Friday 31 January 2014

Winter: Current favorite eye products



Following on from fridays post I don't have that many winter eye products but I do have a few I want to show you because I believe these are the cream of the crops! 

1 - Revlon lash potion. I'm pretty sure the majority of beauty bloggers rave about this beautiful mascara because, well it is a damn good product I usually apply a light coat of Lo'real volume million lashes in Black just to prime my lashes and lengthen them as the Lash potion is adds more of volume than length! But either way it's a top notch mascara. Price of this is £13.00.

2 - Mac eyeshadow in Woodwinked. Recently featured on my YouTube channel this beautiful satin eyeshadow is a staple in my everyday makeup bag because you can just a wash all over the lid for a lovely put together look. Price of this is £15.00.

3 - Benefit They're real mascara. A higher end mascara that works superbly with the Revlon lash potion over the top, although it's not as volumous as the lash potion it's still rather volumous and really worth the money. Price is £19.50.

Hope you enjoyed this little segment that will be returning each season! Post on Monday!

Danielle xxx
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Wednesday 29 January 2014

Winter: Current favourite lip products


This is a shiny and new seasonal posts containing my current favorite products and today I'm starting with lip products! Quite a veriety of brands and prices, obviously as it's the middle of winter the majority of these are very moisturizing and nourishing. 

- Mac matte lipstick in Diva. As usual I'm am contradicting myself by showing a matte product that has no moisturizing or nourishing benefits in it, although matte lips are usually ment for the warmer weather but lately I've been going back to this beautiful purple toned lipstick as the colour just makes any makeup look, look put together. At a heafty price of £15.00 I try to use it as sparingly as possible.

- Revlon lipstick in Adorned. A lovely hot pink lipstick the is as pigmented as any high end brand but obviously at a fraction of the price. The texure of all the Revlon lipglosses feel more like a balm and they don't have that horrible sticky feeling that most drugstore lipglosses do. The price of these? £7.99 pretty good for a high quality gloss I'd say!

- Maybelline baby lips. Everyone and their mum knows about these bad boys, and I don't blame them they are beautiful lip balms with quite a good colour pay off supprisingly for their low price! My favorite colour? Cherry me, a gorgeous red tinted balm that stains your lips a natural red colour. The price £2.99

I hope you enjoyed this little post tomorrow I will write about my favorite eye products! And I will be doing this for each season! 

Danielle xxx
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Tuesday 28 January 2014

Anxiety & Depression; dealing with public transport.



This subject really hits home to me because this time last year I got diagnosed with depression and sevier anxiety so for the past year I really didn't think it would be able to even step foot into a train or a bus again just because there's something about traveling on any sort of public transport that makes me very nervous. I guess it's just the fact that  leaving the house on your own is a independent thing to do even if you are 19 years old and have done it many times... It's almost as if you have to somehow regain your confidence so today I faced my fear and traveled on both a bus and a train. My experience? It went much better than I antisapated so here are my tips if you are a fellow sufferer.

1 - keep calm, cool and collected. Whether your on a train or a bus you need to act quite mellow, you don't want to start having a panic attack and drawing attention to yourself.

2 - try and find a seat that you can sit by youself. If you happen to be on a two seater try to bring a large handbag with you that can suclude you from the crowd

3 - have your closest parent or other half on speed dial. Personally for me bus journeys make me the most anxious so speaking to a close friend while I'm having a panic attack really calms my nerves.

I hope this short little blog post helped even one person suffering out there, just remember your not alone in this, if you want to contact me I'm more than happy to help you. My links are in the discription box. 

Post soon,
Danielle xxx
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Monday 27 January 2014

Manicure Mondays; Think Pink!


As a big lover of the warmer weather in spring/summer it will come as no supprise to you that my favorite colours are any pastel shades in particular this very cute and girly pastel pink. Even though the weather here in England is still pretty miserable I like to pretend its spring by making my nails all bright and beautiful.

Polishes used:
Two coats of Essie's Fiji nail polish which is a bright opaque colour within 2 coats and is super handy when your in a rush and your not wanting to paint on more than two coats. I've always been a lover of Essie and this was probably one of my first shades from their collection that I purchased. You can buy this beautiful colour HERE for £7.99 per bottle.

One coat of Barry M's sparkle top coat in Pink Irridescent, about 4 years ago Barry M nail paints where my absolute favorite nail polishes and at only £2.99 per bottle could you blame me for buying the whole collection... This is a well loved and used polish but it still gives amazing results even though it is rather gloopy, half empty and 3 years old. I may need to go down to Boots and repurchase this shade! Purchase this glitter polish HERE.

And lastly as no surprise I finished off my manicure with my trusty Seche Vite top coat at a eye watering price of £15.99 per bottle I can just about justify spending that sort of money on this product as it works wonders on my nails and prevents the polish from chipping for nearly a week at a time which is fabulous. You can buy this top coat HERE.

Post soon! 
Danielle xxx
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Wednesday 15 January 2014

My bath time essentials!


For me personally I'm a huge fan of having a bath it really warms me up on a cold winter night and it's a great way to chill out and relax for a mere 15 minutes. Now when I can be bothered to run myself a bath (as usually I shower) I go all out, I pop a few candles on turn the lights low and use some really rich and nutritious products which I can indulge in.

One bath company I have deffinatly been converted too is Lush they sell the most beautifully scented organic and natural bath products that really do what it says on the tin. A personal favourite of mine is the Comforter bath ballistic which you can purchase here and if your unsure of how to use a bath ballistic they are basically these large slabs of heaven that you crumble under hot running water which created huge bubbles, a colourful bath and a fabulously scented aroma. To be quite frank I do buy this particular bath ballistic at least three times a month which can get a little expensive but it's totally worth it! 

Another company that everyone and their mother is in love with (including my mum and I) is Soap and glory which can be found in most Boots stores. I'm a lover of their body washes and scrubs so the ones I will be using this evening is the Clean, clean girls body wash which you can buy here and the Scub 'em and leave 'em body buff which you can also purchase here

Once I've finished day dreaming in the tub I hop out dry my self down and use the Girligo moisturizing body mist also from soap and glory which you can buy here. It's much lighter than a body lotion as it comes out in a spray pump, takes seconds to rub and sink in and still feel as moisturizing as a lotion, genius

Time for bed I think! Hope you enjoyed today's chilled out post, if you want a bit more of me head on over to my YouTube HERE where I uploaded a new video this morning! Happy bathing!

Danielle xxx
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Friday 10 January 2014

Hair drying essentials for shiny & glossy hair!


For the past couple of months I've been a little obsessed with glossy, shiny hair and the reason to that is the way I dry my hair. Now regularly I do dry my hair naturally so It keeps it from getting too damaged. But lately I've been into drying my hair with a hair dryer just because it makes things quick and easy. As usual all the products used and their links will be down below. Pre-hair drying I do use the Lo'real Elvive re-nourish shampoo and conditioner to wash my wash my hair, the Redken Extreme anti-snap as my de-tangler and my trusty Tangleteeser to comb through my hair.

To start out I usually spritz my hair with the Aussie 'take the heat' heat protectant this beautifully scented product makes your hair feel fabulously soft and ready for the heat!

I then use my ever so old but still trusty Babyliss hair dryer on the extra cool setting and then taking a round bristle brush I start drying my hair by brushing my hair with the hair dryer curling towards me neck at the ends. 

I lastly take a hair roller to roll up my side fringe bits to curl them in and take my hair dryer and lightly go over it, until it's completely dry.

To finish it all off I take the Lo'real Elvive hair oil which is a silky, velvet textured oil that has an odd smell but once it's sunken into your hair, the smell completely fades and keeps your hair looking and feeling wonderful! So that completes my hair drying routine! Hope you enjoyed!

What are your favourite hair products?
Danielle xoxo
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Wednesday 8 January 2014

Wishlist Wednesday #2


It's been a long time since I did a Wishlist Wednesday, so it's been long overdue to do an update! I've been obsessing over emerald green accessories and nude pieces, as you can tell! All the links will be below.

1 - Pandora Essence Bracelet. This beautiful piece of jewellery has been on my mental wish list since it's release date back in autumn. It has a retail price of £49 and it's on top of my list for my birthday in June, fingers crossed.

2 - Polka Dot tights from Accessorize. I thought these tights were so sweet and will cutify any outfit! These retail at a price of £8.00 but are currently on sale for £4.00 online! Bargain!

3 - Green winged handheld bag from Accessorize. A beautiful emerald green handbag that the perfect size for everyday use, a retail price at £32 is pretty steep but worth it due to the flawless quality. 

4 - Mac studio sculpt foundation in NC15. This is probably the one product I've been wanting for the longest time, it gives a medium to high coverage yet it is not cakey. It values at £25 and I will be owning this on pay day!

5 - Cream wrap dress by River Island. A sofisticated dress that can be dressed up or down, so can be worn on multiple occasions. I love this wrap piece and I can not wait to get my hands on it and at a sale price of £30 it's a steal!

6 - Ted Baker bow purse. This beautiful patent purse has gorgeous written all over it and is a dream, but at a retail price of £80 unfortunately it will only be a dream!

So that's been all the bits and pieces I've been adoring this week, I will update you if I decide to purcase any of these! Unfortunately I didn't end up putting up a Yourube video today due to the fact I've been in bed with a cold but I will be back on track in a couple of days!

What's on your Wishlist?
Danielle xoxo


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Tuesday 7 January 2014

Review; Maybelline 24h colour tattoos





So as you may of noticed from yesterday's post my hair dye review didn't turn out as well as I wanted it to, so instead I thought I would do a review of one of my all time favorite products Maybelline 24h colour tattoos. I have a total of 6 in my collection (all bought with my own money) but I do believe they have a range of 8 different colours, give or take one or two. They retail at a price of £4.99 and they are very comparable to the Mac paint pots. The colour tattoos are a gel consistency so can be used as an eyeshadow or an eyeliner, as you can tell by the above photo they are very opaque and are very long lasting. I don't believe they are as long lasting as the 24 hours they claim to be but I have worn them for more than 9 hours before and they have stayed in place and not creased which is a plus. Onto the colours and my thoughts on them. (Starting from left to right)

- Metallic Pomegranite. This beautiful shimmering burgundy shade is a fab colour for the autumn/winter time either worn on its own or under eye shadows as a primer.

- Everlasting Navy. This is a colour that I save for special occasions only due to the fact that it's very hard to wear daily as it's rather dark for any day time look.

- Permanent Taupe. This is the only matte shade in my collection and the only matte shade in the full range, a pretty, opaque grey colour is very hard to wear and does make your eyes look a little tired only because it is matte but used as an eyeliner it really brightens up the last line.

- Eternal Gold. This is a beautiful gold shade as the name suggests, that makes your eyes sparkle on a special occasion.

- Pink Gold. Again this is one of my favorite colours as it's really easy to pull off on any eye colour and really holds any eyeshades.

- On and on Bronze. This is a cult beauty favorite including one of my own, it really makes it look like you have put a lot of effort into your makeup if you where this alone of with other eyeshadows. Deffinatly my most used shades.

All in all I love the colour tattoos and their great value for money. The majority of the shades are pretty wearable but there are a few bright exceptions that only the daring ones will wear! If your wanting to try the mac paint pots then I would highly recommend these first as they are very similar all round.

What do you think of the Maybelline colour tattoos?
Danielle xoxo
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Monday 6 January 2014

Manicure Monday; Rainy Days




As usual the weather in England is wet and windy, so I got inspired by this nasty weather to create this wintery design on my nails. All the products and their links are listed below -

- Deborah Lippmann nail varnish in Stormy weather. This is the most beautiful dark grey toned green I have ever laid my eyes on, this is such a unique colour that I don't have in my collection. It's a very muddy grey which looks perfect with pale skin, I applied two coats of this and it was completely opaque. These polishes are in the ranks running alongside Essie as my favorite brand! 

- No7 nail varnish in Sparkle glitter. This polish has millions of holographic blue chunks on glitter in a cloudy base which reminded me a lot of the weather we are currently having so two coats of thatD on both ring fingers makes the perfect black cloud. 

- Seche Vite topcoat. It's no surprise that this is the topcoat I use, although it is a little pricey compared to other brands the quality is like no other and makes the polishes last way longer. I applied one coat on each nail and two on the glitter nails to insure it has a smooth finish.

So this was the finished result of my Stormy day nails, cheers me up knowing I've got perfect looking nails in this miserable weather. As a side note I will not be reviewing the Loreal mousse hair dye that I featurd in my haul on Saturday due to the fact I tried it out today got half was down my head and it ran out... Even though it said If you have medium length hair it will last a full coverage and a top up... Not very impressed Loreal, one unhappy customer. But other than that I will be posting as usal so every weekday and my Saturday edit on the first Saturday of each month! 

Have you tried the Deborah Lippmann nail varnishes? What did you think of them?
Danielle xoxo
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Saturday 4 January 2014

Saturday edit; January Sales


This morning I cheekily went out for a little retail therapy to have a look around the January sales! Unfortunately for me as hard as I try I can never be a window shopper due to the fact little things here and there always seem to catch my eye and I feel like I need to bring them home with me! All in all it was a good day due to the fact I didn't spend as much money as I anticipated but I actually did spend a little money when I originally went there only to window shop... Oops! 

So here are the bits and bobs I decided to spend my money on and their links!

- Yankee candle tart burner and tarts. As we have learnt I am an awful shopper as I buy everything so when my legs accidentally drifted me into the candle store I was more than thrilled to leave the shop with no candles. Alas I did buy a wax burner which has these gorgeous multicoloured pieces of glass infused into it which reflects the light, shining pastel colours throughout. A beautiful piece that I simply couldn't leave on the shelf. To go with this gem I also bought a few tarts; Honey Blossom, Honey & Spice and one that I am burning as we speak Merry Marshmallow.

- L'oreal Paris Mousse Absolute hair dye in the colour 1021. I had heard many mixed reviews about this product but I felt I should give it a shot and give you all a little review on it which will be up this coming Tuesday. As my hair is rather yellow from bleaching it once a month I thought it would be a good idea to tone it with a boxed ashy dye. 

- Deborah Lippmann nail polishes in Stormy Weather, Brick House and Happy Birthday. As I was mindlessly browsing through all the (super un-organized) beauty products in TKMAXX, I caught my eye on a set of 3 nail polishes by Deborah Lippmann in these fabulous colours that I popped into my basket with no hesitation. As we all know these polishes have a retail value of £18 each so I was pleasantly surprised to find that this set of three polishes at only £8!!! That's better than 3/4 of the price, you find so many bargains if you know where to look in TKMAXX.

- Benefit Full Glam Ahead set. This cute little set was once again bought on a wim as I approached the cash desk at boots to pay for my hair dye, those gifts at the tills are so dangerous for someone who has a problem with buying things on a wim! (Ooh, I'll take that and that and that...) In this set you receive a mini High beam highlighter, a mini Stay don't stray primer and a mini Bad Gal Lash mascara. All of which I've been keen to try so why not buy the miniatures to see if I like them or not, ever so handy! 

- The Body shop eyeshadow quad in Smokey Plum. Unfortunately when I went into my local body shop they ran out of this so I asked when if they would have anymore in, to my disappointment this was a limited edition christmas item. But to my luck the lovely lady serving me found an unused tester in the back that had never been opened and she gave it to me for free!!! Now this really is my lucky day. I first noticed this cute palette when Victoria from Inthefrow reviewed it on her blog showing off the beautiful plum shades and champagne shades in HD. So I knew at that moment I had to get my hands on this beauty!

So that was everything I got in the January sales if you want a full review on any of these products do let me know because I will be more than happy to do one for you! I'm super excited to try out everything I purchased and hopefully I will love them all!

What did you buy in the January sales?
Danielle xxx

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Friday 3 January 2014

My pamper day essentials!



When it comes to pampering myself, I am the queen of making myself feel relaxed and rejuvenated. I usually allow myself around three to four days out of the month to take as pamper days! (Usually once a week... Whoops!

Now we all know that pamper days at the spa can get very expensive very quickly, so why not do it yourself at home for a quater of the price, in a familliar environment and just as calming as you would experience in a salon.

Here are my tips and products I use for a soothing day at home! 

- Run yourself a bubbly, hot bath; I enjoy using the Niels Yard Seaweed & Arnica Foaming Bath oil. This product is beautifully scented with the fragrence of seaweed and menthol reminding you of the seaside. It's so hydrating for your skin and due to the aromatherapy like scents in this genius bottle it really relaxes your muscles getting you ready either for bed or a non stressful day!

Making sure your all lovely and smooth for your fabulous day ahead, I adore the Lush Rub Rub Rub body scrub as it removes all the horrible dead skin revealing beautiful soft skin underneath, the menthol fragrence in this reminds me of the ocean once again and it's perfect pared with the bath oil.

A great way to hydrate you face during a steamy bath is to use either a sheet mask or a cream mask. One of my favorites to use is the No7 Beautiful Skin Hydrating mask for dry to very dry skin. This creamy pot of luxury will make you feel like a goddess with baby smooth skin (honest!!) 

- Moisturize everywhere, post bath I really take pleasure in completing my routine by plumping my skin with a bit more moisture. For the majority of my body my skin just drinks up the Bath and Body works Twilight Wood body lotion, a musky scented lotion that I lather myself with. Unfortunately for my UK readers this lotion is only available in the US or on eBay, so have a ponder around online and you might just find it.

To hydrate my face after a relaxing bath I love the Biotherm Blue Therapy serium-in-oil (night). Due to my ghastly dry skin I have to make sure I endeavour the best of the best oils/seriums (especially in the middle of winter) So this beauty has been my knight in shining armour and my saviour from my horrendous dry skin! 

Lastly (again due to the weather) I have to take extra care of my hands as they get cracked and sore easily especially when it's cold and windy so I love The Body shop Almond hand creme. As it thankfully does what it says on the tin, I now don't have to suffer from cracked and bleeding knuckles! (Hooray!!!) 

- Have a good book and nice cuppa! To finish off my pamper day I really enjoy cosying it up in front of an open fire with a good book and a hot cup of tea. My choice for today? One of my all time favourite teas Knightsbridge green tea with lemon, this box of heaven is my go-to tea when I'm feeling a tad stressed or a bit down. The herbal in this calms my stress and the lemon really does a good job of refreshing me when I need a little pick me up!

This book is one of my all time loves to just flick through and admire, 'Things a woman should know about style' by Karen Homer. It's a great beauty if your wanting something you don't have to give a whole lot of concentration with. But if your more of a reader i really recommend 'The secret' by Rhonda Bynes, this book is a great read and really gives a whole new perspective on life especially if your feeling down!

So that's all my pamper day essentials, obviously I switch it all up now and then and maybe in the future I'll do an updated version but for now these products and items that I find works best for me!

What are your pamper day necessities? 
Danielle xxx



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Thursday 2 January 2014

Goodbye 2013, Hello 2014!


So, it's that time of year again where everyone looks back and shares their highs and lows of the past year. For me, I will be no different to the rest so I thought it might be interesting for you (and potentially my future self) to review the past year. Highs and lows.

Unfortunately 2013 was deffinatly not my year due to the fact that I got diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety issues (more details on that on a later note) became jobless due to my health, and had all happiness taken out of me. I personally want to move on from this as soon as possible due to the fact that it takes over your whole life and personally for me I get weeks even months where I can't even leave the house without having a panic attack or working my self up with stress that I exhaust myself out. If any of you want me to do a blog post or a video about my issues then feel free to let me know because I'll be happy to talk about it even if it helps one person get to grips with theirs by relating, it's worth it. But on a more positive note 2013 was the year I started this little blog and my youtube! So lots of hits and misses! To be perfectly honest I'm ever so glad this year is finally over due to the fact how rubbish it was for me and I'm determined to make 2014 my year!

Looking forward onto the year ahead I have a few resolutions that I thought I could share with you all and maybe you can use these for yourself as well!

1: (obviously) Get over my issues. Now this is probably my biggest and most unrealistic of my resolutions but there's no harm in trying even if it's just getting out the house once a week.

2: Pay more attention to both my blog and youtube. As you know from Wednesdays post I did quickly mention about my new schedule and I'm determind to stick with it, considering I'm not doing anything else with my time why not put all my energy to something useful rather than mindlessly watching pointless tv shows for hours on end with a vacant zombie expression on my face in my pjs.

3: Eat more healthy. Ie fruit & vegetables and 3 meals a day, unfortunately since I've been home I've gotten into the rotten habit of snacking all day and never having a decent meal thus under eating. Which on a plus side has helped shift my weight but not good for my body and even my health is taking an effect from it now!

4: Start having a normal body clock and sleep at normal hours. Ironically I'm writing this at 1am but i know that I'll wake up tomorrow around 2pm which is a really really bad habit I've left myself slip into!! So from now on I am setting a strict rule of sleeping at 11pm and waking up at 8am (eep, gunna be hard for a night owl like myself!!

Hopefully come December, I can look back and see how well I did with my resolutions! What are your resolutions did you stick to yours from last year? Let me know!!

** image curtesy of bitstrips**

Post soon! Dannie xxx



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Wednesday 1 January 2014

Fresh and feminine makeup, perfect in time for the new year!



Hello my lovelies, 
So I've got a fresh, new tutorial for you all just in time for 2014.  Link for the video - Hopefaithandbeauty

Products used -
- Loreal Paris Infallible foundation
- maybelline New York whitestay uv foundation
- Bobbi Brown creamy concealer
- Sleek eyebrow kit
- Sleek contour kit
- Revlon photo ready skin lights in pink light
- Mac pearl matte in pink butter cream
- Maybelline 24h colour tattoo in on and on bronze
- Mac eyeshadow in woodwinked
- Loreal super liner
- Ardell lashes in naturalite
- Arbonne it's a long story mascara
- Loreal lip lacquer in Big Bang

Tools used -
- Bobbi Brown flat top buffing brush
- Real Techniques blush brush 
- xobeauty domed shader brush
- Ted Baker eye lash curlers

Just as a side note, my schedule for YouTube and my blog is now as follows,  I will be uploading a new video to my youtube every Wednesday and I will also be blogging every Wednesday (coinciding with my youtube) and blogging specifically for blogging every Monday and Friday! Now put that in your diary because Dannie is back! Hope you all had a fab new year, see you Friday!

Dannie xxx
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