Giveaway Update: Winner Announcement

Good evening my lovely readers. What a lovely first day at my new job. I really must say, I cannot complain. Everyone was really nice and I feel right at home in my new office.

However, I can imagine some of you are eager to find out who has won my Giveaway rather than my first day at work so, I shall cut to the chase!

With a little help from random.org I can now reveal that the fabulous winner of this super cute prize is:
Entry (comment) Number 4! Congratulations, Catherine!

I shall be emailing you shortly and arrange for the fab BarryM Glitter Polish and Original Eye Pallette by Sleek Make Up to be sent to you asap. Fingers crossed it might still arrive before Christmas. Psst... Check our her lovely blog if you haven't seen it yet: http://notdressedaslamb.com It's a great read and she's got some great photo tips on her blog too which I have already bookmarked to read over the weekend!

Right my lovelies, I'll be hosting a new Giveaway again soon in the New Year until then I'd like to say thanks to everyone who has participated this time. Also, thanks to those who have followed my blog in the process, it's nice to have new readers on board! I hope you'll enjoy reading my ramblings on life, fashion, make up and books. Feel free to comment with any feedback any time!

xoxo
Kate

Christmas Lights & High Heels

I spent most of the weekend tidying up our house and getting it ready for Christmas. Every year I change the decorations of my Christmas tree. Last year it was purple/green glitter themed. The year before that it was black/gold. This year? It's all about vintage love...

A new day & Fantasy blogger breakfast

Good evening my lovelies. It's been quite a week. I haven't been able to share this with you before but here come the big news: I quit my job the other day.

Yes, I know, I loved it there but sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do and follow your heart. Well, my heart just wasn't in it anymore. In the end, start up life simply wasn't my cup of tea. Now, enough with the heavy - let me share with you, a lovely recap, of a lovely day in London last week.

On Thursday I attended the Fantasy Shopper Blogger Breakfast in London. Here are some snapshots including the extremely delicious Fantasy Shopper cupcakes...

It was lovely to meet a crowd of enthusastic, inspiring and lovely bloggers from both the London area as well as my beloved Devon. We spent time talking about Fantasy Shopper as well as playing on the site.

There was also a little raffle for all bloggers and Louie from http://www.withlovelouie.com/ was the lucky winner of the Fantasy Hamper filled with some very cool fashion goodies from Mint Velvet, Ted Baker, Reiss and more... Yeah, as you can tell, I was a little jealous of that one. :)

So, that's it for now. Tomorrow I'll be showing you my lovely Christmas decorations and don't forget I'll be announcing the winner of my make up giveaway on Tuesday at 9pm. There's still time to enter.

Click here to read how and good luck!

xoxo
Kate

3 Days of Christmas #style post

Not long until Christmas and I'm now really looking forward to putting my Christmas decorations up this weekend. I was up in London on Thursday and just looking at the fantastic lights and decorated shop windows in Harrods made me hum Christmas tunes for the 24 hours that followed.

So I've started planning my Christmas outfits and added some items I own and a few items to buy to my Fantasy wardrobe to experiment with. Here's what I've come up with and before I forget, my Giveaway is still open so enter today for your chance to win some fab make up treats! Good luck! xo

Christmas Eve

I usually spend Christmas Eve cooking a turkey roast dinner for James and myself. We spend the evening together watching Christmas movies, eating loads of food and relaxing before the family get together that follows. Slippers and a Christmas jumper are a must. Click here to view where the items are from.

Christmas Day

Christmas Day this year will be spent at James' family house, unwrapping presents, enjoying a feast of a meal and playing with my little nieces and nephew. I liked dressing up a little bit for Christmas Day but still remain casual. This dress is perfect for the occasion. I've got it in khaki and have just ordered this cute berry coloured version. I would probably wear leggings with this outfit for warmth. To view where the individual items are from, click here.

Boxing Day

Boxing Day pretty much is a second Christmas Day aka. food extravaganza at James' parents house. Usually we move from turkey to a little less festive food but still pretty much to eat so a dress is a good call as a food baby is definitely to be expected! This outfit definitely works for me and the dress is a bargain from New Look so will get this into my real wardrobe tomorrow. To view the entire look and where it's from, click here.

Now I just need to sort out some last minute Christmas shopping. Can't believe I haven't bought all my pressies yet! Ah well, at least I can treat myself to some new clothes in the process.

xoxo
Kate

#Giveaway Sleek Eye Shadow

Eye shadows determine how natural or dramatic you will strut through the day. This is my new fave eye shadow this season:

Now, as promised today I'm hosting my first giveaway so I'm giving you the chance to WIN one of these eye treats for yourself! That's not all, the prize comprises of a make up goodie bag containing a selection of my favourite things:

- One Sleek i-Divine original eye shadow palette

- One hot pink and black nail varnish by BarryM

UPDATE: THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.

To be in the chance of winning these goodies simply:
1. Follow my blog via GFC (google friend connect)
2. Follow me on twitter ( @kate_martin85 )
3. Tweet "I've just entered @kate_martin85 's giveaway at allmyfavouritethings101.blogspot.com"
4. Post a comment with your Email & Twitter handle below

Note: You must be a UK or Mainland European resident.

Giveaway closes on the 18th of December at 5pm GMT.
The winner will be announced at 9pm the same day on my blog and twitter.


The winner will be selected at random via random.org

Right, now all that remains to be said is good luck and thank you for reading and following my little blog,

xoxo
Kate

Crackle Metal Glamour

Experimenting with nails is a bit of a secret obsession of mine. As a self-confessed nailbiter I tend to opt for falsies rather than funky nail polish as they just stay pretty for longer. As you can see from the photograph below, I've opted to fake it with Elegant Touch's "Crack Up Graphite" nails, which is a limited edition available from most drug stores and Amazon.

Elegant Touch Crack Up Nails, Graphite - available from Amazon

I think this look is perfect for the party season. The silver has a glitter effect applied to it to finish off the glamourous look and I found these nails super easy to handle and apply. The black holder tips help with keeping unwanted glue residue off your finger tips when applying the false nails.

I've been using Elegant Touch for a little while and so far they've always lasted me at least 7 days so I'm looking forward to 7 days of glamour with these fake beauties.

Mulled Wine #wiwt

I've spent a good portion of my day at the Christmas market in town today. Mulled wine, Bratwurst and loads of christmas treats later I'm now more than ready for a nap.

But before I do that, here's a few shots of my outfit today that saw me through a very cold day in the heart of Exeter and multiple rounds of mulled wine..

Faux Fur Boots: Barrats,  Knit Top: Next, Denim Skinnies: New Look

Dark Chocolate Warm Up

All you need is love, but a little chocolate now and then can't hurt...

John Frieda Precision Foam Colour - £9.99 

So, the weather hasn't been the best, it's freezing cold down here in the South West but I shouldn't complain as back home in Germany it's even colder! They've got snow and everything (according to my BFF) However, to counteract the winter chill I've been feeling, I've gone and invested in a new Dark Chocolate Brown hair colour.

I wasn't looking to experiment with a new product when I had this bright idea on Saturday to dye my hair, but this foam hair dye by John Frieda caught my eye so I decided to give it a go. Here's the result:

Original Colour: Dark Brown - Result: Top right hand corner

So, you can see the result of the colour in the top right hand corner. It's pretty much what it looks like on the packaging which is a first for me. This was the first time that I've used foam hair dye and I must admit it wasn't so easy to get adjusted to. ,The step by step guide scared me a little bit.. "Don't shake" "Tilt 5 x times" "Don't tilt more than five times" "Don't do this, don't do that" When after the first few minutes of trying to follow the instructions it became clear to me that I looked nothing like the foamy haired woman in the manual (which was blatantly photoshopped by the way as there is no way that I could have ever had such a foamy head at any point) I decided to stop worrying and just go with it.

Well, what can I say? The colour worked, I am pleased with the result and there was little mess. So all in all, I'm happy with the result and now that I know how to use it I'll use it again. So, what do you think?

xoxo
Kate

12 Days of Christmas Promo

Okay, normally I try not to talk too much about work but this week Fantasy Shopper are doing something so awesome I feel I should tell you for your own good so you don't miss out!

Each day until the 12th of December Fantasy Shopper are giving away a prize to the best outfits styled and submitted to their daily Style Contests (Events), including gift cards for high street retailers like Reiss, Oasis and Cath Kidston as well as a mixture of top prizes from Lulu Guiness, Swarovski, The Body Shop and many more.

In addition, every entry will also be in with a chance to winning a massive Christmas Hamper filled with goodies worth over £500 on Dec 13th - so even if you don't win the individual Style Events everyone has a chance to win an amazing prize just in time for Christmas simply by having participated.

Unfortunately (of course!) I cannot enter as I work for Fantasy Shopper but that doesn't mean I cannot talk about it so go and style your hearts out for a chance to win! Good luck to those of you that do!

£100 Xmas Outfit Blogger Challenge

FashionVouchers.com have recently launched their £100 Xmas Outfit Blogger Challenge so I figured I'll let you know about it and take part in the early festivities.

The Challenge is fairly straight forward: Create a Party Outfit from any brand on FashionVouchers.com up to the value of £100. Then, write a post about your outfit and the competition on your blog and a link to their  competition page so other bloggers can take part.

Here's the Outfit I have chosen from ASOS via Fashion Vouchers:

Total Outfit Cost: £89.99 (from ASOS)

Peplum Dress £15 | Mules £27 | Sky Fall Nail Polish £11 | Print Clutch £27 | Spike Earrings £9.99

The Competition ends on Dec 17th - good luck to everyone who enters! If I happen to win with the above outfit, I shall let you know!

Luscious Lashes

Everyone has one or two favourite things about their appearence. Some take pride in their hair, others in their figure and some in their lips or eyes. Well, I'm always at a loss of what I like about myself let alone what I like best. After all, the grass is always greener and everyone always looks thinner, prettier etc. However, when I did my eye make up yesterday I kind realised I was really happy with my eyes. It's amazing what a little colour can do - even if it's black like my favourite extension mascara.

I've been using Model Co's Fibre Lash Mascara for over a year now and think it probably is the reason why I like experimenting with eye make up so much and usually stay away from falsies.
It's what I asked my make-up artist to use for my wedding make-up. Have a look at some of the shots.

In case you haven't stumbled upon this mascara yet, Model Co's Fibre Lash Mascara is applied in three stages. First you coat the eyes from base to tip with the big black bottle. Then you use the Lash Fibre bottle, applying a layer of white thin fibres to your lashes. The final step is to apply some more extension mascara which colours the fibres black!

The end result? Luscious lashes that take you from day to night.

Rain, Fake Nails & Music

Ah my lovely readers, I do apologise for being so quiet on the blogging front this month. It's always a bit of a hectic time of the year around Christmas and with the weather being as it is it hasn't helped matters.

Pretty much all my clothes fell victim to some leak in our bedroom so I had to wash (and I kid you not) over seventeen 20 litre bags of clothes. I didn't even know I owned that many clothes! Unfortunately a lot of them don't fit so I've put three of them to charity. I'm undecided about the rest but will sort it out over the weekend.

Anyway, now let's get to the fun stuff. As you may know from my previous nail polish related posts, I'm terrible for biting my nails which is why I bought some fake nails from Elegant Touch not too long ago. So, I figured seeing as whenever I have fake nails I never bite them, I'll try them out.

Here's last week's nails: Pink Polished Nails from Elegant Touch
Perfect match for my favourite coffee mug!!

Here's this week's nails: Black/Gold Glitter Tip Short Falsies from Elegant Touch
Perfect to infuse some sparkle into my off-duty look!

The pink polished ones lasted around 6 days. Which is a remarkable time given I was ridiculously careless around the house. With three replacements used I ended up removing them purely because they were not practical for the weather related house work ahead.

The black and gold glitter set has lasted me since the weekend but unfortunately the design is starting to wear off and I'm ready to try something new. So, today's their last day in action.

Tomorrow I'll go back to bare and then have a nosey around town at the rest of Elegant's touch collection. I've seen some Glitter ones which looked great for the party season ahead so I might just treat myself again. Oh btw, this is not a sponsored post or anything I just really was impressed with these falsies so want to stick with the brand.

Even better news? I didn't bite my nails once in all that time!

A trip down Memory Lane..

Last week I travelled to Germany for my BFF's wedding! Eek! I was so excited when she told me she was engaged (two weeks prior to the wedding!) and got the cheapest flight I could find to attend her Last Minute wedding in the depths of Bavaria.

I stayed at my parents flat in Germany and used the days before my BFF's big day to dwell in some old memories.

I found my old friendship book from back in elementary school. It was somewhat of a pre-facebook social must have when I was a kid. Every kid had one in the 90s. It's basically a book that you'd leave poems, notes, well wishes and drawings in for your friends to remember you by for when they turn old and/or nostalgic.

I took some pictures of a few entries in mine and translated them for you:

 "Life is like a stage play. What matters isn't the length but the skilled act. 

I wish you a happy, interesting and adventurous life - Martina G." 

~

"To be yourself, is more important than to be someone. 

Wishing you Luck, Health, Adventure, Warmth, Comfort and a pitch on the bright side of life - with love, your brother M."

~

We are all angels with only one wing. 

We have to embrace each other in order to fly. 

I wish you all the best and people who will always fly with you.

 Your German teacher, Theo W."

~

I don't want to sound soppy but it was really touching to read all those kind words. So, I've decided that when I have kids one day I'll make them start a friendship book too.

When you see the time and effort put into an entry like that, you know it's just not comparable to scrolling through your old Facebook wall. A website simply can't compete with that kind of thoughtful gesture.

Anyway, now that I'm back in the UK I've got some blog posts coming up you'll hopefully enjoy reading as much as I'll have fun writing them. Oh and I am planning a Give Away in time for Christmas! More info to follow....

Have a great week my lovelies!

xoxo
Kate

Big Hair Number 29

Okay, first things first - I've had a bit of a rushed week and with the sun going down mid afternoon these days my photography attempts last week were very weak.

Now, I know, I could take all my pictures on the weekend but in all honesty? That's not what this blog is about. I am not here to give you advice on fashion or make-up or anything. I'm just sharing my favourite stuff and that means, spare of the moment blogging. It's like grabbing my phone to text my BFF when a cute guy has just chatted me up in a bar. I don't wait until the lighting conditions are better to text "OMG OMG OMG" right?

(Note: I'm married. The text would probably be toned down a little!! ;-) hah)

So, I will only semi-apologise for the photos below as I do realise, they are a bit rubbish as I took them in the evening but hey, at least you'll know what this nail varnish will look like when you go out! :D

So, in today's post I am looking at my new favourite red friend! Let me introduce to you, Collection 2000's Hot Looks Fast Dry "Big Hair" (Number 29) nail varnish:

I've met him on my recent trip to Boots and fell in love ... I don't normally wear red nail polish. In fact, I think this is pretty much the first one I bought.It looks really nice. It's not too sticky, not too runny and does indeed dry fast.

Two layers of this pretty shade of red later and this was the result:

I think I should have applied a third layer but I was a little tired. It literally took less than a minute to dry and it lasted for a good 2 days. Mind you, I scrape my nail polish off or bite it off when I'm nervous or concentrating so a normal person can probably go a good 3-4 days without having to re-apply!

Right, this is it for now -  have a nice week my lovelies!

xoxo
Kate

Midweek #Instagram roundup

I can't believe it's Wednesday already. So here's what I've been up to...

I bought myself a turquoise tea light / I used my cappuccino machine for the first time in ages (yum) / I found this adorable notebook (total must-have alert for all those important notes)

I had my last snickers for the year / I started a diet (let's see how it goes) / I took a picture of myself

Apart from all that, I've been shopping and bought myself some awesome baroque print leggings (outfit post to follow) and a pretty sheer white blouse and a winter floral inspired lace dress from Gok's capsule collection at Sainsbury's. Post to follow soon!

I've also been talking to some of my favourite bloggers about some projects that I'm really excited about. Now, over to you, what have you been up to? (Lots of mischief I hope!! :P )

xoxo
Kate

My #lifestyle on Pinterest

I'll admit it, I could spend hours and hours in front of my iPhone clicking "re-pin" on some of my favourite Pinners or Fantasy Shopper Outfits (544 outfits so far and counting!)

From Animals, to DIY tips, Beauty & Make-Up ideas and Movie Stills to Tattoo ideas, Quotes and funny things as well as Fashion snippets. I can find so much cool stuff on Pinterest to look at that the possibilities are endless.

As a result it has become part of my daily routine and my boards are looking pretty colourful:

Of course a side effect is that hours of pinning or re-pinning later I sit there and wonder where the day has gone? I mean, especially the humour section makes me laugh so hard sometimes that I am unsure whether it's a good thing I'm alone in my room laughing or it makes me look even crazier...

In any case, here are some of my favourite Pinners if you'd like some pinspiration for your life:

Jennifer Chong
Fantasy Shopper
Alice at Fashionis
Glamourmag
Independent Fashion Bloggers
Topshop 
Ashley

Have you got a Pinterest account? I'd love to see your pins. Pop a comment below with a link and I'll make sure to follow!

xoxo
Kate

Wishlist for #Fall2012

Okay, so here's what kind of style I've been lusting after this week...
(You can click on the Outfits to view the details)

I've obviously already got the studded ankle boots from Office Shoes but all the other items are now all on my Wishlist and safely tucked away in my Fantasy Wardrobe so I can plan out what to buy next. Some of it is from New York (like that gorgeous Owl purse) so I'll have to find equivalents in some UK stores but that's okay... their UK outlets will probably have similar gems! :D

Would be great if one of my lovely readers could create me an outfit in my Fantasy wardrobe on Fantasy Shopper by the way.

I've bought a few new items and am not yet quite sure how to wear them.

xoxo
Kate

On the train

I rarely take the train. So, I don't really know what's train protocol. Like, what do people do besides sit and stare at their iPhones? Read? Well, I didn't have a book with me so when I was on my way up to London the other day I got bored listening to my iPod very quickly.

To be honest, it all started fairly normal. I was checking my Facebook status on my iPhone and thought my profile picture could use some updating. After all, I've cut my hair since that picture was taken and even dyed it slightly red so I looked to my left and the right (ninja style) and started snapping away with Instagram.

30 odd pictures later I still wasn't happy with any of the photos. This is where a normal person would admit defeat and go back to listening to music. After all I was sitting in first class surrounded by fairly professional looking people on my way to a seminar to meet more professional people. Well, instead of that I decided to do the opposite of normal...

I angled my head, slight pout, slight look to the camera, look to the side and then I figured I might as well have fun with it and ignored the fact that I looked like a self-obsessed lunatic...

Yup, I need help. Like professional help. Like 999 emergency call there's a lunatic in the train sort of help.

Anyway, nobody noticed me so I didn't get help and I am still a bit nuts. :)

But hey, it's okay - who wants to be normal anyway?

xoxo
Kate