what happens in vegas,

Vegas, the extravagant, the irrepressible, the vibrant entertainment capital of the world. Garish, flamboyant and colourful. MAC's lipstick, Vegas Volt, echos all these qualities. It is a rich, bright coral, with a creamy finish on the lips. It is an amplified creme, and the pigmentation is superb. 

Makeup trends for Spring Summer '11 hint at corals and oranges being big colours for the eyes and lips, so this could be your perfect pout for the upcoming season.

Are you a fan of the bright lip?

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let's give & make up

Sometimes, just sometimes, a girl can have too much makeup. I believe I may have reached this point somewhere mid November last year. I definitely think, especially when fully functioning in the blogging community, you can far too easily be sucked in by the thrill of a new product, the next big thing, the must-have lotion or potion. You know an intervention is needed when beauty items scatter your room, laying solemnly unopened for weeks.  I don't necessarily need all these products, but there are women out there that do.

Give and Make up is an initiative, helping those women and children who have fled domestic violence. Their sole purpose is to get everyday essentials to the hands of those who need them most. Give and Makeup are non-profitable and do not ask for monetary donations. All they ask for are donations of those beauty products we use daily and take for granted, and they will get them to those women and children who need them; now being protected in Refuge and Women's Aid centres. These basic items will offer some comfort and familiarity. I feel it is a small gesture I can do to make their trauma a little calmer. 

I am a proud supporter of this initiative, as many other bloggers and brands are. The reason for this is thus. Firstly, it is such a simple idea that all of us can get involved in. Secondly, I have had the pleasure of meeting the founder and (gold) heart of the project, Caroline Hirons, and having seen how passionate and driven she is about this, makes me want to do my bit. She is inspirational and such a wonderful person.

The list of items Give and Makeup will accept is limitless. Makeup, skincare and everyday essentials such as shampoo, conditioner and toothpaste will all be gratefully received. As will baby products. Such a paramount necessity for these mothers and their babies. Products with an applicator wands have to be new, but other items can be lightly used. If you would happily give it to a friend...they will accept it. The essentials I am donating range from products I have bought for myself and never used, products I have purchased solely to donate and items I have received from PRs that are duplicated or unpredicted and not required.

All details regarding dropping or sending off your donations are outlined here. There are drop off points in Manchester, London and East Sussex. Smaller parcels can be posted, and Caroline can be contacted if you wish to query any posting details. Her email is on the aforementioned page.

I was not asked by Caroline to post about this, nor pressured to make a donation, however I wanted to share this initiative with you. You may too find yourself in a position with surplus products and unsure what to do with them. This is a possibility.

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ring a ding dong

I know I am a little late to the party with this post. You can blame Royal Mail for this. However, I feel compelled to still deliver this post and let those who haven't witness this sparkler, see for themselves its marvellousness. 

This is the Juicy Couture 'Couture Couture Solid Perfume Ring'. From first glance, you may be mistaken in believing this is just an ordinary ring. Alas, how very wrong. This gorgeous piece of gadgetry would make James Bond proud. With a smart swivel, you are presented with a facet of solid perfume, the scent echoing a succulent blend of natural orange flower, star jasmine, blushed plum and vanilla. The ring is chunky and weighted, not what I had first anticipated when i unpackaged this gem, and it has an adjustable band.

The ring retails for £35 and is available now from a plethora of places including Boots, Debenhams, Harrods, House of Fraser, John Lewis, Selfridges and The Perfume Shop.

Does this ring your bell?

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just press mute

It is quite a rarity that you will find me in a pair of trousers. I do not own a single pair of jeans, and so very rarely wear trousers. It feel quite peculiar when I do in fact don a pair. I have been searching high and low for a pair of chinos/tapered trousers for a while now. I find trouser shopping frustrating. I am quite petite, with short, stumpy legs and a lot of trousers are just so ill-fitting and unflattering on me. This is maybe why I steer clear of this particular apparel so often. 

However, New Look came up trumps with this pair of chinos. It is they who describe them as 'chinos', I am more partial to 'tapered trousers'. Either way, they are PERFECT. A lovely rusty-orange colour, some neat little turn ups at the ankle and a plaited brown belt to boot. I am wearing a simple cream vest top from H&M, and my chunky cable knit cardigan is also from New Look. 


Obviously, once the tapered trousers had been purchased, it was only apt to obtain some loafers. These are from River Island and encompass everything I was after in a loafer; rich brown leather and pleated detailing. They are also really comfy which is always an added bonus! I am one who always seemed to unintentionally embrace colour in my outfits, but I quite enjoy this muted down ensemble.


Loving or loathing loafers??

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sweet hearts for my sweetheart

Today I have taken on the role as domestic goddess and been concocting some sweet treats within the warm haven of my kitchen, whilst watching re-runs of Colombo and drinking copious volumes of tea. I so very frequently bake cupcakes so wanted a new challenge, so decided to give these basic biscuits a whirl. They really are very simple, which means you can be more adventurous with the decorating, and have fun with different shapes and adornments.

Recipe:

175g butter, softened

100g caster sugar

1 egg yolk

250g plain flour

In a bowl or a mixer, combine together the butter and sugar until it is a smooth, creamed consistency.

Beat in the egg yolk and then the flour and work it all together until you are left with a soft ball of dough.

Cling film the dough and leave to chill in the fridge for 30 mins.

...half an hour later.

Roll the dough out between 2 sheets of cling film. Aim for a thickness of a £2 coin - any thinner and the biscuits will burn and be really crispy.

Cut out your desired shapes and place on a baking tray, lined with baking paper, and bake in a pre-heated oven (180 degrees celsius) for 15minutes.

I used these cute heart cookie cutters I found in Sainsbury's.

Keep your beady eye on the biscuits, and once they are a lovely golden-brown colour, remove them from the oven and leave to cool on a wire tray for 10 minutes or more, and then they will be ready to decorate! 

These simple biscuits are fab as you can really go to town and decorate them any way you so desire. You could half dip them in chocolate, ice them or just leave them plain. I opted for some coloured icing and metallic balls for my biscuits.

I mixed up some icing sugar and water until it was to a smooth paste and then added in my chosen colouring. I went for a pink and white combination. I took a piping bag, filled it with the icing and then decadently drizzled it all over the biscuits in diagonal lines. Gold and silver balls were then used to bejewel the biscuits.

And there we go.

Could these sweet hearts be a possible treat for your sweetheart this Valentine's Day?

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twist and shout

I am fascinated with hair accessories. For some reason, I feel naked without some sort of fuss or frill going on in my hair. I think this obsession stems from my time working for Accessorize in their head office, merchandising everything hair related, and being exposed to a plethora of pretty pieces. The latest adornments I have been toying with are these hairbands from New Look. They are a silken fabric, threaded with a thin wire, meaning you can prep and preen the perfect bow. You can twist or knot the fabric and they stay perfectly on your head all day, without having to be tied so tightly, they give you a loathsome headache.

I particularly love the animal print one, superbly tacky for days when I wish to channel by inner Kat Slater. The floral one is perfect to compliment muted outfits, but I don’t think it goes as well in my hair as it did when I was blonde. New Look also have a ditzy daisy print one which I may pick up, and I have also seen quite a few adorning the shelves of H&M. They have a denim one which I think could be quite fun.

Do these hair pieces make you twist and shout?

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his and hers

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, so cue the mad dash for last minute cards and gifts as the day fast approaches. I am not over-awed with the whole occasion. Not that I am single and bitter, but more that I feel suffocated by the whole commercialism and do not believe we should feel compelled to celebrate love, on one specific day. But that's another story.

Despite this, I felt the need to share some lovely gifts from Liz Earle that could be the perfect little present for your other half this V day...


Give the gift of great skin!

The treat for Her kit includes: orange flower botanical body wash & nourishing botanical body cream. I have tried both these products and they are luxuriously rich and heavenly scent. The body wash in particular is gorgeous and sweetly-fragranced, like having a bouquet of flowers in your shower, but better, as this will last a lot longer!


The groomed and gorgeous kit for Him includes: after-shaving moisturiser & face and body wash. I will be passing these to the beau for his expert appraisal, say tuned for that.


Both kits are available now from Liz Earle for £11.75. 
What do you think? Is this something you would treat your love to this Valentine's Day?

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