New Year’s Eve OOTN – which one?

On New Years Eve we are having a house party with a few friends. For my outfit of the night I couldn’t decide whether to go with sequins as there are not too many occasions when I can get fully sparkled up or to just wear a nice dress!

As I probably won’t decide until the night here are my options! First is a gold sequin skirt from New Look (£19.99). It is a sort of rosy gold colour which I really like. I would probably wear this with my favourite Zara top of the moment – a black sheer panel top and of course my DUO boots – love them!

My second choice is more relaxed and is this Zara dress I bought a while back. I haven’t worn this very much, in fact only once so this would be good opportunity to wear it again! I do love this dress as it has a lovely shape and the colours are fab too. I would wear this with my Whistles Kir Royale dark grey ankle boots.

Sinful Colors for Winter

I spotted these in Boots the other day and couldnt resist getting a full set of lovely shimmery winter colours. I went for a beautiful gunmetal, the very festive red and green and a shimmery pink. These are only £1.99 each and have to say the consistency and coverage are amazing. They also last really well.

Christmas Earrings?!

I couldnt help it I saw these in Tesco and had to have them (£2.50). They are so cute and pretty. What do you think – perfect for the festive season or a step too far??

Christmas Party Season – What to Wear??

So it’s that time of year when you are officially allowed to wear sequins so I am going to make the most of it and use every excuse to dress up over the festive period!

First up is my work Christmas do. This is usually quite a “casual” affair where we go to a restaurant for lunch and then carry on the party in a pub (or two or three)! That never stops me from getting a bit dressed up as I just love it!

I decided on a pretty skirt from Asos (£26 in the sale ) and an embellished top from Zara (£19.99). I thought this was dressy without going over the top and comfortable enough to wear the whole day! The top layer of the skirt is sheer with jacquard flowers and the under skirt is a bronze colour which shows through. I love the gold shoulders of the Zara top.

Next we decided to have a small “pre-Christmas” drinks and nibbles party at the weekend. As this was in my house I could forgo the need to be warm or have to walk far in heels! As it wasn’t too dressy I went for this simple dress from H&M (£29.99). It has got sequins on it but as they are black and quite matt they don’t stand out too much against the black chiffon of the dress. The dress itself is a simple spaghetti strap shift dress.

The next event on my festive calendar is a cocktail and dinner evening. For this I want to wear a sequin skirt I got from River Island in the sale for £20 and my black blouse from Zara (£25.99). I love the panels of sequins on this skirt and the simple black jersey on the back, teamed with a simple top helps to make it more wearable! I still wanted to be quite dressed up so I think this the right balance!

Finally Christmas day itself I want to wear something pretty but comfortable so I can eat and drink without feeling uncomfortable! I will probably wear this assymetric red and black leopard print dress from Asos (£29 in the sale). I love the easy relaxed style of this dress and it is really flattering on.

Throughout the pictures I have been wearing my Duo boots and this necklace (below) from a shop called  Necklace 21 on Etsy (about £9).

I will be doing a separate post on my New Years Eve outfit!

Party Hair Essentials

Last year at the 75% off Boots sale I grabbed this amazing Glam Hair kit from Umberto Giannini for about £7 which included three amazing party hair essentials.

In the kit was Backcomb in a Bottle, Princess Purfect Hot Styler Spray and Glamour Puss Crystal Mist (all three are normally £5.61 each). So Backcomb in a Bottle is essentially a hairspray that gives volume and texture so allows you to create great hairstyles that last all night! I have used this a few times over the past year and it does work!

Next is the Hot Styler Spray which I use more often as it is protects against heat styling but also holds your style. I really like this and would definitely get this again.

Finally the best of all the Crystal Mist – this is pure glamour! It is a beautifully scented shimmer spray that leaves your hair not only smelling amazing but also highlighted with the prettiest gold dust! I use this when I want to add some extra sparkle and loads of people always comment on how gorgeous it looks! A must for the Christmas season!

Look out for the Boots January 2014 75% off sale next year and you may find a bargain just as good too!

Christmas List Must Have – Babyliss Curl Secret Styler

Oh my, I went and did it. I bought the Babyliss Curl Secret Styler from Boots for £119.99. I have been watching endless youtube videos and lusting after this and I finally decided that I would just get it. I was quite nervous as I didn’t know how well this would work on my very thick hair. I did try out the “professional” version – the “Pro Perfect Curl” which is about £160 and it did work so I thought I would take the plunge!

The curler is quite odd looking sort of like a small barrel. It isn’t too heavy and is actually quite easy to use. According the the website “hair is automatically drawn gently into the ceramic curl chamber where it is softly held and gently heated from all directions to form a curl.  Simply release the styler from the hair to reveal the perfect curl. With 2 heat settings and 3 timer settings for different curl effects and an automatic curl direction for a natural finish.” I went for the highest heat setting and the longest timer setting because of the thickness of my hair.

I tried to do my hair in sections to make sure I had done it all so I used a hair clip to keep the curled hair out of the way. It took me about 20 minutes to do all my hair the first time I ever tried it. These pictures were from the first ever attempt.

The main thing is to try and do small sections at a time. The hair has to be smooth and untangled. I washed and blow dried my hair using the Babyliss Big Hair two days earlier, I only combed it through before I started. The curler does alternate directions automatically which is great.

You basically clamp it over a small section and it “sucks” it up  with a whirring sound! It then starts beeping and only then does it stop whirring which can be confusing. Then the beeping starts again as individual beeps until it does four quick beeps which means it is ready! Then you unclamp and your hair comes out curly!

I have to say I am very very pleased with it. I can never get my hair to curl like this with my straighteners or curling wand. I usually end up with a wave effect, which I quite like too but isn’t like this! This would have definitely been top of my Christmas list if I hadn’t been so impatient to get my hands on one!!

Beauty Christmas Gift Ideas for Friends and Family

I was trying to think about Christmas gifts -all beauty related for a range of friends and family and I came up with this list. Hope you like it!

For the perfect unisex scent to share with your partner  I love this smell, so musky with a hint of incense- L’air de Rien Eau de Parfum By Miller Harris (£70 for 50ml)

For a frequent traveller friend I love the concept of this balm and the fact that this uses traditional Malaysian ingredients (which is my country of origin) – Balm By Ushvani (£29.50 for 30ml)

For a spiritual friend/relative – this candle would be a great aid to daily meditation -Tranquillity/Calming Organic Home Candle By NEOM (£39.50)

For any beauty obsessed friend she may not have this yet! – Queen of Hungary Mist By Omorovicza (£46 for 100ml)

For your fitness mad friends to soothe achy muscles – Pink Love Salts By Fig+Yarrow (£24 for 14oz)

For perfect party lashes for your social butterfly friend without the faff of fake lashes – Magnetic Lash By Santhilea (£24.98)

For your glamorous friend to help her get ready for her New Year’s Eve party with flawless skin – Prtty Peaushun By Prtty Peaushun (£30 for 8oz)

For anyone going through a difficult time – Inner Strength Bath & Shower Oil By Aromatherapy Associates (£39 for 55ml)

For a teenage girl just getting into makeup – the best cult classic set of blushers she will ever need – Colour Me Pretty Lip and Cheek Palette By Stila Cosmetics (£19.50)

For a little girl (or boy!) to keep their skin soft and safe – Castile Baby Mild Liquid Soap By Dr. Bronner (£5.48 for 236ml)

For your aunt/grandma’s bedroom to help her sleep – Signature Spa Lavender & Chamomile Diffuser Sticks Gift Set from Marks and Spencer (£15)

Get Ready for Christmas Jumper Day!

I am really feeling the whole Christmas jumper thing this year, so I went out and got myself, my daughter and my husband one all from Primark. And yes we will be wearing them on December 13th for Christmas Jumper Day!

Then I started looking around and found loads of other jumpers that were tempting me. Some are very Christmassy and others I think you could wear whenever! So here are my top five jumpers (not including my Primark choices above!) – and yes I love reindeers!!

1. River Island £30

2. Asos £32

4. Dorothy Perkins £29

5. Next £28

6. H&M £24.99

The Scent of Christmas

I don’t know about you but I am such a sucker for a good Christmas candle! I have expanded my collection this year to include scented oils and potpourri – bear with me it isn’t as bad as you think!!!

First I absolutely have to pay tribute to the White Company Winter range. I have managed to collect over the past two months a fairly impressive collection from this range. I have two of the large winter botanical candles (£32 each). These look amazing as you can see the oranges and cinnamon through the wax and they glow beuatifully when lit. Given the size and that they burn for about 75 hours I think they are really good value. There are always 15-20% offers around that help bring the price down too so look out for those!

I also decided to get the potpourri from the Winter range (see above £16) along with the Winter fragrance oil (£6). The oil is really strong and few drops go a long way. I even used it on some oven dried oranges slices I made and some pine cones I collected from my garden. I have to say my living room now smells amazing even before I light any candles!!

I also then found these ridiculously kitsch but amazingly gorgeous pine cone scented candles from Marks and Spencer (£9.50 each)! No they do not smell of pine cones they smell of Mandarin, Cinnamon and Clove. They are actually quite large and look amazing! I haven’t lit them yet so cannot testify to their scent when lit but just sniffing them tells me it is going to be good!

On a slight detour – I also purchased a few candle holders from the White Company. I just thought their range this year was too beautiful to pass up. So I have ended up with about seven different holders! I then decided that the best way to display some of this would be on trays (I got mine from Butlers) arranged with various candles and potpourri artfully laid out! Of course a few fairy lights were added and some glitter stars (also from the White Company) to make it even more festive! I think it looks so lovely and in the evenings I just use cheap tealights instead of lighting all the expesive candles to give the desired cosy effect!

Finally I have to say that Neom have got some amazing Christmas candles. There are three candles in their Christmas range –  the Christmas Wish Home Candle with Mandarin, Cinnamon & Tonka Bean; the Harmonise Home Candle with Pine, Cedarwood & Eucalyptus and the Comforting Home Candle with Cedarwood, Vetiver & Star Anise (£42 each). The Christmas Wish Candle supports the “Make-A-Wish Foundation” which grants magical wishes to children. I would love to get  one of these candles but have resisted the urge to buy one as I fear I have no space left and have spent all my candle budget!

Winter Wardrobe Update @ Zara

I have to admit my love affair with Zara is going through the roof at the moment. After my “Black at Zara” post I then went on to find my perfect hooded coat there and then lately I have just kept finding the odd bit that is so effortlessly cool I have to get it!

First is this gorgeous coat/jacket in dark brown leopard print (£79.99). It isn’t very thick but just looks so chic on and honestly goes with everything! I have lived in this jacket for weeks now!

Next I found these suede boots for £49.99 which I have to be honest I thought was a major bargain! I love the colour and the suede is really buttery soft.

Finally I picked up this wool and lace skirt. I love the use of wool and lace together (kind of Louis Vuitton?!) it is genius and so pretty. Affordable high fashion at £25.99