It's a Celebration

I'm celebrating this week! I don't normally get weeks where I can say, ''this has been a great week'' but this was definately one :)

First of all I recieved my 5st loss award with Slimming World, I started at the end of April 2011 and I blogged about it the whole way through: http://seramcdaid.wordpress.com/

And secondly the lovely Rockabilly Girl Next Door put together my wonderful new blog header!

Well now, traditionally cause for celebration is met with a nice dinner out, a dander around the late night opening shops, a sparkly cocktail or a wee cinema date. And I do love tradition......

I started painting! ;)

I've found I'm getting more and more daring as the weeks go on with my make-up and I'm loving it! And with tips and pointers from a fantastic make up Artist like Bex (you can see for yourself here: http://bexberry.blogspot.com/ ) I've found my confidence growing!

 

 (taking straight face pictures cracks me up :S)

Same make up base as last weeks The Date Night That Never Happens blog post.
No. 7 Perfect Light Pressed Powder in 'Fair' as a base
Vital Radiance Blush in 'Pink Radiance'
BYS Eyeshadow Palette A brush of the white underneath eyebrow line. 2 shades of neutral browns, 1 lighter than the other dusted over the lid and a darker shade used in the crease of my eyelid.
Collection 2000 Extreme Felt Tip Liner for my flick
Maybelline Great Lash Mascara AND Collection 2000 Big Fake Mascara
NYC Lipcolour purchased on a whim years ago that seems to be discontinued now! (must get Rockalilly Lipstick in my life!)

After all the face painting I stuck my hair up in it's signature doughnut style (it's just so simple!) If you haven't seen it yet I wrote a ''How-To'' of sorts here: Breakfast At Tiffany's.

For my outfit I simply paired a plain black pair of Trousers from George at Asda (purchased for £8!) with the amazing deer print blouse from www.Matalan.co.uk (still available in 12 - 20!)

                                                     
                             Isn't the print fab!!! And the little puff at the shoulders! <3

 

Teamed with these simple, versitile yet fantastic heels....

 I used Collection 2000 Hot Looks Nail Polish in Shade 29: Big Hair

And I was ready to celebrate in style!

Faking It To Make It

It's commonplace these days for a girls best accessory to be her 'falsies'.

I'm talking about Eyelashes ;)

I know some who would have them on permenantly! Would never dream of being seen without them!

Me? I have had lash extensions professionally applied a couple of times and I've tried false eyelashes on many occasions now. I experimented over and over again in the run up to my Wedding to find the perfect WOW! look for our Special Day. I ended up going for lash extensions on that particular occasion.

However, it's just not a plausible option for every-day wear for me personally. I wear glasses most days and there isn't a false lash of any kind I've found that doesn't feel ridiculously uncomfortable underneath my specs! Apart from that I'm still quite a novice when it comes to applying certain things, false eyelashes of any kind being one of those things! Just so fiddly! So I started experimenting again. This time with Mascaras. My goal? To find a mascara that gave me a slight false lash effect, which you'd think would be easy.... saying as though they're all claiming to be able to!

After trying a ridiculous amount of mascaras on their own I realised I wasn't going to get what I wanted from just one mascara so I decided to try combining products. If you think about it, we combine eyeshadows constantly, we combine lipsticks and glosses etc so why not mascara?

I was able to achieve this look with a combination of 2 Mascaras. I am not wearing any other makeup in this picture other than the mascaras and a little kohl eyeliner underneath the eye, absolutely nothing on the eyelid or upper lash line.

So the little Miracle Workers?

I used Maybelline Great Lash in Blackest Black first on my eyelashes. Applied as normal, taking care to coat the bottom lashes.

2 coats of this are lovely by themselves however when I added.....





         A couple of top coats of
              Collection 2000 Big Fake Mascara
                       I got the look I wanted!






It's not an 'overly dramatic' look but it's the best I've achieved without false eyelashes or extensions and I love it! For just under £12 collectively this combination is a lot easier on my budget rather than buying one more-expensive mascara that doesn't get the job done!

In saying all of this I have a pair of falsies upstairs that I purchased on a whim last week that I will definately try again with when I next have my contacts in!

Bag Lady

Here's the thing....

I don't go out.

Therefore I can't really justify paying through the nose for bags. (Sorry I just refuse to call them handbags the thought of the word is enough to make me shiver. My grandmother and my mother have handbags therefore I, at 27, have bags.)

So what does one do when they would like a couple of bags without breaking the budget?

Take it to George at Asda would be my advice at this moment in time!

Credit where credit is due, they're doing well! Not least with their funky bag range but the clothes products on offer have been improved hugely in the last year or two.

But today, it's all about the bags!

The first bag I purchased from the range was this pretty little Retro Inspired number:

 I love it immensely, it's cute and I've found it quite versitile in styling it with outfits. Far brighter in colour than my shoddy camera work shows! It's a great statement bag and it only cost me £10. Unfortunately there don't seem to be any listed on their website but I know my local store still has a few!

 I then found this little gem on George for just £5!!!
The photo really doesn't do it justice, it's so vintage inspired! It is lined in the most beautiful bright deep green, it really does make me sigh :)
 I haven't 'used' this bag yet though as it only arrived last week! Give me another couple of weeks and I may debut it and brave a jaunt to my local supermarket....
Maybe......
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but this one also seems to have disappeared from their online store :(


So onto what you can buy should you wish!

How about one of these cute as buttons bags!

Cute as a button, see?
Dogtooth Bag
George at Asda
£10

                              
                        Another just as cute as a button!

                                               Stripe Bag
                                                 George at Asda
                                                          £10





You can't fault them really. The ones I have seem well made, they hold a lot of my junk and they look and feel great on your arm!

My ultimate most favourite bag I've seen lately is one I had stored in my Watch List on Ebay from the very talented Bettie Mae Designs ..... it's truely stunning and possibly THE cutest bag I've laid eyes on!

I'm not entirely sure this particular design is listed at the moment but I've been reliably informed by the amazing Claire, the master crafter behind Bettie Mae Designs that there are plenty of goodies available! Of course I scurried off to have a look! From bags that are cute beyond any cuteness I've seen before and funky little shoe clips, us die hard Rockabilly Fans are well catered for!
You can check out her fantastic range of products through either of the following:
Facebook: Bettie Mae Designs
or her Ebay Shop
Ebay: Bettie Mae Designs
Why not get in contact with the lovely lady herself, I can vouch she doesn't bite ;) (Remember to say you've found her through here!)

Unfortunately it's a bit late for me to pop any of her goodies onto my Santa List for this year but I *may* just have to treat myself ;)

Lots of cuteness to choose from! I'm all about the cute with bags.... we don't need handbags until we're much older!

Breakfast at Tiffany's: I'll have a doughnut!

For months I have lusted over bun height. Yes... bun height!

No matter how hard I tried I just could not get it to sit nice and fully on top of my head.

Having a little Monster of 16 months means I can't really have my hair hanging around my face as we've found it makes excellent ropes so I needed something that looked good but in reality was 'thrown together'.....

And so I looked to one of my style Icons: the beautiful Audrey Hepburn.

That classic shot of Breakfast at Tiffany's showing such a classically simple yet chic updo is inspiration in itself.

So how do we get a simple updo with minimal fuss? We use a DOUGHNUT ... it's not a very attractive name but I'm not judging ;)

You will need: Doughnut
                         Hair Elastic
                         Bobby Pins
                         Comb
                                  





I'll take you through this step by step and I promise it's quite simple, it won't hurt a bit and you'll be pleased with the results!

First, tie your hair up in a very high ponytail, as high up as you can get it on your head and make sure it's quite secure but comfortable.......

Then, pull the ponytail through
   the doughnut. Your doughnut
     should now be covering your
        hair elastic.....







Now we simply let our hair fall over the doughut naturally, you'll find your hair will have a centre and then rest will fall quite easily to cover the doughnut. It does however mean looking like Cousin It for a minute or two!

Some people at this stage would backcomb but the great thing about this particular styling is that you don't need hairspray or backcombing :)

Then you just stick as many bobby pins in as you need! Start with one section of hair and just start pinning into place  ...

You should end up with something like this...

 And then let your inner Hair Accessory Fiend out!

Say it with Pearls?

                         Bows?








Or my absolute personal favourite way of accessorising, grab yourself a statement headpiece like this netted headband from a local Charity Shop for a whole £1.50......

It's a versatile updo style that has spanned quite a few fashion eras and you can dress it up whatever way you like plus it's so simple to create! Give it a go! You can pick up a doughnut for a couple of £'s on Ebay, Amazon or even your local chemists.......

The Date Night that Never Happens....

As I'm sure you have deduced from the title of this blog, at this point in my life, I do not venture out much. There are many reasons for this. In over 2 years I've been on 1 night out. That's it.

This all being another reason for starting my little blog :)

So I don't go anywhere! Doesn't mean I can't have fun with that ;)

What's great about my Date Night That Never Happens is I can literally wear whatever the hell I like!

This week I've gone Retro Prom!

I used my old faithful NYC Black Nail Colour with a top coat of the Shimmy Shake Hot Looks from Collection 2000 as featured in Budget Beauty Buy of The Week.

Then I set about creating my Make Up Look for tonight!
For this task I took inspiration from some other fantastic rockabilly pin up blogs!

A special mention has to go to the ever gorgeous Rockabilly Girl Next Door whose video tutorials have me hooked!

I used:
No. 7 Perfect Light Pressed Powder in 'Fair' as a base
Vital Radiance Blush in 'Pink Radiance'
BYS Eyeshadow Palette but only the cream shade as a base over the eyelid
Bellapierre Cosmetics Shimmer in 'Harmony' - just the lightest dusting for sparkle at the eyelid crease
Collection 2000 Extreme Felt Tip Liner for my flick
Maybelline Great Lash Mascara AND Collection 2000 Big Fake Mascara
Barry M Lipliner / Filler in No 3

And this was the result:

I used one of those doughnut things for my hair and just pinned it up - nothing fancy and nothing clever!

I'm a little bit in love with the make up I have to say! I'm not normally as daring with it ie I never wear glitter or shimmer and I loved this excuse to go a bit more dramatic with the eyeliner!

And so! Onto my outfit for this evening!

Vintage Richards Prom Dress 99p!!
Black and Gold Lace Peeptoe Shoes £2.69
Velour Cape £3.45
All from EBAY!

I kid you not!

A little trashy, very brazen and total retro unfashionable train wreck: I LOVE IT ALL!

Off we go...........................................

                 
                                       ................... Absolutely Nowhere......

Budget Beauty Buy of The Week

I don't have a lot spare in the budget month to month for luxuries however I manage to cover the basics.

So, in this post I am including my First Budget Beauty Buy of the Week. This will hopefully be a running theme! I have a Cupcake Saving Jar and I'm not afraid to break into it! Plus it gives me an iron-glad reason for buying myself one lovely thing a week!

Debuting this theme is a new product recently featured in Company Magazine.

Do you fancy having your very own little pot of Gold? You can!

Collection 2000 Hot Looks Nail Colour

This particular shade is Number 52: Shimmy Shake
 
10 new shades to pick from and I paid just £1.79 for my little pot of Gold!

Even in the pot it looks fantastic!

On the website it advises to apply 2 coats however I found 2 coats gave me a decent slight glittery sparkle but nowhere near the effect you expect from looking at it in the pot so I just kept going until I was satisfied with the result.


After 5 coats. Yup, 5. But it is fabulous and well worth my £1.79!

My verdict? Collection 2000 Hot Looks Shimmy Shake has me twinkling my fingers tonight.

All that glitters, in this case, is most definately Gold!

Do you 'Feel Unique'?

Something I recently discovered via Twitter had me all a flutter with excitement. A company who provides you with a little box of treasures each month! For the princely sum of £9.95 (paid by direct debit every month).

So I have taken what I would have spent on chocolate... no really :P and I subscribed.

The month thereafter crawled by and then this treasure trove was handed to me by my postman!

I'm not launching into a big review of products I haven't even road tested so for now I'm just going to tell you about the fantastic Goldwell DualSenses Rich Repair 60 Second Treatment.

The information card provided informs me that it's an 'ultra fast-working product for dry, damaged hair'.
I was keen to try it out. Being a Live XXL girl, my poor hair is put through so much!

This is the (slightly horrendous!) before picture....

 The instructions were simple:
1. Shampoo hair as normal.
2. Apply treatment to hair.
3. Comb through.
4. After 60 seconds rinse thoroughly

Simple!

I have to admit I started to panic during rinsing as my hair colour seemed to be rinsing out with the product but when I finished drying my hair etc it didn't seem to have had that much of an effect on the colour at all so that's a huge plus in my book.

I towel dried my hair, brushed through and then I set about 'styling'.

I hate using too many products or hair appliances on my hair so for today I quickly blowdried my hair, upside down for added volume at the roots. I then brushed through and blowdried the top layer (right side up this time) for shape. To finish off I used straighteners. I tend not to straighten the roots of my hair and always advise people to straighten from about an inch away from your root. It helps to create volume and also saves your roots a little as that hair has to grow out!

I was extremely pleased with the results.

Not only does my hair have fantastic shine, it looks sleek and feels renourished! I honestly wouldn't feel any better stepping out of a hairdressers! So very pleased. It's hard to get good treatment for hair but this is definately a recommendation from me to you.

The only thing? And it's a small thing but to me I realised that it's quite an important thing.... there is no nice slightly-perfumed smell from my hair. In fact, it doesn't smell of anything. I normally smell of strawberries and cream. Any little hint of a fragrance would have been nice in my humble opinion. As I said, it's a small thing ;)

Good news is you can buy the Full Sized Product on their website (link below)

Goldwell DualSenses Rich Repair 60 Sec Treatment
for just £7.70 plus FREE delivery!

If you fancy having a little box of treasure delivered each month, sign up!

The Feel Unique Beauty Box Offer

Like A Virgin

This is how I frequently feel at the moment!

Having lost almost 5st now I am taking those first tentative steps towards finding myself in regards to what my style is. It's hard when you've been used to wearing XXXL for so long to find your Inner Style Goddess amongst all the product lines on offer! 

But I'm giving it a go.

Let me start by telling you about a little thing called The Target Dress.

8 months ago I promised myself that when I felt the time was right I would debut my favourite dress by my favourite designer...

Vivien of Holloway

The romance found in a 1950's reproduction dress is second to none.

 

Vivien of Holloway: Red Sarong Satin £110.00

I haven't yet purchased the dress. The time isn't right. A lot of you will know what I mean.

In the meantime this is me, introducing The Agoraphobic Fashionista  to you for the very first time.

I hope to have all your support whilst I find my Inner Style Goddess.... she's in there, I just know it!