Manic.Monday: Red caviar

Yep, it's here... the first work Monday after the Christmas holidays and the first one of the new year... I'm not going to lie, it was pretty tough getting out of bed and getting ready for work this morning - bright eyed and bushy tailed I'm NOT. To make this Monday a little bit more cheery and since I'm not quite ready yet to let go of that fluffy, warm and cosy Christmas mood I'm sporting a festive inspired mani today, and since I am partial to some red caviar I've added some matching beads as an accent nail using products from Rimmel and MUA.

As a base I've used a Rimmel London Lycra Pro Nail Polish (£3.29) in the shade Jungle Princess. I must confess that I'm not actually sure if this particular formula is still available on the High Street, but I do know that you can get it from Amazon or eBay. I haven't seen it in Boots or Superdrug which is a real shame because this is a brilliant nail polish. First of all it comes with a very wide and flat brush which is lovely to work with since it makes it easy to apply the polish with high precision and it gives a streak free finish because you only need a maximum of 2 strokes per nail - which I think is amazing. Secondly, the formula has just the right creaminess without being gloopy and it attaches well to the brush without any dripping. You can wear just one coat of this polish to get a more sheer shade, however since the formula dries very quickly it's ideal to use if you want to keep on building the color and you'll get about 4 days wear from this wonderful formula.

The shade Jungle Princess is a nice dark rusty cinnamon red with a slight blue shimmer to it, which really stands out if you only wear one coat. In the photos however I have two coats on, and as you can see the shade deepens to a more opaque and almost mahogany red nuance and personally I think it's quite stylish and has a bit more character than your classic dark red.

The caviar mix is MUA's Fashionista Diamond Rocks (£1) in Red Diamond, which is a bead mix dominated by a rusty, slightly orange red color and then there's also some black and silver beads. As with most nail effects the result is best if you work on one nail at a time, finishing that one before you move on to the next. In this case I added a second coat of Jungle princess to all the nails except the accent nail and let that dry for a few seconds while I got the caviar beads ready. Then I added a second coat of Rimmel to the accent nail as well, and I made it a lot thicker than I normally would so that the beads attach better. I prefer to pour the beads straight from the bottle over the nail since you then get a very dense coverage of the beads on the nail - and if you do it over a bowl or something, you can then easily pour them back into the bottle when you've finished, to minimise any waste. When you've covered the nail, gently tap or press down the pearls into the polish and add some more if need be to get a nice, thick and even caviar coverage.

I wouldn't recommend using a top coat over a caviar look since I think it takes away from the effect and it makes the beads look as if they've been glued in, but you can take a tiny bit of top coat and run along the very edge of the nail to seal them in and this also helps to make the tip a bit more resistant to daily wear. This look will last about 3 days of normal daily wear and tear, and if you have a steady hand you can use a cut off q-tip or something to add a tiny drop of the the base shade to the nail and then add more beads to repair the look if it gets a bit thin.

A caviar mani isn't to everyone's liking and Jungle Princess is a lovely and versatile shade that you can easily wear just as it is, but for me the beads add an element of fun, playfulness and dimension. So I've got the red caviar, all I need is some blinis and bubbly, and I'm all set to do New Year's Eve all over again - who's with me?!

Thankful for Blogger friends TAG

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the New Year celebrations and since this is the first post in 2014 - the start of a new year in so many ways, it felt as if it's just the perfect time to do the Thankful for Blogger friends TAG that I was nominated for. The first part of it tells you a little bit about my approach to blogging and some thoughts about blogging in general, and the second part gives you a few more facts about myself and I hope you enjoy it!

 Blogging and I:

1. How long have you been blogging? Almost 6 months, my first post went up in July 2013 - it's been an absolutely amazing time and I've got to know some wonderful positive and encouraging people along the way.

2. Are there any bloggers who helped you out/encouraged you when you first started your blog? Well, it depends on what you mean. I have a very positive experience of the blogger community, I've always received a lot of support and encouraging feedback from others and I try to do the same for others, but I also do believe that progress is in proportion to the effort you invest in your blog.

3. What Social Media has given you the most traffic to your blog? Is there a platform that you don’t use? Since not all social media give you a statistical overview of traffic, it's really difficult to say which platform is the most efficient one, but at the moment I promote my blog on Google+, Facebook and Twitter. I'm not currently on Instagram since it's not compatible with my Blackberry, but I'm very excited to be upgrading my phone in April and to start using Instagram, which I think will be great fun, especially since my friends call me the Happy Snapper - so after April you can expect to see a lot more from me.

  4. How often do you post? Do you have a regular schedule? I post every day, unless I'm away on holiday or doing something that forces me to do it less frequently for a short while.

5. Where do you blog? From my home office.

6. What camera do you use? What photo editing software do you use? I have a Panasonic Lumix FZ 28 that comes with me everywhere I go, but I don't use any photo editing software and it's definitely an area that I'd like to explore a bit more to create interesting effects with photos.

7. How did you come up with your blog name? As soon as I decided that I was going to try blogging I actually came up with the name more or less right away. I knew I wanted to use something with candle in the title since I love my candles, and after trying on a couple of names for size I settled very quickly on Makeup by Candlelight. 

8. Do you do any regular “series” posts on your blog? Yes, I have some posts that I do regularly throughout the month, and this year I'll also be introducing some new concepts which I'm very excited about.

 9. What draws you to a blog? For me it's very important that a blog expresses a well formed, balanced and genuine personal point of view, e.g. I don't mind reading a negative review of a product as long as it's clear why the product disappointed. I also really appreciate blogs where you feel that a lot of thought has gone into it and which uses quality photos taken by the blogger.

10. What turns you off of a blog? We all have different styles, which is also all part of the charms with blogs and I while I really do appreciate and know that blogging takes a lot of time, the only thing I don't like is when there's a lack of content, or the post is just one or two sentences - there are other social media that you can use for that. For me it doesn't matter how often there are new posts on a blog, as long as they have content that actually says something. I guess it's all about the quality, not the quantity.

11. How many blogs do you subscribe to? Are they all beauty related? I read several different kinds of blogs (food, lifestyle, fashion, beauty, travel), because it's like having the world at your fingertips and you can experience things through others almost as if you were there too - well, almost... But I also think it's important as a blogger to keep your finger on the pulse of what goes on in Blogiverse in general and I want to continue to learn as much as I can from the amazingly talented bloggers out there so I can keep developing my own style.

 12. When do you generally read blogs? In the morning before work, and also in the evening after work to catch up with the blogging day

 13. What is your favorite/least favourite type of post, and why? I don't really have a favourite or least favourite type of post and I'm curious to read about anything from mascaras, to recipes a book review or pets. For me it's again all about the content and that there's a clear point of view behind it.

Some facts about me:

1. Where do you live? Tell us a bit about your city! I'm based in Winchester in the south of England about 1 hr from London. It's a beautiful quaint university city that has a gorgeous cathedral and lots of interesting historical things to see - Winchester was even the capital of old Saxon England in the 7th century. 

2. What about your home? I'm the first to admit that my personal style can be a bit OTT, but our home is completely the opposite - it's minimalist and very inspired by my Scandinavian roots so it has big windows to let in lots of light, white walls, wooden floors and is very paired down. 

3. Single or taken? Very happily married and celebrating 5 years anniversary in August.

4. Do you have children? No, just my fluffy 4 legged feline baby

5. Do you have pets? Well, we have a temperamental and proud tortoise shell cat, but the way she sees it - SHE has us, not the other way around... after all, Him Indoors and I are just ground staff...

6. Do you have a “day job”? Yes, very much so.

7. How tall are you? I'm an Amazonian 5.4 (a bit over 160 cms)

8. Do you have siblings? Unfortunately not, although I have always wanted an older brother - perhaps I can find one on eBay...

9. 3 words to describe yourself. Organised, Inquisitive, Animal lover

10. Who is your style icon, and why? This probably sounds really boring but I don't actually have a style icon and I take my inspiration from lots of different and unexpected places and people, but there are certain fashion houses and designers that I naturally gravitate towards and find very inspirational e.g. Gucci or Dolce & Gabbana - and from that you can probably tell that I'm not afraid of standing out when it comes to clothes!

11. 3 favorite bands or musicians. Adele, Emily Sande, Mindy Gledhill

12. 3 favorite movies. I love to watch films and have many favourites that I'll watch over and over again so this is a very difficult question for me, and also since I have a serious as well as a childish side I have to list 3 films for each I think; Shawshank Redemption, The Usual Suspects and Edward Scissorhands (who doesn't like a bit of Tim Burton's slightly skewed view of reality). And then we have the childish, bouncy side of me that loves films like How to Train Your Dragon (Toothless reminds me of my cat!), Ice Age and Madagascar and when we go to the cinema I seem to always laugh even louder than the kids.... hrmm... 

 

 13. 3 favorite books. The Pickwick Papers, 1984 and The Brothers Karamazov

14. 3 random/weird facts about you.

- I have named every car I have ever owned and so far I've been the proud owner of Frog, Sheep, Fox, Shark and Squirrel... I'm sure it's not just me doing this...
- I'm a complete addict to news and absolutely have to have SKY or another news channel on in the background all through the day so that I'm in touch with what goes on in the world. I think it's a side effect of working from home full time.

- I don't eat any type of meat or poultry - if you insist on putting a label on my way of eating it would be pescetarian, and no I didn't just make that word up...

It was really fun to do this TAG since it made me really think about what I appreciate and want from a blog. As usual, anyone is welcome to join in, but I also TAG the following:

Zara from Bows and Pearls

Ruby from Total Modisch

Rochelle & Natasha from Next Route Style

Christie from It's Christie Friday

Bess from bess // fashion, beauty, lifestyle

I'm back as usual again already tomorrow with a new post and I hope we all have a great 2014! Xx

December on my mind

It's the end of December, and even if it's been an incredible month, it's with mixed feelings that I look back on it. I started already at the end of November preparing for first of advent, and then most of December has really been a run up to two days of Christmas, that fly by far too quickly. When you're done with all the practical things that are needed - decorating the house, getting and decorating a tree, making home made truffles and goodies, cooking etc, there's nothing so cosy and relaxing as coming home from a Christmas market, lighting all the candles, sitting down with some mulled wine (or Glögg in my case), wrapping some presents and just enjoying everything around you - and I've definitely enjoyed every second of December.

Tradition is an important part of Christmas although most of us probably tweak traditions a little to suit our needs best. This year we had my family joining us here in the UK, which means that we celebrated two Christmases - one in Swedish style on December 24th with all the traditional foods; pickled herrings, smoked salmon, gravad lax, eggs, Janssons Temptation (a potato gratin with anchovies and onions), ham, meatballs, ribs and sausages, beer and schnapps and we also opened our presents then. As if we hadn't already eaten enough on Christmas Eve, on Christmas Day we then also had a traditional British Christmas meal with turkey, cranberry sauce, roasted potatoes, stuffing, brussels sprouts with chestnuts and bacon, and Christmas pudding, none of which I eat by the way so now we have enough left overs to feed a small army! Ultimately Christmas is about spending time with your loved ones over a massive plate of food and it's been amazing to do just that.

I just wish that Christmas wasn't over so quickly and if it was up to me I would keep the Christmas tree and all the lights all year around, and just swap the decorations to be more seasonal e.g. having Easter eggs in April, flowers for Midsummer, a pumpkin or so in October etc... No? Ah - just me then... After my family went back to Sweden, Him Indoors and I have also managed to get some quality time together with nice meals, cinema and of course some shopping in the Sales, and I plan to show you the stuff I got in a post in January.

Not only is it the end of a wonderful month, it's also the end of the year and I guess it's only natural to reflect on what has happened in 2013. For me it's been a very eventful year; I've been fortunate enough to do a bit of traveling and despite the fact that I live in a different country than my family and many of my friends I've managed to see them a fair bit, which I value a lot and we've also been good at appreciating and celebrating the small everyday things that you can quickly forget, but that after all is what life is all about. 2013 has also been filled with lots of new undertakings and one of them obviously is this blog, which I'm really looking forward to continue to focus on next year when I'll also introduce some new kinds of post and more fashion related content as well. But before we throw ourselves into 2014, I'll be celebrating the New Year tonight with some Japanese food and barrels of champagne before I take a few days break and return with new posts on January 5.

I wish you all a Happy New Year with lots of new and exciting things to look forward to! Xx

Manic.Monday: Bling on the New Year!

Yes I know what you're thinking - another post about nail polishes...? Well, what can I say except that it is Monday again, and while it may be less Manic than usual since I have some time off from work, there are still manicures to be had and polishes to be shown off in all their glory! Tomorrow it's New Year's Eve and I'm sure I'm not the only one planning for an outfit, wondering what to do with my hair and what makeup look to create. To be honest I haven't quite decided on a lot of those things yet, but at least I have decided what to do with my nails and I'm going posh with the shade Toff from Butter London (£12).

I don't actually have many nail polishes from Butter London and every time I wear one, I ask myself why I don't have more of them when they have so much going for them. First of all the formula is free from all kinds of chemical nasties, which is great and I hope that more brands choose go the same way, particularly since Butter London shows that the formula doesn't have to be compromised in any way. The texture is rich, smooth and creamy with so much pigmentation that you only actually need one coat to achieve a nice opaque look. The brush is of fairly standard width, but of great quality and together with the creamy texture you'll easily get a streak free even finish that dries quickly and lasts about 5 days, which to me is longer than average when it comes to nail polishes. Regardless if you go for one or two coats you'll get a very glossy, high shine finish. I'm not really one for making New Year's resolutions, but one that I think I could actually stick with is to get some more polishes from Butter London for my collection.

Butter London has well over 100 different gorgeous colors to choose from and they all have quirky, fun names inspired by British culture like Cream Tea, Pimms, Thames or like this one - Toff (slang for someone with an aristocratic background or who dresses very smartly). It's a gorgeous old fashioned muted dusty rose pink which is a very sophisticated, stylish and timeless shade and I think it's so versatile you could wear it with any outfit or look that you're going for.

Now if there's any occasion for which you can really bling it up, it is definitely New Year which is why I decided to also add some crystal gemstones from Andrea Fulerton (£7.99) to the look. I've kept it quite simple with just a single stone which I think is quite an interesting, Asian inspired look but you can of course be as creative as you wish and perhaps do a gem French manicure or even cover an accent nail completely with gems - the possibilities are endless. I find that the best way to firmly attach gem stones to the nails is to work on each nail at a time, and to make the final coat of the base shade quite thick, so you can press the stones down firmly into the polish. I then apply a high shine top coat before moving on to the next nail, and this way the gems will stay in place for about 3-4 days. All I need to do now is decide what to wear and then I'm ready, so just Bling on the New Year!

December favourites

It's almost the end of December and there's been so much to like about this month. From a beauty point of view I think I knew already at the beginning of the month at least 3 products that I would be wearing non stop and loving in December and they are all unfortunately limited editions, specially for Christmas. If you're read some of my earlier posts in December, some of the favourites this month won't come as a surprise to you - let's start with the make up products that have been used more often than not. 

I've added a few new products to my make up bag this season and one of the products I've loved the most in December is the amazing Gelée Powder EyeShadow from Estée Lauder (£19). Overall I really enjoy using these lightweight creamy eye shadows and this particular product takes the formula to the next level in terms of quality, intensity and longevity. The consistency is wonderfully smooth and creamy to apply and it quickly dries into a powder form that wears really well for at least the next 8 hrs. This lovely shade is Cyber Red, an intense and vibrant metallic cranberry shade that's been wonderful for a berry winter look.

Another new addition this season is a few new shades of the Color Boost Lip Crayon from Bourjois (£7.99). As you'll probably know by now I absolutely love this formula that not only gives a great satin like smooth coverage but also moisturises and keeps the lips nice and cared for. In December I've worn the shade Rouge a lot, it's a lovely scarlet red that's been perfect to wear with a winged eyeliner look.

So I've loved some of the new additions to my makeup bag this month, but I've also rediscovered an old favourite, which is almost as nice as picking up something new, in Rimmel's Glam Eyes Mono Eye Shadow (£4.49) in the shade Smokey Quartz. It's a nice and silky powder formula that's easy to apply on the lid and to build for intense color without any fall out and it lasts for at least 5-6 hrs without any creasing. The shade Smokey Quartz is a lovely slightly shimmery soft nougat, which is perfect to wear on its own all over the lid or as a base color. It's a great every day eye shadow and after having reminded myself of how much I actually like it, I will now definitely pick up some more shades of it.

 

From left to right (in natural light):

Rimmel Eye Shadow - Smokey Quartz

Estée Lauder Gel Eye Shadow - Cyber Red

Bourjois Lip Crayon - Rouge

At the beginning of December I mentioned that I had already found my favourite nail polish, which was quite a statement to make considering I also had the wonderful Ciaté advent calendar to look forward to - but as it turns out, I was right! I have worn the gorgeous Nails Inc Kensington Church Street Snowflake Effect nail polish (£10.80) almost every single day in December in one combination or another. It is a polish, however I think it's best used as a top coat since it's rich with glitter and sequins that look like snowflakes, and you could probably wear this over any color and the effect would be dazzling and beautiful. Personally I've preferred to wear it over icy cool pastels shades in light frosty blue or metallic foil like silver or gold shades for a festive look. This is a limited edition polish that has sold out in most places where they stock Nails Inc, but if you hurry up, you might be able to get hold of it in your local Nails Inc Bar, Boots or online - and believe me, it's definitely worth a little bit of effort to hunt it down!

I'm sure you won't be surprised to see that the Lush Snow Fairy Shower Gel (£10.95) and EdT (£25 for 30 ml) have landed themselves a very safe spot amongst my December Favourites. As you probably know by now Snow Fairy is released every year by Lush as part of their Christmas collection and ever since I first tried it many, many moons ago it's been a firm Lush favourite of mine. Snow Fairy is a one of a kind scent that somehow manages to be both sweet and freshly crisp and fruity at the same time. It has a very distinct candy like bubblegum scent with a subtle warm undertone of white musk which makes is perfect to wear in the winter time. The shower gel has a rich and creamy texture with a lovely pink shimmery color and the beautiful scent lasts a few hrs on your skin after you've used it, perhaps even up to about 4 hrs when you layer it with the EdT.

I'm so glad I stocked up on Snow Fairy as soon as it was released since as with a lot of seasonal favourites, it sold out very quickly and unfortunately neither the shower gel nor the EdT are available from the Lush online store anymore, but you might get lucky and still find Snow Fairy in your local Lush or of course on eBay. What seasonal or limited editions do you have as part of your December favourites?

Ciaté Advent calendar Dec 19 - 24

I realise that December has been fairly heavy with the ol' nail polish posts and that's partly since I've not only had my regular Manic.Monday posts but I've also wanted to show you what the wonderful Ciaté advent calendar has had in store for me this year. Well we've now come to the end of the advent calendar - all the doors have been opened and these 24 days of  new interesting shades and polishes every morning have been so much fun. But before we put all the new polishes away and start experimenting with the new shades, let's have a look at the last ones that I received this year:

Dec 19 - Underwear: A base coat that contains lotus flower to help strengthen and protect the nails and the polish to last longer (not shown in the photos below)

Dec 20 - Ivory Queen: A sheer, shimmery pale pink nude color

Dec 21 - Confetti: A gorgeous sparkly glitter polish to use either as a top coat or to wear on its own for a radiant look

Dec 22 - Christmas Tree: A lovely, fun caviar mix of shiny green, red and silver beads for a festive accent nail, or maybe as a French tip on a silver base. 

Dec 23 - Locket: A beautiful, silver polish, that gives the impression of crushed crystals so the glitter is a bit more rough cut than Confetti
Dec 24 - Serendipity: A stunning old fashioned rose pink glitter polish

From left to right in artificial light:

Ivory Queen
Confetti
Christmas Tree
Locket
Serendipity

From left to right in natural light:
Ivory Queen
Confetti
Christmas Tree
Locket
Serendipity

This year's calendar definitely had a lot of lovely polishes and it was great to have both a base and top coat included too. I love that there was a few effect polishes and caviars in it too, but personally I would have liked e.g. a mini velvet, and also some more variety in the shades, perhaps a vibrant seasonal green or a lovely deep midnight blue. Saying that, don't for a minute think that I'm disappointed - for me there's no better way to start every day than with a brand new nail polish and you can already sign me up for next year's amazing advent calendar!

 

Dolce Christmas!

Today is Dec 24 - Christmas Eve, and for Scandinavians today is also the day when we celebrate Christmas. It's not because we're so impatient that we want to open our presents a day early, the reason is actually because back in the days of the Vikings a new day started at sunset, so the 25th started at sunset on the 24th rather than at midnight and Scandinavia has kept to that tradition when it comes to Christmas. So tonight I'll be celebrating with my loved ones, having far too much food and drink and giving presents. A couple of days ago I did a post on the color red, which is my preferred color of my Christmas outfit this year, so today I thought I would show you what I'm planning on wearing tonight.

Lace dress with belt: New Look // Shoes: Hobbs // Cameo earrings: ASOS // Bracelet: Dune // Ring: Yves Saint Laurent

After I've finished the preparation of all the Christmas food, it's time to swap the festive penguin leggings and Santa socks for something a bit more decent, and this year I'm taking inspiration from the stunning Dolce & Gabbana A/W collection by wearing a red lace dress from New Look. It comes with a black belt as you can see in one of the photos, but I don't think that the dress actually needs a belt so I won't be wearing it. Lace can be quite racy, but the overlay together with the 3/4 length sleeves shows just the right amount of skin for me. To stick with the red theme, I'm wearing red suede shoes with a shiny tip in the same color from Hobbs and with the 9 cm (3.5 inch) heels it's a very practical and comfortable height for running around doing my Hostess with the mostess duties. To add a feeling of the infamous Dolce & Gabbana opulence to the outfit, I'll be wearing statement earrings with a Cameo motif, a sparkly wide gold coloured cuff with crystals in an intricate pattern and a heavy cocktail ring. 

Dolce & Gabbana A&W 2013 Campaign photo

I hope you like the Dolce & Gabbana inspired look, for me it's perfect for Christmas and I might just add a chunky necklace as well. As it is the Christmas holidays I'm now taking a few days break from blogging to spend with my family, but I'll be back on Dec 28 for the last few posts in 2013.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and hope you have a wonderful time with your loved ones! Xx

Manic.Monday: Blue Christmas

As you may know from previous posts I love to experiment with nail polishes and there's no shade or effect that I won't try. Not all of my explorations of the weird and wonderful world of nail polishes are equally successful and there are - believe or not - looks that I just wouldn't EVER try again e.g. the color changing chameleon effects, or the crackle which never worked for me and I'm not sure that it really ever worked for anyone... On the other hand there have been looks that have been love at first sight and which I keep coming back to in different shades, and one of them is the textured look, which I know isn't for everyone but ever since my first Zoya Pixie Dust I'm well and truly hooked. Today's polish is a version of  that formula, but this is from Isadora's Sugar Crush range in the stunning shade Sky Crush - an icy arctic glittering blue that makes me think of frosty mornings.  

 

Judging by the finished look you might think that the consistency of the polish is quite thick and gloopy, however it's got the same fluidity as an ordinary nail polish and it's until it dries that you get the wonderful shimmery sugared look and the formula is easy to work with especially since the brush is nice and wide. Luckily this is a quick drying formula since the key to this look is in using several coats. With one coat you do get a subtle textured finish, but for a distinct crystallized luxurious look you need at least 2 coats, and I'm actually wearing 3 in the photos.

You can wear a top coat with this which would bring out the sparkle even more if you wish, however personally I think some of the gritty effect is ruined by it and it's exactly that roughness and look of unevenness that make it come alive on your nails. The finished look will last for 3-4 days, which is good for a textured polish, and the only down side of using several coats of it is that it's more difficult to repair seamlessly once it starts to chip. On the other hand, unlike most glitter polishes this is fairly easy to remove, especially if you're wearing more than 2 coats, since you can then easily peel off the entire coating without damaging your nails or having to scrub away for ages.

The amazing brilliant blue and the texture creates a very extravagant look and I have received so many compliments for this shade. I love, love, LOVE this look and since my life approach is all about abundance I'll probably end up getting every color of the rainbow in similar formulas so I can be sure to match or contrast any outfit with it...

Sunshine award

I've had the great honor of being nominated for the Sunshine award by some lovely bloggers; Lucy - The New Northerner, Evi - Evi the Fashionista, Maya - It's a Femme Life, Carly - Sunday's Grace, Jacquelyn - The Little Scottish Corner, Elli - According to Ellie, Yasmin - Be You... and Amy - Face it Amy. The Sunshine award is given to “bloggers who are positive and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere.” and I'm very happy and proud that they thought of me.

Since I received a lot of questions I will however do a modified Sunshine award: I'll give 5 facts about myself, give answers to 11 questions which are a mix of all the different questions I've received and I'll ask 11 new questions for 5 lovely bloggers that I nominate. 

What's to know about little ol' me then... :

1. I love to read cook books, recipes and menus. There's something about reading about the flavors, imagining them and almost tasting them in your mind before you eat them.... is that weird? 

2. I play the piano

3.I have been on 2 flights that were both struck by lightning - no wonder I don't like flying!

4. I used to be a jeep safari driver in Greece

5. I absolutely love to dance and am usually the first and the last person on the dance floor, and I particularly love doing latin

My answers to a mix of 11 questions from lovely bloggers:

1. What did you want to be when you grew up? That actually changed a lot as I got older, but the very first thing I wanted to be was a geologist. I've always been fascinated by stones and gems, in other words I was a magpie already as a child and it was probably the bling I was after!

2. In your opinion what is the funniest word to say? Octopus!!!!! I don't know why, but it always makes me smile.

3. What is your favorite Christmas movie? I think everyone in the UK will know this one - The Snowman. If you've never seen it, it's about a boy who makes a snowman and in the night he comes to life and they go off on a wonderful adventure together but in the morning the the boy wakes up again back in his bed the snowman has melted away. It's the most lovely and slightly sad film with haunting music and Christmas just isn't the same without it. I love it so much I've even seen this as a ballet - 3 times...

4. Have you ever walked out on a film? Several times - life is far too short to lose 2.5 hrs on something you really don't like. I don't like films with excessive gore and splatter when it doesn't really add anything to the story so one film that I walked out of was Sin City.

5. If you could live in any era in history, when would it be? The 1920's - I love love LOVE art deco and just look at the amazing flapper dresses and cute little fascinators, what's not to like?

6. If you could interview anyone (I mean serious Piers Morgan style interview) who would it be? Nelson Mandela

7. One place in the world you really want to go? The North pole - the landscape is just astounding and humbling and I think it would be a once in a life time experience.

8. False nails or real nails? Definitely real nails. I would use nail press on's if I had really short nails and just wanted to hide them away while they were growing, but using glue and things like can be really bad for your nails.

9.  Gold or silver? I wear both, and I think it all depends on the outfit and it's fun to contrast rather than match cool shades in an outfit with gold and the other way around.

 10. If you could have one superpower, what superpower would you want to have? Easy!!! I would want to be able to fly so I don't have to worry about getting on an airplane.

 11. What is your most favorite thing to eat? This is so difficult because I love to try different types of food, but I'm actually going to say roasted butternut squash risotto with blue cheese, which is one of Him Indoors' favorite recipes. Not only is it absolutely delicious, but having someone prepare and cook a home-made meal for you is a treat, it's so relaxing and enjoyable. All I need to do now is show Him Indoors where the dish washer is as well...

My 11 questions: 

1. What's your favourite type of food and why?

2. What do you like to do in your spare time?

3. Heels or flats?

4. Which make up brand do you own most product from?

5.If you could be someone else for the day - who would you be?

6. Lush or The Body Shop?

7. Who's had most influence on who you are as a person today?

8. What's your favourite book?

9. If you could only by one single thing next time you go shopping, what would it be?

10. Starbucks or Costa?

11. Where are you going on your next holiday?

.... and I nominate the following bloggers to join in:

Laura from Pink Frenzy

Shiraz from Misunderstood Princesses

Tamanna from Tiny Small Wonders  

Kim from Kim's Beauty Drawer

Shubha from Blue Velvet Addict

Have a great day everyone! Xx

Red edition

For me the color I most associate with the festive season is red. As a primary color it's a forceful and dynamic shade that is often linked with strong emotions like love, passion, action, courage or even anger but at this time of year for me it evokes feelings of joy and hope. There are so many shades of red in the spectrum from the lighter, softer shades that are almost coral pink to the dark brown blood red vampy shades, which is why the hunt for the perfect red lipstick or nail polish is never really over, something I think every beauty junkie will agree with. Red is definitely my shade of choice this season and here are a few of my favorite red products that will be worn a lot this Christmas.

There are so many gorgeous red nail polish shades this season but as soon as I saw China Glaze (£4.95) in the shade With Love, I knew that this would be my Christmas polish. I was really looking forward to wearing this shade since I'd never used China Glaze before, but had read some great reviews of this US brand and I'm sure I'm not the only one. China Glaze has an enormous range of shades in every color of the rainbow and there are over 300 to choose from. With Love is a true glamorous red shade with a hint of orange that creates the radiant, almost scarlet color. The formula is just the right density - not too watery, not too thick and together with the lovely wide brush it's easy to get an even streak free coverage that dries quickly, with no effort at all. It has a rich pigmentation so one coat of this fabulous red is actually enough for an opaque finish, however personally I prefer to wear two coats.

All the China Glaze nail polishes contain something called China Clay, which is the same material that adds shine to porcelain and it also strengthens the nails, so you'll automatically get a high shine finish without using an additional top coat. On me the finish stays flawless for about 4-5 days, which I think is quite good and then I might need to top up the high shine with a top coat. I love this nail polish and have worn it both on its own (getting so many compliments for it) and as a base shade for festive nail effects and if you haven't yet tried China Glaze, I highly recommend it - you won't be disappointed.

From left to right (in artificial light):

China Glaze - 112 With Love

China Glaze 112 With Love & Nails Inc Snowflake effect

China Glaze 112 With Love & Nails Inc Snow Globe

China Glaze 112 With Love & Nails Inc Party Shoes

China Glaze 112 With Love & Rimmel Disco Ball

From left to right (in natural light):

China Glaze - 112 With Love

China Glaze 112 With Love & Nails Inc Snowflake effect

China Glaze 112 With Love & Nails Inc Snow Globe

China Glaze 112 With Love & Nails Inc Party Shoes

China Glaze 112 With Love & Rimmel Disco Ball

If you've read some of my latest eye makeup posts, you'll know that I've been experimenting with using a lot of red and darker berry shades and I've also tried some new interesting formulas. First we had the well known and loved Maybelline 24 hr colour tattoo, then for me Bourjois' 24 hr cream to shadow proved to be even better than that, and now we have the creme de la creme with Estée Lauder's Gelée Powder EyeShadow (£19) in Cyber Red. It comes in a stylish little compact and has a lovely multi dimensional pattern to us, that's almost too pretty to mess up and the concept behind it is very interesting; gel, powder and liquid in one. It has an incredibly soft and smooth consistency that easily glides onto the eyelid and stays without any creasing or fading all throughout the day. There are 6 metallic, intense shade in the range at the moment and they can be used either dry or wet, depending on which color intensity you're going for. This is a lovely warm and dynamic burgundy red with incredible sheen to it, and I've loved wearing it with just a dark eyeliner and lots of mascara. After a recommendation from one of you lovely readers, I use an almost white base shade before applying Cyber Red and the shade really pops and comes into its own. Thanks for that great tip!

As I've started to wear a red statement lip a lot this Christmas season I've also realised the importance of using a lip pencil, something I didn't use to bother with. But when you wear a vibrant red, or another strong shade a lip pencil is almost a must, not only for defining and maybe even correcting the shape of your lips but also to prevent any bleeding and to make the shade last longer. I've invested in some of the No7 Precision Lips Pencils (£6.75) and for me they are just perfect; soft, smooth and moisturising and they don't dry or fade in a horrible way. For a punchy red statement lip the shade Fire is perfect and it would work well with a range of red shades both lighter and darker and I've paired this lip pencil with the Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer (£6.49) in Big Bang. I've mentioned this amazing Rimmel product a few times before, and I'm sorry for repeating myself but honestly this is one of the best lip products on the high street. The formula is so moisturising but still intense and it gives a lovely high shine. Big Bang is a glorious, vivid clear red shade which is so lovely with a neutral or even nude eye look and with this shade you don't need anything else, it does all the talking. 

From top to bottom (in artificial light):

Estée Lauder Eye shadow - Cyber Ruby

No 7 Lip liner - Fire 

Rimmel Apocalips - Big Bang

From top to bottom (in natural light):

Estée Lauder Eye shadow - Cyber Ruby

No 7 Lip liner - Fire 

Rimmel Apocalips - Big Bang

Last among some of my favourite red products is the fantastic EdP from Tom Ford - Jasmin Rouge EdP (£140 for 50 ml) which I have done a review of previously. It's a wonderful and sensual exotic blend of different types of jasmine, spice and clary sage that creates a very bold and glamorous statement. It's floral but not sweet, intense but not over powering and classic and contemporary all at the same time. This is the purest jasmine scent that I have ever tried and it's completely intoxicating. As you probably know I LOVE perfume and have quite a collection and I usually wear something different every day, but if I had to choose just one single scent to wear for the rest of my life, this would be it - and for me to say that, really does say something about this scent.

A warm, vibrant red is indeed the primary festive color above all, and although it may be a predictable color to wear, it's a classic - after all I wouldn't want to criticize what Santa wears since I hope he'll bring me something nice in a few days...