Author: Vamp It Up Mcr (Chrissie)

Barry M, Frosted Cupcakes Nail Paint – ‘Marshmallow’ Review

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I ordered this online and was really disappointed when it arrived as it looked like dark putty kind of colour in the bottle, er…

But as you can see it’s a silvery mushroom shade with a slight opalescent finish like frosted glass.

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As with all Barry M nail paints the brush is the perfect width for quick and simple application and the polish – helped by Iron Manny top coat – lasts around five days without chipping. This polish is one of the more resilient one’s by Barry M and also seems to have a quicker drying time.

Rating (a surprising) 5/5

❤ Chrissie ❤

Lush (Halloween) Monsters’ Ball Bath Bomb

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Lush have 16 halloween related products including bath bombs, bubble bars, a black lip tint, a shimmer bar (for party skin) and soap. I chose this Monsters Ball (£4.50) bath bomb because my legs love the Himalayan rock salt as it helps with water retention and wrestless legs syndrome at night. Plus he’s a cute little monster.

The combination of lime and neroli oil created a beautiful scent which lasted all through my bath. It fizzed for a long time and turned the water pink, then blue and then all purple. I broke him (it!) up into two as there was more than enough for one bath. Relaxing, uplifting and made my skin surprisingly soft.

Rating 4/5 (I’m saving the extra point for when I get the beautiful golden Bubble Bar)

❤ Chrissie ❤

 

 

15 of the Best Long Sleeve Dresses

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15 of the Best Long Sleeved Dresses
Team with ankle, knee or thigh boots and wear through Autumn and Winter.

Quirky Casual OOTD

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I’ve really been feeling down lately from not having the energy to go out and do much, so my Bloke suggested we go to the park for a walk. It made such a big difference to my physical and emotional energy the next day!

I feel my style is heading more toward urban-casual or urban-glam these days with a few alt-girl items mixed in. But no matter how my personal style evolves, I’ll always include little quirks like pop culture pins on my jacket, novelty bags or rings and colourful streaks in my hair.

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Hair – Voodoo Blue by Manic Panic

Hoop Earrings – Topshop

Pale Pink Hoodie – H&M

Jacket – (originally from Florence & Fred) Similar here

Pins – Punky Pins 

Hello Kitty Bag (originally from Claire’s) – Similar here

Trousers – (originally from Very) Similar here 

Trainers – Nike Air Force 1 Customised

❤ Chrissie ❤

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Black, White & Rosegold OOTD

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Black, White and Rosegold OOTD

 

Figs & Rouge Hydra – Activ Hero Cream – Limited Edition ‘Aphelia’ Design

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With the change of season I’ve been wearing trousers and haven’t been paying much – alright, any – attention to my legs. Today I de-fuzzed them and they looked so dry lacklustre. I exfoliated them with those unmerciful nylon gloves and some shower gel and then applied a dollop of cream to each leg while my skin was still damp.

Texture

I used to love really rich oily body creams like shea butter and cocoa butter but I’ve started to hate that clingy celophane-wrapped feel they give my legs. Hydra – Activ Hero Cream (£18 80ml) feels indulgent but sinks in well and leaves your skin feeling moisturised but not tacky.

Active Ingredients

Hyaluronic Acid & Vitamin complex A, C & E. Sesame Seed & Avocado Oils, Aloe, Cucumber & Carrot Seed & Cucumber Fruit Extract.

Result

My skin stayed hydrated for much longer than normal thanks to the inclusion of Hyaluronic acid, a naturally occurring acid in the skin which draws in moisture from the air. Skin tends to produce less of this as we age. Clearly my legs have never bothered producing much of this at all! They tend to look very dull, even though I have a naturally golden skintone but after using this my skin appeared more radiant and looked healthier.

Packaging

I love the metal tin as it’s recyclable, easy to open and you can scoop every last bit of cream out of the tin. There are two different design collections to choose from Mythic and Empire, with five designs in each collection. The tins are the perfect size to upcycle into storage pots and they also turn the cream into a lovely luxurious gift for someone.

Rating 5/5

❤ Chrissie ❤

 

 

 

Gluten & Dairy Free Foods of the Week

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Clockwise

Sharwoods Thai Crackers

No crustaceans were harmed in the making of these but they do taste traditionally Thai. Incredibly light but crunchy they are perfect as a starter with an evening meal or with your butties for lunch.

Mazadar Chickpea Dahl

Me and the Bloke love a traditional curry and considering this comes out of a tin it’s great quality. The chickpeas haven’t turned to mush and are still slightly al dente and the spices are perfect. We tend to share a tin with rice as it’s surprisingly filling.

Free From Chocolate Chip Brownies (Coop)

The best free-from brownies I’ve tried. Not at all dry, generous amount of chips, nicely sweet and softer in the middle but not sickly.

nakd Peanut Delight

Finally a nakd bar with some texture! I wish these had even more peanuts tbh but these bars are very tasty and full of protein.

nakd Cashew Cookie

Not as impressed with these. If I was blind tasting them I wouldn’t notice it was cashew. A meh kind of idea poorly executed.

nakd Ginger Bread

This depends on how you like your ginger bread I guess. If it’s soft, sticky and averagely  gingery then you will like these.

Kikkoman Tamari (Soy Sauce)

I don’t why it’s difficult to find tamari in the UK, especially with so many people going gluten free these days so I was delighted to see it in Morrisons.

Does fruit count? Ha! No seriously though, when I fancy something sweet or refreshing it’s so handy to have a selection of fruit, especially if it’s in the middle of the house so I can just pick some up as I’m walking past.

Have you tried any new dairy or gluten free things lately?

❤ Chrissie ❤

 

 

Hoop Earrings – Be as Ghetto or Glam as You Want

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Hoop Earrings - Be as Ghetto or Glam as You Want

 

The Highs & Lows of Shopping Online

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I’ll use it everyday!

High – You can eat, do the laundry, look after pets and/or kids and stay in your PJ’s while you buy things.

Low – It encourages you to not go out and get any sunshine or exercise or any face-to-face communication with people.

High – If you really need time alone you don’t have to have any face-to-face communication with people.

Low – When you forget your log in details and choose ‘reset password’ and then forget that as well. Then try to set up another account, only for it to say ’email is already in use’.

High – When you get a little card on your door matt saying ‘Sorry we missed you’ and you see your lovely next door neighbour has taken it in for you.

Low – When you come home to find the posty has left your parcel ‘in a safe place’ which means it’s on public display in your tiny front garden.

High – To be able to compare brands and refine your search results, brings an afternoon of shopping down to an hour online.

Low – Late night impulse buys. Of course I will use this coffee cup holder which doubles as selfie stick!

High – Having access to speciality things such as certain foods or limited edition collectables or retro and vintage things that you can’t get on the high street.

Low – When you get clothing in your size but the silhouette is box-like, yet something else in your size imitates clingfilm, even though it looked an average fit on the model.

High – The little spy glass that lets you zoom right in on the details and the list of specs underneath the photo.

Lows – Buying black clothes and only noticing stealthy bows/slits/laces when you’re actually wearing the item o_O

High – Feeling under the weather, having a chronic illness or not having access to viable transport but not needing to hunt and gather your stuff from all over town.

Which one’s do you identify with?

❤ Chrissie ❤

Make Your Wardrobe Work for You in 12 Easy Steps

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It’s so easy to automatically go to your old faithful items that you feel safe with or to keep on buying more of the same type of thing. By doing this, you are hiding the potential of the clothes you already have and possibly your own potential as well!

  1. Put all of the clothes which you always wear out of site, this includes most often worn accessories.
  2. Get out all of the items of clothing, accessories and shoes which are left and put P1000097them around your bed.
  3. Try on all of these items.
  4. For any items which don’t fit properly or have seen better days is there a way you can get them altered or fixed cheaply and quickly?
  5. Have you kept these items for VERY nostalgic reasons and feel you could never part with them?
  6. If the answer is ‘No’ to the above two questions they should go to charity or a friend or be throw away depending on quality. Label the charity/friend bag so you don’t get it mixed up – trust me.
  7. Are there any clothes that are ‘alright’ but you never wear? Maybe they should work in theory but you don’t really like them, or your personal style has completely moved on? Put them aside for now.
  8. Are there any statement items that you love but are very difficult to style? Try mixing these items with your everyday go-to items you put aside at the start or any other items left. Deal with one statement item at a time and build the outfit around that. Wether accessorising will help or hinder is at this point is up to you.
  9. If there is any item still not working but you still love it, is there another item you DI01BqvXUAA5V1o (1)can buy which will make it work? Such as boots (too cover cankles) or a little cardigan/shrug (too cover batwings) or a plain coloured vest/tee you could wear underneath (to cover up a bigger bra) or just a different style of underwear?
  10. Will it go with any of the ‘alright’ clothes? If you are still drawing a blank then the unrealistic statement items and the ‘alright’ clothes should join the charity/friend bags.
  11. Now look at all of the clothes you have left. Try to shake off the usual rules you apply and look at each item as if it’s the first time you are seeing it. If you aren’t sure if it will work with something, then try it and see!
  12. When you create realistic outfits that you will actually WANT to wear, take photo’s of them so you can remember your new discovery, even when you are tired or in a hurry.

Remember your clothes are there to fit in with you, not the other way around.

Enjoy your new outfits!

❤ Chrissie ❤