Highstreet vs Not-so-Highstreet #1

I was looking through my ever-expanding make-up collection this morning and it suddenly dawned on me that my subconscience obviously knows I can't realistically afford to keep my expensive habit up and some key bits and pieces that I use everyday have slowly started being replaced with cheaper versions. Somewhere along the line MAC has been replaced with Natural Collection, Chanel has been replaced with Revlon and Dior has been replaced with Maybelline. I'm not sure when all these changes occurred, but what's important here is the fact that they have! And you know what, expensive doesn't necessarily mean better, as I've found out. The hard way, as always. This does upset me to some extent because I was always first to argue that yes, make up is only as good as the price you pay, but alas!

So, I decided that instead of dwelling on it - in usual Lucy style - I could use it to my advantage and create some form of weekly/daily/monthly feature on my blog in which I compare highstreet versions of things to the not-so-highstreet version (hence the poorly worded title). I've got a few ideas jotted down for upcoming posts but for the debut, I'm going to compare MAC pressed powder with Natural Collection.



To be 100% honest here, I can't actually tell the difference between these two, which is good, right? I use MAC Select Sheer Pressed powder in NW15 and Natural Collection in Warm and the difference isn't noticeable (at least not to me anyway!), the staying power of Natural Collection isn't a problem either which is something I tend to worry about because my make-up looking good all day is so very important to me!

Actually, I haven't thought about it like this before now - probably the whole point of these posts - but I am so, so impressed with how the cheaper powder works, the one thing that annoyed me though was that you don't get a pad-thingy to apply it with, maybe I'm supposed to use a brush or something but I prefer not to but that's a problem easily solved.

The £1.99 price tag compared with the £17 one has definitely won me over this time, don't get me wrong, I will one day go back to MAC (I would never be THAT unfaithful!) but for now, it does the very same job and for that I will be extremely grateful, so thank you Natural Collection!

What powder do you use and do you think it's worth the price you pay?

Andrew Barton's SOS haircare

You might have heard of Andrew Barton, he's the hair stylist on Ten Years Younger and he has a salon in Covent Garden, and as you can see from the picture - he has his own hair care range which is my new favourite.

I picked up SOS Help Me! shampoo, conditioner and the twice-a-week conditioner in Asda back in September when I was doing my big pre-uni toiletry shop (my favourite kind of shop). I hadn't actually heard of him, or the products, so it was a complete fluke that I even bought them; to be completely honest the only reason I did pick them up was because of the packaging!

I was promised beautiful and healthy hair and you know what? That's what I got. The smell is incredible and my hair is left feeling incredibly soft and shiny after each use. Amy (who went out and purchased them after using mine) says they smell of cake, I can't quite decide what the smell reminds me of but whatever it is, it's GOOD.

There's a whole range of goodies available so just because you don't have damaged hair doesn't mean you can't indulge! I think I paid around £15 for the shampoo, conditioner and leave-in conditioner but they're more than worth it. They're exclusive to Asda though so I suggest you all hop, skip and jump down to your closest store and get your paws all over them!

A little Models Own treat

Here I am again grinning from ear to ear after recieiving another Models Own parcel in the post just hours after I recieved the dispatch email. I LOVE Models Own not only because of their amazing choice of nail varnish colours but also because their customer service is amazing, their offers are worthwhile and they have free delivery online. What's not to love?

I ordered 3 nail polishes: Jade Stone, Becca's Brown and Purple Ash - the three that are currently the profile picture on the Models Own Facebook page - because they've got the ongoing offer of 3 for £12 or 5 for £15 and I got a free kohl eyeliner (with an inbuilt sharpener - AMAZING).



I'm currently wearing Purple Ash and I adore it, it's such an Autumnal colour and it makes me happy. I love the way Models Own polishes dry so quickly and I find that they're a lot easier to apply than Barry M polishes, I'm not sure if it's the difference in brush types, but whatever it is, I'm definitely a convert since ALL my Barry M varnishes have gone gloopy and unusable. Rubbish!

The colour of Jade Stone is a lot, lot brighter than the advertised colour, it's really similar to Barry M's Mint Green. I was told by someone who works for Models Own that these are the three colours in the Facebook profile picture but I wonder if I've been told wrong...?

grazedknees.com is here!

Hello! My first post on my very own domain, kind of. I finally bought a domain though, five or six years after I first wanted one, here it is! The name is from an album track on Snow Patrol's Final Straw and it's the name I decided I'd have if I ever did take the leap and buy a website, so here's to being loyal to my naive teenage self!

Nothing's going to change with regards to my blog, I'm still going to lust after things I can't afford, review things I can afford, post photographs of drunken nights, things I find pretty as well as moaning about various things that probably won't ever change. I'll even do a PROPER giveaway (that I won't delete - sorry to the 12 people who actually entered...) when I reach a number of followers that I haven't decided on yet.

So, yeah... here goes the start of something partly new :)

SEVENTY.

I had to go and double check when I wrote 'Seventy' in the title just then, how have I managed to write SEVENTY blogs? And 94 followers? I'm quite impressed with myself, but more-so with you lovely people who read what I write, so THANK YOU! :)

Anyway, as we all know, Christmas (forget Halloween & Bonfire Night!) is just around the corner and no doubt the same old decorations will be making their way down from the loft, those fairy lights will be lighting up multitudes of streets across the country and mince pies will be left out under the tree that's dropped one too many pine needles. But that's besides the point, I always find the run-up to Christmas so much more exciting than the day itself and with the countdown comes the all important list.

Year after year comes the same old struggle with knowing what I'd love to unwrap, and year after year my list generally gets shorter but more expensive, typical I know. And this year is no different. If you follow me on Twitter you'll know that my need for an iPad is getting unbearable. Well, it's not a need, definitely more of a want because I don't actually know what I'd do with it except Tweet more than I already do (the idea of having 'via Twitter for iPad' underneath each update excites me more than I should probably admit) and when I discovered the massive range of luxury and designer cases available for my yet to exist iPad, I got even more excited. Just feast your eyes on these beauties:


Marc by Marc Jacobs, £35


Trussardi, $300 and Yves Saint Lauren, $795


Dolce&Gabbana, $275


Gucci, $230 and Chanel, $1555

I guess I'll just have to keep dreaming. The day I get one of these babies will be the same day I get an iPad. Sigh...

SIXTY NINE.

Yes, yes I know. I'm the shittest blogger ever and I don't comment on anybody's blogs anymore but I promise I do read. I need to get back into the routine of blogging and commenting because I love seeing all the lovely things you girls (and some boys) buy! You all give me the biggest inspiration and I see things I'd probably never come across in a thousand years. I have SO much I need to blog about, I've bought various bits and pieces since being back at uni (the time when I'm not supposed to spend much money on myself but inevitably, and ironically, the time when I spend the most!). But, for now, here is a picture of my new hair:



I wanted it like Frankie Saturday (I know, her real surname is Sandford) but unfortunately I didn't come out of the hairdressers looking the spit of her which is a shame! I'm quite pleased with it I think, it's definitely going to take some getting used too because, although I've had it short for the past 18 months or so, it's never been quite THIS short.

Anyway, here's to the start of a new start on the blogging front. Fingers crossed...