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October Wishlist

October Wishlist by Pretty In Pearls featuring a leopard coat

Fur Coat - Topshop
Hollister - Fairisle Hoodie
Gossip Girl Season 3
Panda Hat - River Island
Lauren Conrad Style

100 Things That Make Me Smile Part 2

Here is part 2 of my "100 Things That Make Me Smile". If you missed part 1 you can view it here. Tell me what makes you smile. Its a great way to brighten up your day :)

11. Scented candles

12. Planning a trip

13. Finding a new favourite song

14. Buying a new bag

15. When I feel good in my body

16. Freshly laundered bed sheets

17. When an outfit is perfect

18. When you find your signature scent

19. Opening a monthly magazine for the first time

20. Being on time

All photos are from Google Images, Tumblr or weheartit.com.

Except the out fit one - that was by me :)

Chanel Chanel Chanel!

Ok, so I know I got my make up done at the Chanel counter like ages ago but I still have the make up and I never got round to doing the review. So now I've used it for a good long time I can write a pretty thorough review on it.

Love the bags!

This is the box that my eyeshadow palette came in.

How cute is this packaging?! My little palette even came with a little velvet pouch for keeping it nice.

This eyeshadow quartette is my most expensive make up purchase to date. I know it was a lot to splurge on eyeshadows but I just fell in love with the colours. The colours don't have individual names but the whole palette is called "Spices". The colours are designed for a very natural look which can be built up into a lovely smokey eye for night time. The lightest shade is an almost pearly white and is good for highlighting your brow bone or in the corner of your eye, the one underneath that is a lovely burnished gold which is gorgeous on its own but can be blended with the darker burnt umber shade next to it. My favourite is goldy, pearly pink in the top right corner. Its such a soft colour but looks good with dewy skin and a light pink flush on your cheeks. I see this as an investment piece because as a strawberry blonde with blue eyes and a light complexion I think golds and browns work much better with my colouring than black as black just looks too harsh on me. I recommend this for anyone with fair skin as the colours just give you a gorgeous glow.

This was my first ever Chanel product and I was soooo excited when I bought this, I felt so chic walking down the street with my little Chanel bag on my arm. So simple but just ooses luxury. Anyway, this lipgloss is from the limited edition Levres Scintillantes Range and is in no. 144. This was my favourite because it just looks like such a girly, fresh colour. It is a very light pink on the lips with irridescent sparkles through it which make your lips look fuller and glossy. This is good for an everyday look as its not too bright.

This is the lipgloss that was used on me when I got my make up done at the Chanel counter. Its also from the Levres Scintillantes Range and is in no.126. This shade is a sort of coral-pink with lots of irridescent sparkles in it. I originally had it over a deep pink lipstick but it looks just as good on its own. Its not a sticky formula and lasts for ages. This is a good one for those of you who don't like bright lips but want a little bit of colour.

This is an example of what Chanel's Inimitable Mascara can do to your lashes. Impressive, no?

When I was getting my make up done there weren't any tester mascaras available to use so the assistant opened up a sample of their new Inimitable Mascara to use on my lashes. This was good because I got to keep it! This is a brilliant mascara in so many ways. Firstly the colour is very black, you know how some mascaras can be a little greyish instead of full on black, well this nice and dark so that your lashes look extra dramatic. The brush is of the rubbery variety which I prefer to brush wands as I think they help reach every lash. The brush volumises as well as separating each lash so that there is no clumping and extreme volume. The only bad thing is that I've used my sample up and I want more!

This was a little extra that the assistant put in my bag (I love counters that give out samples!) and inside the little envelope is a tiny bottle of Coco Mademoiselle. I think its quite heavy but I'm used to using fruity and sweet perfumes so maybe this is just what you would call an evening perfume. It is definately too much for day time but a little spritz of this at night would add some drama and glamour to your look. When it's first sprayed on its quite strong but when its settled on your skin it smells lovely! The scent is quite sexy and glamourous when you first smell it and then you notice some soft, powdery undertones. This is all from my point of view or should I say my sense of smell so everybody probably has a different idea of what they can smell in a perfume.

Had a little spurge recently? What do buy for yourself as a treat?

Hotties At Hollister!

Me with the 2 lifeguards (models) who greeted everyone going in the store. Cool pic, no? :p

WOW! Glasgow just opened its first Hollister store on Tuesday and it has taken the city by storm. I know that there are other Hollister stores in the UK but this is the first one that is anywhere near where I live so I'm pretty excited. The only other one in Scotland is in Aberdeen which is like 3 hours away by car. The store has opened in Glasgow's central shopping centre, Buchannan Galleries which is host to loads of my favourite shops: H+M, Miss Selfridge and River Island. But these stores look sort of boring compared to Hollister. Even the store front is exciting, designed to look like a sort of beach front property, the store has a tiled roof and where windows should be, shutters that are open just a little to give you a sneaky peek inside.

I've heard loads of people saying that its hard to navigate the store because of its dark interior and loud music but I think it actually added to the experience. I think it was a welcome change from being under the unflattering glare of overhead beam lights in most of the other shops on the high street and the music while it was loud I liked the music because it was fun and made me reflect on the fact that Primark doesn't really play music, but maybe that would add to the chaos lol.

Since it was so busy (like nearly couldn't move for the amount of people!) I didn't get a good chance to really look at any of the clothes, hopefully the hype will die down in the next few weeks and I'll get a good long look. Also I'm trying to save for Christmas shopping so I bought these body lotions which are £8 each but they are currently doing a deal, 2 hand creams, body lotions or body spritzes for £12. So me and my mum got 2 of the body lotions.

I opted for the Solana Beach scented one which is quite fruity and sweet. I tried it out yesterday after a shower and it sinks into the skin beautifully. Also unlike other body lotions the scent stays for quite a while. All last night I kept smelling the back of my hand and I would get this lovely burst of citrusy fragrance, lovely!

My mum chose the Laguna Beach scented lotion which smells more citrusy than mine but not as sweet. Still smells lovely and by the look of the bottle (there's quite a gap at the top) my mum quite likes it!

Haha, just thought I'd give you a look at what their carrier bags look like. What girl won't want to shop there if thats what their bags look like?!

So, what do you think? Should we have more "themed" stores? Do think it adds to the experience or does it annoy you?

Anniversary Dinner Pics

Weekly Chat

Anniversary - So on Thursday last week it was me and my boyfriend's 3rd Anniversary. I know! 3 years! It doesn't really feel that long but I guess times flies when you're having fun. As we couldn't really decide on any "romantic" presents for each other, we bought each other t-shirts from Cafe Press.co.uk. I bought him one with a design from the Supernatural tv series which we both love and he bought me this one with a design from the Dexter tv series that he introduced me to like 2 weeks ago and I'm in love with!

Our little romantic night out was all planned about a week in advance but when we got to where the restaurant was supposed to be it was being refurbished! The weird thing was, that we had booked a table and it had been confirmed by someone working in the restaurant! Did they not think to tell us that the restaurant wouldn't actually be open? Anyway, thankfully we were in the middle of the main restuarant area in the city centre so we made our way over to this gorgeous Italian restuarant called Amore. The food was so good! We both had penne pasta in a garlic and chilli cream sauce with bacon and mushrooms. Then I had the sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream and strawberries. Oh my gosh. I thought I had died and gone to heaven! My boyfriend had the strawberry cheesecake and vanilla ice cream which looked yummy too. Since it was a special night I thought I'd treat myself to a lil French Martini :)

After dinner we were supposed to go see Back To The Future in the cinema for its 25th Anniversary but we couldn't get tickets so we decided to go back home (via Tesco for nice bottle of champagne!) and watched Three To Tango while sipping our bubbly!

So even though our night didn't exactly go to plan, we had a really amazing night. I can't believe its been 3 years. Roll on more lovely, fun times!

(Sorry I kinda went on a lil bit about me and le boyfriend but I was just so excited that we made it to 3 years :)

100 Things That Make Me Smile

Hey everyone! This is a new addition to my blog in which every week I make a note of 10 things that make me smile. After 10 weeks I should have my complete set. This was inspired by Sofia from Sofia's Journal. I totally love her blog with her beauty tips and little excerpts from her life. Sofia challenged all her readers to give this a go so I have took up the challenge! Check out her "100 Things" here.

No.1 Indulgent Tv

No.2 Sunshine

No.3 Reading a book you just can't put down

No.4 Elephants

No.5 Cute stationery

No.6 The glow you get after laughing so hard you cry

No.7 Harry Potter

No.8 Powerfully Expressive Art

N0.9 When You complete your "To Do List"

No. 10 Being warm and cosy when its cold outside

All images from Google and weheartit.com

Outfit of the Night

This was my outfit for the wedding reception I went to 2 weeks ago. Okay, I know its not today's outfit but I really liked this dress and wanted to show you guys. The dress is from Republic but I don't think they have it any more as it was part of their summer collection. I was pleasantly surprised when I tried on this dress because I'm not super tall and I thought it would drown me. But it didn't, it was perfect. In fact the length was so perfect that I didn't need to wear heels. Yay! No limping the next day! I thought maxi dresses were shapeless and made you look shapeless too but I realised that they slim you right down. If you get one that just fits right it should skim over your shape making you feel all slim and slinky :) Since the pattern of the dress was kinda peacock like I didn't need too many accessories. I wore flat silver sandals, a silver flower necklace and matching earrings, silver bangles and bracelets and my cute little beaded clutch.

Do you have any up coming parties? What are you planning to wear?

Weekly Chat

Hello everyone!Its been a little while since I last spoke to you and a few things have happened. First of all you'll see that I've got a fringe! I wanted something different so I thought that a full fringe would be a nice way of framing my face and I'm pretty happy with the results. Secondly I've had a little move across the hall. Me and my little sister have changed rooms so that she can have more space to play with her stuff. Aren't I a nice big sister? So in future photos you might notice that the lighting in my photos is brighter which is great since my old room wasn't very good for natural light. So anyway lets get on with the chat!

Dexter - Ok so I know this show has been running for years but I tend to come into tv shows about 3 years after the 1st season. My boyfriend thought I would like this and showed me the first episode last Monday. I love it! In fact I love it so much that I'm already half way through the second season :) Dexter is a forensics specialist in the Homicide department in the Miami Police Department. He is fascinated by blood. He also happens to be a sociopathic serial killer.....with a difference. He only kills other killers, people who ruthlessly kill others. Its strange to simultaneously love and be creeped out by the main character. I have to say Michael. C. Hall does an amazing job playing a character with no feelings. I can't even imagine how you would begin to prepare for a role like that. Roll on more Dexter!

Start of uni - Finally after months off I started back at uni today. Woo! I made it to 2nd year! The good news is that in my first lecture I was neither bored nor did I fall asleep, bad news is that I have so much work ahead of me :( It certainly looks like I'm not going to have much of a life other than uni work and my part-time job. Makes me want to break down and cry a little. But I'm so determined this time to do more than "just pass" my classes. I'm going to nail it this year! And now that I've told everyone this, I realise that I'm actually gonna have to do it :/ scared? yeah. Excited? Yeah :)

Chanel - As you can see in my photo I'm a little but more made up than usual. Thats because I got my make up done at the Chanel counter in my local Boots store. I am such a Chanel spirited girl. Just the sight of those two little entwined C's makes my heart flutter :) I got my make up done on Saturday because I was going to a wedding reception that evening and I thought it would be an ideal event to try out some new make up. I think its good to have someone else do your make up or hair or choose your outfit because they usually choose something that you wouldn't normally choose for yourself and for some reason, more often than not, it works well! I wouldn't have done my eyes so dark just because I'm not that brave but now I see that it works because the dark brown brings out my blue eyes. Everyone should try it once, having a different perception of things is interesting. Oh, and I did treat myself to a few little Chanel goodies but I want to devote an entire post to it since its my first indulgence in what I would define as "Luxury Make Up". Sooo excited :) Oh and to check out the full range of Chanel make up in the meantime, just click here.

Whats been going on with you lately? Discovered anything new and exciting?

Avon Solutions Complete Balance Skincare Review

So, two weeks ago I ordered an entirely new skincare regime from Avon after deciding my mix and match method may not be giving my skin all the care it needs. It seems to make sense to use products that are designed to work together to make your skin look and feel its best. Over the past few weeks I have been putting my new products to the test, taking note of the difference they have made to my skin and whether or not they were a good purchase.

First up, is the Avon Solutions Complete Balance Cleanser. Now I'm used to cleansers being in a sort of fluid milk-like form which you put on a cotton wool pad and use to wipe your make up off. This one is used in the same way as a facial wash, you wet your face, use a small amount of the product and massage over your face, rinsing with warm water. You use this step both morning and night but at night I add in a small step before this.

The warm water is supposed to help loosen any make up you have on but I don't like mascara streaming down my face and staining my skin. So what I do is take off any make up with a make up removing wipe then use the cleanser to remove any foundation or powder.

So, does it work? When applying it to your face there is a certain amount of tingling and it smells a bt like liquorice which was strange at first but after using it a couple of times my skin felt cleaner and frsher. I wouldn't recommend this for sensitive or allery prone skin as the tingling may irritate the skin.

Next is the Avon Solutions Plus Complete Balance Mattifying Toner. Up until now I hadn't really used a toner, not really knowing what benefit it gave to skin. Now I see that it has made such a difference! This step is supposed to be used after cleansing both morning and night.

You soak a cotton wool pad in the toner which has a slightly sharp smell, but don't let that put you off, and you sweep it over your face. I know by this point we've already cleansed but it is amazing how much dirt is still missed!

I didn't see results from the toner immediately after using it but a couple of days later one morning after washing my face I looked in the mirror and I wasn't my usual scrubbed-clean, pasty self. I was clean but my skin was revitalised, I no longer looked tired and my skin had a nice glow. So for me this product is a winner.

And now we go in two different directions as we come to the day and night creams. First up is the day cream. This comes in a little pot which will most likely last me forever because a little seriously goes a long way! This moisturiser is quite a lot heavier than the light fluid moisturisers I'm used to so my first mistake was to put too much on. Let me say if you have very oily skin this is not for you. I put on a little bit extra than was needed and it was like an oil spill! I have learned my lesson and now only use the tiniest amount. It is extremely moisturising which is good because we are heading into the cold, harsh winter which makes my skin so dry and tight.

Although this is a bit too heavy for summer, it does have an SPF 15 for keeping those anti-ageing rays at bay. Overall, I think this is a good product but a little too heavy for oil skin and the warmer weather.

And lastly, is the night cream. Before I bought these products I had only used the one cream for both day and night so I was interested to see what the difference was. Instead of being a normal cream formula, the night cream is more of a gel consistency but I suppose this is because it's like an extra concentrated serum meant to help repair your skin while you sleep. Overall I like the cooling feeling of the cream which can be quite relaxing just before bed. I would recommend this skincare for combination skin as it can be both drying and very moisturising. There are different skincare regimes in the Avon Solutions range for other skin types, just click here for a full list of their products.

Do you have a failsafe skincare regime? Do you have any tips for clear and bright skin?

O.P.I. Summer Flutter Minis Review

Okay so I know summer is nearly over but I just bought this cute little O.P.I. set last week and wanted to do a review on it since it is my first O.PI. product.

I found this set whilst browsing the O.P.I. section in my local Sally's trying to decide which shade I wanted (there are sooo many!) when I spotted it. The colours were so bright and the packaging so cute that I took it to the counter right away. Not only that but I thought it was a bargain because although they are mini sizes, you're getting 4 shades for £12 when a single large bottle costs around £10.

The first on the left is a shimmery pink colour called Flower-to-Flower, the second is an extremely bright matte orange going by the name of Flit A Bit, third is a cerise pink with lots of glitter through it called Wing It! and last but certainly not least is my favourite, a deep turquoisey blue with swirls of glitter called Catch Me In Your Net.

I've only tried Flit A Bit so far which is just as bright in person as in the photos. Although the brushes are mini sized, I found the application easy as I have quite slim fingers and nails. The colour did not disappoint which is sometimes the case with some nail polishes, that they end up being more sheer on the nails than the bright colour they are in the bottle. It lasted quite well because after 2 days without a top coat it had not chipped. This venture has not converted me to solely buying high end brand nail polishes because although the quality is sometimes better, I find that you can usually get the same results using cheaper nail polishes. This was a lovely treat though!

What are your favourite nail polishes? What brands do you think work best?

Weekly Chat

Hey guys, this is going to be a weekly post letting you guys know about what I get up to, what are my plans and my views on the big, wonderful world out there. So here goes for week one!

-Partying- Last week I partied a lil bit harder than I usually would, but given that I'm still on holiday from uni that didn't matter too much except that I missed out on so much sleep! I had a big party last week for my friend who's leaving on Thursday to work in Brazil for a year! :( We organised a bbq in the afternoon and then after getting pretty tipsy we all staggered onto the train and into town to dance the night away. I love nights where you don't leave the dancefloor, awesome times!

-Autumn- Yes I know the sun may still be splitting the trees but we are inevitably being led into autumn by the fantastic A/W collections in stores right now. I have a few favourites picked out at the moment like this cosy looking cable knitted hoody from Zara (omg! Zara's online!) and this mustard coloured top with the pretty bow. I'm super excited about wearing my shorts and plaid shirts with ribbed tights cause they just scream cosy winter fashion. Another thing that I seem to be drawn to is Fairisle knitwear. If you're not sure what I mean I'll give you this as an example. I have been lusting over this Fairisle patterned cardigan for weeks now but £60 seems a lot, no?

-Skincare- Okay, so literally 5 minutes ago my Avon order came with my new skin regime in it and I am so excited to start it! Ever since I started using skincare products in my early teens I've sort of mixed and matched without ever using one range of products in harmony with each other. But it makes sense doesn't it? To use products that are specifically designed to work well together. Well this only actually occurred to me 2 weeks ago when my current moisturiser started running out and I began thinking about where to go next with my skincare. Firstly I noticed that the moisturiser I was using didn't have a sun protection factor which is so important in keeping your skin looking young and avoiding premature aging. It was then that I saw this month's Avon brochure sitting on the coffee table and while browsing through it I discovered that their Solutions Skincare products were all half price! So I bought the whole of the Solutions Complete Balance Skincare regime. I'll do a specialised post for this sometime soon.

Hope you liked my first major post! What have you guys been up to? Found any new or intersting products/fashion/blogs? Tell me because I love reading about new things! Have a question? Leave a comment and I will be sure to get back to you x x x

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wishlist

wishlist by Pretty In Pearls on Polyvore.com

Bag - Zara

Shoes - Zara

Lipgloss - Chanel

Lipstick - Mac Cosmetics

Sexy Little Things Noir - Victoria's Secret

Movie of the Week - Week 1

This is a new thing I want to start up to encourage me to watch more great movies cause sometimes I feel like I miss out on a lot of the really good ones. It doesn't have to be a new release it can be anything that comes to hand. I hope to continue this every Thursday so let me no what you think. What are your favourite movies? Any recommendations?

Anyway, this week's movie is The Proposal. I went to see it last summer when it came out and I was watching it last night and I realised I had forgot how funny it was. I love Sandra Bullock, I think she's an incredible actress, not every actress can play serious well and have exceptional comedic timing. And of course I love Ryan Reynolds, who is usually the character in charge of the way things pan out in movies but this time he kinda got messed about by Sandra Bullock's character in the beginning, then his impecable use of sarcasm shone through. Awesome movie and a real pick-me-up.