Still A Barbie Girl

I'm sure you all know by now I'm a rather big fan of the Barbie range at Miss Selfridge.  I've bought several tops over the years and was pretty excited when they made patterned leggings last year!  I've been holding off placing another order, but think I will now that they've added some more things that take my fancy.
Starting with a vest that was 'new in' this week. The Dip Dye Hair Vest £22 features Barbs with pink hair...what's not to love?  This is a definite 'yay' for me.

Also 'new in' are these Black Print Leggings £28...

and matching Black Print Body £25.  I love that black is the base colour for these prints as it makes them different to the set I already own (that was totally just me justifying it to myself).  I definitely want the leggings, but can't decide if I need the body too??

I've been keeping an eye on these Love Legging for ages!  Finally today, they popped into the sale at £15, so I'll definitely be snapping them up.  Again the print is really different to the ones I already own and I don't own any (non Barbie) leggings like this anyway.  I do keep thinking 'I Love Ken' says 'I Love Men' though!

Next up are another pair I've been contemplating purchasing for a while, but think they are maybe too similar to the pair I already own.  The Printed Legging £28 have a mish-mash of Barbies through the ages, even as an astronaut and in a rather snazzy vintage car.  They make me feel nostalgic!

You can also get the matching Printed Body £25.

Something else new in this week is the Plastic Forever T-Shirt £22.  It looks a little on the cropped side to me and I like my tops long, so I can tuck them in, so I don't think I'll be getting this one, as cute as it is.

This one from last year is definitely cropped, so not for me.  I love the modern print on the Group Shot Crop Top £22 though.

Finally the black Slogan Vest £22, which I keep considering buying.  It would fit into my wardrobe easily and I like the 'studded' Barbie slogan.   I can't decide whether to just get all the things I want now or hope some more go into the sale.  I haven't bought any clothes or shoes for ages now though and I think I'm starting to suffer withdrawal symptoms and need a little pick me up!

*update on what I bought* I got the pink dip dye hair vest, black leggings and love leggings. I also ordered two dresses in the sale (wishful thinking on my part that they would actually fit) and they looked pretty hideous on me (!), so they'll be going back.

Something else I have my eye on is this DRM TM Mug Shot Print T-Shirt from the men's section at ASOS.  You may know I bought my gorgeous Marilyn Monroe t-shirt from the male shop and the fit was actually really great on me (size M if I recall).  I was browsing the other week and spotted this, which they are calling 'mug shot' but it's pictures of our fave music stars as kiddies!!  I really want this for one reason (which will become apparent below) and by luck it popped into the sale this week at half price!  I no longer have my Premier account (see I really haven't been shopping for ages), so can't decide whether to renew it to get this (and it'll arrive tomorrow) or just get free style saver delivery and last out a little longer!

I believe I am correct in saying from left to right is: Mariah Carey (with Whitney-esque hair), the adorable Usher then Tupac.  Below that is Pharell (hasn't changed a bit), I think Jay-Z and is that really Eminem? Next row is Gwen Stefani, a rather cute looking Kanye (?) considering the ego-jerk he has turned into now (!) and Missy Elliot.  

As much as I love the print on this, I would be pretty happy if it featured only one giant picture.  Yes, of my husband Usher! Look at how absolutely adorable he looks as a child.  Our kids are going to be so freakin' perfect with those genes ; )

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Monster High Monday: Physical Deaducation Ghoulia

Hello and here's this weeks 'Monster High Monday' featuring gorgeous Ghoulia, all ready for 'Physical Deaducation' from the classroom line. The makeup was relatively simple this week as there was just one eye colour and no highlighter and I knew exactly how to get the lip colour by combining a couple of lipsticks.

Underneath her super cool glasses, she's wearing a dark smokey eye which is actually an olive shade. She has the usual winged look and liner. I get to have blue eyes again this week, which are nowhere near as disturbing as Clawdeen and her yellow eyes last time (not keen to revisit that anytime soon).

Her lips are super bright and I immediately knew I would need the power of the 'Nicki Minaj' lippie for this job! They are actually red, so I thought I could combine two colours for the perfect shade.

As usual there was no blush on this doll, so I used it sparingly on my own face as I look dead without it! I'm still trialling this foundation that I can't name (all will become clear next week) and used Illamasqua Rich Foundation in 115 to brighten under the eyes with ELF Studio HD loose powder in Translucent and MAC Beauty Powder Blush in True Romantic on the cheeks.

On the eyes was Too Faced Shadow Insurance as a base with the darkest colour from the Pout 'Miss Scotland' duo, which is a relatively sheer but buildable olive green. Liner as usual is YSL Waterproof pencil and L'oreal Carbon Black SuperLiner with the un-named mascara that I'm testing.

The camera flash has made the eyeshadow appear much less green and much more sheer than it was in person.

Finally the lips, which are sometimes suffering from colour-bleeding in these images, simply because they are too bright for the computer screen to handle (!) are MAC Viva Glam Nicki as a 'base' (over Pout Lip Line Definer), with Chanel Rouge Allure in 08 Brilliant (the same one I used for Frankie a couple of weeks ago) which is a bright red but deepened the colour. The finished result was absolutely spot-on as it had the red tone, but the brightness of 'you're not quite sure if it's neon orange or pink'. I can't say I'd usually combine smokey colour on my eyes with such a hot lip, but I quite liked this weeks MHM.  You can see what I wore along with my face sans bright blue eyes on The Shoe Girl Diaries and I'll be back next week for more monster mayhem.

Monster High Video: Ghouls Alive!

Hello! I'm just back from a charity lunch my Mum wanted me to attend (been out twice this week which is huge for me!) and it's started snowing really heavily after sleet all morning.  Anyway this morning, I quickly made this short video of two of my new Monster High dolls that arrived yesterday.  They are from the Ghouls Alive! collection which I was intrigued by from the out-set as they are the first interactive MH dolls making noises, 'moving' and glowing.  What I didn't bargain on, was them being so darn brilliant! They are much cuter than I expected and the 'animated' element is really good, so I'm thrilled with them both.  I got Frankie and Clawdeen (you can also get the spooky glowing ghost Spectra but I don't collect her) and both come in slightly modified versions of their 'original' outfits.  Even although I own both versions, I feel you can definitely justify it, as the dolls look almost completely different and the outfits aren't too similar.  

Frankie Stein, lights up and 'sparks' when you press a button on her stomach.  She looks so cute and innocent, then you press the button and her ribs and face light up and she's noisy too! It's pretty funny and surprising if you don't already know what she does!

Clawdeen Wolf, operates with a lever in her back and her head tilts back, her eyes close and her arms go up and she howwwwwls! It's is mega cute, I love it! I could do it all day....I also want to get her dancing to Thriller or Everybody (Backstreet's Back), she could totally work that!  My 'Monster High Monday' makeup inspiration this week featured the original version of Clawdeen, so click here if you haven't seen that yet.

I also ordered my girl, Ghoulia (Scaris).  You can put her hands in the pockets of her hoody.  Hands in pockets, erm totally cool!  My sis also got Ghoulia and GA Frankie along with Picture Day 'Draculaura'.  She also got a glow in the dark 'Jade' Bratzillaz.  Yep, the entire doll glows, soooo cool!

A Strange Package

This week I received the strangest thing in the mail. It was from Maybelline and the cute pink bubble bag contained their latest mascara. Not so strange you're thinking. Well, the mascara wasn't actually included, just the brush. That's right, inside was a clean mascara wand with no product. It includes a little bit about the product and a voucher for £1 off, but obviously I have no means of testing it pre-purchase. What a waste of money and promotion, I thought. Then the next thing I did was take photos of the brush to show you and as I'm writing this, perhaps it's not such a strange marketing move, as it's got us talking about it!

I still would have preferred to try a proper sample of the product before making up my mind about whether or not I want to purchase it. I always claim that the brush is half the battle with mascara, but I still wouldn't be convinced to buy it solely upon using this sample brush with any of my regular mascaras. How can I ever know if the 'real thing' will be just as efficient?

It's called The Rocket (Volum' Express) and promises up to 8x more volume. The Jet-Glide brush (oh how thrilled I am that my new toy has a name!) combined with the smooth mascara formula (one can only assume) loads on a volumised look with separated lashes in super speedy time without clumping. Apparently.

The brush is a flexy, rubbery material, with a bright pink cylindrical centre (no idea why that colour, just for coolness I think).

Granted the brush does look super cool and had I bought this mascara off the shelf, I'd have most likely been none the wiser as to what it looked like pre-black liquid. However, I'd like to be able to tell you how effective this product is and whether or not it does what it claims, so you and I have a fair idea of whether or not to part with our hard earned cash for it! It will most likely remain a mystery for me as I'm not feeling particularly enticed into purchasing yet. Do let me know if you've spotted the TV ads or seen it instore and if it's something you would like to or have tried.

Keeping on the theme of makeup and I'm very proud to say I completed an entire year of my self-imposed Lipstick Challenge this week (yes that's all 52 lippies pictured above)! For those not familiar with it, I wanted to use up my humongous lipstick stash and so select a different lipstick each week to wear for the 7 days (you can always find the current one in the sidebar or look back the archives on the link at the top of my blog). I'm not sure if I should be proud or ashamed to admit, I could probably keep this challenge going for several years as the 52 lipsticks I chose for the challenge last year have barely made a dent in my collection! I can't say I've significantly 'used up' any lipsticks, but that wasn't the intention (I mean how much of a product can you really use in 7 days?) I am pleased to say it's forced me to grab other lipsticks that would normally be sitting neglected or forgotten about. I also think I've become much more adventurous with layering (lipstick over lipstick as well as glosses), because it would get boring wearing the same shade, the same way, all week. I also expected the round-up image above to be filled with nudes, but I'm surprised to see quite a mixture there (see Mum, I don't always buy the same lipstick colours!) and I think for that first year, I've also picked a good selection/mix of brands too. Of course I still have my favourites and at times, I panic that I've already picked that colour for the challenge previously (MAC Viva Glam Gaga and YSL Rouge Volupte's I'm looking at you) and therefore can't wear it again.  However with layering, I can still get the essence of that particular colour if I so wish, so it's not quite so scary to know that it's not 'gone' forever.  So...onwards and upwards to another year and yes, 52 new lipsticks that I haven't already used for last years challenge (hard to keep track sometimes, so I have to check my own page!).  I'm really looking forward to it and hope you are too.

Monster High Monday: Clawdeen Wolf

A little late with 'Monster High Monday' this week, sorry about that! This time featuring the stunning Clawdeen Wolf. She's sooo pretty, I especially love this (original) versions hair, it's just so bouncy and vivacious! I definitely don't envy her werewolf yellow eyes though...not for me as you can see here!

Clawdeen is a sassy little werewolf and along with Cleo De Nile, is the only character to have her family members introduced. First with her brother Clawd (seriously hot for a cartoon/doll) and her fiery little sister Howleen more recently. Clawdeen has a no-nonsense attitude and has no trouble speaking her mind.

Makeup wise, she has deep wine lips here and her signature colour is purple, so she's wearing lilac and purple eyeshadow. She's the first MH doll I've featured that actually comes wearing blush (a warm pink), so for once I don't need to alter that for my own face.

On my face is the same foundation I wore last week (the one I can't disclose yet as I'm trialling it), with Illamasqua Rich Foundation in 115 under the eyes, E.L.F. Studio HD Powder in Translucent and on the cheeks is Versace Glam Touch in V2072-M. Yes, the yellow eyes are scaring me too!

My eyes were relatively simple to do, although I seemed to use a lot of different products to get the right shade. I began using Paul & Joe Eye Gloss in 05 L'Aurore (which is a pale, sparkling lilac) as a base, paying particular attention to under the brow (where Clawdeen has the lilac sheen and sparkles). I intensified the lilac tone slightly by sweeping the lightest shade from my Guerlain Radiant Colour Palette in 265 Touche de Parme. From the lashline to the crease I used Urban Decay 'Asphyxia' eyeshadow with the lightest shade from Milani 07 Wild Violets quad. In the crease and sweeping outwards, I used Lancaster Chameleon Eyeshadow in 116 Divine Iris. Then under the eyes I smudged the darkest shade from the Milani palette which is a deep grey toned plum.

I also wore YSL Waterproof eye pencil and L'Oreal SuperLiner and the mascara is another item I'm trialling that I can't mention yet.

The lips were really easy to do with my Pout Lip Line Definer (clear) and MAC 'Dark Deed', Amplified Creme lipstick. It seemed appropriate given Clawdeens love of animal print to wear a touch of leopard print!

So that's it again for another week! I've just have added some new dollies to my collection (arriving tomorrow), so we'll have plenty Monster High Mondays to come!

(Belated) Christmas Presents!

Christmas. Seems like an age ago now doesn't it? I can't quite believe that it's not even been a month yet, but anyway I uhhmed and ahhed over whether or not to put together a 'Christmas pressie' post and in the end decided it would be quite fun. I hadn't quite realised the amount of photos I took until it came to editing them all today. Took some time!

My main pressie from Santa were these adorable deer ornaments and my Disney Villains, 'Cruella De Vil' designer doll. I'm going to do a separate post on her because she is so spectacular. I find myself just staring at her, she's so amazing! I also got the Villains sticky notes set in my stocking...or was that from my sister? Can't quite remember.

This Christmas was certainly the year of the stationery for me! I got notebooks in an abundance! The one below was in my stocking and the Gorjuss one was a gift from a friend.

I also got this 'Vintage Fashion Journal', I think from my sis (?) and it's beautiful. It's got all these wonderful printed pages and little fashion related quotes. I couldn't resist giving you a good peek at some of the pages...

My sister wraps her presents beautifully every year. She always attaches a little Cadbury's Christmas chocolate to the ribbon and she's really into Belle & Boo (completely adorable btw), so bought this wonderful sticky tape which she used to spruce up some plain boxes, which contained my presents. She literally spent hours individually wrapping each thing.

I loooove Sergei the 'Go Compare' meerkat. I actually want to marry him! So she got me this little book, which I haven't had time to read yet.

I'm bordering on obsessed with My Little Pony just now, so she got me these cute hair clips...

...and some plasters. Is it wrong I want to 'get hurt', so I can use these?

She got me three animal themed rings...

and this adorable bracelet. The horse was initially on a necklace, which she knew would be too short for me, so she got her beads out and made it into a cute bracelet for me. I love personalised things like this : )

I got a shoe purse and some kawaii stickers from another friend

From another friend, this totally ace Anna Sui notecard set (which by the way will never make it out of my hands). Each card is different and it comes with envelopes and stickers. I want to put these up all around my room!

A little eyeshadow set and nail file

In my stocking, this cute dolly sponge

this carriage necklace

some tights and horse scarves

Marilyn Monroe and Cath Kidston mints!

Some 'nice' coat-hangers and my Dad always buys us a little something extra and he usually gets me this fabulous shoe calendar. You get to change the image each day.

And I used money from my Grandad to buy the majority of these boots (silly me should have waited until they were further reduced and I would've saved myself another £50, but oh well)! they were my first present all wrapped under the tree and everyone who came to the house was rather enamoured with the brightly coloured, large box!

Oh and a ton of Cadbury's chocolate, because we all know I love that...in every form! I'm rather shocked I managed to make it last until the other day!

Finally, my family are rather obsessive about Christmas and start counting down the days from October! I do like it too, but tend to reserve my excitement for cute shoes and makeup! So my Mum got me this sign, which she thought summed up Christmas for me. It actually did get to that stage a couple of days before Christmas and I just wanted the whole thing done with....ooh Scrooge!