FOTD and Bye Bye Baby Brother :(

(daylight photo but somehow the flash photography colour payoff is more accurate?? This looks more pinky, when is actually looks more 'winey')

Hey dolls! :)

Today is a picture-heavy one as you can see, this should really be called FOTwheneverIamnotatworkIamwearingthislook.

I love a good statement lip as you know and this one has been the one I am wearing all the time!

I adore the lipliner-lipstick combo I stumbled upon one day and I don't know what I did without it before. To make the bold lip wearable I paired it with a neutral, matte & defined (but not dramatic) eye that really complements a bright/dark lip for the daytime. I really contoured my cheekbones and with a bronzer and used just a touch of a light fuschia blush for a bit of colour. I happily wear these kinda colours during the day or night so whatever floats your boat :) Personally for an evening look I would only darken the crease for a really defined look but just enough so that the lips still remain the focus. 

So here's what I used:

Smashbox Oil Free Photo Finish Primer

Benefit Porefessional Primer

Avon Ideal Flawless matte mousse foundation in Natural Beige (nearly my perfect match!)

MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer in NC20

MAC Studio Finish Powder Plus Foundation in NC20

Laura Geller On The Glow Bronzer

bareMinerals Blush in vivacious

Benefit High Beam

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Avon Electric Purple Eyeshadow Quad - used the matte pale peach nude colour for eyelid and inner corner

Sleek iDivine Storm Eyeshadow Palette - used the matte mid-brown for the crease                                                                            - used the matte dark brown for outer V and lower lash line

- used matte black on an angled brush to line upper lash line

AVON SuperShock gel eyeliner pencil in Black

AVON SuperShock Mascara in Black (great mascara for defining, separating & volumising FAVE)

Clinique High Impact mascara in Black (to add extra volume, length and fluttery-ness)

AVON Lipliner in mystery mauve (to line and fill lips)

AVON colordisiac Lipstick in Rose Addiction (applied straight from the bullet)

I repeated those steps with blotting twice and then at the end, applied lipliner over lips again for a long wearing and demi-matte finish.

However on a completely unrelated topic my (not-so) baby brother went off to uni the week before last  :(

and yes I know I am wearing the same jumper, I love it and is my go to snuggly jumper in the cold weather

and yes I am wearing the same make-up here too, I did tell you I have been wearing it all the time!

I am gonna miss him sooo much, and I feel awful now Stu (that's his name lol) has left home too, because my mummy's all on her ownsome-lonesome. I'm sure she's celebrating really but I do feel bad, I'll have to be a good daughter and try and see her more :) But the good thing is he's not too far away, I didn't move to the halls myself when I was at uni, I moved in with my now fiance about 10-15 mins away. Stuart decided to go to Blackburn, which is only about 30-40 mins from me and my mum and has some lovely scenery on the journey too might I add:

So yeah that was a bit of a ramble and I know it's a bit silly to be bleating on but we are a really close little family and it's really strange having him so far away. Has anyone else got siblings going off to uni or travelling? Isn't it weird not having them around?!

Love,

Star x

October 2012 Wishlist

Hey Everyone! There have been a few things that I have been lusting over for a good while now and I thought I would share them with you, so when I finally get this bloody money tree in my back garden to grow I can say "that was on my october wishlist!"

I apologise about the poor quality of the pictures, I used paint to create my masterpiece and it has somehow been mutilated whilst uploading onto blogger :/

1) Mango Herringbone Short Coat in Black and White £39.99

I have wanted this gorgeous masculine tailored coat ever since I first saw Kate Moss posing on the advert and have decided I will look like her if I buy it. *ahem*

2) H&M Hat £7.99

I love the combo of the grey and yellowy/orangey colours of this hat and it seems a bit different to the standard beige/neutral colours I always go for when buying winter accessories. Plus it has a HUGE pom pom . . Nuff said.

3) Topshop Nails in Pinch Punch by Louise Gray £6.50

This beautiful nail polish is perfect in every way, cute packaging, pink and glittery. What more could a girl want? Also the most affordable of the bunch and the first one I hope to tick off the list!

4) Office Jeffrey Campbell Lita Platform Ankle Boot Spike in Black/Silver £150.00

I love you Jeffrey.

The most unlikely item that I will be able to stroll down to the shops to purchase normally, so these babies will reside on my christmas wishlist. My lovely fiance will be getting a few wink-wink nudge-nudge's in Office's direction this year. Have I mentioned my Warren is the best fiance ever? ;)

5) American Apparel The Disco Pant in Black £74.00

Also an item that I looove ( and hope I can pull off) but alas I cannot afford them. So I have been stalking ebay watching for a pair in my size that I don't have to get shipped from China or America, the wait continues...

6) MAC cosmetics Marilyn Monroe Lipsticks £15.50

I want them all. But I think I will have to chose just one... or maybe two. Not just because I love a gimmick just as much as the next sucker, but because the colours are beautiful and I think they will suit my pale but extremely yellowish/greenish skintone well. (I am sure they will suit you pinky ladies too!)

So that's my wishlist (for now) and I would love to know if anyone else has been jonesing for any of these items too or if you actually have any of them - are they are worth buying? Please let me know! :)

Love,

Star x

I'm back! + NOTD

Hello Everyone!

And the question is: Where have I been?!

Well I have been a busy little bee at work at the moment and to be honest a little bit because I have been lacking inspiration lately. :/ I have plenty of ideas but I just feel that my camera isn't up to scratch anymore, compared to the quality pictures I see on all the blogs out there. But due to not having a money tree in my back garden, this old thing will have to do. I apologize if my pictures are a teensy bit blurry, not quite as in focus as they should be and the lighting isn't quite right but it will have to be good enough for now. :)

So I thought I would do a nice NOTD (but will hopefully remain "un-chipped" on for longer than a day) post for you to kickstart my blogging mojo again!

Left to Right: Special FX Black Nail Art Pen/Striper (I don't know if these are still available as it was part of a set I received for Christmas when I was about 11 or 12 haha -  it's still serving me well!), AVON nailwear pro+ in Vintage Boutique, Leighton Denny One for All and AVON  nail experts revitacool base coat.

How I did it:

1. Apply 1 coat of the revitacool base coat

2. Then apply 2 coats of Vintage Boutique

3. Use the black striper to paint a cross on both ring fingers and thumbs

4. Take one nail art gem with the foam applicator tool and place at the centre of the cross

5. Wait until fully dry, (because impatient me ended up smudging one of the crosses by not waiting long enough) and then apply 1 coat of the Leighton Denny One for All to finish

And that's it! I need to start utilising my HUGE nail polish collection, does anyone else find that although you have every colour in the rainbow in your collection that you always use the same ones all the time! I think I might have to set myself a challenge to make sure I use a different colour everytime I paint my nails until I have used every colour at least once!

I will be back very soon with more posts (I promise!) and any requests for posts would be most welcome :)

Toodles!

Love,

Star x

My Fresh Cream of Tomato Soup Recipe

Hello Everyone :)

First of all I have to apologise for lack of posts this month, I have been sooo busy working overtime and to be honest I have been a bit lazy in the sun. All I have been doing is lazing in the garden (hoping to get a tan) and eating ice lollies :P But I do have a few posts prepared and will be resuming semi-regular posting now.

So I have been blending everything in sight since I got a blender for my birthday and I love it! I make homemade soups a lot and since I got the blender it has given me more options and I have been loving making tomato soup now I can blitz it! So here's my recipe for fresh cream of tomato soup recipe :)

It's not a very accurate recipe but you can't really go wrong with the amounts of veggies, as long as you use the right amount of water with it.

Serves 4

Tomatoes (I used vine tomatoes, but any cherry, plum or small tomatoes will do)

A stick of celery

A small onion

Carrots
Chopped Garlic1-2 cloves or a teaspoon of lazy garlic
Salt and Pepper to season
A tablespoon of granulated sugar
A drizzle of cooking oil
150ml double cream

Pre-heat oven to 180oC, wash the tomatoes and remove from the vines, then place on kitchen foil on a baking tray. Drizzle the cooking oil and sugar on them and then wrap into a parcel and put in the oven for about 30 minutes.

Chop all other vegetables and put into a saucepan. Add approximately 1 litre of cold water. Also add salt, pepper and garlic. Bring to the boil and leave to simmer for about 40 minutes.

Take tomatoes out of the oven and put in the blender. Then add the vegetables from the pan to the blender, blend until smooth then add the water left from boiling the water. Pulse to mix the water with the vegetables in the blender. Then transfer back into the pan.

Whilst on a low heat, add the cream slowly, stirring gently until warm and ready to serve.

And voila! Yummy tommy soup :)
I was surprised that this wasn't a faff to make and is super tasty! If anyone gives this a try let me know how it goes <3

Love,
Star x

First Impressions - Clarisonic Plus Face & Body Complete Sonic Cleansing System

This is my favourite present from my mum for my birthday earlier this month - the Clarisonic Plus Face & Body Complete Sonic Cleansing System in Floral Pink. I have been lusting after a Clarisonic in sooo long and I am really happy with it so far. It included:

1 x cordless Clarisonic PLUS (in the cutest floral pink design - LOVE)

1 x universal charging cradle

1 x sensitive brush head (white)

1 x replacement head for normal skin (grey)

1 x replacement head for delicate skin (blue)

1 x body brush head

1 x Refreshing Gel Cleanser (30ml) - gentle foaming cleanser to brighten and exfoliate oily and congested skin

1 x Nourishing Care Cleanser (30ml) - gentle, non-foaming cleanser soothes and comforts

1 x Gentle Hydro Cleanser (30ml)

1 x Gentle Hydro Cleanser (177ml) - gentle, non-foaming cleanser soothes and comforts

1 x Refining Skin Polish (60ml)

1 x Refining Skin Polish (177ml) - formulated for use on the body with the body brush head

My mum bought it from QVC and you can see more info here

 I have used it every day for about 3 weeks, every morning and night but I have been slacking recently at night time, so I need to keep that up so I can get the full effect. At the moment I can't see a massive difference in the appearance of my skin, but I'm not expecting a difference just yet, because my skin is scarred by acne there is a slow skin cell turnover. But I have noticed a difference in the texture in my skin already, it feels so much smoother and softer, which means I get a much nicer finish with my foundation. Moisturisers also soak in much better now too and don't feel like they sit on my skin like before. The amount of oiliness has reduced somewhat too but I still get very oily after a few hours but I think it also may be due to the weather being warm, I always have oilier skin in the spring/summer months. Any recommendations you have for skincare products to control crazy oily skin in warm weather would be much appreciated!

 I have been using the refreshing gel cleanser (which smells so good) with the normal brush head (grey), I used the sensitve (white) brush head for the first few days and then went on to the normal because I wanted a more exfoliation. A full review of this will be coming in a couple of months, I really want to give it a chance to work and from what I've heard, if you have problem/scarred skin like I do, then allow up to 3 months to see the full effect. If anybody else has the Clarisonic Plus tell me about your experiences about it or any cleanser/clarisonic combos for oily skin, I would love to know!

Love,

Star x

Versatile Blogger Award Nomination!

So I have been nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award by My Mini Bag, a blogger who shares really amazing deals, promo codes and money saving ideas for various retailers and products. I would like to say a MASSIVE THANK-YOU to My Mini Bag! I really appreciate it :D It's my first award so I am relatively new to blogger awards so here goes:

Rules:

Nominate 15 bloggers who are relatively new to blogging

Let them know that you have nominated them

Share 7 random facts about yourself

Thank the bloggers that have nominated you

Add the Versatile Blogger Award picture to your blog post

My 7 Random Facts About Me:

1. I love soured cream and eat it with everything! :P YUM
2. I cannot walk in high heels :(
3. I am a quarter New Zealand Maori but have never been there
4. I have the cutest 10 month old godson called Ole and want a baby myself!
5. I have been reading other people's blogs and youtube channels for 4 years but only plucked up the courage this year to do it myself
6. I love reality T.V. shows! Anything Kardashian, Big Brother, Made in Chelsea, you name it I watch it!
7. I hate touching cotton wool and polystyrene

The fellow bloggers I nominate are:

Kate - allthatjazzle

Shana and Naz - Beauty Beats

Charlotte - Beauty Ramblings...

Jess - Our Baby Blog

Kaylie - Pink Porcelain

Kat - NAILS my dreams

Rachel - Treat Party

The Secret Blogger

Rosie - The Budget Beauty Book

M & R - WearePracticallyFrugal

Beauty Nerd
Louise - Confessions of a Secret Shopper
Marked Beauty
Shoba - She Shops A Lot
Ashley - Blush Bug

Congratulations!!
I will try to let you all know that I have nominated you but recently blogger has not let me comment on some blogs, so I will try to find another way to contact you if I can't comment on your blog :)

Love,
Star x

My Virgin Banana Daiquiri Recipe

Hey guys! :D

So one of my presents I got for my birthday was a blender, and I love my new toy! I can't wait to blend everything in sight and I had a look at what I had around the house and realised I had some ingredients for one version of a banana daiquiri. I actually did have some Malibu left over that would be perfect but decided seeing it was a Tuesday evening it may not be the best time for cocktails! ha ha ..

I thought it turned out pretty well so I will share what I did with you:

You will need:

A blender (obviously haha)

2 bananas

A tray of ice cubes

1/2 - 1 pint of water

3 tsp of lime juice

Caster sugar to taste

Makes approx 2 servings

1. Empty a tray of ice cubes into blender and pulse once or twice to crush the ice. Then break up bananas into pieces and put into blender on top of the ice. Blend again until mushy.

2. Add water slowly until desired consistency (I stopped at a smoothie like consistency).

3. Then add 3 tsp of lime juice and pulse 2-3 times to mix.

4. Add tablespoons of sugar until desired sweetness (I think everyone likes a different sweetness) so after adding each tablespoon, blend and test a little bit for the right taste for you.

TIP You can also add more lime juice for more tanginess if you want it to pack a punch! You can add a splash of rum (if you are of the legal age to drink of course!) to make it into a proper daiquiri but this one is just as yummy in my opinion.

You can use other fruits aswell or instead of banana but this is what I had in the house at the time and it was delicious! (Strawberry is still my favourite though!)

So give it a go if you have a blender and let me know what you think of it! I am loving blending things now so let me know if you have any yummy recipes for me to try :)

Love,

Star x

My 21st Birthday Weekend in Pictures!

So it was my birthday yesterday (Sunday 6th) and I have been celebrating all weekend so I thought I would share some pictures with you :)

Me and my best friend Jodie out on the Friday being rather drunken in a taxi :D

Me and my fiance Warren on our way to the Trafford centre on Saturday for a meal

A strawberry daiquiri - yummiest cocktail EVER!

Tasty burger with tempura prawns - delicious!

A very tangy key lime pie

A cake my lovely friend Emma surprised me with on my birthday (actually made by her mum I discovered :D )

Me opening my favourite present from my mummy :) (if you can see what it is! :D ) Birthday haul coming soon!

My hilarious birthday cake put together my my brother haha

Chocolate, Red Velvet and Chocolate Ice-Cream cake with magic stars and white chocolate buttons!

The most random cake ever! Love it haha ..

 I only just noticed this one while checking through the pictures on my camera, thanks fiance!

As you can see I was exhausted by the end of Sunday and have finally had a calm lazy day today (Monday)  to get my energy back haha :) I had a lovely birthday and I am soo happy that I could extend my birthday ALL weekend, shopping for an outfit and going out on the Friday, a yummy meal on Saturday and spending time with family on Sunday! And it was just to top it all off that it was my birthday, it's one to beat!

How did everyone else spend their bank holiday weekend?

Love,

Star x

Mini Haul: Topshop, MAC and Urban Decay

Hello Everyone :)

So it's just a short haul with Topshop (promised from my post when I went to Trafford Centre store), MAC and Urban Decay. I had ordered a couple of products from the Debenhams website that I couldn't do without any longer and I recieved them earlier this week, yay!

Here is what I got from Topshop:

Topshop Nails in Gypsy Night - £6.00

LOVE this! Its a multi-colour glitter varnish, and it's beautiful. (The picture doesn't do it justice on how it looks in real life) I originally saw this on Zoella's blog on this post and thought it was pretty, but then I saw it in Topshop and HAD to have it! I have worn it once since I've bought it, and even though its not necessarily a springtime colour I don't care - I would wear this all year round, it's stunning. <3

Topshop Lips in Rio Rio - £8.00

Without flash

With flash

Personally I love orange-toned or coral lip colours and when I saw this red/orange I thought it would be the perfect red for me. I saw the Oh La La tester lipstick first and reeeally wanted that one but there weren't any packaged ones left so I was a bit disappointed :( but when I saw this one I thought it would be a pretty nice consolation prize! I still have my eye on Oh La La when I next go to Topshop. I really like the super pigmented formula, although I found it was a bit drying on my lips when I applied it without using some sort of lip balm/moisturiser first. It also started to go sort of bitty (yes that is a technical term) after a few hours if I kept on reapplying, but I think it was due to the really dense amount of colour in it. It's not a moisturising lipstick at all but it is worth it because of the amazing colour payoff, and adding a lip balm before applying and regularly when reapplying stopped the drying for me.

Topshop Jumper - £28.00

(I can't find it on the website to link for some reason but as far as I know it is still in shops)

As soon as I saw this jumper I thought it would be the perfect versatile staple in my wardrobe that I was looking for. It is sooo comfy and warm, and I have been wearing it a lot still seeing that the weather is still awful even though we're nearing summer, I'm getting a lot of wear out of it. I got it in a size 12 because I like the oversized look for jumpers and makes them a bit more cosy :) I also love the 'inside-out' material aswell, I think it's a bit different to the usual baggy jumper look and more interesting. For me some Topshop prices can be a tad too much to pay just for a trend that will go out of fashion in a few months time, so I like to buy classic staples from Topshop that I know I will wear over and over again so I know I'm getting my money's worth. Overall I am LOVING this jumper and the fact I can pair it with leggings and boots for a casual look or with statement jewellery and heels for a more evening out look. Perfect baggy jumper.

So that's it for Topshop, and next on to what I purchased from the Debenhams website. I think it was the Blue Cross event that had 10% off all beauty products (I can't quite remember what event it was) and I also had free shipping because I am a member of their Beauty Club too which is not a surprise haha!

MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation in NC20 usual price - £19.50

I usually order from the MAC website but any opportunity to save money, even if it is 10%, i'll take it! I actually first bought this product last year and loved using it with bare minerals so this is a repurchase just in time for the supposedly warmer months when my oily skin goes crazy. I had never used a powder foundation before and I was sceptical about the coverage, as I do like a fuller coverage foundation, but I was pleasantly surprised! It gave really good coverage and the colour matched perfectly too, but something I discovered is that it worked really well with the bare minerals foundation. When both were buffed into the skin, I would get the radiant, breathable finish of the bare minerals with the coverage and perfect colour match of the powder plus foundation. A dream team that I will be using once again!

Urban Decay DE SLICK XL Oil Control Makeup Setting Spray usual price - £23.00

This is my third repurchase and will not be my last. This product has revolutionised my relationship with makeup, I know that is a big statement to make, but it has. No matter how perfectly I used to apply my makeup or what I used it would always oxidise and shine like a disco ball (and not in a good way :( ) I would have to reapply or touch up, then creating the dreaded caked-face because all I was doing was smushing more makeup on top of the oil that had been produced. I used to despair because nothing would work at stopping the oiliness, until I found this. The first time I used this I was shocked at how my makeup stayed on the whole day without the necessary touch-ups I always had to do and how matte my skin stayed. Since then I haven't looked back, I spray it on after moisturiser and before primer ( leaving it to soak in first though!) and then after finishing all make-up to set it. I am so happy that Urban Decay brought out the XL version because the more of this product I can get my hands on the better! The only teenie tiny criticism I would have is the smell, it's not yucky or anything but it's not a nice smell either. But for me it doesn't matter, I would use this regardless even if it had a horrible smell as long as it did the job! Definitely recommend!

And last but not least is a little skincare sample that came with the products from Debenhams which I was really pleased about recieving :D

Estee Lauder DayWear Advanced Multi-Protection Anti-Oxidant Creme Oil-Free SPF 25

WOW what a mouthful!

I am usually fluent in skincare jargon but this one has me a little confused as to what the properties are. I will have to do a little research as to what the multi-protection and anti-oxidants, I'm guessing anti-aging properties? All I know is I've used it a couple of times and it absorbs really well into the skin but leaves my skin moisturised and smells like cucumber :) Don't think I will be purchasing full size at a whopping £39.00 a pop but if you have the money to spend on a nice day cream I say go for it.

So that's it! I'm really happy with them all and am loving using them, has anybody ever tried any of these and if so what do you think of them?

Love,

Star x

First Impressions - Avon Nailwear Pro+ Enamel and Shop Hop

I put my name down for a Shop Hop on BlogLoveTherapy this week which required us to buy a product/s and write a post about it. I have recently purchased quite a few of Avon's brand spankers new Nailwear Pro+ nail enamels so I thought I would do a first impressions post of what I think of their application. They are supposed to be a gel-like formula that lasts longer than the average nail polish, and I can't wait to find out if that's the case! Being an Avon rep doesn't help my cosmetics compulsion and I cannot help myself with their products, and because they are soo cheap I always think 'what have I got to lose?' :) Here's a few of them I used for a pastel and metallic manicure:

Colours from left to right: Sea Breeze, Lemon Sugar, Starry Night, Vintage Blue and Pastel Pink

(Actually I cheated I already owned Vintage Blue and I love it already, but it fit in so well for how I wanted to paint my nails)

How gorgeous are these colours?! I love pastels in spring/summer and Starry Night is a stunning metallic shimmery silver, I am in love. I couldn't wait to wear each one so I thought I would wear them all at the same time, impatient, me!

Excuse my shaky application, I've a bit too much caffeine today :S

My trusty Leighton Denny One For All used as a basecoat and top coat

I put Starry Night in there to punch up the pastels and make it a bit more interesting, I know I'm gushing but Starry night is such a beautiful colour, and a dream to apply too. I always find that shimmers are always easier to apply and this one is no exception. I also find these pastels easy to apply, and it only took two coats to acheive an opaque finish. I love all of these colours and I am really happy with them all post-application. As for the long-wearing chip resistant finish I will have to see how they last on me, (a clumsy person who seems determined to knock my nails on everything) I will review them soon when I have put them through their paces. First impressions? Love the colour and application, and I have high hopes for how they last. For £6.00 at full price, these are a steal in my opinion - and if they live up to their gel-like formula claims then I think they could rival higher end nail enamels at a high street price.

Love,

Star x