Ardell 110 black lashes - Review

 Ardell 110 black ntural fake eyelashes - £5.49

I've recently been wanting to try out some different lashes and I had heard that these ones are really lovely. I've heard a lot of amazing reviews about all of the Ardell lashes and I felt like I had to try them out! My eyelashes aren't short but they are really blonde so I always have to apply loads of mascara to do them justice which sometimes can be a bit too mush effort so if I'm in a rush or just fancy a different look i'll apply one coat of mascara and then some natural lashes for the daytime.

I thought I'd give these a go first, they look really natural and light, there's nothing worse than having heavy uncomfortable fake eyelashes on all day when you're rushing around. 

So I'm currently on my fourth day of wearing these (the same pair) and they are really comfortable, almost feels as if you're not wearing any which is perfect for everyday use. They have stayed in pretty good condition after wearing them a few times but I do always try to take care of my fake lashes to get maximum wears. They are really natural but they just make you look like you've naturally got amazing eyelashes which is exactly the look I want! I haven't tried the adhesive because I already have eye lash glue which I like to use. 

I shall 100% be repurchasing these again and probably be wearing these most days, however I do want to try some others out but I will let you know how I get on with some others! 

Really really happy with these, they're really easy to apply and I would definitely recommend them to other people especially fake lash newbies! 

Jess xo

Autumn nail picks from my collection

I love doing seasonal posts especially nail ones so thought I'd share my favourite Autumn nail picks from my collection.

I'm only doing from my collection at the moment because it might change if I get buy any more nail varnishes so keep an eye out for that! 

Starting from the left -

Barry m - Bright purple 303

Essie - Bahama mama

Barry m - 15

Topshop - Jewel in the crown

Rimmel  salon pro - punk rock 711

To me Autumn is all about burgundys and greens so they have to be in the short list! I've chosen nail varnishes that are really good quality and not expensive, I can't afford to be buying expensive nail varnishes here there and everywhere! 

I always go for darker colours for Autumn but that are still colourful and quite bright, then glitters for winter!

I do really like Autumn trends and fashion so I am quite looking forward to being able to layer up and try out some new styles.

Small beauty haul

Purchased a few essentials that I thought I'd share...

1. Clinque stay matte foundation - This is a newbie for me but after trying a five day sample I loved it and had to buy it, quite expensive at £22 but I'll be doing a review of this after I've tried it a few more times! 

2. L'oreal elvive triple resist reenforcing shampoo and conditioner - This is the shampoo and conditioner I always use, it just leaves my hair feeling very soft and very well conditioned. 

3. Eylure nadine eyelashes - As I'm going out this weekend I thought I'd pick up my faves! Not the most natural eye lashes but I like an eyecatching look but they're still not too over the top! 

Bit of a short post but I've been really busy lately so haven't had as much time to do much else. 

Jess xo

Nail art edition #1 - Daisies...

I really like doing nail art and thought I would share my most recent one with you, I'm thinking about maybe making it a weekly or two weekly post! 

This is literally soooooo easy, all it consists of is more dots and a gem in the middle. I bought both the disc of gems and dotting tools from eBay for only a couple of pounds and you get a set of all different shaped tools and loads of different colour gems which is great!

Anyway lets get to it .. 

Step 1. Paint a base coat of clear and then two coats of whatever colour base coat you like, I chose this grey purple colour which is called punk rock by Rimmel salon pro with Lycra nail varnish. 

Step 2. This is optional but I then painted a quick dry top coat to make the process quicker. 

Step 3. Dot four dots of white polish in the shape of a flower using the dotting tool - Do this to all nails.

Step 4. I then applied a top coat of the Sally Hansen no chip Acrylic top coat and while it's still wet carefully place a yellow gem in the middle of the flower shape - It's easier to do it with tweezers then do you smudge your other nails either. 

Step 5. I applied another Acrylic top coat layer to seal the gems in place and then a final quick dry top coat layer to finish off and you're done.

So easy and quick, I probably did this in like 20 minutes or so, I'll be doing a review of this Acrylic top coat soon because I have a few issues with it, but there are some really good ones out there so maybe check out some reviews before you get one because they can be a little pricey sometimes and this one is a but rubbish, I only use it because it makes you look like you've got gels nails which I like the look of.

I've had so many compliments on these and one of my friends even offered to pay me to do hers which was such a ego boost ha! 

Jess xo

L'Oreal Preference Mousse Absolue Permanent Hair Colour in 500 - Review

I've pretty much always dyed my own hair with home dying kits just because I think having it done by the hair dresser is very expensive so I only ever treat myself to that very occasionally. 

Anyway i've heard about these types of mousse dyes before but I've not heard anything great about them so I thought I'd give one ago. 

This is almost double the price of most normal hair dyes which is annoying but for someone like me where I normally have to buy two anyway because of the amount of hair I have but I only had to use one of these and even had enough to do my extensions! 

So instead of a liquid dye this one is a mousse which makes it really really easy to use on yourself and you don't have to worry about it dripping all over the place . I went for the colour 500 which is natural medium brown and it was the perfect colour for what I want.

I'm going to definitely be trying this again next time I need to redye my hair! 

I really like the fact that this is reusable if you have any left over, you also get a lot in there because I was able to cover my whole head and have some leftover which was great because I normally have to buy two packs to cover my head! 

Jess xo

Haul #2 - Topshop, Asos etc

I've been collecting a few things over the last few months and saving them for a big haul but I didn't realise how much stuff I actually got so here goes...

Topshop - £34
 First up I picked up this skirt from Topshop, you probably all know my love for Topshop skirts and I just had to add this one to the collection, I think it's great for summer or winter with thick skirts, I really want to get a bright coloured top to wear with this!

Topshop - £26

I caved and bought a Topshop cami, I think it was expensive for what is it especially when everywhere is selling them now, I didn't realise the price until I got home and looked at the price because I bought quite a few things but I really like it and I've wore it a lot, I really like it with ripped jeans, boots and a leather jacket. 

 Primark - £18

I absolutely love these boots so much! I've seen the same pair in Miss Selfridge for a lot more and I was so tempted to get them until I saw these babies! I haven't worn them yet but it's my friends birthday this weekend so I'm going to whack them out!I've already dedicated a whole post to them so I won't go on but I just love them!

 

 Riverisland - £20

Because I love my dog t shirt dress so much from Riverisland I bought another one in a different pattern and I love it! However it is a little too big on me at the moment so I'm going to have to shrink it some how! 

Asos - £25 

I then bought this dress for my brother's birthday night out and I really love it, it's a really nice fit, it's quite low cut but because of the lace it isn't too revealing, it's really comfortable and I really like this, I got so many nice comments when I wore this too!

Topshop - £26
I recently bought this metallic slip from Topshop which looks so nice on! It does look like a nightie but I like that look so I don't care! I thought the price was actually pretty good for a Topshop dress so I'm extremely happy with it, I can't wait to style it up with tartan in the Autumn Winter! 

 

 Asos - £25

Then I bought this maxi dress from Asos and I'm so completely in love with it here's the link so you can see it on the model, it's stunning!  I'm going to be wearing it tomorrow with a thin knit jumper over the top and converse, then take off the jumper and whack on some heels!

I'm going shopping in a few weeks so keep an eye out for that! 

Jess xo

Wishlist #18 - Autumn tartan

Wishlist #18 tartan by jesscotton featuring hot pants

Topshop brown plaid shirt, £38 / Topshop hot pants, £40 / Black lace socks, £2.82 / Topshop ankle booties, £53 / Topshop handbag, £125 / Topshop necklace, £18 / Topshop red lipstick, £10 / Barry M nail polish

Nivea powerfruit relax shower gel - Review

Bit of a random one but I've really been liking this at the moment! 

Just a cheap Nivea shower gel, but it smells lovely, blueberry flavour which always feels like you're doing your body some good because blueberries are super duper good for you! 

It feels really hydrating on your skin and does leave it really nice and soft afterwards! 

So if you're in the market for a new shower gel I'd definitely recommend this one it's just really nice. 

 

Jess xo

Topshop nail paint in dark knight - Review

I've seen this on quite a few people but could never find it myself in my Topshop which was gutting, but on one of my recent trips to Topshop I spotted it while I was in the queue and had to get it, and oh boy is it stunning!

Topshop nails in dark knight - £5

Unfortunately the photos aren't doing the beauty of this product much justice but i dare anyone to see this and not instantly want this in their collection! It's a blue base coat with different colour blue glitter in it, I just can't get over how beautiful this is! 

When I was applying it I did test it out on it's own on one nail but the case ciat isn't quite pigmented enough and I thought it would take too many coats to be completely opaque so I put on Barry M's blue grape nail paint first then applied two coats of dark knight and then a quick dry top coat.

It looked so amazing on, at the moment my nails are really long and it just looked like I had gel nails, I just really loved the way they looked! 

Normally I try and stay away from glitter polishes because I really hate trying to get them off but this one wasn't really that bad, I don't know whether it was my new nail varnish remover or this polish but I'll definitely be trying different removers out to see what it was. I was expecting this polish to last really long because I put so many coats on but it only lasted a few dyas before chipping but to be honest it doesn't really bother me that much because I change my nails so often! 

Jess xo

Current inspiration - #1

Fashion.

  

 

 Hair. 

All photos sourced from tumblr

Jess xo

Confessions of a SHOPAHOLIC

Hello everyone!

I was tagged to do this tag by the gorgeous Bryany from BryanyEllen, if you haven't already please check her blog out, one of my favourites! 

1. Would you consider yourself a shopaholic?

100%, no doubt about it, I would rather go shopping than do anything else! At one point in my life I was good at saving money and wasn't really into shopping but maybe that's because I had no money to spend and therefore didn't want to tempt myself! I honestly think I need to go to rehab for a shopping addiction!

2. How Would you classify your style?

Errmmm, not really sure, it completely depends on my mood on the day, but over the last fews months I've really been putting more effort in with what a wear on a day to day basis and experimenting more. I think my look ranging from being quite grungey and thrown together to more tailored and chic. I strongly believe that jewellery can completely change the attitude of an outfit.

3. What store can you not leave without buying at least one thing?

 I hate to admit it but I'd have to say Topshop, I just love in the there, it's my weakness. Although I do hate the prices and think they are too expensive I always know I'll find something to buy in there. I can't even leave their website without buying something!

4. Where do you find the best deals?

I would have to say Primark, as I'm sure everyone thinks, it is definitely getting more expensive but then again what isn't? Although I do think a lot of Primark stuff is awful and rubbish quality I think you can find some great deals and it's definitely the place to go if you want to find a cheaper version of something!

5. Do you have a "go to" shopping outfit?

Not really, I normally just try and go for something that I know is not going to be annoying to keep taking off to try something else on and definitely comfortable shoes if you're having an all day shopping session. 

6.What is your guilty pleasure? (not including beauty products)

Definitely socks, I just love buying socks! Although I am being strict with myself and if I buy a pair, I have to get rid of an old pair. I recently downed my three full drawers of socks to one drawer!

7. What is one staple clothing piece you can't live without?

Definitely a great pair of jeans that you feel really comfortable in! There's some days where you just have to wear jeans, or if you can't be bothered then it's better to be comfortable than not in tights or a dress.Teamed with the right top I think jeans can look amazing and you can dress them up or down.

8. What is a trend you hope never goes out of style?

Ermmmm, maybe like maxi skirts and dress/midi skirt and dresses I just think they're so flattering and look like you've made so much effort when you might not of done. 

9. What trend did you love that passed away too quickly?

Erm, maybe the jelly shoes trend that was recent, I know it's edging into winter now but I really hope they make an appear again next summer, I think they are so cute! Unfortunately I didn't get my hands on any this year but I really liked them

10. Who is your fashion icon?

Hmmm, I really like Pixie Lotts style (random I know) but I always think she looks nice, also like Lily Melrose's style from LLYMLRS I really like her grungey style. Rihanna obviously! I prefer her less crazy outfit choices though! I generally look at people in the street for outfit ideas or celebrities individual looks rather than them as a person if that makes sense. 

     Check out my tumblr for my style inspiration - jessicaanncotton.tumblr.com      

Now I tag...

 Danielle Lucy from daniellelucyy.blogspot.co.uk

Mia from cestunejolievie.blogspot.co.uk

Lucy Connelly from foralsandcorals.blogspot.co.uk 

Meghan from peachpips.blogspot.com 

Lauren from laurenslittleblogs.blogspot.co.uk 

Hope you enjoyed this post! 

 Jess xo

Miss Selfridge Abby Black Peep Toe Rand Boot dupe!

I've had my eye on these boots for ages but £59 was pretty expensive so I never went for them, then they went in the sale for £25 and sold out straight away and unfortunately didn't get my hands on them then I spotted an exact Primark dupe!

Miss Selfridge version

Miss Selfridge - £59 then £25 in the sale (unfortunately sold out!) 

Then I found these beauties in Primark for £18!

Here they are, obviously there slight differences but in general they are almost exactly the same! I haven't worn them yet I was too excited to do this post and haven't had chance yet but if anyone is interested I'll definitely let you know how comfortable they are!

Just thought I'd share this with you!

Jess xo