Never miss the opportunity...

Today's Happy Hump Day post is inspired by one of my very close friends.
Read her touching story here on how her world changed eight years ago (link). Reading it made me, and many other people, reach out to their mums or people in their life - just tell them how much they love them!
Remember, time goes by fast; never miss the opportunity....

Happy Hump Day everyone ♥

PS: Exciting news; in the next day or two I will be changing from Blogger to Wordpress and the blog will have a new look. I am a little nervous about the transfer but I have enlisted the help from people who actually know what they are doing when it comes to web-stuff so fingers crossed it all goes smoothly! 

My NYE Sparkly Smokey Eye Makeup

This year my NYE celebrations weren't anything too crazy and wild but more a local, fun low-key affair! With a group of my dear friends, we had booked several tables to enjoy a delicious set course NYE dinner at The Oak, accompanied by a few glasses of bubbly of course. The Oak is a cosy restaurant in Notting Hill and upstairs they have a great bar, where we ended up dancing until the wee hours on the first day of 2013.

Outfit wise I was wearing my Zara combined leather look dress (as seen here) accessorised with a H&M bejewelled bib collar necklace. So for my makeup I wanted a dark smokey eye but with a bit of sparkle because New Years is the one night where glitter is always acceptable :)

Products used in this makeup look:

Mix of Bourjois 123 Perfect Foundation &  Estee Lauder Double Wear Desert Beige (2N1)

FYF Mineral Loose Impeccable Powder (as seen here)
Benefit High Beam Highlighter on my cheekbones/bridge of nose (see how to apply this here)

Sleek Brow Kit to fill in my brows
Clinique Superbalanced Bronzer Powder (as seen here)
NARS Orgasm Blush

MAC Paintpot in Blackground (base all over lid)

MAC Carbon eyeshadow (lid)

MAC Haux eyeshadow (blended into crease to soften the black)

Urban Decay Naked eyeshadow from NAKED Palette (lightly blended in crease) 

MAC Eyeliner in Fascinating - white (applied to tearduct area)

MAC Vanilla Pigment (applied to tearduct and browbone areas to highlight)

AVON Supershock Gel eyeliner in black (applied to waterline)

L'Oréal Paris Super Liner Perfect Slim (upper lashline)

NARS Larger Than Life Volumizing Mascara

MAC Reflects Antique Gold Glitter (lightly padded onto lid for that perfect NYE sparkle!)

What do you think of my NYE makeup? I hope you all rang in the New Year with a BANG!

Sales, sales, sales.....

January is a difficult month for my mild shopping addiction. You can't seem to walk around anywhere without noticing the huge SALE signs trying to lure you in, making it impossible for me to resist all the amazing bargains! And then these days it's not only on the street we have to resist temptation from, no, also the web shops are doing their best to tempt me to spend, spend, spend! FeelUnique recently had their big winter sale and I ended up caving to their 30-50% discounts and got the following beauty purchases!

Kérastase - Ciment Thermique

St Tropez - Gradual Tan

Narciso Rodriguez - For Her 

Kérastase Resistance Ciment Thermique Heat-Activated Reconstructor Milk (link) is an oldie but a goodie! I used to always use this product pre-blow dry on my hair but the last year I have hooked on Argan Oil. When I spotted this product in the sale it made me want to go back to an old favourite for a while. I seriously love this product! All I do is squeeze a small (coin size) amount in the palm of my hand, I then rub my hands together and run them through my hair to distribute the product. Then I just brush it to untangle and blow-dry as usual. Ciment Thermique a heat protector but also makes your hair shiny, smooth and super healthy looking! Oh and it smells pretty damn good too :)

The fragrance 'For Her' by Narciso Rodriguez (link) is one of my all time favourite perfumes. I always make sure I have a nice big bottle stashed at home but it's also convenient to have a smaller version that you can put in your handbag to refresh yourself with when on the go. For when I go out at night time I usually bring a perfume atomizer, which fits into my clutch nicely, but this 30ml bottle will be perfect to carry around with me anytime!

I wasn't so fond of the little white ghost I kept seeing in the mirror looking back at me in the recent months (Ahhh I need myself some SUNSHINE!) so I decided I could do with some gradual tanning lotion to give me a bit more of a healthy glow! I apply St Tropez Gradual Tanning Lotion (link) in Light/Medium about 1-2 a week only to my chest, arms and face area. Hey, its not like I'm parading around in a bikini anytime soon right...? I love this gradual tan because it doesn't have a very strong smell and doesn't stain my clothes but helps making me look a bit less vampire like during these cold winter months. 

Did you buy anything in the recent online beauty sales?

Seche Fast Dry One Coat NOTD - Signature

If you are a nail polish enthusiasts, you are bound to know about Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat. If not, please familiarise yourself because it is one of the bestselling top coats on the market. Now it was really only a matter of time until Seche would enter the world of nail colour. And, ta-da, in October 2012 Seche launched their very own collection of Seche Nail Lacquers in 33 beautiful colour options. The Fast Dry One Coat polishes promise to deliver full colour opacity in just one coat and to dry quickly and down to a naturally shiny finish.

Lucky me received aSeche - The Fast Dry One Coat nail polish in the shade Signature as part of my December Glossybox. Here is my recent NOTD:

Signature is described as a True Red Crème - £9.95 (14ml). I really liked the formula of this nail polish, smooth and it did dry quite fast. It definitely leaves a nice shiny finish which meant I skipped on a top coat – easy peasy! :) The shade is very much a true red which is vibrant yet classic and elegant.

Have you tried one of the Seche - Fast Dry One Coat Nail Lacquers yet?