O HEAR US WHEN WE CRY TO THEE FOR THOSE IN PERIL ON THE SEA; A MEMORIAL

Hi Lovelies!

This weekend my step dad had the honour of being asked to lay a wreath at the Sub-Mariners Memorial service in London; and we were asked to accompany him. 

The Sub-Mariners memorial service remembers all of those brave soldiers that have been lost at sea; this memorial service is always on the Sunday preceding Remembrance Sunday. 

The service began with the Sub-Mariners band playing while the sailors, admirals and others marched towards the memorial wall. 

All the spectators were dressed in black with their Poppy's showing in all their glory against a dark canvas. Ex sub-mariners and current alike were wearing their uniforms which was really lovely to see, so many people there to remember their comrades from all the wars before now. 

Before the memorial started we boarded the HMS President and saw the beautiful views of London - the weather was perfect a crisp, dry day with gorgeous sunshine. 

The service went on for 1 hour and included the naval prayer which can be found here and the naval hymn which can be found in the same place (the title is a line from the hymn, I thought it was very relevant but so poignant). 

As for what I wore; I kept my make-up really neutral for the day going with bronze/brown eyes, neutral lips and pale pink blusher with a white icy tone. 

As I mentioned before we all wore black out of respect I wore a black textured pencil skirt from New Look (similar here) and a thick black jumper (I really feel the cold!) with black suede wedge ankle boots (old from stylistpick.com).

Unfortunately my phone ran out of battery before I could photograph the wreaths but I will upload the ones my sister got soon. The service was beautiful and a fantastic tribute to those lost and those still fighting. To find out more about the Sub-Mariners please click here. 

Have you ever been to a memorial service like this? What did you think? What did you wear?!

Nicola x 

BEAUTY BOX SWAP

Evening lovelies!

After chatting to my lovely friend Chloe from Clo's beauty spot  about my holiday to America we decided to do a box swap - I would buy cosmetics in America for her and she would buy cosmetics from the UK for me and we would post them out to each other. I'm sure you have all heard of a box swap before but if not basically you both choose a budget, mention things you really don't like, for example I told Clo I don't think red lipstick suits me, and then you buy items you think the other would like! Its a great way to find new products you haven't tried before or to get your hands on some items you can't get in your country.

So below are the items Chloe sent me, she put little notes with each item to explain why she bought it which I thought was super cute =)

MUA Undress me too eye shadow palette

Barry M Eye shadow pencil 

If you can read the note she has put noticed that you love statement necklaces so thought you'd like this one. I love it!! From Primark. 

This bracelet she brought all the way back from her holiday in Turkey!!

I am so happy with all the items Chloe bought me - I love MUA I have one of their other eye shadow palettes, I've always wanted to try the colour tattoo and love burgundy at the moment (I think we all do this time of year =)), never really tried eye pencils so that was great and always need a lip product for the winter I have a terrible habit of biting my lips.

So first impressions were great! Unpacking the box was really exciting especially reading all the notes and seeing why she had chosen the products she had. The jewellery was completely unexpected but is so me and I love it.

So far I have experimented with the MUA eye palette and the Maybelline colour tattoo eye shadow; below are the looks I created. (I also created a more neutral look for a wedding here.)

MUA palette using colours Shy in the tear duct and under the brows, Lavish in the crease, Exposed on the lid and corrupt in the outer corner.

Here I used Maybelline Colour Tattoo as a base and then Fiery (gold) from the MUA palette on the eye lid, Naked in the tear duct and Wink in the outer corner. Used Lavish in the crease again.

Here I used the Maybelline as the base, and a mixture of all the golds and bronze tones in the palette and blended it out with Lavish again.

Here is just a fun look I created for Halloween! 

 I have used the Barry M eye pencil on my water line and it definitely brightens up the eye area and is easy to use, doesn't hurt the eye at all. The Nivea smells incredible, gives the lips a neutral sheen which I love.

I adore the MUA palette will definitely be a staple in my collection - the colours are stunning I love golds and bronze tones they blend really well and have fantastic staying power! The texture is really silky and the colour pay off is top notch. I adore the Maybelline Colour Tattoo - it takes on new dimensions and colours when you use it as a base and layer it with other colours but also stands well on its own if you use it as an all over lid colour by itself. Its really easy to blend and layer and doesn't feel heavy on the lid for a cream shadow.

Thank you so much Chloe! I love my goodies =)

Have you done box swaps? Have you tried any of these products?

See you soon =)

Nicola x

BOURJOIS 123 PERFECT MATCH FOUNDATION: A REVIEW

As someone who suffers from oily skin and has to use blotting sheets numerous times a day (problems!) I am forever trying out new foundations sucked in by their claims of “all day matt finish” and “no more shine” but have yet to find one that stays true to its claim.
After trying a few Bourjois products - adore their nail varnishes and shimmer shine liquid eye shadows - I thought I’d try one of theirs. I tweeted Bourjois asking which of their foundations they would recommend and within no time at all they replied to try their 123 perfect match foundation. Naturally I ran straight over to boots to grab a bottle. I had no problem finding my colour match (I usually find even the lightest is too dark for my skin) paid and couldn’t wait to try it.
It comes in a glass bottle with a fitted pump - love the packaging feels expensive and worth the £10.99 price tag!
One pump is plenty for the coverage I like - the foundation smells slightly fruity not at all like a cosmetic which I LOVE! It has quite a runny consistency which makes it very easy to blend in using my favourite too - Nanshy flat top kabooki brush- and feels almost like there is no product on your skin at all, making it perfect for the summer. The coverage is easily build-able and looks very natural on the skin. I applied the foundation on top of my primer and set it with my MUA translucent powder, added my blush and was ready for the day.
Usually I have to blot a couple of hours into the day around my nose, chin, cheeks and forehead however I was completely surprised to find that my skin FINALLY had that matt finish I have been after for so long.
I must add a note here that I still had to blot my forehead but I have a full thick fringe so this would happen with any product.

I cannot say a word against this product, if you struggle with oily skin or are looking for a new lightweight foundation to experiment with this is definitely worth a try!

STILA LIPSTICK AND LIP LINER: A REVIEW

Here is one of the looks I created with my new Stila lipstick (Michaela) and glaze lip liner (Melon) from www.directcosmetics.com. I'd never used any products from Stila but had read fantastic reviews and seen some gorgeous looks created using them so was intrigued to try it out for myself.

I kept the eyes neutral as I really wanted the lip colour to stand out. The lipstick packaging is really lovely - simple tube with hidden detail inside on the inner tube. Very moisturising feel with good coverage - the colour was much lighter than I was expecting and had more of a pinky tinge to it than it looks in the tube but I have fallen in love with the way it looks. The glaze lip liner looks great with the lipstick even though they are not a direct match or used all over the lips for a more intense look. I would definitely recommend the Stila lip products they feel very light on the lips and have a fantastic range of colours.

MINI MAKEUP HAUL

I came across a website selling branded products for a sixth of the price, so I couldn't resist adding to my ever growing collection! (http://www.directcosmetics.com/)

Here’s what I bought - Stila, Bourjois and Urban Decay, so excited to try these new products!

Have any of you tried these products? What do you think?  

I'M NICOLA AND I'M A BEAUTY ADDICT...

At the age of 25 I have decided that I am OBSESSED with makeup, I spend most of my time watching youtube videos about makeup, makeup hauls and makeup tips. Yes it has taken me a long time to fall in love with makeup but I am now making up for lost time my collecting and experimenting with as many brands and products as my pay cheque will allow! 

(Just a brief insert - here are some of my absolute favourite youtube beauty gurus: http://www.youtube.com/user/CarliBel55, http://www.youtube.com/user/saturdaynightsalrite,  http://www.youtube.com/user/Jaclynhill1 and http://www.youtube.com/user/shaaanxo).

So here are some of the makeup looks I have created:

I have set up my own little ‘beauty station’ and sit there for a considerable amount of time experimenting with new looks, colours and products and I am really enjoying it! I never realised how much you can change and enhance your features with a few simple products and makeup tools!

I have also got my facial routine down to a tea at the moment - it always helps to start on a well cleaned and maintained canvas! 

What do you guys think? How many of you try to recreate looks seen in beauty videos? Do you know what your doing or just playing at makeup like me?! Would love to hear your recommendations or tips!