New Year: Create a Memory Jar!

A new year = a new start! I personally love the idea of fresh starts and using New Years as a time to reflect on everything that happened in the year and from that set new goals and resolutions for the year to come! 

One of the things I am going to do in 2013 is keep a memory jar :)

Also I love the below for my goals this year. It is a great reminder to always find joy in life :)

Do you have any specific New Years resolutions?

HAPPY HUMP DAY EVERYONE!

2012 - My beauty year in review >

Wow I can't believe how this year has flown by! With 2012 coming to a close I thought I would outline some of my favourite beauty looks/posts/products that featured on the blog this year. Here we go...

♥ Way to Glow - Loving this glowing look (link)

♥ Chanel Les 4 Ombres Palette in Mystic Eyes - I now use this regularly (link)

♥ Dermablend Vichy Ultra Corrective Stick. (link)

I found out about this product through GlossyBox and it is now one of my favourite concealers.

♥ Grey smokey eye and product love for Jemma Kidd Dewy Glow all over Radiance Crème (link)

♥ Burberry Lipcover in Rosewood - a regular lippy for workdays (link)

♥ Argan Oil has been my Holy Grail hair product discovery this year (link)

♥ Bourjois 123 Perfect Foundation. My all time favourite drugstore foundation this year! (link)

♥ MAC Melba blush - to create the perfect peach touch of colour to your cheeks (link)

♥ Summer statement lips with MAC So Chaud lipstick (link) Love how it makes my eyes POP!

♥ I fell in love with Shellac Nails this year (link & link)

♥ Pretty glittery FOTN. Reflects antique gold pigment is a must have MAC product for me! (link)

♥ Clinique bottom lash mascara. How did I live without this for so long? (link)

♥ Bourjois 1 Seconde Nail Polish remover made cleaning my nails a breeze! (link)

♥ Summer was all about bronzer! Some of my favourites in 2012: link & link

♥ Bridal makeup for my best friend. Was a bit scared at first but she looked amazing, phew! (link)

♥ A cheapie but a goodie! I love the Sleek Brow Kit (link)

♥ Top coat love for Essie - Shine of the Times (link)

♥ Bright pink lips + MAC Tan pigment on my eyes = perfect beauty combo! (link)

What were some of your favourite beauty finds, looks or products this year - I'd love to hear!

I can't wait to see what 2013 will bring me! This year has been seen my blog grow a lot and am so thankful for all my readers out there. All your comments and support means the world to me. I have many looks, posts and product reviews lined up for the blog in 2013 so I hope you will continue to follow me next year! Happy New Year :) xoxo

Jewellery Trend: The Statement Necklace

One popular jewellery trend of 2012 has definitely been the statement necklace. Chic and bold; statement necklaces are extremely popular because they can transform any simple outfit into something more special. Statement necklaces can be beaded, embellished, layered, twisted, feathered or geometric. The trend has featured in designer shops to the high street, all in different shapes, sizes and styles. You can wear a statement necklace with several different outfits to create many eye-catching looks. For example a statement necklace can instantly transform a LBD for a party while a casual t-shirt can be accessorised with a dramatic piece to add some flair to your day look.

Being a fan of this trend, a few weeks back this little beauty from Zara definitely caught my eye!

ZARA Cobalt blue stone with metal & ribbon woven statement necklace. Now sold out but you can still buy it on eBay it seems! (link)

The blue, green and orange in the necklace really brighten up any simple outfit! What do you think of the statement necklace trend, is this something you have been wearing? If you are worried about how to pull this trend of then just remember to keep rest of your outfit simple and and let the necklace make a statement all of its own!

Christmas Party - 1920s Inspired Makeup

December is always a month full of parties and events which is great because it often gives you an excuse to dress up or sparkle in your best outfits! A few weeks ago we had my office Christmas party and this year it was 1920’s themed. It wasn’t meant to be a very strict theme but it encouraged everyone to make an effort to look old school glamorous! Most people straight away started planning ‘what to wear’ but as a typical beauty blogger my main focus was on how I wanted my makeup to look for this party. After googling for 1920’s beauty inspiration I came across this image (link) of Charlize Theron which I absolutely loved so I decided to go for a very dark berry lip with a nude/rustic look for my eyes.

This is my finished look of the night:

Products used: 

MAC studio finish concealer NC20 

Clinique stay matte foundation – Shade 9, Neutral (link) 

MAC bronzer in Golden 

The Body Shop – cheek colour in Sweet Nutmeg, an oldie but a goodie! (link) 

MAC Mineralize blush in Warm Soul (as seen here) applied as highlight on cheekbones 

MAC Pigment in Vanilla applied to tear duct & brow bone 

Urban Decay NAKED palette – eye shadow Virgin (all over lid)

Urban Decay NAKED palette – eye shadow Naked (blended into crease area) 

MAC Mineralize Eye Shadow (Duo) - Play on Plums (as seen here)

Applied the plum/burgundy shade along my lower lash line. I really love this limited edition eyeshadow duo and am gutted it is running on empty; can anyone recommend a good dupe for the plum/burgundy shade? 

L’Oreal Super Liner in Black – my current favourite liquid liner pen! (link)

NARS NARS Larger Than Life Volumizing Mascara

Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara (as seen here)

On my lips I'm wearing Berry Vamp by LookBeauty from their Loud Lips range. The packaging of this lipstick is a bit cheap but the colour is really stunning and the fomula is smooth, highly pigmented and long lasting. Not bad for only £7 (link) I have changed from being more of a sheer lip gloss girl to quite loving a darker lip – what do you think of this lip shade?

Jewellery wise I kept it simple and wore these vintage clip-on earrings that used to belong to my grandmother! My hair was done by the lovely Jess from Powder Puff & Pin Curls, who specializes in vintage hair-do's! She came to our office and did the hair of about ten ladies to get us all looking in style for the 1920's party. I will post some more photos of the party in another post :)

Dress wise; I couldn't seem to make up my mind and with December being so busy, I just hadn't had time to find the perfect outfit! Until last minute that was,  because the night before the party I saw this dress in Zara and it was love at first sight! I didn't own a long black evening dress yet so I felt it was a much needed addition to my wardrobe ;) The dress is part of the new collection by ZARA as seen here in their Woman Lookbook Twelve. I adore this recent collection by Zara, it is so classic and elegant.

 ZARA Combined Lace Dress - £69.99 (link)

The dress falls beautifully and the fabric is very soft and pretty. I love how the added touch of the lace in the back makes it that little bit sexier whilst remaining classy. For me, it was the perfect Christmas party dress and I really liked my slightly different to usual look! What do you think of my 1920s inspired look?