East of India

Has anybody heard of East of India? There's a few little shops in Grimsby that sell it but I don't think I've seen it anywhere in Leicester, is there anywhere near you that sells it?

If you haven't heard of it, here's a little bit about the company that I got off one of the stockist's websites (I couldn't find an actual East of India site):

"East of India's beautiful range of gifts and cards are designed ‘in-house’ by owners John Spratling and Anne Ayris, and are hand made and hand-finished by artisans around the world, using traditional methods. The local craftsmen and women who fashion the products enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship with East of India, so purchasing these products makes a significant contribution to local economies around the world."

All the gifts are so lovely and unique, they have plaques with quotations and phrases on, an amazing selection of cards for every occasion and some adorable little keepsakes for weddings and christenings.

I've got a few little bits and bobs by them on my shelf that have been bought for me and I love them. My favourite is a little plaque of a girl that my grandma got me for Christmas last year and it says "it's my mess and I love it!" because my bedroom is a constant mess. All the gifts make good keepsakes and the majority of them are so scarily apt. Those private jokes you think you have within your family? Well there's probably a gift that says something along the lines of that, whatever it may be! I also came across a cute heart the other day while at home - I posted it on Twitter actually - that said "even the smallest wish can come true". They're so adorable!

I could probably sit and browse through the products all day but that wouldn't be very productive, would it? I wish I could though. Instead, here's the website I got all the above images off for you to have a look at :)

PS: 8 followers from 200? Thank you SO MUCH! x

Tonight's the night we're gonna make it happen

You know when everything just feels good and it's as if everything is finally slotting into place? Well that's how I feel now.

I think my dissertation is beginning to take shape, I've got a plan in my head of how I want things to go (although, if my tutor doesn't start replying to my emails it might all go tits up but we'll be positive for now and give him the benefit of the doubt! After all, these lecturers are busy creatures...)

My Christmas shopping is going well and I am SO EXCITED. I'm pretty sure I've almost finished now, there may be a few odd bits and bobs I need to pick up but for the most part, it's done. I like it best when me and my big sister go halves on presents because it means we can spend more but it doesn't feel like we're spending as much. Does that make sense? Probably not. I never was very good at making the thoughts in my end make sense in the real world.

And while I'm talking (typing?) about Christmas, I only have 18 more hours of teaching time at uni left until we break up. And I think that'll fly by because I have my Lit Review due in so I need to fully concentrate on that, I'm going to the Clothes Show with Amy (unexpected free ticket, double bonus!) next Tuesday, we're going to see Katy B next Monday, and I think I'm going home this weekend. Even uni work has the prospect of actually being fun! Yay.

I'm also really enjoying the way this thing is going, I honestly love my blog so much and I'm constantly thinking of new ways and new directions it could go in. I never, ever thought I'd get as much response to it as I'm currently getting. I know it's beginning to sound cliché because every blogger writes about how thankful they are when they get reach 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000+ followers but I truly am grateful to each and every single follower and I read every single comment that I'm left. I started out with the intention of doing this to put on my CV, to show potential employers that I'm able to keep something up and to show them a kind of portfolio of my writing. It's become so much more than that over the last few months though, but don't get me wrong, it's still going to be present on my CV when I eventually start applying for jobs so you lot might just take me to the place I want to be!

Another thing that has really upped my mood is making a happy playlist on Spotify. I rooted through my last.fm archives and I'm currently reliving my 15/16/17 year old self by listening to Le Tigre, +44, Guilliemots, The Fray, Boys Like Girls, The Academy is, Green Day and Motion City Soundtrack.

Ah! Happiness in a nutshell.

Highstreet vs Not-so-Highstreet #6

I'm sure everybody in the whole entire world knows about the dilemma I had with my most favourite Topshop highlighter being discontinued meaning I had to find a replacement. If not, click here. Now, me being me, decided that it was only fair (on myself, obviously) that I bought a £31 version instead of looking for something a little cheaper and slightly more highstreet. Although, in my defence I did look at the make-up stands in Boots but found nothing that I deemed suitable.

I settled on Dior's shimmer powder compact in 002 Amber Diamond after an extremely brief trip to Fenwicks and I don't regret it. The colours in it are lovely, it goes perfectly blended with MAC's Sweet as Cocoa and finished with Moonbeam by Benefit on my cheekbones. It gives my face a warm glow, but not too much, and the shimmery finish is just enough without making me look like... something ridiculously shimmery. In fact, it does exactly the same as the Topshop one that cost me a pathetic £8 and lasted me six months. Can you tell I'm still in mourning?

What I'm trying to say is this: I do love the Dior bronzer/highlighter/blusher (whatever it's called) and if I'd have bought that first, I have no doubt in my mind that I would never be swayed into buying any sort of replacement for it that wasn't the same thing. BUT, because I experience the amazingness of the Topshop one, I just want that back!

HOWEVER! I do have some good news for you lovely lot. When I was in London on Wednesday I went into Topshop and asked the lady if it had been discontinued and she said it had but word on the street was that it was COMING BACK! She wasn't sure when but hopefully soon. You should have seen the smile on my little face! Just when I thought there was no justice left in the world. I just hope to God she isn't lying to me....

What are your favourite blushers/highlighters? What colours do you tend to use on your cheeks?

One Day by David Nicholls

Firstly, I'm sorry for the ever so boring titles of my blog posts, I never have any inspiration for quirky ones and anything I do think of is always ridiculous and cheesy! Anyway...

I was recommended to read this book by a couple of people on Twitter so I finally caved in and bought it and it arrived last week (you might remember the post I did about my love for second hand books, I mentioned it then) and I finished it last night and oh my GOD, it is amazing. I literally could not put it down, I was constantly wanting to know what happened next.

I'm not going to even try and write a review because knowing me I'll probably just spill the whole book and mention everything that happens, therefore making it more of a synopsis (or even a complete spoiler, that's probably a better word to use) than an actual review. I will say this though: it's one of the best books I've read in a long time, it's one of those books where such a lot happens that you could probably keep reading and re-reading and you'd kind of notice how things slot together and be more aware of why things happen and the way they happen. I don't think that makes sense but if you've read it, do you know what I mean? I hope so!

I literally have so much love for this book already, it's been quite a while since I've finished a book this quickly because sometimes I get bored in the middle and find it a struggle to keep ploughing through it to reach the end. Not with this one though! Not at all. I thoroughly recommend it, and it only cost me £2.49 with free delivery from a second hand seller on Play.com! Go and treat yourself!

One more thing, a bit of self-promotion here but today I had my first article-type-thing printed for At Home magazine thanks to my lovely friend Selin, which you can read by clicking here. It's going to be a fortnightly feature on the website called Beauty Box and I will be I reviewing beauty products, yaaay! If there's anything you think I should try out then just let me know. You can drop me an email on lucy@grazedknees.com - I can finally access my inbox online now instead of just on my Blackberry which is also very exciting news because I've been trying to work out how to do it ever since I bought the domain!

Nails of the um... fortnight?

I've been meaning to do a 'nails of the day' post for about two weeks now but haven't actually got round to uploading the pictures off my phone until now so here's a backlog of the various colours I've had since then...

001. Not sure what colour this is because I stole it off my mum but I loved it, I felt like a drag queen while wearing it though but I didn't mind! Not sure what it's called but I can find out if anybody's interested

002. In The Navy with Juicy Jules over the top, both by Models Own. Juicy Jules takes me back to my childhood because it's so amazingly sparkly, there's a bottle of it up for grabs in my giveaway but it's an absolute bitch to get off!

003. Beth's Blue with Juicy Jules on the top, again both by Models Own. I loved this, I know they're quite messy but nevermind, they reminded me of snowflakes

004. Raspberry Fool, again by Models Own (anyone sensing a trend here...?!). Such a gorgeous shade of red, one of the nicer ones I've come across

005. Matte White by Barry M and the polka dots are done with my Models Own vs. Wah Nails nail art pen. It's about as creative as I can get!

006. And finally, I got some actual, official Wah Nails done today on a trip to London. I wanted them doing at Lucy In Disguise but the lady wasn't there so I went to Oxford Circus Topshop and got them done there instead. I love them. so much The lady used Essie polishes, not sure what colours though. I literally cannot stop staring at them!

Busy little bee!

I'm sorry for a lack of blogs with substance just recently, I've been here, there and everywhere over the last few days.

I came home to Grimsby from Leicester for the weekend on Friday because Dad asked me to go and see Harry Potter with him (which was absolutely fantastic, definitely one of the better films. I need to go again!) so I spent Saturday with him which was nice! Sunday I went to my auntie's house with my parents because she's just moved house and needed some help taking things from the garage and into the loft so quite a productive day there. From there I got the train back to Leicester in time for a lecture on Monday morning in which we had an assessment. It's been building up for weeks so I'm glad it's over with and now I can fully concentrate on getting my Lit Review for my dissertation done. Well, I say that, I'll probably not end up starting it until mid-December so I leave enough time for panic mode to set in. AND THEN I travelled the three hours home again after my lecture because my sister's home (she lives in Leeds) and she's got a rucksack with her that I needed to try on for when I go to Australia next year and this is the only chance I'll get before she swans off to New York on Thursday. Phew!

I must admit though, it is nice to be home and have all of us here because it's not often it happens these days. We're all going for lunch before I head off back to Leicester in time to go to London tomorrow with Amy for nothing in particular. I'm debating getting WAH NAILS though when we go to Lucy in Disguise...

A massive hello to my new followers too, I've got the lovely Lily to thank for that! I promise the content will improve as soon as I'm able to settle in one place for a decent amount of time!

In the mean time, my Formspring is open so feel free to ask me anything, as is the giveaway so enter that if you haven't already.

GIVEAWAY TIME!

I've been talking about this for a few weeks now and I'm finally getting round to putting it up. It's nothing amazing so don't get too excited - it's a few bits I've picked up from various places on shopping trips and all things that I either use, love or just saw and had to have. My friend Emma said it was like a "little package of me" which is always nice!

Anyway. Here we go:

(click to make it bigger)

Pantene Aqua Light Lightweight Nourishing Mist
Angelfish hair serum (LOVE THIS STUFF)
Vanilla Lime Yankee Candle
Strawberry Buttercream Yankee Candle
I ♥ Ice Cream hand and face wipes (SO CUTE!)
Marks & Spencers Percy Pigs
A little wooden hanging heart. Saw this in a little handmade gift shop near where I live called Raspberry Home and thought it was lovely!


OMG AND I TOTALLY FORGOT! THERE'S ALSO A MODELS OWN NAIL POLISH IN JUICY JULES TO ADD IN THERE!

And obviously we need some rules so:

• Please leave a comment on this post saying you want to be entered and an email address I can contact you on if you are the chosen one!
• You MUST be a follower of my blog on Google Friend Connect and/or Bloglovin'. I will be checking before I pick the winner!
• Consider the giveaway open internationally.
  
• For one extra entry you can post about the giveaway on twitter - "enter @lucyparts little giveaway here: http://bit.ly/cKgQfu" Please post the link to the tweet in a seperate comment.
  
• For another extra entry you can mention my giveaway on your blog, again please post the link in a seperate comment. Yes, I'm lazy and it makes it easier for me!
• That's a maximum of three entries per person!
  
• The giveaway will close at midnight on 12th December, 3 weeks from today and I'll try my very best to make sure you get the package before Christmas :)
• And finally, GOOD LUCK!
  

Seven things about yours truly

I was tagged in this little post by the lovely Adele and I haven't done one before (or not recently, anyway) so I thought I would, it could maybe be a little introduction to the new followers I've gained over the last few days! :)

one. I work at McDonald's and have done for over four years. It's mostly now just during holidays from uni but I do come home for the occasional shift when money is getting a little bit tight. Before I got a job there I was completely adamant that I wouldn't never lower myself to working at such a place, but you know what? It's one of the best things I've ever done. I've spent God-knows how many hours defending that place as somewhere to work because it really isn't that bad. I get frowned upon by customers because we're all seen as a bunch of idiots but I just tell myself that in actual fact, the majority of us employees are probably a lot more qualified than they'll ever be. I've met a bunch of the most fantastic people while working there and I do not regret a single second of it (except maybe the odd 16 hour shift here & there...). Having said that, it's nowhere near as fun as it used to be and I can't wait to hand my notice in. I think that's probably because I've grown out of it now, there's so many immature 16/17 year olds working there now and I always feel slightly out of place whenever I go back after not being there for a long period of time!

two. My birthday is exactly 6 months before Christmas, it's a completely useless fact but it's one I insist on telling everybody I meet. It's on 25th June (incase you hadn't worked it out) and I definitely love counting the days down - and annoying everybody in my vicinity - more than the day itself. Same goes for Christmas actually!

three. I very nearly dropped out of university 4 months after I started. I did not want to be there, it was just after we'd got back from the Christmas holidays and I was in my first year, I'd spent the holidays making burgers and chips with my friends and before I knew it I was back in my little room and hating every second. I wanted nothing more than to work full time and be with my friends. Luckily, I saw sense after speaking to Mum and my course tutor and I stayed and looking back, that was the right decision to make. My heart wasn't in it in first year and that reflected in my grades but now, I couldn't be happier, I've got the best group of friends I could ever imagine and I love them to pieces. The course isn't the best in the world but I think it'll get me to where I want to be, eventually.

four. I'm absolutely terrible with money, I can't save for anything and I just constantly spend it on things I could probably go without, mainly make-up! My view, perhaps not the best to have however, is that it's going to get spent sooner or later so why not now? I'm having a good time and that's all that matters. Don't get me wrong, I'm not RIDICULOUS with it, my overdraft isn't massive compared to a lot of students, but I just could be a little bit more careful but where's the fun in that?

five. When I was younger I was hard of hearing, I had to visit the ear, nose & throat doctor until I was about 11, I had grommets in my ears and had to have speech therapy. I don't really remember it having a massive effect on me growing up but I'm convinced that's why I've got a slight lisp now, and although Mum says she doesn't notice it, I do and so do a couple of my friends

six. I'm 6ft tall, I don't like admitting that though because it makes me sound like a giant, I prefer it say I'm 5'12", ha. I'm loads taller than the majority of my friends, I don't think I mind really, I've just got used to it. I'd love to be a little bit smaller but alas, that won't ever be! I don't ever wear heels but one day I will own a pair of Louboutins just to say I have some.

seven. It took me 5 attempts over 3 years to pass my driving test. I started when I turned 17 in 2007, failed 4 tests between April & September 2008 and then finally passed on September 16th 2010 with 6 minors, I don't think it's sunk in yet though! I never really wanted to drive but Mum told me I'd be better off doing it while I was young and before I finish university because it'll be much harder after graduation, plus, it looks good on your CV and the inability to drive could stop me getting a job depending where it was and where I lived. I think that's why I failed loads though, because I didn't care enough. All I wanted to do was get drunk and forget my name, not sit behind a wheel trying to make this big... thing go backwards and round a corner! I had a year break from lessons and a two year break from doing a test and it paid off. Moral of the story: don't give up.

Ah, that was a lot harder than anticipated! Sorry they're not very interesting, if you want to know anything else then feel free to email me (lucy@grazedknees.com) or ask me a question on Formspring.

I'm at home at the minute so I'm going to pop to the shop and get a final treat for my giveaway which I'll put it up either tonight or tomorrow so keep checking back for it! And, the reason I'm home is because Dad's taking me to see Harry Potter later which I am ridiculously excited for, I can't actually wait!

Oh, and one more thing! If you want to follow me with Bloglovin', I've only just realised that the link on the sidebar was linked to my old blog so I've changed it now, or you can click here to follow. Sorrrry!

Highstreet vs Not-so-Highstreet #5

Mascara. A staple in every girl's make-up bag. I absolutely love mascara and I hate days when I forget to put it on (although, thankfully, it doesn't happen much these anymore). I used to buy any old rubbish and just think "oh, that'll do", BUT IT DOESN'T DO. Everybody must invest in a good mascara, your lashes will thank you for it.

I've tried loads of different brands (Benefit, No7, The Body Shop, Natural Collection, etc etc) and I thought I'd found my ideal match in Diorshow Iconic - the one in the silver tube. And in fact, I do still stand by that as being the best, I just can't afford to buy it again. Story of my bloody life!

For my birthday back in June I asked for Diorshow Blackout, but the waterproof version, because that's the Dior one that everybody raved about and that everybody loved. But what a God awful mistake that was. I knew I should have stuck to my guns and not deviated from the norm, but alas. ANYWAY... It goes on nicely but when it comes to taking it off, there's just no budging it, like to the point that it gets PAINFUL. No amount of face wash, eye makeup remover, water, soap or wipes will get it off easily. I've actually stopped using it now because it won't move. I know that can be seen as a good thing because it's supposed to be waterproof but I've never had this problem before with any other brands when it comes to the end of the day and you want nothing more than a make-up free face (I LOVE THAT FEELING).

As a replacement I bought The Falsies by Maybelline and I love it. Maybelline mascara never lets me down, my mum gave me a a tube of hers - Volum' Express or something - that she didn't like so I took it on board and that was fantastic too. It's a pretty decent price, lasts a while, doesn't smudge but most importantly of all, it is easy to get off! I'm actually using that along side a Clinique trial version my mum gave me as well and I think I'm going to purchase the full size version because from what I've used, I like it.

What's your favourite mascara brand? Any others I should try before I settle on Diorshow Extreme (non-waterproof...) being my ultimate mascara of all mascaras?

PS: I'm aware that these are becoming less like reviews and more like... my opinion? I'm not sure where this post is going but for clarification purposes my favourite mascara is Diorshow Iconic but my highstreet replacement is pretty much anything by Maybelline.

PPS: Hello new followers! I'm not sure where you're all coming from but I am enjoying the number increasing on a daily basis. There's a giveaway soon so keep coming! :)

A good book has no ending

I've always loved reading, Grandma is always surprised whenever she sees me and I don't have my head in a book. I love picking up a good story and being transported to another world and being able to favour this imaginary place over real life. I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm a sucker for chick-lit either, my bookshelf is full of bright colours and a variety of fonts boldly displaying titles, don't worry though because some classics do grace my shelf too - my collection is slowly building up. Think Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, The End of the Affair by Graham Green, Sylvia Plath's classic The Bell Jar and one of my personal favourites Goodnight Mister Tom, beautifully written by Michelle Magorian.

I think being a bookworm is what first got me into wanting to write, it was what I was good at and what I wanted to do and more importantly, what I could see myself doing. I remember in primary school I was onto 'own reading' while the others were struggling to get onto Pocket Books (remember those? Amazing!). One of the first books I read to my teacher was Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, way back when I was in year 5 or 6. I wish so much that I had the imagination (and possibly the patience) to write a novel myself but I just don't, I mean, the concept of JK Rowling scribbling down that seemingly basic storyline that earnt her millions while travelling on a train is extraordinarily simple, the image of Emily Bronte sitting down at her desk and writing Wuthering Heights doesn't seem that hard. But, as it goes, nothing is ever quite that simple.

Trawling through bookshops has always been one of my favourite things to do, I'd always disappear off to one if I went shopping with Mum and Dad and spend hours picking which books I wanted to buy with the little money I had. Since moving to university, nothing has changed except the places I buy books from. I'm so much more inclined to buy from charity shops these days, I love second hand books so much more than brand new ones (although that New Book smell is incredible).

What inspired this post is the book I bought earlier. I finally got my mitts on George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four for a mere £1.99 - the main reason why I love charity shop finds - that and the evidence that it has been so well loved makes me smile. There's a previous owners name scrawled in the top right hand corner and there's faded coffee stains on the slightly discoloured front cover and half-rubbed out pencil marks on the first page. This book has been loved to death and now it's my turn to love it equally as much.

Another book I ordered fell through the letterbox this morning, One Day by David Nicholls, but even that is bought from a second hand bookseller on Play. I started reading it approximately two hours ago and I can safely say I'm hooked. The pages are bent where other people have marked their place and a chunk of pages are a little bit wavy where water has been accidentally spilt on it but if anything it just makes the book a whole lot more interesting. It adds personality.

I have this ongoing debate with myself about whether or not I should donate my books to charity shops, mostly so other people can enjoy them as much as I have but I just can't seem to seperate with them. They're almost like a part of me. My collection has been built up over the years, they've lived with me on every shelf I've had since moving to Leicester and they've been there to help me procrastinate, to help me sleep, to get me through long journeys. Plus, I'm a self-confessed hoarder.

What are your favourite books? Do you buy yours from charity shops or do you donate them when you've finished with them?

Betty Hula moisturiser

The lovely people over at Betty Hula sent me a couple of samples of their moisturiser to try out and feature on my blog and I was suitably impressed. I was sent two; Champagne & Spice and Rum & Blackcurrant. Not the usual flavours you'd expect from moisturiser, huh?

I completely adore the packaging and the whole logo of the business, it's really contemporary and girlie and none of these pots would look out of place on my dressing table! I'll be honest here though, I preferred the Champagne & Spice over Rum & Blackcurrant by far. I think because the latter seemed to have too much of a poignant rum-smell to it - which makes sense - but it was a bit too strong for me to actually enjoy. I think too much of it would definitely give me a headache, like the kind of headache you get if you spend too long in Lush, you know?

The former however, perfect. It had a lovely hint of spice which wasn't too much but just enough to make it enjoyable, and that's coming from somebody who doesn't usually like that sort of smell. It reminded me of all things Christmassy and made me want to listen to The Greatest Christmas Songs of All Time on repeat and dance around my room with tinsel wrapped around my neck and baubles dangling from my ears. Or something like that anyway.

A paragraph on the website says: "Here at Betty Hula we believe in honest, natural beauty. All of our products have been handmade using traditional techniques and the finest quality, fairly traded natural ingredients. This stylish range is laced with a selection of delicious and exotic Hawaiian inspired scents to stimulate your senses as your body is pampered. Traditional values with a contemporary twist."

And reading that only makes me want to indulge myself even more. There's only four products on the website at the minute; these two moisturisers, a Kiwi & Lime one (which sounds delicious) and The Secret which is an anti-aging oil but I'm sure there'll be plenty more to choose from in the near future.

If you're heading to The Clothes Show at Birmingham NEC this year then check out the stand that they're working hard to make look amazing (and I'm sure it will) or if you live in Leeds then their products will be available in Rose & Co very soon!

Home is where the heart is

Yet another Sunday becomes a write off in terms of doing anything that resembles even slight productivity.

It's mid-afternoon and I've yet to do something that doesn't involve eating fish fingers, watching too many episodes of Sugar Rush, catching up on The Apprentice (and cringing forever) from last Wednesday or lusting over beautifully decorated homes. I actually spent quite a long time during the week drooling over homes for sale in central London, obviously my price-range started at £1m and had no upwards limit. I was also searching on We Heart It - home of millions of incredibly beautiful and true-to-life pictures and I found some right beauties that I thought I'd share.

All images are from London estate agent websites and We Heart It.

Sigh. One day, one day...

Oh, make-up!

Okay, okay. I know it's almost Christmas and I should be saving money and spending it on presents but I haven't been. And I don't apologise because I am deeply in love with everything I've bought over the last few weeks.

This is it. See, it's not much really! Actually, no, that's a lie. I bought those three other Models Own polishes too but I already blogged about those here so technically they don't count. We have two more nail polishes in Juicy Jules (the glittery one) and Raspberry Fool. A Barry M lipstick (my first EVER lipstick purchase might I add) in shade 151. My beloved Chanel eyeshadow compact in 95 Sparkling Satins and finally, a Dior shimmer powder compact in 002 Amber Diamond.

The Dior compact I bought to replace the infamous Topshop Highlighter that I had and I already love it dearly and I've not even had it a week. It cost me £31 but in my humble opinion, it's totally worth it. The colours in it are perfect for perking up my make-up in the winter and it gives me a healthy glow, plus it goes perfectly with Benefit's Moonbeam highlighter. Instant Love.

My beloved Chanel compact set me back £35 but again, totally worth the price. I'd been lusting after it for well over a year but had never actually got around to buying it because I could never justify it. I finally took the plunge during Freshers' Week and as they say, I haven't looked back. I love it because it's perfect for daytime and evening, if you wet the brush being used to apply it then it intensifies the colour which is AMAZING. I mainly use the black and the grey but when I get round to it, I'm going to practice with the other two as well.

This is the lipstick, sorry for the rubbish application but I've only ever put lipgloss on before and that's so much easier than lipstick! I love this though. I never usually wear it because I never thought it suited me but since having my hair cut shorter I think it looks better somehow. Agree/disagree? Also, does anybody any tips on how to apply lipstick evenly and well, generally GOOD?

Nail polishes! I dithered for ages about what colours to get but I am happy with my choices. Juicy Jules (right) is SO SPARKLY I LOVE IT. It's such a good choice for the Christmas season, it's similar to the sort of colour I wore when I was about 10. Yay! Raspberry Fool is also lovely, sorry about the rubbish application. It sort of shimmers different shades of reds and pinks which is always enjoyable. Love them! They were £5 each and then I got the lipstick free because of the 3 for 2 offer on in Boots at the minute.

Finally, I mentioned on Twitter earlier in the week that I'd had my hair chopped off even shorter on one side. I wasn't sure about it when I had it done but today I fell in love with it. This is what I looked like before I went to town:

Have a good Saturday night everybody! I'm going to be curled up on the sofa with a bottle of Pepsi Max, X Factor and then the Take That Documentary!

Highstreet vs Not-so-Highstreet #4

For the fourth edition (can I call it that?!) of this wondrous feature, I'm going to give you my opinion on Models Own nail varnish and Barry M Nail Paint. Now, I know strictly speaking they're both probably more Highstreet than not-so, but I figured with the almost £2 price difference they qualified. No? Oh well, I'm going to do it anyway.

I, along with most other bloggers, LOVE the whole Barry M range. It's relatively cheap, it's of a good quality, their products last well AND they have testers available. Not long ago I was on a mission to own every single one of their Nail Paints and I got to owning about 15 or 16. I then stopped buying them and stopped being able to paint my nails what with having to work for 5 months of Summer and not being allowed to wear any polish. So, as soon as September came around again and I moved back to Leicester my nails got the VIP treatment but sadly not with Barry M polish. The reason? Every single bottle of the stuff had gone gloopy and awful and there was absolutely no way I could paint my nails and make them look half decent. The liquid had either gone stringy so it went all over my nails or it was too thick to paint on. Talk about gutted!

Luckily though, I'd bought some Models Own when they had that 50% off offer so I turned to that. I've raved about the brand in previous posts (here & here) and it is yet to let me down. I also find it dries a lot quicker than Barry M and they don't always need more than one or two coats which is absolutely fine by me - it means I can have fantastic looking nails in probably half the time!

I'm also really impressed by the range of colours available from Models Own, I know Barry M have a huge choice too but I often think they're quite... childlike? As in, there is just a HUGE mix of bright colours. I don't know, maybe that's not the best way to describe them but in comparison to Models Own, which are definitely more on trend, they just don't have as big of a 'want factor', if that makes sense?!

Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to shun Barry M forever. I keep meaning to buy one of their lipsticks and I'm considering going back to using their liquid eyeliner, but as for nail varnish? I'd rather spend a little bit more and know they're not going to be unusable three or four months down the line. I just hope the Nail Effects I have doesn't go the same way, one can pray!

What's your experience with Barry M Nail Paint? Has the same happened to you or am I (as usually is the case) the only unlucky one?

PS - don't forget to check out Trinket Box Jewellery, there is a 10% discount available exclusively for my readers until Wednesday 17th November. Just enter 'GRAZEDKNEES' at the checkout and the difference will be refunded via PayPal. You can see a review of a bracelet I was sent here.

Trinket Box jewellery

Trawling through the thousands of shops on websites such as Folksy and Etsy is fast becoming my favourite pastime so when Sophie, the designer and maker behind Trinket Box jewellery, got in touch and asked me if she could send me a bracelet I was only more than happy to say yes.

I love handmade jewellery best, it's mainly a combination of the individuality and the obvious care that goes into it that makes buying a thousand times more appealing. I always think handmade items make much better gifts than a generic bottle of wine and a box of chocolates.

The custom-made bracelet arrived in the post yesterday and it came beautifully wrapped up with a ribbon and in a small drawstring pocket. I instantly fell in love with it, I adore the colours, which go so perfectly with my Pandora bracelet, and the little flower with my name imprinted into it made it even more special. It definitely will not be leaving my wrist. Ever.

The amount of time and effort put into each and every carefully crafted piece of jewellery available on Trinket Box amazes me, each design delicately different from the next and the combination of beads, colours and shapes makes every item unique.

A little note from Sophie that came with my bracelet tells me that the beads used are Botswana Agate and fresh water pearls, wrapped with sterling silver wire, the flower is made using art clay - a precious metal clay which when fired becomes 99.9% pure silver - and textured with lace. Impressive, no?

I highly recommend you go and check out Trinket Box, Sophie is offering an exclusive 10% discount to my followers until next Wednesday (17th November), just enter 'GRAZEDKNEES' in at the checkout and she'll refund the difference via Paypal. There's a wide selection of necklaces, earrings and bracelets to suit every taste and if you can't find anything you like (unlikely) then just drop Sophie an email on brandnewstereo@gmail.com and she'll create something especially for you. Or, if you live in, around or near York, some of the jewellery is available in a little boutique called The Gift Gallery which is situated in the famous Shambles.

You can also follow Sophie on Twitter, 'become a fan' on Facebook, or see (and follow) her blog here.

Highstreet vs Not-so-Highstreet #3

The next product on my hit list is liquid eyeliner. I've been wearing liquid eyeliner for probably the best part of 6 years, I started off using cheap pots of the stuff from my local market, moved onto Barry M (which I LOVED), then moved onto MAC's Fluidline before buying Éciture De Chanel, which was bought on a total whim after reading in a magazine that Lily Allen wore it.

The Chanel lasted me over a year and I wore it day in day out, often reapplying it more than once a day if I was going out on an evening! It cost me £24 from Harvey Nichols in Leeds so I expected nothing less to be quite honest. I loved it though, it was like nothing I'd ever used before. It didn't smudge, it came off nicely when I washed my face, it dried quickly, the pen was precise and easy to use... I could go on. . I'm not going to lie though - it took me a while to get used to. The day it ran out was a sad day - mostly because it was the day after V Festival ended and we were stuck in the same spot in the same car park for 6 hours but that's a whole other story...

Anyway, moving swiftly on.

Once again, I couldn't afford to spend £24 on a replacement so when I found Revlon's ColorStay Liquid Eye Pen for £7 in Boots, I was overjoyed because it resembled the Chanel one down to a tee. But, and it's a biiiiiiig but, I was only impressed until about an hour after it's first use though because it's rubbish, like properly rubbish and I hate it. I only ever use it now on my nails or if I do smokey eyes because otherwise it just smudges everywhere and makes me look hideously sleep deprived, it doesn't dry quickly (and I'm sure you're all happily aware of how impatient I am) so it like leaves a print on my upper eyelid and it just does everything I wish it didn't. And, ironically, when I go to wash it off IT STAINS. Just no. (And I just read somewhere while searching for pictures that it claims to last 7 hours without smudging. Um, what?)

I guess that'll teach me for thinking cheaper is always better. Ah well, nevermind. You win some, you lose some, and this I definitely lost. Maybe I'll just go back to my tried and tested £4.95 Barry M. Or I could just bite the bullet and buy a replacement.

What liquid eyeliner do you rave about and what do you love about it so much? Please share!

First ever NOTD & FOTD!

THANK YOU so much for everybody's help on the Topshop Highlighter front, the help I got off people on Twitter was overwhelming! It felt like I was searching for a lost cat or something, I still haven't been able to locate any so I'm thinking I may just have to admit defeat and find a replacement. Anybody got any recommendations for a goldy coloured powder or blush?

I'm heading home for the night in half an hour or so, so probably won't get a chance to update so I thought I'd leave you with my current Face of the Day and Nails of the Day!

I'm still not quite sure if I like it or not! But I used Becca's Brown & Nude Beige both by Models Own & liquid eyeliner ala Gem Fatale

And this well, it's the best of a bad bunch. Apologies! I have Estee Lauder Doublewear mixed with Revlon's ColorStay (read my review on these here) with Natural Collection powder, Topshop's infamous highlighter in Sunbeam blended with MAC blusher in Sweet as Cocoa combined with a little Moonbeam by Benefit. On my eyes is Benefit's Smokin' Eyes eyeshadow and Models Own mascara and on my lips is Rouge Allure Extrait De Gloss by Chanel in shade 56, Imaginaire.

Have a nice weekend everybody! :)

WANTED: Topshop Highlighter in Sunbeam

This is going to be a pretty desperate plea for help here, so I apologise in advance but please tell as many people as possible about it because I have every faith that the problem can be rectified.

Basically, back in April when Topshop launched their make range I bought a powdered highlighter in Sunbeam that looks like this:



It cost me a mere £8 and I have been using it every single day since I bought it, it has become more than a staple item in my make-up bag. But, as with all good things, they must come to an end and that time is now. So, a few weeks back I went to buy a replacement only to find THEY DON'T SELL IT ANYMORE. I'm not sure if it was just part of a spring/summer collection but they seem to have replaced it with highlighter in a tube which just isn't the same.

It's not in any stores I went in, it's not available online, nobody is selling it on eBay, it is nowhere to be found and I'm at a loss of what to do. And then I figured, people find things via the internet and via Twitter all the time so let's see if it works now! Desperate times definitely call for desperate measures!

I follow a lot of beauty bloggers and people connected with the industry so I refuse to settle until all possible mediums have been exhausted. Do YOU have this in your make-up bag but you don't use it? Do YOU know somebody who has it and hates it? Do YOU know of ANYWHERE where I can get hold of it?

I absolutely love this stuff and I don't think I'll ever find a decent replica and I won't settle for second best until I've searched high and low! Obviously, I will pay for it and pay for any delivery costs etc if some should be found!

Yes, I am desperate, I think I've made that quite clear. Please, please, please promote this blog post, RT my desperate pleas on Twitter that will probably be popping up all day! I am shamelessly begging for help here because I genuinely believe I can find some somewhere!

A happy list

Every so often I like compiling a list of things that make me happy, just as a little reminder to myself I guess about how lucky I am. I know it sounds stupid but these lists really make me appreciative and improve my mood! So, here we goooo:

• The Christmas countdown. I always find I enjoy the period leading up to Christmas more than the day itself and I can't wait to start buying presents I know will be loved and wrapping them nicely
• Gingerbread Lattés (I'm yet to have one but this will be rectified in the next couple of hours or so)
  
• My friends. Incredibly cliché, I know but the girls and boys I have in my life are the very best people on this earth and are truly irreplaceable
• My Snuggie, Mum bought it to keep me warm through the cold winter nights - and days - and I like curling up on the sofa wearing it whilst watching shit daytime telly
  
• Unexpected, personal emails. I'm forever receiving emails telling me I've won £1m and so I love when there's an unexpected unread message in my inbox that has been written especially for me!
• GOOD cover versions of songs. I recently came across Paloma Faith's version of Cee-Lo Green's Fuck You and it's fantastic, you can listen to it here, let me know what you think!
  
• The thought of Australia 2011 with my big sister for 5 weeks. We're planning to do a tour from Darwin to Sydney and then fly to Melbourne for a week afterwards, it's being booked early December I think
• Realisation and the deleting of people from my life following said realisation
• My blog, I'm so happy at the success it's had since I turned it into Grazed Knees, I'm planning a giveaway very soon to say thank you so keep your eyes peeled for that!

Highstreet vs Not-so-Highstreet #2

The second in my Highstreet vs. Not-so-Highstreet feature, how exciting! I'm quite enjoying doing it actually, I hope it's as fun to read! This time I'm going to compare Estee Lauder Doublewear foundation with Revlon's Colorstay, which I bought after a conversation with Hannah from Away with the Fairies. Go follow her if you don't already, she's lovely!

People who've been reading my blog for a while will know that I was on a quest for the perfect foundation. I thought I'd found THE ULTIMATE when I got Studio Fix Fluid from MAC, but then I bought Chanel followed by Estee Lauder (I don't actually have money to burn, surprising, no?!) and now I'm so confused by the whole situation. I've loved them all so, so much and they all have their own perfect qualities but I found that Double Wear combined everything I loved about Chanel and MAC so I went back for a second bottle. Nothing is ever as good the second time around and this wasn't any different, before then I'd never realised how much it WASHED ME OUT, well, in photos anyway. The way the light flashes off my face makes me look like a ghost! Not attractive. So that made me want to steer clear of it.




So then when Hannah mentioned Revlon's ColorStay was supposed to be as good, I bought some. It cost me £11.99 and so far so good. It's really thick and easy to apply which are both massive bonuses, I prefer thick coverage because my skin is so weird and it's definitely more flattering. It stays put relatively well and I've not had any problems with it drying my skin out so far! It really resembles MAC in terms of packaging, longevity and application.

There are a couple of flaws however, one being that I found it so difficult to know what shade to get. Revlon make-up is just on a stand in the middle of store so there's no-one there to match it to my skin, I think the one I got is a bit too light so I've been mixing it with Estee Lauder (which is actually a good combination because the mix of the two means no more ghostly looks in photos!) and it works well. The other problem is the fact it has no pump, you just have to pour out as much as is needed but with it being so full because it's new it's hard to control how much comes out which gets really annoying after a while - especially since I get impatient and tip it upside down and then loads just comes flooding out! I'm quite tempted to buy a pump from MAC to screw in the top, or maybe I should just learn to be more patient!

So, if you're needing some new foundation but can't afford a hefty £20+ pricetag, go check out Revlon and see what you make of it because I definitely recommend it.

Christmas list inspiration

YES!! It's finally November therefore I am officially allowed to talk about Christmas without being shunned, ignored or told to shut up. Those Starbucks trademark red cups are making a very welcome appearance at the end of the week, Scott Mills played Mariah Carey's infamous track on Radio 1 earlier, there's decorated trees and sparkling lights embracing most shop windows and my mum rang me asking me to start compiling a list of things I'd like.

The countdown has begun.

And every year it's the same, I'm tasked with the same dilemma of coming up with a dreaded list. Year, after year, after year, I ask for the same old rubbish. Perfume and make up. And every year I get asked to think of something at least a little bit different, but do I never? No.

So, the point of this post is to get some inspiration. A few weeks ago I asked, in all seriousness, that if an iPad were to somehow make it's way onto my list, what would the chances be of getting one... inevitably the answer was no chance, but where's the harm in trying?

Anyway, what are you asking for this year? What would make up your ideal list of Christmas gifts? What are you buying for others? There is a rule though: no make up or perfume related items are allowed to be mentioned (although don't worry, a few will be sneaking onto my finalised list, how they'll get there though I'll never know...)