You Are The Smile I Can't Replace

I went to a friend's 21st party at the weekend and I thought I'd share a quick OOTD for you. I don't often post pictures of myself on the blog as I find it hard to take self-portraits, but I managed to get my mum to take a picture for me before I left.

Apologies for the awkward stance, I'm not used to posing for OOTDs

The dress code was smart casual, so I thought this white Urban Outfitters dress was a great choice for a summer's evening garden party. I absolutely love this dress, the shape and cut is super flattering and I am obsessed with crochet material at the moment. I paired the dress with my coral Steve Madden heels as I thought they added a nice pop of colour. The heels were so comfortable and easy to walk in - Score! I topped off the outfit with a leopard print clutch, as I thought it was fairly neutral and wouldn't clash too much with the shoes or the crochet pattern on the dress. I decided to not wear any jewellery, as I wanted to keep everything really simple and I was a little scared of getting things caught in the dress!

xoxo, Joy

P.S. The post title is lyrics from Icing by Charity Vance. I have been listening to this song on repeat and I love it!

Review: Nail Rock Nail Wraps

Before I go into the review, I just wanted to say how amazing was the Olympics opening ceremony last night? I loved it and was buzzing after watching it! Danny Boyle did an amazing job. Right now, I'm feeling proud to not only be British but also a Londoner and I'm loving watching all the sporting events now. I'm not the sportiest person and am not an avid sports watcher the majority of the time, but I love following the sports during the Olympics. What are your favourite Olympics events? Mine are the gymnastics, diving and swimming. Although I've been watching the rowing today and have been enjoying that too!

Images from Google/Editted by me

Moving on today's review... I won these Nail Rock nail wraps in Leanne's giveaway and thought I'd give them a go for a 21st birthday party that I'm going to tonight.

What you get in the pack: A nail preparation wipe, 16 nail wraps, a nail buffer and a cuticle stick

The design looked lovely. I love the bright gold and the cute heart design. I think these are great if you like nail art, but aren't very good at it. The instructions were clear and the procedure of putting the nail wraps on was pretty simple. I only put these on today, so I can't comment on how well they last, however they claim to last up to 10 days.


I wouldn't say I have particularly small hands, but I found it difficult to match the nail wraps to my nail size. They were all too big. The instructions did say to trim them to the appropriate cuticle size, however it got really fiddly and I wasn't very good at trimming them accurately, so it started looking quite messy. I had quite a few creases in them, but after a few attempts at getting rid of the creases, my patience began to wane and I just gave up. The instructions say to fold the edges under the nails, however I keep my nails short and didn't have any room to fold the nail wrap under, so I just had to trim them to the length of my nail and used some clear nail varnish to seal the edges.

Nail wraps are a great way of having a cute design on your nails. I'm not sure if I would use them again as it took a lot longer for me to do than just painting my nails and they didn't look particularly neat. However if you have bundles of patience, then I would definitely recommend giving these a go.

Have you ever tried nail wraps?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

DIY Glitter Phone Case

The polka dot design was slowly peeling off one of my iPhone cases and was looking rather sorry, so I thought I would jazz it up and give it a new lease of life. After the success of my glitter shoes that I did last year, I decided to make myself a glittery phone case! I used the same method as my glitter shoes and made sure to seal all the edges of the phone case with a clear nail polish so that it wouldn't peel off.

What you need: Glitter, glue, a mixing bowl, a phone case, a paintbrush + paper/newspaper

After 3 layers of glitter+glue mixture

The glitter particles from the tubes were quite small and didn't look too glitzy, so I decided to use a thin layer of my favourite glitter nail polish to add to the pizzazz of the glitter and also to help seal it all in. I opted for Models Own's 'Ibiza Mix' and I think it really made all the difference. The gorgeous colours in Ibiza Mix (The turquoises, lilacs, oranges, golds etc.) look really lovely against the standard glitter hues from the tubes and I love the contrast between the large hexagonal glitters and the smaller glitters.

I'm in love with my phone case and officially have the glitterizing fever, where I want to add glitter onto everything!

Do you have glitter fever?

xoxo, Joy

Review: Garnier Summer Body

I am a tanning amateur. I use fake tan on night outs, and would love to wear it all year round but I'm awful at the upkeep. I spotted this on offer in Superdrug, so I decided to pick this up and give it a whirl. I picked the light sunkissed shade, which I think is the lightest as I thought it was the safer option. I've been using it daily for approximately 2 weeks now and I thought I'd give you my thoughts.

Price: £5.10 for 200ml and £7.10 for 400ml. I bought this 200ml bottle in Superdrug on offer for £2.53.

Scent: It smells lovely. It has a fruity scent, which (to me) smells more like grapefruit than apricot. The scent does linger on the skin and can get annoying, especially if you forget to wash your hands after use. There is no hint of the biscuity fake tan smell at all, which is fab.

Usability: I found this easy to use. I apply it with my hands and smooth it all over like any other moisturiser. I found that this sunk into my skin fairly quickly, leaving it feeling a little tacky to begin with but I didn't have to wait too long before I could get dressed.

Results: After the first use, I felt like I had a bit of colour to my skin, especially on my arms. It didn't really make much difference to the colour of my legs, although it did go a little patchy around my knees. After a few uses, my skin started looking a nice subtle bronzed colour. Considering I am quite pale, it doesn't look too unnatural or orange. Even though it isn't too dark, it is still obvious where I had missed bits - Mainly the inner part of my arms! It comes out as a white moisturiser, so unlike fake tan, you don't know which bits you've missed until the colour has developed which is annoying. I found this left my skin feeling moisturised and soft, which is a nice added bonus.

Overall: This product gets a yay from me. It's a great product, which isn't difficult to use and gives my skin a nice bit of colour. If you're after a dark bronzed look, then this product probably won't satisfy your tanning needs, although you could try the dark sunkissed shade.


Have you ever used this?


Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Review: Origins Vitazing

This was featured in my June favourites, however I have decided to write a more detailed review as the reviews in the videos are very brief.

My skin has improved recently and as the weather has been getting better, I have been opting for a lighter base. I like to mix this with a little bit of La Roche Posay Effaclar M, because the mattifying features of the La Roche Posay work well to try to counteract oiliness.

Vitazing is perfect for those no-makeup makeup days. It leaves your skin looking glowy and dewy. It comes out as a white moisturiser, but as you blend it out, it releases colour. It's great as a pre-foundation base, adding a little colour to the skin. I prefer wearing it on it's own, occasionally adding a little MAC Studio Fix Fluid down the centre of my face if I want a tiny bit more coverage. I personally like to powder down my t-zone, as I get a bit oily there and don't want it to slide off. With powder, I generally find that this lasts well on my combination skin, although my t-zone gets shiny by midday.

From top to bottom: Blob, slightly blended (you can see the colour starting to change), nearly fully blended

It doesn't have much coverage, but it evens out the skintone a little, adds a bit of colour and conceals mild redness. I usually dot a bit of concealer onto big blemishes and under my eyes and then set it with powder. I find that this is a tiny bit too dark for me (I am an NC15) but once it's blended down my neck, it doesn't look too obvious. I have never found that it oxidises on my skin.

This has SPF 15, which is great. Obviously this isn't the highest SPF available, but it means I don't need to apply a separate SPF.

It does have a slight fruity scent to it, which is tolerable and isn't overpowering. This has never broke me out at all.

I really love this product and think it's a perfect summer product. Have you ever tried Origins Vitazing? What did you think?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Sales Haul

I don't usually share all my Youtube videos here on my blog, but I recently uploaded a small sale haul to my Youtube channel and thought I'd share it here too as I picked up some great bargains:




Have you picked up any goodies in the summer sales?

Thank you for watching. xoxo, Joy

Musical Gems

I am the worst person at keeping up to date with music, new songs and artists. I always tell myself I should listen to the radio more, but never do. Recently I browsing good ol' Youtube to try to listen to some music and I came across some great songs from back in the day that I had forgotten about and found some new artists to listen to.

I randomly had the lyrics to Kelly Rowland's 'Stole' in my head, so I decided to search for that. I used to love this song and think it's one of Kelly Rowland's best songs. Can you believe it came out 10 years ago?! I think the song has a powerful message and I had never seen the video before, but I think it really ties in well with the song lyrics.

Images from Youtube. Screencaps taken and editted by me.

Then I fancied a bit of old school pop, so I opted for a bit of the Spice Girls because who doesn't love the Spice Girls?! I used to watch their movie every school holiday! They recently unveiled their new musical 'Viva Forever' and I am so excited for it. I want to book tickets, but need to find someone to go with me now!

Images from Youtube. Screencaps taken and editted by me.

After all that, I decided I wanted to listen to 'We Are Young' by Fun ft. Janelle Monae and I came across a cover by a singer/songwriter called Mike Tompkins (Youtube username: pbpproductions). As I watched more of his music videos, I was amazed - His songs consist of just his voice and mouth, i.e. there's no backing music, all the sounds are made by him. So cool! Definitely check out his channel, if you like listening to new artists :)



Youtube: pbpproductions
What have you been listening to lately? Have you found any musical gems on Youtube?
xoxo, Joy

*Note: I am not affiliated with any of the singers mentioned, I just wanted to share some musical discoveries I found recently.

Cat vs Mouse

I have long admired the Charlotte Olympia cat flats and the Marc by Marc Jacobs mouse flats, as they are adorable! Long gone are the days where animal designs were limited to children's wear! As I am currently a student and will have to start repaying my student loan in the near future, my dreams of owning a pair of these adorable shoes are just that - a dream. However, that doesn't mean I can't lust over them!

Images from Google

I think the detail on the MbMJs mouse flats is lovely, especially the whiskers, tail and little ears! I love that you can get the MbMJs mouse flats in a variety of materials, finishes and styles. I even spotted a pair of shearling lined slippers where the eyes are shut to resemble sleeping mice! At the moment, I'm lusting over a jelly pair in bright orange (Yes, I am still loving the jelly shoe trend) or a pair of sling backs, which I think would be perfect for Spring, Summer and would probably transition well into Autumn.

Images from Google

I love how the face of the cat is embroidered onto the front of the shoe, so you don't need to worry about bits falling off. The classic flats would be the perfect dress down shoe and I love that you can get leopard print ones, as that ties in with the cat theme. I think the heeled pumps or the wedges are the ultimate girlie shoe and would look gorgeous with everything. I can already picture wearing the black heeled pumps with some dark blue skinny jeans, a white blouse and a blazer... And the red wedges would look amazing with a chiffon pleated skirt and blouse.

Ok I need to stop dreaming about these! I officially can't pick which I prefer!

Now it's over to you - Cat or mouse? :)

xoxo, Joy

NOTD: Metallic Miami

3 coats of Mavala nail polish in 'Miami' and 2 coats of OPI nail lacquer in 'Metallic 4 Life'

Miami is a pretty mid-tone pink. In the bottle, there is a lovely blue pearlescent shimmer running through it, but on the nails it translates by making the pink look less like a pastel cream and more of a glowy pearlescent pink. I have had this shade for ages, but have never used it because I didn't think it would suit my skin tone. I'm still a little unsure at the moment. The formula of Mavala nail polishes are dreamy to work with and dry quickly. This one took 3 coats for Miami to become opaque on most nails, however on my thumbs, I think another coat would have beneficial. I've only had this nail combination on for 1 day, however if Samoa is anything to go by, I'm sure it will last well on the nails.

I really like the glitter accent nail trend. I usually opt for glitterizing my ring finger, but this time I opted for my middle finger. I won Metallic 4 Life in Leanne's giveaway and I love it! It has hexagonal and circular silver glitters in a black polish. The first coat was pretty sheer, but with the second coat, it was opaque and loaded with glitter.

Do you like to have glitter accent nails?

xoxo, Joy

Project Empties #14

This month has been quite a successful empties month. A lot of the products were products that were half full and had been hanging around for a while, so I am glad that I have finally finished some of them.

Starting from the left, going clockwise:

The Body Shop Brazil Nut Body Butter

Review: This smells yummy and the scent lingers, which is great. I hate moisturisers which smell nice in the tub, but the scent doesn't transfer on the skin. This left my skin feeling so soft and never felt greasy.

Will I repurchase? Yes

Impulse City Collection 'London'

Review: I love body sprays, as they're great to throw into your bag and use on to go. This one has a lovely sweet scent, which some may find sickly but I really like it.

Will I repurchase? I'm not sure if this collection was limited edition, but if it wasn't - Yes

Garnier Pure Active Spot Purifying Toner

Review: This was a nice toner that left my skin feeling fresh. It had a slightly clinical smell, which was a little off putting. I like that it has 2% salicylic acid in, as salicylic acid helps with blemishes. It claims to fight spots and fade marks. To be honest, I didn't notice any difference in my skin when using this.

Will I repurchase? No

Soap and Glory Face Soap & Clarity Foaming Face Wash

Review: This cleanser was alright. It was an effective cleanser and left my skin feeling soft. It foams up slightly, but never left my skin feeling dried out or tight. This cleanser had little pink beads, which get absolutely everywhere!

Will I repurchase? Maybe

Origins High Potency Brightening Pads

Review: Here

Will I repurchase? Yes

Garnier Body Tonic Sugar Scrub

Review: Here

Will I repurchase? Yes

Fade Out Active Fade Cream

Review: This cream has an awful scent and can feel quite heavy on the skin. However, it truly works. I used this on my body where I have some areas of pigmentation and it seriously helped lighten them and even out the skin tone. It does take time, but it's worth the wait.

Will I repurchase? Yes

Elemis Balancing Lavender Facial Mist (Free GWP)

Review: This smelt lovely and felt refreshing on the face. If you spray too much, it can leave your skin feeling a little sticky but I like having a small face spray in my bag to refresh my makeup every now and again.

Will I repurchase? Yes

Caudalie Beauty Elixir

Review: Here

Will I repurchase? YES

Tesco Cucumber Cleansing Wipes

Review: These are my favourite face wipes. I have repurchased them so many times now. They're great for the lazy days where you can't be bothered or after nights out.

Will I repurchase? Yes

Avène TriAcnéal

Review: Here

Will I repurchase? Yes

Phew! I hope my Project Empties progress continues, as I really want to downsize my skincare and make up collection. I have way too much stuff for one person to use!

What have you finished this month?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy