NARS Blusher: Orgasm

I have heard wonderful things about NARS blushers, particularly "Orgasm". So when I went to the Trafford Centre yesterday I visited the make up department in Selfridges and decided to test out this wonderful product for myself.

It has won numerous awards including the "In Style Best Beauty Buy 2011" and is a firm favourite of make up artists and beauty editors for the sheer fact that it is so versatile and will suit any skin colour. When the artist at NARS applied it to my face it looked so natural and appears as a peachy-pink colour, it also contains gold pigments that provides a subtle shimmer that just makes your skin glow. As soon as the product reached my cheeks I knew it would feel right at home in my make up bag! It was priced at £20.50 (which is a teensy bit more expensive than a MAC powder blush) maybe its just my crazy, little brain that has trouble processing the prices of make up but I thought it was quite fair considering it's brand, quality and reputation.

I've already spotted another shade that I like the look of called Sin but for now I'll spare my bank account and stick to the one!

Does anyone else use this blusher/other NARS products? :-)

Love Katie X

Naked2 Palette Has Arrived!

Throughout early January I having been waiting very impatiently for my pay to come through so I could finally order the new Naked2 palette by Urban Decay. Alas, it has arrived and I was straight on Debenhams on Thursday to add it to my basket.

I was immediately impressed by the much sturdier tin case they have decided to use this time even though I did enjoy the look and feel of the velvet packaging of the previous palette. I really didn't like the last Naked Palette brush, I just don't think it applied the shadow very well and left it uneven so I'd much rather use my own. I will however, try their new double ended brush with an open mind but I'm not holding any high hopes. There is definitely a wider range of colours to choose from and I already have my eye on "Teased" a warm, purplish shade that I have been looking for for a while now ("Snakebite" and "Busted" are also firm favourites.) I only received it today but initial first impressions are good (just a bit gutted about them replacing the primer with lip gloss) I can't wait to try out their new shades!

Who else has Naked2 and what are your favourite shades?

Love Katie X

Italian Outing (and woops! More buys!)

Denim Blazor- Urban Outfitters

White Crop Top- Topshop

Skirt- Miss Selfridge

Wedges- River Island

I thought a knew face was in order (I embarrass myself too much!) I went out for a meal with my old work tonight, it was a kind of belated Christmas party and secret Santa giving (I know VERY late aha). The food was great, an all round pleasant evening :-)

Everyone's going to start thinking that I have nothing better to do than go shopping (how true) it's my mam's fault for taking me out! I decided to have a snoop around the MAC counter and after I saw a great review here about their Fix+ I decided I needed to give it a try! I used it tonight and oh my GOD it is so refreshing on my face and it did exactly what it said on the tin!

I've probably made the biggest mistake of my life buying a MAC palette because it means I'll be spending yet more cash I could do without spending! That's the main reason I only went for a x4 rather than a x15, I've started my collection off with Brule a neutral, matte, cream ideal for a base colour. I've already spotted some subtle, purplish shades that I plan on adding to my small collection. Me and my mam are taking my sister back to Liverpool (her Uni) on Monday and stopping off at Manchester to shop at the Trafford Centre, God help me!

Love Katie X

What I'm Wearing

Jumper and Bottoms- Topshop

Shirt- H & M

Vans- Schuh

Eyeshadow- UD Naked Palette (Toasted, Hustle and Virgin)

It was murder to find shoes to go with this! Still unsure about the vans..

Love Katie X

What I'm Wearing, More Buys and an Unexpected Letter!

Top- Not Sure

Jeans- Miss Selfridge

Boots- River Island

Just a lazy outfit today for going shopping (again!) I think the top could be Urban Outfitters but it doesn't have a label in and my memory is terrible. I decided to have another shopping trip today and made a few purchases including my mam's birthday present (but I don't suppose anyone wants to see those) Also, if anyone knows a financial advisor I can have to stop me from spending I'd love to meet them before I'm poor!

Elvis Presley Vest- H & M

Trousers- Topshop

A Hard Day's Night DVD- HMV

Only three items, but still! I LOVE Elvis Presley and when I saw this on its hanger I just dived for it. It was at a wonderfully low H & M price (£9.99) which swayed me even more into buying it. Can't wait to try it on! 

It's actually really hard to describe the bottoms, they're a lot like jeggings but feel more like normal trousers and they're kind of grey with a hint of pink haha. They were £20 which I thought was reasonable for Topshop and I kind of have an idea of what I want to wear them with however since they are quite neutral they should go with a few things in my wardrobe.

The Beatles are my favourite band and I've seen this film a few times on the TV and decided I needed it on DVD. It's a great movie if you love the Beatles (or not!) but I wouldn't watch it if you don't like old black and white films. Has anyone seen it?

This is the exciting bit! A few weeks I was having a snoop on Matthew Lewis' (Neville Longbottom in Harry Potter) website because I just love him soooo much and Neville is my favourite character in the books. While I was looking I noticed an address you could send fan mail to, now unless you count the time I sent S Club 7 a letter inviting them to my house for tea when I was about 6 this is the first letter I'd ever wrote to anyone famous (I was feeling spontaneous). My letter was pretty short because I wasn't really expecting anyone to read it, as well as this I also sent a list of films I thought he should watch because that's the only thing I really know about and I just thought he should know about them! (God, I sound like a top stalker)

I got a reply today! Okay, so it was a little slip of paper that said "I get a lot of letters so I can't reply to them all blah blah" but on the bottom he wrote a little message about my film taste! I actually cried with happiness (I was expecting it to say "Katie, I love you will you marry me?" but I suppose you can't have everything) This is the best thing that has ever happened in my life, I didn't want S Club 7 round for tea anyway!

I got an autograph too!

Sorry for the long, rambling post! Hope everyone has had a good day :-)

Love Katie X

What I'm Wearing

Jumper- Next Menswear

Denim Shirt- Topshop

Jeans- Zara

Boots- River Island

A menswear jumper is a great way to fill the void of singlehood! Only kidding of course but they are so big and snug. I wear mine 24/7 and it's the best item in my wardrobe, I urge every girl to buy one. I've worn my boots for the first time today too and I love them already, they're surprisingly comfortable and fit me perfectly I'll be no doubt wearing these a lot from now on!

Love Katie X

Recent Buys!

Today me and my mam went shopping to give me the chance to get rid of some birthday/Christmas money that has been burning a hole in my pocket for a while. I wasn't intent on buying anything in particular but managed to do pretty well anyway!

Chelsea Boots- River Island, Skirt- Zara, Porefessional and Girl Meets Pearl- Benefit, Delipscious Sheer Lip Colour and Nail File- The Body Shop

I've been wanting some chelsea boots for a while now and had my eye on these ones for a while. I thought I would wait until after Christmas to see if they'd be in the sale... turns out they were probably the only thing that weren't in the sale, just my luck! So after weeks of pining for them I finally forked out the full £40 for them, oh well I do love them!

The skirt from Zara is the shortest one I've bought in a while, it comes just a little bit above the knee and aw, I saw it and knew I had to have it! It's lace material and will just go with pretty much everything I own. Yey!

For my birthday my mam booked me in at Benefit for a free makeover and when I was there the girl mixed Porefessional and Girl Meets Pearl to make a lovely base to use rather than a foundation I didn't buy them then because make up artists can be really pushy and I panicked ahaha (plus it was £48 for the both of them and I needed to justify spending that much money) I eventually caved in though, does anyone else use them?

I recently signed up for a Body Shop card and on the month of your birthday you get a £5 free gift (how sweet?) I wasn't after anything specific so I just had a look at their sale and picked out a moisturising lipstick/balm and a new nail file. You should go get a Body Shop card they're so good and you get 10% off all of your purchases. They gave me a £10 voucher today too so I'll be no doubt having another trip down there soon!

Also, when I was making my purchases at Benefit I signed up for the Debenhams Beauty Club its like the Boots Advantage card but for Debenhams (pretty obvious but I don't know how else to explain it) I can't wait to start building up some points. Is anyone else a member?

Love Katie X

Best Dressed at the Golden Globes

I finally caught the Golden Globes on telly last night but to be quite honest I only really watch it to see what everyone is wearing! I had loads of favourites but here's my top three.

Nicole Kidman in Versace S/S 12

She really did this dress justice. It nips in all of the right places and the colour suits her really well (my mam is a red head and its murder for her to find a colour that won't clash with her ginger-ness!) The studded detail is gorgeous, her figure is just...wow. The dress certainly didn't wear her, she's not bad for 44.

Reese Witherspoon in Zac Posen

Reese Witherspoon always looks so effortless, her dress as well as her hair and make up all add up to make a subtle yet stunning outfit. The extra material at the bottom is annoying me a bit but I think it just needs a bit rearranging! Not many can look good in a strapless dress but she certainly pulled it off!

Berenice Bejo in Gucci Premiere

I love this colour! I don't really think you see it much on the red carpet which is a shame because it looks so good. The detailing on the waist really helps accentuate her figure and the whole piece flows really well. Another great strapless, she looks as though she's just walked off the set of "The Artist".

If you haven't yet seen the dresses worn at this years Golden Globes there's loads of pictures on Vogue's website. Who were your favourites on the red carpet?

Love Katie X

My Make Up Routine

Time for my first proper post! How I do my make up on a morning! I'll make a list of the stuff I use (and I'll probably do some proper reviews later) How do you like my make up head band? Ahahaha

Step One: A sight for sore eyes, ahaha! I've prepped my face with Benefit Foamingly Clean (£16.50), Facial Polish (£17.50), It's Potent! Eye Cream (£23.50) and Total Moisture Facial Cream (£26.50).

Step Two: Next, I apply Lancome Colour Ideal in shade 01 (£29.00) it's such a lovely foundation and a little covers a lot! I add a little Erase Paste (£19.50) on my eye bags (which are terrible!) and a bit around my nose to cover redness. Finally I use Benefit Brow Zings (£22.50) great for a natural looking brow.

Step Three: If you don't own a Body Shop brush I suggest you get one now! They're so soft and apply make up really well! I think it's around £9.00 for an eye brush and £12.00 for the larger ones which is cheaper than my MAC liner brush which was £14.00 (I think). I use the Urban Decay Primer Potion which came with the Naked Palette (£35.00) and then apply my shadow. Today I was wearing Virgin, Sidecar, Toasted and Darkhorse. I line my top lid with Magic Ink Liquid Liner (£14.50) and the bottom with MAC Kohl Pencil in Smouldering (£14.00) on my bottom. I finish with Lancome Doll Eyes Mascara (£21.00)

Step Four: Finishing touches! I set my foundation with the best powder ever: MAC Mineralize Skinfinish (£21.50) I totally recommend it, Body Shop Blusher (its okay), Benefit High Beam on my cheekbones, cupid's bow and the bridge of my nose. Then MAC Lipstick in True Red (£14.00) and MAC Lipglass (17.00) for a bit of shine.

Ta da! This turned out to be a very long post but there you have it, how I do my make up. Do any of you use these products or have some to recommend? I appeared to be pulling a similar face in every picture so here's one a little different...

Hope you enjoyed my first (long!) post.

Love Katie X

The Start of My Blogging Life!

I've tried to blog on countless occasions but never really had the commitment to do so, for a while I had pictured a blog that I wanted to create and decided to bite the bullet, grab a pen and paper and get started! I started sketching away and thus, Skinny Dear was born (I think she looks pretty good considering I have no artistic ability!) Now I plan to type away as often as I can without giving up after a week!

Love Katie x