New Year 2012 Resolutions

Hello my lovelies :) So this is officially the last morning of 2011.  This year has surely left it's mark on me and it is one I will remember and there are parts of it that I will miss dearly.  Anyways, I just wanted to share with you my resolutions for this coming year both health and beauty-wise and some general lifestyle changes and challenges which I would like to take on.

~ First of all, I will finally take the plunge and have some blood tests carried out.  I just want to do so out of curiosity and just because it is of no use being a Medical Laboratory Scientist and telling others to have routine tests while I do not do them myself :P 

~ I am also planning on taking a dermatological consultation so I can finally sort out my skin problems.  

~ I am also going to pluck up the courage to get a dental check up every 6 months or as needed just to keep my teeth in check.  

~ Lastly, with regards my health, I will try to cut down on sweets and exercise more.

~ The most challenging of all will definitely be my driving license which I have been meaning to start since forever but never really had the courage to.  

So these are basically my new year resolutions which I am very much determined to tick off! This year will also be quite full for me with regards work and hopefully getting accepted to start my Masters degree in Blood Transfusion Science.  Right now I am dealing with my work application to finally settle as an appointed Medical Laboratory Scientist within the Hospital Blood Bank and I hope all is sorted real soon!

Here's to a prosperous 2012 to all of you and your respective families & friends!! What changes will you be making to your life in the coming year?

Christmas Goodies :D

Hello cupcakes :) As promised, here are all the goodies I got for Christmas (well not all, as Johan had given me his gift much earlier).  

Chamilia Flex Bracelet & Graduation hat solid silver charm

Turquoise bead and silver butterfly Spinning Ring

Givenchy Rouge Interdit in 20 Illicit Raspberry

Shoes mug

Snowflake Candle

I was surprised that I actually had gifts to open this Christmas as Mum & Dad really have spoiled me with loads of stuff due to my graduation so you can imagine my excitement as I opened the first gift from them and found a mug with cute pink shoes all over it :D A few days before Christmas, they also bought me the Chamilia flex bracelet and to complement it, James, my brother gave me the Graduation hat charm and a Spinning Ring.  Lastly, Mum & Dad managed to make the day extra special by giving me this Givenchy lipstick :D I just love everything about it and I almost cried out of joy as opened the gift. It is my first ever high-end lipstick and I will even keep the box it came in!

Lastly, our Consultant at work gave us these cute hand-decorated candles and mine had a silver snowflake which complements my room really well :)

I am totally over the moon with these gifts so thanks everyone!!

Next up is gonna be a sale shopping post so watch out for that :) 

Monthly Favourites: December 2011

And this year is officially at an end! It has been quite an eventful one for me and surely one I will remember! Anyways, in this post, I would like to share with you my most abused (read favourite) products of the month so let's get started!

First of all, I have really enjoyed my graduation and all the celebrations it brings with it as well as spending time with my family and Johan during the Christmas season.  Having all these special occasions and dinners, I couldn't not primp myself to the full and so I have really been making the most of my make-up collection this month! I am not going to repeat all the face products as I use mainly the same primer/foundation/setting powder/brushes so it's no use boring you with the same products over and over.

I'm gonna start with eye products first...

I have really been using the e.l.f. Everyday Brights 32 Piece Eyeshadow palette a lot this month, mainly because you get an extensive choice of colours in one palette and also because it is portable and whenever I had to get ready for an event after work or so, I would take this palette with me and I was never disappointed :)  I have also been loving the e.l.f. Mineral Eyeshadows lately and I can tell that I will purchase more of them!

Lastly, for eye products, I'm so glad e.l.f. finally got the Lengthening & Defining Mascara!! I immediately ordered 2 black ones and a brown one and I have been using them everyday as I like how they give the illusion that I am wearing false lashes :)  I'm also glad I rediscovered the e.l.f. Wet Gloss Lash & Brow clear mascara as it keeps my brows in place and gives me a more polished look.

Next up, is Travalo perfume atomizer which has constantly been living in my bags this festive season for perfume touch ups on the go. You can read the full review here.

On my nails, I have been including China Glaze Snow Globe in almost all of my manicures this month so it's definitely been a favourite.  I also have a new skin care product this month, namely, Witch Hazel skin toner which has definitely helped prevent the spread of break-out causing bacteria, hence diminishing break-out occurrence.

Last but definitely not the least, I have been loving 5 lip products this month.  To start with, Nivea Hydro Care lip balm which moisturizes my lips to keep them supple under my lippies.  As for lipsticks, I didn't change last month's favourites i.e. Max Factor Midnight Plum, M&S Dark Pink lipgloss and e.l.f. Mineral Lipstick in Rich Raspberry as I continued using them quite frequently throughout this month.  I have also been enjoying Maybelline Water Shine in 02 Beige Glace for those occasions when I needed an understated lip.

I have also been enjoying all of the presents which I got for Christmas which you can have a look at here :) What where your favourites this month ladies?

NOTW: Merry Christmas Everyone!!

Happy Christmas cupcakes!! I hope you all enjoyed spending time with family and friends today :) I know I did (pressies post coming soon)!! Just wanted to share some pics of the manicure I wore today and a quick tutorial on how you can do the design yourselves :)

I wanted to do a snowflake design for ages now and while I had some free time this week, I opted to do one.  Yet I deviated away from the traditional blue hues associated with snowflake designs and instead opted for a warm red.  Let's get started on the tutorial:

1. Prep nails with a base coat and a coat of a nude pink polish (I like to do this every time I am going to paint my nails in a dark colour to avoid staining as much as possible).

2. Apply two or three coats of a red glitter polish over the entire nails.  I used China Glaze Ring In The Red which needed 3 coats for maximum opacity.

3. For the snowflake design, start by sponging some silver foil polish (Orly Dazzle) over the very tips of your ring fingernails.  Then add some extra sparkle with just a touch of China Glaze Snowglobe over the silver polish only.

4a. Diluted some white acrylic paint with water to draw the actual snowflakes (diluting the paint ensures you can do fine, detailed nail art better).  Start by drawing a diagonal cross and then draw another vertical line passing through the centre of the diagonals.

4b. Draw little triangle-like shapes in between the big lines as shown in the pictures.  Finish your snowflake by drawing little arrows on alternating lines.  You may opt to finish your design now but I added a little star towards the bottom of the nails and also a few dots to give the illusion of snow.

5. Apply a glossy top coat and you're done! 

I hope you guys enjoyed this tutorial :) Sincere and warm wishes for a Merry Christmas to all of you and your respective families! xxx

December Collective Haul

This month, was unsurprisingly all about buying presents for others rather than buying stuff for myself and it was also a relatively busy month with regards work and social activities so I really didn't have that much time to shop anyways. Let me get this small haul going!

First up are the articles I got from ebay...

I picked up a pair of these Pamela Mann tights as I really like subtle embellishments on hosiery and bows add a cute touch to any outfit!  These were around £8.  I also got a bottle of Witch Hazel skin toner (around €5) as I read that it is a very good astringent and helps prevent spreading of germs on your face and hence decrease the chance of zits developing; it also mops up excess oil without drying the skin (always rinse it off with water after use). Lastly, while I browsing ebay for something else, I came across this cute pleat front dress and seeing it was only £29, I bought it as well.

Pamela Mann bow hosiery

Witch Hazel Skin Toner

Blush, pleat front dress

Next up are some gifts I received for my graduation in the beginning of the month...

A dear friend of mine gave this cute Esprit make-up purse :) I really love the polka dot pattern and the cutesy bow on it :) I have also received a few frames and my aunt gave me some money with which I bought a pair of shoes for the graduation ball :) I also had to buy mask for the ball and I opted for a feather one from Accessorize which was priced at €5.50.

Mum & Dad also bought me a Chamilia Flex Bangle as a present! I cannot wait to start putting charms that mark special milestones in my life on it (maybe I get the Graduation Hat as my first one! who knows :P)

Lastly, I bought a new set of Shampoo & Conditioner from Joico.  I have used some of Mum's set and I totally loved the results so I bought the Added Moisture set for me. Now I just have to use them and see the results!  The hairdresser is giving a bottle of Eugene Perma nail polish again with every colour treatment and Mum got me the last one I needed in my collection, a nice, clean nude pink.

That's it for this month ladies! I will be doing a separate Christmas pressies post later next week :)

e.l.f. Haul feat. Christmas Mystery Luxury Gift Set

Oh the joy today when Mum texted me that my e.l.f. order was waiting for me safely at home!!! I just couldn't wait till 7 o'clock as I was overly excited to see what mystery gifts I scored and to have a play with my new stuff to make sure everything was ok.  As usual, all the products were safely packaged in a lot of bubble wrap and everything was in one piece. The order took a week to arrive but it was well worth the wait!  I'll leave you to the photos now to feast your eyes :P (swatches and reviews will follow in due course).

Cute Mystery Gift alert!

My original order... 

Studio Make up Lock & Seal, Black Cream Eyeliner, Translucent Mattifying Powder

Essentials Sociable Lipstick

(I also ordered a Black Mineral Eyeliner and a Lengthening & Defining mascara for Mum)

Sociable lipstick

In reality it is much more red than pink and has silver shimmers running through it

On to the fun part! The Mystery Gift!

Day to Night Beauty-on-the-go

Shimmer Eyeliner Pencil in Plum Passion

Nail Polish in Chocolate (gave it to Mum as I already have another)

Day at the Beach (top) & Night on the Town palettes

Have you taken advantage of any of the 12 days of Christmas codes from elf?

Mystery Gift free with promotional code

I'm a winner!!!

A couple of weeks back, I was lucky enough to win the runner-up prize in  a Christmas comment competition on facebook hosted by Body Gourmet Malta, a local brand which produces hand made soaps. Doriette, the sweet owner delivered me my winnings a few days ago and I was totally over the moon!! They all smell scrumptiously good and they are too pretty to use up! Here's a closer look at what I got:

Celebration Soap scented with Pink Champagne

Coffee Club Soap exfoliant and cellulite buster

Bath fizzer

Almond Milk Solid Lotion

Pomegranate Noir Body Scrub

For my Maltese readers, you can check out Body Gourmet's creations on her facebook page by clicking here.

Review: Born Pretty Store 100pcs Fimo Cane Bundle with Cutter

Born Pretty Store have once again offered me the chance to review another product from their website and this time, I went for the 100pcs Fimo Cane bundle with cutter.  I opted for the fimo canes because you create nail art very easily with them, especially if you are pressed for time but still want your nails to look good!

I was extremely happy with shipping this time round because the package only took just over a week to get to Malta all the way from China!  May I also remind you that Born Pretty offer free world-wide shipping all year round with no minimum spend!

So, the package consists of a nice mix of fimo canes (app. 5cm in length; 3-5mm wide; 100pcs in total), 10 cutters, 2 empty cases and 1 tube of glue. The bundle costs $13.66 and the price goes down to as low as $12.43 per pack, depending on how much you buy. (Be careful of the cutters because they are really sharp and also, don't forget to keep them out of children's reach).

Here are all the designs I got in my bundle:

As you can see, you get a nice mix of flowers, butterflies, brand logos and also kawaii motifs which are more suited for little girls.  

They are very easy to cut once you get the hang of it but if it is your first time, it is best if you look up some tutorials on YouTube.  After cutting them up, you can then store the fimo slices in the provided empty cases

You can stick the cut fimo shapes to your nails with either clear polish (my preferred method) or by using the supplied glue (if you're going to use the glue, make sure that you always put a base coat underneath) to create beautiful and effortless nail art designs like these:

Like many other nail art embellishments, these fimo slices stay put for like a week on me and that's enough for me as I change my manicures quite frequently.  On the other hand, when used with gel nails, they last for the whole three weeks.

I totally recommend these to any nail art enthusiast particularly because they are great value for money and if you use the code EBABK31 at checkout, you will also get them at 10% off! (code valid till 31st December 2011).

PR Sample