NOTD: Vogue Vert

I received an email from a PR, the day after the shortlist for the Marie Claire blog awards was announced, asking if they could provide me with a polish from the Nubar 'Polished Chic Collection' to wear to the awards. I hadn't tried Nubar before so I took them up on their lovely offer and the colour I chose was 'Vogue Vert' (perhaps a little bit of an oversight on my part considering the awards are being held by a rival magazine), which is described as a 'contemporary light green creme'. 

The application of this was flawless for me, pretty opaque on the first coat and completely opaque by the second. It smells a little stronger than some of my other polishes but I was pleased to see it was missing some nasty chemicals and features the little 'cruelty free' bunny on the bottle. The bottle design is also great for someone clumsy like me; a sturdy, wide base and tight fitting cap. The official UK retailer is The Beauty Shed.

I'll definitely be picking a few of these up! Do you own any Nubar polishes and can you recommend some colours?

xx

p.s. My boyfriend informs me this is a good dupe for Bianchi's Celeste Green...just in case you're looking to match your manicure to a bicycle company's trademark shade.

Valentine's Gift Ideas

This is not me dropping hints to the boyfriend, we don't actually acknowledge Valentine's day...but this was requested and, as I love a bit of gift guide curation, I thought I would oblige. If you're single just use it as an excuse to treat yourself and I promise there will be no more references to Valentine's day after this post!

For Her

• Lingerie: an obvious choice perhaps, but very impressive if done right. Guys...don't go for things that are red and black, constructed entirely of dental floss or with slits (unless your girlfriend has explicitly stated that's what she likes). Keep it classy! On the highstreet try Topshop. Good mid-price brands to look out for are Anthropologie (pictured above),  Princesse Tam Tam, Elle McPherson Intimates and Mimi Holliday. For a slightly bigger budget, you can't go wrong with Stella McCartney or Myla.
• Perfume: again not stunningly original but wonderful when thought has clearly been put into it. A quick Google will tell you the notes of the scent she already wears. Pop these into Fragrantica and it will give you perfumes from the same olfactory family, complete with reviews, to help you make a choice. Above is Lolita Lempicka for Women, which has notes of anise, vanilla and iris.
• Candles: effortlessly romantic. Try 'In Love' by makeup artist Daniel Sandler and artisanal candle crafter Jonathan Ward, a beautifully scented candle which can double as a body oil when melted. Alternatively, Diptyque is a great choice - Baies, Tubereuse and Jasmin are popular scents.
• Chocolates: I'm not a fan of chocolate, but even I would melt a bit at the gorgeous packaging of these Prestat chocolates. The heart shaped box comes in three sizes, so it needn't break the bank either.
• Nail Polish: this is a great option for a smaller gift. Topshop have a great range, just pick one with a suitable name (as above): Bees Knees, Play For Keeps, Forget Me Not.

For Him

• Chocolate: sometimes guys seem to really miss out on the chocolate front around Valentine's day, despite there being an awful lot of them with a sweet tooth. Skip the heart shaped chocolate boxes and go for some apt, yet kitsch, American sweets!
• Moleskine: like any other gift-giving time of the year, it's nice to receive something you wouldn't necessarily buy for yourself. Most men I know seem to love the luxurious look and feel Moleskine notebooks.
• Tickets: whether they are for rugby, football, theatre or a concert. It's a nice way to show you've been paying attention to the football/golf/heavy metal talk and the chances are it will result in a day out together if he decides to give you the other ticket.
• Socks: Topman's heart print offerings are simultaneously cute, practical and budget friendly.
• Aftershave: as with the tips for buying perfume above, try finding out the notes of his favourite scent and choosing a variant. Pictured above is the newly launched Spicebomb by Victor & Rolf, currently exclusive to Harrods, which has masculine notes of spice, vetiver and wood. 
• Something engraved: men are generally more sentimental than they would like to admit, so having something engraved with a few not-too-slushy words is likely to be well received. You can get all sorts of things engraved but some unique choices are a guitar pick (above) or collar stiffeners.

I hope this was helpful and you all had a nice weekend.
xx

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in 'Tipsy'

(Left: blended, Right: swatched)

(I need to stage an intervention for my brows. They are truly awful at the moment.)

It's the curse of the North-America-only products again. 

I know, I know, if we didn't have Vaseline in the UK I'd probably want it. But I saw such tempting swatches of these blushes all over the internet and then Anna (one of my top 5 enablers) mentioned 'Tipsy' and my resistance failed. I managed to find it on Ebay for pretty much the US retail price of $25 (including shipping) and unsullied by human hands, so into the basket it went. 

I don't need cosmetic assistance to look flushed if I am indeed tipsy - but this is a hell of a lot prettier.  It looks slightly radioactive in the pan but it's a gorgeous, brightening coral which will suit pretty much everyone. It translates beautifully onto the skin and, when I stepped into a meeting today, the first thing said was 'Oh, you look healthy' (...without an ounce of sarcasm). 

Apparently this is one of the only non-matte shades but you'd be hard pushed to tell. It reminds me a little of MAC Sheertone blushes but with a superior texture and considerably longer-wearing. They are marketed as '12-hour' blushes and Tarte says the long wear is due to the 'Amazonian clay', which harvested by capybaras...or something.

If anything, my only complaint is that these are too pigmented. You really need the right brush for this blush, preferably something dense at the base and a little more sparse at the tip - I found my Real Techniques multi task brush worked perfectly. I'm not sure if it's just this shade or all of them, though I have intentions of getting some more!

*I've now linked the seller above - they are stocking 'Dollface' and 'Blissful' now!

Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie

(Sorry for the creepy lip shot!)

Blogs and Youtube have a funny ability to whip up a real storm about products which would otherwise probably just fly under the radar. 'Moisturising' lipsticks are nothing new but the reviews and swatches of the shade range looked so good I couldn't resist when Estée kindly offered to pick one up for me while she was in Canada. 

Continuing my love for berry toned makeup, I asked her to try and find the shade 'Berry Smoothie', and here it is. It reminds me a little of a more berry toned NARS Orgasm due to the very tiny bit gold glitter. After bad experiences with MAC frost finish lipsticks, I was a bit apprehensive but the formula feels totally smooth and the glitter is barely noticeable, just slightly sheeny. My boyfriend hates a lot of my lipsticks but actually said he liked this one on me (unprompted), which is a good indication of how easy they are to wear.

They aren't quite as moisturising as the Korres Lip Butters that I featured earlier this month, but I certainly wasn't underwhelmed and I think I'll be picking up a couple more when they are launched in the UK on 14th March.

Mooncup

One of the things I love most about blogging is the opportunity to spread the word about truly brilliant products that are not backed by expensive ad campaigns - such as the product that features in this post.

It has had maybe the ultimate road test as I've been using it for two years. However it isn't something I've posted about yet because I'm not very comfortable talking to the internet about my menstrual cycle. But after reading Product Pixie's hilarious review of some 'lady products' I decided I just needed to get over it and write this post. So, I'd like to introduce you to the Mooncup.

Hello.

Just a quick interjection into my posting schedule to say thank you all very much for taking the time out of your day to nominate and vote for me in the Marie Claire Blog Awards. I was absolutely amazed to see I had made the shortlist this morning! So thank you, so much, again.

Lips So Facto might be slightly glitchy for the next couple of days as you might have noticed it has had a bit of a makeover. There are now links to a Lips So Facto Facebook page and Bloglovin' to your right.

And finally, my blog address is now http://www.lipssofacto.com/. Blogger *should* automatically redirect you so see you there!

xx

Handbag Essentials: Vol. 2

My next handbag essential is a good hand cream. As an ex-employee of L'Occitane, I'll happily recommend their shea butter hand cream which sinks in easily without feeling greasy. The same can be said for Soap & Glory's Hand Food, which has the added bonus of smelling rather beautiful.

But instead I decided to feature a new love, Burt's Bees Beeswax and Banana hand cream.

Ok, so a glass jar isn't the most practical thing to tote around but, BUT, this smells of those foam bananas you used to be able to get in pick and mix at the newsagents (RIP penny sweets...they probably cost £5 each these days). The cream is very rich and a little goes a long way, but it leaves behind a velvety, rather than greasy, feel so you don't have to hang around for 15 minutes feeling like you've just dunked your hands in olive oil. It's enriched with beeswax, aloe vera and sweet almond oil and my hands absolutely love it.

Burt's Bees Beeswax and Banana hand cream is £8.50 for 55g with free delivery on feelunique.com (mine was closer to £10 at Boots), so not the cheapest hand cream on the market, but it just feels and smells so lovely that this will be a definite repurchase. 

An Evening with Daniel Sandler

One of my favourite beauty related 'tweeters' is Daniel Sandler. The man is absolutely full of amazing makeup tips and incredibly generous with his knowledge. So when LookFantastic.com offered beauty bloggers an evening with the man himself, along with haircare and skincare advice from the experts, I practically bit their hands off.

On Thursday night I went to FOUR London, a tranquil hair salon which is tucked just a few hundred metres from the bustle of late night shoppers on Regent Street. Started by four leading colour specialists, it seems like the go-to salon if you're considering a major hair colour change. The girls were absolutely lovely and on hand to offer colour consultations, but to be honest I was so caught up with the slew of makeup tips upstairs that I missed out on that and the introduction to Doctor Duve Medical Skincare.*

With his beautifully scented candle burning in the background (it is made of organic soy wax so it can also multitask as a body oil - which was quite the revelation to me!) Daniel was demonstrating two of the most classic, but sometimes difficult, makeup looks: the smokey eye and the red lip.

For the smokey eye, Daniel suggested using a couple of pencils rather than eyeshadows. Drawing the liner on close to the lash line and then smudging out with a brush is a long-wearing and super simple way to achieve a smokey eye. Daniel demonstrated how the simple addition of a softly blended second line of pencil along the lash line made the look more dramatic with very little effort.

He insisted that age should not be a limitation when attempting the smokey eye as it looks equally beautiful on more mature ladies. Daniel added that the look could be softened by using a grey, rather than black, pencil.

To open up the eyes Daniel recommended investing in some great eyelash curlers and said his favourites are Shiseido and Shu Uemura.

Daniel demonstrating the art of blotting on Holly

Moving onto the red lip Daniel reasserted that he is a 'makeup artist without rules', stating that he thinks all women can pull off the red lip, as women of the 1940's had only shades of red to choose from yet always looked incredibly glamorous.

My favourite of Daniel's lipstick tips (and one that I often use, as sometimes a full on lip is a bit scary) was to dab lipstick onto the lips with your finger tips to create a wearable stain. Daniel also suggests placing more product on the upper lip to give the illusion of plumpness, as the bottom lip is generally fuller.

For more mature skin, or those who find lipstick feathers around the edges, Daniel suggested his Automatic Long Lasting Lip Liner, which is silicone based to fill in the fine lines around the mouth. For even more longevity, he recommended building the layers of lipstick by gently blotting with a tissue in between.

It was a lovely evening, so a big thank you to LookFantastic.com, FOUR London and Daniel!

xx

* I did pick up a sample of the Doctor Duve Anti Ageing & Firming eye cream, however, which is by far the most effective eye cream I have ever tried - but unfortunately it comes with a £165 price tag. My debit card is cowering in the corner at that revelation. 

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum

After Cami's glowing review I thought I would give the Bourjois Healthy Mix line another chance. I really didn't get on with the original Healthy Mix foundation, it was heavily fragranced, felt too heavy on my skin and the colour wasn't right for me. Healthy Mix Serum, however, is quite different.

It is still heavily fragranced but the bottle does state it is hypoallergenic, so it is hard to say whether it would cause issues for those with sensitive or acne prone skin. The texture is very similar to Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua, however (on my skin) the Chanel foundation oxidises by at least two shades to become quite orange-y, which is endlessly frustrating. I've compared them side by side below, and whilst the Bourjois foundation appears to darken by a shade in the photo, I personally don't think it changes at all. Result!

(When first applied onto skin. Left: Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua in B20 Beige Tendre, Right: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 52 Vanille)

(After 1 minute. Left: Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua in B20 Beige Tendre, Right: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 52 Vanille)

WOAH! Hello, close-up. Sorry if you're eating your cereal. The photo is a little overexposed but completely unretouched so you can see it leaves a pretty nice finish. I have a little bit of MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural in Light Plus to set the foundation, NARS Sin on my cheeks and a little concealer to cover my under eye bags luggage, but otherwise the healthy dewy finish is the work of Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum. It gives a light-medium coverage that will build nicely to a good medium coverage.

The finish is semi-matte but after about 4 hours wear my skin looks a little glowier than I would personally like. This could probably be easily resolved with a mattifying moisturiser (I love La Roche Posay Effeclar M but I've run out) or primer. Radiance is definitely the right word as it didn't slip into oily territory but it does, however, probably mean Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum would be a no-go for oily skinned girls.

Again I'm disappointed with the shade range, which currently stands at 6. The screenshot below of the darkest shade taken from the Bourjois website looks more like a Romford tan (no hating now, I'm a proud Essex girl!) than an attempt at accommodating different races.

At £10.99 for 30ml, it is fractionally more expensive than the original Healthy Mix foundation and creeping towards higher end price points. However it feels like a much more expensive product and overall this is one of the best drugstore foundations I've tried and it is unlikely to end up gathering dust in a drawer.

Handbag Essentials: Vol. 1

My first handbag essential is a conditioning lip product and preferably one that multitasks. 

For me, the best examples are Korres lip butters which retail at £6 for a 6g pot and come in a veritable fruit bowl of varieties, all with different tints: Guava, Quince, Wild Rose, Jasmine, Plum, Pomegranate and Mango.

Primarily a moisturising lip treatment, with Shea butter and rice wax, these sink into the lips beautifully. Korres state these lip butters are 'ideal for chapped lips' but I think there are much better products available for very dry lips. However they are perfect for everyday use and also have a decent hint of colour to keep your makeup looking 'done'. I've actually used tiny bit of the Wild Rose lip butter as a cream blush to at the end of a very long day when I was suffering from chronic 'dead face'.

If, like me, you cringe a bit at having to dip your finger into a tub while out and about, Korres have also brought out a stick version of the lip butters that also have SPF15 - however I haven't personally tried these yet so can't offer a review.*

What lip products live in your handbag?

xx

*It seems they don't compare much at all - a reader tells me: 'I have tried the stick version and the pot one because I don't like to dip my finger in. They have nothing to do with each other. The stick is not moisturizing and the colours don't show.They do not smell as amazing as the pots either. Yes they are more handy but it is like using a completely different product!'

New Brushes

I have a terrible habit of shopping when I get stressed. This is the fall out from two big essays that I was working on over Christmas and into the new year...

Louise Young LY20 Superfan Whilst this brush is by no means a necessity (and I admit I ordered it in a sleep deprived haze at about 3.30am) it is beautifully constructed and actually very useful indeed. This is no ordinary fan brush, it's a monster, but surprisingly easy to use; perfect for dusting a light veil of loose powder over the skin but I also loved the effect it gave when used with NARS Laguna bronzer and Albatross highlighter.

Sigma F55 Small Duo Fibre I actually ordered the two Sigma brushes on Black Friday when there was international shipping but they took almost two months to arrive. That aside, this is a very useful little brush and the only duo fibre I own. I bought it predominantly to use with cream blushers and highlighters but I used it with MAC's Well Dressed powder blush this morning and it gives a light but precise application. 

Sigma E45 Small Tapered Blending Brush This is an awesome crease brush and tapered enough to be precise but fluffy enough to do most of the blending work without switching brushes. 

Louise Young LY24a Yes, this is one of the brushes from my '12 products I'd like to try in 2012 post'...that didn't take long, did it?! I'm still getting used to this one, but it already blows my MAC 210 out of the water.

Are there any 'must have' brushes in your collection?
xx

Guest Post: Glossybox FOR MEN!

A bit of a different post today as I (perhaps ill-advisedly) hand over my blog to a guest reviewer, my boyfriend Matt, to tell us his thoughts on Glossybox's latest venture.

Hello! I'm Matt, Meg's boyfriend.  

I'm not exactly the type of person who you would describe as a regular beauty product user. I work as a chef and commute by bike, as well as cycling long distances on my days off, and so far a good antiperspirant, a nice eau de toilette and a little bit of chamois cream (Google if you have to) have been all I've needed. 

So it is with great intrigue and interest that I get to review the first male targeted offering from Glossybox and believe me, I've put it through it's paces!

(Meg: I omitted the photos of the box, but it's presented in a lovely taupe-grey version of the usual box with black packaging. Personally I wasn't sure that keeping the 'Glossybox' name would appeal to men, but Matt wasn't bothered.)

Hex Glitter NOTD

I've been a little bit obsessed with hex glitter lately. However not enough to warrant dropping £16 on a Deborah Lippmann nail polish!

After a quick browse on ebay I found this Saffron multi-sized gold glitter polish for £1.99 including postage. I tried it out over Rimmel Lycra Pro in 365 Beige Style (which, by the way, are some of my favourite polishes for formula and brush shape) and the result was very pretty indeed!

Have you got any hex glitters in your nail polish collection? Any recommendations?
xx

Marie Claire Blog Awards

So it seems I have been nominated for the Marie Claire blog awards.

I'll be completely honest in that I don't really know how I feel about magazines holding blogger awards...

BUT

The fact any of you took the time out of your day to nominate me (and potentially vote for me - if you wish to do so, just click the logo above) means a lot and you can consider my cockles well and truly warmed. I'm in a list with some very established bloggers that I truly admire and I only just hit 500 followers on GFC yesterday so I'm very humbled indeed. Thank you.

xx

12 Things I'd like to try in 2012

I know this is a hideously materialistic post to come smack bang after Christmas but there are twelve products here (i.e. one per month) ranging from £2.95 to £32. It is highly unlikely all of these purchases will be made, but I thought it might be interesting anyway - and I'd love to know what is on your 2012 shopping list.

Daniel Sandler Watercolour blush I add a watercolour blush to my online-window-shopping basket (please tell me someone else does this?!) at least once per month (usually Pop or Cherub for those wondering). But when I close the tab and condemn my shopping basket to the big retail wishlist in the sky, the poor little watercolour blush goes too. It's about time it made it to the checkout.

Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Intense I'd probably have caved and purchased one of these by now if Giorgio Armani wasn't so tricky to find. Next time I'm in the vicinity of Selfridges I will have another swatch session.

La Roche Posay Effeclar Duo My skin isn't that unruly these days but as a fan of the La Roche Posay products I've tried so far, this is next on my list as I've seen some very positive reviews about its skin 'congestion' clearing properties.

Diorskin Sculpt concealer Again this is on my list from reading some great reviews. Apparently it's a great under eye concealer.

Louise Young LY24a I own two brushes from Louise Young already (LY34 and LY31) and they are excellent brushes. I believe Cami and Deniz are fans of this eyeliner brush and those girls have great winged liner.

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Boy I don't own any truly high-end lipsticks and I've had my eye on this one. The colour and sheerness makes it very wearable - which I think it needs to be if I'm going to spend that much!

Bioderma Crealine H2O Another one I just haven't gotten around to trying. I'm a big fan of my trusty La Roche Posay micellar solution, but I've heard this works out cheaper.

Dior Amber Diamond I've read a whole stream of positive reviews about this highlighter and it looks absolutely beautiful. So far I've been put off by the price, but we'll see!

Real Techniques Powder Brush You may have noticed Real Techniques featured in my Top Products of 2011, so it may be no surprise there are other brushes in the range that I want to try.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed I've seen numerous mentions of this blush (Sandra and Allison in particular) and the slightly berry toned brown looks stunning.

Laura Mercier Mineral Powder Foundation My previous foray into mineral makeup was a bit hit and miss but I've heard good things about this one. It would also be my first purchase from Laura Mercier.

LUSH Bubble Bar I feel a little out of the loop having never purchased a single thing from LUSH. I just can't stand the smell in the shop so never stay in there long enough to make a purchase. Yet plenty of people seem to adore their products, and I love bath products so I think it's time I gave it a go.

Narciso Rodriguez for her EDP and EDT

Things got a little Narciso Rodriguez crazy over Christmas. My boyfriend's parents very kindly gifted me the EDT (the black bottle) and I had already ordered myself the EDP (the pink bottle) from Feel Unique. I was about to send the EDP back but I quickly realised they were in fact rather different perfumes. The EDP is actually the one I fell in love with at first whiff in the duty free area of an airport - but I love them equally for their different characters (don't I sound like a mother being asked to choose a favourite child? Awkward).

First of all, I love the packaging. No flowers or frills just a satisfyingly cold, chunky glass bottle; the interior painted in sleek pink or black, with a weighty, glossy plastic cap. 

I'm no olfactory aficionado but I'll do my best to describe the scents. Both scents come from a similar family as my beloved Stella, listing woody base notes, amber heart notes and floral top notes.

Narciso Rodriguez for her 50ml EDT (£40.80) The dry down time seems quite a bit longer than some of my other perfumes, so definitely one to 'spray and walk away' if you try it out in store. The initial notes are considerably sweeter than the EDP however I wouldn't call this a 'sweet' perfume due to the slightly masculine muskiness which I notice a lot more in this version. It actually put me off a little initially (if you dislike The Body Shop White Musk collection, you'll know what I mean) but now I find myself really enjoying the musky notes. The citrusy notes are most prominent for me, if a little sharp, so some people may enjoy the more feminine scent of this version.

The blurb lists top notes of flower honey, middle notes of amber light and base notes of tactile woods.

Narciso Rodriguez for her 100ml EDP (£60.75) Again this perfume seems to have quite a long dry down time and the first notes I get are quite grassy but this softens into the pink floral top notes described in the blurb. The woody notes really come out on my skin and a slight hint of vanilla lend it a rounded, creamy quality which I absolutely love. The only hitch is this EDP doesn't seem to last quite as long as the EDT on me - but I do wonder if this is because there are notes in the EDT that I don't usually wear and therefore notice more?

The blurb lists top notes of pink floral, middle notes of soft amber and base notes of voluptuous woods.

Have you tried either version of Narciso Rodriguez for her? What are your favourite perfumes?

xx

Top Products of 2011

• MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural in Light Plus The perfect balance for me between mattifying and sheer - not the longest lasting powder but it never looks cakey so touch ups aren't an issue. 
• MAC Melba Blush An infinitely wearable, complexion lifting dirty peach shade.
• NARS Sheer Glow in Ceylan The best colour range and ratio between coverage and lightweight feel that I have found so far.
• Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer Very long-lasting and excellent value for money.
• Honourable mention: Sleek Blushes Consistently brilliant pigmentation, wide range of colours and finishes and great value for money. (Blushes pictured: Fenberry and Pomegranate)

• MUA Heaven + Earth Palette The perfect everyday palette with nice range of neutral colours which are smooth and well pigmented - and it only costs £4.
• Honourable mention: Sephora Professional Mineral Powder Brush #45 My favourite brush to use in combination with the NARS foundation. Very soft synthetic hairs which wash well and give an airbrushed finish.
• Real Techniques A brilliant economical, versatile and cruelty free brush range. The ones I have tried wash fantastically, have not shed a single hair and are super soft.
• Cosmetics A La Carte Brow Ink A long-wearing and very natural looking brow product - I only discovered this in November but it quickly overtook all of my other brow products for the top spot.
• Maybelline The Falsies Mascara I'm not the most discerning of mascara users as I really just want to darken the blonde tips of my eyelashes - but this one is reasonably priced, extra black with a clump-and-flake-free formula/brush combination.
• Maybelline Eye Studio Liner Much as I love my Shu Uemura Painting Liner it was just pipped to the post by this Maybelline offering. A nice creamy formula, well pigmented and smudge-proof: all for considerably less than Shu Uemura (£4.99 at Superdrug at time of writing)

• Clarisonic Classic A very effective, if pricey, skincare tool. My skin is noticeably softer and less congested since using it. 
• Redken All Soft Conditioner Leaves hair super soft and shiny without weighing it down.
• Alpha H Liquid Gold My first foray into glycolic acid skincare products - noticeably refined my skin and reduced the frequency of breakouts. 
• Honourable mention: Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish A cult product that doesn't require much introduction. Effectively removes even stubborn eye makeup without leaving the skin feeling stripped.
• Tangle Teezer A must-have, even for my relatively tangle-free short hair. It never snags or breaks my hair.

In my eagerness to get this post up before it was time to think about 2012 favourites I completely forgot to photograph my Korres lip butter and shower gel. Sorry, Korres! So if you want to know why those made the cut this year you can watch me ramble away below:

Chanel Peridot

I thought this little beauty deserved its own post. Yes, I realise the 'hype' for this product was some months ago (last year, in fact!), but if nothing else I am giving Chanel Peridot it's own post because it is the first Chanel polish I've owned that doesn't chip like you've just painted your nails with wet chalk. These photos were taken after 4 days of wear with no base or top coat. Hallelujah! 

Plus I'm quite pleased with how the camera caught the rather stunning duo (multi?) chrome. It shifts between an antique gold and peacock green in a way that reminds me of a scarab beetle. It's rapidly overtaking Nails Inc Jermyn Street as my favourite ever nail polish despite, as I said in an earlier post, never considering purchasing it.*

xx

n.b. A word of warning: it appears that it can pull different colours on other people; I recall Louise from Get Lippie wasn't a fan back in August. So it might be something to be aware of before handing over your pennies. 

*This was a gift from my sister.

New Year's Resolutions

(Yes, I know, this picture has shit all to do with this post but I thought it was vaguely New Year's-ish. She's looking into the future? And it's from a Stine Goya campaign, if you were wondering.)

I know it's lame but I wanted to post these here for posterity so I can look back on them in a few months (or even a few weeks) and see how I'm getting on.

1. Walk for 30 minutes everyday: by this I mean walk for the sake of walking rather than on my way somewhere as I already do that anyway. I live near a beautiful park and I think a short walk round there, with no other distractions, every single day would do me a world of good
2. Eat more fruit and vegetables: this is probably the ultimate New Year's Resolution cliche but my parents gave Matt and I the River Cottage Veg book for Christmas and it's full of great recipes that aren't all cheese and breadcrumbs so I really have no excuse. I actually really love vegetables but as Matt is at work most evenings I get a bit lazy and don't cook them for my self as often as I should. 
3. Read more: obviously as an English student I already read a lot, but rarely finish my reading in time for my lectures and I really want to make an effort to make sure I'm fully prepared for all my modules this year.
4. Stretch everyday: I'm 'blessed' with hypermobility syndrome and I often feel like my muscles are too short for my body, which is uncomfortable but usually quite easily relieved by stretching. So whether I practice yoga or just stretch out a couple of muscle groups each day I want to make an effort not to get so knotted up. 
5. Give back: One in four children leave London primary schools unable to read properly. There is a scheme running called Volunteer Reading Help that provides one-on-one reading support to struggling pupils and I've been meaning to volunteer for months. I've had the privilege of a good education and it would be nice to think I've contributed towards others having the same.

So they are my 2012 resolutions. What are yours?
xx

Happy New Year!

Topshop Fisherman Jumper By Boutique, Topshop Ambush boots, H&M tunic

ASOS armour cuff, American Apparel suede pouch, DP cream slouch top

DP blonde fur stole, DP floral tee, Topshop high waisted Kristen jeans

As I scheduled this post I suppose I'm talking to you from last year. Creepy. I hope you had a good end to 2011, whatever you were up to. Personally I find New Year's Eve a little bittersweet so don't expect me to report back with tales of a wild night out.

I had a comment on my previous post suggesting I post my highstreet picks of the month. I found out that the commenter, Rachel, actually has a blog herself if you want to go and give her some love. She likes Scandinavian things so she's instantly cool in my book. 

Anyway, I thought it was a great idea so here is my selection for January, loosely inspired by this gorgeous editorial of Bambi Northwood-Blyth for Harper's Bazaar Russia. The colour palette just seemed apt for a new year. 

Let me know what you think and maybe I'll do the same next month. Is there anything you have your eye on at the moment?

xx