Asos and TK maxx haul

(picture heavy)I think this is my first ever haul, i've done a few beauty hauls before which go down well but never a clothes haul. Hope you've grabbed some bargains in the sales this year, i don't think they've been very good this year; this post might give you some shopping inspiration!

chunky knit pink jumper �14.99 Tk maxx

Jumper with dipped back �12.99 Tk maxx

High waisted Jeans �21.00 ASOS

Grey knit snood �12.00 ASOS

River Island denim jacket with leather sleeves �34.00 ASOS

Hearts & Bows bow tie blouse �17.00 ASOS

Leopard print pumps �9.00

This was my first order from ASOS and the delivery was quite quick. I bought a few ASOS own brand items like the snood and the jeans, the prices were reasonable but i found the quality wasn't that great. I'm in love with the denim jacket! I've been after one for ageeesss. TK maxx has to be my favourite highstreet shop. I like that when you buy something from their it's unlikely that your friends will have the same thing too. That's what puts me off shopping in Primark cause everyone ends up wearing the same coat/top/bag...Saying that, my sister and I bought each other the exact same jumper from TK maxx for each other this Christmas!

Have you bought anything good in the sales? Would you like to see more hauls?

p.s sorry about the poor photo quality, my blog-resoultion this year is to take better photographs!

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Q is for ...

I am a sick, sick woman and, in a totally different way, so is the little guy on my nails today. What could I do for Q in the ABC Challenge? Queen, quilt, or maybe even quiz? Of course not! You know me, I have to think outside the box with this challenge. Brace yourself!

Q is for ... queasy. And I'm getting a little queasy just looking at them.

Yes, that is what it looks like ... 'sick up' splatter using Revlon Garden over Sally Hansen Mellow Yellow.

Are you feeling a little queasy now too?

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P is for ...

Hello everyone. Welcome to 2013!! :) Today's post was supposed to be for the letter Q in the ABC Challenge but, after the Christmas rush, I felt like doing nothing, so I'm a little behind in my posts. I don't feel right moving onto Q before posting P so ...

P is for ... Phoenix.

I cringe a little looking at this design. I was cleaning my usual nail art brush and the bristles came out. I was stunned because I was cleaning it like I always clean my brushes. I wasn't any more or less rough/gentle or pulling on the bristles excessively. I'm really not pleased because I pay an outrageous price for these brushes�4 brushes for about $15! I think I'll be ordering my brushes online from now on; for my usual price I can probably get a full set.

So, all brush rants aside, this design is a little messier than my usual since I had to use a thicker brush for the line work. Still, I felt very Harry Potter creating this phoenix ... though it's not as stunning as Fawkes. :)

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Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year everyone!! Wow, it feels like forever since I've posted anything. I only have three real resolutions for this year and that one is definitely on there. I want to get back into my regular posting schedule and keep coming up with more and better ideas. I want to get and succeed at my dream job. And last but not least I want to keep eating healthy, continue my workout schedule, and keep losing weight. I lost over 30 pounds in about 1.5 years � most of that this year. Yay me!! I still have another 10-20 pounds to lose (continuing in a healthy, non-obsessive way) to reach my goal weight. Wish me luck. :)

Now, onto the post. One of my Christmas gifts this year was 'Get Bonded' a three piece nail polish gift set. It contained The Spy Who Loved Me, Goldeneye, and Skyfall � all three from the OPI Skyfall Collection, their James Bond holiday collection. I decided to use Goldeneye and The Spy Who Loved Me in a tape mani for New Year's. Wow, this mani was stunning!!! I left it on for four days. For a girl who changes her polish daily, sometimes multiple times a day, this shows just how much I loved this mani.

Honestly, I had every intention of passing on this collection. Looking at the swatches I didn't see anything truly stunning and worth searching for. Boy was I wrong!! I am so glad I got this as a gift. I couldn't manage to capture the true magnificence of Goldeneye. This picture gives an idea of the range of gold shades this glitter captures. The glitter was odd, kind of chunky and flaky, almost a metallic and went opaque for me in just two coats. It's not like any other glitter in my collection which is awesome!!

Here is another shot of Goldeneye before I started taping. This picture washes out the color but gives you a better look at the chunky quality of the glitter. I can't get over how close I came to missing this glitter, of choosing not to get it. How silly of me!!

I am equally as happy to own The Spy Who Loved Me. These polishes went on beautifully, look amazing together, and lasted the four days with not a hint of a chip. I did need to take a chisel to my nails to get Goldeneye off. It's misleading, looking so flaky and metallic. It makes you forget it's a glitter at heart. I think maybe it's harder to remove than regular glitters. I scrubbed and soaked and still had patches that just wouldn't come off. They're actually still there, like little golden bruises on my nails.

You've heard my resolutions; what things do you hope, wish and/or promise to do in 2013?

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ultimate beauty product of 2012

I've seen a lot of 'best products of 2012' posts popping up on my dashboard this week. I've enjoyed reading them & did my own version last year. This year i fancied doing something a bit different; instead of rounding up my favourite picks from the past year i wanted to choose just one product that was the best product of 2012.

It was really tricky to choose only one product! I wanted it to be something i use almost daily, something i've discovered this year and something that causes me to have a mini breakdown when it runs out.

After a morning of rummaging through my products, i stumbled across the chosen one. I hadn't even thought about this as it's something i pick up everyday to use. I first discovered it in May this year & i think my hunt for the perfect mascara has ended. My ultimate beauty product of 2012 is...

Benefit They're Real Mascara, i just love the way it makes my lashes look! It retails for a hefty �18.50 but i won't have to spend any more money testing out other mascara's. I find this really does what it says box & couldn't really ask for more from a mascara. My MUA undressed palette came a close second!

 So, now you know what my ultimate beauty product of 2012 is, i want to know what yours would be?! Maybe it's a fragrance, lip blam, hair dryer...it's so hard to just choose one thing!

Below I've tagged five bloggers to give this tag a go.
Sandra from The Black Pearl blog
Becky from Beckys Makeup
Corrie from Dizzy Brunette3
Sophia from Tattooed Tea Lady
Estee from Essiebutton

If your reading this i want you to do the tag too :) tweet me with a link when it's up - @kiamakemeup

Happy New Year! Hope you had a good 2012, make 2013 the best.year.ever. :) x

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top six favourite blog posts in December

Hope you all had a brill Christmas, i always get a bit sad when it's all over. I spent this year with family, eating way too many mince pies and watching christmas telly. Santa bought me lots of lovely things, hope you got what you wanted!

If your not familiar with this sort of post (read my last one here) the idea behind it is i show you some of my favourite blogs posts from the past month in the hope you discover some new bloggers and get some inspiration. I don't think we share the blogs we love enough, I'm going to try and make this a regular thing!

1. As soon as I saw this post, i knew i had to share it with you. In this post Geneva talks about the concept of re-gifting (which i'm cool with) and write her top tips on how to do it successfully!
2. I've been a fan of Sarah's blog for a while now, it was her amazing illustrations that first caught my eye. She mainly blogs about fashion and her blog post are just beautiful to look at! Her photo's look editorial - you must check her out.
3. For me Adrienne is THE queen of reviews. Her reviews are always so detailed, she swatches everthing, includes a rating of each product and her photographs are so unique. I have no idea how she has time to keep writing all her brilliant posts! I loved reading this review of the Kardashion sister's new make up collection 'Khroma' 
4. I wanted to make a few DIY presents this year & this one Meg posted is just genius.  Make sure you check out her gift guides too, some really unusual presents on there!
5. Another great DIY gift idea. This Christmas Tree Brownie gift is super easy to make. Handy if you need to do any last minute gifts!
6. My current favourite fashion blog, Lydia puts together pieces that i would never think to. if you've not heard of her - your missing out. Check out Lydia's blog here.

What do you think of my favourite picks?
Twitter | Bloglovin' | Hellocotton |Pinterest

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Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas to all those who celebrate. To the rest ... Merry Whatever You (do or do not) Celebrate. :)

In this late night Christmas post I bring you ... me in a Santa hat and two nail arts!!!

I really didn't have time to be doing this mani on Christmas morning ... but I did it! It's messier than what I can usually do, but I call it a job well done when you take into consideration it was completed in about an hour and a half with next to no dry time (and no top coat) before I had to begin getting ready. I felt very accomplished when I walked out the door with only one smudge and one crinkle, both on my right hand.

Don't worry if you're a Christmas Grinch, I have a mani for you too!! This was inspired by the Grinch of course. The green 'furry' texture and the heart two sizes too small. :) This was actually my mani nearly all week before Christmas. I wore it Christmas shopping because I was certainly a Grinch.

So, did you get everything you wanted for Christmas this year?

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Influenster Holiday VoxBox 2012

After being iced in and not being able to get the mail for the past few days I was so excited to find the Influenster Holiday VoxBox (my very first VoxBox) in my mailbox this morning. I will be doing reviews for everything in this box sooner or later, but until then I want to share my excitement with you so I'm going to take you through opening the box. :) Forgive me for some of the lower quality pictures. My reviews should have better ones.

Upon opening the box there are two cards and a little something peeking out under them.

A closer look at the top card shows it to be an intro card showing this is the Holiday VoxBox 2012. Is it wrong that my favorite part of this card is the Christmas ornament dotting the 'i'?

At least until you flip it over. The flip side of this card shows everything contained in the box, a quick description, and the retail value. I like the surprise, so I tossed this card aside quickly. This picture was taken after I examined every inch of the box first.



The second card is from Sole Society giving me $25 off my first pair of shoes from them. I've been a member of this website for almost as long as they've been open! For those who haven't found this website yet, Sole Society is a website that sells on-trend designer shoes at affordable prices. I gaze longingly at the shoes every time I get an email from them, but no matter how affordable by designer standards these shoes are I simply don't have the money to buy any of them. I will enjoy using this $25!



Flipping this card over shows the promo code to get this discount and lets me know I can share it with you! Check out their shoes and use the promo code INFLUENSTER25 to get $25 off your purchase too. I think this is beyond cool. I think we should all give Sole Society a great big thank you!!



Removing both cards gives me my first look at the products. So much excitement I'm going to burst like an over-inflated balloon!!!

I can't resist the call of pink; it's my favorite color after all. This is from EBOOST and according to the info card it will boost your mood, focus, and immunity with natural ingredients and no crash. Great for the holiday season! The only downside to me is that it's pink lemonade flavor. I hate lemonade! I hate it so much I refuse to even buy a glass of lemonade from my niece's lemonade stand because then I'd be forced to drink it while making yummy sounds. For the review I think I'll see how well it dissolves and the scent. Maybe I'll even be brave enough to take a sip.



After the call of pink was assuaged, I went with the call of something big. From the shape I thought it might be a cup of soup, but it turned out to be my breakfast. Yes, I ate it right after these pictures! It's Quaker Real Medleys oatmeal in Apple Walnut. It has apples, cranberries and chopped walnuts with multigrain oats. Quick, easy, and with no bowl required there's no big cleanup. Perfect for those on the go with very little time for a healthy breakfast.

Next up is the Goody Quik Style paddle brush. I've been eyeing these brushes, and I'm so happy to have received one free in this box. I'm always looking for ways to get out the door quicker. I'm really excited to try this and may even give it to my niece to try. Her hair is much, much thicker than mine; it takes her forever to dry it, so if this can help her it will be a miracle product. Look for the review!

I've tried and reviewed Kiss Nail Dress before. Now that I'm more experienced in the ways of nails I certainly think these are worth another try. This is Princess, a really pretty, slightly blinged out leopard print.



Last but not least is NYC New York Color Liquid Lipshine! I think this is one of the things I'm most excited about oddly enough. After getting a glimpse of lipgloss in this box I was terrified it was going to be a bright color that I wouldn't be able to use. You see, I have naturally deep red lips so most lip products turn hideous colors when layered over them. I can do some light pink glosses and nudes. Talk about perfect! This is Nude York City, a beautiful nude shimmer. It's such an odd name, but it's just cutesy enough that I like it! It has already found a place in my purse.

So, again, look for the in-depth reviews of these products. I'll be trying to slot them in around my posts. I'm actually really excited about that. I'm a nail blogger � I wouldn't have it any other way, but I would like to branch out a bit. To be able to do an off-topic post every now and then if I find a product worth sharing. How would you guys feel about that? It won't be every post; it won't even be one a week! But I would love to share worthy (or unworthy) products. Give me your thoughts; I definitely want to hear them. :)

*All products were sent to me for testing purposes, completely complimentary, from Influenster. All photos and opinions are my own.

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last minute gift - Xen Tan Light Gradual set

What do you mean you still haven't bought all your Christmas presents?! Don't worry i'm off out last minute shopping tonight; i promise myself every year things will be different and i'll get all my presents bought in January but it never happens! Maybe next year..

If you have any fake-tan friends or just fancy a little treat for your self, this set from Xen-Tan would be prefect. I love a bit of Xen-Tan, it has to be my favourite fake tan brand. I've been testing this set out for 5 days now and i would recommend this to any pale girls like myself! The colour looks very natural, it has a  lovely sweet scent and the tanning mitt makes applying it so much easier.

Here's what Xen-Tan have to say about the products inside the kit.

Xen-Tan Transform Daily Self-Tan 177ml
Una Healy's favourite tanning product, Xen-Tan Transform is perfect for those who want a natural-looking tan that develops gradually and leaves skin looking radiant and healthy for days.

- Xen-Tan Body Scrub 236ml
Xen-Tan's gentle exfoliant is designed to successfully prepare your skin for a beautiful, natural-looking tan, and help it last even longer. A little really does go a long way, so it's a great value choice too.

- Xen-Tan Luxury Tanning Mitt
Specially designed and tested by Xen-Tan's beauty experts, the Luxury Tanning Mitt lets you achieve a professional salon finish in the comfort of your own home, making sure you exude the confidence that comes with a flawless finish.

This retails for �29.99 and is available to buy from feelunique.com

Hope you are having a good Christmas :) x

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Christmas Borders

The rush to Christmas is insane! I spent the day baking cookies and there's a full day of shopping to look forward to tomorrow ... and probably Monday too. Yes, I am a world class procrastinator. I've put this all off until the last minute ... again, because this is exactly what I did last year. I don't even have any decorations up yet. So, this is the reason for the cut back in posts if you were wondering, lol.

I had all these wonderful ideas I was going to do, and then I just never seemed to have the time to do them. So, I came up with a few very simple nail designs to share. This is one of them. Dotted border nails. It's something new to me. I've done true border nails before but never dotted borders.

I decided to keep it very Christmas-y with alternating red and green. This is carried over onto my other hand, starting with green on my thumb so it's all very different and interesting. This could totally be worn alone if you don't have much time for dots. Two coats of Sinful Colors Exotic Green and two of Wet n Wild I Red A Good Book, a layer of quick drying top coat and you're out the door looking perfectly festive.

For the dotted border I used my smallest dotting tool. I created the dots and then went over them again to make them brighter when I realized they weren't showing up well. I wish I had started with white dots first before using red and green. This would have made them much more noticeable, but you live and learn.

Overall though, a very simple and Christmas-y mani. Enjoy. :)

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