Join the Daxon Blogger Network!

Quick post this evening to let you know about Daxon's fashion blogger's opportunity to join their exclusive blogger network and possibly receive a free £50 Amazon or Daxon voucher in the process (if you're quick and follow the steps by tomorrow)!

You can find the full details and terms of participation here!

 Daxon (who I'd admittedly never heard of before) are part of the third largest home shopping organisation in the world, favouring materials from ethical and sustainable sources.

Whilst browsing the website, I found these gems!

Ladies stud detail handbag | £45
Ellos ladies sleeveless vest top | was £15 | Now £9
Two-tone ring set with genuine sapphires | £45

 What goodies would you buy with your Daxon voucher?

Make sure you give it a go!

Jo xx 



Guest Post | Sale Bargains Under £10

Todays guest post is from the lovely Helen from Helen Hearts!

It’s my favourite time of the year – CHRISTMAS SALES! I like to think of myself as a bit of a bargain hunter so I’ve picked out what I think are some of the best bargains on the high street this year and all are under £10 - better snap them up while you can!

Cath Kidston Make Up Bag – Was £10 now £7

The Cath Kidston sale is one of my favourites. Whilst the discounts might not be huge, the products are always brilliant and a small discount is better than none at all, right? This make-up bag will fit in all your beauty essentials.

 Coco’s Fortune Playsuit – Was £60 now £10 (or £8 if you enter the code XMAS20 at the checkout!)

This playsuit is one of my best finds. You can pick it up on the RARE London website for just £10 AND you get an extra 20% off in you enter the code ‘XMAS20’ at the checkout. Better hurry though, this won’t be there for long!

Topshop Lipstick – Was £10 now £5

Louise Gray’s collection for Topshop was highly coveted this year and her gorgeous lipstick in Mexican Wave is now half price.

New Look Boots – Were £24.99 now £10

The New Look boots are an absolute bargain at just £10! I found them in the teen section so they only go up to size 7. Sorry, large-footed ladies!

Monsoon Cable Knit Ankle Socks – Were £18 now £9

These knee high socks from Monsoon are super cute, super cosy and a super bargain at half price. They’ll keep you warm and snug in the cold weather.

Thanks again Helen for this post! It's always worth dedicating a few hours to have a real route around the online sales after Christmas, some things become so cheap. I love the look of the make up bag and lipstick especially!

Make sure you head over to Helen's lovely blog for a nosey around: Helen Hearts!

Jo xx

Small Haul | Boxing Day Sales

Mega quickie from me today seeing as I have a few minutes to spare before I start getting ready for a 21st tonight!

First off, hope you've all had as much of a lovely Christmas as I have. My auntie, uncle and cousins managed to visit us on Christmas day which was lovely, as they never get chance living a few hours drive away. It was lovely to see them on the actual day; we have such a small family that it is usually just 6 of us having Christmas together so it was nice having a slightly busier and noisier day!

So we had lots of wine, food and laughs playing our very 'artistic' game of Pictionary!

Anyway, seeing as all the good stuff in the sales usually disappears within the first day or two, I though I would nip into town on Boxing day to see what I could pick up...

...and boy was it busy.

I am so glad I went first thing in the morning, otherwise I doubt I'd have been able to move very far! It. Was. Heaving.

Anyway I only picked up a couple of things but I am quite glad I went in the end.

Jumper | River Island | £22 £10

Shirt | New Look | £22 £8

I know it's a lame haul but by the time it got to midday we'd had enough and were ready to scream!

The shirt is gorgeous it is just very sheer so needs a top underneath and a good iron! But other than that I love it, especially the dipped hem at the back, it will be really easy to dress up or down.

What do you think of my buys?

If you've done a sale haul post please link it in the comments below, I'd love to have a nosey!

Hope you all have an amazing New Year!

Jo xx



Guest Post | Nails Inc in Motcomb Street

My latest guest post is from the lovely Tash at It's Simply Beauty!

I love nail polish! It's one of my favourite things in my beauty collection (apart from lipsticks) I'm always looking to find the next best shade of pink or reds, and i'm always looking for a great consistancy and a fab brush applicator!

So for my quest post i am going to be talking to you all about Nails Inc Motcomb Street.

This little beauty I picked up as a freebie in a magazine just over a month ago and it sure has become my newest favourite nail polish. Now there was 4 colour to choose from and you wondering why choose the dark colour, why not go for gold glitter? Well For a while now I have been hunting high and low for that perfect black/blue tone polish that shows both in different lighting and no matter what I could never find it. So I picked Motcomb Street up on a whim thinking this wont be my dream shade of black/blue but oh well its £2 for a magazine and polish when the nail polish alone costs £11 so I thought why the hell not.

I got home painted my nails and I squeaked like a little girl. I found that perfect shade.

Its the perfect contrast colour that in different lights you seen black and blue. Even people have come up to me and asked is that blue or is that black?

Why I never tried Nails Inc before just rattles my mind. The wond is amazing it is small but allows enough polish on the nails to coat it evenly. Don't you hate that when polish just goes on the nail all gloopy/runny and gets everywhere!?

The staying power is just incredible too. It lasts on my nails up for 3 days with out chipping! Now that is amazing..

Everything about this nail polish is perfect. Its a to dye for colour which every girl/woman should have in their nail collection. Since I have got this as a freebie I have used half the bottle already so this is a definiatly a one to go on the beauty list when it runs out!

Have you ever tried Nails Inc Motcomb Street?

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xx

Thanks again for this post Tash! This looks like a lovely shade for winter. I have a Nails Inc magazine freebie that I am yet to try; I think I might give it a go after this glowing review!

Make sure you check out Tash's blog, It's Simply Beauty!

Jo xx

Christmas and New Year Nail Art!

Hello all!

Blogging two days in a row; shock horror!

I hope you're all as excited as I am for tomorrow! It's unbelievable how quickly this year has flown by, next thing we know we'll all be 80-odd, rocking back and forth in our rocking chairs and blogging about our pensions and new pair of slippers!

Anyway, seeing as it's Christmas eve I thought I'd do another Christmas-related post. Be rude not to really!

Since finishing placement I have been having a bit of a fiddle around with Christmas nail art ideas so I thought I'd show you a couple of my very amateur attempts.

My favourite of the ideas I have come up with is surprisingly the most simple. Plain old glitter tips.

I figured seeing as my nails had got quite long recently I'd give it a go and I loved it; these are now

going to be both my Christmas day and New Years Eve nails!

Without flash | With flash

These looked much better in real life, I didn't realise how rubbish they actually look in the pictures but hey ho...
...To create this look, I used Sally Hansen's Maximum Growth and a couple of coats of Technic glitter nail varnish in Carnival; my favourite glitter nail varnish.

Now I did also attempt snowy nail art but the picture is so blurred it hurts your eyes, so instead I'll just have to show you the design I did on my sisters teeny tiny nails.

 Was quite proud of that design, not gonna lie...

...anyway that's it for now!
I  have a few more guest posts lined up for you after Christmas whilst I get my exams out of the way, then hopefully it'll be back to normal blogging-wise.

I am going out for lunch with a couple of the girls in an hour or so, so I'm really looking forward to having a proper catch up and gossip, as it'll be the first time I've seen them properly since September! Then I'll be doing a bit of last minute wrapping, drinking a bit of mulled wine and probably watching a Christmas film or two with the parents! I was quite tempted to go out tonight but I decided against it in the end. Just the thought that I might not have been able to eat my Christmas dinner due to being hungover knocked me sick. It's the best meal of the year!
I'm staying in, but fingers crossed for all you harcore lot that are going out, I really hope you make it through Christmas day without regretting it!

Hope you all have a really amazing Christmas and New Year, and that Santa brings you lots of goodies!

Lots of love and best wishes,
Jo xx



Christmas Works Do | My Bargain Outfit!

Hello strangers!

I thought seeing as I am having a couple of days off doing uni work (okay maybe not 'off', but definitely less seeing as it is Christmas and I am trying to have a bit of a break), I would write a couple of posts before the big day!

So a couple of weeks ago I got a last minute ticket for the Radiology department's Christmas do. I'm so glad I went, it was a lovely evening and it was great to see the radiographers in a completely different light.

However, getting the ticket just a week in advance, as you can imagine I did have that dreaded panic of ''what the hell am I going to wear!?"

Luckily, within just quarter of an hour of wandering aimlessly around town, I stumbled across this beauty...

Apologies for the awful quality photos. I think I need to invest in a tripod!

...I figured as I would quite like a job at the end of my three year stint of placement at the hospital, I'd better get something that was long enough to avoid any drunken mishaps; so this one just about cut it!

It is a really simple yet gorgeous dress. The top part is sheer material with a beautiful velvet-y floral-ish pattern layered over a beige top, and the skirt is also completely sheer with a black bodycon skirt to keep you covered.

I know its very black but 1) I actually thought it looked quite sophisticated and 2) what the hell else was I gonna get at such short notice!?

I teamed the dress with my bargain fiver heels (reviewed here), and a plain black envelope clutch (not pictured). I really didn't think it needed much accessorising as it's one of those dresses that kind of speaks for itself!

Now I don't think you'd ever guess the price of this dress unless you've already seen it in store...

...it was a mere £15 from Primark.

I know, my jaw dropped too.

So my dress and shoes altogether came to a pretty impressive £20. My purse loves me!

What do you think of this dress?

Have you bought any of your Christmas party dresses from Primark?

Thanks for reading, I've missed you lovely lot!!

Jo xx

Guest Post | The Perfect Purple MAC Lip

My next guest post is from the lovely Rachel preaching her winter berry lips!

When Joanne said I was welcome to guest post on her blog I was over the moon and immediately began to think about the kind of post I’d like to write. I wanted to bring something a little different to Joanne’s blog that stayed true to my personal style and so, after reading about her phobia of bright lipstick, I knew this would be a good opportunity to talk about my love of the bold, statement lip. Hopefully I can convince her that a purple pout is perfect for the Christmas season!

To create this look I applied MAC’s lip liner in Nightmoth, outlining my lips and gently colouring them in. This particular liner is one of my absolute favourites – the rich, vibrant plum colour is so striking and the creamy consistency makes it easy to apply and really long lasting. I then applied MAC’s lipstick in Rebel which blends with the liner to create the perfect ‘vampy’ lip. This is definitely a bold, statement look and so I think it’s important to keep eye make up simple –just a flick of eye liner and a few coats of your favourite mascara.

And there you have it! My favourite make up look for the Christmas season. I can’t wait to style this with a festive sequin dress and a glamorous faux fur coat!

I really hope you’ve enjoyed this post. If you’d like to read more from me then check out my blog Rachel’s Journal!

Merry Christmas everyone!

x

How perfect is that colour on Rachel?! I wonder if I'm brave enough to attempt to pull it off...

 ...I can just imagine me walking round town, purple all over my teeth and looking like I drank too much red wine...but one can dream of the perfect pout, eh?

Thanks again Rachel for guest posting for me! Don't forget to check out her beautiful blog, Rachel's Journal.

Jo xx

Guest Post | Christmas Tree Nail Art

My next guest post is a Christmas nail art tutorial from the gorgeous Sabina from Fashernably Late!

I've seen a lot of nail designs recently that have incorporated sellotape strips to block out parts of the nail, which are then peeled off to reveal the colour underneath to create a really cute design. Using this technique, I thought it was appropriate to create a design that was fun & festive, and what better way to decorate your nails with this easy nail design?

So, here's how its done:

1. To protect your nails from the polish, use a basecoat. This will help prevent breakage and discolouring of your nails.

2. Chose a base colour of your choice and apply two coats.

3. Wait until your base colour has completely dried. If you're impatient like me, stick your hands in the freezer for a minute or two, or run your fingertips under running cold water!

4. Take two pieces of sellotape and stick them down in a triangle shape, with the point of the Christmas tree being at the base of your nail.

5. Using some scissors, cut three (or more) thin strips and stick them at a slant down the nail.

6. Using a dark green (red also looks really good) paint over your nail, ensuring that all areas of the exposed nail are covered. You may want to use two coats depending on the polish you're using.

7. Wait for the polish to dry completely (the freezer technique could come in handy again here) before peeling off the sellotape.

8. Using a dotting tool, or a toothpick, add little gold dots to create 'baubles' on the tree.

9. Finish by adding a top coat to protect your design & to add a beautiful shine!

I hope you have lots of fun using this design, & an even better Christmas!
Love Sabina x

Thanks again for this Sabina, I absolutely love this design! It looks so simple yet really effective, I'll definitely be giving it a go before the big day (granted it won't look remotely like Sabina's).

Make sure you check out her lovely blog, Fashernably Late!

Jo xx

Guest Post | Christmas Stocking Fillers Under a Fiver!

My next guest post is a festive gift guide from the lovely Georgia from Georgiabeee!

Hello all of Jo's lovely readers!

I'm Georgia from Georgiabeee and I'll be posting about my Christmas stocking filler ideas!

It's getting to that time where the shops are full of panicky people running around trying to find anything they can to wrap up and give people! I went to Westfield the other day at 7 in the evening because I thought it would have calmed down by then and it was still mad! So if you prefer staying away from the crowds and online shopping, you can find the links to all these bits below :)

1. Hot water Bottle

It's SO cold in England at the moment (-4 the other day!) so anything snuggly and warm will go down a treat for christmas!

2. Harmonica

I love silly little presents like this, whoever recieves this will be annoying everyone all christmas day!

3. Keyboard stickers

These are such a cute idea, to jazz up your keyboard with some silly little pictures! Perfect for anyone who works in an office or is just surgically attached to their laptop!

4. Passcase

This Pass case is a really cute little stocking filler, the print is lovely and it's perfect for anyone who needs somewhere to put their oyster card/ gym pass/ work, uni/ college or school pass.. ect

5. Lipbalm duo

Everyone needs lipbalm, (even boys, though my boyfriend will deny that he has his own coacoa butter one) and this set is really nicely packaged, the perfect little stocking filler :)

6. Where's Wally chocolate

Chocolate is a necessity at Christmas (so you can gorge yourself on it and then set lots of unrealistic weight loss goals for your new years resolution!) and these are a bit different and fun and also inexpensive!

So that's all my stocking filler ideas! Hope you enjoyed, if you want to see my Gift Guide for Girlie friends click here or you can find my Gift Guide for Boy pals here!

Thanks to Jo for letting me post on her lovely blog :)

Happy Christmas!

Georgia x

 

And there we have it, my first Christmas-related blog post so thank you very much for writing this for me Georgia! I really love the random gift ideas like the keyboard stickers, I think they're a great idea for people who are really hard to buy for (I'm talking to you, Dad!).

Make sure you check out Georgia's blog and all her other gift ideas over on Georgiabeee

Jo xx

Guest Post | Lee Stafford Products

Today I have another guest post for you from the gorgeous Becky over at The Wonders of Wardrobes, enjoy!

There are two things that really, really get me down about my hair. 1) It's nowhere near as thick as I would like it to be and 2) even though I have fine hair, it takes me ages to dry in the morning!

So when Lee Stafford products were on the amazing deal of 3 for £12 at Boots, I got the ‘miracle growth hair treatment’ and ‘blow dry your hair faster spray’. The third one was a present for someone. Overall I saved £10.99 which is a right bargain!

Although my hair grows super quickly, meaning I have loads of baby hair - it lacks the volume that I want. After using the miracle growth, my hair felt amazingly soft and already thicker. That was only after two uses, so I can only imagine that after time my hair will reach the thickness that I want to achieve.

I'm not sure what it's like for everyone else but my hair takes an ungodly amount of time to dry! It takes up so much of my time in the morning that I find myself running for the bus so I'm not late for work! This blow dry spray didn't quite live up to my expectations. I don't think it took any time off my hair drying and it just made my hair smell like chemicals all day. This made me super sad. Here I thought I had found the answer to my problems and unfortunately I hadn't. It may work better for others but personally, my hair didn't take to it!

Keep your eye out on the offers in Boots! Sometimes you can save yourself a lot of money which equals very happy bloggers.

Becky x

Thank you so much again Becky for guest posting for me! Personally I've never tried Lee Stafford products but would definitely be willing to try them next time they are on 3 for 2!

Don't forget to check out The Wonders of Wardrobes!

Jo xx

Everything 5 Pounds Heels

Just a quickie today as a little break from my blogging absence (excluding my fab guest posts, obv!), I wanted to show you my bargain heels from everything5pounds!

Now as the title suggest, everything on this website is a fiver (duh) so I can't really say I had high hopes for these shoes.

But I ordered them anyway, seeing I was desperate to replace my other very painful black heels over the Christmas period.

So here they are, and boy am I pleasantly surprised!

Yes they're pretty plain but hey, they were a fiver...I think I can be let off for that one! They are a really snug fit, and came really well packaged in little individual shoe socks, n'aww!

These wedges can be bought here for a mere fiver, and they also come in red, brown, blue, green and beige. Phew!

I'd definitely recommend picking some up for the party season!

Jo xx

Guest Post | Barry M 'Black Multi Glitter'

So today we have my second guest post from the lovely Ellie over on ellie etc, enjoy!

Hiya lovelies! My name is Ellie from ellie etc, and I’m here to do a guest post for the gorgeous Jo!

Recently (on my lunch break to be precise) I nipped into Boots in need of some new nail varnish - this is where I found this beauty!

Such an original name, haha! But I love love love this Barry M concoction, glitter is always a winner for me. This shade is a bit more seasonally appropriate than my last nail colour, plus it looks like little stars in the night sky, which is so preeeeeettyy. The cover and quality is the standard from Barry M, but the glitter makes it a bit stronger so (hopefully) more chip resistant. On the downside, glitter nail varnish is a pain to get off, so I’m not looking forward to that! Anyway, available it Boots, Superdrug etc etc. under £3 too.

love ellie x

p.s. very sorry for my awful nail painting skills, not a great first impression I know! Also these pictures don't really do the glitter justice - my camera didn't pick it up very well!


Thank you so much again Ellie, absolutely in love with this shade it's gorgeous!
Happy belated blog birthday too, make sure you head over and check out Ellie etc!

Thanks for reading,
Jo xx

Guest Post | Favourite Fragrances

So today I am delighted to be showing you the first of a few guest posts I have lined up for you lovely lot over the Christmas period whilst I work away (way too hard) to meet my uni deadlines!

This first post is from the lovely Kirsty over on Pretty Little Fashionista

Hey I'm Kirsty and I blog over at Prettylittlefashionista I'm very happy that Jo let me write a guest post for her. Today I'm going to be sharing my favourite fragrances with you.

Lancôme La Vie Est Belle

Although this is only a sample it is one of my favourite perfumes ever. I have nearly finished it and I would be really disappointed but I know my parents have bought me a full size one for Christmas. This perfume contains jasmin, orange blossom and patchouli essence. The perfume isn't overpowering but it does last on the skin all day. I have had many complements when I've worn this perfume. A full sized bottle costs about £39 which is quite a good price considering it is a Lancôme perfume.

Natural collection vanilla body spray

I know this isn't a perfume but I thought I'd include it because I love the smell of it. I love the smell of vanilla any vanilla scented product I have to have so when I saw this in Boots for only £2 I knew I had to get it. As you expect it smells of vanilla it is a really sweet scent that last all day. This is more of a summer scent but I still wear it now even though it is winter.

Body shop cassis rose

I was so disappointed when I came to write this post because I found out that this and one of my other favourites have been discontinued. I don't usually like rose scents as they are usually really overpowering so when I was given this a few years ago I didn't really use it. Early this year I was sorting through my things and found it and I fell in love with the scent. It isn't overpowering and it is just the right amount of rose in it. It isn't too sweet which I find is common with rose scents.

Body shop love etc.

This perfume contains jasmine, vanilla and sandalwood notes however this perfume isn't too floral. This is a perfect everyday perfume the scent lasts but it isn't too overpowering. I think a bottle of this costs £14 which is a really good price for a perfume. I also have the shower gel of this and I love it.

Avon in the clouds

This has also been discontinued which is really disappointing as it is one of my all-time favourite scents. I have had this the longest and I'm really worried about using it up. This is quite a floral scent which lasts all day. I don't know what it contains because I could find very little information on the Internet. I don't know why Avon discontinued it because it is one of my favourite products from them.

Thanks again Kirsty for doing this post for me, it's nice to finally have a fragrance post up on my blog! Make sure you head over and check out Pretty Little Fashionista

So there we have it, hope you all enjoyed my first guest post!

Thanks for reading,

Jo xx

Blog Competition Wins

I have been a very lucky lady recently and on top of the Kiko nail varnish I won from Mollie's blog Mollie Muses (review here), I have also managed to blag these other goodies from a few of my favourite blogs!

Topshop star necklace | won from Chloe's blog | Chloe's Way

Makeup | won from Amy's blog | Beauty Boutique

Including:

Models Own nail varnish

Technic nail varnish

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain

Sue Moxley Famous lipgloss

 Glamorous dress | won from Frances' blog | Frances Cassandra

Couple of reviews and outfit posts coming up involving these absolute gems when I finally get the time!
Thanks again girls for my amazing goodies, I have been so lucky recently!

Happy December everyone! I am literally in total disbelief as to how quickly this year has gone, it's frightening!

I am also very sad to announce that I have woken up this morning, the 1st of December, to realise that I have completely forgotten to get myself an advent calendar. D'oh. So I hope you all had a lovely chocolate this morning whilst I enjoyed my very healthy cereal bar.

Thanks for reading,
Jo xx