Waking Sleeping Beauty

Hey dolls,

On Saturday, my friend Clare and I were invited by Ann to the opening night of The Scottish Ballet's The Sleeping Beauty.  There is nothing more festive than going to the ballet - for the last couple of years my family have been going to Scottish Ballet productions at Christmas - it's become a tradition (We're going to see The Sleeping Beauty on Tuesday!) and I was so excited about The Sleeping Beauty because I LOVE fairy tales!!

The Sleeping Beauty is absolutely magical - as with all Scottish Ballet productions I have seen, there is an intricately woven web of romance, excitement, comedy and suspense.  The costumes were unbelievably beautiful and detailed and the set changes were breathtaking - I'm always taken aback by the Scottish Ballet's amazing movable scenes.  Just as breathtaking were some of the male dancers hair in the opening acts - honestly they defied gravity, I need to find out what they're using that keeps their hair perfectly in place whilst jumping in the air!

Some of my personal highlights include the flitting between time periods (the ballet begins in 1830, then moves to 1846 and finally 1946, meaning lots of amazing period costumes) and the inclusion of some of my favourite fairy tale characters - Red Riding Hood, Belle, Cinderella and Snow White. However what stole the show for both Clare and I was hearing the Scottish Ballet's orchestra play Tchaikovsky's waltz made famous in Disney's Sleeping Beauty as Once Upon a Dream.

I also loved the three 'baddies' of the ballet - Carbosse and her two daughters Pina and Lucinda (one of which is half pig and the other half bat!) I always think that the villains must be the most fun to play and these three added just the right amount of creepiness and tension whilst also being funny! Below is the trailer for Sleeping Beauty which demonstrates perfectly just how visually magical the piece is...

The Sleeping Beauty runs in Glasgow through to the end of December before moving on to

Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Inverness and finally Newcastle.  If you get the opportunity to go, please do, it's the perfect way to spend the holidays!

Thank you so much to Ann and everyone at the Scottish Ballet for putting on such an amazing evening!

Love Nicola

xx

P.S We should be friends in real life if you have seen the documentary I pinched the title of this post from

New Girl

Hey Dolls,

I know there are quite a few fellow Zooey D fan girls amongst you all - has anyone started watching The New Girl? I absolutely love it, Zooey Deschanel, whatta babe (and hilarious)! And Jake Johnson just makes it that  teeny bit better (eye candy)!

Each time I watch Zooey, I am left with total hair envy - big waves and a fringe is my dream hair! This week I've tried to incorporate a little Zooey into my own hair routine, what do you think...?

 I decided not to curl all the layers around my face, instead using velcro rollers to give a little volume.  I now need good tong recommendations?  I haven't used proper tongs since I bought my conical wand and although I love the look it gives, I want big bouncy curls - any ideas? Link me up to any reviews you dolls have!

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

Nic

xx

Milani Rose Hip

Hey Dolls

I recently completed a make up swap with the beautiful Jess from Getting Cheeky and as per usual, I depended on her to help me compile my wishlist  Immediately, Jess recommended Milani's Rose Hip - Jeeeeez does that girl know how to pick a lipstick!! I had never heard of Rose Hip before, but a quick google image search later I knew I was going to love it!

I went out for dinner earlier this week and felt it was the perfect opportunity to wear rose hip.  Despite getting lipstick everywhere (Please tell me I'm not the only one who is incapable of going out for dinner and not get lipstick all over their glass/food?) I absolutely love rose hip!

Fuchsia's are definitely my favourite 'night time' lipsticks. Rose hip has everything I could ever want  - it's pigmented without feeling heavy, moisturising and doesn't settle into any lines.  Although the colour didn't last the whole night, the lipstick is so pigmented that it takes very little product to reapply.

What do you think of Rose Hip? Have you tried any other Milani products? I really wish they were more readily available in the UK!

Love Nicola

xx

The same...but Different

Hey Dolls,

I'm meeting my two favourite girls tonight for a glass (or five) of Prosecco and decided to use some Urban Decay shadows...NOT FROM THE NAKED PALETTE *Gasp*! To be honest, it's pretty similar to the look I wore last weekend using the naked palette, but it felt good using something different!

Face

Chanel Mat Lumiere / Maybelline Dream Matte Powder / Dior Honey Tan / Benefit Coralista

Eyes

TFSI / NYX Jumbo Pencils in Milk and Slate / UD Perversion, Gunmetal, Sell Out / L'oreal Carbon Gloss / DiorShow Mascara

Lips

Nars Dolce Vita

Are any of you going to be buying the Naked Palette 2? I have every intention of passing...come back to me in a couple of weeks!

Love Nicola

xx

Rizzle Kicks

Hey Dolls,

Just a quick catch up - How are you all? Last night, I went to see Breaking Dawn at Midnight.  Honestly, I didn't have high hopes, I was really let down by Eclipse but I LOVED breaking dawn! It made me laugh, cry and had me on the edge of my seat for the half of the film! If you've been with me since the beginning, you don't need to ask but fo shoooo I'm TEAM JACOB (and have been since first reading the books) Can't wait to hear what everyone else thinks - make sure to tweet me your thoughts!

I had some of my favourite girls round before hand to watch New Moon (since I hated Eclipse and it's taps aff more for Taylor) and we ended up looking like reject members of Rizzle Kicks...

I'm spending my Saturday night (as I do every Saturday) at the Breahead Arena watching the Braehead Clan...any other ice hockey fans in the beauty world? Honestly, if you're in Glasgow and are looking for a different way to spend your Saturday evening, get your bums down to the hockey! It's SO exciting, there's cheap beer and lots of handsome men to perv over ;) Just now, the team are doing amazingly well fundraising for Movemeber - there are some rather marvelous tashes on display! I've arranged a huge work night out to go to the hockey and am slowly introducing everyone I know to how amazing the game is...here's a photo of my friend Clare and I at a game a couple of weeks ago...

Nick and I are busy planning our annual trip to Disneyland for our birthday's in February - I think I've managed to persuade him to stay in the park this time - we've only ever travelled in from staying in Paris before...if you've stayed in the park, any hotel recommendations would be much appreciated! Hopefully we could manage to fit in at least one day in Paris - it's such a beautiful city and I always feel after leaving that I've missed out on doing about 47464249 different things!

I was supposed to be seeing Friendly Fires tonight, however it's been rescheduled as Ed's not well - boo! Instead, I'm going to sit in my onesie and watch lots of Disney films while planning our trip away! Tangled has quickly become one of my favourite Disney films ever - as soon as I heard that Alan Menken was doing the music I knew I would love it!

Have a good weekend beauties!

Love Nicola

xx

Inspiration

Hey Dolls,

I went to have dinner with my family last night, and as we were sitting munching on the most amazing millionaire shortcake, I realised I was wearing the same type of pearl earrings as my mum.  When I pointed this out, I then noticed my Gran was also wearing a smaller version of the same earrings! This got me thinking about inspiration.  When developing a sense of personal style, do we look to those around us for inspiration?

This is how I looked last night.  When I was 17, I went through a skinny, barely their, round eyebrow phase.  I repeatedly laughed at my Mum's larger, arched brow shape, constantly telling her she needed some tweezers in her life.  Six years on, and our eyebrows are pretty much identical.  Also, for as long as I can remember, my mum has lined her upper lid with black eyeshadow.  Whilst I prefer gel liner, I can't help but feel my love for winged liner comes from my mum. 

I suppose it makes sense that I am influenced by my mum's beauty style without realising it. She was the first person I ever observed putting on make up.  However, I feel I gain inspiration from lots of different places.  I can't help it, I love everything about the Kardashian's style - dark hair, dark eyes, blazers, blouses and blush.

In recent years, blogging has influenced my enormously.  Daily I am able to open my dashboard and read so many amazing posts that can't help but inspire.  It is how you incorporate these influences into an ever evolving sense of style that I find so interesting! If ever I'm ever feeling a little lost fashion or make up wise, some of my favourite bloggers to turn to include Alex, Tiffany, Zara and Laura. 

I would love to know who inspires you?

Love Nicola

xx

House of Mouse

Hey Dolls

The coolest  mouse around...I ♥ Minnie.

Nicola
xxx

Goodbye Undereye Circles

Hey Dolls,

I have never been particularly bothered by undereye circles until recently - they now seem to grow darker the older I get.  When I asked on twitter which products people recommended me to try and combat my dark circles, Bobbi Brown seemed to come out top.  I'm not quite sure why, but Bobbi Brown has never been a company that has interested me much.  However, I am now officially a convert! 

With the exception of my Japonesque concealer brush (Am I the last to know that Japonesque is available in Boots?), my entire undereye routine is composed of Bobbi Brown products - the hydrating eye cream as a base, the corrector in bisque and the creamy concealer in Natural. 

The hydrating eye cream is one of the nicest eye creams I have ever used.  It looks quite heavy in the pot, however it feels light on the skin and absorbs quickly, leaving behind a smooth velvet-like base for my concealer.  Importantly, it is quite a basic cream, it won't make any differences to how your dark circles look and has no anti-aging properties, which for me, makes it perfect for day wear (I prefer my Origins Perfect World for eyes at night).  Concealer application is so much smoother used over this cream and I've found it helps to stop my concealer slipping throughout the day!

I then use the corrector in bisque which cancels out the blue/pink tones of my undereye circles. I think this has been the key to combatting my dark shadows - the product is extremely creamy and a little goes a long way.  On me, it's a touch too pink toned however, when used in conjunction with the creamy concealer in Natural, it's the perfect match! The concealer is thick but not as creamy as the corrector and covers any imperfections perfectly, lasting all day.  

BEFORE

 AFTER

The middle picture demonstrates the amount of product I use, I apply the most in the darkest areas defore pulling and blending the corrector/concealer out to the rest of my undereye area.

Are there any Bobbi Brown products that you recommend?

Nicola 

xx

Shaun Leane and Rox

Hey Dolls,

I was recently invited to an event to celebrate and learn more about Shaun Leane's jewellry line available at Rox.  Even if Shaun's name is unfamiliar to you, I'm sure you will be acquainted with some of his designs - do you remember Sarah Jessica Parker's amazing tartan Alexander McQueen dress with the beautiful brooch? That's a Shaun Leane jewelry design (I was lucky enough to see the brooch in person - amazing!). The night was a whirlwind of cocktails, mingling and beautiful jewelry.

Me and one of my best friends Lynsey with fellow blogger Anna and her friend Laura.

The highlight of the event was Michelle from Kingdom of Style's Q&A session (you can read all about her experience here). Through this, we learned all about his close friendship with Alexander McQueen and consequently the influence this had on his work to the multitude of meanings people have taken from his designs.  Shaun used his 'Hook my Heart' necklace as an example of a piece that could be seen as quite dark but also beautiful and romantic.  I absolutely loved hearing more about his collaboration with Daphne Guinness in making this absolutely beautiful diamond glove which you can read about here.

Mentally spending my next 3546748 years wages!

Shaun was such an interesting and funny speaker and I could of listened to his stories for hours! His designs are absolutely stunning, Lynsey and I had to drag ourselves away from the gold talon earrings and gold and turquoise bangle...

Thank you so much to Toni for inviting me, both Lynsey and I had such a lovely time - it was such an amazing opportunity to hear the stories behind the jewellery!

Nicola

xx

Swap!

Hey Dolls :)

Just a quick post - I've been getting the itch to do another make up swap, just in time for Christmas!! Make up swaps are honestly one of the best things I've done since starting blogging! If you're interested in swapping with me anytime soon, you can either leave a comment below, tweet me - @carrsky or e-mail me at magicsinthemakeup@hotmail.co.uk. Ideally you'd have a blog too so I can get a feel of some surprises to send you!

Since I hate posts with no photos, here's one of me reading a cocktail menu very seriously!

 Hope to hear from some of you soon,

Nicola

xx

P.S This all seemed a little too much like a dating advert in the classifieds...Make up addict seeks similar beauty junkie for swap times and happy new make up days!

Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet L'Exuberante

Hey Dolls :)

I have always tended to stay away from matte lipsticks - for someone with oily skin, my lips are quite dry and flaky meaning matte formulas have always scared me a little.  After telling anyone who will listen about my love for Chanel's Rouge Allure lipsticks, I was quite excited to hear about their new release - the Rouge Allure Velvet. 

 (Sorry about the brush marks, I couldn't wait to take photographs!)

Chanel describe the rouge allure velvet lipsticks as a luminous matte finish. I wasn't too sure what too expect when I went to swatch them at the Chanel counter, however they are really smooth, pigmented and surprisingly light on the lips. I think Chanel got it right with the name - they feel extrememly velvety. As they are silicone based, the formula feels really moisturising on my lips - as long as I've applied a little lip balm  it doesn't settle into the lines or exaggerate any dry areas and the colour lasts for hours!  

There are eight shades in the range, all of which are quite bold colours - I chose a beautiful bright pink called L'Exuberante.  In the summer, counters are full of really pretty but sheer formulas such as the YSL Volupte Sheer Candies and the Rouge Coco Shines, making the Rouge Allure Velvet's an amazing step into autumn/winter make up. 

Have you had a look at the rouge allure velvets? What are your other matte lipstick recommendations?

Lots of Love

Nic

xx

Ballet Shoes

Hey Dolls

Does anyone remember the Noel Streatfeild Shoe Books - dancing shoes, skating shoes, party shoes? Ballet Shoes was always my favourite - -my copy is ridiculously worn out but I love it more each time I read it.  After going to see The Scottish Ballet's Autumn Double Bill, Kings 2 Ends and Pennies From Heaven I was inspired to read it again the next day!

Jorma Elo's brand new work, Kings 2 Ends, which was created for the Edinburgh International Festival, meshes together Mozart's Violin Concerto No 1 and Steve Reich's Double Sextet in the one piece - the choreography was so fun and colourful that both my friend Clare and I didn't take our eyes from the stage.  What I loved most about Kings 2 Ends was that the interpretation of the dance was left to the individuals in the audience.  It was lighthearted and fresh and the hour zoomed past so quickly! It has also inspired me to incorporate a tiaras into my wardrobe ha!

The second half of the double bill, Ashley Page's Pennies from Heaven, though completely different, incorporated the same sense of fun and excitement I felt watching Kings 2 Ends.  Pennies from Heaven is inspired by 1930s music and cinema - throughout the performance, Clare kept whispering in my ear which films the different scenes reminded her of.  Again, I couldn't take my eyes from the stage as the different love stories unfolded - my personal favourite was the bell hop and the cinema cigarette girl - their dance was so playful and fun that I couldn't help but smile the whole way through.  Here is one of my favourite songs from the production (though a different version to what was used on the night)

The costumes were absolutely beautiful - I felt rather drab set against the old hollywood glamour of swishing ballgowns and beautiful tailored suits. 

Everytime I go to see a Scottish Ballet performance I always worry a little as I know nothing about the technical side of ballet.  However, each time, I leave in awe at how the dancers are able to move their bodies in such amazing ways.  Particularly with this bill, Clare and I left gushing about how much fun we had - it was one of the most entertaining and refreshing ways to spend an evening!

Thanks again to Ann for an amazing night - You can catch Kings 2 Ends along with another Scottish Ballet production, Song of the Earth, at Sadler's Wells in London on the 3-4 November.  If you're able to , go!

Lots of Love

Nicola

xx 

What's been on my face

Hey Dolls

I've had a couple of questions about the make up I was wearing in my last post been wearing .  With the exception of my eye make up, I've pretty much had the same products on my dressing table for the last couple of weeks.

Chanel Mat Lumiere

It took me a long time to work out that the best way to apply mat lumiere is with my ELF powder brush - this paired with Maybelline Dream Matte Powder gives me amazing coverage that lasts all day.  As an experiment, I tried applying it again with my fingers - the coverage was patchy by lunch time.   My skin has never looked so good without looking like I'm wearing lots of make up.  Chanel, please don't discontinue Mat Lumiere :(

Dior Bronze 002 Honey Tan

I've spoken about honey tan before as a cheek product rather than an all over bronzing product.  This is predominantly because of the subtle shimmering particles in the powder...

Similar to NARS Laguna and the Bourjois chocolate bronzer, when applied to the skin, the shimmer doesn't translate as you can see in the photos in the post below.  Instead, honey tan gives a really pretty, bronzed look to my face without looking muddy or orange.  It has definitely taken over Laguna as my favourite bronzing product - I really want to try the matte version next!

M.A.C Dainty Mineralize Blush

I honestly forgot how much I loved dainty - it's such a natural and subtle blush that gives a peachy-pink flush with a pretty shimmer.  This means I don't need to apply a separate highlighter - another lazy girl must have!  It blends really prettily onto the cheek and has brilliant staying power.  Dainty has quickly become my perfect blush for everyday.

NARS Oasis Lipgloss

I seem to be on a bit of a NARS lip product kick at the moment - Oasis is part of the NARS autumn collection and it is beautiful! It is a plum gloss with flecks of gold glitter however, although the colour looks quite intense in the tube, it is quite sheer on the lips.  I've found that it is ideal for layering on top lipsticks - if you have NARS Dolce Vita you NEED Oasis, they look amazing together! The one downside is the gloss is quite sticky - not dazzleglass sticky but you can definitely feel you have gloss on your lips.  You can see what it looks like on it's own in the post below.

Lots of Love

Nic

xx

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

Hey Dolls

Autumn weather is creeping in and I'm so excited!! I am not a summer person - I get grumpy when I'm too warm, I like to wear a lot of black and hats and scarves are some of my favourite accessories.  Over the last two weeks, I can really feel the seasons begin to change - in the morning it smells like autumn! This has led me to think about what my personal Autumn/Winter trends are going to be...

Fur Trimmed

In winter, I love anything with a fur collar, so when I spotted this fur stole in H&M for £12 I actually did a little jump of excitment! It is so soft and has a crocodile clip which attatches itself securely without mauling any of your jackets and clothes.  It not only looks lovely attached to the collars of coats and jackets but also worn on top of dresses as I've done here - it completely changes how it looks! I think this colour fur looks particuarly pretty with cream! If you don't want to buy a new winter coat this year, I think this would be a perfect way of changing up your old ones!

Chunky Gold Accessories

I am a gold girl at heart and these are two of my current favourite gold accessories.  The necklace is from Topshop, I think it was around £16.  It looks amazing with quite a high necked black body con dress I have - it almost makes it look like the dress has a metal collar attached! I got my gold Michael Kors watch as a graduation present. It pretty much hasn't been off my wrist - If you're deliberating over getting one DO IT - you won't regret it!

Black and Dramatic

Make up wise, it's the darker the better. I pretty much skip over all autumnal colours and go straight for dark brown and black eye make up with big lashes and even bigger brows.  The longer I've blogged, the more focused I've become on eye brows - it's now one of the first things I notice about people!  As ever with my hair - the bigger the better! Black eyeliner and Dust It will be my best friends forever <3

What are your personal Autumn/Winter trends going to be?

Love Nic

xx

Brown Tones

Hey Dolls,

I have fallen in love with brown toned lipsticks - this is not a statement I ever thought I would make. I generally stayed away from any form of nude or natural lipsticks, instead much preferring bright toned pinks and purples.  However, I have since realised that these are not practical for everyday wear, when I'm stumbling around in the dark at half six in the morning.  

I have picked my favourite three lipsticks that have definite brown tones, all of which are in different price ranges - Chanel Rouge Allure 81 Insouciante, NARS Sheer Lipstick in Dolce Vita and L'oreal Colour Riche 254 Kiss & Blush.

Chanel Rouge Allure, 81 Insouciante

Out of the three, this is the most brown, though there is a hint of a muted pink that makes Insouciante so wearable.  The Chanel Rouge Allure lipsticks are amongst the most amazing I have ever tried, they blend seamlessly and opaquely onto my lips and leave a beautiful sheen.  The colour is long lasting and doesn't settle into the lines of my lips.  It is the most expensive of the three at £24 but for the quality of the product, I believe it's worth it!

NARS Sheer Lipstick, Dolce Vita 

I have only had DolceVita for a week and already cannot believe I've never owned it before - it's beautiful! It's much rosier than Insouciante but there is definitely a beigey/brown hint that makes this lipstick so natural.  I've never tried a lipstick that is as moisturising - it literally glides onto the lips.  I really want  to try the matte pencil version as I read they used it on Christina Hendricks on Mad Men - her lip colour was always beautiful! If you're not too sure about brown toned lipsticks, I think Dolce Vita is an excellent place to start!  NARS Sheer lipsticks are £17.50.

L'oreal Colour Riche, 254 Kiss & Blush.

Kiss and Blush is the least pigmented of the three but leaves a pretty brown toned sheen to the lips.  The Colour riche lipsticks are supposedly tailored according to hair colour, however 254 is made for blonde's and I think it looks OK on me!  Again, this is a good alternative if you want to dabble in beige/brown lipsticks as it isn't very expensive - around £8.  

Lots of Love

Nic

xx

Revlon Just Bitten

Hey Dolls

A latest beauty addiction of mine is lip stains.  Having fallen in love with Stila's stains, I decided to try one of Revlon's Just Bitten stains - I chose a beautiful red shade called gothic.  The stain is quite unique as it is double ended - one end has a felt tip stain and the other has a lip balm.

I use the stain first so as to get the true red of the stain and leave this to settle for a couple of seconds before applying the balm which adds a slight sheen to the lips.  The balm is OK, it definitely leaves my lips feeling moisturised (but a little 'slippy' if that makes sense?) however, each time I use it I'm a little scared that it's going to fall off! If there was any way it could be put on a slider I think this would be much easier!

Even with the balm, it is a lot more drying than the Stila stains I love - I think this is largely to do with it being a felt tip applicator, this means it's  a much drier formula, however it is a lot less messy and you have more control.  It lasts a good amount of time (on par with Stila) though it will fade throughout the day.

I really love the colour of gothic, I think it's a really wearable red that can be worn sheerer than I have here.  However, I just wish the formula wasn't as drying and I think if used without a lipbalm you would definitely experience some feathering. 

What are your lip stain recommendations? Or do you prefer lipsticks? I think my favourite time to use a stain is when I'm going out for dins, otherwise I manage to get lipstick everwhere - no bueno!

Love Nicola

YSL Creme de Blush - Fuchsia Temptation

Hey Dolls,

I am slowly working my way through all of the posts that have been requested over the last couple of weeks (months).  In July, I posted my favourite three YSL products.  One of those included was their cream blush in Fuchsia Temptation.  At the time of writing, I had a horrible cold so wasn't able to show what it looked like on.  The lovely Alex asked if I could come back and show how it looked - I'm so sorry it's taken me so long!

As you can see, on the cheek fuchsia temptation isn't nearly as scary as it looks in the pot.  It gives a lovely, natural colour to the cheek due to its cream to powder formula.  As I mentioned in my favourite three post, I've never felt a powder blush that is so silky to the touch and that blends so easily.  It doesn't drag when blended, meaning I can apply it on top of powder using a MAC 187.  It smells beautiful - of watermelon and which actually lasts quite well.  The lasting power of the blush is amazing, and I normally don't have to retouch during the day until late afternoon.

I also popped on the lip combination I spoke about in that post that I haven't had a chance to show yet - Rouge Pur Couture 11 and Golden Gloss 42 - so pretty!

Love Nicola

xx

Shu Uemura Love!

Hey Dolls,

This week. my friend Kirsty asked where the best place was to buy amazing false lashes.  In my mind when it comes to lashes, there is only one counter that delivers both amazing products and service - Shu Uemura.  If you haven't ever bought a pair of shu lashes before, I can't recommend them enough - they last up to ten applications, the first time you buy your lashes they are trimmed to fit your eye and each time you want to wear your lashes, you can ring up the counter and they will apply them for you free of charge (everytime I've done this, they also do my eye make up for me too!).  My favourite pair are the smoky layers. On this visit to the Shu Uemura counter, I finally gave in and bought one of their most famous products - their eyelash curler.

I was always a little dubious about how different these curlers could be compared to others I had tried - I was wrong! The hinge of the curler is patented and feels quite stiff when used, gripping all of my lashes and applying a lot of pressure without 'crimping' my lashes.  Shu uemura describe the curve of the curler as 'mushroom' shaped...

This again helps to grip all of my lashes - even the baby lashes in the corner! What I love most about the lash curlers is, my mascara doesn't have to work as hard...I've only had to apply one coat of mascara each morning and with the help of Shu's curlers, this looks like the equivalent of 2 or 3 coats - it's another of my lazy girl must haves! I've included before and after shots below...

.

As you can see, in the bottom photograph, my lashes appear longer with a natural curl - there is no perceptible line where the curler has been applied and my lashes are curled rather than pointing at an angle- all problems I've found using other curlers.  The secret to this is,once you've positioned the curler, hold it in place for a couple of second in an outwards and upwards direction and repeating this several times.

These have now beome a part of my daily beauty routine, I think I'd be a bit lost without them! If you're curious, go and have a chat with one of the staff at a counter, they'll be more than happy to demonstrate them on you! The only drawback for me is when I wear my glasses my lashes bounce against them - I'm definitely not complaining!

Lots of Love

Nicola

xx

More frugal finds...

I recently posted that I have been trying to find some purse friendly alternatives to products I love. When I was in Paris earlier this year, the most exciting thing I bought (apart from minnie mouse ears of course), was a bottle of bioderma's crealine cleansing water. I think I've mentioned before that I really dislike oil based removers and was relieved to find something that removed my make up just as well, without leaving behind an oily residue. However, on attempting to order a new bottle of crealine, I couldn't justify the price of postage.

Enter La Roche-Posay's Physiological Micellar Solution...



Similarly to bioderma, this is a micellar cleansing water, which I've found to be the most thorough but gentle methods of removing my make up. The product contains no parabans, soap or alchohol. However, la roche-posay's micellar solution does contain fragrance which I know can be irritating to some people's skin, thankfully I've had no bad reaction.

For my face make up, I only need to sweep over one cotton pad and it even breaks down waterproof mascarra - though I do need to hold the pad over my eye for a couple of seconds. It leaves behind no residue, doesn't leave my skin tightened or dry and ready for cleaning (I am still in love with Origins Checks and Balances). If you're interested in micellar cleansing waters, I think la roche-posay's is a good place to start - I got mine from Boots for around £10.

Lots of Love
Nic
xx

Home is wherever I'm with you

Hey Dolls

Waaah at this moment, I am hideously hungover...Prosecco is not my friend!! Today is the first day of my holiday from work and to celebrate, my friend Andrew and I went out for a couple of drinks after work.

I wore a new dress from Warehouse which you can see here. For me, this is my perfect dress: black, long sleeves, a peter pan collar and embellishment. I never got a full length photo of me wearing it, instead here is a terrible iphone picture where you can see half of the sleeve and none of the embellishment...


Nick and I have lots planned for our week off...tomorrow we're going to visit the Rosslyn Chapel, and then later in the week, we're going down to my mum and dads for a nardini's (I'm getting ice cream AND a cannoli) and most exciting of all...WE'RE GOING ON THE HOGWARTS EXPRESS!!! Well, as close as we'll ever get - The Jacobite. I literally cannot wait!!!!

Lately, I've realised that I've truely become a bit of a home bird. Since moving into our new house, I've spent so much time making it a home - I promise to those who have asked, I'll post soon and show you around! However, over the last couple of weeks, the homely things I have been enjoying are...

...making window boxes and rolls!

I'll leave you with Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros...the only thing that can save me from this headache!

Lots of Love

Nic
xx