Christmas Wish List 2013

It honestly just gets harder and harder every time I sit down to write a Christmas wish list. Anyway, these are the things I'm lusting after this year! Clothes wise, I'd rather just have vouchers and pick things out for myself, so it's a bit of a boring list to be honest, but a list all the same.

1. Coated jeggings | River Island

I spotted Jess from Copper Garden sporting a similar pair of jeans about a week ago, and have been lusting after some since then. Just jeans, yes, but with a bit of added interest.

2. Dirty Works Banish the Bags Eye Cream | Sainsburys

Starting dodgy shifts at my new job has played absolute havoc with my poor dark circles. I've read mixed reviews about this eye cream, but with such a tiny price tag I am more than willing to give it a whirl.

3. Dior Nail Glow | Selfridges

Okay, so this is a pricey one at £18 a pop, but again, my poor hands are really starting to suffer from all the hand washing at work. This stuff just looks amazing; like a french manicure in a bottle. I'm dying to give it a try! 

4. Faux fur headband | eBay

When walking the dog in the cold weather, my ears get so cold they give me headache! This headband is cute and practical. Yes please!

5. Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette

This won't be released until mid December, but it is so freakin' beautiful. Enough said.

6. Dollar Vintage Wellies | Topshop

Yes, you probably think these are extremely garish but I think they're cute, okay?

7. Sleek Face Contour Kit in Medium | Superdrug

I am yet to try any products from Sleek so I think it's about time I did. My chubby cheeks need all the contouring they can get.

8. Real Techniques Blush Brush | Boots

Since receiving the Starter Set for my birthday, I am head-over-heels with Real Techniques. This blush brush has been on my wishlist for long enough.

9. Oversize chunky knit jumper | eBay

I have been in serious need of a plain jumper just to throw over my dresses for day-to-day wear. All my jumpers are patterned and clash with my dresses (not in a good way either...in a really, really bad way), so I really need this addition to my wardrobe!

What's on your Christmas wishlist? I'd love to know! 

Love, 

Jo xx

Offer | Amazing Discounts and Free Delivery at The Body Shop!

I thought I might share this amazing offer that popped into my inbox this morning...because I'm just so nice like that.

The Body Shop are offering some fab discounts this weekend so now is definitely the time to be doing your Christmas shopping. The offers are;  

£5 off when you spend £15

£10 off when you spend £25

£25 off when you spend £50

plus free delivery on all orders over £30!

Just use the code 'SPICE' at the checkout!

Shop away ladies! 

Love, 

Jo xx

What I wore | 29.01.13

So I am going to share with you my first ever outfit post today! Oh how I spoil you.

 

After reading Victoria's blog post on her new bargain camera tripod (which can be purchased here) I was sold, and quickly snapped one up (highly recommended if you just need something to prop your camera up; absolute bargain), hence today's outfit post!

 

So on Saturday I went for a very belated Christmas meal with one of the badminton teams I play for.

As there was still a lot of snow, the shoes were soon proven to be a stupid choice, however my friends dad very kindly lent me his walking boots to walk into the restaurant and I did a quick change of shoes in the restaurant porch...how classy!
Much rather that than break my ankle though.

 

Anyway, here's what I decided to wear.

 

 

Jacket: Primark | Shirt: New Look | Bandeau top (underneath shirt): Primark | Skirt: Excite Clothing* | Bag: Accessorize | Shoes: Amazon* | Necklace: eBay | Hair: styled with Enrapture Encode Totem Styler (full review coming soon)

 

 

This faux leather jacket is one I bought years ago for the bank-breaking sum of £8.
Bit of a bargain, right? And seeing as I'm still wearing it 5+ years down the line, I think that has to officially be one of my best purchases yet.

This gorgeous studded collar shirt is the one I got in the New Look Boxing Day sales (the post can be found here) for a mere £8, and I thought the bargain 99p necklace really brought out the studs!

The skirt is one I purchased after winning two items of my choice from the Excite Clothing website.
I had been after a skater skirt for so long, but just never got round to buying one so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity! It was a little too big to begin with, so my lovely mum worked her magic and fixed it up for me.

The bag was another bargain: £8 in the sales a couple of years back, and the Amazon shoes I bought using a voucher generously sent to me by Daxon (post here).

I have also very kindly been sent an Enrapture Totem Styler to try out. This product is definitely one to watch, so make sure you pop back for a full review and proper photos of the result of these later on in the week!

 

Phew, waffling over!

 

All in all this was a pretty darn cheap outfit, don't you think?

 

Have you bought any bargains lately?

Do you have that one item of clothing that you  just wear time and time again?

 

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 | 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