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Posts tagged Fall
China Glaze Autumn 2014
3
3 years
by Naomi in Nails
Hi everyone,
Well, after two busy weeks of starting a new full time job and planning for a house move, I’m finally back to blogging! Today’s post features two China Glaze shades that were kindly gifted to me by nailpolish.co.uk for review.
Both shades are from the new China Glaze 2014 Autumn collections, and retail for £4.95 each. There are two autumn collections this year – All Aboard Fall and Apocalypse of Colour, and I picked a shade from each.
‘Choo-Choo Choose You’ is from the All Aboard Fall 2014 collection, which includes twelve stunning, on trend autumnal shades. At first glance the varnish looks to be a blue-grey shade with a hint of gold shimmer, but as soon as you move into natural light it explodes with purple, orange and green.
The varnish is a colour changing metallic, which with some brands makes for a streaky finish, but this one goes on perfectly without any imperfections. The formula is slightly runny, but applies nicely and two coats gives an opaque look. The only downside is it takes a little longer to dry than I’d like, but it’s worth the wait.
You can view the rest of the All Aboard Fall collection here.
‘Rest In Pieces’ is from the Apocalypse of Colour collection, which features five Halloween themed shades, all of which have brilliant names! Halloween is my favourite time of year so I was very excited about this range, and it doesn’t disappoint. ‘Rest In Pieces’ is a gorgeous metallic orange, black and gold holographic glitter that reminds me of pumpkins, autumnal leaves and fireworks. Some of my absolute favourite things!
The glitter comprises of various different types of glitter, large flecks, small flecks, micro and straw, which gives fantastic depth and texture. For maximum impact, the varnish is best applied in a dabbing motion rather than brushing, as dabbing leaves more glitter behind. This one dries a lot quicker than the other shade, and makes an amazing top coat. Perfect for adding a little something extra to any autumn mani! I love it.
You can view the rest of the Apocalypse of Colour collection here.
nailpolish.co.uk is a one stop shop for nail varnish, and they stock a HUGE range of brands, including OPI, Essie and Barry M, and over 350 colours! They also offer free first class delivery on every order. Check them out here.
What do you think of these new China Glaze shades?
Naomi x
*These two China Glaze nail varnishes were sent to me by nailpolish.co.uk for review purposes. All opinions expressed are honest and my own.*
What I Wore: Back to Maxi
1
4 years
by Naomi in Fashion
Yesterday was a fairly mild day for October, and I couldn’t resist bringing out one of my summer maxi skirts to incorporate into an Autumn look. I teamed my favourite black and turquoise Primark maxi with another Primark piece – a short black jumper. The jumper is one of my favourite recent purchases as its simplicity is made that little bit more interesting with a high neck and zipped back. It looks amazing with pencil skirts too, and at £8 it was an absolute bargain for something so versatile. I also wore my trusty black cut out boots from New Look, and two of my favourite silver rings.
Black Jumper – Primark / Black and Turquoise Maxi Skirt – Primark / Cut Out Boots – New Look / Silver Rings – Gifted, Vintage
What have you been wearing this weekend?
Naomi x
Avon Ultra Colour Rich Rubies Lipstick in ‘Princely Plum’
14
5 years
by Naomi in Lips
Hi all,
Once again, I’m very sorry for not blogging much this week. I have had a very busy time at work, and in between all the working hard I have also been playing hard! On Wednesday I went to a gig to see one of my favourite bands and that, combined with the work, has left me very tired with no energy to blog in the evenings. But anyway, here I am with another little review for you all, so allow me to introduce you to Avon’s latest lipstick which is perfect for the party season – Ultra Colour Rich Rubies.
First thing’s first – the packaging. I think it goes without saying that the ruby-red and black ombre tube is very sleek and beautiful, and bang on trend. In fact, Avon say that it has ‘perfect party packaging’, and I’m inclined to agree as it looks so much more eye-catching than a plain old black lipstick! The lid also closes with a satisfying click so it definitely won’t come off in your make up bag and make a big mess.
The lipstick’s formula is very creamy so it smooths on easily and evenly with no dragging of the skin. The creaminess also means that it is delicately moisturising, so it doesn’t dry your lips out as the day progresses. A little word of warning though… I used this over the top of a slightly oily lip balm the first time I used it and it had worn off within a few hours because of how creamy it is. Luckily, it’s soft enough to use on its own without lip balm, but for an extra protective layer it sits fine with a thin layer of lip balm over the top.
Without the lip balm, Avon’s Rich Rubies is a laster. I applied this today before I went to work and it lasted through the morning until lunchtime. After I’d eaten my lunch I was pleasantly surprised to see that, though slightly faded, the lipstick still looked quite bold and even a couple of hours later, after it had mostly worn off, there was still an ever-so slight (but nicely even) tint of colour to my lips. Furthermore, I found that it doesn’t bleed at all which is always a good thing.
If you look closely at the photographs above you will see that the lipstick has a lovely pink shimmer to it. According to Avon, all of the Rich Rubies lipsticks contain ‘real crushed rubies’, which makes for ‘instant sparkle and shine’. I doubt that the ruby content is very high, but believe me when I say that the micro pink glitter particles that the lipstick boasts are absolutely stunning. It might sound vain, but I couldn’t stop staring at my lips in the mirror when I first used this as I was so mesmerized by the shimmer! In my experience, a lot of shiny, shimmery lipsticks tend to have a gold, sliver or blue glitter tinge to them, so I think this pink addition is really quite unusual.
Now onto the colour… Princely Plum is a luscious, deep purple shade which does in fact look very regal, hence the name. The colour looks quite dark in solid form, but once on the lips it looks a lot brighter due to the shine, but layers can easily be built up if you do want it darker. The above lip swatch shows one generous layer of lipstick. I really, really love Princely Plum. It’s right up my street and is absolutely perfect for the 2012 Autumn/Winter trend for deep, luxurious colours.
The Ultra Colour Rich Rubies range features five other shades – Noble Nude (a nude peach), Imperial Pink (a girly, light pink), Majestic Mauve (a pinky purple), Fuchsia Fame (a bright, bubblegum pink) and Radiant Ruby (a bold red). The lipsticks will debut in Avon UK’s Brochure 1 (which I will be launching soon), and will have an introductory price of £2.49. For a good quality, all-round fabulous lipstick this is a MASSIVE bargain and well worth it, especially when considering that the RRP is £8.50 – you could get 3 for the price of 1, WITH CHANGE!
Which shade will you be trying?
Naomi x
New Look Denim Competition Entry: Bonfire Night Outfit
5
5 years
I was recently contacted about a really fun fashion competition, which is being run by New Look and Sparkle Fashion Blog and focuses on New Look’s new collection of fabulous jeans. As it happens, New Look is one of the only shops on the high street where I can buy jeans as I am 5’10” and they actually make jeans long enough to fit me, so I jumped at the chance of entering! After all, the grand prize is £200 and a pair of jeans, and a pair of jeans for nine runners up! The idea of the competition is to create an outfit for any occasion using items from the New Look online store, with a pair of sexy jeans as the centrepiece. Once you’ve decided on your items you then need to blog your look and finalise your entry on this Sparkle Fashion Blog post.
As I’ve mentioned before, Autumn is my favourite time of year. I love the gorgeous colours, the sharp coldness of the Autumn sun, and the massive amount of fun that can be had, especially on Halloween and Bonfire Night! As such, I decided to put together a seasonal outfit which would be suitable to wear on Bonfire Night, whilst standing in a dark field or garden, warming yourself next to the flames whilst watching fireworks and eating jacket potatoes and toffee apples. My idea of a happy Autumn evening 
Here is what I came up with…
Shop this Look:
– Purple Skinny Jeans (£16.99) – Black and Purple Stripe Raglan Knitted Jumper (£12.99)-
– Black Skull Print Heavyweight Skinny Scarf (£7.99) – Black Studded Biker Wellies (£19.99) –
– Pieces Knitted Hat (£10.00, was £21.99) – Colourpop Jade Nail Polish (£1.99) –
Total: £69.95
So far this Autumn I have lived in skinny jeans, so the obvious choice of jeans for me was this skinny pair in my favourite colour. I absolutely adore the deep plum shade and I’d love a pair for myself! I chose the simple black knitted jumper to go with the jeans so that it wouldn’t detract from them, but compliment them with the matching purple striped sleeves. I actually tried this very jumper on a few weeks ago and it’s so snuggly and well-fitting – perfect for a chilly night spent outside.
As a nod towards this season’s trend for all things Gothic, I added the stunning skull print scarf, and for extra warmth and to pick up on the turquoise shade running through the scarf I included the knitted hat. Purple and turquoise are two of my favourite colours and I love to wear them together – I think they compliment rather than clash, and they make for a fun combination!
Bonfire Night often involves standing in a soggy field or garden, so I thought a pair of wellies would be ideal footwear for this look. I found this amazing pair of Biker Wellies on New Look’s website which transform the typical frumpy welly into something a little more chic. I really like how they look like boots so can be dressed up, and they add an extra hint of Gothic on top of the scarf.
Last but not least, for an extra splash of colour and glamour, I chose a beautifully bright Jade nail polish for the finishing touch which I think rounds the outfit off nicely.
I hope you like my entry! If you’d like to enter yourself, you can find out how here. You can also follow the competition and all the entries on Twitter using the #DenimComp hashtag!
Good luck and fingers crossed!
Naomi x
Montagne Jeunesse Moisturising Lip Balms
7As Summer moves into Autumn it’s a good idea to start protecting your lips from the damage that the chillier months can bring. Cold weather, harsh winds and even central heating can cause your lips to dry out and become sore and chapped, so to keep them hydrated and soft regular use of a good lip balm is essential.
I was recently lucky enough to be sent the full range of Montagne Jeunesse’s moisturising natural lip balms to try out, which I was very happy about as they are one of my favourite skin care brands, and as usual they really didn’t disappoint.
From left to right, the lip balms pictured above are:
- Pressed Cherry & Cocoa Chocolate Balm
- Wheatgerm & Shea Butter Weather Screen Balm
- Aloe Vera & Spearmint Healing Balm
- Shea Butter & Mango Sore Lips Balm
- Cranberry & Aloe Vera Cracked Lips Balm
Not one of Montagne Jeunesse’s lip balms contain petroleum jelly, so they aren’t greasy at all. Rather, they are made from 100% natural beeswax and olive oil and are lightly creamy but intensely moisturising. The beeswax forms a protective layer on the lips making them long-lasting, and the olive oil gives them a subtle shine. As such, they look great layered over (or even under) lipstick for a glossy yet protective finish. Each lip balm also has a delicate but uniquely sweet scent, which makes a nice change from the waxy undertone smell you often get from balms containing petroleum jelly.
Each balm contains different ingredients which are suitable for protecting against different lip damage problems, and will carry you from Autumn through until the end of Winter. At the moment I am using the Weather Screen balm to protect my lips against the late Summer sun and early Autumn winds. Towards the end of Autumn, as the weather gets colder, I will be using the Sore Lips balm, and into winter when the temperatures are particular harsh I will use the Cracked Lips balm for deep, protective moisturisation. Then, as Winter draws to an end and the Spring sun rises I will use the Healing Balm so combat any damage left over from the Winter (although I doubt I’ll need it after using the other balms!) The Chocolate balm is a nice little treat which I have plans for, so watch this space…
As with all Montagne Jeunesse products, their full range of Lip Balms are ‘caringly made in the UK’, and are vegetarian and animal-friendly as they are BUAV approved. They’re also almost 100% natural so are extremely kind on the skin. The Lip Balms cost just £1.99 each, which is very reasonable considering their high quality, and are available from Montagne Jeunesse’s website.
Have you ever tried any of Montagne Jeunesse’s Moisturising Lip Balms?
Naomi x
*All five Moisturising Lip Balms were sent to me by Montagne Jeunesse for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed are honest and my own.*
BooHoo £50 Blogger Challenge
2
5 years
To celebrate BooHoo being included in Fashion Vouchers‘ ‘Top 10 Fashion Money Saving Websites’ list, Fashion Vouchers have launched a new blogger challenge! The challenge is to put together an outfit costing £50 or less using clothes, shoes, accessories or anything else from BooHoo’s website. There will be four winners, and each will win a £50 BooHoo fashion voucher. I love a good bargain so this challenge is right up my street! I’ve entered a couple of other challenges like this before and I always enjoy window shopping lovely items to put together my ideal outfit on a budget, so I thought I would give this one a go too, and here is my entry…
(Click the image for a closer look)
Shop this look:
– Annie Oversized Vintage Jumper in ‘Black’ (£20) – Davina Skull Print Leggings in ‘Berry’ (£10) –
– Quinn Black Suedette Platform Courts (£12) – Diamante Skull Chain (£8) –
I have been browsing the high street a lot lately for Autumn trends, and have spotted a lot of big slouchy jumpers and grunge style pieces on the shelves, with a mix of Gothic style prints. Lucky for me, I already incorporate these styles into my look anyway, so it seemed only natural to take this route when choosing my outfit for the challenge.
Too often people go for bright, patterned tops and plain bottoms, so I thought I would switch the conventions around a bit. I knew that I wanted to team a simple black jumper with bold bottoms, and the Annie Oversized Vintage Jumper seemed like a good starting point. I chose the red Skull Print Leggings to go with it as they offset the bagginess of the jumper nicely by being skin-tight, and the red adds a gorgeous splash of Autumn colour. The skull print is what initially drew me to this piece as it happens to be one of my favourite clothing prints, and it gives the outfit a hint of Gothic.
I added black Platform Courts to the outfit to show that grunge/Goth can be sexy too, and that the image can be carried through to the evening with some killer, confidence boosting heels. My final addition was the Diamante Skull Chain. I adore big statement pieces of jewellery, and own a few sparkly skull necklaces myself, so when I saw this necklace I just had to include it… It matches the leggings perfectly, and would really stand out on the simple jumper, giving the outfit a girly edge.
My outfit totals exactly £50, which I am very pleased with. This is the kind of thing I will be wearing myself throughout Autumn and Winter, and if I win I may even use the voucher to buy this outfit!
I was contacted about this challenge by email yesterday, but anybody can enter. If you fancy trying your hand at styling on a budget, here are the rules for entering:
How to Enter
1. Head over to BooHoo.com and start piecing together an outfit, making sure you do not exceed your £50 budget (no student discounts or other voucher codes can be used to help you stretch this budget I’m afraid).
2. Write a post about your outfit and this competition on your blog, which includes a link back to our home page www.fashionvouchers.com.
3. Email a link to your entry to .
Rules
1. The prize will consist of 1 x £50 BooHoo.com voucher, and there will be four winners.
2. No cash alternative is available for the prize.
3. The competition starts on September 1st.
4. Closing date for entries is September 30th.
5. Winner will be announced by October 10th on our twitter page @fashvouchers.
6. Only one entry per person.
I hope you like my outfit, and if you decide to enter yourself please comment below with the link to your entry so I can check out your fashion finds… and good luck!
Naomi x
House of Fraser Blogger Style Challenge
0
6 years
Yesterday morning I was told about the new Blogger Style Challenge by House of Fraser. The challenge is to browse the House of Fraser website and put together a look using their new arrivals, which incorporates next season’s trends. The lucky winner will receive £200 worth of House of Fraser vouchers, so I wasn’t going to pass up my chance of entering! The official rules for the challenge are as follows:
Step 1: Head over to www.houseoffraser.co.uk and pick your favourite new season pieces.
Step 2: Put together your look and post it on your blog. Tell us what you love about the pieces you’ve picked and where you would wear them.
Step 3: Leave a comment below with a link to your post so we can take a look.
Step 4: Check back to see if we choose you as our favourite!
I really enjoy doing posts like this (who doesn’t love a bit of window shopping?) so I didn’t waste any time in putting my look together. A little bit of research revealed that, this Autumn and Winter, purple, Goth, leather and mini bags will all be very popular, and for me this is very good news! Purple is my favourite colour and I’ve always had a slightly dark/Goth side (someone once described me as a cross between Marilyn Manson and Bambi, which is apparently a compliment), so I had no trouble putting together an on-trend outfit that I would love to wear myself. This is what I came up with…
Shop this look:
— Whistles Naomi Leather Jacket — East Pintuck Detail Ggt Blouse — Victoria Beckham Power Skinny Jeans in ‘Berry’ — Bertie Prang Biker Boots — Jacques Vert Grape Tailored Clutch Bag — Azendi 8mm Sterling Silver Purple Cubic Zirconia Slider — Guerlain Rouge Lipstick in ‘Gigolo’ — Clarins Kohl Eye Pencil —
I’m really into purple skinny jeans at the minute, and since purple will be big this Autumn/Winter, I thought this would be a good starting point. Luckily, House of Fraser are stocking newly arrived Victoria Beckham Skinny Jeans in the stunning shade of ‘Berry’. I then teamed the jeans with a long-sleeved, floaty black blouse. The layered, flowing fabric is reminiscent of the feminine Gothic clothing that I’ve been seeing on the catwalk, so it seemed like a great choice.
When I saw the zipped, strapped and buckled boots and jacket, I knew they were perfect for my outfit. Not only do they follow the leather trend, but they instantly reminded me of the protagonist of my favourite Gothic love story, Edward Scissorhands. The jacket also shares my name, so I just had to include it!
To carry the purple theme through, I went for deep purple accessories – the Azendi necklace and the Jacques Vert Clutch Bag. The bag picks up on next season’s trend for mini bags as well.
Finally, the make up… To match the accessories and to give a further vampy, Gothic edge, I chose a dark purple lipstick by Guerlain that I have now fallen in love with. If I win the £200 vouchers, it will definitely be on my ‘to buy’ list! The Clarins Kohl Eye Pencil is the final Gothic touch, for dark, smoky-eyes.
I hope you like my final look! I would happily wear this casually in the day whilst out and about, and then in the evening with the necklace and clutch to a bar or for a meal with friends. What’s better than an outfit than can be carried from day into night?
Naomi x
