Topshop ? Ring

It takes a strong person to resist a Topshop sale. It takes even more of a strong person to resist a 20% off EVERYTHING in Topshop sale a mere 50 feet from your office, so of course - I succumbed to the lure of shopping.

I work in Wimbledon, opposite a department store called Elys. Elys may be lesser-known than stores like Debenhams and John Lewis, but it boasts a fantastic selection of brands - from the likes of Topshop through to Melissa for Vivienne Westwood, and in beauty everything from Dior through to Laura Mercier. In short, it's a dream slash nightmare to work a minute away from its doors.

Today Ely's are doing a 20% off everything sale (10% in beauty) and I took a peek during my lunch hour to pick up some bargains. I thought I'd share the Topshop Questionmark Ring I picked up for a mere £4!

Topshop Freedom Questionmark Ring

Topshop Freedom Questionmark Ring

So if you fancy picking up some Topshop, or other bargains in Elys today I suggest you head down before 9pm to make the most of this fab sale!

xoxo

I love Vivienne Westwood shoes

Along with an insatiable appetite for high-end beauty products, I've managed to get a little obsession with Vivienne Westwood shoes. I absolutely love the Anglomania/Melissa team-up and have got my greedy little hands on two pairs to date.

Gratuitous shoe post? Oh go on then...

Vivienne Westwood Anglomania Melissa Shoes

Vivienne Westwood Nude Wanting Ballerinas

Vivienne Westwood Ultragirl Cameo Ballet Flat

As you can see from my pictures, both pairs have been worn a lot and look a little scuffed :( - but this shows just how much you can wear them - they are perfect in the rain (they are plastic so don't leak) and easy to wipe if you get muddy. They also have a unique smell (some say they smell like Sylvanian families) which I love! Comfy, stylish and all for a price tag of around £80 I'd say these are a bargain.. well, a designer bargain anyways!

Next on my wishlist of Vivvy Westwood shoes? These - have I pre-registered my interest? Oh yes... like a little Vivienne Westwood loving geek!

xoxo

Westfield's Model's Own Bottle Shop

Love Models Own? Then you are absolutely going to LOVE the new Model's Own Bottle Shop (yes, a shop INSIDE a bottle) that has just been unveiled in Westfield (Shepherd's Bush).

I think the pictures speak 1000 words with this one - but I certainly want to visit this larger-than-life bottle filled with an amazing spectrum of Model's Own polishes.

Model's Own Bottle Shop

Model's Own Bottle Shop - Westfield Shepherd's Bush

A shop inside a bottle? Models Own - Westfield Shepherd's Bush!

Who wants all these Model's Own polishes?

Model's Own Bottle Shop

Brands seem to be going that extra mile with nail colour at the moment (OPI Colourcopia in Westfield Stratford and the "wall of colour" in Superdrug, Marble Arch) - which is fantastic news for us polish lovers!

Hands up who's going to make a trip down to see the Bottle Shop? I am! I wonder if it's a permanent feature.... xoxo

My favourite Revlon Lip Butters

Revlon Lip Butters have been one of the most talked about highstreet beauty products of the year so far. Hailed as moisturising with beautiful colour payoff that looks gorgeous on the lips who could have blamed me to succumb to the hype and purchase 3 shades from the collection. I bought my Revlon Lip Butters whilst I was in New York and ended up buying two shades you can buy in the UK (Strawberry Shortcake and Cupcake) and one only available in the US (Creamsicle).

Strawberry Shortcake and Cupcake are both beautiful light pink tones (cupcake being a little more punchy and pigmented) while Creamsicle is a beautiful nude (at the moment I'm loving topping my MAC Creme De Nude Dupe Topshop Nevada with Creamsicle to add real depth and shine to the colour).

Revlon Lip Butter in Strawberry Shortcake, Creamsicle and Cupcake

Revlon Lip Butter Swatches

Revlon Lip Butters 

Hand on heart I can say I really love my Lip Butters - anyone else a fan?

xoxo

Lancome Hypnose Drama - my new favourite mascara

I'm not a girl that cheats on my mascara. I'm mascara monogamous (typing that word makes me feel like Carrie from SATC - I've probably been watching too much of late), but it's true - once I find a mascara I love we're together for life. My past love is Bourjois Volume Clubbing Mascara - an absolulte beauty of a mascara perfect for those who love intense looking lashes on the clumpy side.

But move aside Bourjois - I've met someone else - and its Lancome Hypnose Drama.

Lancome Hypnose Drama - Extreme Black

Lancome Hypnose Drama Curved Brush

Lancome Hypnose Drama on Lashes

I love the look Lancome HD provides - it lengthens your lashes and is beautifully buildable. It's also fab on your lower lashes, which can sometimes be a little messier with mascaras with bigger brushes.

The actual brush is curved (you can see from my picture above). I'm not exactly sure why this is, but it does make application very easy.

I'm a girl that tends to opt for waterproof mascaras due to my very watery eyes. I was slightly dubious about trying a non-waterproof mascara, but Lancome Hypnose Drama wears very well and doesn't flake/run throughout the day - even with watery peepers like mine! Plus did I mention Kim Kardashians loves it? If it's good enough for Kimmy...

xoxox

Understated lips with MAC Creme Cup

I love creamy pink lip colours. I'm not a big fan of orangey/red hues so I tend to stick to nudes and pale pinks. I picked up MAC Creme Cup whilst in New York (full haul post here). I somehow stashed it away and only just found it today, so obviously I went to wear it straight away.

Part of the Cremesheen family, this gorgeous creamy pink is beautiful for creating an understated lip.

Creme Cup on the lips

MAC Creme Cup

MAC Creme Cup

MAC Creme Cup Swatch

I have quite a few MAC Lipsticks and Creme Cup is fast become one of my favourites!

Just to let you all know, I'll be doing a giveaway when I hit 100 followers on Google Friend Connect, so don't forget to follow me on there so I can post my giveaway even sooner :)

Have a great weekend everyone! xoxo

Going nude with Rimmel's Caramel Cupcake

Today I went nude. On my nails, obviously! Now, nude nails are not something I do very often. I'm more of a statement colour kind of girl, but I thought it was about time I experimented with a new look. I've tried nude polish in the past, but every shade I've tried hasn't quite gone with my skin tone (making my nails look dirty or plain weird) - but finally I found a nude I like and it goes by the rather cute name of Rimmel London 60 Seconds Polish in 500 Caramel Cupcake. Yum!

Two coats of polish plus top coat

I was very impressed with the colour pigmentation and the claim of '60 seconds' - as although I ended up putting on quite a thick coat of polish, it dried fairly quickly and looks very smooth on the nail. All in all I think I'll go 'nude' again (only ever on the nails, don't worry!)

xoxo

We all love BB cream - so what's CC cream?

I'm a massive fan of BB cream. My personal favourite is the Garnier BB Cream - an 8-in-1 do-it-all product that hides blemishes while leaving you looking all glowy - what's not to love right?

My BB Cream of choice

The BB cream phenomenon originated in Asia and gradually caught the attention of Western retailers. Just like it's predecessor, CC Cream (the C's stand for 'Colour Control') has been popular in Asia for quite some time, and is tipped to be making its away over to Europe/The US very soon.

So - addressing the question everyone wants the answer to: what makes CC Cream different from BB Cream? In short, CC Cream is much lighter than BB Cream while offering a lot of the same benefits as BB (covering uneven skin tone etc.). CC Cream is also said to look a lot more natural and flawless on the skin while providing a less oily finish on your face.

I managed to find these CC Cream adverts (apologies they aren't in English), but I thought it would be interesting to see the types of product out there... and most likely making their away to British/American shelves sooner rather than later. I wonder which big beauty brand will be first to jump on the idea...

iFiona CC Cream

CC Cream with high SPF and PA protection

I'm already eager to try CC Cream and see if it lives up to the hype. What about you?

xoxo

Pretty in purple with Prevage Polish

By now you probably know that I recently went on a lovely holiday to New York (you can read my full haul post here). One of the items I picked up in my many raids of the various drug stores was this super cheap Prevage Polish in Coney Island Sweetheart (love the NY reference in the name too!)

At just $3, this polish is a total bargain and I love the unusual purple tone. Definitely a new fave! 

Prevage Polish in Coney Island Sweetheart - two coats and top coat

I'll definitely be stocking up on Prevage polishes if I visit America again!

xoxo

Shop Louboutin Online in the UK

There's only one word to sum up this post and it's: finally.

You can FINALLY shop for Louboutin online in the UK via this new shiney site. For quite a while it's been difficult for us British shoe-a-holics to browse and get our greedy little hands on Louboutins online but the new official e-commerce site launched today which I'm sure will mean a lot of our credit cards will get a little bashing come payday. Or even sooner...

What are you waiting for?! Go check out the rather impressive collection of shoes just waiting to be snapped up here. Let me know what you think of the site, and which styles you'll drooling over. Did I mention it's my birthday next month... :)

In case you do fancy buying me a little pres, here a few styles I wouldn't be too unhappy with come birthday morning:

Christian Louboutin Lady Peep Spikes

Christian Louboutin Bianca Patent

xoxo

Tory Burch Purse

Affordable designer accessories are always a win in my book. Take brands like Vivienne Westwood and Tory Burch for instance - granted, some items are reserved for the strictly mega-rich, but quite often their bags, jewellery and purses come at pretty reasonable prices.

One of my favourite haunts for picking up designer goods at discounted prices is Bicester Village - a premium shopping outlet in Oxfordshire. Well worth a visit, this outlet boasts an impressive brand directory with brands such as Mulberry, YSL, Celine, Prada... yep I could go on. If you want to drool over the full list click here.

Now, if I haven't already lost you to planning a visit to Bicester Village then let me introduce you to one of my favourite finds from this outlet centre - my Tory Burch purse. I picked this up during the post-Christmas sale in the Tory Burch store at Bicester for just £60! Four months in, this purse is going strong and has stood up well to the daily wear and tear of being carried around in a bag. In short - I love it.

The only downside to this purse is its matte texture picks up fingermarks easily!

I'm currently trying to find a handbag to house my lovely purse in... but I seem to have ideas above my station...

xoxo

Urban Outfitters go Vanilla

In my recent New York Haul post I briefly mentioned that I bought 2 Urban Outfitters fragrances. I hadn't noticed any UK stores selling Urban Outfitters branded perfume, so when I saw them on the shelves of the store in New York I was keen to take a closer look.

It's no secret that I love vanilla-based perfumes (you can read my blog on Vera Wang Princess Night here), so when I spied the UO perfume named 'Vanille' I knew the odds were pretty high that I'd love it. And love it I did!

On my first day in New York I impulse bought one of these perfumes and spritzed it all over myself. The perfume is an incredibly sweet vanilla scent - like cupcakes - which I adore. At just $30 (£18ish) I thought this was an incredible bargain so purchased another before I left. Here's hoping Urban Outfitters bring their fragrance line out in the UK!!

Urban Outfitters Vanille

As you can see the bottle isn't huge so I'm hoping I'll be able to ration myself. That - or go back to NY and stock up... any excuse really!

What's your favourite perfume? xoxo

Dressing up ASOS

Last night instead of getting on with packing (I'm moving to South London today), I decided to  have a browse around on ASOS just for interest's sake, and of course ended up buying something. This ASOS Skater Dress is what caught my eye and made its way into my basket somehow and I somehow ended up buying it... oops! At just £35 I think it's quite a bargain so I'm not too remorseful... and it's pretty!

Like most girls after I bought the dress I was instantly thinking about how I could style it up. During a spare procrastinatory hour today I ended up browsing the online shelves of Harrods, Selfridges etc. and decided I'd share my Polyvore set - how I would dress up this ASOS dress if I had unlimited funds. I actually found it really fun so I think I'll do it again - let me know if you'd like me to share it on here!

xoxo

 

Dressing up ASOS by nataliechristoforou featuring solitaire jewelry

Givenchy tote handbag
£1,325 - harrods.com

Vivienne Westwood solitaire jewelry
$95 - viviennewestwood.co.uk

Ray-Ban wayfare sunglasses
$145 - ray-ban.com

BIANCA PATENT, Patent Leather, nude, platforms, women's shoes.
£495 - christianlouboutin.com

Urban Outfitters Polish - Vitamin C

One of the things I loved most about New York was how cheap Urban Outfitters was. I love the store in the UK but am often put off by the price tag of items. Over in the states prices are pretty much what they are in pounds over here - which makes everything that bit more affordable.

I picked up three different polishes in the Urban Outfitters on 5th Avenue - and at $5 each I thought they were very reasonable (around £2). I've not seen the polishes in the UK, but that may just be the shops I've visited - has anyone else seen them?

This bright orange shade is called Vitamin C and I love it! The colour below was achieved with just two coats and I added shine with Sally Hansen Mega Shine Top Coat.

Urban Outfitters Vitamin C

Two coats of polish achieved this look - plus top coat

I added a little Vitamin E oil to my cuticles too!

I think this shade will become a firm favourite for summer - the pigmentation is great as is the colour!

xoxo

Chanel Earrings - my new love

Being a girl obsessed by Chanel I couldn't resist going into the store in Bloomingdales during my trip to New York. I originally went in with the intention of drooling over totes I simply could not afford, but a certain pair of earrings caught my eye and before I knew it I'd swiped my credit card and I was walking out with my very first piece of Chanel jewellery and I have to say, I don't regret a thing!

So I'll cut to the chase, here are my beautiful, beautiful Chanel jewel-encrusted earrings, an absolute classic style that go with every outfit under the sun. I won't need to ever take them off, will I?

This photo does them most justice - they are incredibly sparkly in real life!

Unfortunately they look a little dull here - but just to give you an idea on size!

Unlike most designer earrings the backs of the Chanel earrings are incredibly sturdy and go on very tightly. I have some Vivienne Westwood earrings which had very wobbly backs, and my sister owns Tiffany earrings with the same problem. Luckily the Chanels go on very tightly - so much so I was worried I'd break them when I was taking them off.

I truly feel so lucky each time I look at my earrings, and they have a great story to go with them - if anyone asks where I got them from I can answer "On 5th Avenue in Bloomingdales" - not bad huh?

xoxox

New York Haul

I returned back from New York yesterday afternoon after 5 fantastic and extremely busy days in the city. I have so, so much to blog about but I thought I'd kick things off with a huge haul post! I've not gone into lots of details about each item as I want to concentrate on them properly in coming posts, but here it is - my beautiful NY haul. Can I go back already!?

1. Urban Outfitters high waisted cut off black denim shorts
2. Urban Outfitters Vanille Perfume (x2)
3. MAC Creme Cup
4. Chanel (I'm keeping the contents a secret for an extra special blog post)
5. I love NY plate (I'm so cool)
6. Urban Outfitters sunglasses (I know - I'm obsessed with UO but it's so cheap over there!)
7. Twizzlers & Jelly Beans - roll on Sunday so I can eat them!
8. Urban Outfitters polish in (left to right) Dust, Barstool and Vitamin-C
9. MAC #43 and #2 lashes
10. Revlon Lip Butters in (left to right) Strawberry Cheesecake, Cupcake and Creamsicle
11. Lancome Hypnose Drama and Rembrandt Whitening Toothpaste
12. Magnolia bakery - the cupcake didn't survive the trip home (well it did - in my belly...)

So there you have it my NYC haul! I pretty much stopped off in every Duane Reed I spotted (an amazing chemist with lots of makeup/nail products in it), fell in love with Bloomingdales where I indulged in Chanel, strolled around Central Park in the sun, partook in a fashion talk at The Met, visited East Village where I got my MAC lashes, marvelled at the skyscrapers, got dazzled by Times Square (and saw them filming Good Morning America), got very lost in Brooklyn (then ate the best pizza ever!) and much, much more!

I can't wait to tell you all about my new bits and bobs in more detail - stay tuned!

And here's a few more snaps:

Me by the Elizabeth Arden red door!

Central Park

Times Square

xoxo