Casper the Friendly Ghost | Halloween Nail Art

Hello gorgeous girls. A few of you who follow me on Twitter and Instagram may have been noticed me sporting this super cute ghost design on my nails.  I never thought that I'd ever say a ghost was cute, but I just think that these little guys (Casper's) on my nails are adorable and perfect for the spooky month of October. They are ever so easy to do and I'm pretty sure that anyone with a nail art dotting tool, nail art pen or a Kirby grip/bobby pin can create this simple design.

Step One

Paint your nails in any colour that you want to use for the background. Black would work perfectly for this, but for this design I have used No7 Stay Perfect in Betty Blues. Betty Blues is the most gorgeous midnight blue which has a very subtle blue glitter added to it. I adore this colour and as black nails look horrible on me  Betty Blues is a great alternative. It gives the appearance of black nails and only when your nails catch the light or you look close up, you can see that the polish is actually blue.

Step Two

Once your nails are dry, you will want to pick out your very best white polish and with whatever tool you are using (I used a dotting tool) you will want to place a blob at the bottom of your nail, using a generous amount of polish. With the excess polish on your blob, you will want to use your dotting tool and draw a half moon shape down the nail, which will create the body. You may need to add a little more while polish to the tip of your tool to even the line out. You should have something that looks like a crescent with a circle at the top. Wait for these to dry.

Step Three

With your dotting tool again you will want to draw two little triangles on either side of the circle, which will create the ghost's arms. Once the white polish has dried, you will want to create the eyes and mouth of the ghost. I used the same colour as I used for the base, but you can choose any colour your prefer. With a really light hand you will want to place two small dots in the circle and a slightly bigger one in the middle, underneath the first two dots. Then you should have a little Casper ghost drawn onto your nails.

Step Four (optional)

Once your nails have fully dried, add your favourite top coat which will help to smooth out any bumps or imperfections and of course keep the chips at bay.

It really is easy as that. Hope you enjoyed this post ladies, I'm looking to work on some more Halloween inspired nail art, so if you have any ideas or tutorials of your own please let me know.

Happy Birthday Miss Sunshine & Sparkle

Hi Ladies! I can't believe I'm saying this or even typing out this post, but as you guessed by the name of the title and the picture, today is my blogs birthday. Yep,Miss Sunshine & Sparkle is officially one year old today! It would be a dream to have a true celebration and invite all you lovely lot round for cupcakes, cocktails and a party (can you imagine if we had a party for every blogs birthday's, that would be a lot of parties to attend!) but instead I shall have to settle for a blog post instead of the blog party. 

I'm sure you all know the drill by now with these birthday type of posts and are thinking right now here come all the 'thank you's' etc. But it would be just too rude of me to not say thank you to each and everyone of you who has taken the time to come and have a read, comment and even follow. I know blogging is not all about the followers, but it really is overwhelming and just amazing when someone takes the time to read though your blog content, and appreciates and likes your efforts so much so that they want to come back for more. Sometimes I still can't get my head around how far my little space on the Internet has come along and what I've managed to achieve in one year. 

In all honesty I thought it would have taken me a lot longer to get where I am today, but with a lot of hard work and the help of Google, my trusty camera and of course fellow beauty bloggers, I've seen my blog go from strength to strength. The other week I was looking back at my very first posts (some of them really make me cringe!) and I really can see where I've improved and how I've developed my own sense of style throughout the year. I love the fact that I'm still learning and really look forward to seeing what the next year of blogging will bring. 

Blogging really has changed my life, this may sound a little daft to a non blogger, but I know that a lot of you will totally relate and understand where I am coming from here. When I first started I never knew how addictive it would be or how rewarding it was. I would urge anyone who is thinking about starting a blog to bite the bullet and just go for it, there really are no wrongs; If you stick at it, not only will your blog grow, but you will also grow as a person. I've grown in confidence since starting Miss Sunshine & Sparkle, put myself in new situations, challenged myself and met some wonderful people along the way. Meeting and taking to some lovely girls has really made my blogging experience just amazing. The beauty community is just wonderful and I would like to take the time in this post to name some of the girls which I've gotten to know and who have been there for me though my day to day life, as well as blogging. All there blogs have been listed and I would love for you to go and say hello to them.

India - The Jewel Beauty

Sarah - Modern Damsel

Beth -  Birds Words 

Kayleigh - Couture Girl

Charlee - My Stringaling 

Sarah - Oh So Glam

Lauren - A Lauren to Herself 

Sophia - Sophia Meola 

Chelsea -Though Chealsea's Eyes

Alessia - Whispers From Angels

Lindsay - Lindsay Frances

So what does the next year have in store for Miss Sunshine & Sparkle?

Well I'm still going to be blogging of course. It would be a dream to have career blogging like some girls, but I think that maybe a goal for my next blog birthday. What I would love though, is to grow even more as a beauty blogger; What I mean by this, is that I would like to get a more variety of beauty and fashion posts up and try and find the time to blog more. I would also love to have more interaction with all you lovely people and get to know even more of you that take the time to comment and have blogs of your very own. There is still so much I'm learning is I have already stated and I just want to learn more technical things that will add to the general layout of my blog and make it a better experience for everyone visiting. 

My main goal though for the next year is to try and start getting some videos up. I know that blogging and You Tube really go hand in hand and I think its a perfect way for everyone really get to know the girl behind Miss Sunshine & Sparkle. This is something which terrifies me slightly, but I know I have a lot of support and people giving me the confidence to film... So watch this space.

Thanks once again beauties for coming on this journey with me, and if there is anything you would like to add to this post, please do so in the comments below. Also if you follow MSS and I've not had the chance to check out your blog, please let me know as I would love to go and take a look.

Lot's of Love

Let's Catch Up

Left To Right

-My all time favourite Lipstick MAC's Impassioned (blog post here)-

-Making crepe paper flowers-

-My sister and me in bed, slightly hangover with no makeup-

-Winning the Aussie Miracle Shine competition with Sarah and Lauren-

-An old picture from with my fellow cheerleader Hayley from when we stayed in a caravan in Blackpool-

-Me posing and messing around with a new photo editing app-

-I made cupcakes-

-My hair when it gets caught in the rain-

-Me stretching in the doorway, determined to get my needle!-

Hi everyone, hope you are all having a cheery Wednesday and for those of you who are unfortunate to be at work, then at least Wednesday means middle of the week and only two more days till the weekend... hurahh! 

I've done quite a lot of beauty and makeup reviews recently, so I just wanted to stray away from it a little today and just have a sit down chit chat kind of post with you all and as you guessed by the title share some of my weekly pictures from Instagram. So I've been having a major lazy week due to the fact that I still had a quite a bit of holiday to take off at work and seeing as it was booked off a bit last minute everyone I know and love is busy working or has already got plans, so I've been bored bored bored. So... I thought that it would be perfect opportunity to get a ton of blogging done and get some scheduled posts sorted out as I know that I have a busy few weeks ahead of me. But as luck would have it, inspiration has completely gone and left me; for the first time in a ages, I don't really know what to blog about. Hence the reason of this kind of laid back post (but I do know that a lot of you beauties enjoy the odd ramble and chit chat). I just think it's really typical that I have time off to blog, and not know what to blog about, does anyone else get this? I really have the urge to do a beauty blogger tag, so if any of you girls know of some good ones please let me know. Or if there are any requests on posts that you would like to see please tell me, as it would be much appreciated. 

Whilst I' on a role with rambling I thought I'd share and let you all know that I am thinking about getting a tattoo. Well I say 'thinking about it' as though I've just decided I wanted one in my week off...No... I've wanted one for the longest of time, but never really knew what I wanted or have known what I wanted and just changed my mind. One of my friends from cheer told me that if there is a design you have in mind, wait a year and if you still like it a year later then you know your going to like it for the rest of your life. Well with anything I've picked so far, I've never liked it more than a year! So I suppose it's an excellent motto to go by, especially if you are thinking about getting one.

 Anyway, for near on 11 months I've wanted a little feather, possibly placed on the side my ribs, just sitting under the boob area! I'm still a little undecided on placement but seeing as its near the year and I still want a feather, I can almost give myself the go ahead and get the ball rolling. I don't think I'm going to get it anytime before the year is up, but now it's closer, I'm thinking a lot more about it and I really, really want it done.I'm thinking of getting a blog post up, just to share with you lot what I have in mind and get your thoughts on the whole thing. I always find tattoos quite fascinating and love seeing what people get done and finding out why they have them, so if any of you have a story please share as I would love to hear. 

I also just want to say a big hello and thank you to my new followers! It seams as though my number of followers has gone up dramatically in the last few weeks WOW! You have no idea how happy and over the moon this makes me! I won't ramble on too much about this as tomorrow I will have a post dedicated to all you lovely people as its my blogs birthday tomorrow!! I can't believe its a year already... golly golly gosh! 

I'll leave this post here girls, hope you enjoyed the read and don't forget to follow me on Instagram @sunshinesprkle as I would love for you to come and say hello.

Lot's of Love 

MAC's Impassioned Lipstick

Hi beauties. Today I wanted to share with you my all time favourite lipstick and its one that I mentioned in my September Favourites Post (here). This lipstick being MAC's Impassioned, which is the most gorgeous bright fuchsia pink. I am a huge fan of bright pink lipsticks as a lot of you will know, but Impassioned just has that extra something special about it. Some of you may think that this is a bit of a bold and brave colour to wear, but once you get past the brightness of it all, I think it has the magic to make your lips look absolutely amazing. 

Impassioned is one of MAC's amplified lipsticks which means its super pigmented and you achieve a easy bright lip with one easy sweep across your lips. Not only is the pigmentation of Impassioned just amazing, its staying power is long lasting and it will be sure to give you bright beautiful lips the whole day. Obviously no lipstick colour lasts forever, but even when Impassioned starts to wear and fade, the pigmentation of it is that good, that it will leave a lovely fuchsia stain on your lips. Often when lipsticks are that rich in pigment, there is the downfall that the lipstick can be very drying  on your lips, but this isn't the case with Impassioned at all. The formula is creamy and as you can see from the pictures there is a lovely shine to the formula which makes for very 'sexy' kissable lips. 

I would really  recommend Impassioned to any girl as its a great one to have in your collection, especially if you love your Barbie pink colours.. I've had this lipstick for quite a while and what I can say is that it can often look a little different every time I'm pictured with it, or when your in different lights; It's also a lipstick which can look very different on everyone. It refuses to be captured on camera in its true beauty and I would suggest if you get the chance, to go and swatch it... and buy it of course (I dare you to resist this beauty!). 

Impassioned retails at a pricey £14.00, but in my opinion is completely worth every penny. You are really getting a good quality lipstick and it will last you such a long time as a little really does go along way. If your thinking of treating yourself to this you can purchase it from MAC's website here.

Impassioned also will look amazing with a clear lipgloss worn over the top as I finds this really makes the colour pop and will give you the appearance of a fuller lip. It will also give your lips that 'juicy' look to them. I am just really in love with this lipstick, I could go on forever about how much I love it. The colour is just beautiful and it also has those little blue undertones to it which will make your teeth look pearly white. 

I am always on the look out other lipsticks with a similar colour payout so would love to know your recommendations and would love to hear your thoughts on MAC's Impassioned.

Lots of Love

Aussie Pamper Day | Celebrate 3 Minute Miracle

Hi beauties. This Saturday was a first for me as I was able to attend my first beauty blogger event hosted by the wonderful Aussie, not only was it my first opportunity to meet some amazing bloggers, it was also my  first outing as an Aussie Angel. Aussie really spoilt us Angels for a pamper day down at the luxury spa at the Chancery Court Hotel. The whole event was to celebrate Aussie's best product '3 Minute Miracle'.

I arrived in London to meet up with the lovely Sarah from Oh SoGlamBlog and we made our way down to the Spa via one of the London buses (no underground for us angels). Upon arrival at the Hotel, I was just amazed by the actual building with its beautiful courtyard entrance; it looked just like a real life scale Victorian dolls house.  

Sarah and I mingled with the other Aussie Angels at the spa entrance, where we were given our very own Aussie name tags and greeted with some cold melon soup in fancy shot glasses (it was a lot nicer than it sounds). The wonderful Aussie girls then took us to the changing rooms where there was a steam room, sauna and fancy showers that went hot and cold with pretty lights, it was like a lagoon in there. When all the Angels were in the changing room, we were given a little wicker basket which was filled with some 3MM, a fluffy Aussie Robe, some Aussie slippers and a bright purple shower cap for those of us wanting to use the relaxing facilities at the spa. We all hurried into our robes as there is no better way to start relaxing than getting comfortable and cozy. 

The Angels were all split into groups, so we could take it in turns to get our massage or facial and while we waited we had the joy of waiting in the gorgeous relaxation room which was filled with fresh  fruits, comfy loungers, magazines and well pampered Aussie Angels. We all helped ourselves to the top notch buffet which was filled with yummy food (all healthy of course) and had a good old chit chat while we waited. I got chatting to the lovely Lauren from ALaurentoHerself . We were also free to look around the spa; the whole place was like a secret paradise underground, with its candles and tea lights offering the only source of light, relaxing music, beautiful water features and of course lots of Aussie balloons. I can honestly say I have never felt so chilled out, I could have spent the whole weekend there.

When it came to my turn to have a relaxing massage, I felt so pampered. The whole day was a many firsts for me, as I had never been to spa before or never been treated to a professional massage. I honestly can't believe I've gone this long in my life without going to one. The massage was well and truly amazing and the lovely lady who did mine, really did a superb job at getting rid of all the tension and knots in my back. 

Not only were us lucky Angels treated to a day of luxury, Aussie also had two professional stylists in to style our hair and make us all look that extra bit glamorous. Some of the hair styles they were creating on the girls were jaw dropping fabulous. There were plenty of up-do's going around with pretty braids entwined in them. All the girls looked absolutely stunning with their hair styled. I had my hair done by the lovely Eugene, who styled my hair down in loose curls that had huge amounts of volume and bounce. He gave me a few pointers and tips on who to achieve this look myself, so I will be sure to share my new found knowledge with you beauties in a future post.

So some of you maybe wondering why we all needed to look our best? Well there were more surprises as they day went on as Aussie had arranged for us to be their very own 'girls on film'. We were each individually taken one by one to do a filming session and answer some questions about what 3MM means to us and what we love about it. I was nervous about this as I don't do well on camera (this is the reason why I've stayed clear from You Tube) but once I had gotten into it, it was a lot of fun and the lady asking the questions made me feel very comfortable. Everyone videos are going to be edited together to make one big video, which will hopefully go up on the Boots and Aussie website... How exciting, I just hope that there are not too many cringeworthy moments. 

Once all the filming was finished, it was time for Aussie to deliver the special announcement which they had been teasing us with all day. All the Angels were given some very cool sunglasses and were taken in to the male changing rooms (no need to worry, there were no naked men in there, we had the whole spa to ourselves of course!). I'm sure you all know by now about the secret announcement as the cat is well and truly out the bag, especially if you've seen my last blog post. But for those of you who don't know yet, Aussie have brought out a new range which is called the Miracle Shine Range. I won't go into too much detail about how much I am in love with this range as I've done a lot of rambling about it already (you can find my thoughts here) but to keep it short and sweet, I think its the best range in the whole Aussie collection by far, and it's now available to buy in stores across the UK. So we can all have gorgeous, shiny and yummy hair.

This is where the Aussie pamper day sadly came to an end, but it was such a relaxing but oh so fun day and I enjoyed every minute of it. All the angels left the spa feeling as though we were floating on a cloud and had our hands full with all the Aussie goodies in our little baskets. I kid you not, people around London must have thought we were carrying new born babies in those baskets as we all got some very dodgy looks!

So a huge thank you to Aussie for putting together an amazing day. I would love to know if any of you lovlies have gotten your hands on the new shine range yet, and to know your thoughts on it.

Lots of Love

September Favourites

Hi girls, hope your all having a fabulous weekend! To day I thought I would get  my September favourites up for you all. I love reading these types of posts as I love seeing what people love using and its a great chance to have a good nosey at other peoples makeup and beauty products. Shockingly I've not written on of these favourites posts since February Shock Shock... I'm not going to promise anything, but I'm going to try and keep on top of these posts and and make them a little monthly feature. So let me jump straight into it...

Also, as you will see from the pictures there are quite a few lip products which have made it into my favourites. I'm so sure that this is because of the sudden change in the weather with it being freezing much colder, or I just still have an continuing obsession with lip products! 

Aussie Miracle Shine Shampoo & Conditioner 

I know I've only had these a little while, so new that October was nearly in full swing when I first started using them. Really they should be in next months faves, but I love them so much so it would be rude not to share. I was given the Miracle Shine range at the Aussie Pamper event last Saturday and I have fallen in love with these and how they make my hair look and feel. I wont blabber too much about how much I love this shampoo and conditioner as you can find the full review here. But I think that they are just yummy. 

Revlon Photoready Foundation

The Revlon Photoready Foundation was my go too foundation during the month of September. It is by far the best high-street foundation that I've tired. It will make your skin look naturally radiant and will give a lovely dewy look to your skin. I love that it has a medium to full coverage too. If you are wanting to know in more detail about how I got on with this foundation you can find my full review here.

Carmex Cherry Flavoured Lip Balm 

I was sent this by my friend Charlee in a beauty blogger swap (have a look at her beautiful blog here). In the past I've gone though pots and pots of the little magic that is Carmex. It's such a lip saviour especially in the colder weather. There has been some really cold days during September so far and even colder ones I can imagine over the next coming months. This little pot really does stop lips from getting cracked and chapped and will keep the moisture locked in... I love the cherry scent too.

O.P.I in 'That's Berry Daring'

I adore this shade from O.P.I, it really is the most perfect bright pink fuchsia colour with subtle blue undertones too it. Every time I wear this on my nails, I always get compliments on the colour without fail. It's one of those classic bright pinks which really make a stand on your nails. I have loved wearing this on my hands and toes and have been abusing it throughout September just because it will soon be time to switch over to the more darker polishes. As a lot of you fashionistas will know that 'khaki ' is a very in colour this season and I love this colour polish against khaki, I just think it brightens up your whole outfit. I've featured this in a NOTD post which you can see here.

MAC Impassioned Lipstick 

This has to be my all time favourite lipstick from Mac, actually I'm pretty sure its my all time favourite lipstick.. If I had to pick only one lipstick that I could wear for the rest of my life, Impassioned would be it. I can't believe I haven't dedicated a whole post to it yet (note to self and get this sorted). For those of you who aren't familiar with this lippie, its just the most gorgeous brightest pink and really makes your lips look 'wow'. I love the pigmentation of this lipstick and its staying power is just amazing.

L'Oreal Glam Shine  Reflexion Lipgloss in Sheer Watermelon

Not only have I enjoyed wearing a bright bold lip, but have wanted to give my lips that extra something special by making them gloss and shine. I reviewed about this L'Oreal lipgloss a little while ago (here) and I love how non-sticky it is and it looks lovely applied over MAC's Impassioned. I used this lipgloss so much so that it's nearly empty and the packaging is now looking a bit sorry for it's self... definitely will be repurchasing. 

I hope you enjoyed reading about my current favourites, I would love to know what's made it on to your list for September