Mad As A Hatter

A couple of weeks ago I had the sudden urge to buy a hat. I've always been a bit wary of hats (just me?), wondering whether I would suit them so don't know why I wanted one so much, I just got it into my head that I needed one in my life ASAP. So on Saturday when I was shopping near to where I live and I leapt at the chance to get not just one hat, but two! The purple hat pictured here is from Topshop and was reduced from £25 to just £7 and I got student discount on top of that, so I think it was fate. I love the way the edges flop down and how casual it looks, yet it really smartens up a relatively plain outfit. The other hat I bought was reduced from £9.99 to £2 in New Look, it's brown and should feature in an outfit of the day shortly. I think I've finally conquered my hat phobia and it feels so good!

The whole shopping trip ended up being pretty successful anyway as I managed to find this cute little velvet dress in the last dregs of the Topshop sale. Originally £30 it was reduced to £18 and I knew it had to be mine! I love the idea that this dress can be dressed down during the day but also look lovely on a night out with the right accessories. Nowadays I find myself buying a lot more things that I can wear day/night and I hate it when people tell you that you can only wear some pieces during one or the other! I also bought the studded ring in the sale from Topshop for only £1.50. It's really unusual and I love how chunky it is. 

I've paired the dress and hat with my Alexander McQueen skull scarf. I don't wear this often enough if I'm honest, as I'm too scared of ruining it but when I do wear it I feel so amazing. It completely changes a look and was well worth the money in my opinion. 

I feel so pleased with my two new hats, especially since they were such a bargain! The purple one pictured is probably my favourite though, I think the colour is gorgeous. 

Does anyone else wear a hat to change up their look a little? I definitely recommend them!

Hat- Topshop

Dress- Topshop

Scarf- Alexander McQueen

Chelsea Boots- Tesco

Studded Ring- Topshop

Cross Bracelet- Urban Outfitters

'Love' Ring- Topshop

Signet Ring- Bespoke

Nails- Revlon: Plum Attraction

xxx

I'm Back

I thought I'd just write a quick post to apologise for my absence and say that hopefully I'll be able to blog a bit more regularly now! As you may remember I've been studying for my exams since before Christmas and now they are over until June!  This is good for a number of reasons:

One

I now have more time to concentrate on blogging (for now anyway!) as I don't have to spend so much time revising. 

Two

I got to go shopping for the first time in ages and have acquired many new clothes to blog about in the near future. I only went to a little shopping centre near me but I managed to get a couple of gems in the final dregs of the sale.

Three

It gives me a bit of time to play with the HTML code of my blog and possibly give it a redesign. I know very little about this kind of thing but I'm going to have a go and if all else fails I'll try and find someone who might be able to help give my blog a much needed makeover. If anyone has any tips on making a header I'd love to hear them.

Four 

I'm researching Digital SLR cameras as I'd love to improve the look of my OOTD's. I love my digital camera but it's a very old Sony one but the quality isn't perfect and it seems to be on it's last legs so I need a new camera anyway. I think I'd like a canon but I'm going to try and find a second hand one to start off with as they're a lot of money and I want to make sure I can use one. I also love the look of photos taken with a 50mm lens so they have more depth but I won't get too ahead of myself at the moment!

A Final Thought

I also wanted I'd show you this cute little ear cuff I bought from Miss Selfridge yesterday. I've been curious for a while as to what they would look like on and I have to say that I love it. I'm hoping to buy some more next time I go shopping.

I hope everyone has had a lovely weekend :) 

xxx

Review: BaByliss Waving Wand (& mini FOTD)

I've debated getting this hair tool for a while now as I must own every kind of waving/ curling tool out there! From hot rollers, to conical wands to traditional barrel curlers- you name it, I've tried it!- but I just can't seem to stop myself getting caught up in 'new product' hype. I know this has been out for a little while now but I wanted to wait and get it with my Christmas money and since I was ill so soon after Christmas, I haven't had a chance to have a proper go with it until now. 

The features:

1. Unique oval shape barrel

2. Professional Styler with no clamp

3. Up to 200°C

4. Includes a heat resistant glove (especially good for clumsy people like me, I always burn myself!)

What I like about the Waving Wand:

Firstly, I really like that the temperature goes up to 200°C as I often have to resort to my straighteners to create a curl (or wave!) that actually lasts the whole day. The high temperature means that not only to my curls stay in tact (providing it's not too windy) but they last the next day as well. This is a first for any curling iron I've tried until now, and it means I get soft effortless waves the next day in my hair as well! The temperature can be adjusted and there is also a flashing light to tell you when the wand has reached the correct temperature which takes literally seconds. I always use the highest temperature even though I don't have the thickest of hair- naughty me!

The shape of the wand is also very nice. It stops your waves becoming to spirally and 'done' looking which is what I like. I find it easier to use than conical wands as my hair doesn't seem to slip off the barrel as easily. 

I find the waving wand extremely quick and easy to use. I was pleasantly surprised because it often takes me a few attempts to get the right technique when I buy a new hair tool but the first time I used this it worked out great!

Would I recommend this?

Yes definitely! I bought this with my own money from boots for about £20 on offer (it normally retails for about £30)- Link! For the money I think the waving wand is worth it, I get waves that last two days and I think the style it produces is so pretty. I can't really fault it. I've had many BaByliss products over the years and I think they are all exceptional quality- including my straighteners which I think rival GHD's!

To achieve the look I did, I took random pieces of hair and wrapped them around the wand for about 10 seconds each. I then waited 5 minutes for my hair to completely cool before brushing it out very gently and spraying my hair with hairspray. I twisted the front sections of my hair and secured them behind my head with grips.

What are your favourite hair tools? I'd loved to know!

Also if anyone has any suggestions for blog posts I'd love to hear them. I've got exams over the next few weeks so I might not be able to do as many OOTD's (I'll be comfy clothes revising most days!) but I'll try and continue posting for you all. As soon as my exams are over posts will go back to normal :)

In case you're wondering, here is the make up I'm wearing:

MAC- Studio Sculpt Foundation

Collection 2000 lasting perfection concealer

Nars- Laguna Bronzer

Nars Deep- Throat Blush

Dior- Diorskin Poudre Shimmer Amber Diamond

MAC- Zoom lash Mascara

MAC- Sheen Supreme Lipstick- Behave Yourself

Eye shadows from the Urban Decay Naked Palette 

Top- Jack Wills

xxx

New Top and Nails OOTD

I bought this top a few days before Christmas from Urban Outfitters and felt it needed mentioning in my blog very soon. I saw it first on Barbara's Youtube Channel (ThePersianBabe) where she showed it in this video- link! 

The brand is Sparkle and Fade, which I haven't come across before and it feels very soft and feels expensive even though it cost just £25. It has a slight woven texture which you can't really see here but it definitely makes it a bit more unique.

 I love everything about it from the way it hangs to how it feels, however if I was able to make one small improvement, I'd say it needs to be a little longer! I had this problem with my ASOS top as well. Nothing in the product description mentions it being short (not cropped, short) and I'm fairly small so I'm not sure how it would look on taller people. That aside, short tops are definitely in at the moment, so I'm embracing the look anyway! For those wondering, when I wear it, I either tuck it in or wear a black tank top underneath.

The second part of this post is regarding my nails. As you may have known if you have read my blog for a while, I usually wear acrylic nails. I was very happy with them but unfortunately, due to my nail technician having an operation, I had to go a long time without getting in fills. After about 5 weeks (I normally only go 3!) my nails were in a terrible state and it was so close to Christmas everywhere was booked up to get them sorted out. In the end, my local salon saved the day and gave me an appointment for 'Artistic Colour Gloss' nails, which is basically another brand of 'Shellac'. I soaked off my nails and got a gel manicure for the first time ever!

I've had my nails like this for almost 2 weeks and they are lasting very well except for my  right thumb nail which now has a large chip in it. I can only put this down to my nails being so week and bendy from my acrylics.

Would I get them again? For £32, perhaps not, they were very expensive, but then again, I did enjoy them whilst they lasted. I think if I stopped having acrylic nails these would be 

perfect for the odd occasion but I can't see myself getting them again soon.

Does anyone else have experiences of gel manicures? It seems like they suit everyone but me! 

Sparkle and Fade Top - Urban Outfitters - Link!

Wire Headband- Primark

xxx

What I got for Christmas..

Here is a few of my favourite presents I got this year for Christmas. For me, the most important thing is spending time with my family but there's nothing wrong with sharing a few gifts every now and again!

1. The first is a collection of 6 Mac brushes. These are the best make up brushes by far and I'm slowly building up my collection by asking for a couple every Christmas and Birthday. This year I got the following brushes: MAC 217 (blending brush), MAC 263 (small angle brush), MAC 138 (tapered face brush), MAC 116 (blush brush), MAC 187 (duo fibre brush), MAC 168 (large angle contour brush)

The other brushes in the jar I received for Christmas last year :)

2. Next I got 'Dior Diorskin Poudre Shimmer all over face powder' in the colour Amber Diamond. I've read about it on lots of blogs and after finishing the highlight colours on my Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick recently I wanted it even more.

At the moment, I am undecided on it. I love it, however it doesn't have the dramatic sheen of the Shimmer Brick. I can't say this is necessarily a bad thing, especially for everyday wear. I suppose I'm just a little less used to the more subtle look. It's also nice to use for eyeshadows and I'm continuing to use it so I can let you know my full opinion soon. I know it's a cult makeup product for many bloggers so I hope it lives up to this!

3. And finally, one of my favourite gifts.. the Focco! After seeing and hearing about these bags absolutely everywhere I knew I wanted one. It has lived up to expectation, I love it. A medium sized bag, with a zip (always useful when travelling- I hate having the contents of my bag exposed!), a side pocket and gorgeous stud detail on the bottom, how could anyone not think it was incredible? I know I'm late jumping on this bandwagon, but I'm so glad I finally have done and I'm pleased to be the owner of this bag.

So these were my favourite presents!

 Do you have any of them? What were your favourite gifts?

I go back to Sixth Form tomorrow but I'm still hoping to make a lot more time to blog as I said in my previous post, so fingers crossed I manage :)

xxx

A (late!) Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I know it's a little late but I was ill just after Christmas and have only just started to feel better. Unfortunately I spent my New Year in bed watching films  instead of partying so I have no New Year OOTD's to show you. However I thought I'd update you all and let you know I'm still here! 

This picture, is me just before I went to a Christmas Party. The dress is from Miss Selfridge, I didn't buy it too long ago but you can't seem get it now. I loved the sparkly peter pan collar over the lace and I paired it with suspender tights and shoe boots, which I couldn't fit into the photo! I want to wear it again already! I did my nails in a dalmatian print which was surprisingly easy to do and I may do a whole post on them soon.

At the moment I'm writing a few more blog posts so expect to see them soon. I may even schedule them which is a first for me as I get over excited and want to post them all straight away! My New Years resolution is to blog more as I love it and always take photos but never find the time to upload them. I can't wait to see what 2012 brings, hopefully it's a good year! 

xxx