Monday 31 December 2012

How much is your face worth?



 

Hello.
 It is the last day of 2012 and chose to finally get round to my 'How much is your face worth?' post.

I have seen a couple of these posts on beauty blogs and have been trying to get round to writing mine for a while now. All it involves is adding up how much the make up that goes into your everyday 'look' costs? I was a bit scared to do it myself, as i am no makeup expert and never really know the best products to buy. Also i do not like spending more than £10 on single item as i have felt cheaper products can be better than the expensive ones. Basically I'm a bit of a cheap skate.

Heres what goes into my everday look, quite alot really.





 
 
Rimmel eye pallette £9.99 (no longer available)
 
Total: £68.33



It really adds up though doesn't it? Although its not as much as i have seen on other blogs. Thats probably because i hang around the collection 2000 stall rather than the high end ones such as Nars and Yves st laurent. I would like a few of their products though! I should say that I mostly work from home (full time mummy) and rarely go anywhere exciting so although this my current 'everyday look' I only wear this amount of makeup at weekends or if i have time before the school run.

I'd love to know how much your face is worth ... leave a comment below.

Gem x


 

New years eve day outfit


Happy new years eve! Just thought I'll post another outfit of the day for you. This is what i wore on a shopping trip on new years eve. Excuse the creases, the material does not like to stay straight.






Dress River Island (four years old)/  Necklace Primark (current stock)/ Ear cuff Topshop/

Having a little house party tonight, i will post my new years eve party dress for you. What are your plans or if you live in a future timezone what did you get up to on new years?

Gem x
 


 




 

Sunday 30 December 2012

My sunday outfit


Happy Sunday!
 
How has your weekends been? Nearly new years eve! eek. Yesterday I sadly packed my boys off to their dads for a week. Going to miss them terribly but now i have so much free time on my hands, i don't know what to do with myself. Expect lot of blog posts this week!
 
Today we decided to treat ourselves to some posh nosh from Marks and Spencer's followed by a country walk with our lively lab. The lovely dress I'm wearing was my first purchase from the boxing day sales. Its a blue bird print tea dress from New Look. I brought it for a bargain price of £8.00 reduced from £14.00. I was at first attracted to the peter pan collar but on receiving it i have realised the collar is fake and has a mesh detail. I added a bow belt from Primark to bring in my waist a little (having some i feel fat issues from Christmas) and as its freezing outside i couldn't go out without my woolly tights.
 








Dress £8.00 new look/ Belt Primark £2.50/ Coat Florence and Fred £55/ Tights primark/

 

Hope you all had a great weekend.
Gem x


 

Saturday 29 December 2012

My top five shops to get your new years party dresses


Hey guys!
 
So Christmas is over sadly, I hope you all had a wonderful time whatever you got up to. Next up though its New years eve!!! Yay. If you’re like me you are probably panicking over what to wear. I have been planning for a while and decided to treat myself to a sparkly new frock to welcome in 2013. I’ve been searching all of my favourite shopping websites for the cutest styles, and I’ve found too many to choose from. I have picked out a few of my favourites from each of my favourite shops to show you and hopefully pass on some inspiration. Each one is special in it’s own way: while one might be glitzy and glam, another might be simple and sweet…so there’s a style here for everyone! So take a peek below and let me know your favourite one!
missguided part dresses

 
Missguided are currently offering free next day delivery so there is still time if you like one of these dresses!!

new look party dresses

 













Short prom dress / Gold dress / Elise Ryan short prom dress / CHI wrap dress / AX Paris sequin party dress / AX Paris black cocktail dress / AX Paris / AX Paris black cocktail dress / Glitter hat, £1.23

Topshop party dresses

Lipsy party dresses

motel party dress

Dont forgot your 20% discount code: gemmasbeautiful

Alternatively, if like my hometown in Cornwall you all wear fancy dress, here are some ideas:

fancy dress



Let me know your favourites and what plans you have for new years. Is anyone starting any new years resolutions?

Gem x



Wednesday 26 December 2012

What I wore on Christmas day.

Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you had a great time with family and friends. Me and my family had a wonderful day and were very spoilt. Think I ate too much but that's what makes Christmas. What did you all get for Christmas? Leave me a comment below, I'm a nosey little blogger! I got some lovely makeup, lady Gaga's perfume, a vintage radio and many more. I will upload a post on all my presents soon.  

Yesterday we spent all day at home as the British weather is awful at the moment. I still made a slight effort though in dressing up for the occasion. I wore a silky red dress from Topshop (brought last year) with my black tights. In my ear is a cuff from Topshop, and I'm wearing Red lipstick from Rimmel. Please excuse the blurry pictures. After twenty attempts of getting my son to take my picture this was the best one.







 




 

Friday 21 December 2012

Stuck on what to wear Christmas day?

This year, Christmas for us will be a small family affair. As it will just be me, my husband and my two little boys i could probably get away with wearing my pjs for the whole day. That will be nice. However, whether your Christmas Day is a small family affair or a raucous party, one thing is certain: you will be photographed. So i am going to make a little bit of an effort. As the boys are still very young, i like to take lots of pictures and videos at christmas for them to look back on when they are older. So, i do not want any unflattering snaps coming back to haunt me in years to come. I have started to plan my christmas outfit and thought id share with you so that i may pass on some inspiration. Here's my ideas on what I could be wearing to rock around the tree this December 25.
 
 
Festive girl

Glam christmas

A very Elegant Christmas...

Nars Christmas








ISSA London lace dress, £690 / Jigsaw green coat / Wallis high heel shoes, £27 / High heel shoes, £26 / Michael Kors handbag / Gorjana stackable ring, £79 / NARS Cosmetics , £15 / NARS Cosmetics , £11 / 7.5-Foot GE Just Cut Blue Green Frasier Pre-Lit Xmas Tree 800..., £155 / Roses in Porcelain Vase, £115 / Beyond the Page Script Merry Christmas, £6.75

warm winter

Saturday 15 December 2012

Whats inside my Glossy box December 2012


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I was really excited to receive this months glossy box especially since it was going to be a festive edition. I have heard lots of great things about lasts years Christmas box so was hoping this one would be as good.
The box was a pretty silver rather than its usual pink, with black and silver starry tissue paper inside, tied with a silver ribbon. The usual menu of the contents was replaced with a large sheet explaining the contents in detail with a load of discount codes.


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When I opened the box a disappointed look fell on my face. Although the box did smell nice (probably because the perfume was leaking) the products inside where not what the other girls were receiving. I felt a little bit upset that Ive paid £12 in total and did not receive the same amazing products. Most girls received eye palettes and a full sized Milkshake whipped conditioning cream. So i need to decide whether or not this is my last glossy box as i feel like I'm wasting my money. I have filled in the surveys but still get the wrong shades.
 
Anyway rant over, What did i get?
 
First up the tiny perfume sample: "Lemon" by Mary Greenwell.  
 
 Mary Greenwell is a famous British make up artist and this is her second fragrance. The "Lemon" perfume is very pricey,  costing £90 for a 100ml bottle or £60 for £50 ml. I didn't have to test this as the bottle has leaked all other the box so everything smells of this. In my opinion, this is not worth the price. I'm not a huge fan of citrus scents. I am more of a floral girl so this sample has unfortunately been placed in the bin.  
 
 
 


 
 
The next product is this nail varnish by Seche.
 
The shade is 'simplicity' which is a dull nude creme colour. This shade is not my cup of tea at all. Its too boring and plain for my liking. However, it does apply well and only really needs one coat to look professional.  A full size costs £9.95. If you like these nail polishes you can currently get buy one get one free from nailsbymail.co.uk with code: SecheGlossy.     
 
 
The worst, most disappointing product in the box is the Sleek true colour lipstick.
 

The shade is 'Amped' which is the brightness shade of pink Ive have ever seen. Very 80's. I really like sleek lipsticks, i think they are very good value for money at £4.99 but this isn't my shade. I'm quite boring when it comes to wearing bold colours so this little lipstick will be donated to a friend.
 
 
 I think Rituals is a really great brand and the scent of this is so lovely! It's a really delicate scent and this promises to nourish the skin leaving it feeling silky soft. This is one of my favourites in this months box, and I'm really looking forward to using this one. The bottle is a nice sample size at 70ml. The website states that this is one of their best selling products with a 70ml size selling  for £5 and the larger 200ml tub is £20, a little on the pricey side, but worth the little splurge.
 






 

The fifth product is the Sebamed Anti dry day defence cream.

This a much needed product for me. With having to walk 5 miles a day for the school run in freezing temperatures, my skin is suffering. I have used it and i can say I'm quite impressed. There is no scent and has really done its magic on my dry patches. A 50ml bottle costs £9.99. Defiantly recommend giving this one a try.
 
 
This month Glossy box gave their subscribers a bonus product. Mine was this very pretty own brand blusher.
 


The shade is Glossy Rosewood. This is a very nice little extra. It looks a very suitable shade for my skin tone and will be defiantly adding this to my makeup bag.



 
Overall i thought this was a disappointing box, especially before Christmas. Some products i will keep but most will go to the bin or to friends. As always with Glossy box, I find myself jealous of other people’s boxes, but it is still a nice treat to myself once a month. I may wait till January's box to decided whether or not to carry on my subscription.  What do you think? What did you get in your boxes?

Gemma xx



 


 


 


 


 

Thursday 13 December 2012

Miranda Kerr for Mango.

 
 
 
 
This week I couldn't help but notice Miranda Kerr's collection at Mango. It is due to be released for their Spring/ summer 2013 collection replacing Kate Moss who has worked with Mango for the past three seasons. I was attracted to the clothing range when i saw the shot of Miranda in a black mini skirt, cropped top and orange blazer ensemble. I wouldn't wear the top and skirt but i love, love the blazer and will be looking out for this one when it's released.
 
 
.
 
 In another shot,  she sits on a stool in a gorgeous comfy knitted jumper and ripped blue jeans. Love the pattern and shape of this jumper.
 
 
 
The only outfit i didn't like was this crop top and double-suede. On Miranda Kerr its going to look hot but on any average girl it may be a little cringe worthy.

 
 
The complete set of campaign pictures will be released in February 2013 but you can sneakily see some of the other outfits in the campaign video below.
 
 
 
 
What do you think of the collection?
Gem
xx
 

Wednesday 12 December 2012

My Top Five Day to Night Dresses

Lead a busy lifestyle? Don't have time to change after work? Here are my top five dresses that can be worn either day or night:

 

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Lady in red

£45 from Miss selfridge. I love this dress as its not too short for day wear and can be dressed up or down with a simple accessory switch up. This dress will give you a 60's look with its tunic style and the colour block will lengthen your frame.












Lacey girl

The shape of this dress will bring out your sexy curves but still be conservative enough for day wear. Wear with tights and pumps for day, and bare legs and heels for night. This dress is from Missguided and costs £30.










Formal Floral

This gorgeous pencil dress is by Next and costs £65. If like me you have slightly wider hips, the floral bodice will balance out your figure. For day mix with a cute cardigan and courts and for night, wear with a clutch and rocking heels.














 Flattering wrap

I chose this dress for my top five as this will flatter the fuller bust while bringing in the waist. Also the colour will make you stand out in a crowd. For day i recommend wearing with a vest underneath and also tights. For night, whip them off and party the night away. This dress is from ASOS and costs £35.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Pretty print
 
Prints are big for A/W 2012. I loved this over sized feather print dress from Motel Rocks. Wear with tights and flats for day and hit the town at night with killer heels, a clutch and some sparkling jewellery. This dress costs £48 but with my discount code: gemmasbeautiful you can get 20 % off.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Hope you have had a lovely day.
Thanks for visiting
Gemma xx
 
 




 

Tuesday 11 December 2012

Motel Rocks Secret Sale: 50 % off!!!


Still looking for that perfect Christmas outfit?

Motel Rocks are offering 50% off this week to you lovely blog readers before their official sale even starts.
Here is the link to the secret selection of items on MotelRocks.com that will be in the sale, and with the code XMASPREVIEW50 at the checkout, you can take 50% off them all!
 
An extra special treat for you all is that Motel are offering  FREE Next Day UK delivery  – even delivering on Saturday!
 
So hurry before your favourite pieces sell out!
 
Gemma xx
 
 
 
 

Monday 10 December 2012

New blog name!

Hello!
Just a quick post to say I have decided to change the name of my blog. I felt 'Gemma's Beautiful Finds' did not fit in with the blog at all. I have come up with 'Gemma's Thoughts and Loves'.
 
When I started this blog, it was with an idea to use it for my wish lists of outfits I have found. As things went along, it has become much more. But I find that I have so much to share that I decided to just make the name more versatile. I am going to start posting more beauty products as well as a few posts on my life.

I won't be changing the URL address yet as this will make things very complicated, especially with the ads I currently have running.

Also my facebook has changed  to:     www.facebook.com/Gemmasthoughtsandloves .
 

Hope you like the new name. Thanks for continuing to visit with me and for all the lovely comments I receive.
 
 

Sunday 9 December 2012

*Sunday outfit*


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This weekend has been a lovely, relaxed, chilled time. We decided not to leave the house at all and ive loved it. Today, my husband's Dad came to visit and i made a lovely sunday lunch. Knowing pyjamas wouldn't be suitable, i made a little bit of effort in my appearance today.
 

It is freezing at the moment, so went with a burgundy wool skirt paired with black woolly tights. These were both from Primark. I spent ages this morning trying to find a nice top to go with the skirt but eventually decided to wear just a basic v neck black tshirt from H&M which i have tucked into to the skirt.




On Ebay a while back i discovered some lovely Kitsch jewellery pieces. I brought my deer necklace from a shop called Melo Yumi. I love the length of the chain. Its the perfect length for me as i sometimes find necklaces quite restricting and uncomfortable.

 




Also from Ebay is my cute claw ring. This was a bargain at £1. Unfortunalty the metal turns my finger green if i wear it for too long so only wear it for nights out.
 
 
How are you lovely people spending your weekends?
 
Gem
 
xx