e.l.f Mineral Glow

A few weeks ago my sister came to stay.  She brought with her the Bare Escentuals bareMinerals Warmth All-Over Face Colour which, after watching The Persian Babe rave about, I was excited to use.  When I did, I thought it was good but...meh.  Nothing more than a glorified bronzer.  It just didn't rock my world.

So when I was browsing e.l.f, desperately trying to fill up my basket in order to qualify for their 50% discount offer, I popped this Mineral Glow in the shade Bronzed in my basket. 

This product is amazing.  It brings warmth to my face and gives me a really natural bronzed look.  I know a little is supposed to go a long way with mineral products, but I can't say I've ever really noticed this to be the case before now.  Literally, the tiniest dusting of the product residing in the lid is more than enough to give a flush of colour to my face.

This really is an amazing dupe.  In my opinion, e.l.f's version is way better than bareMinerals.  And at £5 for 10g at e.l.f or £16.15 for 1.5g of the bareMinerals at feelunique, which will you choose?

Reason to Smile 26

There's nothing better than Autumn walks.  The crisp, fresh air, the crunchy leaves underfoot and wiping mud off your shoes afterwards.  It's all part of the fun...

How have you been enjoying the Autumn air?

Tattooed Bloggers 5

" 'Love's not Time's Fool' from Shakespeare's Sonnet 116.  It reminds me that true love doesn't stop because time's passed.  Life ends, feelings change....but real love stays alive."

- Tabitha

Smart-Casual

I'm experimenting with collars peeking out of jumpers atm.  Not the most exciting formula, but I'm liking the effect!  I couldn't find the shirt I wanted to wear this morning, so had to make do with a Primark sheer one.  It worked, but I'd prefer a stiffer collar.  My to-do list this weekend is to purchase lots of shirts!

I got lots of comments on how "smart" I looked today.  I'm loving the influx of blazers and houndstooth for this season (if H&M's catalogue is anything to go by) and I picked up these shorts on Saturday to wear after I managed to spill pizza sauce all down my skirt.  Steph and I had a giggle, with me trying to shimmy discreetly in to the shorts round the corner from the main shopping centre with the general public walking by!  Was so so busy,  I couldn't face battling through the crowds to get across to the toilets to change in private.

I'm really hoping for some colder weather soon.  I've bought two gorgeous winter coats that I'm dying to wear, but refuse to until it gets chillier!  Fingers crossed for the weekend...perfect Autumn photos I think!  What are you all up to?

- Shirt: Primark - Jumper: Warehouse - Shorts: Forever21 -

An evening out with Westwood Rocks

Sorry for the pic heavy post; I enlisted my sister as chief photographer and there were so many lovely shots I had a hard time choosing which to use!

Last night I was invited to join Westwood Rocks in part of their 10 year birthday celebrations.  Westwood Rocks are a jewellery company who specialise in handmade gemstone jewellery.  I've been a fan of Westwood Rocks for many years, and my jewellery collection is peppered with their unique pieces.  Many an outfit has been topped off with the addition of one of their beautiful bracelets or earrings.

Did you all see BINTM with that underwater shoot?  It was Westwood Rocks who adorned the models with such sublime trinkets.  Prices start at a purse-friendly £6.50 for small pearl earrings or (one of my favourites) the pearls on organza.  Admittedly prices can run quite high, but with the current trends for semi-precious stones I'm quite happy to perhaps save up and pay a bit more for something that I know is handmade and that I can trust the quality of.

Westwood Rocks has stores in Bath, Cambridge, Farnham, Godalming, Guildford, Reigate and Wimbledon Village or you can shop online here.  They're also on Twitter.

Are any of you WR fans?

The Look Show

The venue

Westfield was crazy.  I prefer the Shepherd's Bush one - much more luxurious, without the insane crowds.  We were lucky enough to receive a discount booklet but unfortunately the majority of these offers could only be redeemed in Westfield.  Shopping was such an effort, me and Steph only made it to a handful of shops during the "fashion festival" so nearly all of these are wasted.

The event

Lots of queuing, lots of confusion.  Partly my fault, partly because of a lack of effective communication from River Island (who I won the tickets from).  The experience was made more enjoyable because we had VIP seats; we were sat right at the end of the catwalk so had a great view of all the outfits.  Some of the other girls only had standing tickets and that was a real shame for them.  The standers were up in the food court, so people eating were able to watch alongside.  Surely defeats the object of winning tickets?!

The company

It was great to meet so many of my favourite bloggers.  I spent the day with Steph as my plus one, it was like we'd known each other for ages.  We bumped into Emma, Hannah, Lily and Kate who were all absolutely lovely.  I chatted to Jen briefly, who was delightful as ever, and also saw Sara, Lily, Laura, Victoria and Gem.  During the show, I spotted Zoe across the catwalk too!

The clothes

My favourite collections came from Forever 21, New Look and Urban Outfitters.  To check out all of the clothes featured, click here.

The verdict
All in all, a fun day was had.  I'm grateful to Look for the show, the champers and the goodies and to River Island for giving me the tickets.  I can't wait for the next event, where...fingers crossed...we can manage a blogger's meal!

Did anyone else go that I didn't spot?

Autumn Leaves

Another Sunday, another trip to the woods with Dudley.  And no, I didn't manage to walk around in heels (as you can see, there's a path.  I'm not crazy enough to go off-roading in Topshop specials)...luckily I'd packed a pair of flats for when the inevitable foot-burn happened!

Had a great weekend; headed to the new Westfield for The Look Show.  Steph joined me and we had a real giggle....despite the crazy crowds.  What were they thinking having a fashion show in the middle of the biggest shopping centre in Europe?  And on it's first Saturday of being opened?!  Madness.  Fun was had nonetheless and I met some lovely bloggers.  Post to follow!

Besides walking Dudley, today has been whiled away purchasing a fur coat, cosy socks and perusing the shelves in Waterstones.  There's something so enchanting about book shops....the promise of magic beneath each cover.

What have you all been up to?

- Jeans: M&S - Top: Forever21 - Jacket: Topshop - Boots: Topshop - Necklace: Topman  -

Tattooed Bloggers 4

"...from the book 'Jonathan Livingston Seagull'...given to me by my Stepdad helping me to come out of a very dark place a couple of years ago.  The book is about self-perfection, the unwillingness to conform and following your passion.  The tattoo was a reminder of these and my way of showing him he really helped me."

- India Rose

e.l.f Conditioning Lip Balm

This product is part of e.l.f's Studio range and rivals Sleek's Pout Polish or MAC's Tinted Lip Conditioner.  Having never owned MAC's version, I can only comment on Sleek's.  I hate it.  The smell turns my stomach, so I was on the look out for a similar product which I could happily use without wanting to be sick.

This made up part of my first ever order from e.l.f, purchased alongside their 50% off code to celebrate the Bank Holiday.  I was unsure of what to buy, so after watching Holly's haul I added the Conditioning Lip Balm to my basket.  I love it.  It applies opaque, scent-free and gives a lovely wash of colour to the lips whilst feeling soft and smooth too.  There's no gloopiness, and the fact that it does your lips good whilst looking gorgeous is awesome.  Having an SPF on your lips is so important, so it's great that e.l.f have thought of this as well.

There are six shades to choose from; I opted for Peaceful Pink, a beautiful dusky rose pink.

The Conditioning Lip Balm retails for £3.50 here, although are often discount codes floating about.  Sign up for emails and e.l.f will keep you informed with the best deals!

Did anyone take advantage of the 50% code this weekend?

Playsuits and Puppies

It's been a year since I last featured this playsuit, and now that Autumn's rolled back around it's reminded me of just how much I loved wearing it last year!

Ed and I took Dudley out for a walk in the woods today.  There's a lovely place near us with winding paths, hidden dens and gorgeous bridges.  It was such a nice, fresh day today.  I was so glad to be out of the house and in the fresh air.

How have you all spent your Sunday?

- Playsuit: Primark - Jacket: Primark - Boots: Priceless  -

Tattooed Bloggers 3

"My hand-poked moth with Tibetan-style clouds.  I feel it shows how I'm a bit dreamy with my head constantly in the clouds, and I have a love of insects, especially moths and butterflies."
- Amii

Smashbox Cream Eye Liner Palette

Mum recently brought me this product back from a 2 week cruise, picked up at Duty Free.  I've always been intrigued about Smashbox, first hearing of it from Juicy Tuesday.  QVC sell it online, but for some reason I've never felt the urge to buy from there.  Perhaps it's the telly-shopping stigma, reminding me of my Nan...

Mum text me telling me the products available to her, so when I checked this out online and saw this picture I was impressed and eager to get my hands on it.  Imagine my dismay when she presented me with this...

Perhaps I was expecting too much, but this product is literally the size of a credit card.  A credit card?  From the looks of the stock photos I was expecting something the size of one of Sleek's i-Divine palettes!!

Now, before you write me off as completely ungrateful, you can see I've already dipped into one of the shades.  A lovely reddish brown, and I have to say I was impressed.  Having never used cream eye liners before, this was easy to use - even with the teeny tiny brush.  Despite my amateur application I was left with a clean precise line of pigmented colour.

Not for long, though.  I curled my eyelashes after applying and it smudged partially off.  Silly me, I thought, maintaining that in future I would curl prior to liner, whilst reapplying another layer.  This was just a sign of things to come though.  The liner had, for me, disappointing staying power when you compare it to my cheap as chips Miss Sporty liquid liner that I like to use.  By the afternoon it had completely smudged off of one eye, leaving me a bleary mess.

In theory I like this product - 10 shades of creamy soft liner to suit your every mood.  In reality, what am I going to do with a coppery orange liner?  I like my lashes to look dark and voluminous, that shade won't do it.  All in all, I'm disappointed.  I know my Mum got this through Duty Free, which takes the sting out a bit, but the reality is that this retails for £30.50.  That means you're paying over £3 for each 0.15g shade of liner.  A waste of money if you ask me, for a product that doesn't cut the mustard.

If you do wish to have a try, Smashbox retails online at QVC and Debenhams.  It also says you can intensify the colour by adding a layer of shadow, so maybe good to try as a Paint Pot-style primer?

Feeling foxy

I think a round of applause is in order.  I've managed to be at work for 10 hours, return home to go out food shopping, shower, cook tea, take photos and write a post!  Applaud, yes.  Expect it all the time?  Perhaps not...

So my fox obsession seems to have stepped up a gear.  Lots of bloggers have this dress, I'm sure you've seen it all before.  But in my defence, when I bought it last month it was yet to be blogged about.  I picked it up thinking "this is soooo Blogger" and hey, I was right!  It's the perfect Autumnal piece, a conversation starter (the amount of people who've assumed they're leaves is unreal), super cute and cheap to boot!  Definitely pick one up if you get the chance, it's such a flattering shape.

Scaredtoast seems to have become much more of an interactive place lately, and I'm so pleased with this.  I'm getting more feedback on posts, and whilst I don't just write for attention, I'd be lying if I said it didn't give me such a boost to see that people have read what I've written and taken the time to comment.  Even you guys who make use of the "Like" button below, this makes me smile.  This is a space for me to write my thoughts, document my likes and communicate with like-minded people, but to see that other people are getting something out of it too really makes it something to be proud of.  In fact, the other day I heard a quote that I think sums up the ethos of this blog...

Better to write for yourself and have no public than write for the public and have no self

- Cyril Connolly

- Dress: Primark - Cardigan: Pull and Bear - Belt: Primark - Super Cosy Tights: Primark -

Inglot Face Blush

This is a product that I'm really excited about.  Think Viva Glam Gaga in a cream blush form and you're nearly there.  Now, I haven't been living under a rock, but this is the first of its kind formula that I've personally come across.  I'm familiar with MAC's Cremeblend Blush; this is way different.  As you can see it comes in a small bottle, and is formulated like a foundation.

I chose shade 86, a cool-toned dirty pink with lilac understones, and as you can see it's super pigmented.  I use my e.l.f Powder Brush (which, incidentally is oh-so soft and well worth buying) and apply this first dotted onto my cheeks and then blended using a stippling motion.  The result is beautifully flushed cheeks that Kim Kardashian would be proud of.

This blush retails at £11 for 15ml of product.  Doesn't sound like much?  Then consider this...the dot you see on my hand would be way too much for one application.  You need such a small amount for a beautiful finish, that this blush is guaranteed to last.

Do you know of any other blushes formulated like this?  I'd love to collect more, but can't face heading to Westfield each time!

Must Have

Image taken from here

How cute is he?!  Depending on how scratchy the wool is, he may be the thing that gets me to shop in River Island once more...

Tattooed Bloggers 2

"...a quote from one of my favourite films - 'Me You and Everyone We Know' - and sums up how I feel about life.  I always feel like I'm on the cusp of something exciting and that I'm destined for amazing things!"

- Rosie