Hair: Operation Ombre with Scott Cornwall.

I had been toying with the idea of ombre-ing my hair for months, I loved how it looked on others and I wanted in on the action.. But I was scared, I have spent quite a few years getting my hair back to my natural colour and it hadn't seen a hairdye for ages. I talked myself into it by thinking how it will only be on the ends of my hair, and how I could have it cut if it turned out to be a disaster.. So I decided to just go for it.

I used products from the New Scott Cornwall range which includes a Decolour Remover, a Decolour Stripper, and Shine On. They also have some restore colour products that help to tone the hair, to either give it a boost, or to use after using a Decolour product.

So I used the Decolour Stripper* and the Cool Ash Colour Restore* to apply when I had used the stripper to tone it down.

What the strippers does it remove atrificial and natural hair pigments, leaving you with a lightened shade without bleaching and damaging your hair. This product was so simple to use, it didn't smell bad atall and it is a thick cream so didn't drip or make a mess atall. I applied this is stages to freshly washed, clarified hair.

Orly Electronica - Preamp Nails.

Preamp nail polish* is one of the brand new shades from the Orly Electronica Collection. It is a beautiful cool pink shade that is packed with golden/copper toned shimmer that catches the light subtly. It looks way better in real life than I could capture on camera.

It is a little on the sheer side which I have found with most Orly I have tried thus far, I used three coats to get an opaque finish, but this wasn't much of a problem because it dries fast. Another plus is that is lasts for days, this wasn't even chipped by the time I wanted to paint my nails another colour (rare!).

Orly polishes are a whopping 18ml (or you can purchase minis) and available on Beauty Bay for £7.50. See the new collection here.

Pretty Stuff - My Name Necklace. ♥

I love jewelry. Even more than that I love something unique or personalised to me, like my new 'Sophie' necklace* from Namenecklace.co.uk.

Name necklace sell tons of different personalised jewelry items on their website, from childrens items to rings, to little pendants and charms. For the name necklaces you can oviously have them say whatever you like (up to 12 characters, and two lines if you wish) as they are made personally for you.

They have loads of fonts to choose from and I finally chose 'Carrie' which is the same font that Carrie in Sex In The City has on her name necklace apparently (I don't watch, so I don't know). The necklaces come in sterling silver or 14 carat gold, but I am definitely more of a silver girl myself. I also chose the style with the small cubic zircona on it, just for a bit of added sparkle!

The necklace is made beautifully, the figaro chain is a great length for me, I opted for the 50cm length instead of the standard 45cm - the extra length is just an extra £4. I am in love with it!

These would make a perfect gift for absolutely anyone and they are so affordable. You should definitely browse the website, something is bound to catch your eye. I love the fact that you can have them say whatever you like, I am quite tempted to go for something controversial on one. I think that would be fun for nights out. (Haha!)

The delivery is free and fast and the customer service is brilliant. Who wouldn't love one of these?

Name Neckalce are online, here.

Purelement Defend Argan Oil.

With me having oily skin I am always a little weary about what I put on my skin in regards to oily products, I don't want to overload my skin and make it worse than it is. I have also come to the conclusion that there are some amazing face/multi purpose oils out there that are packed with goodness to help the skin.

For over a month I have been using the Defend Argan Oil Moisturizer* from Purelement Naturals. When I read what it could do I couldn't wait to try it, plus I had heard numerous positive things about using aragan oil too.

About Purelement:

Purelement Naturals is a Chicago based skincare company formed in 2010 by Andriana Valentino that develops and distributes all-natural and organic skincare products infused with pure essential oils.  The company initially released a product line in Juneandriana valentino 2011 with the following: organic body butters, organic argan oil, serums, scrubs, lip treatments, and body treatments.  In late 2011, Valentino made the decision to make argan oil the main focus of the company after seeing her clients’ results from using the multi-tasking oil from Morocco.

This oil comes in a 50 ml glass bottle which is made from a violet glass to protect it from UV rays, kind of like how sunglasses protect your eyes. Anyways, I have been using it daily and I have found it to improve my skin so much.

L'Oreal - Miss Candy Collection.

Surprise packages in the mail are always lovely. On Friday I got a lovely susprise from L'Oreal with some new products from their latest Miss Candy Collection, and a tub of old school sweeties, yum! I was like a child at Christmas, this collection is so me! It's full of candy summery shades and has some gorgeous products in.

I got 7 of the nail polishes from the collection (£4.99). I ADORE these polishes, I first tried them when the L'Or Electeic Collection came out and I fell in love. They are a nice small size, the maxi wide brush makes for a perfect application and the colour range is amazing. Three of the seven shades I have are more sheer, the others are bright and in your face. I do like sheer colours too though, either for layering, or on their own.

Here I am wearing 'Marie Antoinette' from the Miss Candy Collection. Just two coats, I think it makes for a perfect clean manincure look. Another coat would have been much more opaque, but I like it like this..

The Infallible eyeshadows (£6.99) are some of my favourites right now. I love the loose/pressed thing. They are so pigmented and the shades are so unique with them all.. These three are gorgeous, Innocent Turquoise is a vibrant blue with a subtle silver sheen, Naughty Strawberry is just a lovely pink, gorgeously bright summer pink, but the most unique of the three is Sassy Marshmallow, it is like a silver/pink/blue multi tonal shade. It is the standout shade for me, but all of the shades are perfect for a pop of colour and will all create a gorgeous eye look. (Which I intend to try soon!)

I own two glamshine lipglosses from way back - but these glosses (£7.65) are a swirl of two complimentary shades in a tube (they look like ice cream!), so when you apply them you get a mix. They are quite sheer, but buildable and they smell great and feel very hydrating on. I adore the teardrop applicator on these lipglosses too, they make for such easy application!

Thanks for reading, and you can expect more posts on these products in the near future!

The products are available from Boots or Superdrug.

» Revlon Lip Butter Love!

I purchased these Revlon Lip Butters a few weeks ago after seeing tons of hype about them when they came out in the US, and then how popular they were when they were released here too.

First, I like the packaging. I have heard mixed thoughts on it, with some saying it's tacky.. Maybe a little, but it's fun and bright and I really like it. They feel sturdy and not cheap and nasty.

The lip butters themselves are like balmy lipcolours (very similar to the No17 Mirror Shine Lipsticks) .. I got Cotton Candy, This is a my lips but better shade on me - a nude pink with a slight shimmer. Candy Apple is like a slightly orange red, not like any other shade I own. I love this, it's great alone or on top of a red lip liner (all over the lips.)

They feel very hydrating on the lips and give a glossy sheen, they don't last that well, but are easy enough to reapply throughout the day. I have to say they are my current go-to products for lips, I love how they look and feel. Because of the butter soft texture though, and how often I use them, they go down quite quickly too.

What shades should I pick up of these, what is your fave?

Revlon Lip Butters are available at Boots and Superdrug. £7.99.

Boots No7 Vital Enlightening Highlighter Powder.

I picked this up in Boots recently and showed it in this post a haul video. So many people showed an interest and some went to see if they could pick it up, I was lucky, it was on clearance for £6.50 and is from one of their older limited edition collections.

I was mostly taken by the fancy pattern on the top of the highlighter and didn't know what to expect from it. It has fast become one of my top highlighters, it's all I have been using since I got it.

The shimmer on the top is a bit metallic but it is just a small layer, and once you get through that it's a lovely smooth nude champagne powder that gives the lovliest radiant glow.  It blends like a dream and looks natural on the skin without looking powdery, it really does give a nice natural finish.

I love it. It's just so easy to wear and will last for so long because it is so pigmented.

Do you own this? What are your favourite highlighters?

Barry M Block Orange + Glitter NOTD.

My nails recently have grown extremely well and I think to the longest that my nails had ever been.. Yes, I said had - I cut them today, one broke at the tip and to be honest they were getting annoyingly long (like this). So I tipped the edges off with my clippers and semi squared them at the edges for a change. I like how they came out. They feel more manageable now.

So now a little story.. Many, many moons ago (about three years) Barry M held a blogger event, lots of bloggers / you tubers attended and at the end they gave us goodie bags.. Inside there were lots of nail paints, one of which was the the one featured today, block orange (301).

When I saw this in my goodie bag that day I turned my nose up and then put it with the tons of other polishes I have at home that I never use.. Until today that is! I don't know why, but I had an overwhelming want for orange nails, and I remembered this polish.

I have to say, I love it! Isn't it a gorgeous shade? Not too in your face, just a nice dark burnt orange shade. It's quite sheer though, this is 3 coats and I can still see the tips of my nails faintly underneath. It applies smoothly and dries quickly though, and the cream finish is stunning and the application was smooth.

To jazz it up a smidgen I added some glitter onto my accent nails (ring fingers) and applied a topcoat. I used accesorize 'gold dust' for that.

Job Done! Pretty huh?

Clarins Illuminating Cheek Colour - Miami Pink.

This is one of the first products I have ever tried from the Clarins brand. The Illumination Cheek Colour in Miami Pink*. It's already love! I have become a bit of a blush (and lipstick) a-holic recently and they are all I crave makeup wise.

This product is packaged beautifully with a red velour pouch. The outer blush packaging is shiny and gold and gorgeous (and loves finger prints!) It has a nice large mirror on the inside .. Once open you're greeted with a gorgeous blusher, a couple of different shades that you can swirl together. The brush applicator that is inside is soft, but I won't use it.. I prefer something large and long handled to apply my blusher.

The shades are so pretty, I like best to mix them, but I swatched them seperately above, they are not over shimmery, but there is the slightest glow in there that shows when you apply the colour to the cheeks. It gives a really healthy look. The shades in the blush are a peach and a pink, so when swirled together they give a nice pink flushed shade that has a hint of peach.

This product is luxurious, I feel glam when I wear it and the packaging is ro die for.. Great if you are looking to treat yourself (or to be treated!)

Available at Clarins.co.uk.

Makeup Haul - Sleek Palette, Barry M, Etc...

I had a little splurge recently, I still had some Christmas money left over believe it or not! So I went into town and headed for Superdrug and Boots and came away with the above. There were a few things I had been seeing on youtube and other blogs and I wanted to try for myself.

♥ ♥ ♥

♥ Sleek Makeup Ultra Matte v2 Dark Palette: Love this! I am more of a matte shadow fan than overly shimmery, but mattes are notoriously less pigmented and harder to blend. That's not the case with this palette, they're pigmented (maye a little over powdery) and they blend really well. I'd like to get the brights version too!

♥ Barry M Kohl Pencil: I wanted a bright pink lip liner but then I saw the pink kohl pencil, it cost less and is good to be used on eyes or lips. It's smooth and creamy and a lovely lip colour all over the lips, or as a liner for your fave pink lipstick.

♥ No7 Vital Enlightening Highlight Powder: This was on clearance and caught my eye. It has a lovely 3d pattern on the top and is a perfect light shimmery (not glittery) highlighter that gives a gorgeous glow. I use sparingly though, it is super soft and pigmented.

♥ Barry M Nail Paint - Silvery Lilac: I saw this on the blogosphere and knew I needed it. I've only swatched it so far, but I love it. It's a shimmerly silver/lilac duochrome that will look stunning over a dark polish, though it can be worn alone too.

♥ Max Factor Nail Polish - Fantasy Fire: Another one that I saw on blogs and knew I had to have. I've only swatched it so far, but this is gorgeously unique, it has all kinds of multi coloured shimmer in it.. It is quite sheer but again, will be amazing over the top of a dark polish. Can't wait to paint my nails with this!

♥ Revlon Lip Butter - Candy Apple and Cotton Candy: I wanted to try these soooo badly, and I intended on picking atleast one of them up.. I couldn't just get one though! I love the balmy sheer lipstick texture that is buildable. Both of these colours are gorgeous.

♥ Collection 2000 Cream Puff Lip Cream - Fairy Cake and Cotton Candy: I had heard a little about these, but not too much. They had a deal on them though and these two colours stood out to me so I thought 'why not'. I am so glad I picked these up - stars of the day! They are gorgeous, they feel moisturising when you apply them, but then they set to a stain and don't budge. I think C2000 need to release more colours of these.. Other than these two there were a few nude shades. I want a red and a hot pink!

♥ Bourjois Chocolate Bronzer: I'm not much of a bronzer girl because of how pale I am, but I've seen a few youtubers raving about this and when I saw it I just had to get it. It's matte, so perfect for contour - this is the lightest shade and it's not that pigmented atall, which makes it perfect for a lighter bronzing effect for me, but it is buildable too.

♥ ♥ ♥

So that's it! :)  I'll have some individual reviews on some of these products soon.

Do you own any of these products, which are your faves?

Italian Deliciousness at Salvo's, Leeds.

This is a different post for me to write, but when I recently reviewed the Peroni Vivi in Stile app for my iPod Touch, the PR kindly offered me the oppurtunity to try out one of the top ten suggested places to visit in Leeds.

... So I chose to go to dinner with my boyfriend as we've had a rough year and we don't get out that much right now..

My choice of resteraunt was Salvo's in Leeds. If you ever watched Gordon Ramsay's The F Word show, they were on it, and were awarded the best UK neighbourhood Italian resteraunt on his show. They have also won countless awards and are always very busy.

The atmosphere in the restaurant was lovely and the staff were really friendly and helpful. We both had the Chilli Prawn Starter (Gamberoni Abruzzese). I love prawns and my eyes lit up when I saw this.. It was great and the chilli was not overly spicy.. I'm not good with spice!

For mains we both had the creamy chicken mushroom pasta dish (Tagliatelle Al Pollo), it was amazing. I love Italian food and this is the nicest pasta dish I have ever tasted. The chicken was succulent, the sauce was creamy, the pasta was perfect.

For dessert had some chocolate brownie. It was perfection, It had the crunch but soft gooey inside like it should have. We both left leaving well and truly stuffed, but on a high after a lovely night out in a great resteraunt.

If you live in or around Leeds I highly recommend you check Salvo's out. The service and food are spectacular and the prices are very reasonable for the top quality. We cannot wait to revisit.

Do also check the app out if you have an iPhone, it's really easy to use and great for style inspiration.

Ombre | Gradient Summer Nails!

I love nails and painting nails and nail art and pretty nails! (Whew.) ..

So when I recently saw a youtuber that I watch wearing some amazing Ombre nails I was eager to know how she had done it. Luckily for me and everyone else she posted a quick tutorial the other day and I couldn't wait to try the look out.. I thought it might take a few tries, but it is as simple as she makes it look and the effect is amazing. I love it!

As you can see, I got rather snap happy. I tend to do that when I like something, and I was really happy with how these turned out!

I used a nude bade colour as suggested in the video, then I sponged the three Barry M Shades on. Blueberry Icecream, Berry Icecream and Pink Flamingo.. I finished with a quick dry topcoat and voila!

What do you think of these? Will you be trying this out?