Off to Texas, byeeeee!

Right, tonight I will be packing like a mad thing, as straight after work tomorrow I'm off to the airport! I'm off to Texas for 3 weeks to see the family and I am SO excited. I'll be spending a few days with my sister in Austin, then we're all heading back "home" to Houston. I can't wait to be back in that house, I miss it so much, and seeing my parents again will be amazing. We'll also be going to New Orleans for a few days in the middle of the holiday which will be an extra treat!

I probably won't be blogging while I'm there. To be honest I really need a break and I think it will feel like more of a break if I don't spend any time on the internet! I will be spending my time reading, eating and sunbathing instead.

I'll leave you with a gorgeous picture of the Houston skyline. This is the first thing you see when you approach the city from the airport, the huge skyscrapers looming over the horizon. I get excited butterflies every time I see it!

USA shopping list!

I'm off down to Surrey for the weekend so won't be able to blog, so I thought I'd get a post in now while I had the chance! I'm at home alone with a cold glass of wine and a packet of Maltesers (mmmmmm). What better chance to plan my shopping list for when I head off to America next week? Lets um and ahhh over these beauties, shall we?

1. MAC MSF Natural powder

I've heard nothing but praise for this amazing powder foundation. Perfect, flawless coverage without clogging your pores. What more could a girl want? I tried this out a while ago in the shop but I thought I would wait until I could get it much cheaper in America

2. Smashbox Photo Finish Primer

Widely claimed to be the Holy Grail of primers. I am so excited to try this. I am yet to find anywhere that sells Smashbox products in the UK. If anyone knows otherwise, please let me know!

3. MAC Fluidline Gel Eyeliner

Something else I've been wanting to try for ages. I've been using liquid eyeliner for years now so it might take a bit of getting used to, but gel is the way forward, apparently! I'll have to take a closer look at the colours, though, because I can't decide whether I want to stick with trusted black or go for the gorgeous royal purple (pictured above).

4. Sephora by Opi

Opi have created this lovely range of nail polishes exclusively for Sephora. The colours I've seen so far look so pretty, I can't wait to see them all.

Finally, I shall end on a little rant. Why why WHY do they not have a Sephora in the UK? It's makeup lovers heaven. Every other major European capital seems to have one, America is crawling with them, so why not in the UK? It's quite possibly my favourite shop ever. I found one in Barcelona with three different floors (I KNOW!) but unfortunately the poor Pound to Euro exchange rate meant I couldn't afford anything. So excited about next week!

Alice in Wonderland - Official Trailer

I am SO excited about this!



I've been hearing little snippets about this film for a while now and now I finally get to watch the trailer.... over and over again!

I'm glad that Tim Burton is doing it. It looks really trippy, which is how Alice in Wonderland was originally intended to be. It does look a little too CGI, but then I suppose how else would they get the scenery and overall trippy effect? OH and it's released the day after my birthday. Hurrah!

When jewellery goes very, very wrong

Oh ASOS, what have you done? I know statement jewellery is "in" at the moment, but this is taking it a bit too far. Actually, this has crossed the boundary of daring and gone straight into ridiculously ugly territory! This offending item is supposed to be the London skyline. I think you would have to love London a rather unhealthy amount to want to wear this, but hey, if you disagree with me and would love to wear a massive metal skyline across your chest, then you can buy it here at ASOS!

My (lack of) style

I'm been having a bit of a play on Polyvore. It's so much fun, it's like therapy for me. I can let my creative juices run free and not care what anyone else thinks and, when you are as poor as I am at the moment, it's the next best thing to going shopping!

I came up with the mish-mash pictured above. I have never claimed to be fashionable. I don't really have "style". I tend to wear whatever I think looks good on a particular day, and this may not be what everyone else considers fashionable at the time. When it comes to buying clothes I go for all sorts. I have classic pieces, floral and girly dresses, things that are very "on trend" and probably be discarded this time next year. I also have a lot of clothes that people might describe as "rocker", "scene", "grunge" etc. I don't like slotting into one particular catagory. A friend once said to me "I love that you can wear that dress and not give a shit. It looks awesome on you but I just couldn't pull it off". That's the key - not giving a shit. I like my clothes. Not everyone does, but I like it that way.

Cupcakes!

(pic credit)

I love baking. I find it so therapeutic. I hardly ever eat what I've made, I might just sample one to check the taste etc., but my boyfriend is highly appreciative of the endless supply of cakes, cupcakes, loaves and bread that he gets to munch his way through. I have a cupboard full of colourings, edible glitter and other decorations to smother my cupcakes with. My current favourite is pink sponge with pink icing, pink glitter and silver balls on top. Anyone guessing I like pink?

I have, however, had many problems in the past trying to make the perfect cream cheese frosting (the best for cupcakes). I like to be able to pipe it in swirls on top of the cupcake without it collapsing into a gloopy mess. Mine always ends up too runny, or too grainy (where the butter starts separating from the colouring... yuck). I have now found out that I was "overbeating". Courtesy of How To Eat A Cupcake, I now have the recipe and technique for the perfect frosting:

"Yields: About 2 cups
Ingredients:
8 ounces cream cheese
5 tablespoons unsalted butter (optional)
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 to 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
Grated lemon or orange zest, ground cinnamon, or liqueur of choice

Food Processor Method
Have the cream cheese cold. The butter can be cold, but preferably at room temperature, 68 to 70 degrees F. Combine cream cheese, butter, vanilla and sugar in a food processor and pulse just until smooth and creamy. If the frosting is too stiff, pulse for a few seconds longer. Do not overprocess. If desired, stir in additional flavoring to taste.

Electric Mixer Method
Have the cream cheese cold and the butter at room temperature. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until blended. Add sugar one-third at a time and beat just until smooth and the desired consistency. If frosting is too stiff, beat for few seconds longer. Do not overbeat. If desired, stir in additional flavoring to taste. This keeps, refrigerated, for about 1 week. Or freeze for up to 3 months. Soften and stir until smooth before using."

I can't wait to try this out! For other recipes and amazing cupcake tips, visit How To Eat A Cupcake. Warning, it will make you very hungry.

Sparkling pink eyes

Well that wasn't such a good start. One post and then nothing for days! I have been stupidly busy though. I spent the weekend in Surrey visiting my boyfriend's family, so I decided to use my Babyliss Conical Wand. I had only used it once before and it looked awful to be honest. I think I just needed practice though, as this time it came out much nicer!

I'm not naked, honestly, it's a strapless dress!


I also made use of some new Barry M eyeshadows I bought the other day:

Sorry for the poor picture quality, but I think you get the idea. I really like how this look came out. This is how I did it:

• First I applied some Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion all over the lids.
• I then swept a thin layer of Barry M Fine Glitter Dust in "7" (pale pink), and put a tiny sweep just under the lower lashes.
• I used a slightly finer eyeshadow brush to apply Barry M Dazzle Dust number 85 (neon pink) just along the upper lash line, then lightly blended it outwards into the pale pink.
• Then I used Urban Decay Eyeshadow Transforming Potion dipped into the neon pink eyeshadow to apply it as an eyeliner along the upper lash line, just to create a brighter pink near the lashes.
• Finally I put a coat of L'Oreal Voluminous mascara in carbon black on my lashes, not too much as I wanted the focus to stay on the pink.

That's it! Definitely a look I'll be doing again. I absolutely adore the Eyeshadow Tranforming Potion. It makes any loose power eyeshadow so much more bold and it stays on all day. It has a thicker brush on the other end too for when you want to coat your whole lid rather than just line it.