february in pictures

Rimmel Cranberry Nail Polish    /    Kindle :)

Getting ready for birthday night out    /    Aztec Cocktail

Pre-drinks    /    Chocolate at Cadbury Land

Getting ready for dinner in Birmingham    /    Hot chocolate at Cadbury World

Creme Eggs :)    /    Birthday Cupcakes

Birthday Lunch    /    Pastel "eek" Nails

Strawberry Chewing Gum

january 2012 favourites

Most used products in January 2012.

 

1) Urban Decay Naked Palette
       I bought this palette in duty free when I went on holiday last summer.  This is pretty much the only eye shadow colours I have used since I bought it!  The colours are all very wearable for both day & night.  My favourites are Naked, Sidecar, Buck & Half Baked.

2) Bourjois - Foundation & Mascara
       Both these products have been in everyday make-up bag for the past 2 months.  The Healthy Mix Foundation gives you a really good coverage without being to thick and because it has fruit extracts in it, it feels healthy for your skins and smells amazing!  I have yet to find another mascara that I love more than the Volumizer. It has 2 steps, the first being longer lashes, which I use for daytime and the second is fuller lashes, perfect for the evening.  I have had so many good compliments whilst wearing this mascara.

3) HD Brow Kit
         I had never heard of the HD Brow Kit before I received mine from GlossyBox, I had always used a pencil.  The kit came with a small angled brush which really helps to give a more defined line than a pencil.  And because the kit is powder, it can also be used for a smokey eye effect too.  I currently use Dark Brown on my brow, then Carbon on my lid as eye liner, which also help to make your lashes look fuller.

4) Benefit Bella Bamba
       I received this product for Christmas in a set with 3 other Benefit products.  The colour is a lovely bright pink with a little bit of shimmer.  It is the first of the box powders to have the new packaging, with a lift up lid & mirror.  I do like the packaging, however, I never use the mirror included.  I still think my favourite Benefit blusher to date is Sugarbomb, so I look forward to trying Hervana to see if it's any match!

5) Tresemme Dry Shampoo
       After using Batiste dry shampoo for a while, I thought it was time for a change and I had heard that the Tresemme dry shampoo was really good, so I decided to try it.  I like that the product didn't come out white, unlike Batiste dry shampoo.  Also this product really does volumise hair, so I have been using it in between washes and for an extra boost in the evenings.

6) Lush Snow Fairy
        I fell in love with Snow Fairy last Christmas after seeing it at Clothes Show Live.  I don't know how I survived without it! The smell & colour are both gorgeous and it can be used on both hair & body.  I managed to pick up a 100ml bottle whilst in Venice, I was so happy to see a lush there :)  This year Lush bought out the Snow Fairy Wand, which is a bubble bar.  All you need to do is swirl it in the bath until it turn pinks & smells of candy floss :)

verona - romeo & juliet

Whilst in Venice I persuaded my boyfriend to go to Verona for the day, the home of Romeo & Juliet, well the story of Romeo & Juliet!

After spotting a Lush whilst walking to the train station, we bought our €8 tickets & boarded the train for a 2 hour journey to Verona.

The balcony, as my boyfriend pointed out, was literally just a balcony, but to me it felt so romantic.  There was writing over every inch of wall of the courtyard, one wall in the house & the tomb, as well as padlocks chained to the gate in the courtyard.  It was nice to see so much love in one place!

Touching Juliet's right breast is supposed to bring good luck.

Juliet's Tomb

After dragging my boyfriend around Juliet's places, we ate a lovely pasta dish in a restaurant on the main shopping area.  So we both went back to our Venice hotel happy :)

I write this whilst at work (ssshhhh!!) dreaming of another holiday!  I finish my part time job in a high store this week & begin full time work at my Dad's company in the office.  The job is more related to business & maths, so will hopefully give me good experience for my career in Buying/Merchandising.

I've been to applying to yet more jobs & received an online assessment to complete.  I have also purchased a Buying book, which I will be reading everyday.  Hopefully my dream job is near!

venice - the floating city, italy

A few pictures from Venice ......

Jacket - H&M / Cardigan, Top, Leggings & Chelsea Boots - Topshop / Bag - Urban Outfitters  

Jacket - H&M / Cardigan, Jeggings & Ballet Flats - Topshop / Scarf - Primark

Sunglasses - River Island

I got back home last Friday after 5 days in Venice.  The city is so beautiful & probably my favourite in Italy (so far!).  We spent so much time just walking around looking at the canals & bridges with the gondola's & water taxis, Venetian buildings & most importantly the shops & boutiques.  The general atmosphere was so relaxing & peaceful.  The sun shone for our whole trip, however it so cold!  It was the type of weather where you needed a scarf & sunglasses!

We also visited the beach, but as it wasn't peak season it was completely deserted, but still looked gorgeous in the sun.  I would definitely like to re-visit in the summer :)

Of course we tasted the local cuisine.  I couldn't visit Italy without trying the famous pizza & gelati, which  lived up to its hype.  We ate pizza for lunch everyday!

Back to reality now, working 6-days a week & continuing to apply to fashion buyer jobs.  No luck so far :( so I'm hoping to do a couple of work placements over the next few months to improve my CV.

packing for venice

I am taking a 5-day trip to Venice with my boyfriend.  I have wanted to visited this city for a long time and so excited to visit such a wonderful city!

Most people hate packing, but I find it quite enjoyable & it's all part of getting excited for a trip.

The suitcase was a very generous Christmas present from my boyfriend :)

My mum bought me the mini travel guide book for Christmas, which will be well needed with all the narrow streets & canals in Venice!

I'm leaving my house at 4am tomorrow morning as our flight leaves around 8am!

bank holiday in london

We rarely go site seeing in our home country's capital city, it only seems to be a thing you do when you go travelling.

As it was a bank holiday yesterday in the UK, I decided to take a trip to London and visit the tourist areas. Of course living so close to London (& having gone to uni there!) I have seen the main sites many times before, but London is such a beautiful city with so much character, that you notice something different each time you visit it.

Here are some of my favourite photo's I took today :)

The view of the Olympic Site

Thames Water Barrier & wavy hedges

The sun reflected on the Thames 

An old building against the new DLR station at Pontoon Dock

View over London from Greenwich Park - Canary Wharf & O2 Arena

happy new year !!

I can not believe how fast this past year has gone! I achieved so much in 2011 & can't wait to see what 2012 brings :)

I celebrated New Year's in Bournemouth with friends.  Here are some images from London which were broadcast on TV around the UK.