My New Years Resolutions!!

I have a total of 3 New Years Resolutions this year....and unlike all the other years this year I plan to stick to them!! Wish me luck!! x

Lauren's Way Dream Rollers

So I mentioned before that my friend Emma bought me these rollers for Christmas. I've wanted to try these for ages and finally had the chance to!!

I'm not very good at doing hair so wasn't sure how this was going to turn out. I've tried using rollers before and not had much luck but these were really easy to use. They stay in so easily without pins or clips and the amount you get in the pack is more than enough to cover my whole head! I used a bit of mousse before hand and then spritzed with hairspray once the rollers were all in.

They are called Dream Rollers as you are supposed to sleep with them in overnight, I've got to say...they weren't the most comfortable for me. The Rollers themselves are very soft and spongey which is great but I did find it difficult to sleep in them. Perhaps it's because I'm not used to wearing rollers in my hair at all.

And the end result................................................................................................................................

BIG BOUNCY HAIR!! I've got to say these rollers are great for building volume and body but they didn't actually curl my hair, more gave it a nice wave. I'm not sure if they were supposed to? Overall, I'm happy with these as my hair is really flat where it's so fine. These are going to be great for a night out, I may even use a few of them for the front and top of my hair to build volume everyday.

Thanks Emma....I'm really happy with my Dream Rollers...:) x

Hitting the Shops.....

Today was one of our only days free to do whatever we wanted as we've been so busy catching up with family and friends recently.

We started our day with a delicious breakfast of pancakes, golden syrup, bacon and eggs- very American.

Then we hit the shops to check out the sales. We went to Covent Garden and then walked up to Oxford Street! It was heaving! I didn't actually buy anything in the sale, I rarely do but got a few good bits!  Here is what I picked up....

Heart Jumper- Dorothy Perkins
As soon as I saw this I knew I would love it!!! I cant deal with really thick hot jumpers so this was ideal! It's just right and I love the pattern. This cost £30 and wasn't in the sale but I really liked it.

Gold Collar- Miss Selfridge
This is gorgeous!! So elegant and sophisticated! This makes an outfit look so glamorous! This cost £25.00 and wasn't in the sale but I had to have it so paid full price anyway.

Pearl Collar- Miss Selfridge
I could have spent so much money in here on just the jewellery. There was so much choice and all of it so amazing!! I loved this though, pearls look so delicate and elegant. This cost £18.50 and was worth every penny.

Danny got a nice cable knit navy jumper from Jack Wills which is really lovely on. Other than that thats all we got. We literally spent all day down the West End and was exhausted afterwards but went and met some friends for dinner in the evening for a delicious Italian meal in Buckhurst Hill. Overall we had a great day!! Can't wait for a lay in tomorrow :)

Have you hit the sales yet? What bargains have you found? x

Contouring Tutorial

I really enjoy this part of doing my make up It's actually my favourite part! Do you contour? I hope you enjoy watching my version! x

Festive Nails....

Today I had a bit of a chill out day which was nice as I have so many new products to try out. I decided to use my time to try out a few of my Ciate nail varnishes as I have so many now and haven't had a chance to use them. I had a play around with some of the colours and these are some of my favourites so far.....

Angel Wings- 090

This is a nice icy pearl colour.

Ice Queen

To create this look I used Angel Wings first and then covered with Glass Slipper.

Angel Wings & Glass Slipper

Snowflakes

To create this look I used Power Dressing- 063 and then Ladylike Luxe- 059
I used a kirby grip and a paperclip to draw the snowflakes.

Power Dressing-063 & Ladylike Luxe- 059

Spotty

Again I used the kirby grip to make the spots.

Twlight-072 & Ladylike Luxe- 059

Purple Glitter

For this look I used Cabaret- 046 first and then topped with Magic Carpet.

 Magic Carpet & Cabaret-046

The Ciate varnishes from the Advent Calendar are so good!! There are so many to choose from. I'm really enjoying using these. What do you think of these colours? x

My One Month Anniversary!!

So today is my one month anniversary of blogging and I've got to say I'm enjoying every minute of it. I've still got a long way to go yet and I'm sure there is a lot more to learn but I definitely have the bug now though it can be very time consuming!

After all my hard work this month I decided to buy myself an Anniversary Gift. This is what I got.

I saw these in Office and needed a nice pair of flat black boots so they were perfect! They're suede with a gold zip at the back and are so comfortable!! I really love these boots, they look great with leggings, jeans or a skirt or dress. They cost £70.
I would like to take this time to say a MASSIVE thank you to my followers and to all the people who take the time to read my blog everyday. I hope you are enjoying it and continue to enjoy reading. Please do let me know if there is anything in particular you enjoy reading about more and if there is anything else you would like to hear about? I am so grateful for all your support and kind words. I am also very aware that there are a lot of people reading but not actually following me. You can do this by scrolling to the bottom of the page and clicking the "follow this site" button.


Anyway, I hope you all have a fab break this Christmas and I will speak to you soon.

Lots of Love Annabelle. X

My Christmas Delights!!

How was everyone's Christmas Day? I hope you all ate too much, drank loads of booze and spent the day with your loved one!! I spent the day at Danny's Mum's with his family, it was absolutely lovely! Danny and I opened presents in the morning. This year we both said we would have a budget on presents to each other as we are getting married next year so saving hard but somehow we both went over our budgets!! Look at the amazing presents I got;

Karen Millen Coat

I desperately needed a nice new coat and saw this online a few weeks ago but it was so expensive and as we're saving I decided I would wait for the sales but Danny got it for me anyway. It's such a smart slim fit coat. I love it!!

Chanel Chance Perfume- Eau Fraiche

I've been wearing this scent for years but ran out of this one a few months ago. It's the best smell! So fresh and light.

French Connection Skinny Jeans

A girl from work has these and I loved them as soon as I saw them. I showed these to Danny ages ago and then forgot about them so couldn't believe he remembered I wanted them and got them for me. They are a really soft denim and fit perfectly! I love the colour of these, it's called ballet slipper and they have a slight shimmer about them. These are going to be great for a night out with a pair of heels!

Mac Prolong Wear Foundation- Shade NC20

I mentioned in my tried and tested video how much I loved this foundation! I am now the proud owner of this product, can't wait to use it!!

Laura Mercier Shimmer Bloc

This was mentioned in my "All I want for Christmas" post so it looks like Danny took note..;) The shade is Peach Mosiac. It's amazing! I love the way it highlights my cheekbones. The colours are so warm and shimmery. This is one of my favourite presents!!

So these are the presents I got from Danny. I'm so happy with them all..:) Danny is the hardest person to buy for so I decided to get him a few practical things. I got him a Homedics Foot and Calf Massager as he has problems with his calf muscles. He also got a new aftershave called Molecure 01. A guy at works wears this and it smells incredible!! It's unlike anything I've ever smelt. I got him a lovely Blazer from Zara, a DVD he wanted, some Totes Bedtime Socks as he always complains his feet are cold and some new Calvin Klein Underwear. He was really happy with his presents too!!

What did you get for Christmas? X

Merry Christmas!!!!

More Early Christmas Presents...

This Sunday I spent the day with my best friend Emma. 

Me & Emma :) 

We always meet up a few days before christmas for lunch and to exchange gifts. We went to one of our local pubs and had a nice meal over a glass of Red wine and a good old catch up! Emma always spoils me and gets me the best presents!! Look at what I got.......

Italian Red Wine

Lauren's Way Dream Rollers
I've wanted to try these for ages! Can't wait to give these a go.

YSL Youth Liberator Serum
Emma said she noticed this in my sample selection so thought she'd get me the big one to try.

YSL Touche Eclat Shade-1
I was just running out of this so really happy I have a new one!! 

I'm really happy with my presents particularly the Dream Rollers as I've heard so many good things about these! Keep your eyes out as I will be posting about these when I've tried them. x

No7 Christmas Gift Set

Yesterday was my Dad's birthday so we all piled round to my sister Lisa's house for a pre-Christmas/Birthday dinner.  Lisa's house is the kind of house you call a home. She has 4 children so there's always a full house filled with noise which feels so homely! I was so jealous of her Christmas tree!! It looked amazing so I just had to take a picture and share it with you.

Lisa made us all a full roast dinner of beef and pork ( my Dad's favourite ) and then we played a few games and did some singing on the karaoke. I also gave the kids their Christmas presents as its tradition in our family to see the kids open their presents even if it is a few days early. My sisters and I decided a few years ago not to get each other Christmas presents as with all the children we have in our family now it just gets too expensive! However Lisa said that as I have no children of my own and always buy for all the other kids she wanted to get me a present. ( How sweet)! This is what I got and I absolutely love it!!....

It's a No7 Christmas Gift Set which comes in a lovely festive red box and has loads of No7 products! I was so overwhelmed by this present. It has everything from the protect and perfect day and night cream to mascara and lip gloss.

No7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Lotion

No7 Lash Adapt Mascara

No7 Limited Edition Lip Gloss

Blissful Body Wash

Completely Quenched Body Lotion

Protect & Perfect Day Cream

No7 Dry Skin Rescue

Eye Shadow Palette

Protect & Perfect Night Cream

Honestly, this is such a good christmas gift! I cannot wait to start using these. I almost don't want to use them as they look so nice in the box :) This present and going to be hard to beat!! Thanks again Lisa, I love it!!! xxx

Nail Therapy...

I'm not one to get my nails done professionally too often. I prefer to paint my own nails although occasionally I will have a french manicure as I can't do a french myself. Here's what I use when painting my nails;

Firstly I file and shape my nails using my Soap & Co nail file, I've mentioned Soap & Co in a previous post, I use their body lotion and I also bought a nail kit from them some time ago. This nail file is great and has lasted me ages! It has a rough side for filing and shaping and a slighty smoother side to smooth out the nail bed. Once I'm happy with my nails I apply the Soap & Co hand and body lotion all over my hands paying extra attention to the cuticles of my nails. I've tried a few different cuticle oils in the past but feel none of them are rich enough for my nails. This cream is really moisturising and feels as if it works well for me.

Next I paint a base using the OPI Nail Envy base coat. This base coat is brilliant. It helps strengthen nails especially if they are thin and weak like mine.  I've struggled to find a decent nail strengthener over the years so am really happy with this. It also dries really quickly.

Then I apply two coats of varnish. I'm currently using my Ciate varnishes from my Ciate Advent Calendar. This one is called Twlight. I love this colour!! It's like a black varnish with flecks of gold glitter. It's so christmassy!

Once dry I apply my favourite nail product- Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat. This top coat is the best I've ever tried! It dries the nails within seconds and is soooo glossy!! What I also love about this top coat is it peels off. So when I'm ready to change my varnish I simply peel it away and it takes the whole thing off in pretty much one go including the varnish! You can buy this product from Amazon at around £7?

The end result!! Lovely shiny nails!! :)

Ciate- Twlight!

Have you used any of these products? Perhaps you could recommend a good cuticle oil/cream for me? x

Breakfast Bagels....

I wanted to share my special breakfast bagel with you. This is something Danny and I have on a naughty day or after a heavy night out. I actually got this idea from an old work colleague. She made them for me years ago and I've been making them ever since!!

Ingredients:

Cinnamon and Raisin Bagels

Philadelphia Garlic and Herb Cream Cheese

Streaky Bacon

Firstly, fry off the bacon, I usually use 4 rashers per bagel. Whilst this is frying cut the bagel in half and toast. When the bagel is brown spread with a thick layer of cream cheese. 

Once the bacon is ready add to the bagel and Voila!! Breakfast is served!! 

This is a good alternative to a fry up and tastes delicious with the mix of sweet and savoury. Plus, it's so easy to make! We love these!!!

What do you have in your bagels? X