OOTD 28/03/12 - Tweet Tweet Birdy Dress.. ♥

The sun has been shining again this week.. yay! Here's my outfit of the day that I wore for work. I love this dress! I bought it from H&M a few months ago and I just adore the cute birdy print. I like that it has an elasticated waist too. Also my FOTD with my new Wake Me Up foundation by Rimmel.

Dress: H&M

Belt: Primark

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12 Pretty Cake Stands for Under £25 each.. ♥

I have a bit of an on-going thing for cake stands, and most kitchenware that comes in pretty colours actually. I love cake stands for displaying pretty cupcakes or mini-cut sandwiches or scones. They're so dainty and cute! I currently have 3 cake stands myself, and I don't need anymore, but I just love all of these! And at under £25 each, it's temping to just buy a few...

1. Victoria and Albert cake stand, £25, Tesco

2. Nigella Lawson blue cake stand, £18, Tesco

3. Regency 3 tier cake stand, £21.99, BonteRose.co.uk

4. Clear Cake Stand With Dome Lid, £19.94, Play.com

5. Pink glass cake stand, £17.99, StrawberryFool.co.uk

6. Portmeirion Dawn Chorus Cake Stand, £22, millyskitchenstore.co.uk

7. Cream Lace Edged 2 Tier Enamel Cake Stand, £16.80, Laura Ashley

8. Kirstie Allsopp Cake Stand, £19.50, Marks and Spencer

9. Mille Fleurs Pink/Purple 3 Tier Cake Stand, £24.50, Laura Ashley

10. Cath Kidston Single Tier Spray Flowers Cake Stand, £22, John Lewis

11. White Spot 3 Tier Cake Stand, £17, Laura Ashley

12. White 'Dotty Rose' cake stand, £14, Debenhams

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Miners Spring/Summer Nail Collection.. ♥

The new spring/summer nail colours from Miners Cosmetics have now been released, and the collection includes five hot shades, 3 of which are brand new colours: Mango Tango, Keepin' it Teal, Jezebel, Sunny Side Up, and Marshmallow.

The collection includes classic pastel shades, aswell as edgy brights. 

 

Mango Tango is a bright coral/orange shade, which would look great with a tan. Keepin' it Teal is my favourite shade, a deep turquoise blue which looks the same colour as a paradise ocean. Jezebel is another stunning deep colour, a very hot pink. Sunny Side Up is a pastel yellow colour, this took a few coats to get it to become opaque. And lastly, the wonderfully named Marshmallow is a pretty pastel pink.

The consistancy of the nail polishes is a little bit runny, but it still dries quickly, and actually makes it easier to use as it's not too thick. 

My Mum kindly let me use her nails as the 'guinea pig' to test these new polishes out!  As you can see, the two pastel shades don't show up as much as the brights, which look much deeper.

I love all of the shades, but Keepin' it Teal is definatley my favourite! Perfect for summer! As much as I love pastels this season, I prefer my nails to be bold. 

My whole collection of Miners nail polishes! Isn't that mint colour gorgeous?

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Giveaway to Celebrate National Cleavage Day with Wonderbra.. ♥

Today is officially National Cleavage Day! And to celebrate this special day, Wonderbra have kindly offered a giveaway for my lovely blog readers! 

One lucky winner will get their hands on the Wonderbra Full Effect bra - their most enhancing style. It boosts you by at least two cup sizes – not bad for National Cleavage Day!

Wonderbra have even complied a brilliant list of top tips to help you enhance your cleavage! Maybe now I can get a bust like my boob-idol Katy Perry!

Inject some lace!

Lace and fabric trims are perfect to draw attention to areas where you want it. Spice up a plain outfit by using patterned and textured underwear that only you know about…..for now at least!

Make sure your bra is the perfect fit
When you’re browsing for a boob-boosting bra, ask to be measured by a professional fitter. Your bra should sit flat to your chest bone so that the support comes from the bra not your straps, therefore making the most of your assets while being comfortable at the same time.

For extra oomph
National Cleavage Day only happens once a year, so why not go all out! Wear a Wonderbra with adjustable straps and cross them over at the back – extra oomph is guaranteed.

Give your skin a bit of a boost
Exfoliate head to toe, fake tan if you feel in need of some colour and add body shimmer to areas you want to highlight for extra va-vavoom.

Feel confident
Ultimately choose a style that you feel comfortable in. When you’re feeling good, your confidence will be your best asset.

* To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment letting me know, which celeb do you think has great cleavage? Don't forget to leave your email address so I cana contact you if you're the winner! *

 

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Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation Review.. ♥

I am a regular user of the Rimmel 24 Hour liquid foundation, which I love and am very happy with. However after reading numerous glowing reviews from beauty bloggers about the Wake Me Up foundation, I thought I should try it out too. The foundation comes in 6 shades, the one I bought is True Nude (303).

Wake Me Up is Rimmel’s first liquid foundation that instantly reawakens skin with a healthy, radiant glow. The first thing I noticed about the foundation, is that it shimmers and has little glittery particles in it. This comes from the illuminating radiance pearls that help to give a natural glow.

The foundation is in a clear glass bottle, with Rimmel embossed along the side. The lid is made of plastic, which is coloured in orange, coordinating with the Wake Me Up name on the front. The foundation comes out of a push-action pump, which dispenses a small amount of the product with each push.

The foundation has a very light texture; it smoothes on the skin easily and I found that it made my complexion look almost flawless, and decreased visability of pores. I only needed to use one pump which provided enough foundation for me to use, whilst still giving a thorough cover. 

Rimmel claim that the peptide formulation helps increase your skin’s elasticity and a vitamin moisturising complex also leaves you looking healthy and fresh. It helps your skin to bounce back to life, and aims to make you look more awake, by eliminating any signs of tiredness.

It also stays put all day. It claims to last up to 10 hours, and I find it lasts around 8/9 hours. It gives you a light, natural looking coverage, and the shimmering particles help you to lok more radiant. As you can see from the swatch photo, it blends in perfectly, whilst still providing a matte base. 

Overall, I love the natural look of this foundation, and the flawless effect it has on my skin. I think I will be using this as my day-to-day foundation from now on, maybe switiching to the equally as good (but heavier) 25 hour foundation for nights out. 

 This foundation retails for £8.99.

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Trash & Trinkets.. ♥

Mei-Li, the lovely owner of a jewellery company called Trash and Trinkets recently got in touch to say she would love me to take a look at her wonderful online store, and pick a few items that I like. After having a browse, I was overwhelmed with choice as to what to choose! She sells many quirky and stylish jewellery pieces in her online boutique.

I picked these 3 items: the collared necklace, Tour Eiffel necklace, and the from Paris with love charm bracelet, all in silver.

I picked the collared necklace because I love Peter Pan style dresses and tops, so I thought that I could wear this to add the same effect to any dress! It is a simple fine chain, and it is available in gold or silver for only £10. I love the way it hangs, and I tempted to pop one of my silver clasp charms onto the middle!

I love this bracelet so much! It has little dainty charms on it, all with a romantic French feel. I love the Je t'aime tag charm most.. c'est magnifique! The chain on the bracelet is doubled up to give it a bit of extra strength. This will look adorable once I start wearing sleeveless dresses and can show it off! This is only £11.

And finally, to match the Parisian bracelet, I selected the Tour Eiffel necklace. This gorgeous silver coloured necklace has a 20" fine chain and a cute little Eiffel tower charm. I will definatley be wearing this often! This is only £8.

You can buy these, and many more styles, from the Trash and Trinkets website here. Thanks Mei-Li!

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My 800 Follower Giveaway WINNER.. ♥

Thank you all so much for entering my 800 follower giveaway that I ran a few weeks ago :) I now am not too far away from 1000 followers! Wowzas! So the winner of my giveaway is....

Entry number 95.. Sophie Neal from Sophie etc! 

Congratulations Sophie! Please email me on VictoriasVintage@live.co.uk with your address details and I will send it out asap :) Here are all your prizes!

Thank you everyone who entered!!

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My Favourite 50's Style Summer Swimsuits.. ♥

The sun has finally begun to shine, which means that there will no doubt be a surge in people beginning to book their summer holiday breaks, abroad or staying in good old Blighty. I've complied a list of my top swimsuits/bikinis, each with a 50's style feel to them. I love floral prints, polka dots and frills, and these all have plenty of those! These are all high street buys so should be available to everyone. 

Are you going on holiday anywhere this summer? So far it looks like I'm staying home this year :( I suppose a whole summer in Orlando and a cruise around the Bahamas last year makes up for it... Don't forget to prepare those bikini bodies!

1. Button bikini set, £9.98, New Look

2. Floral print bikini, £13, F&F @ Tesco

3. Kelly Brook floral frill bikini, £26.98, New Look

4. Kelly Brook ditsy bikini, £28.98, New Look

5. Green floral bikini, £28, Topshop

6. Cobalt bandeau bikini, £20, Topshop

7. Ditsy print swimsuit, £12, George @ Asda

8. Red mini spot frill bikini, £26, Miss Selfridge

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OOTD 23/03/12 - Spring Floral Dress.. ♥

Spring time is here! Yay.. finally! Infact it's been looking more like summer over the last few days. The chill is due to set back in this weekend though.. boo hoo :( I posted a few days ago about this Rare dress that I bought for a fab 99p from eBay, and I wore it this weekend (with tights as I was still a bit chilly). I love the floaty sleeves and empire line fit on this dress. I hope to get lots more wear out of it!

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Sprinkles Bakery ACM coming to London?! ♥

The famous Beverly Hills cupcake bakery Sprinkles has announced that it is searching for the ideal location to set up in London! I posted a month ago (here) that Sprinkles had created and installed an Automatic Cupcake Machine outside their Beverly Hills bakery, which was available for dispensing cupcakes 24 hours a day.

The machine has been so popular that it is dispensing up to 40% more cupcakes than planned, resulting in a few technical hiccups. A spokesperson for Sprinkles has now announced  that they are searching for the 'perfect' London location, and that a bakery with an ACM attached will be open 'soon'. 

The machine works like this: a rack of 600 cakes sits in the wall behind the dispenser. You tap your order into a touch-screen, a robot arm behind the wall retrieves your selection and whoosh; out pops your choice of cupcake, meticulously packaged. Sprinkles insists the cakes are no more than a couple of hours old because its round-the-clock bakery constantly restocks the machine. (source: Guardian).

I personally cannot wait for Sprinkles to come to the UK! Although I doubt they would be better than the Primrose Bakery cupcakes in Covent Garden.. Mmmm!

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My 'Miss Thrifty' Guest Post on Haute Future Blog.. ♥

Check out my guest post that Gabriella featured on her blog Haute Future here.

I wrote an article on my top tips to look fabulous without breaking the bank! 

Be sure to check it out over on her lovely blog :) 

She's also looking for other guest bloggers, so get in touch with Gabriella!

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Sarah G Mineral Primer Review.. ♥

I won a competition on Twitter to win a selection of make up from Sarah G Cosmetics. I was sent some very nice products, and today I'm going to show you my favourite item, the Mineral Tinted Face Primer. The primer comes in a pump action bottle, which makes it easy to use.

I've never used a primer before, but I've been wanting to try one out for a while. Primers create a perfect base to apply your foundation, by evening out your skin tone and smoothing the skin. 

"This mineral primer is full of natural ingredients and is lightweight and silky,it melts into the skin with a hint of colour that suits most skin types. It can be worn on its own to give skin a glow or as a perfect prep for foundation to ensure makeup glides on flawlessy and lasts all day and night!"

 

  

The Sarah G tinted primer has a lotion-like consistency and a hint of colour to make your skin look more radiant. I also think it smells like cinnamon! Yummy.

[click to enlarge]

These images show my skin in three stages. Naturally my skin tone was uneven and you could see my pores. After using the primer, my skin looked smoother and the pores less visible. With the addition of my usual make up, Rimmel 25 Hour foundation (shade True Nude 303), 2True powder (shade 3), Collection 2000 Bronzer, and Miners Blush Stick, my skin looks almost flawless and matte.

Close up pic.

Overall I feel that the primer does make a noticeable difference. It makes my skin feel very smooth and looks much less uneven. My foundation goes onto the primer smoothly and they both work together to create a light, even look. I like that the primer is tinted, as it adds a bit of colour to my face without being heavy. It isn't greasy or oily, but it isn't thick either. It helps to mattify my skin and creates a perfect base for my make up. I would recommend this for any skin type, as it is suitable for all types. My skin is very dry, and I found this to be quite moisturising

Sarah G Cosmetics sells this Mineral Tinted Primer for £20 from their website.

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Percy and Reed Hair Products Review.. ♥

This months (April) Glamour magazine comes with a free hair product from Percy and Reed, for only £2! There are 4 different products available as the free gift, and I picked up all 4 (greedy...oops!). This post is a little late, as the magazine was actually released at the end of February, so it won't be in stores for much longer before the May edition is released.

The products are worth approximately £8 each, which makes it a good freebie! The magazine has Jennifer Lawrence on the front cover, looking very gorgeous and curvaceous, and there's also an Estee Lauder Infallible Liquid sample in each magazine (useful for keeping in my handbag).

The 4 products available are:

• Quite Frankly Flawless Finishing Polish
• Splendidly Silky Moisturising Shampoo
• Splendidly Silky Moisturising Conditioner
• Totally TLC Hydrating Mask

First of all, the packaging is very lovely, I like the artistic pretty drawings on each bottle, and the stylish fonts and neutral colour. I also like that the bottles are all the same, as I like my things to be consistent! Secondly, each and every product smells AMAZING! Mmmm they all have the same sweet, strong smell and it is so fresh and I love it! It smells more like a body lotion than a hair product. I was really looking forward to trying them out.

 I used the shampoo, conditioner, and hydrating mask on my hair, and I wasn't very impressed at all unfortunately. The products claim to be 'moisturising marvels' containing lots of nice ingrediants to nourish your hair.

I seemed to have to use a lot of product to 'spread' it around evenly as it didn't foam at all or lather up. And I was very disapointed with the conditioner and the hydrating mask, as usually when I use a conditioner, my hair feels instantly smoother as I run the product through my hair. I felt like I had to keep adding more product so that it went on evenly and I didn't miss any patches. As I smoothed the conditioner into my hair, my hair still felt brittle, not smooth or hydrated. 

After rinsing the products out of my hair, I towel dried it and then gave it a quick blow dry. This is how my hair ended up looking after drying. It looks horribly dry and frizzy. My hair is pretty damaged which is why I like to use a mask frequently, and my hair is always normally much more healthy looking after using any other conditioner. It may not look much different to usual, but it feels horrible. Very, very dry and damaged, I think that the conditioners did no good at all. On the plus side, I will continue to use the finishing polish when I have my hair in curls, as it does provide some hold and smells amazing.

I am disapointed as I had such high hopes for such a luxusious looking brand, that smells so lovely! It's a shame, but I will carry on using cheaper drug-store brands rather than looking at salon brands for now.

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