Powder Puff

In a recent 'Nails' magazine article I read a piece about white nail polish. It seems this colour is going to be all the rage this year. 

Now, I don't know how you feel about it, but personally white nail polish does nothing for me. So after some searching I discovered this colour by Orly. Its called Powder Puff, which is more of a soft cream colour rather than white.

I found it needed 3 thin coats of colour to prevent streaking, which took a bit of time to apply. But the end result was worth it! I finished this off with Orly's Sec'n Dry topcoat, and a drop of cuticle oil on each nailbed.

Will you be trying out shades of white nail polish??
 xx 

Salt Dough Memories...

You normally see Salt Dough around at Christmas. People make all sorts of decorations for their trees and gifts for loved ones. 

This year I had a go when my mum came to stay with us; it was a bit of mother/daughter time.

I have NEVER made salt dough before, but I knew what I wanted to create.......Little Miss' hand print at 2 years old. So here goes.......

All you need is:-

1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup water

*Pre-heat oven to 150 degrees celsius 

*Mix the ingredients together to form a dough; I found it was best to just get my hands in the bowl rather than use a spoon. 

*Roll out the dough (I kept mine around 1/2 inch thick) 

*Next I placed Little Miss' hand onto the dough to create her hand print,

*Carefully place on a baking tray and pop in the oven for around 3 hours. Keep an eye on it, the time varies depending on the thickness of your dough. You'll know when its done, because it will be set hard :)

*Leave to cool and decorate if you wish.

This is a lovely way to capture those memories of our little ones growing up, and they last forever!

xx

NEXT Hi-Top Trainers

 Its that time again when Little Miss needs some new shoes. I can never believe how quickly her feet grow, it only seems like 5 minutes ago when I was buying her last pair!!

Her old shoes were from NEXT and they fitted perfectly, so I figured I'd start there. 

Now I have found NEXT does a great variety of shoes for toddlers (and older children) that are slim fitting. Little Miss is an 'E' width* so it can be difficult to find shoes that fit her slim feet but I know I will find something I like for her in NEXT.

I was instantly drawn to these Hi-Tops. 

Firstly they are always the correct width for her, giving support to her feet and ankles. Then we have the design! I simply love the graffiti fabric covered in hearts, bumble bees and smily faces. My favourite feature on these Hi-Tops has to be the bright orange soles, liner and rivits. It gives these a hint of colour without looking too plain.

I did also buy a pair of girly shoes for her that I shall share with you soon.

Have you bought your Little One shoes from NEXT? If so what did you think of them??

RRP £14

www.next.co.uk

*According to Clarks sizing guide.

OPI Spring Classics

Some of you may remember my first OPI 'Classic' post (click here).

OPI Classic Colour Range

I thought it would be a nice idea to touch back on this theme and show you my favourite Spring colours from the full OPI Collection.

Italian Love Affair 

Don't Touch My Tutu!

My Very First Knockwurst

These are all very natural shades. 
In the Spring months I do tend to stay with my nude-pinky tones. Then in the Summer I liven things up with bright purple, pink, and coral tones.

Thanks for reading, stay polished xx

www.OPI.com

IsaDora Cream Mousse Eyeshadow

Here is another of the Isa Dora cosmetics I was sent towards the end of last year. 

26 Khaki

I will admit I have always been wary of cream eye shadows, mainly as I find eye shadows crease on my eyelids if I don't use a primer.

Needless to say I have been VERY impressed with this one!

I found this cream mousse eye shadow very quick and easy to use. I simply swept some over my eyelid, and blended it up towards my brow bone with my finger (to soften any lines). Followed by a coat of black mascara (I used my Lancome Hypnose mascara)

In day light

Although this colour is called 'Khaki' I would describe it as more of a taupe/brown. It has a gorgeous shimmer in it which adds that little bit of glamour to the finished result, without looking over done!

6 hours later - still looking good... 

These are perfect for anyone who doesn't have much time to do their makeup in the mornings. I really like it and will be keeping this in my every day makeup bag!
xx

 www.isadora.com

Pureology Hair Care

Yes I'm at it again.....I have won a set of haircare products by Pureology!

And this is my new love, the Colour Stylist Cuticle Polisher.

This is labeled as being a 'Shine Serum' but you'll notice it comes in a tube not a bottle. This is because the Cuticle Polisher is a gel/cream based product. Think of it as a hybrid serum! All you do is put a little blob in the palm of your hand and emulsify - which cleverly turns it into a serum. Gently smooth over the lengths and ends of damp/dry hair and style.

I'm really enjoying using this on my hair. 

It makes my newly 'brunette winter hair' super shiny and soft. I haven't used it much on my hair when its dry, but smoothing this over damp hair before blowdrying definitely works well - to the point where I don't have to use shine spray or hair spray to combat fly away hairs.

I'd even go as far as saying I think I prefer this to the traditional serum!!

xx

The Body Shop 'Lipscuff'

This was a lifesaver over the winter months.

The Body shop 'Lipscuff' is perfect for removing dry, flakey skin off your lips, while leaving them feeling soft and moisturised at the same time. With its minty fragrance you'll have fresh lips in a flash!

Application couldn't be easier!

In the mornings, apply a generous layer of Lipscuff over your lips. Rub your lips together every few seconds to help exfoliate the dry skin. After a minute, remove the excess with a tissue or cotton pad. 

Voilà......smooth lips

The one key point I would like to add is that you do need to be 'generous' with application. When I first used this I didn't put much on and therefore didn't see results. Having failed, the next time I put on more and it worked perfectly.

Have you used this before?

RRP £8.00

www.thebodyshop.co.uk

OPI Gel Color - OPI Ink

 This weeks OPI Gel Color - OPI Ink

Here is my newest OPI Gel Color and I have to say it has to be one of my favourites. The best way to describe this colour is to say its a very dark navy blue which contains a fine blue-purple and red shimmer. 

Wear this and watch it change as it catches the light.......simply divine! 

Stay Polished 
xx

Marc Jacob's DOT

Here is one of my Christmas presents my husband bought me. 
He knows what I like in a good perfume and came up trumps with this one by Marc Jacobs.

At first glance its safe to say the bottle reminded me of ladybirds, however after searching the Marc Jacobs website the bottle is described as 

"Marc's energetic polka dot pattern" 

with of course his signature over-sized bottle cap.

This perfume would suit those of you who like a floral fragrance. It does have a hint of fruity red berries, but the main scent I've noticed is Jasmine and Orange blossom. 

I have tried samples of Lola and Daisy before and can safely say if you like these, you will love Dot!

xx

Clinique Pore Refining Foundation

Here is my new foundation love..... 

....Clinique Instant Perfecting Makeup.

Designed as a lightweight foundation that does not clog your pores, and over time reduces the appearance of them too.

I went to my local Clinique counter to be colour matched and was told my skin was right for the shade Ivory 06. In natural light its maybe a little dark, but so long as its well buffed* into my skin and neckline you can't tell. 

The foundation itself is a lovely consistency. I found it smoothes over my skin with ease, covers any blemishes and reduces the appearance of the pores on my nose and cheeks (my problem area). 

I do also use this along side the Instant Perfector, which makes application even easier!

You can buy Clinique online or in most big department stores.

For stockists simply click on the link below.

www.clinique.co.uk

RRP £23.00 (available in 21 shades)

*With a foundation brush.

Share the love Blog hop

Welcome to my 9th Northern Beauty Blogs Blog Hop.

Blog Hops are a great & fun way to be discovered, meet and gain new followers, and to be inspired by other bloggers. 

This hop will be Open from Tuesday 5th March 2013 for 1 week.


Your Host 

Jane from Northern Beauty Blogs


The Lovely Co-Hosts 

Beth from All Things Beautiful

Hannah from Little Miss KME

To Join the Hop.

**There are a few very simple rules to make the Hop really work for everyone...**

1. Please FOLLOW The Host & Co-Hosts on GFC 

leave a comment to say 'Hello'.

2.Hop around 'Share the Love' and be inspired - Go say Hi to at least 2 new bloggers, if you like what you see follow them too and don't 

               forget to let them know that you found them through our blog hop.

3.If you would like to help Promote this Blog Hop, Please Copy & Paste the Blog Hop code  for the grab Button (Cupcake) above & Display it on your Blog in the side bar.

<a href="http://northernbeautyblogs.blogspot.co.uk/p/bloghop.html" target="_self"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4M_ZPF_vzrpvH7wdW8DlYPPunqS8O90KX91vbBNW2ZeDzoKm032RB7G7e97ywWcT2zd8u2cEzJ9veXgMsnX2beIddg-lH1Ufh4kFCRlbYeWRfOlXBT_ZIajr5qqt6igUt_qwJm_ckP9DT/h120/Bloghop.png" alt="Sharethelove" width="125" height="125" /></a>

If you would be interested in Co-Hosting my Blog Hop with me, please email me on Northernbeautyblog@gmail.com

Rimmel London

This is maybe the smallest makeup haul ever!

Yesterday while in my local Tesco supermarket I spotted they had Rimmel makeup on offer, 3 for the price of 2. 

Naturally I had a look (as you do) and settled on these 3 products......

** Wake Me Up Foundation {Soft Beige}

** Lasting Finish Soft Colour Blush {Live Pink}

** Lash Accelerator Endless Mascara {Black}

I can't wait to try these out and I'll be sure to let you know what I think of these Rimmel products.

xx 

http://uk.rimmellondon.com/

Clinique Instant Perfector

I am currently obsessed with the Clinique Instant Perfector!

This is one of the products I bought back in October, which resulted in me getting the bonus gift.

As part of the Pore Refining Solutions, this acts as a primer which improves the appearance of the skins pores, giving you a smooth, dewy finish. 

The Instant Perfector can be worn alone or under your foundation.

I use this alone when I'm having a day at home or when my skin is clear. It leaves my skin looking as though it has a glow to it.

If I put it on before applying my foundation, my skin is left looking super smooth, which makes my foundation go futher. 

This is certainly one to try if you have problem pores. 

I'll be keeping this as one of my 'go-to' products in my makeup bag for the foreseeable future.

You can buy Clinique online or in most big department stores.

For stockists simply click on the link below.

www.clinique.co.uk
RRP £19.00