Beauty Review: Matchy matchy

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I saw this post over on The Beauty Department blog a couple of weeks ago. And it hit me, after always thinking I hated the matchy matchy look, I actually didn't hate it at all. I preferred it, in fact. We all like to think we're a bit rebellious really but turns out, I'm not. The matchy matchy look - in my opinion - looks cleaner and chicer than the clashing colours. Of course, our nails and lips rarely get that close, in real life. But as I painted my nails in Boots' 17's Risky Red, I reached for my new Boots No 7 lipgloss in Sultry Red and slicked on a coat:


Do you match it or clash it?
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Visual Friend Friday: all in the details

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This week's Visual Friend Friday is sponsored by Ashley Getting Dressed and we're doing an upclose and personal look at a favourite clothing item.

Moving from Blogger to Wordpress

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I have finally seen the light and am making the move to Wordpress from Blogger. Please bear with me while I make the move and I look forward to seeing you on the other side!

How to... fake tan (Part II)

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I seem to have become something of a fake tan addict this summer. After a promising April in the UK when I managed to develop a pretty convincing base to my summer tan and topping up sessions in Ibiza in May and Valencia in June, a disappointing July and August in Britain has left me pale and pasty. So I have found myself faking it.

Sunny Valencia

Further to my previous How to... fake tan post and various other fake tan related posts, this post responds to the questions I've been asked and the knowledge I've acquired. These are my 10 top tips for tanning – the fake way:

1. Use a mitt or gloves. I haven’t personally used gloves as I tried a mitt first and love the results. I get mine from Boots – they’ve been on offer most of the summer and I only just realised but apparently they can be put in the washing machine on a cold wash – mine’s going in with my next delicates wash. Beats trying to hand wash it!
2. Use a gradual tan if you’re scared of the proper thing or have had a bad experience in the past.
3. Instant tans are a great quick fix if you want to wear a dress but your pins are pasty.
4. Mousse fake tans are generally lighter and less greasy than lotions.
5. Remember to fake tan your feet – I try to go all the way to the edges so that any line is almost on the bottom of my foot and therefore covered by any footwear.
6. Remember also to tan the backs of your hands. Often forgotten as they are inside a mitt or gloves. Don’t overdo it but a little tan left of the mitt is often enough.
7. Don’t wash the mitt straight away as you’ll wash the tan off your hands and leave it patchy!
8. Whilst most people recommend putting fake tan on at night I find it annoying having to wander around letting it dry, so instead I tan in the morning and let it dry before dressing as I dry my hair and put my make-up on – that’s usually enough time. Just wear a darker colour and nothing too tight. Saves getting tan all over your bed sheets too.
9. Either fake tan your face or use a bronzer – otherwise you’ll look sun kissed and ill at the same time!
10. Finally, do not put any shoes and socks on until the tan is completely "fixed" - and don't exercise or shower for a good 6-8 hours. Believe me, I speak from experience.



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What are your top tips for fake tanning? Did I forget something?

BARGAIN OF THE DAY: Asos Ames Suede Ankle Boots

The Asos Ames Boots that I blogged about at the end of last year, are now on sale for half price!

Unfortunately, not in my size. My bank balance can breathe easy again!

Mani of the Week: Chanel 531 Peridot

Yes the brand new nail colour for Autumn Winter from Chanel...

When I found out it was that time of year again - when Chanel release their latest seasonal limited edition colours - I was beyond excited. What made it better was that I now live in London, and work right next to Westfield where Boots has a lovely Chanel counter. Plus, my manager is also I huge Chanel nail polish fan!!! Therefore Friday morning at 9:45am we took ourselves off to Boots. I went with the intention of buying two of the three and one for my sister. Instead, I ended up getting all three for myself - I just couldn't resist!

This is definitely my favourite at first glance and therefore got priority. I think it is the perfect autumn colour for nails. Just like the season, the colour changes in different lights. It looks very gold but below you can see a hint of the green it becomes in some lights.

Come back next week to see which of the three I have gone for next:

"S-S Sis" x

Monday Morning Pic-Me-Up: Postcards from the seaside

As summer days in the UK seem numbered, I'm dreaming of being back on the beach in Sardinia: see here for more wonderful holiday snaps

This Week I Bought ...

Welcome to my first post for Sugar and Spice. 'This week I bought...' is my fortnightly feature for Shopgirl. I hope you enjoy it. I snatched a couple of great bargains in Accessorize the other day. I was just passing through Fulham Broadway station on my way to view a flat when the 70% off signs caught my eye.

I am a firm believer in a bag for every season (or every day...if you have the patience to keep moving things around).

I spotted this and had to have it. I love the autumnal colours. It's a great little size and the catch is pretty sturdy, so for roaming around the London markets it is ideal for preventing pickpockets.

Fashion Tip for Florals: Only mix them up on a summers day and keep it simple, don't mix too many. Come autumn avoid this and instead use florals to lift plain or dark outfits.

I also got this pop colour scarf. Perfect for brightening up a weekend 'slouch' or travelling outfit:

I was only £5.40 and is massive, so doubles up as a small blanket when the air-con becomes too much on the train or flight!

I love the way it 'pops' against the black and brings out my fading tan:

Fashion Tip for 'POP' colours: Don't be afraid to clash!!!

Lovely links

This week I've been reading:

Clockwise from top left: Fashion Foie Gras reported that London was this week voted the fashion capital of the world; Harriett of where is Harriett? has written a very sweet post about how to feel pretty; Hints of autumn over at The Simply Luxurious Life; A MUST READ for all (fashion) bloggers from the wonderful Grit and Glamour: Tax deductions and blogging - What you need to know; How to... shop successfully online - to avoid disappointment; and you simply must check out this fabulous tutorial for doing your make-up like Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffanys.

What have you been reading this week? Which blog posts have caught your eye?

Beauty Review: St Moriz Instant Self Tan Mousse

Last weekend, I wrote about my take on Instant vs Gradual vs Full-on fake tans. This week, I'm reviewing St Moriz's Instant Self Tan Mousse which brings all three together.

Now, until I tried this mousse, my new favourite tan had been St Tropez's Wash Off Instant Self Tan Mousse (you can read my review here). Until I tried this mousse. 



St Moriz's Instant Self Tan Mousse works like St Tropez's mousse, in that it instantly gives some sun-kissed colour to my legs when I apply it. But, unlike the St Tropez mousse, when it washes off when I shower, it leaves me with a lovely sun-kissed shade rather than the usual bare white colour. Granted, the colour is not perhaps as deep as some might like but being so completely scared by fake tans in general, this is a good things for me. It also allows for a build-up of colour, so you can apply again the next day, or leave it a day or two, depending on the depth of colour you desire. There is also now the St Moriz Instant Self Tan Dark Mousse which the lovely people at St Moriz kindly sent to me when they heard I had been converted. The Dark Mousse gives a deeper colour with just one application.

The brilliant thing about this tan is that you can apply in the morning, wait for it to dry, dress and look sun-kissed instantly. It smells like a lovely and light moisturiser when first applied and smells no different throughout the day.

St Moriz Instant Self Tan Dark Mousse: right leg (on the left!) with tan and left leg (on the right) without

Again, I would highly recommend using a tanning application mitt. For more tips on how to achieve a great self tan, check out my How to... fake tan post.

The lovely people at St Moriz also sent me their self tan lotion and bronzing powder to try out. I haven't managed to try either yet but will report back soon. Watch this space!

Best of all, the St Moriz Instant Self Tan Mousse is dirt CHEAP! I found mine in my local Savers store for £2.99 and on Amazon for just over £3 for a bottle.

Have you tried St Moriz's Instant Self Tan Mousse? Which fake tan do you swear by?

If you fancy some fabulous prizes - why not enter my 200 follower and 2 year anniversary blog giveaway - which ends later today?

Please nominate me in the "Established Fashion Blog" category

Friend Friday #49: dreaming dreams

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Of this week's Friend Friday topic Katy says:

"I have been overwhelming inspired by two separate blog posts I read in which the blogger quit their day job and has started on the path to self-employment doing what she loves to do. If you haven't read Sally from Already Pretty's post on this rush over and do it now. And then to top it all off my younger sister has decided to quit her job and start her own business. So that got me thinking... we all have dreams, goals, aspirations. Putting them down on paper is often the first step to realizing those dreams."

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1. Fess up - if you could do anything professionally what would it be?

I always always wanted to be a political correspondent. I guess I wouldn't pass up the opportunity now, if it came along. But the dream has now turned into one of doing some freelance jouralism. It is a more attainable dream and one that I would enjoy a whole lot.

2. What draws you to this?

I love to write. It is one of the reasons I took a Masters degree, one of the reasons I've been thinking about enrolling for a PhD and one of the reasons I write this blog.

3. When did you first start dreaming about this ideal?

Well, the original idea, a long looooong time ago. But it has morphed more recently.

4. What's holding you back from going all in?

Money and a lack of knowing where to really start.

5. Sometimes the first step is the hardest... what's one step you can take now on the way to realizing your dream?

Start pitching to other blogs and magazines for some experience and to start building my writing portfolio. Any other suggestions anyone?

To see everyone else's dreams this week, go straight over to ModlyChic. And if you'd like to be involved in the Friend Friday project, you can check out all of the details here.

BARGAIN OF THE DAY: Asos Leather Over-sized Day Clutch

You might remember my recent outfit post which featured my gorgoeus new over-sized clutch from Asos - my latest bargain find? Well, here is another such leather over-sized clutch from Asos - on sale for less than half price!!

Large over-sized day clutches are everywhere for autumn/winter 2011 and this one will be perfect for the trend. Just the right size for carrying notebooks and pens to lectures if you're off to uni in September - and the perfect celebratory gift to yourself on result's day! (Or forward the link to a proud mum/dad/boyfriend/sibling/grandparent/anyone who might care!!)

By the way, there is currently an extra 10% off all sale items on Asos - just enter the code EXTRATEN at the checkout to get it.

How to… shop successfully online – to avoid disappointment

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Buy from Asos. Seriously, my number one tip for shopping online is to buy from Asos as often as possible. Why? Free delivery. Free returns. Fast service. Fast response time. Friendly twitter account. Accept ALL major credit cards (including my American Express that many don’t seem to) AND Paypal (great for when you’ve been selling on eBay and want to use your spoils to treat yourself!).

In the interests of transparency, I’ll confirm now – at no point have I been paid to write a glowing review of Asos or offered anything in return for this post – this is seriously just how I feel.*

Many great high street brands are now stocked on Asos – like Mango, River Island, Warehouse and Oasis – who do not offer free shipping on their sites, so it pays to check out Asos’s availability before purchasing as you can save yourself up to £5. Plus, if it doesn’t fit properly, you haven’t lost that delivery charge.

Now, onto the serious points of this post.



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1. Order a couple of sizes in the piece you want – do you really only ever go into the changing room with only one size? If so, why bother? You might as well just buy that one size and be done with it.
2. Of course, if you’re doing this – check the store offers free returns. Most do, but it’s worth checking.
3. If you’re buying in the sales, check in the store too. Gap in particular seems to reduce things far more in store than they do online.
4. If they offer free delivery – why not try that piece you’ve been eyeing up? You’ve got nothing to lose!
5. Check their delivery options. Some stores offer free delivery in store but charge for delivery to your home. In this case, if you can pick it up, you can save yourself a few pounds and always try on and return in store if it turns out you don’t like it/it doesn’t fit – which will save a heap of time too. (I always do this for Marks and Spencer sales – great way to avoid the queues and get what I want!)
6. Make sure you get the return receipt from the Post Office. With free returns these days, you can go into the post office and they give you a receipt as proof of postage so that if it gets lost, you can still get your refund. Why wouldn’t you?

What are your tips for shopping online?

*I did write a sponsored post earlier this year for Asos – in conjunction with Handpicked Media and Nivea – which you can read here.

If you fancy some fabulous prizes - why not enter my 200 follower and 2 year anniversary blog giveaway?

Please nominate me in the "Established Fashion Blog" category

200 follower and 2 year anniversary GIVEAWAY

21/08/11: COMPETITION NOW CLOSED: WINNERS TO BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY

Have you entered my fabulous five giveaway yet? No? Well, what are you waiting for?

1st prize is a Filofax Flex systeml

2nd prize is a selection of Burt's Bees products;

3rd prize is a pair of leggings from Tabio;

4th prize is a bottle of Soltan Self Tan for the face and a face application mitt;

and 5th prize is four bottle of Boots 17 nail polish, a Models Own eyeliner and a Burt's Bees lip shimmer.

To enter:

1. Leave a comment on the original post - including your email address.
2. For an extra entry, follow this blog on blogger or bloglovin'.
3. For a further entry, tweet the following: "I just entered the Fab Five giveaway @sugarandspiceSG - you can too: http://t.co/GpVjgo2".
4. The giveaway is open to EVERYONE!
5. The giveaway will close at midnight GMT on 28 August 2011.

Mani of the Week: Rimmel I Love Lasting Finish Nail Polish in Azure

This week's Mani of the Week comes from Sugar and Spice's new writer. You might know her better as Super Stylish Sis. She will be writing posts for me on the blog on a more regular basis from now on and you can find out more about her on her very own page. So, please give her a warm welcome:

Like my sister I love my nail polishes too. Rimmel's I Love Lasting Finish Nail Polish in Azure is a great summer to autumn colour as a mid shade. Very, very easy to apply and quite chip resistant. 

Overall score 7/10.

This is only my first post on here but make sure you come back later in the week for my first proper post.

What colour are you wearing on your nails this week?

If you fancy some fabulous prizes - why not enter my 200 follower and 2 year anniversary blog giveaway?

Please nominate me in the "Established Fashion Blog" category

Monday Morning Pic-Me-Up

Congratulations to a very lovely friend on her wedding day:

Source: we heart it

Lovely Links

Y wythnos dw i'n dysgu Cymraeg. [This week I've been learning Welsh.] And so have had no time in front of a computer. At all. Therefore, sorry for the lack of comments on the blogs that I usually read. Normal service should resume this week. This also means that I haven't really found half as many posts for this week's lovely links as I might have liked. So, please can I ask that you leave your favourite links from the week in the comments for us all to enjoy. Thank you.

Therefore, without further ado, this week I've been reading:

Clockwise from top left: Independent Fashion Bloggers are bringing their famous conference to London next month - do you have your ticket yet? I do! This week's Friend Friday was DIY Manis which of course was one of my favourites... ever! This weekend, as the sun hid away again, I accessed the merits, or otherwise, of different fake tans; After having a fringe cut last week I've been learning how to blow dry it professionally (via A Model Recommends); and over at The Beauty Department you can enroll of Hair Bootcamp!

Again, please leave your week's reads in the comments below.

If you fancy some fabulous prizes - why not enter my 200 follower and 2 year anniversary blog giveaway?

Please nominate me in the "Established Fashion Blog" category

BEAUTY REVIEW: Instant vs gradual vs full-on fake tan

Who doesn’t love a tan? Now, living in the UK it is difficult to get a tan without a little help from a bottle. I’ve tried a fair few fake tans in my time, my legs in particular refuse to change to anything from the bright white they naturally are. (I’ve reviewed a fair few on the blog, here, here, here, here and here.)

So I thought it was about time I did a little analysis on which works better, or worse:

Instant fake tan	Gradual fake tan	Full-on fake tan
Washes off	Fades gradually and evenly	Lasts up to a week
No missing ANYWHERE	Can build up which gives better coverage	I’m prone to missing bit – like the back of my ankle
Not so much choice of colour	Can build up or lay off – depending on desired depth of color	Different colour depths available
No smell	Standard fake tan smell	Strong fake tan smell
Instant	Develops gradually	Develops gradually

For me, I think I have come to realise that instant fake tans work best as I’m not really organised enough to apply my tan the night before and when I do, I often find I’ve missed the back of my ankle or something and have a glaring white mark! The weather is also so unpredictable that for 99% of the time, I don’t really need to have fake tan on because I’m all covered up, so it is nice to have the flexibility to just apply it on those days or nights when I want to expose a little flesh and want it to have a little golden glow!


Update: Which tans do I recommend? Well, personally I'm currently addicted to St Tropez's Wash Off Instant Mousse.

Which tanning method do you favour?


If you fancy winning some fake tan - among other fabulous prizes - why not enter my giveaway?

Please nominate me in the "Established Fashion Blog" category

Friend Friday: DIY Mani

It's another visual Friend Friday post and this week's title is, simply, DIY manicure. Anything goes really. There can't be many women who don't enjoy sitting down for an hour and pampering themselves with a DIY mani, can there?

Last Sunday, I sat down for a couple of hours to watch a DVD and decided to paint my nails. I got out my collection of Models Own nail polishes and then couldn't decided which colour to choose. So I didn't!


Models Own polishes (left to right): Vintage Pink, Lilac Dream, Champagne, Grace Green and Slate Green.


If you're a follower of this blog, you'll know that I am a huge nail polish fan and post my weekly Mani of the Week every Tuesday. If you too like to treat yourself to a DIY mani, you might like to check out Grit and Glamour's post on her nail polish favs, tips and tricks.

What's your favourite colour to paint your nails when you give yourself a DIY mani? Do you like to try a bit of nail art? Check out my latest/first attempt at nail art here.


You can find the rest of this week's Friend Friday contributions over on Thrifty and Shameless. If you fancy getting involved in the Friend Friday project, you can find all of the details over at ModlyChic.


If you fancy winning four nail polishes - among other fabulous prizes - why not enter my giveaway?

Please nominate me in the "Established Fashion Blog" category

BARGAIN OF THE DAY: Dorothy Perkins colour block wedges

These fabulous and bargainous bright wedges from Dorothy Perkins will add a splash of colour to any outfit!

How to... be a bargain shopper

• Sign up for any newsletter going for all of your favourite stores and more. If you don’t fancy having your inbox filled with "junk", why not open a new email account specifically for the pursuit of a bargain? I have an old account that I had to stop using for everyday as it is literally filled with vouchers and sales emails – so now I browse it when I need to shop!
• Stalk the shops. I mean it, the more you shop, the more you will know what you are after in the stores and therefore are more likely to be the first, or one of the first, to catch a sale.

You can read the rest of my guest post over on Thrifty and Shameless.

How to... pack your toiletries (Part II)

A couple of months ago, I wrote a post entitled, "How to... pack your toiletries for your hand baggage". Not long afterwards, I was asked to try out Arm and Hammer's new battery operated electric toothbrush. Now, it might not be very fashionable to talk about brushing your teeth but it certainly is fashionable - particularly in Hollywood - to have clean white teeth. I already use an electric toothbrush but it runs off a rechargeable battery with a mains charger and so a battery operated brush is much better for travelling - maybe a weekend city break or camping at a festival?

But now I'm thinking of swapping my current brush for this one permanently and not just when I'm on my holidays. The brush is bigger than most electric toothbrush heads which makes brushing easier and quicker and more effective. Believe me, I didn't think I'd be able to write much about a toothbrush but turns out I could go on!! But I won't. Only to tell you it costs less than £15 and a couple of AA batteries. What better for your holidays?

What are your safe saving tips for packing your toiletries for your holidays?

Mani of the Week: Boots 17 Risky Red

When Boots sent me some of their new 17 Supreme Shine nail polishes to try out, the one that I couldn't wait to use was this red. I have something of an addiction to red nail polish. My go to polish when I want my nails to look grown up and "done" is either Chanel's Rose Flamme which is a very pale pink or a red. When I find myself away without any polish with me, chances are, I'll buy a bottle of red. As a result, I have ended up with nearly too many bottles that I have finger nails to paint!

There is something glamorous and timeless about a good red manicure. My nail icon for my red obsession is the ever stylish Olivia Palermo who never seems to be without a coat of red on her nails:

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