What a cutie! - Cutey Jewellery Review.

A little while ago, I was contacted by an indie jewellery company called 'Cutey'. I'd heard about Cutey charm bracelets via Twitter, and from seeing a few other bloggers post about them in the past. And how could I resist a company with a name like Cutey?!

They sell bracelets in the classic 'Pandora' charm style, but at a fraction of the price, with their bracelets starting at only £12.99, with free P&P in the UK!

Cutey's collection of charm bracelets are all creatively named after Greek Gods & Goddesses, which I think adds a really nice touch.

I was sent two different bracelets to review, 'Pontus' and 'Hypnos'.

Pontus Greek God of the Sea.

The name of this bracelet could not be anymore appropriate, as it features an adorable little turtle and starfish, accompanied by gorgeous turquoise shade beads. I really love this bracelet, it's very quirky & cute, and definitely adds something different to an outfit. Turquoise & silver always work really well together, too.

Hypnos God of dreams

This is my favourite of the two bracelets I received, as I'm a typical girlie girl, and love the colours used in this design. There's also an adorable locket shaped charm, which I really love!

Overall, I'm really impressed by the quality of Cutey bracelets. I think their charm combinations are really unique, and striking. I also love the little clasp that says 'cutey' round it.

I'm normally more of a gold jewellery wearer, but I'll definitely be making an exception for these bracelets! The only thing I wish Cutey did sell, would be individual beads, so you could add to & customise your charm bracelets!

What do you think of charm style bracelets? Would you consider buying from Cutey?

x

NOTD. WAH! Nails inspired nail art: Earthquake.

Recently i've been trying to come up with a few more creative ideas for my nail art! I love leopard print so much, that i've started over-doing it a little bit. I swear that around 70% of my NOTD posts on here are variations of leopard print - which must be getting a little boring for you guys!

So, I started looking for some inspiration on WAH! Nails! There website is one of my favourites, I could genuinely spend hours looking at their different nail art combos. I love their designs so much, and I think being a WAH girl would literally be a dream come true for me.

Their design that really caught my eye this week was the 'earthquake' style..

I love the simple touch of metallic, mixed with a colour! So I thought i'd give them a go myself, but with my own little twist on it...

Colours used: champagne Models Own, black WAH! Nails for models own nail art & various barry m & models own colours.

I'm not 100% sure what i think of the overall look, everyone keeps telling me how nice they look, but i'm wishing maybe i'd just used the same colour on each nails! However, it was a really easy to achieve look, which looks really effective & impressive.

What do you think of nail art? Will you be giving this easy to achieve but striking look a go yourself?

x

Music Mondays: Marina & the Diamonds new album & 'Homewrecker'

When I received an email where the title read 'Marina & the Diamonds announces new single/album & tour' I could have let out a little squeal. As my regular readers will know, and anyone who knows me, I am a huge fan of Marina & the Diamonds - I understand for most people, her voice is a little bit like marmite love/hate, but i'm 100% a Diamond.

Something I love about Marina, is that she's one of very few artists that despite being signed to a major record label, still gives away free music to her fans! If you were one of the many signed up to her newsletter, you would have received this amazing song in your inbox last Monday:

"..when everything is life and death, you may feel like there's nothing left. Instead of love, and trust, and laughter, what you get is happy never after. But deep down all you want is love, the pure kind we all dream of, but we cannot escape the past, so you & me will never last.."

There's something about Marina's lyrics that always seem to be able to describe exactly how I feel, they're very cleverly written, and I think that's what I admire so much about her music. A lot of people describe her music as just pop, but i'd say it's philosophical pop. There's so much more depth to it!

Her new long-awaited album Electra Heart is to be released on the 30th April 2012 (YAY!). In her own words it is:

"...an Ode to dysfunctional love. I based the project around character types commonly found in love stories, film and theatre, usually ones associated with power and control in love, as opposed to weakness or defeat. I guess it was a way of dealing with the embarrassment that, for the first time in my life, I got 'played'. Rejection is a universally embarrassing topic and Electra Heart is my response to that. It is a frank album”.

The tracklisting hasn't been finalised quite yet, but songs will include:Primadonna, Bubblegum Bitch, Lies, Power and Control, Homewrecker, Starring Role, The State of Dreaming, Living Dead, Sex Yeah, Valley of the Dolls, Hypocrates and Fear and Loathing.

Primadonna is her next single, and will be released on the 16th April!

In a word: Excited.

x

Rockalily & the London Lipgloss ZOMG Review

A couple of weeks ago (really quite a few now... i've had the flu for two weeks, so i am extremely behind on writing up about things!) I attended the wonderful #ZOMGBloggersBash, which was predominantly held to celebrate the collaboration between The London Lipgloss, and Rockalily lipsticks. Together, they've created a shade called ZOMG - and I couldn't wait to go along, try it out, and meet lots of other lovely bloggers!

Me looking over-excited at the prospect of kissing a board. Seriously. I'm tempted to make one of these bad-boys for my room!

For a more in-depth look at the event, i'd recommend reading Jasmine's review of the night!

After swatching the ZOMG lipstick on the evening and falling in love with the colour, as soon as I got home that evening I literally had to order one for myself! I'd heard such good things about Rockalily lipsticks, as a brand, too. And I was keen to see whether they'd live up to my expectations!

My ZOMG lipstick arrived a day after ordering it, which I was ridiculously impressed with, in lovely packaging, with the cutest sticker on it quoting "life's too short not to wear lipstick".. I couldn't agree more! Little things like this definitely make buying a product much more enjoyable, too.

The lipstick itself is a bright pink, but in certain lights, and on certain people it almost looks red! I think the fact that it lies somewhere between the pink/red boundary that means it suits pretty much any skin tone & hair colour.

Instead of doing a boring review on my own lips, I thought i'd do something a little different, and show you some images from a shoot I styled for Vintage store Truly Madly Vintage a couple of weeks ago, where I used the ZOMG shade on the models.

models: Carly & Chelsea Watson, stylist & photographer: Louise Thomas, clothing: all Truly Madly Vintage, accessories: models own, glasses: Vanitys Vintage

As you can see here, it suits both blonde hair, & darker hair - and I'd say it looks a brighter pink in the first photograph, but then quite alot deeper in the second photo.

Maybe i'm just actually going slightly colour blind. Awkward.

I would definitely recommend Rockalily, as a brand, to any lipstick lovers! The lipsticks are really rich, and creamy, and therefore do not leave your lips feeling dry at all - which is such a bonus!

x

No trouser-wowza.

So, the other day I announced on my blog that I don't actually own ANY trousers. To me, this isn't a big deal at all. It's not really something that's a conscious decision, nor something I personally find unusual or strange.

However, a comment on my blog post provoked a huge Twitter discussion amongst other bloggers, and it seems I am actually a little unordinary in this decision!

I don't really remember why or when I decided to stop wearing trousers - YES, I'm including jeans in this description too.

There wasn't a day where I suddenly felt inclined to burn every single pair of jeans/trousers I owned. Nor did I suddenly feel the need to announce to everyone that I was no longer going to wear trousers. #NBD. I guess I just decided that there was something about the shape, style, and restrictiveness that just didn't feel right for me personally.

(A picture probably documenting one of the last times I worse jeans in 2008! ..Next to a bin too - classy!)

I'm naturally quite a curvy girl, and as the saying goes 'if you've got it flaunt it'! As I got older, I guess I just embraced the things I like about myself most - in a completely non big-headed way! - and this happens to be my legs! So why would I want to hide them under uncomfy denim, or unflattering trousers?

So for me, right now - and for the forseeable future - i'll be strictly sticking to dresses, skirts, playsuits & shorts!

And for my more concerned readers, who worry about what I wear in the cold - black tights are my staple wardrobe piece!! I should probably get shares in them someday actually ;).

Am I alone in my non-trouser rule? And does anyone else have any unusual shopping habits?

x

NOTD: Meadham Kirchhoff nail wraps for LFW

Tonight's nail of the day is something a little bit different, a little bit extra special, as i'm lucky enough to be spending the weekend at London Fashion week to see a few different shows - I thought now was as good a time as any to go 'all out' on my nails!

Now if you've read my blog before, there's a good chance you'll have noticed how much of a nail art obsessive I am. I love painting on my own leopard & polka dot patterns, and experimenting with glitter etc. Because of this, i've never really seen the point in nail wraps to be completely honest. I understand the benefits, not having to wait for them to dry, no smudging, no chipping, and then apparently they last for up to 10 days (but i have heard otherwise.)

However, I just think that whilst I can DIY, why not? They look more individual, and it's nice to be able to say that i've done them myself.

However, after hearing that Meadham Kirchhoff were going to collaborate with Nail Rocks and Topshop to release these bad boys, I knew I wouldn't be able to resist...

So what do I think of them? How was my first experience using nail wraps?

I have to be honest, I was a tiny bit surprised at how many stages they suggest you go through on the instructions, I thought it might be a bit simpler than that. However, I followed them all through as I wanted them to look perfect.

It took me several attempts to get them nail wrap on smooth, with no creases, which was a bit of a nuisance. As silly as it sounds, I was kind of surprised how tricky it was - seeing as I would normally say i'm pretty good at nail related stuff! And, after a few rearranging attempts they're still not quite as perfect as I'd have liked.

Despite a few lumps and bumps, i'm still really pleased with the outcome. They're adorable patterns! But seeing as the pack was £7 for 16 wraps (to me this seems a tiny bit pricey, BUT it's the closest i'm going to come to affording anything by Meadham Kirchhoff for a while!) I've just used them as signature nails, accompanied with my trusty leopard print.

What do you think of nail wraps in general? Are they worth the cost & the sometimes tricky application process?

x

SS'12...Flirty Florals from Next

One of my favourite trends year in, year out, are pretty ditsy floral prints! - What can I say, at heart i'm a complete girly girl, and in my eyes there's nothing more summery than wearing a pretty floral print dress.

I've been scouring the internet for some pretty floral inspirations, and have found some at none other than Next! Take a look at what pretty floral pieces they have to offer for SS'12...

My personal favourite, are probably the tapered trousers. I'm not really a trousers girl myself - in fact I don't own a single pair! But I just love the simplicity of the monochrome colours, and the combo of the tailored shape mixed with such a girly pattern. They'd look amazing paired with some killer heels!

What do you think of the floral trend?

x

Twiggy Inspired shoot

A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to be styling a shoot for a vintage glasses company Vanitys Vintage, whose new website is launching very soon!

To carry on the vintage feel I created an iconic sixties look, inspired by Twiggy - very on trend too, as sixties is set to be huge this spring/summer!

Here's a sneak peek of a few of the photos...

huge thankyou to:- model:Harriet Katie Whiteside, clothing & accessories: Truly Madly Vintage & Emmeline Smith, glasses: Vanitys Vintage, makeup: Louise Hall.

x

Lazy Oaf Spring/Summer

Lazy Oaf have, only quite recently, become one of my favourite 'indie' fashion brands. Their quirky illustrations never fail to put a smile on my face, and although I can't provide a testimonial to this.. i'm pretty sure if you were wearing one of their tees, it'd be enough to put you in a good mood all day long.

So to brighten up your evening - here's a little taster of their Spring/Summer collection..

My personal favourites, of course, have to be the following:

#catladyforever

What do you think of their s/s collection? Will you be channeling your inner cat lady? Or maybe you'd prefer two cheeky placed mickey mouse style hands?

X

Review: Benefit facial skincare range.

When I attended the Benefit Bloggers Breakfast around Christmas time (which you can read all about here.) I was given an amazing goodie bag full of so many lovely products!

One of the things I was most intrigued to try out, were the samples of their skincare range that we were kindly gifted. Traditionally, i'm strictly a Liz Earle skincare kind of girl. I've used their products since I was a lot younger, my Mum introduced me to them, and I know they're all really natural, and they've always been pretty good to my skin, so i've never thought of trying anything else.

We were kindly given the following:

- Foamingly Clean, facial cleanser.

- It's Potent! eye cream.

- Triple Performing Facial Emulsion, moisturiser.

As with all Benefit products, I absolutely adore the packaging! It fits in with the colour of my room perfectly too! I couldn't wait to try them out, and see if they were as amazing as the makeup products that I love so much.

Foamingly Clean

The first thing that struck me about the cleanser was the smell, it's very traditionally 'soap' scented, but with a slight citrusy tang to it - so nice! The texture is very light, and it foams really nicely as you massage it into damp skin. I don't know if it's psychological, but when things foam, it feels as if they're actually really cleansing.

Afterwards, it left my skin feeling very fresh and clean. However, it did feel a little bit tight. Not dissimilar to how soap leaves your skin feeling really.

Overall, I did really like this product as my skin felt as though it had been really deeply cleansed. However, i'm lazy and am used to using a cleanser that also removes eye makeup... I can definitely say now, from experience, that you don't want to get this cleanser anywhere near your eyes. Stung, quiiite a bit. This still hasn't put me off the product though.

It's potent!

It's probably difficult for me to give this product a proper review, as i've only used it twice, and I think with products like eye creams the effects aren't instant.

The consistency of the eye cream is quite rich, but not in a way that leaves skin looking oily or shiny. I also found, that it did brighten my eyes a little bit.. even just on my first use of it!

The smell of the product is gorgeous too.

Triple performing facial emulsion

I really love this product! It smells absolutely amazing, and it instantly hydrates skin leaving it feeling really soft and smooth.

At first, I found the packaging adorable. It looks a little like a jar you might find being used in some kind of experiment in a science lab, but strangely that appealed to me. However, it wasn't until I tried to get the product out that I realised how annoying the packaging was. As it was a narrow top glass bottle, I had to bang the bottle on the top to try and encourage the cream out (much alike trying to get tomato ketchup out - there's a reason they invented squeezy bottles.). On retrospect I think this might actually be a clever trick, to prevent you from using too much, as a little goes a long way with this moisturiser.

Overall I'm really impressed by what Benefit have to offer for skincare. I'd like to try a few more of their other products, and I'll definitely consider buying the facial wash and eye cream once my samples have run out.