Shades For Summer - Nail Polish Favourites

Seeing as June is literally just around the corner which technically does make it "summer" (although I don't actually know if the skies of the UK understand what summer means) I thought I would put together a post for you all showing you my favourite nail polishes for this season.

Summer is a time to put away your blacks and depressing winter colours and make your nails center of attention! 
Weather it be a bright in your face colour or a super cute pastel I love the fact that in this season anything goes - fingers or toes! 
I've gone through all my polishes and picked out my favourite and most used colours for the summer months. I made sure there was a good variety of colours and shades because this time of year I am always switching up my colours and I'm normally using more than one at a time! (Rainbow nails are so cool!)
I love matching my nails to oufits and it's always such a good feeling when you find something that is exactly the same colour as a polish you are wearing/own. (or is that just me?)

1. Barry M - 318 Peach Melba

2. Essie - 67 Meet Me At Sunset (mentioned in my colours of the rainbow tag post)

3. Barry M - 301 Block Orange

4. Rimmel Lasting Finish - 030 Drama Queen

5. Nicole by OPI Kardashian Kolor - Wear Something Spar-Kylie

6. W7 - 14 Fluorescent Pink

7. Barry M - 279 Bright Pink

8. Barry M - 309 Strawberry Ice Cream

9. Barry M - 308 Berry Ice Cream

10. Barry M - 306 Blueberry Ice Cream

11.  Barry M - 294 Cyan Blue

12. Miss Sporty Clubbing Colours - 320 Pop Fiction

13. Rimmel 60 Seconds - 825 Sky High

14. Barry M - 290 Spring Green

15. Rimmel Lasting Finish - 236 Green Grass

16. Barry M - 304 Mint Green

17. Collection 2000 Hot Looks - 14 Boho

18. Nicole for OPI Kardashian Kolor - Rainbow In The S-Kylie

Not sure why a few of the blue shades have decided to look the same in the photos but you can tell by the bottles that they are different! 

My favourite thing to do at the moment is to use Rainbow In The S-Kylie (18.) over the top of other colours which makes an amazing confetti effect! At the moment I am wearing strawberry ice cream (8.) with it over the top!

What are your favourite nail polishes for Summer and what brands do you love the most? Mine has to be Barry M (did you guess?)

Kirstie's Travel Diaries #1 - The Start

So these are post's I've been thinking about doing for a while. I went travelling around America last year and have decided to take you on a day-by-day guide of my trip! I'll probably be uploading these once or twice a week and  you can look forward to hearing about New York, Washington DC, LA, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Florida some more New York and everything in between each post will contain a day or two worth of photos, memories and thoughts! Get ready for landmarks, hilarious situations and a few celebrity guests.............

DAY 1 (29/02/12 )

This was 29/02/12 (Yup! Leap Year) it was a Wednesday and me and my best friend (that is who I went on this crazy journey with by the way so you are going to get to know her pretty well!) left our homes and hopped on a boat... yeah that happens.... and took ourselves off to the coach station. Our coach, of course, was late and we started to get chatting to a lady who we thought was wearing some form of slippers - she was off to Thailand on her own, brave.

 Coach turns up and we bundle on and get the awesome seats with the extra leg room near the front! Headphones in and excitement building we were there in no time, Hello Heathrow. Now our flight wasn't until the Thursday so we'd booked the travel lodge at Terminal 5, which by the way was super cheap for 1 night. After alot of wandering around and question asking to anyone in a high viz jacket we managed to get ourselves (and ridiculous amount of luggage) onto a bus and get ourselves to the Travel lodge. Bags in room and tummy's rumbling it was time for dinner. Fish & Chips was the choice, bye bye England (who were actually playing football live at the time of eating this) and then it was off to sleep our last night in England for a while. Although before this we had to watch the last in the series of TOWIE...duh!


DAY 2 (01/03/12)

The day had come, we were up, out and in Heathrow before we knew it and after some luggage issues (someone had a heavy suitcase and that someone wasn't me!) we were through security and in a weather spoons having breakfast. By the way I haven't mentioned yet that we are flying to New York JFK. At this point this would have been the longest flight I had ever been on and the biggest plane , I'd only ever been to Europe before, so my nerves has started. I'm not scared of flying at all I think it was just the thought of being stuck on there for 8hours. Our boarding gate wasn't announced til about 30mins or so before our flight so getting there was a panic and rush but we made it and then it was time to get on the plane. 

We'd boooked our seats online and from the looks on the picture we were in a row of 2, just us 2, cosy. We were wrong. We were the window and middle seats and blocked in by a stranger and I hate this. But this stranger turned out to be a guy called Jimmy who was off to New York for his sisters 21st, we had 8 hours together so we got to chat to him quite a bit - Hey Jimmy! So after 8 hours, a few attempted films, a few random conversations and a few photos - we were there. 
We were in New York and the excitement had started before we had even left the plane, we had to circle to airport for a bit while Airforce 1 landed in front of us with from what we were told OBAMA on the plane. Amazing start we have just landed and so had the president! 
Now it was the point where you need someone to let you in the country, this didn't take too long and was pretty friendly and easy (minus the fact it was about 50degrees I swear) and I was just excited about getting my first ever stamp in my passport. 

Yellow taxi virginity taken and around 30minutes later I was gobsmacked. The first time you drive towards the skyline of New York is incredible and it really had hit me that I was there and living the dream.
Our hotel was a Holiday Inn about a 10minute walk from Times Square so once we were there, and had sorted out some tax payments that we had no clue about and kind of just agreed and handed over the cash, we decided that we'd make the most of evening we had left. Our flight had left England around 1pm, took 8 hours so in our heads in was 9pm but in NYC reality it was only 4pm when we landed.
It was now probably around 7ish and I, like any tech-savvy twenty-something, got up my iPhone and it's maps (LIFE SAVER) up and worked out where we were and how to get to the iconic Times Square. 

 'WOW' Is all I could think, Times Square at night is such an incredible sight and I hadn't even been in America for a few hours and I was already having the best time of my life. On the way we had past so much and were already getting a feel for the atmosphere of NYC. Madison Square Garden, police on horses, crazy traffic, it was awesome.
 Photos taken, excited squeals squealed and a massive macdonalds later and we were exhausted so decided to head back to the hotel and chill for a bit, we knew whatever happened that we would be waking really early the next day so we thought we might aswell take advantage of it and get up and do as much as possible.

Next post - The busiest city day, sightseeing, taxi riding & Broadway show watching.

May Favourites

It's that time again, when one month ends and another one begins (someone tell me how we are 6months into 2013 already?!) 
Which obviously makes it a perfect time for me to let you know what products I have been LOVING this month. I like to have my favourites as mostly beauty and fashion based but I always like to add 1 random thing in there too, this month being no exception!

So without anymore rambling on from myself here are my May Favourties.....

ELLE Magazine ( June 2013 Edition ) & Benefit They're Real Mascara - Believe it or not these two I've put together because, yes you've guessed it, the mascara came FREE with the magazine.

 Now, I was sold with ELLE already with Miley being on the cover as I am a huge fan and I went straight to my local Tesco on the day it was released to purchase it. I was so excited when I saw that the store was stocked with about 100 copies on display and then I saw the benefit box.... and after letting out a little squeal of delight t it was in my basket and I was off! I had been wanting to try this mascara for so long, as I'd heard so many amazing things about it and I have the shortest lashes ever and knew it would be able to help me and I can say it has not disappointed.  I have used it every day since and it's slowly over taking my all-time favourite mascara the Maxfactor masterpiece max and I will 100% be purchasing a full-sized producy when this one runs out.
As for ELLE I loved this issue, a brilliant interview with Miley, amazing pictorials and some really interesting and different articles.

Liz Earle Botanical Shine Nourishing Hair Oil - Hair oil seems to be the new "thing" and over the last few months I've tried my fair few and I have to say this is one of my favourites! I've only used it a couple of times but I can already tell that it is going to fit nicely into my daily hair routine. For the last few months I have been tying to grow out my bob and slowly but surely I'm having some progress! But with long hair I want it too also be in an amazing, healthy condition and this product, I feel, is definitely going to help me out with that! Not only does it smell amazing and keep your hair from looking crazy frizzy ( aka my natural look) but it also smooths the appearance of split ends and most importantly protects your hair from any form of heat styling ( a must have in a product like this in my opinion). If your looking for a new oil to try out in your hair or maybe just need something to smooth and protect, I definitely recommend trying this out. 

Bath & Body Works Pink Chiffon Fragrance Mist - Although I've had this for over a year I am still using it constantly! I fell in love with the scent when I was in America last year and luckily bought a good few bottles home with me. I always have this in my handbag just in case I want to freshen up or just fancy smelling something nice! Like I've said before I love sweet smelling scents and this is definitely in that category and because I used it so much on my travels everytime I smell it so many memories come flooding back which always puts a smile on my face! I love how scents can do that.

Fake Bake Beyond Bronze Bronze Shimmer Light - I always wondered what make-up Billie Faiers (TOWIE) used on her cheeks so when she announced on twitter that it was this I was straight online searching for my own. (yes I know I'm very easily influenced) But it has become one of my favourite beauty products ever. Giving an amazing bronze colour aswell as a gorgeous shimmer you can't go wrong with this (unless you are very drunk and accidentally over-do it.... nope not me.... not ever...) and I have had so many compliments and questions over the last year or so about what I'm using and 'how do I get that shimmer.'I normally wear another bronzer underneath and then just pop this on the apples of my cheeks and with 5 diferrent colours this is also the perfect highlight so you can always just use the lighter colours with another matte bronzer. 5/5 prefect for summer!

Kat Von D Everlasting Love Liquid Lipstick in Berlin - Again sorry UK (although I'm sure you can find it on) this is from when I was in the US. Exciting story behind this actually as I actually MET Kat Von D in Vegas , but I'm going to be writing up my travel diaries on here soon so if you are interested then keep following and I will explain all! But this was given to me as a free gift with something else I purchased - which is always exciting, hello free make-up. It is a gorgeous Red colour and I have been using it along with a red lipstick (even though this probably isn't even necessary). Although it looks like a lipgloss don't be fooled. this goes on like a lipgloss and dries like a lipstick and although it can feel a bit dry I love it's amazing long-lasting effect and it makes your teeth look whiter! 

Boohoo Rosalie Black Leather Look Buckle Demi Wedge - Back in February I saw boohoo.com tweet a photo of these shoes and right there right then I knew that they were going to be mine. At the time I was a little bit poor so my boyfriend, being the awesome guy he is, after seeing my tweet told me he'd put the money in my bank and to get them - nice guy huh! Believe it or not these gorgeous shoes were only the small price of £30 and I think they look alot more than that. People have asked me if they are from Topshop - £30 for a pair that look £80,  a barry bargain. The style is dead on trend and they are suprisingly so so comfortable, I've worn them probably everytime I've been on a night out since the beginning of March and I love them! I also love how versitle they are, you can wear them with bare feet, tights or even some cute little ankle socks and everyway they look a little different. (Socks - ASOS)

ASOS Happily Ever After Watch - Being a Disney/fairytale lover the day I saw this on ASOS was the day I bought it. It was £20 but after searching the internet for some discount I found a 20% off voucher code and got it for a reasonable £16. (If you are interested in it now it has been, annoyingly, put into the sale so you can get it for just £14!) It is a petite watch which I don't normally like but the gorgeous face on it makes up for it. It is so cute and goes with most things, so pleased with this purchased. (Skull bracelet - ASOS, Others - New Look)

Braiding/Plaiting my hair - I always love the way french plaits look, so pretty and neat and where I have been trying to grow out my hair my number one thing has been trying to use less/no heat on it. Baring this in mind french plaiting my hair has become a perfect way to use no heat on my hair and still have it looking styled and neat. Most days now I put it up and have it plaited or part of it plaited and I love it ( and my hair is growing woohoo!)

Kacey Musgraves Same Trailer Different Park Album - I love country music and I randomly caught an interview with Kacey on the BBC one morning and after hearing a snippet of her music I thought I'd get on Youtube and check her out. Well, after about 10 minutes I was on iTunes and downloading her album - Same Trailer Different Park. If you are into country music (or even if you're not) I suggest you go and check her out. My favourite songs are probably Follow Your Arrow, Step Off & Merry Go' Round and my favourite lyrics - "sticks and stones will be build a throne but you'll be up there all alone."

Wise Words On a Wednesday #2

Time for week 2 of me sharing, what I like to think are, some wise words. This quote I noticed last week on twitter and immediately fell in love ( which also meant I had to RT, favourite and write on my facebook... yeah I like it.)

"Having a dream you don't pursue is like buying an ice-cream cone and watching it melt all over your hand." - Frank Papasso

I really like this as to me it means if you have a dream the opportunity is always there for you to pursue it and therefore have a chance at being successful with it (minus my dream of being a popstar as apparently I'm not that vocally gifted). Otherwise it's going to be there anyway and just slowly slip away because you didn't try.

I like to think that I've taken this on board and any dreams and aspirations I may have I now think I might aswell have a go in pursuing them, whats the worst that could happen?

EAT THE ICE CREAM!

Making a statement

Accessories, in my opinion, can either make or break an outfit. 
You could have the most beautiful dress, but put some tacky bangles and an awful over-sized ring with it and your look is ruined. Or you could been wearing just a plain jersey skirt & top but pair it with some big statement earrings and a coordinating scarf and your outfit has gone from a 3 to a 10 in 2 items.
This blogpost is going to be all about a trend in which I have been loving for quite some time now and that is statement necklaces.

Statement necklaces are perfect for jazzing up a plain outfit and  can take it from drab to fab in seconds and with most celebrities have jumping on the bandwagon I think this trend is going to be around for a while. Whatever high-street shop you go into this week I can guarantee that they will have a growing section of statement necklaces, weather a plain chain or multi-coloured with flowers on it, big necklaces have made a big impact.

I only have a few necklaces (and some of them are not even that physically big) but they are all necklaces that can be worn with a variety of outfits for both day and evening which helps make them look different everytime which I love!

Below I have included photos a few outfits with the necklaces that I have been loving lately. I, like a lot of you too I imagine, am on a budget and all of the necklaces I am going to show were actually no more than around £7 each.

1.  Necklace - New Look

Red Swing Dress - ASOS

2.  Necklace - New Look

Grey Pug Sweater - Alice Takes A Trip

Polka Dot Dress - New Look

3.  Necklace - eBay

Red Striped Shirt - New Look

4.  Necklace - Primark

Grey Midi Dress - New Look (Teens)

5. Necklace - New Look

Alphabet Crop Top - New Look

Initial Cropped Jumper - Topshop

( 1. & 5. were bought together in a buy one get one free offer!)

Finally I just wanted to share one of my favourite necklaces and one of my best purchases I have ever made on eBay! 

This is a copy of the necklace from House Of Harlow which is Nicole Richie's Jewellery line. I am such a big fan of Nicole and I always love her style and I had actually noticed her and other celebs such as Kristin Cavallari and the Kardashians wearing this necklace before and always wondered where it was from. So when I found out and saw the price I thought there was noway I would ever get one or anything like it.

Then one day whilst casually at jewellery on eBay (like you do) I saw an exact look-a-like for only around £2 or £3 and just HAD to get it! It was from hong kong and did probably take a couple of weeks to get here but for the price you can't complain.

Pink & Pouty - Lipstick Favourites

Pink Lipstick. Something I (and probably most of you) wear most days. Unless I'm wearing some form of red clothing and have to match or just fancy a nude lip, nine times out of ten I will pick a shade of pink when completing my make-up for the day/evening.
So with that in mind I thought I would share with you my top picks for pink lipstick.

There are hundreds of shades of pink out there on the market and I mean hundreds. Alot of the time I will pick up a lipstick and have to think to myself "do you have a colour similar to this already?" normally the answer is 'possibly' and normally the thought is 'oh well'  and I'll purchase it anyway because well... no-one can have too many lipsticks.

But even though I own countless lipsticks and lipglosses (storage is becoming an issue) I do have my favourites and the ones I think of as my old reliables which live both in my handbag and make-up bag.  Most of the lipsticks I will show are just high-street drugstore brands which, sometimes, are no more than a few pounds (so are totally worth the investment) and a couple are mac, so a little more expensive but I believe their lipsticks are worth the prices they charge.
 I am not 100% positive if all of these lipsticks are still available for purchase but it is still worth a look online if not if you wanted to try them out.

1. e.l.f. mineral lipstick - Nicely Nude

2. Rimmel Colour Show Off Lipstick - 110 Pink Gossip

3. Barry M Lip Paint - 140

4. MAC Satin Lipstick - Viva Glam Nicki

5. Barry M Lip Paint - 146

6. Rimmel Kate Moss - 20

7.  MAC Frost Lipstick- Trimming Talk

8. Revlon Colourburst Lip Butter - 075 Lollipop

I wear all of these for both daytime and evening looks and always pair them with a lipgloss to give them an extra shine (my favourite being the Barry M Lipgloss in Bubblegum which I mentioned in my Colours Of The Rainbow Tag post).
 As you can see from the photos all of these lipsticks are all pretty moisturising and I love the silky smooth feel they give my lips as well as the strong colour. The swatches on my arm are on average around 3 layers of the product, although not all of them needed that many - the MAC lipsticks are hugely pigmented.

Here's a few photos to give you an idea of what they look like on.

I would love to know if any of you also use these and what your favourite pink lipsticks are (as I'm always looking for more!).

The Colours Of The Rainbow Tag - Beauty & Fashion

After seeing Ingrid (MissGlamorazzi) & Elle (AllThatGlitters21) do this tag video on YouTube it gave me the idea to put it into a blog post!
 The ideas is too pick your favoutite beauty product/s for each of the colours of the rainbow - Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet PLUS Pink and multicoloured  because hey, we are girls and we love those things...duh!
Now obviously the actually product doesn't have to be that colour, as lets be honest there arent that many indigo moisturisers or green lip glosses out there on the market, so it can also be anything on the packaging for the product or even the name too!

I am most likely going to have a number of items for each colour as I am so so indecisive AND I'm also going to be using some fashion favourites to make it a bit more interesting!

1. RED

Mac Lipstick in M.A.C. RED - I really love this colour it's probably a slight shade darker than all my other 'pillar box bright red' lipsticks so I like that it's a bit different. I am a big fan of mac lipsticks, the colours and overall affect are always of a really high quality and look great for both day and evenings.
Bath & Body Works Pocket Anti-Bac in Paint The Town Red - I am such an over user of anti-bacterial hand gels and always have at least 2 floating around in my handbag. So when I went to America last year I knew that I wanted to get some of the infamous B&BW hand gels that I'd seen and heard so much about. The scent to them ALL is amazing and  this one being no exception. With the scent being 'strawberry kiss'  it smells good enough to eat and with it's name I thought it would be perfect to include in this tag!

2. Orange

Matalan Horse Embellished Clutch Bag - I go this bag probably at the beginning of the year and it was only £5 in the sale! I have seen many other version of this clutch at places like ASOS and they have always been alot more expensive so I was so happy to get a bargain. It is perfect for a night-out and I love using it as a pop of colour with a plain outfit or matching it to other orange/coral colours that I am wearing. ( and it fits so much in it which is great for me as I like to be prepared for everything)
Essie Nail Polish in Meet Me At Sunset - This is the first Essie product I have owned and it was actually given to me for Christmas. It has made me immediately fall in love with their nail polishes and that is mainly because I am so bad at applying polish and this brush made it 100 times easier! The colour is a darker burnt orange colour and I love it. I recently when to an "Orange themed" birthday party and wore this, it was perfect.

3. Yellow

Soap And Glory Smoothie Star Body Milk - (this is a very pale yellow although it doesn't seem to have shown up in the photo) It will come to no surprise to you that the number 1 reason why I love this product is the scent. Soap and glory have an amazing way of making anything smell incredible and this is one of my favourites. This body milk uses almond, cocoa, yogurt, oat and honey and is a deep moisturising lotion which I use everyday after a shower. If you get dry or rough skin this product is fantastic it features a 'waterlock mositure trapping matrix' and makes your skin feels great.
e.l.f. Mineral Bamboo Make-up Brushes - I always think that the better your brushes, the better your make-up will look. You aren't going to get an amazing smokey eye using 3 different colours by using your fingers. But that doesn't always mean you have to spend huge amounts. I've had these brushes probably for about a year now and they are my go-to brushes whenever I'm going for a night-out and want a full-face of make-up. The eyeshadow/concealer brushes in particular are brilliant and work perfectly with my Urban Decay Naked Palette (which for me is my favourite) and the eyeliner brush I actually use daily for my HD Brows palette.

4. Green

Primark plimsolls - I purchased these last month as I thought the colour was just perfect for spring and summer this year. They were only £3 and having had these type of shoes before from Primark I knew they would be worth the cheap price. I can't wait to wear these with some cute frilly ankle socks and think they could go with pretty much any outfit.
Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser - If I was only ever allowed to give one piece of skincare/make-up removal advice for the rest of my life it would be to use this product. I am a known mascara over-user and wear a high coverage foundations and powder and yet still this product gets my face cleaner and fresher than any other make-up remover or cleanser I have ever used and it smells great.

5. Blue

Vaseline - This is probably an obvious one to you all but vaseline has got to be in here. I am prone for getting dry sore lips and this is always on my bedside table just in case it's a classic and I have used it in for years and years.

Primark Blue Polka Dot Shirt - Back to Primark again and this super cute shirt I picked up last month. I love the sort of 80s/90s look it has and have worn it loads since I got it! Can't wait to wear it over the summer with some dungarees and will definitely be in my Festival gear.

6. Indigo

Britney Spears Midnight Fantasy Perfume - When I worked in a fashion retail store I was always getting girls walk past me with this perfume on and I would always wonder what it was because I loved it. If you don't like sweet scents this is definitely not a perfume for you. It is a super sweet strong smelling perfume, very sugary and it stays on your skin/clothing for hours. I've had this perfume for a couple of years now and even thought it's quite a cheap perfume compared to others I own it's still one that I reach for most days.

7. Violet

Travalo  -  (I am aware that this may technically not be "violet" but it's the closest I'm getting. ) If you've never heard of these then you need to get yourself onto google/amazon right now and check them out. It is a super quick and easy, mess-free way to take your perfume out and about with you when you are on the go. I originally bought 2 of these for when I went travelling and they were perfect - I wasn't taking any breakables, I had 2 different scents and I was basically taking up no space in my bag. They are fantastic and I don't leave home without one.

8. Pink

Victoria's Secret Illuminating Face Powder in All Or Nothing - This is by far the best powder highlighter I've ever used. Again I bought this in the states so I try only to use it on special occasions as I am dreading the day it runs out as I am nowhere near a Victoria's Secret where I live. It is super shimmery pink which looks great both on the cheek bones and on the brow bones and I believe it was around $18.

Barry M Lip glosses -  In my opinion Barry M have some of the best lip products on the UK market and I use them constantly.

The Lip glosses I have pictured are number 5 which is Bubblegum, this literally smells like bubblegum and I am addicted. This is my number 1 favourite lipgloss of all time and I have lost count of how many I've been through over the years. The other is number 11 which is Coral and again this smells incredible. 

The lipglosses are really smooth, highly pigmented and not sticky at all (which is what I HATE) and they only cost around £4.50 each. They are by far the best lipglosses I own and I would recommend them to anyone. There are so many other shades and colours too so check them out (I highly recommend Number 2 in Toffee which guess what... smells like toffee is a gorgeous nude colour - another fav of mine!) 

9. Multicoloured

My Kindle Case - I know this isn't beauty or fashion related but it is still revelant to my blog, well that's how I like to think of it!

 This case is from TruffleShuffle and is by a brand called 'Run For Covers'! I have always loved The Wizard Of Oz and anything to do with it (hench the name of the blog) so when I saw this was available for kindle I bought it straight away. It's good quality, light, protects my kindle well and I love having a case that's a bit different.

Thank you so much for reading this post and please let me know in the comments what you think of it and if you have tried or own any of the products/items I have mentioned :-)