My Essie Collection!

I'm a proud member of the (non-existent) Essie fan club, and have been since I found Xtras Online, TK Maxx and Fragrance Direct, where the ridiculous prices are much less ridiculous. I've reviewed a couple of the colours before, which you can see here and here but today is not a review, it's my Essie collection! :D

Left to right: Bikini So Teeny, To Buy Or Not To Buy and We're In It Together

Left to right Tour De Finance, Aperitif and Orange It's Obvious

Left to right: Dive Bar and Case Study

Essie nail polishes in general have amazing formulas and colour choices, and although they're normally quite expensive you can get some really good deals from places like TK Maxx and some discount websites. I've never paid the full £8 but I think they're worth the money for the long-lasting formula and lovely colours. ^_^  

Bikini So Teeny is one of Essie's most famous colours. It's a cornflower blue with a slight sheen to it; very wearable and perfect for every season. It's one of my newer ones so I've only worn it a couple of times, but I see myself wearing it a lot in the future. :)

To Buy Or Not To Buy is a gorgeous shimmery lilac that goes one perfectly with one coat. It suits most skin tones and is very easy to wear thanks to the subtlety. I did a review a wee while ago which you can see here. 

We're In It Together is one of my newest ones and I haven't actually worn it yet, but in the bottle it's a pale, candyfloss pink. :) I bought a bottle of this for one of my friends at the same time and it looks lovely on her. ^_^

Tour De Finance is bright, bright, bright pink with a little bit of shimmer that doesn't really show up on your nails. It's pretty much the same as Barry M's Shocking Pink, so I wouldn't recommend getting both. The formula is especially great in this one, as it goes on easily and smoothly with just one coat.

Aperitif is a bright tomato red that suits every skin tone, season and occasion. The brush is the perfect shape and it goes one amazingly. I only ever use one coat with this one and it lasts well over a week (with a top coat). I reviewed this one last month, so you can see that here.

Orange It's Obvious is basically just a bright orange with no shimmer or sheen. It's a great autumn colour (and Halloween colour!), and looks especially nice with alternate red nails.  I've only worn it twice but both times I've really liked it, and got a lot of compliments. ^__^

I would say that my favourites are Bikini So Teeny, To Buy Or Not To Buy and Aperitif, just because they're really wearable and suit my skin tone. Saying that, the first 6 polishes are pretty much equal.  I'm not quite as keen on Dive Bar and Case Study though...Dive Bar is a metallic teal and Case Study is khaki; both of which are quite nice colours, but they just don't suit my skin tone and are harder to wear. 

What are your favourite Essie colours? :D

Cat xx

I Love...January Edition!

January's over! I cant help but be quite relieved that it's gone and February's here because, in general, January is my least favourite month of the year. I have nothing against it but y'know, Christmas is over, New Year's resolutions are failing miserably, you have no money and the weather's crap...Not all that great. :P I managed to cheer myself up though, through the power of McFly, pretty nails, nice smells and collar jewellery. ^__^

You'll all be aware of my crazy (obsession) love for McFly so seeing their latest album in my favourites won't be a surprise. I bought the deluxe edition of Memory Lane which I wouldn't normally do, but in this case you get double the songs for just a few pounds extra. CD one is filled with their best, most popular songs (including Love Is Easy ^_^)  which is wonderful but it'd CD two that got it into my favourites, as it's all demo's, acoustic tracks and covers. I'm in love. :)

My love for collars is no secret so it's weird that it took me so long to get a peter-pan collar necklace.  I've had my eye on a gorgeous pearly River Island one for a while but the price put me off and sent me to Ebay in search for a cheaper one. I didn't find a pearl collar; I found something better. The collar I chose is bronze with a vintage-y filigree pattern and whilst you may think it isn't very versatile, I've managed to wear it with everything. Seriously, everything. It was only a fiver and has quickly became my favourite accessory. 

I was in town after school one day with a couple of friends and we went into Boots to smell the Soap and Glory stuff. I don't think any of us had the intention to buy anything but somehow we all came out with Natural Collection body sprays. :S I bought the wild strawberry one, which smells like Calpol (in a good way), and have worn it pretty much every day since. ^__^

I did a full post for Essie's Aperitif at the start of January so you can click here to see that. I've been wearing it a lot recently; it's the most gorgeous cherry-red that last for ages. :)

The last three favourites were all Christmas presents from my family and I've been using them all every day since I got them. I guess that means they're pretty great! ;D

I hope February is awesome for all of you! 

Lots of love, Cat

xxx

25 Mad Facts About Me

I've seen this post floating around recently and I've really been enjoying reading other people's. The only logical thing for me to do is to do this post myself, and share 25 facts about me with you all. :) 

I've done posts like this over the years (I'm a Blogger dinosaur) so I'll try my best not to repeat myself. ^_^

1. I collect cinema tickets and stick them to the loft door in my bedroom in a kinda tiled pattern. I've been collecting them since the end of 2011; I have 15 right now. :)
2. It's rare for me to cry at films. The only films I have properly cried during are Spirited Away, The Boy In Striped Pyjamas, The Notebook, Remember Me and The Impossible. 
3. I've lived in the same house for my whole life, and have always had the same bedroom.
4. I have a love/hate relationship with musicals...I love Westside Story, Annie and (don't judge me) High School Musical but in general, if a musical comes on TV I'll skip past it.
5. I'm subscribed to 76 Youtube channels.
6. My favourite flowers are white tulips. This definitely has nothing to do with Alaska Young...
7. I shared a room with my sister until I was 11.
8. I secretly love One Direction.
9. The wall behind my bed is filled with pictures, cards, postcards, certificates, photos, lists, notes, party invitations and theatre tickets. I call it my 'Wall of Stuff' and it shows how I'm way too sentimental. ;)
10. I'm a perfectionist and I'm way too hard on myself. I really am my own worst enemy...
11. My five favourite books (ever) are The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky; Starter For Ten by David Nicholls and The Fault in Our Stars, Paper Towns and Looking For Alaska, all by John Green.
12. When asked what my style is I say "vintage librarian-hipster". It's easier than explaining that I really can't pin-point my style. :P
13. I've been blogging since August 2007, have always used this blog and have never taken a break, but I've deleted my old posts to avoid embarrassment. ;D
14. I'm a Danosaur, Phillion, Unicorn Warrior, Hopeful, Whovian, Potterhead, Nerdfighter and proud member of the Nermie Army. 
15. I wear a green 'This Star Won't Go Out' wristband to support the charity and their amazing work for the families of children and teenagers suffering from cancer. I've worn the wristband since the 3rd of April 2012 and have never taken it off.
16. I'm only 5 foot 2. I like to think of it as being "vertically challenged".
17. I name my instruments...my electric piano is called Fletcher, my ukulele is called Gus, my guitar is called Hazel and my piano is called Margo. ^___^
18. I drink a lot of tea. By a lot I mean alot, like 5 or 6 cups a day.
19. I'm addicted to Pretty Little Liars! I'm quite far behind (the beginning of series 2, I think) and I'm only getting one episode a day but I'm in love with it. I'm in love with Aria, Hannah, Spencer and Emily, and Ohmygawd am I in love with Ezra Fitz. O_O
20. I got my first Ipod for my 11th birthday in 2008 (08/08/08), named her Ionapod (terrible, I know) and have loved her ever since. She's never failed me. ^_^
21. I went through a 2-year-long phase of only ever wearing Converse. It got to the stage where I literally couldn't walk in any other type of shoe (apart from my scabby old ankle boots), but at the end of 2012 my feet started to go numb whenever I wore my beloved Converse, so I decided that we needed to take a break. Hopefully they'll understand, and won't be angry at me for my decision...It was for the best, dear Converse. :') 
22. I make a playlist on my Ipod at the beginning of every month, with 30 songs that I love and feel like suit the month ahead.  It's literally all I listen to during that month.
23. I have questionable taste when it comes to fashion. My motto is "why have something plain when you can have something patterned?", I love paisley and most of my tops have collars.
24. The most listened to song on my Itunes is Coffee Shop Soundtrack by All Time Low. Not because it's an amazing song that I listen to non-stop, but because I accidentally left it on repeat for a full day....oooops... :P
25. My name's Catriona. Now let's see who can pronounce it right. ;D

Continuing on from point 5, I'm thinking about doing a post all about Youtube (and my obsession...), with a list of all 76 channels I'm subscribed to. What do you think?

Lots of love, Cat
xxx