Monochrome Nails!

Hey guys ♥

How are we all this week? I'm having a really good week despite no advances on the job front but hey ho, life continues! I've been looking at clothing and things recently getting myself really excited to come out of Wintry clothing into more flowery, colourful fashion! However, despite my love of colour, i've found myself really drawn to the monochrome trend once again..

I just love simple, classic black and white looks and i think it is a really easy trend to dress up as well as down for a more casual look. I am loving the trend so much just now actually, that i have been inspired to transfer it to my nails!

Not really going to give a full blown tutorial on these as they are pretty simple really, just need a steady hand! I will however, quickly run through what i did for each of them just to help you out a bit if you want to recreate these yourself :)

You need:

I used false nails which cost me £1 from Primark, obviously you can do it on real nails if you want.

Nail art pen in black.

Any white nail polish.

Any clear topcoat.

That's all ;).

What to do:

I use false nails as i did these before bed, using falsies gives me time to let the nails dry without ruining them and as i work in a restaurant i can't wear them until the weekend so, this way they are prepared and ready to stick on for an instant transformation.

Therefore, what i do is pick out the false nails that fit each finger and i then sellotape them onto a clear plastic box (or to any hard, still surface). I do this to keep the nails still and steady on a hard backing just to make painting them a whole lot easier. Then, as these were french tipped nails, i just painted every one of them with two coats of white polish, then using the black nail art pen, i created different monochrome styles on each:

Basically, i find it best to use the pen part of the nail art pen (left photo below) to do the heart and the dots, however the little brush part of the pen (right photo below) is much better for doing straight lines by just brushing along the nail as well as filling in the black part and creating the triangle of the second nail. 

Then, once i had created all the looks i wanted to with the nails i basically waited for them to dry, threw on a top coat and left them to dry over night still stuck to the plastic box. Then, when i was ready i just carefully peeled them off the tape and stuck them on my real nails with nail glue, simples!

Are you guys into the monochrome trend?

Would you do this to your nails?

Thanks for reading, lots of love -

A ♥

Spring Series #1 - Babyliss Volume Waves!

Hello ♥

I'm starting a little Spring Look Book where i am going to post Spring inspired hair, make-up and fashion posts to give you some fun ideas and hopefully you can share some with me too!

Today, i am focusing on hair. Spring always makes me think of the beach and picnics despite how cold it is probably going to be here in Scotland! So today's post is really loose beachy waves styled with Spring in mind!

For this look, I let it my hair air dry, hence my lovely messy top knot bun on top of my head. Then, i sprayed with heat protection, brushed it out, sprayed my hair with a little hair spray to dirty it a bit and make it less soft after washing and then it looked like this, i'm a lucky (or unlucky in my eyes) one and my hair drys pretty naturally straight.

Then i get onto the waves!

I should probably have done a video to represent this but, i'm not confident enough for that yet! Basically, i'm sure you all know how to curl your hair, but as you can maybe see, i really hate using the clamps on curling tongs as they leave a massive kink in the bottom of my hair so i don't use it, instead, i just wrap hair from to the bottom the top as i would with my wand.

I just sectioned my hair and used the Babyliss Volume Waves on each section at 200 degrees. I used this curler instead of my wand as it has a much thicker barrel and creates the loose waves i am looking for in this look rather than the tighter curls my wand creates. Unfortunately  i am doing this tutorial just after washing my hair, meaning it is too soft to really hold the waves well. I would reccomend using second day hair for this to work better!

This is how my hair turned out:

You can see that the hair is not curled, but rather really loosely waved and has a little bit of a nice curly flick on the ends. I usually would leave my hair like this as i really like the messy, loose wave effect this curler gives and i think it just looks casual, effortless but still pretty.

However, as this is part of my Spring look book series, i thought i would add a few simple things to make this look a bit more Spring appropriate and cute.

For this first look, i have pinned up by backcombing underneath and used a little pink bow to keep it together at the back. I realise you can't see the bow very well in this picture but you get the idea ;).

This second look (excuse my squinting in the sun) is obviously just using a big flower to clip my fringe to the side. Even thought it's basic its a really cute classic look and would look really pretty for S/S teamed with a cute little dress and flats or even a floral top and jeans.

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Then finally, for these two looks i've used two little different coloured flowers on the left picture which i think is really cute and even more flowers could be layered using different colours and sizes! The right picture is just a tiny little peach coloured bow which isn't pictured amazingly but rather than clip anything back with it i have just slid it in and kept it simple.

I also think using a floral headband or tying the styled hair up with a floral band would be really cute so i will have to invest in some of those to style like this!

Do you like any of these styles?

What would you like to see next in my Spring series?

A ♥

Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer Review!

Heey ♥

First of all, i haven't posted in five days, i know! I am very sorry for this but i have been feeling really really rubbish of late and am only starting to feel slightly more human today! Doing a wee fake tan and making a few new gym class plans really does make you feel better!

Anyway, today i'm reviewing two of the Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer range. 

I know there have been a lot of bloggers reviewing this and everyone and their granny now owns them but some of you still wanted me to share my thoughts so here they are!

When i popped into Boots, i instantly loved all of the colours in this range. I had to stop myself from buying every single one and just settled for two! I picked Nova and Galaxy.

I'll start with Nova, go onto Galaxy then do a quick bringing together of the overall product.

NOVA

I picked Nova as i hardly own any light pink lip products. I tend to shy away from these shades for some unknown reason as i really do love them but i just feel they sometimes don't suit me. Nevertheless, i bought it for a change and to try something i usually wouldn't. 

This is Nova on the Lips. (My teeth look squint, they're definitely not! My smile however, really is squint! My sister loves to mention this on a daily basis!) It's a really pretty colour despite how much i thought i would hate it. I am really really excited for Spring to hurry its ass along so i can pop this on with a little spring dress! It is definitely a cute little S/S colour!

GALAXY

So Galaxy is a lot darker and is sort of a burgundy wine colour. I always go for shades like this, i think they suit me and they remind me of Rimmel's Matte Kate Moss lipstick in 107 which is my ultimate fave lipstick even before MAC's Russian Red which used to be my go-to lipstick before! 

The photo's probably don't look as dark as the colour really looks in life as the lighting in my room is really bright today but it does show that it is a darker shade than Nova. The shade is less pink than it looks in these pictures, more like the swatch on my hand above.

Overall Review

I love the colours of both of these and i do not regret purchasing them, however, as with every product, i have found a few pros and cons to these which i will list for you now :):

PROS

Beautiful colour selection

Smell really nice, similar to Rimmel Kate Moss Lipsticks in my opinion

Pretty Packaging & Names

Really pigmented

Nice change from a normal gloss or lipstick

Not sticky

CONS

Messy 

Don't have that long a staying power on the lips

Don't dry

Adding comments to the cons, i would say that what really annoys me about these products are they are messy, i apply the product, sometimes go a bit overboard, and i literally find it every where! All over my teeth and face and it's unfixable so i just have to start again.

I also don't like how they stay wet. I know they are not a lipstick and that's fine, and i love that they are not sticky like a lot of lip glosses, but i just find they are a bit too wet. This also means that they don't stay on very long in my opinion, as soon as i drink a coffee it's pretty much off, meaning i have to re-apply a few times in a day!

Conclusions

Although i have a few issues with this product, overall i think the colours and pigmentation probably make them a worthwhile buy to me! 

I really want Big Bang, but i'm not too sure if i will invest as i honestly prefer lipsticks. I am glad i gave these beauties a go though and i will definitely use up the two i have bought!

Do you own any of the Rimmel Apocalips collection?

Do you find them the same as i do or do you absolutely love them?

A♥

Men & Womens S/S 2013 Fashion Guide!

Hello Ladies & Gents ♥

Today's post is a bit different as it is going to feature a few key fashion trends that are hot this Spring/Summer. Not only is this post going to be for women's fashion, but I have got the lovely Kieron from the-totality.com involved to talk about hot men's trends!

Avoiding waffling on and on, here's Kieron's take on men's fashion trends for S/S13:

One of the main problems with monitoring men’s fashion developments is the fact that, for the most part, male clothing does not usually boast the wild new styles that will often dominate trends for their female counterparts. Whereas women’s fashion over the last twelve months has boasted an explosion of outrageous or eye-catching styles, such as spikes and cork wedges, men’s trends have all been somewhat more conservative and staid. So, when looking forward to the trends that are likely to make the biggest splash for male dressers this Spring, it is best not to expect anything overly revolutionary and, instead, subtlety and slight tweaks on classic designs are likely to be key.

Making It Pop! 
Most men’s high street retailers usually begin to fade out all but the most autumnal hues from their clothing ranges from as early as September with greys, blacks, khaki and blues dominating the colour pallet through to the end of winter. Judging by the Spring collections of designers such as Nautica and Michael Kors, however, men’s fashion is set to become much more vibrant this season! Whilst the spate of primary colours, contrasted against crisp whites and blacks, are not quite as vivid as the colour blocking trend favoured in female fashion circles, the colours do mark something of a bold step away from the muted colour scheme many male designers employ.

In the Shops:

From top Left to Bottom Right (click to buy):

River Island

Boohoo

Boohoo

Topman

Bold Accessories 

In recent years, men have seen the idea of accessorising an outfit as somewhat problematic – even bags had to have the prefix “man” attached so as to negate any perceived emasculatory qualities carrying one may add. Thankfully, many designers have begun to see past such short-sightedness and a new emphasis on bold accessories is likely to come to the forefront. Similarly to how Michael Kors ensembles have clearly taken colour blocking as an inspiration, many lines are due to feature brightly coloured accessories such as watches, bags, shoes and ties to further help men add dynamism to their outfits.

In the Shops:

Topman

Topman

Boohoo

RiverIsland

Subtle Patterns 

As mentioned previously, men’s fashion is not quite as flamboyant or daring as their female counterparts and, as such, whilst prints, such as floral or animal, can be widely embraced by women dressers, men prefer their items devoid of any such embellishments. Aside from the odd logo, most men’s fashion comes in bland, pattern free designs; something which might be altered slightly come Spring. Dolce & Gabbana and Parke & Ronen are two of the powerhouse brands that have begun to experiment with patterns that could be adopted by mainstream men’s fashion. However, as mentioned before, most men’s styles are quite conservative so the print which is most likely to make its mark on the high street this year is the subtle stripe. 

Oxford Lace-ups

Whilst I have previously been using the word “conservative” to describe the men’s fashion trends, occasionally this is not altogether a bad thing as evidenced by the recent renaissance of 1920s style “gentlemen” inspired trends. From the widespread comeback of blazers as an integral feature for young men’s wardrobes, through to tailored suits being seen more and more on the backs of male fashionistas, the trend for smart is set to continue. Whereas previously, many men have thought nothing of teaming trainers with even the most formal of attires, the Spring is set to see an increase in popularity of smarter shoes. Oxford lace-ups, as favoured by the likes of George Clooney, are the most likely style of shoe to be widely appropriated.

In the Shops:

Next
Dune

Tod's

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Now for my take on the hottest trends in women's fashion:

So women's trends tend to be easier to define, are anything but subtle, and are usually everywhere! This S/S the hottest trends seem to include a few new takes on old trends as well as some funky, colourful designs to brighten up the likely rubbish UK weather! Here's my main trends:

Monochrome
Monochrome seemed to be a trend which never really: ended in women's fashion from last year as i remember picking up a few bits myself! It has reappeared recently and can be seen everywhere! I love bright colours but you can never really go wrong with a bit of classic black and white. A lot of shops have jumped on the monochrome bandwagon so there are loads and loads of different styles and varieties you can pick up on the high street and online, i've included a little selection of my favourite picks.

In the Shops:

Topshop
InLoveWithFashion
RiverIsland

Dip Dye
This is another trend, like most women's trends, that i feel goes in and out of fashion. I am really loving dip dyed clothing just now though and it is definitely going to be big this Spring/Summer! I am actually failing at making my own dip dye shorts which i promise, even if they do completely fail, will be up on my blog very soon for you to see!

In the Shops:

InLoveWithFashion
Boohoo
Motel

Slogan Tees
Controversial trend at the moment but i'm loving it and i know a lot of you are too! Topshop i think was the first to sell their 'Geek' top which flew off the shelves despite the number of people i have heard saying they dislike them. Then Primark and others soon followed by introducing their versions of the top. Now there are loads of different variations and loads of sellers. If you don't like this trend, i think you are going to find it a difficult one to avoid this S/S!

In the Shops:

Topshop
Missguided
Boohoo
KarmaClothing

Continuing Trends
Other trends which are continuing from last year into this year are florals, studs and spikes and denims. These trends are carrying on and have been particularly popular within women's fashion throughout last year, all through the Winter into this S/S. I am not going to include examples of these as i'm sure a lot of you are seeing spiked, floral and denim things every where and i can't even pick some faves, i love them all! Particular places i've been eyeing up these trends are Primark, Missguided, Boohoo and Motel.

**Just a note, all 'In the Shops' examples were picked by myself, so the men's ones do not necessarily represent what Kieron (or any other man for that matter) would pick!**

Hope you liked this collaborative post and i hope for more of this kind to come.

Please go visit Kieron's blog by clicking right here: the-totality.com and go follow him on twitter by clicking right here: @kieronbarr!

What are your fave trends for S/S13?

Ashley&Kieron
♥

OOTD - Wishing it was Spring!

Oh hayy ♥

I'm being so lazy today, meant to go to town but i thought i'd quickly share my outfit with you!

                                                   Front                                                Back

(I promise that's a mark on the camera lens, not my trousers!)

Disco pant dupes - New Look. They no longer sell these but there are plenty of dupes out there, give glamorous.co.uk a gander!

Floral peplum top- H&M here.

Lita Dupes - BooHoo Similar here.

Blazer - Next Similar here.

I love this outfit! Its really edgy and girly at the same time, i really must to something with my nails though!

What are you rocking today?

Have a good one!

A♥

Double Haul!

Hello!♥

Well done to all you beauts who managed a spending ban for the month of January! As you probably know, I am far too much of a shopaholic to manage that! I've been trying to buy less clothing and make-up though, not to much success mind you!

So you guys told me what posts you would like to see from me and included in these suggestions was more hauls! I am able to do these as I spend far too money on crap so here's my recent purchases:

I've separated the items into two different showing trips but all items are fairly recent and you should def be able to still pick everything up if you want something! Here's the first trip:

Right, items included here are:

Denim shirt with chiffon printed sleeve - Primark £12

Eylure Lash Glue - Superdrug £2.99

Pink shoes with patent black toe - Primark Sale £2

Babyliss Volume Waves Styler - Tesco £20

The jewellery items were all in the sale from Matalan:

I got the rose gold spike bracelet for £1.50

The spike, stud and ball set for £1.50 

And snog, marry, avoid set for £1!

I think this denim shirt will be really pretty with leggings or tucked into disco pants or something over the spring months, its pretty and the chiffon sleeves give it a cute twist from a normal denim shirt. 

The eyelash glue is my essential purchase, I buy this all the time and use it with every set of strip lashes I use whether they are eylure lashes or not as I think it is the best glue and is the only on that I find effective!

The pink shoes will also be cute with some jeans or something into spring and I can't resist anything pink so they had to be mine.

I plan to review the Babyliss volume waves styler soon as I love it, it gives nice subtle waves and is a good alternative to my curling wand that creates quite tight curls.

Lastly, the jewellery. Obviously I'm still obsessed with studs and spikes so I love all of these and the snog, marry, avoid bracelets are just a bit of cheeky fun and I think they're cute!

Annnd, onto my second shopping trip!

The fashion items here include:

JERK top - Primark £4

BAD top - Primark £4

Stud shorts - Primark Sale £5

Mint green mini skirt - H&M Sale £5

Floral peplum top - H&M £9.99

Leopard shoes - Primark Sale £2

So I went pretty sale mental as I'm on a spending limit rather than a ban to see how well I do! I bought the JERK and BAD tops from Primark as I already have two of the GEEK tops from Topshop which I love as they're so comfy and casual and these are so similar that I felt I had nothing to lose for £4 and they'll make good gym tops! I know a lot of people hate these, along with my topshop ones but, I'm not asking anyone else to wear them ;-).

I'm in love with the floral peplum from H&M, so much so that I really want to buy the trousers they have in the same pattern! It goes really well with the denim shorts or the mint skirt for spring/summer which were both a bargain so I'm one happy lady!

The primark shoes are general primark flats. I wear heels most days so these won't be worn that much, just on casual days with some skinny jeans or something, but you can never have enough pairs of shoes right!

Onto beauty, I bought the Rimmel Apocalips from boots for £5.99 each (i think) in Nova and Galaxy. I haven't tried these too much so I will do a review when I have given them a better test, but I love all the colours!

I also picked up the V05 dry backcomb spray and the texturising spray. I will probably do a review on these too but let's just say, I am less than impressed. If you have tried these please let me know your opinions, I'm interested to know if you got on well worth them or not.

Hope you like, what's your favourite item I've purchased?

What have you been buying recently?

A♥

Feeling Kissable with Denman D3 Pink Kiss Hair Brush!

Hey Beauties♥

I recently received a very exciting package in the post and I have to share it with you guys as it is absolutely beautiful! I get super overly excited about anything pink or glittery - its a girl thing! And so when I was sent this by the lovely people at Denman I knew instantly that I would love it!

You probably have all heard of Denman as they are a pretty well known company due mainly to their amazing hair brushes! I haven't previously owned a Denman brush however I've heard amazing things and have always wanted to try one! So, when I was contacted about reviewing their new D3 Pink Kiss hairbrush, I obviously jumped at the chance!

The brush is a romantic twist on the famous Denman classic D3 hair brush which a lot of you have probably tried or already own as it won best all rounder in the "Your Hair" product awards 2012! This version is different in that it is sparkly pink with little silver kisses over it, it's a girly girls dream of a brush!

Putting It To The Test!

The Denman D3 Pink Kiss brush has an anti-static rubber pad to give you maximum grip and control while blow-drying and is designed to smooth, shape and polish the hair, so naturally, I thought I would put this to the test for you guys! So, I washed my hair and took some sexual photos of myself in a towel!

The first thing about this brush that I love is that it did not tug my hair at all despite it being wet, which I find most of my other hair-brushes do. It glides through my hair like a dream and doesn't feel as though it is snapping my hair as it goes.

I blow dried my hair as usual using the brush to style my fringe rather than using my roller brush like I normally would. In all honesty, I didn't think this would shape my fringe the way I like it at all, but it really did! This is pretty much how drying my hair went:

After blow drying, this brush had left my hair super shiny and soft, good enough in fact, that i didn't even bother straightening or styling it at all! Definitely reccomend. Here's the end result, me loving my Pink Kiss Brush!

Overall, i feel as though this is my new brush crush! Its stylish, cute, really girly, effective and small enough to fit in your handbag so you can take it anywhere you go!

Whats more, as valentines day is now upon us, this pretty little hair brush is the perfect gift if your after something to hint to your lad this February! Or even a little cheeky valentines gift to yourself at only £7.31 and it comes with a beaut free lip balm! Have beautiful, kissable hair, and lips!

If you have an questions about this hair brush then feel free to ask me in the comments and i will try answer as best i can or you can contact Denman with any questions you have in one of these ways:


And you can buy this exact hair brush with your free cute little lip balm if you're interested by clicking here!

Have you tried any Denman brushes?

If so which ones do you recommend i try next?

 I'm tempted to try their Head Hugger Brushes!

A♥