Berry Much Maybelline Color Drama Lip Pencil

I can't believe I almost ignored the Maybelline Color Drama Intense Velvet lip pencils at first. I just wasn't fussed by yet another not quite-a-lipstick lip product but on a bit of a whim I picked one up and fell in love straight away. 

I raved about the Nude Perfection shade a few weeks back and I knew it wouldn't be long before I picked up another shade.

Just the other day 301 Berry Much made it's way into my collection and it cost me less than 5 of my English pounds. It's the darkest in the range, a deep berry tone which is stunning and great for this season.

It looks a lot darker on the pencil than it looks on the lips. It's got a beautiful pinkness to it which doesn't make it as scary as it might seem at first. It's a daring shade but so wearable. Much like the other shade I've tried it sets to a semi-matte finish and is amazingly pigmented.

The formula is lovely and creamy and although the pointed tip makes it easy to apply I recommend using a lip liner as it's such a dark shade you want to ensure there's no bleeding and you get a really sharp line.

They don't smudge and are so long lasting considering just how creamy they are. Even through eating a drinking they last a good few hours without a touch up. 

They are £4.99! Four pounds and ninety nine pence! I'm almost a bit worried that Maybelline are going to realise how much of a bargain these are and put the price up!!

I'm already planning another purchase... which one to go for next?!

Have you tried any of these?

What's your favourite?

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Cosy Cashmere Socks

             

 I'm not one for wearing layers, I've never been that 'cosy' person who loves big fluffy jumpers. On a winters evening you'll find me in shorts with the heating on - or when I'm feeling less lazy I just nip around the house and do some tidying and hoovering and I soon warm up. I move around too much to get cold.

But when I'm doing that 'snuggling thing' a pair of warm socks make all the difference. A good quality pair are going to last a long time and will make me warm throughout. Basically when my feet are warm, the rest of me is warm.

These  Dore Dore Douceur Merino Wool, Viscose And Cashmere Socks From Luxury Legs are perfect for keeping me warm and are a lovely bight colour too so they don't just feel like 'boring socks'. I don't think there's ever been a year that someone in my family isn't bought socks for Christmas and something with a luxury feel to them like this is a great idea -although tempting to get Santa themed socks, they don't really feel right throughout the year. I wore mistletoe socks in May and I felt like such a rebel!

Dore Dore are a french brand that go way back to the 1800's and the socks are made in Italy. They keep my feet really warm without making them stuffy or feeling completly covered in heavy fabric, they're extremely lightweight considering how well they warm up my toes! 

£23 for a pair of socks might seem a bit pricey and they aren't exactly ones you'd buy loads of pairs of, but they are they are brilliant if you're after a good quality gift. If you know someone who is outside a lot or does a lot of walking, these would be a perfect little treat, throw in a foot cream too and you're sorted!

They are also packaged in a lovely gift bag so they look a little more special too. 

These will actually be socks that are appreciated as the quality is great, and they are so soft and comfortable! If you're stuck for a gift... everyone always needs socks... right? 

*These were kindly gifted to me but as always all thoughts are 100% my own.

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Bills Restaurant -Breakfast time!

I got really excited when I saw a Bills was coming not just to my town but literally down the road from my house. My new local looked amazing! As I walked past everyday I was intrigued as I saw the place turn from an old empty building to a really trendy looking restaurant!

I went along for a late breakfast (or 'brunch' if you will...) with my son and partner and I really wanted to share my experience.

The decor in the place is gorgeous, it has a bit of a rustic feel without feeling a bit... dirty. Sometimes I get that feeling when places try and do the rustic thing, they go for rustic and just get kind-of dusty instead.

There were jars of sweet treats on the shelves around us which we could buy to take home with us after our meal. More about that in a bit.

We were greeted by 3 diffrerent members of staff who were all so friendly and welcoming. Straight away we were seated and ordered our coffees and orange juice for Mason. He was happy to have his juice served in a 'grown up cup' rather than a beaker or a bottle with a sports cap. Little things make a 2 year old happy.

We ordered 2 adult Breakfasts and one kids breakfast and chatted amongst ourselves for which seemed like a few minutes.

 I always bring a few little toys when we go out so Mason doesn't get restless waiting for food but our food was brought over in no time at all. 

It was the best breakfast I've had in ages. I often feel after a fry up I feel a bit 'bleeeurrrrg' like, uncomfortably full.. full of food and full of regret. This wasn't the case with Bills.  You could tell that they used high quality ingredients, the sausages were amazing and the crusty fresh bread was delicious. 

After our plates were cleared we noticed a paper bag on the table with a list on it, this was a list of the items you could buy to take home. We looked through the great selection of sweets, teas, jams and chutneys and couldn't help but order a packet of bonbons and some oat biscuits for later in the day. It's great that you just tick off what you'd like and hand it to the waiter and they add it to the bill.

Everything was reasonably priced, the food was excellent and the service was amazing. I was really impressed with our trip to Bills and we will definitely be returning.

....and The Oat Biscuits were amazing!!!

Have you been to Bill's Before? What did you think?

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Where I REALLY blog

I'm always seeing posts that give you an insight in to a bloggers life, you can see where the posts are written and get a bit of behind the scenes action. I love all the pretty pictures and I always end up feeling envious of another blogger's set up and immediately find myself browsing Zara Home for a load of new house bits!

But how real is it? Oh perfect Beauty Blogger do you really live like this? If you do.. Bravo (yes, bravo).


I planned on doing one of these posts myself and I kept putting it off, mainly down to the fact I couldn't be bothered to sort my desk out. I'm pretty tidy everywhere else but my desk is a constant mess. 

So why was I putting off doing the post because I needed to tidy up first? Surely that's not really the point?
 So I'm going to show you where the blogging really happens...



This is what I'd like my desk to be like, and after a clear up it honestly starts off like this! 
But it lasts about 5 minutes before it's a wreck again!

You'll see my desk isn't the typical 'bloggers white' and it's in a pretty dark corner of the room.  

However...

The lovely canvas print of our legs (made out of tiny Instagram pictures) hangs above the screen of my iMac. I have a desk pad under my keyboard ready for when inspiration strikes. There's Yankee candles to the left of me, lilies to the right, pens tucked neatly in a Starbucks cup in the corner, notebooks neatly lined up which are full of great rubbish ideas. The mixture of scents from the lilies and the black cherry candle (and furniture polish!) fill the room. And there's a warmth coming from my Disney mug of Earl Grey.  A lovely clear working space for a lovely clear mind...

The reality is somewhat different.

Firstly there's wires.. so many wires! Where are everyone else's wires? We all have chargers and what are your computers powered with? fairy dust?!

I never finish a drink, and I seem to have at least 3 on my desk by the end of the day. I start off telling myself "Today is the day I'll drink loads of water" then a couple of hours later I get bored of it and get a Coke. Then I fancy a cup of tea. Pretty much every day ends with a warm glass half full (ever the optimist!) of water on the desk along with a couple of extra glasses too.

There are more notebooks than I know what to do with which are mainly full of odd words that make no sense when I next look at them. The desk planner is there but that is only used for particular notes, some things don't make it to the desk pad! Oh no! That's where the random bits of paper come in! Lists upon lists scrawled on the back of (probably important) letters and press releases!

The pen pot is soon forgotten about and pens just get chucked everywhere. "I don't need a biro -this To-Do List calls for PINK SHARPIE!" 

One by one the beauty products make their way on to the desk, either to look to for information for blog posts or to use while I browse Twitter. This week a tube of Deep Heat made an appearance after an over zealous plank session!


Who am I kidding?! Even the 'After' picture is an improvement on the mess of my desk. Right now there's an extra 2 pens, some unopened post, a 20% off WH Smith voucher, my iPad (plus charger -another wire!), a lip scrub, a blue tooth speaker, a Christmas decoration, a mini microscope (no really! don't ask) a nail polish and used cotton wool pad.
I'm a skank.

They say geniuses have the messiest handwriting -maybe this is kind-of the same thing...? Well that's what I'm telling myself!

What is your blogging space really like?

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Bargain Wilko Make-Up Brushes

I recently reviewed the Premium make-up brush range from Wilko and I've since been keeping an eye out for little bits and pieces in their beauty section. 

With Xmas on the way I've started to think about what to get the little miss's in my family who are now getting into make-up (and making me feel old).

Wilko's new brush range are great little stocking fillers and they are not only very pretty but dirt cheap too! 

Their plastic black and white handles have really fun designs and each brush has a blue or pink option which I think look great! 

Wilko Eye make up brush* £1
This lovely pink brush is nice and fluffy and makes it really easy to blend in your eyeshadow. 

Wilko Eyeliner Brush* £1
This angled brush has short dense bristles which are designed for applying  dry or wet eyeliner and can also be used to fill in eyebrows.

Wilko Retractable Kabuki brush* £3
I love this brush, it's so handy for travelling and the lid makes sure it's kept germ free while ensuring nothing in your bag gets covered in powder!

It's designed to provide flawless application of powder to your face or body and it does the job brilliantly.

Wilko Blusher Brush* £2
This is a very versatile brush, the name suggests it's to be used for blusher but I find it the perfect size to highlight the cheekbones and apply bronzer accurately too.

The synthetic bristles make them easy to clean and are cruelty free.

I'm actually really impressed with the quality, the bristles are really densely packed, really soft and I didn't experience any fallout after washing them a couple of times. I don't see them lasting forever and a rubber handle would be easier to grip but they are definitely a great set of brushes  for young girls who are just starting out with make up and are beginning to get a make-up collection together.

*I was very kindly gifted these but thoughts are 100% my own

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Bloggers Hub

Earlier this week I popped into Bloggers Hub, a little event put on by Bloggers Love to give us bloggers a chance to mingle and chat with some new brands.

The event was held in Kaneloa on Shoe lane -a brilliant road name if you ask me! It's not too far from where I used to work and the area just makes me smile from ear to ear. I have loads of great memories there. Although I live 30 mins away I end up being a complete tourist and snapping pictures along to way!

Already in a great mood as I walked in I was met by a room full of lovely bloggers and fantastic brands. It was a A great chance for me to check out a few brands and meet some other bloggers, something I am really enjoying lately -everyone is so lovely in this community!

After the weather starting to turn a little blustery I walked in a little windswept! I headed straight to the guys at  Umberto Giannini and asked for a bit of help with my unruly barnet! 
I felt rather smug telling them how I'd cut down on using heat on my hair, after years of being told off my hairdressers for straightening my hair to death I thought I'd get instant brownie points but I was told how letting my hair dry in velcro rollers was good, it wasn't going to stay lifted for long without a decent product -which explained why my hair goes flat so often. I was also told how the oil I used on my hair is far too heavy for me. I was gifted a couple of bits and will be doing a full review at a later date -but these guys really know their stuff! Within minutes my hair was transformed into bouncy curls without hours under a blowdryer.

I couldn't miss the bright lipsticks at the  Colour chase Cosmetics table. I'm slowly getting braver when it comes to lipstick and I've moved well away from my usual nude shades and sporting some dark berries and bright pinks. This brand can help you get well out of your comfort zone, producing you with really bright bold colours which are not for the faint hearted!

I had a really in depth chat with the ladies from Gold Collagen which is a liquid beauty supplement that gives you beauty from within. Claiming to hydrate the skin, reduce fine lines and wrinkles and give you healthy skin and nails. It all sounds great and something I think I'm really going to have to look into as I approach my 30's! (eeek!)

I was wowed by Matthew Calvin's beautiful handmade jewellery. I'm like a magpie and when I see something shiny I can help but stop to ooh and ahh. There's a great selection of rose gold pieces which are stunning!

Slendertone  is a brand I've always heard of but to be honest I never thought much about them. I've tended to exercise in the traditional way but after talking to these guys I have found out that these are not made for an easy way out, you're not going to get results using these alone while munching on doritos on the sofa (if only) but they work really well alongside a proper healthy lifestyle. Not only do they have the traditional abs belt that we've all heard of, but they now have shorts to tone your bum and even a face toner! I was kindly gifted an abs belt to try -although intrigued by the bum toner I didn't want to burden you with before and after pics of my derrière while eating your lunch! I'm looking forward to seeing how I get on with it!

The last brand I spoke to were the guys at Sniffy Wiffy. They are such a passionate couple with a great business idea, and help a really great cause too! Their hand lotions smell amazing with so many different scents to choose from. They encourage  everyone to check their breasts using their lotions. It's a really great idea and I was given a gorgeous Orange lotion to try for myself. I'll be posting a separate review soon so look out for that! 

The night wasn't just about the brands, there was the bloggers cafe, a little area for blogging with a camera and iPad so you could have a sit down and get some blogging bits done if you needed to. You could have a manicure but I already had my nails painted so I didn't get mine done.

There was also a chance to decorate some cupcakes with the lovely ladies from Miss Cupcakes  I can honestly say these are the best cupcakes I've tried and I got a few funny looks munching on mine on the packed train home full of city workers!

It was a lot of fun and I'm really looking forward to going along again next week! 

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Revlon Pinstripe nails and Zazzy name bracelet

I've got 2 great products to show you in this post. One is a great little tool to help create great nail art at home. The other is a personalised bracelet.

firstly the nail polish, the name says it all Revlon shiny matte nail enamel (£7.99) gives you exactly what is says -one matte polish for a base and a shiny metallic polish for adding details on top. I have shade 510 Pinstripe which is a dark navy and light silvery blue.

The combination of the two colours and finishes is lovely and I'm so impressed with how easy this look was to create. 

You just paint the nail with the matte shade which looks glossy at first but I assure you it dries matte almost instantly. I only needed to apply one coat for a great base. Then you can get on to designing on top of it using the thin nail art brush that accompanies the metallic blue shade.

The brush makes it nice and easy to be precise so you can be as artistic as you like, though I kept it very simple for my first try with simple pinstripes. I think they look great and even with my not so steady hand I don't think I did too badly! you could even add stripes on top in the other direction for a diamond effect and there's the option of adding a glossy top coat if you're not a fan of a matte finish.

The bracelet* I'm wearing is from an amazing little place called Zazzy -they use 3D printers to create personalised jewellery for you. 

I chose the Wordplay bracelet as I really love the look of the black cord but there is an option to chose a gold chain if you prefer.

It's so easy to design yourself, you choose the colour of the cord you like then the colour of the steel you would like your writing printed on. you can pay a bit more for gold plated brass or sterling silver if you want something really special. You can preview your design so you can have a play around with fonts and can even add an icon such as a heart or a star if you so wish. 

This bracelet costs £17.98 with £1.99 for shipping. It's a really great price for something that you couldn't buy on the high street.

Will you be giving pinstripe nails a go for yourself?

*I was kindly gifted this item but all views are 100% my own.

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Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde Ultra Black Mascara

It's no secret that I loved the original Volume 1 Seconde Mascara. I will actually go as far as saying it's the best high street mascara I've used. If anybody that asked me for a mascara recommendation that was this one I would rave about, for under a tenner it's amazing! 

So when I attended to the 24HR Party Ready Bourjois event I was very pleased to see they've added 1 seconds volume ultra black to their autumn winter collection. My favourite mascara had now got even better!

The black and gold packaging looks very luxurious and I think it looks a lot more high end than it is. 

Bourjois have used their ultra volumising and long lasting formula along with their patented bush which features the same wraparound spherical bristles as the first version. It's the brush that makes this mascara stand out, it really clings to every lash with ease and covers your lashes really quickly. It's a registered design of Bourjois' so it's not something you will see on any other mascara.  

The thing I really love is that you can be so slap-dash with this mascara. You can throw it on with next to no concentration (obviously some is needed to avoid poking your eye out!) and your lashes look great. The 360 degree wrap around bristles just do all the hard work for you by coating pretty much each individual lash!

I wondered how they could possibly improve my favourite mascara but the high intensity black pigments really do make it a deeper black and it gives a great contrast and real definition. My eyes are instantly opened up.

It also claims to last for 16 hours which is no lie! I put this on in the morning and it's still going strong when I'm ready for bed with no fallout or flaking. 

Loving your work Bourjois!


The Volume 1 Seconde Ultra Black Mascara is £9.99 at Boots

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