OOTD...

Hey Dolls :)

I recently received a couple of emails requesting that I start to do some OOTD posts...to be honest, I was a little reluctant as I think since my love of make up has bloomed, my love of fashion and clothes has diminished a little. However, here is what I wore today...


Dress (worn as a top) - Topshop
Denim Skirt - Diesel
Leggings - Topshop (I buy the extra long length so they tuck under my feet)
Shoes - Primark
Scarf - Alexander McQueen
Bag - Pauls Boutique

Does anyone recognise the background? It's Wallace and Gromit's house! Nick and I went on a wee day trip to the science centre then to the I-Max to see Toy Story 3 (I say day trip, we live 10 minutes away) We had such a nice day that involved talking to Wallace in a phone box...

Play with floating polystyrene balls...


Keeking through telescopes...

We even fit in a spot of sunbathing...


Lots of Love
Nic
xoxo

I love/hate you Dust It

Hello beauties!

Today I had a bit of a disaster with the ol' dust it, I wasn't really paying attention to what I was doing and put far too much into my fringe = candy floss. In a desperate attempt to maintain control I started twisting and randomly pinned it to the side of my head in loop type affair...


I really quite like it! I love the fact that, being honest, it's a bit messy and thrown together - I'm not really a fan of perfect hair, I like a bit of scruff!



I am also wearing one of my long lost lipsticks - Maybelline colour sensational in 535 Ruby Star. This is such a pretty red, it's really glossy and long lasting, I'm glad we found one another again! Also, I'm not wearing any liquid foundation, DUM DUM DUUUUUUM! For the next week I'm going to only try and wear concealer and powder and see how much better my skin feels - it's a beauty experiment!

Lastly, I received my beautiful jewellery I ordered from Love Suzie - you might have already spotted the Alice in Wonderland necklace, here's a closer look...

I love it so so much! I also ordered a really sweet pair of pinky/peach rose studs...

I honestly recommend having a look at the website, there are so many beautiful pieces, I think I might get the 'we're all mad here' necklace next - I love the mad hatter! The link to Love Suzie is here and also their twitter here - they quite often hold giveaways or discount codes through their twitter - plus they are rather lovely to chat to :)

Lots of Love
Nic
xoxo

My Skin Care Routine

Hey Dolls

As an avid user of Liz Earle for a couple of years, I was quite upset when I realised that it just wasn't cutting it anymore. It has been a bit of a quest but I have finally found a routine that I'm happy with and after reading Jennie's recent skincare post thought I would share it with all of you. Being honest it's a bit of a mish mash of products...

Neutrogena Visibly Clear



2-in-1 Wash/Mask - I love a multiuse product! I've talked about this wash/mask before - it leaves skin feeling cleansed and supple. It smells...clean, I can't really think of a better way to describe it! I use this in the morning in the shower as my cleanser.

Blackhead Eliminating cleansing lotion - I've been using this as a toner twice daily though I was a little wary at first. It reminded me a little of Cliniques clarifying lotion with I hated (hello paint stripper) however this leaves my skin feeling tightened rather than dry. Just keep away from eyes!

Pink Grapefruit Daily Scrub - I use this about three times a week rather than daily. The scrub delivers just the right amount exfoliation, it isn't too abrasive and I love how soft my skin feels afterwards. However, I think the scent is more toilet cleaner than grapefruit.


Lush Angels on Bare Skin

I use AOBS at night as it's much milder than the visibly clear products (I use a cheapy boots make up remover first and then AOBS). I love it - it has a lovely lavender scent and leaves my skin feeling so soft and glow-y. The main ingredients in AOBS are lavender oil, rose absolute,kaolin and almonds (which provide a nice, gentle exfoliation). The one drawback - it can be a bit of a kerfufle to use - you have to scoop some product out, make a paste and then wash your face, it can be a little messy. I would also say that AOBS isn't suitable to use on it's own for acne prone skin as it's a little too gentle, though I've found it's a nice, soothing compliment to the visibly clear products.

Good Things Face the Day Moisturiser


This is quite a new product to my skin care routine. It's from a new skincare range available in boots, developed by beauty writer Alice Hart-Davis. The reason it interested me is it's paraben, sulphate and mineral oil free - I think it's brilliant that there is now an affordable, accessible skin care range that is paraben free. The moisturiser contains 'superfruit extracts' in this case goji berry and papaya which makes this moisturiser smell DELICIOUS! The cream itself is really light and fresh and absorbs into the skin really quickly. I don't like using night creams so use this twice daily.

Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avacado

I've been using this eye cream twice daily and have already noticed my eye area looking brighter and tighter. It's the thickest eye cream I've ever used which I actually really like, you have to work it in quite gently but thoroughly around the eye area. Although it is expensive you only need a tiny bit each time so I think it's worth it!

Lush Face Masks


I've already blogged about both Oatifix and Catastrophe Cosmetic so I won't talk too much about them. Oatifix is brilliant if my skin is feeling a little dry and catastrophe cosmetic if I'm mid-break out.

Korres Pomegranate Lip Butter

This lip butter is so beautiful - it has a really nice subtle scent, is so moisturising and provides a hint of colour that actually lasts...


I want to try the guava one next!

I hope this was helpful - if you have a any skincare recommendations or if you've tried any of these products I'd love to know!

Lots of Love
Nic
xoxo

Dior Loving

Hello Loves :)

I've had such a good couple of days...I went to see Inception and had a perv over Tom Hardy and Leo Dio, found out my mum and dad are moving back up to Scotland and...I think I've found a foundation I like and that likes my skin...AMEN!

Enter Diorskin Sculpt...

I visited the dior counter with full intentions of buying Forever, however after chatting to the SA about what I was looking for she recommended Sculpt as it creates a more youthful and fresh finish to the skin. I love the way Sculpt makes my skin look - it has great coverage (the Dior lady said it is the most coverage they offer) but rather than being matte it creates a natural glow to the skin. However, a word of warning, I don't think I would recommend this to anyone with oily skin, after a while I have found that my skin needs blotting and reset with some translucent powder - and I don't have oily skin at all. It's quite long lasting and very moisturising. Most of all it gets some love as it comes with a pump...

As always here's a before and after...




This is before setting my face with powder and when done so the dewy effect on the skin becomes a little more subtle (you'll see what I mean below)

I was also a little naughty and bought Amber Diamond and am still suffering pangs of guilt days later...


Ahhhh it's so pretty! Here's how it looks on...



These photos also show how sculpt looks when set with powder, glowy not shiny! And I feel I don't need to say too much about Amber Diamond - it's beautiful!

Lots of Love
Nic
xoxo

P.S Snaps for Barry M 146 ♥

FOTD

Hello Sweets :)

Here's a quick look at my make up from yesterday. I was running a bit late to meet my friend Clare pretty much slapped whatever was close to hand at the time - so much so I forgot to put anything on my lips...






FACE

Revlon Colorstay
MAC MSF Natural
NARS Laguna
Illamasqua bronzing Duo
MAC Hang Loose

EYES

UDPP
MAC Satin Taupe
Bourjois Blanc Diaphane
MAC Smoulder Pencil
MAC Zoom Lash

Boo off to work I go in the rain - have a good day beautiful!

Lots of Love
Nic
xoxo

Huuuuuuur

Hello m'loves

So I lasted a whole six days hair extension free - that's bad! Here's a sneaky peek of how they look, I'll talk about them properly soon.

Bad bad bad....though maaaan does it feel good :D

Lots of Love

Nic

xoxo

Chocolate Pistachio Fudge

Hey dolls :)

This recipe makes the most squidgy, chocolately fudge in all the land...some may say, SEX FUDGE!

Ingredients



350g of dark chocolate (preferably 70% coco +) broken into small pieces
1 can of condensed milk
30g butter
pinch of salt
150g pistachios

Step 1



This is the hardest bit of the process as it's quite boring! You have to unshell all of the pistachios! It doesn't take too long but I do suggest getting some good tunes on to have a boogie too whilst unshelling - Heat Radio's 90s hour was my choice today!

Step Two



Put the unshelled pistachios in a freezer bag and bash them with something heavy - I used a ladle ha ha but a rolling pin would also be could. The pieces should be quite small as we will be cutting the fudge into bite size pieces!

Step Three



Place the chocolate, butter, salt and condensed milk into a pan and melt slowly until it looks like this silky mixture of goodness


Step Four



Add the pistachios to the mixture and then pour into a square tin. Use a wet knife to smooth the surface and leave in the fridge to cool for at least 30 minutes.

Step Five



LICK THE SPOON

Step Six





Once set, cut into squares and you're done!

This is a cheeky Nigella Lawson recipe and honestly it is so so yummy! It's brilliant to pop into a Nice box as part of a birthday gift or to take into work to charm your co-workers (which I'm going to do tomorrow!)

Please let me know if you have a go!

Lots of Love
Nic
xoxo

My Sunday...

Hello Loves :)

This Sunday I am rocking...

My new hair cut...that I hate! Where did all my hair go? I want my boob length hair back!

MAC Pink Nouveau

Sephora by OPI Metro Chic

Black and White Stripes + Alexander McQueen

Super Mario Galaxy 2

Have a good Sunday beautys!

Lots of Love

Nic

xoxo

A little bit of Lush

Hello m'loves...

Over the last couple of weeks I've been trying some new products from Lush and wanted to share my thoughts...

Oatifix Face Mask


Oatifix is aimed at people with dry and sensitive skin and contains banana, vanilla, oats and almonds. The most noticeable thing straight away about oatifix is the smell. My immediate reaction was 'uugh' but actually it really grew on me, you can definitely smell vanilla and banana but to me I can also smell something a little Cinnamon - y. The texture is quite thick which makes it really easy to use on the face and contains oats which provide quite a mild exfoliation...

It is maybe not the prettiest of Lush face masks but I think it might be my favorite...My skin felt so soft all night and the scent lingers on the skin. Oatifix is undoubtedly the most moisturising face mask I have used - Love!

Porridge

Apparently during this particular lush trip I was loving oats! Porridge is so creamy and smells really quite lovely! Again it contains oats meaning it is not only a soap but also an exfoliant - however it isn't abrasive and leaves skin feeling really cleansed and moisturised.



Something I worry about when soap contains 'bits' is that it will make a mess of my bath but importantly there was no mess - if you haven't tried Porridge, you definitely should!

Noubar


I want to love Noubar - it looks nice, it contains pistachios and it is really quite moisturising. But I really do not like the smell. There is a definite hint of nuts (there are peanuts, pistachios and walnuts) but it also smells....smokey? It smells a little to green and earthy for me which makes me a bit sad as that green colour is beautiful!

Let me know if you've tried any of these.

Lots of Love
Nic
xoxo

Things I'm loving...Part Four

Hello Loves :)

Ya'll know what this is...where I ramble nonsense for a while in the hope that someone may read it :)

1. Space. NK



For me Space. NK is fatal. There are so many lovely things to look at, the makeovers are always brilliant and the assistants are always really helpfull. I went on a sneaky NARS and Kiehls splurge today which I'm currently trying to stifle pangs of guilt from...

2. Old Photographs

My old laptop recently got restored and I found a wealth of hilarious photographs from first year of uni like this...



and this...

Ahahahah look at Nick's fro! He got caught in the rain and his perfectly coiffed tresses got their curl on (Nick and I had mad hair back in the day hahahaha)

3. Glass Hearts

I've been using these pretty glass hearts to store the bits and pieces I like to use just as I'm running out the door - lipsticks, earrings, all sorts of things that I don't want to get lost in the labyrinth that is my make up corner.


4. Popping Candy



I recently recieved my prize from Jess' steam cream giveaway and she very kindly included some popping candy...Nick and I had lots of fun!

5. Disney Cinemagic

Thee best telly channel ever - it just plays disney films - ALL DAY! It has been keeping me entertained through all this horrible weather...I recently watched Hercules (the most amazing soundtrack)




6. The Charleston




After going to The Shuffle Club I've been doing the Charleston lots and lots - normally whilst doing the hoovering and it makes me very happy! If you ever get the chance to see The Shuffle Club perform go go go - they are quite often at the Edinburgh Festival - people get dressed up in amazing vintage outfits and swing the night away - amazing!

Lots of Love
Nic
xoxo