Monday 10 December 2012

NOTD

Bonjour my beauties!

My goodness it has been a long time! I have been so busy with school, work and living in a city that is full of amazing things to do that I just haven't had the time to write. I will miss Paris when I have to leave in a couple of weeks but I have had the most amazing few months here and I can't wait to start another new chapter in 2013!

Anyway, I thought I would show you my NOTD:



So as you can see they are just a simple diagonal tip polka-dot nail with a silver trim. 
The products I used were :

 Chanel 219 Black Satin, O.P.I Alpine Snow and Peggy Sage Argent 117.

How to:
1) Place a piece of scotch tape diagonally across your nail and press down firmly. 
2) apply a base coat to protect your natural nails. Then apply a thin layer of black polish to the nail. Wait 2 mins and apply another layer. Wait for 5 mins.
3) Peel off the tape to reveal a clean line. Wipe away any tape residue with a cotton bud dipped in water.
4) Using a dotting tool (I used a cotton bud) dip the tool into the white polish and begin adding dots to the black part of the nail. 
5) To smarten the design, I used a toothpick dipped in silver polish to add a trim.
6) Apply a top coat to seal in the design.

And you're finished! I think these nails are perfect for the holiday season parties that are in full swing!

Give it a go and let me know how you got on!

Love,



P.S Don't forget to follow me on Twitter- EmmaLouWagstaff and on Instagram- ooh_loula


XOXO

Monday 29 October 2012

LOTD

Hello my little melons!

So today is just a quick post about my make up from today. I had early morning lectures this morning so I had little time to do any make up... In fact I don't usually bother with much at all! In the photo I am only wearing Barry M black liquid liner, L'Oréal Paris Carbon Black mascara, Kiko flase Lashes Concentrate Top Coat mascara, Garnier Roll-on Anti-dark circles concealer and 91 Terracotta Tile lipstick by Estée Lauder. 




A very quick and simple look for the day. This is something I usually sport when I am in a bit of a rush!

Enjoy!

Love,

E-L xo

Saturday 27 October 2012

Album of the Week!




Hello chicklets! I am back with another album of the week and with this one there is no need to describe it to you. It is simply amazing. Therefore I suggest you toddle off to Spotify and check it out for yourself. The album I am talking about is: 

Chet Baker sings.

Released in 1956.


So there we go.

Enjoy!






Love, 

Friday 19 October 2012

The days are getting a bit chilly which can only mean one thing... HAND CREAMS!



Hola Chic@s! How are we all?

So it's starting to get a little chillier here in Paris, and my hands are seeing the effect of the cold weather. I am a sucker for hand creams, especially rose scented ones!
So here are a few favourites that I have been using recently to keep the cold weather from drying out my digits:

(From Left to Right):
Fleur Chérie: enriched with grape seed oil and shea butter. Contains néroli and orange blossom.

Rose Nuit de Mai: contains 20% shea butter so is ultra nourishing with a delicate rose scent.

Creme Mains: contains lavender essential oil that leaves a light perfume fragrance on the hands.

Rose des Neiges: This one also contains grape seed oil and shea butter and leaves hands with the velvety fragrance of a white rose.

These can be found on the L'Occitane website here :L'Occitane

What have you been doing to protect your skin against the cold?

Love,




Saturday 13 October 2012

First Paris Haul!

Hello my little lovelies!

Hope you are all well. So today I decided to hit the shopping centre Bercy's for some well deserved retail therapy... (and I had just gotten paid!) and here is what I came back with:



So let's go in for a closer look!
H&M Scarf

H&M Pencil Skirt

H&M Rose gold hair clasp

Tati 90 Dernier tights

Kiko Lash lengthening topcoat

Tati Rat tail comb



Iam elephant earrings



I  am pleased that I managed to get things that I actually needed... ok maybe I didn't need the mascara or the hair clasp or the skirt... but I thought it was about time I treated myself! 

I have realised that I have forgotten to get a close up of the Kiko and HDMetal nail polishes that I bought today, but I will be doing a product review/NOOTD post soon with them so don't worry! Also, I will review the Lash lengthening mascara for you lovely lot too!

Hope you are making the most of your weekend,

Love,





Tuesday 9 October 2012

No Makeup Makeup: Tip Number 2!





Hello again little ones, hope everyone has been having a fab start to the week! Here is tip number 2 for that effortless no makeup makeup look we strive for:

Use foundation as your concealer for under eye circles and redness around the nose. Foundation is a lot less heavy than concealer and can be worked into the skin much easier than a concealer that can sometimes end up looking 'cakey' if it isn't blended well enough. Dab a light amount of foundation under those eyes to give your face an instant wake up call and banish those bags without the heaviness of a concealer!
Unless you are incredibly lucky to not suffer from under eye dark circles, then give this tip a go for that effortless finish.

Enjoy!

Love, 



Saturday 29 September 2012

No Make up Make up!

Hello my little cherry blossoms!

So today I have been studying away trying to write a presentation for my Spanish class, so I haven't really bothered with any make up. However I realised I needed to grab a few things from the shops but I just couldn't be bothered to put any make up on to pull myself together. Instead I went to my trusted NO MAKE UP MAKE UP tips that I generally do when I am having a lazy day!

TIP NO.1:
Instead of using mascara, grab a liquid eyeliner and run it through your lashes. If you have fair lashes this is a great way to define your eyes without overdoing it with the mascara! For me, I already have dark lashes so just a hint of definition is what I like to go for.
You can also do this before applying mascara to help thicken your lashes up, as the liquid eyeliner doesn't cause your lashes to clump up, and your mascara has something to stick to!

N.B Remember to curl those lashes before you apply in order to open up those beautiful eyes :)


I'll be writing more tips through out the week so make sure to check back for the next one!

Love,



Friday 21 September 2012

Making a Change!

Hello my beautiful butterflies, 

I hope everyone is doing well!
http://images.idiva.com/media/content/2012/Sep/vegan11.jpg


So this post today is not going to be the usual fashion/beauty post that you might be used to. For a few days now I have been contemplating the idea to changing my diet and becoming vegan (well slowly transitioning that way). Since being here in Paris, I have noticed my diet has not been as great as it used to be. I mainly put this down to the stress of being in a foreign place and all I want to do is comfort myself with food that I know I like. However, I have been noticing that a full nights sleep does not seem to refresh me when I wake up and my skin is not looking as perky as it used to when I was living by the sea!
So I have put it down to my diet and I think that making small changes here and there will start to see an improvement in how I feel. I don't want to feel tired after I've eaten a meal, I want to be able to get up and go!

So here is the plan, to slowly cut out animal based products and by-products over the next few months, to see if things improve, and I am pretty sure they will. 

I know turning Vegan sounds like a scary prospect. I don't know if I'll be able to cope never eating chocolate or having butter on toast, but I am not going to become an extreme vegan. If I am craving something, like chocolate, I will eat it because I want to. If I want a huge slab of steak for dinner, then I will eat a huge slab of steak for dinner. There's no point driving yourself crazy wanting to eat something you can't and then end up giving in and eating twice as much of it!

So first, I just want to say I am not turning vegan on the idea that I am out to save the world. No. I am merely doing it to benefit myself, but if it means that it is helping the world in some small way then I guess that is ok too. 

Secondly, in my family there is a history of developing diabetes and high cholesterol, so eating more vegan friendly foods should help to combat that!

Like I said before, I am not going into this head on, I will slowly cut out things like cheese, meats and other foods (maybe not milk, I love that waaaay too much, unless I get into rice milk!). We'll see how it goes, I think I will still eat meat once a week, and the odd egg here and there too but just not as regularly as I do now!

I just thought I would share this with you guys, because I would love to hear your thoughts on Veganism and if anyone is a vegan out there, to possibly throw some hints and tips this way!

Love,

E-L xo


Saturday 15 September 2012

Market Bargains

Bonjour, c'est moi de les rues de Paris!

So today, I stepped outside of my door to find the street lined with stalls upon stalls upon stalls of amazing goodies! I asked one of the sales people what was going on and they told me it was a bi-annual market that happens for one day around the area of Paris in which I live. So today my friend and I spent the day wandering the stalls in search of bargains, and there were many. 

The highlight of the day was my purchase of this Tibetan bracelet which I managed to snag for 10€ (about £8!).

It's a silver cuff bracelet with cone shaped spikes through the centre of it. I thought it looked really funky and unique, so of course I just had to get it!

There were lots of really interesting stalls, selling all sorts of items. My favourite was looking at the old, vintage furniture that people were selling, if only my apartment was big enough to fit it all in! 


Here are a few more snaps from the day :) Enjoy!

Embedded image permalinkAn earring almost bigger than her ear!

Embedded image permalinkA very sweet looking dog!

Embedded image permalinkEnjoying the market!


What have you been up to this weekend?

Love,

E-L xo

Friday 14 September 2012

Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs

Bonjour tout le monde!


It isn't hard to recognized the iconic symbol of Louis Vuitton. 



I have just come back from the Louis Vuitton Marc Jacobs Exhibition at Les Arts Decoratifs(next to the Louvre). 

The exhibition tells the story of these two men and their fascinating contributions to the fashion world and how they worked their way into designing innovative, contemporary fashion. 
The exhibition takes you through the different pivotal periods; from industrialisation all the way through to globalisation, detailing the technological advances, creations and artistic collaborations of these two inspiring figures in fashion. 
Over a century separates Louis Vuitton from Marc Jacobs but this shows how they came together in creating excellence.

The exhibition has been running since 9 March 2012 and will end on the 16 September 2012 (only two more days!). If you are in Paris over the weekend, then I strongly suggest taking a trip to see this, it is so worth it!

Who's ready for Paris Fashion Week?! I most certainly am :)

Love,
E-L xo

Sunday 9 September 2012

I made it!








Bonjour tout le monde! Comment etes-vous?

As you may be able to guess, I made it to Paris! Finally, after months of preparation I am here, writing to you from my little studio apartment in Paris, drinking coffee and enjoying the sounds of the French!

It was my 21st birthday on Friday (7th Sept) so I decided to spoil myself with, of course, make up! I ended up in a cute little shop, just around the corner from the Eiffel Tower selling amazing make up, perfume and bags!

And here is what I decided to buy: 





Of course, it had to be Chanel!  I love this product and have been wearing it non stop since I purchased it! It is the Chanel Illusion D'ombre Long Wear Luminous Eyeshadow in the colour 86 ÉBLOUI. The product also comes  with a small Chanel brush but I prefer to  use it with just my fingers. It is a deep cranberry shade and flatters my skin tone very well. There isn't too much sparkle in the product, but just enough to get your bobby dazzlers noticed; which is, after all, exactly what you want from a product. When it says Long lasting, it means long lasting. I spent most of today wearing it in 30 Degree (C) heat and I am still wearing it now as I post. I applied it without primer straight onto my lids and it is still here! Not a crease or sprinkle of glitter out of place. And the colour is still deep and opaque. 
This is by far one of my most favourite eyeshadows that I have ever used and recommend this to anyone and everyone! 

If you would like to see a make up look to go with this post, let me know!

I hope you are all keeping well and had a fabulously fun weekend. I am off to buy some croissants, wine and to sling a baguette over my shoulder. 



À bientôt!

affectueusement,

E-L xo

Saturday 1 September 2012

New to Shop Dixi PLUS FREE SHIPPING CODE!

Hello my little beauties, I hope you are all doing well!

I am very excited to inform you all about the new items in Shop Dixi, which are an extension to their Warrior Collection. These items will be available as of Sunday 2nd September but I am lucky enough to be able to give you a sneak preview of what is in store! The new items feature a selection of limited jewellery lines and some incredible vintage pieces, all at wonderful prices. and they are of amazing quality!

Here they are:




Don't they look amazing!

And because you are my wonderful readers, you can receive FREE SHIPPING  on all orders over £15. The code you will need to enter at the checkout in order to redeem the free shipping is UPDATEMEFS .
You can get to Shop Dixi by clicking this link here --> SHOP DIXI

Make sure you get yourself over there, these precious items are something not to be missed!

Love,

E-L xo



Tuesday 28 August 2012

DIY: At home nail whitener


For ages I have been struggling with my nails. They  used to be so brittle and break all the time. Luckily I came across Perfectil and so my nails have been able to grow quite well since! However I have trouble keeping the tips of them white, I can admit to not using base coat when I paint my nails! But I found a way to whiten them and you probably have these in your cupboards/bathrooms at home!

Ingredients: Whitening Toothpaste and Lemon juice (fresh or from the bottle)

After care: Moisturiser and nail hardener (if desired)

All you need to do is mix the toothpaste with the lemon juice to form a paste. Just make sure to make enough to cover all your nails. Then once the mixture is ready just apply to your nails either with a brush or I just use a spoon and allow to rest for 15-30 minutes to allow the mix to clean the nails. After that, wash off the mixture from your nails. I like to add a nail hardener once I have done this to keep my nails clean and strong. Then I apply a good dose of hand moisturiser on my hands and particularly around the cuticles because the lemon juice can be quite drying.

Lemon juice is a natural astringent and is acidic and so it can naturally remove stains and lighten the colour of the nails.

Toothpaste is great for removing stains on your nails, look at the wonders it does for your teeth! The toothpaste will break up and remove the everyday dirt that has built up. By breaking up the dirt, it then allows the lemon juice to penetrate the nail for a deeper clean.

Depending on the state of your nails, this may have to be a daily use in order to see improvement, as it does not happen right away. If you're happy with your nails and just need them maintained then you can decide when it would be best to clean them using this method.

Remember to moisturise well after this treatment to prevent irritation and dryness!

Does anyone else have any home remedies for nails that they use?

Love,

E-L xo

Monday 27 August 2012

Twitter!

Hello my chic@s!




How are we all?

I just wanted to write a quick post about my twitter page to say make sure you click follow so that you can keep up to date with all my goings on. I like to post more often on twitter than I do on here because strange things happen to me thoughout the day! Also, it will keep you informed of my posting on here as I always update it whenever I've written something. Anyway, there will be a post tomorrow so make sure you stay tuned to see what I have instore!

You can follow me by clicking the link HERE! or following the tab at the top of my page, titled TWITTER!


Love,

E-L xo

Saturday 18 August 2012

My album of the week.

Hey my little cucumbers,

Hope you are all well. I thought I would share with you my current favourite album of this week. It has been playing in my car non stop and I simply adore it.

London Conversation by John Martyn. 

London Conversation

This album is wonderful. Everything about it; the lyrics, his voice, the sound of the guitar, make  up a superb collection of songs that are not to be missed. It was recorded when he was at the tender age of 18 (1968) and was his first album. It remains one of my all time favourites thanks to its simplicity.
If you are a fan of Nick Drake or Bob Dylan, be sure to check this one out!

Do any of you have an album of the week?

Love,

E-L xo

Wednesday 8 August 2012

Shop @ E-L xo

The time has finally come! 

There are now going to be a few things on sale under the shop option. Make sure you keep checking back because I will be updating the items on sale quite frequently!

I am quite new to this, so if there are any problems, please comment or email me and I will try to rectify them as soon as I can.

Happy shopping my little pickles!

Love,

E-L xo




Tuesday 7 August 2012

It's been a while!

Hello my little ducklings!

My gosh it has been a long time since I last managed to write a post and I am so sorry about this! Au pairing took up a lot of my time so I wasn't able to write whilst I was in Italy and now the Olympics are here and I am addicted to the Olympics, having watched every one of them since I was 5! Anyway, to ease myself back into writing I thought I would do a quick review about a product that I was very impressed with whilst I was in Italy!



The Rimmel Match Perfection Cream Gel Foundation is very blendable and of a lightweight formula. The Smart-Tone technology mimics the skins texture and leaves a matte finish to the skin. I suffer with an oil t-zone so I normally use a powder to set my foundation. However, with this foundation my oil was under control and I don't even use a setting powder! I have been testing this one out in the heat of Italy (average 30 Degrees C every day!) and it stayed put all day. I was very impressed with this product. Make sure you find the correct tone for your skin though, so that it blends in with your natural colour!

Has anyone else tried out this one? I've only just come across it!

Love,

E-L  xo

Sunday 8 July 2012

Ciao bella! Au pair time

Ciao!


I am in the beautiful Alassio, Italia, this month working as an Au pair for a wonderful family. 


I just wanted to write a quick post as to what au paring is and what you have to do! 


What is an Au pair?
An au pair is usually a domestic assistant from abroad, living and working for a host family. 


What can an au pair do?
1. Help out around the house
2. Clean up toys that the children have left lying around the house
3. Cook basic meals for the children (n my case the mother usually takes care of this every time!)

What au pairs should not have to do:
1. No intense cleaning, such as clearing/sweeping out the garage- you are not being paid for manual labour!
2. No house hold maintenance


The primary responsibility of an au pair is, of course, child care. An au pair can provide up to 45 hours per week of care for the children. If the children are babies/very young, the au pair will help change nappies, give them baths and care for them. If the children are a little older, the au pair should take them to activities, play games with them and in my case, help them to learn English. 
My primary role as an au pair is to help improve on the child's English as he is an Italian boy. This means constant chatting whenever you are around them and playing games that can encourage the use of English at all times. 


Well,  I hope this has been of some use to anyone who is thinking about wanting to get a job over the summer. Being an au pair can be a very rewarding experience and an exciting challenge as well as getting to travel abroad and learn another language!



Here's a snap of the beach where we spend most of the week, it's a hard life being an au pair!


Has anyone 


Arrivederci!


Love,


E-L xo

Wednesday 4 July 2012

Liebster Award!

Thank you Jesslyn for this lovely award, it was very kind of you! If you'd like to visit her blog click here, and I suggest you do! The Liebster award is given to bloggers who have less than 200 followers!

The rules:
1) Each Person must post 11 things about themselves.
2) Answer the questions the tagger has set you plus create 11 questions for the people you've tagged to answer. 
3) Choose 3 people and link them in your post.
4) Go to their page and tell them.
5) Remeber, no tag backs!

Ok, so here goes:

11 things about myself:
1) When I was younger, I wanted to be a caterpillar so I could grow up into a beautiful butterfly. 
2) Nearly everyone over the age of 25 has tried to call me Emily (except my parents)
3) I've fallen into my fish pond more than once 
4) I used to scooter
5) I unplug everything in my room before I leave the house
6) I check I've locked the door more than once
7) I love painting with my fingers
8) I used to talk to my dog
9) I don't have a middle name 
10) I get withdrawal symptoms if I've been away from the beach for too long
11) I ran at the London Olympic Stadium and it was AWESOME

So Jesslyn asked me 11 of her own questions:

1) Who is your inspiration to do make up?
My inspiration came from watchinf YouTube videos of the amazing beauty Guru that is Michelle Phan- simply amazing!
2) What is your favourite make-up brand?
Estée Lauder 
3) Do you have any pets? What animals do you like?
I have lots of fish and I used to have a German Shepherd dog named Trojan. I love all animals but I adore Tigers.
4) What do you think you are best at?
Probably being the calm one in a stressful situation.
5) What hair colour do you think is best?
Brunette of course!
6) What is your everyday clothing?
I love to change my look every day to suit my mood, so I don't really have an everyday clothing, unless you count tights, I ALWAYS wear tights!
7) Which part of your body are you really proud of?
My hands.
8) Wavy or straight hair?
Straight.
9) What pops out in our mind when you see the word 'muffin'? 
Blueberries... I love blueberry muffins!
10) Chocolate muffin or banana muffin dipped in honey?
Banana muffin dipped in honey.
11) What is the last song you heard? Change one word with donkey.
Poem for Donkey (Real title= Poem for Eva by Bill Frisell)

And these are the questions for those I nominate:
1) Why do you write?
2) What is your favourite pass time?
3) Where is your favourite place to be?
4) What piece of make up can you not live without?
5) When did you last write a blog post?
6) Dark, white or milk chocolate?
7) What is your favourite colour?
8) What do you aspire to be, if anything?
9) Do you speak more than one language? If so, which ones?
10) Do you desire to travel?
11) What are you most afraid of?

Here are the 3 people I nominate for the Liebster award:

Thank you again Jesslyn for the nomination, remember you can find her blog by clicking here!




Love,

E-L xo

Friday 29 June 2012

Bold is Beautiful!

Hey my little cherubs, 


I hope you are all well!


So I've been playing around with some make up lately and I have been noticing a great summer trend, the bold lip colour!  Finally I can bring out my gorgeous red lippy!


This summer, do not be afraid to go bold and bright.


 Red is perfect for all hair colours from Blondes to Brunettes. 


If you are more towards Snow White's skin shade(fair), you should opt for a lipstick with more of a blueish undertone. 
Such as L'Oreal Colour Riche in the shade 214 Violet Saturne-Plum.























If you are more like Jasmine's shade(medium-olive), you can indulge yourself in reds with orange undertones.
Such as Oil of Olay Colourmoist Lipstick in 600 Sunset Gold.












If you are more like Esmeralda's shade(dark), are the lucky ones who can choose any colour they wish, from light coral through to the darkest berry!
Such as Avon Ultra Colour Rich in Red 2000.





















DON'T FORGET: If you want your lip colour to last all day make sure to line those lips first!
I love using the Barry M Lip Liner for when I dare to wear red!
                                                   




















What's your choice of lip colour this season?


Love,


E-L xo


P.S Don't forget to vote for me as best new beauty blogger! Click here.




Wednesday 27 June 2012

Best New Beauty Blogger 2012






Hi guys, 


I have been nominated for best new beauty blogger by Cosmopolitan and I would be forever in your debt if you could vote for me here!


There will be a beauty post coming soon!


Love,


E-L xo