This is what my laptop screen currently looks like;

I have no idea why or how it has happened, but I'm having to write this post with my laptop plugged in to an external monitor, which kind of makes me feel like some kind of techno-whizz-kid-hacker type. I'm not though, rest assured.

Anyway, from tomorrow onwards I'm not sure how much Internet access I'm going to have, as the laptop is being sent away to the technical people (wherever they are) and our home PC is so horrendously slow I'm not sure I can bring myself to even attempt to use it.

Just thought I'd let you know that if I'm absent from blogging for a while, for once it won't be because I'm being a lazy little bugger, it's because I'm sans technology.

Peace out homiez, see you on the other side...

Products of the Month - November

New video. I am a fluffhead.

This is the pixiwoo video using the Sleek Graphite Palette that I loved so much. Like I said, the colours in the Bad Girl Palette are very similar, so you could definitely recreate this;

TOO GORGEOUS.

The Uggly Truth

If you're from the UK, then no doubt you've been having to deal with snow recently (even if you're not from the UK you've probably had to deal with snow recently - it's everywhere!). Fortunately, Liverpool didn't have quite as much as some other parts of the country, but there was still enough of it to make life that bit more difficult. Now, there's something you should know about me before I go any further; I'm not a fan of snow. Actually, that's not true, I went to Lapland once and had a lovely time leaping about in the snow, but I was wearing the appropriate snow-gear; a massive snow suit, big heavy boots and these cool penguin mitten things (I looked AWESOME). But, here, in the UK, where I don't own snow clothes, then yes, I hate snow. When it's snowy/icy I spend all my time worrying about falling over (when I worked in Scotland last year, the snow was insane and I fell over four times. FOUR TIMES. It stops being funny, believe me). And being cold. Being cold makes me want to cry. Seriously, cry. If I had a choice, I'd just stay inside the whole time and wait for the snow to melt, but as I have one of those annoying things called a "job", that isn't really an option.

I'm sure it's been the same for a lot of you; the combination of slippy ice and bitterly cold weather has had quite a big effect on what I've been wearing. Mainly my approach is; wear any outfit I'd usually wear, but then pile a whole load of knitwear/coats/shawls/hats etc on top of it. Despite my addition of six thousand extra layers, I think I still look ok ("snuggly chic" I like to call it), but even if I didn't, I wouldn't really care, because my main concern is getting to work without dying of hypothermia (which is clearly a possibility). However, there may have been one part of my outfit that a lot of you would have been, quite frankly, disgusted by...

Oh God, I'm scared to say this.

All week long, I've been wearing...

Ugg boots

Argh! I feel like I've just confessed to some kind of dark, seedy fetish...

Ok, ok, I know, you're horrified and appalled (don't look at me! I'm too ashamed!). The thing is though, maybe I'm becoming an old woman, but (shock horror!) there are times when looking good isn't actually my main priority when I get dressed. This past week was one of those times; I still factored style somewhere into the equation, but keeping warm and not falling over were far more important to me.

You also have to understand, if you've never worn a pair of Uggs, that they are SO comfortable and SO warm. I know there are other options out there for warm winter shoes, hell I even did a whole post on shearling boots, but as I'm still waiting to get some of those for Christmas, Uggs are currently the only thing I own that are suitable for this kind of weather.

I understand that a lot of people hate them for a multitude of reasons; the uglyness of them, the fact that they're the footwear of choice for so many irritating people (WAGs, chavs, Katie Price) and also that they just won't seem to go away (overkill isn't the word). But I want to make it clear; I've never seen my Uggs as a fashion thing, they're simply a practical thing. I don't wear them all year round, in fact they've been in my cupboard probably since January, and I don't own hundreds of pairs of them in different styles/colours, I've just got the one pair.

Katie, Colleen and Kerry - does this mean I'm guilty by association???

Maybe it's because I'm not a big shoe person. Dresses, coats, jewellery makeup, yes please, but shoes just aren't high on my agenda. So wearing a pair of Uggs doesn't feel like that big of a fashion crime to me. Also, I genuinely don't think they look THAT horrible (I've got the short, grey ones like in the first picture); whenever I'm wearing them, they always remind me of a teddy bear's feet, and really, what could be bad about that? There are other versions of Uggs that I truly think are grotesque (have you ever seen the metallic ones? WTF?!) but I think mine are pretty minimal in the ugly stakes. This could be to do with the fact I'm from Liverpool, where seemingly every single person with feet owns at least one pair of Uggs - maybe I've just been conditioned into accepting them...?

I'm well aware that, once you start to sacrifice style for comfort when it comes to shoes, you're just a few steps away from throwing any sense of fashion out of the window and wearing those 'sensible' velcro sandal things you always see old people wearing on walking holidays. I'll make you a promise right here, right now; this Ugg situation is a one-off thing - I will NEVER wear velcro sandals for as long as I live.

Thoughts please, people - where do you stand when it comes to Uggs? What have you been wearing in the snowy weather? And are there ever occasions when you're happy to sacrifice your style for comfort? I need to know the answers!

[NB. This post has absolutely nothing to do with the comments Lily recently made on Twitter - I've been planning to talk about Uggs for a while now. And for the record, I think Lily is awesome.]

a horse of a different colour

So I haven't blogged since about nineteen-dickety-two (we had to say "dickety" because the kaiser had stolen the word "twenty". I chased that rascal to get it back, but gave up after dickety-six miles) - sorry about that. Have you missed me terribly? Have you? HAVE YOU?!

Anyway, regular posting will probably recommence over the next few days; it's a bit late now, but I suddenly had an urge to say a little hello and make sure you hadn't all died on me (you haven't? Oh good!)

Last weekend I went to London for my friends Tash and Bob's birthday fancy dress-o-rama. The theme was Rumble In The Jungle, which meant lions, bears, monkeys, characters from Jumanji, parrots and even toads were all in attendance. As I'm the sort of person who never likes to do things easily, I decided to be a zebra. With a mohican mane and a face full of stripes. Yeah yeah yeah.

Wearing Pamela Mann Zebra tights (on legs and arms, also used a bit of the left over tights to make a tail) bought on eBay, weird Primark towel dress thing, black flat pumps with gold leopards on them from Topshop (you can't really see them in the pic, but I feel I should mention them as the leopards represented the constant threat of predators that we zebra types have to face. My costume had so many levels to it!)

From left to right - Tash (monkey), Nikki (parrot), me (stripey horse), Lydia (AMAZING leopard - look at her eyes! Will you just LOOK AT THEM!)

What a wonderful, ridiculous night. I also won best fancy dress. Now, last year, when I won best fancy dress at a Halloween party, I was given a plastic skeleton trophy. However, Tash and Bob don't like to do things the traditional way, oh no. So this time around, I won...

A "nautical beard".

I know what you're thinking; how can one person be THAT attractive? Trust me guys, it's all natural.

Dans le sac

Last night I was bored and decided to make a "what's in my bag" video. I warn you, it's extremely rambly, I'm just kind of talking nonsense for most of it.

Also, I'm such a nob; I say at one point in the video that I don't remember what Cowbiscuits' name is; actually, it's not that I don't remember, it's that I don't know because she always goes by Cowbiscuits, lol. I'm so silly...

Also also, I don't think I explained myself very well when I was talking about the Twilight books - I don't hate them, I just don't think they're anywhere near as good as everyone makes out (like I know people who say that they're their favourite books - WTF?). However, I read the first one to see what all the fuss was about, and like any trashy novel, it was quite readable, and once I'd read the first, I kind of wanted to know what happened in the other books. So I'm up to the third one now, and I still don't get what all the fuss is about, but I'm sticking with it because I still want to know what happens. Does that make sense? I feel like this is some kind of shameful secret!

Also also also, I know I've said this before, but it seems like every time I post a photo/video of myself, I've straightened my hair. It's making me look like a bit of a fraud, since my blog's called "the little curly girl". I promise I do have a whole head full of mental curls. Next time I do a video, I'll make sure my hair is curly, to prove it ;)

I don't believe you, you're not the truth

You know how sometimes, you'll watch a film you've not seen in ages and it suddenly hits you just how good it is? I did that this weekend with Pretty Woman; I've always loved it, but I think it's been such a long time since I last watched it that I'd forgotten how wonderful it is.

Ok, yes, Pretty Woman is hardly a life-changing movie, in fact it's schmaltzy and a bit silly and the way it glosses over the seedy world of prostitution is actually kind of horrible (never before has the world's oldest profession been made to look so appealing - "come and be a hooker; you'll have all kinds of fun and probably end up being whisked away by a handsome millionaire who'll take you shopping and give you diamonds and stuff. Oh, just ignore that dead body they're pulling out of a bin... well yes... she was a prostitute too but umm... So how's your knowledge of cars?") but still, it's one of those ultimate chick-flick types that you just can't help but watch and enjoy. I think this is thanks, in large part, to Julia Roberts, who is impossibly lovely throughout. Don't get me wrong, Richard Gere is alright, but it's all about Julia really, isn't it? Also, I've just found out that she was only 22 in Pretty Woman, which seems mental to me and makes me feel old, because I'm 23 and, last time I checked, I hadn't starred in an iconic rom-com. FML.

Believe it or not, it's actually twenty years since Pretty Woman first came out (to be honest, it's not that difficult to believe - check out Julia's lovely big hair and massive eyebrows) and in honour of its 20th Anniversary, Elle.com interviewed the costume designer, Marilyn Vance. Did you know that, unlike today, where costume designers in movies often do more of a stylist job, sourcing various different clothes and then putting them together, (eg Sex and the City - the costumes are usually a mix of designer and vintage clothes that Patricia Field has specially selected and styled up to reflect each character's personal tastes) Marilyn Vance and her team actually designed and made the majority of the costumes in Pretty Woman?! Read the full interview here, it's really interesting.

Vivian: You work on commission, right?

Shop Assistant: Er... yes.

Vivian: Big mistake. Huge. I have to go shopping now.

SO GOOD! I hate snooty sales people. When sales assistants have their staff training, I think this scene should be played, along with this voice over -

"This is what happens if you're rude to people - Julia Roberts comes in and embarasses you. True story."

For me, possibly the most memorable costume from the whole film is THE RED DRESS. It's just amazing, honestly, I love it. Sexy but elegant, structured but soft and drapey (I know drapey isn't really a word, but I'm tired and it's the best I can do right now, OK?!), the colour, the shape, the little sleeves, argh it's perfection! I think it's probably my favourite ever dress from a movie.

When my Mum was younger, she'd quite often get a dress professionally made if she was going to a fancy event, and she once even had the pink dress that Madonna wears in the Material Girl video (which of course, is actually the Marilyn Monroe dress from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes) made for her, but in black. Now, I never really have any super fancy events to go to, and even on the rare occasion that I do, I'll just buy a dress from a shop, because, it would never even occur to me to come up with my own design when there's already countless dresses just waiting for me to buy them in French Connection etc. But, maybe when I'm a proper grown up, and I've got somewhere seriously fancy to go; say if I was going to meet the Obamas or something, I would think about getting a dress made, and if I did, I would want it to be like the red Pretty Woman dress. It's my dream dress. In the interview with Elle, Marilyn Vance says that, initially, the dress was going to be black, but she managed to convince the studio to go with red. Imagine if it had been black! It still would have been lovely, but just not as special somehow. Well done Marilyn, you're very, very clever.

The perfect dress.

Beautiful, beautiful Julia. Look at that face.

What's your favourite costume from Pretty Woman? And are there any other films that you love with fabulous costumes?

[images - IMDb, hotflick.net and screen grabs from my DVD]

click click

It's a bit pointless me posting this now, because Halloween was a week ago, but I really just wanted to share these pics of Anjelica Huston as Morticia in the Addams Family, because she, or at least her makeup, was my inspiration this year.

Gothic fabulousness to the max. I love her cheekbones.

Sadly, I didn't really end up doing anything for Halloween; I was a bit rubbish last week and just couldn't be bothered moving! Seriously, two days for the weekend isn't enough - five days at work really take it out of me... (or I'm just very lazy...)

I did have a bit of a makeup practice the night before Halloween, because I was undecided about whether I was going to go to a party or not, so figured I should have a costume on standby just in case. Anyway, using the photos above as inspiration, I created my version of Morticia Addams;

Notice how I managed to incorporate the white face powder from last year? I bloody love that stuff. Sorry for the slightly moody face in the first photo, but this was the best of a bad bunch; I was trying to get that Morticia sneer, but I ended up looking like an idiot...

Although I didn't end up getting all fancy dressed up for Halloween, I am going to get the chance to make up for it as two of my most wonderful friends have just announced that they're having a joint birthday party in a couple of weeks in London and the theme is Rumble in the Jungle! Which means everyone has to come as some kind of jungle animal! Obviously there's a lot of possibilities for crazy costumes and I spent a couple of days changing my mind about what to go as, but I've now settled on an animal; I just need to work out how I'm going to do it. Hair and makeup is going to play a big part though...

Did everyone have a good weekend? And more importantly, did you see X Factor?! I can't believe we were so close to getting Katie out and the judges saved her again! I put this on Twitter too, but seriously, if a singer forgot their lyrics and then sat down on the stage and had a little temper tantrum, people would be calling them an unprofessional idiot. Katie does it and Simon says it makes her an 'interesting' performer?! WTF?!

zig a zig ah

Although leopard print has been quite 'fashionable' for the last couple of years, it's really taken me some time to accept it as something I'd actually wear, as I've never quite been able to shake off the images of Mel B, lunging and flailing about in all her Girl Powered insanity, wearing a horrifying variety of lycra leopard catsuits, mini skirts and boob tubes...

Scary is an understatement.

I think most animal prints can quite easily fall into the trap of looking cheap and nasty, and for me, leopard print was especially something that I'd normally associate with naff, tacky clubwear and mutton-dressed-as-lamb-type women. Take, for instance, Bet Lynch from Coronation Street;

Please be aware, I'm not really old enough to actually remember when Bet Lynch was in Corrie, but she's someone I feel that we all, as Brits, should be aware of. Like the Queen. Or Ant and Dec.

Recently though, I've started to change my mind, and thanks to the abundance of leopard print that was on the Fall catwalks, I'm starting to see the joys of leopard. With designers such as Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci and Balmain all doing their take on the fierce fabric (alliteration is lovely, isn't it?), I've been persuaded to give leopard print another chance.

Dolce & Gabbana

Balmain, Gucci and Mulberry

With my new-found appreciation for leopard print fresh in my heart, I recently bought and wore a body con leopard dress from H&M on a night out. Clearly my apprehensions were completely unfounded because everywhere I looked, someone was wearing leopard print (either it is really trendy or I was right about it being tacky clubwear and I need to have a serious re-think about the bars and clubs that I go to). At one point, I was in the loos and every single girl around me had on a leopard print dress/top/skirt. It was like something from The Jungle Book. But sexier.

It's no surprise really that everyone is wearing leopard print, because all the high street stores are awash with it. Remember how I thought that maybe the reason why camel coats are so popular this season is because The Big Trendy Haberdashery has got a really good deal on camel wool? Well I think their leopard fabric must have just gone into the 50% section. Seriously, just type "leopard" into the search bar on Topshop, ASOS etc and a ridiculous amount of leopard print stuff appears.

I've picked out some of my favourite leopard print bits and pieces that are in stores at the moment. I think what's great about leopard print is that it's actually very versatile. It might seem a bit loud and 'out there' at first, but because the colours are neutrals, it actually goes with most things. So even if you're not too keen on going for all-out leopardy madness, you can just throw on a pair of leopard pumps or a belt and still be on trend.

Leopard Print Moccasin, £39.99 Zara

Leopard Vintage Faux Fur Coat, £98 Topshop

Seriously considering getting a leopard coat for my winter coat. I'm so over camel. A leopard would kill a camel. Just putting that out there.

Leopard Print Jersey Pencil Skirt, £24 ASOS

Truly Madly Deeply Animal Cross Tee, £28 Urban Outfitters

Leopard Cardigan, £32 Miss Selfridge

Leopard Print Jersey Culottes, £16 ASOS

Dress, £12.99 H&M (this is the one I've got - I love it!)

Which is your favourite? Have you been wearing leopard print? Am I the only one who was scared of it?!

Also, I've been writing this post in the ad breaks between X Factor - it's just finishing now - who are you loving? I've been a big fan of Cher throughout, but I thought this week's performance was a bit boring. Loving Rebecca and Matt though - think they were the two best performances of the night. And who are you hating?! Anyone who follows me on Twitter will know how I feel about Katie... GET HER OUT!

Can you feel the love tonight?

Eeek I can't flippin' believe we're nearly at the end of October! I don't know whether it's because I seem to do nothing but work at the moment (my life is pretty much a tragedy right now), but it just feels like the last few months have flown over! Actually, the whole year has gone by crazily quickly! Last year, I worked as stage crew for a pantomime in Scotland from November to the beginning of January and it honestly feels like it was only yesterday - I can remember virtually every detail about that time as it was such a fun/crazy/physically and emotionally exhausting experience and yet it's very nearly a year since I was up there! It's like someone just pushed the fast forward button on 2010! Madness.

Me backstage at the panto last year with the giant - look at the size of him!

Ah well, as we near the end of October we're also nearing Halloween, Bonfire Night and, of course, Crimbo! I moan about Winter all the time, because I hate cold weather with a passion, but it really does have all the best Holidays. (I don't think Halloween and Bonfire night are really considered "Holidays" but you know what I mean!) What are you dressing as for Halloween? One of my friends told me yesterday on Twitter that he was thinking of going as Gamu from X Factor! I've got a few ideas but it depends on whether I go for a scary or a non-scary costume. I don't even definitely know what I'm doing for Halloween yet, but it has to involve fancy dress in some way, that's my only criteria. Even if I just stay at home handing out sweets to the little scallywags children who come trick or treating, as long as I'm in fancy dress, I'll be happy. Of course, when I say 'fancy dress', I mean PROPER fancy dress, not slutty fancy dress, which infuriates me beyond belief. If you want some good ideas for costumes, Beth who writes the blog Anchor Rose (which I've just recently come across and I'm loving) did a brilliant post about some of the things she's dressed up as in the past - Billy Doll from the Saw movies is probably my favourite - SO CREEPY!

This is a bit of a random post tonight - just feel like having a ramble really! Also, have you noticed? This is my fourth post in four days! I'm getting better at being a good blogger! I'm really trying to post more frequently at the moment because my followers are slowly starting to creep up on me (not literally - I know there's only 55 of them but that would still be bloody scary if they were ALL creeping up on me!) and I'm starting to get regular readers and well, I want to give them something to read and make sure they keep coming back! I've had loads of positive comments lately and I just want you all to know (and I never get sentimental, so this is a big moment guys) that I read every single one and it honestly means so much to me when people take the time to comment and say something nice! I don't think you should blog just to get followers or comments, they're more like the cherry on the cake, but I do think the 'blogosphere' (goodness me that sounds a bit wanky) is full of amazingly sweet, friendly and witty people and I love getting to interact with them all! Anyway, that's tonight's Hallmark moment over and done with, now onto more pressing matters!

Sticking with the subject of blogging, I thought I'd share the love (I'm literally turning into Barney the Dinosaur - make it stop!) even more and mention a couple of other bloggers who are brilliant and wonderful!

Firstly, Victoria, who writes the blog VIPXO, is a self-confessed Scrabble fanatic and has decided to channel her love of the board game into making the cutest Scrabble jewellery - I ordered my bracelet the week before last and it arrived last Tuesday and I love it! Look at the picture! It's got my name on it! I don't own anything else that says "Franki" on it, so it's all very exciting! (My name adds up to 13 - not bad! Or is that actually unlucky? :S) Prices vary depending on how many letters you want, but mine was less then £10 and delivery was free! I think Victoria is also planning on making rings - you can contact her at vipxoblog@gmail.com for more information. Also, check out her blog because it is lovely and so is she!

Secondly, Ayden, who writes Little Blog Of Horrors (as a serious musical geek, I love that that's what her blog is called), is having a giveaway to celebrate getting to 400 followers - well done Ayden you superstar! Ayden's blog has fast become one of my favourite reads out of all the blogs I follow; she has a really open style of writing that I really admire and she comes across as such a sweet, genuine girl. Check her out, pronto!

Right, that's enough gushiness for one post - I promise I'll be back to my moody, sarcastic self tomorrow ;) I'm off to watch the rest of Hollyoaks Later now, it's so crap but so good!

Je voudrais s'il vous plaît

Bloody typical. You put yourself on a spending ban for a couple of weeks, and suddenly it seems that all the shops in the world are calling to you, saying;

"oooh Franki, look what we've got! Look at all the pretty things! Look at them, aren't they pretty? Don't you want to buy them, Franki? Don't you want to buy them all? DON'T YOU?!"

I can officially say that Topshop's new Heavy Duty makeup collection is right at the top of my list of things I want to buy, but currently can't justify buying. Isn't it rubbish being skint? One day, when I'm a rich grown up, I'll buy all the Topshop makeup I want, you'll see, I'll be able to bath in the stuff, that's how much I'll have. For now though, I can only look longingly at the pictures on the website. Sigh...

Solid Gel Eyeliner in Ravine, £8

Lip Marker Pen in Berry, £7.50

Nails in Grunge, £6

In addition to the new Heavy Duty collection, they've also added some new products to their standard makeup line. I'm loving the new mono eyeshadows in a variety of earthy shades, and the Concealer Duo which, after having a very quick try of it in the store, looks like it gives fairly good coverage. Plus I think it's a good idea that there's two shades of concealer in one, so that you can blend them together for the perfect shade.

Eyes in Potion and Dirty Martini, £6.50 each

Concealer Duo in Light, £7

The other things I got super excited about when I was last in Topshop are the new nail wraps. I'd been thinking for a while about how I'd like to try Minx nails, but as I'm a DIY girl there's no way I'd pay to have them done in a salon when I could just learn how to do it myself instead. However, when I looked into it, I saw that you have to use a heat lamp on the Minx foils to soften them and help them adhere to your nail, and I figured, "well I don't have a heat lamp, so that's the end of that". You know what I do have though? A hairdryer, yes indeedy, and that's exactly what you need for the new Nail Rock nail wraps - wahey! As soon as I get my hands on a set of these, I'll do some kind of review on them, maybe even a video tutorial, who knows? I'm very excited though. I mean VERY excited.

Metalic Lizard and White Lace Nail Wraps, £6.50 each

snap CRACKLE pop

As soon as I heard about the new Barry M Instant Nail Effects Nail Paint, I knew I had to get hold of a bottle. In fact, I was so desperate to get my mitts on it, that when I went to Boots to buy it and there wasn't any left on the shelf, I actually opened the little storage draw underneath the display and nabbed the last bottle that was in there (I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to do that). It's basically a magic very clever black nail varnish that cracks and splits when you apply it over another colour, creating a cool, textured effect on your nails. If you want to get a better idea of how it works, there's a video tutorial on the Barry M site that explains how to use it.

It's slightly more tricky to apply than normal polish, as you're not supposed to overlap each stroke; usually, when I apply nail varnish (and I think most people use the same method), I do a stroke down the middle of the nail and then one on either side and they'll usually overlap a bit, because of the size of the brush. However, with this product, if you apply a really thick layer of it, you get less of a cracking effect, so you really need to try not to overlap too much (you can get away with a little bit), as the 'pattern' will look rubbish. Like I said, it is quite tricky; I find it easier to take each stroke slowly. If you're really finding it difficult though, you can also get away with just sort of putting random blobs of it on your nails, rather than trying to do a full layer all over; it splits anyway, so it doesn't matter if it looks a bit messy at first - the overall effect will be the same.
Once it dries, it's completely matte, which looks a bit weird if your base colour is glossy, but you can easily rectify this by either using a glossy topcoat over everything (which is what I've done) or by using a matte base colour (or a matte topcoat). I think either way looks cool.

Base Color - Models Own Coral Reef, Topcoat - Nails Inc Kensington Caviar.

There's only one problem I have with this, but I'm not sure it's something that can really be resolved. I've got absolutely no idea about the science behind this sort of thing, so I don't really understand how the formulation works, but I'm guessing that the reason why it splits and cracks is to do with the fact that it dries REALLY quickly. In fact, as soon as you take the brush out of the bottle, the polish on it starts to dry, which results in the brush becoming a bit lumpy and gloopy, making it even more difficult to apply it to your nails. I'd suggest washing it each time you use it, but to be honest, it's only going to happen again once you take the brush out of the bottle, so there's not much point.

See? Glooptastic...

Despite the tricky application process though, I'm liking this product; I wasn't sure of the effect at first but I've had it on for a couple of days and it's grown on me. I like that it's completely random each time and that it looks a bit grungey. It'd be cool if there was more colours; currently it's only available in black, but I'd love to see a white or nude version. As with all Barry M products, it's super cheap, at only £3.95, and the fact that you can use it over any base colour means that the possibilities are endless for different colour combos. Win!

mental.

This is silly.

Bottom row - Models Own nail polish in Black Magic, Purple Grey, Purple Ash, Becca's Brown, Nude Beige, Grace Green, Feelin' Blue, Pink Blush, Coral Reef and Red Alert.

Middle row - Barry M Nail Paint in Instant Nail Effects: Black Magic, Grey, Bright Purple, Fuchsia, Berry Ice Cream, Strawberry Ice Cream, Pink Flamingo and Mint Green, Nails Inc Kensington Caviar Base Coat and Top Coat, Sleek Nailed Polish in Brownie.

Top row - ASOS Paint by Ciaté in Lily and Chloë, 17 Fast Finish Nail Polish in Catwalk Couture, 17 Lasting Fix Nail Polish in Parma Violet, 17 Fast Finish Nail Polish in Pink Grapefruit, 17 Lasting Fix Nail Polish in Orange Soda, 17 High Gloss Nail Polish in Raspeberry Mocha, Topshop Nails in Stolen Sapphires, Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour in Particuliere.

Around the edges - Random nail art pens that were on sale in Debenhams.

I don't know how this has happened. I'm going to put myself on a ban from buying nail varnish for a while; clearly this obsession is solely to blame for me being skint at the moment.*

*not really. That's down to being on a crap wage :S

freebie jeebies

When I popped into the newsagents earlier to pick up a magazine (and a Galaxy bar, if you must know) and was faced with an array of free beauty treats, I got a bit excited. Being the cheapskate bargain hunter that I am, I love a good freebie and in this time of financial difficulty, I'm sure everyone else does too. So I thought I'd give you all a quick heads up about some flippin' marvellous freebies that are available with the November issues of the UK's top glossy mags.

First up, with ELLE (which is what I bought), you get a mini 7ml tube of Clinique's new Superbalm Moisturizing Gloss in 09 Currant.

As this is a mini version, it doesn't state in the magazine how much it's worth, but the full size 15ml version is £12 so I'd hazard a guess that this is worth around £5/£6. It's a really nice, non-sticky feeling gloss, with the subtlest hint of colour. I was in need of a lipgloss, so this was an ideal freebie for me, plus it's the perfect size to chuck into even the smallest of handbags for a night out. Lovely!

Cosmopolitan is giving away a MissGuided Splash nail varnish with every issue; there's three shades to choose from (see below) and they're worth £5 each.

MissCellaneous, MissFit and MissBehave, £5 each from MissGuided

There's more free nail varnish with Marie Claire, which is giving away a free bottle of Ciaté Paint Pots. You can choose from either Dangerous Affair or Mistress, worth £9 each.

Dangerous Affair and Mistress, £9 each from Ciaté

Normally I'd have definitely gone for a free nail varnish rather than the lipgloss, but I do love Elle magazine and I also feel like I've gone a bit mental with the nail varnish of late. At my last count I had twenty eight different colours and it's not like I can wear them all at once so it seems a bit excessive to get any more for a while. Even so, I am really liking the look of Dangerous Affair - Ciaté nail varnishes are excellent, so IMO the Marie Claire offer is a particularly good one.

Finally, with the November issue of InStyle (which, incidentally, has Ginnifer Goodwin on the cover, who I LOVE!), you get a free 30ml tube of L'Occitane hand cream, worth £7, with three fragrances to choose from.

Shea Butter, Cherry Blossom and Fleur Cherie, £7 each from L'Occitane

I've never used it, but I hear L'Occitane stuff is lovely; my Mum always goes on about the Shea Butter handcream, and she's right about most things, so I would say that this is yet another brilliant offer!

Now I've just done the maths and while I'm not saying anyone should do actually this, it might be worth noting that if you were to go out and buy one copy of ELLE, two copies of Marie Claire and three copies of both Cosmo and InStyle so that you had all of the freebies listed above, you'd be getting £60 worth of stuff for £31.90! That's a pretty impressive saving! Like I said, I'm not expecting anyone to go out and do this - I mean, who needs three tubes of hand cream?! But the point here is, freebies are brilliant!

Meow

Ever since I watched How To Marry A Millionaire ages ago, I've been thinking that "cat eye" glasses are quite cool.

Fortunately for me, it looks as though feline frames (yes, I'm a dork, but alliteration is good for the soul!) are set to be a bit of a trend this season; the Prada Fall 2010 collection featured a comical take on cat eyes, with brightly coloured eyebrows drawn across the top of the frames.

They were also featured in the Nina Ricci Fall collection, although as sunglasses rather than normal glasses;

images from style.com

I'm thinking that, since "Buddy Holly/geek" style glasses have already been kind of a big thing over the past couple of years, it's only a matter of time before other types of quirky glasses, such as cat eyes, become the norm.

They remind me of Marty from Grease, because she wears a sparkly pair near the beginning of the film and asks Rizzo "don't you think they make me look smarter?" before a rhinestone falls off them and into her plate of macaroni, bless her.

[These are some cheeky screen grabs I got from my Grease DVD (it's really tricky getting a good screen grab you know!). Unfortunately, I was focusing so much on Marty and her glasses, I didn't notice that Rizzo looks like she's having a stroke in the second shot, until I'd already saved it, and by then I just couldn't be bothered going back and getting another one. Sorry Rizzo. Also, what is that guy doing in the background?!]

While I do think that a spangly pair of cat eyes could look quite cute, I worry that once you start adding extreme amounts of bling to these glasses, you're stepping into Dame Edna territory, and I'm not sure any of us want to go down that path, do we?

"Hello possums!"

Anyway, Australian transvestites aside, I did a quick search on t'Internet and found a variety of cat eye glasses on vintage sites and eBay, although most of the best ones were sunglasses and I'm really looking for the kind with plain lenses. However, they are quite cheap, so I suppose if you found a pair of sunglasses with a really good frame, you could just buy them and then replace the lens? Or just remove the lens altogether? There's definitely options here, people! I did also stumble across a few variations on ASOS; the first pair below are definitely my favourites.

Solid Black Cat Eye Geeky Specs, £10 ASOS

Feline Crystal, $20 Giant Vintage

Cat Eye Glasses With Rhinestones, $7.99 Girl Props

I do actually wear glasses as I'm quite shortsighted, and it's been a while since I've had my eyes tested, so I probably need to buy a new pair. That being said, I'm not sure I could seriously wear a pair of cat eyes for work, (I can just imagine the sort of looks I'd get... sadly the people in my office just aren't down with the kids...) so I'll probably get a cheap pair (like the ASOS ones above) and then invest in a more 'serious' pair for when I need to be a sensible grown up type (blergh!). What do you think? Would you wear them? And will I look mad if I get a pair?!