OPI's Gone Gonzo!

Every Christmas, we have a family tradition (well, with only half the family as the other half are busy with their own families! Without going into too much detail...) of receiving 'plate pressies' during our Christmas dinner. Not only do I love this tradition because I got another present (without sounding spoilt!) but also because it's another lovely way to get the family together. We don't tend to open presents all together as a family - myself and the parents open ours in the morning, whilst my sister and my nephews open theirs at their house. Get it? So, it's really nice to have 1 extra present to open with everyone with you.

ANYWAY, my present tends to be some kind make-up or a book... This year, it was the first option! And something that I have been craving ever since I set my eyes on it.


OPI's Gone Gonzo! from The Muppets collection - Now, this is the one polish I have wanted for ages. I bought the mini set a month ago (which I will review very soon!), but I knew I wouldn't be satisfied with my Muppets-inspired make-up collection until I got my hands on this. I was incredibly happy to get it!


The nail polish is clear-based, completely jam-packed with blue and silver glitter, so you can add as much or as little as you want to your nails. It's a brilliant aqua blue colour, and unbelievably sparkly. The glitter is of different sizes too, which gives off a great colourful mixed effect.

I'm wearing this polish for New Years - haven't chosen my outfit yet, but at least my nails are sorted! I think they'll definitely add a bit of vibrant sparkle to the start of 2012! I've applied 3 coats of it, to ensure my nails are filled to the brim with glitter. Also applied a clear top coat, so I don't lose any glitter half way through the night and it doesn't chip away. Seems to be doing well so far! I honestly think this is my favourite glitter polish, but I won't be using it constantly as I want it to last forever (well... for as long as it can)!

Hope you have a fabulous New Years! I'm off for a meal with my friends then hitting the town... Nothing too special but I'm looking forward to it! What are you up to? What nails will you be sporting for NYE?

Sales #1 & Homemade Hummingbird Bakery Cupcakes

Make-up & straight/controlled hair free day!
Cardigan: Sparkle & Fade at Urban Outfitters
Vest: Topshop
Jeans: Zara
The first of a few purchases in the sale this Christmas! This gorgeous cardigan from Urban Outfitters - a bargain at £22, instead of the original price of £48. I haven't owned a patterned cardigan in ages. It's not too thick, but it's just enough to keep you toasty and warm all day. The length is perfect, as I prefer them quite long due to my height! It makes me feel more comfortable and cosy. I adore the Aztec pattern, which is spread across the arms and front panels of the cardigan. The colours are lovely earthy shades, so along with the pattern, it's enough to make a statement, but subtle enough not to strain your eyes from how busy it is!

So far, all I seem to have done is eat, shop, eat some more, drink, shop and sleep... Not necessarily in that order. One thing I have been eating are these amazingly delicious (if I say so myself!) cupcakes that I made, which was from my new Hummingbird Bakery cookbook! They're called 'Black Bottom Cupcakes', which is basically a chocolate sponge, cheesecake filling with cream cheese frosting on top! Enough to give you a heart attack in one mouthful, but utterly divine. NOM!





I can feel the calories piling up already...

All about Boxing Day

'IYA!

Top: Christmas present
Cardigan: Topshop
Shorts: Topshop
Tights: Tightsplease
Socks: Primark
Slippers: The Disney Store (Christmas present)
Flower rings: Christmas presents
A little bit late, but I looked like this for Boxing Day... Decided to wear my new rings and vest that my best friend Scarlet bought me for Christmas - I love the top, not only because it's Minnie Mouse, but the style of the logo is presented different to what you usually see. So much more creative and unique! The flower rings are also gorgeous, and were also a hit to my baby niece who kept pulling at the fabric flower... I know what to buy her next Christmas! I haven't worn the tights in around a year, so I thought they deserved another outing, especially as it's Christmas - thought it was well suited!

Got to point out the new slippers too, to replace my very old tatty slipper boots from Fat Face - they're another Disney/Minnie Mouse feature! Do I give off some kind of Disney obsessive vibe?? Wouldn't be wrong if so...

Models Own Juicy Jules

Slight blue tinge on two nails from OPI Gone Gonzo - review coming soon!
Added a bit of sparkle to my nails for Christmas with the Juicy Jules polish by Models Own - yet another fab choice from my best friend!

After three full coats of the polish, my nails now have a strong glittery white and silver effect on them... Ended up putting a clear top coat on them so the glitter doesn't come off. I applied it on Christmas Eve and it's still very much intact - hasn't chipped or faded one bit!

I really like this nail polish - never been fond of glitter polish, but this has definitely changed my mind even more so. I now understand why bloggers love it so much!

You may notice, on the last photo, that two of my nails are glittery blue - I received OPI's Gone Gonzo for Christmas and decided to add it on top of my Models Own nails! I'll review that soon... but stupidly I forgot to take decent photos of the polish before I applied it! Oh well.

Christmas unwrapping

Jacket: Barbour
Bag: Topshop
Slipper Socks: Urban Outfitters
Hope you all had a lovely Christmas! I definitely did - had some great gifts from Tris, my family and friends... My main present off the parents was a Barbour jacket, which I love! I was thinking of buying one a few months ago but then forgot about it, so I was so surprised to receive one. Tris bought me a Topshop black oversize bag, which is gorgeous, and will be of great use to replace my 'Blogger' bag (the Alexander Wang Rocco replica - the zip is officially broken! Sad days). The mice slipper socks are my festive socks, also from Tris, which tease the cat - bit worried I'll take it too far and he'll rip my feet to shreds.

A few beauty products, chocolate, jewellery and a lot of cupcake-themed items also appeared! I'm not sure if the fam were trying to tell me something... but with some more silicone cupcake cases and another Hummingbird Bakery cookbook, I think I'll be in the kitchen tomorrow afternoon!!

Off to spend my gift cards in the sales tomorrow - have you attempted the sales yet?

Merry Christmas Eve!

Top: Being Little's blog shop
Shorts: Topshop
Belt: Primark
Fairisle socks: Topshop
IT'S CHRISTMASSSSS! EVE... You get the idea. Finally home in Kidderminster for the next week with the family - been counting down the hours and days all month for this moment, I've been looking forward to it so much!


Yes, it's rather Disney orientated! I take part responsibility...


Our mantlepiece - featuring heart decor that the mother handmade this year!
Christmas has, and will always be, a big family occasion... Christmas Day involves spending the early hours with Tris, before one of us has to leave the other to go home. Followed with some kind of greasy breakfast (NOM), more present opening, then myself and the parents are heading to my sister's house for Christmas dinner and plate presents! That's a little tradition within the Millward family - once the table is set for dinner, everyone has one extra present on the plate to open. Love our tradition - not because it's generally another present, but it's just nice to open things together as a family, see everyone's reactions etc...

Boxing Day is also another big family do, but this year we're off to my brother's house with the other family members we don't see on Christmas Day. We usually hold this at my house, but luckily we're having a break from it this year, so it will a be nice change of scenery!

What are you up to this Christmas? Hope you have a lovely one! :)

Vivienne Westwood for Melissa Pink Ladydragon shoes

I'm not going to go into too much detail about 'how' I got them, 'why' I did, 'when', blah blah blah... All you need to know is that I am now the proud owner of a pair of Vivienne Westwood for Melissa shoes. NOM.

Thanks to Daniel Footwear, I received a £30 voucher to spend on a pair of shoes from the website, which included outlet and sale items. I noticed the pair I own today in the sale, but were still slightly out of my price range, as they were over £50 after the voucher discount (at this point, I had zero money). I had a month until the voucher ran out, so I held off for three weeks. Then, I had another quick browse and found my shoes EVEN CHEAPER. Including the discount and postage, I paid around £25 for them. TWENTY FIVE FLIPPIN' POUNDS!

Unfortunately though, the pair that I received were faulty...




Excuse the disgusting nail please!
The fastening on the right shoe's strap was broken - the metal backing to the stud had fallen off (and it wasn't in the box so it was broken previous to when I got my hands on them). There were no size 6s on the website, so I emailed the lovely Jennifer to help, and luckily she found the last pair! Yay!

So yes, I managed to exchange them (no thanks to the lengthy process of Yodel!) and here they are in all their beautifully crafted glory...





fixed strap - woo!
Yes, they may be slightly uncomfortable because my feet are wide. Yes, my feet will probably ache in them after an hour of wear. To be honest, I can forget all that. They're just beautiful. They're a lovely glossy baby pink colour, with skull and crossbones at the front just above the peeptoe. Very different to the general styles, which have a large coloured heart on the front instead. I'm not usually one for skull and crossbones but I do really like this one!

When opening the box, you're greeted with quite a strong bubblegum scent, which is lush. Slightly overpowering at first, but the smell does wear off after a while. It's also the kind that you can easily clean due to the material - so any dirt or marks from nights out can vanish pretty easily.

I absolutely adore these shoes. I haven't worn them properly yet... I guess I'm waiting for the right moment. However, I'm also more than happy to keep them safe and just stare at them with awe, especially since they cost a mere £25. Waste of money? I think NOT.

I love these shoes - they are like my babies... but currently stuck in a cupboard to keep safe. I sense a Christmas outing in them!

Have you shopped at Daniel Footwear before? (of which, by the way, I highly recommend! Great shoes and even better customer service!) Are you a fan of Vivienne Westwood for Melissa shoes?

It's Secret Santa time...

Top: H&M
Skirt: Handmade by my mom!
Belt: Primark
Decided to wear this at my work's Christmas meal/night out... Haven't worn my maxi skirt in ages so it needed an outing! Although I've realised that it's too big for me now so I'm going to have to get my mom to adjust it for me! The skirt's amazing - so pleased with it! She's got great sewing skillz my mama does.

We went to Za Za Bazaar (a fixed price buffet-style restaurant, literally with every kind of food you could ask for!) in Bristol, which was ahhh-mazing! I got lost in the moment and had a big mixture of Chinese, Italian, English and Nandos-style chicken on my plate, but afterwards tried to make sure I had similar foods in one serving. A complete mix in one go was a bit odd! Even the desserts were lovely, which is strange as most buffet type places I go to seem to fail miserably on the puddings side of things! I definitely had a food baby going on... I feel like I've rambled on about this place too much... To round up, we had some drinks, swapped Secret Santa presents and moved on to the next place, to then find out I needed to run for my train home :( having work the next day is a mood killer!

Here's what I got for Secret Santa...

Very impressed! Tried the strawberry shower gel and it's lush - I'm usually a bit wary of branded products that I've never heard of, especially because of my sensitive skin, but these are lovely!

Not long until Christmas now :D are you all ready? I've bought all my Christmas presents now, just need to wrap everything... Have you?

Models Own Gold Rush

My best friend Jess bought me a set of 6 of Models Own nail polishes for my 23rd birthday. (Yep - so my TWO best friends both bought Models Own - they know me too well!)

As it's my work's Christmas do tonight, I decided to sport some shimmery gold nails to help get into the festive spirit! A great opportunity to try out my new Gold Rush nail polish.




It took 3 full coats over my false nails, because the polish is quite thin to begin with - I guess that's so you can choose how strong you want the gold, in case you wanted to make it overcoat a separate shade? But personally I love the shade it gives off - shimmery, sparkly, striking yellow gold (that's a whole lotta s's!) It's almost like foil - the glittery is absolutely tiny so it's just enough to reflect the light to enhance the colour. We'll see how it goes in terms of chipping, but so far so good!

Tonight, it's my work do. We're off for some drinks and then a meal at Za Za Bazaar in Bristol - a buffet kind of restaurant that offers pretty much every kind of food you could think of. Or at least I think so... I can't stay out for long though as I have to get the train back to Bath and I have work the next day :( big fat fail!