Nails of the Weekend - A leopard never changes his spots ...

Ok so today i attempted my first try at nail art - leopard nails to be exact!

And while i bought the Models Own nail art pen on Wednesday with the plan to have some funky nails for the weekend i then lacked all inspiration until i came across Leanne's post and totally copied her *thanks doll* :)

Oh hai there pretty phone case :)

So like Leanne i used my Sphinx gold nail polish by 17 - love love love this colour. A rich gold with a greenish-bronze hint!

I then drew on the leopards spots (or curly c's) with the Models Own nail art pen using the nib applicator rather than the brush. I found this surprisingly easy to do and the pens nib releases just the right amount of polish.

woops! pre-tidy up pic *cant all be perfect nail artists* ;)

To add some colour i chose Barry M's Peach Melba. I didn't like this polish as an all over nail colour (i found the consistency rather watery and needed several coats before the desired colour was reached) but found it great for filling in the leopard spots :)

the 'ingredients'

Totally love this look and am already thinking about what i can try next with my nail art pen - leave your suggestions below :)

What do you think of my first attempt?

xoxo

My 100 Followers 'thank you' Giveaway ...

I recently hit 100 followers on my blog and am so very happy and grateful!

I totally didn't think anyone would read my little Notebook as the blogging community is vast and i thought it'd get lost in 'cyber-space' but here we are over 100 followers later and coming up to 100 posts - amaze!

As promised I've put together a little giveaway as a thank you to everyone that takes time out to visit my blog, read and comment on my posts. I wish you the best of luck and hope you continue to stop by and visit my page :)

Prizes:

Eylure Party Lashes designed by Nicola Roberts from Girls Aloud

Batiste Original Dry Shampoo

Soap & Glory's Wish Upon A Jar

Rimmel Volume Flash The Max Bold Curves Mascara - Black

E.L.F Luscious Liquid Lipstick - Raspberry

Barry M Dazzle Dust - Neon Pink

MUA Blush - Shade 1

MUA Lipstick - Shade 5

MUA Nail Polish - Shade 16

George Nail Polish - Starry Eyed

George Nail Polish - Love Rat

Pearl 'Made With Love' bracelet - handmade by me!

Rules:

Firstly, you must be a public GFC follower on my blog

To enter simply leave a comment on this post with your contact deets (email or twitter is fine)

Extra entries:

Tweet about the giveaway: 'I've just entered @kirsti_r 100 followers giveaway and you can too here @ http://kirstix.blogspot.com' (+1)

Put my button in your sidebar (+2) ... HTML coding can be found in my sidebar on the right.

All in all you have 4 chances of winning if you do all of the above.

The giveaway is open international and the winner will be chosen by Random.org.

This giveaway will close at midnight on Friday 17th June and the winner will be announced on my blog over that weekend.

I will also email/tweet the winner and if i don't get a response within 3 days, i will have to choose another.

Best of luck and once again girlies - thank you!

xoxo

Day 14 - 30 Day Challenge - Your current wishlist ...

I showed you guys my 'wishlist' only last week and not much has changed since then as i havent been paid yet! *hurry up payday*

I thought I'd show you my top 3 things I'm lusting over ;) so here's ...

Day 14 of my 30 Day Challenge - Your current wishlist:

I need coral jeans!!

I'm in love with this clutch - I'd definitely stop spending if i had this in my life *i swear*

Going late night shopping tomorrow, i have a feeling this will hop into my basket :)

What ya think? Craving any of my wishlist?

I'm off to eat a cream cake and catch up with lots of blog reading :)

xoxo

Wishlist for May ...

Hiya ladies :)

I've decided to a 'Wishlist for May' post about all the things i'm currently wanting/needing/looking for. As you'll see below so are a little far-fetched *hello, Alexander McQueen clutch* but most are affordable.

I'm trying to be good and not spend much monies as i have a very packed summer coming up so we'll see at the end of the month how good i've really been by whats still left in my Wishlist shopping basket!

Lets begin...

If you've read my other posts you'll know that i am currently obsessing over the boho look and the free-spirited style of Nicole Richie. I long for beachy, messy waves and i'm hoping this Babyliss Waving Wand will be my saviour!

Coral jeans. I first saw the most divine pair ever in H&M about 2 months ago but they only had larger sizes left. I checked everywhere for them - online, in Oxford Street, eBay but still havent found a pair :(

We're going to Download festival in June and i'm obsessed with the idea of having a teepee tent. The bf will not budge and has said no :( If i happen to come across a real bargain i will indulge and get one otherwise this will be staying in my wishlist until next festival season.

 I ADORE this Alexander McQueen clutch. I want NEED this in my life!!!

How cute is this!? Totally reminds me of something Katy Perry would wear. I think this will be hopping into my basket pretty soon ;)

I love this bikini but for £60 i dont think it will be mine (unless all my eBay listings do really well and i have some extra spends left over!)

So thats May's wishlist. What do you girlies think? Whats on your wish list?

xoxo

Do you believe in Magic?! *Barry M Lip Paint Review*

Who'd have thought i'd ever buy a GREEN lipstick!!?

I recently received Barry M's catalogue in the post and while excitedly flicking through the glossy pages i spied this - Touch of Magic Lip Paint and here's how Barry himself describes it:

"A green lipstick that turns pink! The natural alkali level of your lips will determine just how pale or rich the shade of pink will be. A perfect long-lasting lip paint that's waterproof for day long wear."

I love a gimmick and totally knew i had to try this! Ive had it in my watched items on eBay for a couple of weeks but have never checked out. Today while in Boots curiosity got the better of me and i tossed it into my basket :)

(By the way have you seen my eBay listing tab above - i list new stuff every week so check it out for some bargains!)

Anyways, lets get on with the review....

First up is the packaging. I havent bought any of the Barry M Lip Paints before, actually i  have never given them so much as a glance! so i was really impressed with the sleek black casing and secure lid. Reminds me of both MAC and Sleek lip products.

The garish green of the lipstick bullet is very off-putting - reminds me of Halloween and witches! When swatched it first came out clear *surprising, no?!* and the colour slowly develops into a sweet pink shade (when swatched on my skin the colour is much softer than on my lips)

I love both the 'reveal' colours. I adore the cute light pink colouring on my skin and would be very happy with a lip colour in that shade. I am equally as pleased with the outcome when used on my lips - its a rich berry pink colour which i have recently come to learn is my most suited shade of pink.

excuse the hair - i was lounging in bed while the bf played games

The Lip Paint slicks on well with ease and is very long-lasting. I also found this fairly moisturising (i have a real problem with lipsticks drying out my lips and leaving me with flaky colouring, boo)

I also put on a dab of concealer onto my lips and then tried it out to see if the colour differs and the result was as predicted a slightly lighter pink although this didnt last long and the colour drifted back to the berry shade.

slightly lighter shade of pink :)

I have come across a couple of downsides to this product unfortunately. Firstly is that the colour smudges very easily and is extremely difficult to remove - you may see in my photos the smudging around my lips, it looks like ive been drinking cherryade and have a cherry moustache! Not a good look. Secondly is the smell/taste. It reminds me of the cheap lipsticks you used to buy as a kid/tween - quite plasticy.

Overall i am very pleased with this product and think i'll get a lot of use out of it. I love the idea of colour change product and hope to see more like these in the future. Plus for £4.49 its a bargain.

Next on my Barry M Lip Paint wishlist is Pink Glitter :)

xoxo

OOTD & FOTD ...

So I had planned to do a FOTD/OOTD post this morning and took some pics in a hurry while getting ready for work, but once i returned home and uploaded the pics the camera devils had been at work and turned the photo's hideous and stupid looking, dontcha just hate that!!? :(

I decided to post them anyway as i wanted to get more of these type of notes on my blog and i fear if i delay doing them in the hope of getting perfect pics then i may never get started! So here goes ...

FOTD:

Foundation: Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid - 021 Nude

Blush: Models Own - Cheeky Pink

Powder: Random one i've had for so long that the branding has worn off

Bronzer: Rimmel Sun Shimmer Bronzing Compact Powder - Medium

Eyeshadow: 17 Eye Dazzle - Good As Gold and 17 Glitter - Chalice

Eyeliner: Maybelline Gel Eyeliner & Barry M's Khol pencil

Mascara: Maybelline Great Lash - Blackest Black and 17's Va Va Voom Volume Mascara - Black

Lips: Avon lipstick - Moonbeam

Excuse the darkness in the pics - that side of my bedroom is mainly black and Cadbury's purple!

OOTD:

This is just a simple work outfit  (didnt want anything too fancy today as i had lots of crawling around and messy jobs to get on with - oh yes, my job screams glamour!)

Black trousers: New Look

Pink belt: Primark

Peach tee: New Look

Floral cardi: Primark

Brown brogues: Primark

Necklace: Primark

I'm still getting to grips with my outfit pics in sucha cramped room so bear with me (i used to be able to take decent pics in my old bedroom about 3 years ago but i had much more space to play with!)

Hit me up with your tips for better pics girlies :)

xoxo

This week's Swag ...

So here's a little post about the Swag i've picked up this week on my travels.... hadnt been shopping since Christmas so it was a bit of a treat and i definitely over-indulged. Not going to show everything just a selection....

New Outfit for Work

As i spend most of my time at the office and dont go out a whole bunch mid-week i like to look nice for work and experiment with my outfits. Got a fantastic minky-brown sheer blouse with a black velvet heart print and ruffle bib, absolutely love it!

As you can see here i teamed it with cropped peg-leg trousers, pumps and a pale pink belt (which i also picked up during this weeks shopping trip. Added a black cardi as its sleeveless and a bit too cold still to bare arms and layered with a black cami underneath! Top and belt both from Primark.

Make up

I love blush and like to wear a pale pinky-peach colour on the apples of my cheeks and a darker more pink-red colour higher up around my eyes (sounds odd but works well - try it!) Decided to try a Models Own dark pink/red blush for the first time.

Honestly i wasnt too impressed with this blush. It blended well which is something i need when wearing two blushers but it didnt last all day unlike the cheaper brand ive been using recently (Boots 17 - China Pink). Models Own - Cheeky Pink. RRP: £6

Also picked up some gold eye dazzle eyeshadow - been wanting some gold eyeshadow for a while for a new look i'm working on. Golden eyelids with a black smokey eye effect (will post a pic when i've perfected it). Decided to go for a dust type eyeshadow as its easy to blend and layer on - after walking round and round the make-up aisles i eventually opted for 17 - Eye Dazzle in Good As Gold.

I like this one a lot as it can be used for day or night. The pot has a 'pepper pot' top and only a little comes out, ideal for day time wear as your brush isnt too overloaded. It layers and builds well for evening wear and a darker, brighter look. Also blends well. Despite all of this i still prefer Barry M's Dazzle Dusts but they didnt have the shade i wanted when i bought this item. RRP: £2.99

Special Mention

So a special mention today goes out today to Chit Chat - Plump It! Lipgloss which i bought from...... wait for it........... Poundland!! Yep, Poundland have a small selection of make-up. As well as this lipgloss i found some old, discontinued [products by Rimmel, Collection 2000 and W17 but unfortunately didnt have any shades i would wear.... This lipgloss claims to plump your lips and for only £1 i thought it would be worth a test.

Well, i didnt notice a change in my lips but out of all the lipglosses that claim to pump your lips none have worked on me. The Plump It! Lipgloss did however provide a gorgeous clear shine albeit a bit sticky. All in all cant complain for a quid! Looking forward to checking out Poundland again for more beauty bargains!

Have any of you tried any of the make-up available in pound shops?

Like i said at the beginning of this post i got a whole lot more loot most of which i havent tried yet so as and when i do i will update you on what i got and and what i think :)

'Don't be a stranger xoxo'

Review: Barry M's 'Effects' Nail Paint

Barry M's 'Effects' Nail Paint - RRP: £ 3.99

Heard a ripple of excitement among friends for the new Barry M  'Effects' Nail Paint and just had to try it for myself!

It comes in the usual Barry M style nail polish bottles with a little tag attached detailing what to do:

'Easy to create Instant Nail Effects'

1. Paint your nails with your chosen colour and let them dry

2. Apply a SINGLE COAT of Instant Nail Effects, dont overlap.

Watch the unique effect appear before your eyes!

Sounds simple enough so i gave it a go and it works! Creates a funky salon look - works with any make of nail polish.

I'm currently sporting a 'leopard print' look - Barry M's Mushroom coloured nail paint (see thumb in pic below) with the black crackle paint over the top - looks grrrrrrreat!

'don't be a stranger xoxo'