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