FOTD Naked Palette & Christmasssy OOTD

I can't believe I attempted another OOTD so soon after my last fiasco (read about it here) but then again, I am a bit of a hero that way.

I bought this dress a few weeks ago on a little shopping trip to Glasgow. It's a Primark number, as all my stuff seems to be, and as soon as I saw it I just had to have it! I'm so sorry, but I forgot to take note of the price. I'm guessing it's between £11-£15 though as that's their usual kind of price for dresses.

It's quite Chanel-esque, and I love the whole sixties monochrome style. It's also threaded with glittery threads, which just makes me 'Squeeee!' in delight. The lighting is sooo awful in my house that all the pics have a different background as I was running around the house trying to get the best lighting, so apologies. Also think a mini tripod might be going on my Christmas list!!

What do you think? It looked better on the mannequin to be honest; I think I'd pull it off better if I was skinnier, but TOO BAD. I love it for the festive season, defo see me wearing it pottering round the Christmas markets with my mulled wine..! Mmm. I'd probably team this with boots, but for the sake of these photos I thought a wee colour pop heel would be nice. These were £12 from Priceless Shoes.

I stuck with the sixties theme with bubblegum pink lipstick (Sleek Pout Paint  in Rosette, £4.99) and a high ponytail.

WARNING: Scary Pictures Ahead.

Now, I thought I'd be brave and do a FOTD. You think 'I'm a Celebrity' contestants have got it hard? Look at all the challenges I'm facing today!! I've not done a FOTD before for the simple reason that I have a rubbish face. It photographs not too bad from a distance, but close up it's just NOSE. But I had my shiny new Urban Decay Naked Palette (read my post about it here) and I wanted to show you why I love it. So here goes, be kind... :(

Oh, and I'm growing my eyebrows out for HD brows, so you can enjoy that too. =p

Ugh. Don't say I didn't warn you!! Sorry for the gormless expressions.

Face:
Garnier BB Cream
Rimmel Hide the Blemish concealer
ELF HD Powder
Nars Orgasm blush

Eyes:
Urban Decay Naked in Virgin, Sin and Half Baked
Urban Decay 24/7 liquid eyeliner in Perversion
Benefit They're Real mascara (still not that keen on it but persevering!!)
Model Co Highlighter

Lips:
ELF lipstick in Voodoo

I'm also super duper excited because my Claireabella bag is on its way to me! Don't worry if you don't know what that is (although you SHOULD because they are BEAUTIFUL) because I'll be doing a very excitable post on it when it arrives!!

I'm also super duper excited because I ordered my very first set of proper make up brushes! I always just use rubbishy stuff or my fingers, but since I got my Naked palette and the beautiful brush with that, I've been coveting a full set. I decided on Sigma brushes, because I've heard amazing things and they were offering free worldwide shipping. So can't wait for them to arrive too!!

Hope you enjoyed my OOTD and FOTD and I didn't scare you too much with my close ups. What do you think of them?

Let me know!

~ Lauren ♥

I am a Hair Extensionaholic. Fact.

My name is Lauren and I am a Hair Extensionaholic.

There, I said it. Phew.

This is me, without extensions.

straight hair & wavy hair

I have an obscene tan in the left photo because that was about three months into a summer in California. I'm not normally like that!

My hair is horrifically fine, when my hair is in a ponytail the circumference is less than a 10p. I haaaate having fine hair, it doesn't grow, doesn't sit right and just gets me down.

I started wearing extensions when I was abooout 16. I was the only person I knew in my school to go down that route, and MAN did I feel like the bee's knees. I started with clip ins from Sally's, good ol' American Dream Extensions. They were straggly and cheap, and I LOVED them.

Don't I look aaamaaazing? LOL. I'm 18 here and yes, I used to dress like a Barbie. I also used to be skinny, sobsob. So as well as my cheap clip ins, I liked to add to the class by incorporating some pink hair into the mess. What a babe.

After a few other girls at school started wearing extensions, I decided to step up my game. I researched thoroughly and decided on HeadKandy Extensions. I was sooo excited to get them but now I can hardly remember what was so exciting about them.

They do look a bit shinier but this pic was taken the very first time I'd put them in so they were brand new. Still crazy obvious I have extensions in tho!

Clip ins are just not for me, to be honest. My hair is so fine that the clips show really easily and there's just not enough hair to blend them in. :(

Then, my 'moment' came. It was one of those moments that changed my life. You might think I'm exaggerating - I'm not. It was on a trip to London with my sister, and we were having a wee shop in Selfridges, when we saw...

The Jessica Simpson and Ken Paves HairDo Extension stall.

Omg. I still smile thinking about that moment. We both happily forked out £70 each on our synthetic hair.

They photographed really fake-shiny because they were synthetic. Lovely.

Jessica Simpson HairDo Extensions are still my favourite clip ins to date. Because most of them are synthetic you can't style them but you can get a huge variety of styles, lengths and colours and they're normally about £45 on eBay now.

The HairDo extensions are different because they are a one-piece, it's like a cap, and you lift up the top section of hair, clip the cap on with five little clips, release your own hair and TA DA! They are the thickest extensions I've ever used, blend really well and stay in with no problems.

The big, HUGE problem with these extensions is that they just do not last. I found that wearing them for two months, every day, was pretty much all I got out of them. They just got really dry and matted at the ends. So I invested the £150 on eBay (regularly £300) for the real hair version. And although I looooved it, and have now bought loads of these extensions, they still let me down on longevity.

Another negative is the cost. For about £80 you get a full head one-piece, but it's synthetic so you can't style it. If, like me, you regularly have straight and curly hair, you need to buy two sets of extensions. And the human hair version is £299. Ouch.

So pretty though...

A variety of styles and shades over the years

Curly for my Grad Ball, straight for Graduation

To find out more about Jessica Simpson & Ken Paves HairDo Extensions, go here. They cost £39-£299 depending on length and style.


So because of my problems with HairDo, I've been on the market for new extensions and I reeeeally want to try Halo Extensions. They do clip ins, which I'm not interested in because as mentioned before I just don't like individual wefts, they're just not for me. I've heard great things about them though if clip ins are your thing!
 But they also do this AMAZING thing called a 'halo'. Basically it's a wire that is attached to all the hair, so it's a one-piece like the HairDo ones. I love one-pieces because they're so quick and easy to use!

For the Halo, you place the extensions on with the wire on your crown like a hairband. It's practically invisible already, and then you pull sections of hair from underneath the weft and wire using a pin tailed comb to cover completely over it! Finished! It looks amazing, I despo want one on my Christmas list but I'm not sure if I have enough hair to cover over the seem of where all the hair starts(majorly sucks having fine hair). :(

To find out more about Halo Extensions and to watch a tutorial, go here. They cost £79.99-£89.99 depending on length. They are seriously amazing, and their customer service on Twitter is unparallelled - @halo_hair . You can also send them recent photos of yourself and they'll do a colour matching service, which takes away one of the big stresses of buying extensions online!

Right now I have glued in extensions, but I'll talk about them another time because I think I've bored you enough with my hair extension chat!!

Do you wear extensions? What's your favourite brand? Would you try HairDo or Halo?

Let me know!

~ Lauren ♥

Secret Santa Shopping Guide!!

Holidays are coming, holidays are coming.... I'm feeling a bit Christmassy!!

I know a lot of people do Secret Santas (my friends and I do) so I thought I'd be the super nice person I am and give you some ideas if you're struggling! I'm also doing this because I'm trying to cut down on shopping for myself just now, for two main reasons:

a) I am skinto. To the extreme.
b) I always feel bad buying myself things near Christmas. What if someone has bought me that? And shouldn't I be spending my money on other people??

So, I am creating a mini gift guide for £10 and £20 budgets! As you can see, I've been a wee bit relaxed with prices (eg something for £10.20 I've put under the £10 section) and obviously some items could have fit under different 'friend' categories, so just have a little look and enjoy (you can click on the pictures to make them bigger!)!
All prices are correct as of November 23rd 2011, and do not include P&P costs.

Got £10 to spend?

The 'Find me a Naked dupe and I'll love you forever' Beauty Friend:

Lush Secret Santa Set (also in green) £10

MUA Heaven & Earth Palette Superdrug £4

Models Own Beetlejuice Set ASOS £10

Andrea Fulerton For Your Nails Only Superdrug £9.99

Benefit Tan About Town ASOS £9

The 'I can't live without my Wii/Mac/multi-flavour coffee machine' Gadget Friend:

MP3 Speakers Debenhams £10.50

Tripod keyring Firebox £5

iPad Sticker Cover Firebox £9.99

My Fitness Coach: Dance Workout Play.com £8.99

Heated Eyelash Curlers Boots £10.20

The 'I'm saving the world one paper bag at a time!' Nature-Loving Friend:

Vet on Call Waterstones £5.59

Feed a Family OXFAM £7

Body Shop Coconut Gift Set £7

Frozen Planet Book Amazon £11

Panda Hat River Island £7.00

The 'Pink & Sparkly & Fluffy make me happy!' Girlie Friend:

Sparkly Belt ASOS £6

Style Me Vintage: Make Up Guide Urban Outfitters £9.99

Loveheart Candles Firebox £6

Twilight Triple Pack Play.com £8.99

Lush Blooming Beautiful Gift Set £7.25

The 'Just buy me whatever. Or don't buy me anything. Whatever.' Awkward Friend:

Hangover Kit Topshop £8

Head massager Firebox £6

Digital Photoframe Amazon £8.01

Soap & Glory You Cube Set Boots £10

Hand Warmer Firebox £5

Got £20 to spend?

The 'Find me a Naked dupe and I'll love you forever' Beauty Friend:

Box Bag New Look £15.99

Pampering Voucher BuyaGift £19

FrontCover Packing Case Boots £18.00

Lipsy Fragrance Set Boots £20

Juicy Tube Set Debenhams £18

The 'I can't live without my Wii/Mac/multi-flavour coffee machine' Gadget Friend:

Wine Cooler Firebox £14.99

Smoothie Maker Argos £15.99

Sims 3 PC Game Overstock.com £19.15

Nicky Clark Heated Curlers Boots £19.99

Faux Croc Laptop Case ASOS £20

The 'I'm saving the world one paper bag at a time!' Nature-Loving Friend:

I Am Not a Nugget PETA T-Shirt CafePress £13.50

I Am Not a Paper Cup Firebox £11.99

Caravan Birdhouse Firebox £14.99

Burt's Bees Essential Body Kit Boots £12.99

Wildlife Snuggle Pad RSPCA £15

The 'Pink & Sparkly & Fluffy make me happy!' Girlie Friend:

Skater Dress New Look £19.99

Cupcake Kit Firebox £12.99

Lace Tights Topshop £12

Disney Couture 'Princess' Necklace £15

Cat Slippers Topshop £14

The 'Just buy me whatever. Or don't buy me anything. Whatever.' Awkward Friend:

Clinique 3-Step Introduction Kit Debenhams £20

Home Cinema Popcorn Pack Firebox £12.99

Chocolate Making Kit Firebox £15.99

Now That's What I Call Music 80 Play.com £10.99

Star Bracelet Topshop £20

Hope this gift guide gave you some gift ideas! For OTHER PEOPLE, not for yourself. I know people get confused; at least I do. =p

Thinking of purchasing anything? Let me know!!

~ Lauren ♥

Adventures of an OOTD: Outttakes!!

I bought a new blazer in the Debenhams sale. I bought a new skirt. I wanted to show them off. I thought, "Ah ha! I can do my first real Outfit Of The Day!!"

Now, I should have known I was destined to fail straight off the bat, when I went to take the photos yesterday and my camera battery was kaput, resulting in this mini post. But today I persevered, and got my outfit on for the sake of this 'photo shoot' (it was actually yesterday's outfit to go to my boyfriend's 'family night'). The camera was ready, the outfit was ready, I was essentially ready... except for the fact that I don't have a 'photographer' and I have to take the photos myself using a timer. Now this wouldn't be a big deal except I was determined to take the photos outside... and it was RAINING.

Ugh.

But, battling on, I went outside anyway and tried to find places I could put the camera where a) it wasn't damp, b) it wasn't going to get rained on and c) it wouldn't topple over. Unfortunately for me, I hadn't reckoned on d) my lovely cat Dana would suddenly decide that out of all her toys, the camera wrist strap was the VERY BESTEST OF ALL. I think she was determined to make this post a failure by attempting to hunt down and ensnare the camera the very second I pressed the timer button.

I so wanted this to be like all professional, like I see other amazing bloggers do.

I think it's time for me to admit I'm just not that kinda blogger - you'd think I'd have realised my style by now!!

So, for your amusement, I'm going to post some failure photos for you.

Photo Failure One: having just thrown my cat Dana away from the camera I was sprinting to position in the last second. Didn't... quite... make... it. =p

Photo Failure Two: after all my positioning of the camera on my cat's climbing frame (come to think of it, maybe that's why she thought it was a toy..?) and me running to position, I somehow misjudged it completely. Although you can see all the outfit and not my face, so maybe it's a good thing!!

Photo Failure Three: I decided on a nice simple sit down pose since clearly standing up wasn't working for me. And what does the camera capture? Me telling Dana to move out the shot. Wonderful.

Now there were many, many more, but I did actually manage to capture ONE decent photo. So here it is:

Blazer - Topshop (£40/£32 in Debenhams Sale)

Top - Topshop (a present)

Skirt - H&M (£3.99)

Tights - Primark (£3.50)

Shoes - ASOS (£15)

My charm bracelet is Swarovski, and the other bracelets my sister made for me.

My nails are Andrea Fulerton Kylie (my new love).

I picked this blazer because I've been wanting a black blazer for aaaages, I think they are so nice just to throw over an outfit and smarten it up but still have that casual feel. I've never been able to see one I really liked, and even the black Topshop version felt too much like a suit jacket. Then I saw this grey one and it's sooo soft and cosy and just delish. I love it.

The skirt was a wee bargain, it was only £4 and being monochrome I figure it'll go with anything. The tights are AMAZE by the way, they are the 'Super Cosy' ones and they are sooo thick and lined with cotton, so soft and also a total bargain.

And here are the trouble makers:

Max on the top, Dana in the tunnel. This is what I was using to sit my camera on lol. No wonder they were confused!

Anyways, hope you enjoyed this wee OOTD 'Outtakes' post.

Hopefully I'll have more success next time!! =p

~ Lauren ♥

Andrea Fulerton 'Kylie' - my new love!!

I had great intentions of doing a big post today on some lovely bargainous clothes that I bought, but I got all dressed up and ready, turned on my camera, and - wait a second? Oh, that's right, my camera battery was dead. So I stuck it in to charge but by the time that had happened I lost all natural light. So, tomorrow it is...

But I just have to blog about this, real quick, because I have fallen in love. Actual LOVE. With a nail varnish. Specifically, this nail varnish:

It's Andrea Fulerton Nail Boutique Colour in 'Kylie'. Basically it's a silvery irredescent colour, with a mainly purpley-pinky glittery shimmer to it (I know that doesn't actually make any sense at all). Let's put it this way - it's gorgeous. It retails for about £5 in Superdrug, along with a selection of other awesome Andrea Fulerton products (I have also purchased the puff glitter).

Haul: Part Two - Urban Decay

As I mentioned in my last post, I enjoyed a little shopping day to spend my £100 Debenhams card my sister got me! Turns out the sale wasn't on, but the kindly MUA at the Urban Decay counter took pity on poor befuddled me clutching my little gift card and put through the 10% 'friends and family' discount.

And so... I finally got...

The NAKED Palette (£35)!!

Isn't it beautiful?? Now I know every man and his dog has reviewed this palette, so I won't go into squeals of excitement about it. I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves:

Haul: Part One - Lush/Superdrug/Boots

If your name is Heather Ryce, don't read this blog post!! Your (delayed) birthday present may or may not be shown below.. =p

So I went shopping today, with the £100 Debenhams giftcard that my sister very kindly sent me. I was all excited because it's 'mega day' which means 10%-40% off throughout the store which would obv make my giftcard go even further! Except, of course, I got my dates mixed up and megaday doesn't even start until Wednesday. Joy.

I am not a very good present shopper, I tend to get distracted by stuff I want for myself. Does that sound selfish? Maybe it is, but I'm just so easy to shop for!! =p

I bought faaaar too much so going to have to split this into two posts so you don't die of boredom. This post will look at my Lush, Superdrug and Boots buys.

My first stop was Lush, it's not somewhere I usually shop but I've heard so many good things so I went in to make some purchases.

And the winner is...

Congratulations to OtherSideofCool!!

You are the winner of my 100 Follower Giveaway! I'll tweet you to get your details.

Thank you sooo much to everyone who entered, I had exactly 100 entries which was awesome. It makes me so happy that you guys are reading and following my blog, so thank you again for putting a big smile on my face!!

~ Lauren ♥

100 Follower GIVEAWAY!

EeeeEEEeEeEEeEeEEeeee!!

You might have guessed, I'm pretty excited.

I have reached the 100 Follower milestone! I started my blog on October 11th, so I managed to reach 100 before my first month of blogging! Thank you so, so, so much to everyone for following. Things have been a bit rubbish for me recently, what with being out of work etc, so this blog has been a lot of fun for me and I'm amazed anyone actually cares what I have to say! It means a LOT.

To thank you guys, I'm holding another giveaway. This time I'm giving you a choice! The prize is a Frontcover eyeshadow palette. I loooove Frontcover stuff, it's so pigmented and the colours are beautiful. You can choose whatever four shades you want for your palette! Here is what the palette looks like and the shades available:

Gorgeous, aren't they??

You can have up to 10 entries, please do a new comment for each category so it's easier for me to count!! Also leave your email address so I can contact you if you win for your details and chosen shades!

1 entry = You MUST follow me on GFC (please comment with your GFC username)

1 entry = follow me on Twitter (please comment with your Twitter username)

2 entries = Tweet this: Check out @ThinkPinkLauren's awesome 100 follower blog GIVEAWAY! Choose your own FrontCover palette!! http://cosmeticskittensclassrooms.blogspot.com #bbloggers <3 (please comment ONCE when you have done this so I can confirm)

2 entries = Be a previous commentor on one of my posts from before this date (please comment ONCE with a link to the post you have commented on)

4 entries = do a blog post on this giveaway (please comment ONCE with a link to the post)

Competition closes Sunday 13th November at midnight and a winner will be chosen via random.org and announced on Monday!

 Good luck guys! ^_^

~ Lauren ♥

Review - Rio Rosa 'all natural' day&night cream!! And general update!!

Wow, I feel like it's so long since I blogged. The main reason for that is that I have been working. Yes, working!! Some crazy school has decided that I am indeed a fully qualified teacher and has had me in covering classes. It's hard work and stressful, but it's money!! I keep getting asked if I'm a princess or Rapunzel. Of course I am!! =p

So, my review today is of Rio Rosa Mosqueta Anti-Ageing Day & Night Cream which was sent to me for an honest review. The product is all natural, containing "Rosa Mosqueta rosehip oil together with Bulgarian rose extract and well known skin ingredients such as Shea Butter, Macadamia nut oil, Aloe vera, Calendula, Horsetail and Chamomile." It's also free from parabens, paraffin and other synthetic ingredients.

It claims it...

• Rejuvenates and protects naturally
• Helps prevent the signs of ageing
• Renews tired looking skin
• Boosts moisture levels Protects against UVA damage
• Certified organic  

I have been applying it every night for the last week. Here is what it looks like in its gorgeous packaging:

NARS Orgasm, London Haul & 30 Day Challenge

A few days ago I reviewed one of the new products I bought in London, Benefit They're Real mascara. Today I'm going to show you a few other things I purchased! Now, I don't have a lot of money right now what with being unemployed and all, but I managed to treat myself to a few things (with help of my boyfriend and parents!!).

 Yay! I got me my Nars Orgasm blush! I've wanted it for a while now. Actually, I wanted the Orgasm/Laguna duo but my pennies wouldn't stretch to that lol. So here it is! It's a lovely peachy pink shade with a subtle golden shimmer which claims to suit any skintone. I always opt for peachy shades because of my yellow base tone, and I've heard so many good things about this that I haaad to snap it up!

Amy's Blog Giveaway!

Pop on over to Amy's blog, alifeinbeautyam for a fantastic giveaway!

All you have to do is follow her on GFC and on Twitter and share her link, and you could win a goodie bag of Rimmel goodies!

Amy is doing this giveaway in honour of starting her own blog. Please check out her blog and support her!

~ Lauren ♥

Is Benefit 'They're Real' the best mascara ever??

First of all, I have to say a big thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway, and CONGRATULATIONS to Sarah @ FashionismyH2O for winning!! I loved doing a giveaway, can't wait for my next one!! =p

So, as you may remember, I spent this weekend in London. One of the presents I bought myself  -  after reading good reviews on it - was Benefit's They're Real! mascara (£15.90 in airport, £18.50 on website). I have not worn it out the house yet, but I have had a wee shot in order to do a review here.

Here's the packaging and wand: