RECENT PUR-CHASES

Actually, although it doesn't look like it since I appear never to be able to live within my means, I've been PRETTAY, PRETTAY, PRETTAY skint this last month or two.

Birthdays, ultimately fruitless trips down south, and more nights out than you can shake a stick at have taken their toll. GODDAAAYUM I'm sick of being skint!

That said, over the last wee while I have still managed to pick up a few shiny new things. Take a peek:

Gold jumper from Zara. Festive or what?! The ultimate dress up or dress down piece, perfect for chilly, wintry nights at the pub and awesome with skinnies or a leather skirt. Love, love, love it. Zara knitwear is having a definite moment just now...

THOSE Topshop boots. You know, the Acne copies that sold out everywhere during the summer. Aye, I caved. They are a slightly lower heel and much comfier than my Topshop heeled Chelseas and I've practically been living in them ever since I snapped up the last 5s in Topshop Argyle St last week. Love.

Topshop velvet leggings. I'm actually not sure about these in real life. They make my thighs look GINORMO and bumfle unattractively around the crotchital area. But I just love the IDEA of them. So far the tags are still on and the jury's still out. They may well go back...

H&M pleather flippy skirt. I've had this for a couple of weeks, and together with the Topshop boots it's hardly been off my bum. I LOVE it. I saw it on someone else's blog ages ago (forget who now) and made a mental note to get it on payday. And get it I did. Goes with everything and is only £19.99. Makes sense people.

Barry M Berry Ice Cream nail polish. SUCH  a gorgeous colour on. Shame my nails are absolutely horrific. I feel a new year's resolution coming on...

Skin 79 Intense Classic BB Cream. GAHD, what a drama I've been having with foundations lately. I'm totally sick of Estee Lauder Doublewear and its cakiness, so I've been trying other, less matte cream foundations over the last month. I'd been hearing all this stuff about BB creams and after hours spent watching reviews on YouTube some gentle research, plumped for this yin off of an American site.

There are some big pros and cons to this cream. The coverage is INTENSE as the name would suggest, which is good if you want maximum coverage, duh. But it's got an SPF of 35 which makes it really thick and very whitening on the skin. I personally don't mind the whitening aspect, as in the winter I normally steer clear of the fake tan anyway, but I know loads of folk won't like that. Also, I wasn't sure I really got the whole 'one shade suits everyone' thing. It comes out the tube a weird grey colour, but eventually oxidises to match your face... or there abouts. Once on though, it stays put. And thanks to the creamy finish it never looks cakey or dry.

I wore this alot in Italy as I do tend to burn easily, so the high SPF and coverage was great, and so was the dewy finish. But now that I'm home I'm defo finding it a bit much. Which leads me to...

Illamasqua Skin Base foundation. I finally feel like I've found my ultimate foundation! Based on BB creams, this foundation is meant to cover,conceal, brighten and enhance. But Illamasqua have removed all the SPF properties normally associated with BB creams, which is great for a night out so you don't get that ATTRACTIVE, your-face-is-ten-times-whiter-than-your-neck reflection thingmy that tends to happen in photos when an SPF is present. Anyway, I love it!

 I was matched with shade 06 when I went in for the tester, but when I went back that shade had sold out. The helpful girl in Debenhams said I could also be shade 05 too since my skin has a slight pinkiness to it. Sure enough it's ALMOST the exact perfect shade. I do find it a touch pink, but with a dusting of some creamy loose powder over the top it's ideal.

Not too thick, creamy, pigmented, easily-blendable... I'm not sure there's much else I need from a foundation. It's £25 which ain't cheap, but a little goes a REALLY long way.

So aye, those were my pur-CHASEs over the last lil bit. I'm away to eat beans on toast for the next 6 weeks...

ETSY SPOTLIGHT: D4NE2D33P

AKA Yard666sale, this shop is possibly my most favourite on Etsy at the moment. I've already bought two things from them (vintage Rancid tshirt and religious iconography long-sleeved top, OBV) and am itching to get my paws on more tacky, trippy, witchy 90s gear.

Just check these awesome photos. I wanna be a D4NE2D33P grrrl SO bad.

So aye, this shop is amazing and these pictures are the coolest things I've seen in a loooong time.

GAHD, as Bee and Lisa have both pointed out, there's at least several hundred things on in Glasgow tonight which I can't go to as I'm back working heinous full-time shifts at my old joabby. BOO. So instead, when I get in ama make like Tavi, dress up like a goth and lip synch to Taylor Swift... PLAN.

Oh, Tavi. YOU belong with MEEEEE! Amazeballs.

Sorry if this post was pathetically lacking in any real insight much beyond the likes of GEE GUYS THIS SHIZ IS WAY COOL. Working full time is zapping all my energy at the mo. That and some inappropriate mid-week drinking *ahem*

x

TOPMAN DESIGN SS12

Normally around this time I'd usually do a review of Topshop Unique's SS12 collection, but to be honest I wasn't really moved by it. I definitely didn't hate it like I  did last season's effort, but nor did I really love it either. So rather than try and hash something together about a collection I don't really care about, I thought I'd talk about one I DID.

Topman Design, the slightly lesser known, less cool brother of Topshop Unique has never really been on my radar. Menswear is really not my forte, but even to a layman like me, this collection absolutely reeks of an uber cool, 60s paisley, trippy, Moroccan/Indian, slightly modish vibe.

The Beatles in India

Indian Paisley print

Some of Topman Design's Paisley influences - pics from The Guardian

Paisley pattern also reminds me of the 90s (doesn't everything though) and by combining it with grungy knitwear, man bags and silky pyjama bottoms, Topman Design have totally reinvented this lush print. I'm predicting a massive resurgence of Paisley for next year. YAY!

IMPRESSIVE, no? I can see indie boys all over the country jumping on this look next year.

Think the middle four and very last looks are my favourites, but I love them all it's impossible to choose really! The contrast of wool and silk throughout is making me salivate - total texture freak, and although this is a menswear line, I will definitely be taking inspiration from the prints and texturisation.

I really hope Topman Design continue along this road to becoming a stand-alone menswear collective in the same vein as Topshop Unique, because seriously, they deserve the recognition.

On the whole, a massive thumbs up from me, but what do you guys reckon?

ZEN LIFESTYLE SPA - EDINBURGH

On Tuesday I was invited to a jammy blogger event at Zen Lifestyle Spa on Hanover St in Edinburgh, and how could I resist a wee evening of pampering! Not to mention the chance to hang with the likes of Amanda, Charlene, Ayden, Morven, Anna and Rani again!

The first thing that struck me was how beeeyootiful the salon is! Totally modern and chic, but not too clinical.

Purdy outdoor shot

Milling around & chatz.

Owner Fiona and her team greeted us with glasses of fizz and some insanely tasty nibbles - winning combo - and were friendly and accommodating throughout. 

YUM! I could NOT stop stuffing my face with these. Seriously...

One of the serene treatment rooms.

Getting my nails did, yo. (Nice hairdo, Worzel.)

Charlene gets her skin analysed. Like in DEEETAIL.

We all got the chance to try out a few treatments including the massively popular HD Brows and blink n' go lashes, but as a bit of a spa virgin I opted for the pretty safe option of a Shellac manicure - a manicure in which the nail polish stays put for up to 2 weeks. Perfect, right? Well, not quite.

My lovely manicurist suggested that as my nails are so hideously bitten to buggery and stumpy beyond belief (my words, not hers), that I opt for a light pink colour so that when it did chip it wouldn't be as noticeable. I agreed. STUPIDLY! The polish was applied expertly and I've no doubt it would have stayed on for two weeks, but by the next day that sugary-pink colour was just too sickly so I bit them all off. I'm a weirdo! I've now got a luminous neon green on and I feel MUCH better. I'd still definitely recommend Shellac nails to anyone with talons long enough to open a ring-pull can, but the light, girly colours just ain't for me.

While I was there I also decided to have my skin analysed by a Murad rep using their new skin scanner - basically a camera hooked up to a laptop which takes special pictures of your skin to show the brown spots, redness, bacteria, ageing, pores and spots in terrifying detail! Ayden has a picture of her print out on her blog so you can see what I'm taking about...)

After a lengthy discussion about my blemish-prone skin (the bane of my actual life. SERIOUSLY) I was recommended the new anti-ageing anti-blemish range: 

Anyone tried this? It's super expensive for a makeup/cosmetics cheapskate like me, but I am so sick of wrestling with my skin issues that I might just blow the budget, go mental and purchase the lot. I'd love to hear from someone who uses Murad products or has had amazing success with this range so let me know.

The lovely Murad rep, whose name now escapes me, also gave me a mild telling off for not washing my makeup brushes enough (read EVER) as apparently there was quite a bit of bacteria on my cheeks from my blusher brush. Can you say BOKE?! I immediately went home and scrubbed them clean.

Aaaaanyway, get down to Zen in Edinburgh if you're through there soon and fancy some pampering. It was a right guid night. Thanks again to Stella and Snooki for arranging everything.

 I'm aware this post was a bit of a ramble, and I still haven't managed to include any collection reviews or tell you about my fab new gold Zara jumper and purple velvet leggings... That's all on the way, I promise!

Pics shamelessly stolen from A Blogging Blonde