#Xmasjumperday xxx

Hey Beauties,

So after promising to be better, we weren't....I am sure you will all agree that it is this time of year though right? It seems to be maddeningly manic with shopping, christmas parties, carolling...doesn't leave much time to write about it huh?


Nevertheless, I did want to write a quick post about my all time favourite Charity day of the year - Christmas Jumper Day (#xmasjumperday, 14th Dec 2012 - for the record, while the date may have passed, the opportunity to donate has not so please please check out http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/christmas-jumper-day)!

The aim of this wonderfully festive day in December which is to raise money for 'Save the Children', which works in 120 countries to help save children's lives.

So, not only do you get to feel a little better about yourself for giving a little something back, but you get to really and truly get into the Christmas spirit - I mean how can you not feel festive when you're wearing a great big snow man on your chest?! Suffice to say, I was in the minority in my festive gear in the office - business men seem to think they are above silly jumpers and such, which I found disappointing. Nevertheless, I feel sure that my festive cheer brightened up some of their days!

What do you make of my Topshop 2011 Christmas jumper? I am in love with it, I would wear it every day if it didn't need to be washed! But what, pray tell, is with the shops having nooooo Christmas Jumpers in stock this year?! Did they think they would only be on trend for a year or something!? Seriously, I detest the sparcity - I certainly wanted to pick up a few more - there's Christmas eve, Christmas day and Boxing day on which to wear these bobbly beauties after all...I will let you know if I have any better luck than I've been having and likewise, would love some recommendations! Where are you all buying your festive jumpers this season?

So, what do you think of mine?

Love and sparkles to you all; as always, we love hearing from you.

Love, Christie.

XOXO

Ps - apologies for the picture quality - im still an iPhone 5 newbie and haven't quite gotten the best out of the camera capabilities this time round!

XOXO

Double OOTD and some Christmas Twinkles

Good evening beautiful people,

How are you all? I don't suppose anyone needs telling that it is in fact the beginning of the Christmas Season TODAY. Admittedly, Cait and I have harnessed our love of hot choccie and festive drinks long before it officially became the Christmas Season but still, today is a BIG day. Not least because it was day One of the Sacred Hotel Chocolat Advent Calendar. 

Anyhow, as promised earlier this week, we thought we do an OOTD post - double in as much that we both feature in this one! Its really an outfit of the evening but that has a strange and potentially sinister sound to it, but as you can see, we were out for the evening - at dinner and the theatre in fact! Mommy Booth's birthday is almost always celebrated this way - this year, it was Singing in the Rain :) Definitely recommend it, even if you aren't the biggest musical theatre fan in the world. 

*Cait's Look: 

Eggshell Blazer: Topshop 

Maroon Leggings: Topshop 

Necklace: Topshop

Black Wedges: Kurt Geiger 

Bag: Mulberry (Lily) 

*Chris' Look: 

Faux Fur Snood: Kurt Geiger 

Black Dress: Appletree Boutique 

Blazer: Whistles 

Bag: Mulberry (Bayswater) 

Studded Ankle Boots: Zara

We have also included a few happy snaps of the gorgeousness that is London in Winter and at Christmas time - there is something so exquisite about it, even through the rain splattered car window. 

Anyway, we'd love to hear what you make of the outfits - as always, we love hearing from you! 

Lots of love, from the heart as always, 

C & C 

XOXO

x...Two Useless Sisters...x

Hey beauties,

So... We suck. Seriously. We have been awful at posting these last weeks - to be honest, we aren't too sure where the time has gone but it has, in fact, gone.

So we are going to make a concerted effort to better ourselves in all things blog related and as such, you can expect a flurry of posts. But this flurry may not be immediate. Or even tomorrow. But we hope you'll bear with us as we haven't forgotten you, promise.

We hope to be in touch over the weekend with some product reviews and maybe an OOTD and some general beauticationness. (I bet you had to read that twice to see what it said...).

We better stop now - we rarely post together and it seems that we are about to argue about whether or not there should be a full-stop at the end of the sentence above. And Mommy Booth, the guru on all things grammatical (and on life in general!) has now also gotten involved. In fact she wants to know why I am 'dot-dot-dotting' at all.

Right, now is the time to stop, you may begin to think we have lost our touch (if we had one) if we continue.

Love you all,

From the Heart,

C & C xxx

My Winter Wishlist

x Prints and Patterns for Pins x

Good evening beauties,

How are you all today? Looking forward to the weekend? I know I am - I am not sure where exactly this week has gone, or what I have actually achieved but despite this, I feel like Friday will now be well deserved and the weekend even more so!

Sooo, as its been so quiet here at 'From the Heart', we thought we both drop you a post and also apologise for our quietness! It seems to have been a pretty manic couple of weeks, for reasons that we can't quite pin point and it hasn't been especially helpful that I have had to spend the most part of the last two weekends in bed - I am not 100% convinced that working life is agreeing me with!? I have never before been so horribly ill so frequently!

So, I thought I'd share my latest love - printed pants (and by pants, I mean trousers, to be clear!). Having developed a certain weakness for coloured jeans a few months back (I now own green, maroon, sky blue, baby pink and turquoise skinnies - a couple of pairs more than I really have time to wear to be fair), I have now skipped along to the whole patterned leg look and I must admit, I'm loving it.

At 5"3 (and three quarters!) I am admittedly not the tallest, I always thought that this sort of look would be a no no for me, simply because there just did not seem to be enough leg to show off the print! But I have since decided, to hell with it, if a girl wants to plaster her pins in patterns, so she should be allowed to do! Plus, the store's inclusion of 7'8th length trousers has helped a little to because, by having a little show of ankle on display, even in flats your legs give the illusion of being just a little longer than perhaps they are. Well that's the story I am rolling with anyhow.

So the red 'tartanesque' jeans are from Topshop (Leigh - current season) and are so comfortable - stretchy enough to not feel suffocated or as though you are inducing a hernia but tight enough to keep their shape and make your bum look hot (or so my sister says...)!

The pink and black heart print pants are also from Topshop (I am sure you may recognise them - I know I saw them in store for a while before plucking up the courage to try them on) and I have so much love for them. The fit works so well with the print and they are, in my opinion anyway, loud enough to make a little statement but tame enough that for the most part, people haven't seemed to respond with an overt 'WTF are you wearing' face.

(My printed babies in action)

As for the black baroque print pants - well these babies are from Zara and I actually picked them up at Heathrow on my way to Chicago last month. Now I'd actually seen a girl wearing these (well I am 95% certain it was them!) on the tube earlier that week and had been so close to asking her where her pants were from because they were, frankly, amazing, but then she got off at Temple. Sad times. Anyhow, unbeknown to me, they were in fact from Zara and I stumbled upon them at Heathrow and had to snap them right up! What I love about them is, although they are technically 'premium denim' they work for work because they don't look at all like denim (admittedly you probably need a longer shirt/blouse to cover the tell tale jean pockets on the bum though, just to be safe) but because they are, they are so comfortable. They also keep their shape surprisingly well and I find them an awesome staple for the Thursday night transition from work to cocktail hour. Sadly, I don't have any pics of them on - mainly because in pictures its rather a challenge to get the print to show up. Anyhow, hopefully you'll get the idea :)

Anyway beauties, that's all from me for now - its now cupcake time with the mom and sister before a gossip girl sesh and bed. And then my friends, it will officially be Friday!

All of the love,

Christie
XOXO

PS - my sister says she is all for individuality but that she doesn't appreciate the "x's in my titles. I told her to bug off. x

Caitie's October Favourites!

Hello Beauties!

First off, let me apologise for my absence. I have had a tough few weeks, and have really struggled to find the time and energy to dedicate to a post. I know that sounds awful, and I truly don't mean it to. I have just always been the type of person who hates to do a job halfway... And, so, when it comes to blogging, I hate the idea of publishing a half-hearted post.

Secondly, let me ask you all how you are?! What have you been doing? Today is my first day off in six days (welcome to the working world, Caitlin) and I must admit, I have been EXHAUSTED! I have a post in the pipeline about what's been going on with me, and life in general, so, if you're interested, look out for that!

Today I thought I'd talk to you all about my October favourites. I haven't done a favourites post before, so I'm pretty excited about it!

*Skin Care

Soap & Glory 'The Righteous Butter'
My sister and I are both huge fans of the Soap & Glory products, and this gorgeous body butter is definitely an October (and general all-time) favourite! My sister has just instructed me to disclose that she in fact (apparently, although I find this questionable) introduced me to the ENTIRE Soap & Glory range (she's not one for boasting). Oh, Christie, I love your modesty. I love the way this product smells and feels when I apply it to my bodddyyy (saucy!) I hadn't used this butter for a while, but when I went into Boots and saw 3for2 offers on all skincare I decided to pick up three mini body butters. Each one was £2.50, so I spent £5.00 all together, and felt like I had gotten a bit of a bargain! I am definitely going to ask for the full-sized one for Christmas! (N.B. If you like your body cremes to match your perfumes, this is a good one to go for, because it's affordable and smells just like Miss Dior! So, really, if you like your body creme to match your perfume and happen to also have Miss Dior, this is definitely a good one to go for!)

Avene 'Skin Recovery Creme'
If you've followed us for a while, you will have probably seen that I have mentioned this BEAUTIFUL creme before (in a post about my daily skincare routine). I really can't rave about this creme enough and, to be MODEST, have converted both my sister (who is apparently the fountain of all-knowledge) and mother to be Avene fanatics as well. You can pick this bad boy up in Boots for £12.50. Although it seems quite pricy (okay, it doesn't just seem pricy, it is!) it does last well, and, to be honest, is just TOTALLY worth the money.

*Makeup

Laura Mercier 'Mineral Powder'
I've used Laura Mercier's Mineral Powder for around a year now, since I first saw Barbara (also known as thepersianbabe on Youtube) talk / rave about it. This product is rather pricy at the £32.00 marker, but, again, is definitely worth it. I don't tend to refer to everyday products as investments, because they do get used up quickly, so, although this is money you won't really see again, it is worth it for the way your skin looks and feels when you use it. I apply this powder everyday, over my liquid foundation. Although it can be used as a mineral foundation on its own, I prefer to use it as an add-on to my routine, as it gives me just the right amount of extra coverage and glowiness. I think that's what makes this product so special really; the 'glow factor'. It gives your skin a lovely dewy and satiny finish, whilst making it feel as soft as a babies bottom. In three words, I LOVE IT, and in four, can't recommend it enough!

Benefit 'Erase Paste'
I know, I know, I'm not the first person to rave about this product. I've read many a glowing review about this Benefit concealer. When I saw Zoe from Zoella review this product, I knew I had to have it! This bad boy set me back £18.50, which is rather pricy, but definitely, definitely worth all of the pennies! The sales associate in Benefit advised me that this concealer is primarily an under-eye concealer, but, I must admit, that I have used it on any and all of my dark spots and imperfections and am IN LOVE with it. Why is it so amazing you may ask?! I have one word for you: texture. This product is a thick yet creamy consistency, and blends right into your skin. It doesn't 'highlight' blemishes as I have found other concealers do, but simply gently masks them. I absolutely LOVE this product. It has pride of place on my dresser, and also comes out with me wherever I go.

Mac 'Stay Pretty' Pro Longwear Blush
I am a self-confessed Mac blush ADDICT. I love every part of the experience of going into Mac and choosing a blusher, knowing I don't really need it but want want want it. I picked this Pro Longwear blush up in House of Fraser as a treat for myself (yes, that was my justification!) and have reached for it almost everyday since. Stay Pretty is one of the blushes in Mac's Office Hours collection and costs £19.00. Although this is again rather pricy, Mac blushes last FOREVER (I have yet to hit pan on any of the ones I own) and so, in that respect are little investments for your makeup collection. I love this blush because it is simply the girliest pink in the world. It gives your cheeks a gentle flush, which I think is perfect for the wintery months that are now upon us. Since purchasing this little beauty I've seen a number of mixed reviews about the Office Hours collection. Most concerns about the blushes revolve around their longevity, but, I must say, I have not noticed any problem with this at all. I apply it in the morning and it lasts ALL DAY, literally.

*Miscellaneous

Yankee Candle in 'Fresh Cut Roses'
So, this was one of those treats I picked up for myself and have been in love with ever since. There is something so magical about coming home and putting on your fairy lights and lighting your favourite candle. I have wanted a Yankee candle for absolutely AGES, but have never picked one up because of the price marker (around £15-£19 yikesss!) But, October saw me finally bite the bullet and treat myself to this gorgeous girly candle. After burning it throughout October I can finally justify the price of the Yankee products. Unlike many alleged 'scented' candles which actually don't smell AT ALL when they burn, this candle fills whatever room it is in (whether burning or not) with it's gorgeous scent. Roses have always been my favourite flower (alongside peonies and giant daisies) and so I love that my room smells just like them! I'm definitely planning to pick up a more festive scent when I get paid!

So beauties, that's it for my October favourites. I hope my thoughts about these products have been of some use to at least some of you. What were your October favourites?

Lots and lots of love,

Caitie <3

Ps. I'm sorry if the picture is a little bit blurry! I really wanted to get this post up for you guys, so I took it quickly on my iPhone!

x Toms x Movember Launch Party x

Hey beauties, 

How are you all this wintery Thursday? I must admit, I am super red nosed and snivelly and fully intend on an early night tonight. That is my hope. Prior to being struck down by this nasty flu, care of the germy commuters I am sadly surrounded by daily though, the gorgeous Amelia Simmons extended a very generous invitation to the Toms x Movember Launch event at the Hospital Club in Covent Garden. She didn’t have to ask me twice – it took me all of about 7.5 seconds to decide that yes, I would certainly be kind enough to oblige and be her ‘plus one’ for the evening.

Toms are a brand for which I have a whole bunch of respect; the whole concept of ‘One for One’ makes me feel a little warm and fuzzy inside and, more importantly, reaffirms my own belief that despite the prevalence of capitalism and what this has mistakenly come to mean, companies that want to can, and do, still make a difference.

Likewise, those guys at Movember score some serious cool points on the whole making a difference barometer – as Amelia notes in her fab post on Lady M Presents (check it out it’s an amazeballs online fashion and lifestyle magazine), Movember, the month in which guys grow some sometimes seriously impressive facial hair to raise awareness, for testicular and prostate cancer (among other male health concerns), has raised £184 million and in 2011 alone, £79.3 million was raised, by way of some 2 milion entrants! Woowzers – that’s an awful lot of hairy-faced men raising money for a cause that matters. Personally, I would be far more inclined to grow an impressive moustachio than run a marathon but given my gender, I may be forced to stick to the latter (note to self: run a marathon at least once in my life).

Anyway, what a smashing evening it was – champagne cocktails, a ‘20’s theme (I have to insert the old ‘I didn’t get the memo’ excuse here because as you will see, I was not wearing a flapper frock or headband, despite this being one of my favourite eras!) and the best music I have heard in a long time, care of the fantastically talented  (and admittedly superbly good - looking) Franky and the Jacks; we couldn’t help but get a little too involved, dancing a little too much and twirling far more than one really should (unless you wish to feel dizzy of course…), all before heading home at  9pm! While the night was still young, we both had fairly notable treks home and work the next day, so we decided to keep it sensible; it was a Tuesday after all. 

Despite departing early, we did not leave empty handed and were gifted with not 1 but 2 fab grey Tom’s tees (one of which we got to design ourselves care of the ingenious print screens they had installed especially for the event) and a gift bag, the contents of which are shown below! I must admit, I love a good gift bag and, while you might wonder what on earth a girl would do with a man’s razor and an entire bottle of HP sauce; fear not, I will be making use of both of these.

So below are some happy snaps from the evening, which I hope you will enjoy - oh and the gorgeously tall and oh so stylish girl in the pics with me is Sammy Aki - also known as the Groom Style Consultant. Enjoy the snaps and let me know what you think and remember...

'Start Something that Matters'. 

All my love, 

Christie 

XOXO 

A Dog-Walking, Drinking Too Much Coffee and Getting Caught in the Rain OOTD

Good evening beauties,

How are you all? How have you been spending the weekend? And perhaps more importantly, what did those of you in the UK do with your extra hour today?! I don't know about you, but I always love it when the clocks go back and you realise that you have a whole hour extra on this one very special day, to do with it what you please :) Caits and I were fairly predictable in our use of the time gifted to us...S.L.E.E.P. Oh it was wonderous.

Anyhow, I have decided to share with you an OOTD - nothing too exciting or outrageous - in fact, you might even call it solely utilitarian. Nevertheless, we happened to take a few snaps before and during our doggy walking expeditions yesterday (an adventure that involved coffee, marshmallows, gingersnaps and getting rained (and slobbered) on...), so I thought I'd share...

I love love love my super snuggly scarf - I am all about the massiveness of it and love that it doesn't give me fur-balls. Seriously. Also, I should let you in on a little something - my Timberland boat shoes are deceptively (and oh so cleverly) WARM. So any of you who may potentially have been thinking - woooaaaah, has anyone told Christie's feet it's winter?! Yeah. I have. And the shoes still work. At least they will for another few weeks...ever the optimist.

Scarf: Urban Outfitters

Jumper: Gap 

Jeans: Topshop (Fit: Jamie) 

Shoes: Timberland 

So that's all from me tonight gorgeous people; sleep tight, sweet dreams and all of the love,

Christie xoxo

What I'm Wearing: Issue Nr. 1

Hello beauties!

It’s Caitie here! As always, I hope this finds you all well. What have you all been up to?

The weather was oh so miserable and grey today, but, because I had the day off work I wanted to post something for you all (I’ve misssssed you!)

I’ve never done a ‘face of the day’ post before, but I thought I’d try my hand at it and see how you all like it. I’ve had a bit of a make-up obsessed month and have bought far too many new products, so I’ve been shaking up my every day makeup routine and thought this might be a nice way to show you all ‘What I’m Wearing’! I always love reading these kinds of posts; mainly because it’s really nice to see what different products look like on different people. I also find them a huge source of inspiration for my own makeup routine. Let me know what you all think, and, if you'd like to see more posts like this, please do let me know. 

Face*

Estee Lauder Double Wear Light foundation in Shade 01

Laura Mercier Mineral Powder in 'Real Sand'

Mac Pro Longwear blusher in Stay Pretty (from the Office Hours collection)

Mac Matte Bronze Bronzing Powder

Benefit Erase Paste in No. 1 Fair

Eyes*

Benefit 'They're Real!' Mascara

Clinique Superfine Liner for Brows

Lips*

Mac 'Lovelorn' (Lustre)

As always, please feel free to comment. Christie and I love reading your comments; each and every one of them mean so much to us. 

Lots and lots of love,

Caitieloo <3

Ps. TGIF (tomorrow)!

A Rainy OOTD

Hello beauties!

How are you all? What are you up to this weekend?

As I write this I am sitting in my boyfriends kitchen in Brighton after a day of walking around town. Today marks our six year anniversary (ahhh!) It has been a rather lovely day, and to top it off we are going to see Paranormal Activity 4 after dinner; I am a horror addict!

My boyfriend kindly took a few photos of my outfit today. I wanted to show it to you all because I am sporting my favourite t-shirt at the moment; moustaches of the world! I just love it. I picked it up at Topshop for £18.00 (with student discount, £20.00 without). Although white jeans are not particularly A/W appropriate I think they worked with what I was wearing (I hope!)

I hope you are all having a fantastic weekend! I love hearing from you, so, as always, feel free to comment :)

Lots and lots of love,

Caitieloo <3

Urban Outfitters Accessory Haul

Hey all,

Its been a while I know (uhhh, I've been back for about 2 weeks already!) but as promised, my UO haul! So, I should confess, I love Urban Outfitters. And I mean really really love it. And don't even get me started on their accessories. Well actually, do, because that is what this post is about!

So whenever I am lucky enough to make a trip to the States, and despite us having UO here in the UK, it is always my first stop! Generally, I try to avoid stores we have here when away, on principle really, as I'd rather find something a little different, but for UO, I make an exception, primarily because finding something a little different is exactly what I usually manage to do in there.

Those nail polishes I posted about a couple of weeks ago for example - I am not sure about you, but I haven't seen them in stores here (although I must confess, I have not exactly searched far and wide). That said, that is actually probably for the best because while I must admit, I love love loved the colours, upon removal, I noted that they had turned all my nails a nasty shade of orange, a little akin to the hue of a victim of radiation poisoning. Suffice to say, I was less than impressed, but luckily, Mavala's 'Victoria' (from their 50 year Anniversary Collection) saw me through this difficult time (see below!)

Nevertheless, and getting back to the point, the US UO always has some amazeballs accessories to offer, some of which I certainly never see over here, although sometimes they are in stores a couple of months later. Here are some bits I picked up:

Mainly necklaces and gold - as you can see, I'm a fan.
So I'm not sure what you think of that spear like gold tusk, but I love love love it. I saw it on one of their mannequins on my first day in Chicago and then had to drag my boyfriend to three different UO's to find it again. It's quite a statement on its own but I tend to wear it with a couple of others.

The big V necklace to the right is actually now available here (I will pop the link below for anyone who's interested). I love this because it works with so many different looks and is just a little unusual - I have gotten a fair few compliments on both these pieces I must admit!

I haven't actually worn the short little beady necklace yet, but this is an awesome every day piece and one I might wear together with my cold 'love' necklace (from the boyfriend) - will post pics when I do!

The earrings - well I know there is a lot like this around, so maybe not so different but can't wait to wear these up. I always think that, along with lipstick, a good pair of statement earrings vamps up almost any look. I also find that with earrings, if I want them to be noticed, I need to go quite big because my hair is outrageously long and lion like and as such, tends to hide any dainty little sparkles.

Last but not least - I picked this beaut up:

I absolutely adore this pretty glam gold cuff - definitely makes a statement and actually fits surprisingly well. I find cuffs are often a strange shape, or else, my wrist is - probably the latter now I think about it...but I'll continue to blame the cuffs. Anyhow, this was probably my favourite find - what do you think?

Anyway, that's all for now - I hope you all have the very best weekend! Caits and I would love to hear how you are spending it and what you'd like us to post about next!

Love and giggles,

Christie

x x x

Linkie, as promised:

http://www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk/large-v-necklace/invt/5762462450950/&bklist=

Trauma and Saturday Shopping

Hello beauties,

It's Caitieloo here! Since Christie published (a rather hilarious) post this morning, I thought I'd take the night shift and tell you all about my weekend.

I started work on Saturday; and am now a proud sales assistant at Gap. I'll be working at Gap in conjunction with some other 'work experience' opportunities, so that I can work out what I might like to eventually do. Apparently being paid to shop is not a feasible option, so I'm still at the drawing board in terms of my life's ambitions! I'm looking forward to making some extra money and getting back into a routine, although tomorrow marks my first 9-hour shift, which, to be perfectly honest, terrifies me! I was so exhausted on Saturday, but, like the trooper I am (note my sarcasm) I will power through.

A rather unfortunate event occurred on Saturday morning. Being in a rush to get to work on time, I shoved a few of my 'go to' makeup products into my cute (new!!!) Cath Kindston makeup bag... When I got to work, I quickly nipped to the loo (don't you just love the word 'nipped'? It makes me feel like such a lady!) to check my makeup and do the mandatory number one. I decided to reapply some lipstick and upon opening my (now DEAD) makeup bag, realised that at some point in the morning I must have dropped it, and my brown eyeshadow, which I use for my eyebrows, had EXPLODED all over my makeup bag and other products inside it. Needless to say, I was horrified, HORRIFIED, I tell you. I re-zipped the offending bag and shoved it hastily back into my handbag, my hands now COVERED with brown muck.

The offending explosion. RIP Cath Kidston.

Although I managed to salvage most of the products that were in the bag, the bag is now a rather unfortunate shade of brown. Oh Cath Kidston, you served me well for the two weeks I had you.

After this shocking discovery I was only too happy to accept my sister's offer to go to Nando's after I finished my shift. I thought the horrors of the day were over, but alas, upon walking to Nando's, I tripped rather spectacularly over a stray can. But, I am happy to report, the day picked up after this.

After our date at Nando's, Christie and I decided to have a little womble around the shops and, in our usual style, managed to spend more money than was sensible. Christie will be posting about her haulage soon (including her Urban Outfitters haul), but, in the meantime, I thought I'd show you all a few of the things I picked up.

After hearing lots of bloggers praising the new Kate Moss for Rimmel collection, I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon pick up a lipstick to try. After admiring all of the colours, I settled on shade 101, which is a gorgeous nude pink. In honesty I didn't have high expectations as I haven't really gotten on with Rimmel lipsticks before, but, I tell you what, WOW! The formula is so creamy and lovely, and feels moisturising on the lips, not at all like the formula of the other Rimmel lipsticks I have tried. Although I haven't used it for long enough to give a full review, this lipstick definitely gets a thumbs up from me so far. I think I'm definitely going to pick up a few more from the collection...! I haven't swatched the colour for you as there are so many reviews of the Kate Moss for Rimmel collection, but if you would like to see some pictures of how this colour looks on the lips, let me know!

Next, I popped into Mac (always a fatal error, in financial terms of course!) and picked up this Pro Longwear blush from the Mac Office Hours collection in the shade Stay Pretty. I would describe the colour as a very girly soft pink. I find it gives my cheeks a soft flush, which I think is rather nice in the colder A/W months. I've heard mixed reviews of the blushes in this collection, so I'll definitely report back to you with how I get on. Let me know if you'd like to see any pictures of Stay Pretty in action.

Lastly I picked up this Essie nail polish (my FIRST Essie polish, shocking, I know) in the shade Recessionista. I thought this product was best saved till last as it describes the state of my financial situation quite well !!! I have been looking for a polish that looks like the love child of burgundy and cranberry for quite a while, and, this is it! I think it is definitely going to be an A/W essential.

Well girlies, Christie just emerged from the shower, and so it's time for me to retire with her for a cup of tea and some blog / youtube catching up. As always, feel free to comment and let me know what you think. I've loved meeting and chatting to you over the last two months.

Lots and lots of love, and here's to a good week!

Caitlin <3

Delays, Delays and Cancelations.

Good Morning Beauties,

How are we all this gorgeous (for now at least...) Sunday morning? I for one am grand, mainly because I am in bed, with the sugary wonderousness (that so IS a word) that is my morning cup of tea.

Anyhooooow, I, Christie, sister to Caitlin, am prone to the odd rant or 10 and, while I am NOW in my zen zone, I feel that I should share that a couple of days ago, I was NOT. Who was responsible for this trauma you ask (well, you might not have, but I can't go anywhere with this if you didnt...!)? SOUTH WEST TRAINS. Obviously.

Now, I took it on the chin when, at 7am on on Thursday morning, it was announced that my train was cancelled; I just thought to myself, at least I have a coffee to keep me warm, calm and awake, whilst I wait for the next train. And I still remained calm and zenny when the train arrived, already full, and I was subjected to standing, for AN HOUR, sniffing the armpits of many a fellow public transport victim. All I could think was, thank god it was the morning because for the most part, people were still clean and relatively fresh smelling (emphasis on the word relatively). So, upon arrival into Waterloo, I gave myself a metaphorical pat on the back for keeping my cool and not letting this torrid situation put a damper on my good mood and went on with my day :)

Roll on Friday - a great day, by virtue of the fact that the next day will always be Saturday - I hit the South Bank with some besties for a couple of G + T's and a stirfry (which admittedly left me stinking of garlic but, on the plus side, protected from vampires - is it even vampires garlic wards off??) and following that, strolled back to Waterloo - to catch my oh so reliable train of course. But of course, it was delayed. I don't know about you, but I always hate it when the board just says 'delayed' and doesn't give any indication of how long this delay will be. But what I hate infinitely more than that, is that stomach sinking sense of dread when you realise that not only is your train delayed (or cancelled?!) but so too are ALL of the trains due to depart Waterloo....

Now the particularly fun part about living in Ascot is that there really is no alternative to the train that leaves from Waterloo, so no matter what bizarre travel combinations I envisaged as a means of getting home, there was really no way I was getting to Ascot this fateful Friday night. So off I toddled to a friend's house in Queenspark....thankfully she offered, the beauty that she is!

For the sake of social graces, I kept my calm externally but internally, wooaaah, a certain level of turmoil pursued as all I could think was, 'I have no clean clothes or undies and no toothbrush!'. I wouldn't say I came anywhere near my sister in the clean-freak stakes, but no clean undies or a toothbrush?! Really?! No, that's not cool.
[Note to self - as, I am to be at the mercy of public transport for at least the foreseeable future, I will endeavour to keep a spare pair of knickers and a tooth brush in my bag at all times, in much the same way as I now always have a spare pair of tights handy - don't even get me started on ladders!]

Anyhooowwwww, I left my hygiene concerns to one side (mainly as I really had no choice) and actually had a great night - Xfactor, chocolate, candy and strawberries and a LOT of silliness, followed by an uncomplicated, timely, train journey home the following morning.

Nevertheless, I will say this South West Trains: because of you, it took me longer to get home from work on a Friday evening than it took me last weekend to get home from CHICAGO (yes, the one in America). I guess that's actually fairly impressive when you think about it.

Beautiful people, I promise not to rant in my next post,

Much of the love and toodlepip for now,

Christie.
x x x x

Mallzee!

Hello, hello beautiful people!

I seem to be going posting crazy today! But, it's been a good day. How are you all? How has your day been? Good news: Tomorrow is Friday! TGIF! What are your plans for the weekend?! Make me jealous.

I am writing to you today about something I found extremely exciting, and that something is Mallzee, who contacted me to tell me about their soon-to-be-launched exciting brand.

Mallzee will be launching it's online site later this year, and, from what I've heard, it just sounds FABULOUS! Basically, once Mallzee is launched, users will be able to create their own personalised 'shopping mall' by picking their favourite brands and stores. Mallzee's fancy software then finds products matching YOUR personal style and showcases them in your own 'Mallzee'. At the moment, around 200 stores have signed up to be a part of Mallzee, including, (eee!!!) Urban Outfitters, New Look, Feel Unique and St. Tropez. But, that's not even the most exciting part !!! When you register with Mallzee, you become the 'owner' of your own private mall, and, when someone buys something from your 'Mallzee', you earn money to shop! I know, this is perhaps the most brilliant concept ever. Being paid to shop?! This sounds like a career I could be good at! Mallzee plans to provide a social online shopping experience, so, just like shopping on the high street, you can chat to your friends whilst you peruse.

From what I understand, when Mallzee launches, it will look something like the image below. I got this image from their website; which, in my honest opinion, looks like it is going to be fabulous.

I've just registered for my exclusive prelaunch invite on Mallzee, and am really excited about the launch later this year. As a concept I think it sounds brilliant; and, is really unique. I think it will find a unique place in the market by offering customers a virtual 'personal shopper', as well as the chance to socialise with friends you may or may not be able to otherwise. Although I'd never want to do all of my shopping online and love the highstreet, I think Mallzee's well worth a look. Excitingly, by registering you will also be entered in to their current competition to win £100 ($150), which, I think, is a bit of a bonus.

So, what do you all think? Is Mallzee worth a go? I think so.

Lots and lots of love,

Caitlin <3

*Disclaimer* The opinions expressed here are my own. I will only feature brands / products on my blog if I feel that they have something to offer. Although Mallzee has not yet launched I am very excited about what it purports to offer and think it's well worth a look. 

Burgundy got BACK!

Hello Beauties,

It's Caitlin again. I just thought I'd post a quick OOTD for you all (thank you to my mom for taking the photo for me!)... I pulled out my burgundy Leigh Topshop jeans as the wintery days seem to be here for keeps and have to say, I LOVE them. Burgundy seems to be back in a big way for the A/W season, and I'm THRILLED about it!

Alongside the burgundy jeans I thought I'd show you all my latest Gogo Philip find. Although these earrings are not available on the Gogo Philip website, they are available in Topshop. I picked mine up in the Topshop in Oxford Circus (the landmark store) and LOVE them. Gogo Philip for the win!

As always, let me know what you all think; your comments make me smile. I love to know what trends you are all loving and what you have been up to.

Lots of love,

Caitlin <3

Happy Birthday Mavala!

Hello Beauties,

How are you all today? Me? I can't complain. I'm seeing a beautiful friend today for coffee; her and I always have such a giggle ! (Hello Leanne, if you're reading this!!!)

If you follow my posts, you'll know that I am a HUGE (that's an understatement actually; more like gigantic, gargantuan, excessively HUGE...) fan of Mavala nail polishes. My mom actually discovered them first; noticing their beautiful selection of colours, and then their clever mini sizes. After buying my first 'Elle Grey' Mavala polish, I was HOOKED. Because of the mini size of the product, application is extremely easy; the brush is just the right size to apply your chosen colour neatly. The consistency and durability of the Mavala products again, cannot be faulted. I find that two coats of my chosen polish lasts a good four/five days before it chips! I think that's pretty special.

This year sees Mavala's half century birthday, and, to celebrate, Mavala has brought out a retro anniversary collection; inspired by it's original shades of 1962. Not only are the colours in this collection GORGEOUS, but their names are cute too, and include, among others, Moscow, Roma, and Honolulu. You can have a peruse of the mini collection, and find your local stockist, by clicking here.

Mavala kindly sent me two polishes from their Anniversary collection (thank you!) and I am ecstatic to say I am now the proud owner of Honolulu (a GORGEOUS, classic pink) and Victoria (a classy and striking orange). These two polishes have pride of place on my dresser, alongside their friends Elle Grey and Lagoon. Thank you Mavala, I absolutely LOVE them! Christie and I plan to give our nails some TLC with these beauties this weekend!

So, beautiful people, if you haven't already, head over to Mavala to peruse their products (which also, excitingly, include other beauty products eeee!!!) If there's one thing I can promise, they won't disappoint.

Lots of love,

Caitlin <3

*Disclaimer* Although Mavala generously sent me two nail polishes, as mentioned in this post, my opinion of their products is my own. I will always review products honestly and disclose if / when they have been kindly gifted to me.