I popped to Superdrug..

I nipped into Superdrug after work yesterday for some face wipes but came out with a little bit more than that.. isn't that always the way!

I remembered that my current concealer is too light so I have been doing without and although my dark circles aren't too bad, they're a little noticeable. So I browsed the makeup stands for an eternity before I spotted the GOSH Touch Up Concealer which has had some really good reviews from fellow bloggers. I picked up colour #2. At £7 I'm hoping it works a treat! I'll try to do a 'photo of the day' if I can!

I've raved about Garnier Pure Active products before, ever since I was sent some to review last year. I have repurchased the Deep Pore Unclogging Face Wash and Spot Fighting 24hr Moisturiser several times because I love them! They're often found on special offer which is fab (if I remember correctly I got £1.50 off each of these). Before I originally tried the range I was worried the products would be too harsh on my skin which can often be sensitive, but they were fine. In fact they made my skin feel cleaner, fresher and I had significantly less blemishes. The face wash lathers up really well and is good at taking off makeup and that icky feeling my skin can have after a day at work, and the moisturiser is great on a morning as a makeup base as it totally sinks in and leaves no greasy feeling behind at all.

At this point I remembered I needed face wipes! My Sister uses Johnson's Dreamy Skin 3 in 1 facial night wipes and I have been known to pinch them before, so I decided to pick up a pack for myself. The Johnson's range was on a '2 for £4' offer so I also got a night cream, as I like something a bit creamier and more heavy-duty for a night time than the Garnier one.

I'll let you know how I get on!

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Eyeko: Rain Polish

I recently got a little surprise parcel in the post, in the shape of 2 new polishes from Eyeko. I was most excited about Rain Polish so that's the colour I tried out first. Initially my nails were slightly longer than in the photo below, but the bright shot of colour looked silly so I filed my nails down slightly. Luckily I prefer having short nails plus I think bright coloured polish looks better on them.

Instantly it reminded me of Button Moon by Collection 2000 but a more successful version. I got no streaks and a really great pop of colour after 2 coats, unlike the Collection 2000 version.

I would save this type of colour for a night out or a hot, sunny day if it matched my outfit.

Eyeko polishes are £3.50 and available from the website (and hey, if you order anything, don't forget to use my code E8761 to get a little surprise!)

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Monday summary

Evening all! I hope your Monday was happy and healthy? There's nothing like blogging again to make me feel like my old self! I have missed my little space on the Internet.. hope you missed me!

What are you happy about this week? Here are my 5 good things:

1) My family. They are so supportive and generous and always at the end of the phone when I need them. My Mum has been doing a great job of feeding me when I forget to eat! And doing my washing. I love you Mum!

2) Music. I have been finding peace and comfort in music a lot lately. I love old music - I often think I was born in the wrong era. This song makes me so happy:

3) Plans to see Inception this week or next. It looks amazing! Have you seen it? There's something about the amazing special effects combined with the fact my 2 favourite actors, Leonardo DiCaprio and Joseph Gordon Levitt, are in it that makes me super excited to see it!

4) Being thrifty. It's the new splashing out dontcha know! :) Things are going to be tough for the next couple of months and I plan to spend wisely! Charity shops and car boot sales will be my new best friends. Oh also, remember I took part in the Next bloggers contest and wrote this little article? Guess what.. I won! I got a Next voucher for £100! I will be like a woman with 2 right hands in Next Home!!

5) The idea of decorating my own place the way I want it. It will be my little space that I can fill with whatever I choose, and there's something very exciting about that prospect!

 

All pictures were lovingly borrowed from www.weheartit.com

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Giveaway! - Vaseline Sheer Infusion (NOW CLOSED)

To make sure you pull off the nude fashion trend that is dominating the high street, I've teamed up with Vaseline to offer you the chance to win 5 x Vaseline Sheer Infusion Vitamin Burst body lotions so you can look fabulous from head-to-toe in on-trend nudes this Summer.

New Vaseline Sheer Infusion gives your skin an instant light, silky feel that lasts, and provides superior moisture compared to other leading everyday body lotions. Some moisturisers only act on the top layers of surface skin leaving it feeling greasy. Others sink through so quickly that skin doesn't feel thoroughly moisturised. Vaseline Sheer Infusion contains patented Stratys-3 technology, to suspend moisture across all layers of your skin; the top, the core and deep down.

The rules are so simple! Follow Lily loves Lola if you don't already and leave a comment with your email address before midnight on Sunday 1 August 2010. You must live in the UK - sorry to everyone else. I'll try to hold an International giveaway soon!

Using random.org I will pick 5 winners and contact you for your address.

Good luck!!

P.S. Congrats to Becky, Jemma Page, Lucy, Jetleyface and Ess-Jay24 for winning my Sure giveaway. Your prizes are on their way!

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La vie en rose

Long time no speak... :) And I have missed you! Without going into too much detail the past 2 weeks of my life have been a nightmare (to say the least) but I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, even if it's only a faint glimmer.

Andrew and I decided to call time on our relationship after 2 years because we had grown apart. The past few months have been full of bickering and silly arguments, difference of opinion and a difference in interests. Whilst we are still living together for the moment, soon we will move on to our own places and start our new lives seperately.

I'll get a little place with Lily and Lola; I'm scared but excited at the prospect of living alone. You see I've never done anything for myself before. I have lived away from my parents for 15 months but I still can't cook, don't understand bills most of the time, and don't know how to use a washing machine properly. For the first time ever I will try to stand on my own two feet and concentrate on what makes me happy.

Thank you SO much for the emails and comments from you lovely folk. I've got some great blog-friends and you have all made this process a bit easier for me.

Normal blogging will resume (inbetween packing boxes and looking for a place) so stay tuned! I miss typing up my Monday summaries - although lately I think it may have been a struggle to think of 5 good things!!

Lots of love,

Victoria x

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I'm on a short blogging break due to my relationship breaking up and having lots of things to sort out.

I'll be back soon. Promise!

Love,

Victoria xx

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My trip to Gibraltar - the outfits

It is fair to say my trip might as well have been sponsored by River Island. I am loving that store this year! Whether it's maxi dresses, slouchy tees or tunics, I always see something I want when I pop in. (Note to self: must stop popping in!)

As you know I just got back from a week's stay with my Sister in Gibraltar and I tried to pack light so before I went I bought a few key pieces that I knew I would wear a few times while I was away. If you missed that blog post click here. I also dipped into my Sister's wardrobe as you do.

I don't profess to be 'fashionable', at all. I just wear what I like and what I feel comfortable in and hope for the best. I'm just an average-sized girl who loves seeing what other people are wearing and thought I'd share what I wore on my holiday with you. Hope you like! :)

My current favourite outfit:

Top & maxi skirt - River Island

Frizzy hair - all my own

My beautiful maxi dress - River Island

White vest - George @ Asda

Harem trousers - George @ Asda

Bag - Primark

Sunglasses - Dior

Tunic - River Island (borrowed from my Sister)

Bag - Accessorize

Sunglasses - Dior

Black vest - Zara

Cropped slouchy top - Topshop

White linen trousers - Primark

Bag - Primark

Sunglasses - Primark

Oh-so-inappropriate dress for being up high where it was windy - Primark

Sunglasses - Dior

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What do Lily and Lola do when I go out for the afternoon?

Wait for me to come home!

Good girls x

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My trip to Gibraltar - Alameda Wildlife Conservation Park

The Alameda Wildlife Conservation Park has been open for 10 years and cares for a variety of species confiscated by Gibraltar customs and also unwanted exotic pets. They are a not-for-profit organisation operating on a small budget from the Gibraltar Government but this is not enough to cover the cost of improving the enclosures which is why donations are so important to them.

They ask for a £2 donation which is peanuts really considering all the good work they do. We headed there on our 2nd day and it's my 2nd trip to this wonderful place. It was a super hot day and we were a little tired after our uphill walk to get there but it was worth it. For a small donation you get to see the animals being cared for and nursed back to health, the staff are really friendly and genuinely seem to enjoy what they do (although it looks like hard work!) and you get to see little piglets running around = adorable!

(Click to enlarge)

They have everything from monkeys to piglets, tortoises, birds, bats, prairie dogs, and much more. The staff and volunteers work so hard at keeping the habitats clean and making sure the animals have plenty to do. The piglets were so, so cute. Enlarge the pic to have a better look. Go on, you know you want to!

Visiting places like this makes me realise how much I love animals and how jealous I am that others get to do such a rewarding job for a living.

Have you visited Gibraltar and been to this wildlife park? Do you do this kind of job for a living? Let me know all about it if you do!

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GOSH Professional 'Salt of Mine Wet'n Dry Saltwater'

I purchased this little bottle of goodness after it got top marks in a review in Look magazine. I have wanted a saltwater spray for ages and I spotted the review just before my trip to Gibraltar so I headed to Superdrug to get a bottle.

I was really surprised to find it was only £3! I thought it would be much more. It's not a huge bottle though so it was perfect for popping in my suitcase and I was excited at the prospect of having perfect beachy waves on my holiday.

I have tried it three different ways:

* The first time I sprayed it generously all over my wet hair and let it air-dry. I have quite a lot of hair so this didn't work too well. I had to keep scrunching my hair into place and it took forever to dry! For an evening this wasn't ideal but for the beach/by the pool this would have been fine.

* I also tried using it on my hair when it was dry, which worked well to give some volume but it did make it feel a little bit sticky.

* The third way I tried was the best. I even took a little snap for you!

I sprayed it generously on my wet hair and used a hair dryer to dry it with a combination of blasting it willy-nilly and scrunching certain bits to get some extra oomph. I can't stress enough how poker straight my hair is and how much I struggle to get any sort of curl or wave so this outcome is great for me!

I would definitely recommend this product (I believe they also do an extra strong version) due to its cheap price, great smell and good results. If you have shorter hair I reckon you could use it on your wet hair and leave it to air-dry with amazing results.

If you've used this product let me know what you think!

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Home sweet home

I'm back! We flew home from Gibraltar yesterday morning and after a delay of 1 hour we were on our way. I was really sad to leave and wish we could have stayed another week (although my waistline would not have thanked me for it!) We had a lovely time and want to thank my Sister and her boyfriend for being such great hosts! It was my second trip to Gibraltar and I can honestly say I'd love to live there.. not that I could afford to!

I took tons of photos and I'll share them with you once they're all sorted. In the meantime don't forget to enter my giveaway :)

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Giveaway! - Sure Maximum Protection (NOW CLOSED)

WTo celebrate the festival season, I have teamed up with Sure Women to offer 5 lucky readers the chance to win new Sure Maximum Protection Anti-Perspirant Deodorant Aerosol. This clever deo is formulated with encapsulated odour-fighting technology to deliver twice the protection against sweat compared to the best-selling anti-perspiration deodorant so you're fully prepared for the whole weekend.

There will be 5 winners selected at random (using random.org) and the contest is for my UK readers only. The rules are simple! Follow Lily loves Lola if you don't already and simply leave a comment below with your email address before midnight on Thursday 15 July 2010.

For those of you not lucky enough to win, Sure Maximum Protection is available from all leading supermarkets and chemists.

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Monday summary

I'm still in Gibraltar but I've got time to do a quick Monday summary before I need to jump in the shower to get ready for tonight. We've just come up from the pool and it's still roasting hot (almost too hot!) at 7pm!

Tomorrow is our last full day which I'm sad about, but we're going to get up early to do some shopping, buy some gifts, go for lunch, and then sunbathe for the whole afternoon. Then we might head into Spain for our tea.

My healthy eating isn't doing too well at the mo. I'm still craving lots of salads, fruit and water but along with it I want beer, pop and yummy deserts. I am on my holiday though after all :)

My 5 good things:

1) Getting a natural tan. You can't beat getting the real thing (sensibly of course) rather than the streaky orange colour that some fake tans go. I'm going to try and top mine up with some fakey stuff when we get back, because I was soo pale before I went away! I feel so much better with a tan.

2) Meeting my Sister's new rescue dogs, Snowy and Peanut. They're so cute!

3) Having a BBQ last night then heading out to play some bingo. I won £50! I was so excited when I only needed one more number, and I just knew it would come up!

4) Shopping plans tomorrow. I need to spend my bingo winnings! :) I've got my eye on a Buddha statue from this really cool shop that sells all sorts of little trinkets.

5) Getting to see Lily, Lola and Geri on Wednesday! I've missed their little faces.

Have a great evening! x

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Hair envy: Frankie Sandford

Greetings from Gibraltar! As I'm ready for dinner before everyone else I thought I would log into Blogger and see what's happening. I have missed soo many new blog posts; I'm never going to catch up!!

I'm having a lovely time. If you don't know, I'm visiting my Sister and her boyfriend who live in Gibraltar. I'm here for a week but I've got a couple of weeks off work which means lots of chill out time and of course chance to catch up with my Sis! So far we have done a bit of sunbathing and lots of sightseeing. Today we drove to Spain and visited a safari park which was HUGE and brilliant. We're very tired but will be heading out soon for tea and a few beers. Tomorrow we're heading to the beach for the day so I'm hoping to top up my tan.

The one thing that is driving me mad in the hot weather is my hair. It is dry, dull, my half-grown out fringe is driving me crazy and my blonde is coming through. No matter what I do with it it never looks right so I tie it up. It got me thinking.. if it's always tied up it may as well be short!

I used to have my hair like this and I am seriously tempted to have it cut like this again. Frankie Sandford is the ultimate short hair idol. Choppy, glossy and sophisticated; she always looks fab.

What do you think? Persevere with growing it long or go for the chop?

All photos from a Google image search

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