Currently...Claire...

Currently...Claire...1 by claireellenharmer featuring a leopard dress

Not a proper blog post as such. Just me, belatedly discovering Polyvore.
What are you currently obsessed with?

Claire
x

A very late January Favourites

Claire's Favourites.

Lee Stafford Treatment for hair that never grows past a certain length
£7.14
Back in June 2010 I decided it would be a good idea to let my friend chop my hair into a bob (with kitchen scissors nonetheless) and since then I’ve been lusting after long locks. I saw a review of this on a beauty blog and after reading rave reviews on the Boots website I decided to buy it. First the downside - The tub which comes priced at £ 7.14 doesn’t last all that long, it’s suggested that you use an egg sized application between every shampoo and condition (I probably only use a 50p sized blob) until the condition of your hair improves then cut back to just using it once a week. I’ve been using this for about 2 months now, I’d say my hair has definitely grown more than usual and it’s in amazing condition.

Good Things Miracle Mattifier Moisturiser
£8.16
My skin has been disgusting lately; we’re talking Grease Fest 2011. This moisturiser has been an absolute saviour. It mattifies my skin without drying it and it smells amazing. I need to check out other products in this range.

Mac Lipstick in Dubonnet
£12.50 (I actually got this free through Back to MAC)
Bryden wore this on a night out; I loved it and copied her. I can’t say much else!

Max Factor False Lash Effect Waterproof Mascara
£10.99
This is one of those products that despite hearing so much about and being told repeatedly by Bryden “That mascara is bloody amazing man!”, I’d never got round to buying. After feeling pretty let down by Rimmel’s Lash Accelerator I finally got round to buying this. I should have listened to Bryden sooner, I LOVE this mascara. It makes my lashes look super long (To the point that people think I’m wearing false lashes), doesn’t clump and keeps my lash curl in for hours. The only down fall is that this stuff is tough to get off, I’ve taken to wearing the Rimmel mascara underneath (As not to waste it) to create a sort of barrier between my lashes and the Max Factor mascara to make it easier to take off.

Cosmopolitan Blend Perfection Sponge
£4.99
I haven’t used a make up sponge since I was about 14 and I didn’t know that foundation brushes existed. I hate make up sponges, they’re just rubbish, but I’d heard good things about this. This little bit of pink sponge has changed my life (Ok, slight exaggeration. It is amazing though.), I’d usually spend ages blending with a brush. This gets in the job done in 30 seconds. I also use it for applying concealer, highlighter and cream blush. Amazing.

Bryden's Favourites



Avril Lavigne Black Star Perfume
30ml £20.43
I am rubbish at describing fragrances. The Perfume Shop's website describes this as ''a fusion of vibrant floral, fruity and gourmand accords, each with a distinctive, lively appeal. The notes blend to create a swirling, sparkling cloud of fragrance, for a truly energetic scent''. Well... I have no idea what that means but in my words I'd describe it as a sweet, fruity floral scent. It's lovely!

CHI Silk Infusion
Prices vary
This is something I have re-discovered. I used to use it all the time and it got shoved to the back of my chest of drawers because I was too scared to run out of the product after Sally's stopped stocking CHI products. I recently found a bottle of CHI Silk Infusion in my local TK Maxx so I retrieved my old bottle from the back of the drawer. I can't believe I stopped using this stuff. It truly is amazing. It cuts down drying time and leaves my hair soft as silk. I'm still dreading running out of the stuff but there's always ebay for when that day comes.

Illamasqua Precision Ink
£17.00 Illamasqua
This stuff lives up to the hype. Amazing colour pay off, easy to apply and the staying power is outstanding. What more could you want from an eyeliner? This eyeliner ticks all the boxes and is well worth paying a little bit more then you would for a drugstore brand eyeliner.

Rimmel Lash Accelerator
£8.99 Boots
Claire hates this and so did I at first. The first time you will open the tube you will find that the product itself is too wet and therefore the only look you will get from this product is the natural look. Give it some time...After a couple of weeks into the product the wetness has gone and you're left with the perfect consistancy to build up your lashes.

Earrings
£3.99 (I THINK) H&M
After seeing a girl in a local pub wearing these I had to track them down and grab myself a pair. They're very heavy to wear but I absolutely love them. Very Edie Sedgwick.

x

Newcastle’s Affordable Vintage Fair.

Two Sundays ago (Yes, I'm a bad blogger) saw Newcastle’s Affordable Vintage Fair being held at Northumbria University Student Union. I’ve been to the fair a few times now and I’ve picked up a few nice pieces in the past, including a Laura Ashley dress for a tenner. Despite feeling a bit worse for wear (Not as bad as Bryden, she stayed at home due to her hangover!) I made my way to the union about twenty minutes early for the midday opening of the fair. Standing in the queue I was amazed how many young girls were there, all with amazing style. At their age in my early teen years, I was probably still rocking an Adidas tracksuit, not a cute vintage dress and Vivienne Westwood/Melissa shoes!

Once I got in I adopted my usual ‘Shopping at a vintage fair, whilst poor’ routine- 1st lap: Quick browse to establish which stalls were selling what, general prices and what I want to go back to look at in more depth. 2nd lap: Look at my favourite pieces in more detail, check for quality, any loose stitches etc. 3rd lap: Make purchases. I didn’t have a great deal of money that I wanted to spend so giving myself 3 laps of the fair made sure I wasn’t making any impulsive purchases.

I’d spied this vanity case on my 1st lap, but on the 2nd time it had gone from the spot where it was on display so I assumed someone had snapped it up and I felt kind of disappointed that I had been so restrained. Then on then on my final lap I saw that it was still there, it had just been moved. I picked it up to inspect it and had a few girls hovering around me admiring it; I knew if I put it back down it would be gone forever so I held onto it with a death grip and went to pay for it. It was £22, which I thought was a bit pricey but I’ll be using it as both for storage and as a handbag. It’ll probably come in handy for whacking people out of the way to the bar when I go to the clubs (Disclaimer: Trebles and a Mixer do not actually condone handbag/vanity case based violence).

Here's a photo taken of me by one of the girls running the event.


Dress- Topshop, Coat- H&m, Bag- New Look, Belt- ASOS, Brogues- Primark, Puffy tired face- Numerous vodkas and little sleep.

Although there was loads of items for sale at the fair, I didn’t think the selection was as good as past fairs I’ve been to. There was only one stall selling jewellery, which is mainly what I tend to gravitate to at fairs. Despite that I recommend popping along to these events, you never know what you might find. The Facebook group can be found here and the up and coming fairs around the country are as follows-

Oxford
Saturday 19th February 2011
The Old Bookbinders, No 9 Green Street, Oxford, OX4 1YB
Opening Hours: 12:00 - 17:00

Cardiff
Sunday 20th February 2011
Cardiff University Student Union, Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3QN
Opening Hours: 12:00 - 17:00

London
Sunday 27th February 2011
York Hall, 5 - 15 Old Ford Road, Bethnal Green, London, E2 9PJ
Opening Hours: 11:00 - 16:30

Edinburgh
Saturday 5th March 2011
Out Of The Blue - The Drill Hall, 36 Dalmeny St, Edinburgh, EH6 8RG
Opening Hours: 11:00 - 16:00

St Andrews
Sunday 6th March 2011
St Andrews Student Union, St Mary's Place, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9UZ
Opening Hours: 12:00 - 17:00

Cambridge
Saturday 12th March 2011
The Cambridge Guildhall, Market Square, Cambridge, CB2 3QJ
Opening Hours: 10:30 - 16:30

Southampton
Sunday 13th March 2011
Southampton University Garden Court, University Road,
Southampton, SO17 1BJ
Opening Hours: 12:00 - 17:00

York
Sunday 20th March 2011
The Hospitium, Museum Gardens, Marygate, York, YO30 7DR
Opening Hours: 10:30 - 16:30

Oxford
Saturday 26th March 2011
Oxford Town Hall, St Aldgates, Oxford, OX1 1BX
Opening hours: 10:30 - 16:00

Vintage Furniture Flea
Sunday 27th March 2011
York Hall, Old Ford Road, Bethnal Green, London, E2 9PJ
Opening hours: 11:00 - 16:30

Leeds
Saturday 2nd April 2011
The Corn Exchange, Call Lane, Leeds
Opening Hours: 10:00 - 18:00

Sheffield
Saturday 2nd April 2011
The Workstation, 15 Paternoster Row, Sheffield, S1 2BX
Opening Hours: 12:00 - 17:00

Newcastle
Saturday 7th May 2011
Northumbria University Students union, Newcastle, NE1 8SB
Opening hours: 12:00 - 17:00

Glasgow
Sunday 8th May 2011
Queen Margaret Union, 22 University Gardens, Glasgow, G12 8QN
Opening Hours: 12:00 - 17:00

Chester
Saturday 14th May 2011
Chester Guildhall, Watergate Street, Chester, CH1 2LA
Opening Hours: 10:30 - 16:00

Brighton - Vintage Fair and Vintage Furniture Flea
Sunday 15th May 2011
Brighton Racecourse, Freshfield Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN2 9XZ
Opening Hours: (Early Bird 11 - 12) 12:00 - 17:00

London
Sunday 22nd May 2011
York Hall, 5 - 15 Old Ford Road, Bethnal Green, London, E2 9PJ
Opening Hours: 11:00 - 16:30


Claire
x

Whats in Bryden's make up bag?

Whats in my make up bag by treblesandamixer on Polyvore.com

This is what I've been using for the last couple of weeks. I like to switch up my make up bag quite a bit so this will probably change in the next couple of weeks. I've realy been loving the MAC Viva Glam Cyndi at the moment and I think I'm going to pick up a couple of back ups. I've also been very impressed with the Illamasqua Precision Ink too. I managed to get it for £10 from ASOS a while ago and I wish I had bought two!! In addition to the items above I've also been using Miss Sporty So Clear translucent powder. It's not the best powder in the world but it was something I had to pick up on the cheap when I forgot to bring my powder to work one day. I like to keep my make up quite low key during the week so MAC's Shroom eyeshadow is perfect all over the lid for week days.

Bryden x

A Bryden review - Primark Nail Foils.

I've had my eyes on the nail foils by Nail Rock for a while now but at a £6.70 price tag I wasn't quite sure that the price was worth it. To me, they seemed almost like glorified 'kiddie' nail stickers and I could buy a nail varnish (Maybe even a couple depending on the brand!) for the same price. So when I noticed at a recent trip to Primark that they had a cheaper version of the Nail Rock foils in stock I jumped at the chance to try them! There were 3 designs to choose from and they were all priced at £3. The designs are - black and white skulls, shiny gold leopard print and black and white polka dots. I am unsure if there any other designs at present. I grabbed them in two designs - Polka dots and Leopard print.

I decided to try the polka dot design at first as the leopard print design was more suited for a night out. The instructions on the back were easy to follow and the foils themselves weren't that hard to cut to shape (My nails are tiny!!). The instructions said to buff the nails slightly at first so that the foil was able to adhere better to the nail. When applied, I 'sealed' them with a blast from my hair dryer as per instructions and filled off the excess foil at the edge of the nail using a nail file.

Here's the results:


Excuse the photograph, I had to take this on my Blackberry.

I was happy with the initial results but was unsure on the look of them - They do look very fake!! I wore the foils for 3 days when I was off work ill. During this time I did not undertake much activity. On the third day they started to peel at the edges and I decided to remove them. The pack doesn't actually say how long they are expected to last but I gathered from a quick google search that the usual time can be from 1 - 2 weeks (some search results showed 4 weeks!).

I think I would actually purchase these again for a night out or special occassion but I definitely would not rely on them for my everyday nails as they are £3 per set.

Bryden x