Kiss USA - Blog Giveaway WINNERS!!!

Hi Guys!!!

Picked two winners at random

(with the help of my boyfriend - pick a number between one and twenty one :p)

*****

*The first winner is SAMANTHA (YummyC00kieCRUMBS)

*The second is MELISSA (contact me on twitter or YT with you details as I don't know who you are!!!)

*****

BOTH OF YOU,

PLEASE SEND YOUR SHIPPING INFO SO I CAN GET YOUR PRIZES SHIPPED OFF TO YOU ASAP!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

xoxo

miss bb

I'm Mikhila and I'm a SHOPAHOLIC!

Well..
I'm trying to save some money and I've come up with a little idea!
I am a shopaholic! I've tried to give up shopping cold-turkey before in order to save up for something but I undoubtedly fail after day 2/3 (or even 1 in some abismal cases) and it's all over before it ever began.
I can't save money ... end of! I can, however, give someone else money to save FOR me. That would work! We've decided to go to NYC for my birthday again in february - will also get married while we're there providing all goes according to plan.. anywho.. We both agreed not to go crazy on Xmas pressies and my mum and I have already agreed a family budget of £20 per person so This year Xmas will be a budget one all round. In the interest of saving money for our trip I will be trying to scale back my spending, I have never had much luck with this in the past BUT this time I have a plan!

Much the same as when someone goes on a diet.. if you deprive yourself of all treats you will fail.. everything in moderation. I like my Friday night shopping fix,I have a little something to look forward to all week, a little incentive that just keeps me going. Now I can't go out and spend £40+ on whatever beauty product(s) I may have been coveting since Tuesday but I CAN go out and get my spending buzz and I can do it without breaking the bank.

I've wanted to try Models Own nail polishes for a while and have lost count of the amount of times I have filled up my virtual shipping cart with my wishlist online but I've never actually bought any yet.
They're £5 each from Boots which I always thought was a little much for a drugstore brand but I hear such great things I really want to test them out, plus they are fairly sizeable bottles so it's all relative!

I see these polishes as a little indulgent, more than perhaps I would normally spend on a nail polish but less than I'd spend on an average trip to boots... even if I bought two a week I'd still be saving a small fortune... So that's my plan. You may not think much of it now but when I'm tweeting you from the Big Apple you'll be laughing at me from the other side of the Atlantic let alone your face.

Every week I will purchase (or two if I'm feeling crazy) Models Own nail polish until February and Every week I will wear that (or those) shade(s) and review them on this blog. I will be building my collection, giving you all fabulous reviews, getting my shopping fix and actually saving money!
It's simply genius. And the best thing is my boyfriend LOVES nail polish.. He paints my toes for me - he pretty much gives me a weekly pedicure - I know, I'm spoiled! - He loves perousing the different colours with me.. often comparing them to the various sports cars that come in similar iconic shades of paint and get's excited about glitters and duo chromes. So it can even double up as a couples bonding activity :p

 So...I'm typing this very late night on Thursday... you know what that means!!
My first MO Friday is just one sleep away!

I know it can't just be me that craves that  rush from the cash register and I KNOW we all need to be tightening our belts a little coming up to Xmas so I want to bring some of you guys along with me..
Leave your comments below and let me know what you think or even better - that you're going to join me on my money saving mission. As I call this first Shopaholics Anonymous meeting to a close I ask you to stand up, admit you have a problem and... go and buy a load of nail polish ;)

xoxo
miss bb

Lauren Conrad - Style - Review

LAUREN

CONRAD

Style

You guys knew how excited I was to buy this book so obviously the first opportunity I got I popped down to my local Waterstones and grabbed the one and only copy!

This was 2 weeks ago now... I read the book (every word, cover to cover) in around 2 hours, since then I've gone back over my favourite chapters and now feel in a position to fully review it to you all.

***** 

I must admit I love LC so I was a little biased but I think it's a great book! I love her style and she always looks so effortlessly flawless..

There are some great sections to the group..

"Editing Your Closet"

This was great, I honestly felt inspired to revamp my whole wardrobe.. Nothing I own goes together, everything's either cheap or an impulse sales buy.. it's a false economy, pick your style and just buy the key pieces you need. Very capsule-esque.. It's the dream really isn't it?

Sometimes those of us clothes hoarders just need a push to have a big clear out and this worked for me. 

So many clothes and nothing to wear?

We've all been there..

But how do you fix that problem forever?

READ LAUREN'S BOOK 

There's a lot to talk about but in doing so I'll kind of ruin the book for you... She touches on a lot of aspects of shopping, style and organisation. From how to make sure to order the right size online to what items you can get tailored and what you just have let go of 'cause it's never gonna fit you.

There were some Chapters that I found not so informative but that's just because I've seen the "hints and tips" so many times before! How to wear a LBD 5 different ways has been featured in pretty much every glossy rag at some point so there was nothing new here... apart from cute pictures of Lauren of course.

There was even a hair and beauty section.. that was a nice surprise!

I love Laurens simple, classic look. She never really deviates which makes her very iconic but I would definitely get bored. I need to change it up once in a while!

I coveted her hair SO much but when I got may hair and extensions a very near match I realised it's really pretty dull. It's beautiful but there's no WOW factor.. not for me after all.

There's a lot to the Makeup section, Lauren reveals she hates eyeshadow.. I can see why, I had my own falling out with the cosmetic not so long ago but you can't just hate it altogether, where the colour and fashion in your makeup? Without eyes you have only lips to make your statement and she mentions that red lips do not photograph well on her.. so she's pretty much resigned to the flick of the liquid liner for drama on her face. I did like her tip - photograph yourself from all angles with the flash on before you leave the house.. this way you'll see how your makeup will react in photos.. a great tip for a big night out (especially if those photos will be out of your control and all over facebook :p) Some makeup with light reflecting particles may look fab in natural/artificial light but the flash will just wash the colour out of you.

*****

I wasn't so impressed with the little makeup sketches.. pretty plain and lets face it the night/day looks could be the same! I guess it's a guide to LC's makeup so it's pretty acturate but if all they were going to do was how to wears her makeup the section really didn't need to be so large.

***** 

Overall the book was a really great read, I couldn't put it down and the style tips I found to be really useful.

I think it all depends on your current knowledge.. I know what I like but I know it doesn't always work for me, any help I can get in making my wardrobe work for me I really appreciate. There's lots on accessorising, all the basics every woman needs and what Lauren thinks is worth spending the big bucks on.

I always think that book reviews, like movie reviews, don't really mean much. It all comes down to personal taste. I really enjoyed the book and I WILL delve back in to it eg. when I next need packing tips or in-flight style advice.

Have you read it yet?

If so let me know your thoughts...

xoxo

miss bb

Obsession Of The Day 26/10/10

NAIL POLISH RACKS

You can't pass one US makeup storage video without one and I want one!  sorry not want... NEED!

I've scoured the internet and found maybe one or two on ebay going for around £30/£40 which I think is pretty excessive for what is essentially a plastic shelving rack... but needs must.. and I MUST have a nail polish rack! I REALLY want two if I'm honest.. one for polishes and the other for miscellaneous cosmetics such as individual eyeshadows/blushes.. but that's just being greedy right?

Does anyone know a permanent stockist in the UK or somewhere cheaper than ebay?

I think it will have to be my next extravagance as every day I sit at my vanity and see my nail polishes teetering on my mirror I die a little inside.. I'm not being dramatic it's really THAT important!I shall have one... and soon but here are the kinds of things I'm left looking at online in the meantime.

*sob*

xoxo

miss bb

Back to the DARK SIDE

so it was inevitable I would hit the bottle again right?

If you know me but AT ALL you know I get bored real easy... so I dyed my hair for the autumn/winter season. I chose a semi-permenant colour but am under no illusion that it will wash out to the dark blonde it was.. just might go a lighter brown in case I hated it.. but I don't.. I really like it! It's actually a lot lighter than I anticipated, and kind of red :/ that wasn't the plan! I've inadvertently followed the Xfactor red hair trend lol..

 Ella helped me show off my new look...


xoxo
missBB

Miners A/W Nail Colours

You guys know I am occasionally sent things from Miners to review.. By far my favourite Miners product is their nail polish so I was really excited when I arrived home to a surprise parcel.. their 5 new Autumn/Winter Shades!!! I have tried them out a little over the past couple of weeks so... here are some swatches and my review :)

********

First of all... the shades are all pretty festive right? The deep shimmery reds and gold are very in keeping with the season and have real depth in the bottle but will that colour translate to your nails when dry?

In short.. yes... check out these promo pics followed by a little swatch of each and see for yourself!

MULBERRY SHIMMER

MOLTEN

DOROTHY'S SHOES

MIDNIGHT LAVENDER

LBD

So what did I think overall?

Let's have an individual run down shall we?

Mulberry Shimmer

Has a gorgeous depth to it with a real wine red offset with gold shimmer.. very much a Christmas shade!

It's a good colour for those not wanting to experiment too much but still wanting something with a bit of a kick. It's definitely the "safe" choice of the collection but I like it!

Molten

I have to say, I wasn't expecting to like this one.. I'm not one to be in to GOLD but it's really not.. it's a really wearable gold.. it's more of a warm coppery/bronze colour than a full on yellow gold.. I wouldn't necassarilly wear this all the time.. it's not my usual colour, but I definitely wouldn't rule out wearing it again. It's a real change of pace but still didn't seem too daring.

Dorothy's Shoes

LOVE IT! it's your basic metallic red really. I wouldn't say it had "sparkle" like the promo suggests but it's still pretty. Red is a shade you can wear all year round but the shimmer really transforms it for the party season...very nice!

Midnight Lavender

I love purple... It's my favourite colour so I was expecting a lot of this shade.. I really wanted to love it and I'm pleased to say I really do! On a personal note I love lavender shades on my nails as it goes really nicely with the amethysts in my engagement ring... but that aside this is a beautiful colour.. by far the stand out of the A/W launch! It's a kind of greyish lavender... and a great way of introducing a blue hue to your collection without going all out "frostbite fingers"

LBD

I was really looking forward to this one.. Since I discovered Rimmels Matte TopCoat I've really wanted to try a full on Matte nail polish but this is not it at all! Putting aside the obvious flash that was used in my swatch.. it just wasn't matte.. it maybe wasn't QUITE as shiny as the other formulas but it wasn't far off.. Overall none of the polishes are exactly "high-shine" I'd say LBD is more of a satin than a matte.. a disappointment!

So what are your thoughts?

I pretty much love this collection, I think the colour choices were really great for the season I already like Miners formula etc so they were halfway there I guess!

www.miners.co.uk

xoxo

miss bb

Snookie - Halloween Look

Okay so when deciding what to go as this Halloween the general concensus voted JERSEY SHORE!!!

As a result I thought I'd try it out for a tutorial before I made my final makeup/costume decision.. especially as it's a group fancy dress deal.. I'm not convinced it will make the cut but I thought I'd post a picture for all of you that just read my blog or missed the video.. Here's what I did.. what do you think?

xoxo

miss bb

100th blog post

Hey Guys!!

I can't believe this is my 100th blog post... but I also can't remember a time before blogging..
Isn't it strange. It's opened up a whole world to me. I've met some lovely people on youtube/twitter because of blogging and I'm very grateful to everyone that's made it such a great experience.. you really outweigh those that aren't so great.. so thanks!!

I love you all and thanks for reading,

xoxo

miss bb

Opi Texas Collection

The Opi collection has a Southern Theme for S/S 2011.

Named Texas there is a shade for everyone...

******

Here are the colour swatches.. gorgeous or what?

I'm lovin' San Tan-Tonio/Big Hair, Big Nails/It's totally Fortworth it

see me peeking in the mirror? I was sooo dressed down (:/)

Loved the cute themes that ran throughout.. each colour has it's own little story.. that's a lot of legwork for a polish, no?

This silver was really cute, reminded me of the Barry M, swatched very sheer but I imagine it would be very buildable.. could potentially be a real metallic shade. The nail swatches provided I'm not convinced were that true to life.. I will definitely be looking out for reviews in the Spring..

These shades won't be available until February which seems like a while to wait but with Christmas just 60 sleeps away... it'll be here before you know it ;)

xoxo

miss bb

Superdrug Event

I was a terrible blogger at this event and took few photos but in truth there was little to photograph that you can't see in your local store. The event was basically introducing us to the new products and the Christmas gift launch.

Firstly I couldn't get enough of the Andrew Fullerton range because at this point we didn't have this at my local store... it's such a great concept. Lots of different products in the range but the most interesting is the trio selection.. (pictured below) You get two colours which can be used seperately or can be layered to create another shade entirely.. In theory you could then buy several sets and experiment to create your own unique nail colour. I just love that idea.. I've never seen anything like it before (that's just me) I've found a little colour chart ... check that out below the product pictures.

As soon as I have some to test I will swatch some and do a full review for you guys.. personally I can't wait.. this was by far the product that held my interest longest!

***

Next up we were introduced to the new GOSH virtual makeover machine..

Put aside anything you think you already know about virtual makeovers.. this thing is AWESOME!

I've tried those online ones in the past where you have to adjust your features etc. I don't know how but this machine takes your photo and recognises the differences in everyones face.. It knows exactly where your eyeliner/shadow/lip products and blush should go.. how does it do that??

Our willing volunteer on the day was Catherine (from perfectlypolishednails) but I've had a go at my local store since then and am beyond impressed. The shades may not be perfect matches for the products you're looking at but it's a huge step in the right direction.. maybe just needs a little tweak in that regard.

There were a few new GOSH products I had my eye one too so watch this space for hauls/reviews, I'm a total convert now and can't wait to try their foundation primer.

Lastly they were offering eyebrow threading.. I was a wimp, looked pretty painful and Catherine (again our volunteer - trooper!) said it was like knives.. she thought this was selling it to me, said it didn't hurt but the word "knives" didn't really instill confidence.. I think I'll stick to plucking and waxing! Her brows did look fab afterwards though.. very neat and almost looked filled in.

Overall it was a fun morning and I'm thankful I could make it down. Catherine took pity on me as I was gonna be trapsing around London alone all day once the event was over.. she let me follow her around for which I am very grateful :) I'll admit before then I hadn't heard of her blog but since then have read a lot of her posts.. It's a good read and she's running a great Mulberry giveaway right now so check it out

http://www.perfectly-polished-nails.com/

SUNRISE