Handbags at dawn

one | two | three | four | five | six

Despite being a massive handbag lover, I don't actually own that many. I think my current collection consists of a battered and bruised black Topshop slouchy type, an orange leather across-the-body Accessorize one that I got for Australia and two of Primark's best £6 creations. Just like every other girl, it is my ultimate dream to own a designer bag(s) (LV, Mulberry and Chanel, but which to get first?) once I'm earning a proper, full-time wage but in the mean time, the highstreet will have to suffice. I'm going to treat myself to a new bag when I'm down in London next week but I can't decide which of the above to get.

I'm quite fussy when it comes to bags; there needs to be enough room to carry all my crap around without being too big so I lose things at the bottom, I don't like any obvious branding (unless it's a Mulberry tree or two interlocked Cs, thus ruling out about 98% of River Island's collection), it will be preferably black leather but exceptions can be made, and there will be a choice of ways to carry it. As you can probably tell, I'm quite enjoying the hint of animal print and I'm swaying towards either number two which is from Topshop or number six, from Miss Selfridge. I've not seen any of them in ~real life though so I'm going to have a hunt and then make an informed decision once I've seen them all! Unless something else takes my eye, obviously.

Tell me about your bags please, unless they're expensive then I don't want to know because I will just be really jealous.

Also, slightly off topic. Who is going to the IMATS? If anybody wants to meet up then just holla, I've not decided if I'm going to go both days or just one, I need to look into it a bit more and work out what's best but I AM EXCITED.

Viva La Diva

Am I the only person on the planet with the most awkward feet? I hate feet, I like shoes but because of my stupid feet I can't buy all the shoes that I like, I'm only a size 7 but I have the highest instep known to man (thanks Nan!) and they're really wide. And I'm faced with even more woes because I don't wear heels (I'm already tall enough as it is!) so the task to find nice, flat, wide-fitting shoes is always stressful to say the least. I'm usually limited to New Look, to be fair their collection of wide fit shoes is pretty decent but I've not really found anywhere else on the highstreet, or even just highstreet prices, that have suitable shoes. UNTIL NOW. Viva La Diva stock a reasonably good range of wide fit shoes and they even have their own little foot size guide thing, according to which I am apparently a size 7E. I'm a bit gutted I've only just found out about Viva La Diva actually because they have an alright selection of wide fitting winter boots too. Shame it's nearly spring!

Obviously there are some shoes available that my Nan would wear, but there's also a really good selection for us young'uns too. I like these and these for everyday wear and if I could wear heels then I really like these chunky heeled Grazia sandals. Looking at shoes I long to wear actually makes me quite sad. AW.

I also really like Viva La Diva because they stock Schuh online too, they have all the same brands available including Converse, Toms, Havaianas, Hunter and Irregular Choice. The nearest actual Schuh store to me is Meadowhall, about an hour and half away, and I don't get there very often so it's nice to be able to have an alternative place to shop their selection too.

Now, when will Louboutin make wide-fit shoes or will I just have to continue my lifelong dream and buy a pair just to simply look at? It's a hard life, but in the meantime please tell me I'm not the only person to suffer from stupid feet syndrome? Has anyone ever shopped at Viva La Diva before?

PS: don't forget my giveaway is open until Monday, although I'm thinking of extending it because I probably won't get a chance to post it out until mid-February. Bare with me!

*sponsored post

YSL Shocking Eyeliner Effet Faux Cils

Say hello to my favourite liquid eyeliner ever (although it's almost beaten by Bobbi Brown Really Black Ink Liner that is part of the 2012 Spring Collection). I've briefly mentioned this YSL beauty in previous posts, it's quite pricey at £24 a pop but it's definitely worth it. I first got this back in July last year and I've only just had to replace it, I haven't used it daily since mid-December but it's still lasted really well, it hasn't dried out at all and the nib is just as precise as it ever was.

The colour is so, so black and that's just how I like my eyeliner. I only ever use liquid on my top lid, I turn to gel or pencil if I want to line underneath my eye but I usually only do that on nights out or special occasions anyway. I like to have a bit of a difference between night and day make-up and it's surprising how much lining the top and bottom changes my overall look. This is by the far the best liner I've ever had in terms of lasting power too; the colour doesn't fade and it doesn't smudge, I often do long shifts and my eye make-up doesn't move an inch, I never end up looking like a panda either but it's also really easy to get off too - no scrubbing required.

I really like the packaging of this whole YSL range, it's really sleek and the black and gold work really well together. It's nice to have a little bit of luxury in your make-up bag isn't it? I did think it was exclusive to Selfridges but I've since discovered that both Boots and Debenhams stock it too.

What are your favourite eyeliners?

One final thing - I'm debating selling this Limited Edtion Dior Mitzah eyeshadow, would anybody be interested in buying it off me before I put it on eBay?

Cookies & cream fudge brownies

I had intended to wait until tomorrow to post this but I just couldn't wait, LOOK HOW GOOD THESE LOOK! These amazing brownies were first discovered when my dad made them a few weeks before Christmas and since then I've wanted to try making them myself. Yesterday was the day and this is how they turned out, I was so proud even though they're actually quite easy to make. There's a bit of faffing around but nothing that's not worth doing in my humble opinion! They taste so good too, Oreos and brownie is probably one of the best combination EVAAA. The recipe is just from BBC Food and because I'm too lazy to type it out, or even to copy and paste, here is the link to it. If you've got nothing planned for this weekend then I suggest you make these!

Another reason I wanted to make these this week is because I'm starting a new diet at some point in the very near future. Anybody who follows Best British Blogger might know that they were looking for people to participate in a new fitness project they were doing. Originally, they approached Gem but because she's doing really well on Weight Watchers she didn't really want to take part so instead recommended me, so me along with five other bloggers will be doing a Happy New You campaign. I posted a little bit on Where Are My Knees? last night but it's in collaboration with Maxitone and I'm so excited to get started and to see if it actually works. Fingers crossed!

Totem

On Saturday I headed into central London to see Totem | Cirque Du Soleil at the Royal Albert Hall with my family and my sister's boyfriend's family (we stayed at their house for the weekend which is about an hour's drive away). I got the ticket for my birthday last June and I honestly can't believe how quickly the last six or seven months has flown by!

I'd not heard of Cirque before I got my ticket and didn't really know much about it, my sister's boyfriend's family have seen a couple of shows over in Las Vegas when they've been holidaying though and really recommended them. I can't even describe it, it was absolutely amazing. Phenomenal even! Here's a video you should all watch because I don't think any sort of words can do it justice, I tried to explain it to my friends and ended up just saying things like "It's people dressed as frogs doing tricks on a trampoline. And five girls on 10ft unicycles throwing plates off their feet onto each other's heads. OH, and men doing headstands on top of a 20ft pole that's being balanced on another man's shoulder. And lots of other amazing stuff" - it sounds so surreal and that's exactly what it was (I probably made it sound slightly crap too, but I can assure you it wasn't). I spent the majority of the show holding my breath! But seriously, it was fantastic and if you ever get the chance to see any of the shows then I suggest you jump at the chance!

We didn't spend much time exploring London itself but as you can see from the photos it was a gorgeous day. It was so cold but the sky was blue and everything was crisp and just lovely. And we walked through residential areas (nearly put housing estates then!) of Knightsbridge and I WANT TO LIVE THERE PLEASE. I wish I had more time to take some better photos, having my camera in London is one of my favourite things.

PS, I posted a giveaway on Monday, go and ch-ch-ch-check it ouuuut! :)

Giveaway Y2K12

Neal's Yard Facial Mist | GHD Curl Spray (mentioned in this post) | TRESemmé Split Remedy | Revlon CustomEyes in 035 Smoky Sexy | DuWop Seashell Lip Dual in Serenade | NARS Larger Than Life longwear eyeliner in Rue De Rivoli.

I've been meaning to post this giveaway for a while now but I just haven't really got around to doing it, so here it is now! Probably not worth the wait, but everybody likes to be in with a chance of winning some free stuff every so often, right? No occasion for this either - I was just rummaging through my box of new stuff that I haven't used and decided to share it. I have a ridiculous amount of stuff that I won't use so what's the point in hoarding it when someone else could well be enjoying it instead? That said though, I am more grateful and appreciative than you will ever, ever know for all the support, comments and followers and most importantly, friends, that I have gained since starting my silly little blog! :)

The rules:
1) You must be a follower through Google Friend Connect.
2) It's only open to people in the United Kingdom - sorry guys!
3) Leave a comment below with your name and email address so if you win I can get in touch. You can say something nice too if you like
4) Feel free to tweet about the giveaway, it's not necessary but you can if you want
5) It'll close two weeks from today (16th January) at midnight on 30th January. I'll pick the winner using random.org and announce who it is shortly afterwards. There's no telling when I'll post the prize though, I'm useless.
6) GOOD LUCK :)

Playing with lightning

Offensive, no make-up picture that I was in two minds about posting but this is my I-didn't-get-in-from-work-until-3am-and-I'm-tired-look! Bit of a life update because I don't really have much to blog about this week! I seem to have been really busy but looking back I haven't done much. I hate when that happens.

1. I'm going back to Cosmopolitan for a week, maybe a week and a half, at the beginning of February. Currently trying to find somewhere for cheaps to stay for a short period of time - harder than it sounds. Why can't I just move to London already?
2. Bought the Naked Palette 2 and I refuse to blog about it on it's own. I don't even want it, I don't use the original one so why I casually splashed out £36 on this one I'll never know! Wonders will never cease. I got caught up in the hype of #prayforkelly, us bloggers are bloody good advertising and PR when you catch us in a good mood! Number 1 trending topic in the UK?! We dun goooood!
3. I'm going down to London tonight avec ma famille, you might not remember but I got tickets for Cirque Du Soleil for my birthday last June and we're going tomorrow. It's at the Royal Albert Hall and I'm excited to pretend to be posh! We're staying at my sister's boyfriend's house (his family are coming too!) and it'll be nice to just get away from Grimsby for a couple of days. I'm always happiest when I'm in London.
4. I got the Harry Potter box set and I think my new life plans may involve staying in bed and watching every single film over and over again. Forever.
5. What else? Ummm.. I'm posting a giveaway at some point next week, I've got the photos and stuff ready but I just can't be bothered to upload them or post about it yet so you'll have to wait. A bit of suspense never hurt anybody...
6. And finally, I'm involved with some exciting projects via Where Are My Knees? so go and follow over there to keep up to date with everything. Here's hoping that 2012 is the year I get thin!

ghd Style

I've always highly regarded ghd as a brand although I'm wary about buying from them because their prices can be quite high but I was recently contacted and asked if I'd like to try out some things from their new range and I accepted.

I was sent three products; Curl Hold Spray*, Heat Protect Spray* and their Final Fix Hairspray* and I've been using the last two since I received them last week. I've not used the Curl Spray because my hair is short and I don't ever do anything different to it, so I've decided I'm going to include it in a giveaway I'm planning in the next few weeks so one of you lovely lot can get your hands on it! :)

HOWEVER, I absolutely love the heat protection spray and I can definitely tell that my hair is thanking me. I've not been using any sort of products on my hair before I blowdry or straighten it since Mum stole my bottle of Moroccan Oil off me and that was months ago! I love the smell of this stuff too, I can usually still smell it even after my hair has dried and it's so good! I've also noticed that my hair is much smoother looking and feeling since I started using it so it gets a thumbs up from me. At £9.95 a bottle it is a bit on the expensive side but I do think I'd repurchase when it runs out.

As for the hairspray, I do like it but I'm not a massive fan. It's £9.95 for the 400ml bottle that I received and although it's good, I don't think it's £9.95 good! It doesn't smell that nice and if you read this post from last week then you probably already know I'm not really a fan of horrible smelling hairspray! And another slight issue that I have is that it initially makes my hair crispy, I have noticed that the crispiness doesn't seem to last so it doesn't make my hair look bad, but it's just something I'm not generally a fan of. That said, it does hold my hair in place well and seeing as that's what it's supposed to do I can't really complain!

Have any of you lot tried any ghd products? Do you like them?

*These products were sent to me for the purpose of a review, however all opinions are mine & are 100% honest

Blanche & Lola

You might remember I briefly mentioned Blanche and Lola in a post I did before Christmas when I received a gorgeous bracelet in my Blogger's Secret Santa. Since then, I've discovered that Amy, the girl who bought for me, is in fact the owner of the brand and she made up the bracelet especially.

Obviously, I then had to have a browse of the Blanche and Lola website and I discovered some absolutely gorgeous handmade vintage and vintage inspired treasures. The website is so cute and kitsch and it's definitely a blogger's dream! I'm honestly so in awe of the things available on the website, honestly the jewellery available is so delicate and beautiful. There's a January sale on at the minute and I picked up this gorgeous ring, it was reduced from £10 to a bargainous £3 and it's completely unique and handmade. How could I turn it down? I ordered it on New Years Eve and it arrived today and I never want to take it off! I love it.

There's still a few bargains to be had, but definitely keep checking out the website i because there's going to be a load of new stock on there soon (I think).

Right, I'm off to try and dye my eyebrows. I bought a little kit thing from Bodycare earlier, wish me luck!

You know how I do

Now, I'm not usually one to rave about hairspray but since discovering these two I don't think I'll be found reaching for the cheapest, home-brand bottle that's on the shelf anymore.

I first used this V05 Ultimate Hold hairspray (RRP is around the £4 mark) a few months ago, I was mostly drawn to it because of the bright pink bottle and the fact that it claims to be weather resistant. What's not to love? I mean, there's nothing worse than spending ages styling your hair for it to be instantly ruined the minute you step outside the door, is there? This isn't just a clever marketing tool though because it actually works. I'm not saying that my hair doesn't still get ruined on the odd occasion due to the weather, but since using this hairspray before leaving the house I've definitely noticed a difference. And it doesn't make my hair crispy, that's what I hate most about cheap hairsprays. And that L'Oreal Elnett stuff too, actually. Why do people rave about it? It smells like cat wee and makes my hair hard and disgusting. Just me? Probably.

And, as for the Toni&Guy creation (£6.39), well, I mostly love this because it smells absolutely incredible. Honestly, I've never smelt anything like it. Sometimes after I've sprayed it, I get a whiff and it takes me a minute to stop wondering which perfume I can smell and to actually realise it's just the scent of the spray. Amazing. This does make my hair a little bit crispy, but it's nothing major and I can just about deal with it because the smell makes me happy. I definitely prefer the v05 hairspray but I know I'll definitely be repurchasing this once it's run out too!

Hairspray is a bit of a weird topic, isn't it? But anyway, does anyone has have favourites or do you just pick up what's on offer or what's cheapest?

Testosterone boys & harlequin girls

Just a few pictures from last week (or last year! As if it's 2012, how mad!) that I wanted to post. What do you think about this sheer shirt and ribbon combo? I've had the shirt months, I bought it from Tesco for £16 in like August or something but wore it for the first time when I went out on Boxing Day. I really liked it but I don't think others did, it didn't really get a very positive response from people! I really loved my make-up that night too, this photo doesn't really do it justice but the false eyelashes certainly made a difference. I wish my hair was a lot bigger though, but if 2011 taught me anything it's that you can't have it all!

I wanted to take photos of me before I went out on New Year's Eve but I was running around like a headless chicken and didn't have time. This is how I had my nails though, both colours are Nails Inc - the gorgeous almost-iridescent purple is Regents Palace and I had Finsbury Park on my ring fingers. Love this combo, it's just a shame it didn't match my outfit. I was also gonna wear these lashes on but I couldn't for the life of me apply them, I was so mad with myself! They were a present from Cosmo and I love them because they're a bit different. I had a really good night though which was surprising to say the least, I usually hate New Year and don't see the point of it. I haven't actually celebrated it since I was 16 (and dad came out at 3am to pick me and a friend up because we couldn't get a taxi!) but it wasn't that busy out and I was controllably drunk, unlike on Boxing Day.

Hope you all had a fantastic New Year whatever you ended up doing, now we just need January to hurry up and be over because it's definitely the most boring month of the year!