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