30/12/2014

Born Pretty Makeup Review

So does this packaging remind anyone of a certain brand? Topshop maybe? The two lip items are from Born Pretty Store. It is an online store which sells an incredible amount of products, nail care, brushes, stationary, jewellery...all sorts. When Alicia from Born Pretty got in touch with me to see if I would like to try out a couple of items from their store I jumped at the chance. 

29/12/2014

December Favourites

This month it's all been about the skin for me. I have 'normal' skin whatever is classed as normal I'm not sure, but it does air on the dry side. I get eczema and psoriasis and serious dry patches on my skin but my t zone also gets a little oily sometimes and my lids go from one extreme to the other. They are either super oily or have eczema on them...yep I know. So having a skin care routine that works for all these elements is pretty hard to come by but I have found a few products this month which I am absolutely loving. And with it being Winter my skin needs even more moisture and I think this months favourites really reflect that. 

26/12/2014

January Wish List


So it's Boxing Day and Christmas is pretty much over for another year. All that excitement, planning and money all gone in one day...it's so worth it though.

24/12/2014

Day 24 Christmas Countdown - Gift Wrapping

So this is the last of my Christmas Countdown post, I hope you have enjoyed reading them as much as I have enjoyed doing them. 

There is something I absolutely adore about wrapping presents, I love sitting on Christmas Eve wrapping my presents with Michael Buble Christmas Album playing in the background or a cheesy Christmas film on. 

23/12/2014

Day 23 Christmas Countdown - Maxfactor Skin Luminizer Foundation

I just absolutely adore Maxfactor at the moment, they have got everything so right and have got some really great products out at the moment. The prices are always reasonable for the high street and they always deliver. I would say Maxfactor and L'Oreal are my favourite high street makeup brands at the moment. 

22/12/2014

Day 22 Christmas Countdown - Minnies Christmas Lead and Collar

I will just start by saying, please excuse the mess around Minnies' face. Just as I was preparing to take these photos she thought it would be good idea to go digging in the back garden...needless to say Mummy wasn't very happy but I can't stay mad at her for long, especially with that cute face. 

21/12/2014

Day 21 Christmas Countdown - Gift Guide Under £100


So this is the last of my Christmas Gift Guides, this is under £100.00. So for that extra special someone in your life here are some things that are little more premium and expensive if you fancy splashing out. 

Enjoy xx

20/12/2014

Day 20 Christmas Countdown - Revolution Golden Sugar Blush Palette

I'm just gonna come out and say it. This is the most beautiful palette I think I have ever seen/owned. Does it also maybe remind you all of something? The coveted Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders/Blushers. I don't actually own the Hourglass Powder/Blush set so I can't really compare the two on how well they work but I can comment on the Revolution Palette. 

19/12/2014

Day 19 Christmas Countdown - DIY Festive Body Scrub

Well with the thought that Christmas is next week I thought it would be fun to do a post on a DIY festive body scrub. I always think things like this are great ideas to give as presents to friends and family and also great to just make for yourself. This is super quick and easy and also very cheap so if you're sticking to a budget this year this could be the perfect idea for you. So not only this scrub super easy, quick and cheap to do, it also smells ah-mazing! A gingerbread scrub, yes gingerbread scrub. You don't get much more festive than this. 

18/12/2014

Day 18 Christmas Countdown - DIY Festive Candle

It's official I am a self confessed candle addict. I could just fill me whole house with them. They're so relaxing and just fill any room with such a warm hue. So I thought why not create my own candles with some lovely festive scents. 

17/12/2014

Day 17 Christmas Countdown - L'Oreal Eye Palette

One of my favourite things about Christmas is the limited edition releases. Whether it be eye shadows, powders, lip glosses, you name it I will buy it if it's limited edition. And let me just say it's about time the high street caught up with the premium brands and created a good nude palette. 

16/12/2014

Day 16 Christmas Countdown - Post Party Essentials

Party season is officially upon us and by now in full swing so after going to countless Christmas parties, out for meals with friends and family and drinks with the girls our skin is crying out for much needed attention, enter the post party essentials blog post.

15/12/2014

Day 15 Christmas Countdown - Recent Empties

My recent empties are obviously indicative to this time of year. No7 Brush Cleaner is the best brush cleaner I have ever used, it is so easy and quick.

14/12/2014

Day 14 Christmas Countdown - Party Ready Eyes

As soon as the festive season hits I am all about the glitter and eyes for parties. My standard look for a Christmas party is glittery, shimmery, smokey eyes and a nude lip. Here are my favourite products which I haven't been able to put down during this festive season.

13/12/2014

Day 13 Christmas Countdown - Party Nails

So we're halfway to Christmas and the glitter nail polishes have well and truly been put the test over the past couple of weeks so here are my favourites:

Essie 815 Leading Lady, this is such a rich ruby red colour and the glitter is so dense that it gives great coverage. I know with some glitter polishes they look fantastic in the bottle but the density of the glitter is just not there so it's better as a top coat rather than a full polish, but not this one, two coats gives the most incredible glittery red colour and I found it stays chip resistant for up to a week which is pretty damn impressive.

L'Oreal 910 Gold Carat, this is another glitter polish with great density. I absolutely love L'Oreal nail polishes, the applicator is the perfect proportion for my nail size. I have been using this more for tips and it gives such a lovely finish and look. 

L'Oreal 837 Bling Bling Bang, another L'Oreal favourite. I haven't seen any other polishes like this on the high street at the moment. It is a lovely navy glitter and looks fabulous on. It has the most stunning shine and glitter to it. This is one my top top favourites and is absolutely perfect for Christmas parties. 

Ciate 116 Heirloom, this is a lovely colour. It is slightly holographic so shines different colours in different lights and angles. I find with Ciate they don't last that well on my nails, they start to chip after less than a day so I tend to wear this just on a night out and then remove in the morning. But they always give the nicest shine and finish and the cute little bottles are just too hard to resist.

Barry M 439 Moon Light, I wore this the other day just on the tips over white nail varnish. It has flecks of red and silver and looks uber festive. This wouldn't work as a full polish as the density is very loose but looks lovely as a top coat and you just know what you're getting with Barry M. 

Maybelline Color Show 229 Bronze Me Up, this contains quite big flecks of glitter so is best as a top coat as the density again is quite loose. Or it looks lovely brushed over the top half of the nail. It's such a lovely bronze colour and looks great paired with the darker more wintery shades. 

So that's my favourite party glitter nail polishes, have you tried any of these? What do you think of them?

12/12/2014

Day 12 Christmas Countdown - Gift Guide Under £50

Christmas Gift Guide - Under £50
I did a under £20.00 gift guide not so long ago and really enjoyed doing it so I thought I would do a under £50.00 including ideas that I would love to receive. 

11/12/2014

Day 11 Christmas Countdown - No7 Radiant Spheres Highlighter

So it's day 11 of my Christmas countdown which means we are pretty much half way to Christmas! With this in mind I have got a review of a Christmas limited edition highlighting powder from No7 for you today, enjoy.

10/12/2014

Day 10 Christmas Countdown - DIY Christmas Crackers

This year I thought it would be really fun to make my own crackers, it gives a sense of achievement when you're sat around the dinner table with the family and enjoying the crackers you made from scratch. Well, technically not from scratch. I picked up this kit from my beloved Hobbycraft which included the cracker template thing (not sure what the technical term is), hats, jokes, the cracker snappers and some ribbon to tie on the ends. All I needed to do was assemble. 

09/12/2014

Day 9 Christmas Countdown - Body Shop Shimmer Cubes

I have heard so many good things about the Body Shop Shimmer Cubes and with it being party season n all I decided to indulge and picked up the quad in shade Warm. I love how the cubes can be removed from the plastic housing and re arranged, if you're going away for the night or on holiday and have one favourite shade then you can just simply take that one cube instead of the whole case which I find absolutely great.

08/12/2014

Day 8 Christmas Countdown - DIY Lip Scrub

So we all know when it comes to this time of year lips can get super chapped and sore so it's important to keep them moisturised and exfoliated. As part of my Christmas countdown I thought it would be a nice idea to do a super quick and easy to follow recipe to make your own lip scrub. 

07/12/2014

Day 7 Christmas Countdown - Gingerbread Latte Cupcakes

So, who doesn't love the festive Gingerbread Lattes from our beloved coffee shops? Well this got me thinking and I found myself trawling through Pinterest one day in search of a gingerbread latte cupcake recipe and to my delight I found one. And let me tell you these are absolutely delicious plus what's better at Christmas time than a gingerbread latte cupcake!

06/12/2014

Day 6 Christmas Countdown - My Favourite Winter Lip Sticks

For Autumn and Winter I like to wear more rich coloured lipsticks, they just scream Christmas to me and look super festive with a rich smokey eye. I have picked my top 4 lipsticks that I haven't been able to stop wearing this season, see them detailed below:

05/12/2014

Day 5 Christmas Countdown - Gift Guide Under £20

Christmas Gift Guide - Under £20
When buying presents for family and friends at Christmas time I always find it's really helpful to keep a budget in mind and to keep a note of presents bought and also to buy. 

04/12/2014

Day 4 Christmas Countdown - My Favourite Christmas Films

What's better than chilling out with a glass of wine, fire roaring and a Christmas film marathon. There's something I absolutely adore about Christmas films, they really get me into the festive spirit and they are perfect to have on in the background when wrapping presents and writing cards.

03/12/2014

Day 3 Christmas Countdown - Clarins The Essentials Palette

 
Day 3 of my Christmas Countdown is all about this Clarins Limited Edition Eyeshadow Palette. One of the things I love most about Christmas is the limited edition palettes that are released around this time of year.

My 100th Blog Post

So this is Dreaming Prettys' 100th blog post! Yay for me! I never thought I would come to love and enjoy blogging so much, it's become such a passion of mine and the fact that all you lovely people follow my blog is just completely surreal for me. When starting this blog it was just a small corner of this massive space that we call the internet to share my thoughts and feelings, I never in my wildest dreams imagined I would come to love it as much as I do and find so many lovely people in this supportive community...it's just fantastic. 

02/12/2014

Day 2 Christmas Countdown - My Christmas Playlist

Is it just me or does anyone else love cheesy Christmas songs? I can't get enough of them, it's what Christmas is all about. I am one of those people that as soon as bonfire night is over it's full throttle Christmas and nothing says Christmas more to me than the music. 

01/12/2014

Day 1 Christmas Countdown - My Wish List

Christmas Wish List
It's here, the 1st December. Window 1 has been opened on my advent calendar and the countdown has begun, 24 days left til Christmas. Arrhhh so excited, anyone that knows me knows how much I absolutely love Christmas. I love the run up to Christmas, Christmas shopping, Christmas music (I can't even tell you how many times I play Michael Bubles Christmas Album around Christmas time), spending time with family and friends, Christmas parties, decorating the house and tree, Christmas markets, oh my the list just goes on. Christmas shopping has now commenced and I am frantically trying to think of new and fun ideas for gifts for family and friends that aren't going to cost the earth.

30/11/2014

November Favourites

As you're reading this I will be sat at Ragdale Spa, hopefully in my treatment room enjoying a much needed facial courtesy of my lovley best friend Lucy...ahh bliss. November has been a really busy for me and December isn't going to get any quieter, lots of parties to look forward to and events with friends and family. 

28/11/2014

Revlon Colorstay ShadowLinks

The moment I saw these little Revlon gems I fell in love. The idea of being able to click them together and create your own perfect bespoke palette...there are no words.

27/11/2014

My Winter Beauty Essentials

Winter can be a really harsh season on your skin, hair and body so we need to make sure that we take good care of ourselves and keep our skins hydration levels topped up and moisturised. I absolutely love Winter, one of my favourite things about Winter is using rich and moisturising products so this is right up my street.

25/11/2014

Body Shop Coconut Shimmer Body Butter

Can I just start by saying how much I adore the Body Shop Body Butters, they are just so luxurious and in my opinion the best thing that has ever been produced by The Body Shop. 

23/11/2014

Bedside Beauty

There are some products which we all keep by our bed side and tend to apply just before going to sleep, well these are mine. I don't technically have a bedside table, it's more like my beauty cabinet which just happens to be next to my bed.

22/11/2014

Clarins Eye Contour Gel

After making a rather large splurge in Bamboo Beauty a couple of months ago I received a number of free products with my purchases. One of these free products was this dinky little Clarins Eye Contour Gel.

19/11/2014

REN Hot Cloth Cleanser

After falling in love with the REN Glycolactic Radiance Mask I was super excited to try this sample tube of the REN Hot Cloth Cleanser and being a complete devotee to Liz Earle I was really intrigued as to where this would stand in the hot cloth cleanser stakes.