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GOLD GLITTER ACCENT

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Now that it seems to get dark outside at 5pm, I'm allowing myself to indulge in all things Christmas and Winter. First up, nails. 

One of my favourite Winter/Christmas nail looks is a dark red with a gold glitter accent nail. To create these nails I used Nails Inc Victoria with Wild About Beauty's 'Lauren' polish. To get a really nice effect I made sure to take most the glitter off the brush before adding a thin layer to the nail. I wanted the base colour to show through as I think it looks nicer than having a solid nail of gold glitter. 

These two colours work so well together and are perfect for a Christmas party! 

WHAT'S ON MY FACE #39

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This week's WOMF is brought to you all the way from Hogwarts, where I had my Christmas party this year. But more on that next week, today we're talking about Christmas party makeup and the look I chose to go for. I wanted to add a touch of sparkle to my eyes, so I used a thin layer of sparkly shadow and allowed myself to do a red lip too! It wouldn't be a Christmas party without a red lip now would it?! For this look it was all about long-lasting, festive makeup… 


COLOUR: NARS Laguna // Charlotte Tilbury Ecstasy Blusher // Jemma Kidd Dewy Glow All Over Radiance Cream Rose Gold

EYES: MAC Jaunty // MAC Cork // Bobbi Brown Cement // Make Up For Ever 2L eyeliner // Clinique High Impact Extreme Volume mascara






MR & MRS CHALLENGE // 100,000 SUBSCRIBERS!

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To celebrate a YouTube milestone, I roped in Rich to join me for another video. I really hope you enjoy it, it's just a bit of a fun and thank you SO, SO, SO much for subscribing to my channel - it really does mean the world!! 

xxxxxx



AVON REDISCOVERED

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Growing up, I knew Avon as that kind of strange beauty brand that you can only buy if you go to some random lady's house or they come to yours. To be honest I just wrote it off as it was too complicated to understand and I prefer to just go into a shop or buy products online. 

I didn't really think about Avon again until recently when I discovered that you don't have to buy their products through consultants, they also have an online shop! Now I know how much easier it is to buy their products I've wanted to try out some bits to see if I like them. 

I started with the True Colour eyeshadow quad in 'Mocha Latte'and their true colour range does exactly what it says on the tin. Avon found their customers were constantly disappointed in products that didn't swatch the same colour as they looked in the pan, so they created this line for that very reason. The eyeshadow quad has four shades, numbered in order of application. There's a light shimmery highlight, a matte cork, a bronze shimmer and a dark matte brown. It's the easiest palette to use, it's fool proof and the quality of the shadows are really great and remind me of MAC. 

I also gave their Mega Effects Mascara a go, which is probably the strangest makeup contraption I've ever come across. It's a reinvention of the mascara wand and replicates something similar to a paint brush roller. You take off the lid, pull out the brush and it moves bath and forth to adjust to your liking. I found it a bit funny to use at first, but can understand the idea behind it and it's probably great for applying mascara onto other people. 

The lipsticks didn't wow me, so I wouldn't recommend the ones I tried but I can't get enough of the eyeshadow quad and can see it becoming a favourite of mine. Have you tried anything from Avon or visited their online shop

BURGERS & TEA

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Despite the rain, I spent last Saturday in Camden which is one of my favourite areas in London. Although it's one of the largest tourist spots, it still feels incredibly chilled and there are always new things to discover. 

On this trip we had two spots in mind to visit, Honest Burger and Yumchaa. I've had an Honest before, but I wanted to introduce it to Anna and her other half (we all share a mutual love for burgers). The one in Camden is really tiny and it's normally quite hard to get a table so we sat at the bar. The burgers are amazing, they're not as greasy as Five Guys, not as clean cut as somewhere like GBK, so they sit somewhere amongst Patty & Bun and Shake Shack. And the chips? Well Anna called them "the best I've ever had", so they get a huge thumbs up! 

After burgers, looking at old cameras and reminiscing over Babar books, we headed to Yumchaa. I knew quite little about this place apart from that it's a tea house it looked really nice. We grabbed a good spot in the corner and spent the next 15 minutes trying to pick a tea each from the extensive menu. I chose Jasmine, Anna had Adventure, Mark chose Chelsea Chai and Rich had Soho Spice (I also had a slice of lemon drizzle cake because I couldn't resist!). All of the teas come as loose leaves and you can either have it in a tea pot or in a "magic tea filter". The magic tea filter is amazing, you simply add in your leaves, pour in hot water and then when you're ready to drink you just place it onto your mug and it filters the tea through from the bottom to ensure you get all the flavour. It automatically stops when you lift it off the mug, like magic! You can actually buy these online and I'm definitely going to get one. 

The day may have continued into the night and may have involved bowling and many pound coins spent in the arcade, but we won't go into any more detail there. 

So two new places in London that I'd definitely recommend visiting. Have you been to either of these? 

LOWER LASH SMUDGE

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For me, it's all about the lower lash smudge. I spend quite a bit of time blending darker shades into the crease of my eye and making it look perfect but the look is never complete without the lower lash smudge. 

It suits my eye shape so I always take my shadow under the eye, but every now and again I really go for it and do a bit of a Mary-Kate Olsen. I focus the colour on the outer corner of the eye and use less toward the inner tear duct area. Eyeshadows I've found that work really well for this are MAC Cork, Soba, Texture and Charcoal Brown. Buck from the Urban Decay Naked palette also works well, but you can use any kind of matte brown shade really. 

Take a pencil brush and go wild, or if you're feeling really adventurous use a soft eyeliner and smudge it out. The Clinique Quick Liners are great and come with a smudger on one end, I also like the Rimmel Scandal Eyes liner in Bronze. 

So next time you do your eyeshadow, try take the colour just that little bit lower and see how you like it!

BARGAIN BAGS

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Two new bags, both at a bargain price! Ok, so they're not cheap but I've been looking for a new bag for a while, not wanting to spend a small fortune and I was lucky to find two that I love and personally think are really affordable.

I came across the Topshop bag first, thanks to my friend Debs. I really like how it's quite different to my other black bags because of the top handle. It's a slouchy bag with one main zip compartment and two side zips for my endless amount of lip products. The material looks and feels textured which I think makes it look a bit more 'designer'. It was only £30, which is a bargain in my opinion! 

I spotted the second bag in Marks & Spencer when I rushed in to buy some tights. I actually saw so many nice pieces in M&S but this bag had to be mine! It's basically a rip off of the Sophie Hulme bag but is a lot cheaper. It cost £35 and is huge so can be used to lug around my laptop, notebook and everything else I seem to carry around with me. 

So which one is your favourite? 

HOMEOPLASMINE: WORTH THE HYPE?

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Homeoplasmine is one of those products I hear being talked about all the time. It's a fashion week must have used by models, make up artists and even nail technicians. It's not only an industry thing though, it's easy to get hold of in France and has been hailed by pharmacy goers as "the ultimate balm".

It's a multi-purpose balm that can soothe irritated skin, smoothe dry skin, helps with insect bites or allergies and is also good for a flu-induced sore nose. It's main purpose though and what it's really great for is for chapped lips. You literally need the tiniest amount and it completely smoothes out your lips, removing any dry or flakey patches. It goes on shiny but very quickly dries to a matte finish so it's great for under lipsticks. 

The tube is small so fits well in your handbag and I for one know mine will be staying put for the entire Winter! The only down side is this little tube of magic has always been really hard to get hold of, but good news is it's a little easier to find now. Last week I took a quick browse in Topshop Oxford Circus (London) and saw that Beauty Mart now have their own section. It's great and full of handpicked hard-to-find beauty bits including Homeoplasmine. That's where I found mine, buried amongst the DHC cleansing oil, Bioderma and other great international beauty products. 

I'd definitely recommend checking out the Beauty Mart concession in Topshop and picking up Homeoplasmine if you do! Have you tried this cult beauty product before?

WINTER LOOKBOOK

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I always see style videos requested in my comments, so here it is, my first ever lookbook video. I hope you enjoy it and for all the links and everything you need to know, click on the title of the video above and then check the description bar below the video. 

Don't forget to subscribe as there is another video coming your way this Sunday! 



IN MY BEAUTY BAG #4

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It's been a while since I changed up my in-handbag beauty bag, but now there's been a huge shift in the temperature an update was seriously needed. 

As you can see the emphasis is on dry lips and dry skin as there is nothing worse than flakey dry lips, a sore looking nose and dull skin. Homeoplasmine (mentioned in yesterday's post) has been a miracle worker along with two Clinique lip products I've been using. Usually these live on my bedside table but they've been upgraded to my handbag for the colder months. The Clinique All About Lips is a treatment cream that instantly soothes whilst helping with any unwanted lip wrinkles that may be appearing. The Repairwear Intensive Lip Treatment is more of a traditional lip balm and I like to use this when I'm travelling on the tube as it's in an easy wind up tube. For my dry hands and elbows I've been smothering them with Weleda Skin Food, a natural replenishing cream that uses refreshing essential oils instead of any parabens or preservatives. 

To inject some life into my skin when I'm feeling a bit dull, I carry around my mini Caudalie beauty elixir and this limited edition bottle is particularly cute to take out and spritz. For any quick blemish touch ups I've been using my Make Up For Ever Full Cover concealer as it's easy to dab on with your finger and blends in well with my skin. This time of year I tend to get a few more pesky spots, so this works well to cover them up. 

Finally, aside from hundreds of hair clips, I like to always carry a fragrance and recently I've been reaching for my favourite Jo Malone Wild Fig & Cassis.

So what have you been carrying around in your beauty bag?

Makeup bag from ASOS

MY WEEK #94

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My week in photos for the 94th time. Highlights this week included going to Whole Foods and spending far too much money, searching for the best coffee shop in London with Rich and getting the new iPad mini!

London Hot Spot // Joy on Wardour Street in Soho. It's got everything from clothes to accessories to those really cute little gifts that you never really know who to give to but you really want to buy! Definitely worth a visit. 

Stand Out Product // YSL nail polish in Rouge Dada. My nails have seen nothing but burgundy reds for weeks and this one has been particularly lovely! 

 Anniversary gift for Rich  |  Whole Foods High Street Kensington  |  Bedtime

Space NK GWP  |  New best friend  |  Filming! 


Tea & Cookie time  |  Thanks jimmychoo.com  |  Scrunchie #TBT


Follow me on Instagram @lilypebbles for daily photos! 

ESSIE FESTIVE FINGERTIPS

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This year Essie have put together the most lustable Christmas box filled with four beautiful nail polishes and a set of their calligraphy nail wraps. Included in this limited edition box is  Beyond Cosy (a decadent silvery gold glitter), Eternal Optimist (a spiced tea rose with a dash of cream), Fishnet Stockings (a spicy dark creme red) and Sole Mate (a creamy and rich deep plum). 

It's worth £42 but costs only £24.99, so it's definitely going to be a sell out. Be quick to order it here if you want one for Christmas or know someone else who will. 

What do you think? Pretty isn't it?

WINTER STYLE GUIDE

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I was so happy with the feedback on my Autumn Style Guide so I couldn't wait any longer to film my Winter version! 

Just like the last one, in this I cover three categories; style, home and nails. I hope you enjoy it and don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss any videos! 



WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH LIP LINERS?

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I have a small lip liner collection somewhere in my ridiculous lipstick drawer but I hardly ever use them! I thought it was time to address this, give them another go and finally decide what the deal is with lip liners…

Pros //
You can use lip liners to achieve a slightly different lip shape so if, like me, you don't have much of a defined cupids bow, you can draw one in. Liners also help you when it comes to applying lipstick as it's much harder to get a precise line around the edge with a larger lipstick bullet. They can also make your lipstick last longer as it has something to grip onto a bit like a lip primer. 

Cons //
It's another step and sometimes you just want to speed things up. If you don't get the exact shade to match your lipstick you can end up looking a bit old fashioned. It's easy to get carried away and end up with a completely different lip shape to what naturally suits you. 

Application tips //
Relax and hold the lip liner like a pencil, lean your hand on your chin and look in the mirror. Follow your natural lip line at first and then adjust where you'd like more definition. Once you've drawn a line around the edge, fill in the lips a bit too so that when your lipstick wears off you're not left with a line around your lips. Make sure your pencil is really sharp for the first bit so you don't get a smudged line. 

Verdict // 
Why do I not use lip liner more regularly?! Even if it's an invisible liner, it makes all the difference and takes all the stress out of wearing a bold lip. I'm definitely going to be making an effort to use lip liner every time I wear a strong lipstick colour in the future. 

My Favourites //


Do you usually skip the lip liner step or do you swear by it? 

SOFT SKIN & BED LINEN FRAGRANCE

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A fragrance that replicates the scent of freshly washed linen sheets on a lazy Sunday morning? YES PLEASE. 

I love the idea of Maison Martin Margiela's Replica range that looks to replicate familiar scents and moments from various places and periods. Some of the other fragrances include Promenade in the garden, Funfair evening and Jazz club, but this was the one that really stood out to me. 

Let's start with the bottle, which is incredibly elegant but has a 'Aesop' apothecary feel to it too. The textured label has everything you need to know on it, the fragrance name, the memory it represents, the description and who it's for. 

The Lazy Sunday Morning scent is quite heavily floral with notes of lily of the valley and patchouli. It's not at all sweet though and is incredibly fresh (which is where the clean sheets come in!). It's quite different to what I'm used to but I really like it and have received lots of compliments whilst wearing it. 

The perfumes in the Replica range costs £65 and their unique, I think that's what I really like about them. It's hard to find a scent that not everyone is wearing, so if you're also on the hunt for one, try out this collection! 


FIVE CHRISTMAS REDS

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With Christmas comes a red lip, so for today's post I've picked out 5 red lipsticks, 5 prices, 5 finishes and 5 very similar results. 

A classic red lipstick that's been around for over 80 years! It's a rich, cherry red with a  glossy finish. Easy to apply, easy to wear. 

The luxury lipstick that you won't want to use because of the beautifully embossed 'TF'. Applying a Tom Ford lipstick instantly makes you feel grown up, the packaging is to die for and this is a pretty bright red with slightly pink undertones. Moisturising *tick*, long lasting *tick* and bold *tick*. 

It's hard to find an affordable matte red lipstick, but this is one I always come back to. It's matte but not too matte and it's the perfect true red. Choose this one if you want something incredibly affordable and if you like your lipstick to smell sweet! 

The longest lasting out of all five lipsticks, the NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencils won't budge for anything! Dragon Girl is a slightly pinkier red, making it perfect for those of you (like me) that struggle to wear blue-toned lipsticks. It's easy to apply without a lip brush and doesn't dry out the lips at all, despite being the most matte in the group. 

A classic shade from MAC's matte lipstick range and one that's constantly spotted backstage and on the red carpet. For some reason it showed up quite light in the photo but it's actually quite a true red, similar to the Rimmel 111 shade. A lip brush is definitely essential for applying this exactly where you need it and making it last! 


So whatever your plans are this Christmas, pick a red and enjoy it! 

BLOW LTD. THE IN 'N' OUT SALON

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If there's one thing that London needs it's an in'n'out, do it all, pop-in salon. Blow Ltd promises to be just that so I went along to see what's it's like and I've been dying to tell you about it ever since… Prepare for a rave. 

Short for time? Got a big event coming up? Need some emergency beauty help? This is where Blow Ltd comes in. 

The concept is pretty simple. Get your hair, nails or makeup done or even better, all three. The blow dry menu offers 9 styles and there are 3 different makeup and nail options. Pick up a menu, make a choice, sit and relax. 

The salon is set up like you're backstage at a fashion show (minus the models and manic commotion). Simple tables, products sprawled ready to be played with and they even have a changing room if you're rushing off to an event! 

What I love about the concept is not just the ease and practicality, but the incredibly affordable price. A blow-dry costs £25, a makeover or manicure costs £15 and for all three it'll only cost you £50 and you'll be in and out within 30 minutes! Us ladies are busy these days, so the idea of being in and out within 30 minutes without having to spend a fortune is pure bliss. 

As well as the salon, Blow Ltd has a small shop selling some of the best beauty brands around including my favourite (and hard to find offline) Jouer. Other brands include Lord + Berry, Eyeko, This Works, Emma Hardie and Essie. 

It's a pretty good deal right? So next time you're in London, drop in or pre-book a session. I can't wait to go back and I think I'll be taking all my girlfriends with me! 

NOVEMBER FAVOURITES

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Another month has gone and can you believe the next time I do a favourites video it will be my 2013 favourites and both Christmas and New Year would have passed by… madness! 

I absolutely love the collection of products in this month's favourites video, so hopefully you will find something new or agree with some of my product picks. Click on the video above to watch and you can find links to all the products below. 






THE NOVEMBER CATCH-UP

CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE FOR HIM

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I had such a great reaction to my Christmas Gift Guide video so thank you for all your comments. I did notice though, that a lot of people asked if I was going to do a men's gift guide. So I've whipped together a small selection of gifts that would be appropriate for 'him'. Now we're not a family that gives huge Christmas presents and buying for guys is hard enough on birthdays, but here are some bits that I would personally buy for my boyfriend, so maybe yours will like them too?

I'm only now getting into coffee but Rich is a huge fan. I recently bought him this book and he loves it! It also means that we can now spend our weekends exploring new parts of London in search for "that amazing coffee place from the book". 

Every guy has their own smell, so why not buy them a top up of their favourite fragrance? One of my favourite guy smells is this one from Chanel… mmm, it's so good. 

Everyone needs gloves in the winter and these ones from Muji are perfect because you don't need to take them off to use your phone. The fine threads of metal sewn into the fingertips means you can use your iPhone without sacrificing the warmth of your gloves! 

My 'him' has an unhealthy addiction to chocolate and I once recall buying a tub of Nutella to use in a blog post and a day later when I went to use it, it was half empty with visible spoon marks on show!  This cute little book shows you different ways you can use Nutella in recipes… Hopefully he'll use me to test out his cooking skills! 

Now this is an area I'm definitely not an expert in, but I don't think I have enough fingers to count the times my dad, boyfriend or brother in law have purchased a remote control helicopter. I don't know what it is, but they love them! This one is a bit different as it's a quadcopter ~ooooh~ so it makes an extra special Christmas gift. Not only is it fun but it'll keep them busy on Christmas day! Just don't forget the batteries otherwise you'll have a sulker to deal with… 

This is unlikely to be the most popular from the bunch, but some guys genuinely do enjoy a bit of grooming. If you're one of the lucky ones who's fella takes time to groom or if you really want to drop a hint that they need to, then this is the kit for him. 

Anyone else's boyfriend obsessed with bikes, running, swimming and basically anything triathlon related? If so, Wiggle is the site you need to visit. They have everything you could possibly need, from helmets to cycling shorts (with the bum padding that makes me LOL). The multi tool is apparently "an essential" and will save you in any situation. It looks complicated to me but what do I know! 


So there it is, my guide to what to buy him this year for Christmas. Hopefully there's something on there that you think your 'him' will like. If you haven't yet seen my Christmas Gift Guide video you can watch it here. 
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