Holiday Haul!

Hello Beauties! As you may have guessed by the title that I have a haul post for you all this evening. But first of all I just wanted to apologise for being absent from my blog for two whole weeks. It wasn't planned, which is why there was no warning!

The last two weeks have just been a bit mental! To sum it up very quickly for you all:  It's been raining, its been baking, I've been training and working crazy hours, as well as taking my dog to and from the vets and also throwing the occasional night out in there as well.

Things have finally calmed down, so expect to see regular posts from me again and of course I've been working on the mini series that I mentioned in my last post (here)

 The F.A.B (Fashion & Beauty) Summer Essential Guide A-Z

The first post of this will be coming up for you very soon, I promise. I will also promise to have a good catch up session with everyone else's blogs also, as I've not just neglected my own blog, but the whole blogging world. 

So on to today's post!... At the weekend I went out shopping for my holiday (I'm so excited and will be flying out to Turkey in just over two weeks). As I've not been on a proper sunbathing holiday in years I had some much needed essentials to get and what better place to go other than Primark! They have some great bits and bobs in there right now and as always at a really affordable price. Just to warn you this post is very picture heavy!

Spotty Skater Dress £12.00

London Racer Back Vest Top £3.00

Miami Tee £3.00

Zebra Strap Top £1.80

Coral Denim Shorts £5.00

White Cotton Shorts £3.00

Animal Print Bikini £6.00 

(This was for a pack of 2. The other bikini was the reverse of this one but I left it at my sisters)

Sunglasses £2.00

Jubilee Flip Flops £1.50

Gold Glitter Jellies £5.00

So that's all of my buys beauties. If any of you would like to see any of this stuff featured in an OOTD just me me know.

Lots of Love

This Girls Gotta Have Em

 Image taken from weheartit

Hi beauties.

As you know its Wednesday, which normally means its a 'This Girls Gotta Have Em Post', however I wanted to share some news with you instead! As from today this kind of post will be a bit absent from my blog, it's not gone forever but just for a few weeks. I know this series on my blog is greatly received by you lovely followers, as you all let me know though your comments and emails so it's only fair that I explain to you why....

This week my creative juices have been flowing and I've come up with a little series of posts that you lovelies may enjoy.

The F.A.B (Fashion & Beauty) Summer Essential Guide A-Z

I'm sure you have read a lot of similar things on other blogs and magazines, so I wont go into too much detail of how these posts are going to work. Basically every week I shall go though letters of the alphabet and give you a summer fashion or beauty trend to match that letter... Simple!

I've been scouting the Internet and fashion magazines for all the summer trends and I'm really excited to share with you my findings, give you a little inspiration and to do something a little different on Miss Sunshine and Sparkle, (my mum always says it's good to spice things up a little!) 

So my aim is to have gone though the entire alphabet by the time I go on holiday which is 17th June, and I thought that this would fit in perfectly with this post as summer will really start to get going around this time. For those of you wondering when 'This Girls Gotta Have Em' will be retuning; As soon as I get back off my holiday I will start the series back up again.

So defiantly look out for the upcoming F.A.B Summer Essential Guide as the first post will be up this week, and as always beauties I would love to hear your thoughts.

I Just Love A Pretty Eyeshadow | MUA

I don't think I've met one person in the blogging world who doesn't love MUA, they have something to suit everyone tastes and are by far the most affordable makeup around that have a great quality and finish to them. Ages ago I picked an MUA's eyeshadow which we all know retail at £1, being a blogger I kept it away,unused so I could keep it picture ready for a blog post, but I never got that post up till now.

The colour that I picked up was in Shade 4-Pearl, which has to be the most beautiful iridescent duo chrome shade that has pops of pink and purple tones to it

Ive heard that this shade of eyeshadow is supposed to be a great dupe for Mac's famous Stars N Rockets. I happened to be in Mac over the weekend and swatched this, only to find that there is hardly any difference between the two shadows; So I would defiantly save your pennies and opt for the MUA shadow if your wanting this shade.

As beautiful as the colour is, it can be a little daunting to some, especially for those of you who are like me and stick to your neutrals. However the eyeshadow does apply quite sheer on first application, so you can use a light hand for a subtle look. For those of you who are a bit more daring the MUA eyeshadow is very buildable and you can create a really strong and striking look with this. 

As the summer draws closer, I think this shadow will be a perfect match for those hazy summer evenings or would be amazing come festival season placed under the lower lash line. 

Overall I think this eyeshadow is perfect for creating unique looks and seeing as its such a shimmery shadow, it feels really smooth to the touch, blends well and is a great colour to have in your collection and for a £1 you can't go wrong!

A Day By The Lakes | OOTD

Hello beauties, as promised I have a quick OOTD post for you, these were taken from the weekend when we had some lovely weather. It wasn't quite warm enough to wear my legs bare, but I was determined that I wanted to wear some nice shorts out and my most recent ones from River Island were just calling out to me. 

Top: Topshop (bought last year)

Cardigan: New Look I bought this at the beginning of the year but they have loads of similar ones in store)

Shorts with Belt: River Island 

Shoes: New Look (bought last year)

Watch:Givenchy

Nails: Models Own Hed Kandi in Hedonist

For those of you who are looking closely at the pictures, that is bird poop that is on the ground surrounded by my feet. But it was dried out bird poop and I did avoid standing in it!. Who am I kidding? It was really gross, but it was a pretty place for a picture!

NOTD | Hedonist

Hi lovelies, a few of you may have seen my little haul post that went up last week and you will have known that I've finally got my hands on the raved about Models Own Hed Kandi polish in Hedonist. I can't tell you how much I am loving this shade on my nails, it's defiantly a stand out wow colour and it really is the only shade I am wanting to wear on my nails right now...its gorgeous!!

How amazingly bright is this polish? I love the bright neon coral shade of Hedonist, its so eye catching and is going to be the perfect polish on your nails this summer. Even though we are not in the summer months just yet, this Models Own polish is giving me so much joy and when painted on my nails I can't take my eyes off them.

The only slight downside to this polish, which is pretty noticable from the pictures is that Hedonist dries very matte. If you love a matte finish then this polish will be perfect for you just as it is. I personally prefer my nails to have a glossy shine to them so I've added a topcoat to make my nails gloss!

For you beauties wanting to see what Hedonist looks like with a topcoat, the pictures below show how this polish can be transformed.

Whether you wear this polish matte or shiny, either way its going to look amazing and it's defiantly become one of my all time favourite polishes. 

What do you beauties think, and have any of you tired any of the other polishes from the Models Own Hed Kandi Collection? 

 

Nature At It's Best

Hello lovelies. I'm sure most of you in the UK will agree when I say that today's weather has been lovely. The sun has finally made an appearance and seeing as it's the weekend I have been able to enjoy a bit of the glorious sun. Fingers crossed it stays nice and sunny from now till the end of summer!

So seeing as it was a beautiful day, James and I decided to take a trip over to Overstone Lakes and surrounded ourselves in nature at its best. I took the camera with me to do an OOTD post (which will be coming up for you later) and I got a bit carried away with taking pictures of all things cute and fury, feathered ducks and picturesque scenery. So today's post is a different kind of beauty post as I thought I would share with you some of the pictures that I took on my trip. 

There were some adorable little bunny rabbits hopping around every corner but they simply refused to have their picture taken... obviously a bit camera shy. I hope you enjoyed this different type of post lovelies and I would love to know how you enjoyed the sunshine.

Lots of love 

More More More Aussie

Hello beauties. I thought I would use this post to share some exciting news with you all and just to have a little chat about my favourite haircare brand 'Aussie' 

So the other week a few of you may have noticed on Twitter that Aussie were recruiting new people to be a part of the amazing Aussie Angels. If your not sure what an Aussie Angel is then which rock have you been hiding under then you can find all about the Aussie Angels and Aussie here. 

So.... Last week I got the most amazing news from Aussie that the blog post I entered was good enough to award me with a pair of wings and I am super pleased and excited to say that I am now an Aussie Angel. So a massive thank you to Aussie for picking me, I was literally bouncing off the walls with excitement when I found out. If you would like to see my entry you can find it here.

This week my excited self got even more excited when a parcel came though the door from Aussie containing a the biggest bottle you can get of the famous Miracle Moist Shampoo, which smells simply amazing. I think Aussie must be a little but psychic because I am at the very end of my Luscious Long Shampoo and just knew that I needed more Aussie shower moments!

As much as I love Aussie, I've still not gotten around to trying using their bigger bottles and seeing how long they really last, nor have I used the Miracle Moist range in ages. So I'm really looking forward to giving my hair a treat and of course letting you beauties know how soft my hair really gets and how many washes I can get out of this ginormous bottle! I'm on one so far. 

Aussie have also introduced a new formula into the Miracle Moist Shampoo which contains Aloe Vera, which is known to give moisture and refresh and if you hair is as dry as mine and needs all the moisture it can get then this shampoo should go down a treat! For those of you who are already a fan of this shampoo, even with the new formula it still has that wondrous bubblegum smell to it. 

And as an extra treat Aussie also sent me a little gold chain necklace with the words 'Angel' written in, which is so sweet and I really feel like an official Aussie Angel now. 

So once again a big thank you to Aussie and I shall be sure to keep you beauties updated on future Aussie adventures. 

This Girls Gotta Have Em | Top 5 Bikini's

Hello beauty babes. I was terrible last week and never got around to putting up a 'This Girls Gotta Have Em Post' and I really have no excuse, I was just slaking. But this week its back and today I'm looking at bikinis. Since the weather here in the UK has been utter rubbish and colds are flu's are flying around left right and centre, I thought looking at bikinis and thinking about sunshine, summer and holidays would cheer us all up a bit. 

From Left to Right

Coral Lurex Bandeau Bikini | Beaded Flower Bikini Top & Bottom | Gold Foil Monokini |  Brown Tiger Bandeau Bikini | Orange Print Pacha Bikini Top & Bottoms

Coral Lurex Bandeau Bikini from Topshop £26.00

Some of you who read my posts regularly may have seen this beautiful coral bikini before. It made its way into my wish list a little while ago and I'm still lusting after it, especially since I've seen it in Topshop and seen how gorgeous it really is. This bandeau bikini is made from the most amazing shimmery material and would compliment you and your tan. This is the bikini that I'm hoping to get for my holiday, I'm just hoping that it will fit me in all the right places (if you know what I mean).

  Beaded Flower Bikini Top & Bottoms from Lipsy

Top £22.00 Bottoms

For those of you who love your floras and want to look very cute whilst on the beach, this is the perfect bikini! There is so much detailing on this two piece from the little Lipsy heart charm on the briefs, right down to the pink sequins that follow the lines of the flowered design. This would look so pretty on and a white bikini will always make you look a lot more tanned. I can just see this Lipsy bikini paired with some white over sized sunglasses, a rather large floppy hat, and a cocktail in hand! 

Lipsy Gold Foil Monokini from Lipsy £38.00

When I was young it was the classic Speedo swimming costume and as I got older I joined the bikini club. I can honestly say that I've never had anything in between like this monokini from Lipsy, but I know that over the years they have become increasingly popular and can look very glam. I always thought about the tan lines that might come with these and It has put me off  from ever buying one, but I thought that I would put this one in to add some range to this wish list. I think if you are going to wear one of these monokini's you really need to go out with a bang and this gold foiled one from Lipsy will certainly turn heads and do wonders at showing off your curves. 

Brown Tiger Bandeau Bikini from Topshop £32.00

Anyone who knows me well, will know that I have a lot of love for animal print, especially the big cats! Tiger print is defiantly the new leopard print which makes me so drawn to this bikini and I think its a great way to make a statement on the beach. The bandeau makes this very easy to wear and will leave no pesky tan lines around your shoulders. I know this one wont be to everyone's taste, but I think its fabulous.

Orange Print Pacha Bikini Top & Bottoms 

from River Island Top £18.00 Bottoms £14.00

I am in love with this bright neon bikini set from River Island. This year River Island has teamed up with the famous nightclub Pacha in Ibiza to create some key holiday essentials and this bikini really does tick all the boxes! Firstly I adore the colour of it, its just amazing and would look good once any skin tone has been sun kissed. Secondly I find that bikinis which have tie strings generally fit and feel a lot better on and are easily adjusted. So if you are hitting any party capital this summer, then this is the bikini you want to be taking with you.

As always beauties I would love to know your thoughts and let me know if you've found your dream bikini!

O.P.I | In"SPIDER"ed

Hello Beauties. I'm spoiling you lot with two nail polish posts today, but seeing as it's the weekend and I'm a nail polish fanatic, then why not?

I was really excited when I woke up this morning to find that my copy of 'Scratch Magazine' had popped though my letterbox (Thanks Mr.Postman and to Ian who sends me the copy each month). For those of you who don't know Scratch Magazine is the ultimate magazine for any nail polish lover, as each glossy page (and that's around 150 pages) is filled with everything and anything nail polish related and gives you all the gossip on new nail collections and the latest nail trends. WOW I know, if you would like to find out more about Scratch Magazine you can do so here.

So, let me get to the point of this post. I was flicking though the Scratch pages and one nail polish collection that really stands out to me and brings out the 'geek' in me has to be the new O.P.I Spider-man collection. All the shades have been in"SPIDER"ed by the new Spider-man film which will be released in cinemas soon. 

I think some of the shades in this collection will be really hit and miss with a lot of people. I for one am not jumping from wall to wall to get my hands on each and everyone of them. But there are some pretty shades which are defiantly worth a look!!

Into The Night

I think Into The Night looks as though it is the classic Sipder-man blue and it has been described to have a lovely shimmer to it. This polish is a deep dark blue which can borderline a purple colour as well, so it really gives it that midnight effect.

 

Call Me Gwen-Ever 

 Call me Gwen-Ever is a beautiful orange/coral toned colour which I think will be great come summer time. It's supposed to have a really rich creme based formula which I peronally love in a nail polish. I also think this would suit most skin tones and is not such a daunting orange that would scare people off.

Your Web Or Mine?

I love the name of this polish as it is so Spider-man-esque! Your Web Or Mine is frosty pink polish and I have to say that I do like this colour, but don't think its very unique and I'm not quite sure what is has to do with Spider-man?

My Boyfriend Scales Walls

The only thing that really excited me about this polish has to be the name of it. I don't really know why they've put a white polish in the collection as its pretty much a box standard colour. I've had a look at some swatches of this on YouTube and I've noticed that its not the brightest of whites, and has a slight blue/grey undertone to it. If that's something your looking for My Boyfriend Scales Walls will be perfect for you.

Number One Nemesis

Number One Nemesis is a colour that I would most defiantly want in my nail polish collection. The picture I have here is really not doing it any justice and I seriously urge you to have a look online for some swatches of this beauty. It's the perfect deep green/gold metallic shade that almost has a graphite tone to it. One thing that really excited me about Number One Nemesis is that is supposed to be an exact dupe for Chanel's Graphite Polish. I know O.P.I prices can be a little steep for nail polishes but are a fraction of the price of a Chanel ones!  

Just Spotted a Lizard!

This is another one I am just loving from the Spider-man collection, again it's nothing new in terms of colour as I believe a few brands recently have come out with a shade very similar to this one, so O.P.I is a little late here. But this shade does have gorgeous green/yellow and gold chrome effect to it which really gives it that lizard kind of effect. Again for those of you who do love a good dupe, Just Spotted a Lizard! is a supposed to be a fantastic dupe for Chanel's Peridot polish!

Shatter The Scales 

Shatter The Scales is the only shatter polish in the collection. For me I am a little over and bored of shatter polishes now, but I do like the colour of this one as its a dark shimmery green colour with flecks of glitter in (and as you know I do like my glitter) but I don't think I would purchase this polish either way. I've seen swatches of this shatter polish over the other polishes in the Spider-man collection and to be honest I'm not sure if it compliemtns all the shades, but I'm sure some of you will be able to make it work for you. I'm still undecided though!

So that's all the polishes in the collection beauties. For those of you who are wanting to get your hands on these, I've had a good look around but I can't find when the release date is in the U.K. I know that they are available in the U.S now. For updates though be sure to check the Lena White website as no doubt they will have the collection on there when its released. 

As always I would love to know your thoughts.