WHAT? WATT BROTHERS?

Yeah, Watt Brothers. They have make-up and skin-care and hair products and rain-coats and plates!
But I'm just interested in the make-up today (more on plates later...)

So I decided to hit my local Watt Brothers because on a previous trip I noticed they had Stila make-up which I thought was pretty great. Unfortunately there wasn't any there this time but there was a lot more premium branded products than I remember.

First of all I was quite surprised that there was Calvin Klein make-up, because finding designer brands in shops like Watt Brothers is very suspect. My only conclusion is it's there because no-one else wanted it. Which usually means it's not going to be very good. So I decided this would be a good opportunity to see if this was true or not.

I didn't want to try any of the face make-up because I decided this would be a waste of money, I don't like trying to find skin-matching colours and prefer to let a professional at a make-up counter do this.

I went for two nail-polishes, a candy pink colour called hint of pink and a a dark, shimmery red/black called Opus.

I showed this to my mum, she says it's childish. The woman tells it how it is. I have to agree, some people can pull this off in a quirky way but even if I could I don't want to wear it.

OOOH I loved this one. I am very impressed indeed. It left beautiful little black veins and it is such a vampy colour it's really perfect for winter. When I first applied it, it was really watery and looked kind of brown and you couldn't see of the shimmer I was disappointed. But I carried on and after a bad start it actually only took three coats to achieve what's in the picture. The pink colour took two.
My biggest grievance is how long it took to dry. Three hours later I managed to peel off all of Opus but I like it so much I'll be keeping my fingers in freezing cold water in between each coat next time, I don't mind doing the leg work for something that looks good.


The next branded product was a Revlon Beyond Natural Cream to Powder Eye Shadow in Prune.

I knew instantly that this probably wouldn't suit me as the colours seem a bit orangey which just doesn't suit my red face.

They do have a really nice shimmer though, but I didn't really notice the cream turning to powder on application, it just seemed to stay creamy, which is fine for me, I prefer that.

Bottom to Top: samples from palette clockwise, starting from top-right

I thought the palette was OK, I quite liked the bottom and top left colours, actually I really liked the top left colour it was much less golden and warm than I expected it to be and more an ivory sort of colour on the skin.

On the back of the palette it gives directions on what to use each colour for and where to apply.

Next there was a brand I'd never heard of, Wet n Wild, beautybenefits, BeautyBrilliance blush in plum. I know that for red faces like mine that you should use a blue toned blusher and this Plum colour has almost lilac undertones.

When I opened this I was really surprised it came with a brush and a mirror, pretty good of them and I only paid £1.99 for this!

When I first saw this I thought it was maybe like an own brand or something made specifically for Watt Brothers but it turns out it isn't. So, if you're on a budget you should really check out Wet n Wild. I'm actually certain you'll find something you like and it also apparently boosts hydration and has a powerful age prevention formula so it has it all for someone who's a bit tight on money.

This primer by technic is another brand I thought was Watt Brother's. But nope, although they don't seem to have a website. OH and does it look veeeerrryyy familiar??

Benefit's 'That Gal'.

I actually thought that it was benefit products at first and got very excited. Until I inspected further and realised that the product I was viewing was not called High Beam but 'Light Beam'.
I wonder if Benefit were angry or even know of this?

Well anyway, I did not like this at all. I've used several primers and this did not have the same texture or effect as any of them. I have never used 'That Gal' before but I don't think this is anything like it because it was such poor quality. It didn't make my skin appear nice and soft, it didn't even feel soft. And after several hand-washes I was still really glittery. Not good.

I think a few of these are pretty good to be honest, I paid less than £15 for the lot. However, I do know that most of it I won't be wearing because I own things that suit me better but sometimes you can really find something great in these types of shops. The one thing I will be keeping and I think wearing quite regularly is the Opus nail polish and the rest I'd really like to give away sometime.

What do you think? Have you bought this sort of make-up before? Is there any small brands that I absolutely need to try?

Have a nice night!

I have been buying things again!
My new favourite site is etsy, it is truly fabulous and it makes you feel really special when you find one of a kind items. I could sit and look through the jewellery sellers for hours. Sometimes it can be a real pain trying to find a seller/designer who sells something you actually like, but the trick is to do the leg work, find something you love and then look through the sellers favourites and they will almost always have liked something that's as good or as unique as their items. Then repeat the process with those sellers and then you will find a little group of consistently good sellers with products that you love.

I treated myself to a couple of items recently.



I'm so delighted with this. It's very pretty. I bought it from this little gem of a shop, treeandkimball.
I love that it looks antique, the golden locket at the end has such dainty little flower patterns on the, to me they look like what flies away you blow a dead dandelion to tell the time. This is joined on to a lovely crochet flower, I think this is my favourite part because it was handmade and it makes the necklace unique and the idea that someone has worked on it and put thought into it feels really special. The brass strands in the necklace just make this for me, it looks almost deliberately antiqued.
I can't wait to wear this, I think it would look beautiful with a cocktail dress or wearing something more casual like skinny jeans and short heels, a silk, cream cami and a little cardigan - would look very classy and understated but with a bit of personality.

My second item is this pair of earrings. More boobies.



These are adorable. I love the grey background and the pink in the middle. I don't think anyone would see what they are unless they were really close. From afar they would just be a blur of pretty colours. I think for me my hair will cover them most of the time and you will just see peeks of flowers, grey and boobies...
Although these are modern I think they would look beautiful with the locket above. The metals and the ivory, grey and pinks would be lovely together. But equally fun and pretty on their own.

I bought the earrings from DollyLolly and although they are one-of-a-kind you can buy similar boobie ladies and other cute items! These were $15 and the above locket was $36. That's the thing I love about Etsy, unique, handmade items, and most of the items are great prices. $15 = £9.42, give or take.

Something I can't get enough of is scary films. I'm on a quest to find something truly terrifying, The Exorcist didn't do it, neither did The Ring. So if you have any good ideas let me know!!
I love horrors and thrillers too, especially Alfred Hitchcock, I love his films so very much.
I'm working my way through this box set, although there are a few I've seen already that aren't in it.

My favourites are Rebecca and Rear Window. Rear Window is a brilliant murder mystery type story line. It has Grace Kelly and I love the clothes, where it's set, when it's set. The scariest I've seen is Psycho. The scene at the end with Norman Bates mummified mother still freaks me out whenever I think of it.

skin care regime

One of my favourite things to spend my money on is skin-care products, I have been through so many products and I really do think that Lush is up there with the best and usually at about half the price (but still fairly expensive).

I start with Angels on Bare Skin. This is a product that everyone seems to rave about and is probably their best selling cleanser. I take a small lump of the product from the tub use warm water and rub it together in my hands to turn it into a milky/paste. Rub on, wash off. It's not very exciting and didn't leave my face really soft like I was hoping, but I will persevere. In my opinion, it isn't as good as some other cleansers, such as Baby Face, which unfortunately has been discontinued.

After that I use a toner Eau Roma Water. This is so softening almost as softening as some moisturisers I've used. I'm not fussed on the scent which is just a dull rose smell. I like to close my eyes and just spray this all over my face, it's really refreshing and then i wipe it off and my skin is lovely and smooth and you just know that it's good for you because of all the oils and natural ingredients used.

The moisturiser that I follow this with is Celestial. This is a heavenly(!) little moisturiser. It is a little bit greasy but it sinks in really well. It's been really good for the red patches on my cheeks and chin and forehead and it doesn't clog my pores. As well as that sometimes my skin can become itchy depending on the products I use and this doesn't have that sort of effect, it's really quite calming but moisturising as well.

Full of Grace Serum bar is strictly for bedtime use. This initially leaves your skin disgustingly oily. However, it is certainly not like that when you awaken in the morning. Your skin is really nourished and soft feeling. It looks smooth and is really good for evening my skin tone and the redness on my face. It's really unlike other serums I've used that sink in straight away and are almost gel like. It really shouldn't be called a serum. It's really just an oil. But a good one! It doesn't smell nice either, probably due to the mushrooms that are in it.

Lush recommends using this under their face masks, which I've not done yet, because they say it stops the mask drying your skin but you still get the same benefits. I have tried a few of their face masks and my absolute favourite, in fact my absolute favourite face mask of all time is Brazened Honey. Now, this has a very particular smell that takes some getting used to. It's honey with different spices and herbs, which sounds really really horrible. But once you've used it and love it you'll associate the smell with beautiful skin. Lush says it's like a detox and great for when you've not had as much sleep as you should or not been drinking enough water. I agree completely, I'm not sure if it's the spices that make your skin look like you've been on a long walk by the sea and it cleanses like you've been drinking two litres of water a day, every day your whole life. Any little bumps or blackheads and even the dullest of complexions it will fix. BUY IT.

What is your regular skin care regime? Do you even have one?

Hallowe'en is over and I'm finally allowed to talk about Christmas in my house again! And now that I can, I have nothing to say...

So, I'll say something else then. Today I bought some little cards for my bedroom which I will put in some old antique frames.
I bought these from a lovely little shop called Radiance you should check it out as well as their other home accesssories, especially the fairy lights, I wish I had that much money to spend!
For now I can look forward to my little cards arriving, although I have to wait for them to get here to find out what size they are as the site I ordered them from doesn't say. My room is a mesh of many bright colours, mostly pink, purple and green but white furniture and white walls. I have a lovely hand painted picture on one wall which is quite big so on the opposite I'd like to have these little prints in a row. Once they arrive I think I will do a post on my room because I love it. Anyway, what do you think, they are extremely gorgeous, yes?











It doesn't say who designed them, but they all say Supernature at the beginning with their own name afterwards. Clown boat, Pot head, Haunted city, tea-cup ladies. You can buy them for £2.50 each here.

Since the tea-cup ladies are unbelievably adorable I also decided to get this

hehe... their boobies are out!

I might put this in a large frame on another wall, it certainly won't be going in the kitchen, there's young boys in this house! You can buy this for £10 here.

I feel that these prints are quite my personality, I am such a dreamer I want to bathe in a tea-cup and sail with clowns. Among many other things. Being this way is a good thing though, I am always being told I come up with grande ideas. Un-realistic ideas too...

Does anyone else feel this way? Do you appreciate cute little prints like these? And what about decorating your bedroom if you live with your parents, are you not bothered or do you see it as a place to really make your own?

Image credits

Ooh la la

Fifi Lapin is my one of my favourite bloggers and she has been for a while. I'm really jealous of all the new outfits she can afford straight from the catwalk and her ability to eat lots of carrot cake without it going straight to her ears and tail!
She has her very own style book that includes interviews with top fashion designers from around the world, a lovely boyfriend Sonny who is as cute as she is and occasionally Fifi will indulge us with gossip and news from her life. Why can't I be her?! Well probably as we are different species and I just don't think I can pull off her style. However, some of my favourite parts of her blog are when she offers up her secrets of where she gets her more thrifty wardrobe items and chic but cheap accessories. Speaking of accessories she has her very own shop too which has a limited number of prints of Fifi in her outfits as well as buttons and this shopper
which I bought! How gorgeous is that? I love the images chosen for it, Fifi looks so stylish and cool in monochrome (with little rosy cheeks). Definitely worth £24.92 including p&p!


I can't wait to debut my bag and I hope I will appear even minutely more fashionable with Fifi on my arm.

If you're all over the shop and haven't a clue how to dress yourself or if you consider yourself a fashionista like Fifi and would like to compare notes you can wait for it to be back in stock here.

Image Credits

layers and knits

I recently bought a small collection of clothes from Joe Brown's. Now this is a brand I've never been too sure of, I occasionally get their small catalogue with magazines and normally I would pooh-pooh it's garish, unfashionable clothing, however, this time I looked through it and surprised myself by how much I was liking some of the items.

I went on to the site and found even more things that I liked and ended up buying


The Edgy Jersey Shirt

The tie waist with the ribbon facing the back is so flattering and the shirt has a sort of cute Victorian vibe going on. I also bought the vest that is shown with the shirt because I have no imagination.



You can click on the images if you're interested or would like to buy them. The camisole was £8.95 and the shirt was £29.95.



I also bought the Essential Mixer Top. This is perfect for layering, I like it with all the buttons open so it's slightly baggy with a vest top underneath. The vest top shown in the picture!



I have NO ideas of my own! The vest top is £9.95 and the grey top is £24.95.

Another item I bought is this Mitten Hoody for £44.95.



I don't normally buy things like this as they're a bit too alternative/out there for me. I'd prefer it if the pockets were just normal shaped pockets but I can see that it is quite sweet and winter time is the perfect time for dressing like a child, a warm, cosy child. I did not buy the shown camisole... Although I feel so unsure, maybe I should go and buy it, what am I supposed to wear with it? If I have to decide myself I'll probably end up wearing a swimsuit. Yes, a swimsuit is a good idea, actually. No, really, I'm not that bad. A plain t-shirt is nice to wear with this and some cute dark skinny jeans tucked in to some boots.

THESE boots



for a very reasonable £34.95.

I also bought this Festive Hot water bottle for £12.95 because it's lovely and will be perfect on cold scary evenings to cosy up with.




There was something else which I really wanted to buy but was sold out when I bought everything. It is now back in stock in my size and I am so happy although the stock is limited. I might go for it, it is quite pricey though.

Parisian Jacket



It would look tres chic with the shirt that's shown with it...

Have you ever shopped from here before? Have you ever been surprised like this, by a shop that previously you didn't think much of?

body

I have bought a truck load of body products lately. And I think after using some of them I can give a pretty good review and I will review the others at a later time once I've used them for longer so as to be fair.

First of all are these Boots Botanics products. This is a brand I never thought to try before but I am really excited about them now and want to sing their praises. Some of them, especially Botanics Organic Nourishing Body Oil 95ml

It is a very small bottle, I would like to make that clear. But this very small bottle looked untouched after covering my whole body with it after one use. And whilst it was a little greasy it was great how quickly my skin drank it in, you could really see the dryer areas soaking it up. My favourite part of this was how my arms looked afterwards. Just plump and delicious and they truly have never felt as soft as this. This is my absolute favourite new product, the only tiny little downside is the smell which is a bit too herby for me, but fortunately it doesn't stay for very long.

Next is Botanics Softening Body Wash 200ml. The price is great, it lathers wonderfully and you don't have to use too much. And the smell lasts for ages. Which is a good thing this time as it smells really nice to me. It says it contains centella which helps to stimulate skin circulation, which is great if you're looking slightly sluggish and dull.

The next great thing is the Botanics Moisturising Body Balm 200ml which has a very similar scent to the body wash. It's a good moisturiser and it's not too sticky. I like that it's a natural product and that it strengthens the scent of the body wash but it's pretty basic and not particularly too special.

The final Botanics product is the Botanics Conditioning Clay Mask 120ml. It has a lovely scent but I was lured in because it said it wouldn't dry out my skin and I didn't feel that it made much of a difference. Normally after cheaper face masks that I've used my pores at least feel clean, but I was quite disappointed.

My other brand new completely fabulous product (which I couldn't be bothered taking a picture of) is a new product by Lush called Ro's Argan Body Conditioner.

First of all whatever I say about this is not enough to describe how amazing this is. It smells like Turkish Delight which is something I don't even like but on your body, smelling like roses and chocolate is really quite sensual. What's different about this product is it's actually a conditioner, at first I just thought it meant it put your body in a better condition, but you actually use it like a hair conditioner but on your body. You put it on in the bath or shower, rub it in, leave for a minute and then wash it off. And you really think at first that it's not going to be anything great, it's not going to do anything for your body because you've washed it off. But it's AMAZGING!!! It leaves your skin so youthful and soft and sexy feeling. It even makes it look amazing. Give this a try, you will not be disappointed. Comes in at a pricey £15.50 but really worth it and just like the Botanics Organic Nourishing Body Oil, you really don't need to use much.

I am surprised that I have found two body moisturisers that are as good as these all at once, but really happy because my skin's gonna' remain soft in this nippy weather.

Last wee thing, bought five different bath bombs/bubble bars from their Christmas collection. And while they don't really do much for your skin or anything, they are so lovely smelling and really great on super cold, frosty nights. You have to try Gingerbread House, it's not too gingery, just warm and spicy and inviting. Buy two, one for your bath and one to keep in your room to smell the joint up with the most gorgeous Christmassy smell.


What are you doing to keep your skin in check over winter? Are you in love with Lush as much as I am?