dressjunkie

Jet Set Blue, and I really really like it

I’m not the best at applying nail polish, so its far from perfect, however that said, this is the finished result with ONE coat??!!!! I think the coverage is bloomin’ amazing!!!

I needed a deep navy to pick out the colours of some flowers in the dress I’m going to be wearing this evening. I’m unlikely to wear the dress again (yes… a little oddity of mine, one wear Annie)… and therefore I didn’t want to spend £6+ on a polish in a colour I’d likely never wear again too.

So I rocked up to the Miss Sporty stand and lifted this little polish at £1.95! I didn’t have high hopes, simply thought it would serve a purpose…. didn’t even think that it might be FAB!

It covers opaque, its easy to work with, the colour is sumptious AND it dries to a high shine finish in around 60 seconds!

I can highly recommend these, anyone else tried them?? If so what colours do I need in my life??

xoxox

It was an early start this morning, we went to an 11am screening of Ice Age 3 with all the kids. Tbh it was a long hour and a half (due to being atrociously edited) but the children all loved it and thats the most important thing!

I dressed purely for comfort today

Top & Leggings - Asda @emmao414 and I have come to the conclusion that the leggings aren’t overly flattering, make my legs look weirdly lumpy, but hey, they’re wild comfy!!

Shoes - Exhibit

Total cost of outfit £19!! Yeeeooooo! Can’t be bad to that!

We’re heading out tonight for some local 4th of July Shenanigans, I’m intending to wear a pretty frock and drink Pimms, oh yah dahlings! Hope you have fun whatever you’re up to this weekend

xoxox

I absolutely REFUSE to admit our Summer could be over already, therefore I am perhaps somewhat inappropriately dressed for what is a dull rainy day. However my logic is, I own a car, and an umbrella, I’ll survive & at least I’m optimistic

I look very moody in this pic, actually I’m just concerned…I was using the self timer and the camera was perched precariously on the radiator……but lets just pretend I meant to channel some rock chick attitude!

I adore this new top which I picked up in the Topshop sale reduced from £25 to £12!

It combines a lot of my favourite style details; bold animal print, long line, batwing sleeve, ruching, one-shoulder! I particularly love one shoulder dresses & tops tho, they make me feel sexy but not exposed.

Leggings from George @ Asda £6

Sandals from Peacocks

xoxo

well it is for me anyway

As a full on brunette I have always been able to carry off black eyeliner/ mascara…. however in these bright summer days even I think its a bit harsh on someone of my colouring.

So when I spied the Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Rope Collection on sale in Debenhams I jumped at it. Not only does this give me a spare Zero (their black) for Autumn/Winter but it also contains Bourbon, a brown I’ve been wanting to try out for quite some time. Plus 24/7 has always been a winner for me and my watery eyes! It stays put!

When you consider that just one of these pencils full size is £10 it really is a bargain, I already own the bright colours VIP collection and find that these last around 2-3 months anyway even if used daily

From L-R Yeyo, 1999, Zero, Bourbon & Stash

These are all very wearable, I’ll use the white in my inner corner on occasion, and 1999 will fit in perfectly with my new love of all eyeshadows plum. Stash is also an amazing green/ gold, not unlike Illamasqua’s Solstice Liquid Metal tbh. This would make a gorgeous base used all over the lid.

The result of Bourbon on the waterline is really quite refreshing. Much softer and more season suitable IMO. I’m even thinking of trying out a brown mascara now which is something I would never have entertained :-O

Any suggestions ladies?

xoxox

Shoot me now

I have been really good this week, eating within my points, plenty of exercise and figure wise its paid off. My jeans are looser and my husband can see it off me.

Why on earth did Weightwatchers just tell me that I gained 1lb then?????!!!!!

I feel completely deflated and demotivated. I wanted to grab the WW scales and hurl them across the room. No…. but really… I did… I kinda wanted to drop kick the leader too…

I felt good this morning, liked the shape I saw in the mirror, but according to WW I’m still 11lbs overweight and now I feel like a fat cow.

Gutted

I indulged in a little bit of retail therapy yesterday and thought I’d share the results

My bestfriends Sarah & Sean had their first baby last week, a gorgeous little girl who they have named Rosa. I’m going to meet her soon & couldn’t resist picking up a few cute outfits.

I’m pretty sure she’ll be drowning in pink so I went for oranges, yellows and greens.

First up are 2 cute summer romper suits with frilly capped sleeves and a staple white knitted cardigan with flower applique from Asda.

And from Okaidi a unbelievably cute pair of lightweight denim dungarees, complete with little matching top, hat & socks featuring apples & oranges. I also got her a beautiful side fastening white summer coat. How cute is the print?!!

After completing the baby shopping and unleashing yet another bout of broodiness I decided to pick myself up a few pieces of casual/ comfy wear. I have quite a few smart pairs of jeans, tops and dresses now but I’ve been lacking a bit in outfits I can just throw on for those lazy summer days.

My first purchase was this full circle cotton skirt from Primark. I really like the ethnic print and think it will look lovely with a cream or black vest and gladiator sandals.

T-shirts featuring tigers are all over the glossies at the moment, so when I spied this over-sized tee in Asda I just had to have it. I got the grey stonewash denim effect leggings in Asda too, not everyones cup of tea but I <3 them.

My favourite purchase has to be these two items though, the stretchy flower print top is actually a dress but I will wear it with leggings underneath. I am totally digging the return of the scoop neck, the back actually scoops really low too which I love. I think baring the back can be more sexy than getting the cleavage out.

The coral cardigan is lightweight & doesn’t add bulk, perfect for those summer evenings sitting out back with a glass of chilled wine

Both of these items are from a budget clothing store called Exhibit, I’m unsure if they exist in England, however I think they get their stock from the same place as boohoo.com as I’ve noticed a lot of the same pieces.

Finally, I couldn’t resist this totally trashy cropped bat wing sweater. Perfect for my walks. I adore cropped sweaters, they make me feel all FAME!

Hope everyone’s having a good week, sun is still shining here :-O

xoxox

I’ve been very lazy on the blog and YouTube front, I know! However in my defence it’s all the good weather’s fault!!!!

We are having ridiculously beautiful sunny days here, our summer is lucky to last 5 days in Northern Ireland (I kid you not) and we’ve trebled that already this year! It’s so hard to stay indoors long enough to knock out a blog post and tbh I’m just addicted to the feel good factor I get from these long heady days. I hope everyone is enjoying them as much as me!

I’ve a bit of a headache this afternoon (sunstroke…j/k).. and therefore I thought I’d seize the opportunity to blog.

If you follow me on Twitter you’ll know that a fortnight ago my husband returned from San Francisco where he was on business. He always brings me back a few US cosmetics, and this time he really went a bit crazy! Not complaining tho. I’ll not bore you by showing you everything but these are a few of my faves

L-R; High Maintenance, Metro Chic, It's All About Me

I asked for Metro Chic as I’ve been after this cult nail polish for a while, however Matt surprised me with the other two, check out the names, he’s a funny boy!

Sephora Platinum Professional Brush #55

I’m a brush fiend, and with rumours circulating on the internet that this baby gives the perfect Airbrush finish to foundation I had to have it!

MAC Trip Palettes

I had also asked Matt to look out for the MAC Trip Palette in Neutral, (this is an airport duty free exclusive) but unfortunately it was sold out. So what did the best husband in the world do?? He bought me 3 others to numb the pain!! w00t!

Trip Warm Lips, Top-Bottom;

• En Pointe Gloss
• Strange Hybrid (F)
• Tempt Me… (L)

Trip 4 Classic Eye & Cheek; L-R

• Sweetness Beauty Powder Blush
• Lightfully (S)
• Idol Eyes (L)
• Print (S)

Trip Cool Eyes L-R;

• Prismique (L)
• Springtime Skipper (VP)
• Waternymph (F)
• Knight Divine (VP)
• Flashtrack (VP)

I’m so pleased that I actually got these instead of the neutral now, out of the 3 palettes the only colour I already had in my collection was Print, so this was an excellent way to broaden my MAC horizons

The packaging is probably one of the nicest I’ve ever seen from MAC, sturdy coated metal, with a lovely push button to open. Totally handbag friendly, these could be literally thrown in and come to no harm.

If you’re lucky enough to get away on a holiday this summer make sure you stop by duty free and take a peek at this collection for yourself.

xoxox

You may have noticed that I didn’t go to Weightwatchers last week….. well to be completely honest I was very fed up with the whole thing. I guess I was on a bit of a weight loss downer.

I spoke to my WW buddy Kelly and basically explained how I was feeling (I’d have been lost without you this week bird)…. very much like I was on a diet & deprived.

This wasn’t WW fault, it was purely mine. I wasn’t following the programme properly, I was being lax about it. So I’ve had a week off, wallowed a bit, felt sorry for my fat ass and I’m over it now.

I took myself to todays meeting with the attitude of, I can fix this and pull it back…

No need. I lost 1lb

Now you could literally have knocked me down with a feather, I was utterly convinced (partly because I’d weighed myself in the house this morning) I had gained at least 1.5- 2lbs.

Uh-uh.

I’ve learnt 2 major things from this episode.

• The scales in the house aren’t accurate and they need to be binned if I’m to stop torturing myself and dreading weigh ins.

• My weight problem is 60% in my mind, 40% in my body. I have a bad body image and I need to work on that. I’m going to start by booking myself into the college beauty salon for some pampering treatments

I also purchased a Pedometer today to try and up my exercise again. Pretty nifty little device that bascially calculates your steps and tells you what wine activity points you earn, if any.

It can seem a bit arduous clocking up activity points as before you earn any you need to reach do what is classed as a “normal” amount of healthy exercise, namely 10,000 steps per day. Thats the hard point, once you break that barrier though, the points clock up quite quickly! Already today just walking a short distance from WW and collecting youngest from nursery I’ve done over 3,000 steps.

Hope everyone else has done ok this week too, special mention to the gorgeous @lizzclare who lost 5.75lbs this week. Her secret? No meals after 5pm!! Well done Elizabeth xxxx

The weather doesn’t seem to know what to do in Northern Ireland this week!

We’ve had a few dark and dreary afternoons and in an effort to give myself a lift this morning I decided to break out a bit of colour.

I used MAC Bright Future on the inner half and MAC Vibrant Grape on the outer, both of which are from the current Style Warriors collection . They both look a bit scary in the pan but as you can see, applied direct to the lid and minus any kind of base they are actually a lot more muted and wearable. Vibrant Grape looks almost pinky purple and Bright Future more gold than yellow.

L-R; Vibrant Grape, Bright Future

That was pretty much it barr a thick coat of L’Oreal Voluminous to the lashes, which is apparently being re-promoted due to demand!! Fabulous news if that is indeed true as I adore this mascara.

I kept the colour purely to the lid, after all it is just an ordinary Thursday and I’ve been doing things like the school run and shopping. If I take it up into the socket it all starts to look a bit more “night club”……

Really simple, quick and easy to do but I think fun, bright and effective. Instant eye & mood lift

xoxox

If you follow me on Twitter, you may already have spotted that I’m a lot less “orange” these days

I took the decision around a fortnight ago to embrace the pale me, the “real” me, and lay off the fake tan for the forseeable. Yes I agree my timing isn’t great…. coming into the height of summer n all but its something I have been thinking about for a while, and now I’m doing it, it feels good

I’d really just had enough of the whole fake tan process, the orange bed sheets, the streaky hands and wrists, the un-natural colours and smells! I truly believe that no fake tan looks as good as a natural tan, but knowing the dangers I just wasn’t willing to use sunbeds, or sit out with a low factor on to inevitably burn and peel anyway (I’ve learnt that particular lesson this year, ouch my poor feet…)

One thing I’ll admit in regards to a tan is I did feel A LOT slimmer in the body & I guess look healthier…. but most of the time, I simply felt grubby and dirty looking as it wore off unevenly no matter how much exfoliating I did. To put it bluntly, I looked like shite and I see people every day who look the same, serving me in shops with their white hands and patchy orange arms, or orange necks and white faces. What on earth are we doing girls??

I’ve been scrubbing like a mad thing and I’m almost back to my natural skin colour barr a few stubborn patches. Already I feel cleaner, tidier and more classy. I also feel a bit more interesting, I’m able to experiment with different make-up and colours than the standard ones I’d gravitate towards with a tan.

As part of this new experiment I ordered some Dainty Doll Cosmetics by Nicola Roberts (the ghostly one from Girls Aloud) from ASOS. I remembered that she had released a line specifically for the fairer skinned peeps last summer. A lot of the range is vastly reduced, and so I picked up a Concealer, Eyeshadow and 2 Lip Glosses for £20. Not bad, but is it any good???

The packaging is undoubtly cute and kitsch on the exterior, its a bit more disappointing inside where the plain black packaging is simply imprinted with yellow/ gold blurry writing. It all feels a bit “cheap” and Oriflame esque….

The Concealer I bought was in Natural as I’m obviously not white in skintone, just pale. This is lovely, very light and moisturising, I’m not entirely sure this won’t move about and collect in my fine lines though, I’ll keep you posted.

The Eyeshadow is called Honey Bronze, the left side is actually an eyeshadow base/ primer and the shimmery brown eyeshadow is on the right. Its very silky and has a lovely veluxe pearl type finish to it, but the colour is similar to a lot of other shadows I own. It is flattering though and easy to wear.

I got two of the Lip Glosses (the only 2 colours I could see for sale), top one is Rosebud, and bottom Hibiscus. These are plumping glosses and therefore sting quite noticeably just after you apply. I can’t decide if I dig this or not. There is no noticeable taste from them good or bad and that gets a thumbs up from me. They don’t last very long though and I’ve had to reapply every half hour or so with Rosebud. I don’t really mind this though, although I know that would drive some people mad!

L-R; Honey Bronze, Hibiscus, Rosebud

Apologies for the picture quality but I can’t find my camera for the life of me!

To be honest this seems like a nice cruelty free range, but colour wise it would definitely only suit who it is designed for, fair skinned people. Funny that

The eyeshadow colour would be lost on any type of swarthy skin and the concealer would be WAY too light.

I’m a bit confused about the availability of the range…. is it being discontinued? Does anyone know? When I searched for it online I was directed to Jellypongpong, although they actually haven’t sold the range since February 2009. The products that I received from ASOS still carried the Jellypongpong labeling though, so I’m assuming they bought their remaining stock?

If anyone else tried the range I’d be particularly interested in knowing what the foundation is like.

xoxox