What I Wore | 23.09.13

So I thought for a change I'd try taking a couple of outfit photos outside in an attempt for clearer images; whether the images actually are better or not I'm undecided, so I'd love it if you could let me know which you prefer in the comments! 

Jumper - H&M | Disco pants - Daisy Street | Bag - Matalan | Glasses* - Firmoo | Necklace - ASOS | Converse All Star* - Amazon

Shamballa bracelet - Tresor Paris via Peter Jackson | Bangle - gift | Chain ring - H&M | Stone ring - Vintage | Star and eye rings - Primark | Nails - W7 10

This jumper is a current favourite of mine; you may recognise it from my 21st birthday present haul as my mum bought it for me after I picked it out in store. I've worn it a ridiculous amount of times already, it's so easy to just shove on and go, although it's not really for the faint hearted!

These Daisy Street disco pants are fab as well - I actually sized down in the hope they would suck me in more and they definitely do, although I may have been tempted to reach for them more often if I'd have bought them in my size. They are a little uncomfortable to wear for a full day just because they're that darned tight, so I only wear these when I know I won't be out and about for hours on end. I'm such an idiot.

The Tresor Paris bracelet is a new favourite of mine; I don't own another expensive bracelet and so this is a lovely treat for me which again I received as a birthday gift from a family friend. 

The lilac colour is just so perfect. 

What do you think of this outfit?

Don't forget to let me know whether or not you prefer the outdoor photos! 

Love, 

Jo xx

Polka Dot Nails | W7 10 & Revlon Rock

Quick nail art post for you today! I'm trying desperately to have a bit of fun with my nails before I start my new job as a radiographer on Monday (eek!). Obviously, working in a hospital I won't be able to wear nail varnish for infection control reasons so I've been applying new colours like there's no tomorrow!

This was just a really quick polka dot design I created using the gorgeous W7 pastel purple (which is just named '10' as far as I can see on the bottle) and a deeper purple Revlon shade called Rock. 

I thought the colours looked really cute together!

What do you think? 

What nail art have you been doing recently? 

Love, 

Jo xx

Painted Glitter Turns 1!

When I set up my very own little space on the internet exactly a year ago today, I actually wondered how long it would be until the novelty of my new hobby wore off.

Yet here I am; a year down the line and I am more in love with blogging than ever.

Source

The blogging community is a far more amazing and supportive place than I could ever have imagined. 

You provide the perfect escape from day to day life and are the perfect audience for me to share my opinions, thoughts, loves and lusts. 

I don't think you guys realise how much that one little comment can brighten up my day; it means the world to me that so many of you care enough about what I'm saying to subscribe to my blog, comment and take the time to come back and visit again and again. 

In short, I'm seriously grateful to each and every one of you, so thank you.

Here's to the many more years of blogging to come.

Love always,

Jo xx

H&M | Chain Rings

Okay so I may have fallen a little bit in love with these rings. So much so that I thought they deserved a blog post of their own; aren't they just the luckiest rings in existence? 

Go with it, guys.

Rings | H&M | £1.99

Admittedly I don't think I'd wear both rings together, but I just wanted to show you what they looked like on. They were just £1.99 for the pair; absolute bargain and I'm sure I'll get a ridiculous amount of wear out of these beauties. They don't feel half as flimsy as you'd imagine at that price either! 

What do you think?

What jewellery have you been buying lately?

Love, 

Jo xx

L'Oreal Paris Nude Magique BB Blush

I have to admit this is one product that really did excite me when I first saw it. 

L'Oreal claims their Nude Magique BB Blush to be a unique gel which 

"goes on clear and transforms on contact with the skin, self-adjusting to the skins pH level to deliver a natural glow specific to your skin tone".

That all sounds very scientific, so instead of expanding on that quote and pretending I know what the hell I'm on about, I'm just gonna chat about my opinion instead. I can manage that.

The packaging of the BB Blush is so clean and simple and in my opinion, you really cannot beat it. 

Sure, I do love the pretty, eye-catching packaging by brands such as Benefit and Soap and Glory, but sometimes all I want is something simple and uncomplicated, and L'Oreal really hits the nail on the head in that sense.

The product does indeed dispense as a gel-like consistency as claimed. 

However, do be warned that you have to be quick when applying the product after it has been dispensed. It doesn't take long before it starts to stain your skin to the garish colour (garish for a blusher, anyway) shown in the picture above. 

Trust me, the first time I applied this it was not a pretty sight. I looked like i'd been slapped with a belt on both cheeks. But, as long as you blend it onto your cheeks relatively quickly (I use my fingers rather than a brush and it seems to blend well enough) and don't just leave it all blotchy for a few seconds, it provides a beautiful, natural rosy glow to your cheeks.

I'm not actually sure if the colour differs for different skin tones, as obviously I only have my own skin tone to go by, but the colour really did compliment my tanned skin. I was surprised at this due to the shocking pink pigmentation I could see on the tube nozzle, but once blended it became much more subtle and natural.

One thing I would say about the blush is to apply it in a dabbing rather than a rubbing motion. When I tried to rub it in, it left very little pigment on my cheeks. It was only when I dabbed that I could begin to build up the colour nicely. 

However, even using the dabbing motion, I did find that I needed to apply a good 2 or 3 layers of the product before I achieved my desired look. I believe this could be purely down to my deeper, more olive skin tone. I think the blusher would be much easier to work with on pale-skinned girls, where the pigment can really stand out and quickly give a healthy pink flush.

Bottom: dispensed product | Top: blended product

I was expecting to be left with quite a dewy finish seeing as the product is a gel, however this wasn't the case. Once applied, my skin felt silky soft to the touch and I was left with a finish that was probably more on the matte side; a really natural, muted glow.

It also seemed to last well on my cheeks; I'm usually not a massive fan of the more liquid-based cheek products purely because I find that they tend to disappear relatively quickly on my combination skin. However, this one stuck around pretty much all day with no unsightly blotching or uneven fading.

Overall, I really do like this product and have started using it on a pretty regular basis, purely due to how healthy and hydrated it makes my skin look. Once you get the hang of applying it evenly, the finish it gives is pretty much flawless.

L'Oreal Paris Nude Magique BB Blush can be purchased from Boots for £7.99 here.

Having read a couple of reviews on this blush before, I know that not everyone has been as impressed with it as I have so I'd really love to know your thoughts!

Have you tried out the Nude Magique BB Blush?

What do you think?

Love, 

Jo xx

Calvin Klein | Mad Red

So I'm back from my 4 night stay in Alicante!
I had such an amazing, relaxing holiday, but all this morning I have been walking around with four layers of clothing on and I'm still freezing cold. I'm missing the 35 degree heat already!
We spent the whole holiday sunbathing, eating and drinking as to be honest there isn't much else to do there. However the beaches were just perfect; crystal clear, bright blue sea and palm trees galore.
A well deserved break, even if I say so myself!

Anyway I did schedule this post to go up on Wednesday (first and last time I will ever attempt to schedule a post!) but it seems Blogger didn't want to play along, so here we go!


I'd just like to start off by saying I have no clue why this nail varnish is called Mad Red. 

Mad Pink, maybe, but I certainly can't see a hint of red in this! 

Anyhow, this is one nail varnish I have been wearing to death recently. Calvin Klein's Mad Red is a lovely shade of pink which I would (maybe oddly) describe as a creamy coloured pink, with a teeny tiny hint of orange. 

It's a lovely bright, almost neon nail varnish, perfect for tanned skin and unlike any colour I've seen before.

What do you think of Mad Red?

Love, 

Jo xx

Collective Haul | ASOS, Primark, Steals and Charity Shops

So after throwing my 21st birthday party, I was left with a lot of money which has been burning a hole in my pocket. This means I've been doing quite a bit of shopping recently, but the majority of stuff I've bought have been absolute bargains which means I've not actually spent much of it at all... 

...so I went mad and booked a last minute holiday to Alicante with the bestie.

We're going on Monday and I am too excited for words. We've been talking about going on holiday for a good while now, but just never had the time to look or could never find a good enough deal. 

But we finally did it! 

Cue last minute panics about...well, everything. 

Anyhow, onto the haul!

Chain necklace | asos | £8 £4

T-shirt | Mango via asos | £19.99 £11

Jeggings | Pieces via asos | £22 £8

The asos sale is always worth a look as soon as any new items are added, as all the goodies disappear far too quickly. The necklace is sadly now sold out but I absolutely adore it; it was a bargain at just £4. 

The t-shirt is also really cute. It's boxy in shape, which I've never really taken a second glance at before as I never thought it would suit me, but it does! I didn't actually notice the little diamante anchor in the middle but it's not too obvious so I don't mind it. 

The jeggings just look like jeans, but are ridiculously comfy because they're so stretchy. I bought them in a size S/M, which is the perfect fit for a size 8/10. 

I actually tweeted @ASOS_HeretoHelp to ask which size I should order, as the whole S/M thing in something like jeans really puts me off buying them; if they weren't so cheap I wouldn't have bothered risking it.

It is such a fantastic Twitter account; any issues or queries regarding an ASOS order and they're on it within minutes. Customer service at it's absolute best!

Bag | Steals | £6

Cami top | Steals | £2

Shirt | Steals | £8

Steals is a store that stocks items from brands such as Topshop, Miss Selfridge and BooHoo which have been either returned or worn on the catwalk and cannot be resold. This means that you can get current season, high street stuff for ridiculously low prices. 

The shop labels are always cut out so if you recognise where any of these three items are from originally, I'd love to know! I have a feeling the bag and camisole might originally be Topshop pieces (it's not actually a great picture of the cami; it looks so much better on). 

The bag is huge and it feels so soft! Bargain.

Dress | Charity Shop | £5.99

Shorts | F&F via Charity Shop | £1.50

Jumper | H&M via Charity Shop | £3.50

As always, I couldn't resist a cheeky trip to the charity shops.

This dress, although I'm unsure as to where it was originally from, is the perfect fit and I love the cut out side detail. 

I've been looking for some cute shorts to wear to bed and for £1.50, I couldn't resist these cute floral ones. I was totally drawn to the jumper purely because of the colour. It's such a gorgeous bright blue, and I don't actually own a jumper with a v-neck; it makes quite a nice change to my standard round-neck jumpers.

 Monochrome cami | Primark | £5

As you can probably tell, I love these camisole tops just because they are so darned easy to wear. I couldn't resist this one; the Primark one's are just as good as the Topshop version, at less than a third of the price too!

 Travel bottle set | Primark | £1

Bikini bottoms | Primark | £3 £1

Seeing as I'm only taking hand luggage to Alicante, I needed to buy some travel bottles. I am ridiculously worked up about what I'm going to prioritise to take with me (sad I know). I'm actually thinking I might have to leave my foundation behind.

The thought of that makes me feel physically sick.

As expected, when we went bikini shopping yesterday we discovered that nowhere is stocking swimwear any more, and it's too late to risk ordering anything online. So i ended up just buying some bikini bottoms in the Primark sale which I can match with the black bikini top I already have.

So that's everything I've been buying recently! 

With the rest of my birthday money I'm seriously contemplating buying a tablet, but I'm a bit of a technological Dumbo and already having a laptop, I'm so unsure as to whether or not it would be worth the money.

What are people's opinions on tablets? Are they worth it?

What do you think of my haul?

Love,

Jo xx

What I Wore | 21st Birthday Edition!

Yes I'm behind on my posts; bite me. I'll get there in the end!

Today I'm getting round to doing probably my last 21st-birthday-related blog post; my outfit of the day!

Dress - Primark | Necklace - Primark | Sandals - Next

Blue ring - Vintage | Scrabble ring - eBay | Above knuckle rings - eBay | Nail varnish - Kiko Apple Blossom

I actually received the majority of this outfit for my birthday. I knew I was getting the dress as I had picked it out whilst shopping with my mum. It's probably one of the most flattering dresses I own, it is just the perfect fit, has a really nicely structured top and is a thin, silky kind of material which just falls beautifully. I love the retro style print as well; it's not like anything else I have in my wardrobe. 

I've bought some gems in Primark recently so if you haven't been in for a while, I'd definitely recommend you pop in!

The rings all featured in my birthday present haul post (here), and the vintage one is now probably my absolute favourite. My mum bought it for me at a small market when we went on holiday down south, from a lovely lady who was telling us the story that it once belonged to her great grandma. 

I decided just to shove my hair back in a rough ponytail to make the outfit look a bit more casual as I didn't want to look too dressy, particularly as we weren't doing anything much until our evening meal. 

What do you think of the dress?

Love, 

Jo xx

Haul | 21st Birthday Presents!

I can't quite believe it was over a week ago now, but last week I had my 21st birthday! 

Luckily I don't feel any older and still act half my age so it's all good.

I thought I'd show you guys what I got; these pictures were taken before I had my birthday party at the local cricket club so since then I've been lucky enough to receive a few more bits of jewellery, gift vouchers, money, alcohol etc.

I know people sometimes complain about blog posts regarding birthday presents but they are my favourite blog posts to read, so just as a standard disclaimer I definitely am NOT boasting, I am just really excited and grateful to have received such gorgeous presents and I wanted to share that with you.

Now that's out the way, let's get stuck in!

My auntie bought me the VK's, Marilyn Monroe eye mask and red spotty ice pack (she blatantly knows me too well), along with some money, and my sister very bravely decided to buy me 21 things beginning with the letter J! 

Not all of these are pictured, but they included the Jack Daniels nail stickers (classy!), Jaffa cake keyring, and the gorgeous little Jane Austen book you can see peeking out just behind the acrylic makeup storage.

 The picture does not do this book justice at all. It's beautiful to look at and the paper is gorgeous; really thin and delicate so I'm not sure I'm brave enough to actually read it in case I ruin it! She also bought me the cute J scrabble piece ring, the gorgeous blue ceramic jar and the little colourful sticks on the bottom right of the picture. They are called Juicy Canes; I really wish I'd have taken a close-up picture of the ends of these because each rubbery stick is a different shape. They are so cute; and you chop them up into tiny pieces to stick onto your nails. They're so adorable, no doubt they'll be featuring on my blog anyway so watch out for that.

The gorgeous lilac Tresor Paris bracelet was a gift from a close family friend, I am so excited to own a genuine Tresor Paris bracelet! Everything else was given to me by my mum and dad, including the Real Techniques makeup brushes which I have been lusting after for far too long, a white rotating wooden pot to store my makeup brushes, the acrylic makeup storage, the vintage ring in the green box and the clothes in the image below.

Apologies for the bad photo quality, it was the best of a bad bunch!

My main gift from my parents was the party I mentioned before; I had such an amazing time and literally could not have had a better birthday if I tried. Don't you just love birthdays?

I'm also being taken shopping by my closest friends soon so that I can pick out some makeup for them to buy me, so I still have that to look forward to!

I am unbelievably grateful for all of my presents and I was well and truly spoilt rotten!

I have been doing a lot of shopping recently to get rid of the birthday money which is beginning to burn a hole in my pocket, so I think I'll try and get a few more haul posts up soon as well.

Love,

Jo xx

What I Wore | 11.08.13

Well, I have been a busy little bee lately!

 

Following on from my own graduation a few weeks back, we spent a week down south for my sister's graduation, during which I discovered that I got a job as a radiographer at one of the hospitals near home (which I am very excited to be starting come September!)! I am so thrilled to not have to hunt for work any more, but also seriously scared of the responsibility!

 Shortly after my sister's graduation, we took another little week long break in Cotswold! It's an absolutely beautiful place and we were so lucky with the weather, which I was convinced was finally going to take a turn for the worse!

 

This coming week, I also have my 21st birthday celebrations along with all my pre-employment checks for my new job so it looks like I have another busy week ahead, so exciting!!

 

 

Anyhow, I have an OOTD for you today. It's just an everyday outfit, which I'm wearing to run a few errands so it's nothing too exciting! I went shopping yesterday with my mum to choose a few nice bits and bats for my 21st, so I might pop up a birthday haul to show you those goodies if you're interested!

 

Cardigan - M&S via Charity Shop | Top - Primark | Sunglasses - eBay | Shorts - vintage Levi via eBay | Converse* - Amazon

 

Necklace - gift | Lilac hamsa hand bracelet - Matalan | Blue bracelet - gift | Brown bracelet - H&M

 

As soon as I saw this cardigan I knew I had to get it; it's unfortunately a little too big for me but I think I can get away with it with the sleeves rolled up! I found it in a charity shop for about a fiver.

 

I've had these vintage Levi's for a little while now and I wear them to absolute death. I think they cost me about £25 but they were totally worth it because you can wear them with just about anything. The sunglasses were another bargain eBay purchase at just £3.99!

 

I received the necklace as a gift a good few years ago now; I wear it on a day-to-day basis when I'm not sporting a more statement necklace. It's so gorgeous, really delicate and just the perfect length. Definitely still my favourite piece of jewellery, even after such a long time.

 

Love,

Jo xx