Tresemme Texture Style Spray

Tresemme Texture Style £5.49

Well this isn't my favourite texturising spray out there but it does a good job. I find that this spray makes the hair somewhat tacky to the touch and a little fluffy. If fluffy hair is what you're after then I guess this is the product for you! I prefer the Bumble and Bumble Thickening Hairspray (review here) to give texture to my hair. The consistency of the product is really strange, I expected it to be a liquid form spray but it turns out to be a thick mist. I dont know about this, but I'm personally not fond of it. The product as a whole is ok, but you could find other products that are just as good or if not better for the price. Sorry to disappoint any of the Tresemme fans out there! This spray is also available in a creme and tousled wave spray, so they might be a better product than this (give me a comment if you've tried either of them!).

Hannah x

I am now a Member of the Next Blogger Network!

Tah Dah! I am now a member of the Next Blogger Network. I am so excited to be working with a brand already! I would love to work in PR Media when I'm older so this is a fantastic opportunity! Anyone can join the network and it is free to use, so please either click the button above or the button in my sidebar to join.

Hannah x

Real Techniques Blush Brush

Real Techniques Blush Brush £9.99

I desperately needed a brush to use with blush, bronzer and for contour, so Real Techniques was the first place I looked. The reason I needed this brush was to use my new Sleek palettes (reviews coming soon). I love the RT brushes as I have previously bought the Expert Face brush and fell in love with the smooth bristles. If you didn't know, the RT brushes are created by Samantha Chapman aka Pixiwoo on youtube and aren't tested on animals. Real Techniques promise to make you the expert on applying makeup, and it certainly makes me feel pretty good about how I'm applying it! I find that the first time you ever use a brush makes your makeup look perfect, and this brush is no exception. Yet this specific brush is quite large and could give too much coverage on someone with a smaller face. If I ever need a new makeup brush, I can always rely on Real Techniques brushes as the texture is really smooth, they pick up a lot of product and don't leave streak marks on your face. Quite easily the best drugstore brush brand in the UK rivaling MAC and Sigma.

Hannah x

Q & A

Thought I'd include a picture from my personal life, this is me in Bilbao last year with my school. Im on the left of the girl bending down.

This weeks British Blogger Selection theme is a Q & A, so here we go!

Why do you like blogging?

 Because it lets me be creative and share my opinions with other bloggers who will give me advice.

How did you come up with your blog name?

I went through a rigorous routine of coming up with clever blog names that played on alliteration. I was going to be 'Haute Hannah' until I realised that it had already been selected. So 'Hannah as Always' was born.

Where in the UK do you come from?

Norwich! I'm a home-grown Norfolk girl!

Favourite colour?

Mint Green or Pink.

Do you like Lana Del Ray?

...no, sorry to disappoint everyone! I only really like National Anthem slightly, not a big fan.

Hidden talents that you have?

Urm...I can street dance? I've been doing it for 8 years now.

Celebrity Crush?

Alex Pettyfer of course.

Favourite blog of all time?

LLYMLRS

Why did you join British Blog Selection?

I was interested in talking to more bloggers with the same interest as me.

Hannah x

Win £10 at ASOS

Click the image above to be directed to the competition to win £10 to spend at ASOS with Shopcade! Perfect timing for christmas and have some gorgeous pieces! I really want the coat pictured!

Hannah x

Which Mac Lipstick should be my first?

Plumful, Costa Chic, Angel, Fanfare, Creme Cup, Sunny Seoul, Hue all £15 at Mac

I'm not too crazy on the black background in the picture above but oh well. I need serious help guys, I don't know which Mac lipstick should be my first. I took my first wander into the Mac store in Norwich and got overwhelmed by the array of makeup stands. I swatched Plumful, Creme Cup and Angel on my hand and the smell of them actually drove me nutty. They smell exactly like candyfloss, yum!

I want a neutral lipstick but not too nude that it washes me out. I was thinking Plumful as it is a lustre finish and won't be too opaque for everyday wear. But Creme Cup and Hue are the found favourites among the blogosphere so I didn't know whether to swim in the mainstream and plump for them. My favourite shade in the image is Sunny Seoul (second on the right) but I think it might wash me out unless I have a tan. I feel that Costa Chic would look great in the summer next year so I nearly definitely want to purchase this lipstick next year. Fanfare is my classic favourite that I have chosen, I think it would look lovely with a black dress and a stylish up-do.

Help me! Comment if you have any advice or experiences with any of these lipsticks.

Hannah x

Sleek Face Form

Sleek Face Form in Light £9.99

Bronzer, Highlighter, Blush

As I said in my previous haul, I'd been wanting this palette for ages and it is finally in my grips. This handsize palette contains 3 equally sized pans in a matte bronzer, slightly shimmery highlighter and a peachy pink blush with gold shimmer through it. This palette is available in shades light, fair, medium and dark, the shade I bought is in light which is the second darkest. The blush in this palette is called Rose Gold and can be bought separately for £4.99, it is an almost exact dupe for Nars Orgasm.

My first impression was how gorgeous the packaging was! Its thin, black, plastic casing is nothing but fitting to the brand name and feels very sleek in your hand! The case is a matte black whilst the brand name is in a visible plastic making it stand out. Inside you'll see there is a large mirror which comes in very handy while you're on the go. The powders themselves are very pigmented but can be blended out to create a sheer look. I've never used any bronzers, highlighters or blushes before and this product was easy to get to grips with once you know how to use it. I watched a number of Youtube tutorials on how to use these 3 powders before delving in with my brushes. The brushes I used to apply these powders were my Real Techniques Expert Face brush and Blush brush. I personally think that I need the Contour brush for...um...contour as the Expert Face brush was a bit too stiff. Despite my lack of brush choice, the powders slid across my cheeks with ease and were easy to blend into eachother.

On first application, the bronzer is very shocking but once it is blended out it is hardly noticable. The highlighter doesn't create an oily dew on the face but makes it seem glowy, especially on the cheek bones and nose. My favourite powder in the pan is the blush as it makes me feel so much more girly when I wear it. There is something about the blush that makes me feel more confident, I'm not sure why! I may even venture out to buy the blush individually for the affordable price of just under £5! You cannot go wrong with this palette, it is simple yet affordable for most people and eases you into the more advanced application of makeup.

Sorry for the long review! I can't stop talking today!

Hannah x

Christmas Wish List

Rose Gold Casio Watch from The Watch Hut £34
Sleek Blush in Rose Gold £4.99
Dorothy Perkins Chelsea Boots £25
Mac Lipstick in Plumful £15
Dorothy Perkins Petite Dress £18

I thought I'd make a quick post about what I'd like for christmas. As my birthday is 9 days before christmas (it's the 16th just for all you maths goonies), I would prefer to have some of these products on my birthday (such as the watch, it's gorgeous isn't it!!). The Watch is from an online shop called The Watch Hut, I seriously recommend buying from their shop as it has fantastic customer feedback and they retail so many beautiful watches! You may have seen from previous posts that I have the Sleek Face Form palette in light. The palette contains the Rose Gold blush, and I like it so much that I would love to have it individually so it is easier to take around with me. Chelsea boots have been on my wishlist for a long time now and I really quite want some before I go to Clothes Show LIVE on the 7th of December! I thought the dress would look lovely with the boots and a leather jacket. Actually, come to think of it, everything in the image would look lovely together! I made my own outfit without even realising it, clever me!

What do you want for christmas?

Hannah x

The Sunshine Award

I am so grateful that I have been nominated by Sarah for the Sunshine Award! The award goes to bloggers who are "positive and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere". I am very happy that I have inspired some of my readers, that's amazing!

Here are the rules: 

Share 11 facts about yourself, answer the 11 questions set by your nominating blogger, nominate 11 bloggers yourself, post 11 questions for your nominees and let them know that you've nominated them!

11 facts about me!

1- I am a Creative Media Production Student.

2- I have way over 100 nail polishes in my possession.

3- I have already thought of which University courses I would like to do, and I'm now choosing my college options.

4- I am applying to do Graphics, Classic Civilisation, Media and English Literature A levels.

5- I am going to Clothes Show LIVE in a months time!

6- I really want a pug but my mum is allergic to long haired animals.

7- When I was younger, I used to want to be a Marine Biologist.

8- My favourite makeup brands are Sleek and Rimmel.

9- My most favourite nail polish ever is Hedonist by Models Own.

10- I am a crazed fan of Example and I have seen him twice...and cried both times like a 4 year old.

11- I love going to gigs, I have seen Example (like I just said haha!), Enter Shikari, Blue, Pigeon Detectives, Gabrielle Aplin and I'm seeing Peace and Drenge next month!

Questions asked by Sarah:

Name three things you can't live without: My iPhone, my sister-like friend Jess, and any nail polish!

What's the best piece of advice you've recieved?: To not put too much pressure on myself.

What would your last meal be?: Crispy shredded beef and egg fried rice, or Chicken Carbonara.

What are your favourite types of Blog posts to read?: Reviews and Editorials.

Why did you start blogging?: Because I want a future in Fashion Journalism and I enjoy writing.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?: New Zealand! Because I've always wanted to go there due to my continuous stalking of Nayders07 on youtube! The scenery seems so beautiful there, and who doesn't love the accent?

What's the best present you've ever recieved?: Clothes Show tickets! Or my iPhone of course.

Describe yourself in three words: Bubbly, talkative and clumsy.

What has been your favourite holiday?: Last year when I went to Spain with the school! I wish I could relive every day of that week all over again.

If you could live in any other time in history, when would it be?: 1960's so I could see The Beatles.

I nominate:

Asia, Joanne, Lucie, Maxine, Ava, Tasha, Sophie, Rosie, Laura, Becky, Gemma.

My 11 Questions are:

1- What is your favourite song at the moment?

2- Do you go to a lot of gigs?

3- Do you prefer Topshop or River Island?

4- Where is your favourite holiday destination and why?

5- What colour is your bedroom (in the least creepy way)?

6- Where is the most interesting place you've ever been?

7- If you could change your name, what would you change it to?

8- What is a beauty product that you couldn't live without?

9- Do you have a mad obsession?

10- To-may-to or To-mah-to?

11- What are/did you studying?

Make sure to comment your responses so I can check them out!

Hannah x

Scandaleyes Mascaras

Rimmel Scandaleyes Mascaras both retail for £6.99 each.

 Today I'll be giving you a comparison between the 2 Rimmel Scandaleyes Mascaras that I own. There are another 2 mascaras in the collection (Show off, Retro Glam) but I don't own these. I bought the original mascara (the orange one) around a year ago and the Lycra Flex about 2 weeks ago. These mascaras have un-fault-able staying power and volumise your eyelashes for a whole day without budging! Personally I like the Lycra Flex mascara more as I feel that it runs through the lashes better and it is a smoother formula. I'm not saying that the original is clumpy, but it feels heavier on the lashes in comparison to Lycra Flex. Both products are definitely worth the hype, and in my opinion are certainly up there in the best drugstore mascaras in retail.

Which is your favourite drugstore mascara?

Hannah x

Everyday Makeup

Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation in Ivory £5.99
Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Medium £4.19
Maybelline Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze £4.99
Rimmel Scandaleyes Lycra Flex Mascara £6.99
Barry M Blink Liquid Eyeliner £4.59

Sleek Haul

Blush by 3 in Pumpkin £9.99
Face Form in Light £9.99
i-Divine in Oh so Special £7.99

I am so happy that I finally got my hands on my first ever Sleek products. I have been craving the face form palette for quite some time now and I have now got it in my collection. After watching numerous Youtube reviews on the company there were a couple of products that I was urging to buy. These included the 3 products shown above. I've seen the Blush by 3 before when I was wandering through Superdrug and Pumpkin caught my eye due to the surprising neon orange shade! I immediately wanted it! Today when I saw that Superdrug was currently offering 3 for 2 mix and match I ran to the Sleek counter. Fortunately they had Face Form and Blush by 3 Pumpkin in store so I was allowed a third free! I have heard only good things about the Sleek Eyeshadow Palettes so I decided to purchase the most wearable one. My friend Cesca over at Nails by Moi owns the Au Naturel palette which contains mostly matte brown shades. I personally wanted  a palette with a greater range of finishes which could be worn on numerous occasions. After skimming through each and every palette they sell (a lengthy process I know), I decided to buy the Oh so Special palette. This palette contains shades from brown through to pinks and golds. I will do separate reviews on each product soon.

Which Sleek product is your favourite?

Hannah x

All-Nighter Designs

As you can see, I have a new design thanks to Ellie over at All-Nighter Designs! She is so easy to work with and had made my blog look exactly how I wanted it! If you too want a FREE, yes I said FREE, custom designed theme then go onto the site below and follow the simple instructions. I requested a design last night, myself and Ellie have been emailing all night, and now it is fully installed! I guess that's why her brand name is All-Nighter as she must have been up all night designing! Oh, and she installs it onto your blog which is great as I am completely clueless with HTML and all that jazz.

Ellie's Blog - Little Vintage Camera

All-Nighter Designs Blog -All Nighter Designs

Hannah x

Cutex Nail Polish Remover

Cutex Moisture Guard Nail Polish Remover retails for £1.62 in Superdrug.

After using multiple nail polish removers over the years, I have found my favourite. I have tried brands such as Tesco and Superdrug but nothing seems to compare to this affordable remover that does the job perfectly. The bottle claims to boost the moisture content in your nails and effectively whiten them, I cannot comment on whether it improves the moisture levels in your nails as I don't suffer from having dry nails. I do believe that it has slightly whitened the tips of my nails, but I can't compare this to their usual state as I cut them recently, sorry! I find that you only need to use 2-3 'tips' of the liquid onto a cotton round to remove polish from most of your nails. This is pretty decent judging by the fact that my Superdrug remover required at least 6 'tips' to remove all of my polish, quite disappointing really. I'd definitely reccommend this remover as it is so cheap and is a lot better and effective than the leading polish removers.

Hannah x

Halloween - Pleasurewood Chills

 The first themed post for the British Blogger Selection is 'Halloween'. This year on Halloween I was lucky enough to be invited to Pleasurewood Hills on their Chills Celebration day. The day showcased 3 main horror mazes, none of which I actually went on because I'm a scaredy cat. Although, I did go on the kiddy ride in which many hilarious videos were taken displaying my fear. You can see below what I was wearing during the day...

My jumper and denim shirt are both from H&M. The jumper is £14.99, and the shirt was in the sale for £7 but I believe it would be around £10 on retail. The jumper is actually in a size medium yet it is still short in the arms, I presume that it is meant to be this style as the fit of the jumper is perfect otherwise. I am wearing Sinful Colours Black on Black on my nails layered with an H&M matte top coat (how Halloween fitting of me). I just noticed that you can see the Grim Reaper wandering around in the back of my photo, 10 points if you can spot him (it's like where's wally!!).

Oh how much I love sky lifts. This is what I did on Halloween, what did you do? Don't forget to sign up to the British Blogger Selection, see details in my previous post.

Hannah x

British Blogger Selection

I've just been accepted to the British Blogger Selection which is run by Ellie over at Little Vintage Camera. The concept of the group is that every Saturday you will recieve an email telling you of a theme to post about, you aren't obliged to post straight away and you can post whenever you are ready. It's so easy to apply to join this group, just email Ellie (details below) with your first and last name, email address and blog URL.

Ellie- littlevintagecamera@gmail.com

Also, if you are part of the Selection, please leave me a comment so I can check out your posts.

Hannah x

Neon Glitter Nails

Possibly my favourite nail combination ever. This is Sinful Colours in 24/7 with Pinky Glitter over the top (retailing for £1.99 each  MEGA BARGAIN). Either polish on their own is pretty blinding but together they just look like rainbow unicorn blood (trying to think of a pretty metaphor and failing). I loooooove this combo yet people just get blinded by them. They are pretty statement not going to lie, but I strangely love them? They look so barbie-esque. I'm such a sucker for neons too...especially pink.

Hope I haven't blinded anyone!

Hannah x

Monochrome Paisley Dress

Yes, I am aware that the flash is on before anyone comments. There's a story behind this dress. My friend Jess bought this dress, eventhough she knew I loved it, and I didn't have the money for it. After weeks of sulking, my parents bought it for me (yay!). Never did I know that Jess actually bought it for me for my birthday...oh. So now we've both got the same dress, awkward. Nevertheless, I am in love with this dress from New Look, it was only £25 too! Personally, my favourite part of the dress is the collar as I am a sucker for collars. 

I have already worn this out once to a gig to see Blue with my mum. It probably wasn't the best idea to wear such a short dress to an event that involves a lot of jumping, but it didnt't ride up...too much. 

Hannah x

TOP 5 Blogs

I've been scanning the inter-web again, and have stumbled across some perfect fashion blogs. I found most of these blogs as their owners commented on my posts. So, if you're reading this, please give me a comment with your URL in it so I can check you out.

1-Head full of Flowers
2-Fame Liquor Love
3-Flowers and Crowns
4-Krystel Couture
5-and obviously...Llymlrs because she is just my inspiration

Hannah x

Soap and Glory Peaches & Clean

Yay for good quality photos, finally. Let's all bow down to the queen of face perfection, Peaches & Clean. Well, Soap and Glory have done it again and bought out this perfect bottle of yummyness. This product is a facial cleanser but claims to be a 4-in-1 product. I'm not entirely sure what the other 3 benefits are...(conducts a quick google)...it says it's meant to 'oxidise' your skin, brighten and re-energise, and cleanse of course. During the rapid google search, I have found on the Soap and Glory website that the packaging of this product has been changed, and now it claims to only be a 3-in-1 product. Anyway, the 200ml bottle retails for a respectable £8 which I think is pretty cheap for a cleanser that has 100% worked for me. It smells gorgeous and peachy, brightens my skin, makes it baby soft and hasn't caused any break-outs! Hopefully I will get a skin-care routine up soon. But in the time being, I urge you to go pick up this cleanser, it is perfection in a bottle.

Hannah x

Bumble and Bumble Thickening Hairspray

Help me. This is literally the only product that I use on my hair on a day to day basis...and it was free!!! Good ol' Elle Magazine gave this bad boy out with their July issue I believe, it was before summer though (late review or what!). This spray does wonders to my hair and does exactly what it claims on the bottle. Spritz this through your hair before you dry it, then scrunch your hair up and physically 'push' volume into your roots whilst drying and your hair will look fantastically distressed. I don't entirely know how to explain the effects. Your hair does somewhat look thicker, but it adds aloooot more texture and volume to your hair. I definitely notice a difference to my hair when I don't wear it. This 50ml bottle retails for £7.50 at boots, and the 250ml bottle retails for around £21.

It's definitely on my christmas list.

Hannah x

A Twist on Tartan

Excuse the odd socks and my unflattering legs but I love these leggings, I am wearing them as we speak. They are from Matalan and were on the 2 for £12 section but I think they were £8 each. They're just comfy! Well, there's not much I can natter on about leggings so I'll leave it at that!

Hannah x

Dying my hair?

 Pretty crazy edits right? Yeah, I know they're terrible, my 'ribbit' skills don't develop very far...Basically, I really  want to dye my hair a crazy colour as I am bored witless of my dark hair. I've spent the past year ish trying to dye my hair lighter. Last summer my hair was a mahogany purpley colour, which only stayed in for around a month. But before that, my hair was almost black. A couple of weeks ago, I tried again and dyed it 'chocolate brown' in the hope that it would make my hair lighter...it made it darker still. I have recently been dying (get it? I'm punny) to ombre my hair. Eventhough I know that bleaching it would kill my ends, I think it would make my hair look like something rather than ordinary. My friend may be buying me a BLEACH Salon dip dye kit (here) for my birthday in order to persuade my mum to let me do it (good ol' teamwork). But I really like the idea of having pastel pink hair (this colour), I want mine like ohabioh on instagram (her youtube is here). Oh well, the school won't let me anyway.

Any help?!

Hannah x

Matte Red Nails

Gotta love iphone quality pictures right? I've had a sudden burst if excitement with matte nails again, I'm in love with them! I think they look so much more classy and finished. The red polish is Topshops War Paint with H&M matte top coat ontop.

Do you like matte nails?

Hannah x

Cutepolish Halloween Nails

I felt like I hadn't done any nail art for absolutely ages so I decided to crack out my stripers and dotters once again. Since Halloween is coming next week, I raided youtube for some simple Halloween tutorials. I stumbled across Cutepolish's trusty page and found this design in one of her videos (click here to watch the video). The design was actually really easy to reproduce judging by the fact that I haven't done any nail art in absolutely ages.

 I only needed about 8 polishes to do this design. I used : Topshop Peaches and Cream, Venus Fly Trap and War Paint, Rimmel Ultraviolet, Sinful Colours Snow me White and Black on Black. I also used my dotting tools (similar here) and nail art brushes (here) which I got from amazon, I also used a black striper that I got from 99p store a while back.

To be fair, I'm pretty happy with how my results turned out. Let me know if you try out this design by putting it on instagram and tagging me in the description (hannahtoughx).

Have a good week!

Hannah x

River Island Chunky Boots

River Island Boots £45 (here)

I have been dying to get my hands on these boots for absolutely ages and after 2 weeks of saving pay checks, I got them. On saturday, I zipped straight from work to the city and literally ran through the shopping centre to River Island. I had a horrible vision that the last pair would be bought just as I got there...so I was running...pretty quick too. I got there and found the last pair in the shop, and they fit perfectly! These boots are the best, and most expensive, item of clothing I own and I love them to pieces! I seriously think that they go with any outfit. I have worn them with a black skater skirt and striped blouse, but they also look good with skinny, light, turned up jeans. Admittedly, a day of wearing these while traipsing round the city did give me a blister, so have plasters handy and a spare pair of socks.

As most of you know, I'm going to Clothes Show in 2 months for my birthday. I think I'm going to wear these boots with a skater dress teamed with my leather jacket. Sound good to you? Seriously need help with my outfit!!! 

What do you think?

Hannah x

My Music Taste

I hope you guys don't mind, but I want to change this blog up a bit so it isn't just fashion, I want to include some other cultural factors. Due to work experience opportunities, I want to keep my blog as broad as I possibly can, therefore I'm incorporating my music taste into this post.

My music taste is so varied it's unbelievable but my eyes have been opened to the world of NME recently (thank heavens for that). This guy at my school asked me to go see Peace with him, I had no idea who they were but I wanted to go none the less! After a quick google, spotify and download later, I fell in love with Peace (pictured central). Think Arctic Monkeys and Two Door Cinema Club mashed together, ah perfect. I've now got a ticket and I'm seeing them on December 10th!

Another girl on Instagram (who goes to my school) posts a lot about Swim Deep (pictured bottom), so I thought 'd check them out too...wow. Who would have thought that Instagram was such a musical hub?! Their music videos are seriously to die for, beautiful stuff.

Lastly, another band called Palma Violets (pictured top...I'm doing this in the worst order aren't I) are touring at Norwich next month and I'm eager to go to that one too! I'm a bit gig crazy at the moment...it is gig season anyway! But I have actually only heard one of Palma Violet's songs, but I have downloaded their debut album (180) to gear up my lyrical know-how.

I'm interested to know if any of you guys have got a similar music taste to me. I reaaally want someone to talk to who I can swap songs with! I think it would be really sweet to talk to you guys and help each other out.

Sorry again if you don't want me to change my blog straight away, but there will still be fashion posts I promise! It's just that I'm contacting companies such as Sound and Vision to help me boost my creative writing goals. Also, I am hopefully basing my next BTEC Media project around my blog, this will also help me achieve my grades and improve this blog on the whole! Pleaaase give me feedback in the comments if you like/absolutely hated this post and where my blog is now going.

Thanks for the support,
Hannah x

Sorry!

I've been such a bad blogger recently oh dear. Sorry to my followers who keep reading to check if there's something new. I have been caught up so much in exam revision (I had my English Language mock on friday and it went well I think...to anyone who may have been interested. I just thought I'd take this opportunity to apologise and I will hopefully be updating more often now...well after my proper English Language GCSE exams in November anyway!

Also, my friend Cesca from school runs a nail-art blog and I personally think it's really good so I think you guys should check it out! Click here to see her blog and please try some of the designs from her background, they're all her own genius work!

Hopefully check back soon, sorry again guys!

Hannah x

Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation

Holy Moly...I'm in love. I've been using the sample sachets from Company and Glamour magazines for as long as I can, but I picked up 2 of the full size bottles in Boots last week and am head over heels for them. The only way I can describe the texture of this foundation is a liquid mousse, it's like Maybelline Dream Matte mousse but more stiff and creamy. I genuinely cannot get enough of this product and is so perfect for my skin tone. Although I have found that I've been breaking out on my chin a lot more since I started using this product, I don't know whether to blame the foundation or my love of pizza... Such a perfect product for such a reasonable price of £5.99.

What do you think?

Hannah x

Seventeen Graffiti Polish

Oh gosh I'm in love. Hi! I've finally got round to reviewing this polish after about a week of it sitting on my 'to review' shelf...bad hannah. Seventeen's 'Off the wall graffiti nail effect' polish in Monochrome is one of my favourite polishes I own. It is a Salt and Pepper top coat polish filled with suspended strands of black and white matte glitter. The most popular Salt and Pepper polish is one by L'Oreal which I believe is £5.99, and this polish was £3.99!!! So cheap for the quality of the product itself! But if I'm honest, it is a pain in the backside to remove and takes absolutely ages to come off. I've used this top coat over Essie Fiji and it is now one of my favourite polish combinations. It looks dainty but with a punky edge. I'm happy with this purchase and hope you guys will give this one a crack.

Hannah x

New Models Own Collections

 If you guys haven't guessed yet, Models Own is my favourite nail brand. I'm in love with the formulation, the variety of colours, and hello, have you seen the bottles?! When I saw LLYMLRS had written some posts (here and here) telling us about the new Models Own collections, I jumped. The new collections are called 'Fireworks' and 'Velvet Goth'. I bought one of each collection to give them a whirl. These each retail at £5 like a standard Models Own polish, and I think they are definitely worth the money and aren't a splurge in my opinon.

The pink glitter polish (Roman Candle) is from the Fireworks collection. I love how the polishes are named after various different types of firework (others in the collection have names such as Sparkler and Rocket). This polish has a clear base with black, pink and silver strands suspended through it. I find that the polish can be very opaque over the nail and is a very dense polish. A cheaper dupe of this polish is Barry M's Pink Sapphire (retailing at £2.99). The greeny polish (Absinthe) is from the Velvet Goth collection. The lid of the bottle is cased in velvet in the corresponding colour of the polish. I personally like this touch but I can see other people not being so fond of the lid. When I first saw the name 'Velvet Goth', I thought the polishes were going to be texturised and fuzzy, but thankfully they're not. The polish is quite hard to explain, it's quite a thick consistency and could get away with one coat. It has small flecks of glitter through it and dries matte on the nail. My favourite of the two is probably Absinthe as I think that it is definitely a autumn/winter colour and a christmas staple.

The Fireworks collection is out September 4th in Boots, and the 25th in Superdrug. The Velvet Goth collection is out now.

Maybelline Baby Lips

Yo, so before we start, yes I'm aware that my nail has chipped....sad times (Topshop Parma Violets by the way). So BabyLips are finally in the UK and I decided to pop out and buy some while all the buzz was around. There are 6 in the collection but I only grabbed 2 to test (Hydrate, left, and Cherry Me, right). They were around £2.99 each which is very reasonable for a lip balm from a makeup brand rather than Vasaline/Carmex. Hydrate is a clear balm, and I personally think it smells of Harribos...but Cherry Me tints your lips a berry purple colour which looks really nice against my skin tone. The tint stays on your lips for about half an hour- an hour, but it's good while it lasts. The packaging promises 8hrs of moisture, sadly it doesn't live up to these expectations. I would say it lasts around an hour before you have to apply it again, but your lips aren't too dry afterwards. I have a problem with my lips flaking and this product has stopped it completely, so I'm a happy bunny. Will be re-purchasing more of the collection.

Hannah x

DIY Dotty Nails

Base coat- Models Own Hedonist

Dots- Sinful Colours Snow me White

Hannah x

Zara Neon Clutch

Zara Shoulder Bag/Clutch 9.99 in sale.

Hi! I am so so sorry for the lack of posts, I'm back at school so what can I say...hello coursework:( But if you saw my previous post about Val D'Europe (here) then you'd see that I bought something from Zara. Here is that something! I originally was hunting for the neon yellow one that Zoella and LLYMLRS had but I had to compromise with this beauty. I actually love this bag alot more than I thought I would and it looks fab with monochrome clothes. I actually had so much fun asking for this in a french shop where they don't speak english....not, it was horrible. For someone who does GCSE French, I'm surprisingly bad at speaking french to french people (ooer). But can I just mention, how fab does my tan look in this picture?! Hope you guys had a good summer!

Hannah x

Val D'Europe

 Agh! I loved coming here so much! Sorry, getting too excited already....calm hannah.....ok. Hi! So while I was at Paris for the week, we decided to take a trip down to Val D'Europe. It is a maaaassive shopping centre that is more like a town than a set of shops (hence the name 'Village of Europe'). My favourite part was a street filled with designer shops, I was in heaven! I actually went in a Versace shop and touched the clothes, oh my.

 The whole street looked stunning and something straight out of the High End in LA or Central London. I literally dragged my parents into every shop! So upsetting that I couldn't buy anything:( Sad times.

The inside part of Val D'Europe was more promising as there were ordinary shops in there. As the centre was in France, there were other shops in there that aren't in the UK so I loved it! I went a bit crazy in KIKO with the nail polish, and bought a gorgeous bag from Zara (we have a Zara in Norwich but I never buy anything in there!) which I'll upload an outfit with later. There was another shop called 'Berksha' which I loved! It was kind of like Topshop, Primark and H&M all blended together, it was beyond perfect! They also had a Sephora! I've never been in a Sephora before as we don't have them in the UK, but it felt so much more posh than Boots or Superdrug, it was more like a House of Fraser type place. So tempted by the OPI's though!

Hannah x

Maison Dior

 Hello everyone! So while I was in France for 2 weeks, I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of Christian Dior's childhood house. While I was staying in Granville, Maison Dior opened its doors during the annual festival to the public. For only 4 euros (equivalent of about £3.50), I had a wander around the inside of this beautiful house. Each room had been transformed into a museum of mannequins each wearing clothes from the Dior collections over the years. Unfortunately I wasn't allowed to take photos inside the house but I took plenty around the house and its gardens.

Here's little old me standing in the rose garden infront of the pillar dedicated to Christian Dior (this isn't his grave by the way! I thought so too! haha). He designed this part of the garden himself while he was staying in the house during the World War. The blouse I'm wearing is from primark (OOTD here), topshop skirt and primark bag. The mysterious white bag is what I purchased from the museum (holiday haul coming soon).

The entrance to the house was beautiful! The massive board outside featuring Natalie Portman made me so excited! I bought a poster from the gift shop with the same design on as this board, it is proudly hanging beside my bed. The photo below is the view from behind the house, which is also so so so stunning!! As soon as you exit the museum you are encapsulated by the scenery overlooking the sea at Granville. The sea was so blue/green and so much better than the english sea! Even though there was a graveyard underneath the garden, I think it added a Grecian feel to the scenery and it's not spooky at all! I would love to live here so much! It's one of the best places I've ever visited. Lucky Dior!

Hannah x

Disneyland Paris!

Here's me, looking all spotty, standing infront of the Disney castle (sorry about camera quality...these photos are from my iphone, my normal camera is a Fujifilm s9280). I haven't been to Disneyland since I was 8 so I was so go damn excited to go back.

Excuse the oily face (again), but Stitch is my favourite Disney character and there was a massive one in the shop (€60 -cry-). Sorry in advance for the amount of pictures in this post...

We stayed at night to watch the Disney Dreams fireworks. Everyone thought they started at 10:00, although they didn't start till 11:00. So we stood, among thousands in the pouring rain, waiting for the show to start but we gave up and walked away. The next night we returned and watched the full show...it was amazing! I felt like such a 6 year old, it couldn't be faulted (bit disappointed it didn't have a little mermaid bit:/).

I'll update this post next week with more pictures from my camera or even upload a completely new post:)

Hannah x

I'm in France!

Hey everyone! Sorry for the lack of posts over the past couple of weeks, I've been in France for the past week and I'm still here this week. The pictures above are from last week when I went to Granville, the sea was beautiful! I went to Christian Dior's childhood house on wednesday, I will make a post on my day when I get home, and it was one of the best days of my life!! I'm in Paris at the moment and I'm going to Disneyland tomorrow! Dead excited hah! So sad that I can't be at home writing regular reviews but hey-ho I'll be home soon!

Hannah x

Holiday Nail Polish

Hi! So I'm going to France for 2 weeks on friday so I won't be able to post on here as much, sorry. But I thought I'd show you which nail polish I'm taking. Yes, I know there's a lot for 2 weeks but if you know me, you know that I have over excessive amounts of nail polish anyway! Neons are big this summer and look great with a tan so I thought I'd take all of my neon polishes with me. I'm also taking a white base coat to put under my neons to make them brighter.

Left to right...Barry M Greenberry & Limited Edition A, Models Own Hedonist, Beach Party, Toxic Apple & Luis Lemon, Essie trio Naughty Nautical, Sunday Funday & Full Steam Ahead (full review here), Sinful Colours Snow White & 24/7, Collection Bright Lights.

I'll post what I can while I'm on holiday, hope you guys have a good week! What's your favourite summer colour?

Hannah x

Essie Summer 2013 Collection

 Recently I went up into Norwich city (my hometown) with my dad to get some last minute holiday goodies before friday. I took this opportunity to grab the trio of this years Essie Summer Collection, and boy was I pleased. A normal Essie polish retails for £7.99 and this trio was £12.99. I originally only wanted 'Sunday Funday' (the middle colour in the trio), but I found the trio and fell in love with 'Naughty Nautical' (the left colour) and decided to buy the trio as it was cheaper. Although the polish bottles are smaller (5ml) than an average Essie polish (13.5 ml), I still thought you'd get a good amount of product inside it. The pack comes with 3 of the 6 polishes from the Summer Collection: Naughty Nautical, a deep turquoise, Sunday Funday, a pinky peach, and Full Steam Ahead, a pastel lavender. All 3 polishes have small particles of shimmer in them, this isn't noticeable in the picture above, but here are some swatches...

The shimmer still isn't really that visible in the swatches but it is there, I promise! I haven't seen a colour that resembles that of 'Naughty Nautical' and it is very unique in my huuuge collection. Although, 'Full Steam Ahead' is very similar to Topshops 'Parma Violet' (which I own), and 'Sunday Funday' is a shimmer version of Essie's own 'Peach Daiquiri' (I also have that too...starting to worry about my obsession...). As always, these polishes have a great formulation which all Essie products have. They are 2 coats opaque and don't take ages to dry! I am in love with Sunday Funday as it looks great with a tan! I am currently sporting 'Naughty Nautical' on my nails and it hasn't chipped yet and looks fab! Will hopefully be buying the full size bottles of my favourites and maybe some others in the collection, as long as they're still on sale when I get back from holiday!!

Hannah x