Style Crush of the Week...Emma Watson

Best known as Hermione Norris in Harry Potter (whom I have often been likened to due to my, ahem, bushy hair), the lovely Emma Watson is rapidly become some what of a style icon. She has been the face of Chanel, has recently been signed as an ambassador for Lancome, and has featured in ad campaigns for Burberry, as well as regularly gracing the pages of glossy mags such as Vogue - and she's still only 21!



I much preferred the long locks to the pixie cut!

Eek how beautiful is this dress?!

Who's style have you been loving?

Melanie x

Matalan Haul

(Get me, splashing the cash this weekend!)
I realise I am meant to be trying to save some money at the mo, but considering I got a gigantic bag full of stuff yesterday at Primark for around £60, and a fair few bits today in the half-price sale at Matalan, I don't feel so guilty!

Matalan has definitely had a revamp in the last few years, and is becoming more accessible/appealing to the younger market - I used to think it was a bit mumsy!
They've introduced fresher, funkier ranges such as Be Beau and they offer some really lovely items at very reasonable prices.

Sandals - £8.00

Wide leg trousers (no they're not jammies!) - £10.00 (down from £20.00)

(Close-up of trouser print)

Boot cut trousers - both £8.00 (down from £16.00)

Cotton dress - £9.00 (down from £16.00)

Fitted shirt - £8.00

Necklace - £4.00 (down from £7.00)

Necklace - £4.00 (down from £7.00)

And this one I didn't get from Matalan, but couldn't resist as it was on offer...

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (part 1) - £10.00 Asda

Melanie x

Primark Haul

Evening Ladies,

I treated myself to a trip to my local primark at the weekend, so for those of you who haven't seen my YouTube haul video, I thought i'd let you see what I purchased!

Sandals (top) - £6.00, Espadrilles - £5.00

Turquoise earrings - £3.00, Mango earrings - £3.00, Lindt roller - £1.00, Pack of 6 different pairs of studs (see below for detailed pic) - £1.50, Mirrored Aviator Sunglasses - £2.00

Stripey maxi dress - £9.00, plain black maxi dress - £9.00

Printed top - £10.00

Leggings - £3.00

Blazer (LOVE the shoulder pads!) - £17.00 on tag but I got it for £10.00!

Ring - £2.00

Have you picked up any Primark bargains recently?

Melanie x

(The video is below for anyone interested!)

NOTD: Revlon 044 Blue Lagoon

Hello chicas, happy saturday :)

I never thought blue nails would appeal to me, but after seeing a beautiful baby blue gracing the nails of Lisa Eldridge, i decided to take the plunge (pardon the pun) and buy Blue Lagoon by Revlon.

Like Sunshine Sparkle there is a faint sparkle to it when looked at close up (i've since discovered "sparkle" nail polishes are a NIGHTMARE to remove!) but it actually looks quite matt-ish on its own (I have Seche Vite over the top).

Another fab summary colour to add to the collection!

Melanie x

NOTD: Revlon 042 Sunshine Sparkle

Hurrah for summer slowly getting here at last, and it being reflected in the new products for this season.

Revlon have released some FABULOUS nailpolishes, my favourite being Mad about Mango, Sunshine Sparkle (below) and Blue Lagoon.

Sunshine Sparkle is a beautiful lemon colour, with a slight sparkle (as the name suggests) through it (which i've tried to show in the above pic but failed!)
It does go on slightly streaky, and I had to put on 3 coats to get the desired effect, but the colour pay off is stunning and it definitely helps cheer me up!
Boots are doing a 3 for 2 across all their ranges at the moment so get down there and nab some for yourself!

Melanie x

Calling all Urban Decay Primer Potion Owners!

I thought I was down to the last dregs of my UDPP, but (in a moment of rare ingenious-ness from myself), I have discovered that if you remove the plastic stopper (as shown below) which is used to scrape off excess from the wand, when you then dip the wand in TONS more comes out!

When it appears to start running out after using this method i'm then going to investigate the various depotting methods (from hacking it open to microwaving!)

But for the moment i'm chuffed with this!

Melanie x

(More) Product Use-Ups - Would I Buy Again?

Happy Easter All, hope you're having a fab day and are making yourselves suitably sick on easter eggs hehe.

I've recently came to the end of some products, so I thought I'd do another "would I buy again" post for your reference.

1. Aussie Miracle Moist Shampoo - approx £3 for 300ml (and usually part of deals/offers along with the conditioners), available at most usual cosmetic/haircare stockists including supermarkets

I don't know about you, but I seem to get through my shampoo far quicker than my conditioner (which is still on the go) - maybe it's cause I do the shampoo-twice thing...? I usually love the smell of Aussie products, but this one at first I wasn't too keen on -very sweet. It has grown on me however. I wouldn't say either this or the conditioner has made a major difference to my hair, but I do generally like the Aussie products and think they are a good, reliable range to fall back on. I might not necessarily buy this particular type of Aussie shampoo again, but am considering trying others from the range.

2. Mitchum Smart Solid antiperspirant/deodarant - approx £3 from most highstreet stores/supermarkets.

Mitchum has a reputation for being one of the more hard-core, no fuss deodarent/anti-perspirant brands out there (i.e. no fancy over the top advertising campaigns, just let the product speak for itself!), and for a long time you could only get it in the one "smell" (for both men and women)! But recently they've branched out into solid stick, roll-on and aerosol deodarents, as well as differing scents (mine was waterlily). It claims to leave no white marks, but I believe that any type of deodarant, from the cheapies to the most expensive, will leave marks if you don't let them dry before putting your clothes on, and this is no different! However it does do the job of keeping you fresh and secure in the knowledge you won't be sweating tremendously when you have it on. I probably will repurchase this after I use up my Dove Maximum Protection (review to come).

3. Pond's Hydronourishing Moisturiser - RRP £3.99 for 50ml from Boots, Superdrug and some supermarket stockists

Pond's is a brand which has been around from the year dot, and when I think of it I think of my Mum, and my Nana both using it; the cold cream cleanser in particular. However I picked up this moisturiser at the same time as the cold cream cleanser for the same price, and I have to say I didn't mind paying the £3.99 for this as I did for the cleanser! It is a simple, no-nonsense, does-what-it-is-designed-to-do moisturiser, which can be used in the morning and at night. Not too light yet not as thick and heavy as the cleanser, this is the one for you if you're looking for a no frills moisturiser with nothing else (such as SPF etc) added.

I prefer my moisturisers to do a bit more in terms of what they contain, so I probably won't buy this again as there's so many others out there to try!

4. Tesco Daily Care Coolmint Mouthwash - 89p for 500ml from Tescos

many of you will be wondering why I included such a random item, but recently tooth care has become VERY important to me after I had to get a root canal treatment on one of my molars. Whilst not half as bad a process as it's been made out to be, i'd rather not go through it again (nor have to fork out the £100!), and so i'm vowing to take much better care of my teeth (not that I was terrible before - I brushed religiously morning and night, just sometimes I'd miss a turn at night when really tired etc...), starting with using mouthwash after brushing. I plan to invest in an electric toothbrush at some point, and a jet flosser (flossing is one thing I have neither the time nor patience for!), but i'll need to save up first!

Melanie x