a bit more patience to apply but, after a few coats, does leave and lovely glossy, vibrant nail.

Rimmel London - 60 seconds - 320 Rapid Ruby
In my opinion, the perfect red. I would say its a touch darker than a pillar box red but is perfect is RED is all you want. I also tend to wear this one over christmas because it looks great with a lick of red glittery polish over the top. They 60 second polishes also dry really quickly (obviously) which, again, is perfect for me because i'm so lazy when it comes to waiting for my nails to dry.

Essie - Bahama Mama
Shock horror, more Essie. I picked this one up last month when I discovered that my dark vanishes were all more red than anything else, so I ventured into Boots with the intention of finding a polish that was more berry toned. This is. It's A gorgeous dark berry but, when applied, gives the appearance of an almost brown-red. Very chic (wow everything's very chic today). I tend to reward myself with this when i've managed to grow my nails a bit.

(From right to left)

Maybelline Color Show - 216 Plum Paradise

I don't often find a time to wear this certain one as it's a deep, shimmery purple. It would be perfect for a porter maybe Halloween? It it a bit less thin than Orange Attack so is slightly easier to apply.

Barry M nail paint - ?

This is like a darker Plum Paradise with silvery, metallic shimmer running through it. Again, it's a nice shade after you've grown your nails out a bit. This is also quite liquidy and takes some coats to become really opaque but gives such a nice metallic finish.

Rimmel London - Metal Rush - 60 Royal Blue

This was a gift a long time ago and I LOVE IT. When you twist the bottle, light reflects the colour as a mixture of blue, green and purple and it paints on as exactly the same colour. Only a couple of coats leaves a lovely metallic finish, but more blended together than the Barry M one (if that makes sense!). Writing this, i'm ashamed I've ignored it for so long because it's honestly gorgeous.

Rimmel London - 60 seconds - 844 Out of the blue

This is another antique purchase. I feel like everyone has a different idea of what teal looks like but, for me, this is pretty much it. This has to be the perfect representation of my favourite blue EVER. It's like I dark bluey-green but not quite turquoise (more blue). I wore this religiously a couple of years ago and am looking forward to revisiting it. I would also like to add that it has an XPRESS brush (whatever that means) but it's wider that most nail vanish applicators which I love because it drives me mad when you're practically wiping on vanish with like a needle.

However, I warn thee this nail vanish does majorly stain your hands for a few days when you take it off which is gutting because I love everything else about it.

Essie - Chinchilly

I bought my best friend this nail vanish in a set last year, and I think went out to by the same one the following week. For autumn, i feel like this a the perfect nude. It's a gorgeous beigey, almost lilacy grey, which seems to just flatter pale skin wonderfully and doesn't wash you out at all. Looks lovely on short or long nails, and I don't need to walk you back through how much I like the staying power of these.

L'oreal Paris - 205?

Now, this is quite a runny nail vanish and takes quite a few coats before it goes opaque. It's staying power isn't much crack either HOWEVER, I am yet to find a pink as nice as this. Is like someone got a baby pink and mixed in a tiny bit of Chinchilly. A lovely nude.

Lips

Phew, now that we've got through all those nail vanishes, lets move onto lips.

1. Revlon Lip Butter - 085 Sugar plum

In the stick, this lipstick looks like a super dark berry however, as it's a balm, it comes out pretty sheer which I actually love! It leaves a lovely pink-berry colour one the lips, and really flatter pale AND darker skin. I also suffer from insanely dry lips, and it's no secret that these are largely popular for their nourishing properties. However, as with most balmy lipsticks, you do want to apply this it freshly exfoliated lips, other wise the colour can catch on bits of dead skin (eww, sorry for that!).

2. No7 Moisture Drench - Mulberry

These, although aren't very long lasting, sit really nice on the lips without being too drying. The shade itself if a dark beigey-pink and is a really nice colour. My skin tone and dark lips make it difficult for me to wear any pale, milky pinks so this for me is a really good pinky nude.

3. Rimmel London  - Kate - 107

Although a recent purchase I love this. It's long lasting and super pigmented and just darker than a pillar box red. It's the lipstick equivalent of Rapid Ruby nail vanish. This lipstick is famously loved and raved about by Zoella, so of course I had to try it and now I love it too.

4. Mac - Diva

Oh, hello holy grail. I don't need to sit here and tell you about how pigmented and long lasted mac lipsticks because they're famous for it. The colour is also really popular - it's a super deep, dark red but just on the right side of vampy.

(front row)

5. Urban Decay lipgloss - Liar

I am a little surprised there only one lipgloss but I think it's because i'm really fussy when it comes to lipgloss consistency. This is such a nice pink - your lips but infinitely juicier and more kissable. It's shiny and opaque, glossy but not sticky. It also smells and tastes lovely, like mint. It tingles ever so slightly but not OTT like fireworks on your lips.

(not photographed - sorry)

Chanel - Rouge Coco Shine - 54 Boy

Sorry I forgot to photograph it, but thats because it lives in my bag rather than my dressing table! I bought this earlier in the year after seeing Tanya Burr wear the shade Satisfaction in a video and initially went out to purchase that one. Alas, it had been discontinued, but I began swatching others and discovered this one. The only way I can describe is your lips but better. The perfect in between of sheer and pigmented. It also smells SO GOOD - like rose turkish delight.

So there are my current beauty staples.

Hope you enjoyed and are looking forward to a few more wintry post before the year is up!

TTFN x

London

The other week I spent four nights in central London and took quite a few photos, the best of which I thought i'd share.

I love London. I love how lively, vibrant and busy it is so every time I go I try to capture that as well as I can on my crappy phone camera (my camera got rain damaged last summer).

The following images are captured from the streets, a boat, an open top bus and the London Eye (which was insane and nerve wracking).

Enjoy x

TTFN x

Evening skin care routine

Skin care is and should be an important part of everyones life, especially what you use before bed as if will work all the wonders (or not) as you sleep. For this reason I find that it's more acceptable to maybe invest more in slightly more expensive skin care IF it does the job.
Anyway, now I have an evening routine I am happy with, I thought I would share what I use on a daily basis. 
PS: I have very dry, sensitive and acne prone skin (yay)

1) Cleanse

Liz Earle - Cleanse and Polish

This cleanser has been raved about over and over and for good reason. It is perfect for removing all your makeup including you eye makeup, and leaves your skin feeling really soft and clean. You can purchase a 100ml bottle with a pump for £14 which, for an incredible cleanser, I think is great value. It does have quite a pungent herbal smell, as it's packed with natural and essential oils, however i don't find it at all unpleasant and definitely doesn't take anything away from the quality of the product.

2) Exfoliate

Pixi - Glow Tonic

This step helps sweep away all dead skin cells and excess impurities from the day, and can also be used in the morning for those with less sensitive skin, not that this is at all harsh.

A couple of squirts of this over your whole face makes you feel even fresher and cleaner and is an important step, not to be missed. As i do have slightly more sensitive skin, I steer away from harsh exfoliants with bits in which tend to leave my skin dry, red and raw. So if you suffer from the same issue, this gentle liquid exfoliant would be perfect.

3) Serum

Kiehl's - Midnight recovery concentrate

Now this is a bit on the pricey side, but is just an incredible treatment for those who suffer from acne and blemishes and you only need a couple of drops to make a huge difference. It goes to work straight away and you wake up with clearer, fresher skin (everything in my routine tends to make you feel fresh apparently). It dispenses as a soft, fragrant oil but absorbs beautifully so don't worry about going to bed covered to clogging oil!

4) Blemish treatment

La Roche Posay - Effaclar duo

This is an optional step but, again, if brilliant for spots and blemishes. Out of my collection, this is the product I have been using the longest and have repurchased many a time. I cannot live without it.

To be honest there isn't much else to say apart from you can also use this in the morning and isn't too drying or anything horrible like that that some blemish treatments can cause.

5) Moisturise

Clinique - Moisture Surge

This product is just a complete god send for those with dry and/ or sensitive skin. Again, not cheap, but I have genuinely scoured the market for a dupe with similar hydration yet IT DOES NOT EXIST! This is so soothing and hydrating due to its gel formula and sinks in immediately so even if you have oilier skin I think it would suit. Alternatively, in the evening I occasionally use a night cream however i still prefer this all day round!

6) Eye cream

Kiehl's - Creamy eye treatment with Avocado

Oh look more Kiehl's!

Again, not an essential step for those younger out with naturally hydrated eye bags (ugh), but my under eyes do tend to get a little dry. This is REALLY nice. It appears like a thick cream but, on applying, blends out like an oil and sinks in lovely. I also have quit dark under eyes and this doesn't really combat that, but my concealer sits a lot better on top of this as without it does gather on my dry patches.



So this is my current routine, but i'm always on the look out for to grow my skin care collection to ensure I am doing everything possible to care for my skin in the right way, so feel free to recommend other products for me to try in the comments.
I also have a morning routine (sort of), but its pretty embarrassingly lazy right now so I'm hoping to grow into a better one which I might share in the future.

TTFN x

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ASOS Palaver (customer service review)

So, everyone uses and loves ASOS (including me) but i have never been in a situation in which I have had to deal with their customer service until recently, so I thought I would write about my experience for anyone wanting to know a little more about how they deal with something when your delivery goes pear shaped.

About a week ago I ordered a few items through the website, the night before I was going down to London for my hols. Not wanting to go away without my new clothes, I selected the click and collect option on checkout and put in a postcode around where I was going to stay in the hope i could pick them up when I arrived. However, being in a rush and basically just a bit of a knob, I unknowingly selected a store in Cheshire (whhhhyyyyy).
Anyway, there i am in London at around 9pm the following evening, flicking back through my emails to double the address of the collecting store i thought i had thought was only around the corner... After realising my complete internet fail, i desperately scoured the internet for a way to adapt my delivery option, only to be told "we can't make any any changes once you've placed you order". *swigs on bottle and cries into pillow*. Just to add it is apparently because "We're really quick at packing up your order" (brilliant).
Tired and growing a strange attachment to my order, I search for an ASOS customer service number and, without any recollection of normal office hours, I dial. I press 1 as instructed and am put through to a ridiculously charming Irish man called Jamie (ridiculous because by now it was 10pm and he was still in work, not because he was Irish dear god). I proceed to babble about my flunder and beg for a an alternative to driving miles up north just to collect my package (THE NORTH IS FINE TOO IT'S JUST FAR I PROMISE!). He then, after taking my delivery number, explains that my order was still pending at the warehouse so cannot be adapted the moment, so I was to call again once I had received the conformation email the my package was voyaging off to the great northern land with the chance that it could be re-diverted (yay!).
On a high i settle into Netflix before getting tired and checking my emails on my way to bed, only to discover my despatchion (not a word) email had landed in my inbox an hour ago. Now midnight (seriously ASOS your customer service team do need sleep yannow), I call and explain my situ and early conversation with her client of another woman of who's name I forget (sorry!). She apologetically explains that it probably isn't really an option however I would receive a full refund. Normally, i would sigh and hang up with gratitude for their time, but it was late, I was tired and I was prepared to be phone sassy so begged (wow SO sassy) her to try and find an alternative. She briefly put me on hold before returning and (after a bit more begging) explaining there WAS a slim chance that she may be able to re-deliver the package to my payment address of which I was hugely grateful. So i hung up, slept and woke up to an email explaining my package was on its way to my home address. Well, most of it. Two items had gone out of stock... :(

So no, I didn't have my clothes for my city break but all in all, I was really impressed with the waiting times, the late customer service phone line and genuinely helpful people the other end of the phone. For those of you wondering, Im not sure if it's a 24/7 phone line, but I was completely ready both times to hear an irritating automated voice explaining that their offices were closed and they don't live in their cubicles you know! I would definitely rate the service 9/10. Not quite a 10 from Len just because I'm stingy like that, but seeing as the palaver was my own fault, they probably deserve full marks!

TTFN x