My Top 5 Lip Products

1. Sephora Cream Lip Stain  Always Red

Lip stains- they're amazing and that little doe foot applicator makes applying an unforgiving colour a breeze. I'm pretty crap at applying lipstick and that's putting it lightly... On a really bad day I can look like I've had a stroke! A doe foot applicator gives me a lot more control and precision with no mistakes. The colour is a classic bright red and has amazing staying power. I've applied this first thing in the morning and not had to touch up all day- it's that good. It's a matte finish, with an initial creamy consistency which is great for application and once it sets it ain't budging! It isn't to drying either.

2. No7 Stay Perfect Lipstick  Classic Rose

I love the colour of this lipstick. This rich pinky tone is great for a darker lip in spring summer and looks great with a tan. the finish is a semi-matte and doesn't feel drying at all, in fact it's really quite hydrating and creamy on the lips. The longevity is pretty good too, but touch ups are required throughout the day. I find this pretty easy to apply and is buildable. I like to smudge it in for more of a stain during the day and wear it full coverage for an evening.

3. Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick Shade 3

This is my default lipstick. My everyday, go to, easy peasy, love it lipstick. I can't tell you the amount of times I've re-purchased this I love it that much! It's a satin finish and gives a lovely natural looking nude tone to the lips and is just a really wearable colour. I wear this practically everyday and because its a nudey natural tone you don't have to be too precise with application which is great for cack handed people like me!

4. Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter Peach Parfait

I think I'll always be fond of this lip product as I wore this on my wedding day. A lot of people don't like it because it doesn't show up on their lips but for me it gives a lovely peachy hue with a subtle hint of shimmer and a beautifully balmy shine. The subtle gold shimmer looks amazing with a tan and makes your lips appear fuller. It's a sheer coverage with lot of shine, leaving you looking healthy and glowing- perfect for summer.

5. Fresh Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment in Ruby

This product isn't a lipstick but it may as well be because the coverage is great! This lip treatment is doing you a favour by looking after your lips whilst giving an amazing colour. It leaves your lips beautifully soft and has an SPF of 15 too. I picked this up in America and I'm sad that they don't stock it over here. It's a sheer but buildable colour that I like to use for day or night and it smells INCREDIBLE! It's a watermelony, brown sugar kind of smell- I'm obsessed. I really love the packaging too!

So those are my top 5 lip products. On a whole I'm a big fan of pinky peachy shades in a range of consistencies, with a classic red thrown in for good measure. What are your favourite lip products? 

Autumn Hair- The braided headband

Braids have been a big trend this year, with milkmaid and fishtail styles being at the forefront. I really did adore milkmaid braids but with no fringe and a larger forehead, I found them hard to pull off!

As Autumn is well and truly here, I thought I'd continue the braid trend into the winter months, so whilst playing around with my hair one morning, I came up with this! It's kind of similar to the crown braids but simpler and only spans half way round your head. It consists of a plait each side of your head, crossing over and being pinned on the other side. Easy Peasy!

I think it's a really pretty autumnal alternative to foral crowns and would look lovely with a wool hat propped above it. It's also a great style if you're like me and have hair ll one length to add a bit of interest to your hair.

What do you think to this style? Are you rocking anything different for AW14?

AW14 Nail Polish Picks

I don't know about you but when it gets to this time of year I like to change up my nail varnishes to more autumnal colours. Bye bye brights, hello vampy darks and glitter!

Barry M- Diamond Glitter

Champneys- Mocha

Champneys- Twilight

No7- Thunderstorm

Natural Collection- Black Cherry

I really love the Barry M Diamond glitter. I like shiny things so I am immediately drawn to it and think it's perfect over any of these shades for the upcoming party season and at £2.99 it's a bargain.  Both the Champneys colours are absolutely beautiful and at a moderate price of £5. The only thing that lets them down is I find they chip after a day or two of wear which is  such a shame but because the colours are so stunning I think I can let them off. As for the No7 polish in the shade thunderstorm- I love this. Priced at £6 it is long lasting with a brush that makes application so easy. It lasts a good amount of time and you can get away with just one coat! Now for the Natural Collection colour in black cherry... A lot of people give natural collection a bad rap but I think they're value for money. They're priced at £1.99 so cheap and cheerful and I've always found them to last well and dry super quick too. For me this shade is autumn in a bottle and I love it!

What are your nail polish picks for AW14? Check out the video below for more info and how I like to wear them.

Recent Body Shop Loves

Why I love the Body Shop

So in case you're not already aware, I am a huge fan of the Body Shop, growing up with it as a child and being introduced to the shop by my mum. I used to love wandering in with her on a Saturday to the beautiful smells and of course those little bath pearls I'd get as a treat- what ever happened to those!?

Opening it's first store in Brighton in 1976, the brand has grown immensely and now has stores in countries all over the world. I love this brand because to me they create good honest products and at a fairly reasonable price, but not only that, they create amazing projects such as launching the Big Issue paper in 1991, producing community fair trade products and launching hugely successful campaigns such as the Against Animal Testing Campaign which led to the banning of testing any cosmetic products or ingredients on animals in the UK in 1998. This brand fight for great causes. Not only have they earnt my respect, they've certainly got my attention over the years.

Dame Anita Roddick has made such a fantastic business that creates great products and great customer service too. Whenever I've been into a store or held a Body Shop party, the level of customer care is exemplary. You're always welcomed and given genuine advice on what products are best for you and why. From the ingredients to the science and even the luscious smells- the staff I've encountered have been fantastic and make the whole shopping experience personal.

Now lets get onto my current favourites!

Absinthe Purifying Hand Cream

Honeymania Eau De Toilette

Coconut Lip Butter

Current Favourites

On my most recent visit to the Body Shop, I picked up my staple essentials, the seaweed facial range (see this post for more info on that range) and because I'd spent over a certain amount and have a loyalty card I got free goodies, yay! All of my current favourites are actually the free goodies and things I probably wouldn't have even picked up which I'm rather impressed by.

The absinthe purifying hand cream has extracts of absinthe in (funnily enough) and is a rich thick consistency. Similar to the hemp hand cream which is a firm favourite of mine, it's nourishing and leaves your hands feeling silky soft. The scent is quite strong but fresh and a bit nicer than the hemp formula. Yes the texture can be a tad oily but you seriously don't need a lot of this product and it'll last you ages. Perfect for those up coming winter months. Say goodbye to chapped cracked hands!

Now onto Honeymania... I love this scent! It's longevity is pretty good for a Body Shop eau de toilette as some of the other scents wear off pretty quickly. It's fresh but also rich and a comforting and has floral notes with that lovely honey smell coming afterwards. I'm getting a bit better at describing perfumes right? Right? It's also the perfect size for travelling or to pop in your hand bag on the go for a spritz of freshness.

Finally we have this little pot of joy- the coconut lip butter. Like all scents from the Body Shop this smells good enough to eat. I must admit I was a bit dubious of using a lip butter as in the past I've had real dry lips which ended up from over using lip products. It's a long story but that's why I was dubious, however Body Shop use natural products and on days where my lips have been a bit dry, cracked etc this lip butter has gently soothed them back to health. The consistency is rich and silky and has impressive staying power. Again a little bit goes a long way and this has quickly become a firm favourite in my make-up bag.

I am so glad got these freebies. Again another sign of how great the Body Shop is. I'd definitely recommend trying something new. You never know, you could be very pleasantly surprised!

What are your favourite Body Shop Products?

xxx

No Heat Festival Curls

Hello lovelies. Today I thought I'd try something a bit experimental with my hair and road test this Umberto Giannini Festival Hair Styling kit.

I've been wanting to try it for quite some time so thought cleverly decide it to try it out before heading off to a bbq... Brave or stupid? You decide! Anyway the kit contains:

-Comb

- Mirror (with a rather cute bird on)

-Ribbons

- Hair Accessory 

You may notice the hair accessory from a previous OOTD post (see here).

So to start with my hair was two days old as I thought it'd work better, being less slippery than freshly washed locks. I then wet it down under the shower head and combed through before sectioning my hair off and rolling into the ribbons.

I left my hair to dry for roughly five hours and then removed the ribbons. I then used the comb in the kit to gently brush out the curls slightly as they were rather ringlet-ey afterwards. Below is the finished result!

I'm actually really please at the way they came out and I must admit when I was tying the ribbons I genuinely thought that it wasn't going to work! The kit is easy to use and great for heat free curls with a natural looks to them. My only critique is it claims to be a festival styling kit but I can't imagine any girl having the time or patience at a festival to roll their hair up into ribbons!? Unless practice makes you super quick, I can't see anyone doing it as it's a faff in a tent but for a festival look I'd say it's pretty bang on for textured easy curls.

I also did a tutorial on my YouTube channel which will show you how I put the ribbons in, taking them out and styling of the curls at the end. What do you think to this kit? Have you tried any of the other Umberto Gianni hair styling kits?

The Liebster Award 2014!

It's that time again- The Liebster Award! I have been lucky enough to be nominated twice this year by the lovely Ellis from Ellis Tuesday and gorgeous Lucy from From Lucy With Love.

This is a great way to find new and exciting bloggers in the blogging community whilst finding out a bit about them too. I think everyone should give it a go! Here are the rules:

1. You must link back to the person that nominated you.
2. You must answer the 11 questions given by the nominee before you.
3. You pick nominees with under 200 followers to answer your questions.
4. You cannot nominate the person who nominated you.
5. You must tell the nominees that they have been nominated by you.

So starting with Ellis' questions...

1. What is the best bargain you have ever found?

Ooh I'd say a vintage suitcase for £5 which I'm using as a prop for my wedding in July!

2. What is your favourite movie?

My mind always goes blank when I get asked this so I'm going to say... The Holiday. Cheesy I know.

3. What was the first makeup item that you bought?

I think it was probably pressed powder. I had oily skin as a teenager! I still do but this was ridiculous..

4. If you could switch with anyone for a day who would it be?

Hmm... Probably Lisa Eldridge. She has such a cool job.

5. What is the most played song on your Ipod?

Apparentyy its Bastille- Of The Night. Did not expect that!

6. What is your favourite nail polish brand?

Barry M every time. Long lasting and love the glitter polishes.

7. Where would you like to live if you could live anywhere in the world?

I'd like to live on the island of Maui for a while but I'd love to settle down somewhere like Dorset. A nice oldy weldy type house with a beautiful garden where I could grow my own veg. Oh I can dream!

8. What celebrity would you most like to be best friends with?

Beyoncé. I bet she's so wise and great for girlfriend talk haha.

9. What is your favourite beauty brand?

Probably Body Shop. I like natural products and their seaweed range works great on my oily skin!

10. What is your favourite book?

One Day by David Nicholls or the Harry Potter series. I'm so cool!

11. You only have £20 to spend on beauty items, what would you buy?

Stuff from Collection 2000 or natural collections to get my moneys worth! Concealer, lipstick, blusher and mascara.

And now onto Lucy's questions!

1. Why did you decide to start blogging?

I've been a Youtuber for almost two years now which I love to do and that's how I discovered blogs too. I checked out my favourite Youtubers' blogs and felt so inspired I decided to create my own!

2. What are your favourite things about keeping your blog and why?

In a nutshell- I like what I like and I post what I like! It's my own little space to talk about things that interest me and hopefully other people too.

3. Do you watch and /or make YouTube videos? If so, why did you start/who is your favourite YouTuber?

Kind of a giveaway from question 1, yes I do make videos as well as watching them. I started by watching Youtubers like Lisa Eldridge who is one of my idols and a lovely channel called Lookastar13 who has some great videos on hair! From there I discovered lots of other "beauty gurus" and again felt inspired to make my own videos!

4. What are your 'top 5' all time favourite make up products?

I would have to say... Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer, Kate Moss Lipstick in shade 103, Body Shop Hemp hand cream, Clarins Beauty Flash Balm and Rimmel Sexy Curves Mascara. I'm a drugstore loverrrrrrrr..

5. Who is your style icon and why?

I would have to say Lily Melrose from the blog LLYMLRS which may sound cheesy as she's a blogger but I don't care! She always looks stylish in a smart casual grunge kinda way. Love the dresses and boots but also love the band tees too!

6. Who is your current favourite blogger and why?

I'd say that would be.. Sprinkle of Glitter! She's so inspiring and motivating and really cheers me up when I'm feeling crap. I'm new to her blog and me laaarves it!

7. What do you do to find inspiration for your blog?

Look at other bloggers photographs if I'm completely honest! I love blogs with lots of photo content and I've just recently got a fancy new camera so they give me ideas on composition, lighting etc.

8. Describe your perfect Sunday...

Breakfast in bed consisting of poached eggs on toast and tea, a good box set, knitting, warm cosy winter food, a hot bubble bath with candles and ofcourse- a glass of wine ;-). Ahhh bliss!

9. What are your goals for 2014, blogging or otherwise!

I did a blog post on this back in January but from memory I want to: blog on a regular basis (so far so good), make youtube videos on a regular basis (going okay), loose weight and be content with the way I am (going good!), not give a f*ck what people think of me (working on it) aaaaand... I dunno, be happy I guess!

10. What are your top three high-street clothes stores?

Easy! Ranking highest will always be Topshop, then Miss Selfridge aaaaand then probably Primark!

11. What is your guilty pleasure?

Don't judge me okay... Chinese beef curry and egg friend rice. In my pyjamas... on a Saturday night...Sometimes it just has to be done! Chris still loves me so it's fiiiine! 

So those are my questions answered. Now onto my nominations!

• Natalie from http://www.tallienat.blogspot.com/ @TallieNat
• Kirsty from http://www.face4theradio.co.uk/ @Face4_TheRadio

11 Questions For My Nominees

1. What made you start up your own blog?
2. What is your go-to beauty product and why?
3. Can you describe your style in three words?
4. How would you sum up what your blog is about?
5. What's your favourite thing in your wardrobe?
6. What products do you use for a pamper session?
7. What's your top beauty / fashion tip?
8. How many lipsticks do you own?
9. What inspires you?
10. What's your favourite foodie treat?
11. What do you do on a bad hair day?

I hope you enjoyed finding out a little bit more abou me and make sure you check out my nominees and the bloggers who nominated me!

Kat

xxx