To all my lovely followers,

It is with much excitement and slight trepidation that I look back over 2011.  This year has held lots of highs and also plenty of lows.  My year has consisted of finally finishing my last year at university, writing very stressful exams, planning my wedding, being jobless for over 6 months and finally getting married!  It has been a year of self-discovery, learning patients, having a bad attitude towards certain things and so much more! I've lost loved ones and joined the blogging world, occasionally not blogging enough.

I wouldn't change it for the world even in those dark moments when things did not always work out as I had planned.  Most of all, I'm thankful for the beautiful and poignant moments throughout the year that really changed the way I think and my whole persona. 

I hope that each and every one of you will have a fabulously fantastic new year in 2012 that is filled with new adventures and fun!  I hope that you laugh more than ever, love unconditionally, get fit and tick off all those new years resolutions that might be on your list.  May the year hold fantastic new paths for you, whether that be for your career, school/college, family or even finding love! 

Just remember that you are so precious to me, your family and friends.  If anyone has or might in future 'hate' on you, please ignore them and follow your heart to take that big leap of faith to try something new or different.  Life is not always easy, but it is such an adventure!  You are a beautiful person with so much ahead of you and where one door shuts, many more windows open!  So keep your chin up, smile and know that you are special and amazing! 

I wish you a very happy new year in 2012!  Party hard, enjoy every moment and be safe!  Don't drink and drive.  Be sensible.  Put some sexy new makeup on, wear those crazily long lashes and glitter up those fingers and toes! 

Lots of rock 'n roll kisses and hugs! 

Merry Christmas

I'd just like to wish everyone a belated Merry Christmas and hope you all enjoyed every moment of the festive season!  It is such a special time and so much fun to spend it with your family and friends. 

It is officially the party season and I can't believe that christmas is over.  Atleast we still have the new year to look forwards to!  I've received some amazing presents including my much talked about LIZ EARL! 

Here is a look at my christmas table, which I laid out for me and my husband and some of my more exciting presents:

Lovely Liz Earl Christmas Face and Body Package

Great goodies to enhance my baking including this cook book

Lush's Pow Wow Lip Scrub, which smells scrummy!  *Zesty citrus goodness*

My little hats from River Island which my husband got me!

More Lush goodies....my house smells amazing.

My wonderful amazing Amazon Kindle that my hubby bought me :)

So I've really been spoilt rotten really!  I hope you have all received the goodies that you really wanted as well as getting some fabulous memories!  I stuck to very classic colours for my Christmas table.  What did you think of it? 

Please keep yourself tuned in to my blog which should be getting much more exciting in the next few days.  I'm going to be doing a mega giveaway and also be showing you some amazing makeup I've acquired!  Including another christmas present :D

Hope you have a fab day! 

Christmas Nails

There are only 12 days until christmas and I'm absolutely over excited about it!  Right now is a prime time for christmas parties and going out, and that means that you might be stuck for ideas on how to have your nails.

I really like a festive look over christmas, and think I have just the idea for you!  I've actually got a beautiful red glittery nail tutorial that might be right up your street!

1)  Firstly I started off with a good fast-drying bottom coat.  This could be anything like Rimmel, Sally Hansen or whatever you might have in your arsenal.

2)  Then I really wanted to make the glitter pop, so I actually put a very light coat of Essie's Lollipop on my nails.  One coat is enough and it doesn't necessarily have to be opaque.  And let the coat dry thoroughly before moving on to the next step.

Essie's Lollipop

One light coat of Essie's Lollipop (Number 703) on the nails

3)  Once that layer has dried you can add some beautiful glitter to the mix, I used Barry M's 150 'Red Glitter' or as I like to call it 'Ruby Red Slippers'.  Again one coat should be enough and it really doesn't matter if the coat is a little thicker then normal, because the glitter coats dry fairly fast. 

Barry M's 'Red Glitter' (number 150)

4)  Add a good top coat to seal in the polish and to give the nail some beautiful shine.  Clean any bits off the cuticles and side of the nails with a cotton bud and nail polish remover.  And et voila, you have a stunning nail-look for christmas!

My top coat is Rimmel's Super Wear upto 10 Day Topcoat

The finished product, just remember to clean up the sides (not like me!)

You could even do the same on your toes!  (Sorry for the dodgy toe pic!)

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial and I hope to see you again soon!

Love and hugs

Christmas is coming...

Good evening beautiful people,

We are firmly in December now and that means it is time to decorate your christmas tree, buy your christmas presents and getting yourself prepared for the big day!  I'm always excited during this season because it means that family get together and a spirit of giving resides in everyone.

I'm off to do some christmas shopping tomorrow, and I must admit that I'm not looking forward to the massive
queues and the horrible people that try to elbow you out the way to get the best deals.  However, what must be done, must be done! 

This is my christmas tree:

If you are in the process of doing your christmas decorating, enjoy every moment!  It is such a special part of this season.  If you are going shopping for christmas tomorrow, I wish you the best of luck! 

Enjoy

Nail Rocks Review

Good evening ladies,

It has been a really nice day, much better than yesterday anyways!  I had to be rushed to hopital yesterday by my husband at 5am because I had severe pain on my left side.  They took blood and urine samples and then took some x-rays.  After hours of laying there in pain being sick the whole time, they decided to give me anti-sickness and pain relief drugs.  I was out of it!  Pans out that I have kidney stones...I would never ever have thought that it would be something like that!  Madness!

Back to happier things though, I received some Nail Rocks in my Glossy Box.  It was really exciting to receive something to try without having to pay the full price! 

Nail Rocks can be found at a few selected chemists (like Boots selling the special edition Pudsey polkadot nails) as well as on Nail Rock's website, found here.  You receive 16 wraps inside and they retail at £6.65. 

I received the 'Black and White Stripes' and immediately followed the instructions on the pack.  The only exception was that I added a clear topcoat.  I'd read some bad reviews on these nails, so I didn't really expect much of them.  But boy was I wrong! I had them on for two days and decided to really put them through their paces!  I cleaned my whole house and did some real scrubbing. 

And guess what?  The nails still looked amazing and I had hardly any problems with them!  They only lifted in one or two areas and I just immediately stuck it down with some nail glue. 

My opinion of these are:  EXCELLENT!  They look amazing, I got loads of compliments and they have some lovely designs.  I've got an exclusive deal for you too!! A discount code for 15% off at the moment, just input code NRGB15 at the checkout until 31/12/11.

Lots of love and hugs

I'm back and I have a BSc with Honours!

Good morning beautiful ladies and handsome gents!

You are probably asking what I've been up to?  My absence has been due to finishing university this past June 2011.  I've been actively seeking work for the past while, and so far have been unsuccessful (like many other university students).  However, for the last few weeks I've been concentrating on putting all my efforts into seeking employment and also into graduating! 

My graduation ceremony was held on 21 November 2011 at the Coventry Cathedral.  It was such an amazing day!  I chose a fabulous floaty chiffon style dress that nipped in at the waist.  I teamed my dress with a gorgeous purple sequinned long-sleeve cardigan, black opaque tights and patent black heels. 

My beauty regime included the usual cleansing, toning and moisturizing.  I kept my makeup really natural with: 1) A Coating of foundation (Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in shade 52)
2) Concealer (ELF - light)
3) Soft natural eye shadow (NAKED pallette)
4) A double coat of mascara (Max Factor False Lashes in Jet Black)
5) Beautiful blusher (Bourjois)

I graduated and then had a lovely glass of bubbly with some amazing canapes!  There were rum truffles, prawns coated in yummy breadcrumbs (with sweet chilli sauce) and loads of other little bits.  I loved every moment!

The three pictures above was taken by my amazing friend Paul McKelvie!  He is an awesome photographer and all-around creative genius! 

Just to let you in on the diet....it is not doing too well...I will be putting more focus on it now just before christmas!  Also please stay tuned, tomorrow I'll be showing you how to make your OWN christmas decorations for a very small price! 

Have you recently graduated?  Did you enjoy it as much as me?

Time out...

It is with a bit of a heavy heart that I blog this morning.  I've taken the decision to stop blogging for the next two weeks as there are things that I have to concentrate on.  I feel that I will not be able to devote all my attention to my blog and I don't like doing things by halves.

I'm not sure if many people regularly follow my blog....but I cannot blog and not do a good job at it.  My life has just been turned upside down and there are some really very important things that I have to concentrate on to sort things out. 

I'd like to apologise if you do follow regularly or look forward to anything on my blog.  Please bear with me, I'll be back as soon as I sort things out and I'll be back to my best!

Enjoy your day, know that you are loved and that you are special.  If you need any time out it is worth taking. 

Party Season Scares...

It is less than twenty days until we move into December, which is also known as party season!  This is a rather scary thought!  I've piled on some weight over the past few months as the weather has slowly turned colder and colder.  I've got to seriously get rid of some of my extra saddle bags and wobbley bits before it gets out of control again!

So I'd like to invite each and every one of you to follow me in the journey of loosing a little bit of weight before the christmas parties start.  I was sitting watching the Lorraine Kelly show on ITV1 and decided that I was going to start following their plan, The Little Black Dress Diet, along with starting to work on Yoga/Zumba/and the fitness band used on Lorraine's website.

Lets get Jen Aniston's amazing legs and abs girls!

Are you up for it? 

If you do, I'll be keeping a little diary on my blog, as well as posting additional tips/tricks and recepies here.  I can't wait to get back to being 8lbs (8 pounds haha or 4 kilograms) lighter! 

If this doesn't show you what the difference of losing 8lb is, then nothing will!

Let me know what you think and if you're going to join me!  :)

Skin hassles? No problemo...me solvo!

Have you had skin that is constantly dry, uncomfortable and peeling?  Do you break out regularly?  Do you feel like you have MASSIVE pores?  Or do you just feel your skin could be better??

ME TOO!  

Luckily there is a little something on the market that can help with ALL these problems!  :-) This makes me so happy.  

You're probably asking, "What on earth can it be that can deal with these issues?"  It is actually called the Clarisonic Sonic Skin Cleansing System!  

The Clarisonic is just like an electric tooth-brush... but for your face. (It actually is made by the same company that invented the Sonicare toothbrush.)

 

Consisting of an electronic spinning brush, the Clarisonic Skin Cleansing System uses revolving brush bristles to uniformly exfoliate your skin. It feels good, massages your skin, and when you are done-- your face feels smoother and because of the massaging nature-- you are left with skin that is slightly glowing. (Depending on the Clarisonic model you have, there are even different brush attachments so that you can exfoliate your various body parts in addition to your face.)

Promising to remove 6x more makeup and dirt than washing your face with just your hands alone, an added benefit to using the Clarisonic face brush is that afterwards, your skincare products will work more efficiently because they can be absorbed into the skin more easily thanks to the removal of the layer of dead-skin cells. 

 

 

If you have normal skin, this is a perfectly fine product that will not cause any harm, and can be an enjoyable way to exfoliate your skin.

Those that should avoid this product, however: anyone with very dry skin, or acne prone skin.

Even though the Clarisonic works off a timer so that no facial area can be too aggressively scrubbed, the revolving bristles may still rub away too much skin for those suffering from dry, flaky skin. Uncomfortable, raw skin can result, and the Clarisonic is supposed to lessen the amount of skin care products needed-- not cause extra usage to combat the excessive drying that will occur.

You should also definitely avoid using the Clarisonic if you are suffering from any sort of Acne breakout. The revolving bristles will be too abrasive for the delicate, inflamed skin, and will interrupt the healing process--potentially causing scarring. (Can you imagine scouring the skin pictured to the left? A bloody, infected mess would be the end-result!) In addition, by disrupting active Acne with the Clarisonic, you may inadvertently make the situation worse by adding new bacteria (that is on the brush bristles) into the wound.

This is an amazing tool for exfoliating your skin (you can also get the Clarisonic Plus for the face and body).  The only thing likely to put people off is the price tag.  It costs anything between £150 to £175, which can be eye-watering.  This will not be for everyone, but is definitely something to consider to place on your christmas list.

Have you currently heard or actually have a Clarisonic System?  What do you think of it?

A little monday delight

Guess what?  I've been baking again!

I hope you've all had an amazing bonfire night on saturday. We had a massive party with fireworks and hotdogs!  It was a lot of fun and I just can't believe that monday has come around again so soon! 

Chin up though matey's!

I made the lovely chocolate cupcakes again, but this time I used a piping bag to decorate the top. 

These cupcakes can be made in a variety of different flavours and colours.  These particularly are chocolate with a chocolate buttercream topping as before.  They'd make a brilliant and thoughtful gift over christmas and only take a few hours from start to finish yielding between 16 to 18 cupcakes. 

From about mid November, I'll be showing you easy peasy edible gifts that can be made for a christmas hamper or just to treat that someone special in your life. 

Hope you have a fabulous monday...and if you have the blues, just remember that you are special and loved!  Oh, and it is cuddle-month!  *I named it officially as cuddle-month today*