Shun brights and go nude this summer with Revlon's Gray Suede

If you'd have asked me a week ago what nail polishes I'd be packing in my suitcase ready for my holiday next week I'd have said, a classic red (Cherries in the Snow), a bright coral (Chinaglaze IV still a firm fave) and maybe an ocean blue (Mavala, Aqua Blue).

That was until I came across Revlon's latest colour, Gray Suede in Boots last Friday. Don't be fooled by the name, there is nothing grey about this shade, it is a mouthwatering soft butterscotch almost like the colour of my favourite Frappuccino, Cafe Creme (yum).

My photo unfortunately does not do this polish justice, it comes out more yellow above but in real life it has a subtle tinge of pink to it.

Deceptively the shimmer you see in the bottle does not translate on to the nails (phew) so don't be put off if your not a glitter fan like me.

I have worn nothing but this polish all week and I love it, especially on shorter nails, so for now I'm shunning pastels and brights and opting for the naked nails look.

I will however be making up for the lack of colour by painting my toe's in an extra bright fuchsia by Barry M.

Have you spotted Gray Suede on your Revlon shelf yet?What did you think?xxx

Guess who's in a glossy

Yesterday didn't start on the best note but it got better pretty quickly after I logged onto Twitter where I found several messages telling me YM was featured in a glossy mag!!

And not just any mag either, Pregnancy and Birth, the UK's number one pregnancy magazine bought by real life yummy mummies all over the country.

I rushed out and picked up three copies. I still can't believe my blog which started life as part of a university design module has now been featured in a glossy magazine.

Eeek can't believe it's real and in print, so proud!

If you are a yummy mummy already or a yummy mummy to be make sure you check out Pregnancy and Birth's website askamum, I found it a few months ago and remember thinking I wish I'd found this when I was expecting. It's bursting with information, full of useful reviews and has great forums.

Thanks so much for reading YM and for all of your feedback, I'm so grateful!!
xxx

Bad things come in threes, love and loathes!

Why oh why do bad things come in that magic number. If it wasn't bad enough that on Friday my brand spanking new and very first piece of Apple technology went capput after a day (I-Phone and yes I know I'm late on this one, I don't even have an I-pod *shock horror*).

Then my make-up bag went walkabout which I still can't find. I'm really hoping it's hidden somewhere random and I will just find it without looking one day because as far as I can remember it contained my YSL Pink Lychee, Clinique Invisible matte (saviour), Eve Pearl concealer (ahhhh) and some LE lip products I can't replace.

As I was just starting to recover from those two mishaps I had to go and make it three didn't I.

After strapping Lily in I plonked myself back in the driving seat to be met by a sharp pain in my rear and a loud crunch.

I may have only purchased these gorgeous sunnies a week ago and they may well have only cost me £12.99 from TKMAXX but I LOVED them and was devastated they broke so I'm off to hunt out another pair this week.

I really recommend these if you need some new stylish but affordable sunglasses, they're by Dereon (Beyonce's brand if I'm not mistaken) and are simple but chic.

Big but not no bug eyes in sight, a lovely tortoiseshell colour, nice arm detailing and they are surprisingly good quality.

Although I've lost a few nice things this week I've gained some pretty pieces too which have put a smile back on my face.

This light cotton, off the shoulder jumper with giant bow is my new favourite thing. It can be both casual or dressy and goes with just about everything, harems/jeans/skirts/shorts.

If you love bows skip along to H&M and grab one for £14.99, bargain!

I'm really trying to be restrained of late and not shop but there's something about pretty bows that I can't resist.

Vivienne Westwood for Melissa bow pumps are an unusual breed. It's rare to find a shoe that not only looks great but doesn't give you blisters at the same time, usually the pretty shoes are killers.

These bubblegum scented jelly shoes are majorly comfy, they have a cute peep toe and the gold lace ribbon detailing is too pretty to refuse. I had to have them.

I already own last seasons tortoiseshell bow pumps which I wear practically every day and I have to say this seasons version are even better. They cost £70 and if you are interested can be purchased at ASOS and my-wardrobe.com.

Although I've not had the best week regarding some well loved possessions bows have definitely helped me bounce back.

Whats been your love/loathes this week? I'd love to know!

xxx

And the winner is...

Thank you all so much for entering my giveaway, I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to announce this but better late than never!

A whopping 523 of you entered (p.s all Anon and multiple enteries were deleted) and using Random.Org the winner was chosen.

Number 55 was randomly selected and the winner is VINTAGEVIXEN19. Congratulations! Please e-mail your details so I can post out your prizes.

Watch out for tomorrows YT video to find out who won the other contest, fingers crossed!
xx

My Mac palettes and swatches - Neutrals

I always thought collecting things was what you did as a child. Polly Pocket, Pogs and stickers of your favourite teen crushes from Smash Hits, you name it, I collected it.

Unfortunately I can't tell you this is a habit I grew out of as it seems I'm still collecting,albeit nothing plastic or sticky but something a little bit better, eyeshadows!

Probably one of the things that has excited me most about joining the beauty community has been filling my Mac palettes. I started off with four and slowly but surely have built a nice little collection.

If your a neutral kinda gal then this is the collection for you as I must own nearly every shade of brown Mac has to offer.

First off is my favourite and most used neutral palette, read on for swatches and top 5.

The colours above are a little washed out they come across grey for some reason but are much more beige/tan in real life, luckily the swatches are true to colour.

First two lines across from left to right.

Top line includes - Retrospeck, Ricepaper, Grain, Era and Soft Brown.

Next line - Shroom, Flip, Kid, Cork and Texture.
Bottom line includes - Soba, Femme Fi, Patina, Romp and Bronze.

My Top Five from this palette have to be:

- Grain, possibly my favourite all time wash colour and inner corner highlight. A gorgeous pale pinky beige which would suit all eye colours.

- Soba, a lovely mid-tone brown which I use to create shadow and contour.

-Texture, a true reddy tan which I just love, it isn't as muted as some other browns and looks lovely blended in the outer half of the lid.

-Patina, a really unusual but beautiful shade, it is a shimmery dark champagne colour with hints of peach, grey and brown, just gorgeous.

-Romp, a shimmery deep tan, I like to use this with a colour like grain as a wash and this just lightly blended in the outer half. Simple but gorgeous.

If you've yet to start filling your palettes (which you can buy from any freestanding Mac store or online) I hope the swatches helped. More neutrals to come in my next palette post.

Are there any gorgeous neutrals I've missed from Mac, I'd love to know any recommendations?

xxx

Not one but three

Calling all British beauty addicts! Be sure to hot foot it down to the newsagents asap and pick up not one but three copies of this months Glamour mag.

I'm sure you are all now the proud owners the three full sized Benefit products available but if like me you were in the dark about the mags latest offering I just thought I'd let you know just incase.

Oh and don't worry if the first few stores you try are sold out of the good stuff (Bad Gal and Eye Bright) like I found, just think of a quiet newsagent on a small street near you and bingo!

Three Benefit products for just over a fiver is a hard offer to pass up! Happy hunting!
xxx

Say hello to luscious lips

Following on from my most recent video ' Ten lip products for luscious lips' I thought I'd share some close-ups of my two favourite products with you all. 

It has been hot most days and coping with the sudden change in heat has been a shock to my make-up routine. 

I don't know about you but when summer comes I like to keep my face simple and fresh by using a lighter foundation that will stay put, a good setting powder, bronzer all over the face, maybe a bit of blush, no eyeshadow, sweep of eyeliner and one coat of mascara.

No matter what season it is lip colour is a must, nothing pulls a look together quite like a nice lipstick or gloss and when it's hot outside the sheerer and glossier the better. 

These two products are make-up bag must haves if you want healthy, shiny and luscious looking lips this summer. 

Clarins - Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector

If I could pick one lipgloss to use forever out of my collection it would be these from Clarins, I have all three from the Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector range and I love them all.

Left to Right - No 3, No 2, No 1.

If you are a sticky lipgloss hater like me then these are your dream come true. There isn't hint of that hair stuck to your face stickiness, the formula is like no other, it feels incredibly smooth and creamy when applied and leaves your lips looking healthy, plump and shiny.

For me these lipglosses are a 'triple threat' they not only smell/taste amazing (creme caramel), are non sticky and gloriously creamy but they also come in the three most gorgeous shades. Number one a pale rose pink, number two a pale peach (my favourite) and number three a milky nude.

No 17 - Mirror Shine lipsticks

It's been a long time since I've found a drugstore product I've loved so much but these Mirror Shine lipsticks have a great formula that rivals some lipsticks I own that cost five times as much. Cough, YSL Rouge Pur Shine, cough, Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited shine.

Why I love them:

- Colour payoff is sheer but just enough.

- They leave a wonderfully glossy, liquid shine finish to your lips.

- They feel creamy and soft when applied.

- Lasting power is good, would say about an hour.

Left to Right - Beehive, pinky nude, Peace, raspberry pink and Belle, a natural deep pink.

They come in ten shades so there's something for everyone but of course my favourite is the nude of the bunch, Beehive, a Hue lookalike but with a shiny finish.

Beehive on my lips.

These two lip products are all you need this summer to get a glossy, healthy and luscious looking pout when the sun is out.

Do you go sheerer and glossier in the heat or do you stick to heavier lippies?

xx

Love/Loathe and OO/FOTN

A bit of a random post really but continuing with last weeks love and loathe idea and the fact I had some nice photos from the past week I thought I'd share.

Loathing last week without a doubt has to be the loss of my family home which my parents had to sell due to a tricky divorce. On Friday the keys were passed on to another family with two young kids who I'm sure will enjoy growing up there like I did.

The best thing about Ivy House was the garden, some might call it a little wild but to me it was magical. So many happy nights I've enjoyed sitting outside in the peace and quiet sipping wine till the early hours.

Lily in her play area, we spent all of Thursday soaking up the sun and spending our last day in the garden.

So many great memories but loathing divorce and all that comes with it!

The end of the week may have been a little sad but Monday definitely brightened me up, my love this week was spending a day of fun with Lily.

I took Lily and her best friend Millie to a Baby Festival. They had a whale of a time in the baby disco, dress up tents and best of all messy hall.

Most children did hand or feet painting but oh no my little rascals had to literally dive into the paint and get covered head to toe.

They loved sliding about and running around terrorising clean children much to the disappointment of disapproving mothers who tried to keep their sprogs away from my bad influences.

Lily having a go at break dancing, I have no idea where she learnt this from but my baby can bust a move!

Not content with painting themselves I was attacked by the two messy monsters with face paint, apparently I the look they were going for was a princess?

OOTN - Outfit of the Night

Also making me happy this week was anything nautical themed, navy, gold, anchors and stripes. I thought I'd share with you an outfit of the night from Sunday when I went out for dinner.

-Jeggings - Vero Moda

-Top- Topshop

-Cardi-Gap

-Shoeboots - Moda In Pelle, love these purple suede boots!

-Jewellery - Tiffany, Thomas Sabo and Raffia and Bossa.

Somehow I chopped my head off in the last shot so here's a picture of my face of the night which I loved. It's the first time since my hair had the chop that I had reached for my conical wand and I have to say I like the effect.

It looks a lot more 'done' on shorter hair rather than the relaxed look it gave when it was long but I like it.

Face was really simple but I'm loving my lip combo of 17's Mirror Shine lipstick in Beehive with Revlon's Peach Petal on top.

Random I know but hopefully some nice pics to look at!

xxx

I've moved...for one post!

Guest blogging isn't something I've ever done or thought much about but when the lovely Amrita from Sparkles, Sequins and 6 inch Stilettos asked if I would blog for her I had to say yes.

I love this girl. Her blog is one of my favourites, she's a good twitter buddy and of course a fellow shoe-a-holic.

If you want to know my Spring Saviours, the seven special products that have got me through the heat over the last few weeks go check it out - HERE!

xxxx