NOTD: @OPI_PRODUCTS in Step Right Up

I love nude polishes for a more sophisticated look and this one hasn't disappointed. 

This is three coats - two would probably have done, but I preferred the look of three. 

The bottle of polish is absolutely massive, it feels like you get a whole lot of product in here. The wear is brilliant, I tested this out on a thumb nail as soon as I'd got it, no base coat and no top coat. Five days later, it was still there with no sign of wear at all! 

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Make up through the decades: The Twenties

I'm a history geek and wondered what better thing than to combine my love of history with my love of make up.

So I've been researching make up through the decades.
Here's my Pinterest board on the 1920s.
This is Clara Bow, an American 20s actress in silent films. Her iconic look epitomises the twenties perfectly.

Photo credit: The Loudest Voice via photopin cc

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@TheBodyShopUK Born Lippy in Watermelon Review

I should put a disclaimer at the top of this post.

 

I'm firmly of the opinion, through many many many years of chapped lips, that NO balm will heal chapped lips. I use balm for protection against chapped lips, so apply it before I go outside etc.

I use a cream product to heal chapped lips, such as Blistex Relief Cream, really rub it in and use it religiously until your lips are better. By all means, apply a cream and then balm over the top, it seems to seal in the cream. 

This balm is one of my favourites; it smells great, isn't sticky and is very reasonably priced. As previously said, I don't use this for healing chapped lips, but more for protection. 

Occasionally, I mix this with lipstick to make it into a gloss, or apply it over the top of lipstick to add a glossy finish. 

What's your favourite lip balm product?

***Love and Pixie Dust***

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Movember nails!

The Boy is doing Movember, which I understand is a very very worthy cause. I hate the moustache and would happily pay for him not to have one, but the element of doing it as a team and for the support is something that can't be underestimated. 

So in support of him, I've been wearing moustache nails for much of November. Here are two looks I created...

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NOTD: @essie in Off the Shoulder

Let me start by saying, I'm a sucker for pink nail polishes. I own dozens of them. But this has become a firm favourite! It's THE perfect pink for me - reminds me of Barbie! Haha! I just love it! It's bright without being too in your face.

Read on for my review...

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Christmas Gift Ideas: The men in your life

Ah, the tricky to buy for men. Never tell you what they want...and socks just isn't good enough. 

I'm going to presume that your men are not into golf, fishing or any other traditional male gifts. Nothing like a challenge! Haha!! 

Comic Strip Photo Frame - £10.99 - IWOOT

Scratch map UK edition - £10.99 -IWOOT

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@FragranceDirect Haul! I SAVED over £35!!

I recently ventured onto Fragrance Direct - a website I'd often heard of but never shopped from. I *WAS* looking for stocking fillers for my family. We all get each other a stocking at Christmas and this year they're a collaborative effort so need to find things for my mum, sister, dad and The Boy. I'm trying to research it carefully as this is the first year that The Boy is being initiated into a stocking! Haha! 

Anyway, I saw loads of great products to buy...then got totally distracted and got these for myself. I'm TOO bad at Christmas shopping.

So what did I get??

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Christmas Gift Ideas: Home Birds

I'm sensing a bit of a wildlife theme with my taste in interior decor. Needless to say, the rabbit night light would look adorable on my dressing table, whilst the stag cushions would add a touch of drama to my living room. 

As for those gorgeous bookends...I read books to escape into a fairytale world so these would be perfect!!

White Rabbit Night Light - £4.95 - DotComGiftShop

Owl Ceramic Trinket Pot - £3.95 - DotComGiftShop

Cherub Hanging Tealight Holder - £8.95 - DotComGiftShop

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This or that tag

I saw this tag on J'adore and thought it looked like fun!

MAKEUP
Blush or Bronzer? Ahhhhh, I'm not sure I could live without either...but if I had to pick, I'd say blusher. After a healthy dose of fake tan...
Lipgloss or lipstick? I can't really wear lipstick for work, so use lipgloss more regularly. 
Eyeliner or mascara? Mascara, mascara, mascara!! 
Foundation or concealer? Foundation, I can do without the concealer...just!
Neutral or coloured eyeshadow? I'm in a neutral eye rut at the moment!
Pressed or loose eyeshadows? Pressed - I have enough problems with fall out!!
Brushes or sponges? Brushes - I'm desperate to try MAC and Sigma brushes although my Real Techniques brushes are amazing!

NAILS
OPI or China Glaze? OPI for me, I love the range!
Long or short? Short, well just above the finger. 
Acrylic or natural? I spent years wearing acrylics and loved them but didn't love the damage they did to my nails. I still get acrylic envy when I see the groomed appearance they can have when fresh. However, the growing out stages etc drive me mad, not to mention damage! So natural for me! 
Brights or Darks? Darks...bright....dark...bright....hmmm!
BODY
Perfume or body spray? Body spray for daily wear...perfume for evening wear!
Lotion or body butter? Body butter, I'd do almost anything for Coconut Body Butter!
Body wash or soap? Body wash - I love the lather! 
Lush or other bath company? I love Lush...but don't love the smell! 

FASHION
Jeans or sweat pants? Jeans! Jogging pants are for exercise ONLY!
Long sleeve or short? Short sleeves with a cardigan over the top ;-) better for layering! 
Dresses or skirts? I like dresses - I don't have to bother matching a top to them, haha!
Stripes or Plain? I HATE horizontal stripes, so for that reason, plain. But a pattern would be better....
Flip flops or sandals? Hmmmmmm, flipflops, but metallic ones with a bit more structure.
Scarves or hats? I love a snuggly scarf but am forever getting ear infections, so hats it is for me!
Studs or dangly earrings? I love dangly earrings - instant glam with a dress!
Necklaces or bracelets? I love a necklace, I got a beautiful Tiffany one for my birthday and wear it all the time. 
Heels or flats? I've got a heel fetish! 
Cowboy boots or riding boots? Ummm....riding boots, but I don't own either.
Jacket or a hoodie? Hoodies again are gym wear...a jacket, blazer even! 
Forever 21 or Charlotte Russe? Forever 21 at a push
Abercombie or Hollister? I've never been to Abercrombie, and Hollister gives me the heebie jeebies! 
HAIR
Curly or straight? Straight! 
Bun or ponytail? I love a high bun!!
Bobby pins or Butterfly clips? Bobby pins...ahhhh!
Hair spray or gel? Hair spray! 
Long or short? Long...I have long hair envy, and my hair comes half way down my back! Haha!
Light or dark? I've been both...and I prefer dark!
Side Swept bangs or full fringes? Side swept....I have a tiny tiny forehead and full fringes look weird!
Up or down? Down :)

RANDOM
Rain or shine? Sunshine - in a hot hot country far far away from here! 
Summer or Winter? Summer, all the way!
Fall or Spring? Autumn...I love Autumn! 
Chocolate or Vanilla? Vanilla...I adore the smell!
East Coast or West Coast? East coast :)

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Mo Mo Mo Moveeeeeeeeeeeeember...

The Boy is taking part in Movember...and thank goodness we're over half way through! I definitely love a printed moustache over a real one ANY DAY!

Here's my pick of the best moustache themed items...I love them all!! Christmas wish list maybe??

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Christmas Gift Ideas: Beauty Goddesses

No Christmas would be complete without beauty gift sets. Soap and Glory, Lush and perfume sets are ideal presents for a beauty-a-holic like me!!

I've included a few classic items in here...I LONG to own MAC Ruby Woo to start my MAC lipstick collection!!

Lush Christmas Candy Box £19.95

Clinique Chubby Sticks £30

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I won!

I adore owls, and cannot walk past owl themed goodies.

I recently won this in a giveaway from Jasmine at ohso-flawless and I adore him. 

Jasmine also sent me a lovely letter with this prize, it was so nice to receive! 

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Fashion Vouchers Competition

I was emailed by Fashion Vouchers to tell me about their latest competition -  a chance to win £100 in vouchers from one of their online retailers! 

This is what they've got to say:

To celebrate the start of the festive season, we have launched our biggest ever fashion blogger challenge to find the best Christmas party outfits for £100 and under. There are three £100 fashion vouchers for the three best outfits, and each entrant needs to pick one merchant from the list of all the merchants on FashionVouchers.com, to create their outfit from.

You can find the full rules here : Christmas Party Blogger Challenge

I chose Very - mainly as I've never shopped there before, but keep seeing their things in magazines and I love lots of them! So what did I pick?

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Christmas Gift Ideas: Girls Who Love to Shop

The only thing I already own on this list is the Cambridge Satchel. Anything else would have a welcome place in my wardrobe! In fact, I'm so tempted by that jumper...I might have to go shopping tomorrow!!

Vintage Satchel - £94 - Cambridge Satchel Company

Bird Brooch - £18 - Accessorize

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Work work work...

Boo to work! It's been so hectic this week, already panicking about Christmas and the Christmas production and crafts the children need to fit in!

All this means, my scheduled posts have run out and I've not even been on my blog this week!

Normal service will resume soon...missing blogging too much!

I'm writing this post in the Blogger app whilst waiting for a course to start!!!

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A shopping revolution?? Mallzee awaits...

I was recently contacted by Mallzee to check out their website, launching soon. It's a revolutionary new way of shopping online. 

So what is this new idea?

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Sneak preview...

I've got a week sans The Boy as he works away, so I'm going to be working on a few new ideas for my blog.

I'm hoping to write posts on beauty through the ages, stereotypical looks from decades etc; a few wish lists and present ideas; a post on my new bag...!! as well as the usual reviews, hauls etc! 

Hope you check back to read some of them! 

And finally...a picture of some owls...just because!!

photo credit: Jenn and Tony Bot via photopin cc

***Love and Pixie Dust***

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Pixie looks: 17 lipstick in New Black

A dark lipstick for Autumn....

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Harrods!

One of the things I really really wanted to do while in London, was visit Harrods. Specifically, the Christmas department.

Now I know it's a little early for Christmas yet, and the department did seem quite small to me. Perhaps more will be added as it gets closer. 

What did I find in there then?

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Pixie Nails: Owls

I got so many owl goodies for my birthday (see blog post here) I felt inspired to have another go at an owl manicure.

I'd already tried one but top-coated too soon and it went smudged. However, it got a lot of positive feedback at work, and was repeatedly requested by some! Haha! First owl manicure here. That one was inspired by a Pinterest picture but this one I thought up myself.

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Eye of the day: MAC All That Glitters & Satin Taupe

A subtle look using my favourite MAC eyeshadows today - All That Glitters swept across the lid and Satin Taupe in the outer corner.

Lashings of mascara and black eyeline - signature flick on the top using liquid eyeliner, an NYC pencil along the water line! 

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Cocktails at 23 Grosvenor Gardens

I bought a Groupon deal for my little sister's birthday for us to enjoy together. 

We went here on our little trip to London and had a lovely time! You didn't need to book the Groupon deal - which is unusual in my experience - and it couldn't have been easier. Just went in, handed over the voucher and let the cocktails flow! 

You could choose any cocktail from the menu except Long Island Iced Tea - and they were retailing at £7.50 each. The platter retailed at £8.50 so all in all, it would have cost £38.50 (as opposed to the £44.50 claimed on the voucher...!) but it was still at least half price which I think is excellent.

We chose to have a Mojito each, and then I chose a Cosmopolitan while my sister chose a Mimosa (Buck's Fizz). 

My yummy mojito! 

Cosmopolitan (l)

Mimosa (r)

It was a welcome sit down and relax after doing the tourist thing in London. The bar was lovely - the only complaint we had was that the door didn't shut automatically, and if someone didn't shut the door behind them, we were freezing!! 

The cocktails themselves were very nice. They didn't appear to be particularly alcoholic tasting, but as it was only 4pm, we didn't mind too much! 

All in all, I would definitely go there and try more cocktails without a Groupon deal, it was a lovely bar, easy to get to from Victoria and delicious cocktails! 

What's your favourite cocktail? 

***Love and Pixie Dust***

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Award Season - Liebster Award and Versatile Blogger Award

I received the Versatile Award from Belleza Kisses.

I already received the Liebster award which I posted here but I'm going to try and think of 11 more random facts about myself...try not to repeat :)

Versatile Blogger Award rules -

Nominate up to 15 other bloggers and let them know you nominated them.

Thank the person who nominated you in your award post and share a link back to their blog.

Put the Versatile Blogger Award in your post.

The Rules:
·         Each blogger tagged must post 11 random facts about themselves ·         They must answer the 11 questions posted by the previous blogger ·         They must create 11 new questions to ask their tagged bloggers  ·         They must then tag 11 blogs with less than 200 followers apiece ·         The bloggers must be told ·         No tag backs!

11 Random facts about me ...
1) My biggest phobia is goldfish. I'm absolutely terrified of them. I'm not keen on other fish, but goldfish are the worst. I can't even walk past a goldfish pond without freaking out.

photo credit: plus45 via photopin cc
SHUDDER!!!

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Pixie Nails: Galaxy Nails

I've always admired galaxy nails and never really wondered about how difficult they are to do. 

Turns out, they're not at all difficult to do - in fact they're one of the easiest nail art looks I've tried. 

Why are they so easy?

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Cupcake wars: London Bakeries

Had a little break in London recently with my little sister. Took many pictures...and bought cupcakes. Lots of cupcakes. Well, three :-)

We actually searched out some of the bakeries as my sister is really into baking and cupcakes :)

So which cupcake was the best?

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Pixie Nails: MUA constellations

I picked up MUA nail constellation in Scorpio a few weeks ago. When I went to my local Superdrug, there were three bottles left and that was it! For £2.50, it seemed that these proved to difficult to resist for many...including me! The range can be viewed on the MUA website.

When it came to using them, I was eager to try, but didn't want to do it for work. I'd heard that they're not very long lasting and didn't want to waste them! 

A cocktail night out soon followed...and the Nail Constellations came out to play. 

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Eye of the Day: Graphic Eyeliner

I was watching the Strictly Come Dancing results show from the weekend, when Paloma Faith performed. I'm afraid I couldn't tell you anything about her performance, so mesmerised I was by her eyeliner! Curse of the beauty blogger??

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Lip of the day: @MUAcosmetics Shade 12

Rediscovered this after seeing it featured on a few blogs. I dug it out of my make-up drawer to wear today! I love it! 

I love to wear bright colours on my lips on cold days!

What's your favourite lipstick at the moment? 

***Love and Pixie Dust***

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Pixie Nails: Rainbow gems

Inspired by this pin .... http://pinterest.com/pin/203084264417417712/





Another nail art from the early days...found on my iPhone!

I'd forgotten about how much I loved these nails. So simple.

Standard black nail varnish with Rimmel Stay Matte topcoat and then stuck on PoundWorld nail art gems and dotted a glossy top coat on the other nails.

***Love and Pixie Dust***

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