H&M Dress

This picture is a year old. Absolutely love the dress, dont think I have ever worn it apart from in this picture. Excuse the post holiday tan lines on the back & under my arms. Clearly in my more tanned days. 

La Roche Posay Effaclar Series

I have a lot of problems with my skin.. *sigh*, but this means I try a lot of different skin products in order to find what works for me. Its not so much of a struggle in my everyday life, and a lot of people would probably tell me I was mad for classing my skin-issues as a massive problem but I do have my periods like most other young women. 

When I heard about La Roche Posay, I lived in Copenhagen with my now ex-boyfriend. Megastore Boots is not something they have over there, and La Roche was only to be found in the pharmacy - which means it was very expensive. 

When seeing my dad in southern Denmark, I went past the pharmacy to pick up some facial moisturiser (as I had stupidly forgotten mine at home) and saw there was a trial package displayed. It was basically the Effaclar duo, which is the best Serum for me in the warmer half of the year, with a small trial of the Effaclar Micro exfoliant skin tonic and a face gel wash skin trial. I hadnt tried the gel face wash which, to my surprise, is one of the best face washes I have ever tried. Only cause it actually makes you feel oil-free and squeaky clean. A lot of other face washes leave a film on your face in order to not dry you out, and this I really dont like. So as soon as I finished it (two weeks!!!) I bought a new one! The m

As you can detect in the picture at the top, I already had the micro exfoliant, which I have started and love. The small one I use for overnight stays as the big one is quite awkward to travel around with. Its quite stingy, especially if you have a scratch or a spot, do avoid these areas as it hurts! But you feel clean after using it and I dont doubt the products one little bit as they wouldnt be sold in a danish pharmacy if they werent good enough. 

Have a good day. Off back to England again now :)

Zx

Ready for the cold - Plaited wool headband!

Back in Denmark, I have picked up some of the missing pieces I left behind. I am now ready for the colder times. Shame it is still sunshine and no jacket weather here ;) 

I will soon be back in the UK.

Until then

Z x

Sally Hansen Hard As Nails + No Chip

Invested in some new products today. As I have previously mentioned, my nails are a state. Think theyre just dried out from the constant treatment so they continue to break :(( Sad eyes. Therefore, I have looked about and it seems that Sally Hansen products are the preferred (This is purely based upon reviews I have read on numerous blogs). 


Hard as Nails promises to promote longer, stronger and more beautiful nails with lasting protection. The new Hard as Nails has added Nylon and Retinol (compared to the previous product) 
Its to prevent nails chipping or splitting in everyday life. 

• Nylon formula fortified with silk proteins helps strengthen and protect nails against chipping, splitting and breaking
• Provides a super strong and smooth coating that reinforces the nail surface, edge and tip
• Protects against everyday hazards such as water, detergents and housework
• Gives nails a natural gloss and encourages them to grow longer, stronger and more beautiful

No Chip Acrylic Top Coat has received some terrible reviews, however, I am happy to try for myself. If I cannot live with it, i will just add an Essie coat and then off I go. 

• Seals nail color to keep manicure fresh.
• Dries quickly to a high gloss finish
• Helps resist chipping and peeling.
• Adds strength with clear acrylic protection to help promote stronger, more beautiful nails.
• Use over dry, freshly applied manicures and use between manicures to "freshen" enamel with brilliant shine.
• Salon Tested - Dermatologist Tested.

Chanel Mirror Duo

There is one thing I never had. One thing I never invested in. One thing a makeup obsessed and beauty blogging individual should have! -And thats a compact mirror!

I have always relied on the little mirrors in on my makeup palettes and sometimes when I have forgotten that at home, I have kicked myself, sitting on the bus unable to see whether the black is indeed smudged all over my face after walking towards the wind... think we have all been there. 

When finishing work yesterday, I went for a coffee with my other half who was already waiting for me with a cappuccino. Needless to say, thats a pretty nice of him. He showed me what he had been shopping this day and handed me a nice little Harvey Nichols bag. ALTHOUGH,  it sounds quite cheesy, it was really rather sweet. In this bag I found my compact mirror wrapped in nice Chanel paper. It. is. gorgeous. I have had a few other Chanel things, like brushes and blushers but this is just a nice little thing you can always bring with you. 

As all of the other Chanel beauty products I have ever bought, it comes in a little velour / velvet pouch which protects the surface of the mirror from scratching. This alone is such a nice point as it really does show it is an expensive and exclusive product. 

I have never had one, I never thought I needed one. But when I unwrapped it, I absolutely loved it!

Now its all safe to go out in the autumn / winter wind as I will have the mirror with me in my bag to remove possible black tears streaming down my face. I love it!!! I never thought I needed one, but whats nicer than fishing out a Chanel mirror when on the train looking wind-swept and people stare at you cause you have makeup everywhere. 

Do you have a little 'banal' thing which you never thought you could live without once you got it? 

Z x

Mulberry Tiger Pin

I have a confession..... I am obsessed with Mulberry. 

People who know me, will look at me and say "Finally she realises, get the woman some help!". People who dont know me will probably just tut and say Im snobbing. 

However, for me this is not the issue, cause I can talk my way out of that. The.bags.are.gorgeous. So far, I only have a Bayswater bag from 2006, but its a lovely Bayswater. Tooled and now worn with patina. Absolutely love it. This item I have now acquired forms part of a small collection of things. Its the new seasonal gold pin with a little tiger. 

Mulberry has a seasonal pin each... season - funnily enough, this one is, of course, no excuse. They have previously used this mould, however, back then, it was a leopard sitting with its back to us. As you have probably noticed, they have a lot of tiger prints on at the moment (Jumpers, scarfs. etc) This pale gold pin was a lot more me, as it can sit on my jacket, making it a safe piece for my wardrobe. And to be completely honest, I dont think I could pull off the orange and black wooly jumper! Retailing at £75, its a sweet little accessory, updating any old work-outfit. 

Cute isn't it?

X

Coconut Balmi.

Yesterday I went to London for a whole day of meetings, I didnt see much of my favourite place or the favourite people who live there, but I did see much of the underground and a few shops along. I was running really late, even missed my train down there, so had to get some beauty supplied for the road. 

Running out of the door in a rush at 7.10 means I didnt even manage to get my usual moisturiser on... This is not something I will ever do again, eastcoast beauty-salon!!! Anyways, I managed to get somehow ready on the train, but was still missing a few things like hair grips and a lipbalm, so I diverted around Boots at Kensington High Street tube stop. Here I found this little thing; Balmi.

 I absolutely adore a lovely little lipbalm, normally run around with at least 5 different ones in the bottom of my bag, and this one is a best in the collection so far.
It is a spherical shaped balm containing jojoba oil and Vitamin E, as well as SPF15 and UVA protection. The cool thing about it is no doubt the shape, absolutely delightful as you can screw the top off and apply it straight away. 

It does come with a little attachment exactly like these things you used to attach to you mobile, however, i took mine off as I want it united with the rest of the balms in the bottom of my handbag. SO unfortunately I cannot show this.


Its transparent and comes in a delightful little selection of scents - Strawberry, Mint, Raspberry, Coconut and Blackberry. I chose the coconut, which is really really nice coconutty :) Available at boots or check the stockist on www.balmi.co.uk and retails at £4.99

I have a little surprise for you tomorrow :)

Until then, have a nice weekend,

Z

ESSIE Mucho Dinero

Ok, so I went a little mental with the nail colours a little while ago. I bought a wide range of colours. I just never had a chance to talk about them. Yesterday was miserable, peekaboo sunshine!!! SO changed the colour on my nails. I have got to apologise, I have just had my acrylics taken off, so my nails are a little fragile. Its quite visible too. 

Right. The first of five is Mucho-dinero. Absolutely gorgeous. 

Its not mushroom-y like many other greytoned, browny nailvarnishes. Its more caramel, which I honestly was a little scared of to begin with. But I thought Id try it and see if I could get on with it. And I have to admit, I think it might be my favourite of the five. 

I applied it in 3 coats before it became so opaque, used my ESSIE good to go and off I was. 

I could honestly wear this every day. Its not often I say that but its just so professional. I have to have nice nails for my job, as its a sign of professionalism not coming to work with chipped nails - obviously. I love my red and pink nails, but this is absolutely a fabulous alternative to that. 

You can buy ESSIE at boots, they retail at £8 per bottle. This specific one is from the previous collection, so if it hasnt been carried through to this season, try on eBay. They normally have a good selection of colours. 

Ill be back soon ;)

Z x

OPI Drip Dry VS. Sephora Express drying oil

Hope everyone is having an immense bank holiday weekend? I'm still not over how amazing Foo Fighters were at Leeds festival on friday. Completely AWED! That doesnt happen often as i am, honestly, normally too short to go to gigs, mainly just see top half of the stage due to tall people standing in front of me. Luckily, I had my amazing boyfriend to put me on his shoulders (I had sworn I wouldnt do that at a concert). But the cider and the good mood made myself, and my structured crisp white shirt, get in the festival spirit. 

Anyways, I think a few people might find this post a little irrelevant. But when you wear nailvarnish on a regular basis, it can be quite tedious having to wait for the nail paint to dry. Especially, when youre in a rush to get out of the door. This is why firms like Essie, OPI and Sephore have made some amazing drying oil or fast drying top-coats. 

I have used ESSIE Good To Go top coat for a long time. People who know me will also know that this is my favourite nail brand. SO I thought it would be nice to finally try something a little different for once.

OPI Drip Dry, is a genius little product. A small bottle with a pipette, which is placed in the lid for you to suck up the oil and then drip a drop on each fingernail after applying the nail varnish - it dries instantly. My friend has used OPI for a long time, so its been nice finally trying this product as she is ecstatic about this brand. 

Sephora, which is a high-street makeup store (LOVE LOVE LOVE their makeup brushes btw.) have their own version of the drying oil too. Called: Express drying oil.

It really works, its super efficient and quick to apply. It doesnt dry instantly as in, being able to dress yourself, pull up the super slim-tight skinny jeans and push down the pockets which are flapping out - yes I talk from experience, its not that super fast! However, I dont think any product is that quick drying. 

This is how you do it:Apply the last layer of nail-polish and a topcoat (if it isnt an express drying topcoat like the ESSIE good to go). Drip a drop of the oil on each nail and let the nails dry for a few minutes - its that easy. The nailvarnish will dry so much that you will be able to touch it shortly after. And completely hard after approximately 3 minutes. 

There is, in my opinion, NO difference between the two products. They are absolutely amazing both of them. In fact, if you changed the labels I wouldnt even notice. However, the price is the only thing that differs. The Sephora is £8 and therefore a bit cheaper than the OPI brand, retailing at around £12.

Absolutely recommendable for the girl who is as addicted to the colour of her nails as I am! 

Have a nice week. 

Love, Z

x

Agent Birthday Present

I have been super bad! I havent updated in SO long. I simply havent had time. Ive been to Palma and back, to Dublin and Copenhagen. It was my birthday, I have started a new job, been to Leeds Festival and have a major assignment to hand in by September 5th - been working on this all summer. Oh dear. 

The tan is non-existent this year! That is what you get for living in the UK. I have a lot of new things I will love to blog about, including a considerably old bag which I purchased a couple of months ago now. I have started taking pictures of my daily outfits too.

What I wanted to show off today, however, was one of the many presents I received from my boyfriend. And, Oh am I a spoilt girl. This was the box! Its quite obvious what it is. But I thought I wanted to share it. 

In the pretty box was a little card and some very nice lacey underwear wrapped in black silk paper. Now, I wont model the underwear for reasons that are obvious to everyone. Yes, I do still have some of my pride left. 

This specific range is called Fifi, and apparently one of the classic ranges by Agent Provocateur, meaning it will carry on till next season compared to less popular ranges. I must admit, I have only ever had the perfume Mistress by Agent Provocateur and I was immediately seduced by the heavy notes. I am into my heady, heavy perfumes - seductive and sensual, so when my ex-boyfriend bought me itm on his way home from London one year, it was considered a spot on match for my perfume nose.

I have spoken to a few people about this underwear, as I have hand on my heart, never had such expensive underwear before. Not that I haven't wanted it, but I have always seen it a luxury that I didnt necessarily have to spend such an enormous amount of money on. I mean, how many will see my underwear anyways - why not invest in a bag instead? It seems the general consensus amongst people I know too - but oh how wrong could I be. It is so sexy, and it makes you feel so good wearing. My gran wasnt wrong when she said nice underwear will make you confident even when no one sees you wearing it. 

Its super hard photographing as it is dark outside and the lace is black. However, I have included the link to Agent Provocateur further up .They show it in cream and pink too, which shows the makeup of the underwear a little bit better. However, I was lucky enough to get this beautiful set - Thats what I like the best - and apparently my boyfriend too. 

I returned from Leeds Festival last night. Short but sweet. Black Keys were awesome again, second time I see them this month - Id recommend them to anyone I come across, they are wicked  live. This is what I wore.

White Shirt - Woven H&M 

Blue Jumper - Gap (Oversize mens jumper)

Shiny Leggins - American apparel

Black Wellies - high-top Hunters

Black suede Bag - Old number by Topshop

And my nailvarnish is by Essie. Wicked colour - its called Peach Daiquiri. Check it out! FAV!

Hope you have a nice weekend :)

Love Z

x