New Handbag

Hi Guys!

Hope 2014 is going well for you all. I got another new year present - a handbag from Clarks. I did pick this out myself after seeing a colleague at work with the bag (yes I'm copying a 60 year old woman).

The bag is called the Miss Chantal and I got it in black, rrp £39.99. I really really wanted the tan bag but black was more practical. 

I'm not sure how to describe the style but it's kind of similar to the infamous zara city office bag - it's got a main zipped compartment in the middle and then two open bits either side. This bag has a little flap closure, gold hardware, an arm strap and a shoulder strap, and it also has those little studs at the bottom which I love cos it the bottom of the bag isn't going to get wrecked as quickly as usual!

This is me posing with the dark tan in the shop. Taking a selfie. Cos I have no shame!!! I think my outfit for that day really suited the tan but baring in mind for work I'm usually in all black so I think I made the right choice...?

I really like the size of the bag. It's big but it's not massive. I can fit in my big purse, umbrella, make up bag, bottle, a few documents and all my other crap. The only thing I've noticed is that the bag is heavy. And no I'm not being thick - I do realise I've got loads of stuff in it - I mean the actual bag even when empty is quite heavy and so even heavier when full. But I'm really happy with this bag and so glad I copied my colleague :)

(If I win the lottery I'm going back for the tan!!) 

Plemo Magic Bean Power Bank

Hi Guys

I am an iphone user, an iphone 5 user to be exact. I love the iphone but like everyone else, I hate the battery life. I use my phone a lot - not much of a talker or texter but I spend a lot of time on social edia apps and news sites. Previously (iphone 4) I didn't have an issue with my battery life but with th iphne 5 I've had days when my battery has died. Dead. Proper dead. Like, my phone is off and I can't turn it on sort of dead. Mega trauma.

So I've been looking out for ways to prolong my battery (including not using the phone but come on now, give a girl a break!!!) and I've been reading reviews on battery cases, usb chargers and other types of portable batteries. I wanted something at a good price, that worked (!) and that was kinda cute. I think that the Plemo Magic Bean ticks these boxes. 

I got my Magic Bean (the name is toooooo cute) from Amazon, and it's currently on sale for £14.99. I got mine in hot pink but it comes in plenty of other colours (including black, my second choice).

I haven't actually properly used it in an emergency situation but I've had a play around and I like it. As a girl with a giant handbag the size is fine for me - it's not small (like those usb chargers) but it fits into the palm of my hand and because it's bigger it's more powerful, which I want. For a man it might not be viewed as portable (as it's not that pocket friendly).

So conclusion for now? I'm happy and the serach is over. If anything changes I shall update this post.

(Also - for iphone 5 you will need to use your own usb cable, as the cable provided is not compatible - but this is stated).

Bye!

Monica Vinader Jun necklace and Ava pendant

Hi Guys!

For Christmas I got a few Monica Vinader bits and bobs. My obsession came out of nowhere and my first baby was my gold chain fiji bracelet birthday present, and now I have a few babies, whom I all love dearly.

I can't remember if I said in the fiji bracelet post or not, but the online service - both the customer service and the dispatch/delivery are really impressive. And I love the little bag and packaging. 

I chose all the items myself (because I'm too fussy) and I am really happy with my choices.
After stocking up on arm candy I decided I wanted to dip my toe into some neck bling. I chose the Jun necklace as it's 32 inches long so is a good length for my baby buffalo neck - 18 inches is not a necklace for me. It was £90 but is nw on sale on monicavindaer.com (omg I am so tempted to buy more!). I've worn it a few times and the length is great. i must admit that having a long necklace is not very practical and I live in fear of it snagging and breaking on something but I just have to be more mindful of it. It's also weird having that colour breaking up my usually black top. Obviously it's only a thin bit of gold but I'm use to a sea of block black. Sometimes I just wear it tucked under my top - I just like knowing it's there. 

To go with my Jun necklace I picked one pendant. The idea is to have loads but as I was not sure if I would get a lot of wear out of my necklace I didn't want money to be wasted on pendants that would not get to leave the house. The one I chose to be my first was the Ava Oval Pendant. I thought it is a nice simple design and not too small in proportion to me (I can't be having a tiny delicate chain with a cute dainty pendant - I would love to be able to wear that...but no). Sadly I just looked on the site and it doesn't seem to be there anymore? But there are loads of other pendants to have a look at. (I can't remember how much this was - I think maybe £70?)

The other reason I liked the Ava Oval Pendant is because Monica Vinader offers free engraving - and this can be engraved on both sides. On one side I got 555 - 5 in Thai is 'ha', so 55 is hahaha = lol = laughing. Bless my mum - she loves texting and we're always having 555 moments so this engraving makes me smile so much.

The other side - I hope this doesn't offend anyone - is a bible verse - Colossians 3:14 - to me basically, it's about living a good life and loving each other and just being a great person.

My fiji and the pendant basically are my interpretation of....LIVE (Col 3.14)  LAUGH (555) and LOVE (saranghae)!!!

I know LLL is cliched but that's kind of what I like about it - it captures 'this' moment of time - I'll be the generation where everyone has either a YOLO or LLL tattoo, and I've captured it in my jewelry. But I thought my interpretation gave it a more personal touch, and doesn't make me look too immature when I'm at work or whatever. So yeah. It makes sense to me.

If you like simple jewelry I would honestly recommend Monica Vinader. 

Sleek - blush by 3 in Pumpkin review

I AM IN LOVE!!!!

My 3rd Sleek palette and argh look at the pigmentation!!!!!!!!

The Sleek Blush by 3 palette in Pumpkin (rrp £9.99).

Basically, orange, hot pink and red: latern, squash and p pie (not in order).
Which I know sounds crazy but it works. The trick is to blend blend blend. 

I do not, i repeat I do not wear my blusher this low down but I just wanted to show you that  a gentle dab gives you colour but is not scary (I hope that doesn't look scary?)

Happy New Year 2014

Hello Hello :)

A bit late per usual but I just wanted to wish everyone a very Happy New Year! I hope everyone is happy and healthy this year as always, and may 2014 be a prosperous year for you all.

Sleek - Face Form review

Hi Guys,

Another product I am loving - the Sleek face form palette. One of Sleek's most popular products was the Contour Kit (which I have yet to get my hands on), and that contained a contouring and highlighting powder - this is a slightly more pimped up product with the addition of a blusher/bronzer.

This retails for £9.99 (I got mine as a 3 for 2) and I got mine in the shade 'light'. The face form palette comes in 4 shades: fair, light , medium and dark. Confusingly fair and light are the same, and then medium and dark are the same. Medium and dark consists of a bronzer, highlighter and contour shade, whilst the fair and light swaps bronzer for a blusher - specifically a rose gold blush. I could have gone for the medium palette but I have a few shimmery bronzers I'm already working through so thought that the blusher would be of better value to me.

I must say, I love Sleek.. The pigmentation is amazing. The contour shade is nice and matt and works well on my colouring. I'm not very good at applying the highlight shade but I'm practising - some days I get it right, most days I look like a member of Twilight. At first I was not keen on the blusher (I made the purchase online without swatching in store - FYI that is how much I trust Sleek!) as I'm also not great with applying blusher and I thought this was too shimmery (it is a shimmery rose gold) but now that I'm use to wearing blusher I like this shade on me - and sometimes I even top it up with my other Sleek blusher shades to give it extra pop! I look like a clown but I think it's quite cute in the winter. Or maybe I look like I have swine flu. Whatever - I really enjoying using the face form palette in conjunction with my ther Sleek blush palettes.

Are you a Sleek fan? I think my aim in life is to buy all the blush palettes - dream big girls(!) 

Tangle teezer part deux

Hi Guys!

So excited - present numero uno in my magical advent calendar (day 1 is my actual birthday) was....a tangle teezer! A leopard print compact styler to be exact.

I love this because a) tangle teezers are bloody amazing b) leopard print is bloody amazing c) I was eyeing this up but couldn't justify buying myself another tangle teezer. So hallelujah to receive this! (Thank you!)

So quick recap about the tangle teezer - god's gift to bad hair. Get's through tangles (woah!) and doesn't cause as much damage as traditional hair brush things. And it feels sxy on the scalp; I know you know what I'm talking about!

But whaddup with the compact styler bit? Basically this is a tangle teezer that you can carry around in your handbag. Obviously you can carry the traditional tangle teezer around but this is a) a bit smaller (not too small to make a different on usage - still bloody amazing) b) comes with a....not a case...bristle protector? A plastic thing you stick on - a bit like a tupperware lid? Hopefully the pictures are doing a better job at explaining than I am....

Anyway. I love it. It's leopard print and tres practical.