Forevermissvanity - A UK Lifestyle Blogger : June 2013

Nail Polish Colour Wheels

Before I start writing about the actual post topic, I'd like to pose a question to all my regular followers. In the above image, do I look different? If you answered yes, but couldn't figure out why, it's due to my ever so slight hair colouring disaster yesterday. For a start I picked the wrong colour for my roots and secondly I got so distracted by listening to my current favourite band (The Vaccines) that I left it on a whole 10 minutes longer than it should have been applied. Hence, my hair has now gone almost black. In the picture, I have my lighter hair extensions underneath the dark hair to give it a two tone colour and give the illusion of lighter locks, however without these, it's very, very dark. The change came as a bit of a shock, but now, I'm embracing the rock chick Jessica that left me long ago and has now returned. I'm loving being at the dark side.

Despite yesterday's mishaps, I've had a really good weekend and to top it off, my nail wheels finally came from China. I bought these on Ebay for £1.37 (including shipping) in hope it would help me organise my nail polish draw. I go through phases where I buy far too much nail polish and end up with multiple polishes that are very similar colours. I've seen lots of bloggers adopting this technique for organisation and I really wanted to try it myself.

Painting all these colour wheels made me realise that I have over 65 nail polishes - not all nail polishes have been applied to the wheels yet, I'm always buying pink or red colours and a few of my nail polishes have dried out and I didn't realise.

I love these colour wheels, because I can show them to my friends or family if they ever need to borrow a colour and I can gaze at all the colours from my beautiful collection.

I've also organised the wheels by nail polish brand. The ones that do not have a label are a mixture of brands and my higher end polishes have a wheel to themselves. I love collecting Nail Inc and Ciate.

Crackle polishes also show up on these colour wheels and look amazing! You could also buy additional wheels and experiment mixing various colours. It's great knowing what they will look like before you put them on, if you're in a rush to go out.

Although they take quite a while being delivered, at £1.37 you really cannot go wrong. If you're a nail polish addict or simply want to experiment, I really recommend that you invest in these. They're great for demos if you're a blogger too!

How big is your nail polish collection?

Happy Friday!

I love adverts with really cute animals so I felt that I had to share this with everyone.

Have a wonderful Friday!

Monday is the day I always want to look my best - having a bad outfit day on the first day of the week isn't really a good start and looking good means I can be cheery even though it's a long haul until the weekend. To eradicate the Monday 'blues', I always tend to go for the brighter clothing colours at the beginning of the week and today was no exception.

I was recently sent this beautiful SugarHill 'Suits You' blouse from Scarlett fashion and I couldn't wait to wear it. The pattern looks flirty and retro, two aspects I always look for in clothing. The blouse has cutaway sleeves which helps cool you down with the weather being quite hot lately and the card suit print across the body evokes a sense of someone who's willing to test their luck and take a gamble in life - very much a summary of my personality.

The blouse is currently on sale for £25.46 which is a reasonable price for such a versatile, quirky item. I have no fear that this little beauty will be sat in the bottom of my wardrobe for months on end. Instead it will be teamed up with my high waisted trousers, slimline skirts and possibly even worn on work experience (minus the black bra).

What do you think of this quirky design?

www.scarlettfashion.co.uk/

If you have ever wondered how celebrities keep their makeup looking freshly applied whilst at award shows and movie premiers, the secret is out. It's all down to a spritz of their favourite finishing sprays. Finishing sprays are great for those who are constantly rushing around and need to look flawless 24/7. I've always been interested in buying a finishing spray, but when there's so many on the market, it's difficult to choose which one to try out. I recently came across the new Mary Kay Makeup Finishing Spray and at £14.00 I thought it was a bargain.

For those who have never heard of Mary Kay cosmetics, the brand has stores in over 35 countries and has 2.5 million beauty consultants worldwide. The brand is over 50 years and with age, comes wisdom. Their products seem to be getting more inventive and better than ever.

The Mary Kay Finishing Spray is one of their newest product launches in partnership with Skindinavia. Mary Kay's finishing spray is said to last up to 16 hours and is a lightweight formula that washes off with ease. I found the spray really easy to use - simply by holding the bottle 8-10 inches away from my face then spraying, plus it had a rather nice scent.

When I go for my driving lessons, being a nervous driver, I often get all clammy and sweaty but my makeup remained in place this time. The formula is so light weight that I can't feel it on top of my regular foundation and overall I'm really impressed. £14.00 is hardly breaking the student bank and it's definitely a fantastic price for a celebrity inspired product. Would I repurchase it again? If it keeps living up to it's expectations - definitely.

http://www.marykay.co.uk/

The weather is getting hotter and the sun is getting brighter. If you haven't got a pair of sunglasses, now is the time to invest in them. I've always been a fan of big rimmed sunnies as they remind me of A list celebrities sunbathing in exotic locations. Victoria Beckham's sunglasses collection is one I definitely envy and even though they take up the majority of her face, I think they make her look mysterious and sexy. One of the big questions when buying a pair of sunglasses is do you go for an expensive pair or pick up several from Primark? My opinion is that you should always have a cheaper pair on hand, but designer is the way to go.

There are many online retailers now offering designer sunglasses at a fraction of the price you would buy them in store. It's a minefield trying to find which shops sell the real deal and which shops are secret phoney dealers, but if you read the reviews carefully, you'll discover that. Pretavoir is an online designer sunglasses retailer that has been running since 2009. They sell an array of beautiful designer sunglasses at a lower price than their high-street rivals. Pretavoir approached me to do a review on their service and having wanted to purchase a new pair of sunglasses, I agreed. I fell in love with this pair from Gucci when I first discovered them in Harvey Nichols, so I knew these were the ones for me and suited my face shape.

When I received the sunglasses, they looked faultless and you could tell they were authentic by the serial number I was given and the design/number printed on the inside of the arms. The glasses came with a Gucci sunglass case, which is recycling friendly and also a Gucci duster - perfect.

When trying them on, I noticed that the glasses were sturdy and fitted really well. They really suit my face shape and although the rims are slightly big for my face, I think they are one of my favourite pairs of sunglasses I own. The glasses came to £125 and the price I saw them at in store a few months, maybe a year ago was approximately £180, so there's a generous saving to be made at Pretavoir.

I love my new sunglasses and can't wait to get out in the sun with them today for the first time. Pretavoir have been a reliable company and made buying my sunglasses a pleasant experience, I would definitely do this again.

Snobby sunglasses pose...everyone has to do it.

www.pretavoir.co.uk

As a young girl, I always dreamt of being a little princess. Belle from Beauty and the Beast and Sleeping Beauty were my icons and I hoped that one day I would be surrounded by beautiful gowns and shoes. These days I'm a penniless student from Huddersfield trying to climb up on the social ladder and leading a life far from what I envisioned at 10 years old. However, when the dress hire company Wish Want Wear contacted me about reviewing a designer dress, at least one of my wishes had been fulfilled. Wish Want Wear are a company that offers a variety of designer dresses that you can rent over a 4 or 7 day period. There's everything from Herve Ledger and Cavalli to Temperley and Missoni, all at a click of a computer mouse. The prices range from as little as £35 to as much as £200, depending on the price of dress you would like to hire. I've always been fascinated by the dress hire companies and not having the budget for a designer wardrobe, I'm instantly drawn to sites like these.

When I was asked to choose a dress to review, I felt like it was an impossible choice. Like a child in a candy shop, I wanted everything and anything I could get. After much deliberation, I finally decided on this gorgeous Suzannah dress. I picked this dress not only because I loved the pattern, but it reminded me of the 1950s era I'm in love with. Anything that shows off my curves and makes me look like an extra on Madmen would be perfect in my wardrobe and if I had a spare £755, this dress would definitely be making its way there. The style is very flattering for any body shape and fits like a dream - pulling the waist in, clinging to those boobs and giving you curvy feminine hips. As with many designer dresses, unless it states it has elastane, i'd always go for a size bigger. I'm usually a petite size 8, but I definitely needed a size 10 in this beauty.

The service from Wish Want Wear was fantastic and although I would have preferred my dress to arrive a little more classier than a cardboard box, I've found the whole hiring experience faultless so far as I have yet to return it. Would I hire a dress again? Depending on how much it costs to hire it, yes definitely. £110 for me personally was a little too steep for this dress, but anyone wanting a beautiful frock at the fraction of the price shouldn't hesitate in paying that much. The best thing about Wish Want Wear is that they have various dresses from different budgets and I could easily spend £50 hiring a dress for a friends or family wedding or special occasion. By loaning me this dress for the weekend, Wish Want Wear made me feel like a princess and it's what every girl deserves once in a while. So why not have a treat and try it for yourself?

Which dress would you choose?

http://www.wishwantwear.com/

I've come across a lot of tweets lately where many people have been complaining that sometimes bloggers forget to do personal posts about themselves. Admittedly it's easier to write reviews than express yourself and I personally often forget that sometimes audiences need to know more about the face behind the blog. I've always been very open with all of my followers and I try to always add a personal reflection to all my reviews. However, I have noticed that it has been quite a long time since I did a post solely focusing on my life - besides my holiday posting. Therefore here is your chance to get to know me in 10 different ways.

1) I have been vegetarian for nearly 10 years.

The Veggie burger at Hard Rock looks almost like meat!

2) I'm the Vice President of the Pole Dancing Society at the University of Huddersfield

3) I got engaged after only 7months with my partner and we're getting married next year.

I love him more than anything and he is one of my biggest inspirations in life.

4) I still have confidence issues.

So many people say: "You've lost almost six stone, you should be happy with yourself!" Unfortunately this is far from the case. In all honesty, I'm more self conscious now than I've ever been. I always feel like I have a 'fat' persons mind and still not adjusting to my current slimmer self. On the later part of my diet, I lost weight far too quick and I have been left with slight excess skin. I mask it really well with the clothes I pick, but I get worried that people will notice it far too easily. My partner and I have agreed that if this is something that still really upsets me once I've had finished having kids and everything, when I'm older we can save up for surgery - even though he loves me just the way I am.

5) I used to have 18 Guinea pigs all at the same time.

We bought two guinea pigs thinking they were both female and one ended up being a male. They all ended up having babies and me and my partners couldn't bare to get rid of them all. I was rather young and really attached to them all. We ended up with 18 in the end and then separated them so that they could live their lives out. We had so much fun with them all and also hand reared six of the babies when the mum died shortly after birth. Bailey pictured at the top was my last ever guinea pig and I miss him so much. He was probably the guinea pig I spent the most time playing with.

6) I'm a qualified hairdresser, but I don't use my qualification anymore.

As much as I love hair and beauty now, I prefer to write about it than do it for a career. My interest lies more within media related industries. I don't regret doing the course - I was 16 and didn't have a clue what to do. It got me out of the house and gave me a qualification that will stay with me. If journalism or PR ever fails, at least it's something I could go back and learn.

7) I love rock music/heavy metal and I used to be a goth.

I dress so girly these days, but once there was a time that I would never go out of the house without red or black lipstick and my eyes buried deep in pencil eyeliner. I would still class myself as 'a rock chick' at heart. Give me some KISS, Motley Crue or Aerosmith any day over Lady Gaga and Beyonce.

8) I have a ridiculous amount of makeup and beauty products.

This is probably only half of my makeup - I just can't stop collecting it.

9) I have a huge fear of ice.

When it's icy outside I have quite severe panic attacks and this is due to falling over whilst ice skating and breaking my cartilage in my knee. It wasn't necessarily the injury that caused the fear, it's that my knee hasn't been right in about 4 years despite having surgery. The injury also caused me to now suffer a mild form of arthritis where my knee swells up occasionally, especially around the 'time of the month'. I'm just so terrified of falling and hurting my knee even further that ice literally sends me into panic mode.

10) I just want to be a good role model.

When I started my blog I had no idea how successful I would be, whether I would ever be approached by a PR company or whether I would get any readers. I'm beyond grateful for all the support Forevermissvanity has received over the last few years and the amount of positive feedback I regularly get makes it all worth while. If I want anything to come from my blog, I'd like to be a good role model for girls my age and younger. There are people in this world that always think they're better than everyone else, that think they are pretty, some who think you need to be a certain size to be a fashion blogger and some that prefer the numbers over a loyal readership. All I want is to keep reading the messages in my inbox that says 'you're great at what you do' and most importantly 'you inspire me'. If I can make one girl who's as insecure as I used feel, feel better even for just one day, it will make everything I do worthwhile. I already get those messages and I cannot tell you how much it brightens my day. To all my readers, new and old, you don't know how much you bring out my confidence on a daily basis.

Remember to enter my giveaway!
xxx

Here's your chance to win a few items that should keep you're lips and eyes looking au natural and at their best on the beach this summer. There's a popcorn scrub to get those lips all soft, then an array of lip glosses to last you throughout the week. To finish off, I've added a waterproof mascara - essential for those of you who are swimming fanatics on holiday.

Entering is simple. Just fill out the form below and if you're under 16, obtain parental permission.

UK and Ireland only

(I will be doing an international giveaway soon, I promise)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Since I watched the Great Gatsby in the cinemas a few weeks ago, I've been craving a glittery dress. The whole film showcases the most elaborate sequins, beautiful flowing 20s style dresses and lots of bright colours. Whilst watching the film, I felt like I wanted to be transported to those parties and join in the fun. Unfortunately this is not the 1920s, so i'll have to find some glittery ensemble and recreate a Gatsby party myself. A delightful PR lady dropped me an email to show me their latest Great Gatsby inspired clothing lines and I instantly felt drawn to this dress. Sometimes you have a gut feeling when you see a picture that the dress is meant for you and you know that it's definitely going to suit you. I've searched for a lot of glittery dresses in the past and apart from my beautiful French Connection Samantha dress, I haven't found another one I like. I'm really picky as when it comes to glitter dresses, there's a fine line between tacky and spectacular. The majority of the time, unless you can splurge a decent amount of money on a glittery outfit, you're stuck with something that looks a tiny bit shabby.

I received this dress in the post on Thursday - having ran down to answer the door in my underwear to prevent the delivery driver taking it to the depot. It was quite an embarrassing moment and full of cheesy chat up lines from the rather embarrassed male, but alas, it was all worth it. Tacky? Falling apart? Of course not, this dress looked sewn to perfection. On my first introduction to Bon Prix, my initial stance was that the dresses suited a more mature lady and I probably wouldn't shop there myself. However, when my previous purple dress arrived, I was really happy with the quality and pricing that my opinion completely altered. The dresses are a little more demure - they cut below the knee and offer sophistication rather than a tight little mini skirt and I like that. I haven't had a bad experience with the company or their pr team and its become top of my bookmark list that I check almost every week.

This sequinned bust dress can be purchased from Bon Prix for the affordable price tag of £29.99. On initial inspection of the dress, none of the sequins seemed lose - something I tend to find with a lot of sequin dresses, the sizing is pretty spacious and the dress overall is really well made. The only thing I would comment on is that fact that it is a very roomy size 6 - 8. I would never consider myself a size 6 and although I own a few size 6 items, I'd say they are more verging on a size 8. This dress seems to fit me easily, but I could see it might be a little big on a size 6. Apart from that, yet again, Bon Prix scores 5/5 for their clothing again. Having worn this at my partners garden party the other day and the sun shimmering off the gold, I was left with confidence. The dress was comfy and felt like a second skin - something that all clothing should feel like.

http://www.bonprix.co.uk/

What do you think of the dress?

source

My holiday to Ibiza is almost a month away and I cannot retain my excitement. Every day I look outside at this British weather, I'm dreaming of the much hotter climate i'll be spending a week in, relaxing by the pool. Don't get me wrong, the weather over here has been more than fabulous lately, but it's not quite hot enough to give me an all over tan. Having not been abroad in over 10 years, I cannot wait to embrace the jetset life and finally embark on a new adventure. I miss the thrill of being on a plane and the warm air almost snuggling you as you reach your landing point. I can't wait to get there and jump straight into the water with a mask and snorkel - hello tropical fish it's great to see you again.

To be able to go swimming and to properly enjoy my holiday in Ibiza, I get to grab some new swimwear. I've been working my a** off at the gym and my bodies looking in a little better shape, so I really need a bikini that will show off all my dedication and hard work. I've been searching the web, going into stores and looking on Ebay for my favourites and here are a few I've come across on my search. So far the Topshop high waisted bikini's are winning for me, but I could really see myself purchasing every single one in a mad shopping frenzy.

The High Waisted Bikini's

Having lost a fair bit of weight, my stomach isn't in the best shape. I've got the odd stretch mark I'd rather not have and a little bit of loose skin. A high waisted bikini is perfect for me, because it shows off my lovely toned upper half and covers all the bits i'm terrified of showing. I love the sexy bandage cut Topshop bikini's and this little Red Herring floral number is so cute - grab it whilst it's on offer, I'm tempted to do so.

The 'All in One' Swimsuit

These designs are classic and pretty much suit everyone. I love the retro designs that are out at the moment and you could really envision an Hollywood icon wearing the New Look and River Island designs. The Asda swimsuit is cute and I think the design adds a little bit of fun, which would bode well with the party lifestyle in Ibiza.

The Skimpy Bikini

These bikini's are great for those who have the perfect beach body and want to flaunt it. There are so many amazing styles out there at such affordable prices. I love the Lego design of the Primark Bikini, it makes me think of the 80s. The American flag design from Bank is classic and I love the fun thrills on the Missguided bikini. If the Missguided bikini doesn't get you excited for your holidays, their new blog definitely will. Check out their holiday wear guide to give you holiday motivation.

All of the swimwear mentioned have such great price tags that it's easy to pick up one or two on anyone's budget and I could easily see myself spending a fair amount in the next few weeks. Creating this blogpost has fuelled my holiday excitement even more. I can't wait to say bye bye England and hello Ibiza!

Do you have any holidays booked?

I've just returned back from my holiday in Wales and gosh, it has been a long and exhilarating week. We arrived on bank holiday Monday at Pwllheli where my dad moors his yacht over the winter period. The weather was rather glum, but nevertheless showed signs of improvement throughout the day. Me and my partner had a long walk on the beach and relaxed next to the marina awaiting the summer launch of the boat and when it finally hit the water, our real journey began.

Me on my boat

In the middle of the Irish sea

On Tuesday we sailed over to a small harbour town called Porthmadog. The sail took approximately 3 hours and according to my father, we sailed almost 30 miles this week. The sea glistened and looked almost like it belonged in the Mediterranean, whilst the sun provided a wealth of heat, casually scorching our skin.

Our boat

Throughout the week, it was perfect weather for walking, swimming and sailing and we definitely made the most of it, as did a lot of other tourists. We spent two days relaxing in Porthmadog, before returning to what we as a family call 'our boat home' in Llandanwg. When we finally moored the boat back at its summer home, we spent the last few days on the beach and visited a beautiful piece of welsh history known as Harlech Castle.

Porthmadog Beach

My partner

Harlech Castle

The Beach

The holiday was faultless and I had a fabulous time relaxing in Wales. When I returned and noticed tan lines, I couldn't believe it. It was almost like I'd spent a few days in Spain. It was lovely to have a break with my family and my gorgeous fiance and by the looks of the photo below, my dog enjoyed the journey too.

Ozzy!

Do you have any holidays booked?

Nail Polish Colour Wheels

Happy Friday!

Queen of Hearts

Makeup Finishing Spray - Mary Kay

Hey there Gucci Girl

From Rags to Riches: Wish Want Wear

10 things you didn't know about me

Summer Bundle Giveaway

Great Gatsby Inspired Outfit

Dreaming of Ibiza: Swimsuit Edition

Sail the summer winds