A Little Late......Christmas Gifts!

Happy Wednesday!

I have wanted to do this post since Christmas Day but time has absolutely flown by since then! I can't believe it's the 8th of January already! 2014 feels like it's taken off and isn't set to slow down. One major thing i'm looking forward to is getting the lovely other half of Twice Upon a Blonde back. She's still working her little socks off in Guildford on the costumes in Cinderella! So we've been separated for most of the festive season! Orla will be heading home a few days before I jet off to (hopefully) sunny skies! So our next encounter is set to be brief, but SO overdue! Cannot wait!

Anyway, enough of the life story and more about CHRISTMAS PRESENTS! This year I was well and truly spoilt by everyone, and these are just a selection of my presents. I chose the most relevant to our beauty blog, meaning i'm leaving out anything non beauty related that I was lucky enough to receive!

Finding Mr Bright - Benefit 

This is a gorgeous gift set of miniature sized items I actually already use. The minis are perfect to pop in your handbag if you're like me and cherish those extra 10 minutes in bed in the morning and tend to do your make up on the go! This set includes an erase paste under eye concealer, Girl Meets Pearl night time primer, High Beam highlighter and Posie Tint lip and cheek stain. This includes some of my favourite products, so definitely a huge Christmas present win!

I also had these two Benefit lip glosses as a stocking filler. These are two really pretty colours that are really easy to wear! They last for a good amount of time before needing to reapply and are a really nice consistency. They are not at all sticky and I'll definitely be checking out the other colours in the range! 

 Owl Design Sleep Mask

 Another stocking filler was this super cute eye mask with lavender seeds inside. It's a really relaxing and soothing scent and I can't wait to take this on the plane with me to Florida so that I can try and get 40 winks on the way home! The design is very sweet and the underside has a fleece feel that rests against the eyelids, which feel really comfy when this is on. 

Real Techniques - Travel Brush Set

I have been SO excited to try these and can confirm that I've not been disappointed! This set includes a domed foundation brush, multi task brush and the domed eye shadow brush. I am so excited to have these in my collection, especially now right before my holiday! Trying to put together a condensed make up kit is not the easiest thing to do! This has sorted out my brush choices! 

Body Shop Lip and Concealer Brush (not pictured)

This was one of my gifts from Orla......now I can stop borrowing hers! I love this brush! It makes lipstick application so much easier and makes the lines much cleaner. I have quite full lips but sometimes find it difficult to apply make up without it looking like a toddler has gone at me with my lip stick! This brush allows me to create a really defined cupid bow and generally finish off my lips perfectly!

Lovely Vintage Gift Set

This is a stunning gift set consisting of body lotion, body wash and bath salts. I adore the packaging, it looks like it's taken inspiration from Soap and Glory but with a little more attention to detail. These products smell great and you get a really good amount of product in each, especially considering it's part of a gift set.  

Aussie Hair Care Gift Set

Another stocking filler that couldn't have come at a better time! I totally ran out of my Aussie shampoo and conditioner before Christmas, so was over the moon to open this! I love this brand, it the three minute miracle conditioner does wonders for my split ends and I really do notice a huge difference when I use these. They also came in the cute bag you can see in the background!

Body Shop White Musk body lotion and wash 

This little set was another stocking filler with one of Body Shops signature scents. This set comes with a body sponge and a good sized bottle of each of these products. I was also given a travel nail kit. This is something that I have wanted for a really long time! It comes in this perfect little carry case and has already had lots of use!  

So that's everything beauty related that I was given this year! I hope you enjoyed this post, let me know if you want to see reviews of anything! 

Thanks for checking this out! 

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Big Blogmas Project!

Happy 1st of December!

We can't believe how this year has flown by and we're already getting ready to open those little doors on our advent calendars! 

As this is our first Christmas since starting the blog, we wanted to do something fun and festive to celebrate! We were asked if we wanted to join in with the #bigblogmasproject. This involves us blogging everyday from the 1st December, through until Christmas eve! We jumped at the opportunity and have been busily planning what we want to blog about over the next 24 days!

You'll find lots of beauty posts, Christmas fashion and lifestyle posts, as well as some fun things about what we're getting up to this Festive season! We hope you enjoy our involvement in the Big Blogmas Project and that you check out some of the other lovelies who are also taking part!

Thanks for checking this out! 

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Coleoftheball                 Hanclarky                         Cometomybdr                  Bw_sheep

Kammitted                    Ambipage                          Ohkalukalay                    Lovelyjubbly8

 Pp_puff                        Jessbarnes                         Missmills_                         Nikmakeupjunkie  

Missbeccabeauty         Amelia_florence               Tansandtiarasx                    Thebeauty_baker  

Vintageteapot              Likeslippy SGBlogxx       BethanywellsMUA             April_todd    

Berrycrumblexxx        _Sammyjane_x                  Bexclaree_                         Sassydoveblog

 Kellovesclothes           Hannahlouisa__              CourtneeeyJ                        2sisters1blog

Unexpected_roar         Char_beyy                         Neyavbeautytalk                Naomi_joy_  

Victoiraearls                 Anothergirlyblg                 Beautyblogger20               Cerysannex   

Missksmudger              Sarah_lumsden                 Byalextweets                     Sarahivell8    

Jessicakbrown              Shadowlinergirl                Allmadeup21                     Hintofsparkle  

Jessiekinsxo                  Srslylou                           Tayscollectionn                   Lianne84  

 Cutelil_b_blog           Chloe_bellamy                    Kendalsblog                       CMWB   

Lucy_a_bigail             Sophieeroseex                     Jesslynjuly                         Misslaurameow    Adaynasaur                Hitnmiff                              Knitteddaisy                      Sweetsparklyser   4evafashion92            Mallowbeauty                     Beautysupergirl                Aqeela_mua   Jordanmarie89           Polkadotteapot2                  Fashforeverblog               Kelseyshepherd_ 

Hmkeyes                    Dixxgina                              Uggynog                            imogenrose20   Joni_blog                  Laural0uisee                        Frostedplanet                     Rowbowk   Maclovergirl96         Danniannie                          Juststephblog                    _bethhenderson  

 saloca                        Kaitlynisabel                      _nameofbeauty    

Hair 'Style' Today, Gone Tomorrow.....

This weekend was quite a lazy one for us. We were both feeling a little bit under the weather and not on our usual top form. Instead of risking making ourselves feel worse, we did what all self respecting girls do and headed out to the shops to stock up on chocolate and diet coke, before heading back and watch an entire season of Sex & The City! (The Aiden years, of course. what was Carrie thinking letting him go)?!

Anyway, while we sat and ate our weight in chocolate we also spent the afternoon playing with our hair. We have both had short hair in our time. Orla used to be a hair model (as mentioned in our introduction video). During this time, she didn't really have much say in the length or colour of her hair and ended up with some amazing styles. The later styles she sported were usually very short or even shaved right up at the back with just length left on top. I on the other hand have been cutting my hair short since I was in my late teens. The reason being, my hair is SO thin and fine and it usually looks much thicker when cut shorter.

While I enjoyed the illusion of thicker hair, I didn't like not having any length as I used to enjoy playing with different styles and designs in my hair. As my most recent short cut was a graduated bob, I do have some ways to go to get my hair to a decent one length style.

Orla on the other hand has already grown her hair to a better length and has managed to have the length evened out. This is largely why the hair styles this weekend were all on Orla's hair. Also, the hair extensions we used we old ones of mine from 5 years ago when I wore hair extensions most days. The colour match was much better for Orla than the ash blonde colour of my hair currently.

I started off by straightening and putting the hair extensions in Orla's hair. When she looked in the mirror, this cemented her decision to grow her hair!

The first thing I tried was a waterfall braid. I love this look as it looks really intricate. I think this would look better in hair with darker undertones or low lights, to really highlight the design of this look. The idea is to make your side pony tail look like it's encased in a cage of hair. This look would also work well on a normal ponytail. 

For a different look at the front of the hair, this simple twist is fun to add interest. We used a spiral stud to enhance the look and secured with a bobby pin underneath. 

For a more formal look that would work for a prom or posh 'do' this half up style is really cute! It was surprisingly easy to achieve and really suited Orla. With flowers added in the summer, this would be adorable festival hair! 

I then tried my personal favourite, fishtail plait. This is the style I want to wear the most, but my hair is still far too short to make this work on my own hair. It looks really chic and bohemian and I definitely think Orla needs to learn to do this one on her own hair! Super cute!

So which style do you like best? Let us know if you would like us to film any tutorials on how we achieved these looks or try out any others! We're currently looking for a new brand of hair extensions to try out too, so if you have any brands that you love, leave them in the comments below so we can check them out!

Please like, comment and subscribe to our channel if you enjoyed this! Don't forget to also follow our blog using the Bloglovin link below! Comment below if you want to share your looks - we love being nosy and seeing what you're up to too!

Thanks for checking this out! 

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imPRESS Nail Review.....

If you're anything like us, then you will dream of beautiful nails with minimal work! We have tried every nail strengthening product on the market just to achieve the desired look but still haven't found anything we are in love with....yet. 

There has been quite some hype around imPRESS nails, so we have have been desperate to try these out. There was quite a large range of designs available from completely clear, ready to paint any colour to lace patterns and coloured tips. We opted for the classic french manicure design (£8.99) for our trial. 

The packaging claims that these may last up to one week and are extremely easy to apply! Application does stay true to it's word as all you need to do is peel off the adhesive strips, press them into place and go! We really loved the look of them once they were in place and followed the instructions to the letter. The instructions recommend not getting your hands or nails wet for up to 30 minutes after application. We played it safe and kept our hands out of water for well over an hour to try and ensure that the nails had the best chance of survival!

The nails did feel really quite secure once they were on which was great. Although, as the adhesive is not applied all the way up the length of the nail, so they can start to feel quite loose if caught on something. 

In order to give the nails half a chance at surviving, I put them on on Saturday before going out for dinner. They lasted the night very well and all of the following day. With a dance class, audition workshop and singing class. Unfortunately on the Monday the index finger nail came off. I tried to see if one of the spares would fit but none of them were really the right size. I opted to leave them as they were to see how long the rest of them lasted. I managed to keep the remaining 9 nails in place until the Thursday - so 5 days in total.

Although they didn't quite last the full week that they claim to, I thought that the look of these were great and I would absolutely purchase them again for  a one day event. A wedding or night out would be perfect for imPRESS nails!

Overall I feel that these were £8.99 well spent. I think I would keep some nail glue in my purse at all times just in case I was to lose one during the day as one nail falling off was not quite the look we were going for! 

Please like, comment and subscribe to our channel if you enjoyed this! Don't forget to also follow our blog using the Bloglovin link below! Comment below if you want to share your looks - we love being nosy and seeing what you're up to too!

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Poor Unfortunate Souls - Ursula Halloween Looks!

Hi Lovelies,

So, this is a little bit later than we expected BUT thank you so so much for checking out our Ursula from The Little Mermaid Halloween looks!

We have had some computer trouble over the last week and we were very concerned that our videos would be lost forever! Thank fully it all came good in the end! We were most concerned that we would have to re shoot this video, which would not have been ideal! It took 15 takes just to get the introduction and end bit because we were so tired and had a serious case of the giggles! Thankfully, we got there in the end!

This is Orla's full on make up look for Ursula - This would be perfect for any belated Halloween parties or general cosplay!

Christine designed this more every day/glam look for Ursula - Inspired by the colours her character uses in the film!

Please like, comment and subscribe to our channel if you enjoyed this! Don't forget to also follow our blog using the Bloglovin link below! Comment below if you want to share your looks - we love being nosy and seeing what you're up to too!

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Topshop Autumn Day Look Wishlist - Christine

Hello Lovelies! 

Sorry that we've been a bit absent this week! We've both had major busy weeks with Orla working on a show and me at a Musical Theatre Workshop for most of the week. 

Don't panic! We're back with my favourite picks from Topshop for Autumn! This would be my perfect weekend day look! 

Look out for the pieces that Orla picked for a day look from Topshop tomorrow!

Let us know what you think of this look in the comments below! Share your blog links and favourite outfits too! 

Thanks for checking this out! 

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What's This? A Nightmare Before Christmas Tutorial...

Welcome to the first of our Halloween make up tutorials! 

If you've read our previous blog posts, you may have seen that we spent three days in Disneyland Paris last week. it was all decked out with pumpkins, ghosts and ghouls at every corner. While we were there were inspired by some of their spooky characters and villains. When you really look at Disney Villains, you begin to see that they are usually quite fabulous! Think of Mother Gothel from Tangled or even fashion obsessed Cruella De Vil. Everything is about looks, appearances and being delightfully villainous. With this in mind, we wanted to try and recreate the signature looks from some of these famous villains for you to try yourselves. 

We toyed with ideas about how to do this, as normally a tutorial only requires one person. We were both completely inspired and had ideas flowing for this venture so decided instead of choosing one character each, we would do two tutorials for each character!

-          One with a full make up look to transform you into the character – perfect of a Halloween party!

-    The other, an inspired look design that is more subtle but could be worn if you don’t have a party to attend or want something a little more every day.

We are really happy with both of these looks and hope you have just as much fun watching and recreating them as we did designing them!

Keep your eyes peeled for the next Villain in our Halloween series…..only ‘Poor Unfortunate Souls’ would miss it!  

Please like, comment and subscribe to our channel if you enjoyed this! Don't forget to also follow our blog using the Bloglovin link below! Comment below if you want to share your looks - we love being nosy and seeing what you're up to too!

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Autumn Lookboook Video...

We're SO excited to share our Autumn Lookbook video with you all! We had such a great time putting these looks together and hope you like what you see!

Lovelock Vintage Skirt 

We have chosen some of the key trends from this season and added our own little twists here and there. As you will see in the video, we aim to keep the cost of our outfits low, so this is very much a budget Autumn Lookbook.

Please like, comment and subscribe to our channel if you enjoyed this! Don't forget to also follow our blog using the Bloglovin link below! Comment below if you want to share your lookbooks - we love being nosy and seeing what you're up to too!

Thanks for checking this out! 

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We Haven’t Abandoned You……

We have just been in the most magical place in Europe for a few days and unfortunately, we didn't have any internet access! Look out for a blog coming in the next few days once we've had a time to sort through photos! We've got lots of videos and clips to share of our time away and cannot wait for you to see what we got up to!

While you wait for our pixie dust filled blog post, why not check out our video of last weeks charity/thrift store haul? Please like, comment and subscribe if you like what you see!

Have a magical Friday!

<3 Twice Upon A Blonde 

Please check out these other fun ways to connect with us -Twitter - @TwiceUponBlonde, Instagram - TwiceuponBlonde & YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKztQ7sRCbFQZeGXdQOMEOw

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Twice Upon A Dress......

People often joke that we are the ultimate double act and are often mistaken for being related…..in some cases even asked if we are twins!

While that would be fun, we can confirm that we are definitely not twins……although, we do sometimes have moments of ‘Twin Telepathy’. An example of this comes in the form of Orla’s 21^st birthday party.

We were organising what we hoped would be the vintage themed event of the year. We traipsed around venue after venue looking for exactly the right place. After a good month of looking, I had a VERY excited phone call from Orla explaining that she’d found it! We raced over, took a look around and arranged to book the venue, not wanting to waste another minute. 

Once the venue was sorted we moved straight on to planning décor. Orla had some amazing ideas and we spent a long time figuring out how to make things fit and work in the room. With all of these types of things to consider, it wasn’t really until the day of the party that either of us discussed what we had planned to wear.

The day of the party arrived and we had planned to see a preview screening of Monsters University in the morning in Central London. We had my nephews in tow and the afternoon turned in to a bit of a rush. We still needed to get over to Guildford to pick up the cake and decorate the room! 

We nipped to my house, dropped my nephews off and I started packing a bag ready to leave. Hanging in my room, as it had been for the past week, the dress I had bought from eBay a month earlier, ready to be taken to the car. Orla came upstairs to see how close to being ready I was and instantly spotted my dress…. ‘Is that what you’re wearing tonight?’ I sort of assumed she hated it by the look on her face, which would be a shocker in itself because I think I have a relatively good eye when it comes to what Orla will see as a fashion disaster! When I told her that I had planned to wear it, the colour pretty much drained from her face…..Orla had bought an identical dress a few weeks before on eBay! The only major differences were that hers was slightly shorter with sleeves! 

Exibit A - Orla 

Exhibit B - Christine

We had to get going or we would be too late picking up the cake, we quickly pulled together a different outfit and accessories for me to wear and away we went. We took the original too, just in case.

Considering that this style wasn't particularly on trend in July, it does seem rather funny that we both chose identical dresses! It all worked out in the end! Orla wore my dress because it was slightly longer, and she obvs looked like the Belle of the ball in it! I wore my fave red floaty number and a great night was had by all!  

It’s almost like our twin powers were working overtime - they somehow knew that Orla wouldn’t be 100% happy with her dress on the night…..Sometimes the twin telepathy is handy!

Orla looking AMAZE!

Thanks for reading! If you feel like it, comment and follow the blog! You can also connect with us on Twitter - @TwiceUponBlonde, Instagram - TwiceuponBlonde & YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKztQ7sRCbFQZeGXdQOMEOw

xx