The IT bag for S/S 2011!

Why not carry some festive style through into January 2011 with this season's IT bag as modelled by, the future supermodel that is, my beautiful cousin Eve!

Haha! I'm joking... except for the fact that Eve is beautiful and also a future supermodel! But you never know, paper plates and tissue paper could be in this year....

Hope you all had a lovely Christmas and I also wish you all the best for the new year. Thank you for everyone's support - followers and the people that simply click onto my blog every once and a while. Without you, there would be no blog!

Claire xxx

Barmy for Balm

Topshop and lip balm. Two things I love. If I'm out shopping, I will probably have a Topshop bag (or two!) in my hand and I seem to reapply lip balm, vaseline or lip gloss what seems like, every other minute! So, when I recieved Topshop's lip balm in Dew as part of my Christmas present from my friend Nicole, I was happy as Larry.






You get 3.5g of product and it has a lovely thick, soft consistency. It's not at all sticky - even my Mum (who hates sticky lip products) commented on the creaminess. Unfortunately it only lasts for about 15-20 minutes.

Although it is quite sheer, it still gives my dark red lips a slightly softer, paler look and not only does it look good on you lips, but the cute black and white striped pot looks great in a makeup bag or on a dressing table. It also has a flip-top lid which means that is very easy to open and close - so they'll be no sticky situations!

(All images from topshop.com)

Easy peasy Nice N Easy!

The results of my hair-dying sesh the other day! Dyed it 'Light Ash' using Nice N Easy. Will add more photos and a thorough review of the dye in a few days! Won't be back blogging until Friday as am off singing in London tomorrow and Thursday!




Claire x

Have yourself a very fragrant Christmas...

Under a week to go til 'Chrizzi Day' as my Mum calls it (cringe!). I am rather excited! No school, lots of food, presents and a chance to see my family - what more could I want?

I was very excited when I received my Christmas presents from my friends last week. I had planned to save all my presents for Christmas Day but somehow, after being given the first few, that plan went out of the window and I opened almost all of them on the day I was given them!

I have decided that as most are fashion or beauty related, over Christmas, I will be blogging about a few of my favourites so that you can see what I recieved and also so that I can rave about any great products.

As it's Christmas, I've spent the last few days (okay - weeks...) singing along to various festive songs and today, I thought I'd sing the praises of The Body Shop's Love Etc Fragrance Duo I was given.
The Body Shop says: "Notes of pear, neroli, bergamot - combine to create the fragrant top notes. provide the initial scent of the fragrance. Notes of jasmine, heliotrope, lily of the valley - combine to create the middle notes that vibrate across the fragrance. are the heart notes of the fragrance. Notes of vanilla, sandalwood, creamy musk - combine to create the base notes of the fragrance. tend to linger on the skin longer than the other notes."

And I would say, in much simpler terms, after a few squirts, the perfume seems quite sweet and zingy but also slightly musky. Being an eau de parfum it is a much stronger scent than an eau de toilette but it is still light and not too overpowering. The large bottle of body wash also smells faintly of the perfume but I am yet to try it. Having never tried a Body Shop perfume, I am not exactly sure what to make of it yet but I will tell you all more once I have worn the perfume for a few days and have had a good scrub up with the body wash! The fragrance bottle is smart and simple and I love the cute box it comes in. A friend also told me that the alcohol base used to create the perfume is made from fair-trade, organic ingredients...

Have you tried any of the Love Etc products? If so, what do you make of them?

Plump that pout

Looks interesting...

Do you think it would work?!

Girly Gifts

13 sleeps til Christmas! And you know what that means? Time to get wrapping those pressies! Wait. You haven't bought any yet? Well, time to get your skates on!

But do not fear, if you don't fancy braving the cold and would prefer to stay nice and cosy infront of your computer at home, you can always do online shopping. And with most sites offering free delivery on a certain spend, how can you resist?

I have scoured the internet, (That's a lie. I've just looked at my favourite online stores!), and have found some quirky gifts which maybe your boyfriend, sister, friend or daughter may like. Or any other relative for that matter! Admittedly, they are not your average Topshop gift card, pair of socks or box of chocs, but I think they are some cute, inexpensive gift ideas.

For the friend that likes to smell nice, why not try this cute, sweet-smelling Jelly Belly mini treat set from ASOS (now only £4.00)? Or this Bath/Shower set which will leave it's owner smelling of chocolate pud, cappuccino or raspberry (£5.60)?

As you probably know, ASOS sell great clothing and these knitted tights look perfect for the winter (£10). If you fancy spending a bit more on someone close, this Mulberry inspired satchel would be great (£70).


Another one of my favourite sites is The Body Shop and right now, there is 30% off everything plus free delivery!

Smell gorgeous, get rid of that dull winter feeling and leave your skin feeling fabulous with this Mango gift box (£16.10). And for that friend that's always out and about and on the move, why not get her this mini/travel brush set (£10.15)?


Urban Outfitters is another of my faves and although sometimes overpriced, some of their items are lovely. Plus, if you spend over £75, there's free delivery (but that's a bit stingy if you ask me...).

For a cute personal gift, try this heart-shaped inital necklace (£10). If you know anyone who's a fan of Florence and the Machine, try this cute oversized tee (£32) or if Misfits is more their thing, try this quirky tank.

So that's a few ideas from The Fashion Freak. If only I had enough money to buy some of these lovely things from my equally lovely friends!

Comment below and let me know what you think!

Remember, you don't have to have a Blogspot account to comment or follow.

Brit, Brit, Hooray!

We all have them. Those days when you realise instead of watching back episodes of Friends last night, you should have washed your hair. Or even when you have washed your hair but it just couldn't possibly be any flatter on your head.

But do not worry. You need not deem it a bad hair day as Batiste Brit has come to the rescue!

Currently exclusive to Superdrug, the latest edition to the Batiste family does wonders for limp or, dare I say, greasy hair as well as leaving your locks smelling suitably sweet. The fabulously smelling Brit can also just give hair a bit of boost and volume, be it for a day of work, a night on the town or going out for a cuppa.

Talking of cuppas, on Saturday, I was lucky enough to be invited down to Brick Lane for afternoon tea to celebrate the launch of the new dry shampoo.

Us bloggers were treated to a beautiful few hours of champagne, petit-fours and cupcakes galore. And I cannot begin to explain my excitement when I spotted my very own cupcake! Have a butchers at that cutiepie of a cake!

Not only did I eat my body weight in cake, but one of the lovely Vintage Patisserie girls also did my hair in a 1940s style (victory curls an' all!), with the help of a few spritzes of Brit - of course!!

The rest of the afternoon was lovely and the room was beautifully decked out in all things British!

The lovely Jacki

Before I blogged about it, I wanted to give Brit a go myself so when I spotted my definitely-in-need-of-a-wash hair in the mirror this morning, I had my opportunity!

In the same size can as the other Batiste products, it is just as easy to use and very effective but has the added bonus of a particularly lovely wonderful scent. And if you don't believe me, ask my friends! One of my friends even asked what perfume I was wearing, when in fact it was simply the sweet smell of Batiste!

Do not get confused by the name. Spritzing your roots with Brit will not leave you stinking of dirty fumes! Far from it. Think shining red buses, film premieres and bunches of freshly-cut flowers.

On Saturday, PennyGoLightly and I spent a while trying to find a fitting description of the scent and decided that the best way to explain it is "sweet and rather like a Chloe perfume"! But, in all honesty, the best way to know is for you to try it yourself. So why not pop down to Superdrug and get your hands on a can for a few pennies over £2?

If you've never tried Batiste, where HAVE you been?!
And if you have, you will love this!

VWXmas

Tartan is most definitely in this season, with designers like Ralph Lauren and Vivienne Westwood filling their collections with the stuff! So why not treat yourself or a friend to a bit with one of the latest additions to Vivienne Westwood's ever-growing brand? A tartan diary!



It's a 2011 hardback A5 diary covered in gorgeous Albion Tartan fabric with the infamous gold Vivienne Westwood orb in the bottom right corner. The diary is made from recycled paper, has a day per page and all dates are written in British, French, Italian AND Japanese.

So that's all the details on it, all that's left is for you Viv lovers to buy it!

Oh. Unless you fancy a matching bag to carry it around in? Yes?

Well then, here goes. If you want to co-ordinate and have a spare £415 hanging around, why not get the matching Albion Tartan bag? It's 100% cotton with a PVC covering to protect it, gold studs at the base and a grey lining with the VW orb. It also have 3 pockets on the inside and a load of space for that new diary!




So that all the tartan for today! This may seem like a sponsored post with all my enthusiasm and vivid description, but I genuinely just love these two and wish I could afford either of them!


Hope you like them! What tartan goodies have you girlies got your hands on this season?

(All images from viviennewestwood.co.uk)