I am...

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... Loving looking out of my window to see snow and my beautiful old oak tree (well, it's not mine personally... he's his own... tree.) Beautiful wintery scenes.

(this is my view!)

... Ill! My voice has been pathetic, in the manly, yet barely there way, for the last 3 days, I'm a snot monster and I feel pants.

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... Still wearing the same wardrobe... but with long sleeved tops underneath. More warm longline tops (I live in leggigs, two pairs at once if it's cold!) needed I think!

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... Enjoying feeling organised about Christmas this year! Some presents have even been bought already! (if you've done all yours already, you may sit there smugly but do it quietly.)

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... Making my mind up about a new face wash.. (Cleanse and Polish ran out Friday... no warning... panic ensued.) Still in the "Meh" face

... Eating many satsumas. Love them, one of the more reliable fruits...! Less random taste changes, always appreciated.

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... Finally getting to grips with twitter, tweet random thoughts, I can do that! I may actually be worth following now ;)

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... Very excited about getting a new camera for Christmas, hello 8x optical zoom! It'll be a nice present for you lovelies too, super sharp pictures and amazing detail should be coming your way!

What have you been up to this week?

x

Handmade jewellery sale! *revised post!*

Last weekend I mentioned that I'd been making some little bits of jewellery and I thought I'd put them up here for sale in case anyone was interested. They'd make perfect Christmas or birthday presents or just to keep for yourself! They come in an organza bag and will be posted in re-used padded envelopes (save the planet and all that jazz!)

These handbag charms could also be used as keyrings, attached to zip pulls and a number of other things! The clips used to attach the charms are very secure and very unlikely to come undone unless you want them to. 

Orange (plus red, yellow, browns) handbag charm with gold star pendant on the end....

Pink handbag charm (this one looks much better in real life... I found the colours really hard to capture!)

Multi - Orange, green, blue.

Multi- Pinks and browns

Millefiori bead earrings

These are just a few of the colours I can make, if there's anything particular you'd like then do get in touch with me, queenofturquoise@gmail.com

Charms are £3 each plus £1 postage for the first item, then 50p for each additional item up to a maximum of £2.50. Earrings are £1.50 plus 50p postage.

If there's anything that takes your fancy then please leave a comment or drop me an email at queenofturquoise@gmail.com, and I'll get back to you :)

That's it! 

x

Lush lip care... scrub and tint!

It was my birthday a few Mondays ago (the 8th)  and as well as turning 19 (gaaah!) I got some really lovely bits and bobs from very generous friends and family!

I got some Lush stuff (thank you Libby!) which was really nice, it's not been something I've been treating myself to recently and I'd always been reluctant (I normally already have an arm full of products by the time I get there!) to buy the lip scrub, making do with a soft toothbrush instead and not convinced that something like this could do a better job.

I've been using the bubblegum one, which has a very sweet smell and taste to it, some people love it, others hate it, I'm in the love it camp! It's basically just sugar, oil and some colouring/flavouring, but the consistency is perfect and I personally don't think it would be that easy to make, and not worth it for the hassle. It's been doing a really good job of getting rid of dry skin on my lips and leaving them smooth which is great! The lip scrub definitely does a better job than my toothbrush exfoliating was, so worth the money I think! £4.95 for a 25g pot that will last FOREVER.

Next is the It Started With a Kiss lip tint, which smells very strongly of general christmass-y ness- I know, helpful right?! ;) - To begin with I was a little off put by this but you soon get used to it and the look of it on my lips over-rides any scent issues for me!

It's a beautiful pinky-red and the first real red that's got near my face. It manages to look good without making me look too pale or over the top and with the first ingredient being Coconut oil it does a great job of moisturising too. Staying power is impressive, and unlike some other Lush lip balms I've tried this is perfectly smooth and easy enough to get out of the tin even in cooler weather, the tip is to use the back of your fingernail to get it out in the first place. £4.95 for 10g and I anticipate this lasting a long while.

Lovely ideas for Christmas gifts, and highly recommended by me!

x

Blog sale: Lily Lolo, Bourjois, Accessorize, Revlon...

I'm having a bit of a clear out at the moment and these are the unloved products looking for new homes! 

Postage is £2 plus 50p for additional items.

Soap and Glory's Fab Pore Hot Cloth Cleanser. Around 70% left of this, includes original (very very pretty!) box in perfect condition, and freshly washed S&G muslin cloth. Recently switched cleansers though this is pretty impressive. Would be ideal to try before buying full size! £2

Avon Magix Face Perfector SPF 20. Used 4 times. £3.

Bourjois Complexion Enhancer in Apricot. used once. £1.50

Lily Lolo mineral foundation, shade is "In the Buff" which is a light to medium shade. It's not got the right "base" for me even with fake tan. It is one of Lily Lolo's bestsellers, so take a look. Used on and off for a couple of weeks but used very very little in that time (the above picture shows how much is left, however it's all bunched to the side!) Cost £12 (plus postage!) new, sell for £9. 

Revlon Super lustrous lipstick in Pink Giggles. Used once. £1.50

ELF's liquid eyeshadow in Sultry Satin. Used once. £1

Accessorize baked eyeshadow duo in Rendezvous, used twice £3.

Nivea Glamorous Gloss in Natural, bought for £3.99, used once, £2.

Avon's Ice Sheers perfume in Refreshing. Used less than five times. £2.50

Miss Sporty Lasting Colour nail polish, no name, possibly number 272?  Brand new, £1

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Non-fun stuff...

Open internationally, however international postage will cost £1 more for each item.

All sales are final, no returns

All items have been purchased by myself.

Items will be posted out via first class post 1-3 days after receiving payment. Once sent I am not responsible for the whereabouts of the item(s) though I will get proof of postage.

Payment via Paypal only. Please pay within 24 hours of receiving your invoice. If not the item will be re listed or offered to any other person who's asked for it. Please leave your paypal email address along with any items that you'd like in the comments :)

I'm willing to consider offers too, just let me know :)

Happy shopping!

x

NOTD: girlie style!

Looking a bit like a small child's got their hands on my nails in the picture, however (I think!) they look better in real life. I share these things with you whatever though you see, disasters and all ;)

Also pretty hard to photograh in decent colour..! 

Base- Rose Libertine

Dots- ELF white

Hearts- Rimmel's Lasting Finish Double Decker Red!

Got any tips for drawing freehand on nails? Let me know!

Rach x

Weekend update!

Wow! I was shocked to discover my reader numbers skyrocket yesterday and again today (thank you link love...!) and I'm stupidly feeling a bit shy about writing this ;)

Anyway, hellooo to all my lovely new followers and readers, always wonderful to have more of you!

I've been busy busy this past week, and I've started making handbag charms and earrings which I'm loving. I hope to get making some more this week and then possibly pop some up on the blog for sale if they're something anyone would be interested in buying for little pressies or similar for Christmas, let me know, and if you wanted custom colours or similar then drop me an email and I'll see what I can do for you :)

Please excuse rubbish-y photos, it's dark outside so it's difficult!

I've also been organising a series of Christmas giveaways for you all! At the moment I have 7 prizes which I'm planning to give away over 14 days from the 12th to the 24th of December... So keep watching for that! They're mainly little bits but I've had some gorgeous donations from very generous Etsy-ers (what else can I call them?!) and I'm very excited about it!

I also still owe you a blog on an Accessorize Eyeshadow duo, plus new ELF bits, a couple of OOTD's and some other posts.... I'm way behind!

Hope you've all had a lovely weekend!

x

Beauty Blog Link Love 20.11.10

Emma shows the surprising amount of coverage offered by Laura Merciers Tinted Moisturiser over at BirdsDecorateBranches!

Whitney from Whitz World of Beauty tells the adventure of her Spa Day at Alexis K in Solana Beach, California!

Pink Diva's Beauty Spot has been busy trialling and testing new NIVEA skin care. Check out her honest product reviews on the products and share your thoughts on the brand.

Rachel discovers duochrome nails with the new Accessorize range over at at Queen of Turquoise.

Readers at Lipglossiping.com share their tried and tested tips for recreating the ultimate salon blow dry DIY style!

Beautywoome highlights the rebirth of the early '90s cream-mauve-plum nail.

Phyrra's Indie Spotlight for November is one to be thankful for! It's an exclusive interview with Tammy from Meow Cosmetics.

The Gloss Goss found love in the form of Chanel Extrait de Gloss and ended up going back for more.

Retrodiva has five steps for getting glowing skin just in time for the holidays.

Madame B Fatale talks about how she likes to get hair free for summer.

Join in the weekly This or That fun over at Audrey Dao - Confessions of a Beautyholic.

The Lip Print go pink crazy with Lush's Snow Fairy Christmas treats!

Blaq Vixen Beauty recently learned that the CoverGirl Queen Collection is getting an upgrade in the lipstick collection come January 2011.

Jellyminx reveals a brief history of her hair through some comical photos!

Krasey Beauty takes a look at some of the newest editions to the Ellis Faas cosmetics range, just in time for the holidays.

Do you love NARS Orgasm but hate the price? Katie at My Lips But Better has the scoop on a dupe!

Makeup Zombie has a Blush Showdown featuring the cult classic NARS "Orgasm" blush!

Sarah at IHeartCosmetics decides once and for all if Cloud Nine hair straighteners are better than GHD ones.

Did you miss Toronto IMATS 2010? Don't worry Jenn from Spiced Beauty has the full event coverage here.

Jeweled Thumb discovers a Chanel Paradoxal dupe that has arrived on American shores! 

Amy Antoinette has afternoon tea with Alexa Chung at the Lacoste Touch of Pink perfume launch.

Daily Polish finally conquers an 18 month lemming with Jessica's Birds of Paradise...possibly the most beautiful purple polish in existence? You decide!

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theNotice gets a new "home" (okay, a new url...) and is celebrating with a flatiron giveaway!

Beauty Crazed not only shows you all of the Givenchy holiday fragrance sets, they are giving one away!

Make a Wish Smashbox's Perfect Pencils set on Prime Beauty--it may come true!

Jewellery love...

I recently came across an incredibly cute shop on ebay, the Norfolk Pigeon Loft!

They sell unique handmade pieces, beautifully presented at really good prices.

Some of my favourites are:

Shell bracelet... £4.90

Vintage inspired heart earrings... £2.99 

Floral heart necklace... £3.99

Nautical bead bracelets... £2.59

Vintage pink fimo bracelet... £4.00

So pretty! 

All images kindly borrowed from The Norfolk Pigeon Loft. 

x

Super-duper multitasking moisturiser!

I know, I know, I'm a moisturising bore...!

I've been using Simple's Clear Skin Oil balancing moisturiser for a couple of weeks now and I love it. As my skin's decided it's moving over to the oily side this is ideal as it's perfect for keeping my face shine free all day. It makes a perfect primer, keeping my (mineral) make-up looking flawless, whilst ensuring my skin stays moisturised throughout the day, and whether it's a co-incidence or not (or the witch hazel I've been using..) my skin is definitely becoming clearer.

My skin's not hugely oily, it's undecided and rebelling as the weather changes and goes from being dry to oily over very short periods of time, but it's enough to make my T-zone and the area around my nose a little shiny if left to it's own devices throughout the day.

The moistuiser has an almost gel-like consistency and includes 3 "skin loving" ingredients: Natural zinc PCA to "gently absorb excess oil", Phytosphingosine to help reduce blemishes and corn starch to mattify "all day long"

It also contains vitamin E to moisturise and Pro-Vitamin B5 to "restore, soften and smooth".

A huge bargain I paid around £2 for this 75ml tube from Home Bargains, but is available from Boots for £3.99. A perfect day time moisturiser for those with oily/undecided skin, and perfect as a base for make up.

Are you a Simple fan? Tried this?

x

Accessorize NOTD

I had a right hassle trying to get hold of one of the Illusion polishes from Accessorize's new make up range.

I originally ordered Pink Spice online alongside a baked eyeshadow duo but it was cancelled (so I paid £2.95 postage for just the one item, I hate it when companies do that!) and eventually I got hold of Aztec after I popped into one of my local Accessorize branches in Shrewsbury where the lovely Yvonne helped me get hold of one by phoning another store and having them post it to me! 

I've not been disappointed though, it's a really amazing colour with decent wear and a lovely formula. All for £4! 

The base to it is almost a sheer bottle green colour with pink and yellow duochrome flashes when it hits the light. I ended up applying 3 coats as with 2 the tips of my nails were lighter than the rest of my nail due to the distribution of the glitter-y stuff inside the base. 3 coats makes it quite a bit darker than 2 and it almost looks like a purple-y/black base rather than the green, which I like. It lasted 3-4 days with a top coat before chipping occured and tip wear was impressive considering the amount of typing I do! 

Have you tried out the new Accessorize polishes?

x

Liz Earle Superskin moisturiser

My skin is mid-crisis. It used to be dry and never oily, and it's currently combination oily-dry and in the middle of an ongoing breakout, argh! Come back dry skin, all is forgiven! I'll never say mean things about you, or abuse you ever again!

I took the opportunity to try the Superskin moisturiser when my skin was dry (which is normal for me) and I was very excited to get using it, the soft, silky moisturiser feels surprisingly light for something which is targeted at very dry/mature skin, which was a very pleasant surprise. It glides onto my skin and sinks in quickly leaving it minimally shiny which I really like, heavy moisturisers aren't my thing. It contains Cranberry seed oil, Rosehip oil, Borage oil and natural vitamin E to "smooth, plump and replenish". It's almost scent-less though there is a little something to it. It's incredibly gentle and I love it.

Despite being light and non-greasy this moisturiser does an amazingly good job, I wake up in the morning to find my skin feeling beautifully soft- even those irritating creases around my nose that try their hardest to resist moisturiser! As my skin type has changed, I've only been using this around once or twice a week, which has been plenty to keep it in good condition. My favourite time to use this though? After a hot shower, when it just feels wonderful!

Liz Earle Superskin Moisturiser is available from the Liz Earle website priced at £32.50 for 50ml.

x

P.S- bluetooth on phone is working again... Makes blogging much easier, so more posts from me again!

(PR sample provided for review.)