Outfit Post

I'm doing my first outfit post today! :-) Yesterday, I needed a cute casual outfit to meet the girls and this is what I wore:

Top: Topshop  |  Skirt: River Island  |  Shoes: Primark

Accessories:

Both: Accessorize

Make up & Nails:

Make up: Mac Studio Fix Fluid Foundation in NC25  |  Benefit 'They're Real' Mascara  |  Mac Lipstick in A22 Cremesheen Hang-up

Nails: Nails Inc Magnetic Polish in Whitehall

I went for quite a casual look but I love the slit in the skirt and it makes you feel really feminine. I also went with a blend of statement jewellery and nails alongside natural and minimal make up. The lipstick is actually slightly darker in reality and a bit more plum coloured. Let me know what you think of the outfit! Do you think I should have gone with statement makeup to match? Or are you fond of the natural look?

Martha.

xxx

Super Soft Hands

A few of you have been asking me what I use on my hands for them to be so soft. So, I thought I would share my little secret with you all. What I do is every night before I go to bed I apply cuticle oil to each nail, followed by Body Shop’s Almond Oil Hand Rescue Treatment. It is really thick so you don’t need to use that much but just ensure that you massage your hands thoroughly until the oil and cream have gone into the skin. I do it for a minute or two. I know a few people use conditioning gloves after applying any cream like this and sleep with them on but I don’t find that very comfortable, otherwise I would also do that myself. Sometimes after a manicure I will use conditioning gloves for about 20-30 minutes and the difference is noticeable.

I used to use the matching cuticle oil to this, but I stopped because it doesn’t last very long and it isn’t really necessary. I feel that I get the same amount of moisture from any cuticle oil, which is why I just use a Boots brand now. I have also noticed that my nails don't break as much ever since I started using an acetone free nail polish remover. I change my nail colour quite often and I noticed that every time I did so, my nails would become weaker. However, this doesn't happen with my new nail polish remover. Although, my thumb nails are still the weakest. Maybe I should stop texting! ;-)  

I hope this has been helpful, let me know if you try it for yourself and whether you see a difference.

Martha.

xxx

My First Ever Graze Box...

After seeing someone’s review on their graze box, I thought I just had to try it for myself. I’m obsessed with snacks; nuts, plantain chips, raisins, anything I can nibble whilst watching TV, blogging or just general lazing about. So, I instantly knew I would love this. Graze is a company that specialise in healthy snacks and what they do is send you boxes that cost £3.89 (free delivery) with a selection of nibbles that they choose for you. Their kinda like samples of their food.

Anyway, I had a discount code so I got my first box for free (get your code below). I absolutely loved it! I actually forgot I ordered it because it was a week ago, but I got home yesterday after a late shift and saw it sitting there on the table,it made me smile after a hard day. It’s really strange the feeling of excitement you get because it feels almost like a gift, you don’t know what choice of snacks will be inside.

I received, Apple & Cinnamon flapjacks (which I think Ryan stole for his lunch today!), Korai Chutney (RiceCakes with a yummy chutney dip), Yin and Yang (a mixture of giant raisins, nutsand dark chocolate buttons) and Pear Tatin, (a mixture of dried pear,raspberries and yoghurt covered sunflower seeds). On the whole, they were all nice, apart from the yin and yang. The giant raisins were very bitter and I wouldn't order that one again. What’s good about graze is that you can rate their samples and let them know if you liked them or not. If you want to ‘bin’something, it means they wont send you that particular item again. Alternatively, you can opt to ‘like’, ‘love’, or even ‘send soon’, which means they will keep track of your favourites or what you want in your next box.

If you're interested in seeing what their boxes are like then have a look at their website (graze.com) and get your first free box with this code: FNT96DWD. Enjoy! I would definitely order from them again, I already have another nibblebox coming next week!

Martha
xx

What I Bought Today!

Hi guys,

Sorry I’ve been a bit of a stranger this week. Today is my first day off since last week Tuesday! So, I thought I would do some shopping, a bit of retail therapy always does the trick. I thought I would share with you what I bought today. I’ve bought some very cute shoes that I love. Surprisingly this is the first item of clothing that I have with studs! I love them, this will become a new obsession! Lol!

I also bought a few accessories and some amazing nail varnish colours. I’m dying to try ombre nails on myself, which will probably end up in a mess. I feel like I now have so many colours, I don’t know which ones to choose, wish I could use them all! 

Let me know what you all think…

1 & 2: My new studded shoes from Miss Selfridge (£28.00) 3: So Many colours, so few fingers! 4: Rimmel colours (ranging from £2.99-£3.59)

5: Accessorize Hippy headband (£7.00) 6 & 7: Topshop Ring (£5.00)

Bargain of the week!

I’ve been looking at the Swarovski website today… just out of curiosity because I’m not the kind of person who can afford it! ;-)

I then came across this black and gold bangle, which looks extremely similar to my bangle from Accessorize. I thought it was definitely something I would like to share with you because I get excited about bargains like these.

The Swarovski bangle is half crystal mesh and half leather, whereas the Accessorize one has a glittery black mesh all the way around. The Accessorize bangle retails at  £14.00 and the Swarovski bangle retails at £107.00. If I’m completely honest, I prefer my Accessorize bangle because I love the way it glistens in the light, all the way around. It also doesn’t look like it’s worth £14.00, I’ve had a lot of compliments about it. Now, maybe I’ll pretend it’s a Swarovski one! ;-)

Anyway, you can all decide what you think. Which one do you prefer? Bling or leather?

Swarovski - £107.00

Accessorize - £14.00

My New Statement Blazer

I’m in love with blazers at the moment. Everywhere I go I see different people rocking different coloured blazers, mostly plain, some with studs on the shoulders etc. But right now I really love my statement blazer. It’s got quite a loud print and has a sequined collar. I originally bought it for work but I just love the way it livens up a plain outfit.

The funny thing is, the reaction has been completely split. Either people really love it or they hate it, which I found really interesting. One of my friends actually called me Michael Jackson! :-o lol!

Anyway, I love it obviously. What do you guys think? Are you loving or hating it?

xx

Make Up Bag Must Have

Ok so, this morning I was applying my make up and wondering which one of my products I just couldn't live without. I definitely had trouble deciding because there are so many things I need to freshen me up in the morning but in the end, I decided to share at least one with you. This week, its my Benefit Speed Brow Gel.

I'm one of those unlucky people who have quite thick eyebrows and needs to get them threaded every week! In the morning they are normally all disheveled and give my bedhead some competition. ;-) Anyway, after applying my foundation I use the gel to brush and set my eyebrows. They make your eyebrows slightly hard, but not uncomfortable, and keep them in shape all day. I don't need to re-apply throughout the day and I know that my eyebrows wont get messy. The only thing I would say is that the bottle is tiny and is only available in one size, 0.10oz. If you use it daily, like I do, then it won't last more than 4 weeks or so. For something that retails at £12.00, that's quite expensive.

Anyway, for me, who is obsessed with having nice neat eyebrows, it’s a price I’m willing to pay until I find something else that I prefer. Do you have any other similar products? Am I the only person who has eyebrows like a werewolf? ;-) I would love to hear from you.

Martha.

xx

Gel Eyeliner: 1st Time Buyer

                           

Ever since I posted the above photo of all the eyeliner designs on facebook I had been itching to try them out myself but I have no idea how to apply eyeliner and felt like I would just make a mess. So, I decided to pop into MAC with Naheed to get some advice on eyeliner, which one is best for a first time user and how to do the designs. 

I have to say, the experience at MAC was so fun. Everyone was really friendly and I wasn’t waiting long either. I showed the make up artist the designs and asked him to do the photo on the bottom right corner. I was so surprised how quickly and easily he did it with a tilted brush and MAC eyeliner gel.

This is what it ended up looking like and I liked it but I decided that the design was a bit too fierce for me, considering I wasn’t going anywhere clubby and wasn’t dressed to match. We then chose another design and realised how easy it was to adjust and take off. When you apply it, you can clean it up with a cotton bud and a bit of eye make up remover, as you can see from the photo below.

He then did the other eye to match what I had done and this was the final result.

I loved the final look and felt that it would go with quite a lot of looks. The gel wasn’t messy and lasted all night. However, the pot retails at £14.00 and there are cheaper alternatives available. I ended up buying the brush from MAC for £16.00, it is slanted and really good for applying gel because you can use it at different angles and position it in order to apply straight lines. I then went to Boots and bought Maybelline Gel Liner for £7.99, that’s a saving of roughly £6.00 and if I didn’t prefer the slanted brush I could have just used the brush that comes with this gel.

On the whole, it goes to show the variety of products that are out there. Even though I got some great advice at MAC and love their products, doesn’t mean that there aren’t cheaper alternatives out there. Don’t under-estimate the value of shopping around for your make up especially as Boots and Superdrug have so many options nowadays. 

Does anyone else have any advice on eyeliner or any cool designs to share? 

I would love to hear from you! ☺

xx