Monday 28 February 2011

Jibber Jabber 008

(Dont know what face Joes trying to pull?)

We went to Joes over the weekend and celebrated his grampys 88th birthday with his dads side of the family. This was a quick snap we got before we left. I ended up getting my new glasses after all the chaos (hooray!) so now i can see properly again!

Not much planned for this week. Dissertation work really. Managed to get about 600 words written on the drive upto Joes on friday, so quite happy about that, then another 400 or so later that night. I seem to know more of what im doing now, which is good.

Off home on Wednesday for my sisters birthday. I had no idea what to get her, so shes got some dvds, traveling book and traveling journal heading her way. (Athough im sure she doesn't need the book - she's a travel agent)

Thinking of applying for jobs for when uni is finished. I've mentioned it before, but even though i (will have) a degree in graphic design, i dont want to do that when i finish. I like the idea of staying in design work, or visual work atl east, so im going to search the internet. For a job over the summer though, ill try and find anything really. 

Oh! and for anyone that wants to know (or cares?) Im on series 4 of The (American) Office. I think i get about a disc a night watched. Pretty sad, but im addicted. I only have up to series 4 though, and i think there are 6 series, so i need to get my hands on them and i cant remember seeing them on amazon? Anyone know where to get them (UK region) merci beaucoup
Anyone have any good american sitcoms to watch when ive finished series 4?
(i havnt seen any of s4 of gossip girl, so thats on my list of things to pre order)

Line Up, Line Up


Not the best photo, but heres a little look at a design i done on my nails a few days ago. Its a bit worn now but perfect for something simple yet eye-catching.

Base Colour- Nude Beige by Models Own
Stripes - Liquid Eyeliner (i used ELF's)

Have you tried anything similar to this?

Friday 25 February 2011

Jibber Jabber 007

So delayed! Im so so so sorry to everyone thats a regular reader. I really can't believe how quickly these past 2 weeks (especially) have gone.


Firstly, thank you everyone for sticking with me while ive been on a go-slow blogging. Ive got some posts planned for the next few days, so hopefully ill get back in to the swing of things again.


I ordered some new glasses the other day that were apparently due to turn up today, but after about 5 phone calls to various specsavers (oxford, cheltenham and head office) we finally tracked them down. Im off to the boyf's this weekend, so they're now being sent special order to his house, so ill hopefully be getting them tomorrow. One pair is black the other is dark purple. not sure how im going to feel about them after i see them. It will be interesting..


Dissertation deadline is in just over 2 weeks, and my teachers decided it would be a great idea to make us hand a project in on the same day. how lovely of them. So thats so much more stress to worry about. Then our year long project is due in april. Im getting so stressed, i cant wait to graduate. I think someone in my class worked out we have about 14 weeks left, then thats our 3 years over. Scary stuff!!


I went out with some friends on Wednesday in what feels like such a long time. It was lovely being out with (some of) the gang again. We made an alcohol bin which consisted of various spirits and various juices all mixed together. Basically just a big bin of punch! lol. Im sure some photos will be up soon! :)


Tried some nail designs last night, ill take some photos and post them later tonight. Nothing special as im definitely not ambidextrous so my right hand is definitely a bodge job  but never mind.


Ill leave you with a little picture that i actually love. (sad i know)  If you don't get it, comment below and ill happily explain it. :)


I cant link the original source because my friend sent it to me, but if you know it, please let me know. :)

And The Winner Is..

Hi Guys.
Im so sorry i haven't posted much recently. Life has been manic with uni work mainly. Dissertation deadline is closing in, as is a couple of projects and things have just suddenly been really busy. Im trying so hard at the moment to find time to blog.

Anyway, the winner of the Batiste giveaway is...

Hannah_Little_x

Well done Hannah, i'm just about to email you now to get your details so i can post your goodies off to you.

Thank you everyone for entering, i'm sure ill be running another giveaway sometime in the future. xx

Saturday 19 February 2011

Steph Loves: Asos Dresses







With the weather on the turn into Spring, everyone is starting to get excited at the concept of new colours, patterns and textures. I love dresses, but don't tend to wear them that often. On a recent search for a nice dress, i came across these ASOS beauties. All under £50!

As a day dress, i would especially wear the peter pan collared Pleated skirt cure collar dress (also available in blue) as its gorgeous and only £25! 

I especially love the Pleated Swing One Sleeve Dress for the evenings. Its belt-up, flowwyness (is that a word?) just screams girlie nights out in the spring/summer with a gorgeous pair of shoes and bag.

Have you spotted any gorgeous dresses recently? What are your top ASOS picks?


Tuesday 15 February 2011

Batiste Tones


Here are the 3 new tones Batiste have recently released "with a hint of colour"
l-r:
Light and blonde hair
Medium and brunette hair
dark and deep brown hair

I think the new tone range is such a good idea. As someone with dark hair (and now even darker) its so good to be able to use dry shampoo and not have so much white to try and get rid of. Obviously, there is still some white powder along with the colour, but its much eaiser to blend in to your natural hair colour than it has been before. 

Here are some photos of the 3 colours sprayed onto my hand..




As you can see they still do have a bit of the white powder to them, but they are much better for people with coloured hair, especially darker colours.

I think the only problem i have with them is that they are only available in the 3 colours. There should definitely be one for redheads. Maybe that will be the next thing they introduce?
Have you seen these? Would you buy the coloured ones over the original?

Batiste Tones is available now for £3.05

Blush Me!


When i saw the MeMeMe box blushers in Superdrug at the weekend, i knew i had to pick one up. Ive heard so many good reviews on them, alot of people are saying how they are comparable to the Benefit box's but for a fraction of the price. 
I bought the colour Rouge, which is the redest colour you can currently buy (although the poor lighting makes it look pink)

The packaging is sturdy cardboard, with a mirror, tray and brush.

The pigmentation is pretty good, its quite a buildable colour


MeMeMe also do 3 other colours - Bronze, coral and Pink.

The Blush Me's are definitley worth picking up.
Avaliable in Superdrug or Online and retail for £8.50

Eco.Kid


The other day i was asked by a friend if i wanted to try out a new shampoo. As someone who loves to try different products i quickly said yes and snatched the bottle out of his hands (figuratively speaking, of course!) 
The shampoo of by a brand called eco.kid. Their target market is, as you would expect, children, and their aim of the shampoo is to get rid of "the baddies" in your (or your childs) hair. 
I was given the "prevent" shampoo, but after researching, they do a fairly big range of products. Their uniqueness is that its organic, contains no sulphate and is said to help get rid of lice. 
They also do ranges in body, protection and face.


They Say: "prevent is an eco-balanced cleansing system that is idea for everyday use. It is specifically formulated with pure botanical oils to help prevent head lice"
it states on their website, that although they are aimed at children, the shampoo is suitable for the whole family.

I'm not a massive fan of the packaging, and the smell is extremely sweet and smells very much like lemon sherbet, so if you don't like sweet things this won't be for you.

How important is it that you're getting organic ingredients?


Downsides? One or two..
Firstly, ive not seen it in the local chemist or supermarket, and most of the places i've found it online aren't all that cheap. The bottle i have is 250ml, if i were to buy it from their website, (after a small conversion) it would work out to be about £9.30 + P&P. The cheapest place i've seen it is on feelunique where it retails for about £8.50 with free P&P.

So, is it worth it? I'll let you know..

Friday 11 February 2011

Wishlist


Just a few things that are on my wishlist at the moment
(Ps Joe [if you're reading], Its valentines day on Monday!)

Midnight Red

If you follow me on twitter, then you'll know that earlier i decided to dye my hair. I dye my hair quite frequently i suppose. (Every 4/5 months) and recently i've been loving the reds and plums that i keep seeing. Im fairly pale, so im not a huge fan of going dark (ive been black before, and purpley-blacky-brown amongst lots of other colours) but thought bugger it. I nipped to the shops and picked up a dye called "midnight Red" by schwarzkopf (the LIVE range) its a deep brown with a subtle red hint to it. Just what i thought i wanted.


Here are some before and after shots...



(excuse the state of my room, top and general self) The last time i dyed my hair was back in October, Halloween infact. The majority of the colour has generally faded, but i did have roots. I don't mind the colour that it normally goes, but its just boring and not the nicest brown. (i generally tend to dye it a chocolate brown)


This is what it looks like now. (Again excuse the state of everything) The random piece of browny-red hair is just where it caught the light more than other bits. It looks dark, but the photo was taken tonight, so no natural light, so im yet to see what it properly looks like yet. Ill give it another wash in the morning and see if it comes out more redish. the colour looked different in my room to some of the lights in other rooms? i dont know. It'll be interesting to see what it looks like in natural light i suppose. 

What do you all think? too dark?

Wednesday 9 February 2011

jibber Jabber 006

I feel like such a bad blogger!


Its been the most manic week. Lots of work. a major deadline and then a night of partying (in true student style!) I finally handed in my awards brief on Monday and i can't tell you all how happy i am. I don't feel like i have to worry about those ones anymore, thankfully! I realised the other day though, that i now have only about a month to finish my dissertation and do my (what was supposed to be) "year long" project (that started in September - that no-one has started!) such a bad student. After the hand in, my class (and some extras) had a good old knees up in celebration. It was so nice to be out with my class for a change. 


Came back to Oxford today to spend some time with my mum and get my head down to work. Spending a couple of nights here then heading back to uni at the weekend i think. So nice to be home in my own room again. I managed to catch up with one of my friends earlier too. She's recently found out she's pregnant, im so excited and happy for her. I know she'll make a great mum. 


Can't express how much im loving Big Fat Gypsy Wedding. Also, always seem to manage to miss glee on a monday. Yeah, im a gleek! I thought last weeks episode (duets) has been the best of this series so far, but i havnt seen this weeks. I heard something about schuh getting his body out? WHATTT?? Also, i keep missing Gossip Girl. Ive only seen one episode of this series. frustrating.


Joe told me yesterday that we're going on holiday to Italy in June. I can't explain how excited i am. I've never really been one to do all the touristy places, that's more my sisters thing. She loves traveling, and wants to see 30 counties by the time she's 30, but i've managed to beat her (seeing italy) with this one. We'll be flying into Milan and staying there the night, then heading to Lake Garda for a couple of nights, then spending the rest of the time in Venice. Im SO excited! We (me and my sister) were meant to go to Thailand back in September, but the date of getting back clashed with my first day back at uni, so i couldn't go. She still did though. I was gutted. Shes also going to Hawaii in September. Jealous much? :(


Just a quick reminder that my giveaway closes in just under a week, so go and enter it now. It is free after all!

A Pleasant surprise

After the recent blogger love with the Collection 2000 Big Fake mascara i thought id give a try to some of the cheaper mascaras and see if they live up to the same kind of hype.
I found the Natural collection "Last Curl Mascara" mascara in Boots, i think it was around £2. For the price i didn't really expect much, but  thought it was worth a go after some of their other products are pretty good.


As you can see, the packaging is plain and simple.


The wand is made from bristles rather than being plastic. Its not amazing, but its black, doesn't clump and lengthens. For £1.99 you're definitely getting more than your monies worth.

Have you tried this mascara? would you give it a go? 

Wednesday 2 February 2011

Jibber Jabber 005

What a week! since starting jibber jabbers, i notice how quickly the week actually goes! 


I got back from Centre Parcs on Monday afternoon. We all had such a good weekend. Spent most of the time in the pool - in the rapids, im covered in bruises from banging into the walls, other people and the floor. ha. Heres a cheeky (not the best) photo of me and my boyfriend while we were there..
You'll have to excuse the fishing sign and the republic bag! we were on out way to the sports centre!


I have 2 deadlines on Monday, both for industry awards, so if you see me rambling on about photoshop, uni work, or D&AD/YCN on twitter, that'll be why. I do apologise! 


I put a giveaway up yesterday, i would love for you all to enter it!


I went home today, picked up my new battery for my mac. It seems to be working, so im happy about that. No more switching off when the wire accidently gets pulled out! 


I don't know if i'll be doing many posts till Monday as i want to get my work done, so bear with me if i don't post much. (These ones are a pretty big deal!)


Hope you're all having a good week, any plans for the weekend?

Tuesday 1 February 2011

Giveaway Time! *Now Closed*


The lovely people over at Batiste have sent me over some goodies for my readers, so here's what's up for grabs..


Batiste Dry shampoo in Gold + Silver shimmer, Fresh, Brit and Nude.


For your chance to win all 5 here's what you have to do:

Be a follower of this blog via GFC 
Comment below telling me why you'd like to win
your e-mail address (and blog address if you have one)

Extra entries:
+1 Tweet about it @therealstephhh  - (Please make sure youre following me on twitter if you tweet about it)
+1 Include it in your sidebar
+1 Separate post

- Please include any extra entries as individual comments so i can count them all up - 

Winner will be chosen at random using random.org


-open internationally-

Giveaway closes on the 15th Feb at midnight GMT, and the winner will be announced soon after.  
(Anyone under the age of 16 must have parental permission)

Good Luck! :) x