Do You Know..How to Paint? Tips for Painting!

 Is this how painting is done??

The nearest thing I have ever come to painting is painting my nails, so when my boyfriend suggested we paint our home the first thought that came to my mind was *gulp* help!

Painting walls and ceilings of a room is a big job that you don’t want to get wrong. So I’ve picked up some great tips from friends, family and online DIY websites that I will share with you to get your paint job looking great:-

Before you start painting move furniture and rugs in the centre of the room and then cover with a sheet to protect from the paint and dust.

 Use old rugs or linen to cover your furniture and move out of the way

Plan what you want to paint, what colours and work systematically, starting with the ceiling, then the walls and finally the woodwork and metalwork (like radiators and pipes) that way, you wont miss bits which will show up when the paint is dry.

Don't rush your decision, take time to choose a colour scheme for your room

Paint the walls by starting at the top and work down to the bottom – working from the bottom up is not only awkward but the finish is not as clean.

For the main parts of the wall use a roller! I found out the hard way and started with a paint brush which was more tricky to handle.

 Use a roller!

Get the roller and roll it forwards and backwards along the top of the tray so it absorbs the paint but isn’t fully covered with paint.

If you’re painting on to freshly plastered walls, mix paint half with water in the paint tray so that the paint won’t absorb into the wall as quickly.

Use the roller to make elongated smooth vertical strokes to finish each section use up and down strokes to give the wall a smooth finish.

 Go for a roller to paint interior walls

If you do prefer to use a brush don’t make my mistake and use a small brush on the main section of the wall.  The bigger the brush, the more area you can cover and the quicker the job will be.

 Protect EVERYWHERE - including your hair!

Paint will go everywhere - fact! So protect everything from furniture, clothes, eyes and even your hair. I wore a wooly hat and eye goggles and that did the trick!

Also watch out for running paint! Try to smooth them out as soon as they appear.  If you leave a drop or run to dry, sand it down and then repaint the area after.

♥

Skating with Superdrug!

 Tower of London Ice Rink

I got in the festive spirit this evening and joined the Superdrug team at Tower of London ice rink where I got to skate, view the exclusive Superdrug winter skincare range, drink mulled wine and mingle with other beauty bloggers!

Me and the lovely bloggers, PinksweetSz and London Beauty Queen

The Tower of London, one of the most iconic landmarks in London, is the perfect location for an ice rink and I got to take in the scenes of the Tower and sip on one of  my favourite Christmas treats - mulled wine!

If you are looking for Christmas present ideas or simply beauty and skincare products to get you through this winter then here are a few of my favourites from Superdrug…

There is nothing I love better than snuggling with a hot water bottle and a cup of cocoa on a cold Winter’s night so Superdrug’s Totally Lush collection is right up my street! The collection comes with a matching mug and cosy socks too. Perfect for those cold nights in!

Halloween, Bonfire night, Christmas parties and New Year’s Eve, this is definitely the season to party! False lashes are a cheap and easy way to instantly glam up a look for a night out.  I love the Studio London lashes collection, which consists of four different lashes for every occasion. Go for “winged” lashes for fancy dress, “intense” lashes for a night out, “super intense” lashes if you want to stand out from the crowd or if you prefer a less dramatic look opt for the “natural” lashes instead!

♥

2011 AMA's

The stars were out in full force for the American Music Awards show, with celebs choosing shimmering metallic outfits over bright colours and black.  Check out what the celebs wore to this event:-

Selena Gomez and Justin Beiber

Taylor Swift

Jennifer Hudson

 Katy Perry

 Audrina Patridge

  Mary J Blige

 Estelle

Ellie Goulding

Versace & H&M Collaboration!

 Donatella arriving at the launch of the Versace & H&M collaboration at Regent Street store

As soon as Donatella Versace revealed that Versace and H&M would collaborate for a special high street collection, I knew that it would make history.  But even I was surprised to the extent the frenzy caused because of this mega  fashion collaboration. 24 hour queues and the  entire collection sold out in 30 minutes!

Fashionistas and dedicated shoppers had camped outside H&M stores the night before to get a piece of the hotly anticipated collection.  Queues as long as double decker buses were formed outside stores across the country. When I entered the Knightsbridge store in London, there were security guards behind a roped off section of the store - dedicated to Versace collection only.

 

Shoppers queue up for Versace at H&M

 Items fly off the shelves in minutes!

Shoppers were allowed 15 minutes only to shop til they dropped and in an effort to stop greedy Ebay sellers, shoppers were not allowed to purchase more than three items each. Absolute torture for genuine shoppers who actually want to buy to wear, not just to buy and sell on for three times the price!

So what did I think of the collection? Well it was certainly vibrant! Leather, fringing, studs and PVC and I haven't even mentionned the colours!  

The collection has rich tropical prints and bright tones and definitely lived up to the reputation of Donatella Versace's love of high-fashion and glamour - flamboyant dressing at its best! I wasn't keen on the tropical floral patterns which appeared on the leggings and tunic tops - a little too "rah rah" for me and reminded me of something that would be best suited for a float at the Notting Hill Carnival.

 The Versace collection

The standout pieces were the black leather mini dress,  the black waistcoat (purchased!) and the studded leather jacket all just amazing!  But the best of all were the accessories, silk scarf, ring and bracelet were on my to-get list and I was very happy with them indeed!

Some of my favourites from the collection

 

I love H&M collaborations - high fashion meets high street at the fraction of the usual designer price.  Versace pieces normally sell up to £6,000 but the H&M collection, released on Thursday, accessories started at only £14.99 with the most expensive item selling for £179.99. This is absolute heaven for a bargainista fashionista like me! 

 Silk scarf, leather bracelet and ring

 Versace for H&M square silk scarf with print

Leather bracelet with metal flowers and sparkly gems

 Chunky gold metal ring with flowers and gems

I just wish that the H&M website didn't crash. For shoppers who are unable to visit a store have to rely on online shopping and the H&M website really let us shoppers down. I was lucky enough to purchase one item (the waistcoat) but many people couldn't buy anything and when the;- website was finally up and running everything was sold out! Let's hope H&M sort out their web problems for the next collaboration!

♥

Kimberly Walsh Birthday Party & Cheryl Cole InStyle Cover

 Kimberly Walsh celebrates her birthday

Girls Aloud have been busy bees - this weekend Kimberly celebrated her 30th birthday party and Cheryl appears on the front cover of InStyle magazine!

Kimberly celebrated her birthday in style wearing a beautiful strapless nude prom dress, tan heels and clutch bag  Her bandmate, Nicola, chose an equally stunning outfit - a leopard print corset dress, black heels and matching bag.

 Nicola Roberts

Cheryl on the front cover of InStyle magazine

Whilst Cheryl was no where to be seen, she did appear on the front cover of InStyle magazine. I'm not usually a fan of her outfit choices, but I really like the styling for this shoot, simple yet chic really suits her!

 I love this look!

♥

Superdrug's Simply Pure Review

 Simply Pure (available at Superdrug)

Simply Pure is the skincare collection dedicated to sensitive skin, with products that are mild, gentle, fragrance free and hypoallergenic.  The whole line has been dermatologically tested and carries the BUAV leaping bunny symbol.  The best part?  The Simply Pure range is suitable for use by vegetarians and vegans.

I tried the Pure Calming Cleanser, a transparent runny gel designed to gently cleanse and condition sensitive skin. It contains “Soothex” the non drying formula which was very easy to apply and foamed up quickly. The cleanser is very gentle, it rinses well and there was no stinging or burning removed all my makeup with no problem.

 Simply Pure range, cleanser, toner and moisturiser

Simply Pure does exactly what the label says, no fancy ingredients just a simple inoffensive cooling cleanser that doesn’t irritate sensitive skin.  My worry with products that are designed for sensitive skin is that it can dry the skin leaving it feeling very tight, but in this case my skin didn’t dry out.  I used the Simply Pure Moisturiser which is a SPF 15 and non-greasy - perfect for people who suffer from oily skin.

Simple Pure is not only effective and affordable but used with natural products too - well worth the try!

Rihanna at the O2! Review

RiRi opening the show!

Last night I went to see the incredible Rihanna at the 02 arena and boy did she put on a show! 

Queuing took hours but it's ok, it IS RiRi after all!

When I found out I saw Rihanna was coming London I made sure I booked my ticket asap - but I needn't have worried. Rihanna is set to play 10 dates at the 02 arena making it the longest run at the venue of any female artist. Good on her!

 Peforming "What's My Name"

RiRi kicked off the show with "Only girl in the world" belting out all her biggest tunes from "Shut up and drive", "Please don't stop the music", "Take a bow" and some of my favourites, "What's my Name" and "So hard".

Rihanna and her dancers performing "So Hard"

Each song she performed with her troupe of male and female dancers was an elaborate stage full of props - at one stage there was even a huge pink camouflage army tank complete with smoke she was blasting into the crowd.

I rarely stand at concerts because of the fear of a.being squashed to death, b.being squashed to death and c.being squashed to death but I thought I would give it a try seeing as it WAS Rihanna after all...

And I am so glad I did because Rihanna surprised her fans, (including me!) and performed on the drumkit for a few minutes right underneath where me and my friends were standing!

Rihanna performing on the drums - right beside us!

Most of all I loved Rihanna’s stage outfits. From the denim shorts and sparkly multi-coloured bra, to the yellow floaty dress with a thigh split, Rihanna’s wardrobe for the concert didn’t disappoint.

Rihanna in her lovely canary yellow floaty dress...

So great songs, great stage and great fashion everything you would expect from a concert. Maybe I’m biased, I do love Rihanna after all but what’s there not to love? When it comes to good pop tunes, Rihanna always comes correct. In the words of Rihanna, "Go hard, or go home!"

♥

What's My Name performance



Accessorize Makeup at Superdrug

                                 Accessorize beauty range

Bloggers have been raving about Accessorize cosmetic range since in launched last year in Superdrug so I was keen to try out the beauty must-have’s that come in five unique themes to choose from.

The beauty range from Accessorize offers bronzer, blusher, nail polish, lipgloss and eyeshadow.  Release your inner rebel with edgy Rock Chic, stand out from the crowd with Exotic Brights, or go cute and classic and opt for With Love. If playful glamour is your look of choice, then indulge in Illusion, or romanticise yourself with the Je t’aime collection.

                                             Voluminising mascara

I’m a bit of a sucker for packaging, if the packaging is designed well then I’m interested!  The Jet Black Mascara tube has leopard print and roses – very cute! It is definitely a volumising mascara, with a larger brush and slightly tapered edges that reach from the root of the lash to the tip for a true “rock star” glamour and volume.

                        Bronzing Block

The Accessorize Bronzing Block Shade powder comes in a cute little box and powder brush. The powder is a swirl of flattering shades of bronze and shimmering pink powders to create a rush of colour for your cheeks.

 Icon Eye Eyeshadow

                                           no.9 Silver Dove eyeshadow

 

If you’re a fan of eye shadows like me then you will love the eyeshadow – definitely my favourite from the brand. The colour transfer is good and is just as bright as it appears in the pot, something some brands lack.  I used the Icon Eye Shadow no. 9 Silver Dove. 

It is highly pigmented which comes up great on my dark skin and the creamy texture makes it very easy to blend too. And at £4.00 for an eyeshadow it is a worthy price for a good value product. Available at Superdrug now!