Happy Halloween 2011 everyone!

These decorations are from Poundland but I think they look très cute and spooky!

Oogie Boogie from The Nightmare Before Christmas

Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas

Jack Skellington and Ooogie Boogie from Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas

My boyfriend Will carved these pumpkins and they came out absolutely awesome!

They were done by attaching pumpkin stencil patterns over the pumpkin and poking holes through to trace the pattern. You then remove the template and carry on by hand carving the pattern. Stenicls are a great way to make your pumpkins look professional and if you google you can find probably almost any template you wanted. They still require a lot of skill though and perhaps a natural artistic flare as I know if I had attempted it myself they would have looked terrible lol!

An update on me: Me and my boyfriend Will moved to Birmingham from Scotland just over one year ago for his new job. I think it's a great place with a lot to do and we live in a lovely little flat by the canal. I am currently volunteering at a vegetarian cafe and enjoying contributing to something I believe in. We also have our first pet, a sweet hamster called Abe who I will definitely introduce at some point.

 I think I will get back in to blogging at some point soon. I wanted to blog about my kitchen so I expect that post will be next! I can't even see if I still have any followers as the box won't load for me but if anyone is reading this then HELLO and

I only came on here quickly to share these pumpkins to help people searching for pumpkins next year so I havn't looked at any one elses posts, how would I begin catching up on a year's worth of posts LOL? So if anyone wants to share there Halloween with me then comment below.

Again, Happy Halloween 2011 everyone and stay safe!

Lu. xXx

Happy Hallowe'en!

Howdy my beautiful followers who have stayed with me! Mwah!

I ♥ Halloween

So I'd like to share a piece of my 2010 Halloween in photos

♥ The Momiji Kitty pumpkin which my lovely bf helped carve especially for me ♥

I ♥ my Momiji Kitty

♥ His AWESOME Jack Skellington pumpkin! ♥

We ♥ NBC

♥ Chocolate apple! I prefer toffee/candy apples but don't worry, I have some of them too ♥

 ♥ Toffee/Candy apple ♥



 ♥ Halloween Monster Munch! ♥
I ♥ all my Halloween munchies!

♥ The annual classic halloween DVD lineup! ♥
(Beetlejuice would be included but I can't find it :( )
I ♥ Tim Burton

HAPPY HALLOWE'EN EVERYBODY!

What do you ♥ about Halloween?

Just A Girl becomes The Pink Bandit

This is just a short post to say welcome to my newly re-named blog (and new blog header!)

I was previously Just A Girl:

I decided to change my blog name as 'Just A Girl' was inspired by one of my fave No Doubt songs 'Just a Girl' (duh). The lyrics of that song are packed full of sarcasm though and the song is about how she is actually so much MORE than 'just a girl'. Whereas I felt my blog title of 'Just A Girl' came off rather flat and actually sounded like I meant i'm 'just some girl', if you see what I mean.

Also, I've seen a few other 'Just a Girl' out there so wanted to find something more original.

Similarly, I've seen a lot of Zebra print backgrounds out there (even though I love it), I just decided to change my background fabric to make my blog that bit more unique.

I also have a new email and twitter (it's the same twitter re-named actually) which you can find in the 'contact me' section, if you need me.

My blog URL has not changed though because if you change your URL then your followers will no longer get the feed in their dashboard without re-following.

I plan on returning to blogging fairly soon but felt like I should inform you all of the name change before you wondered who on earth 'The Pink Bandit' was on your list hehe.

I've really missed catching up on people's blogs and I'm really looking forward to seeing what I've missed over the last few months! I hope you are all well.

L. xXx

P.S. I would like to say a big THANKS to More Make Up than Sense and Alice in a new Wonderland as I won competitions off them quite some time ago but haven't been around to mention them on here. Thanks girlies, you know I both loved the wonderful prizes.
P.P.S. Hope you like the new name/header.

Eylure Dylash - The 45 Day Mascara

Firstly, I would like to say a great big THANKS to everyone. I've now passed 200 followers and I'm so grateful to you all for reading and commenting. Mwah!

Now on to a review of a product I recently discovered which I LOVE!

Dylash by Eylure - 45 Day Mascara

The product claims:

"Long lasting colour for dark, glossy lashes and brows. Easy and safe to use. Up to 12 applications."

I think the term 'mascara' is a little misleading as this product is actually a permanent dye for your eyelashes (and brows) which is supposed to last for up to six weeks.

I have naturally dark hair but very pale (but long) eyelashes and the roots of my eyelashes are blonde so without mascara my lashes are practically invisible. So I googled for information about eyelash tinting at Salons and found that it is typically around £10 for just one visit. I've never had this done before but I felt it could get expensive as your eyelashes fall out and replenish themselves within a 2-3 month cycle so I googled to see if there was any D.I.Y. Eyelash tinting kits and came across DYLASH. I also came across 'Colorsport 30 Day Mascara' but all the reviews I've read seemed to say that DYLASH was better.

I chose the colour BLUE/BLACK as it is supposed to give a more intense and glossy colour than just 'Black', which gives a matte black finish.

Here's the contents:

Included in the kit are:

• 10ml bottle of Activating Solution
• 5ml tube of Cream Colour (in Blue/Black)
• 1 white mixing stick
• 1 applicator brush wand
• 8 paper strips (to place under eyes).
• A bowl shaped indent in the package to use as a mixing place.

Two other things which aren't included but you will NEED are Vaseline to spread around your eyes to prevent the skin from dyeing and gentle face wipes to wipe drips or product out of eyes etc.

So here is a picture of my eyelashes before I dyed them.

Before:

I was SO excited to try Dylash that I didn't want to waste time taking many photos but you can see the blonde roots of my lashes and how pale they are.

My experiences to note:

I left mine on for 20 mins, instead of the 10 advised as I wanted to give it chance to go dark and I was worried my tears would have diluted it lol!

I applied it on the underside if my eyelashes like normal mascara and also brushed it on the top of my eyelashes and left plenty on the roots. I think I made way too much of the dye though.

You are advised to close your eyes for the 10 minutes while the Dye is on but in my experience this was a big mistake as I had loaded the underside of my eyelashes with too much dye and when I closed my eyes I got a lot of stinging and watering like so:

Ouch!

If this happens then take your time and wipe the dye out of your eyes gently with a face/eye wipe. I think it's better to leave your eyes open but it's up to you.

Also, I found the applicator wand to be too small so I would advise just using and old, clean, mascara wand and brushing the dye on like a normal mascara as it will be much less likely to get in your eyes that way.

Use an old tray or towel to do this on as I did this on a white bedspread and dropped the wand with dye all over it, oopsie! Similarly, wear an old t-shirt or something just in case.

The skin on my face was not left with ANY dye on at all afterwards so that's good, just remember to use Vaseline.

Finally, it is very important that you NEVER attempt to dye your eyelashes with regular hair dye as they may contain ammonia etc which should not be put anywhere near your eyes! A sensitivity test is advised to be carried out 48 hours before you dye your eyelashes also.

So anyway, the process was a bit sore but will get easier with practice and now for the results pictures without a scrap of mascara on (I've used eyelash curlers though).

After:

Dylash, where have you been all my life?!

I'm SO SO SO happy with the results! Remember, this is a dye, not a mascara so it doesn't actually lengthen or thicken. Though in the process of darkening your pale lashes, I guess it does actually give the appearance of lengthening and thickening and even wearing a bit of eyeliner, if you see what I mean. They look really natural too!

My new-found dark eyelashes won't mean that I'm never wearing mascara again of course, but I will go without it more often like when just popping to the shops whereas previously I would NEVER leave the house without mascara. I feel much happier about the way I look without mascara now which is great! I'll still be layering on the mascara for important occasions obviously though hehe. But, in the mean time I'm so happy to have found something which has made me feel better and more confident and is a real time saver too!

Dylash is also ideal for those with pale lashes who may swim or go to the gym a lot and find that water-proof mascara just doesn't cut it.

Summing Up

 Visit their website here for more info

Price I paid: £6.99 from Boots (Amazing Price considering it could last you a year!).

Available: BLUE/BLACK, BLACK and BROWN.

Pros: Gives a permanent (while your lashes last!) glossy colour. It really works!

Cons: Can sting if you get it in your eyes.

Would I buy again? YES! I intend to use this FOREVER lol.

If you are already blessed with dark eyelashes then this product may not be for you but if you have pale lashes (or roots) then this could be your new best friend!

L. xXx

P.S. I bought some new cutesy cake fabric to replace my Zebra background, cute huh? I will also be re-naming my blog and having a new blog header in the near future so look out for that :)

P.P.S. I have tags to catch up on but I will do them, thanks girls.

P.P.P.S. What does P.S. mean?

Some Seriously Cute Sales Purchases

Firstly, Happy New Year everyone!

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and I wish you all the very best for 2010!

I've been staying at my bf's parents for awhile over the Holidays and I'm still here so that's why I haven't been able to blog as I haven't got much of my own stuff with me.

Now on to the cute stuff!

I never used to be the type who got up early to go shopping on Boxing Day. But since I became a 'Lush' fanatic two years ago, I have been up bright and early on boxing day to head down to Lush to get a bargain in their Boxing Day sale. I did get lots of lovely Lush but this post is dedicated to the other sale items I picked up afterwards when I went to Accessorize and Next for their HALF PRICE (or less!) sales!

First up is this purse (or could be used as a make-up bag) which I absolutely LOVE!

It's was £4 reduced from £8 from Accessorize.

 It's very 'me' as I love multi-coloured, patchwork and unique looking items and I really adore this.

This cute Russian Doll coin purse was £3.50 reduced from £7 from Accessorize.

I have a thing for Russian Dolls and I thought this was very sweet.

Similarly, I thought these cutsie stickers were a bargain at just 75p reduced from £1.50 from Accessorize.

This pretty bow ring was just £2.50 reduced from £5 from Accessorize and I love it.

Next is the items I got from Next (lol).

This Russian Doll Hot Water Bottle was £4 reduced from £10 from Next.

I think she's lovely and I got it because it's a mini hot-water bottle (around 25x18 cm) as I find normal size hot-water bottles can feel pretty heavy on your stomach when full with water so this is a lovely smaller size. I saw a very similar Pink Russian Doll HWB in Accessorize after which was probably a little nicer though.

This Christmas stocking caught my eye. It was £10 reduced from £20 from Next.

It's very shabby-chic and I'd been after a pretty stocking for a while so I'm very happy with this. I would've paid £10 for the stocking alone but this actually contained a pyjama set (as pictured) so I got some nice red PJ's as a bonus!

And last, but certainly not least, is this little guy which I'm crazy about:

An Owl tape measure! He was £3 reduced from £6 from Next.

His left wing pulls out as the tape measure and there is a button on his back which you press to wind the tape measure back in. I like to measure things to give people more info for my blog and this little fellow will put a smile on my face every time I measure from now on :)

I do think both Accessorize and Next have a lot of overpriced items to start with but that their sales can be a great way to get them for less money. I  think the quality of their stuff is fabulous though and if you have the patience to shop in the sales then it can be a great way to buy next year's Christmas presents (or decorations) for half price! But the queue in NEXT was UNREAL. Still, I waited paitiently cuz no way was I going home without my owl tape measure!

Did anyone else brave the Boxing Day (or New Year) sales?

L.xXx

Bright Tights

Hola Chicas!

I don't wear skirts or dresses all that often, but when I do I usually always wear tights (just nude or black). So when I saw lots of coloured tights in Primark, I decided to purchase pretty much all of the colour range as they are so cheap and can really inject some colour into outfits (and you can use them to accessorise colours ie with your bag or earrings).

I got Lilac, Cobalt, Turquoise, Floral, Khaki, Green, Wine, Red and Pink. They are all Opaque and quite thick (50 denier) so they do keep your legs warm (ish). Green, Turquoise and Lilac were half price at just 50p each! The rest were £1 each except the floral ones which were £4.

  Coloured tights parade time!
(you can click on the pics if you want them bigger)

                            Lilac                                                                                 Cobalt

Turquoise

Green

Khaki

Wine

Red

Floral 

Floral from the side (they are seamed)

 Pink

My verdict:

I think 'Pink' and 'Cobalt' are perhaps too bright to work with for daily outfits for ME. I'd prefer them for glam nights out with glitzy dresses etc. And I was quite dissapointed with the floral ones because of the seams on both sides of each leg. They look ok from the front (or back) but from the side.....hmmmmm.  At £4 for those ones I thought they'd look better.

But the rest = ♥

Trying to decide which are my favourite. Lilac, Wine and Green are the winners for me I think, even though I did feel abit like the Wicked Witch from The Wizard of Oz in the Green tights hehe!

Next on my wishlist would be tights with hearts on like:

Which ones are your favourite?

L. xXx

Catch up on Tags/Awards

I'd like to start by saying a combined 'Thanks!' and 'Sorry I've taken so long' to all the awesome people who have given me tags/awards for my blog :) I really do appreciate them. It's like getting a little Blog-Oscar or something :) To start us off, I was tagged by the lovely LaurenRoseParis, so here are my:

♥Winter Ins♥

Christmas Lights

                             Multi-coloured twinkly lights create such a warm and magical atmosphere.

The sound of rain on windows/roofs

I utterly love that sound. There's something I find comforting about it. Am I alone in this?

    Christmas Movies

1.Home Alone (1990)                              2.Santa Claus: The Movie (1985)                          3. A Christmas Story (1983)

              

1.Gotta love Kevin and his ingenious traps he lays to defend his home against burglars.

2.It's old but it's good and so magical. Lollipops that make kids fly!

3.A total classic which I'll treasure forever. Follow little Ralphie in his quest to get his perfect Christmas present which just so happens to be "an official Red Ryder Carbine-action 200-shot range model air rifle with a compass in the stock and a thing that tells the time!" So many hillarious and iconic scenes, the tongue stuck to the flagpole, the 'leg lamp', the pink bunny suit and best of all....."Oh my god I shot my eye out!".

What movies make you feel christmassy?

Cosy coats/hats

I have so many coats/hats/scarves/gloves etc. I buy loads every year but this year I decided to not buy any and show some love to my already neglected winter wardrobe :)

Winter Outs

Christmas Adverts

I know a lot of people say they love Christmas adverts and while I love the Coca Cola Christmas advert as much as the next person, I get annoyed with the rest of the Christmas ads. Nearly everything says ‘The perfect gift for christmas’ after it.  It can't all be the perfect gift for everyone can it grrrr!

Christmas Collections Selling Out

I really wanted Pearl Lowe's Red Lace Dress which was part of a new collection she designed for 'Peacocks' stores. It really reminds me of Chuck's red lace dress from Pushing Daisies (one of my favourite shows). I adore Chuck's whole wardrobe and was really excited to find a similar dress. But I got my dates mixed up for the launch day and when I went to Peacocks a couple of Days later there were none left :( They sold out within hours apparently and they are going for double (or more) the price on ebay!. Totally gutted!

              ♥ Pearl Lowe's Red Lace Dress ♥                              ♥ Chuck from Pushing Daisies ♥

What are your Winter Ins and Outs? I tag everyone :)

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Next is the 'Honest Scrap' tag/award from the lovely Wendy in which I have to tell you 10 honest things about me! So here goes:

1. I LOVE food! Kate Moss was recently under fire for saying ‘Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels’. She must be eating the wrong things! There is so many wonderful foods/cuisines/tastes out there and I think it’s sad if people would rather starve than enjoy their food especially given that many people of the world are genuinely starving. Food is something we have to eat everyday, we might aswell enjoy it. I see it as a pleasure rather than a chore. Good food and tastes make me happy :)

2. I’m kinda addicted to Pizza. It might be because I was also addicted to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles when I was younger?! On a side note – who was your favourite turtle? Mine was always Raphael. I know he’s kinda the serious one but I just loved his witty and sarcastic streak. Anyway, enough about turtles........Pizza leads me onto my next thing.

3. I kinda love Cheese! I like to try all different types and love looking at the deli bits in the supermarket. Currently loving Mexican cheese (with pepper/jalepenos in it). I know it’s bad for me...which leads me onto my next thing.

4. I’ve never been entirely  happy with my weight. I do diet but I don’t starve myself.

5. I love Disney (especially the 'Classic' range). My favourite is Beauty and the Beast. Oddly though, I don’t like ‘Chick Flicks’ but I do like fairytale romances like Disney and 'Penelope' and 'Enchanted' and Tim Burton (esque) romances like Jack&Sally, Ned and Chuck and  Romeo and Juliet!

6. I want to be a ninja! Or a spy! Or a masked Crusader. Or a Pirate! I know it’s unrealistic (duh!) but i’ve always loved stuff like that.

7. I wouldn't say I'M scared of heights but my LEGS are! It's weird, my legs physically don't work properly at heights. Even if I don't feel scared, my legs go like jelly. The worst ever is if I have to walk on see-through floors or stairs with gaps in etc. Stupid legs!

8. I can’t draw. I’m so jealous of people who can and I love art and seeing other people’s talent. Seriously, the best I can manage is stick figures. Not fair!

9. I'm too scared to learn to drive at the moment but hoping I will get round to it in the future.

10. I know I have a blog about beauty etc but I pride myself on not being ‘shallow’ or ‘superficial’ where it counts. I can see  BEYOND looks! I've seen people on twitter calling other bloggers ‘Ugly’ and to be honest, they make me sick. I'm so open-minded and understanding of all people and I hate to see people being bullied. I will always stand up for people and do the right thing, even if I’m in a minority of one! I hope that doesn’t sound too pretentious but it’s true. I'm not here to just be 'one of the popular people'.

                                                      I tag anyone who wants to be honest!

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My most recent Award is the "I Love Your Blog' award which I have received at the same time from the equally fabulous Tanya and Small Town Gal and Bicky <---- Go check out their blogs!

Thanks very much girlies, much appreciated and I'm genuinely thrilled to see some people like my blog lol! I have to tag some of my fave bloggers for this award. In no particular order.

1.Laurenroseparis <----Lovely chica, pretty blog.

2.Foshoozley <-----awesome wee bud.

3.Bicky <----- Fabulous, helpful lovely blogger. I tag you back haha ;) + I also tag back the lovely Tanya. Kinda pointless but both of you just know that I love your blogs anyway hehe.

4. Tinkinmycloset <---This is one of the only fashion blogs I follow. In the words of Mcfly - "Not into fashion but I love the clothes she wears!". She's a real life Tinkerbell :)

5. StyleFashionVintageBaby <----Another blog more focused on clothes. I like her style :)

6. TheSecretDiaryofaCakeGirl <---Just recently found this girl, but I like her!

7. AliceinaNewWonderland <---Pretty and lovely Italian blogger

9. MakeUptoMakeOut <----awesome lady with cool reviews

10. RottenOtter'sThoughts <----- Friendly, lovely blogger :)

*edit There was a lot more people on this list but I've removed those who blatantly ignored me yet continued doing tags from other people. Not worth my blog space :)

I have loads more favourites (including a lot of the well known 'gurus' who you all probs follow anyway, so sorry I can't fit everyone in! I just went through the list I follow and picked out the people who I either talk or comment on their blogs most I guess. But I stalk alot of you silently hehe!

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I was also award the 'Beautiful blogger award' by LaurenRoseParis and RottenOttersThoughts. Thankyou!

I have to tell you 7 interesting things about myself. I can't guarantee these will interest you but here goes:

1. I've always loved animals and have been a vegetarian since I was 10.

2. I love movies and have a thing for 80's classics in particular including Labyrinth, The Goonies, The Lost Boys, Ferris Bueller's Day Off etc etc. R.I.P. John Hughes!

3. I said earlier I always like to try different foods, well i’m the same with beauty products. Even if I find one that 'works', I can't help but try other things that catch my eye, just incase I'm missing out hehe!

4. I’m such a dreamer and have a wild imagination. My dreams are nearly always amazing, I can dream about flying, being in submarines, dinosaurs etc and I can smell and taste in my dreams too and i’m so grateful for it as my bf says he can't do any of that stuff in his dreams :-p

5. I love Tim Burton. I would love to live in a world created by Tim Burton.

6. I love space. I love the stars. I love the universe. I think that with ‘Space’ as infinitely big as it is, there just must be more life out there.

7. It's the 'little things' that make me happy :) Including people reading my blog. So thanks for reading guys and dolls and if you got this far then give yourselves a pat on the back and be entertained by this dancing banana! (You deserve it!)

Thanks again for the tags/awards!

I would also like to add in a BIG thankyou to Lauren, Sharon and Emma as I won a contest awhile ago which they held together and received a cute 'girl-2-go' mini makeup set and a gorgeous bow makeup bag. Thanks very much ladies!

L. xXx