MATTE BLACK

Slightly delayed, but black nails are always a good, solid choice for Autumn/Winter, especially for Halloween. These are actually meant to be matte, I had them painted in the nail shop so I'm not entirely sure what brand of polish it was, but the matte seemed to fade away and turn a little glossy. Not quite what I was after but hey ho.

Black nails are always a bit strong, but I don't think they should be 'too much' for everyday wear. If dressed right they can look grunge-chic, and a bit rock chick cool, yet still sophisticated at the same time. If that's at all possible... Do you agree?

Did everyone have a nice Halloween? I didn't end up doing anything in the end, but have been rather busy recently with work, and visiting my Matthew down in Cornwall. It was so lovely to finally see him again, long distance is no fun. I have so much I want to post about, but I feel like I have no time to do it. There is no light by the time I get back from work, so this weekend is going to be jam packed with photo taking! #bloggerproblems.... 

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ST. TROPEZ NATURALS

St. Tropes Naturals tanning lotion

I love being tanned, but if I'm honest, I'm a lazy miss when it comes to applying the fake stuff. Gradual tanners are a great idea, they don't turn you orange and you don't have to leg it if the slightest drop of rain falls like you do with instant tans (including Rimmel's "splash proof" instant tan - yeah that didn't work, cheers guys). But I do find them a bit of a pain. I always worry that I'll come out streaky, or have a random white patch somewhere that I missed on application, as most of the time these tans don't have a colour to them. This one is no exception, it's a thick, moisturising cream that goes on clear just like a moisturiser. So you have make sure you really do cover everywhere to avoid embarrassment. White backs of the knee anyone? No thanks. This one is luxurious, it's not as thin as its Johnson's competitor, so feels really soft on your skin.

I'm probably the only girl on the planet that actually likes the smell of fake tan, and this one smells so good. Well, it has that distinct gradual tan smell, but is not as 'rusk bar' smelling as the Johnson's one, so maybe not to everyone's taste, but it's ever so slightly cocoa buttery from what I remember.

Being a St. Tropez tan, I had high hopes on the result, and I wasn't left disappointed when the colour came out lovely the next morning. It didn't come out very dark, just a subtle hint of brown, which is perfect for a sun kissed glow. It's easily buildable, do you can use it every other day if you want to be really tanned, or every few days to top up. The only down side for me, is that it takes so long to dry. I was literally standing like a weirdo in my room, shaking my limbs about for half an hour and I still felt tacky. Quite annoying, but probably due to it being so thick and scrumptious. But hey, you win some and loose some right? 

I'm currently chilling on the mega bus, having a whale of a time listening to Mylo Xyloto on repeat. Note to self: add some more music to iPad. Ive been in Bristol since Friday evening and am already missing it. It's the best city in England, a bold statement coming from someone who's a tube away from central London, but I just love it. Have you been? You should. It's awesome. 

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NAKED NAILS

OPI . Dulce De Leche .

Okay, so I need your opinion. What are we thinking of this nail colour? I'm on the fence at the moment, I don't want it to look like I'm just all finger and no nail?! I like a nude nail, it's good for elongating your fingers, which is great for me as I think I have quite stubby little ones. I'm just a little worried this is a tad too close to my actual skin colour? The reviews so far have been mixed, so come on, what do you think?

Dulce De Leche is a lovely muted pinky-brown, with a subtle gloss that becomes opaque after 2 coats, I'm thinking it would work really well with an ombre glitter effect over the top... 

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BENEFIT #STAYFLAWLESS... GOODIES

So, as promised, I said I would let you see what I received in the amaaaazing goody bag at the Benefit blogger event...

How incredible?! Here's the run down...

Stay Flawless 15-Hour Primer, full size. Released June 13th.

Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation, full size. This was especially lovely because they matched us all with the perfect shade, mine being Ivory "Believe in me". 

A foundation brush and...

The prize I won was this incredible set; The Bronze of Champions. This contained a travel size, all-you-need kit made up of;

• Hoola bronzing powder and lipgloss
• 
  
• Whatt's Up! highlighter
• 
  
• Bikini-Tini creasless cream shadow
• 
  
• Thanks a Latte longwear powder shadow
• 
  
• They're Real! mascara
• 
  

WOWZERS. This is in their handy book-like boxes, perfect for taking away with you, so you can be bronzed and beautiful where ever you're going! Perfect.

I will be trying out all of these amazing products very soon, so expect to see my thoughts popping up on here in the near future.

See anything you like? Please do let me know in the comments if you have tried any of these, Hoola is a personal fav, what about you?

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If you get a chance... pop over and like, share and tweet my entry for ELLE UK's next intern Fashion Director here! Thank you x

BENEFIT #STAYFLAWLESS BLOGGER EVENT

Benefit has to be one of my favorite cosmetics brands, I just love the cheeky names, the fantastic range of products and the absolutely beautiful packaging. I went to their Fake Up Concealer launch a little while back, which was fantastic - read about that event here if you like - so when I was contacted by lovely Benebabe Lucinda I jumped at the chance to go again! 

The event was hosted by the lovely staff from the Benefit HQ, and was held in The Living Room Restaurant and Bar - a wonderful setting. There were decorations everywhere, products dotted around and lots and lots of champagne, everyone had a grin from ear to ear. I certainly wasn't complaining!

Lisa Potter-Dixon (Head makeup artist, trend artist and brow expert) chatted to us about the history of Benefit and gave us all a demo on how to apply the new product - Stay Flawless Primer. Honestly? It looks fantastic. The idea behind it was that most women have the problem that their makeup doesn't stay on for long enough, I can vouch for that. My face literally seems to eat my makeup after about 2 hours. The product is meant to act as a 'makeup magnet', effectively locking in your foundation for up to a whopping 15 hours!

I have to admit I'm dubious, being a major sufferer of the makeup meltdown, so I will be reviewing it in due course and I will let you know how that goes!

Overall the event was a huge success, and I hope I get to attend many more in the future! One of the highlights of the evening, was the fact that we all got to walk away with the most amazing goody bag... Ever. 

Plus, they hosted a little quiz to see if we were listening, and I won a prize! I was over the moon to say the least!

Want to see what was in it? Well you'll have to come back tomorrow! Otherwise this would be a very photo heavy post, so I thought I'd split it up and add a little suspense! 

You can get yourself a Stay Flawless from June 13th, and trust me, if what I've seen so far is anything to go by, you'll definitely want to.

Are you a benefit fan? What's your favorite product?

Also, a little shout out to the lovely bloggers I met/saw whilst I was there; Karis, Chelsea, Mali, Jade, Hannah and Laura - I hope you enjoyed it just as much as I did!

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If you get a chance... pop over and like, share and tweet my entry for ELLE UK's next intern Fashion Director here! Thank you x

COLLECTION 2000 EXTREME 24HR FELT TIP LINER

I have never been a liquid eye liner girl, I've always opted for the easier kohl liners that leave room for error. But recently I've seen so many bloggers and friends pull off the gorgeous cat flick that I fell onto the bandwagon and thought I'd give it a go!

I wanted to start with something easy, as I've attempted to use the ones with a little pot and brush, but ended up looking like I'd been punched rather than our lovely feline friends. Not good.

After speaking to my lovely friend Beth, I decided to go for the Collection 2000 Extreme felt tip liner in black. I chose to go with this purely because the nib is like a felt tip pen, and I know how to hold a pen so I thought it would be the best way to go. I was surprised at how well I managed to do it first time if I'm honest, it wasn't quite ready for public viewing but I gave myself a gold star none the less. Pretty proud. I now think I'm a pro, I'm far from it but this liner has made the transition from pencil to ink a lot easier.

It is a true black shade, and holds really well. I hate it when you put on a liquid liner and have to hold your lid as still as possible for what feels like forever to avoid getting mess all over your eye, but this one dries very quickly, brilliant if you're in a hurry.

The nib isn't too thin either, it's a good width to get a good solid line in one go, but not so thick that you don't have any room to play.

In all I'm very pleased I decided to take the plunge, and if you're a newby to the liquid liner, then I'd highly recommend this one!

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CATCH UP

Happy Monday morning everyone! YAWN.

I'm not really sure what I'm writing about today, I haven't blogged in a little while so I feel like I should get to it but I just don't feel all that inspired on this freezing morning. Ergh.
I've recently started working again, so I'm out Friday and Saturday nights until around 1.15am.. so by the time I get home and wind down it's silly o'clock in the morning. So it's fair to say my body clock has been well and truly buggered.
Plus, I've been trying to eat really healthily and go to the gym loads, so with all of that put together, I feel rather cream cracker-ed.

So whats new?
1. I'm sitting at my desk at uni at the moment, trying to decide which of the million tasks I need to do, need to be done first, I've been here since 9 and I still don't feel awake! Need. More. Coffee.

2. I've been working on some editorial spreads for my portfolio which has gone down pretty well. I know I want to work in fashion editorial, I just don't know what area or specific title I want. Hmm. I love photography, and putting together an image along with thinking about how it looks on the page. I want to be the one who goes to the shows, works on shoots and gets to live the crazy fast paced lifestyle visiting Paris, Milan and New York in my Minolo's. One day...

3. Benefit are hosting an event on the 28th of this month which I'll be popping along too, so expect to see a post on that.

4. Bristol fashion week is looming.

"Bristol Fashion Week is back with its stylish combination of 18 catwalk fashion shows, pamper sessions and style advice giving you the essential fashion edit of the new season trends and colours as well as the ultimate 'girly' treat."

Okay so it's not quite LFW, but still it's pretty cool. It's held at the Cribbs Causeway Mall, and will showcase SS'13 collections in the latest trends sweeping the stores. The massive shopping destination has over 135 stores with over 500 brands to choose from, and it's all over 2 floors and has a wide range of restaurants and cafés to keep you busy so it should be a great event.
I've managed to bag myself a blogger pass (win) for the Friday, to attend the 'live blogging event' where myself and a bunch of other bloggers blog about the show as it happens for everyone to see! (say blog enough in one sentence?!) So that should be really fun! I'm trying to decide what to wear, maybe I'll instagram some ideas?

"Want to join in? Follow @mallcribbs on twitter and include #BFWSS13 in your tweets"

BFW '12

5. Lastly, I met the lovely Joanna Valmai Wills. She's a stylist who's recently gone freelance and she's super cool. She works with 1883 magazine and has built up a very impressive portfolio of work. 
Her advice? Don't be afraid to work for free. Assist as much as you can. Don't be scared to approach people and tell them who you are and what you do. If you don't put yourself out there, you'll get left behind, fashion doesn't wait for you.

Disclaimer - None of the featured brands or people have asked/sponsored me to write this post. It's purely a catch up on what I'm getting up too. ☮

Mini Christmas Haul.

I know this is extremely delayed, but I was going to hold off and do individual posts on these items, yet I've been very busy and haven't managed to. These are just a few little things I got for Christmas, I photographed them straight away, hence the Christmas theme, so I thought I'd put the pictures up now and do reviews on them another time - when I actually start using them!

How cute is this?! LUSH box with a Santa belt? Love.

LUSH - Cinders bath bomb

LUSH - Not sure what this one is called, I couldn't find it online. But it's a soap. And it's pretty. And it's a star.

Carolina Herrera - 212 Glam eau de toilette. It smells INSANELY GOOD.

Lumiere Collection - Bronzer. It's practically the size of my hand.

 What do you think? I thought it would be best to put them up now whilst its still relatively close to Christmas. It would look a bit strange having Christmas paper in a post in June...

The only thing I've used so far is the Carolina Harrera perfume. It smells so unbelievably good. I love how it comes in this ice cube packaging, I've taken that part off and used each end as storage for hair clips and things, it looks so lovely on my dresser. The perfume itself has two bottles, not really sure why but it means you can have one at home and leave one i your bag if you wanted to, but they don't have their own separate lid so be careful you don't get soggy fragrance all over everything. This design is typical to Herrera though, and it is pretty cool.

The smell, oh my god the smell. According to Herrera herself it has top notes of lollipop and cotton candy, middle notes of crystallized rose petals and toffee, and a base note of electric fluorescent wood. Mmmmm.

It is very sweet, but I like sweet perfumes, Burberry London is my favorite, so again, very sugary. I've never been a huge fan of overly floral, rose-y smells for perfume so this works wonders. Also, I found out a little interesting fact (please don't quote me on this as I use the word 'fact' lightly) if a perfume doesn't suit your skin, it won't smell as strong on you, and people won't really notice it. I guess that means let your perfume find you. You'll know the right one when you find it. Haha, sounds so philosophical. Sounds like finding a boyfriend/girlfriend!

Have you tried this perfume? 212 Sexy is also gorgeous, has anyone tried that? Do you like the bottle design?

Also, in other news, I have recently joined the wonderful Motel team as their newest Web Editorial intern! So exciting, I had my first day on Wednesday and I absolutely loved it. I managed to get my hands on some gorgeous clothes too which is awesome, I'm planning on finally biting the bullet and doing some actual outfit posts soon - I'm just feeling a little nervous as I'm not so happy with the 'post-Christmas-yet-actually-all-the-time-body' at the moment. So watch this space!

Has everyone had a nice week? Have you had much snow??? Bristol hasn't had it yet, apart from about two measly flakes the other day, but according to my mobile telephone device we should have some by the time I wake up tomorrow - if we're lucky eh! I love snow, as long as no one throws a snow ball at my ear I'm all good. That's just the worst. Cold snow in your ear. EW.

LOVE x

Disclaimer - All the items featured in this post were Christmas presents from friends and family (thinking about it I think they were all from my lovely mumma) and I have not been asked to write this by any of the brands.

Face || one.

Maybelline Dream Matte mousse foundation - Honey beige.
Rimmel Sun Glow bronzer - Shade 025.
Rimmel Scandelize mascara - 003 Extreme black.
Rimmel eye liner pencil - Black (most of the info is rubbed off so I'm not completely sure which one it is).
Wilko lip balm - Original.

Oh hey. This is a random and slightly vein post on my face this morning. What a treat for you! Ha.
I'm just waiting for my phone to update the software so I can go to uni and 'do some work' and the camera on my iPad has found me. Please excuse the duck face, but it's just too fun.
This is a really standard, quick, everyday makeup look for me, the most I venture away from this is the amount of eyeliner I use. This thick line has been done with a pencil which is not ideal for the cat eye as it's quite smudgy, but I'm yet to get to grips with my liquid liner. Don't you worry though, I'll be a pro before long.
I will be changing out of my slobby hoody before I go to uni, although it is tempting to wear it everyday as it's just so snuggly.
Any fun plans for the day? I plan to be in uni until they make me leave, so much to do, so little time.

Love x

Burberry lip velvet.

I have only recently got into lipstick, I've never thought it really suited me all that much. But recently I seem to have acquired quite a few new shades so have been experimenting a little more. I have found that no matter how hard I try, I'm just not destined for a red lip. It's so frustrating because I always see people managing to pull it off so perfectly. I think I just need to find the right one, maybe one with a bluer undertone rather than an orange. We shall see...
Because I guess I'm scared of red at the moment, I've ventured down the darker, burgundy route to find 'my perfect colour'.
These Burberry lip velvet lipsticks are lovely, the actual lipstick is embossed with the signature Burberry tartan which is such a nice touch.

No. 312 Hawthorn Berry. Pictured left in all images.
No. 311 Bright Poppy.

So pweddyyy.
I haven't worn the Bright Poppy yet, but I'm so in love with Hawthorn Berry I just can't bring myself to cheat. On the lip it looks a lot deeper than the swatch, it's quite burgundy but has an orange undertone, it just seems to work well with my skin. (I'd say I'm fair/medium in skin tone). These lipsticks are highly pigmented, yet they are pretty versatile. You can slather on both top and bottom lips for a rich, dark colour, or just dab a bit on the bottom lip and smooch your lips together for a much subtler look - perfect for everyday wear.
They are quite moisturising, but they are meant to be a matte finish, so they don't feel shiny or slippery at all, and there's no chance all your hair will stick to your mouth with the slightest gust of wind. Don't you just hate when that happens?! I think they feel slightly dry on the lip, so I like to sweep on a bit of balm after, but that's up to you.
These are probably the most expensive lip products I've ever owned, so as you can imagine, they're still in the boxes, and I must be careful with them at all times.
The packaging is gorgeous too, if that's not a weird thing to say? The actual case is magnetic, so it snaps back on the right way round to keep it beaut at all times. Lovely.

Have you tried any of the Burberry lip velvets? Do you like them?
Happy Monday everyone!

Love x

What a LUSH Christmas so far.

Ah I haven't blogged in a while! I'm sure everyone has been very busy too this holiday?
Well, Merry Christmas Eve! So exciting :)
I just thought I'd do a little post about something I got from the boy for Christmas, we did ours early because when we're home from uni we live 5 hours away from each other!

I think I'm probably the last person on the bloggersphere ever to have oodles of Lush goodies, but I finally got some bits! He bought me a Christmas gift box, where you choose 3 different items to put in it. As it was a gift I'm not sure how much it was but I'm sure it's on the website?

So here's my box...

How cute is it?! I just love it. Lush do have an eye for appearance don't they. The ribbon was wrapped on it properly in a bow but I had to open it straight away!

It came wrapped in lovely star embossed paper too! The three little goodies I got were So White, Snowcake soap and Melting Snowman.

So cute! This little guy is sadly no longer with us, if you follow me on Instagram you'll have seen already that he has passed on to Snowman heaven. He smelt gorgeous though, a mixture of cinnamon, clove, patchouli, benzoin, lime and sweet wild orange oils. It is a mix of bath melt and bath fizz, so it dissolves and fizzes up but doesn't go crazy in the bath. It has Shea butter in it too so it's very moisturising and left me feeling very soft! I'm pretty sure that's real chocolate too - bit odd - but I'm not complaining! Until next year Snowman...

So white - this is a crazy little thing! It goes mental when you drop it in, whizzing all over the place. Great fun. Even if you don't like bath bombs, it's worth it just for that. I'm such a child!

It smells like apples... mmmmm.

Snowcake soap. I haven't used this one yet but it''s covered in gold glitter! I'm going to be all sparkly and glimmering like a goddess. I can't seem to find this one online, unless it just comes in this shape at Christmas? Confused. The box is all the way upstairs, so I'll let you know the smell when I use it! Lazy oaf.

How cute. I actually miss the snowman, I feel like I've killed him.

Also, once you throw it in, it practically explodes and turns the water pink!

Have a WONDERFULLY AMAZINGLY GORGEOUS Christmas everybody!

Love x

Soap & Glory. The righteous butter.

This is a sample size (50ml) of 'The righteous butter' from Soap & Glory, a rich moisturizer for very dry skin. I do have it in full size (300ml) but I thought I would photograph the smaller one because it hasn't been used yet and looks a lot cleaner!

The righteous butter.
£10.50 for full size 300ml.
Sample size was part of a gift set of minis.

I cannot rave about this product enough. It is really thick and creamy so it glides on the skin really well and slowly soaks in leaving you feeling velvety soft and dewy. It does take a little while to soak in, so probably not the best if you're heading out in a hurry. I tend to put ridiculous amounts on at a time though, so I guess you can vary how much you put on depending on how much time you have. I started using this a few years ago when I went on holiday to Malaga with the girls, I think I was given it as a present so I brought it along to save my skin in the heat. I tend to use it after a shower or bath, putting quite a thick layer on all over (so it's still slightly white) and just lay in my towel for an hour or so while i read a mag, or have a nap, just to let it really soak in and do its job. It contains Shea butter and Aloe Vera, so leaves your skin feeling gorgeous and refreshed, and not too slippy either which is good!
The smell is incredible I think, I just love it. It is scented with their 'Original Pink' fragrance, which is a blend of orange leaf, lemon, peach, sweet strawberries, summer rose, gardenia blooms and jasmine. Just a few things! It is gorgeous. It smells like being on holiday.
I don't have too many Soap & Glory products, but I am a big fan. I really love the packaging too, and the quirky puns they use as titles for each one - The righteous butter, The righteous brothers, get it?! Haha. They have others like 'Pulp friction' and 'Love at first blush'. Brilliant.
The 'pin up' vibe to their branding is just gorgeous too, and the pastel pinks and creams let you instantly recognise them.
They've started doing a cosmetics range as well (quite a while ago now I believe) but I'm yet to try anything.
Have you tried any of their makeup range? Do you like this product?
Let me know in the comments!

Ta Ta x

Jeff + Maggie

Jeff + Maggie Sheer lipstick in Latté.

I thought I'd share with you a lipstick that I pretty much use everyday. Although when looking it up to give you a link, I realised it doesn't seem to exist anymore?! So if anyone knows if you can still get it please do let me know.

I found this lipstick when I moved house a few months back, it was one of those items that just seem to be lurking in the bottom of a drawer with a million other un-used and un-loved bits and bobs. I gave it a try anyway and I love it. Jeff + Maggie is a cosmetics brand that used to be sold at Matalan, so I can only assume it wasn't too expensive at all, which is apparent in the formula.

It is quite translucent when you put it on, and doesn't give a huge amount of coverage or pigment, so wouldn't be ideal if you wanted to create a statement lip. Instead it is a very subtle brown, that has a gloss like feel to it, perfect for a natural nude lip everyday. As it isn't overly pigmented, it's really easy to top up, something you would have to do a fair few times throughout the day, but it is easily 'buildable' to suit your look. Plus you can get away with topping up without a mirror which is always a plus if you're on the go!

I'm quite sad that I cannot find it anywhere on the net, maybe Matalan still do it in store?

Let me know in the comments if you find it!

Do you like this colour? What is your go to shade for everyday makeup? 

Love. 

Hope you had a wonderful weekend x