Beauty: Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion - £14.50

I first used the Urban Decay Primer Potion when I received an Urban Decay gift box which included a sample size. I rarely wear eyeshadow now, apart from for special occasions or maybe client meetings when I want my makeup to look a bit better than normal, so the sample size lasted me ages, but late last year I ran out, and I decided to treat myself to a full size tube.

I have to say, I love this product, it makes my eyeshadow stay put for so much longer than any other primer I've used (although I haven't used that many, mainly benefit products) and it makes the colours pop more, which is great for me, as I'd much rather use colour on my eyes than wear a heavy lipstick. I wouldn't say my eyelids are overly oily, as I have very dry skin on my face so I think this is the only place I have any oil at all! Maybe for ladies with much oilier eyelids this wouldn't work as well, but I find it goes on smoothly and evenly and my eyeshadow lasts for a night out or a day in the office. Really pleased I bought a full size tube, and I will definitely be buying it again when this runs out.

I was also really impressed with the service at the Urban Decay counter I went to in Debenhams, as there are now multiple versions of the Primer Potion available, the assistant talked me through each one and recommended the two she thought would work best with my complexion, these were the original potion (the one I bought) and the 'Sin' version of the potion. Really great service, and it's definitely encouraged me to go back to Urban Decay when I'm looking for new makeup products.

Do you use the Primer Potion? Do you use any other Urban Decay products? What would you recommend?

Sparkly Topshop Boots

Since I posted about my love of sparkly shoes I just couldn't get the Topshop boots I featured in that post out of my head. I had some vouchers to spend so decided to treat myself to them as an early Christmas present.

They're so beautiful, and although I had read reviews saying that the glitter can come off very easily, I didn't really find that at all when I first put them on. I did spray them with hairspray before I left the house, and they don't seem to be shedding much at all.

They are quite thin boots, but for Topshop they were quite inexpensive at £36, so I didn't expect them to be the best quality, however they are really comfortable so I'm hoping as long as I don't wear them all the time, they will last quite a while.

Apparently they are now sold out online, but might be worth checking your local store just in case, as they're now only £15!

Do you have a pair of the Maccoy boots? I'd love to see how you style them!

Hello there...

So, I kind of abandoned you all over here, didn't I? Sorry about that. It won't happen again. Promise.

Here is a picture of one of my cats to make up for it:

I hope you forgive me. Anyway, I thought I'd write something to fill you in on the last month of my life, but Christmas feels like a million years ago, so I'm going to leave that bit out. After Christmas I decided to settle down and work on my blog, plan some posts for the New Year etc. and my Macbook died! The screen went so dark that I could just faintly see the outline of boxes, but after about an hour on the phone to Apple I was told they would pick it up, repair it for free and then return it, which they did. This meant I was without a laptop until last week so instead of blogging I got on with productive things like sleeping and eating copious amounts of biscuits.

Since then nothing very interesting has happened, I had a lovely birthday and my driving lessons are going well, but nothing big. I'll hopefully be back to posting more often now - thanks for sticking with me!x

Coyne-Operated Culture: Beauty and the Beast

Photo by Bill Cooper from northernballet.com

Last week I headed off to the Grand Opera House in Leeds to watch the Northern Ballet perform Beauty and the Beast. As I have previously mentioned, I am a big fan of ballet, and it was great to see a production I haven't seen before, either live or on television.

I really really enjoyed the evening, the set and costumes trod a fine line between modern and traditional which really complimented the slightly more contemporary style of dance. I recently watched some of Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake and personally, I dislike how modern the choreography is, Beauty and the Beast maintained the beauty of traditional ballet while adding modern twists which I felt made it more accessible to the modern audience.

This was my first Northern Ballet experience, but it hopefully won't be my last, I had a great time and felt very Christmassy afterwards!

Hope everyone had a great Christmas, I'm still off work so I'm now just savouring the huge amounts of sleep I can have and all the time I can spend with Ryan.

P.S. It's a week until my birthday! Eek!

My Winter Survival Kit

I've never been good in cold weather, come to think of it I'm not great in hot weather either, but the minute I get cold I stay cold, and find it really difficult to warm back up. In changeable weather like what we're experiencing at the moment, it's important for me to have my 'Winter Survival Kit', I know most people think of shovels, fresh water and antifreeze when you think about a winter kit, but mine is a bit different.

My survival kit is all about keeping warm and on my two feet, I have a dreadful habit of slipping over at a spot of rain or ice, and I often sit shivering inside for half an hour after I get in because I haven't worn enough layers. So these are my essential items which come with me everywhere when it's cold.

The Faux Fur Coat

Coat: River Island

My mum bought me this coat two Christmas' ago and it is my favourite piece of kit for winter, it is so warm but because it doesn't fasten at the front, if you get a bit too warm it's really easy to cool down (I often have this problem commuting as you go from being cold on the station to boiling hot on the train). 

The Fingerless Gloves

Gloves: H&M

I seem to buy a new pair of these every year as I always lose one of them. I don't know how people wear gloves now we use mobile phones all the time, but these fingerless ones leave my fingers free for texting, but I can still pull them over my fingertips if needed - perfect.

The Animal Hat

Hat: River Island

I think there was a point last year when I hated these hats... not anymore. It rules. It is warm, it is versatile and most of all it's utterly adorable. It really does keep me warmer than any other hat I have ever owned.

The Welly Boots

Boots: Hunter, Mud: Local park where my parents walk the dogs

I'm pretty firmly against wearing wellies as everyday shoes, they are for dog walking, festivals, and probably most importantly: extreme weather conditions. I love knowing I have a great pair of welly boots just waiting to help me in the snow and ice, or to get me through a particularly rainy day.

What are your winter essentials?

All dressed up with nowhere to go

Feels like all I do recently is dress up nicely in outfits that I want to feature on the blog, but I never have an opportunity to take some photos. I wore this outfit for a trip to Tesco and then a trip to see friends. What an exciting weekend...

 

Jumper: H&M, Leggings: Primark, Vest: Topshop, Boots: Next, Hat: River Island

I love outfits like this, for me this is the perfect balance of fashionable and lazy, and lazy is my middle name. The leggings were only £6 from Primark and they fit really well, but I often find their leggings are rubbish, so it was a bit of a risk buying them. The jumper is from the January sales this year and the boots are falling apart. Basically, this outfit is a bit lame. Apart from the hat, the hat rules.

What's your go-to lazy day outfit? 

The Muppets by O.P.I

I love The Muppets and am so excited for the new film to be released, even though it isn't released in the UK until February 2012. When I heard that O.P.I had released a Muppets inspired line of varnishes I thought I had to treat myself, and because O.P.I is such good quality the full size pots are around the £10 mark, but this set of four mini-varnishes was only £12.95 from ASOS and I think it's probably cheaper elsewhere.

In the mini-set you get Wocka Wocka, Excuse Moi!, Designer... de Better! and Warm and Fozzie. These four colours give you a great idea of what the collection is all about, as it varies from deep, strong colours to sparkly polishes perfect for a night out.

Clockwise from top left: Wocka Wocka, Excuse Moi!, Warm and Fozzie, Designer...de Better!

For my first try I went for Designer...de Better! as it looks quite understated while also having a hint of sparkle (and we all know I love a bit of sparkle). The colour built up quickly, and I only used two coats here (apologies for the awful photo, how do people get these to look good?) and was really pleased with the result. It's a silvery-coloured polish with reddy-pink glitter, but it has a really smooth finish. I haven't even put a top coat on these because my clear polish has gone all gooey.

I'm looking forward to using Excuse Moi! over the festive season as it will be the perfect accompaniment to a party dress. I'm also looking forward to using Warm and Fozzie as I don't have any polishes this colour, and I think it will go well with my leopard faux fur coat when it gets chilly out. The rest of the collection looks amazing, and I wish I could buy everything! The only other polish I'm really tempted to buy is Rainbow Collection, which I saw used on llymlrs and fell in love with - so many sparkles!

What do you think of O.P.I polishes and their special collections? Do you have any of The Muppets polishes?