I Have the Golden Touch

 

Shu Uemura Art of Hair Shusu Sleek: I used to think Kerastase Nutritive was the holy grail for my dry, frizzy hair but I had to use my mum’s Shusu Sleek when I went home over Christmas and forgot my own shampoo, and I’ve been totally converted. I was sceptical at first because I’m used to thick, creamy conditioners and this one feels quite light but it really has made my hair softer and more manageable than I ever thought possible. It is more expensive but definitely worth it in my eyes.

Vichy Aqualia Thermal Light: I’ve got weird skin. It’s a combination of dry and oily but not in the conventional sense: it’s oily on the surface, especially on my t-zone, and doesn't feel tight or dry but at the same time feels like it’s parched underneath. Does that make sense to anyone? Anyway, I felt like my usual moisturiser was just sitting on top of my skin and not really doing anything except adding to the oiliness, but this stuff sinks right in and feels like it's properly nourishing my skin. It makes a lovely base for my make-up too.

Topshop Skin Glow in Light: This is such a great, subtle highlighter. I use it on my cheekbones and around my eyes after I apply my foundation using the same brush and it gives me a lovely natural and dewy glow.

Urban Decay Naked Palette: This was on my Christmas list back in 2010 but unfortunately it was sold out everywhere at the time. However, I was lucky enough to receive it a whole year later and it was well worth the wait. I love Urban Decay eye shadows and I have lots of their palettes but this is by far my favourite. The colours are perfect for me and I’ve literally used it every day since I got it.

Mac Select Cover Up: I get quite bad patches of blemishes around my chin and on my jawline but I don’t really like wearing heavy foundations to cover them up. Instead I like to use a tinted moisturiser or a lighter coverage foundation and then blend this over the areas of bad skin, almost like a second foundation (watch this video to see what I mean). It’s easy to blend and can cover my blemishes without looking cakey.

Mac Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle: I love this stuff, it just makes my skin look amazing and it’s a lovely highlighter.


The Body Shop Facial Brush: I guess this cute little brush is kind of like the (much, much) cheaper version of a Clarisonic. My skin is quite sensitive so I’m always worried about using normal exfoliators which can irritate it. Instead I’ve been using this a couple of nights a week with my usual facewash and I’ve noticed quite a difference in my skin since I started using it at the beginning of January. I wish I could afford a Clarisonic Mia but this seems to be a good little substitute for now.


Topshop Nails in Heart of Gold, Rimmel Rock your Colour Glitter Topcoat and Sally Hansen Insta-Dri: This combo has been my typical nail decoration throughout December and January and it always gets compliments. The Insta-Dri topcoat does exactly what the name suggests: it dries so quickly it’s amazing, especially for someone as impatient as me!

For now, though, I will share a few snaps Tom took of me while we were holidaying in the Lake District back in July...

 

I do apologise for the fortnight-long disappearing act, but I have a good excuse I promise! Tom's mum took us for a little last minute trip to Prague and since we got back I've been working non-stop to make up for the days I missed.

I was a complete moron and forgot to take my camera, so the pictures above were taken using my iPhone4. I have to say, they turned out a lot better than I expected! Tom's mum did take plenty of photos though so if you guys would like to see some more pictures of my adventures in Prague (including some very flattering snaps of me pretending to be a tulip!) then I will try to get them from her.

Have any of you visited Prague before? What did you think?

I thought it was a beautiful city with some truly breathtaking architecture. The view of the city from the castle was amazing and there were so many little nooks and crannys to discover among the cobbled streets. I'd certainly go back, although I think I'd prefer it in the Autumn (and hopefully then it wouldn't be so jam-packed full of tourists on walking tours) however I fear all those cobbles would be treacherous in icy conditions!

Now I'm going to spend the rest of my lazy Sunday catching up on all of my favourite blogs and replying to all of your lovely comments. I hope everyone else is enjoying their Sunday.

Y ou will need:

125g Unsalted butter

100g good-quality dark chocolate (I actually added 200g to make them extra gooey and tasty)

4 Large eggs

300g Caster sugar

100g Self-raising flour, sifted

Pinch of Salt

125g Walnuts

Oven preheated to 190°c/375°F/Gas 5

17x25cm baking tin greased and lined (I used round cake tins instead because that was all I had)

They are great eaten on their own but I like them with a dollop of cream. Gluttonous? Yup, but so, so good!

I know that all the paint is rubbing off the beads on my bracelet, but I love it so much I'm going to wear it till it properly falls apart! It used to be little white and blue flowers painted on the beads.

I actually took these photos yesterday, just before I caught the train down to my parents house. It's so nice to be back home, especially since my mum has baked some of her awesome shortbread.

I'm home because I had an optician appointment this morning as I've been having problems with my contact lenses and my eyes have been really sore. Turns out I'm allergic to silicone, so it's a good job I wasn't planning a Boob Job anytime soon...

Anyway, I tried out Gem's Tips for polka dot nails but my nail art skills are pretty rubbish! I used a sewing pin to do mine but since I was watching TV as I was doing it I kept getting distracted, oops. Also, the quality of the 17 nail varnish (it's a Lasting Fix one) is really terrible. It was gooey and hard to get a nice smooth coat, and then it starting chipping literally an hour after I applied it! I know it cost less than £3 but still, I would have expected better from Boots.

Has anyone else tried this line of nail varnish? What did you think?

We had two BBQs at our house this weekend. The first was on Friday to celebrate Tom's birthday and my memories of it are slightly hazy, probably thanks to the copious glasses of Pimms I managed to get through before some drunkard smashed the jug!

We had a slightly more civilised affair on Saturday (there was even some marshmallow toasting) but I think it's safe to say that I've filled my quota for grilled meats and plastic cheese this month...

What did you get up to over the weekend?