Miss dolly gal

Primark false lashes

2012-01-29T21:44:00.001Z

I normally wear thick, heavy false lashes and I've been meaning to buy a feathery pair for a change. I grabbed these in Primark whilst in the queue and they are surprisingly good. In fact, I was extremely impressed with quality considering I only paid £1 for them.
Let's see what they look like.

Long but fluttery and feathery. They are very much like the lash extensions which I had and loved. The band was super thin and super flexible. I have no angle to my eyes so I often find it more difficult to stick each end of the lashes down. The lash band was so pliable that they were possibly the easiest I've ever used.
I honestly didn't even bother with the glue, it looked odd and smelt weird so I can't comment on it, but the fact that I'm going to go back and pick up several more pairs for my friend and I, shows how much I liked them!

My blue hair

2012-01-21T17:20:00.001Z

I went out to my favourite cheesy club night last night and had lots of fun, dancing about and meeting up with friends. It's a pretty much anything-goes kind of night and was the perfect opportunity to try out the Colour Xtreme coloured hair spray I was sent.

I'm desperately bored with my hair and so I thought I'd see what it would look like dip dyed.

Utterly shocked at how vivid the colour is! Spray colour has completely changed since my mum sprayed orange stripes in my hair when I dressed up as Ginger Spice once. I washed it out this morning and there isn't a trace of colour left.

There were a few downsides. It was very messy. I sprayed it all over my neck,dressing gown and hands. Luckily it washes off skin fairly easily. It also seems to stay in the air pretty well. I'm getting over a cold, blew my nose later and it's contents were also blue! This is described as a coloured hairspray, rather than a dye so it made the ends of my hair very stiff. My hands also turned blue everytime I touched it. I eventually decided to put my hair up to avoid turning smurf like later in the evening.

The stiff ends actually made putting it up very easy. It scrunched into a perfect bun and needed no pinning. I'm very, very tempted to bleach my ends and get this done properly now.

I was very impressed, as were my friends, with the pigmentation of the spray, but it definitely works better when used on an up do.

Colour Xtreme is available in 8 different shades, costs £4.07 and can be bought in Boots and on Amazon.

this spray was sent to me for review, as previously mentioned

New polish and catch up.

2012-01-17T22:46:00.001Z

Sorry for the lack of face/eye make up posts, I've been battling a cold for a week so my face is not something I want to photograph or put any effort into. I've not even bothered with foundation.

I bought this nail polish last week. It's Canal Street by NYC. I thought I was buying Lincoln Center which is the Chanel Rouge noir dupe but I picked up the wrong one. I'm terrible for doing that. It's pretty, nothing special though and just another addition to the many dark reds I own. I am really impressed with NYC polishes though. They're cheap and really nice quality.

I'm on week 3 of non smoking. I've slipped up on 2 occasions but I'm proud that it's not got me right back on them again. I've been spending my pennies on pretty make up and clothing items to cheer me up.

I got a matte sequin top in the Dorothy Perkins sale. It's slouchy yet glamorous. I love it.

I've mostly been eating though. Can anyone give me any tips or help with over eating when stopping smoking? It's all I seem to do (currently eating a Penguin)

I have an Eighties party to attend in a few weeks so I will be sure to post a picture of my make up and my vintage dress. The Eighties are a favourite decade of mine and the thought of striping my blusher is exciting me.

I got some NYC lip stains and a cheap but promising Rimmel foundation too. I may very well post some reviews when I look less like Rudolf (it's not even festive anymore!)

I got sent some coloured hair sprays and gels to try. I didn't think they showed in my hair but turns out they will. I cannot WAIT to try them. I want dip dyed hair.

Hope everyone's doing ok and not letting January get them too down.

A long time ago in a galaxy far,far away

2012-01-09T22:30:00.001Z

Galaxy nails! I'm a band wagon jumper, so shoot me! Totally spur of the moment after seeing a few blog posts about this nail art recently. Normally I plan my nail art and it takes me weeks to get round to doing it. I didn't follow one particular tutorial, just took bits I liked from a few that I watched/ read.

I used- no7 Betty blues as a base
Models own snow white for the stars and nebula
No7 totally teal on the nebula
Models own juicy jules on the nebula
George at Asda glitter top coats in Jackpot and Starry eyed.

I just sponged the white and teal on, chucked the chunky glitter on the top and drew the stars on with a dotting tool. Coated the whole nail in gold and silver glitter top coat. Done. I could think of some cheesy space pun but I'll just leave you with another picture instead

2011 favourites

2012-01-07T14:55:00.000Z

I'd been thinking of doing monthly favourites posts in 2012 and I'd seen this on a few blogs so I thought I'd start the year with a look at my favourite products from 2011.

Make Up
Foundation: Bourjois healthy mix
Powder: Rimmel Stay Matte
Concealer: Collection 2000 Lasting perfection.
Eyeshadow: MAC Woodwinked
Eyeliner: MAC Feline kohl power
Mascara: Mayblline pulse perfection
Blusher: NARS Orgasm
Bronzer: NARS Laguna
Highlighter: No7 natural radiance
Lipstick: Mac Costa Chic
Lipgloss: MAC dazzle glass creme in Sublime Shine
Nail polish: Barry M yellow

Skincare
Cleanser: No7 hot cloth
Toner: None
Moisturiser: Haven't used any note worthy moisturisers- recs?
Make up remover: Boots botanics

Haircare
Shampoo: Andrew Collinge Purity range- colour therapy
Conditioner: Andrew Collinge Purity range- colour therapy
Hairspray: Wella Silverkrin hairspray.
Hot tool: BabylissPro dial-a-heat tong

Plum Foolery

2012-01-03T21:13:00.002Z

I was overjoyed to see a MAC counter in Edinburgh airport yesterday. It's been over a year since I really bought anything from MAC and I wanted to treat myself for giving up smoking. I decided a blush and a lipstick was in order.All the blushes I wanted were out of stock or not held, so I went for a plan B- Plum Foolery.

I wouldn't really use plum to describe the colour but it is beautiful. Perfect for A/W and the shimmer very much satisfies my love of shiny cheeks.

Gives a lovely flush of colour with a few sweeps of my 129 brush. Plum Foolery is in the permanent range and can be bought online or in store.

Christmas and New year in pictures

2012-01-02T14:10:00.001Z

Christmas was spent in Hampshire and New Year was spent in Fife.

Hogmanay nails- no glitter in sight!

2011-12-31T15:46:00.001Z

Nails inc Berkley square (grey) Eden Grove (green) Duchess street (purple)I got a Nails Inc gift set for Christmas from G's auntie so I thought I'd put the colours to use for NYE. We're watching fireworks on the beach up in Scotland so glitzy party nails didn't fit somehow. Really impressed with Nails Inc quality, Duchess street was a one coater! I hate the lids though, I much prefer a longer, skinny lid for my polish. Happy New Year everyone, have a lovely time, whatever you do, stay safe and here's to 2012. Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Scotland

Festive make up

2011-12-28T13:08:00.002Z

Christmas day is for family but my Christmas eve is always for friends. I always make my most sparkly effort on our night and this year was no exception.

I hunted round YouTube for some green make up ideas and found this beauty from Pixiwoo. Sam and Nic's tutorials are always easy to follow and definitely my favourite.

Loved the darkness of the green and the simplicity of using one shadow. Even had a compliment from a boy about my eyes!

I wore my most festive dress with my new gold see through brogues and of course, my new winter coat.

Holiday nails-Christmas day

2011-12-25T06:25:00.001Z

China Glaze Phat Santa, Jolly Holly, Twinkle Lights. Foils from EBay. Have a wonderful day everyoneXx

New winter coat

2011-12-21T20:07:00.001Z

I do love a good winter coat, I also own lots of them so I try not to buy a new one every year. I almost lasted this year until I saw this beauty in a charity shop for £10.99

It has fake fur collar and cuffs, is 80% wool and 5% cashmere. It's 3/4 length which makes it feel very glam and is a wonderful voluminous shape. It makes a perfect addition to my coat collection and will be keeping me warm on next week's trip to Scotland.

1940's glamour

2011-12-19T11:20:00.002Z

Is it me or does the holiday season bring out a want to be really done up, all the time? I waved my hair using my GHD's for the first time on Friday and felt the glamorous waves needed a make up look to go with them.
Firstly- hair

Created by bending the GHD's up and down, rather than curling.

Make up

I was wearing a black velvet dress and knew that red lips would work perfectly. Of course, I couldn't just wear normal lashes- its that festive thing again, so I found a pair of jewelled lashes by Eladora in my collection.

I extended the line into a cats eye and gently contoured my eyes with Buck from UD naked palette and Black tied by Mac. Rather a different look for me but the hair and make up went perfectly together- I loved it.

Holiday nails week 3

2011-12-18T21:58:00.002Z

I couldn't resist trying out this nail art after watching this YouTube tutorial.

Products used-Models own Snow White, ELF Twinkle, Revlon Blackest Black, Barry M Tangerine.

Holiday nails week 2

2011-12-09T22:28:00.001Z

I have my work's Christmas night out tomorrow and as I'm wearing gold, I wanted my nails to match.

There are tonnes of Christmas nail foils/wraps on eBay, and I recently bought 3 different sets for something silly like £4.50. This was the first time I've used nail wraps but found it pretty easy. My right hand was weirdly better than my left (I'm right handed) and I found not using so much heat worked better. Since these pictures, I have cleaned up the edges with a file a bit more.

I have 2 more designs coming up later in the month too. They come in 8 different sizes, so there should be a size to fit all.

Holiday nails 2011 week 1

2011-12-03T16:33:00.001Z

Christmas is my favourite time of year for nails. On Nov 30th I treated mine to a little glitter fest, ready for December 1st.

Both polishes are by China Glaze. The chunky green based is Party Hearty from holiday 2010 and the finer gold based glitter is Twinkle Lights from holiday 2011.

All fired up!

2011-11-25T17:02:00.002Z

Another face of the day for you, this time from Thursday. No special occasion, just work but I've been wanting to do a red based look for a while.

Face
Revlon Photo ready foundation, NYC face powder, Mac blush in Peaches

Eyes
Urban decay primer potion
Sleek Sunset palette
Mac embark (eyebrows)
Collection 2000 fast stroke liner
Cover Girl lash blast length.

The more I blended this look, the most flame like it appeared. I really should make more use of this palette, the colours are really unusual and beautiful.

Location:All fired up!

Every day face

2011-11-22T18:58:00.002Z

I start work at 8 most days so I normally only give myself 10-15 mins to do my hair and make up. This doesn't leave much time for experimenting with looks.
I went to lunch with my mum the other weekend and I spent a little longer on my everyday make up. Here's the make up I used.
Face- Bourjois healthy mix foundation, Rimmel stay matte powder, Nars orgasm blush.
Eyes- ud primer potion, Mac paint pot in soft ochre, mac eyeshadow in vanilla(highlight) wood winked(crease) embark(eyebrows), Collection 2000 fast stroke liquid liner, cover girl lash blast length
Lips- collection 2000 cream puff in Fairy cake.

Normally I just use the same face products and a slick of liquid liner but it was nice to do this "properly"

I also had my hair cut, can you tell? My lovely friend Kirsty cut off the really long side and just evened it out, leaving it in a long bob that I can grow out. Hurrah!

Neutral glitter notd

2011-11-18T21:37:00.001Z

I know the two words don't normally go hand in hand but pale pink glitter is probably going to be the most neutral colour you can get in glitter form!
My good friend Kirsty got me some nail polish from New York including this treat from Milani.

Disco lights is a really pretty glitter. As it's not too dissimilar to my skin tone, it doesn't feel as in your face as other glitters. It took 3 coats to achieve this. I'm definitely more into different colours and textures in the same mani at the moment so I added some metallic silver (no7 sunshine) to break up the look.

The only girl in the world

2011-11-17T09:40:00.003Z

I went to see Rihanna on Tuesday and wanted to make an extra special effort with my make up as hers is always gorgeous.

I recently saw this tutorial and look on Fancy face and really wanted to try it out.

Sorry, still taking photos on my iPhone so the quality isn't amazing but I was quite pleased with this. The white base needed to be blended more before adding white shadow on the top but it was 6am and I wasn't too fussed. It's the first time I've used Mac liquid last in Aqualine for ages. It's a stunning colour.
Here's what I used-
Mac soft ochre paint pot
Sleek circus palette
Mac chrome yellow
Mac chill
Mac Yogurt
Mac Romping
Mufe- 18
NYX jumbo pencil in Milk
Lashes are eBay.

Location:Only girl in the world

My birthday

2011-11-14T18:18:00.001Z

I was 25 on Sunday. Here's a few pics from my birthday.

Birthday nails

Birthday shoes

Hair and make up

Home delivered roast

Presents!

Having tea and cake

Birthday nails

2011-11-11T23:59:00.002Z

I'm going out to celebrate my birthday tomorrow, along with my good friend Kirsty and I offered to do her nails for her. I thought I'd show you the end result.

She wanted bright, clashing colours so I did a little nail art on each one using my dotting tools and konad.

What do you think?

Halloween

2011-11-02T21:44:00.001Z

Has re-instated my love of make up and inspired me to start blogging again.

I did my own make up for the evening, as the Black Swan and a zombie for my friend Jolene.

I watched a few tutorials but mainly just did this free hand, using pictures and footage of the scene, and reading interviews with the make up artists who created the look.

Jolene

Jolene’s zombie mouth was created following Robyn’s zombie mouth tutorial.

I had so much fun creating these two looks that I realised that I can’t just give up on my blog. I need to put 100% more effort in to it, I want it’s main focus to be on make up looks from now on (with the odd haul and NOTD.)

Unfortunately, I broke my camera at the party so it may be a few weeks before I can take decent pics again but I will try my best.

Sunday stuff

2011-09-11T21:32:00.002+01:00

Thought I'd just do a little personal blog as I've had a lovely day out today. I worked yesterday so I've only had one day off. Instead of laying about in my pjs, I hatched a plan to do something with my day.
Firstly, I booked us lunch at Fire & Stone for 2 for £10 pizzas. I'd never been here before but thought the deal was really good as each pizza is priced at £9.95 each.
I had a Peking pizza- hoi sin sauce, duck, spring onions and cucumber

G had a Marrakech- tomato sauce, lamb, raisins and mint yogurt

As we were in Gunwharf, I had a little trip to Cath Kidston to get a wash bag, as I'd realised I didn't have one and have some trips away coming up.

This rather large lovely was £12 instead of £16. I popped to the CCO too but nothing caught my eye.
We finally went to see Deathly Hallows part 2, which I surprisingly enjoyed. All in all, a good way to spend Sunday.

Hope you've all had a good weekend.

Mint choc chip Leopard print

2011-09-06T12:49:00.001+01:00

Barry M Mint green and Mushroom

Rusty

2011-08-21T18:23:00.000+01:00

I’m wearing Urban Outfitters fox tshirt, New Look rust shorts, Primark brogues.

Sorry for the blurry pic- my lighting is quite bad at the moment so non flash pics aren’t so good.

Finally felt comfortable to wear my rust shorts today. I love this colour, I’m so excited for Autumn now.

Flash of green

2011-08-19T18:32:00.000+01:00

I’m wearing New look sheer blouse, Peacocks palazzo pants, Primark green bra

Again, sorry for the rubbish pic, only remembered just before bed, and flash was the only way I could show my bra. I wore this for drinks and food on Saturday night. Love the sheer top/bright bra look. These trousers are possibly my favourite item of clothing at the moment. They’re perfect when you want to look a little smarter or dressier.

Nail fail!

2011-08-17T18:05:00.000+01:00

I was up for some more nail art this weekend and was inspired by Bicky’s gorgeous post. I only had white crackle so I thought I’d try an orange/coral version. It was vile and a total fail but I thought I’d show you anyway.

I started by painting my nails white as a base and added splodges of different pinks, corals and oranges to each nail.

Colours- NYC Sprint Street, Models own Fuzzy peach, Barry M Pink Flamingo, Asda Magical and Sunset Orange.

I then applied the Barry M white crackle

Ugh I hate it. I gave it one day, removed and applied a nude instead. Lesson learnt. I don’t like crackles

A new dress and a matching eye shadow look

2011-08-15T17:51:00.000+01:00

A new dress arrived for me from Ebay. I missed out on these River Island dresses last year and have been scouring Ebay for a while. Mine was £9.50. I love the tackilicious print.

I wore it out on Friday and decided to do a matching eye look using my Hello Kitty Too Dolly palette as I’ve probably only used it once or twice.

Make up used

Face- Bourjois Healthy skin foundation and concealer, Rimmel Stay Matte powder, Nars Orgasm blush
Eye- Urban Decay Primer potion, NYX jumbo pencil in Milk, MAC Too Dolly quad, Gosh Kohl in White, C2000 Fast stroke liner, Mac Kohl power pencil in Feline, Maybelline Colossal mascara, Mac Embark eyeshadow.

How to

1. Prime your eye and add a white base every where you’ll be applying a bright shadow. This helps show the true colour
2. Highlight your inner corner using Yogurt.
3. Apply Too Dolly all over your lid, blending at the edges and applying more in the centre of your eye.
4. Blend Romping all along your crease and above crease, winging out towards the end of your brow. Blend down slightly into the Too Dolly, mixing the colours as you blend.
5. Apply a little Stately Black into the very outer crease (the end of the wing you have created) and blend.
6. Draw a line of white kohl along your upper lashline.
7. Draw over this with black liquid liner, drawing two wings. One straight from your upper lashes, and one from your lower lashes.
8. Fill the space you’ve created with your two liner wings with white kohl.
9. Line lower lash line with black kohl and add mascara.

Spotty nails

2011-08-13T17:00:00.000+01:00

I’ve never tried this before but decided to do on both my toes and my fingers!

Models own Snow White with Barry M Spring Green spots

On my toes- Models Own Snow white with Models Own Fuzzy Peach.

My toes are a lot less neat as I did them first and it was harder to get even spots but, all in all, I like the effect. I did the spots by dipping the end of a kirby grip into the polish.

Make up shopping

2011-08-11T18:48:00.000+01:00

High street haul! My Boots finally had the Collection 2000 Cream puffs in so I had a little spend using my Boots points. I also finished 2 foundations this week (and have almost finished a 3rd) so I also Got Bourjois Healthy mix because I couldn’t ignore the great reviews and praise any longer.

Swatches

Fairy cake

Powder puff

Cotton Candy

I was totally expecting to love either of the brighter colours the most but actually, Powder Puff is my favourite. It’s a slightly browner nude than I’d normally get but that makes it look far more grown up and wearable. The texture of these is a little odd. Very thick lipstick. It doesn’t go completely dry so it’s more moisturising than a stain. I like them so far.

I can’t comment too much on Healthy Mix. I put it on as soon as I got home, it seems to make my skin look nice ( quick pic below) but it hasn’t been trialled for a whole day yet.

Love all the products so far, big thumbs up!

New watch

2011-08-09T16:03:00.000+01:00

My coral ebay watch arrived! Unfortunately, it’s not coral, it’s pink and it’s way too big for me so I can’t wear it. Any ideas on how to remove the plastic links to make it smaller?

Primark haul

2011-08-07T16:05:00.000+01:00

I love it when shops start to get their new season stuff in. I treated myself to a little Primark haul last week and here’s what I got.

High waisted jeans. I used to have a pair that I loved but eventually had to throw them out as the zip broke. I’ve tried and hated the Topshop ones but these Primark pair fit well. I’ve worn them 3 times already!

This mustard shirt is perfect to throw on when I can’t be bothered. It’s comfy enough to wear to work but still looks good.

I adore both of these rings but unfortunately, they’re both a bit big so I can’t see me wearing them :(

Pretty in pink

2011-08-05T15:59:00.000+01:00

I’m wearing New Look dress, Peacocks belt, Primark tights and shoes

This is probably my favourite dress at the moment. It’s flattering and the print is really pretty so it’s effortless to look nice in it. Skater dress, tights and shoes has to be my all time favourite look.

Another new lipstick

2011-08-03T15:52:00.000+01:00

I caved and bought another this week. I HAD to have this after reading Lily’s(Beauty’s bad habit) post. For under £3 on Ebay, I got Stargazer 106- Neon Red.

I’ve been trying to get a lipstick in a particular colour for a while now and thought that this was it. Unfortunately it’s nothing like I want but it’s a gorgeous colour all the same.

If you’ve seen a lip colour similar, then please let me know. The colour I’m after is a bright mix of pink and coral. I thought Mac Costa Chic was the one but it’s too orange. It’s very similar to the colour on Francine in American Dad and I’ve def seen Khloe Kardashian wearing a similar colour

Day at the Races

2011-08-02T17:00:00.002+01:00

Last Saturday a few work girlies and I went to Ascot for the day. Although I had really bad tooth ache al day (the onset of a wisdom tooth infection) it was still really fun to get dressed up and do some betting.

It was probably the best people watching place I’ve been to. Loads of dresses and hats to ogle at and lots of nice men in suits to ogle at too!

For the day I decided to wear some clip in extensions with a poof and a cream corsage (I wanted a ridiculous hat but really couldn’t justify the price!) I ended up taking the clip ins out half way through the day to ease the tension on my head but the poofiness left it looking ok!

I thoroughly recommend a day at the races- it was a great day out and I’m looking forward to next year already!

Viva Las Vegas!

2011-08-01T17:15:00.000+01:00

In my last post I mentioned that we decided to have a big Vegas holiday again next year. I found a great deal for 2 weeks in March, but I’ve been persuaded to hold off until Oct/Nov time so I can go to my dream hotel- The Venetian. We had a big 2 week Vegas holiday back in 2008 and I’ve wanted to go back ever since.

For me, Vegas was the ultimate holiday destination. Shopping, eating, drinking, dancing and gambling, all in luxurious surroundings. To celebrate, I thought I’d post some pics from our previous trip to show you why I love it there.

My dream hotel has indoor and outdoor canals complete with gondola rides!

Nearby you can transported to Paris!

You can watch the world’s biggest TV screen

Our enorm hotel

Complete with enorm King sized bed

Go to a club 52 floors up, that has a terrace over looking the strip

This time I plan to buy a lot more make up, visit the CCO in the outlets, see Penn and Teller, go to RokLasVegas and be braver whilst gambling.

Summer lovin’

2011-07-30T16:18:00.000+01:00

What I’m wearing: Primark maxi, ASOS shrug, Miss Selfridge necklace, H&M sunglasses

A rare hot day outfit! These Primark maxi’s are brilliant. They’re really cheap and cool (in the temperature sense!) I wore this outfit to work and received lots of compliments.

Lust list No.1

2011-07-28T15:59:00.000+01:00

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Since we got the internet at work (finally!) I've started to spend my breaks and lunch hours compiling wish lists. Unfortunately we've just decided to have another massive holiday in Vegas next year so I can't afford to shop much as I'm saving for that. Here's stuff I want at the moment.

1. I really like the idea of a bright summery watch but I cannot justify spending £70 on one. So I'm currently bidding on knock off ones on Ebay.

2. This playsuit is so swoon worthy. For me, it's a perfect summer to Autumn outfit and the bow belt is adorable. It's pretty steep at £50 though.

3. Mainly I want navy spotty palazzo pants to wear with mustard but I'm also drawn to the unusual colour mix on the other pair. Ebay have found £10 spotty palazzo pants for me but now I want a red pair and a green pair too

4. I'm currently trying to build up my ring collection and this one would go perfectly with most things.

5. The Collection 2000 cream puff lip creams are something I can afford in the near future. I might spread the cost and get one a week.

6. At £80, I know I will never buy these amazing boots but I have found a cheaper pair on Missguided.com for only £30 that I may get instead.

Grease is the word

2011-07-26T18:30:00.000+01:00

What I’m wearing: Primark dress, tights and cardigan, Dorothy Perkins pumps and Peacocks belt

I took my mum to see Grease for her birthday on Saturday and it turned out to be a horrible, blustery day. I eventually switched the cardigan up for a black leather jacket as it was raining but I was really pleased I’d dug this dress out at my mum’s. It has a cute exposed zip down the back. I love sheer black patterned tights when the weather is bad in summer. I can keep warm without feeling too wintery.

Comfy outfit

2011-07-24T17:59:00.000+01:00

What I’m wearing- Peacocks Palazzo pants, H&M vest and Select Sandals

This is my ultimate comfy, can’t be bothered outfit. I think I wore this to work one day but I’ve also graced many pubs, restaurants and friend’s flats. The trousers are rather like pj’s but I can live with that. My pj’s are my favourite clothes and this almost fulfils my dream of being able to wear my pj’s full time

Jewellery haul

2011-07-22T17:00:00.000+01:00

In my body suit post, I mentioned some new turquoise jewellery that I’d recently bought and I think it deserves it’s own post.

I used to be a jewellery fiend but I stopped after I got some Tiffany Jewellery. I get the urge to wear other jewellery now and again and always find that sale time is the best time to buy it!

I got 3 gorgeous necklaces from Miss Selfridge for £3 each- some of them were £15 full price!

I’d be totally lying if I said I hadn’t lusted after a few of them after seeing them in Claire’s haul video.

I also got 2 nice bracelet sets from Topshop that match the theme of the necklaces

I don’t normally wear bracelets as they fall off my skinny wrists and hands but these a very light weight and can be tightened so they’re perfect for every day.

A short affair

2011-07-20T17:00:00.000+01:00

I really like wearing shorts. They can be dressed up or down and I always feel more covered in them than a skirt. I added 2 new pairs to my wardrobe recently.

These pretty rust pair were reduced in the New Look sale to £10

These amazingly cute pair were full price but only £12.99 from H & M.

These shoes..

2011-07-18T17:00:00.000+01:00

were made for dancing!

Love this top! H & M have some amazing stuff at the moment

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet

2011-07-16T17:00:00.000+01:00

Ahhh I love cheesy post titles :)

I got a new lipstick the other day. I didn’t need it, my lipstick drawer is full of lipsticks I hardly use but I wanted a new one. It’d been ages.

So I didn’t feel so guilty, I got a cheap and cheerful Boots Natural collection one. It cost £1.99 and I had £2 in spare change in my purse.

Rose Petal is a summery, peachy pink. It does look a lot more nude on the lips than I expected but I’m certainly not moaning for less than £2!

Getting rid of my mascara challenge

2011-07-14T17:00:00.000+01:00

I don’t actually use mascara that much. I love that way it looks but I cannot be bothered with removing it at night. Therefore, I have a tonne of unused mascaras, none of which I particularly adore, but which I am determined to use up so I can try some more.

Therefore, I’ve set myself a challenge to wear one mascara, every day, until I run out of it.

The first mascara I’ve chosen is Boots 17 Wild Curls

Lots of people love it, I’m not that fussed. It doesn’t help the curl stay in place and it doesn’t make them look particularly thick. Love the packaging though.

So there we go. One mascara at a time, until I use them up. I’ll do a post each time I start a new one. Please leave your mascara recs in the comments, I’d like to start building a wishlist.

Back to the early ‘90’s

2011-07-12T21:15:00.001+01:00

I bought a body suit in the H&M sale yesterday. I’m not sure what possessed me but I wore it to work today and I’m not ashamed to admit that I loved it. I often wear tops tucked into skirts and for once, revelled in not having to constantly re- tuck it in.

The cute floral print matched some new red and turquoise jewellery I got so very much a happy outfit day :)

Necklaces-Miss Selfridge
Body suit- H&M
Skirt-Dorothy Perkins
Boots-Primark

True blue

2011-07-10T17:10:00.000+01:00

This is a really old FOTD that I found on my camera (my hair is so short!) but I re-did it last week so I thought I’d post it.

This is identical to my green hornet look, but using blue instead of green. I also used a blue mascara from Collection 2000 instead of black. Click the link to find out more on how the look was created.

Bright lips and big eyes

2011-07-07T16:44:00.000+01:00

Recently I found myself going out for an afternoon of drinks and an evening of dancing. I didn’t have much time between events to re-do my make up so I decided to try out some bright lip looks.

The day look had to be ok for work as I was going out from there.

I can’t do bare eyes. I look piggy. So for day I put on a pair of the old style Kimberly Girls Aloud lashes and some liquid liner. As my maxi was orange and blue, I went with a coral orange for my bright lip- Costa chic by MAC.

Rushing home, I took off the lashes and replaced them with Eyelure double lashes which are far more dramatic. My outfit was all black so I brightened it up with Petals and Peacocks by MAC (LE from Liberty of London)

I was ready again in 20 mins!

Facial tanners

2011-07-05T16:14:00.002+01:00

Normally when I fake tan, I just use the same on my face as I do on my body. I’d never considered using a separate lotion for my face but I have been recently using Boots Soltan self tan Face cream and have been pleasantly surprised.

(sorry for the stock image, I’m not very well and have no idea where my camera is!)

This product comes in a squeezy tube, and is very easy to control the amount of product. It’s a thin lotion, that dries quickly but also keeps my skin feeling moisturised. The colour is light and natural, and takes the edge of my pasty face. There’s no fake tan smell, even on drying, which is great news for my other half- he hates me smelling of biscuits when he leans in for a kiss.

As well as using this on my face, I have found it completely solves my fake tan hands and feet problems. The colour is so light that I can completely cover my hands in it, and it doesn’t leave me with orange palms or white stripes. The same goes for my feet- no more orange heels and white toes.

For solving my dilemma- I am now a facial tanner convert.

Boots Soltan self tan face cream now has a third off in Boots so it’s a bargainous £4.66!

PR Sample. This product was sent to me to review but as always, this is my honest opinion

Wedding!

2011-06-20T21:05:00.000+01:00

Not mine unfortunately! I went to a beautiful wedding reception on Sat night, and I took the opportunity to get glammed up! Here's my outfit

Dress- AX Paris
Shoes-New Look

I did a Kim Kardashian inspired brown smokey eye using Urban Decay's Naked palette and my hair dresser pal Kirsty did my hair

A fun night was had by all

Quick haul

2011-06-02T21:09:00.001+01:00

I went shopping in search of a dress for a wedding reception today but my search was hopeless. I did however, buy a few other bits to show you.

Completely fell in love with these 70s stacked heeled sandals from Next. I love bright shoes and these are super comfy.

I tried a few pairs of wide legged trousers on, after dismissing them all year and was surprised by how much I liked them.

These were both from Peacocks and weren't that expensive(pair 1-£18, pair 2-£25) They're both fairly different, the 2nd pair being obviously much wider. They're very flattering but also cool and comfy.
What do you think of wide legged trousers? Super nice or super vile?

Sunday style

2011-05-30T12:57:00.000+01:00

1.Yesterday's look was inspired by Beyonce in the Telephone video. I had a urge to match my nails and eyeshadow.
2. My hair is finally long enough to beehive again. I've missed my pouf.
3. I wore my green DMs out yesterday. I'd forgotten how amazing they are.
4. I have finally cleaned my walk in and was ruthless in my clothes clear out.

Hope you've had a good bank holiday weekend

Magical

2011-05-20T12:57:00.000+01:00

Don your sunglasses for this one! I'm not usually a fan of conventional red and pink polishes but I thought I'd give this George @Asda one a go. It's way more neon that expected and much better quality than other Asda polishes I've had.
I'm not sure if this is new because I haven't been for a while but it was def new to me.

Everybody needs..

2011-04-13T23:00:00.001+01:00

Cyan blue by Barry M in their life. Perfect summer colour and it's only £2.99!

Summer boots

2011-04-06T17:29:00.000+01:00

My wifi is down so I'll have to make do with quick posts from my phone. Please excuse photo quality :)

I got (yet another) new pair of boots. My mum got them for me ages ago but I picked them up from her at the weekend

Store Twenty One- £14
They are perfect for now. It's way too chilly for me to wear sandals and these boots don't feel wintery at all.

Recent times

2011-03-31T10:36:00.000+01:00

I haven't disappeared again! It had slipped my mind that I had no more blog posts scheduled and I need to write some more pronto! I have a long list of planned posts for your perusal.

Until then, here's what I've been up to recently

Buying a new birdie for my flat

Dying my hair black

Enjoying the sunshine peeking through my window

Buying new rings

Enjoying a freshly made bed.

What have you been up to recently?

Why do birds suddenly appear?

2011-03-24T17:00:00.000Z

Scarf- H&M
Top-Primark
Skirt- New Look

I’d totally forgotten I had this skirt. It’s normally something I would wear in the summer with a vest, but I’ve been so happy to see the sun with his hat on, that it’s come out for an early showing this year.

Sally’s haul

2011-03-22T17:00:00.000Z

I was allowed to abuse my friend’s trade card on Sunday when she took me for a trip to Sally’s so this little lot came to only £20!

I had to get some polishes from the China Glaze Anchor’s Away collection. I went with a wish list of 6 and came back with 3 so I was pretty impressed with my self control. I also picked up some pure acetone for soaking off fake nails and cleaning up cuticles and a cheap polish by Nina Ultra Pro (no I’d never heard of them either but it was less than £2 for 15ml!)

Shades-

Nina- Mermaid. A beautiful pale green with an iridescent shimmer
CG-Seaspray- pale blue
Sunset Sail-peachy nude with a slight shimmer
Starboard- a grassy green.

Watch out for some nail of the day posts featuring these soon.

Boots of spanish leather

2011-03-20T17:00:00.000Z

Very unlikely for Priceless shoes.

I found these lovelies whilst perusing Priceless Shoes. Topshop knock offs for a tenner? Great. Really, really painful for ages but they’re nice and comfy now I’ve worn them in. I wear them with skirts and dresses now my Primark crochet pair are dying. <3

Barry M lip paint swatches

2011-03-18T12:00:00.000Z

Further to my excited squealings last month, I’ve managed to get 3 out of 4 of the latest Barry M lip paints and I really love them all.

150-Pink Suede

151-Sunset

153- Pink Ribbon

Pink Ribbon is definitely my favourite. I just need to hunt down 152 now!

Edit-

I got 152- Vintage Rose ages ago and completely forgot to update this post

Mr Orange

2011-03-16T17:06:00.000Z

I’ve been wearing orange lipstick a lot more than pink lately so here’s my little collection

Swatches

Sorry for the separate shot of Sunset, I couldn’t find it so I had to borrow the pic from my Barry M swatches post.

As you can see, there’s a nice difference between each shade, Coral Pop leaning more towards peach, Toxic Tale leaning more towards red. Orange just seems to go perfectly with every outfit of mine at the moment, and it’s a nice change from pretty pinks.

who loves Orange? I love orange. I do, I do, I do-ooooooo.

Hubble bubble, toil and trouble

2011-03-14T12:00:00.001Z

From my haul post I bring you Hocus Pocus by BYS.

Delightful shade of turquoise with a silver shimmer running through. It looks very Tiffany blue in these photos but it’s actually a little darker in real life. I love the BYS polishes. I believe it’s an Australian brand, rather difficult to come by in the UK but I’ve found that Store Twenty One (formally Q&S!) stocks it and the polishes are only £2.50. Definitely worth going in to your local store to see if they stock it, BYS polishes have a lovely finish and a huge colour selection.

Green Hornet

2011-03-12T12:00:00.001Z

Face- Revlon colourstay
Eyes- MAC Blackground Paint pot, Green eyeshadow from Sleek Safari palette, MAC Fluidline in blacktrack

I did this look for a night out to a few pubs. It worked so beautifully. I’ve never really found that Black ground worked for me, but after watching the Lisa Eldridge Cheryl Cole look, I followed her advice and applied with a 217 and it smudged perfectly. I gave it a flash of green by patting some eyeshadow from the Sleek Safari palette, on top of the black.

If you’ve not seen the video, you can watch it here

Cream of the crop

2011-03-10T18:39:00.000Z

I’ve never considered buying cream nail polish before but I fell in love with Stargazer-508 when I was paying for something in New Look.

I’m not 100% sure of it. Sometimes I glanced at my nails and thought about how nice it looked, other times it washed my skin out. It was a fairly quick drying 3 coater, not bad for £2.50.

Have you tried cream nails and loved them? Post me your swatches.

DIY eyebrows

2011-03-08T16:39:00.000Z

My eyebrows are scary. Long, misshapen and quick growing. I had them waxed every 4 weeks from the age of 13 to 19 and this didn’t do anything to make them grow less of finer. I always hated how out of shape they were until I started taking my brows into my own hands. They grew back so quickly and I couldn’t afford to get them done any more often so I decided to start waxing them myself.

Here’s how they look after about a week

A week after I’ve waxed them!

Here’s what I use

Hair straighteners to heat the strips
Tweezers
Scissors
Old mascara wand
Superdrug Face & bikini wax strips

I start by brushing my brows and giving them a trim. This made a massive difference to my brows as I discovered a natural angled shape under my long hairs!

I then trim my strips to the required size for each bit of my eyebrow

I then heat the strips by holding them between my GHD plates. You can use your hands but I find they work much better if they’re hotter.

Smooth the strip over the area you want to wax, hold taut and rip away! Tidy up any stray hairs with tweezers.

and Voila!

All ready to fill in!

Trio of blushes

2011-03-06T13:40:00.000Z

Benefit Coralista NARS Orgasm Milani Luminous

Like most of you, I’m a sucker for a peachy gold blush. I finally got Orgasm from Product Pixie's generous blog sale and I wanted to see how it held up against my other 2 blushes of the same kind.

Coralista Orgasm Luminous

All 3 are lovely sheer, shimmery blushes. Orgasm, for me, is queen. The gold shimmer is strongest in this blush but isn’t obvious on your cheeks. Coralista has more of a silver shimmer which makes it a lot cooler. Luminous is almost identical to Orgasm (it’s a very well known dupe) but the quality isn’t the same. It doesn’t last as long, and I find it sits in my pores.

I’d quite like to add to my collection still. Are there any more blushes out there?

Proud as a peacock

2011-03-04T13:14:00.000Z

Finally got my hands on Peacock Green by Models Own and it’s another polish love!

Beautiful, shimmery, greeny blue. My photography skills leave a lot to be desired and I had a lot of trouble capturing the prettiness of the colour. It has a lot more teal in real life. Nice smooth application but didn’t last very long.

Grey skies of blue

2011-03-02T14:15:00.000Z

Scarf-Primark
Playsuit-Primark
Cardigan-Primark
Necklace-Tiffany & Co

Ha! My face is ridiculous in the first shot but it was the only good full body pic I took. This is another Primark find that I bought last year. I really, really like playsuits. They look lovely and can be dressed up or down. However, I tend to avoid wearing them because they are such a pain to take on and off.

Has anyone ever found a playsuit that doesn’t come with this problem? It makes going to the loo such hard work!

Haulin’ haulin’, haulin’

2011-02-28T15:16:00.001Z

Just a few bits and pieces I’ve picked up recently

GA Kimberly lashes.

BYS Polish in Hocus Pocus and Stargazer polish in 508.

Head scarves from H&M

Shoes from Primark

Dress from H & M

Dress from New Look

Top from Primark

Ring from Primark

Recent times in pictures

2011-02-26T15:33:00.001Z

I found my perfect mug for tea and discovered how good decaff tea is!

A friend bought me some Cheetos on a trip to the US. My favourite snacks

I bought some massive rings for a white trash night

I went bridesmaid dress shopping but had fun trying on some gypsy wedding style dresses

I depotted most of my MAC shadows

Got really trashed at a white trash night.

It’s been a fun few weeks

Just let your feet go clippity clop

2011-02-26T13:08:00.001Z

Dress-Primark
Cardigan-Primark
Pearly-Primark
Bow-Primark
Pearls-Primark
Belt-New Look

Almost a whole Primark outfit! My horse print Primark dress is already a firm favourite of mine. It’s really comfortable but cute looking. Great dress to throw on when you don’t have much time to style anything. I’ve worn it quite a few times- to work, to try on bridesmaid dresses and it works for a number of occasions.

Life’s a Peach

2011-02-20T07:00:00.001Z

Saturday was a sad day. I thought my Superdrug was well stocked with their red valentines blush- Scandulous and only realised that I’d picked up the wrong colour when I got home. Monday was an even sadder day when I went back to swap it and they’d sold out. I kept the one I bought anyway and ended up with Life’s a Peach.

Sorry for the blurry pic but the colour was truer without the flash.
I googled this when I got home as I hadn’t come across a Sleek Blush with this name and it appears to be another LE item. Unlike the other Sleek blushes I’ve tried, this one isn’t as pigmented. Based on the pan colour, I’m quite glad. It’s actually a very nice matte peach, which is very buildable and never looks too much. I’ve been working it with red lips recently and it compliments them nicely.

Moisturise like it’s 1999

2011-02-18T07:00:00.000Z

I’ve gone back to 1999 and bought the very first moisturiser I used when I was 13.

Garnier Fresh Essentials day cream.

I remembered this being more like a gel and soaking into the skin quickly, perfect for putting on before foundation. It smells exactly the same and doesn’t appear to have changed at all.

Hurrah!

We can do it!

2011-02-16T07:00:00.000Z

I heart head scarves. My favourite way to wear my hair is by putting the front into a massive quiff and tying a scarf round the rest.
This works on any length of hair, when it was longer I would just pin mine up, now it’s short and the scarf holds it in
Top view Side view

Really love the 40’s feel of this and it keeps my hair out of my face.

Currently loving..

2011-02-14T12:10:00.000Z

I hate writing foundation reviews, I’m really bad at describing them but I hadn’t read many reviews of this one. I got in on offer in Boots whilst trying and failing to be Boujois Healthy Mix (they’d sold out of my shade) but I’m pleased I did.

The product-Maxfactor Xperience Weightless foundation

How much was it? £9.99 but was on offer for about £7

Where can you buy it? Boots- in store or online, Superdrug

What they say- Luxurious flawless skin - does that mean a thick, full coverage foundation? Not with our new Xperience Foundation. Its weightless formula challenges the look and feel of traditional full coverage bases. It's breakthrough, luxurious formula, which contains natural jojoba, gives luxurious coverage with a surprisingly air - light feel.

What I say- It certainly feels light, almost like a heavy tinted moisturiser. I’d say it gives medium coverage and normally use it for day rather than night. As a lighter foundation, I find it lasts longer as there’s less for me to rub off. A little goes a long way so the small tube will actually last quite a long time. The squeezy tube is really good for controlling the amount you need and the slim shape makes it easy to take out. It smells different to other foundations too, fresh like a moisturiser rather than powdery.

How do I use it? Squeeze a small amount on my fingers and apply. I don’t need to use a brush with this and it requires hardly any blending. It’s my perfect work foundation as it takes hardly any time to apply.

Would I buy it again? I think I would. It’s held up well in winter and I think it may be my perfect product during the summer when my skin needs more help than tinted moisturiser can give.

Any drawbacks? None so far

Your eyes are like Sapphires, sparkling so bright

2011-02-12T07:00:00.000Z

My first choice from my new bright polishes had to by Pier 17 by NYC. This was my first time using NYC polishes and I was impressed. The first coat was a bit dodgy but everything smoothed out in the 2nd. The colour is INSANE. It has that glow from within quality and is pretty close to the first ever blue I owned.

Have a flash picture to see that shimmer.

So, good quality, 2 coats, dry quickly and cheap. I will definitely be hitting up NYC for more polishes.

Here we are now, entertain us

2011-02-10T07:00:00.000Z

Shirt-Peacocks,
Shorts-ASOS
Jewellery-Tiffany & Co

Sorry for the poor pictures, I only remembered to photograph this outfit when I was ready to go to bed. I wore this for shopping and lunch last week with worker boots, my aviator jacket and my Chloe Paddington. I’m really in love with my leather shorts. They’re so versatile and comfy. In case you hadn’t seen on Twitter, I went for the faux leather pair from ASOS, purely because I liked the shape of these best. I’m now after a pair of high waisted denim shorts to wear in the same way so expect a lust post shortly!

Pretty polishes

2011-02-08T07:00:00.000Z

The drab and dreary post Christmas weather has gotten me down this year (and every year!) so I had a good think about what cheers me up- nail polish! It’s still far too early for me to crack out pastels so I treated myself to some new brights to perk up my talons and my day

Cyan blue by Barry M, Pier 17 and Spring Street by NYC.

Happy nails :) Can’t wait to try these bad boys out!

Primark haul

2011-02-06T11:09:00.001Z

Yesterday I threw my hungover self into the shower and went for a little shop (plus a sneaky Mcdonalds and a free piece of cake in Starbucks) I found some rather lovely things in Primark to show you all.

Clothes

Horsey print peter pan dress £6.
Still love horsey prints and peter pan collars

Racoon print, leopard print sheer top £6
Really like baggy tops with tight bottoms.

Accessories

Small floral tapestry bag £4
How could I not for £4?

Taupe satchel £8
I needed an across the shoulder bag to take to work that was big enough to put my sandwiches in.

Brown and cream brogues £8
I couldn’t decide between these, plain tan brogues, and tan loafers. Primark made the decision for me as these were the only ones left.

I used Instagram on my iPhone for these photos. It’s such a cool app and I thought it made the post a little more interesting looking. I’m really happy to be back to blogging. I’ve had a little dry spell recently which I’m really sorry for. I’ve had some sleeping troubles which has left me far too snoozy when I got in from work. I think my body clock is getting used to getting up earlier now so I should have more energy to blog some more!

Where everybody knows your name

2011-02-06T00:12:00.003Z

Hi everyone,
I finally have some things to blog about. I've had no inspiration to blog in the last few weeks but I shall be typing up a few new posts for you tomorrow. I also plan to blitz my Google reader so expect some comments if I follow your blog.
Missed you guys.
xx

Live in dreams Sunday Girl

2011-01-16T15:58:00.002Z

Nice and simple Sunday outfit, perfect for mooching round the farmer’s market

Top- Topshop
Skirt-H&M
Boots-Primark
Scrabble ring- The gorgeous Sinead

Whilst wandering through our high street I popped into my favourite charity shop and got a new jumper.

I ummmed and ahhhed for a while as I couldn’t decide if I loved or hated it but I’m glad I got it. It’s M&S, batwing and feels like velour! I love it with my body con skirt and £2.99 isn’t really a price you can sniff at!

Hell bent for leather

2011-01-15T10:46:00.001Z

I really want some leather shorts. REALLY REALLY want some! Now my chase is on to find the perfect pair and I’m very torn at the moment.
Firstly, I think I need to try some on. I’m not the smallest of girls and I don’t really want to to waste money on something that makes me look like an elephant! Secondly, I need to work out how much to spend on them. From my hunt so far I have found the very cheap-
Faux leather from Boohoo

http://www.boohoo.com/shorts-and-playsuits/claire-faux-leather-shorts/invt/azz77760?_lm_esp=14-92-645
Faux leather from Asos

http://www.asos.com/Vero-Moda/Vero-Moda-Faux-Leather-Shorts/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=1396384&SearchQuery=leather%20shorts&sh=0&pge=0&pgesize=20&sort=-1&clr=Black
Real leather from Asos

http://www.asos.com/Vero-Moda-Very/Vero-Moda-Very-Leather-Shorts/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=1384245&SearchQuery=leather%20shorts&sh=0&pge=0&pgesize=20&sort=3&clr=Black
Real leather from Topshop

http://www.topshop.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?beginIndex=0&viewAllFlag=&catalogId=33057&storeId=12556&productId=2060836&langId=-1&categoryId=&searchTerm=leather%20shorts&pageSize=20
To be honest I’m leaning towards the more expensive. The Boohoo ones look way too short for me and there’s not much difference price wise, in the real and faux leather from ASOS, although style-wise I’m actually favouring the ASOS faux leather. It would be lovely to hear your thoughts.
I am struggling with size though. Do I buy my normal size or buy them a size too big to eliminate the hoochy risk? I just don’t know! Are there any leather shorts wearers out there that can help?

Edit: I went for the faux leather asos pair as they were my favourite style. Look out for a post when they arrive.

Put your man in the can, honey

2011-01-10T17:35:00.001Z

Hi dolls!

I’m back from my rather long blogging break. Christmas and New Year were awesome but I feel like getting back into regular posting. My work hours have just changed with gives me some home alone time in the evening which seems perfect for blogging.

Finally managed to find a reasonable set up for outfit posts so I thought I’d start with one.

Shirt-Primark
Skirt-Dorothy Perkins
Boots- Dorothy Perkins.

Simples but effective. No jewellery. I like the grunge feel.

Haul- yay!

2011-01-03T23:00:00.001Z

For the first time in ages, I went shopping for myself! Most of the good sale clothes were gone but I managed to pick up a few bargains.

Boots-£30 Dorothy Perkins

I’ve been wanting some plain black, flat boots since I had to throw out a really beautiful Italian leather pair (charity shop find) last year after wearing them to death.

Lush- Christmas sale 50% off. All of this came to about £5. Unfortunately, I dropped my bag and some of the products smashed :(

Cinders

The Boog

Glogg shower gel

Gingerbread house bubble bar

Primark

I couldn’t resist this cute dress and it was only £6!

Close up

I’ve been struggling to not buy from online sales- some shops still have some great clothes. Surprisingly, Peacocks appears to be the best at moment. Check it out!

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T17:03:00.003Z

Just wanted to say Happy new year to all my followers. I hope you have a great night, whatever you do and a great 2011.

I'll leave you with a pic of my NYE nails.

Lots of love and champagne,
Miss dolly gal
xxx

Christmas party dress

2010-12-24T12:00:00.000Z

I had to show you my bargainlicious Christmas party dress.

I initially saw this on the Instyle website and it screamed Christmas to me. When I saw it was from the Primark Limited edition collection, I was surprised and also gutted. My little Primark would never get it in. I had a little search on Ebay and found it, brand new with tags, in my size. I eventually won it for £17 inc P&P! The dress was originally £25, which is very cheap and I can’t believe I got it even cheaper. It’s mostly velvet but has the prettiest chiffon panels and lots of layers to the skirt.

Have you found any holiday party bargains this year?

The most thoughtful present

2010-12-24T10:30:00.000Z

G let me open a present early this year and I had to share it because it was so thoughtful.
All wrapped up like a Christmas cracker (honestly, I wish I'd taken a photo) were 7 lovely Yankee candles.

A nice present in itself but he'd put a lot of effort into choosing the smells. He went through each smell and told me when I could burn them based on Christmas events.
So I have Christmas eve for today. Welcome Christmas for tomorrow morning. Christmas cookie for tomorrow afternoon. Black cherry and cinnamon for boxing day. Clean cotton for new year's day and midsummer night for new year's day evening. He explained why he thought each smell went with each event.
So I have Christmas eve, already to light in my Santa holder (as seen behind).
Do you ever do anything like this for people? Has anyone ever done it for you?

Christmas party looks-part 2

2010-12-23T21:00:00.000Z

I had a work do last weekend and I went all out on the matching aspect-nails-dress-eyes. It’s Christmas so I felt I could indulge my love for co-ordination!

On Sunday I showed you my nails, here’s the dress and make up.

H&M about 3 years ago.

Dazzle dusts and pigments are my party look friends.

On my eyes- C2000 eye dusts in Magical and Angel. The blue from the Sleek sparkle palette, C2000 loose glitter wand in Gossip and 2True silver glitter eye liner.

I do love going a bit mad with glitter at Christmas. Do you like to match your outfits or is clashing best?

Christmas at Casa de Dolly

2010-12-23T17:14:00.001Z

Hurrah, it’s Christmas time! I’m SUCH a festive person and I got to decorate my own place for the very first time this year. I thought I’d go over board but I’ve actually been very restrained. I’ve had to be a bit careful with the amount I’ve spent but I’m really pleased with the look of the place.

Starting with my front door

I love a traditional wreath but I thought this was a little different. Cheap and cheerful, about £8 from Wilkinson’s.

My bathroom

A tiny pink tree from Poundland!

My living room

In the window

Cute Noel from Wilkinson’s for a few quid.

My table is tiny so I can’t have a proper centre piece. I made my candles festive instead.

Glass tealight holders- Ikea, Owl tealight holder- Accesorize, White Mistletoe candle- Sainsbury’s, Gold reindeer tealight holder- Sainsbury’s.

I couldn’t escape the tradition of putting my cards on the door

and decorating Pugsley

and finally- THE TREE! Since our ceilings are so high we got a 7ft tree.

It still looks tiny! I went for a gold and white theme as my living room is black, white and yellow. I love special decorations and these are the first in my collection.

From the Christmas shop in NYC.

and from my mum

I really love special tree decorations and look forward to building my collection.

So that’s it! My cheap and cheerful Christmas.

Holiday nails

2010-12-21T17:36:00.001Z

This was a notd from a few weeks ago. First time using China Glaze Phat Santa. I wasn't blown away but it's a nice enough red. I added some sparkle with a nail art paint on the tips.

Holiday nails- Icy cold

2010-12-19T23:42:00.001Z

I’ve been planning this mani for a few weeks, to match a dress I’d planned to wear for a Christmas party (post tomorrow) and really adore the way it came out.

This is No7 Sunshine as a base and Barry M blue glitter on top. I use Leanne’s excellent method of sponging a gradient with an old eye shadow sponge and layered up the glitter at the tip.

Very easy peasy but looks super effective

Brrrr. Perfect match for this cold weather!

Festive green

2010-12-09T17:00:00.000Z

I made a lil more effort for work today- I wanted to make sure my new hair went well with eyeshadow’d eyes so I created a quick, festive day time look.

I used UDPP as a base, and the shadows were from 2 Sleek palettes- Storm and Sparkle. I used Gold ribbon to brighten my inner corner, swept an antique gold colour from Storm over the lid, and blended Mistletoe into the crease. My brow was highlighted with the lightest gold from Storm. Quick smudge of UD 24/7 liner in Zero on the corner of my upper lid and in my lash line and it was good to go!

Short hair..again

2010-12-08T20:10:00.001Z

I’ve been growing my hair since the beginning of the year but I’ve grown to hate it, so tonight I went to the hair dressers and had it all chopped off again.

I went for a style similar to Frankie from The Saturdays and I really like it (sorry for the bad quality photo, but I wanted a mirror pic to show you what it actually looks like)

Long one side, really short on the other

It’s so easy to do. I’m really looking forward to trying new looks with it too. What do you think?

All outta ideas

2010-12-06T12:00:00.000Z

I need some help from you guys.

I’ve sat down to write my posts for the week and I’ve come to a dead end. I simply cannot think of anything to write about or photograph. I've also noticed some of my posts going completely uncommented or with very few comments, so I'm worried you guys are getting bored with my posts.

Here’s where you come in. What would you like me to post about?

Do you enjoy my hauls? Outfit posts? Eye make up ideas? Nails of the day? Product reviews?

Please leave me a comment and let me know.

I get way more pleasure knowing that my readers are reading my blog and enjoying my posts.

Christmas party looks- part 1

2010-12-05T16:39:00.001Z

I have quite a few parties to go to this Christmas which has given me a good excuse to be creative and come up with lots of different party looks.

This look was done out of Sunday boredom and I wanted to come up with something a little different to the normal golds and silvers. Plus, I hadn’t even swatched my new Sleek Sparkle palette so I was dying for a play.

I’ve seen a lot of beautiful purple party dresses so I thought I’d do a purple/pink look to match them.

I used the new Sparkle palette by Sleek

and picked out the silver, the pink and the 2 dark purples.

I also added some sliver glitter liner to the top lash line, and black to my waterline.

I really like the Sparkle palette, but there’s a real lack of lid colours. This was the only look I could do, using just the palette. I’m definitely going to use the others as crease colours though.

Look out for more Christmas party looks throughout December

I am Dragon, hear me roar

2010-12-04T17:57:00.000Z

Part of my birthday present from work was Chanel Dragon polish, which I was obviously delighted with.

It’s my new favourite red, ever. Instead of making my hands look grubby, it brings out a pretty pink tone to my skin. It’s so classy and opaque in one coat. It does chip though. Even with top coat, my right hand chipped within hours of wear. Which lessens the lady factor some what.

Friday featured product-holiday nails

2010-12-03T17:00:00.000Z

Hurrah! It’s Friday again and time for another Friday Featured Product.

This week I’ve been loving Party Hearty by China Glaze

The most special, Christmassy, glittery nail polish ever.

I checked out quite a few swatch pictures of this over different colours and decided white was my favourite.

Here’s my current nails using Model’s Own Snow White (how appropriate!) with a layer of Party Hearty over the top.

Khaki leopard

2010-12-02T18:43:00.002Z

My lovely friend bought me this cardigan for my birthday and I LOVE IT.

Throw me anything leopard print and I’m yours anyway, but I particularly like the khaki background colour, which makes it a little different to a normal leopard print.

I’ve been wearing it over a baggy black tshirt and my khaki jeggings. A little matchy matchy perhaps but I like it.

My khaki leopard cardigan was £14.99 from H&M

Dolly’s Christmas message

2010-12-01T12:00:00.000Z

It’s the 1st of December, my brain will allow me to start getting really festive so I thought I’d do my annual Christmas post.

This year I will be spending Christmas with my boyfriend and our families and it’s the first Christmas in my own home so I’m extra excited.

This month on Miss Dolly Gal, I’ve got more holiday nail looks, holiday party make up and outfit ideas and for the first time- Casa de Dolly decor (including a Christmas tree in my bathroom!)

Snow day outfit

2010-11-30T17:51:00.000Z

We went shopping for our tree and decorations on Sunday so I decided to make an extra festive effort with my outfit.

Hat-Primark
Dress- a shop in Brighton Lanes
Boots-Ugg
Jewellery-Tiffany & Co

Since it’s so cold I wrapped up in my faithful Primark military coat- had this baby for 3 years and still good as new

Coat-Primark
Bag-Primark
Scarf-Dorothy Perkins

It started to snow whilst we were out shopping, which made the day feel even more Christmassy.