Monday, January 31, 2011

Payday Treats!

Ok, picture the scene. I had not been paid in over five whole weeks, the last payday being Christmas eve's eve where, naturally enough said paycheck was spent on last minute gifts. So, self sacrificing for the entirety of January until the wonderful moment that my manager informed me that we are not getting paid on the last day of the month as usual, we were getting paid TODAY!
So, I asked myself; "What is a girl to do?".
Instantly, she replied; "SHOP"
Seemed like a reasonable enough suggestion..

As this was an emergency shopping trip, I only had time to make one stop, New Look.
First up, sunglasses. As much as I would love to invest in a pair of designer shades, I have a habit of sitting on them in my car (don't ask), so the cheaper the better! Available here.


As winter is drawing to a close (yippee!), my shearling boots (mentioned here) are in need of replacement. I chose these cute ankle boots, they have a wedge heel and are incredibly comfy! Expect to see these featured in an OOTD soon. Available here.

Finally, I picked up these super purdy earrings. I am a sucker for New Look accessories. On the most part they are good quality, especially for the price! These earrings just screamed out to me, I had no choice but to purchase both pairs. They lean towards this summers huge 70's trend and I absolutely love them! Available here.

I hope you enjoyed my mini-haul here. :o)
What were your payday purchases? Please comment and let me know, or link me to your blog!
Thank you for reading,
Loves H xxxx

Thursday, January 27, 2011

NOTD- Spring!

In my seemingly never-ending mission to get rid of the winter blues, I dug out my favourite polish from last summer. It is a direct dupe for Chanel Jade Green polish, which is unfortunately, at £17.50 is a slightly too much for such an "out there" colour (at least for me!).
Here is the Chanel version...

Enter another fabulous dupe...

Barry M Nail Paint
304 Mint Green
Much more purse-friendly at £2.99!
Two coats gave a perfectly opaque finish, Sally Hansen Hard as Nails used as a base.


<3
Hannah
x

Monday, January 24, 2011

Products I'm Using Right Now...

I spotted this post on LilyLipstick and thought I would give it a go! :o) Another of my guilty blog reading pleasures...

Face
Cleanser: Garnier Skin Naturals Clean Soft Cleansing Milk (For Dry and Sensitive skin- rose extract)
Toner: Garnier Skin Naturals Toner
Cream moisturizer: Garnier's Skin Naturals Essentials Day Moisturizer for dry and sensitive skin (previouly raved about here)
Exfoliator: Garnier Fresh Essentials Scrub
Eye Make up remover: Garnier Skin Naturals Eye Make Up remover.
**You may have noticed a pattern in my skin care routine, I am a huge fan of Garnier Skin Naturals Line. A full review of each product will be posted this week.**

Body
Shower gel: Original source Tea Tree and Lemon shower gel (I love anything "fresh" feeling!)
Body lotion/cream: Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula (the scent is unbeatable, if you put this on before you go to sleep, you will wake up with chocolate-scented pyjamas!)
Hand cream: Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour cream (Thanks to my mum, I am a convert)
Lip Balm: Top Shop balm (mentioned here). Honorable mention to my long term love, Carmex.
Perfume: Difficult question, toss up between Marc Jacobs Daisy and Miss Dior Cherie.

Hair
Shampoo/conditioner: Osmo Silverising Purple Shampoo (Toner) once per week to maintain brightness, Aussie "Take the Heat" shampoo and conditioner.
Protection: Tresseme Heat protection spray
Hair mask: Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Colour Deep Treatment, smells like peaches! Yum.
Hair Spray/Mousse: Both Tresseme Salon Finish (pink label)
Electronics: GHD straightener and Babyliss Thermo Ceramic hot rollers.

Make-Up
Primer: Yet to believe in this product as a whole, I need some recommendations. Maybe you could help? Comment away!
Foundation: No7 Intelligent Balance Mousse Foundation
Concealer: No need for it at the moment. I usually double up my foundation if required.
Powder: Just bronzer at the moment, MAC Bronzing powder in Matte Bronze.
Blush/Bronzer: MAC powder blush in Fleur Power or Benefit Posie Tint.
Lipstick: All time favourite has to be Angel by MAC.
Lipgloss: Lancome Juicy Tubes in Fraise.
Eyeshadow: Barry M trio in Golden Goddess- a great every day product.
Eyeliner: Collection 2000 Kohl liner in Black (cheap and cheerful!)
Eyeshadow Primer: See "primer" :o)
Eye lash curler: No idea of the brand! Just a drugstore one, work just fine!
Mascara: L'Oreal Telescopic
Image courtesy of WeHeartIt.com
**Many products here are mentioned in this post, with pictures!**

Just a Note: I have made the decision to change the name of this blog to "Hello Beautiful". I believe it applies more to the type of blog this is. The URL was unavailable so I have added 61 to the end. This coincides with the YouTube user name I have reserved in the event that I decide to start making videos! I hope you like the change as much as I do, however I would love to hear your opinion!
Contact me:
Twitter: @hannahbanana661
Blog: http://hellobeautiful61.blogspot.com
E-Mail: hellobeautiful.gmail.com
Formspring: HelloBeautiful6

:o)

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

In and Out #1 + NOTD

The super-laziest type of blog to post, and not entirely fashion/beauty related, but I am always compelled to read them when I see them on other
people's blogs, so here goes...

IN
Shopping my nail polish stash- Ok so the acrylics are off (yet again), a lot more painlessly this time, I must add! Instead of nurturing my poor paper thin nails like last time, I was far too tempted by my all too neglected nail polishes. I
whacked on Barry M Berry Ice Cream nail paint, a creamy lavender, and instantly felt happier! Next up is Mint Green, why not? Spring is a-coming!


The Obligatory January diet- Cut out the bad food, eat the good. Simple? Not so much. Even if I don't buy the "bad" food, I am surrounded by it. Therefore, temptation is inevitable. :o(

Fashionable trainers!- I am so not the type of girl to wear trainers anywhere excepting a gym, but when I came across these cuties I couldn't resist! I like to wear them with my ripped, faded and wholly lived in River Island Boyfriend Jeans and a plain white vest, or cute T-Shirt. I am not a huge fan of the
trainers-and-skinny-jeans trend but I may be a convert now! They are by K Swiss and they are available at Schuh.

Happy Music- Namely Happiness by Alexis Jordan and Let the Sun Shine by Labyrinth. Definitely worth a listen!

The 70's- Huge trend for SS11, loving the chiffon, ruffles and wide sleeves all in ice cream shades. I just cannot wait to buy my very first pair of high waisted jeans! :o)

OUT
Milky Tea- Namely, because to me, milky tea = biscuits. In turn this = Diet Disaster! So, I have started drinking herbal tea. Twinings Fresh and Fruity variety is my favourite, especially the Blackcurrant, Ginseng and Vanilla and Raspberry, Strawberry and Loganberry. I am also planning to try the soothing Cammomile based teas too!

The first half of my degree- This means that I have a mere 18 months left in Uni before I'm left out in the big bad world. It's a really really scary feeling right now.

The "Preppy" look- I can't help noticing the big trend at the moment of baseball jackets, rugby shirt-type tops and American baseball type tops. I'm not atall sure of where the inspiration for this trend has come from (Glee?), but I really don't think it does the classic preppy look justice. Not for me thanks, I will be sticking to my Hilfiger polo shirt and skinny jeans, thank you very much!

Be sure to comment below or tweet me a link to your IN and Out's, I'd love to read them!
Tweet me @hannahbanana661
Love H xoxo

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

The Goodies and Baddies of Winter 2010

As the harsh winter of 2010 is finally lifting and the Spring/Summer collections are gradually appearing, it's finally time to contemplate the products- skincare, clothing, footwear, haircare and make up, that have been my highlights and lowlights of the season :o)

The "Goodies"
The first product is Garnier's Skin Naturals Essentials Day Moisturizer for dry and sensitive skin. Due to the sub-zero temperatures (it hit minus 17 here!), my faithful Olay Beauty Fluid just wasn't enough. As a long time lover of Garnier skincare I am happy to report that this product didn't disappoint! It is rich in texture but light on application with a pleasant, fresh scent. Not bad for a mere £5/€7.50, product available here.

Next, is my footwear staple for the season. As pumps were out of the question due to the weather, and my dislike of ugg boots, these became my go-to footwear for every occasion. They aren't leather, but do not look cheap in the slightest, and after excessive wear (and i mean excessive), the fur detail is still intact, as is the heel tip. A bargain from New Look, £26.99/€35. Similar available here.

I could not make this guide without some recognition to the coat in which I have lived in this winter (hence the rushed picture!). It is a dark tan colour with cute toggle detail in all perfect match to my favorite boots! It came with a fur trim on the hood which I removed. Quite inexpensive at a mere £44.99/€55, again from New Look, available here.

Next is my hair styling must-have, Umberto Giannini's Backcomb in a Bottle. This product is quickly establishing cult status and its not difficult to see why. It is a spray that when applied directly to the roots and "jujjed" (Umberto G's words, not mine!), gives a backcombed effect without the damage resulting from usual the comb and hairspray attack! It is not heavy or greasy and is really a star for those days when a little volume is required. Avaliable from Boots for £5.61, here.


The "Baddies"
I have been mostly sensible with my purchases this season so big mistakes have been few and far between. However this product turned out to be a major dissapointment. It is a Calvin Klein cosmetics Fully Delicious plumping Lip Gloss in Enchanted. It ticked all the boxes, light, glittery, sheer, PINK! Until this major fail...

The gloss came without any funnel type insert to wipe away the excess, and it is unusable (trust me- I've tried!).

Finally, my biggest disaster of the season...

Yup, like many others before me I fell for the "see, grab, buy" philosophy of Primark clothing and footwear, and I was stung, badly. See, I have been looking for simple suede boots with a small heel since last winter, but to no avail until a trip to Primark where I snapped up these boots in tan (pictured here), black and grey. I know that £15/€17 isn't expensive for boots this cute, however it turns into a pretty expensive mistake when this happens...

This happened to my grey pair after just one ten minute walk to college. Like any sane person I took them off and brought them straight to a cobbler who told me that the material is too poor to attach a new tip to. I had been wearing the tan and black pairs that week already with no problems so I just returned the grey. By the end of that fortnight though, the others had a similar fate (as above) but as the return deadline had expired, I wasn't offered a refund or even credit note- although they are quite obviously faulty! Also, it's not just my pair or a faulty batch, many of my friends have had similar problems. Previously complained about here.

Also, just to let you know, I've joined Blog Lovin' !
Happy New Year everyone!
Loves, H xoxox

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Green is the new Pink? - 'Barry M Touch of Magic' Review

I am honestly not the type of girl that buys into novelty products, especially of the make up variety, however after reading up on this product I simply couldn't resist!

I first came across this product online, and I was instantly intrigued. It is not, before you start thinking I'm insane, a "green lipstick". It is a Touch of Magic green lipstick! Basically , according to the Barry M website, this is a waterproof formula with added Aloe Vera. The product, when applied, reacts to your lips' alkali level and will turn a shade between a light pink and deep red.



This is how the product turned out on me...
I really like the shade, a "hot" pink with a glossy finish. I can vouch for the fact that the shades differ remarkably. My mum, for example, results in a deeper berry shade. I must also comment on the gloss finish of this lipstick. It is very light in its application and feels very moisturizing, especially for a product that claims extreme longevity (8 hours?!).
My only small piece of advice? Try before you buy! The resulting shade mightn't be for you.
Product avaliable here.
Happy New Year!
Love H xoxo

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