More Than Beauty | A Day At London Zoo!

Hello everyone! 

Today's post is a lifestyle one - I love doing these.

I went to London Zoo a few weeks back, at the end of August and I had a really good time. I've never actually been to a Zoo before so it was good seeing all the animals as I'm a huge animal lover! I don't think I had a favourite part of the Zoo as the whole day was brilliant, but I'll go through some things that I loved in a bit...

I can't compare London Zoo to any other Zoo, purely because this is my first time but I thought the Zoo was really well laid out and we could find everything really easy using the map. I really liked how the Zoo was in categories like 'Aquarium' and 'African Animals' because this made it easy to find each section.

I thought the Zoo was really tidy aswell - ofcourse there's no litter because it's bad for the animals but I liked how tidy the different sections were and how well the animals get looked after. I wanted to take them home at the end of the day! 

While I was on my way to the Zoo I knew instantly I wanted to see the water animals. I absolutely love them - I love Otters, Seals, Penguins and ofcourse the coral reefs at the Aquarium section.
On the day I went I didn't make it to the certain section in time to see the Penguins being fed and I didn't see any seals; but, the adorable otters and penguins made up for that! 

The otters are so adorable with their whiskers and I loved the way the penguins dived in after eachother in the pool. You could tell the penguins were well looked after because the water was so clean and they have lovely surroundings to play with. I loved the way there was a window to watch them at the bottom of the pool. I was so fascinated with watching them!

In the 'African section' there was alsorts of animals - the ones that I couldn't wait to see! Giraffes, Zebras, Okapis and some sort of 'fighter dog' which, infact, are really cute..even though they're probably not like the ones you live with at home.....

I love the Giraffes in the Africa section. They're so funny to watch and their tongues are HILARIOUS! They're so long! QUICK FACT - Giraffes tongues are so long and they stop sunburn! I wonder how that works....

I think the funniest but of the day was watching the monkeys. I LOVE the gorillas and they're so alike to us - I loved watching them eat...it's like watching a human!

I loved the smaller monkeys too, I couldn't stop laughing at them. I loved watching one monkey select the food he wanted to eat, he had a plate of celery, carrots and potatoes and he was choosing what he wanted to try next....so adorable!

There were many other animals there but I just thought I'd share some of my favourites with you. I hope you enjoyed reading my Zoo Day out - have you ever visited the Zoo?:-)

lots of love,

XO

How I'd Style Autumn Boots | Autumn Nudes

JUMPER - NEW LOOK
JEANS - NEW LOOK
BAG - ASOS
BOOTS - NEW LOOK
BEAUTY - LOREAL

Hello there gorgeous!

Today I'm back with a How To Style post and I love it!

At the moment, I'm loving champagne pinks and nudes. I'm just finishing with my summer brights and now I really want to start looking for navys, bottle greens and mustard yellows. 

For autumn, if you're the type of person that enjoys brights, neons and fushia pinks then I think nudes are for you. They're great autumn/winter shades and I've seen many of them in the shops at the moment. 

Today's How To Style Post is on Autumn Boots. I saw these on the New Look website and I really like them. New Look say they're 'grey' but I see them as a browny/grey shade as they don't look full on grey on the site..

I knew I wanted to match the boots with a jumper as I'm jumper hunting at the moment. I love jumpers and Primark are doing lovely ones - All under £15 aswell!

The jumper that I featured in todays post is actually in Primark for £10 as I picked it up the other weekend but obviously New Look is the next best thing as Primark don't have a site. 

I think muddy brows and whites/champagne pinks look lovely together so I think the jumper suits the boots lovely. 

Instead of keeping the whole outfit nude/brown I threw in a deeper colour with the jeans. I featured some New Look jeans on here the other month and a few people said they liked them so I decided to add in another pair today.

For accessories I came across this 'Lauren Conrad' style bag which I thought matched the jumper quite well and I love jumpers and shoulder bags.
Makeup wise I have my eyes on these lipsticks from Loreal at the moment and I thought this was the perfect shade for the outfit. Nails - Loreal again. Such a gorgeous champagne colour which adds a pretty theme to autumn.

I hope you like!

XO

Something I'm Loving At The Moment | Apocalips | Dungarees and Donuts

Hello Bloggers, I'm Jess! 

I blog over at www.dungarees-and-donuts.co.uk I am quite a new blogger but it's so fun and I wish i'd got into it a lot longer, I am always looking for other guest bloggers so if you're interested pop over to my blog! 

So a few nights ago I was looking for a guest blogger and Zofia messaged me saying she wanted to get involved so we decided to a post for each others blog- and I have just seen Zofia's guest post for my blog whilst writing this and it will totally put my post to shame but hey ho! 

I recently bought a lip lacquer from Apocalips by Rimmel London and decided I would review it here- Although they are quite pricey at £7.00 when I bought it there was an offer to buy any other beauty product to get one of them half price so I did that, I was a bit unsure whether I would actually even wear it but I decided to take a risk, although it doesn't stay on very long when it does the colour is super vibrant and glossy and I really like the way it looks it's better than your average lipgloss and all the bright colours there is to try it in, I say go for it- I mean why not if you usually wear a nude tone mix it up with one of these if you don't want to go with a vibrant pink or red they also have nude colours but the gloss makes it look amazing, I bought the shade 402 Across the universe which is a bright red but I love wearing reds so when I tested it I decided it was the colour for me. The brush makes it really easy to apply and gives it a good coating and as I mentioned earlier on in the post it does come off quite quickly (we are talking 15-20 mins. but what lipgloss really stays on for long hey?) but it's no problem to reapply and definitely worth it I was happy with the results and the great thing about all the different shades is that you can wear them anywhere but I'll be wearing mine everytime I get a chance- maybe not to work though? I do not think they would appreciate bright red lips and it would totally clash with the sainsburys uniform- yucky purple and orange! I would overall rate this product 3.5/5 it would of got a higher rating it stayed on for longer. 

Over and out,

Jess

xo

Autumn Nail Tutorial | Autumn Oranges

Hello...again!

Last post for today, another one that never managed to schedule the other day so I've decided to do it now.

We've headed into Autumn now and so each season needs some nail art! I decided to do autumn trees/leaves with an orange/red colour selection.

1. Get a cotton bud and gently wet it. Don't make it too damp but remember to dip all the cotton in so it's not dry. Gently squeeze the cotton bud so the remaining water runs out and the nail polish doesn't water down. 

2. Use nail polish in Orange and Red to dab mixed colours on. Apply like the picture above. 

3. Use the damp cotton bud to merge the polish colours into eachother. Dont rub, dab!

4. When it's done, it should look like this, you can add more orange or red depending on how you want the leaves to look.

5. Add a top coat so it feels smooth and looks clear.

6. Use a black nail art pen to do tree designs. Mine look like autumn palm trees but I'm sure you're all better designers than me!

7. Notice how I've gone L-R using oranges then deeper shades? Be creative!

Lots of love,

XO

More Than Beauty | A Day In London: The Shard

 Hello there gorgeous!
Today, I'm in the mood for a ramble. So it's a lifestyle post type of day!
Late August I went to London *yay for London!* and me and Dad visited The Shard. I'm so not a big fan of heights - I get dizzy climbing the stairs! But, I was fine on the London Eye and I was perfectly fine on this, thankfully.

We arrived at the Shard around 10.30 which was the time of our viewing, the staff are so lovely and there's a lot of them on the main floor! We got our bags checked, photos taken etc just before we went up.
After we got our bags checked, we went straight into the lift which takes around 10 seconds from floor 1 to floor 68 - crazy! On floor 68 is the first viewing platform, but it's enclosed. You feel no rain, no wind, no nothing - it's like standing in your bedroom window but 68 floors in the air!
I loved the view but on the day I went it was misty which was a shame but we're going on a sunny day again anyway. I got plenty of photos so I'm happy with that.
There was a lot of room to walk round, very calm and very thought out.

After spending around 40 minutes on floor 68, we headed up the stairs to floor 72, which is the open air one. It's partly open air and you do feel some wind, rain and the heat if the sun is out. Luckily it stopped showering when I went up there so it was only slightly breezy not cold, not hot, not rainy. This is obviously higher up than 68 so it was a bit more misty than the below floor but luckily, the mist started to clear and I managed to get some clearer pictures. 

On The Shard you see all the views such as The Wash at the North Sea (about 1 hour and a half from my house!) you see the Gherkin and all the big buildings near there. You should see Canary Wharf and the London Eye (which I could slightly see) and you can see other landmarks like Buck Palace and the Tower Of London. I seriously recommend visiting the Shard as it's actually quite inexpensive (£40 for me and Dad) and you have as long as you like up there. The photo possibilities are endless and ofcourse, you can be a tourist for the day and have a brilliant experience. 

 ________________________________

After the Shard, we obviously stayed in London as it was only 12.30pm and we had plenty of other things to do. We walked along the Southbank which I've never actually done, I usually walk along the Embankment (near the London Eye) but never walk past the Southbank. We passed the ITV Studios, they had a few stalls and they also had a little 'Beano magazine' exhibition on too, which my Dad loved from his younger days! Haha.

After the Shard it rained all afternoon. It stopped about 6pm but my feet were wet all day. I luckily had my umbrella so I was ok!
We visited Kensington Palace and had a cuppa with Kate;-), we visited the Orangery at the palace too which was great, so many beautiful flowers are there!

After that we got the bus outside and went past Hyde Park, Green Park and into a very rainy Oxford Street. I didn't actually make any purchases in London so I skipped Oxford Street for the first time ever!

After that we just strolled about, we went into Hamleys and didn't manage to see Dexter Koh of Big Brother fame, even though he was in the exact bit we were at the same time!
I've never been to Hamley's but it's great, my childhood came rushing back!
After Hamleys I was famished! so we went and had out very first Subway - very tasty I must say. I now have big cravings for Krispy Kremes and Subway - thanks London.

All in all, it was a brilliant day! In a few posts time I'll be sharing my London Zoo day out with you, which I attended the week after the Shard. I hope you enjoy these lifestyle posts, I love sharing my life with you all!

XO

*if you're wondering, my top and blazer is from Primark, my necklace was a gift and my bracelet is from BHS but was a gift too. My very first OOTD!*

Primark Lipstick Review | A Beautiful Pink Shade

Hi there!

I'm back. Yep, you might have not noticed my disappearing act, but I'm back...!

I've been gone since September 1st and luckily my posts were all scheduled. My internet bill -in all honesty- has been unpayable and so I've been internetless. I hate when my internet goes because I can't do what I love most - Blog.

While I was gone I got the job at the Perfume Shop. I've mentioned in a few older posts that I had an interview and I managed to get a second interview and I've been there since Friday 13th...typical me with a date like that! I'm going to do a catch up post in a few days with the goings ons anyway, so I'll leave the gossip until then!

Todays post is a post that never got scheduled, I've decided to do it today because it's one I really wanted to show you all. 

It's a review on Primark makeup. I've been loving using this product in particular and it's been a good item to use over the summer. 

I've never really tried makeup from Primark, so this was a first. It was a slight impulse buy because I don't really need another colour like this but it was tooooo gorgeous to turn down! I was attracted to this because of the perfect £1 price tag and the beautiful barbie pink shade which suit me the best, I think!

I never really had high hopes for this lippie, I just thought it was going to look bright but be non-pigmented on my lips or be very drying and show every meh bit on my lips... but no, none of that happened!

I love this lipstick because it's very pigmented, yet blendable and buildable. I love how you can apply a little dab of it for a wash of colour or apply it fully and get a beautiful punch of pink. It blends really well too, it's smooth and can be applied with a lip brush or blended with your finger. 

It lasts really long and the only problem with this is that it could become slightly drying over the day so you need to apply another layer, but that's not a major problem so I think this lipstick could suit everyone!

I thought I'd pop by and mention this lippie because it's a brilliant best buy.

So glad I'm back to the good ole' blogging, I'll try not to vanish again!

Lots of love,

XO

Saturday Scoffs | Cadbury Fudge Muffins

What You Need | Ingredients 

2 Cadbury Fudge Bars

100g Soft Margarine

100g Soft Brown Light Sugar

2 medium eggs

100g Self Raising Flour

1tsp Baking powder

50g Butter

2tbsp Milk

225 Icing Sugar

Cocoa Powder

How To Make | Method 

Preheat the oven. Mix the Butter, Brown Sugar and eggs in a medium size bowl. Make sure everything is mixed well, non lumpy. Then, mix the Powders with a fork in another bowl to decreate lumps. Then, Mix the liquid mix into the powder mix using a handheld whisk. Add the cocoa powder and mix again. Put in muffin trays and make until risen/ 10/15 mins.
Wait until cool, add the butter, icing sugar and milk into a bowl and mix until light and creamy. Then, add the cocoa powder and mix. Icing should be light, but not runny...quite like a buttercream. It can be runny but make sure it doesn't run off the cake.
Then, add your Fudge pieces on the top and enjoy!

If you decide to create these cakes, please feel free to show me pictures! @lilmisspradaxo.

XO

How I'd Style.. A Rose Gold Watch

BLAZER, RIVER ISLAND
WATCH, NEXT
BLACK TROUSERS, DOROTHY PERKINS,
RIVER ISLAND BAG

Hiya everyone.

Today, I'm styling a Rose Gold watch. These watches have become very popular during 2013 and I even want one myself.

I'm not a huge fan of gold, I'm a silver girl really so I never really get gold jewlery. I love gold with black, I think if you wear it right it looks right.
The gold that I have been loving has to be rose gold. I think it's very feminine and doesn't look 'tacky'.

The watch that I've styled today is from Next. Next always have good accessories and they had quite a few watch ranges on offer. I really like this watch. 

I decided to keep the outfit very casual but very classy. I think this outfit is suited towards 'drinks' or a night out with friends, instead of wearing a typical dress, I think dressy trousers and cami tops are popular.
At night now, I don't think it's as warm as it has been. As we're in Autumn I think it's best to carry around a blazer, or jacket, to keep warm if you have to travel outside. I love this jacket and love the gold detailing to match the watch. 

I didn't put any accessories or makeup with this outfit, I think that the watch and purse is all you need. I love this purse from River Island, clutch bags suit this outfit the best.

All in all this is a simple outfit - I hope you like it!

Do you like these watches?

XO

August Empties

IMPULSE HOT PINK SHOWER GEL
SURE DEODORANT
SKIN THERAPY CLEANSER/TONER
SOAP AND GLORY GIRLIGO
KIWI SHOWER GEL

Hi!

Empties time again...I seriously can't believe how fast August went. It seems like 5 minutes ago I was doing July empties...

As always, I have 5 items to show you and give a quick opinion on,

Impulse Shower Gel | I loved using this. A lot. It smells so lovely but I don't think it smells like the spray? Opinions? It lathers so nice on the skin, not too thick and doesn't leave residue. I love the bottle and how much you get for your money - a definite repurchase.

Sure Deodorant | I've left palmolive behind and moved to Sure... no idea why, it was on offer! Smells lovely and keeps me fresh all day, though.

Skin Therapy Cleanser | This was so nice to remove makeup residue. It didn't leave my skin feeling oily or greasy and it took away the oils that weren't needed. It lasted me a while, too and is really inexpensive to buy. I love the gel formula - repurchase for definite! 

Soap And Glory Girligo | I didn't like this for ages and I hardly used it - it's been sat on my desk for absolute ages. But, back in the Summer when it was hot I thought I'd try it to cool me down, seeing as it has a scent it might have worked - it did! It cooled me down and it smells like the traditional S&G products. It moisturizes and cools and sets into the skin so well. I've already repurchased!

Kiwi Shower Gel | I got this in a set ages ago and I've only just finished it. It smells a bit like pear drops rather than kiwi but it was okay to use to freshen up!

I hope you enjoyed reading this months empties, nothing too exciting this month!

Speak to you all on Sunday!

Zofia

XO

MUA Nail Constellations | Review | Gemini

Hello everyone!

I have a review for you today, which I've been promising for ages because I never seem to do reviews much and I'd like to as I love trying new products and mentioning my verdict on them.

The latest thing I've tried is something that I bought last Christmas, it's the Nail Constellations from MUA. Something that I knew I had to try straightaway.
My constellation is Gemini, I love the blue/purple colours and I knew what colour I would team it up with.

I think they're a pretty good price but I have actually seen these in Poundland for £1, so I've bought a few of them. I think they're worth it as there have been many expensive brands doing 'Caviar nails' so you definitely have a bargain on your hands *get the pun?*

Application was easy, I applied my nail polish in two coats, let it dry, then I applied a top coat and then while that was wet i got a dish and applied the design on the wet nail. It was easier than I thought, it stuck to the nail perfectly and all I had to do is gently press it down. It covered the nail pretty quick and there was only a bit of the constellation left in the dish. 

I applied a top coat over the top because I was expecting them all to come off by the time I went to sleep and woke up which was a silly idea because it turned the beautiful pigment of the constellation into a pastel white colour - especially because they last quite well on my nails without coming off so I didn't really need the topcoat. If I would have done anything better next time, I wouldn't add the topcoat and I'd dip the edge of my nail into the dish so the ends get covered. The only reason why I didn't do that  is because I thought they'd attach to things and come off.

I love the constellations and thing it's a great idea!

Have you tried these?

XO

NYX 78 Colour Palette | Review & Thoughts

September Wishlist

BENEFIT LIPSTICK
BOURJOIS BRONZER
RIHANNA NUDE PERFUME
TRUE MATCH FOUNDATION
NEW LOOK GILET
LOREAL CHERYL COLE LIPSTICK 

As all the bloggers say 'woah, didn't this month roll round fast!' we all say it and I truly think August went fast. I feel like August went fast because it's the transition between Summer to Autumn. I feel like Autumn didn't really go into Autumn as fast as last year which was handy - I love Autumn though!

I love this months wishlist and I've finally started shopping each week, getting bits and bobs that I love. No more waiting till the end of the month to pick something up that I want!

I feel like most of the things from this months wishlist will be purchased - I love them all.

Benefit Lipstick | I really want to start trying Benefit things. This one's on sale on their website and it looks really nice. Not too sure what shade I want yet, but the reviews look great.

Bourjois Bronzer | I seriously need this. I swatch it everytime in Boots and it looks great when I test it. I'd love to use this and it's not even that pricey, a definite purchase!

Rihanna Nude Perfume | Following my Perfume Shop interview, I've been scouring the net for perfumes galore. I really want to try this one by Rihanna as I've considered the reviews... I might have to test it first, ha!

Loreal True Match | I've been trying a few foundations out lately, so I'd love to try this one.

New Look Gilet | I love the look of this for the colder/rainier days, I've been looking at coats quite a bit and deciding which ones I'd love to wear.

Cheryl Loreal Lipstick | For some reason, I've only just considered buying this. It's a very old lippie, but I love Cheryl and Loreal so I need to get this in my makeup bag asap!

What items are you lusting over in September?

Any Autumn things on the lookout?

XO

Guest Post | Something I'm Loving At The Moment | LittleMissLines

Hello Little Miss Pradaxo Readers!!

I've teamed up with the lovely Zofia for this Guest Post!  We have decided to share with you what we are loving at the moment! Before we get into the post i thought id share with you a little bit about me, my name Lisa I'm a 24 year old Blogger from the North East. I've been blogging for about 6 months and seriously for the last 3. It's only when I found out about the #bblogger chats that my hobby became more serious and has now become a full time obsession!! I'm so excited to be doing this guest post it's such a great way of reaching new readers and I hope you like what you see!! You can find me over Little Miss Lines if you want to have a look at my Blog and some of my other posts!

As soon as Zofia suggested this topic I new that I had to tell you about the La Roche Posay Effacler Duo as its something that I've been using for a while and have absolutely been head over heels for ever since its purchase. 

What La Roche Posay say: EFFACLAR DUO - Pores are unclogged and purified to help reduce the development of future breakouts. Helps to reduce skin imperfections leaving skin looking clearer and feeling smoother.

I have noticed a dramatic difference in my skin since I started using the Effaclar Duo my skin seems to have evened out and it feel less congested and is super soft now and looks so much clearer, I haven't had as many break outs as I would normally, I still get the odd one or two at a certain time of the month but for the most part it's made a real difference. 

I use this as a moisturiser and apply after I have cleansed and toned my skin in the morning and it absorbs very quickly into my skin and hasn't added any extra time to my morning routine which is always some thing I look for as I'm terrible for rushing in the morning. I have used a primer after applying this as its just a habit I've gotten into but I do think that you could just apply your foundation over the top without the need for primer, it really does have a smoothing and evening effect on the skin. I haven't used this in the evening yet as I'm using up a night face cream but I'm sure that this would be very suitable as a night cream as well as day! 

Overall this is a great moisturiser/serum and will be great for those combination/oily skin beauties like me who are prone to break outs and are looking for a long term solution to the problem. 

You can buy the Effaclar Duo from Boots for £13.00 

Lisa x 

Don't forget you can take a look at my Blog by clicking HERE