Behind the Scenes!

A couple of days ago I was asked to help out my wonderful friend Ellie with a photoshoot. She's a (fantastic) singer/songwriter and wanted a hand with her hair, makeup and outfits for the photos used for promos, CDs etc. I thought you'd be interested to see a few of the photos, so here they are!
All credit for the amazing photography goes to James Archibald who was a pleasure to work with!

Isn't she beautiful! It was absolutely freezing, and after a long day out in the cold and wet we went back to Ellie's for a well deserved cup of tea, I polished off half a pack of cheese crackers and then Ellie and I went out for tapas in Barnstaple. Lovely way to end a busy day.






Feel free to have a listen to some of Ellie's music, you can find her in these places...
Facebook

Youtube

Soundcloud

And the wonderfully talented James can be found here...
Facebook

You can also find the rest of the photos on Facebook :-)


X

My Everyday Makeup Routine

Helloo there :)


Today I'm going to be telling you allll about my everyday makeup routine, the kind of makeup I tend to wear on an everyday basis. Hope you enjoy it!

Here's a list for you...


FOUNDATION: Clinique Even Better in 03- Ivory
CONCEALER: Mac Studio Sculpt in NC20
POWDER: Benefit Hello Flawless in Shell
BLUSHER: Benefit Dandelion
BRONZER: (not pictured) Soleil Tan de Chanel/Bronze Universel
HIGHLIGHTER: Mac Mineralise Skinfinish in Soft & Gentle
EYEBROW PENCIL: (not pictured) Rimmel Brow Pencil in Dark Brown
BROW GEL: The Body Shop Clear Brow Set
EYELINER: Mac Eye Kohl in Smoulder (is rubbish and i'm just trying to use it up, any recommendations for eyeliners which wont end up halfway down my face are appreciated)
EYESHADOW: Mac Eye Shadow in Quarry- Love!
MASCARAS: Soap & Glory Thick and Fast, Sample of Benefit Badgal Lash & Maxfactor False Lash Effect
EYELASH CURLERS: The Body Shop
LIPGLOSS: Dior Addict Ultra Gloss Pearl in Party Lilac

PHEEEWWWW! Let me know if you have any product suggestions for me :) Thanks for reading!


xxxxxx

Happy Birthday Blog!

Woooooow, what a year!
This time 12 months ago i finally plucked up the courage to sit down and write my first blog post about some pretty patterns i painted on my nails! Cant believe I've already been wittering on about all sorts of things to you all for this long. Thank you so much to everyone who's followed my blog, commented nice things, mentioned it in person and regularly checked to see what I've been writing about.
I have by no means got a lot of followers, but everytime it goes up even by 1 i get so excited and its such a massive compliment, so thank you! If you dont already, then please please take the time to follow me, you can do it on the right hand side just over there >>>> and you'll be the first to know when i post about new things.
It's been quite a hectic year but 7186 (and counting) page views, 37 posts, 41 comments, countless nail polish purchases, 3 different hair styles, one set of hair extensions, lots of makeup experimentation, one new laptop, one new job, leaving college, turning 18, applying to uni, lots of tears (happy and sad) and so much fun later, here we are!
I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have, and continue to do so, I know i will :) What's a birthday without champagne and cake?

Here's to another fabulous year! :)
xxxxxxxxxx

Review: Saks Hairdressers, Exeter

Afternoon!

I don't know if anyone else does this, but I've never really got settled into using the same hairdressers. I've never been somewhere that I was completely happy with and so always swapped around a bit which is all good fun, but it's even better when your hairdresser actually knows your hair, and you can have a good chinwag and feel completely comfortable. I've had my fair share of poor salon experiences, not necessarily that i'd had a bad hair cut, but the atmosphere and staff and all the other elements that make up the general experience just weren't good. So after all that, when I heard that Saks (which as far as I understand is a franchise, its kind of a chain, but each branch is run by an individual who's paid and organised to set it up) were coming to Exeter I was very intrigued!

I followed the progress of the salon opening on Twitter and Facebook and decided to take advantage of their first cut and blow-dry for £25 offer. This was all the way back in February. I am guilty of neglecting my hair. I'm stubborn and no matter how many people tell me it will grow faster the more you cut it, i don't believe it. So i didn't go back until last week!
I decided to jump on the ombre/dip-dye bandwagon and have a cheeky trim at the same time.
I booked my colour with Hayley (their dip-dye genius!) and my cut was with Tash (equally genius!) I turned up on Friday at 2pm when Ellie greeted me at reception, took my coat and shopping bags and hung them up for me then directed me upstairs.
I sat down in the little seating area, just off the salon floor and was instantly offered a cup of tea or coffee, which is lovely! So many salons don't do this when it's such a simple thing that can completely change the experience. Hayley came over and we went to sit down and discuss my colour.
We decided on (i think!) half head of two colour highlights, concentrating it on the ends, and then she'd put a high lift tint, mixed with a bit of something else in hairdresser language, on the very ends of the top layers of my hair to bring it to a coppery tone so the gradient of the colour wasn't too harsh.
I had a lovely chat with Hayley and Lucy (again, I think!) and it was like talking to friends. Not the usual 'are you going on holiday this year?', 'hows work?", but you could tell there was a really good atmosphere between everyone who works there, i heard many tales of bananas and doing each others hair!
It ended up taking aaagggesss to lift the colour on my hair, this has happened before and i think it's just my barnet being a bit stubborn but after a long time under the heat i went over to the sinks. This is one of my favourite bits! I sat down in the massage chairs. Yes, massage chairs. You can adjust the intensity and even have your feet lifted up so you're reclined all the way. It was the perfect way to relax and do absolutely nothing on my day off, other than have a wonderful head massage!

They then put a special treatment on my hair and i sat back down with the latest copy of Elle and a miniature cafetiere while i waited for it to work its magic.
At about 5:15 (yes my hair is that stubborn!) Tash came over and we started on my cut. I've had so many scissor happy hairdressers that don't understand how much I'm trying to grow my hair so I explained to her that I knew it was really damaged but please could she take the minimum off and sat and watched from behind my hand! Not literally but you get the picture.
To cut a long story short, Tash was amazing! She took off enough for it to not look frazzled but not so much that i felt all my scalp massaging, hair growth tablets and laying off the end of my bed (gravity, right?) had gone to waste.
Tash and Hayley joined forced to rough dry my hair, then Tash blow-dried it round a brush so it was all bouncy and shiny and lovely! Normally I've asked to have it blow-dried straight but it ends up slicked down to my head so this was a nice change.

I remember a certain salon- naming no names- I had booked in for highlights, a cut and rough dry. When it came to the drying, she asked how i wanted it done, which i thought odd as I'd only booked a rough dry. So i asked if she could do it fairly straight for me to which she replied 'well you're only booked in for a rough dry so I'm going to have to do it like that'… what?!?
But anyway, I think we finally finished up at about 6pm, when the salon closes (sorry guys!) and went downstairs where I had another lovely chat with Ellie, Tash and Hayley while i picked up my coat and bags. I paid £102 for my hair, and that was with a £10 off voucher and was actually less than i was supposed to pay, but thats a whole 'nother story! Yes, its expensive, there's no doubt about that! But i've paid more for a horrible experience where i was so unhappy with the results… Hi Toni & Guy ;)… and as i've said before, i believe you get what you pay for. I had an amazing colour,
wonderful cut,
lovely head massage,
lovely massaging chairs,
fabulous blowdry,
genuinely interesting conversation,
sat in their beautiful salon,
a huge cup of tea,
a huge cup of coffee,
2 biscuits…
and walked away with numerous 'recommend a friend for 25% off' cards, a loyalty card which I'm kicking myself for not having on me now- blogging on the go- but the everytime you go, you get it stamped, and at certain stages receive little discounts and treats with a minimum spend, an excellent new blogger to follow and a huge smile on my face!
I honestly can't remember the last time I walked out of the hairdressers and wasn't rushing to get home and wash and style it myself. I wanted to go out and show it off and tell people all about it!
Thank you so much Ellie, Hayley, Tash and everyone at Saks for making my little visit so wonderful and memorable :) needless to say, i'll be going back.
Pay them a visit, you won't regret it! xxx



Oh, and this is my hair the morning after, i stupidly forgot to take a photo when i came out!

Review: The Body Shop Foundation

Hola! It's not often I see reviews or posts on the Body Shop's makeup line, so I thought, as I've been trying out the foundation recently, I'd give it a go.

I've recently run out of my all time favourite Clinique's Even Better(overtaking Mac's Studio Fix Fluid, yes really!)so thought I'd try out The Body Shop's Oil Free Balancing Foundation which I had lying around.

I think this may be the first negative review I've done...!

Firstly, the foundation is supposed to be 'balancing'. In my opinion, it's extremely drying, designed for really oily skin rather than to oily to combination as it claims. It clings to any even slightly dry patches or blemishes and highlights them. And I know it's not designed for dry skin but I don't have dry skin, and it still stuck to any slight blemishes.

I also found it incredibly difficult to blend, even with warm hands! It's quite a thick formulation and drys into skin incredibly quickly without giving you a chance to spread it evenly which = streaky face syndrome.

I should've done a bit more research before buying this as i was also disappointed with the matte finish (which isn't a fault of the foundation, I'll hold my hands up and learn a lesson!) but it just reinforced the fact I don't like matte finishes.

Some positive points, because I'm not a negative person! It smells good! Like most Body Shop products. It's not exactly cheap at £13 but it is more affordable than most other foundations I buy, I'm a firm believer in 'you get what you pay for' when it comes to foundation. It does provide a good, medium coverage and evens your skin tone, despite clinging to spots. And the SPF 15 is always a nice little bonus to have.

I have also been applying it under Benefit's Hello Flawless Foundation, which I've found to be a bit too sheer and greasy looking, so together they counteract eachother. I find the Body Shop one leaves your skin looking a little powdery so the Benefit one reverses that. I still wouldn't opt to use this combo on a permanent basis because it's not particularly nice (not a patch on Clinique) and it would be very expensive!

Hope you enjoyed my 'constructive criticism'! If any of you have reviewed Body Shop products leave a comment below with a link, I'd love to see what you think :)

Thanks for reading, any suggestions on other foundations I might like?
Grace
xx

Questions Tag

I've been feeling a bit de-motivated at the moment, hence the lack of blogging. So here's something easy and fun, a questions tag! Enjoy x


1. Is your hair naturally curly or straight?
It's neither really, if I blow dry it it's straight but if I leave it to dry naturally it's quite flat and wavy.


2. What is your natural hair color?
It's quite a dark brown


3. Do you dye it yourself or go to a salon?
It depends, I did it myself last time. If I'm doing it darker and all over I do it myself because it's so much cheaper but if I'm having highlights ill have it done professionally.


4. How often do you wash your hair?
Usually everyday or every other day depending on if it's up or down


5. Do you wear the same style every day or change it?
I like to change it up! But I'll go through phases of liking a particular style. At the moment it's a big messy bun but gripping the front up in a kind of quiff type thing...

6. Do you do your own mani/pedi or go to a salon?
I do my own nails unless im having acrylics, I'm yet to find somewhere that do it how I like


7. How often to you change your nail polish?
When I was at college it was everyday but now I'm working probably once a week.


8. Do you polish your toes in the winter, too or just in the summer?
Both I think


9. How long does it take to put on your makeup?
It can take anything from 10mins to half an hour


10. What do you do first? Face or eyes?
I always do my eyes last


11. Do you "collect" makeup or just buy what you need when you need it?
I'm quite good and tend to only buy it when I need it, somehow I've ended up with two boxes full of it anyway!


12. How often do you wear false eyelashes?
Hardly ever, maybe if im going out


13. Do you do a full face of makeup every day?
If I'm going out somewhere but sometimes I'll do it just cos I'm bored


14. Do you wear makeup when you are home alone (or with family)?
Not really


15. Will you leave the house without makeup?
Yeah I would but I feel better with it on


16. How many high end products do you have?
I haven't counted, definitely a believer in 'you get what you pay for' the majority of the time with makeup


17. How often do you wash your makeup brushes?
Not as much as I should!


18. Do you plan your OOTD every night or decide when you are getting dressed?
If I'm working I get it all ready the night before because I get more sleep then!

19. How often do you change your handbag?
Every few days depending on what I'm doing


20. What time do you get up & go to sleep?
If I'm working, sleep at 10:30, up at 6:30 if not, sleep at about 11:30 up at 9, I like my sleep!


21. How often & when do you workout?
I don't, at all. It's bad!

22. Left-handed or Right-handed?
Right


23. How tall are you?
5'5/5'6


24. Do you speak a foreign language?
Not fluently, would love to be able to though


25. How many pets do you have?
I have a dog called Stanley and a rabbit called tiggy!


26. How often are you on Blogger?
Not as much as I used to be, I've just downloaded the app but I'm pretty unimpressed


27. Do you read the comments posted blogs?
Yeeeeah

28. Do you keep a list of products to try as you see other posts?
No, that's a good idea though. Might start doing it

29. How did you come up with your blog name?
It's my name... Couldn't think of anything else!


30. What kind of camera do you use for photographs?
Either just a canon digital camera or my iPhone


31. How often do you clean your house? (Daily, weekly, other)
I tidy my room everyday at the moment, it annoys me when it's messy


32. What is your favorite color?
Piiiink


33. What is your favorite beauty/fashion magazine?
Company


34. Do you swear?
Not really


35. What are you doing with the rest of your day?
Nothing planned, a nice lazy day then I think I'm going out with my mam for tea :)

New Favourite Nail Colour

I've been neglecting my nails a bit recently, and bending/biting them out of boredom! Hence the slight stumpiness... But I just bought this Rimmel nail polish in Aqua Cool and I love the pastel-blue/lilac shade. I also love how easy Rimmel nail polishes are to apply and how quickly they dry, excellent value for money :)
let me know your favourite nail colours at the moment!
Grace
Xxx

Bronzer Review: Chanel's Soleil Tan De Chanel- Bronze Universel

Hello :) Sorry it's been a while, usual excuses, college, exams, work etc! Tonight I'm reviewing a product I've actually had for about a month, the Soleil Tan de Chanel makeup base/bronzer. This is what it looks like...

Excuse the little brush hairs, it seems to attract them and I don't fancy sticking my fingers in it to get them out.
I either use it after foundation and concealer but before powder, or on top of all 3 depending on how bronzed I want to be! I actually really like the colour of this bronzer when used in moderation. It has a peachy orange tone to it but if you use too much it can be just orange, I wouldn't recommend it for anyone with super pale skin. I'm MAC NC25, Clinique shade no.3 and Chanel shade no.30 at the moment just to give you an idea. I also wouldn't say it's the best for anyone with oily skin as it is a cream product so it could end up sliding right off!

Thats the colour it comes out on the left. And that's the brush I use to apply it. I bought it in Ibiza but I'm sure Real Techniques do one really similar if not better for the job and you can buy them in Boots for a fairly reasonable price.
I'm not normally a fan of cream based products but recently I've been loving this and a cream blush from Maybelline.
I also love the packaging. It looks gorgeous just sat on your dressing table. Although, it is a bit bulky for travelling, it fits in my makeup bag which is average sized but everything has a specific order to fit around it!
Another downfall, at first glance, is the price. The RRP is £29. Ouch. But, you get a massive 30g of product (96p/g), whereas you're lucky to get 10g in a bronzer for about £8 (80p/g) so if you've got the money to spend it doesnt work out that much more expensive in the long run. Plus it lasts forever as you only need the tiniest bit.
I love the smell of it, it smells just like suncream.
I think this is perfect for summer when you dont want to wear a full face of makeup but just want a little colour that will last nearly all day.
I'm wearing a little on my cheeks here
Let me know if any of you have tried it and what you thought cos I know it's had mixed reviews online :) Also if you have any other cream cheek products to suggest i'd love to try them! Thanks for reading guys :) Grace xxx

Jewellery Treat

3 Posts in 3 days! I spoil you! River Island a had 20% student discount event today so me and my friend Shani went in and I picked up a couple bits of jewellery. We both got one of these silver evil eye bracelets.

I love it. I think it's really cute and pretty, I love delicate jewellery at the moment so it's perfect for me. It was £5 with the 20% off which came to £4 which is a right bargain! I'm not sure what to wear it with though, I have a set of bracelets that I wear every single day so I'm going to have to start mixing it up! If you want to know more about the origins of the Evil Eye and what it means click here
I also got a St Christopher necklace that looks like this

It comes to just above my belly button! I love it because my dad has one that he always used to wear and now I have one of my own! To read more about the meaning behind it click here He is known as the patron saint of travel, if you want to take that literally then you can, but I like to think of it in the 'journey of life' kind of way. In the least cringey way possible ;) haha.
Let me know what you think of this symbol jewellery at the moment, have you jumped on the symbolism bandwagon or is it just another fad?
Grace xxx

Aspiring Jewellery Designers?

Hello again! I'm looking for aspiring new jewellery designers for an exciting new project I'm hoping to get started on! If you or anyone you know falls into this category, no matter what stage of the process you're in, then drop me an email to gracehollybeauty@hotmail.co.uk with your name and a bit about you and we can get chatting! Also if you know someone you think might fit the bill then please please pass on my email :) Thanks guys! xxx

Life After Acrylics: How To Treat Your Nails After Acrylics

Hola :) I really hope I'm not the only one who is too impatient to get infills, when my acrylics grow out, I'm guilty of biting/peeling/bending/filing/clipping/anythingelsethatwillpossiblygetthemoff. And everytime I say 'Next time I'll just get infills because this ruins mine so much' and you guessed it, I never do ;). So just yesterday I was on the look out for a way to help my nails recover because they're in a pretty poor state, short, stumpy, dented, peeling and flaking left right and centre and just overall pretty rubbish. I did a bit of research and have combined my findings with what I have done in the past to bring you a step by step guide to beautiful nails again! Bear in mind this is a learning curve for me too...

YOU WILL NEED: ♥Acetone
♥Cotton Wool Balls (these grip better than pads)
♥Cuticle/Nail Oil
♥A 4 Sided Nail File/Buffer Block
♥Cuticle Trimmer
♥Strengthening nail polish
♥Nail polish of your choice
1. DON'T BITE THEM OFF IN THE FIRST PLACE.
2. But if you're reading this, you probably have. So chances are there's the odd bit of acrylic still stuck to your nails, don't pick it off. Get yourself some acetone which you can find in Boots next to the nail polish remover, soak a cotton wool ball in acetone and hold it on the acrylic for as long as you can until you get bored/pruney fingers (not that long). Then wash your handies.
3. Take the cuticle/nail oil, available in Boots, and put a blob on each nail, massaging it into the cuticle and nail edges. Then use a cuticle trimmer (Boots, a couple £'s!) to trim off you're cuticles, giving you a clean base to work with.
4. You should,in theory, have the worst of it off, if you don't, you're going to have to file it off. Try and get your hands on a four-way nail block thing. I got one from the body shop and one from Boots, they're fairly cheap and are perfect for this situation.There's basically four sides to this nail file, 1. file nail, 2. remove ridges, 3. smooth nail and 4. shine nail. You'll need to use the file preferably with a fine grit on the surface of your nail, and no it's not ideal but neither is biting off acrylics haha. Do this until your nail is relatively smooth again, leave the oil on as it acts as a form of protective barrier.
4. Then follow it step by step with the other 3 sides of the block.

5. Next shape your nail, and even if you've got a few long ones still standing you're going to have to file them down too! Make sure you only file in one direction (not the band) as your nails are going to be thin and weak enough already. You'll have to keep your nails short until they're a bit stronger otherwise you're not going to get anywhere.
6. If there are any splits right in the middle of your nail, that are literally going to make your nail so short that it's painful, use the nail glue you get in DIY false nail kits to glue them down until its grown out when you'll have to file it off! I'm sure you can buy the glue seperately. No prizes for guessing where from ;)
7. I read a lot of differing opinions, some said to keep nails free of polish, some said to wear a clear coat, so it's up to you but I like to wear nail polish, because they're still not going to look great as they are. Use a strengthening clear base coat, I like the Sally Hansen Miracle Cure one.

8. Once that's dry, you can either leave it as it is or pop on your favourite colour! Darker colours disguise ridges remember ;) and then a clear top coat of your choice!
9. Et Voila! Your nails should hopefully be marginally better. Keep them short for at least a month, if not two, and apply the cuticle/nail oil regularly. Avoid soaking your nails in water, if you have to do washing up then wear gloves, and just take general care not to put strain on your nails.

Let me know if you've got any good tips :) Remember I'm in no way a professional, this is just what I do!
Thanks for reading :)
Grace
xxx

ps. none of these pictures are mine!! I'm writing this at college and so don't have my camera... Remember to follow me by email!! :) xxxxx

Random Blog

So today I tweeted asking what I should blog about, and as usual had numerous replies of 'me'!! One of which from one of my best friends, Ellie Campbell. I think she was joking, but I actually thought it was a great idea! Basically, she's an 18 year old singer/songwriter/guitar-player/amazing friend/absolute plonker/overly sensitive ;)/incredibly talented person. And I know there are loads of people on Youtube etc. who sing/play guitar, and I might be a little biased, but she is in a league of her own.

I don't always show or tell her own amazing she is or how much I appreciate her, usually she'll start singing something and I'll tell her to shut up cos she needs to realise she's not actually good. Because i'm so nice like that. But I hope she realises how amazing i think she actually is.

She's one of those people who sounds so so much better live than she does recorded, and she still sounds amazing then! Here's a video of Ellie and I singing at my 18th!


So this little snippet of blog is just to give her a bit of appreciation/recognition!
This is her SoundCloud http://soundcloud.com/elliecampbellmusic
And her Youtube http://www.youtube.com/user/elliecampbellmusic
And her Facebook http://www.facebook.com/elliecampbellmusic

Here's just a few pictures of us to break it up!

Enjoying a cheeky cocktail in the sun

Pre drinking in Majorca last summer

Shameless posing on the beach





Please please please check her out, she has the most amazingly powerful voice (cringe at those words but its true) and I love and appreciate her so much :)

So there you go Elz, my blog about YOU!! Let me know if you check her out or if any of you are singers leave me a link to your Youtube etc!

So proud of you Ellie! :)

Loveee xxx

Super Haul

Hello lovelies :-) and hello to all the nasties ready to leave comments ;)

I recently went to Birmingham for a University interview and thought I'd take advantage of the Bull Ring shopping centre while I was there. If you haven't been to the Bull Ring you seriously need to, it's incredible.
Anyway, I thought I'd show you what I've been buying there and what I've been buying recently!

First up...

I picked up a full size Soap & Glory Clean on Me shower cream because I could only get hold of the travel sized one before and I've been loving it recently.

It was 3 for 2 on Soap and Glory so I also grabbed the minature Daily Smooth Body Butter to try it out and a Hand Maid hand sanitising gel, I'm a big hand sanitiser person! And it smells just like the Hand Food and Clean on Me which= ♥

I also picked up some MAC Mineralise Skinfinish in Soft & Gentle which I have wanted for sooo long but we can't get it anywhere in Exeter. It looks gorgeous as a highlighter on your cheek bones or brow bone.

Making the most of my MAC opportunity, I got a MAC kohl eye pencil in Smoulder. The line on the left is with one stroke and the other is with a few, so you can get quite an intense black colour. So far it's going quite well, not convinced it's worth the £14 though.

Not in Birmingham, but recently all the same ;), I had to get what I like to call a 'tide me over' foundation. Something I'm happy to use in between finding a new perfect foundation. So I got this in Boots and the testers were completely different to the actual shades, I also found it so difficult to match my own shade without having a professional there to help me!
Anyway, turns out I got 51, which is too light, so I mix it with my favourite MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NC41 which is too dark and I'm quite enjoying that little combo at the moment.

This is the kind of finish it gives, nice and glowing with medium coverage!

I've also been looking for a new purse for a while, my old River Island one broke, like the clasp was really loose and all my cards and stuff were falling out. And seeing as I only have one purse at a time, and I only buy one every few years I thought it was worth looking for a good quality one. So I ended up with this one from LK Bennett which was in the sale down from £110 to £45! And the black one in the same style was still full price... random. But I love it, and the zip has LK Bennett engraved in it and I'm in love with little details like that!



So, back to Birmingham, this hasn't been very chronological. I went to Forever 21 and bought some pink leather shorts (yes, i know) and a kind of fine knit light pink crop top t shirt. Phew. So, here I am, standing in my bathroom because it has the best possible light, wearing these items...

Think that's all I have to say! Hope you like this, let me know what you think :-)

Grace
x

Peachy Keen Jelly Bean ;-)

Hola! Got a few pictures of a hair and makeup look I've been trying out today. I used mainly peachy pink, nude colours for a really natural everyday look.

Then my hair, I put my extensions in, then curled it with my GHDs rather than a curling iron, let it cool then run my fingers through it, then lightly brush it with as wide brush. I straighten down any bits that then are too frizzy!
Add a bit of backcombing and voila!

Let me know what you think :-)

Ignore my slightly sprouty brows haha!
Hope ya like it :-)

Grace
x

Wishlist

Right, it's wishlist o'clock!

Firstly, hair like that. It's not that much to ask is it. Just grow about 7 inches please.

Secondly, a Wildfox jumper. Unlikely at £97, but they're so cute. I wanted the white one with a red heart but it's not online any more :-(.

Louis Vuitton Speedy 30. Not really a Wishlist, more a Needlist. This will be mine by the end of 2012. £450, but so so cute.

Ojon Shampoo and Conditioner. Yes it's ridiculous at £40 but if you watch "ThePersianBabe"'s videos you'll see how super shiney it makes your hair.

Next, a Links Sweetie Bracelet! I've wanted one for ages and Mum decided to buy one for my sister for her birthday. I was like what?!? I'm not sure how she could to that to me but there we go. You can get little charm type things to attach to them but I like them plain I think. They're £130... damn my expensive taste...

Then the Ted Baker purse. The most adorable purses in the world. I dont actually want that brown colour, there's a bronzey pearley one in that crocodile skin style but it's not online. Hopefully be able to get my hands on one at work! £75-£79

Bright pink super skinny jeans! These ones are from River Island and are £30, there's some in Ted for £79 which I could use my discount for but I'm thinking of just getting the cheaper ones and using my uniform allowance for something else ;-) not just a pretty face!

I've been really like these baggy t shirts and comfy jumpers recently. Think it's the weather. But I love them with super skinny bottoms like leggings or skinny jeans, and pumps. Cutey cute cute. This one is from Topshop, think it's around £12-£16.

And finallyyyy... These Dune riding boots. They dont look anything special online, but one of the girls at work has them and I've been lusting after them all weekend. They've got these gorgeous gold halter details at the back, the front shoe section is leather, then the actual boot bit looks like a kind of suede but not material. It's hard to describe but I need them. They're £140 in the sale... Why aren't I rich? Aren't the beautifullll? :-( Life is so hard.



Haha, anyway, that's my most recent Wishlist... Let me know what yours is or what you think of mine! :-)

Grace
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Jobs & An Update On Me

Helloo again, so as mentioned in my last post, I've got myself two new jobs in the last month and had exams at college. Boring things first, I had 2 Sociology exams, one AS and one A2 because I'm fast tracking it (not to be recommended) but they went better than I thought, but still not ideal. And anyway, I've not got my heart set on Uni at the moment so it's not the end of the world if I don't get straight A's!



Now that that's out of the way, jobs! The first is with a company called The Best Of Exeter. I say I got the job, there's a bit more to it than that but hey ho. In short, I'll be setting up and updating various social media sites for a number of companies through BOE and PollardsPrint who I used to do it for. Not that exciting but I like it and I've met some lovely people doing it so that's all that matters! So if you know anyone looking to do this, let me know!!



The next one is the most exciting (sorry BOE), I literally cannot wait to start properly! I'm so happy to have got it. I'll be working as a Sales Assistant at Ted Baker YESSSS!! This is amazing for a number of reasons
1) Ted Baker. Just Ted Baker, what's not to love? Have a look HERE and let me know what you think
2) I met the people I'll be working with at my interview and at the training sessions I did last weekend and they couldn't be nicer! It looks like so much fun
3) Discount! I know, not a very good thing to say, but it's amazing! Can't wait to buy my uniform! Anything they pay me will be going straight back to Ted Baker anyway, I'm basically working for free
4) Opportunities within the company, there are so many and it's so exciting, can't think of another word! But yeah, it seems like a great company to work for and I am itching to start on Saturday, if you're in town, come in and say hi :-)



Here's my pick of Ted's new collection, send me links to yours!

DELISH!


Grace
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January Favourites!

Hola! :-) I'm back... had a busy couple of weeks with exams, college and starting a new job or two which I'll tell you all about! But first things first, the end of January (where did that go?) brings us to my first '... Favourites' post, exciting stuff. For anyone not familiar with the format it's pretty self explanatory, my favourite products of January, stuff I've been using on a regular basis if not everyday. So, let's get started!

There they are in all their glory!
From left to right, a quick run through...
Yankee Candle in Christmas Cupcake, Prada Candy Perfume, St. Moriz Instant Self Tanning Mist, Rose & Co Lip Balm, Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer, Sleek Blush





First! The ultimate Yankee Candle in my opinion. £15.99 with 50% off £7.99 online, at Debenhams and at House of Fraser inc. lots of other places...

From their Christmas Collection 'Christmas Cupcake' I got the small jar version of this for Christmas just to try it out and i'd nearly burnt it all in 2 weeks so I went out and bought the medium jar which was in the salefor £7.99. It smells incredible, it's really sweet and buttery, yet not at all sickly, the medium and large jars have the best scent pay off. The website describes it as "Rich, moist vanilla cupcake covered with sweet buttery holiday icing" I've been burning it non-stop and for £7.99 with 60-95 hours of burn time it's worth it. Definitely recommend it, just have a sniff next time your in one of their stores and you won't be able to resist it!



Next, my new favourite perfume I think. Prada Candy about £35-£40 for 30ml from all your usual perfume stores

Ahhhh where do I start? I am in love. I cannot describe how much I love this perfume! So let's start with how Prada describe it " “Prada Candy is instantly seductive – pure pleasure wrapped in impulsive charm. In an explosion of shocking pink and gold, Prada Candy takes us on a walk on the wild side, showing us a new facet of Prada femininity where more is more and excess is everything.” So, yeah! Again, it's incredibly sweet, if you don't like sweet fragrances you probably won't like this. The top note (what you smell straight away) of white musk, heart(what you smell after a few minutes- an hour) of benzoin and the base note (what it settles down to, and leaves lingering on your skin) of caramel and vanilla make for an incredibly feminine scent there's no doubt about that. If it doesn't sound like your thing, and you didn't like it at first smell, try it again and smell it after a few hours, the staying power is good and you'll probably grow to love it the more you smell it. Perfect for Valentines day coming up too guys!



Next up, St Moriz Instant Self Tanning Mist £2.99/150ml

The budget version of St Tropez! But just as good, if not better for an all year round, even tan. When you can have the same results from something less than a 10th of the price (i think, maths is not my strong point) then why not? It does have that slight fake tan smell, but personally, I've grown to love it! No streaks when you use a mitt and gives you a great, olive toned colour! I bought it in a shop called 'Savers' in Plymouth, classy I know. But Google it, find out where you can get it near you.



Rose & Co Sweet Vanilla Salve Lip Balm £5 Boots

This is more of an all time favourite but it's been a life saver in the cold weather. It's the only lip balm I'm happy using. It contains beeswax, almond oil and honey to moisturise your lips and protect them from harsh weather! It's so much better than things like Vaseline which are known as 'barriers' because they only stop your lips from losing more moisture, they don't put anything back in, so if you've got chapped, dry lips then it'll do you no good. Anyway, this stuff smells amazing and works miracles on my lips, as you can see I'm nearly out but it's lasted me for so long.



Next is something I'm a bit late on the Blogger Bandwagon with, but it's the Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer £4.99 Boots, but I'm pretty sure you can get it cheaper, and with student discount in Superdrug!

This is a great basic concealer, for blemishes and dark circles, it's nice and thick and creamy and gives great coverage. Mine's in the shade Medium 3. I've been using it everyday and it definitely deserves all the praise it's been getting online! Especially at that price, the only downside is the way the labelling fades, a pet hate of mine but it wouldn't stop me re-purchasing it or recommeding it to you guys.



And finally! Last but not least, Sleek Blushes about £4.99 only available in Superdrug in Flamingo and Suede

Flamingo on the left and Suede on the right. Flamingo looks incredibly fluorescent in the picture, it's bright but not that bright!
Again, for under a fiver these are such great quality, I love all of Sleeks products and was pleasantly surprised by these. They last all day and have brilliant pigmentation, the packaging is so 'sleek' (get it) and does not look the price it is! It reminds me slightly of Nars packaging without being so rubberised. Suede is a great bronzey colour and would look lovely with a tan and dark hair, whereas Flamingo is the opposite, a true bright pink which would look great on the apples of your cheeks, especially with blonde hair.




So this brings my January Favourites to an end! I love sharing it with you and hope you like reading it as much, leave comments and let me know if you try anything out. Remember to Follow if you can, thanks again :-)

Grace
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