These are a few of my favourite things… (at the moment anyway!)

Reading and my Kindle. I bought this as a little pick me up and treat for myself just before Christmas – I’d wanted one for ages, but told myself that I didn’t need it/it was a waste of money/there’s nothing quite as great as a “real” book, but really I knew I was just kidding myself. I impulse purchased a new style Kindle and I loves it!

Its great for travel (better still if you can get yourself one of those lights to attach to the device as it isn’t backlit…), and in general the books tend to be a little bit cheaper than the paper versions. The only thing I wouldn’t really recommend using a Kindle for really is reference books, recipe books and the like, because you need to be able to flick through those types of books, which is difficult on a Kindle.

And is it just as good as a “real” book? Well, yes, and no… Yes, because it’s not as heavy, and you can basically carry the equivalent of three bookshelves or more about with you without any backstrain… but, there is definitely something to be said about picking up a lovely copy of your favourite book and you can’t beat the whole charity shop second hand book vibe either. Personally I’m loving mine, and I’d highly recommend if you like to read a lot, want to reclaim some bookshelves or travel a lot. (Disclaimer – I did buy two books in a charity shop today and I’m thoroughly looking forward to reading them).

Oh, and impulse buyers might want to think twice before buying one too – they make fast purchases far too easy if you have poor self restraint!

NARS blushers (and eye shadows, and lipsticks…), specifically cactus flower, which is the most delicious raspberry pink-red cream blush with a subtle shimmer. I’ve been ill recently with a typical winter bug, which drained the life out of my complexion, and with a runny nose and watering eyes. I had a word with the wisdom of twitter and was told in no uncertain terms that bright blusher was the way forward. Oh twitter, you are wise!

Forgive the terrible blurred picture - this is the only one of the millions I took that in any way shows the colour properly...

To the makeup drawers I hastened and rediscovered this beauty, which had lain unloved for far far far too long. I now cannot get enough of this lovely colour, which can be applied subtly or built up for drama.

Basically, even if all I can be bothered is to slap on a bit of foundation, mascara and lipbalm, this blush brings me to life, and stops me looking like an extra from The Walking Dead… The swatch above shows the real dimension and sheen in this blusher – I love it!

And speaking of TV programmes, yay for the return of Being Human on BBC3 (Boo for the departure of so many core characters though) and also for season 4 of True Blood…

Oh, and a special mention this month goes to a gem of a magazine called “Oh Comely” – Strange name, fab mag. I discovered this through Alex’s Blog – If you aren’t already following her then I highly recommend it!

Anyway, this magazine is published six times per year I believe, and is available in WHSmiths. It costs £4 but I’d personally much rather buy one of these than something like Elle, which just seem to be made up half of ads, and half of “how to make your man happy” articles (Clue – If it’s so difficult to “make him happy” then , maybe you just aren’t right for each other… also, er, hi, relationships are a two way thing!)

Love the fact that the cover girl is refreshingly “normal” and non-photoshopped looking, and also love the different content…

What can’t you get enough of right now?

One of the things I’ve been struggling with in the cold weather is hand care. I’m the worst at remembering to carry handcream, and when I do remember I forget to actually take it out of my hand-bag and apply it.

Over the colder months this results in very dry sore and unattractive looking hands, meaning that by the time I do decide to stop moaning about it and actually do something about it, I need to call in the big guns.

The range I turn to time and time again, and which never lets me down in the winter is the Body Shop’s Hemp hand-care range. I’ve always been a fan of  their hand protector for its rich moisturising qualities, which seems to replenish and plump up skin, without leaving hands feeling overly greasy. The effect also lasts past the first hand-wash for me too, so I only need to try to apply this about 3 times during the day and then generously at night to get a noticeable improvement in the state of my hands over a few days.

I was super pleased when I went to stock up on the hand-protector recently as The Body Shop had a lovely half price offer on it – so the 100 ml tube above which normally costs £10, was a mere £5, and the handbag sized 25ml ones were a bargain at £2.50. I stocked up with two big tubes and a handbag sized baby.

I also picked up their hand oil, which is a new product to me – a 15ml dropper bottle retails at £7. When I remember to use this, I’m very impressed with it – Only a few drops are needed, and it sinks in really quickly, leaving hands feeling revived. Although this is a very light oul and doesn’t leave my hands feeling overly greasy, I prefer to use liberally and leave it on overnight to get the most benefit. I’m sure if you wore some cotton gloves overnight too, this would boost it even further. However, I am, as mentioned, not the best with hand-stuff.

The only downside to the hemp hand care range is the scent – some people find it a little masculine. Personally I don’t really care about the smell because it works so well for me, but if you’re not a fan, then you might want to check out their rose or almond hand-care ranges…

What do you swear by for winter hands?

x

The disclaimer – bought these products myself…

And to celebrate, I was sent a few bits and bobs to test out it’s efficacy!

I was provided with a mixing palette, a few lipsticks blotting papers (its actually *not* a sanitary towel…), a lipbrush and some lipcote to have a try of. Oh, and we also received a specially made jammie dodger style biscuit, but I couldn’t find that for the photographs… *wipes crumbs away*

Now, while I love the idea of mixing up lip colour (and I usually do that for clients when doing makeup), returning home last night after a typically hectic shift, and a trip to the garage curtesy a mystery noise beneath the car, I was in a pretty bad mood, and decided to test it on one of my long-loved-never-worn shades. This one happened to be Byzantin by Chanel…

… In actual fact the lipstick is NOT fluorescent pink as this picture suggests, however I had lighting issues and no idea how to resolve them, so my profuse apologies for this!

Now, I have memories of lipcote from around 15 years ago, involving it stinging on application, and feeling very drying on the lips, so I was a little concerned that the same would be true this time around…

Use is simple enough – the product comes in a nail polish type bottle and is painted over lipstick.

So how did it fare? Well, the stinging sensation still happens, but passes fairly quickly, and the product definitely doesn’t feel as drying as I remember. I could see this possibly leading to lip dryness if it was used on a daily basis, but as a product used every now and again for night times or strong lips it’s not bad, given the £3.45 pricetag.

As for fading – I did notice that when eating and drinking there was some lip-colour transfer onto glasses or cutlery, but definitely less than I’d expect with a creamy formula lipstick, or a strong colour. There was no bleeding of colour, and the lipstick was definitely more smudge-proof than normal.

Lipcote also deserve a big thumbs up in my opinion for being a cruelty free brand, which is suitable for vegetarians…

So, my honest overall thoughts on this are that this is a handly little product for nights out and “special occasion” use, but those with lips prone to drying might want to give it a miss.

Disclaimer – this is a sponsored post.

I’m a latecomer to the wonder of nail art and nail wraps in general – I did go through a (now not really spoken of) phase of having acrylics which I used to occasionally have art done “to me” on. But I never had a steady enough hand to make them look, well, not like a five year old with an alcohol problem had done them basically.

So the recent advent of nail wraps is a fun one to me. Nail art, like most things in life, if done well, can at best be great, and at worst, fun. I do however have that nagging voice in the back of my head telling me “oh well they might look easy, but I’m sure you’ll find a way to cock up the application….” So when Rebel Nails offered me a chance to try their wares, I (cautiously) got a little bit excited about trying them…

Each set comes with 16 nail wraps – 2 of each in 8 different sizes… The instructions seem fairly straightforward too –  Basically you clean the nails, select the correct sized wrap, and peel it off from the backing, holding the straight edge. You then heat the wrap with hairdryer and smooth it over the nail, and file off any excess. To remove you lift the nail wrap from the sides of the nail and peel back… There is a video on the Rebel Nails site which shows exactly how to do it HERE.

I was sent four sets to try and for my first attempt I chose the most work appropriate black with a pink tip…

So, I went ahead and gave them a go, hairdryer at the ready!

They were fairly easy to apply and did look pretty good for a first attempt. The design I picked probably wasn’t the best for my nails, because I have very small little fingernails, so the pink didn’t show up on my little fingers. I have pretty curved nails naturally too, and I think these might be a smidge easier to use if you have fairly flat nails, as I did get a couple of creases at the tips. Creases at the edges of the nails were easily dealt with though – just reheat with the hairdryer, and smooth out with a cuticle tool. As with all things likt this though I think practice will definitely make perfect.

I noticed that they were easier and applied better if they were really heated up well – don’t be tempted to slap em on straight from the packet…

Rebel nails are also launching a couple of great halloween designs, including the funky moonscape ones shown above, which are far nicer than the usual pumpkin designs you see… a little more subtle, and all the better for it. And if you spend a minimum of £10 on the site between now and 31st Oct, you’ll get one of their two Halloween designs absolutely free

The designs show are all available, along with many other designs on the Rebel Nails site - http://www.rebelnails.co.uk/ and I have a special discount code for use to get 15% off if you fancy trying them out – Simply enter the code MIZZWORTHY15 at the checkout between 20th Oct and 1st Nov 2011, and you’ll get 15% off your wraps (P&P will remain same though), with no minimum order. 

Have You tried Rebel Nails? What are your thoughts?

Disclaimer – this is a sponsored post, however contains only honest opinions based on my own experiences with the products shown.

Because sometimes I just want to look like myself but slightly less… tired… (actually, this rule applies most of the time)

Anyway, a supernatural, super-fast face of the day;

On the skin I applied Illamasqua Skin Base with fingers, and powdered with Illamasqua loose powder. A little Bourjois chocolate bronzer to contour, and Illamasqua blusher in Morale applied very lightly to the cheeks.

On eyes I skipped concealer, but layered a little extra foundation, and applied one coat of Illamasqua Masquara.

On lips I applied Sleek True Colour lipstick in Liquor.

I’ve noticed actually whilst writing this post that a few of these products have become staples – the Illamasqua skin base is one of my regular “reach fors”, as is the masquara, and their blushers, in whichever colour I am using, never let me down. What are your “can’t do without” products right now?

x

My return to blogging after somewhat of an extended break, has to start with a bit of an apology… I admit I’ve been a bit of a rubbish blogger of late, but life sometimes gets in the way, and it’s easy to get out of the “blogging habit”. Balance is obviously the key, so I’m going to try to blog more regularly, but not to put pressure on myself to do it every day – as I always tell everyone else, blogging is a hobby, not a job!

So, thanks for sticking around if you did!

First post, I need to announce a few giveaway winners…

First of all, the winners for the Garnier Ultralift Creams!

The winners of the full sized creams are – Lori, Shinypigeon, Sarah, Fum, Carole and Danni – I’ll be emailing you all for your details and I’m planning on getting them in the post on Tuesday. Just a reminder that this is a UK ONLY giveaway!

All other entrants (Leah, Nicola B and Shifa) Will all receive trial packs…

EDIT – several entrants to this are unfortunately untraceable – if you entered please email me and I’ll try to ensure the prizes go out to those who are eligible ie in the UK!

Secondly, the winner of the Nails Inc set from Fabulous Magazine…

The winner is Louise. I’ll be emailing you for your details Louise!

Secondly, I also wanted to give a shout out to Ondolady’s blog which you can find HERE – She recently surprised me by asking me if she could interview me for her blog, so I’d love it if you could take a look! You can read my interview HERE…

I’ve finally got round to trying the new Skin Base foundation from Illamasqua (I’m shade six), and my first impressions are very good – I’ll do a full review when I’ve had more time to try it. I’m liking this applied with fingers and layered in areas where I need more coverage, for a dewy, medium coverage yet very natural looking finish…

I was off today so fancied something pretty but not too OTT, as I was only doing a few dull errands and things…

As mentioned, the skin is Illamasqua Skin Base in shade six, applied with fingers. I didn’t bother with concealers, just layered a bit more of the Skin Base where I felt I needed more coverage.  I set it with a little MAC setting powder on the T-Zone only. On the cheeks I contoured lightly with the bronzing side of my Bourjois mineral powder, I used the new Sleek Suede blusher mixed with a little of one of the Illamasqua eyeshadows I used on the eyes…

On the eyes I used Illamasqua powder shadows in “Courtesan”, a pale lilac pink shade on the lid, with a little “Feint” which is a darker chocolatey-pink blended on the outer corner and socket. I lined the eyes with black kohl, and also added a thin line of precision ink in “Abyss” to the upper lashline.

On the lips I used a Rouge Bunny Rouge lipstick in the shade “Word of Mouth”, which is a fresh cherry-pink shade…

Hope you like it… Do you like wearing girlie shades like pink?

Yep, this is another one of those products, or even in this case ranges, which seem mandatory to blog about. Apparently the FTC will be all over my ass if I don’t. Or something.

Anyway, I’m twaddling on about the MUA professional range of course, and more specifically the Heaven and Earth palette, which costs the princely sum of £4 in Superdrug – I was lucky enough to actually find one of these in my nearest Superdrug, as I understand they are proving more difficult to find that rocking horse shizzle… I’ve actually been sent some of the palettes too by the lovely MUA PR, so I’ll be posting further reviews on the range. This one however I bought with my own cash…

As you’re probably aware this palette is being given a lot of favourable comparisons to the Urban Decay Naked palette, which I don’t own so I’m unable to comment on. What I can say though is that these are buttery smooth, easily blendable, and well pigmented.

The other great thing about these shadows is that they don’t crease on me for hours and hours without a primer, but last forever with a primer. This palette in particular is so easy to use in terms of easy colour combinations, and like I say, they blend like a dream. The only criticism I can come up with for this palette is that there aren’t any matte shades – they are all shimmery and some contain small amounts of glitter, which for me this deems this not suitable for work…

Lovely palette, and worth every single penny. If you see it, grab it!

I have to say one of the great things about cheaper ranges of makeup (which I’m discovering are often as good/if not better than a lot of my heartbreakingly pricy “I’ll be eating baked beans on toast for the next three weeks” makeup purchases), is that it encourages me to play a bit more with my makeup. Whipping out a Sleek or MUA palette and experimenting doesn’t seem so “formal” or wasteful as playing with my YSL stuff for some reason. Do you know what I mean?

Anyway, apparently my playing with makeup has also extended to my nails – remember when the Barry M shatter top-coat came out and promptly sold out? By the time I got my hands on it, the rest of the blogosphere had pretty much pronounced themselves as “over” it. But I never played with shatter coats at the time, so I’ve pretty much unashamedly got back into them, especially coloured ones. I picked up the purple MUA shatter coat (or Nail Quake in the shade “Broken Arrow” as its formally known), and had a bit of fun…

Here it is applied over Orly’s “Lollipop”, a pastelly peachy shade…

For what it’s worth (ie for those who aren’t “over it” – this is not a bad shatter coat. I like the fact that it’s metallic and shiny rather than matte, which a lot of shatter coats seem to be. As is normal with shatters, a thin layer will give a finer shatter, whereas a thicker layer will give a more defined big ole crevice looking shatter… I can’t comment on the wear as I’ll probably only keep this on til I think of another shade to put it over.

Yes. I am 32.