Happy Halloween - A Fail And A Little Nails Of The Day Featuring Born Pretty Gel Color BP-MC02*

I know I keep saying it but this year really has flown by, I find it so hard to believe that it's Halloween already. I'm not the biggest Halloween stan, but I am partial to a pumpkin or two. I can't show you this years carving attempt because it's so terrifying - it was a bit soft to carve so I ended up improvising with a sharp knife and some BBQ skewers, to create a weird plague doctor, bird, bat, mothman hybrid - I don't know about the trick or treaters, but it will definitely scare away the evil spirits - LOL. Anyway the innards of said pumpkin are now bubbling away to create a panful of Delia Smith's Pumpkin & Toasted Sweetcorn Soup (check out the recipe here if you have some spare pumpkin flesh), and the horror exterior is ready for all the little witches and ghosts with their pumpkin pails. 

I got any cute Halloween outfit pics or recipes to share with you this year, so instead I'm sharing a little nails of the day post with you featuring my lovely pumpkin before I attacked it with a sharp knife!

This is the Born Pretty Gel Color in the catchily names shade BP-MC02. I bought this particular colour in a set of Autumn themed shades from Amazon in October of last year, when I was on the hunt for a pumpkin toned orange gel polish.

This isn't bright neon orange by any means it's definitely noticeable but it's a touch more muted, with maybe some yellow tones in it. 

This is a gel polish so you do need either a UV or LED lamp to seal it. I used some nail dehydrator, primer, and then a base coat and applied two coats of polish, and then a coat of top coat sealing under the lamp between every polish layer. I used my Sensationail LED lamp, and I've got to say the instructions were a touch vague - it said to seal for 30-120 seconds, so I went for about 90 seconds for this polish and it seemed to set pretty well.

The finish as you can see is very shiny, but I think that it could also work with a matte top coat. My nails are super short here so it's never the easiest paint job but despite the less than perfect paint job. this was pretty easy to paint with, the brush was fine and the polish was a nice consistency.

As for wear time, it's actually quite hard to judge, having your hands deep in the guts of pumpkin, full of enzymes and fruit acids doesn't do a lot for a manicure, well it didn't do much for mine! By the time I'd finished my carving attempt I'd lost 1 nail on my left hand and 4 on my right! The leaflet that came with the set I got said it could last up to 3 weeks, so who knows. I still think I'll experiment a bit more with timings, and different top and base coats when I use it again to try and see what works the best, but all in all a decent polish, and a nice seasonal shade.

Alas this particular shade is now pretty hard to find, as I say I bought in a kit about this time last year and believe it or not the last one sold out on Amazon earlier this week! However there is currently a set of 6 polishes also available from Amazon for £9.99 that contains a very similar colour. There are loads of very reasonably priced Born Pretty polishes, again including some similar sets and colours available on eBay and obviously direct from Born Pretty.

So whatever you're doing this evening be it trick or treating, sitting with the lights off hiding from said trick or treaters and ignoring the whole thing , having a party or just having a nice night in, I hope you have a very Happy Halloween, and also if you're celebrating a very Happy Diwali x 

*This Post Contains Added Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links

Spooky Skincare With Beauty Pro Pumpkin Infused Sheet Mask*

Hi Guys x I hope you're all having a good Halloween (despite the whole potential lockdown thing). It's been a bit of a funny one here x I took a picture for this blog post and then I went to carve my pumpkin only to find a rotting and liquified mess inside, so no sweetcorn and pumpkin soup of me this year, instead I'm making a version with butternut squash so fingers crossed it tastes just as yummy. 

I was originally going to share a Halloween nail post with you but instead I decided to bring two of the key elements of Halloween together, pumpkins and scary masks together in one beauty review post.
 

I've tried quite a few masks and targeted treatments from mask specialist Beauty Pro now, and I've always been pretty impressed so a few weeks ago I decided to add this one on to a NEXT order. 

From their Plant Based, vegan friendly range, this sheet mask is crammed full of plant enzymes, and AHA's and is designed to brighten and soften, and deeply moisturise the skin. 100% plant based, the mask itself is made from biodegradable bamboo fibre and contains a whole host of organic herb and plant extracts including pumpkin, ivy, bergamot, hibiscus, Chinese yam, chia and flaxseed. As I say the mask is suitable for vegans, and as well as being approved by PETA and the Vegan Society, it's also water free.

As you can see from this picture the mask was very, very wet, unlike the mask I talked about yesterday this one definitely had more of viscous serum texture. As it was so wet it was a little bit difficult to pull apart but the bamboo fibre was fairly sturdy so it didn't rip or tear. 

Since pumpkin has so little smell (unless it rotten :() I wasn't really sure how this would smell but it actually had a nice citrus scent, a bit like a cross between lemon bathroom cleaner (in a good way though!) and Earl Grey tea, probably down to the inclusion of the bergamot.

Before 

It initially felt very cool on the skin, but as time went on I did experience a slight tingling sensation, but it wasn't uncomfortable or painful. Also unlike the SUGU Beauty mask that I talked about yesterday, I didn't experience any problems with running or dripping.

On Application

I removed the mask after about 15 minutes and as you see in the picture below my face was still very wet, so I rubbed the excess serum into my face and neck.

Immediately After Removal

It took about 5 minutes to absorb, and as you can see my skin still looked hydrated and moist. There is a tiny bit of pinkness there but my skin didn't feel irritated, sore or dry. It still felt a tiny bit sticky but within half an hour or so that had disappeared and my skin felt a touch smoother

5 Minutes After Removal

I don't know how it obvious it is for these pictures but I definitely felt that my skin looked more awake and more refreshed after using this mask. I used the mask first thing in the morning and I definitely felt that it gave my skin a bit of glow and stopped my looking, and thanks to the scent feeling less tired.

The mask definitely isn't just for Halloween and I'll will potentially buy it again. This particular mask has an RRP of £4.95 but the price does vary slightly depending on where you buy it. It's available from various retailers including direct from Beauty Pro, from Beauty Expert, The Fragrance Shop, Look Fantastic and NEXT Beauty x What ever you doing tonight, whether it's sitting with a face mask on and watching scary movies, or having a social distanced Halloween gathering I hope you all have an enjoyable and safe night x 

*This Post Contains Automatic Affiliate, Added Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links 

Intu Eldon Square Fashion Spooktacular*

I don't know about you but the fact that another month starts next week terrifies me, at the moment I'm really feeling as though life is starting to pass me by! As scary as it seems though, it does mean that we're one step closer to my favourite time of year, Christmas. I love Christmas but strange as it sounds I've heard a few people say that it isn't their favourite time of year. There are loads of reasons I guess why that could be, but a lot of people seem to to prefer another holiday or special day and for that reason a certain day next week is their favourite day of the year, What am I talking about? Well Halloween of course!

I must admit that as an adult I can take Halloween or I can leave it, I carve a pumpkin, and get sweets ready for the trick or treaters but I can honestly say that I don't get that excited about it any more. I think I was more a fan of it as a child, with my bin bag costume, my hollowed out turnip and my witches hat but Halloween has come on a long way since then, and maybe that's why some many adults get so excited about it and dress up and decorate their homes as if it was Christmas.

When things become popular understandably retailers jump on the band waggon and play a role in creating the hype. Look in any store or online and the words Glamourween, Do Horror In Style, Hauntingly Beautiful or Scream Queens will jump out at you as retailers promote their Halloween themed fashion, accessories and home ware.

Is that a bad thing? No not my eyes I'm all for people having fun, and whether you're a fan of all things spooky or not, and you live in the North East, take my advice and head to Intu Eldon Square over the next few days to get both some spooky home and fashion advice, and some fashion hints and tips for the Autumn and Winter seasons ahead

On Monday night, myself and a small, select group of North East bloggers were invited down to Intu Eldon Square to experience everything that the Fashion Spooktacular has to offer and to experience a little bit of what's going to be going on over the next few days.

Conveniently sited near to New Look, Debenhams, and Dorothy Perkins, Intu have created their very own spooky themed walk in capsule wardrobe. Step inside and you'll find rails of clothing featuring some of the seasons key fashion and accessory trends from stores throughout Eldon Square including Adidas, Top Shop, and Oasis, intermingled with Halloween themed accessories, such as masks and hats from the likes of Claires, Accessorize and Ann Summers, and even some Halloween home items including pumpkins, wreaths and even black cats.

With Halloween themed music including Thriller by Michael Jackson, Black Magic By Little Mix, and of course the Time Warp from Rocky Horror playing in the background, we started off the evening as bloggers do with some food and drink and some lovely paella, tapas and sangria, courtesy of Tapas Revolution which is now open in the centre new Grey's Quarter.

Then clutching our sangria and day of the dead, skull themed plates we then had the opportunity to get some seasonal themed style advice.

Over the next three days, the team from Intu Eldon Square will be giving you the opportunity to attend their fashion spooktacular and get not only some Halloween style advice but also some more general autumn and winter fashion tips. There are three workshops a day and they are free to attend.

27th and 29th October 2017

11.30am - Creepy Crawly Homeware 

How to achieve the chicest Halloween home

1.30pm - How To Pick A Wicked Winter Coat

Explore some of the seasons key outerwear trends and find out the style advice your need to pick your own perfect winter coat

3.30pm Autumn Winter Capsule Wardrobe Wizardry 

Personal style advice on to pick on trend pieces that can be paired together to maximise your look in the seasons ahead

28th October 2017

11.30am - How To Pick A Wicked Winter Coat

1.30pm Our Top Ten Must Have Autumn / Winter Items

Showcasing some of the key pieces for Autumn / Winter 2017 including boots, statement t-shirts and knits

3.30pm - Scarily Good Halloween Costume Ideas

Tips on how to find and create the chicest Halloween costumes, and well as fun costume ideas for the little ones.

All of the styling sessions and workshops will held by a member of the style team and if you're lucky enough you might get to meet the Fashion Fortune Teller herself, or as she's known in real life Emma, you can find all about Emma and what she does on her own website Stylissimo and let me tell you this lady knows her stuff. She is an image consultant and personal shopper, a fashion blogger and writer and she is also a personal and commercial stylist and she is going to be on hand to answer all of you fashion and style questions over the next few days. 

On the night Emma told us a little bit about the workshops and what exactly each one covers before giving us a taster of the Scarily Good Halloween Costume Ideas session. Yes I know you can go out and buy a costume off the peg but surely there are more glamorous ways to create a Halloween fashion statement? 

Well, there are and Emma gave us some great hints and tips on how to create a chic Halloween look by taking some clothing pieces from some of the stores in the centre and teaming them with cute Halloween themed accessories, and make up sets to create some both fun and stylish looks.

I'm all for versatility when it comes my wardrobe, and although it doesn't look like as times, I do try to shop carefully and consider things like cost per wear when I choosing more expensive pieces, so her advice was perfect for my way of thinking. Whilst a lot of the pieces could be worn as part of a stylish Halloween ensemble, a lot of them could also be dressed down or worn casually or they could even be recycled and used as Christmas party outfits, by changing how you wear them and by changing your accessories. She showed us some beautifully pieces but I fell head over heels in love with this black velvet kimono style jacket from River Island. You can't see it too clearly here but it's covered in pearls and beading and whilst it would look great over a plain black dress you could also dress it down and wear it over jeans and a statement t-shirt, it also comes in the River Island Curve range too which is a bonus.

As I seem to have said quite a lot recently I do love a blog and press events, but the ones that really stand out to me are when you actually get to do something, be it try a new product, learn a new skill, or get really involved in some way and as result the next part of the night was right up my street.

The team from Intu Eldon Square had teamed up with several of the centres stores to set myself and my fellow bloggers some challenges, either individually or in pairs, so after being handed a envelope with our names on, we all went our separate ways, some of us were making bath bombs in Lush, one blogger had an Urban Decay makeover, some went to eat, and some us went to stores such as John Lewis and Top Shop, to create seasonal themed home ware settings and seasonal outfits.

I was paired up with the lovely Laura, and we headed to Dorothy Perkins, where we were asked to create a Christmas party outfit with shoes and accessories with a budget of £100. I'm not going to lie I let Laura take the lead, I love her style, and some of things that she wears, so it was interesting to see how she puts an outfit together. We decided to go for something just that little bit different, sequins, glitter and sparkle are brilliant and they have their place but we went for something that you could actually wear again either together or as separate pieces on a day to day basis. We teamed a khaki (that's what it says online but it's really a vintage, bottle green) Pu mini skirt up with an oriental design, statement print bardot style top, and then picking out some of the colours in the top, we chose a pair of burgundy Mary Jane style, suede effect heels, and a black patent clutch to mix up the textures a bit, and then we finished the look with a pair of long black tassel earrings to compliment the oriental feel, and the off the shoulder top.

It was good fun not only experiencing how somebody else looks at clothing but also because we had a chance to have a good look around the store and believe me they have a lot of things in at the moment that I want!

After snapping a few pics and saying thank you to the team at Dorothy Perkins we headed back to the Fashion Spooktacular zone to compare our experiences with Emma and our fellow bloggers. The next part of the evening and the next thing that the team at Intu had treated us to was a potion cocktail experience at The Alchemist, which is a popular cocktail bar and restaurant which is  also located in Greys Quarter. Unfortunately due to my reliance on public transport on the night I had to pass, and headed home with my arms laden with goodies, including this beautiful flower arrangement / bouquet from Katherines Florists.

Apologies that this photo is taken in the amazing surroundings of Eldon Square Bus Station but I was paranoid that it wouldn't last the journey, thankfully though it did, and now both myself and my mum are getting the chance to enjoy the beautiful autumnal toned flowers and foliage. I'm particularly loving the orange Physalis that remind of little pumpkins.

We also received a lovely day of the dead, sugar skull themed loot bag full of goodies including Halloween themed sweets, a brooch from Tiger, a notepad from Accessorize, a NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream, a Lush Butterball Ballistic make up samples from Urban Decay and Inglot, and discount vouchers from Burtons, Dorothy Perkins, and Monsoon, a makeover voucher for Inglot and we were also very kindly gifted an Intu gift card which I will be putting to good use soon, what will I buy though decisions, decisions!

I'd like to say a huge thank you to Intu Eldon Square for hosting the event, on what was a very trying evening with fire alarms and what not, I also want to thank Emma, and the team from Tapas Revolution, and of course Dorothy Perkins and all of the other retailers involved. If you're in Newcastle over the next few days I would definitely recommend that you pop into Intu Eldon Square, and take advantage of the Fashion Spooktacular and get your self some style tips, for the season ahead. You can find out more about the Fashion Spooktacular and what Intu Eldon Square has to offer on their official website. Any questions please leave me a comment and I will see you tomorrow with a very rare outfit post x 

*Blog Press / Event 

  Some Photographs Kindly Provided By Intu Eldon Square

Lush Gateshead Re-Opening Party And Some New Holiday Releases*

Now I'm not the most social of creatures by any means, but last week I went to a party! Alas there was no jelly and ice cream or pass the parcel, but there was enough glitter to shake a stick it and that certainly makes it a party in my eyes.

Myself, and a small group of my fellow North East bloggers were invited along to celebrate the re-opening of the Lush Gateshead store in Intu Metrocentre, alongside the Lush staff and their families.

Since I became bathless, I've got to be honest and say that I don't go into Lush as often as I used to, the pain that I can't buy bath ballistics anymore is real! When I go into store though, the Metrocentre store is my local, and although the staff have changed over the years, I can never praise the staff enough they are always super friendly and helpful and they always have a smile on their face.

The Intu Metrocentre store staff though, now have even more reason to be happy than most, why? well they have a shiny new and renovated store to work in. Still located in Upper Red Mall, the store has undergone a real transformation, the layout has completely changed, and it seems more spacious than it used but of course you can still buy all of your old favourites including haircare, skincare, fragrance, make up and of course bath and body products.

One new addition that is bound to make life easier for both the customers and the staff, is the introduction of new demonstration stations, which are fully equipped with sinks and hot and cold running water. Instead of having to grab a bowl of water, staff can now demonstrate how products work in a real setting, so you can try ballistics, and rinse off cleansers, body conditioners and shower foams until your heart is content, and your senses are tingling.

To celebrate the re-opening Lush, have made Lush Gateshead one of the first stores in the UK to launch their new Christmas and Halloween products, and we were given a sneaky peek as to what is on offer.

With every year that passes, Halloween in the UK gets bigger and bigger, When I was wee, Halloween involved a carved turnip, a black bin liner, and a witches hat but now there are decorations, costumes, cakes, sweets and even Lush goodies. You can buy pumpkin gift sets, black cat knot wraps, and a wide variety of soaps, bubble bars, bath ballistics, and even lip products (more on that later) to help you celebrate the witching hour. The bath envy is real with this one and if I had one I would definitely have picked a black cat shaped, Bewitched Bubble Bar.

At the risk of offending half of the population, I'm actually not that fussed about Halloween, it means one thing to me and that is Christmas is getting nearer, and you can't argue that the one thing that Lush do incredibly well is Christmas.

Think of Lush and Christmas and I can guarantee that one product will spring to mind and that is Snow Fairy, and the good news is that it is back for Christmas 2017. The original sweet, and fruity shower gel makes a reappearance this year but it isn't the only way to get your Snow Fairy fix. This year there are more Snow Fairy fragranced products than ever before, you can try out the new Jelly Bombs or you could pick up a Cold Pressed Soap, or even a versatile bar of Fun for the bath or shower. If body moisturising is more your thing, or if you want to layer all of that Snow Fairy sweetness, then you can try the new Snow Fairy Sparkle Jar, which is a combination of body shimmer, and a moisturising massage bar or you can try the Snow Fairy Body Conditioner which comes in both in a pot and as a naked product, which you can either use in the shower for a super moisturising treat or you can use a small amount as a body moisturiser.

Lush have always been one of the most innovative brands on the high street, and it goes without saying that they operate under a strong ethical standpoint. More of their products than ever before are suitable for vegans and a lot of their products are becoming more and more eco friendly in fact you can now buy a lot of products in their naked form. It sounds strange but cutting down on unnecessary packaging has always been the Lush way, and following on from the success of their solid shampoos, now they've introduced a wide range of products without packaging. You can now buy solid lip tints, solid lip scrubs, solid body lotions, solid shower gels and solid body conditioners, so say you want to buy some Snow Fairy Shower Gel, you can now buy it as you always did in a plastic bottle or you can buy the Naked version, which is a solid block that lathers up in the shower.

If Snow Fairy isn't for you (if it isn't, what is wrong with you?) then Lush have plenty of other festive products to tickle your fancy including Shower Gels and Jelly's, Soaps, Body Conditioners, and Body Creams, Bubble Bars and Bath Ballistics, and even lip products, with some new Lip Scrubs and Lip Tints, and the new Glittery Lip Block which is perfect for the party season.

I've already made myself a list of the shower things that I want and I'm definitely going to pick up my favourite Santa's Belly Shower Jelly, some Bubbly Shower Gel, the Bucks Fizz Body Conditioner and of course some more Snow Fairy but I couldn't resist buying a few thing on the night

I I ended up buying a couple of lip things I got the yummy tasting Sugar Plum Fairy Lip Scrub which retails at £5.95 and I also ended up getting the fabulous Black Rose Lipstick / Lip Tint from the Halloween range which retails at £6.50; it looks pretty scary, aka black in the tube but it alters with the PH of your skin and it lasts for ages on the lips.

I also picked up one of the new(ish) Jelly Face Masks in Just To Clarify (I'll be reviewing in a future post) which was £6.95 it wouldn't be a seasonal  Lush haul without Snow Fairy so I picked up the also newish, Snow Fairy Body Conditioner which you can use as both a luxurious shower cream or as a light and sparkly body moisturiser and it retails at £8.50 for the 100g size.

The people at Lush Gateshead were also kind enough to gift us a few of the Christmas products to try, and our goodies came beautifully packaged in one of Lush's signature, eco friendly Knot Wraps. I am a bit in love with knot wraps and they make any product look gift worthy in minutes. This is one of the many Christmas designs that they have on offer, but each store also has a wide variety of different designs to choose from and sometimes they even have vintage scarves which they can use as well.

My knot wrap contained two bath products, which I'm passing on to my bestie, a Christmas Sweater Bath Ballistic which contains a warming blend of mustard, clove, ginger, coriander, and Sicilian Lemon, and retails at £4.50, and a My Two Front Teeth Bubble Bar which contains lavender, vanilla, tonka bean and neroli and retails at £3.95.

It also contained a Berry Berry Christmas Naked Shower Gel which retails at £11.75 and contains a combination of cranberry, blueberry, bergamot, sweet wild orange oil, and olive leaf absolute and a piece of Shooting Stars Soap, which contains a fresh citrus mix of lemon, lime and bergamot and retails at £4.95. Make sure your following me on all of my social media channel to find out what I think about these two products.

I filmed a little video on the night, to showcase some of new releases and of course the re-opening party and the newly refurbished Gateshead store that you can see below or via this link.



If you are from the North East I can't recommend heading down to the new Gateshead store enough, the staff are really helpful and there are loads of new things to look at, and try. If you aren't lucky enough to live up North then the Halloween and Christmas ranges will be in all stores soon and of course you can have a look online x There really is something for everyone at Lush, there are loads of individual products for every skin type and every need, and there are plenty of gift sets to choose from for both Halloween and Christmas. Are you a fan of Lush's Christmas products? Let me know in the comments

*Press / Blogger Event 

Essie - Braziliant And A Bit Of Halloween Nail Art

Happy Halloween x I hope you've had a thoroughly spooky day whatever you've been doing and I hope that tonight it equally scary - I'm planning to snuggle on the sofa and watch some scary films and eat a lovely bowl of Delia Smith's Pumpkin And Toasted Sweetcorn Soup - Yummy! My pumpkin this year was a bit of a fail - he had a bit of a sunken head but hey at least I tried!

To coincide with the bright orange of Mr Pumpkin Head I decided to match my nails to his bright orange exterior with Essie - Braziliant

This picture is probably one of the best for showing off the real colour -. I've found it nigh on impossible to capture it's true colour but it's a true bright, bright orange shot through with a touch of shimmer, that just seems to be reflecting on my flash and making it look quite a bit redder.

Like a lot of Essie polishes, Braziliant was pretty easy to apply. This one has a wide brush and the formulation is quite thick, so with careful application you could probably get away with one coat but here I've used two.

I love, love, love this shade and whilst it would amazing with a tan or on the beach, I think orange is a real autumnal colour and it looks really nice with some of the browns, tans and rust shades that are around at the moment.

Seeing as it's All Hallows Ever though I decided to give this polish a bit of a Halloween twist. There are so many amazing Halloween nail art tutorials out there but I've gone for the cheats option and used some really easy nail stickers.

This set that I got from Top Shop isn't particularly scary or complicated but black cats are most definitely associated with Halloween. Black cats definitely have a bad rep but I love them and so I thought I'd add some black cat face stickers on to both my thumb and my middle finger to create an accent nail look.


Nail stickers are the easiest was of playing with a bit of nail art and creating an accent nail. I just use a pair of tweezers or a hoof stick to peel the sticker off the sheet, and then you just place it on top of a dry, polished nail, press it down and put on a layer or two of top coat to hold it all in place.

I hope you enjoyed this post, and the lovely bright, cheeriness of Essie - Braziliant on such a dark and spooky night x Happy Halloween x