life update \\ a new job

Sunday 13 October 2013

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Most of you (or possibly none of you) would probably have gathered that I HAVE A NEW JOB! It's been a hectic month tying up the loose ends from my old job and making the transition to a new office environment and starting afresh. It was a difficult decision to make and it took me 3 whole days to make an informed decision as to whether I wanted to take it. I gritted my teeth and jumped at the chance of a new adventure. 

Week one is now over and I made a little public service announcement on Twitter that I'm taking a mini blog sabbatical so posts will be sporadic and sometimes random whilst I settle into the new environment and a change in working patterns (no more nightshifts over here!) I thought I would do a little update and also note a few things that I've noticed about the change...


Having to choose something new to wear everyday is difficult. I definitely took my regulation uniform for granted a little.

Getting to personalise my desk and not having to shove all my bits and pieces in a locker at the end of the day.

I miss having three computer screens to navigate between. The one looks so lonely.

The working day is looooooooooong. Get tired so easily and having to do it all again the next day.

Getting that Friday feeling.

I used to drink A LOT of tea at my desk. The new team doesn't drink as much tea as me.

It's been interesting, confusing and exhausting all at once but I'm looking forward to learning more and settling in. I did struggle a lot in the first few days but after a pep talk from my closest friends, I grabbed the other days by the horns and tackled it with gusto!

Do you have any tips on settling in into a new job or what you did to make the transition go as smoothly as possible?

Vanessa

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amsterdam adventure \\ day three & four

Friday 11 October 2013

Carrying on from where we left off...

Preparing ourselves for some epic Stroopwafels from a famous market, we bought some shop-bought stroopwafels to line our stomachs. The secret is to the leave the caramel waffel on top of a hot beverage for a while and then eat it when the caramel between the layers has gone all gooey. You're welcome. 








In the morning, we went to see the famous 'Amsterdam' sign which is located behind the Rijksmuseum. We got some obligatory touristy photos but my favourite letter was the 'd'. Made for perfect sitting. Afterwards we went to the famous Albert Cuyp Market and there our food journey began. We kind of did everything backwards but we started with baby dutch pancakes which was lain on top a huge chunk of butter. A little after, we found the Stroopwafel man and one king size Stroopwafel later, I was ready for a food sleep. A two minute walk later we found ourselves grasping at a cone of chips and experimenting with a mystery fried food substance that was like stovies in texture mixed with some random meats, deep fried in breadcrumbs and served in a softie. To this day, we still don't know what that was. But it was tasty.

We took the tram to see Anne Frank's house. The queue wasn't that long and we made our way around the museum in just over an hour. After walking 2 miles in the wrong direction, we turned back and found The Pancake Bakery. Having our regular YOLO moments, we went in and ate more food. Standard.

The one thing we hadn't done yet was the infamous red light district. We somehow managed to merge in with a Chinese tour group and walked round in a huge circle but we finally made it to the sketchiest neighbourhood ever. There's nothing much to say about the district. I'm sure you all get the jist of it.

It was late in the evening and we made our way back to the accommodation for the last time and finished up our packing. It was a bittersweet and fleeting visit but I enjoyed my mini break away from the 'real world' for a little while.


Vanessa

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lifestyle \\ my coping mechanism

Thursday 3 October 2013


I recently went through a rocky patch where I found myself making important life decisions and starting new friendships and altogether it made me question how strong I was to cope with all this. As a result, I found myself seeking solace in only a few close friends and my family whilst putting up my walls and being distant to everyone else.

I didn't realise I did this until my friend confronted me about it and thought she had done something wrong during a recent meet as I was trying to make amends. Yes, I knew I was distancing myself from certain people because I'm a firm believer that too much advice from lots of different sources can hinder rather than help. At the end of the meet, I found myself apologising for my behaviour.

Everyone has different ways of coping with stress, life decisions, grievances etc. And I have discovered that mine is just distance. Space and time does wonders to me and being alone with my thoughts is the only way that I can decipher the things going on in my brain. It may seem unconventional everyone copes in different ways. I sometimes even rally some friends together and go out for a few drinks by ranting about how badly a date went or about something insane that happened at work. 

The true friends would be there for me no matter what. They understand that letting me do my thing is the best course and that they'd just be on the other end of the phone if it all goes bellies up. 

At the end of the day, sometimes all it takes is a good cup of tea to see things more clearly.

Vanessa

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amsterdam adventures \\ day one & two

Tuesday 1 October 2013

Feels like yesterday that I was soaking in some Dutch culture in the amazing city of Amsterdam. I have condensed my posts into two as the other two days were spent travelling and really didn't need a post of its own. So, here we go...

After I finished my last ever nightshift at my job, I rushed home to change and picked up my suitcase to head for the train station. We were flying from Glasgow and managed to cut down the price by about half! I was obviously very sleepy but very excited for my mini break away. After an eventful travelling day i.e. delayed flight and navigating the confusing train and metro lines we made it to our accommodation. We stayed with a host who rents out rooms in her apartment to travellers. She was a freelance graphic designer and was so lovely! Would definitely recommend her if you're ever planning a visit to Amsterdam.







After a well earned rest, we made plans to do some exploring in the city. We didn't make any plans as to what we wanted to see or do on our first day, just to explore and have a walk around the city. Let me tell you now, there are bikes EVERYWHERE! You would literally need two pairs of eyes to cross the road. So dangerous!

We sampled some of the local cuisine, chips. Or more specifically, street side chips which are a popular snack for the locals. They were pretty tasty actually and quite inexpensive. After a walk around the city, we headed back to the accommodation for some tea and a rest before going out for dinner. We went to this place called The Butcher which was voted Amsterdam's Number 1 burger. Oh my. It was good. Me and my friend ate in complete silence as we devoured our burgers. 

We then hung out in a beer garden type thing and sampled some Amstel Bier. I slowly introduced my friend to the wonders of beer and she surprisingly liked it. Absolutely shattered, we went back to our accommodation to rest for the next day's exploring.

Day three and four will be coming your way in due course!

Vanessa

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my shopping experience \\ shu uemura

Sunday 29 September 2013

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Shu Uemura is one of those brands that I admire from afar but I'm a bit anxious to try some of their products without going to an actual counter. I found myself in Glasgow with a few hours to kill and along with payday and the fact House of Fraser was having a 2 day brand event, I couldn't resist popping to the counter to have a look.

I had heard infamous things about their cleansing oils so when the sales assistant offered to help decide which one was best suited for my skin, I knew I wasn't leaving that counter without a purchase. The sales assistant was the loveliest girl ever. She sat me down, asked me about my skin and went over the one she thought was best for me. She told me about the ingredients and what good things it'll do for my skin. Sure, it was a little rehearsed in some places but she answered my questions really well.

She offered to demonstrate it for me and she went above and beyond in my eyes. She explained the steps really well and didn't rush the process. She even convinced me to replace my well used Shu Uemura eyelash curler as well. After explaining everything to me and the price and sizes of the cleansing oil, I chose the smaller one and at no point did I felt pushed to buy a bigger bottle or any other products to go with it.

Even my friend was impressed with the service and shelled out for the new precision eyelash curler even though she didn't really need it. But I knew she wanted it really.

First impressions are important to me in a brand and I am exceptionally impressed with my experience. Sure I could make a purchase online but sometimes a little customer service can do wonders. Shu Uemura, I will definitely be re-purchasing.


Vanessa

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current loves #2 \\ the beauty edition

Saturday 21 September 2013


This post is basically what I have been wearing on my face lately but it's also things that I have been loving using so we're hitting two birds with one stone here!

I have fallen back in love with my Skin 79 BB Cream again and after getting past the watery stage of it, it's gone back to its usual consistency. I love wearing it on the days where I don't want to wear foundation but still want a little bit of coverage on my ghoulish face. 

I'm sure I've mentioned the Benefit Dallas Blush in my last post too but I think it warrants another mention. This is the only boxed powder I own from Benefit and it is still my favourite. I feel like a country girl when I'm wearing this because it gives such a lovely glow and flush of colour.

This will most likely be the third time I've mentioned the Rimmel London Eyeliner, I can't help it. I think it's great. I've been doing the simple eyeliner (with no flick) and mascara look lately and I'm loving it. Looks like I've made an effort but not really. If you get what I'm saying. 

I may have mentioned this product in passing but not featured it too greatly here on Parisian Orchid and it's the Maybelline Dream Lumi Concealer. I wasn't much of a concealer fan before but this has literally changed my life. It's such a light highlighting concealer akin to the YSL Touche Eclat but waaaaay cheaper. It's not quite heavy coverage so if you like a heavy coverage concealer then stay clear of this. It gives me just enough to conceal and highlight at the same time. Definitely a re-purchase on the cards with this one.

Can you believe I'm still on the hunt for the perfect mascara? I've been using the Maybelline Rocket Volume Express mascara lately and although I like it enough to keep using it, it's not quite high up in the list as an absolute favourite yet. 

What are your current beauty loves?


Vanessa

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lifestyle \\ the one-sided friendship

Thursday 19 September 2013

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We all have different groups of friends. I have ones that I can be outrageously crazy with, ones that I have serious life talks with, ones I know will come with me on my adventures and ones that I have known for years and have been through the most with me and are still around. Collectively, I couldn't be without them. 

When I form new friendships, my friendship is unconditional. There are no exams you have to pass, I don't have to reveal stuff about my past and make sure you're ok with it before we can officially put the stamp of 'friendship' onto it. A recent new friendship I have formed got me questioning...if someone asked what we knew about each other, I think I could answer pretty well but the other person would probably know zilch about me except from a pre-formed opinion of me. So now I think I'm stuck in this one-sided friendship in which I am giving out free life advice and getting nothing out of it but frustration.

Never one to shy away from a challenge or to give up too easily, I have been told to step away so that I don't get hurt in the long run but I know my walls are back up and it won't go that far. Should friendship ever stretch to the point where you have to put up your walls?

I'm definitely at that age now where I'm happy to meet new people and not to worry about anything because from what I have learnt, worrying won't get you anything but frown lines. But a friendship means more to me than me being there for the other person. Shouldn't they be there for me too and listen to me rant about the fact someone at work made me an awful cup of tea or the fact that I ate an amazing cheese and bacon burger the other day and I can't get over it? The feeling that I have to keep schtum and listen to the other person pour their heart and soul out to me makes me feel sad because I'm only ever an advice helpline to them. 

Perhaps I am jumping to conclusions to quickly and thinking too harshly on the other person but I'm not quite sure how far down the line I should wait until I should step away and think about myself for once.

Such an intense post from me! What are your thoughts? What would you do if you were in a one-sided friendship?


Vanessa

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review \\ rimmel london scandaleyes precision micro eyeliner

Tuesday 17 September 2013




Whilst perusing the beauty aisle in Boots and being a sucker for their buy one get one half price deal, I stumbled across this eyeliner from Rimmel. As I have been wearing a lot more liquid eyeliner lately, I thought I'd try this out as an alternative to the regular nib eyeliners I have.

The premise of this eyeliner is that the nib is small and can create smaller lines or flicks. When I first saw this, it reminded me of the Eyeko Skinny Eyeliner (which ended up dying on me after about 5 uses!). Application-wise, it is very good. Great for beginners of eyeliner and the professional amongst us. The colour is a true black and it doesn't drag. As with all liquid eyeliners, it takes a while to get used to but once you've mastered it, you can create some great looks with it. 

I've worn this eyeliner for around 10 hours and the staying power is quite impressive. There was a little smudging but not much to dismiss the entire product itself. At a purse friendly £5.49, it's a great little product to have and try out if you're experimenting with eyeliner. 


Vanessa

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lifestyle \\ the source of confidence

Thursday 12 September 2013


Someone said to me the other day that I need to deal with my confidence. Bearing in mind, I had only met this person once. Once. I didn't think much of the comment at first then I started thinking a little more and then I realised that I have grown leaps and bounds and I certainly wouldn't recognise the person that I was before.

I think confidence or being comfortable with yourself comes from the people you surround yourself with and the experiences that you go through. My study abroad experience literally turned my whole life around and having to go through a period of time as a struggling graduate also made a big difference to me.

I used to be a shy girl that didn't socialise, had trouble making eye contact with people and looked down at the ground whilst I was walking. I think the source of my lack of confidence at the time came from my body image. I wasn't happy with how I looked and I took action. I slowly shed the pounds. I know I'm not 100% of the way there but it's enough.

Starting blogging and putting myself out there on the internet is something that I thought I'd never do and I've loved the journey so far and how welcoming the blogging community can be. Obviously I have the odd off day here and there but I know I'll always be back here.

Working in an environment where I'm speaking to people on the phone for 10 hours straight and going for job interviews have really brought me out of my shell and I really couldn't have asked for better work colleagues who have listened to me rant and rave and told me to man up when I've made silly decisions. 

What I'm trying to say is that confidence takes time to build up. And although I can be a little shy meeting new people, basing an opinion of me on one meeting is a sure way to knock my confidence back down. I can't tell what kind of person I'll end up being and I know I have so many more experiences to go through and that's the thing I'm looking forward to the most.

If you've made it to the end of this post without clicking that little 'x', snaps for you!

How have your experiences changed the person you are? Do you think you're better for it?


Vanessa

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beauty \\ beauty purchases

Tuesday 10 September 2013


It had been a while since I bought any cosmetics despite new releases and a wishlist as long as my arm! A few days after payday, I decided to have a little wander around the beauty aisle and I may have come away with a few things...

Rimmel London Nail Polish - Mind The Gap, Victoria - I don't have anything like this colour in my collection and although I really should be moving onto more dark toned nail polish for the Autumn, I couldn't resist the powder blue colour! Just look. So pretty. 

Rimmel London Micro Eyeliner - See Boots and their 'buy one get one half price' deals, it never fails to draw me in! I've been wearing liquid eyeliner a lot more lately and I believe this may be a new product as I hadn't seen it before. The tip is really tiny and brilliant for drawing a simple minuscule line. I won't go into it too much because I will do a separate review on it. 

Dior Diorskin Nude BB Creme - Oh cripes. This was kind of an impulse purchase. I had a Debenhams gift card burning a hole in my pocket so I thought I would put it to good use and treat myself to a little something something. My supervisor at work uses this and I've read so many great reviews on it so I parted with my cash for my first Dior purchase. I was colour matched to shade 2 and the counter lady said it was a pretty perfect match. Kind of excited to try this out!

Have you been purchasing any beauty cosmetics lately?


Vanessa

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lifestyle \\ a brief blog in time

Tuesday 3 September 2013


Hello. Remember me? Probably not. I certainly had to dust off a few cobwebs coming back in here I tell you!

I feel like I've been neglecting my blog lately and not putting as much effort into as I would like but to be honest, I've really enjoyed being away from it. I would love to spend all my time blogging and writing but unfortunately it isn't my job and there is another life I live outside of this little space. Holding down a full time job that has shift work and that also involves nightshifts is difficult. I already sacrifice a lot; most weekends I work, I'm unable to attend family events and sleep. Oh how I miss the sleep. But in saying that, I'm never far away. 

Parisian Orchid is such a great hobby for me and fuels my passion for the written word. But any spare time I do get, I spend it seeing friends, making plans and sleeping (if you do nightshifts, you'll understand it puts your whole body out of kilter!).

In an already saturated blogging community, you're never far from a review of the latest product or a monthly favourite so I'm never worried that you won't have anything to read. In saying that, whatever I do write, I hope you know that I put a lot of thought into it and it's from the heart (so a little different!). Gosh, that was so cheesy. Like a four cheese pizza. I digress. 

What I'm trying to say is that Parisian Orchid will always be a place for me and you to come to and I will always welcome you with open arms. Come with an open mind or an already formed opinion of me but this blog really does encompass everything about me and hopefully you'll see a little more of me in the next coming weeks.

I miss you <3

Vanessa

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monthly resolution fail

Tuesday 20 August 2013

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Oh hey...you remember those monthly resolutions I did way back when? I kinda stopped posting/doing them around April time which was not intentional at all! I broke my wrist in April so it kind of limited me in terms of coming up with new resolutions but then my wrist healed and then life just got in the way. BUT...

I'm picking up my monthly resolutions again starting in September! I'm pretty excited because I was beginning to lose sight of doing something positive each month and my chart was looking kinda pathetic with only 4 months worth of resolutions posted!

Have you been keeping your resolutions from the beginning of the year?

Vanessa

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recipe \\ chocolate orange cupcakes

Friday 16 August 2013

Apart from cinnamon and apples, and white chocolate and raspberry, I think chocolate and orange is one my favourite flavour combinations. There something silently brilliant about this pairing and I do enjoy snacking on a Terry's Chocolate Orange once in a while (especially at Christmas time!)

I had a chocolate orange loitering in my fridge unopened (yes, I keep my chocolate in the fridge, anyone else do that?) and I had a hankering to make my lovely trust chocolate cupcake recipe. Marriage made in heaven? I think so.



Ingredients
175g butter
175g soft brown sugar
3 large eggs
175g self raising flour
4tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp milk

Method
1. Cream the butter and sugar with an electric whisk until light and fluffy. Add the eggs in one at a time.
2. Sift the flour and cocoa powder into the mixture and mix well. Stir in the milk.
3. Divide into paper cases lined in a cupcake tin (this should yield around 12) and put in a preheated oven at 180 degrees celsius for around 20-25 minutes.
4. Leave to cool in the tin for around 5 minutes then transfer onto a cooling rack to cool further.

Swirl on some chocolate buttercream and carefully place a segment of chocolate orange to finish off. Admire the beauty and then devour with gusto. 


Bon appétit!

Vanessa

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favourite android apps

Tuesday 13 August 2013

Technology has introduced to us some very handy dandy apps that now we can't seem to do without them. As a blogger, I'm always trying to keep on top of social media and the only way I can do that is via my mobile when I'm out and about. I thought I'd take you through some of my favourite and most regularly used apps on my phone.

I must be in the minority group of Android users but I'm sure most of these are available for Apple users also.






Yes, I am on the Instagram bandwagon. I did delete it for a while but I found I missed my daily dose of photographs too much so I re-installed it. Such a great photo sharing app and I love sharing my own photographs. It's like my life through rose-tinted glasses.

Twitter is again one of my most used apps and I'm sure everyone is familiar with what it does. I think I'm more of a random tweeter but I also love scrolling through my feed in the morning either catching up with other bloggers or reading their thoughts. My Twitter is @ParisianOrchid if you fancy reading some random musings of my life.

The Starbucks app is brilliant if you haven't already got it. It's free and you can save up rewards or 'stars' as they call it per transaction and once to get 15 stars, you get a free drink (ANY SIZE!) You can also connect your Starbucks cards to it too so you can pay for your drinks by scanning the barcode. It's so helpful when I don't want to faff about with getting cash out and so convenient as well. 

The Uniqlo Wake Up alarm is such a lifesaver in the mornings. The alarm wakes you up by playing soft music and saying 'Good Morning' to you. It also recognises where you are so it'll tell you what the weather is like that day as well. You can also set it to greet you in different languages too. I woke up to my alarm speaking Mandarin to me for about a month!

Some other useful apps I use are Facebook (obvs) and the Cineworld one is great if you're a regular cinema go-er like me and fancy catching an impromptu movie. I think I have a modest amount of handy apps on my phone and don't like to clutter it up with too much otherwise I'd never be off my phone!

What are some of your favourite Android apps? Any good recommendations?

Vanessa

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review | toni & guy casual sea salt spray

Tuesday 6 August 2013


If you remember my review of the Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray, you'd remember the amount of scrunching involved in getting the perfect beach look. It was just wasn't to my liking but I have since attempted to get the beach hair look again with the Toni & Guy Casual Sea Salt Spray and I have been loving the results so far.

I'm not sure if it's because my hair is a little longer than the last time I tried a sea salt spray but the results from this is brilliant. After towel drying my hair, I spray this in my hair and brush it through. Then I leave it to dry naturally or with a hair dryer if I'm short for time. It gives my hair movement and it doesn't leave a heavy matte texture after which I was finding the Bumble & Bumble one did. Mama Orchid also commented on the smell of it which I really like. 

This is an excellent alternative to the Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray and is priced at a pocket friendly £7.19. 

Have you tried any other sea salt sprays to get the perfect beach look?


Vanessa

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current loves #2 | the non beauty edition

Sunday 4 August 2013

animal crossing | ailee | the blue umbrella | harry potter
Every spare moment I get, I literally cram it in with everything! With long and often weird shift patterns at work, I find it hard to fit in every day life stuff in it but here is what I have been loving lately.

Ever since upgrading my Nintendo DS Lite to a 3DS XL last month (with the help of my work colleague!) I have been loving playing Animal Crossing. It has now become part of my life to find out the turnip prices for the day, pay off the loan on my house and dig for fossils. It's brilliant! If you have a 3DS and you're playing Animal Crossing, let me know so I can visit your town!

My love of Kpop is not stopping any time with my recent discovery of Ailee. Her voice is phenomenal! Her EP, A's Doll House is brilliant and I listen to it all the time. And isn't she beautiful?

I went to see Monsters University the other day and I always look forward to the Pixar Short Films more than the actual film sometimes! The Blue Umbrella is a beautiful short and of course I cried. Go to see Monsters University just for the short if you're not a big Monster's Inc fan (and why wouldn't you be??)

Oh HP, I will probably never grow old of it. It's not even a current love...it's a forever love. Always. 

Vanessa

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review | wear it up

Thursday 1 August 2013


With the hot weather coming and going in Scotland, it's always handy to have a hair tie lying around for those impromptu moments where wearing our hair down is just too much. 

I certainly have been loving these colourful hair ties that also act as cute wristbands. These are made from elastic material that have just been knotted at the end. They are not supposed to give you that weird kink in your hair once you let it down and I find that they are great for the standard pony tail or a messy bun if you're feeling adventurous!

You can buy these elastics pre-made from Etsy or Ebay but I bought mine from Dorothy Perkins where you can get 4 for £2.00! Or you can buy the elastic separately and make as many as you want!


Vanessa

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current loves #1 | the beauty edition

Tuesday 30 July 2013


It occurred to me that I don't buy enough products each month to justify doing a monthly favourite but I do love sharing what I have been enjoying using lately. This is the beauty edition and I will be soon sharing my non-beauty favourites which is always an exciting time. 

I have been trying to grow my hair out lately and I suddenly decided that I don't like to straighten my hair anymore so I bought this Toni & Guy Casual Sea Salt Texturising Spray to give my hair some movement. I didn't get on too well with the Bumble and Bumble sea salt spray but I have been loving using this Toni & Guy one and it smells pretty good too! I won't talk about it too much as I will have a review post dedicated to this soon.

Digging through my blush collection, I re-discovered the Benefit Dallas Boxed Powder which was one of the first makeup products I had ever bought. This is the perfect glowy, radiant and the 'I have just been out in the fields picking daisies' look. I'm slowly moving back into powder blushes after my very long stint with cream blushes and this is just perfect for that.

I used to use the MAC Lustre Drops all the time last year then for some reason I stopped. But lately I've been picking it up and dotting it along the top of my cheekbones before blending to give me a beautiful glow. The shade I have is Pink Rebel and is perfect for an effortless radiant look.

If you told me a month ago that I'd start wearing nude eyeliner, I would probably laugh in your face. It was a pretty foreign concept to me and something I didn't understand. I impulsively bought the Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeliner in nude as they had a buy one get one half price offer and I have really loved using it on my lower waterline. Having Asian eyes is a bit of nuisance but the nude eyeliner really opens up my eyes and makes them bigger *thumbs up*. 

What have you been loving lately?


Vanessa

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review | tresemme instant refresh dry shampoo

Sunday 28 July 2013


I'm not a regular user of dry shampoo. I like to wash my hair every day despite what people say about washing hair every day. But I was staying over at a friend's flat just last week and I wouldn't have time to wash my hair before starting another 10 hour shift so I bought this in the hope that I will look more refreshed.

I have tried the Batiste dry shampoo before and I did not enjoy using it but I had heard good things about the Tresemme one so I gave it a go. With dry shampoo, you basically spray it onto your hair (obviously shaking it up before using it), leave it for a little while and then brush it through. 

I found this did refresh my hair and gave it an instant lift but thinking longer term it isn't something that would last throughout the day without a quick spritz every now and then. I It has a generous 200ml which is more than enough if you plan on using it every once in a while. I would probably reach for this if I've been having a lazy day and not wanting to wash my hair. 

It is priced at £4.79 but I'm sure Superdrug or Boots will have regular offers which means you can save a little more!

Are you a fan of dry shampoos or do you like to wash your hair every day like me?

Vanessa

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Urban Decay Blogger Event

Wednesday 24 July 2013


I recently attended another amazing event organised by Laura at North East Blogger Events. This time, we got invited down to the Urban Decay counter in Aberdeen and we were treated to an evening of a makeup masterclass. The Urban Decay girls took us through some of their cult classic products and showed us some new releases (which were very tempting indeed!).



The products they used featured in the new ad campaign for the Moondust eyeshadows and some others that I hadn't seen before.






I basically spent the entire night loitering around the glitter eyeliners after admiring it on one of the Urban Decay girls. Oh how I wish I was confident enough to pull it off!

We got plenty of time to wandering around the stand and have an epic swatching session. I have my eye on some UD products for my next pay day (the Naked Beauty Balm specifically).

As always, it was great to catch up with fellow bloggers and meet some new ones. 

What are your must have Urban Decay products?


Vanessa

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review | eyeko skinny liquid eyeliner

Wednesday 17 July 2013

Magazines during the summer months usually have brilliant freebies. I used to buy magazines every month but then I discovered blogs and I found that they were a better way of keeping up to date with the beauty world...for free. I made an exception this month as Marie Claire's freebie this month is an Eyeko Skinny Mini liquid eyeliner worth £8.

I've never tried Eyeko products before so I was looking forward to testing this out.





The first thing I noticed about this eyeliner is the nib. The point is small and allows for great precision depending on the eyeliner look you're going for. The pigmentation is amazing...so black!

The application itself is easy and slick. No pulling at the eyes here. The standard of liquid eyeliners for me is its longevity. I was out and about in town in Scottish summer weather for a good few hours and it did not smudge one bit. So impressed!

I definitely missed the memo when these hit the market! This is a front runner for me in the liquid eyeliner race. Marie Claire is still doing this promotion at the moment as well as a 20% off voucher for other Eyeko products so grab yours quickly!


Vanessa

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