Pay Day Spending!

So I recently got a new job after a fair bit of time spent desperately hunting and it is so nice to have my own money, a regular income again. Naturally, with my first pay check I had to do some shopping and dragged my surprisingly willing boyfriend to Basingstoke to treat myself...quite a bit. I don't think I'm the most normal girl in the sense that I find it quite hard to spend money. It's not that there's nothing I want to buy, because there's plenty as I'm sure you've noticed, but that I'm very conscious of the fact that I could easily end up being broke pretty quickly! You never know when you might urgently need some cash, be it an amazing pair of shoes or a dentist trip or something, it's the reason I really think twice before every purchase...does that make me boring? Haha. 

Anyway, Basingstoke, I honestly felt so excited I was practically shoving my money in the cashiers faces :). 

First stop, The Body Shop, somewhere I could so easily spend hundreds of pounds but I refrained and just bought this yummy grapefruit shower gel at £4, but I only had to pay £1 due to my little joy card (or something like that), that you get free in GLAMOUR this month and has either £3, £15 or £100 on it, yay! Free money, sort of. 

Pink Grapefruity goodness

Then Lush, where I always want to spend a ton of money but hold myself back and just but a couple of things! My purchases this time being an "Avobath", lemony fresh smelling and an "Ickle Baby Bot" for my boyfriends son as he loves watching them fizz away in his baths and thinks they smell of sweets, aww.

Coolest Packaging!

 Avobath. Baby Bot couldn't wait to be used it seems!

In Zara I bought this amazing, super snuggly, mustard coloured scarf for only £10 and also a cheeky little roller ball perfume in "11 Corso Vittorio Emanuele Milano" which smells so lovely but only cost me £3.99... It's definitely in my top 3 favourite perfumes, the others being Chloe and MAC's Turquatic. I'm no good at describing scents, the best I can do for this one is floral, fruity and a tiny bit sweet. The website describes it as the top note being apple, middle notes being peony, Brazilian orange and violet, and the base note being sandalwood.

Hard to picture a scarf, but it's the colour I wanted to capture!

11 Corso Vittorio Emanuele Milano

Tesco I spotted a new dry shampoo and, being a big fan of the stuff, decided to try it out. I've never found one that matches the quality of Batiste whilst also sticking to the drugstore prices until this little beauty! It's paraben, silicone (v. important for me with fine hair) and colorant free, smells amazing and best of allllll it doesn't leave a rubbish white residue and gives a lot of volume! Honesty, I love, love, love it.

Timotei Dry Shampoo

Last stop was Superdrug where I bought:

a Barry M nail polish in the gorgeous deep burgundy/red that looks just a couple shades away from black, perfect for autumn. It's called Red Black, inventive

a Maybelline 24hr Colour Tattoo in Pink Gold - soft pink with silver and golden shimmer 

a Sleek blush in Pomegranate - a deep pinky red...which, after a couple of uses, I've realised is not right for my skin tone (pale haha) so I think I'll have to give that one away, boo :(

MaxFactor Masterpiece Max High Volume mascara which is my all time fave "drugstore" one!

Barry M Red Black Nail Varnish

 Maybelline 24hr Colour Tattoo in Pink Gold

 Sleek blush in Pomegranate

MaxFactor Masterpiece Max High Volume Mascara 

I also got some boring old Primark white plimsolls, essentials but yawn.

Clearly this wasn't enough to get my fix so, later that evening, I went online and ordered these Zara leggings. I already have a pair of these and I love SO much that I was afraid to not have them in my life and bought a back up pair...that's just good sense I think. Also, I made a small MAC order of a Single Large Pro Pallete and the 15 slot insert as I've been dying to start building up a palette of my favourite shades! I think it's such a good idea to be able to custom make one and although they're not cheap, they last such a long time it's more of an investment :) 

Not the hugest haul but I love everything I got!

What do you guys think?!

November Shopping Haul

I went a tad overboard whilst shopping in New York, and please excuse the bad photographs but it was all a bit hectic! I love love love Sephora and MAC stores I just love being in there and having a wander and they have such awesome products! I decided that I wanted to try to find some of the Rihanna MAC Fall Collection but my quest failed because, as I'm sure everyone knows, the collection sold out in such a short space of time. But I did manage to find one of the Lipsticks and a couple of the eye shadow palettes. I had a little look at the palettes and I did really like them but instead decided I quite fancied creating one of my own. I opted for Quad palette which worked out at $10.00 per eye shadow and $48.00 for the case. Which does work out slightly cheaper than in the UK. 

The Eye shadows that I chose were:
Style Snob - this is a nice shimmer 'taupey' brown and it's great as a crease shade, its also really easy to blend so works great with other shades or when used on its own.

Jest - I love the soft texture and subtle shimmer of this eye shadow, it's great for highlighting and blending and has quickly become one of my favourite eye shadows.
Mystery - This is a pretty chocolate brown that is a great neutral crease shade, I find the 'plummy' undertones compliment my brown eyes, and if you dust off any excess, you'll have no fall out.
Coquette - This is great at complimenting other shades and for blending, I find it's a very natural eye shadow that has a slightly khaki/olive look to it, it's a very universal shade that can be used on the eyebrows or on the lids to create a beautiful natural depth.

(Picture of Mac Palette)

Sephora was where I found the brushes ideal for what I wanted. I've been searching for a while for a blending brush for the crease of my eye so that I can start to play around more with different effects and colours, so when I saw the Sephora Collection 'Classic Eyeshadow Blending Brush #60' for only $16.00 I got all excited because it looked perfect and it's a great length too so very easy to handle and use. The second brush that I grabbed up for $14.00 is the 'Classic Must have Angled Liner Brush #90' this is great for blending in my eye liner, it's really great at following the shape of the eye to blend moistened eye shadow or liquid liner and leaves a really precise, finished look.

Now, I've heard about the Makeup Forever Smoky Lash Mascara and it was one of the items that I was already planning to buy when I got there. It was $23.00, which is one of the more expensive beauty products that I bought but I absolutely love it and it's definitely worth the amount I spent. I've been trying it out since my purchase and it has quickly become my favourite Mascara ever! I'm a big fan of the YSL 'Babydoll' Mascara but I find it only really adds length to my lashes so they still lack volume, plus when I use the Benefit 'They're Real' Mascara my lashes start to clump together and it just doesn't really work for me. But, the Smoky Lash Mascara manages to add volume and length straight away and I find that I don't need to use much of it either to achieve the desired look. I just love it and will 100% be re-purchasing it.

Sephora Purchases

I found some great jackets in Forever 21, which I adore! With the first, I went for a size bigger than usual because I wanted to be able to layer easily and for it to be slightly over-sized and I really love it. It is a dark blue colour that has a black Aztec print to it, but due to the colours being quite similar I don't feel it's too much and it creates a nice affect. I also opted for a black leather jacket which can be worn with virtually anything so is great for cold weather and for completing a casual look.

I've recently be finding quite a few items in Primark! They have some great, chunky knits and cardigans which I made sure I stocked up on! They also have a range of £5.00 skater dresses all with different patterns and arm lengths, which can be combined with some of there £6-£8 jumpers to create a nice look. I've been styling them with some of my big cardigans and I'm really loving the combination at the moment. I always grab some Primark vest tops when I'm in there, just to wear underneath a top that appears a bit too see-through, or just as an extra layer, because they are crazy cheap and come in loads of colours! I do find though if you get one that's a size too big it tends to roll/curl at the ends which is a major pain if you are tucking it in, so make sure you get a size that isn't too long. Can't reallllllly go wrong with a £2.50 vest top.

Primark £5.00 Dresses

I have fallen in love with a bag, it's quite small so you can't really get too much in there, but overall it's just awesome. It's the Burgundy and Red panel Mini Satchel from New Look, and it is just so cute. You can purchase it for £15.99, but if you don't want to spend that much then Primark are doing a lot of similar style over the shoulder bags which work out quite a bit less. I adore the colour of this bag it goes perfectly with the gold buckles and pretty much an outfit I'm wearing. I wouldn't carry around too many items as it's not exactly huge but a perfect size to get in the essentials! The block shape really makes the retro design stand out.

New Look - Burgundy & Red Panel Mini Satchel

I'm also currently awaiting the arrive of some items I purchased online, very cheeky. The first is some very cute floral dungarees which I bought from www.motelrocks.com I've heard about this website before, but after having a proper look through I have decided I actually love it and just want to buy everything all day everyday. I think the dungarees will go really well with a white turtle neck crop top or a loose, white t-shirt, they were £35.00 with free postage. My second purchase, was a pair of amazing platform boots from H&M, I've been looking for a pair of these for a long time, they would look great with frilly socks which you can buy from Primark or Topshop! 

1. Motel Rocks Dungarees 2. H&M Platform Boots

Overall I am very please with my recent shopping items and I'm very excited for my boots to arrive!

Wish List #2

I really wish I could afford all of these but my bank balance would hate me! I will have to dream (and save frantically) for now. Sad face.

1. The Philip Kingsley elasticizer is so incredible, nuff said. I've had it before in the smaller size but it works out better value to buy it bigger, I'm not complaining! I think everyone knows about this product, many peoples HG hair mask, leaving your hair so very soft and lovely. 

2. I'm currently holding my mums GHD's hostage and so it's about time I bought some of my own...or so I've been told. These yellow ones are just so beautiful that I can't even consider buying another colour, I don't know why I'm so infatuated with these ones in particular, I just love how bright and vibrant they are. Plus they're only £79 at the moment on lookfantastic.com

3. This little Christmas themed set is so cute and seeing as I currently only own two (honeysuckle honeydew and summer fruit), three more is ok right? Particularly excited about the vanilla bean flavour!

4. I like and tend to be quite monochramatic in my outfits, so much so that I do it by accident, and then add a pop of colour in my accessories such as scarfes or bags...or a purse...like an orange lizard and cream suede one from Aspinal of London...

Anyway, what do you think?

My Trip Back to New York City!

In October this year I was lucky enough to have a second visit to one of my favourite places in the entire world, New York City!! I think it's just so amazing, with so many different things to do and is just a beautiful city. This year I went for 7 days and got to explore some of the less 'touristy' attractions as my friend was living there and had lots to show us! I didn't visit the Empire State Building or Rockefeller Centre this time as we got to do that on our first trip but both of those are a must when visiting NYC! With it being Fall (Autumn), the leaves had all turned, making it all so pretty and it was a nice temperature for someone walking around a lot. I would definitely recommend going at this time of year, especially as I got to be there around my favourite time of year, Halloween! And was able to see loads of Halloween themed houses/shops and go to some amazing Halloween parties and events!  

Central Park

Was it expensive, yes, but that's because I wanted to shop everywhere, all the time. Flights and accommodation weren't really too much money in total as we spent a couple of days staying at my friends too which helped with the overall cost, and meant more shopping money, which I was all for. When you go to New York there's so much to do that I couldn't possibly write about all of it but I decided to focus on some of the trip highlights. On our first full day we decided we would grab some ice cream and then walk across the Brooklyn Bridge from Brooklyn, we paid for a $30.00 Subway card which gives you unlimited use for 7 days and I would recommend this to anyone planning to use the subway to get around. It was definitely the cheapest way of doing it and I used it hundreds of times so it was great value for money!

We got to Brooklyn and it was beautiful, definitely go there, you get some great pictures of the New York Skyline and it's got some very peaceful gardens and is a bit less hectic than Manhattan. Due to our holiday being around Halloween time we decided to book with Groupon for an evening in a Haunted House in the middle of Times Square called 'Times Scare'. Make sure if you book with Groupon you read the fine print as sometimes there can be an extra fee to pay when you arrive at the venue. SPOILER ALERT: Seeings as I was at the front of my group in the Haunted House I think I did quite well, seeings as it was quite horrifying and I do feel bad for the actors jumping out at me as I was just screaming repeatedly in there faces. Overall, I loved the Haunted House, I love all things like that, and I don't think it was too scary in all, apart from a point in which I was generally running for my life, away from a crazed clown with what I still honestly believe was an actual chainsaw. I have never seen people as scared as the two girls behind us who I'm sure will probably still be having nightmares about it, it was just horrific, but also hilariously funny. So I recommend doing something like Times Scare, as they have Haunted Houses that run all year round and I have heard that a lot of them are pretty crazy.

Here is the link for the Times Scare Trailer, so you can see what I'm talking about, IF YOU DARE?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yk1BkQPmSLg

Some Highlights of My Trip

One of my favourite nights in NYC was at the New York Knicks Game. It was my first basketball game and I absolutely loved it, it's just so great to watch and get involved in, they have amazing audience entertainment in the breaks, for example the cheerleaders & dancers and people shooting free t-shirts out of a canon-gun thing! Tickets are quite expensive but it is definitely worth it, we also managed to get tickets for the night Madison Square Gardens Re-opened after it's refurbishment and that was just awesome, free t-shirts on the door, who doesn't love a free t-shirt. 

We spent our Saturday morning in New York at a Dog Halloween Fashion Parade. It sounds weird but it wasn't I just loved it, never have I seen such friendly dogs and there were literally hundreds of them, in every costume you can think of. I decided before we got there I wanted to find a dog in a Yoda costume, and of course there in the park, was Yoda Dog. I saw taco dogs, hashtag dogs, lobster dogs and of course a Miley Cyrus 'twerking' dog. The only costume I found a bit too strange was a little Chihuahua bride, only because the man holding her was dressed as the groom, and it was just a tad creepy town.

Skyline from Brooklyn & Times Square

Some other great experiences were sneaking into a College Halloween Party at Dave & Busters which was probably the best night of the holiday, best party hands down I've ever been to, these American kids sure can dance. I've uploaded the break dance video onto my personal Instagram @amyscurr so I'd get on over there to watch that!! Times Square is obviously a highlight, you've gotta be crazy to not be amazed by that place, explaining it just doesn't do it justice so if you get the chance to go to New York, I would definitely put some time aside for visiting it at least twice! 

We travelled over to Coney Island which is definitely an all day thing, as it takes around an hour on the Subway to get there. I think you either love or hate Coney Island, I think it's pretty awesome and the beach is so beautiful but if the park is closed there isn't really much else to do if you don't like having just a general wonder. If you visit Coney Island make sure you have something to eat in Nathans, a hotdog (which i think they are quite famous for), or a corn dog whatever you like, but order the cheesy fries, you just need to do it. The New York Aquarium is situated at Coney Island, and it is great fun, however after the storms last year and hurricane Sandy, its lacking quite a bit in the fish department, as in... there's a few fish tanks, a walrus, a couple of sea lions and I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the penguins running off. But, seeings as the aquarium only has a suggested price, you can pretty much pay what you want so I had a really great day there only costing $5.00.
Overall, this trip to New York has been my favourite Holiday so far, it's an amazing place, and there is so much to do for everyone. Central Park is great for walking around for some peace and quiet it's got some beautiful views where you can get some great photographs by the lakes or in the zoo! The stores are incredible I would recommend visiting Macy's, Nike Town and Bloomingdales, there are also a number of MAC and Sephora stores spread around the city for beauty and makeup products! Plus, Forever 21 is a MUST, this is where I spent most of my time and money and the biggest Victoria's Secret store ever is in New York, that shop is unbelievable the staff are extra friendly too. I managed to spend quite a fair bit of money shopping so there will be a separate post for my New York purchases.

Coney Island & New York Aquarium

I hope to be able to visit New York again soon, and would love to hear about anyone else's experiences there! Plus, anyone who hasn't been to or heard of the Shake Shack, needs to get there pronto, the burgers will complete your life.

Amy x

Halloween Makeup: The Creepy Clown

Halloween happens to be my favourite time of year, ever! I love dressing up and getting my scare on, it's that time of year I get to purposely make myself as hideous and creepy as possible and people compliment me for it! I love to try out something different each year, last year I was a Zombie Nurse and managed to freak a fair few people out, but this year I wanted to really go to Creepy Town, and I know quite a lot of people get freaked out by clowns. So, I decided it had to be a Creepy Clown.

Before starting on my own costume this year I was asked to do a few of my friends makeup so I did some little practice sessions on my hand. My friend went as a Zombie Surgeon so I needed to be able to make a deep Zombie bite mark. To do this I blended Special FX Wax into my skin, formed individual teeth marks with a small wooden cuticle stick then covered this with Ben Nye Liquid Latex. I grabbed a small cheap face paint palette which you can buy from Wilkinson or Tescos and used the black to paint inside the wound. I painted over this with red paint from my palette also painting around the wound to make it look bruised and sore. I used Ben Nye Stage Blood, which I brushed inside the wound and around it to make it look realistic. The picture below shows my practice session, but when I did it for real I added a lot more bruising and blood!

Practicing a Zombie Bite

Getting myself ready for Halloween only took around 20 minutes in total which isn't too long for the entire costume, hair and makeup! I started by painting my whole face white with a wet sponge with my small paint palette from Tescos, the great thing about being a dead/zombie clown is that you don't have to be too precise you can make it messy. I used an eyeshadow blending brush (or you can use a paintbrush) with black paint to create diamond shape eyes, but again I left them messy to add effect. I used the same technique as when I created the Zombie bite when creating the 'Chelsea Smile' mouth, this was with Special FX Wax and Liquid Latex On top. This took a while to blend in due to the paint on my face so I would suggest that you add the wax to the face before painting it white. You can spread the wax and liquid latex as far up your face as you want to make the smile bigger, I then painted the inside black and red, then added the Stage blood inside and all along my face to make it freakier. Rather than painting my nose red I just added a small circle of stage blood to it, as I preferred how this looked. Right, my eyes... one of my favourite pairs of contact lenses, and they are called White Mesh Contacts. I find these bearable for the entire night as you can still see easily through the small holes in the contacts, vision is just a little blurry. For my hair, I put in a set of old/spare hair extensions so that it didn't matter if they became ruined, and used spray in hair colour to dye Half of my hair orange and half green. These hair colour sprays were from Asda, but you can find them in lots of supermarkets or in Claire's Accessories. 

Full Costume & Makeup

The dress that I wore, I had ordered online and only just arrived in time, so if you are ordering online make sure the estimated arrival time is well before you need the costume! There are lots of clown costumes available from various stores, Asda does a female clown dress as well. This one is a Leg Avenue Dress, which included the Bow Tie and Hat.

Close Up

Overall, this is my favourite Halloween costume so far, I really enjoyed getting ready and I love the horrified looks people give me! I'm already excited to start coming up with ideas for next years costume, so let me know if anyone has any ideas!

Amy x

Products Used:

* Ben Nye Stage Blood (Bought when in US) - $6.00 but can be purchased for £4.50 in UK
* Ben Nye Liquid Latex - $4.99
* Orange & Green Hair Colour Sprays - Asda £3.00 Each
* Clown Dress with Bow Tie & Hat - http://www.legavenue.com/costumes/
* Cuticle Sticks - Wilkinson £0.50 for a pack of 10
* White Mesh Contact Lenses - www.eyesbright.com £12.95 per pair
* Small Paint Palette - Tescos £3.99 for the 'Goth Makeup Kit' which includes     red http://www.tescoparty.com/ShowProducts.aspx?pageid=653
* Snazaroo Special FX Wax 18ml - £3.99 in Partyshop