My pre-night out beauty regime ft Cocoa Brown!

My pre-night out beauty regime 

 

Looking and feeling great for a night out is always important! My theory is, that the better you feel about yourself, the better your night will be ..or quite honestly I think this goes for everyday as well! 

A key part to feeling great is a little pamper time, whether this be before a night out or just in general when you could do with a little boost!

Start with a nice relaxing bath, using some of your fav bath products ( lush is always a winner ) and feel free to add a glass of wine to your regime, I find that always helps set the relaxing mood, right?

 Once you have had a little soak use a body scrub to remove all dead and dry skin, I always reach for Soap&Glory Scrub 'Em and Leave 'Em Body Buff as it never fails to leave my skin silky smooth and smells fab! Also if your planning on shaving your legs I would advise you shave them first then use body scrub, but be careful and don't scrub too hard as this can hurt and leave you with red, blotchy legs!

While you're scrubbing use a little of the body buff on a foot file and use on the soles of your feet to remove any rough skin and leave them feeling soft again after a hard weeks work! 

Using body scrub is also key if you're planning on applying fake tan. Every girl knows that rough, dead skin plus fake tan is just a disaster waiting to happen! Which leads me to my next time... 

Once you have plucked up the courage to leave your lovely warm bath and dried off use a light moisturiser all over your body to keep that silky smooth feeling for longer. I choose to use Cocoa Brown Chocolate Whip oil free moisturiser as it smell like chocolate - meaning you smell like chocolate ..and who doesn't like chocolate?!

Once the moisturiser has dried completely it's fake tan time! If you have read my previous post you will know Cocoa Brown 1 hour Tanning Mousse is my absolute fav and to make it even more perfect they have now brought out a dark version, I can't recommend it enough!

I apply the mousse using a normal tanning mitt all over my body. Because of the versatility of the product you can choose to leave it on 1-3hours and shower off to leave a gorgeous summer glow or leave it on all night, the tan works brilliantly either way!

It really is like a spray tan in a bottle and I absolutely love the darker colour! The original gave a nice natural glow but the dark version gives you that dreamy holiday glow all year round. 

Finally to top off my pre-party pamper session I give my fingers and toes (nails obvs) a fresh coat of paint. My current fav is China Glaze's Barbie pink shade 'Don't mesa with my heart' 

And there you have it ..a perfect little pre-party pamper regime! 

Halloween Mermaid Nails in 4 Easy Steps

So my mermaid obsession is still in full swing, so much so that I have  decided to be a mermaid for Halloween because ..well why not!

I had previously created a similar nail design and decided to step it up a bit with more colour and glitter!

I used stencils from a company called Nail Mail rather than try and paint on the scales myself (so much harder than I imagined) 

To create the design I used a mix of Barry M nail paints because I love the quality and finish of the nail paints, I haven't had a bad experience in the years I have been using them! I chose the metallic gold (for the base coat) the mermaid themed range in a blue shimmer shade and blue and gold glitter nail paints. 

Step 1 - I painted my nails with one coat of the metallic gold, then painted a clear coat over the top then left to dry for 15 minutes - this step is essential to stop the stencil pulling off the base coat later on.

Step 2 - I then applied the stencil to all nails on both hands (it helps if you have quite narrow nails to cut the stencil in half that way you have less waste meaning you have stencil left over for next time!) and applied each one using tweezers to position it exactly where I wanted it. Make sure the stencil is completely stuck down to the surface of your nail to avoid paint getting underneath the stencil and ruining the design. 

Step 3 - I used the shimmery blue shade to create the blue scales looks then I used a small sponge and tweezers to dab on each colour glitter to give a slight gold to blue ombré effect rather than just using one solid colour.

I found it is better to paint one nail at a time then peel the stencil off straight away while the paint it is still wet to avoid the paint drying and the stencil pulling off some of the paint potentially ruining the effect or getting the stencil stuck into dry the paint so you can't remove it at all. 

Step 4 - Finish with a nice shiny clear top coat and voila ..perfect mermaid nails! 

You can use literally any combination of colours to create this effect, the possibilities really are endless!

Stencils - £3.95 from Nail Mail

Nail paints - all from Barry M and range between £2.99-£3.99

Lip Vinyl from Kiss Cosmetics UK review!

Recently I have become totally obsessed with all things lipstick/lip gloss in the search for new Autumn/winter shades. 

I stumbled across a beauty brand called Kiss Cosmetics on Instagram and after a good half hour of drooling through their colourful insta feed I decided to purchase some of their products!

After searching through the website I loved the look of their Lip Vinyl liquid lipsticks as they came in a whole range of different shades perfect for every occasion. The only problem being is that I couldn't decide which colour to buy!

In the end I chose 4 shades out of the 10 available, each from various ends of the spectrum ..from subtle nude to deep purple and conveniently they sell mini Lip Vinyl tubes so you can try out all of the colours for only £2 each without spending a bomb meaning you can try out new daring colours and keep your purse happy!

The four colours I chose are: 

Birthday suit - a nude/peachy neutral shade. Perfect for every day wear and enhancing your natural pout. 

First kiss - a candy pink shade perfect for adding a little colour pop to your make up! Plus I love anything pink so this was a definite fav!

Lady in red - a deep berry red shade ideal for Autumn that would compliment all skin tones. 

Seductive damson - a bold purple shade for something a little different... Definitely a head turner!

There really is a shade for every occasion! 

The liquid lipstick is applied using your typical gloss wand and goes on smoothly. At first it is a little sticky but I found the stickiness does wear off. 

What really impressed me is how long it stayed put! Compared to some liquid lipsticks I have tried, the Kiss Cosmetic Vinyl wasn't going anywhere without a fight! Through drinking/snacking/chewing on pens (bad office habit) it didn't budge and even better when you do take it off unlike most lip colours none of these stained! 

I will definitely be back to purchase more colours/products in the near future!  

All products purchased from kisscosmetics.co.uk 

Xxx

Handbags and Pom poms! FT @riverisland

Admittedly, like many girls, I have a bit of a bag problem. 

I just love bags ..totes, satchels, shoppers you name it I love it! Which is why usually I tend not to post about my bag collection as I just buy so many and wouldn't want to clog up my blog with them! 

...but my most recent bag purchase is an exception..

I have always particularly loved River Island bags which their unique designs, bold patterns and on point style but on this occasion, in my eyes, they have really out done themselves!

I love every aspect of this nude structured Pom Pom bag - from the gorgeous nude shade used to the perfect size and shape. Oh and if you hadn't noticed ..the perfect pink Pom Pom!!

Admittedly this was what really sold it to me, it's always good to have something a little different and that stands out from the crowd and this bag certainly does that! 

I have had an unbelievable amount of comments about it, which goes to show I'm not the only crazy bag lady out there! 

Thanks for reading, dolls xxx

Bag - River Island, £42

Collab featuring the gorgeous RB-London boutique and discount code!❤️

I must apologise for my lack of posts this past month – with work, holidays and what seems like 100 peoples birthdays I admit I haven’t been posting as much as I would like to.

Since my last post I have been given to chance to collab with a gorgeous online clothing boutique called RB London as an official RB London Lady!

I have always adored the beautiful clothes they post on their Instagram and Twitter feeds (@RB_London give them a follow girls!) and can not wait to share them with you all!

As I had a holiday coming up (I promise I will do a separate post on that in the near future) the team at RB London sent me a total cutie of a dress to wear while I was abroad. 

This cute little number is a match made in heaven for girly girls me with a flattering bodycon wrap fit and hints of pink in the palm leaf print (in case you didn't already know I love pink!)The material is stretchy, super soft and good quality! I wore it both as a day dress to the beach with sandals and an evening dress paired with a pair of white strappy heels. 

Oh and don't forget, if any of you girlies see anything that takes your fancy use discount code NICOLA for money off - after all, what's better than fabulous clothes and a discount?

Thanks for reading, lovelies! Xxx

Dress: www.rb-London.com 

Weekend OOTD | Quiz | Public Desire

Hello dolls!

I must apologise for my lack of posts again over the past week, I have been ill with the flu and pretty much useless!

But I'm finally better and well enough to post my latest fav weekend OOTD!

I have a terrible habit of needing to buy a new outfit for every night out and my most recent night out was no exception.

I had heard raving reviews about Quiz's new summer collection so I decided to go check it out for myself.

With glittering evening dresses, bright colours and outfits for all occasions I can see why everyone has been raving about Quiz this summer! I was spoilt for choice. After spending what seemed like hours admiring each delicate dress and lavishly decorated top I settled on a midi dress with a little extra cleavage.

It had caught my eye from the very start and I knew it was love at first sight. A black dress with a summery pink floral pattern and extra little slit down the bust to show a little extra cleavage ( but still high enough to wear a normal bra! ) ..it also matched beautiful pink platforms from Public Desire! (See previous post)

A surely perfect addition to any summer wardrobe!

Dress: Quiz £22.99
Shoes: Public Desire Brandi Neon Pink £27.99

Illamasqua Lipstick | Summer Shades - Favs!

Like most girls, I am a total sucker for lipsticks! Every colour, shape, finish ..you name it I'll wear it!

My latest lipstick venture was to find the perfect spring/summer lipsticks ..something that would last all day, would be easy to apply on the go and would go with everything!

I trawled through the cosmetics isles in Superdrug and Boots purchasing a range of different branded lipsticks but found almost all of them dried my lips out (not what you need with English weather!), didn't last for more than 20 minutes or would smudge easily.

Completely unsatisfied with what I had found so far I decided to search online. I adore MAC's Velvet Teddy lipstick but found it difficult to get hold of and when buying online you can never be too sure you're buying something authentic so I decided to look for an alternative from a high end brand.

I have a little collection of Illamasqua lipsticks and have always had such good experiences with these products. I purchased Vampette and Shard to match my winter wardrobe and always found the lipsticks would last for hours and kept my lips hydrated even in the harsh winter weather while keeping the bold colour all day.

Illamasqua have a range of nude shades, my favourites being Bare, Climax and Obey. I decided to go for Bare as it's a slightly darker nude shade with a hint of pink (I LOVE pink!)

As well as a nude shade I also wanted a quirky pink shade to match wardrobe which is mainly dominated by pastel pink! I chose Liv as it can be applied lightly with gloss for a soft pink shade or on it's own for a luscious pastel glow.

Btw - Both of these shades are matte finish, I'm loving matte over a shiny/satin finish right now!

After waiting patiently for a long 3 days for them to arrive I practically threw myself at the postman to get the package from him and broke a nail trying to get into the box (cry!)

Both lipsticks were even better than I expected. Both the nude shade (Bare) and the pastel pink shade (Liv) is perfect for both every day and evening wear. (I have marked in the pics which shade is which to get an idea of how bold the colours are, each are only one stroke!)

I would definitely recommend the brand to any girls looking to try something new in the high end market. Although they appear to be a little on the pricey side, the high quality is well worth the extra expense.

Both lipsticks came from the official Illamasqua online store - www.illamasqua.com