Weekend Haul

Four Day Weekends are one of my favourite things ever.

This weekend just gone I had Friday & Monday off... if you're quick at math you'll realise that means I had a FOUR DAY WEEKEND!

I was super busy as it was the Boyf's Birthday but we managed to fit in a lot. We visited Bristol Zoo and watched the Lion Cubs play for nearly an hour (SO adorable), went for a lot of meals, went on a Booze Cruise on Saturday night (yes it rained a lot, yes our hair looked like cocker spaniels by the end of it), I also managed to squeeze in a cheeky bit of shopping as well so I thought I'd share with you my purchases!

Everywhere has got sales on at the moment and I took full advantage of this! Accessorize had jewellery, flip flops and little bits all reduced. I picked up this gorgeous notebook for £3.50 (originally £7). It's quite big (A5) size, and quite heavy, but I couldn't resist the bright colours and gorgeous pictures of elephants and lotus flowers. This summer I had an obsession with Life of Pi and this really reminded me of it.

We dodged the rain and ran into American Apparel to have a dribble look. I decided I couldn't really justify £50 for a plain black skater dress but instead I picked up this Glitter Nail Varnish (called Galaxy Glitter). I've seen it on a few nail pics and it looks amazing, it's literally a disco ball on your hands! I can't wait to give this a go and share my thoughts with you all. RRP £9

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ON AMERICAN APPAREL

For once I was well behaved in Topshop and only bought a ring! I'm loving the midi rings and this one was £4.50. I really want to get some more and have them all stacked up! I saw some gorgeous ones in Urban Outfitters but they were £6 each! Can you recommend anywhere for these style of rings cheaper? 

The Zara Sale is always something to get stuck into. I spotted this Blue Dress which I fell in love with - for my Boyfriends Birthday I got him theatre tickets to see The Lion King which I've heard is incredible so this is just perfect for the evening. I'm thinking hair up and big will really suit the gorgeous neck detail.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ON ZARA

I've saved the big guns till last.

I FINALLY got an iPhone. I've been stuck with my Blackberry for years waiting for my upgrade and the day finally dawned, I cannot express my love for this little white block of technology and I can't put it down. My favourite app is A Beautiful Mess, it's a photo editor that you can add Frames, Doddles and Writing onto - I LOVE IT!

Birthday Cocktail & Jerk Chicken (love this app!)

Besties on the Boat!

What have you been buying recently?

Stevie

xoxo

Product Review - Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturiser

This month Vaseline launched their Spray & Go Moisturiser in 3 different varieties. The selling point for me for these was the ease of application. Instead of the normal squeeze into the hand, slippy, messy, bottle dropping approach this has a spray mist so it applies easily, kinda like a deodorant!

Some products (such as sun cream) you have to pump each time which I find can become a bit like hard work, especially if you want a quick full body moisturise, where as the spray technique on Vaseline Spray & Go is a constant light mist that sprays directly onto skin - it also makes a very satisfying noise!

This product is available in: 

Essential Moisture - The traditional creamy moisturising smell

Cocoa Radiant - A delicious chocolately cocoa butter smell

Aloe Fresh - A refreshing blast of Aloe Vera

Vaseline Spray & Go is priced at £4.99 for 190ml which is on the pricier side compared to most everyday body moisturiser but I'm really loving it. I only have Cocoa Radiant which I love wearing at the weekends but I want to pick up Essential Moisture too just for everyday use. I feel Cocoa Butter could get a bit sickly if I was using it every day!

Have you tried Vaseline Spray & Go yet?

Stevie 

xoxo

Mojito Cocktail Recipe

Whenever the sun is out all I want to do is sit in the garden and make 100 different cocktails to sip on. When I was on the plane home from Tunisia I picked up some Duty Free Spirits that I knew would be a perfect addition to cocktail cupboard (this mainly consists of Chambord, Plastic Shot Glasses and Martini Glasses!)

Sitting nicely in my top 5 favourite cocktails is THE MOIJTO.

The Mojito is minty, sweet and so refreshing. It's great to serve in a pitcher or just as individual drinks. I love to pile it high with crushed ice so it stays chilled and it is perfect for a hot afternoon in the sun.

INGREDIENTS

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

White Rum

Mint Leaves

Lime

Crushed Ice 

Sugar

Lemonade or Soda Water

METHOD

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

1. Place a teaspoon of sugar in the glass, along with a sprig of mint and half a lime (cut in 2)

2. Using a 'muddler'... or a rolling pin if you don't have one of these, squash and mix all the ingredients together. You need to do this for a couple of minutes until the limes are juiced and you should be able to slightly smell the mint

3. Pour white rum into each glass, Traditionally most cocktails are made with 2 measures of alcohol so I have added 2 shots. How much run you put in is completely up to you depending how giddy you wish to get while watching the clouds pass!

4. Fill the glass with crushed ice (this can be bought from any Supermarket, usually around £1)

5. Top the glass with either Lemonade or Soda Water. Soda Water is more the traditional choice but I always use Lemonade as it's slightly sweeter

6. Place a 1/4 or lime and a small mint sprig to garnish, pop in a straw and sip away!



Glass filled with Sugar, Mint & Lime

Muddle the ingredients to release all the juice and flavour



Add the Rum Man!



Top glasses with cold crushed ice



Finally top with Lemonade!



Have you tried Mojito's before?

Stevie

xoxo

Celebrity Style Pixie Lott

Pictures were taken yesterday of the gorgeous Pixie Lott out in London. Pixie Lott has been my #1 Girl Crush forever, she is so gorgeous but seems really fun and friendly. I also love her style as it's slightly different and she actually dresses her age unlike a lot of celebrities!

As usual I instantly fell in love with her outfit and have had my peepers on search so you can put together a similar look. The only problem is I couldn't find the Dalmatian Headband which breaks my heart as this is my favourite part of the look, so Cruella! The only way around this is that you could make one (buy a cheap padded headband and some Dalmatian fabric and get the glue out... shazzam... worth the effort in my opinion!) 

Cotton Spandex Sleeveless Turtleneck Crop Top

Vintage Renewal Levi's Raw-Cut Shorts in Black

Cat Ballet Pump

Whose celebrity style do you love?

Stevie

xoxo

White Spaceman Nails

To celebrate my boyfriend's Birthday this weekend we have hired a private boat and are getting all of our friends together for a rum swigging good time along the Bristol Harbour! In-between making an AWESOME playlist last night I also painted my nails to match my new dress. I picked a gorgeous floaty green number from Nasty Gal (don't ask how much postage I paid!) and I can't wait to show it off.

I've been wanting to try the white nail look out for a while, but every time I look at the bottle I always hear 'Spaceman I always wanted you to go into spaceman' ...know what I mean?! Last night I plucked up the courage and took the dive, I wanted to incorporate the dress some way - I thought of painting a few nails pastel green, or attempting a floral pattern but in the end I picked up some Swavoski Crystals that I bought a while back (on ebay HERE) and popped them on the ring finger.

I'm in love with the overall look and they really stand out! Also the good thing with white is that it's going to go with almost everything!

I used Barry M Matt White and applied 2 coats (3 coats on some nails that needed it) and then 17 Lasting Finish Top Coat. With white you definitely need topcoat as it dries very Matt and not very smooth.





Have you worn white nail varnish yet?

Stevie
xoxo

Product Review - Ardell Individual Lashes

Strip Lashes are one of the best inventions... so easy to pop on and really take your makeup up a step on the Glamour Richter Scale! 

I've dabbled with Individual Lashes but never found the right ones - I always ended up putting too much extra strong glue on and they just became clumpy and horrible. 

After watching a few of Lisa Eldridge's video I felt inspired to pick up the tweezers from scratch and give it another whirl. I choose to try Ardell's Individual Lashes in Medium from Boots for £5.49 - I absolutely love Ardell, after using their Demi Wispies I'll never flutter my lashes at another brand!

The pack contains 56 Medium Lashes, each knot contains around 5 natural looking lashes placed together. These don't come with glue so you need to remember to either pick some up or you can use some of your own. I keep meaning to buy some Duo Glue but for this I just used an old Naturalites Glue.

TO APPLY

1 I carefully removed each lash with my fingers (if you use tweezers I found it can pull them apart)

2 Picking up with tweezers dab a tiny amount of glue on the end

3 Place in desired area and adjust using tweezers/finger

4 LET DRY

I applied a generous amount of mascara first of all and then used just 3 individual lashes on the outer of each eye. If you wanted thicker fuller lashes you can keep building them up. To finish off I went over the top of my liquid eyeliner again just to hide any glue showing.

Overall I liked these lashes. They are quite fiddly to apply and it takes a bit of getting used to but the finished look is natural and pretty. I think these are perfect for dates and garden parties but I would still choose Strip Lashes for a night out. Considering I only used 6 these are going to last a while so I think they're a great investment to keep in your makeup kit in case of a last minute invitation!

Have you tried Individual Lashes?

Stevie

xoxo

Gelish Sweet Morning Dew

A few weeks ago I shared with you all the Gelish 'Love in Bloom' collection. Shockingly I was totally in love with the peach shade Sweet Morning Dew... am I the only one who is constantly attracted to peach everything?... Peach Lipstick, Peach Blusher, Peach Nails... I even love James and the Giant Peach!

I applied Sweet Morning Dew (3 thin coats) and then added Gold Foil to the ring finger. You can get these foils on ebay, they come on small rolls in lots of colours and pretty patterns! I chose plain gold and scrunched it up before applying so I'd get an 'antique' look. You simply press it on the nail and vigorously rub down (kinda like a transfer when you were 6!) You then peel it off a VOILA!

This look lasted for just over 3 weeks, it's crazy how a manicure can last so long, and I love not having any chips! I got a lot of compliments when I had this shade on and it's perfect for Spring/Summer.

Have you tried any Gelish shades?

Stevie

xoxo

Product Review - Bourjois Cream Blush

Bourjois Cream Blushers have been all over the blogging world and I couldn't wait to get my hands on some to give them a try!

I first picked up shade 01 Nude Velvet... but then the next day I couldn't resist going back in and picking up 02 Healthy Glow - I have no self control when I want something, I had to pretty much be dragged away from buying 03 & 04!

Nude Velvet is a soft peach shade so I was instantly in love. Healthy Glow is a brighter coral and really adds a pop to your cheek. The consistency is very soft and creamy and it applies well. You can apply this with your finger but I always get scared that I'm going to smudge all my other makeup off so I use the Real Techniques Stippling Brush which works perfect. I apply this on the apple of my cheek and then work it up the cheek bone.

I prefer to don Nude Velvet when going for a cute peachy look and then Healthy Glow when going for a full on bronzed goddess look, it's a really great shade to make you look warm and sun kissed.

I'm really impressed with these Cream Blushes and they've been my go to product for the past month, they're really buildable and great for summer because of the cream formulation.

 BOURJOIS CREAM BLUSH £7.99 (currently on 342 at Boots)

Have you tried any of the shades yet?

Stevie

xoxo

Chewton Glen Hotel & Spa - Afternoon Tea

For Mothers Day me & my sister clubbed together and bought my Mum vouchers for Afternoon Tea at Chewton Glen.

Chewton Glen is a 5 Star Hotel & Spa located in The New Forest. Built in the early 18th Century the house is simply gorgeous, high ceilings, beautiful decor and glorious gardens.

We picked a perfect day to go as it was sunny, but not too hot. We were first seated in the house but asked to sit in the gardens to take advantage of the lovely view. Our table overlooked the heated outdoor pool and also all of the garden. There were a few other couples and families also having lunch and the atmosphere was great.

We were served by a waiter by the name of Kristian - he was everything you would hope for... friendly, knowledgeable with a hint of humour! Me & my sister don't drink tea but there was no problem in bringing us a pot of hot chocolate instead, we also requested no fish sandwiches (I have an irrational fear of fish!) which wasn't a problem either!

When the sandwiches and cakes arrived they looked and tasted DELICIOUS!!! The bread was unbelievably fresh and the fillings were perfect. The cakes were all individually crafted and were all so different - macaroons, chocolate mousse... they were very sweet and we couldn't finish them but they gave us a little box to take them home in!

Once we finished lunch we had a wander around the grounds, the lawn was so perfectly green and everyone was having a great time playing croquet! Inside the house was quiet due to the good weather but it meant we got to have a cheeky glimpse at all the rooms... me and my sister agreed it is the perfect wedding location!

Overall this was such a lovely day out and the lunch was so yummy. The fact the house and grounds have so much history means it's perfect for a little exploring after lunch. I can't wait to return and try out the Spa.. this has been featured in Made in Chelsea and is one of the top Spa's in England. They also have the most amazing Tree Top Houses to rent and you can even get a private hot tub... literally this would be amazing!

Check out their website HERE where you can look at prices for a lovely lunch, and night away of an indulgent spa day - I couldn't recommend it enough!

Stevie

xoxo