Obsession Of The Week- Bare Minerals

So my second attempt at Christmas shopping didn't go any better. Walking round the Metro Centre with a list in my hand, gawking at all the party dresses and beautiful heels. I ended up searching for a good foundation instead and after buying my mum Bare Minerals from the Clothes Show Live last year; I decided to have a go of it myself. It wasn't like I needed a new foundation or was running out, I just wanted something better with more coverage (and an excuse to buy something). After talking to the girl at the counter, we decided to try the powder foundation. Five minutes later and I'd bought the whole kit! It's flawless! 

It comes with Prime Time primer, a foundation (I'm 'Fairly Light N10'), Warmth all over face colour (bronzer), Mineral Veil (finishing powder) and three soft brushes! I couldn't believe that you got all that for £50, as the foundation and brush would have come to that alone! All they tell you to do is tap some of the product into the lid, swirl the brush around, tap off the excess and buff into the skin. Et voila! 

Pros- It's lightweight, looks like you have nothing on, the bronzer is amazing, the primer makes it last all day, you can never go wrong or look like you have too much on. The brushes are so soft and work well with the product. 

Cons- It's powder- it can get messy, it transfers to phones and clothes a lot easier than liquid foundation and all the swirling, tapping and buffing can make you go slightly crazy. 

It's definitely a wonder product and can see me buying more if they're at the Clothes Show Live again this year! 

Emily x

Boots Christmas trip gone wrong

It's that time of year already! I went along to the Boots Christmas event to make a start on the dreaded Christmas shopping. It was a good intention anyway. Getting to the till, I realised I'd picked up nothing from the 3 for 2 gifts and nothing in my basket was going to be wrapped up for someone. Absolute fail. Although, I did pick up things I actually needed, like a nail file with all the different sides and a decent pair of tweezers (for £20 they better be anyway!). My friend loves the Tweezerman range and persuaded me to get a pair. I chose a wide grip pair that I've fallen in love with- Tweezerman all the way!

Image from Tweezerman.

I also picked up a Herbal Essences dry shampoo to try. I hate the smell of them normally so this seemed like a winner. It really isn't. It turned my hair into concrete which I couldn't even run my fingers through, let alone a brush to get the excess out. It's such a shame because it smelt so nice!

Needing some more heat protection, I found Loreal's study line on offer, making two seem better than one! Whether there's any difference to the straight and curl sprays I have no idea, but it seemed like a good idea to buy both at the time!

Heading down the make-up aisles was a mistake, picking up more lipsticks in similar shade to what i already have. I honestly have about four browny/nudes in my handbag and five different shades of red in my drawer at home. This didn't stop me from buying these beauties though and the 3 for 2 offer was just going to make me want them more. Kate Moss for Rimmel in shade '08' and Soap and Glory in 'Man Trap'.

All in all, I did well for myself, just haven't actually started any form of present shopping yet; but at least I've seen what Boots have to offer! 

Emily x

Obsession of the week- Furry Pom Pom Keychains

This week's obsession has been seen attached to every A list handbag and set of keys. Instead of paying £22 upwards on a bit of faux fur and metal, I thought I'd have a go at making my own; perhaps even for Christmas presents! I went and found some ox blood coloured faux fur in my local Boyes. I bought a ten centimetre strip so it only cost about 70p and I had some metal chain and book rings left from an old uni project, but these can be found at craft and stationary shops. So I began...

You will need:

Faux fur material

Scissors

Needle and thread

Chain/ thick string

Clip/ key ring

1. Cut out a circular shape in you faux fur to however big you want your pom pom to be. I started with a 4 inch circle to practice and made a larger 6 inch one after.

2. Get your needle and thread and sew around the edge of the circle, making sure you leave a bit at the beginning and end to hold onto to (it helps if you tie a knot in the end).

3. Gently pull on both ends of the thread to bring the material to a ball shape. You can stuff this with material if you want to help hold the shape.

4. If you're using string for the chain, make a few knots in the end to help prevent it falling out. Sew this or the chain to the material and sew up the edges to seal it all together. I would keep looking over the edges to make sure you've got them all (there's always a sneaky gap). 

5. Attach your clip or key ring et voila! A perfect pom pom key chain. You could even use this to make decorations, funky jewellery or just a different accessory.

Happy pom pom making!

Emily x

Za Za Bazaar in Newcastle

So this weekend was spent in Newcastle celebrating my best friend's 23rd birthday! There was heavy shopping, heavy eating and heavy partying; a weekend well spent in my eyes. For lunch/ tea on Saturday we went to an all you could eat buffet in The Gate called Za Za Bazaar. O M G it was amazing. Chinese, Indian, Mexican, Fish and chips... and don't get me started on the desserts. Free drinks refills and two for one cocktails, everyone was in their element. I honestly could have spent the rest of the afternoon there, I eat far too much. The restaurant itself was amazing too, with Chinese lanterns adorning the ceiling and spar painted walls in the individual booths. It was packed, don't get me wrong it was noisy and there were queues building up at the different stations; but it didn't stop me from getting a bowl of melted chocolate and sticks of marshmallows, with another bowl of ice cream and M&Ms to the table. I couldn't move properly for the rest of the afternoon.

   

Black skinny jeans- New Look. Striped top- River Island. Jacket- Matalan. Hat- Primark. Boots- Faith.   

For the night, I wore a black jumpsuit from Matalan with gold necklaces from Primark and there'll be a photo to follow. Hope you had a good weekend!

Emily x

Graduation 2/10/2014

So I recently graduated with a degree in Fashion Marketing and Retail! Three years of blood, sweat and tears enabled me to walk across that stage with such happiness that it almost felt like walking across into the next chapter of my life. Knowing that I had a new job lined up, I was leaving it all behind to move on and be a bigger and better person. I graduated, will be leaving work and starting a new job all in the space of five days, it's been crazy! There's been happiness and tears, but I wouldn't really say there's been gut wrenching fears about the future or anything dramatic! 

So as a toast to the occasion, I wanted to share some of the tips that have got me through work as well as university. I've always thought that you should never take life too seriously and things always happen for a reason; so learn from your mistakes and move on. Don't fear the future, you make it what you will, so push yourself in everything you do to make sure you succeed and get to where you want in life and last but not least; always be positive. There's nothing worse than thinking negatively about things as it damages not only your thoughts but the thoughts and feelings of those around you. So keep smiling!

Emily x

Obsession of the week- Candle hoarding

I love candles, the smells, the colours, the holders; just everything about them makes me feel all relaxed and happy before I've even lit one. My favourites are the large glass ones from Ikea (mainly because I re-use the holders), Yankee Candle and Vanilla scented pillars from Asda that I use around the bath. Most never smell the same when they're lit, but that never really bothers me, I've got plenty of incense sticks to keep my room smelling lovely for a good few years! I don't think I'll ever run out of candles though; something just draws me to them in the shop and you'll see me smelling every single one, until I put at least one in my basket. Well today was no exception. Walked into Asda, headed straight for the homeware and found a beautiful little Yankee Candle wax tart burner. Okay, so it isn't technically a candle but they're in the same isle and all come under my obsession of smelly burning things. To burn on it I bought wax tarts in Soft Cotton and Christmas Treats (after my fiasco with 3 for 2 shoppers in Boots (last blog) I thought I'd try get in the spirit). They smell amazing in the wrappers and apparently smell even better when melting, I'm getting excited just thinking about it.