Review: Batiste Coloured Dry Shampoo

I know, I know, I've been very slow on the uptake when it comes to dry shampoo ...

I know for a fact that Millie can't live without her bottle, but I've been holding out for our local branch of Boots to start stocking this particular kind: black dry shampoo, so I can get the bedhead look without the faux-dandruff!

The way it works is as follows: you wake up in the morning on a bad hair day, your normal hat/ hood/ scarf rescue routine is for whatever reason a no-go, and you're running too late to use real shampoo. All you have to do is whip out a bottle of this stuff, give it a couple of sprays, muss your hair and you're done. (No, really, it's that simple.)

Of course, it's also perfect for those "I've just finished work and my hair needs some va-va-voom" moments, or alternatively the common "I've been dancing in this club for four hours and am currently suffering serious hair failure".

It's on offer at Superdrug at the moment for 99p per bottle, so I really recommend that you get down there and try it!

xxx

Splurge Or Steal: Bows

Good news – I now have a gap year job! I'm going to be working as an intern in the Maths department of an academy in Sheffield, and I am so excited! The plan is to reapply to start a Maths undergrad course at uni in 2011; I think I might try for Oxford, but we'll see how brave I'm feeling when October comes around ....

Anyway, on to today's post, inspired by the lovely Blair Waldorf:

BOWS! As a firm fan of the late Luella label (RIP), I just can't resist the quirky, countryside charm they have. They're definitely an easy way to add a girlish touch to an outfit that might be too dressed up or serious otherwise, and I've been wearing them a lot lately. My measly collection is as follows:

Black hairband: British Heart Foundation; Plaid hairclip: The Clothes Show; Spotted hairclips: H&M

I've had my eye on a couple of bows on the high street though, so if you like me are looking to expand your collection, look no further! I've divided up my discoveries into two categories: splurge and steal.

STEAL (under £10)

Cameo aliceband: £3.75, Dorothy Perkins

Purse: £3.99, New Look

Skinny belt: £4, ASOS

Tights: £4, New Look

Lace kirby grips: £6.50, Topshop

SPLURGE (£10 and over)

Chain ring: £10, Topshop

Tweed brooch: £14, Topshop

Bandeau dress: £18, ASOS

Mesh jumpsuit: £34.99, New Look

Black gloves: £38, Mango

Personally, I'm already in love with the tweed brooch! I picked it up in Topshop Sheffield on Thursday, put it down before I got to the till, and regretted it the moment I got back to Norwich ... I think I'll be making a trip to the high street fairly soon. ;)

xxx

Can't Live Without: Kate Kanzier Cut-Out Brogues

As you read this I will be in Sheffield for my job interview, so prepare yourself for a scheduled (but nonetheless interesting) post!

Remember the Bank Holiday weekend? Seems like an age ago now! That Saturday afternoon I dragged a couple of friends all the way to the Kate Kanzier shoe shop on Leather Lane in London to pick up a certain pair of brogues, only to be told that I was too early by less than a week! Here's what they looked like when I first ordered them:

Brogues: £25, Kate Kanzier

These are truly my go-to shoes: they go with almost everything, and even when they don't they add that "quirky" touch so you can get away with them if you're brave! The leather insides and the uppers are lovely and soft, and don't rub or hurt at all, so they're perfect for long distance walking.

At £25, they are the best value for money I have ever had out of a pair of shoes; I've worn them almost every day (and I mean that) from March to August. In fact, the sole started to come off last week:

Wish me luck in finding a replacement pair now that these ones have finally bitten the bullet – I need them in my life!

xxx

Wish Me Luck?

Hey everyone! Tomorrow I have a job interview in Sheffield so I've spent today swotting up and trying to prepare myself, hence the short post. Today I've got some pictures of the only necklaces I ever wear, regardless of occasion or what the rest of my outfit looks like:

 

Necklaces: New Look, The Clothes Show

The writing says: "I wish that we were making up again" ... because I'm a hopeless romantic!

Necklace: Superdrug

I'm not really a necklace girl so I tend not to buy them unless I see something that really, really blows me away! I did see some more lovely pendants at last year's Clothes Show in Birmingham, but they were somewhat out of my cheapskate budget ...

xxx

P.S. Don't forget to hit the Follow button in the sidebar – when we get to 50, we'll be doing a very exciting giveaway!

Review: Models Own Lip Balm

Took a quick trip to Boots today to pick up a few essentials, and as usual I found myself by the make-up counters, looking at some highly non-essential products!

Anyway, I took advantage of the 2 for £8 offer to buy a Models Own lip balm:

This is actually more of a lip tint than a balm (it's halfway between a lipstick and a lip gloss: not as pigmented as the former and not as shiny as the latter). They have a gorgeous coral shade called Tangerine, but I went for the darkest pink, Blackberry:

This is fairly close to my natural lip colour, but it gives my lips a very subtle "just-bitten" pinky-purple sheen. Although it looks really scary in the pot, the colour is buildable – I've swatched it on my hand so you can see:

I really like the texture of this, and my lips feel really moisturised! This could very well turn into a Can't Live Without product in the next few days ...

xxx

NOTD: Barry M Navy

For a very interesting colour, this varnish has a really boring name! But don't be fooled by the ordinary exterior, for sparkle and magic lie within ...

This is easily one of my favourite A/W colours; it's subtly glamorous, and what's more, it looks so much better on short nails (so it's practical too). It definitely has an eighties Blondie-esque rock chick vibe to it ...

You can pick this up for £2.99 per 10ml bottle; it takes two coats to get the coverage in the photo.

xxx

P.S. We're almost at 50 followers! Look out for a giveaway when we hit that magic number. ;)

OOTD: Autumn Wine

I suppose this is a daytime take on the slight goth trend everybody seems to be talking about, but not actually wearing.

Vest top, tights: H&M

Necklace: my mother's drawer

Cropped tee, shorts: Topshop

Belt: Uniqlo

When you think of lace, you expect people to try the usual – lace dress, lace tights, maybe a lace top – but you never expect lace shorts, which is why I snapped these up in the Topshop sale for a mere £10. The only problem is that they're a size too small ... I've had them for a year and only managed to fit into them once, after fasting for the whole day on Good Friday! So last night I'd finally had enough and made a little v-cut in the waistband. I may have to make a couple more to wear them comfortably, but it's a small price to pay. Here's a close-up of the textures:

... oh no, I've just read the label: dry-clean only.

WHY, TOPSHOP, WHY?!

xxx