Love My Ankle Boots

RIVER ISLAND BLACK PLATFORM ANKLE BOOTS £50.00

Getting ready for autumn/winter can only mean one thing... A big hello to ankle boots! Ankle boots are always a great transitional piece that takes you between the end of summer to autumn and this year I thought it was about time I picked up and treated myself to a new pair. As soon as these platform ones came in at work (River Island) it was love at first sight! Yes they are a little bit higher than what I would usually go for, but the platform makes them so easy to walk in and I love that extra bit of height that you get as it just makes your legs great. I can see me getting a lot of wear out of these little booties, they will go with everything from leather look leggings to pretty dresses. I've paired mine with my jazzy sparkly socks, but these would look fabulous paired with some frilly ankle socks. Not only do they look amazing on but are a great boot to take you from day to evening. I just love them!

I would love to see what ankle boots your loving right now and how you plan on styling them.

Lots of Love

Time For An OOTD || Casio Watch From The Watch Hut

CASSIO WATCH C/0 WATCH HUT*| JUMPER RIVER ISLAND £35.00 | DENIM RIVER ISLAND | BOOTS RIVER ISLAND £50.00

At the weekend I decided to make the most out of what sunshine we had (despite this awful weather we've had due to the storm) and thought I would take some outfit pictures for an outfit related post. The other week I was kindly accepted for a blogger campaign and was sent this retro but chic Casio watch from the Watch Hut to review. With the sun making an appearance I thought it would make for the perfect opportunity to show it off.

I absolutely love how dainty this Casio watch is and no way at all does it look too big for my little tiny wrists. The deign has a vintage/retro feel to it and reminds me of a watch I had way back when I was younger. Digital was definitely a big thing back then and its nice to see that it's made a little comeback in the form of this watch. Casio has always been a brand that has produced watches of high quality and performance that wont do much damage to your bank account at all - So this is a great piece to add to your watch collection, especially if your looking for something with that vintage feel to it. The 90's fashion trend has made a huge comeback this year, so I just know that this watch is going to work perfectly with so many current outfits in my wardrobe.

I am a huge fan of the burgundy face of this Casio watch as it has to be one of the best colours you can wear for autumn, no other colour best describes autumn than beautiful berry tones. Not only is the design of this watch amazing with its delicate silver strap, it's deign makes for a great bit of arm candy and this will work perfectly with any other pretty bracelets you may have. When it comes to watches I always have a major issue with sizing! As you can see from the pictures my wrists are pretty tiny and I can never find a watch to fit me - Let's face it going to the trouble of getting links taken out is a right pain. However this Casio watch is adjustable and it's so quick and easy to change the sizing of it which makes it perfect!

It's so nice to see Casio making a come back and you can find this watch and loads of other models over on the Watch Hut website here.

What do you think of this watch? Like it or love it?

Lots of Love

TRESemme Platinum Strength Shampoo & Conditioner

No matter what your hairstyle is, I think its fair to say that a lot of the time our hair can take a right beating! I know over the years my hair has been constantly abused by the straighteners  curling wand, hair dye, backcombing, the sun... you get the idea the list is endless and as a result I think my locks have taken a right beating.... think dry damaged hair that is prone to snapping and breaking easily. As a lot of you probably know and can guess I'm an absolute lover of hair products and although I love to stick to my holy grail favourite products, I do love trying out new products on my hair and seeing if what difference they make and if they actually work.

I was on the hunt for a new shampoo and conditioner and I thought I would give the TRESemme Platinum Strength duo a go. I've always heard a lot of good things about this shampoo and conditioner that claims to repair up to two years worth of damage done to your hair in only five uses. I thought that these were pretty bold claims and this hair obsessed beauty blogger was eager to test this out and see if these products lived up to all the hype.

On first impressions I have to say I wasn't overly fussed or excited about picking these products up. As far as packaging goes, TRESemme products don't really excite me. Yes some may say that the back and white packaging makes these products look sleek and salon ready. But personally I prefer a little more excitement and brighter and bolder packaging when it comes to hair products. However packaging aside, after incorporating this shampoo and conditioner set into my hair care routine, I have to say I'm really impressed with how well the products actually work. If your looking to give your hair a major health boost and a bit of repair these products are definitely worth picking up.

I find that the TRESemme Platinum Strength Shampoo cleans the hair really well. You get just the right amount of lather when washing your hair and it makes your locks feel really clean. I also love how the shampoo does a great job of getting rid of any product build up that you may have in your hair, so you really are getting a good wash. It has that familiar TRESemme smell to it, which smells really pleasant and I find that the smell does transfer on to your hair, which is something that I love with hair products.

As for the TRESemme Platinum Strength Conditioner, I find that it's pretty lightweight and distributes though the hair pretty quickly - You really don't need to use a lot of product to give your locks a good condition. The conditioner smell matches the shampoo which makes this a lovely smelling set which is going to make your locks smell amazing. Because the conditioner is on the light side, it makes your hair really manageable which is great for styling. I also find that my hair is not that knotty after using, which is a huge plus if you have long hair.

As far as repairing two years worth of hair damage in just five uses is a bit of an exaggeration in my opinion. However since using this shampoo and conditioner I have noticed a huge difference in the overall condition of my hair. My hair looks and feels so much healthier and the ends of my hair definitely have a lot more strength. This shampoo and conditioner gives your hair great shine and seams to hide away any frizz or split ends you may have - which is always the biggest sign of damaged hair. I don't think its quite repaired two years worth of damage, however it does seam to mask major damage that your hair may have and it definitely does make your hair feel a lot stronger - And you really do need strong hair to achieve a good hair swish! 

I really do enjoy using these products, however I am a huge believer that if you give your hair too much of something all the time it will get used to it and for that reason I only use these products when I feel like giving my hair a little pick me up. If I were to use them every time I washed my hair I don't think I would see such dramatic changes in my hair after using them. I think I would get a little fed up with these products if I had to use them on my hair all the time. 

Overall I do think the TRESemme Platinium Strength Shampoo & Conditioner is a great set and if your hair needs a health boost then I would really recommend them, especially as they are pretty cheap at costing £4.99 a Bottle from Boots. If your looking to give your hair some TLC then I think you will love the results that this shampoo and conditioner give.

After loving these two products as much as I do, I'm really tempted to try some other products in the TRESemme Platinum Strength range, if you ladies have any recommendations be sure to let me know in the comments below. I would also love to know what your thoughts are on this shampoo and conditioner.

Lots of Love

Bikini Body Ready - Keeping Motivated

Way back in April I wrote up a post sharing with you all how I was planning and aiming on getting my body bikini ready. As it turned out it was a pretty popular post and it was great finding out that so many of you were in the same mind set about looking and feeling good for summer. For those of you who are new here on my blog, I decided to take it upon myself to do a series of 30 day challenges to help tone up and get in shape. These challenges were amazing and gave me incredible results, so if you would like to read all about what I got up to in the summer you can find that post here.

Since typing up that post (which only seams like yesterday) and having successfully completed the challenges, I found that it really opened up a whole new door for me in terms of leading a healthy lifestyle. It got me thinking why did I just want to have a bikini body for the summer and not have one all year round? So I took it upon myself to join a gym and have taken my fitness to a whole new level since. Having spoken to loads of you lovelies over Twitter I know I'm not the only one who is a fan of the gym; But what I've found from talking to you all is that as much as it's great giving your body a great workout, motivating ourselves to go can be sometimes really difficult and I know for sure that I have those days and moments where I just can't be bothered.

I don't know about anyone else, but with darker evenings drawing closer and with the days becoming colder and generally a lot more miserable, motivating yourself can be quite tricky. I know I'm terrible for just wanting to finish work and jump straight into my cosy pajamas - it really is the time where it feels ok to hide away from the rest of the world and just chill. However I am determined not to let months of hard work go to waste just because its cold and because I'll be wrapping up in layers of chunky knitwear - Just because my body is not going to be on display in the form of pretty bikinis and summer dresses, does not mean that I don't want to keep looking and feeling good in my own skin. Just think party season is just around the corner and I am 100% certain that I want to look good in those sparkly dazzling Christmas dresses!

So today I thought today I would share with you some things that help keep me motivated to keep working out and that help me get my little butt down to the gym four times a week and hopefully it will give you a little motivation boost too.

1. I thought I'd start with a point that most of us shopaholics will love! Buy new gym clothes. I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that I get that little buzz of buying something new. Whenever I buy new clothing, there is always little excitement feeling I get popping on new clothes. So if you treat yourself to some new gym gear, the thought of wearing your new clothes will give you that little boost of motivation you need to get to the gym. If it helps, make sure your getting changed at the gym so there is no excuses not to go.

2. Think about how you feel after a workout. If you put in everything you've got into your workouts of course your going to feel the obvious - tired, hot, sweaty and a bit achy but I'm always left with a feeling accomplishment and I feel good, despite working so hard. Before your next gym session think how good you are going to afterwards and let this be your motivation.

3. Take plenty of pictures to track your progress. No matter what your goals are for working out I think it's a good idea to whip your phone out and start taking some seflies of your body, even if its for your eyes only. Before I started working out I took some pictures and I can see such a difference in my body now. Looking at my own personal progress makes me so motivated and more determined to reach my goals.

4. Sort out your gym playlist. Everyone loves a good bit of music and working out to some tunes is essential to a good workout. Sort out a playlist full of your favourite tunes and just go for it. I love listening to things have a good beat and of course have plenty of lines I can sing along too, even if I am only singing along in my head. But having the right music definitely makes working out fun and makes the time go fast. Sorting out a good playlist will help keep you motivated to go.

6. Don't make excuses. It's so easy to make an excuse and talk yourself out of doing something especially after you've been working all day and this time of year really doesn't make things any easier. But I think the more you talk yourself out of exercising, it's more than likely that you will keep talking yourself out of it in the future which in the long run is going to make you feel even more unmotivated and guilty because your not doing anything about it. 

7. Keep things fresh. I'm one of these people that can get bored pretty easily if I'm doing the exact same thing all the time so I try and vary my workouts as much as possible and I'm forever talking to the gym staff and my personal trainer friend to help me vary my workouts. Recently I've become a little addicted to the classes at the gym trying out all the different ones and seeing which ones are best for me. Classes have to be one of my favourite things do to at the gym as I always find working out in a group like this and having a professional talking you though each exercise makes for a better workout and makes me so much more motivated. If I've taken the time to book myself into a class, I'm more than likely to get my butt down to the gym.

8. Schedule your week and fit in your gym sessions accordingly and most importantly stick to it. If you really want to see changes and reach your goals then you have to actually do something about it. Every Sunday I look at my week ahead and workout what I'm doing and I plan what days and what times I'm going to fit the gym in. If I say I'm going to do something then I'll do it and stick to it.

So that's it for my motivational tips to help keep you motivated and working out. I really hope this helps as I always get asked a lot how I manage to go to the gym so often as well as make time for everything else. But I think really if you want to go and see changes then you will make the time to go. I'm thinking of doing more posts like this ladies or do a post letting you all in on my workout routine, if this is something you would like to see then be sure to let me know.

Lots of Love

L'Oreal Collection Privee || The Perfect Nude

If any of you where to take a peek into my lipstick collection you would see so many beautiful brights and sassy deeper shades from berries to daring reds, however you would notice that my collection is lacking some much needed and essential nude shades. I think its fair to say that I gravitate towards these more daring colours when choosing a lipstick, but I've come to realise that sometimes you need a bit more nude in your life (or collection). I also think that nude shades are perfect for this time of year - I think the colder weather allows us to be a little more daring with our eye shadow choices and it's much more acceptable to wear a smokey eye for day wear, therefore the perfect nude is a must to accompany such a look.

I have to confess, I really struggle with picking out the right nude shades that will work best for me and suit my skin tone perfectly, no one wants to sport the manikin lips kind of look and it's probably for this reason why I usually choose a bright over a beige. However I was browsing the L'Oreal section in Boots the other weekend and the new limited edition Collection Privee Color Riche lipsticks caught my attention immediately and after swatching the entire collection I walked away with two gorgeous nude lipsticks to add to my collection.

The Collection Privee collection are a set lipsticks which have been tailor made and designed to suit every shade of skin tone, you just have to pick the one that's going to be best suited to you. To make this matching a whole lot easier each lipstick has been designed for each of the L'oreal spokeswomen, so your able to compare your own skin tone to theirs, which gives you an idea of what nude is going to work best for you. On offer here in the UK there is Eva Longoria's nude: barley golden, Doutzen Kroes' nude: barley pink, Cheryl Cole's nude: barley greige, Julianne Moore's nude: barley peach, Freida Pinto's nude: barley parma and finally Liya Kebade's nude: barely moka. If your still a little unsure L'Oreal have generated a little quiz on their website which will help you find the perfect nude for you and you can find that here, be sure to let you know which one you've been matched too. 

I really love the concept L'oreal have come up with here and after having a good swatch in Boots I came home with Eva's nude and Julianne's nude, I really wanted to take home Cheryl's too, but they only had the tester one left - clearly everyone in my town wants the same colour lips as Miss Cole. 

First of all I have to say how amazing is the packaging of these lipsticks? For a high street product I think they are so expensive looking. The casing has been made from a black matte plastic which reminds me exactly of the NARS packaging and the gold detailing really makes this lipstick look and feel the part. I also think having the signatures of each L'Oreal spokeswoman engraved on the packaging is a lovely added touch. 

Both of the lipsticks I've tried are such beautiful shades, which give plenty of hydration and leave a gorgeous glossy shine on your lips. Admittedly the colour payout of these lipsticks is a little on the sheer side, but they can be built up for a more true colour to what you see in its packaging. Having said this, I think it's the fact that these lipsticks are a little sheer makes them so versatile and makes them that perfect nude as they are so wearable and easy to apply. The lasting time of these lipsticks is also not the longest, you'll probably get around 2-3 hours wear before having to reapply, but applying these lipsticks gives me a little buzz of excitement as they are just so beautiful to look at.

Left: Eva's Nude | Right: Julianne's Nude

I love both of these shades that I picked up equally, but Julianne's nude has been my most reached for - its the most beautiful delicate pinky/peach nude (my favourite kind) and it looks great with any sort of makeup look that your going for, it's just so pretty once it's on your lips and has a touch of elegance to it. Those of you who have paler skin are going to look amazing wearing this. Eva's nude is equally a beautiful nude, but will look best for those days I've been fake tanning. This nude has a beautiful but subtle golden sheen added to it which is going to look stunning with sun kissed skin. I also think that this shade will work perfectly with those of you who darker hair.

Overall I'm in love with this collection and it has made me found a whole new love for nude lipsticks, my bold brights best make some room! If your looking for a new nude for this autumn I definitely recommend you take a look at this collection before it leaves our shelves, it is limited edition after all. If your planning on picking any of these nudes up be sure to let me know which one is your favourite and be sure to let me know which shade you were matched up with, I was paired with Eva's nude.. perfect.

Lots of Love

Happy Birthday Miss Sunshine & Sparkle

OH MY GOSH guys, today is my blog's two year birthday! Can you believe that, because I most certainly can't, to me that just seams a crazy amount of time and I can't believe just how quick the time has passed, it's literally flown by. It only feels like a little while ago I was sat down this time last year celebrating my blog being around for a year and now I'm sat as the same desk letting you all know it's reached it's two year birthday! WOW!!

I would love to have a big fancy celebration with all you fellow beauty bloggers, although that is somewhat a little unrealistic and not very piratical, so this little blog post will have to do, so raise you imaginary champagne flute if you will as I'm about to make a classic blogging cliche type of speech... 

First of all I cannot believe that two years ago to this day I sat down at my computer and thought 'I'm going to start a blog', it was something I had been thinking about for some time - I remember having that week of work and thinking to myself I'm just going to do it! At the time I wasn't feeling my best, my confidence was a bit low and I had a lot of worry going on around me. It was my mum who sat me down one day and told me that I needed a new point of focus in my life, something I could channel my creativity into and a project or hobby to take my mind off all my worry- At the time starting a blog seamed like the perfect thing for me to do and I'm so pleased that I did as I have never looked back and it's something that's become a huge part of my life. I would even go as far to say blogging has been one of the best decisions that I have ever made, I'm not being at all dramatic when I tell you it's changed my life....

I know a lot of you will be nodding your heads in agreement when I say that blogging has changed my life. For a start it's been a platform for me to express myself, allowed me to be as creative as I like and it's wonderful to know that equally like minded and passionate people enjoy visiting and reading the content on my blog - that thought is so overwhelming, I never ever thought so many people would take an interest in what I had to say. Without sounding big headed in anyway, I feel incredibly proud of what I have achieved in the space of two years and it really does show you how hard work, dedication and passion can open so many opportunity and doors for you. I honestly believe I would have never gotten to experience certain things in my life if it hadn't been for my blog and for that I am truly thankful. 

However for me one of the highlights and the best bit about blogging for me is the amazing people that I've met along the way. I've made so many new friends though my blog and it's been incredible meeting and getting to know people who have the same passion and loves in life as myself. Knowing that I could talk for hours about the million different shades of pink lipstick is only a tweet away is amazing. I know the follower count of a blog is not the be all and end all, but I'm not going to lie, I still get that little buzz of excitement seeing the number on the side has gone up, it's still that same buzz I got when I noticed that I had my very first follower. I would like to say a huge HUGE thank you to every one of you who has taken the time to visit or follow my blog, on so many occasions it really has brightened up my day. I would class so many of you as good friends now, like I say you beauties have been one of the best things about blogging. 

To say a little thank you to you all and to celebrate in true beauty blogger style I'm planning on getting a little giveaway up over the weekend, so be sure to watch this space. Honestly though, thank you so much to each and everyone of you, I feel like you've been on this two year journey with me and have helped my blog be where it is today.

I would like to say a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Miss Sunshine & Sparkle and I really hope I continue to blog for many years to come and to keep on growing as a blogger. I hope the next year is filled with as much fun as the last two!

Lots of Love

p.s If you would like to take a peek at my very first blog post, you can take a look at it here, major and total cringe!!