TOPSHOP Nails in AWOL

 

I love this polish from TOPSHOP it’s called ‘AWOL’. It’s a bright cobalt blue colour, which is fab for adding a bit of on these dreary January days to any winter outfit.

I really rate Topshops beauty range and think their Nail varnishes are good quality. I’ve now been wearing this colour for coming up for a week and it’s not chipped at all, which is amazing considering I’m normally the first to chip my nails within an hour of painting them!

How do you add a bit of colour to your life during these miserable winter months?

Motivational Monday #1

 

I am Back!! Apologies for the radio silence here on Lipsticks and Lashes over the past week. I courageously thought that I would come bouncing back from Thailand and be back to work and blogging just like that. However I ended up with a severe case of post holiday blues and jet lag! I’ve travelled a lot but never experienced jet lag before, it’s been a nightmare! I’ve been living off 4 hours sleep a night, it’s bizarre as I’ve been exhausted but can’t sleep! Works also been crazy with lots happening, so last week was a case of just trying to make it to the weekend in one piece!

On a positive note Thailand was incredible and I will be doing a massive post on it soon. I can’t wait to share it with you all, and I hope you’ve enjoyed all the guest posts whilst I’ve been away? I’d like to take this opportunity to say a massive Thank You to all the lovely ladies who contributed!

Back to today’s post! This is the first Motivational Monday post I’ve done this year, and boy do I need some motivation today! I need a kick up the bum more than ever to be upbeat and positive after last week. I am determined this week is going to be a good one, I am going to do things I enjoy, to feel happy and not let outside forces effect my mojo! Bring it on!

Happy Monday Lovelies!

Review: The Nanshy Kabuki Brush

Hello ladies & gents, as you may know Gemma is off in the Far East enjoying herself & no doubt soaking up some sun (I am very jealous - I want to be in Thailand instead of battling this cold weather). So as Gemma is away she asked if I would like to do a guest post to keep you all company for a day, and of course I said yes. I blog over at teapartybeauty.com which is mainly beauty & lifestyle posts with a little bit of humour thrown in (I think)... Without further ado here is my attempt at a post :)



The Nanshy Kabuki is so super soft. I mean stroking your face with the brush constantly soft. Not even with any makeup on it, like a weirdo with a makeup brush fetish. I really didn't want to take this brush for a test run as I didn't want to spoil how pretty it looked (maybe not so pretty in my poor excuse for a picture) or ruin its softness. But trial it I did. I can confirm its now not as pretty & new looking as it was, but it's still just as soft.    As I've said countless times before (on my blog & twitter) I have used the Nanshy foundation brushes & adore them, and more recently the amazing new Eye Brush Set (review here). They are my favourite brushes by a long mile. Therefore I had high expectations for this bad boy, and I was not let down at all.    The Nanshy Kabuki Brush comes in 2 colours, white & pink or black & grey. Both look equally as gorgeous & soft. I opted for the pink & white as it matches my pink Nanshy makeup blender & my White foundation & eye brushes, and I'm nothing if not a matcher. I mean just look how pretty it is.   I tried to take a close up of the bristles to show just how fine they are & how many, but my shoddy iPhone is just not up to the job of doing this little beauty any justice. Damn you Apple. Pass me a Samsung. Now.    Anyway, technology rant over & back to the brush at hand. I am in love with this brush. It's the perfect size to cover all areas, not too big that it can't get in the crevices of your face, leaving you with unsightly patches, and small enough to fit in your makeup bag. See, perfect.    The bristles are synthetic, which makes them animal friendly, cruelty free & PETA approved. And not to mention not at all scratchy. This also makes them incredibly easy to wash, taking back their original shape once dry & not taking half a week to dry either. I haven't noticed any shedding or fall out either. I think they are practicing brush magic over Nanshy HQ.    Seriously I cannot rave about Nanshy enough, not just this Kabuki brush but also their foundation brushes, eye brushes & blender sponges. Again, they have hit the nail on the head & I am hooked. I cannot wait to see where this brand goes next & see what other little treasures they have waiting for us all to discover.  

Have you ever tried anything from Nanshy before?

Autumn/Winter Lipsticks

 

Hello, My name is Feranmi and I'm from Perfect Imperfections. I thought I would share with you all the lip products I've been loving this autumn and will continue to wear during the colder months.

In terms of lip care, I normally exfoliate my lips everyday with a toothbrush because no one wants that crusty chapped look, I also use a lip scrub weekly, I like making my own scrub and this week I'm using lemon and sugar.

 

The first lipstick is the infamous Rimmel 107 from the new Kate Collection,I think this is the perfect shade for the colder months and I can truly say it does suit every skin colour. It is a deep red with hints of purple and its a matte formula. If you want a darker shade but is still close to red, I would advise you to pick this up. 

 

The next lipstick is a nude, I think even though people tend to wear more darker lip colours its still ok to wear a nude. It can be paired with a really heavy eye look, I have chosen the Rimmel 19 from the Kate Collection again. I think this is a nice browny type of nude (clearly I'm not good at describing colours) it really suits medium to darker skin tones. I would really recommend checking out the Kate Collection as they have some amazing colours and are reasonably priced.

 

Then next two products I have are from MUA and the  first one is their lip liner in brooding plum, this is very pigmented but when it comes to staying power it isn't the best of lip liners. This is something I'm willing to overlook because it is just £1. The next product is a lipstick from MUA in shade 1 and this a brighter red compared to the 107, I think i'm going to wear this lipstick closer to Christmas time.

 

The last product is a lip balm for days I don't want to wear a lipstick, this is the NYC Applelicious lip balm in Big Apple Red and I reviewed it sometime back. This is a very nice and moisturising lip balm with a red tint and I find it nice worn alone or under a lipstick.

 

Thank you so much to Gemma for letting me be a guest on her blog as I absolutely love her blog. If you would like to find me, my blog is called Perfect Imperfections and I'm on twitter @Feranmi75

Get Your Coat...

Hello! I’m Rachel, your guest blogger of the day!

As the title will tell you, this post will involve coats. Extra points to those of you who spotted the pick up line! I’m going to share with you my top five winter coats this year. If this winter is anywhere near as long as the last (snowfall in April?!), you’re going to be hanging onto that coat for some time yet. 

1. Combined Faux Leather Coat – Zara £109

I love winter for giving me the opportunity to wear something that’s perhaps a little more traditional and sophisticated. For that reason, I absolutely adore coats from Zara. This is one of my favourite coats that I’ve spotted; it looks classy and stylish, and yet the leather panels give it a slight edginess. The model pulls off the exact look that I wish I could!

2. Borg Lined Parka Jacket – Topshop £95

My second choice is this parka jacket from Topshop. This is definitely more on the casual side, especially compared to number one, but there’s something about a parka that doesn’t go out of style. It’s chic and casual, perfect for those days where you need to head outside and just want to shrug something without putting too much thought into it.

3. Biker Jacket – H&M £34.99

Not everyone wants a big heavy winter coat, what I love about this biker jacket is the faux sheepskin – compromising on size shouldn’t have to mean completely compromising on warmth, although this might not be the one to wear out in a blizzard! I’d wear this paired with perhaps a thin jumper, skirt and woolly tights and black Chelsea boots.

 

4. Melton Reefer Coat – Warehouse £95

Military style coats never go out of fashion, year in year out, they return. There is something so timeless about the slight rigidity of the coat, along with the double breasted buttons. I really like the colour of this particular coat; it’s a kind of creamy beige and compliments so many outfits.

5. Queen Coating Flared Coat – French Connection £180

This is my most expensive pick and I would say the girliest out of all the coats. There is something quite regal about this coat, as indicated by the name. I adore its sleek black appearance with the concealed fastenings, and just the slightest hint of fur at the collar. This coat practically radiates elegance and I think it would be a beautiful addition to any wardrobe.

This has been lovely, thank you to Gemma for the opportunity to write for her blog! You can find me over at http://justabitofRach.blogspot.com

 

Rachel

X

Street Art || Sarah Connolly

Todays post has been written by the gorgeous Sarah, who is the co-founder of Feted Magazine. Check out the website here for more details. Hope you enjoy her piece on street art!

Some call it vandalism while others call it public art, but regardless of what people think of it street art brightens towns and cities and is the most primitive form of showcasing an artist's work.

Banksy was my first love when it came to art. His creativity and anonymity makes him and his work even more appealing than it already is, so where better to scope out some street art than from his native Bristol?

I’m a huge street art fan and am the proud owner of pieces by Pure Evil, Cassette Lord, Mr Brainwash and RYCA, and in my opinion there's no better place for artists to show off their skills than on the streets where people of all ages and backgrounds can witness what they’ve got going on. It creates enjoyment and colour, and artists are only right to take advantage of the unique opportunity they’ve got to publicise their work for free which the rest of us creative souls can only dream of.

Below are pictures of some street art I came across while walking through Bristol a few weeks ago. I had no idea it was such a creative and colourful city or that there was such a huge street art scene there beyond Banksy. How wrong I was.

 

 

 

 

 

The Extra Mile: 5 must have products

Hello everybody! I hope you have thoroughly enjoyed the festive season and have had plenty of R&R time J It’s definitely my favourite time of year what with all the food. And presents. And more food!

 

My name is Aisling (looks there’s my face!^^) and I have a blog called bl0ssombeauty. I blog about a mix of different things from beauty and fashion to general lifestyle things and food recipes. Basically anything that tickles my fancy! I would love it if you check out my labour of love and share your thoughts with me, and maybe even hit the follow button J

The lovely Gemma has kindly allowed me to write a guest post on her amazing blog, so to get right down to it, I’m going to share with you my 5 must have products that can take you a step further in achieving a polished look.

 

1.       Foundation Brush

Have you ever wondered how to get that flawless ‘looks like skin’ finish? A good foundation brush to help you buff the product into your skin is the answer.  Thankfully I’ve never fallen into the trap of slapping on my foundation with my fingers, the horror bacteria stories my Mum shared when I first started wearing makeup put me right off! My favourite foundation brushes to use are both from Real Techniques, the Expert Face Brush and the Buffing Brush. Both are great for working the product into the skin.

2.       Primer

Let’s face it, none of us have perfect skin (if you do, tell me HOW!). So when your skin is paid a visit by the little bumpy red monsters or you have bothersome scarring, a primer is your best friend. A primer acts as a base under your foundation and helps your foundation to glide over most lumps and bumps. It helps you achieve a flawless finish and also clings on to your foundation to allow it to last longer. What’s not to love? I got my hands on the ‘Tarte clean slate poreless’ primer and really liked it up until I started to break out. How frustrating! I have heard good things about primers from Smashbox and Illamasqua though so they are on my list.

3.       Exfoliator

As the brilliant Caroline Hirons once said, if you don’t prep your skin properly for makeup, you might aswel be applying makeup to a wooden table. While cleansing and moisturising are just as important, a good exfoliator is a must have to make sure any dead or flaky skin cells are gotten rid of. I’m currently enjoying the Michael Todd Tropical Fruit Exfoliant Scrub.

 

4.       Top Coat

How did I ever do my nails without this?? A top coat is almost like a protective layer on top of your favourite nail polish and is available in a matte or glossy finish. My go-to top coat is the Sally Hansen Insta-Dry Anti Chip. This stuff works like a dream by speeding up the drying process so I don’t have to worry about smudging my efforts. Which I always used to do!

 

5.       Mascara

Now when I say mascara, I mean that ‘BOOM look how amazingly long and thick my eyelashes are’ kind of mascara. This type of mascara is of course almost impossible to find, but I think I’ve come close with the L’oreal Telescopic False Lash Effect mascara. Have you found any mascara that does the job right? Having length and volume in your lashes can really transform a look and opens out your eyes to give that dramatic effect. Or if you really want hit the drama button, stick on a pair of falsies and you can’t go wrong ;) (unless you’re terrible at applying false lashes.....like me)

There we have it ladies, the 5 products that I couldn’t imagine not having in my stash. I really hope you enjoyed my guest post, thanks so much again Gemma for having me! If anybody would like to follow my blog I’d love to have you, so come on over and say hi J

Thanks for reading

Aisling

xx

TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | INSTAGRAM

 

BOOK CLUB TAKEOVER: Angie from 'Beauty She Wrote'

My name is Angie, I'm a nail varnish hoarder and borderline crazy cat lady (who am I kidding, I'm well over borderline!) and I blog over at www.BeautySheWrote.co.uk, which is a blog full of hauls of my impulse purchases, posts about my girl crushes, outfits that I deem acceptable for public consumption and whatever else drops into my brain that I think my lovely followers would enjoy :) So come on over and visit, we're a friendly bunch over there!

 

My favourite book is a highly contested title as I've been reading avidly since I was four years old! And I've read so many amazing books that got me hooked and made it so I couldn't put them down, but one book that soared above all of the rest of them as soon as I started reading it was Me Before You by Jojo Moyes.

I love this book because it's both happy and sad, funny and heartbreaking and completely inspirational. The characters were so original because, as much as I loved them, they also frustrated me at times and I would find myself thinking ''No! Why would you do this?'', because I was thinking of them as real people! As much as I've read so many amazing books, it's very rare that I get sucked into the characters like that, which is testament to Jojo Moyes' excellent writing.

As for the ending, well I won't spoil it, naturally, but safe to say it was the first time that I was literally sobbing at a book, I've had the odd tears in my eyes when it came to books before but these were full on, chest-heaving sobs! 

Don't let that put you off though, the tears were both happy and sad tears and I promise, if you read this book you WILL love it!

My review

This story centres around Lou Clark, a girl whose day-to-day life is mundane, but enjoyable for her.

But her life changes when she loses her job at The Buttered Bun tea shop and has to go and work for Will Traynor, who was in a motorcycle accident which took away his desire to live.

He pushes everyone away and lives a joyless life....until Lou comes along!

She bursts into his world and as well as her changing his life, he also helps change hers for all time.

There's not much else I can, or want to, tell you after that, I wouldn't want to spoil any of the plot at all because I think it's such a beautiful book with such faultless writing that it needs to be experienced first hand to do it any justice whatsoever.

 

Hopes and Dreams for 2014 || Sarah from 'Sarah's Little World'

(source; weheartit)

hello lovelies! A couple weeks ago I got in touch with Gemma to write a guest post on her blog, and I was so excited after chatting away with her and deciding what my post was going to be about! After exchanging a few emails Gemma suggested a post about my hopes and dreams for 2014, and I jumped at the chance. How exciting!?

So hi everyone, I’m Sarah from Sarah’s little world! And I’m very excited to do this guest post (I’ve not written for someone else’s blog before), you may want to know the basics…20 years old, third year university student, obsessed with Disney and photography, and my blog reflects on what I love, buy and get up to during my hectic life as I complete my degree in Media & Communications and Counselling Skills (crazy combination, I know).

I got thinking about my hopes & dreams and the fact that 2014 is going to be a very big year for me, so what a perfect way to prepare myself for these than write all about them. Hmm my hopes and dreams for the next year? I hope everything I want goes to plan? But that wouldn’t happen exactly would it? Not everything goes the way we want, so here’s how I want things to work out, a little background on my life and possibly bits of rambling.

So my hopes for this year, come as ideas of what will happen in my relationship, how I want my birthday to be celebrated, how I want to enjoy my final year of university and also graduation (fingers crossed ey), and all the little things I want to accomplish throughout the next year.

For my relationship; in march, me and my boyfriend will be celebrating two years together, which is crazy!? I sometimes find myself in my own thought bubble and start thinking about how I’m with someone like him, and now I have to get my head round the fact that he’s put up with me for two years now.

 

For my birthday; again, in march me and my boyfriend will be celebrating our 21^st’s within days of each other, which I think makes our birthdays extra special that they’re so close. So even though I’m super excited, I better get thinking about what to buy him already (because he’s so picky). I’m secretly hoping that I can find a way to have a joint celebration and to maybe have a huge party filled with all family and friends…he’s not too keen on the idea so maybe it’ll just be me that had the party!

(source; weheartit)

For my education; it’s the final stretch now, a few months left, a handful of modules and a couple thousand words left and it’s all over. Being at university has been a very difficult challenge for me over the last few years and now it’s almost at an end I’m very focused and excited. I’m just hoping I get the grades I need and by October 2014 I’ll be stood in my cap and gown accepting my degree certificate and making myself and my family proud of what I’ve achieved…I mean for most people that’s exactly what university is about isn’t it!?

(source; weheartit)

 

For my career; now university is almost over it’s time to consider what’s my next move and that’s the scary bit. I’ve never been clued up on what I want to happen in the future and honestly its probably going to have no connection to the subjects I’ve studied for the last few years. But if I could have a dream job then I have a few ideas that include, being a photographer. I’ve enjoyed photos and capturing ‘the moment’ for years and always hoped to make it my profession, so I’m considering once uni is over to take some classes and grab as many friends as possible and start sorting out a portfolio and a plan. Also over the years I’ve really enjoyed anything creative or design orientated, so I’m hoping to find something in interior design or get involved with houses, whether it be designs or sales. I think they’re very far fetched ideas but its definitely a dream of mine to attempt.

I guess this is a two-part post. Because those are the things that will be happening and I want them to go exactly how I’m hoping they will but there’s also my dreams;
the endless list of things I’ve wanted to do for years and haven’t! For some reason, 2014 seems like the best year to try them out. With university coming to an end it’s time to find some exciting things to plan, in a sort of celebration of the end of this chapter in my life.

Starting off, I want to go on loads of weekend trips away; I’m currently thinking of a weekend away to Brighton (obviously in the summer) as it looks so pretty and I really want to few days away in Disneyland Paris with my boyfriend, I love all things Disney and getting away to Paris is so romantic! I’d also love to continue blogging as I find it my little hobby, but hopefully by this time next year, I’ve become more confident with what I write and my exposure to it and that I continue to talk and make friends with so many lovely people within the blogging world.

Thanks so much everyone for reading my post (I hope I didn’t bore you too much), and thanks Gemma for letting me do this and I hope I didn’t disappoint. I hope you all enjoyed my post and I’d love if you all popped over to my blog, to see more of me.

Hope you’re all doing well and this gets you thinking of all the hopes and dreams you have throughout 2014, plus I’d love to hear them, so leave us a little comment below.

-Sarah Lauren; Sarah’s little world

Follow Me On: Blog Twitter | Personal Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin

Hopes and Dreams for 2014 || Leah from '30 Something Curvy Me'

 

Hi I'm Leah from thirtysomethingcurvyme.blogspot.co.uk and I am really chuffed to be writing a guest post for lipsticksandlashes :)

 

When Gemma contacted me she asked me to think about what my hopes and dreams would be for 2014. I thought I might share some wisdom on how to get your new Year off to a great start,

Most people make a New Years Resolution in January that they never stick to but for most of my life (from teenager onwards) I have always made a list of 10 achievable tasks for the year. I used to write then on a little slip of paper and keep it in my purse to remind myself of them from time to time.

If I manage 7 in the year I always feel like I have done something with my life.

 

My 10 this year are:

1) Read 3 Fiction Books
2) Watch 1 horror movie (I hate them but I think I should just remind myself why)
3) Revamp my blog so it looks a little more creative rather than shoved together
4) Learn to sew
5) Bake 3 cakes for peoples birthdays
6) Travel to a city in the UK I have never been before, possibly York
7) Research a career change
8) Learn a little German for my trip to Berlin
9) Try 4 olives throughout the year to see if they still taste awful
10) Try 1 month in the year where no money is spent but money is made and saved

 

Sometimes it's better to give yourself little goals which you can probably do than one big one.

It's surprising how many you find yourself doing.

 

Leah x

Hopes and Dreams for 2014 || August from 'Loving Life'

Hey guys!

It's August from loving life (link to my blog: nailartiste.blogspot.co.uk) I saw on Twitter that Gemma was looking for guest bloggers as she goes to explore Thailand (so jealous) and I love her blog so I thought where better than to do my second guest blog. It feels slightly weird writing on somebody else's blog but it's also great fun.

First I'd like to reflect on 2013. Makes it easier to plan ahead.

I remember distinctly saying to myself and others that 2013 sounds like it's not going to be a good year. I'm not superstitious or anything but maybe it had something to do with the '13.

I'm a big believer of the tongue having great power so I'm not quite sure why I was saying it.

However, 2013 turned out to be a pretty good year for me and I'm so grateful.

So as I plan ahead for the new year ahead I'd first like to say none of this new year new me stuff. 

Half of the time it ends up being new year same me if not worse lol.

Instead new year, updated me.

Some things I did in the year 2013 that I'm really happy about:

1.starting a blog

- I've had so much fun writing on my blog 

2. Starting exercise regularly 

- earlier in the year I joined the gym for a couple of months to get in shape for my holiday and I've been able to keep it going. Even in these freezing winter months 

Things I want to start/continue in 2014:

1. My blog

I would love to post more regularly, get some fashion related posts as I do love fashion (it's where most of money goes to if I'm totally honest) and have like a themed I post regularly for, get more followers (or more active ones). I would love more blog exposure and even possibly start to have some guest posts on it.

2. Get on top of my Uni work

I used to be that person that wouldn't step into a library until exams were a couple of weeks away and if I want that first class that obviously isn't the way to go! The end of 2013 saw a different me and I'd like to be on top of my work. I don't like it when things pile up as I have no idea where to start so I tend to leave it which obviously isn't a good idea but yet I continue to...
 

3. Get on top of my finances

I'm doing a lot better but there's always room for improvement 

4. Pass my driving test

I'm so close to being ready (it's a confidence thing) and it's talking all my money. Passing it will also help me with number 4
 

5. Get my training post Uni sorted

Although I'll be graduating in 2015, in 2014 is when I need to start applying for my training post graduation. Hopefully I'll get the place of my choice!

Thanks for reading! And I hope 2013 has been a great year and even if it hasn't don't worry as I hope 2014 is an even better year for you!!!

x x

Hopes and Dreams for 2014

Wow 2013 has been an odd year for me! In a good way I think, I’ve definitely grown as a person. I am much more confident, and I think I’m a lot more happier. I’ve spent the year saying ‘yes’ to more things and because of this I learnt the drums, how to knit, how to canoe and have had various fun adventures! I started my year in New York and I’ve ended it in Thailand! That is pretty cool! When I say ‘2013 has been an odd year’ I mean, in many ways it’s been so awesome, but I’ve also felt pretty static. Just kind of bumbling along, does that make sense?

So for 2014 I want to alter this! So here are my personal hopes and dreams in no particular order. Please note that this is a working document for me and something I want to come back and reflect on throughout the year. Also for the record these are New Years resolutions! Who actually sticks to those?! These are just a few of my hopes, dreams and aspirations...

1.    To say ‘yes’ more and to try new things. Something I started in 2013 but want to continue in 2014 as it’s only led to positive things!

2.    Be positive! I want to be one of those cheesy people who see the light in every dark situation. I truly believe positivity attracts positivity.

3.    To tick some items off my bucket list

4.    To visit some places I’ve never been to before, in the UK and abroad.

5.    To buy a house, Okay so this one may be a pipe dream but I want to save up and start heading towards this one!

6.    To learn the Ukulele!

7.    To stop hiding away and to put myself out there more and start dating again.

In terms of hopes and dreams for 2014 in regards to my blog, 2013 was the year I fell in love with blogging. I started to blog in 2012 but it wasn’t until part way through this year that I really got the blogging bug. So for 2014 my plan is to keep my blog moving forward, to nurture it, to enjoy my writing and to see what other excitement and adventures in brings me!

I also want to meet some blogging friends!! None of my real life friends blog and I would love some friends who do!

2013 has been a blast but I am so excited to see what 2014 may bring! I also just wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone who’s taken the time to stop by and have a look at my ramblings here over the past year, it means the world to me!

P.S have I mentioned I’m in Thailand?! Whilst I’m away a few of my favourite bloggers will be stopping by to share their own hopes and dreams for 2014 with you all. Hope you enjoy!