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Wednesday 27 November 2013

Nail Art: Distressed Nails

Hey guys!

Apologies for not posting on Monday, I had a meeting at work and did not get back till late. 

I wanted to do a nail art tutorial today as I have not done one in ages and I did this gorgeous design this week and had to share it! Sorry it's a bit chipped here - this was taken after 3 days.



Its the simplest design ever to create - it just involves you being a bit messy. 
Here are the colours that I used to create the look, I won't bore you by naming the colours - you can use whichever colours you want, it really doesn't matter too much.


1. Firstly, paint a white base coat on all of your nails - two coats usually looks better, especially if the polish is very thin like the Barry M Matte White that I used. 

2. Then take your first colour - wipe the brush on the sides of the bottle to take off nearly all of the polish that is on the brush. Then, apply random strokes onto the nail. It should look something like this.


3. Then repeat step 2 with the other colours that you have chosen - I find it best to apply the darkest colour last, and then add extra lighter colours on top if needed. 



I have to admit there is slightly too much black on this nail for my liking - however I still love the distressed look and the way it looks messy yet artistic. 

If anyone tries this out please leave me a comment and tell me how it went!
Don't forget to follow on GFC and Bloglovin'!


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Wednesday 20 November 2013

Recipe: The Best Lemon Drizzle Cake

Hi guys!

I know this post isn't the usual, but I'm thinking I might post a few more things like this because it makes my blog a bit more diverse.
Recently I've been enjoying making Lemon Drizzle cake - which is weird because I'm not that fond of lemon flavored things, but this cake is divine!


You will need :
110g Softened Butter
170g Flour
170g Caster Sugar
2 Eggs
1 Lemon
1tsp Baking Powder
6tsp Milk
110g Icing Sugar


Before you start baking, make sure that your oven is lit at 190 degrees centigrade!
1. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy
2. Gradually add in the eggs and ensure they are whisked into the mixture thoroughly
3. Then it is time to add the flour and baking powder - make sure you use a sift of else the mixture will go lumpy and horrible!
4. Once all the flour is mixed in, you must add the milk and the the juice of half a lemon
5. The final thing to do is to line the loaf tin with baking paper and then pour the mixture in. Put the cake in the oven for 20-30 minutes until cooked throughout


I usually hate everything that I bake, and this is the one thing that I actually love and eat. Its not too sweet, but if you are trying to make it healthier you could always keep the icing off (but personally I think its the best part). I think next time I make it I will add some Poppy Seeds because it'd make the cake slightly different and add more textures.

If any of you try to make this please send me a photo on twitter (@daenabe) or leave me a comment down below.

If you enjoy these recipe posts then also let me know because I might do one every now and again if people enjoy reading them!

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Monday 18 November 2013

Collection Deluxe Lipstick

Hello Amigos!

Surprise surprise I was in Superdrug the other day, and I was browsing at the Collection stand and saw they have released a new range of lipsticks called "Deluxe" lipsticks (after my research I found they were actually released a few months ago!). I saw this gorgeous pinky red colour and I couldn't walk away without it, so I bought it...oops.



The one I bought is called Prohibition, however there are 5 colours in the range, all with 20's themed names which is super cute. The formulation of the lipstick is so creamy and smooth to apply due to the Shea Butter ingredient, and this makes the product wonderful for this time of year when your lips can become dry and chapped due to the cold weather. Overall the texture is very velvety and the lipstick itself has a fairly average staying power, not amazing, although I do find that most Collection lipsticks do not have great staying power. The finish is glossy and wearable, with no shimmer or glitter.

WHY does my camera make my skin look so awful and dry?!
 

This colour is a gorgeous pink toned red for autumn, and not as daring as a bold bright red such as MAC's Ruby Woo. It works so well with darker coloured clothing and I truly am so glad I picked this lipstick up to add to my collection.

It was only £3.99 - however Boots and Superdrug do have all their makeup on 3 for 2 at the moment (at least they did when I bought this lipstick) so it could be a wonderful bargain if you have other things to buy. Another great product from Collection in my eyes!

Have you guys tried any of the other colours from this range?

                                                                                
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Friday 15 November 2013

Glossybox November 2013

Guess what arrived ? ;)




I was totally not expecting my monthly Glossybox so early, but it turned up at my door today and I was super excited to see what goodies had been popped inside!



Vichy is such a wonderful skincare brand and I had not tried anything from them prior to my November Glossybox. The serum says that it will improve the appearance of your skin, evening out the skin tone and giving a radiant glow. I tried  the serum a few days ago, and I applied it before my BB cream. It did make my skin look more radiant as it has light reflecting particles in it, but it made me slightly sparkly which was a bit too much in my opinion.



Dams is a matte black eyeshadow with an incredibly high pigmentation. I believe that Emite is a Swedish brand which is probably why not many people have heard of it, in comparison to something like Vichy. It has a very fine texture and is very soft rather than grainy. Personally, I think the pigmentation is higher than that of MAC which is fairly rare for single eyeshadows. This colour is perfect for creating an intense smokey eye, which I will definitely have to try and create soon. Incidentally  I dropped this eyeshadow as soon as I finished taking these pictures and it smashed into a million pieces, and fixing it with Vodka hasn't worked. I'm so upset to say the least. 



This hand cream initially didn't appeal to me because I saw the scent and was not impressed. Personally I do not like things that are chocolate scented, that are going on my body. It can just be incredibly sickly and overwhelming. And my expectations in terms of smell were met. However, the cream itself is so moisturising and absorbs into the skin fairly quickly. It did leave the insides of my hands slightly greasy but not too much so that I wanted to wash the product off my hands. I kind of wish I was sent the Cocoa and Pistachio one rather than the Cocoa and Orange, but other than that this is a fairly decent hand cream for £1.95.



Now this is a product that I have tried before and have been meaning to repurchase, so I was delighted when I saw this in my box! You spray this on your nails after you have painted them, and they are then touch dry in 60 seconds. Not only does it dry the polish but it also conditions the cuticles which leaves them soft and wonderful. Honestly, if you hate painting your nails because you know they will take ages to dry, then this is the perfect solution!



I have to admit, B. is one of those brands that I just walk past in Superdrug so that I can get to Revlon or some other stand that I am far more familiar with. It claims to only require one coat for a full coverage, but you need at least 2 coats to get the desired colour, and for me it chipped fairly quickly and within 3 days I felt I needed to redo my nails. Not quite Barry M Gelly standard but it was nice to try something different. The colour that I was sent is called Mermaid, which is a gorgeous pale teal colour, personally not very Autumnal but it is a nice colour for Spring and maybe Winter.
Did you guys like the November box?
 ♥

Monday 11 November 2013

MUA Heaven & Earth Palette Tutorial #1

Hey everyone!

The MUA Heaven & Earth Palette is my new obsession, so I thought I would do a look for you all that is so easy and quick to create!

The first thing that I did was apply the Maybelline 24hr Colour Tattoo in On & On Bronze, just all over the lid. You don't need to do this step but I find that this acts as a brilliant base colour and helps to keep my eyeshadow on longer.



After this, I applied Shade 4 all over the lid on top of On & On Bronze - this shade is a gorgeous shimmery golden beige colour, very similar to On & On Bronze.


Then I applied shade 11 in the middle of my eyes and slightly through the crease. Unfortunately this colour does not show up too well on my camera, but it is a wonderful colour to help blend the lighter and darker shades. 



I put shade 5 in the outer V, being sure to work it into the crease of my eyelid. I also ran this along the outer third of the bottom lash line just to smoke the look out a bit more.



Lastly I applied shade 1 just on the brow bone as a highlight. Then I got a fluffy brush and blended all the colours together seamlessly and ensured that the crease definition was blended well.



I think this look is gorgeous for a night out when you don't want heavy makeup or maybe even a meal out with friends. The MUA palettes all have such a wonderful selection of natural shades that can create all sorts of looks! If you wanted a more evening look then you could always add a pair of falsies, but I quite like this look as it is.

If you found this tutorial helpful and would like to see more then just drop me a comment below!
P.S I apologise that the quality of photos is poor - the lighting has been rubbish today and my camera is on its last legs!

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Friday 1 November 2013

Autumn/Winter Outfits 2013 #1

Hey guys!

I took a few photos of my outfits this week and decided to make it into a blog post, kind of like an outfit of the week but three days worth. 

 Top : Primark £5 - Jeans : Dorothy Perkins (old) - Jacket : Topshop (last year) - Shoes : Ebay £26.99

 Dress: Topshop £10 (sale) - Jacket: Topshop (last year) - Shoes: Primark £12 

Jumper: Primark £10 - Skirt: Ebay - Shoes: Primark £12 - Scarf: Topshop £22

Hope you all like! I definitely think the second was my favourite outfit, but the jumper in the third outfit is so warm and fluffy. It comes in loads of colours and it is such a bargain.

What are you're favourite pieces for Autumn/Winter?

 ♥
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