Category: 2017

CHRISTMAS IN NOTTINGHAM

BLOGMAS DAY 4

I mentioned in my Halloween post that Nottingham embraces the festivities like there’s no tomorrow. There’s a Winter Wonderland Christmas market every year and I absolutely love it. The market is typically made up of lots of little wooden huts (Santa’s grotto-esque) which sell all kinds of goodies.There’s definitely something for everyone. This year it’s even bigger and better.

So they only went and built the ‘sur-la-piste’ bar, which is basically a double-decked (GASP) French ski lodge, which is super cosy and lively if you fancy a drink with some friends or even just somewhere warm to run to when you become a bit too chilly. The bar plays Christmas music all day and then switches to an electric violinist on Friday and Saturday evenings! For the beer lovers amongst you, the bar is the first in Nottingham to serve unpasteurised beer (no added chemicals – pure lager) from oldest distillery in Europe! You can grab yourself some mulled wine and kick back and watch the world go by or embarrass everyone you know whilst dancing to an exotic cover of Sam Smith, the choice is yours!

There are interesting foods and gifts to be found all over the place, including a tea shop this year that sells amazing flavours of, (at the risk of blowing your minds) teas – including a “Sweet Vanilla Shortbread”, “Ginger Cranberry” and “Sweet Rosehip Cinnamon”. These are all available to buy here as well. This year there are lots of traders selling award-winning Chutneys, Cheeses and Chocolates which make great stocking fillers! There are fabulous gift stalls filled with handmade jewellery and Christmas decorations and even Lego themed artwork and so much more. There’s nothing quite like giving someone you love something special and handpicked by you with them in mind, of which there is plenty to choose from! There’s also a beautiful stall selling relaxation themed products with lots of mood lights and candles (see below).

In terms of food, there’s a lot to show you. I previously spoke about my beloved chocolate covered marshmallows and here they are once again! They have so many flavours, including Toblerone, Cappucino and Rum & Raisin! You even can grab a box of twelve for ten pounds and give them as a gift, I am obsessed with these!

Here’s some more for those of you with a sweet tooth there’s plenty more available! The sweet stalls are probably my favourite as they’re so vibrant and colourful, it’s hard not to stop and stare to take it all in! There’s so much variety! The mini pancakes (below) were AMAZING and opting for a topping of strawberries and Nutella might have been the best choice I’ve made. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much fudge in my life either, there are all kinds of flavours, from Skittles to Salted Caramel. It’s worth checking out, even if it’s just for a photo of the mountains of sugary goodness! There are Crepes, Pick ‘n’ Mix, Candy Floss, Toffee Apples, Giant Chocolate Muffins…the list goes on.

Your choices for savoury food are also endless. There are stalls selling delicious traditional British Hot Dogs, Honey Roast Ham served with juicy pineapple, Corn on the Cob, German fried potatoes, Homemade Olives, Stews…and that’s only a fraction of whats available!There are stands dedicated to covering your delicacies in all kinds of sauces, offering a wide range of toppings and side dishes. For those that have not mastered the art of walking and eating simultaneously (me), seated dining is available inside the bar area where lots more foods and drinks are served.

For the children (or those still in touch with their inner child – me again) There are lots of stalls with fairground games where you can win yourself a giant elf or there’s the Helter Skelter that kids can zoom down whilst one of the three bars remains festive and jolly below. Possibly the most popular and certainly the biggest attraction at the market is the ice skating rink, where you can glide around a giant and beautifully lit tree to festive tunes with your friends and family. Although I’m practically like Bambi on ice, it was worth it for the amount we laughed!

The choices are endless and it’s such a special experience, the perfect way to get into the festive spirit and do some Christmas shopping! I would highly recommend checking the Nottingham Winter Wonderland out, especially for those looking for a city break before Christmas. Don’t miss out!

N xxxx

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Tags BLOGMAS, Christmas, December, Family, Festive, Holiday, Lifestyle, Market, Nottingham

2017 BEAUTY BLOGMAS

URBAN DECAY: NAKED HEAT PALETTE – REVIEW

Post author By Nina Louise
Post date December 3, 2017
45 Comments on URBAN DECAY: NAKED HEAT PALETTE – REVIEW

BLOGMAS DAY 3

So although I reckon I’m pretty late to the party with this, I thought a review was still owed to the undecided out there. Cutting to the chase, this palette is truly AMAZING. I have green eyes so I have always been drawn towards warm-toned shadows as they make my eye colour pop more than any other shades. Although the palette was dropped in the UK on the 27th July, I only just managed to get my hands on it, but I am so glad that it’s now safely tucked away in my makeup bag.

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There have been a variety of Naked palettes released by Urban Decay over the years with some gorgeous gold-hued, cool toned and smokey shades, however, this palette is very different. It contains 12 amber-hued neutral shades (seven mattes and five shimmers) and its sold at a rather terrifying (but absolutely worth it) £39.50. It also comes with an amazing duo-ended brush but it’s in the process of being cleaned after thorough use (so, unfortunately, it won’t have its moment in the photos.)

From top to bottom,

Ounce – “Ivory shimmer”, it’s creamy & pearly – I use it most days for a brow bone highlight or for my inner corners, haven’t found much use for it on my lids.
Chaser – “Matte light nude”, with a tiny hint of coral, it doesn’t have a huge impact but I’ve been using it as a transition shade and to define my crease more.
Sauced – “Soft terra-cotta matte”, a red-toned matte fudge shade, I love buffing this into my crease to warm up my look.
Low Blow – “Brown matte” (A yellow-y baby poop matte as described over on Theannaedit) although it’s quite a natural shade, I love using this to slightly buff out my look – it blends like a dream.
Lumbre – “Copper shimmer w/gold pearl shift”, this rose gold shadow is great for a natural shimmer on the lid especially if you’re into more subtle looks. I’ve worn this mostly during the day as I prefer more intense and pigmented shadows for nights out.
He Devil – “Burnt red matte”, I like this shade a lot, it’s perfect for creating a simple warm look as its so easy to blend out into something more subtle. It’s a buildable shade so it can be used for an intense look too.
Dirty Talk – “Metallic burnt red”, This. Shade. Is. Amazing. I do love a good copper shadow and this is a massive 10/10 from me. It’s such a stunning shimmer shade, with a bronze base. I use it for going to uni, clubbing, a quick trip to town (the lot – I can’t get enough) it can work with a more subtle sultry-daytime look as well as a full beat looks for a night out. It’s definitely a buildable shade with incredible pigmentation if you want to go all out.

From top to bottom,

Scorched – “metallic deep red w/gold micro-shimmer”, there are hints of rose gold and copper, I’d say it was just slightly rosier and more coral toned than Dirty Talk so I still love it, how, ver it works more with pink or orange based eyeshadow looks.
Cayenne – “deep terra-cotta matte”, such a gorgeous chocolatey brown shade, it’s really pigmented and looks so nice in the outer crease when buffed out. It works so well with He Devil when creating a simple warm-toned look.
En Fuego – “burgundy matte”, burgundy is one of my favourite colours to wear as an eyeshadow as in terms of my wardrobe, it really compliments the green in my eyes so I’m always on the lookout for shadows like this. It’s been great when creating more dramatic and intense looks.
Ashes – “deep reddish-brown matte”, the colour of this shadow is so beautiful, it’s perfect for autumn with hints of warm purple and burgundy. However, the shade is difficult to blend as it’s quite powdery in consistency.
Ember – “deep metallic copper-burgundy”, a stunning shimmer shade with undertones of purple, copper and brown, with even some tiny flecks of pink here and there. I have used this with every smoky eye makeup look that I’ve done since this palette entered my life. I haven’t found anything like this before, it’s so unique.

In conclusion, if you’re into warm-toned eyes looks, this palette is definitely for you. The matte shades blend so easily and the shimmers add a beautiful dramatic yet elegant hint to any look. It can be used for so many different eye looks, which means I get the most out of my money, as I can use it more than just every once in a while. Overall, I would recommend this palette – it’s definitely my favourite Naked Palette by Urban Decay as of yet!

BUY THE PALETTE HERE*

If £39.50 screams HELL NO to you, here are two dupes to help you achieve similar looks without breaking the bank…

NYX – Ultim ate Shadow Palette Warm Neutrals – £16 – full of warm neutrals

Morphe – 25B Bronzed Mocha Eyeshadow Palette – £19 – 25 shadows, including deep browns, burgundies, coppers and golds as well as some more subtle shades too.

N xxxx

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Tags BEAUTY, eyeshadow, gold, Inspiration, matte, palette, Photography, Review, rose gold, shimmer, Shopping, urban decay

2017 BLOGMAS INTERIORS LIFE LIFESTYLE REVIEWS

DECK THE HALLS: CHRISTMAS ON A BUDGET

Post author By Nina Louise
Post date December 1, 2017
25 Comments on DECK THE HALLS: CHRISTMAS ON A BUDGET

BLOGMAS DAY 1

December has arrived! I still don’t know how it’s rolled around so quickly, I feel like I blinked and half of the year has been and gone. Christmas can be quite a stressful, there’s so much to organise – buying presents for family and arranging where to place the twiglets on the snack table is already enough to deal with let alone finding and putting up a tree. When it comes to getting your home festive, it can be another added stress, especially when you consider how expensive decorations can be. However, do not fear, I can show you how to buy and decorate a tree for exactly £30.50 and I can assure you it won’t look like the homemade disaster you’re probably picturing.

So here we have it, people, the answer is an artificial tree. (I’ll get it out the way now) A warning for those out there that buy real Christmas trees religiously every year. Although a real fir tree is apparently the epitome of festivity, in my opinion, it’s a nightmare. The thought of finding the right one, paying a small fortune and being able to bring it home, clean up after it and then do the same thing year after year just isn’t an appealing prospect. So I personally feel artificial trees are the way forward, as you don’t have to pay an arm and a leg and it isn’t so high maintenance. Also, even if you do buy a more pricey artificial tree, it’s reusable so you get your money’s worth year after year. Back at home, my family has used the same one since I was a toddler and it looks just as good! You have to tweak the branches and fill any gaps with decorations but that’s super easy.

Believe it or not, this tree is from Tesco, and only cost £20. I share a flat with my boyfriend so we split the cost, so technically it only cost a tenner which if I may say so myself is a pretty good deal. I literally typed into google “artificial tree” and it was one of the first ones listed. There were some different heights and some were pre-lit however we knew 6ft was just about right and we were able to buy fairy lights cheaply elsewhere. It was so simple to set up and only took about ten minutes! The gold beaded tree garland came from Poundworld and cost £2. The red and gold tinsel cost £1 and this came from Poundland (what a surprise).

In terms of decorations practically everywhere sells them now not just trusty John Lewis and M&S. I found some amazing decorations in pound shops (what a surprise, they really should sponsor me). Even Primark is selling some fabulous decorations in all sorts of colours. We decided to make the colour theme gold and red, as we wanted it to warm up our living room. We decided to mainly focus on baubles as the larger ones can really make a statement and the smaller ones are perfect for filling any areas looking a bit sparse.

BeFunky Collage-4 — 18PK of felt hanging decorations £1.50

I don’t believe the job is done without adding some of these to my tree, I feel like they’re so traditional and sweet I definitely couldn’t miss them out, this pack of 12 cost £1!

So in total, we paid £30.50 (£15.25 each) for a tree and all of the decorations (74 baubles, garland, tinsel and hanging decorations) which will all be ready again for us next year! Which goes to show how much you can get with your money even when budgets are tight with Christmas getting closer. I hope this was interesting to my fellow bargain hunters out there and helped save those struggling with any last minute Christmas decoration buying!

N xxxx

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Tags Christmas, December, Decor, Decorations, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Photography, Tree