Dear Santa...

Tis the season to be jolly... and lustful! 

Christmas is a great excuse to that yourself to some of the items you have lusted after all year long. For those items a little out of my price range right now.. consider this an open letter to Santa.

Moroccan Oil £30.45 here

NARS Love Thrill Gift Set £45 here

Yankee Candle in Sparkling Snow £9.99 here

Topshop Alphabet Letter Purse £6 here

Givenchy Play Intense £45.90 here

RI Rose Gold Toned Diamante Watch £22 here

KG Adelia Platform Shoe Boot £60 here

H&M Faux Fur Jacket £19.99 *sale* here

Viva Glam II Lip Glass £12.50 here

Viva Glam Gaga II Lipstick £13.50 here

Diamond & Morganite ring £103.77 here

Snowflake CZ Studs £19.99 here

Merry Christmas

Miss BB

My Big Distraction

I know you all know but I had a baby recently. I haven't posted any pictures of him here and thought I would for those who haven't seen him yet. I've already blogged and vlogged about him here and here so you can check that out if you're interested. He was born on 15/11/11 and he we named him Milo. He is 100% of the reason my blog posts have been lacking in frequency and perhaps lower in quality lately...you can imagine it's hard to get anything done with a cute baby around to play with. He is the best behaved boy, though, so I really have no excuse for shirking my blogging responsibilities. He sleeps well and generally doesn't like to bother anyone.

I have managed to film a few non-baby related videos for my beauty YouTube channel since Milo was born but here are his YT debuts...

Thank you to everyone that has sent kind messages since his birth. I am doing much better and he is perfect, 2 weeks old tomorrow and life is just about returning to somewhere near normal.

Usual beauty blogging will resume shortly!

Miss BB

Friday Night Swag

I love a bit of Friday night, after-work shopping, don't you? The only thing is I see things I don't buy and then the next day is Saturday so I inevitably return to purchase those items I've decided I must have after all.. d'oh! The whole point of late night shopping is to avoid the weekend crowds!!! Anywho. I thought I would share a few offers I noticed. Number one on my list was Boots are giving away a free Glam Eyes liquid eyeliner with any purchase over £5. Now they did me good 'cause I went in for the mint green nailpolish you see here which was £4.49 and there was no way I could find something for 50p to top uo my purchase so I ended up replacing my Stay Matte powder which died recently. Rimmel's Exaggerate liquid liner is my all time fave so I'm really looking forward to trying out the Glam Eyes. Second deal of the evening was Maybelline's new Colossal Cat Eyes mascara was down to £5.99 from £7.99 in Superdrug for it's launch PLUS you get 300 beauty card points with the purchase!! bargain! I know I bought a new mascara last week but with that kind of logic this one was practically free (expect pics and review very soon). Unfortunately as I am a total numpty I forgot to give them my beauty card when I got to the till so I'm more than a little peeved but am hoping they will add my points from my receipt.. I haven't opened it just in case.. I figured I was probably going back today anyway.

Not all of you will be interested in this next one but as I'm getting more and more fat.. okay, pregnant, I am developing the worst cellulite of my life and it's all the way down to my knee!! I know us girls are plagued with the orange peel, dimpled thighs but it's getting beyond a joke. I seem to remember getting a little obsessive about cellulite the first time round so I'm hoping it's just a symptom that will go away but none the less I couldn't resist half price Perfect Slim from Loreal. They do a whole range of "sculpting" type gels and creams and they are all half price in Superdrug right now so if you love them or have ever wanted to try them now is the time to go pick one up! I did also buy a new MUA eyeliner I've never tried before as well as a Models Own nail art doodah that I've wanted forever but they weren't as exciting as my final buy.. Coconut Oil. I forget the exact price but it was under £2 for sure. It can be used on the skin as a moisturiser, it can be used as a leave in conditioner on your hair and it can be used as an intensive mask for those with dry or damaged tresses like mine. Result! I slathered (lying - Lee slathered) it all over myself last night and this morning I am feeling pretty darn moisturised. It's a bizarre formula that is hard in the tub and melts on contact with your skin to a kind of oil. I will post about it in more detail but I urge you all to go out and get a tub.. I will be trying it out on my hair this morning too.. can't wait!

I also feel it necessary to mention this awesome jumper I got from Primark for the fabulous price of £10

I am totally in love and very excited that these plain, chunky knits are back in fashion. They are so my style and what I like is so rarely "in" so I will be embracing this trend to replenish my wardrobe for years to come. One of the items I'm going back for today is a Zara cardigan that I just can't stop thinking about. I dearly wish brands would give up putting weird elbow patches on stuff but the ones in Zara are the least vile so I think I must have it.

Do any of you indulge in a weekly spree? what awesome finds did you pick up this week?

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

Beauty Events

Has anyone been to a beauty event?
I never have!
I follow LOTS of people on twitter.. mostly youtubers and I love that they have their own little community!
I love the idea of being invited to launch parties and pr events but doubt I'd make any youtube friends :(
I don't mesh well with cliques.. there are so many vlogger and bloggers put ther that already know each other. I'm not so popular now but if I become more popular in the future and AM invited to this stuff is there a hierarchy? I dont know!
So... I've been invited to a superdrug christmas pr event.. exciting? yes! But I dont want to go all the way to london on my own (2.5hours thanks  you very much)
so I can take someone along they tell me.. my boyfriend would of course oblige but I'd hate for him to feelall odd one outy with all the girls... my ONLY friend can't get off work and so I invited my go to youtube "friend" kelly (allthingsarty) who is from blackpool...
she said she's love to accompany me, of course... we've never met :s

What are these events like? are the girls the same mean bitchy girls I remember from school (the reason I eventually LEFT school) I don't do well with girls.. they dont tend to like me, I dont know what it is about me.. maybe I'm just REALLY annoying?! I dunno.
Anyway! I thought I'd voice my concerns on my blog.. so you all know that i the future if I DO get invited to this stuff I will be anxious and scared!
Have any of YOU been invited to this event?

let me know!

any tips for my nerves at meeting new blogger girls for the first time??
I dont do well in new social situations :(

xoxo

miss bb

Oh my GOSH!!!

I was lucky enough to receive some fabulous GOSH products in the post today from the generous people at Superdug... here's a little looksie and what I got...

        

       

once I've had change to really play around with the stuff I'll get a review out but as of right now I'm just an excited little bunny with new toys... the last couple of days have been a complete beauty overload... I think that's me for a week or two... I don't think I really NEED anything else now... want is a different matter of course ;) but I think after this huge bundle of products I've acquired in the last 24 hours perhaps I'll focus on skincare for a while... base/primer etc counts as skincare right??... what about eyeshadow? lipgloss?....


xoxo
miss bb

Swap Swatches... part two

Okay.. I realised I'd missed a few bits off my video so heres a bog pisture of everything she sent me..
I wish I had a picture of everything wrapped up as it was... sooo cute! and so thoughtful of her.

I have some pictures of the Hard Candy stuff she sent coming up next...

I have some swatches of the Wet and Wild palette against the naked palette by Urban Decay too.. some colours are a great match... it would be a great dupe if you couldn't get the UD one!

I'll put those in a seperate post x



Swap Swatches... part one

Some swatched from my swap with Misssladylose...

First Up

Victorias Secret Beauty Rush Glosses,

they each smell like the are named... absolutely beautiful and as you can see from the pics they are gorgeous colours! The mochaboom makes me wanna starbucks sooo bad and is definitely th one I'll wear most...

Next up..

Wet and Wild Lipsticks...

So creamy and thick and very pigmented.. the top lip is the 525D and the lower is the brighter 511B (definitely my fave) I would actually consider wearing it like this... looks kinda cool lol x

Lastly

Wet and Wild Megaslick Lipgloss

The colours in order

Sinless

Sunglaze

Cherish

they smell/taste like caramel!

here are the tubes...followed by swatches of each :)

No Rest For The WICKED

Is your "beauty sleep" ruining your SEX LIFE???

First and foremost I LOVE overnight skin treats!

Anything that works for me while I'm asleep is fabulous as far as I'm concerned.

The promise of perfect, clear, glowing skin is an attractive proposition for many of us. If someone tells me that I can slather something (maybe anything) all over my face and wake up looking fantastic I think I can safely say I'd try it. It's the dream really isn't it? We would all love to think that these little beauty routines we go through each and every night are actually making a difference... We primp and polish and scrub ourselves within an inch of our lives to look better... but at what cost?

Am I alone in thinking all these miracle overnight beauty wonders do nothing for the nightime naughties?

You go to bed covered from head to toe in expensive concoctions hoping to wake up more appealing for our partner (yes yes we do it for ourselves too... whatever!)

But it's hardly sexy is it?

We make ourselves up to go off to work looking fabulous and when you come to bed you look, well quite frankly you probably look dreadful!

Hair undone, makeup removed and in it's place some greasy/sticky cream that would almost certainly get in the way of "love making" 

He should take one look at you and think, why bother? You may aswell put up a sign saying "not tonight"

But for many of us that's a nightly ritual, so what's the solution?

Well it's a tricky one,

I would say, it's us girls that hold all the power, if you want some action then you know you're gonna get some! So on those occasions perhaps put off the regime until "after"...

This is a problem women all over the world face every day (or night as the case may be)

so girls...

whats your sexy-time secret?

xoxo

miss bb



my A/W loves...

I am all about Autumn/Winter fashions! I never know what to wear in Summer but I <3 Autumn clothes..

here's a little "mood board" for my Autumn 2010

I have plans for missbudgetbeauty.com which will be a kind of webzine..

this kind of layout will feature heavily.. if you guys have any suggestions or wanna tell me what you'd like to see there... hit me up with some comments :)

xoxo

miss bb

MakeUp for BIG eyes / MakeUP for SMALL eyes

Here are my tips for you...

Obviously the eye on the left is designed to make your eyes "smaller" and the right "bigger"

And below are all the tools I used...

All of which could be substituted for other similar items you may already have.

Here I have a contour palette... very affordable from ebay, cost around £6/7, just search "contour palette" and you'll be spoiled for choice...

I used a black and white nyx pencil but you could substitute for black and white khol.. it just won't blend quite so easily!

Rimmels 3 looks mascara and Urban Decays eyeliner in mary jane

For the darker eye I used the NYX pencil in black bean as a base,

I used a little and blended it over my lid and a little into my socket and just under my lower lashes..

I then used the darkest shade of the contour palette to go over the black ... simple!

I used the pencil again just on my upper lashline before using the mascara on the 3rd setting.

On the paler eye I used the shade on the palette closest to my foundation...

I used the second darkest shade on the palette to shade my crease and a little under my lower lashes, I used the lightest colour on the palette to highlight the brow bone and the inner corner of the eye.

I used a little of the liner to define both lash lines.

For this eye I used the first setting on the mascara.

Overall the idea is that lighter colours will give the illusion that your eyes a bigger by opening them up and creating light, darker colours close up that space and create shadows, make the eye appear smaller.

It really all depends on what you want to use this technique for because I find darker more defined eyes draw more attention and make them stand out where as paler colours are more subtle and "everyday"

I was asked recently to do a tutorial for someone who had large eyes and wanted to make them appear smaller/play them down and in all honesty I don't know how to answer that query... it really all depends on which part of your eye you're trying to disguise, if it's your eyelids then a dark colour will shrink them in moments where as if you want to make your eyes themselves appear smaller I would suggest you use paler colours around the eyes so that they stand out less...

Anyone with any other suggestions please feel free to leave me a comment and if you wanna check out my video for this tutorial click the link below

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQbI_2jGTLQ

Love you guys

miss BB