Outfit Post - My Blood Is A Flood Of Rubies

As soon as we enter the autumn/winter months people all over Britain can be heard exclaiming "Isn't it getting dark early?" despite the fact that this happens every year and has done since they were born. It's funny how we all know the darkness is coming yet it continues to surprise us every time. I am no exception and despite it being December I still occasionally find myself saying it, especially today when I came to take these outfit photo's.

Missguided Coat, Forever 21 Scarf, Primark Jumper, Topshop Jeans, M & S Boots and Mac Lipstick (Rebel)

It was about 4 o'clock when I went out into my garden to set up my tripod to take these photo's and it was already starting to get dark. This meant I had to set my camera to the highest exposure which has sadly reduced the quality of the photos but I thought that I'd share them anyway as I'm wearing one of my favourite outfits recently. I love the winter vibes of this outfit and the coincidence of my matching lipstick and my scarf.

What is your favourite winter outfit?

Eleanor xx

Sunday Nails - Midnight Snowflakes

With 18 days until Christmas we are well and truly in the depths of winter, and I have definitely been getting into the festive spirit. For example today alone I have been ice skating, looking round the Bath Christmas market, wrapping Christmas presents and watched Home Alone 2, if that isn't festive I don't know what is! So in the spirit of all things festive I of course had to do a festive nail art today!

How have you been getting in the Christmas spirit?

Eleanor xx

Battle Of The Colours - Blonde Vs Brunette

Naturally I have very mousy brown hair, it is flat, thin, dead straight and does absolutely nothing for my face. While lots of people suit their natural hair I believe that I'm sadly not one of them so instead I like to dye my hair. But of course this causes me a major dilemma: blonde or brown? While my hair is currently blonde I am toying with the idea of dying it dark brown so to help me make up my mind I thought I'd draw up a list of pros and cons for dying my hair each colour. 

B L O N D E

• One step closer to achieving my ultimate hair goal of Blake Lively's beautiful locks
• Blondes have more fun (may or may not be factually incorrect)
• Light hair doesn't tend to wash out my pale skin as much as dark hair colours
• With blonde hair it's easier to get away with slightly greasy hair and dry shampoo is virtually invisible 
• Blonde hair doesn't fade like brown
• You always have the potential to go a crazy colour like pink

B R U N E T T E

• It is a lot easier to dye your hair brown at home or touch up roots than blonde 
• Roots are not as obvious
• You're never labelled with the 'dumb blonde' stereotype 
• Blonde hair can look slightly orangey or brassy in some lights
• I could probably get away with being my sister with dark brown hair 

Of course these are just my personal opinions and will definitely not apply to everyone. Also I'd just like to make it clear that I do not think one colour is better than the other or that you must dye your hair, ultimately it's down to personal preference. 

What hair colour do you think I should have? Blonde or brunette? 

Eleanor xx

Sunday Nails - Silver Foil

I am a magpie when it comes to anything sparkly, shiny or glittery, there is just something about the way that they catch the light that draws me to them. It comes to no supprise that I'm always decorating my nails with little gems or glitter or like today, foil.

While it sounds quite unusual to put tin foil on my nails rather than on a Christmas turkey, the result is very pretty. I just cut up your average kitchen foil into tiny little pieces and scattered them onto my wet nails and sealed it all with a clear topcoat, pretty simple huh?

What do you think about using everyday household items to create nail art?

Eleanor xx

Autumn/Winter Haul 2014

Online shopping has become a slight addiction for me. While in the past I've never been fond of buying things online because of having to wait days for what I've bought for it then to possibly not fit, recently I've found myself frequently buying things online because I simply don't have the time or energy to go round town searching for what I need. One of the best days of the year for online shoppers is undoubtedly Black Friday with money off in practically every shop you can get all the deals without having to fight your way through the crazy crowds of shoppers.

As a little inspiration for your online shopping I thought I'd share with you what I've bought recently. Also if you stay tuned till the end of the post I've collected all the best Black Friday deals.

Missguided Coat - £59.99

M & S Boots - £69

Primark Polo Neck Top - £5

Primark Polo Neck Top - £5

H & M Jumper - £24.99 

Miss Selfridge Ripped Super Skinny Jeans - £38

Black Friday Deals -

ASOS: 20% EVERYTHING ALL WEEKEND CODE: CYBERWKND20

River Island : 20% EVERYTHING (11am-3pm) CODE: TREAT28

Missguided : 20% off EVERYTHING DATE: 11.27-12.01 CODE: CYBER20

Topshop : up to 50% off + free worldwide shipping 

All Saints: 20% off all styles DATE: 11.28-12.01 CODE: CYBER 

OFFICE Shoes: 20% off EVERYTHING + free shipping CODE: SNOW 

Romwe: Up to $30 off CODE: CYBERMONDAY15

Urban Outfitters: up to 50% off + free shipping DATE: 11.28 CODE: BFDELIVERY

New Look: up to 50% off selected lines  

Motel Rocks :  25% off EVERYTHING CODE: CYBER25

Miss Selfridge : up to 50% off EVERYTHING

Marks & Spencer : up to 30% off selected lines

Will you be buying anything this Black Friday?

Eleanor xx

Sunday Nails - Blue Marble

99% of the time nail art can be a bit hit or miss. Unless I've done a particular nail art before I have no idea how it is going to turn out, especially when I'm trying out a new technique as I did today. 

Normally when I'm doing a marble effect nail art I'll use the water technique but I thought I'd try something a bit easier: cling film. To create the effect I painted my nails with two coats of white nail polish and then a layer of blue nail polish. While the blue nail varnish is still wet I lightly dabbed my nail with a scrunched up piece of cling film and then finished off with a clear top coat.

I seriously love the effect created by this technique and it's a lot easier than using water to create a marble effect, so I will definitely be trying it again in the future!

Have you every tried used cling film to create nail art?

Eleanor xx

How To Make Your Own Corrector

When you lead a busy life it's easy to lose out on your beauty sleep, sadly that means having to face the daily battle against the under eye bags with a concoction of concealers to hide the fact I've had less than 8 hours sleep. But after watching this video by Gossmakeupartist the battle has become less of a struggle  now I know how to make my own corrector. 

To make your own corrector all you will need is your normal concealer and a cheek or lip tint like Benefits Benetint or Possietint. In Goss's video he suggests using red food colouring but I chose to use a cheek or lip tint because it is less likely to stain and specially designed to be used on your face unlike food colouring.

I then just mix the two products in about a until the concealer turns a more orangey/salmon colour and there you have your perfect corrector. While it may seem like a lot of effort it's really a lot easier than buying a whole other product and trying to find the right shade. 

Do you suffer with dicolouration under your eyes? Have you ever tried making your own corrector?Eleanor xx

Sunday Nails - Children In Need

As you may or may not know this week was Children In Need. For those of you who don't live in the UK and don't know what Children In Need is, it is basically a huge charity even that happens every year in the UK that is run by the BBC to raise money for disadvantaged children all over Britain. To do my part for Children In Need I performed in a charity concert in front of my whole school. This involved me dressing up like a cheer leader and humiliating myself by dancing to High School Musical, fun. I also showed my support for this amazing charity by painting my nails with Pudsy Bear'a signature spots.

You can donate to Children In Need here!

Did you do anything for Children In Need this year?

Eleanor xx

November Wishlist

How are we nearly halfway through November already? I seriously don't know where the time has gone and before we know it it'll be January the 1st SCARY! In all the craziness I've lost track of time, and barely had anytime for shopping but there have been a few things that have caught my eye which I thought I'd share with you today...

Missguided Worst Behaviour Clutch - £17.99
My one and only clutch bag broke a few months ago and I haven't found one that I like since to replace it, until I found this beauty on Missguided. I love these embossed slogan clutch bags that have been popping up all over the high street and this is one of my favourites that I've seen. I love the slogan 'Worst Behaviour' as it reminds me of one of my favourite songs from Drake's most recent album and this clutch would save me from putting my phone in my bra when I go out.

NARS Virtual Domination Cheek Palette - £45
I first saw this palette on Fleur De Force's blog and fell in love. I love Nars products, especially Laguna which is my favourite bronzer, so to have all of their most popular blushes in one palette would be heaven. This would make the perfect Christmas palette and I have a feeling it may sell out, so if you want one I'd order it from Space NK soon!

Topshop Lace Bodycon Dress - £60
With the party season coming up I am bound to need a little black dress at some point and this gorgeous dress from Topshop is perfect. While it may be little bit pricey at £60 I think it's worth the price as it is timeless and you will be able to wear it at almost any event for years and years, so definitely worth the investment.

River Island OOTD T-Shirt - £18
There isn't much to say about this t-shirt apart from the face that it is the perfect blogger t-shirt. Oh and it's pretty reasonable as well. I NEED IT.

What are you lusting after this month?

Eleanor xx

Sunday Nails - Champagne Glitter

To say I've been busy this week would be a complete understatement! From job interviews to driving lessons to drama exams to parties and theatre trips I've barely had one moment to myself let alone the time to blog. That being said no matter how busy I am, I always make time to do my nails. This week I've been sporting this pretty pink and champagne glitter fade as it is quick, simple and the glitter reminds me of fireworks (a little tribute to bonfire night which was also this week!)

What have you been up to this week?

Ellie xx

Sunday Nails - Stitched Up

After a couple of weeks break from the nail art while I had gel nails, Sunday Nails nail art is back! Yes I took off my gels this week and I thought what better way to get back into nail art than with a simple Halloween nail art that not only looks good but allows me to show you the condition of my nails after the gel nail polish. 

As you can see from the picture below my nails are in pretty good condition as they haven't split or broke, though I haven a feeling that if it was more of a regular thing my nails would be a bit worse for wear! As for the nail art it is pretty self explanatory; I painted my nails with a clear base coat, then drew stitches using a nail art pen across the tips of my nails before finishing off with a topcoat!

While I didn't go trick or treating this Halloween, you'll know if you follow my instagram that me and my friends had our own little Halloween party. Fancy dress + sweets + drinks + fireworks +  great company = best Halloween ever!

How did you spend your Halloween?

Eleanor xx

October Rate Or Hate

Wow it seems like absolutely ages since my last rate or hate! I literally cannot remember the last month when I posted a rate or hate it was that long ago, what can I say apart from there hasn't been anything in particular that I've been rating and hating *slaps self on the hand for being a naughty blogger*. But this month is different as there are two products that have stood out for me this month for both good and bad reasons so here are this months Rate or Hate...

Kiko Kiss Balm in 06 Blackberry and Benefit Bad Gal Lash

Rate -

Kiko is constantly making it way up in my list of favourite makeup brands, as with every product I try I am more and more impressed. The Kiko Kiss Balm is the perfect compromise between a lipstick and a lip balm as it moisturizes your lips and give just enough colour payoff to perfect the appearance of your lips. I always get compliments when I wear this and the best thing of all it's reasonably priced.

Hate - 

Benefits They're Real is my all time favourite mascara and for this reason I had high expectations for Benefit's Bad Gal Lash Mascara, sadly they were not met. In all honesty I was extremely disappointed with this mascara; the wand isn't particularly special, it made my lashes look clumpy and by the end of the day the mascara had transferred onto my eyelid and smudged beneath my eye, these are not things I'd expect from any mascara let alone one that costs £17.50.

What have you been rating or hating this month?

Eleanor xx

Sunday Nails - My Top 5 Autumn/Winter Nail Polishes

While I love hot summer weather nothing compares to Autumn/Winter: my favourite seasons. One of my favourite things about Autumn/Winter (apart from Halloween, Christmas and Bonfire night) are the festive colours. Yes as soon as we hit October I dig out my dark lipsticks, nail polishes and clothes, and embrace the goth in me. So I thought that today I'd show you my favourite Autumn/Winter nail polishes.

From L to R Barry M Coconut, Barry M Lychee, Essie Parka Perfect, Essie Shearling Darling and Essie Toggle To The Top

Despite my love for typical Autumn/Winter nail polishes like dark burgundy's I still love to wear neutrals throughout the colder weather. Two of my all time favourites which have featured countless times on my blog are Barry M Coconut and Lychee. Both colours are in Barry M's gel finish so they are very shiny, the only difference between the two is the difference in colour as Coconut is an off white colour where as Lychee is a beige/nude. 

All three of these Essie polishes actually came in a set as part of their 2013 Winter Collection, which in my opinion is honestly one of the best sets they've ever done. I'd religiously wear all three colours during Autumn/Winter which is vary rare to find in a gift set as normally there's always at least one bum colour. Parka Perfect is a beautiful off blue/grey colour, Shearling Darling is the perfect burgundy and Toggle To The Top is a beautiful topcoat with pink glitter running through it that looks gorgeous when layered on top of Shearling Darling. I have a feeling you can still buy all three of these colours on Essie's website which is very lucky for me because mine are starting to run out! 

What is your favourite Autumn/Winter nail polish?

Eleanor xx

DIY Polaroid Wall Decoration

I love DIY's and some of my favourite blogs, like A Beautiful Mess, often post DIY's. I do like to have a go at some of them myself but I always forget to take photo's or I think that they're so obvious that I don't bother blogging about them. But today is a bit different because I've decided to share with you a little DIY I did earlier this week: a Polaroid wall decoration for my room.

You will need:
- Some string

- Paper clips

- Polaroid pictures 

- Blue tac 
- Scissors

If you don't have a polaroid camera like myself there are hundreds of websites that will print off your Instagram pictures into a polaroid. I chose to use the printic app because not only can you use pictures directly from your Instagram account but also your camera roll. After using a promo code I found online my order of 15 prints came to £1.35 including delivery which is unbelievably cheap and the best thing is that while they are cheap the prints are very high quality. Mine took 5 working days to be delivered which is a reasonably quick considering they come from France and they arrived in an adorable orange envelope. If you use the code B01EFE you can get £4 off your first order.

The next thing I did when I got my prints was to arrange them in the order I wanted to hang them up in. You can do this however you like, randomly, colour co ordinated or even in chronological order it's totally up to you to decide what look best for your photos. I then measured how long I wanted the piece of string to be to hang on my wall, making sure it was the length of the wall plus a bit extra and cut it with the scissors. I then simply paper clipped the photos along the string leaving equal gaps between each photo. 

The last step is to hang your photo garland along the wall, you can do this in a variety of ways including a staple gun or hooks but I just hung mine on a picture hook already in the middle of my wall and then blue tacked the ends to the wall so the wall wasn't damaged if I decided to take it down. 

This is a very cheap, easy and personal decoration for your room that can be altered to fit your style. Want something a bit more fancy? You could easily use indoor fairy lights (make sure that they are the type that don't heat up and can be used near paper) instead of string or colourful little pegs instead of paper clips.

Do you often do DIY's? 

Eleanor xx

Sunday Nails - Is a Manicure Worth Paying For?

I have never had my nails done professionally before, well that was until yesterday when I went and got a gel manicure done with my sister. But is it really worth the money paying someone else to do your nails for you? I thought I'd write a post on the pros and cons of getting your nails done professionally based on my first experience yesterday to answer that question.

Pros

Not very good at painting your nails? The easiest way to get great looking nails sometimes is to just give in and get someone else to do them for you, it is their job and highly unlikely that they will make a mess.

Gel nail polish is dried in the salon using a UV or LED light and the process is very quick. This means that you leave the salon with completely dry nails and don't have to wait around for hours for your nails to dry constantly in fear that you may smudge them.

A gel manicure lasts on average 2-3 weeks without chipping, peeling or cracking, so if you find painting your nails a chore it can save you a lot of time because you are getting them done less frequently.

In my opinion they always look a lot better because of the glossy finish they lasts until you have the polish removed.

Cons 

Getting a gel manicure can be expensive with prices starting from around £20 if your getting it done every 3 weeks it equates to nearly £350 a year compared to a bottle of Barry M nail polish which cost £3.99 each or a home gel kit that can cost around £100 and can be used over and over again.

If you love to change your nail colour frequently getting a gel manicure may not be for you because if you're getting them done every 2-3 weeks that's how often you will be changing the colour.

Taking off the nail polish can be a nightmare as you have to soak them in pure acetone which you can either do at home or pay for the salon to do that for you.

They can damage your nails if you have them frequently over a long period of time because the acetone used to remove them is a strong chemical. There is also the argument that the UV light can cause UV damage which may lead to cancer so you need to find a salon that uses an LED light to set the polish.

Overall I think that whether you get a manicure done at a salon is down to personal preference, there isn't a right or wrong answer as there are both pros and cons to paying for a professional to do your nails. Personally I do like getting my nails done but I also like doing my own nails so I'd only ever go to the salon for a special occasion.

Do you pay to get your nails done at a salon?

Eleanor xx 

Quick OOTD

While I love my DSLR sometimes it can be a bit of a hassle to get it out and set up my tripod to take some photos of my outfit. These days I'm also short on time but I hate it when I don't do a midweek post, so I've decided that instead of posting nothing at all I'd do a quick OOTD. 

Today I wore my brand new Missguided coat, a white H and M t-shirt, Pull and Bear ripped jeans, my T K Maxx bag and my trusty Dune boots. I cannot put into words how much I love my new coat which I will feature in a haul very soon so that I can show you in a bit more detail.

I hope you don't mind the poor quality picture but doing these quick OOTD's using my phone means that I can show you what I wear more frequently. Don't worry though I won't stop doing my usual outfit posts and hopefully I'll find someone to take my photos for me so those posts will improve in quality. 

Eleanor xx

Sunday Nails - Jack O Lantern

I love Halloween, while lots of people hate Halloween and think that Trick or Treating is rude or don't believe in it for various reasons I think that it is a fun holiday to participate in. I love dressing up, decorating my house and most of all carving pumpkins. I don't care if people think that Halloween is for children because every year me and my mum will be a pumpkin, carve it together and then make pumpkin soup with the leftover pumpkin. To me nothing screams Halloween like a spooky Jack O Lantern but if you don't fancy carving a pumpkin you can still get in the holiday spirit with my Jack O Lantern nail art!

To create the glowing effect of the Jack O Lantern simply use three different colours layered on top of each other. First use a red nail varnish or acrylic paint to draw your faces, then use the orange on top leaving a bit of red showing around the edge and then use a little bit of yellow in the middle.

Do you still carve pumpkins at Halloween?

Eleanor xx

Outfit Post - I Said She Looked Overdressed

I am almost always overdressed. It doesn't matter what the dress code or occasion is, it is guaranteed I will always be a bit more dressed up than everyone else. Honestly I just can't help it, I love to get glammed up and don't see what's wrong with making an effort with your appearance even if I'm just going into Sixth Form or popping out to the shops! 

Mango Coat, Ben Sherman Shirt, Missguided Bralet, Topshop Jeans and Missguided Shoes

Of course it probably doesn't help that my wardrobe consists of a lot of shirts, tailored jackets and heels but I do try to make these items a bit more casual by rolling up the sleeves of my shirt, unbuttoning it a little and pairing them with more causal items like ripped skinny jeans as you can see in the pictures above.

So are you like me always overdressed? Or are you working the effortlessly chic vibe?

Eleanor xx

Sunday Nails - I've Been Drinkin' Watermelon

If there was a list of cool fruits watermelon would be there right at the top, I mean Beyonce's been drinking it, the Shaytards love eating eat and the best thing of all is that it's good for you! Yep I love watermelon and it's so pretty that I thought that I'd do a watermelon themed nail art this week!

What is your favourite fruit?

Eleanor xx

October Wishlist

September was a busy month for me and my personal life began to get in the way of blogging resulting in it being pushed to the side. But it is the first of October, the start of a new month and I intend to start as I mean to go on. I'm going to get back into my blogging routine of posting at least twice a week and to start off I thought I'd show you what I'm going to be lusting after this month!

WAH London Nail Polish in Im Real - £9

The queens of nail art over at WAH have finally released a line of nail art products to Boots and it was worth waiting for. The line consists of nail art pens, stick on nails and a gorgeous range of nail polish which includes the perfect nude nail polish: Im Real. 

Topshop Striped Pyjamas - £28
I am in love with these striped pyjamas despite the fact they resemble those worn by the little boy in the tear jerker that is The Boy In Striped Pyjamas. In fact I already own a pink and white striped Victoria's Secret Pyjama shirt but you can honestly never have too many pyjamas and these are too cute to resist!   

River Island Black Floral Skort - £28
Florals are not just for Spring and in the past few years dark Winter florals have become increasingly more popular on the highstreet as shown in this beautiful black floral skort from River Island. I'm not much for bright pretty florals but this skort has the right mix of neutrals and colour and the modern tailored skort makes it feel more grown up; perfect.

Catfish And The Bottlemen The Balcony - £9.41
While music is a huge part of my life I don't often talk about it a lot on my blog but I       had to feature this album on my wishlist. Earlier this month Catfish And The Bottlemen, a small Welsh indie/rock band, dropped their debut album and I have been listening to it on Spotify ever since. If you haven't heard of them I'd really recommend that you check them out!

Missguided Camel Coat - £59.99
I have explained multiple times before about my love for camel coats but I've stupidly never bought one. This autumn/winter will be different, I will buy a camel coat and I think this Missguided beauty may be the one.

What's on your wishlist this month?

Eleanor xx

Sunday Nails - Black Lace

I love lace, in fact it is probably one of my favourite materials. I'm gradually building up a nice collection of black lace pieces in my wardrobe and last night I wore a black lace bralet and matching skirt to a party, so I decided to paint my nails to match! 

Lace is quite a difficult pattern to replicate without a stamp as it is often very complex but I managed to create this nail art using just a black nail art pen. While it looks complicated it is basically just a bunch of circles, lines and dots layered together to create the look of lace.

What is your favourite fabric?

Eleanor xx

Review - Charlotte Tilbury Luxury Palette The Uptown Girl

One of my favourite birthday presents was this beautiful Charlotte Tilbury eyeshadow palette from my sister, before I received this I'd never owned or tried any of Charlotte Tilbury's makeup so to say I was excited is a bit of an understatement! 

Luxury Palette The Uptown Girl - £38

Charlotte Tilbury's makeup range is organised by looks, with each look including a lipstick, an eyeshadow quad, a lipgloss, a lipliner, a mascara, a eyeliner and a blusher. My eyeshadow palette is part of The Uptown Girl look which is described as "Olivia Palermo's glossiness and Naomi Campbell's polish mixed with Grace Kelly's sense of style" to create "the perfect look for the perfect life", while I cannot claim to have the perfect life this quad will definitely allow anyone to create that perfect polished look. 

While the eyeshadows are not quite as pigmented as the swatched on the website they are still highly pigmented, creamy and look lovely on the eyes. The shades are sorted in four category's Prime, Pop, Enhance and Smoke to help you know where to put the shades to create Charlotte's favourite looks. The prime shade is applied all over the lid, the enhance shade is designed to be applied in the crease and outer corner, the smoke shade is used to enhance the outer corner or lash line and the pop shade is patted onto the middle of the eye to enhance the overall look and make it 'pop'. Of course you can use the shadows wherever you like but this system makes it a lot easier if you're stuck on what look to create.

My favourite shade is probably the 'pop' shade which is pink and glittery, to get the full impact of the pop shade I'd recommend using your finger and patting it on rather than using a brush. All of the eyeshadows are very beautiful and wearable whether you chose to wear them casually or create a dramatic smokey eye, and I'd really recommend this palette if you want to treat yourself or someone who is really into makeup.

Have you tried any of Charlotte Tilbury's makeup range?

Eleanor xx 

Sunday Nails - Mix and Match

Normally my nail art has some sort of theme or inspiration behind it but this week was honestly a bit random. I was sat with my box of nail varnish and accessories in front of me and decided to experiment with my favourite techniques and colours and this was the result! I was obviously feeling quite girly when I was doing my nails as it's quite Tiffany's with the light blue, pearls and lace.

For an experiment I'm pretty pleased with how this turned out! Do you ever experiment when it comes to nail art?

Eleanor xx

Sunday Nails - Simple Stripes

One of the presents that I got for my birthday was a set of striping tape from my friend Mae. She knows how much I love nail art so it was the perfect gift especially since I have never ever used it before. I love striping tape and I've seen so much beautiful nail art that's been created using it but I've never got round to having a go at using it myself so I was very excited to give it a go!

Something I quickly found out using striping tape is that it is very fiddly and almost impossible to use if you don't have a pair of tweezers on hand to help you out. Another pain is cutting the stripes to the right size or trimming them while they're on your nail, but with a pair of nail scissors it isn't too difficult. Overall compared to using sellotape striping tape is a lot easier, prettier and a lot more versatile.

Eleanor xx

Sunday Nails - Tribal Whites

Tumblr is a great place for nail art inspiration and it's where I found my inspiration for this weeks nail art. When I saw this design as I was scrolling through my feed it immediately caught my eye and I knew I had to try it out, it reminds of a tribal print but more modern rather than ethnic if you know what I mean!

To create this nail art I simply used a white nail art pen, nothing too complicated but you will nail a steady hand. Where do you get your inspiration from?

Eleanor xx