Where the magic happens - A tour of my beauty room

I love spending time in this room. I get ready for work in here, I come home I take my makeup off in here. I even prep myself for bed in here. I feel like I’m stepping into a little boutique, sometimes trying on lipsticks, blushers and eyeshadows I didn't even know I had!

What I really love about this room is it’s somewhere me and my Mum spend a lot of time together. Sometimes we’ll both stand in front of the mirror having a chat doing our makeup together. Most weekends I’ll spend time teaching her new techniques or trying different looks on her, its real quality time. We both work so hard and having this room has given us our time back and it makes me so happy because I get the feeling I used to get when I was younger, when I would sit and watch my Mum put her make up on before a night out or for work. So you can see why this space is so important to me. Not only do I spend time with my Mum in here, sometimes when I’m getting ready my fiancé will take a seat, put on some music and we’ll just chat while I get ready. This room is my little creation and it’s somewhere I get to reflect, pamper, bond, relax and beautify. What more could I want? 

I’m a crazy, neat freak so everything has a place. I could close my eyes and find what I need in that room despite the amount of hair and beauty products I have. I’m in love with acrylic storage, they’re perfect for adding space and go beautifully with any colour or style room. They’re a universal must have! I bought my acrylic lipstick holders from TK Maxx for £7.99 and my drawers from Muji online for £24.95. I wanted to keep this room clutter-free and minimal yet feminine and girly at the same time, so a lot of the treasures and trinkets I buy are pastel, polka or have cute detailing like bows and hearts (I’m crazy for hearts!) The jars I keep my brushes in are a sure example, these little cuties were from B&M and were £2.99 each.

I have a hand-painted (by me) pink shelf from B&Q on which I like to keep my rose and vanilla scented candles, underneath you’ll find my mini tiara/headdress collection. For some strange reason friends gift me tiaras quite a lot, so I thought it would be cute to have somewhere to hang them and they make for really cute decorations. 

There is still a little bit I’d like to do to this room, I am currently in the process of collecting artwork and photographs for the larger wall, just to add more of a grown up feel. I also want a window seat as I keep the last 4 issues of Elle in here so it’d be nice to sit by the window, feet up with a cup of tea and my favourite magazine.

I do believe it’s important to have a space that’s yours, somewhere that brings you real happiness and allows you to explore your creativity. Somewhere simple you can make great memories and even greater transformations. It doesn’t have to be a whole room, just somewhere for you outside of the madness of the real world, where you can retreat, relax and enjoy. 

Do you have a special place you go to relax? Do you think it's important to have somewhere you can retreat to? 

OOTD - On Wednesdays we wear Pink.

So, this is a quick post on one of my favourite outfits I wore last week and you guessed it, it was PINK! In true spirit I joined the boys and girls of the world celebrating the 10^th anniversary of Mean Girls albeit a little late but I still took part.

If my friends are reading this (which they should be!) they are probably sat wondering how I came to a decision on which of my many pink items of clothing I would wear. My answer to them, it was simple (ish). As it was mid-week and my outfit had to be office-friendly. It would need to be quite smart, but I wanted to keep the fun and playful-ness of my personality whilst throwing in a huge salute to the bitchiness of the film itself and to the personalities of its many loved characters.

I was going to go for bright-pink and mo-hair, however for me that, like totally screams CLUELESS! So I opted for softer colours. I bought a brand new dusky pink jumper from Primark. I do love this jumper however I bought it a little too big so it’s a little saggy now around the bottom. I can still wear it but it doesn’t look as good with a shirt underneath anymore because it doesn’t hold tight in the right places. For the price of the jumper I’m not going to grumble, the material quality is lovely and I absolutely love the style. The short sleeves are the cutest and the detail around the neckline is glam-o-rous!

In complete homage to Regina, Kady, Gretchen and Karen I doubled up by wearing my lovely pink heart shirt from New Look underneath. I wouldn’t usually wear pink on pink but because of the elbow-length sleeves on my jumper my arms were on show and broke up the colours. They didn’t clash and the outfit didn’t seem too bubblegum, Barbie-girl. Also, by doubling up there was no way on this earth I would be told I couldn’t sit with anybody that day.

Rather than wear prissy, pink courts and light blue jeggings I opted for black leggings and black cut-out boots just to throw the outfit off a little. You could say the bottom half of my outfit (bag included) was very much inspired by Janis. A little edgy and a little rebellious.   

In true bitch-style I went for a powerful red lipstick and thick, dark brows. I thought seen as how I’d pretty much incorporated my favourite aspects from the film into my outfit, the bitchiness I’d depict via my make up. Keeping the eyes nude, primed only with my Kiko eye primer, my Lady Danger painted lips popped with power. My hair tied back in a super-preppy high-school plait, I was most definitely ready to enjoy my day the mean girls way.

My Nails and I - Gel polishes and quick drying nail product review

Hey ho! Hope you have all had a lovely weekend, the weather has been lovely yet again all the more reason for us girlies to spend less time waiting for our nails to dry and more time wrapping our freshly painted paws around a cool glass of wine. Anybody who knows me knows I am probably the most impatient girl in the world. I mean, I totally have time to pamper myself and I absolutely LOVE painting my nails but I HATE waiting for the to dry and I hate putting so much effort in only for them to chip after 24 measly hours. Since being younger I have always taken the time to paint my nails each night, and I have always loathed that painful wait in between putting the colour on and showing the colour off.

Now that I spend a lot of my time at working I don't have as much time to paint my nails. I most definitely don't have the time to do it every night. I've been on the hunt for a polish that will last a fair few days and also a product that will cut the time I have to wait for my polish to dry right in half. And if I found something that gave me a little extra that'd be even better!

Firstly I'll talk a little bit about the not-so new but AMAAAZING Barry M Gelly, Hi-Shine polishes (£3.99). The first time I tried these colours I was really unsure because I felt like I literally had to pile the product on in order to get my desired colour. However after giving a few more colours from this range a little try that is definitely not the case. I find the colour goes on perfect when applied properly, two even coats should be enough to give your nails the beautiful POP they so deserve. I literally could not love these polishes anymore and for someone who loves a good gel manicure these little babies are most definitely the next best thing at half the price. The varnish is super shiny, the colours are perfect and these babies usually last me around 3-4 days without a single chip. When I use these varnishes I sometimes can't stop looking at how pretty my hands look, okay when I say sometimes, I mean all the time. If you're like me and love shiny, beautiful, bright nails then these Barry M polishes are definitely for you.

Secondly we have the Maybelline, Forever Strong, Super Stay Gel Nail colour £4.99. A mouthful right? This varnish comes in only a few colours and claims to give a shiny, long-lasting (7 days to be exact) gel effect to your nails. Let me start by saying in no way, shape or form did this product last 7 days. In fact I had peeling nails within 2 days. Which for most isn't bad but I do however think that if a product claims to do something in particular and if the company are using this as a major selling point for the product then it should at least have lasted more than two days. I found the colour really nice and really easy to apply and with the lovely wide brush, and you barely need two coats as it's so vibrant and really glides on well. For me that's where the joy ended. I tried everything I could to get the varnish to last, gloves for washing up, top coat, base coat, no top coat no base coat and nothing. I also found that after a few uses my nails became really dry and brittle a few even starting to splinter. This varnish is definitely a no and for the price isn't worth it. I haven't bought any other colours since.

On to the quick drying products. I decided that I'd try three different types in order to see what type of effect they would have during and after the drying process. I chose a quick drying spray, an liquid and a varnish.

First up is Elegant Touch Rapid dry for nails, with vitamin E. This is an aerosol (with quite a lovely scent) and set me back a mere £2.99 from Boots. I find this product easy to use and it does the trick although claiming to take on 60 seconds I did feel I needed a little bit longer before the tackiness of the varnish had gone completely. I do like this product however I find it takes the shine away from the varnish so you end up with a bit more of a dull version of the colour you started with. This product did not dry out my nails which is a massive plus however I don't feel as though I'd buy it again simply because I have found something just that little bit better.

My second choice is Sally Hansen, Insta Dry top coat. This cost me £5.99 again from Boots which I got as part of a fabulous 3 for 2 deal. This is my favourite of all the products I tested because it's simply fabulous. This is a quick drying varnish which sets your colour as well as acting as a high-gloss, anti-chip top coat. After waiting for around 2 minutes for my actual varnish to dry a little I then applied the Sally Hansen top coat and within another minute or so my nails were dry and suuuuuuper shiny. My varnish lasted again around five-ish days after use and not a brittle nail in sight! This is most definitely my go to product and I'll be stocking up even before the one I have runs dry.

Last but not least we have a quick dry spray from H and M, £2.99. I do like this spray because it's quite oily and is brilliant for any dry skin around the cuticle area. However, I don't think this spray is anything special but the fact it doesn't claim to work miracles is great because it doesn't exactly what it says on the bottle, it's a quick drying spray that will set your nails in around 60 seconds and that's it. I probably wouldn't buy this product again but that is because again I have found something that works best for me.

Springing into step - Another Mini Haul

Hi everyone! Hope you've all had a blast of a bank holiday. Aren't we lucky to be having these short working weeks and long weekends recently? And the weather has been a darling to us.  I think you'll all be very proud to know that I have finally stepped up my game and I'm working hard to add some lovely Spring pastels and prints into my daily style. Like I said it's not like I don't love these colours or suit them, brights, pastels, pinks and shimmers are my favourite colours of all. I've just found it harder this time to find items that suit me. 

I took a trip to the Trafford Centre after work with one of my favourite girls. I absolutely loathe the place and it really didn't help that NOTHING at all stood out. As a curvier girl I didn't even attempt to grace the oh so bright and beautiful dreamland that was Forever 21. I know I should check it out for myself but really I haven't heard the greatest of reviews from my fellow plus sizers so thought I'd push on to the bigger (no pun intended) and not necessarily better, but definitely 'chubb-friendly' stores. 

The following day I took a trip into Manchester (Arndale) which is perfect for me. I know it like the back of my hand so I automatically know which stores cater for me and which stores do not.

I managed to bag myself a pastel pink shirt with tiny white hearts on, perfect for the girlie girl in me. Actually this shirt caught my eye as I was leaving the store so obviously I believe it was fate plus it was the last one and in my size, how could I possibly deny myself?

The bag! I had it all planned out, this month I was going to buy myself a Michael Kors bag but somehow over time I'd fallen out of love with it don't shed a tear for me yet because I found a bag I love AND I ended up saving myself £250! I used it all weekend and use it everyday for work. I love the size of this bag and the fact it sits really well on my shoulder. Even though this bag has such a short strap, which I assumed I'd only be able to carry by hand. Also you know how when you fill a bag and it tends to hurt your shoulder, I filled this yesterday for work and didn't even realise how heavy it really was, I didn't get that uncomfortable feeling I'm used to. I'm actually thinking the broadness of the strap is the reason for this. All in all I love this bag, I made a saving and I'll probably end up going back to get the tan colour which is equally as nice.

Finally, my pumps. I really do love these little babies and after the horrendous rain we've been having I had to say goodbye to two pairs of pumps last week. I very rarely buy pumps or flat shoes for that matter as they aren't my 'go-to' shoe. I would love to blow a mini-fortune on a pair but I just don't see the point at the moment. I really only wear them for work so places like Primark, Peacocks and New Look are perfect for me. 

I really like this look it's great for sunny weekend days out and really has done fabulously catapulting me into a mini pastel heaven.

Shirt £17.99, New Look

Bag   £10, Primark

Pump £10 Primark

Purse  £13 River Island

Heart Earrings  £1 Primark

Rings  £3 each River Island

'S' Necklace  ASOS