Christmas Wishlist!

Hey Guys! I know I haven't posted in absolutely ages but it's nearly a month till Christmas and I'm super super  excited, so I decided to take to polyvore and pick out things that are on my Christmas Wishlist this year. I hope you guys like this! Put a comment below and tell me what you think of the things on my wishlist.

Christmas List! by collarsandchocolates featuring cotton t shirts

Topshop smocked dress
topshop.com

River Island cotton t shirt
$29 - riverisland.com

Zara flat boots
zara.com

Zara scarve
zara.com

Mac cosmetics lipstick
maccosmetics.com

NAKED 2 eyeshadow palette
$60 - debenhams.com

L'Oreal Micellar Solution

Hello my lovelies!

It's been nearly a month since I last posted which is crazy and I really need to get back into blogging again seeing that it's something that I love to do. However, yet again, life got in the way of what I love to do, but now I'm back! 

I really ought to do my August favourites, however, my camera has broken so I can't do a YouTube video to express my love for certain products. But, I know that I hadn't posted in a really long time and thought that I would shoot a few pictures on my phone and write a blogpost about a particular product that I have been absolutely loving this month. From the title of this post, I think we all know what it is. Cleansing waters have become the rage of the beauty community, everybody has one that they know and love, for example, Bioderma or this L'Oreal one. This L'Oreal Micellar Solution has taken the beauty world by storm so Bioderma may have some competition, particularly because this L'Oreal 'dupe' is a lot cheaper and much, much easier to get hold of here in the UK.

The product claims to do three things: dissolve make-up , unclog pores and remove impurities and tone and soothe the skin. I have to agree that it does these three things for the face, but eye-makeup such as mascara is more difficult to remove with this product, especially if you're using a cotton pad. However, it does what it says on the tin for the rest of your face, your make-up is completely gone when the cotton pad, that you have placed the product on, sweeps across your face, although it takes more than one cotton pad, obviously. This product is so long-lasting. I've had it for nearly a month and I'm not even half way through the bottle yet. 

For me, I find that there is one disadvantage and that is that it does take some of the moisture out of my face so that my skin does feel a bit tight, but as always this can be fixed with some moisturiser! Another disadvantage (for US residents) is that this product is currently unavailable in the US so the next time you come to the UK, you're definitely going to need to stock up on this product. 

The advantages overrule the disadvantages though. Firstly, the price is unbelievably low at £3.99 a bottle which is so much cheaper compared to other cleansing waters. Secondly, It does what it says on the bottle, thirdly, it's suitable for sensitive skin and finally it's so easy to get hold of (if you live in the UK)!

Overall, I would say that this product is amazing, and the best thing I've used to get the make-up off my face quick and easily. I've used other brands such as Estee Lauder, but this one from L'Oreal works so much better.

So that's it my lovelies! I'm going to try to post much more regularly as I love to tell you about products that I'm loving and seeing if you like them as well! Please comment below if you also liked this product and follow me on gfc and bloglovin'

Bye my lovelies!

xoxo

DISCLAIMER: All my opinions are my own and I'm not being sponsored to do this review, I did it because I wanted to share this product with my followers. 

Reunited

Hello my long lost lovelies that I haven't spoken to in ages!

So basically we (you and I) have been reunited after a long time of unnecessary absence so I thought I would tell you about where I have been for such a long time! As absolutely none of you know, I have been on holiday or 'vacation' recently to the beautiful island of Menorca! For all of you that don't know, Menorca is a small island located in the Mediterranean sea in a small group of islands called the Balearic islands. The Balearic islands consist of three islands. The first is Ibiza, the party island; then there is Majorca and after that Menorca! 

Menorca is Majorca's little brother/sister, whatever your preference and I can safely say that Menorca is the nicer island of the two, I have no opinion on Ibiza seeing as I have never been. Menorca was just such a beautiful country with some amazing weather and people come from all over the world to be on this one small island. 

I met people from all over Europe, I met people from Italy who were so lovely, funny and very kind. I also met people from around my country and they were lovely too! Everyone was very polite and it has been the only island that I have felt truly safe in. 

At some point in my life I would love to visit there again or even live there in the future!

So that's the end of my life update and now on to the emotional part!

Recently, I have hit 1,000 page views which is absolutely incredible and a huge achievement for me. I didn't think anyone would bother to read this blog so to know people from all over the world have read this blog and that some of you have commented or even followed/subscribed to this small space on the internet makes me so happy. It also lets me know that what I love to do is being appreciated by so many of you and I thank you for that.

Thank you so much my lovelies

Don't forget to follow on gfc or bloglovin' and comment, I will probably always reply back.

Byeeee!

xoxo

Random Favourites & YouTube

Hiya Lovelies, 

I thought I'd do another blog post because I have some more favourites to add my July favourites and I thought that I should explain the purpose of my YouTube channel and explain why I started it I suppose!

JULY FAVOURITES

We'll start with the July Random Favourites, I'm going to start with music seeing as I've discovered two new bands and I love them a lot so I thought I'd share them with you.

1. Saint Raymond

DISCLAIMER: Image is not mine, copied from google images,

Saint Raymond is a lad called Calum from the UK and I discovered him through iTunes' free songs. I love his songs and my favourite one is 'Everything She Wants' because it has such a good guitar bit and it's such a good song! 

2. The Neighbourhood

DISCLAIMER: Image is not mine, found on google images.

The Neighbourhood is an alternative rock band from California and they make such good songs. My favourite songs are 'sweater weather' and 'let it go'. I found this band because of Ingrid aka MissGlamorazzi. She has her own YouTube channel and this was mentioned in one of her favourites. But this band have such an edgy take on rock and I love their music a lot because it's quite different and quite dark? Also, all their music videos are in black and white and I love me some black and white.

3. Iced Tea

Next up, is my favourite drink. I have had an addiction to Iced Tea, I love it so so much because of the fruity flavours you can get, mmm, it's delicious!

So that's my random favourites!

YOUTUBE

So, as many of you may know, I have recently started a YouTube channel called CollarsnChocolates. Now you're probably wondering, why did you start a YouTube channel when you already have a blog? I thought that I would start a YouTube channel because 1. it makes it easier for me to review things or tell you about my favourites. Secondly, I've always wanted to start a YouTube channel, but I've never had the courage to do so. Thirdly, I have made videos and edited them since an early age and I thought I would make good use of my skills. 

I just love video making, it's an opportunity to meet even more new people and share a passion over the internet and I think that's amazing. YouTube is also a place where I can be myself rather than being my normal quiet self. 

So if you're interested in looking at my channel please click this link: http://www.youtube.com/user/CollarsnChocolates 

Please comment and like my videos as I love to read comments about how I'm doing. I've had a couple of comments already and they've made me so happy and made me want to continue making these little videos that, hopefully, help you guys out. Hopefully, I can bring something new and fresh to the beauty community! If you're also feeling extra nice, you could subscribe to my channel! I would genuinely love you forever.

Thank you for reading as always, I love you all and I'll see or type very soon! 

Bye lovelies!

xoxo

P.S A new YouTube video is going up today at around 4pm GMT so go on to my channel or follow my twitter for updates! 

July Favourites Video!

Hello Everyone!

I've decided to have another go at making YouTube videos! Today, it's a video about my July Favourites!  I know you all like to read my favourites blog posts (even though I haven't done one in a while) so hopefully you'll like this new way of showing you my favourites.

If you want to, please comment on the video and on here giving me feedback on how I've done! Also, please like the video and subscribe to my channel as I hope to do more videos if you give me suggestions on things you would like to see!

Sorry, the video is quite long (10 minutes) but if you could spare that time to watch it, it would be great, get comfy and click play!

I hope you enjoy/have enjoyed the video and a new blogpost will be coming next week along with a new video (if you want, please give me feedback)

Bye my lovelies!

xoxo

Primark Mini Haul!

Hello my lovelies!

Wow, it's been quite a while since I wrote on here last! Mainly because I have had blog writer's block and have had absolutely nothing to write about and the fact that I have been quite busy and my camera ran out of battery and I lost the charger. Sorry for that quick 'life update'. 

Anyway, recently I have become a little bit addicted to Primark, which is a good thing for my purse as their stuff is cheap and cheerful but also, the quality of their items has improved! So, this is a collection of things that I have bought recently for me to show you as Primark doesn't have an online shop so you never know what is in there. Also, I know I like to be nosey and see what other people have bought in Primark, so I guessed that my readers would too. 

Let's crack on!

Maxi Skirt with Slit: £8

Firstly, I bought a maxi skirt! Now, I'm not one for flowing dresses or long maxi skirts but this one just caught my eye because it has a slit in it down the front! I've got to admit, the slit does come up a bit high but that's something that we can all work with. Also, it does give you an opportunity to do an 'Angelina Jolie', meaning that you stick your leg out of your skirt/dress and consequently, get your own twitter account made about it. Anyway, I thought that the material was pretty decent, and it looks very pretty and it is an evening essential if you're going away somewhere or a night out! You could team this with crop tops, vest tops, any top you liked really! 

Collared Shirt: £8

The second item that I bought will be no surprise to any of you, but I bought a collared shirt with little rolled up sleeves which I think is super cute. It does come in a range of colours and I do aim to buy all of them because I am that sad, but I chose yellow because it's a bright summery colour and it looks very pretty. The material is of a good quality, except it's see-through so you will need to wear a cami underneath to protect your modesty.

T-Shirt Dress: £5

Moving on to dresses! Now, this dress is an absolute bargain at the small, minuscule price of £5. This is perfect for those of you that need a day dress for a cheap price and they do these in a range of colours too, for £5 and some without the polka dots. Again, it's a tad see through but we can work around it! This dress is also really, really flattering. It starts to clinch to the body at around the bottom of your ribcage so it's really flattering and makes you look very, very skinny which is an added bonus. 

Butterfly cut-out dress: £13

 This dress has been very popular in my local Primark as there was barely any of my sizes left but luckily, I found one! I love, love, love this dress and the fact that it has cut-outs at the waist. It is such a gorgeous material so it's good quality and has a zip-up back. The material isn't very flexible so make sure you get the right size. But apart from that, this is a lovely evening dress.

Shirt Dress: £10

I  thought that this dress was super-summery and had a bit of a tropical feel to it, which I love. Primark have detected the issue of the fact that the material is quite sheer, and have provided a yellow dress lining inside which is great, and it's sewn in, so you won't lose it. The material is of good quality and the dress comes with a belt, which isn't attached so you have to look after that part of the dress. I really like the little gold-coloured buttons on the front as they suit the dress really well.

Sandals: £2.50

Moving on to shoes! Well more specifically, sandals. I have a major problem with feet, I just really do not like them, especially my own. Therefore, I'm trying to learn to like them by wearing sandals! This pair were 2.50 and they look really nice, however, they can feel a bit  tight. I have bought these for beachwear mostly. But they were a complete bargain and they come in black, white and pink? (I'm not too sure if they do anymore colours). 

Gladiator Sandals: £6

This last item was a pair of gladiator sandals. So I was in Primark, looking for another pair of sandals, and I fell head over heels in love with this pair because they look absolutely gorgeous (well done Primark). This pair was the last in my local Primark so you can tell that they've been loved by many. They are so comfortable, I've been wearing them around to get used to them and they're doing very well. The cage is a bit big but it's something that you do get used to and it's a benefit as it makes them easier to wear? That's just my opinion though so yours may be different.

So that's the Primark shopping bag emptied, photographed and reviewed! I hope you liked this post, if you did, don't forget to comment on this post as I love your feedback and go ahead and follow me on gfc and bloglovin'!

Thank you for reading!

Bye lovelies!

xoxo

DIY Bunting

Hello lovelies! 

It has been far too long since I last posted and I apologise for that but I have been so busy and haven't had a clue about what to post...until now!

Today I thought I'd do a completely different post for you! At the moment, I'm on my summer holidays and hence, have a lot of time on my hands; so I decided to make some room decorations as my room is in desperate need of some homemade touches. 

Pre-warning: These are not the most professional bunting flags, but I made them how I wanted them! 

You will need:

Scissors, Fabric, String (whatever length you would like, Pen/Marker, Sellotape,Paintbrush (optional), Acrylic Paint (optional), Cardboard template, newspaper and water!

Method!

Step 1: Make your cardboard template!

             

You can make you cardboard template by drawing any size triangle you like and cut it out! I used a cereal box for my cardboard template.

Step 2: Draw your triangle on to the fabric!

Place your cardboard template on to your fabric and then use your marker/pen to draw around the outside of your cardboard triangle template. 

Step 3: Cut out the triangle!

 Use your scissors to cut out the triangle you have just draw on your fabric.

Step 4: Repeat! 

Repeat this step until you have enough triangles for your string (you decided how long you want your string) 

Step 5:  Cut out circles on your template. If you don't want to paint polka dots on your flags, then skip steps 5 and 6.

Firstly draw around something circular, perhaps a glue-stick lid and then, using scissors, cut out the circles!

Step 6: Paint your polka dots! 

Using an acrylic paint of your choice (fabric paint would be better) paint your polka dots onto the fabric using a paintbrush. I used acrylic because I know it dries fast and it doesn't come off easily. 

Step 7: Attach the flags to the string

If you wanted to do this properly, you would use ribbon and a sewing machine except,I don't like sewing machines hence why I did it the cheap-skate way! So, after the paint dries, turn over the flag and then attach it to the string using sellotape! I left several inches between the start of the string and the flag and then two inches between each flag. 

Voila!! 

 I hope you guys liked this post as I had a lot of fun doing DIY! If you want more of these homemade things, then please leave a comment below! If you actually make these, send me a picture!! Either by e-mail, twitter or under the tumblr tag #collarsandchocolates. I'd love to know that I'd inspired you to do this.

Thank you guys for reading! 

xoxo

What I wore: Restaurant (2)

Hey Lovelies!

I know, another 'restaurant' post. What can I say? I eat out a lot... But the restaurant was so so pretty and it was such a lovely day.

But anyway, I quite liked my makeup so I thought I would share that with you today!!

This is now probably my go-to summer going out look (that was a mouthful). I absolutely love the brown eyes and then the bright red lip and I will most definitely be wearing this when I go out!

All the products that I used

So, firstly I applied my concealers which is collection's lasting perfection one and No7's calm and conceal. Then I put on my foundation, which is Rimmel London's Wake Me Up foundation as I find it makes your face glow, which is perfect for the summer. Whilst that was soaking into my skin, I filled in my brows with an Estee Lauder eyeshadow, from the palette in the left hand corner, called Wild Sable from the Pure Colour collection. I then went on to my eyes! I covered the lids of my eyes with Sugar Biscuit, from the same Estee Lauder palette I love Sugar Biscuit and I have been using it for years, it's such a nice, light shimmery colour. Next, I put 'Wild Sable' into the crease of my eye and slightly on the lid and blended the c=two colours together. After that, I added another darker brown eyeshadow from Max Factor (which I can't find the name of, sorry) just above the crease of my eye and blended that colour with the Estee Lauder eyeshadow. I then lined my eyes with the Estee Lauder Pure Colour eyeliner - Blackened Cocoa. This eyeliner is very similar in colour to MAC's eyeliner - coffee so check Estee Lauder's eyeliner out MAC lovers! 

After this I contoured my face using the sleek palette in the top right hand corner. Firstly, I used the brown shade to contour under my cheekbones and the bridge of my nose. I then went down the middle of my nose with the highlighter and on the top of my cheekbones and after that, I added the shimmery blush on to the apples of my cheeks. After, I applied my Bourjois bronzer to every part of my face that the sun would touch and set my makeup with my Rimmel Stay Matte Powder. 

I then used my most favourite red/orange lipstick in the entire world, which has been discontinued much to my disappointment  We all have those lipsticks that we don't use, well this was one of them until a week ago when I absolutely fell head over heels in love with it. It's such a gorgeous colour and has a bit of shimmer. It is the Pure Colour lipstick in Tangerine and it was a beautiful lipstick (Estee Lauder please bring this back!) I'm trying not to use too much of it so it will last me a long time, hopefully. If any of you know where I can find a lipstick similar to this one, please comment below because I need another one like this in my life.

After, I then painted my nails with the Max Factor Max Effect nail polish in Deep Coral which is the same colour as my discontinued Estee Lauder lipstick. I find that this nail varnish dries really quickly and I'm not a patient person so this is a very handy nail varnish indeed!

So Ta Da! That is my complete look! I hope you enjoyed this blog post because I enjoyed writing it and, it took me such a long time to write! 

Thank you for reading, please comment below if you have any suggestions (especially regarding the lipstick) or just any general comments about the look.

Bye my lovelies!! 

xoxo

Review: Real Techniques Expert Face Brush

Hey Lovelies!

Today I'm going to review the Real Techniques expert face brush by Samantha Chapman. Even though there are so many reviews on this brush, I thought that it would be a good idea for me to review it as it's another point of view to hear from.

The first thing that I'm going to say is, this is the best brush that I have ever bought. I love it a lot, and these are the reasons why:

1) Coverage: This brush makes a small amount of foundation go a long way. And it gets into every curve in your face making sure that every aspect of your face is completely covered. You may wonder, how does it do this? It's able to achieve this because of it's curved bristles, which are very handy indeed. The only problem I have with this brush, is that when I'm blending foundation into my skin, I feel like I am putting a lot of effort into doing it, I haven't had this with other brushes. 

2) Uses: I absolutely love this brush because I use it for my concealer and I also use it for liquid foundation therefore it is a multi-purpose brush, unlike some of the other brushes that I own. This means that I don't have to waste money on buying more brushes for every single part of my make-up; thank you real techniques!

3) Price: Obviously, this is what is on everyone's mind when they're buying make-up brushes, especially if you're of a young age when you don't have that much money to spend. However, this brush is a superb cost of £9.99, although I got it for £8.99 in Superdrug! Result! 

4) Quality: For a cheap brush the quality of it is outstanding. The bristles are so soft on the skin and don't shed when they are washed/deep-cleaned. Apparently, they are also cruelty-free which makes them even better. The handle is really nice, it's made of aluminium and is built for your hand so it's very comfortable. Another thing is that it stands up on it's own which I think is an added bonus!

Overall, I would thoroughly recommend buying this brush if you have £10 to spare or if you're looking for a new make-up brush. In the future, I really want to buy more of these brushes as they're really lovely to use and of such great quality. Personally, I would love to buy the blush brush and the travel essentials kit as I know I'd use those brushes a lot.

Thank you guys for reading! There will certainly be another blog post soon as I have plenty of time to spare now.

Another thing, if you don't follow me on bloglovin' please do, as Google reader and Google friend connect are shutting down very soon so please head over here (http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/8016727) and make sure you click the follow button so you don't miss out on any updates.

Please comment below on what you think of this post and if you want, suggest ideas for me to do in the future!

Thank you again

Bye lovelies!

xoxo

What I wore: Restaurant

Hey lovelies! 

Today I went to a restaurant, so this gave me the perfect opportunity to dress nicely for a meal out! As I had a bit of time to spare I quickly photographed what I was wearing! 

I know the outfit's not summery but if you want to use this idea, you can change the colour of the skirt or jumper. I just thought as evening-wear, this would look quite nice. 

Jumper: H&M

Skirt: Topshop

Necklace: New Look

I'm also wearing lilac nail varnish from Barry M but you can't quite see that in these photos.

M&S - These aren't mine, they're borrowed from my mum

New Look

I wore the flat shoes, but these are the options that are avaliable to me. If you're looking for something more edgy, wear the boots. If you're looking for something more girly and more comfortable, go for flat shoes. If you want something more classy, try stiletto's; they make the outfit classy and an extra bonus is that they make your legs look thinner!

Thank you for reading, please  leave comments below telling me what you think of the outfit and if you think it could be improved in anyway! I'm always looking  for tips and advice!

Also guys, I've realised how much I need a DSLR! These picture aren't of great quality even when they've been edited, argh! I better start saving up.

Anyway, thank you again for reading!

Bye lovelies!

xoxo

Bloglovin' and suggestions!

Hello my lovelies!

Bloglovin'
As you've probably seen (if you've visited my blog) I have joined bloglovin' as I've just found out that google reader is closing and I needed somewhere to read everyone's blogs so I found bloglovin'. Please give me a follow on bloglovin' so you can keep reading all my posts! You can follow me here: http://www.bloglovin.com/collarsandchocolates or click on the eiffel tower icon on the right hand side! 

Suggestions
I really need some suggestions on what to do on my blog to give me something to do over the summer. Also, it shows me what you guys want to read about so it helps all of us out! If you want to send me a suggestion please e-mail me (collarsandchocolate@gmail.com), tweet me, message me on tumblr or comment below! 

Thank you my lovelies! 

Hopefully, I'll be posting soon

xoxo

Day 3: London!

Hello lovelies!

I'm really sorry for the long wait for a blog post but I have been ever so busy finishing my exams, but now I am free until September! So i have 12 weeks of blogging and oh my, there will be lots and lots of blogging as I'm doing so so much this summer and I am very much looking forward to it! 

Today I went up to London with my mum and we walked and walked and walked. Therefore, right now, my feet are in so much pain! Ow! 

I thought I'd do a quick blogpost on Day 3 of my summer and show you where I went and what I wore throughout today! Let's get cracking! (Sorry for the picture quality, I stupidly forgot my camera)

So, I'll start with the most important bit which is what I wore! I was in a bit of a hurry today so I couldn't really decide what to wear! But here's what I wore:

Vest top: Miss Selfridge

Blazer: H&M

Shorts: New Look

Necklace: Accesorize

Satchel: Debenhams

Nail Varnish: 305 - Pink Flamingo by Barry M

Unfortunately, I bought most of this stuff at least over a year ago so I don't think much of it's available except the nail varnish which I bought yesterday and it was £2.99.  Apologies though, I know it's not the best look that I've thrown together but I thought it looked okay to walk around London, I promise better looks will be appearing on here very very soon! Also apologies for my face as I'm really not photogenic at all.

Tower Bridge!

I have been to London so many times but not once have I walked across Tower  Bridge! Tower Bridge is absolutely beautiful and I've always admired this amazing bridge and how it shuts and opens when tall boats pass through it. People have also tried to start the padlock trend, similar to those padlock bridges in Paris and I'm hoping that will start to increase over the years. But I'm hoping there won't be too many padlocks of tower bridge for them to ruin it.

St. Katherine's Dock

The boats that were in the docks.

My future ideal penthouse flat (which costs £5 million)

I'd never been to St. Katherine's Docks either but it is one of the most quiet and pretty places in the whole of London. There were boats everywhere, so many folding bridges and then there was the most quaint Starbucks in the middle of it all in a cylindrical building. It had the nicest views of boats and parts of London and a view of a rather nice looking American boy who was crossing one of the many bridges. 

The pretty Starbucks and my new favourite drink: Mocha Chocolate Cookie Frappucino

Favourite Picture

Now to show you my favourite picture that I took today and this was when I was just coming out of St Katherine's Docks: 

 What made this my favourite picture was the composition of the picture, I really loved how the statue was the foreground, the iconic tower bridge in the middle ground and then the Shard as the background. The view at the top of the shard is absolutely incredible so if you're going to London any time soon, do go up there it's amazing.

Thank you for reading this my lovelies! There will be more blogposts very very soon

xoxo

Topshop - City Style

Topshop - City Style by collarsandchocolates featuring topshop jewelry

Topshop short sleeve shirt
topshop.com

Topshop mini shorts
$46 - topshop.com

Topshop wedge heel shoes
topshop.com

Topshop shoes
topshop.com

Topshop jewelry
$25 - topshop.com

Topshop round frame sunglasses
topshop.com

Topshop lip makeup
topshop.com

Topshop nail polish
$7.64 - topshop.com