Hoola Hoop Your Heart Out

So I'm addicted to nail varnish if you hadn't noticed and my latest fave is this little beauty by Collection 2000. It's number 34 and is called 'Hoola Hoop':

The picture on Collection 2000's website looks a lot more purpley that it really is, which is quite strange...

All I can say is that it is proper pink!! Unquestionably, unsubtly, most definitely pink! I have two coats on in this picture, but one would have probably done, and it dried really quickly.

On Saturday I'm off to a Hen Party and the dress code is pink and black. As my outfit is mostly black I think I'm gonna wear this on my nails to make sure I adhere to the rules!

I'm still loving my cute little birdie ring which I got in the TopShop sale for £2.50 (I spoke about it in my first ever YouTube video that you can see in the post below if you fancy a laugh at my expense!).

What are your favourite nail varnishes at the moment? I usually stick to Collection 2000 and 17, so I think I need to try some other brands...

xx

End of an Era

I have a rather special OOTD to share with you all today so I really hope you like it!

Last night was my Graduation Ball held at the beautiful Botanical Gardens in Birmingham and it was (I know I use this word a lot) amazing!

For those of you that have been following my blog you will know that I have been panicking so much about finding a dress over the last few weeks but, lo and behold, I managed to find one eventually! So please forgive my self-indulgence, as this post contains a lot of photos, but I had such a great night and as I don't get dressed up like this very often I figure I might as well make the most of it.

Here's the dress I finally went for...

I love it so much. I got it from a Karen Millen outlet where it was reduced from £200 to £55, which I don't think is too bad at all. I have tried so many on over the last few weeks, and I know that in most of them I would have had to have breathed in all night or kept pulling them up, and I really didn't want that. This one was great because it was floaty it I didn't have to worry about any of that. I also love the dress because of the colour. The orange is really eye catching and the gold detailing (sequins, beads and chains) around the top adds a bit of interest. I think I was one of only a couple of people out of 800 wearing orange, so I felt different which is what I really wanted. I thought maybe the dress wouldn't be 'ball-y' enough, but as it was, dresses ranged from simple summer dresses to full on ball gowns, so I fitted in just fine!

I planned on selling the dress on ebay after I'd worn it, but I enjoyed wearing it so much that I think I'm going to hang on to it for a while!

I had my make up done for free at the Clinique counter in Boots. I only really went in for them to try out foundation on me, but the lady ended up doing the whole thing! I really loved the foundation she used. The 'Superbalanced Make Up' covered up all my blemishes and gave a really even finish, but still felt really light and my skin could breathe. I loved the look at a whole, because it was really fresh and pretty, and still subtle (I'm not really a fan of garish make up).

Here's a close up of my eyes. The lady filled in my eyebrows, which I have never done before but it made such a big difference, I will definitely do it again. She used mainly bronze colours, but a hint of 'Indigo Quickliner' on my bottom eyelid. When she first suggested indigo I was horrified, but I actually think it looked really good, and brought out the blue of my eyes.

Here you can see my eyelids better. Look at my eyelashes - they've never been so long!

I wasn't sure what colour nails to go for so I asked my boyfriend who suggested grey, and I have to say it was an inspired choice! (Not that there was any real thought behind his suggestion - I know he just guesses and hopes for the best). I used Collection 2000 Hot Looks nail varnish in 'Wham!' It gave quite a matt finish and I think it went really well with the orange of my dress, although I would probably have never thought of it myself (Erin 0, Boyfriend 1).

Because my dress was pretty bright, I kept things simple jewellery-wise. I just wore a bracelet I got in the Miss Selfridge sale for £2 which has a pearl, gold heart and black bow, and my mum's old engagement ring which she gave to me which I think is gorgeous and only wear on really special occasions.

So that's pretty much my whole outfit! What do you guys think? What are you planning on wearing for any balls / proms / parties you've got coming up this summer?

I have to say I loved my whole outfit sooooooo much! It was one of those rare occasions that I really felt good in what I was wearing and wanted lots of photos taken! I've put a few more pics below just in case you fancy taking a look at what my friends were wearing and what the place was like. As I've already said the Botanical Gardens were really beautiful, with so much to explore and great backgrounds for photos!

Here's me and my boyfriend. I think he looks rather dapper!

This is me with 3 of my best girl friends who I think all looked really pretty. How well does my friend Dani on the right's bag match her dress?! (And it was from Primark - bargain! - but sssshhh, don't tell anyone!)

The boys found a play area! They may have nearly graduated but they are still little boys at heart!

I have loads of photos from last night and know that in years to come they'll bring back such great memories. I'm starting to get a little bit emotional just thinking about it! The night finished off with a beautiful fireworks display as the class of 2010 made their way home.

All in all a crazy, emotional, funny night out (with a nice outfit) - what more could you ask for?!

xx

Bank account says...no

It's always a depressing day when your bank statement arrives as a student, and this month was no exception.

I got mine yesterday and it was even worse than expected, which means major shopping should really be off the cards for me for a while. Saying that, I know I won't be able to avoid the shops entirely, so I'm just going to have to hunt out bargains instead of splashing the cash.

I know exactly what's going to happen now that I have no money - when I go into town I'll just want EVERYTHING I see! Why does this always happen?! When you actually have money to spend and need to buy something, you can never find anything anywhere, but as soon as your money runs out, hello, you love everything!!

Saying that I've been good for the first 24 hours at least(!) buying just another new varnish.

I went for 'Polyester Pink' by NYC which cost about £2. It's proper Barbie-style pink - very girly almost like bubblegum. It goes on well and so far it's a lot more longer-lasting that the Collection 2000 one I bought at the weekend, and hasn't chipped at all with two coats.

I'll post up anymore bargains I find over the next few weeks while I'm keeping a close eye on the finances. Wish me luck!

xx

Best quick, cheap fix

When you're feeling you need to freshen your look, nail varnish has got to be the best quick, cheap fix you can get.

After a rather stressful day at uni, I felt like I needed cheering up and typically turned to the shops to do it. Although a whole new outfit, complete with bag, shoes and jewellery would have been the perfect antidote, unfortunately I'm living on a student budget. So instead I went for new nail varnish. Strange choice you might think, but I think it's perfect for just making you feel that little bit better.

The colour I went for was 'BMX Bandit' by Collection 2000. I'm normally a black, purple, deep red kinda girl, but thought this was the perfect colour for this time of year- fresh and vibrant for the start of spring, without being too summery (we're not there quite yet!). It's a great colour for any situation- funky enough for the evening, yet not too garish for daytime.

For just £1.79 it really cheered me up- I genuinely smiled when I noticed my nails when typing on the keyboard earlier!

There's certain things that I think it's important to spend a decent amount of money on to get good quality. However, I think with nail varnish, unless it's a particularly special occasion or you need it to be particularly chip-resistant for any reason, then cheap will do. If you're only paying a couple of pounds a bottle you can afford to experiment, trying out new colours without worrying you might not like them and never use them again.

Nail varnish adds a finishing touch to your look, and might even make you feel that little bit happier. And all for just a couple of pounds!

xx