New Look Shoe Sale Haul

I KNOW I say this every time a new pair of shoes comes in to my life, but seriously- I think I love them.
Nay, nay, I know it with certainty.
I have been lusting after a pair like this for a long, long time *which to me equates to roughly two weeks*- we live in an impatient society, what can I say?! 

Do you like them? You will even more when you see the price...

THAT'S RIGHT- if you're in to caging your feet up like a pair of dangerous animals, get yourself down to New Look pronto.
They're in the summer sale, but I think with tights you could rock them in the winter too.
Be warned though, if you are wide-footed like I, you will definitely need to go up a size.
I was trying some on in there and I couldn't wedge my foot in to anything smaller than an eight. There's absolutely nothing wrong with being an eight, but I'm not an eight. Their shoes run on the smaller side, is what I'm saying.

Not content with this one purchase, I had to go and treat myself to something else didn't I.
I've been looking for a pair of wedges for the longest time. I see cool girls pull them off and I've just either a) never found the right pair or b) never been cool enough to wear them.
Now, my cool factor definitely has not improved, so we'll put it down to finding the right pair.
And for £10, who can complain?

Did you pick up New Look sale?



Follow @styleresolution

Cripes! I'm an e-reader Convert

 

No, I didn't decide to invest in an e-reader because I don't want other commuters to see the covers of my filthy books! Get your minds out of the gutter! 

I set up this blog as a script of my...self development, if you will.

Although it's kind of taken on a beauty-driven tone recently, I've been reviewing things and I'm going to go back to what I set out to do- adding in more non-beauty posts, style posts and posts about how I'm getting on with the Style Resolutions. And they are about living fabulously, not just about slapping on the slap, girlfrieeeend.

So one of those Resolutions is to read more stylishly.

I mean, just to read more in general is an achievement. But my friend Nook makes it feel a bit more...glam. 

WHY E-READ?

Well, that's a good question, Samantha. 

For a long time now I've been in the 'there's nothing that can beat a book!' school of thought *puts on tweed jacket and smokes a pipe*

I mean, it's true, there is a magical quality about picking up a real, paper book and the smell of the pages (please don't say it's just me that likes a sniff?)

But when you're a busy gal (or boy, as the case may be), books become a bit of a pain in the bum. 

Who wants to lug a 400 page tome around on the tube? Or on a weekend away?

That's vital SHOE SPACE it's taking up in your bag! 

And being a lover of shoes, I knew it was time to take the plunge in to the virtual world. 

SO, WHY THE NOOK?

Well, being honest with you- the price. 

Call me a cheapskate (or paid as little as a church mouse) but I don't just have an odd £100 to splash on a book-reading machine. 

Like all us bloggers, I am one for researching vigorously online before making a purchase- particularly purchases over, say £20. 

And when I came across an e-reader that didn't have a screen as small as a gnat's bum for a bargain price, I could hardly believe it. 

But it's true- as part of the Get London Reading campaign, the Nook is on sale for a mere £30. 

Online gadget lovers are despairing over the fact these seem to be out of stock everywhere, so I felt a bit smug when I snapped one up from humble old Argos *smug face*

Rumours are that Barnes and Noble are planning to stop making these babies and hence the reason for the whole initiative- but with literally MILLIONS of books available in the online store, that's not a concern. 

WHAT DO I THINK SO FAR? 

Look, for £30 you're not going to get state-of-the-art, next level technology. 

But as it stands- probably one of the best purchases I've ever made. I LOVE this thing. 

Some books are an absolute bargain, while others are on the pricey side and might need a bit of consideration. 

Sometimes page turning is a little slow or jumpy, but again, I can live with that.

It doesn't have a backlight, which makes reading in the dark impossible- but this is easily resolved by purchasing a clip-on one (mine literally cost £1)

The battery life is ridiculous- I've had it for two months and only had to charge it once so far. 

And although  I was joking earlier, it is true that you can read whatever the hell you want and no one has the slightest clue. 

It's ideal if you're in to any (no, I'm not going to say sex books) self-improvement or career books. 

I'm not sure I'll take it on my beach holiday in a month's time, because if it got wet I'd probably cry. 

But for traveling and for time you'd spend waiting around, this is ideal. 

So far it's accompanied me on lots of train journeys, to a long wait at the doctors, on many a lunch break and snuggled up in bed.

 And how stylish does its nice red leather case look?!

Follow @styleresolution

L'oreal Skin Perfection

L'oreal has been feeding this range in dribs and drabs. It's been a couple of months since I inquisitively made my first foray in to it. But this week they brought out the big guns. That's right, Queen Cheryl got involved. And you know what that means- a demand from beauty lovers, like me, for as many reviews as they can get their uber-moisturised hands on.

You might have seen my reviews of the Micellar Solution and Cleansing Oil- Love love LOOOOOOOVE...

Until recently, I *shock horror* wasn't the biggest fan of L'oreal skincare. I found it a bit harsh on my sensitive yet spot-prone skin. 

But this range. I. Just *slow claps*

 

Being the obsessive compulsive I am, I had to pick up the Velvety Soft Toner on my last trip to Superdrug. 

Well, at £1.99 how can a girl resist? 

Recently I've been a lot more dedicated to the art of cleansing. Let's face it, we all know life is easier when you can just climb in to bed having given your face a cursory swipe with a make up wipe. 

But ALAS, according the the multi-billion pound skincare industry, that's a no-no. And who are we mere mortals to argue with this?!*

*I have to be honest and say I do agree non-cleansing is a fast track to wrinkle city.

So anyway- once Cheryl Cole, gorgeous woman, wades in to any new product launch, like a moth to a flame I'm hooked. 

But I sort of feel a bit smug I already discovered these on my own *does smug, cleansed face*

Has anyone tried the creams or serum in this range? I've heard good things.

Come pay day those babies are mine.




Follow @styleresolution

Is Nivea Reading my Mind???

Us women. Running around, making our money, raising our families, building our empires.
(Or, like me right now, sitting on the sofa eating Twisters...)
We're all so busy and important. There is NOT. ENOUGH. HOURS. IN. THE. DAY.
So who has time for moisturising?!
Certainly, it seems, not the women at Nivea, who have come up with this....


























I have to be honest, I did a little air-punch when I got my hands on this.
Why? Am I so busy I need to save the precious seconds this will save me in my beauty routine?
Mmmm well, no. Essentially it's because I'm quite lazy.
But unfortunately, I'm also quite dry. Moisturising after a shower is a must if I don't want to look like a snow globe.
And no matter how many shower gels promise to soothe skin, I still find my knees cracking after wash time.

And I'm not accusing Nivea of delving in to my brain and scooping out my thoughts, but it was during a shower recently that I was all 'huff puff cba- I wish someone would invent a moisturiser I could use in the shower...' And lo and behold, look what we get...

THE IN-SHOWER MOISTURISER

Is it the answer to my prayers?
Well, I'm not going to be shouting from the rooftops of anything, but yes, for anyone that's a) lazy and b) dry or c) busy- invest in this.
I'm really enjoying the simple pleasure of getting out the shower and not feeling sore. Just being able to put my clothes on and go.
It's also good for when you're planning to fake tan but you can't slap on a load of moisturiser.
All in all, I like.
It's a bit more expensive than an average budget moisturiser but it's lasted through a few weeks of my daily showers and it's got the classic Nivea smell to boot.




Follow @styleresolution

REVIEW- L'oreal Miracle Cleansing Oil

Lately I've been in to cleansers in a big way.
The dream, I'm sure we all agree, is for skin so good make-up isn't required.
Unfortunately this is but a dream. Unless you're, like, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.


I don't know about you, but I (Little Miss OCD) can't stand the thought of grime on my face. Maybe not on, more specifically- in.
The thought of all those pore-clogging nasties we encounter every day without even thinking about it *shivers*

When I get in after a long day, washing it all away is somewhat of a therapy for me.
What is it that man once said?..The best ideas often happen in the shower.
Maybe that's a little off tangent. But the point is, cleansing is a form of therapy.
For me, anyway.

Now, I'm a big fan of L'oreal's Micellar Solution.
And with the launch of that (what has become) beauty blogger's holy grail, came this-

Skin Perfection 15 Second Miracle Cleansing Oil.
I got this on offer for £3.99- think it's usual price is around £5.99
Is it worth it? Well a decent pack of cleansing wipes is going to set you back the offer price, and this is definitely going to last longer.

First of all, I was surprised to find it's a pump instead of a spray- but I guess that's neither here nor there.
Like the Micellar Solution, the packaging is clean and looks fresh.
One pump and you rub it over your face to get rid of make-up.
Does it wipe away waterpoof mascara? Yes.
But it does leave some residue.
Unlike the Micellar Solution, this has to be washed or wiped away. Which might be a bit inconvenient if you're on the go.
But it goes on smooth, feels good on the skin and cleans in seconds.

All in all, I really like this.
But not as much as its watery friend.
Of the two, I'd say go with that. But if you love cleansing as much as I do (because I lead a very sad existence), then threat yourself to this as well.


Follow @styleresolution

Sorry about that.....

I know everyone's been pining after me, checking and refreshing for hours on end for another, let's face it, excellent review. So it will warm the cockles of your heart to know I'm back. This means more reviews and hauls than you can shake a bottle of Bioderma at....

Nails Inc- Rimmel Kate Dupe

Just a quick one for you today- Last month I brought you a review of Rimmel Salon Pro in Hip Hop. Well I say review, it was a bit of a rave. 

If you like your fashion magazines *hands up whoever spends a shameless amount on them each month* you'll have noticed this month's InStyle comes with a free Nails Inc polish. 

Me being a magpie for red picked up the red- It's Red, Babez. Obviously. 

Except when it came to putting it on, I was thinking 'hang on a second, this looks familiar...'

Lo and behold, I genuinely can't see a difference. These are an exact dupe. 

The Rimmel has a slightly thicker, more 'gel' feeling formula and wears slightly better. 

But shade and shine wise, these are the same. 

I wore one shade on every-other nail and by the end of the day, I couldn't tell which was which. 

Although price wise there isn't much in it (Rimmel Salon Pro retails for £4.49, InStyle is £3.80), I thought it was worth giving you a heads-up about this. 

Whilst you get more product in the Rimmel, with the Nails Inc comes a free magazine. 

Or you could do a 'me' and just have both..

Because we all know just one lot of bright, corally red polish isn't enough.

Follow @styleresolution