Thursday 30 December 2010

I Want Your Style: Kim Kardashian




Hey Dolls...

For those of you who don't know who Kim Kardashian is... shame on you!!!

I'm only joking... *cough* ... *tumbleweed goes by*

Kim K is an American celeb, socialite, creator of an established jewellery and fashion line with various stores dotted around the U.S, television personality, producer, actress, and model.

I'm a huge fan of American show "Keeping up with the Kardashians" and have pretty much watched every episode since having Sky+ installed back in July. I'm obsessed to say the least, which I'm actually pretty ashamed to admit! I even follow Kim [and her sisters] on Twitter!

Now, I'm not a scary stalker type, I simply have a small [and normal] amount of envy for Kim's style, her hair and make up and of course, her shoes! 
You must all think I'm MASSIVELY sad for watching and following these people so avidly but they are actually pretty addictive. For anyone who loves fashion and beauty, the Kardashians will equally enthral you!

I thought I'd write this month's "I want your style" post about Kim K as her style is classy, simple, sleek and very well done [all thanks to her stylist I'm sure]... and most of all, she dresses exactly how I would if I was 'a)' - that skinny!!! and 'b)' - had that much cash!

She's also lost 10lbs in just over two weeks (HOW DID SHE MANAGE THAT?!) - she must have one heck of a personal trainer!!!

I'll leave you with some recent pictures, I'm sure you'll agree, the clothes and shoes are TO.DIE.FOR:




KimWeightLoss1102.jpg



:) x

Tuesday 28 December 2010

Nailene - The Removal!



I wrote previously about my experiment with the Nailene Active Square full cover nails...

Today was the day for removal and man oh man was it messy!!

I soaked them in Superdrug "Get 'em off" false nail remover which was actually pretty good stuff, however, I forgot to use normal polish remover to get rid of the plum nail laquer first! Not cool! I was covered in the stuff!

Anyway...

Managed to get the covers off after about twenty minutes of soaking and cleaning and my nails aren't too bad!

It will, however, take a little while for them to recover fully so I think I'll treat myself to some Sally Hansen Diamond Nail Strengthener in the meantime for a bit of a boost!

Watch this space for the review!




Sunday 26 December 2010

Review: Nailene Dreams

After seeing a post from the lovely Laura at 'The Beauty Sanctum' (click here to view post) I decided to try the Nailene 'Active Square' false nails.

I actually paid just £6.00 for 200 full nail covers from Asda - the bargain of the century right?!

I've never been very good at painting my own nails, I can do my left hand perfectly, yet when it comes to using said hand to paint my the nails on my right hand, it all falls to pieces! A total disaster!!!

I decided to paint these nails with an Avon polish, being an Avon representative I'm lucky enough to be able to get their products for a fraction of the brochure price and I truly believe that they are fantastic quality... here's how I did it!


[kit]

I used:Avon Nail Laquer - Midnight Plum
Avon Nail Laquer - Clear
Avon Nail Experts Liquid Freeze
Nailene Active Square nail covers x 200

 Firstly, Measure each nail and file to size using the file included.

Next, press a small blob of tack onto the back of the nail and stick a cotton bud to it, this will enable you to paint the nails first so that you don't smudge whilst they're drying




Thirdly, paint the nails with a thick layer of your chosen nail laquer, i wanted to achieve a dark plum finish with this particular polish so I applied two thick coats


Repeat this for all ten nails and leave on a sheet of kitchen towel to dry.

I left these overnight. Most nail varnishes take at least 4 hours to dry to the touch and another 4 hours to become resistant to knocks and smudges. If I'd put these on straight away and painted it would have been carnage! I can't seem to keep still once I've painted my nails and they develop dents all over the place!

I used a clear top coat and a spritz of Avon's "freeze" spray. This helps to dry nails (to the touch) within 30 seconds. It does work, but the nail will still be succeptable to dents and smudges for the usual drying time.

When dry, get sticking!!!!

When using the Nailene glue, you only need to put a few drops onto the middle third of the nail, press this onto your own nail (make sure they're straight!) and wait a few seconds -- the Nailene glue is fantastic and takes just 3 seconds to dry.... it is, however, harsh on the skin and does stick your fingers together (unfortunately this happened to me a few times) be careful to avoid and excess glue that appears from under the nail whilst sticking and try to avoid getting any glue on the polished nail.. unfortunately this dries "matte" on the nail so you will need to re-apply the polish to get that sheen back.

Voila! You're done!

Overall, considering I had a few mishaps with my first attempt, my nails didn't look too bad once finished and I've already had lots of comments on them. One person was so determined that they were professional I had to show her my kit!


[Excuse the terrible photography]



I would recommend these to anyone! I've now been wearing them for four days and not one has even lifted!

Very impressed!!!


:) x

Review: I feel like "Cinder"ella!!

Welcome to my first review!!!

I hope you've had a fantastic Christmas and that you're enjoying Boxing Day 2010?

I noted in an earlier post that I would be spending a whole month's wages in my local "Lush" store...


I was a very good girl and limited my spending to a whole ten pounds (Yay - go me!!) but managed to get the highly acclaimed "Cinders" ballistic as part of my Lush spending spree! Now... I wanted to post a link to this particular product but unfortunately the U.K site is down for maintenance! Here's the link to the U.S site, it's pretty much the same... click here

At least it'll stop more spending by yours truly eh?


As far as packaging goes... Lush does the job.
The gorgeous smell hits you as soon as you prise open the box -- yum!
They're extremely environmentally friendly and encourage you to recycle the box and bag they use to keep your ballistic safe. Very good 'Lush' :)




The Cinders ballistic is infused with Spicy Cinnamon Leaf, Almond Oils and orange... Almond oil is unscented and particularly excellent for the skin. It is emollient, demulcent and nutritious with a high vitamin E content. It is smooth to apply and leaves a silky feel to the skin... I was definitely excited to try this one! I love anything with Almond Oil!!

I used the whole bomb for my bath, these can easily be split so that you can get two uses out of them and 1/2 would have been more than enough...

I must say, I was like a 4 year old when I dropped this into the boiling water... 




Now, the Cinders ballistic has had many reviews in the past, all of the users have stated that it makes the bath water look like pee... nice!!!!!! I had to try it and as horrible as these reviews sound, and as much as the water does actually look like pee pee, it was a fantastically relaxing time for me... the smell of the bomb chilled me out instantly and my skin was so smooth afterwards!


'pee bath'

Overall, the best ballistic I've EVER used and I absolutely love the product -- I will be buying this in bulk next time. As soon as my bath was over I wanted to run another and indulge in the Cinders 'pee' bath again!

A big thumbs up!!!


:) x

Sunday 19 December 2010

Wishlist: Lush Ltd.

I thought I'd share my current 'Lush' wishlist with you -- After my Limited Edition Lush Ballistic experience last night, I am totally and utterly hooked!

I had THE perfect bath with a ballistic that somebody (oh so kindly) purchased as my secret santa gift last week... I must say, this is potentially the best secret santa prezzie I've ever recieved as, even though I've never tried a 'lush' product myself (yet), I have been one of their biggest fans after spending many a Saturday afternoon in my local store (Bath - Somerset) oogling at and drooling over their incredible products...

The smell... ooooooh the heavenly store smell... It might even smell better than the Body Shop does [*GASP*] - Did I just say that? Did I just say that something might (MIGHT) be better than my beloved Body Shop?????

Anyway... the bath was perfect... complete with my favourite book of the moment ['Assassin's Appretice' by Robin Hobb] and a few gawjus candles! I haven't been so relaxed for weeks and I really needed it!
Here's a few snaps...

 

I'll explain the kitten bookmark in a future post -- basically -- I have an obsession with all things cute, little and fluffy... I'm desperate for a pet cat at the moment so cat's/kitten's in particular are at the head of my top ten animal list...

Moving swiftly on...

Now that my bathtime friend (the ballistic) is all used up, I've created [a somewhat boring] Lush wishlist... which I will purchase as soon as humanly possibly (maybe I could also drop a few light hints to my other half, friends and family that gifts of this kind will be welcome???)

I apologise in advance, I did want to add pictures of each product but I'm afraid my picture inserter thingy-ma-bob has decided to throw a paddy and stop working. Instead I shall post links... Here goes:

First up we have the "Cinders" ballistic, I've heard nothing but rave reviews about this, but I have also heard that it makes your bathwater look like peepee? Hmmm interesting...

Next, the "Mrs Whippy"... The Soya milk powder within the ballistic softens the water and makes it slightly milky, which softens your body. MMMMMMM it looks good enough to eat - Scrumcious!


There's also a selection of gift sets that I think are delightful... I wont drone on about them too much but here's my favourite:http://www.lush.co.uk/products/christmas-gifts-2010/�20--�30/bathtime_favourites_tin_861.html 


I apologise for the "hyperlink heavy" post, I just HAD to write about these... I feel I might cave in and purchase the whole Lush store as soon as I get paid!

How yummy!!!!!!!!!


:) x

Saturday 18 December 2010

Beautiful, Beautiful Winter

Although I was dreading the snow yesterday... it turns out I'm not that bothered about it. It's SO pretty!!!!!

I'll paste the pictures I took this morning below -- apart from the ugly black slush that's on the roads, and the immenent ice rink that's bound to be outside tomorrow, I'm actually quite pleased about the gorgeousness that is snow!!





:) x


Pink Blusher & Snow!

Not many people know this, but I'm currently an Avon Representative...
I've been an Avon Saleswoman for nearly two months now and have been working extra extra hard, alongside my full time job, to sell Avon to my friends  family and territory. It's tough, and at the moment there's not much financial reward, but I can really make it my own business and can use as much pink and sparkles as I like!!!!

Avon is actually a fantastic brand, there are so many different aspects of Avon available, from Lingerie and handbags to make-up and skin care! So many people are scared to try it because they're worried that it's not good quality, but let me tell you -- they stock some of the most fabulous products that I've ever used!

One of which is this:



There are two creams, one for use during the day and one to apply overnight.

It says anti-aging but it can be used for any age. I'm 20 and have now been using this religiously every day/night for 6 weeks. I've noticed a massive difference! Even the dark bags around my eyes (which are so bad I actually call them "suitcases") have improved and the skin is generally softer and the tone in more even.

I'm in love!!!




Also...  had a bit of a disaster yesterday!

After using this beautiful blusher for over 3 months (it lasts forever) and still having 80% of it left... I dropped my make-up bag this morning and this is what I found:


It's completely ruined ...

*cries*

Luckily I opened it over the sink in the bathroom else I would have been in LOTS of trouble for staining the bathroom tiles pink!

This must be one of the best Avon blushers ever, it had 5 different shades of pink, enabling you to match your cheeks to any occasion and I'd managed to find the perfect blend of colours. It's such a pity they don't sell this any more as it's absolutely fantastic!

Overall -- I'm massively impressed with Avon products and I absolutely love everything they come up with!

:) x

Wednesday 1 December 2010

I'd love to hear from you

Why not send me a message or follow me using one of the below?

Email: cookiesandblush@gmail.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/cookiesandblush
Bloglovin': HERE

I try to reply to each comment as soon as I can and will always check out your page in return for your visit - Finding new blogs to read is TOP of my to do list, I love reading them! 

Feel free to send over any suggestions for posts or even general blog improvements... it really would brighten up my day if I received a little message from you while you were passing through



:) x
 

Well Hello - Welcome to Cookies and Blush...
How're you doing? 


In a nut shell, Cookies and Blush is a place filled with beauty reviews, craft rambles, my love for photography and my passion for writing. 
Established in late 2010, it was originally named "Blueberries 'n' Strawberries", but recently, I decided that a change was due! 



About me, the "Author":

- I'm based in the beautiful Wiltshire Countryside.
- I have two sweet little cats named Batista and Tips - yep, I'm a cat lady (and proud...)
- I have a severe addiction to stationary. 
- I like to ramble and repeat myself... constantly... 
- I'm slightly obsessed with crafts of all shapes and sizes! Crochet is my friend.

If you'd like to leave me a comment or check out my blog on Bloglovin', I'd be really excited. Let me know what you think and say "helloooooo" if you have time whilst you're passing through!


:) x



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