Nails with Serenity beauty- Bury

I thought I’d share this hidden gem, with you ladies, as we all know a bad manicure can be disastrous…..

Up until a year ago, I visited my local nail salon for a quick nail fix, every few weeks. The Chinese salon specialised in acrylics more than a normal manicure & having seen ladies leaving with beautiful nails, I thought I’d give it a try. I prefer my natural nails but acrylics last longer & are much more forgiving for girls like myself who are always on the go & don’t have much time to focus on pampering themselves.

I visited the salon earlier this year, after work, for some TLC on my nails but it was only a few weeks later until I had them removed that I realised the damage to my own.

I’m not quite sure if they used a stronger solution of acrylic than usual but I was left with massive dents in my own nails which felt quite painful to touch. I tried to paint over my damaged nails but I was left disappointed when the dents still showed through. From that day on I knew I had to find a new salon who would look after my nails and give them the extra care they needed.

After searching online, I found Serenity nails which was voted the best of Bury. Admittedly I have to get 2 buses to the salon but after looking at their social pages, I knew they would be the best people to fix my nails.

The beauty salon is tucked away on the streets of Bury and to be honest, if you didn’t find it online you’d probably miss it. They offer a range of beauty treatments for those who love to treat themselves. From spray tans to facials and hot stone massages, they’ve got something for everyone.

From my very first visit, I was made to feel welcome from the ladies at the salon. I usually opt for shellac nails as they last longer than a polish & after visiting Serenity every few weeks my nails are now looking the best they ever have.

As you can see from the image, I get this pretty rose design on my nails but they’ve literally got hundreds to choose from. If your polish accidently chips whilst drying, they will go over your nails until they’re looking anything less than perfect. I couldn’t recommend this salon enough…. If you fellas are looking for a gift card for your missis this Christmas, I’d choose Serenity!

Have you been a victim to a bad manicure?

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Vivienne Westwood- Mon Boudoir perfume review

It’s been another long but exciting week working at The Milton Club, so when the weekend came, I couldn't wait to treat myself to lots of lovely things from the Trafford centre. (It was officially pay day, Friday, so I couldn’t resist)

Today on my weekly blog post I’m reviewing my Vivienne Westwood perfume- Mon Boudoir. To be honest I’ve had this perfume a good few months, I just haven’t got round to reviewing on it here.

Anyone that knows me will tell you I’m a Viv Westwood enthusiast. I love the story behind her career and how she made it big into the fashion industry. I just still haven’t managed to save up for one of her designer bags yet...... When I was browsing in The Perfume Shop a few months back I noticed the perfume sat on its own in the sale rack. I instantly picked it up and started jumping around with joy as it was only £21.99 which is an absolute bargain. Having never had a whiff of the perfume before, I asked for a sample but to my disappointment the shop only had the 1 bottle left.

After much consideration I dragged myself out of the shop and thought it’d be best to have a look online at reviews. Five minutes later I was back with my card ready to buy the perfume... It was a bit of an impulse buy due to my obsession with everything Westwood, but it paid off.

The delicate floral scent and musky notes of this perfume have me hooked. I’m already half way through the bottle and will be re-purchasing another when it runs out. This perfume is perfect for day to night use. The floral scent keeps me smelling fresh all day while the musky notes are strong enough for night time wear. As you can see from the photos, the bottle is the classic Viv Westwood style, which can be found on many items of her jewellery and clothing.

I would give this perfume a big 5/5. I’ve had far too many comments from ladies on my commute to work asking me what my perfume is. I think it’s important to be able to have an all-time favourite perfume you can wear whatever the season.

What’s your favourite perfume?

Joules Design a Welly Competition

A few days ago I was kindly emailed from the team at Joules about their fun design a welly competition and as a big fan of the brand already I thought I’d share it with you lovelies.

If you’re a budding artist, wellington enthusiast and love doodling this is going to be right up your street. All you have to do is design your own wellies; you have up to 5 entries too which means you can go a little crazy and you’ve got until the 5^th of December to enter.

The winner will get to see their design put into production, with all proceeds going to Joules charity partners. If that’s not already amazing enough, the winner will also win a luxury forest holiday worth £5,000. 10 runners up will also win a £250 Joules gift card.

Admittedly I haven’t done any drawing in a while, although I’m not a proclaimed artist I will be definitely entering this competition soon.

To enter here’s the link: http://getcreative.joules.com/

Good luck ladies!

Hair Development Competition- Brand Ambassador 2016

Hair can be such a sensitive subject amongst us ladies. We always want what we’ve not got. If you’ve got incredibly thick and curly hair you always want naturally polka straight hair and vice versa. It can also be the same when it comes to the length of our hair.

Since a little girl I’ve always dreamt of long flowing locks but unfortunately after straightening my hair a bit too much I usually have to have more cut off at the salon meaning my dreams of naturally long flowing locks are pretty much non-existent.

Hair extensions are a god send for people like me because you can really have the best of both worlds. At the moment I have some real clip in hair extensions which I usually wear on special occasions such as parties and events. However these days, it’s becoming easier and easier to make our hair extensions a permanent fixture rather than having to mess around with clip in extensions.

I’ve been contacted by a PR company to let you lovelies in on an amazing competition. If you’re hair obsessed like myself this is going be right up your street.

Hair Development are one of the UK’s leading hair extension brands and they’re offering you the chance to become a brand ambassador for their company.

If you’re aged 18-45 and live in the UK you have until the 31st October to enter this amazing competition.

The winner will win a full head of extensions fitted by a specialist as well as professional photoshoot. The best bit about this competition is it’s really simple to enter. All you have to do is #takeaselfie and tag Hair Development on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. Just make sure you use the hashtag #HDGirlCompetition.

Hair development are following the ‘real woman’ trend by using a normal member of the public like us in its 2016 campaigns instead of a high profile professional models.

Janis Levy, Creative Director of Hair Development said, "We want to celebrate the everyday woman in our publicity- after all, that's who we are marketing to. Real women, who has busy lives but like to look their best, that's who our extensions are made for. If you'd like the chance to promote our high end hair extensions, then why not enter for the chance to win an extension makeover?"

Here's my selfie:

So what are you waiting for? Have you entered the HD competition?

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Living with the C Word

2015 has been a year of promise for me so far. After finishing at my old job, I secured a new job at an award winning law firm as a Marketing Executive. I've been enjoying life and to be honest I've neglected my blog, my last post was a good 6 months ago but it’s not without reason.

2014 was a big celebratory year for me as I graduated with a 2:1 from The University of Huddersfield, turned 21 and managed to secure my first job a month after graduation. My life was running smoothly along and then all of a sudden my 2014 ended with a bang, an unimaginable bang I couldn’t possibly explain without tears drawing to my eyes as I type. My mum, aged 61 was diagnosed with breast cancer.

I was unprepared for the news I received on my lunch break at work. All day I sat worrying at my desk frantically typing away waiting for the good news from my parents. I received a text from my dad saying we need to talk and I just thought it was to confirm that everything was ok.

I couldn’t have been more wrong. I took the call in the back room at my works and as soon as I heard my mum’s broken voice stammering the words ‘I've got breast cancer’. I broke down in uncontrollable tears. I could hear the fear in her voice as she told me the bad news. My life had been turned upside down for the worst.

Of course we hear all these news reports about people getting all kinds of cancer but I never imagined my mum would get it. Breast cancer doesn't run in the family but perhaps I was a bit naive thinking it won’t happen to me or any of my family. If we all listened to the scary statistic that 1 in 5 people get a form of cancer in their lifetime, we would never sleep at night.

The last few months of 2014 were a blurry haze which meant I didn’t feel like doing a blog post, or anything else for that matter. On December 5^th my mum had a mastectomy to remove her right breast and the surgeons believe her cancer had been there a good while as all of her lymph nodes had been affected and the cancer growth was 11cm by the time they removed it.

I watched as the gurney wheeled her down to surgery on the Friday morning and I couldn’t help but cry as she left the room. A few hours after surgery, she was losing too much blood and the same day she had to go back down to theatre.

Luckily my mum has made a good recovery after surgery, but this is the toughest road ahead. The odd few people may not need any treatment after the tumour is removed; however my mum has to face 6 months of chemotherapy followed by 3 weeks of radiotherapy.

At the moment she’s had her third treatment of chemotherapy and I’m not going to lie and say it’s great because the side effects of chemo are gruelling. About a month back she started to lose her hair, and she decided to shave it off as a result of this which was traumatic enough.

At first every time I heard the C word my stomach churned into knots, I clammed up and wanted to run away from everyone. I couldn’t bear to face it so I locked my feelings inside and threw away the key.

I’m coming out today about my mum’s illness because I've sat here long enough in silence. I wanted to share my story and tell everyone about my mum’s journey because although she probably doesn't feel it, she’s the lucky one.

I want to urge other women to check their breasts every day for lumps and bumps and don’t hesitate to go to your GP if you do find something or need a second opinion. A mammogram is currently offered for women aged 50-70 every three years. The mammogram didn’t show any signs of her 11cm growth only the biopsy results showed this. I feel her cancer could have been caught earlier if a biopsy was offered to her at her last mammogram appointment three years ago.

Miss VintageVibe- Blogger updates

Hello lovelies, 

Sorry if you have been popping back to my blog and wondering why I haven't wrote a blog post for a while. The next few weeks have been crazy to say the least.

After graduating and applying for jobs for months, sometimes not hearing a peep, I secured my self a full time job at a Legal Brokers doing Copywriting, Marketing and Social Media.

I am also in the middle of learning to drive and as my instructor cannot fit me in during the week this means most weekends my time is spent driving.

The past week or so I have also been very poorly too which has left me resting in bed.

I would really like to apologise for my absence on my blog. I have really missed sharing my reviews with you about beauty products but in the next few weeks I promise I will make more of an effort to fit blog writing in my new routine as I have bought lots of lovely new things with my first wage!

Looking forward to be blogging very soon!

Hope you enjoyed your weekend.

Miss Vintage Vibe xo

BB seaweed fresh face mask Lush review

 A while ago I took a trip to my local Lush store and purchased BB seaweed fresh face mask. Now months after I decided to give my honest review of this product. Lately I have suffered from dry skin and a few spots which I thought was stress related. However on closer inspection by the doctor I had a form of mild acne. This meant I stopped using my weekly dose of facemask treatments from Lush for a while until the situation had settled down.

Usually every Friday night has become my relax haven and it is known as pamper night (Since not being a student I have ditched the alcohol and my dancing shoes) which I hope this means I am not suffering a mid-life crisis of some sort because although I currently present on 96.5 Bolton FM and have had amazing blog opportunities lately I am still unemployed (It really sucks)

This week I turned into a baking diva and made some homemade chocolate chip cookies and a Victoria sponge. Whilst literally sticking my head in the fridge, there it was staring at me and looking rather unwanted (My BB seaweed face mask). Of course Lush fans know you have to keep them in the fridge to keep the fresh ingredients from rotting.

Lush say, “Relaxing, Reviving- mineral rich mask to cleanse, soften and beautify. Fresh nutritious seaweed, cleansing kaolin, antiseptic honey, calming aloe vera and rose absolute makes this a great mask for everyone.”

Tuesday night became my pamper night this week, I ran my- self a lovely hot bath, plonked the last of my comforter bubble bar in and covered my face with well erm... seaweed. It was a rather odd thing to put on my face but once I got past my worries it felt lovely. The Seaweed face mask doesn't have a very strong scent which is great because I didn’t want to aggravate my sensitive skin. However unlike other Lush face masks it lacked that bit of oomph for me I’m afraid. After I removed the mask, apart from soft skin I didn’t really notice much difference unlike Catastrophe Cosmetic but I was using my Catastrophe on a weekly basis and since I don’t need to use cream for my mild acne anymore I haven’t tested my BB seaweed mask on a weekly basis.

I would rate BB Seaweed face mask 3.5/5, it isn’t a bad product but it isn’t my one of my favourites out of the Lush face mask range.

Have you tried BB seaweed mask?

My Vintage photo-shoot experience at Alt-Studio, Manchester

Months ago after I had finished my degree, I started to brainstorm what I could possibly do as a treat for my 21^st birthday and for finishing my degree. I racked my brain for a while and remembering I had previously looked on Alt-Studio, a Manchester based photography business who specialise in Pin-up, Burlesque, Boudoir, Vintage and Tattoo shoots I knew I had to book my place.

I payed a £30 deposit which was redeemable on photos at the end which was perfect and a very reasonable price to pay to secure my day. To be honest for a month or two I almost forgot about my nerves and I used P’interest to help me create mood boards of what look I wanted to create. I absolutely adore the Vintage look and I usually dress vintage a lot of the time which meant my wardrobe was already set for the big day.

The week of my photo-shoot finally arrived and photographer Simon Hunt phoned me to discuss my ideas. He really put me at ease before my big day and even mentioned how confident I sounded which meant by the time Friday August 2^nd arrived I wasn't even nervous, I was bursting with excitement.

I also took along my boyfriend on the day as he really helps me relax and was an absolute god-send when I had to change my outfit 5 times. Also when choosing my photos at the end he helped me decide his favourites too as photo framed presents are always one of my favourites to give him on special occasions.

I emptied my full to the brim case of Vintage clothes and showed Simon and make-up artist Gina the Magnificent what they had to work with. Within 5 minutes I was rushed through to the hair and make-up hot seat where Gina made me look like a Hollywood star. I felt pampered and primed to perfection and for the first time I wore false eyelashes which are now my new found favourite to wear on a night out. Throughout the day I had 3 hair and make- up changes and whilst applying my make –up Gina also gave me tips and products to use if I wanted to re-create the look again which was a lovely extra. Gina made me feel at home and was really chatty which helped my confidence levels before I entered the photo-shoot room.

I was really nervous when I first walked into the room, the lights were shining down and all attention was on me. Simon was a real professional though and helped me to get into posing positions in no time. I was a bit worried my photos wouldn't look great as I kept blinking a lot throughout the shoot due to my new eyelashes but Simon always made sure he was happy before moving on to the next outfit.

After finishing the shoot, I had an hour to grab some lunch while Simon prepared my photos for me. I was so excited to see the end result and when I walked into the room I was stunned. He made a small video of a good 55 photos from the day. At this stage he told me just to admire the photos and don’t be worried about picking my final few until I was ready. After carefully picking the final 5 I spent around £230 which was worth every penny. Alt Studio offers a range of packages for all budgets and while deciding I was never pressurised into buying extra photos which would go over my budget.

I had such a good time that I am hopefully booking another photo-shoot soon when I get some more money together. It's such a confidence boosting experience and Alt Studio made my dream come to life. 

For all you lovely blogger readers Alt Studio is giving you the chance to win a £30 redeemable voucher towards your very own photo-shoot experience. To enter just comment on this blog post saying why you would love to do a vintage photo-shoot and also follow @MissVintagevibe via Twitter.

Click link below to enter competition

https://gleam.io/iPXxe/win-30-voucher-towards-a-vintage-photoshoot-at-alt-studio

Good luck lovelies!

My 21st birthday celebrations in photos

Last week was crazy! I had my graduation ceremony on Monday 21^st and on Thursday 24^th July I turned the big 21. It was a mix of emotions all week as I was quite sad to leave my uni town Huddersfield fully and also happy to move forward in the future and enjoy my 21^st celebrations. The week was jam packed with lots of buffet food which has gained me a few pounds.

As a treat I designed my own cake from Slattery’s in Whitefield, Manchester who specialise in creating cakes for all occasions including birthday cakes and wedding cakes. I have been an avid fan of Slattery’s for years and I was incredibly impressed with how they turned my idea into a lovely cake. I chose to have a traditional jam sponge birthday cake and chocolate cupcakes. The cakes never fail to be absolute delish from here although (I honestly never want to see another piece of cake for a good while) I love cake but after continuously eating a slice a day for the past week has made me feel rather bloated.

For presents I received a Body Shop tea tree facial set which I will be reviewing soon, some owl earrings from my lovely boyfriend, chocolates and more beauty products. I also received a lump sum of money from parents which I am intending on using to pass my driving test. I also received money from relatives which I have already spent on perfume, a playsuit and a big faux fur vintage jacket which will be featuring in a fashion post soon.

I would like to thank everyone who sent me lovely messages last week, I had an amazing time but for now it’s back to my job search.

What are your memories of your 21^st birthday?

Graduation day in photos- 21st July 2014

Yesterday was one of the biggest moments of my life as I managed to graduate from The University of Huddersfield with a 2:1 in Journalism. At times I thought I wouldn’t have made graduation day and my mother even said yesterday the same thing as I’m the only one in our family to attend university. The day was a mix of emotions, of course firstly I was extremely happy to gain my degree and for the stress to be over but yesterday also gave me time to reflect on my next challenge ahead and to be honest I miss education already. I have been so busy applying for jobs, and organising my 21^st birthday I haven’t had much me time which includes blogging and considering other options, such as studying for my Masters or a PHD. For now I am going to enjoy this week of celebrations and also forget about the mess in my bedroom which I still haven’t fully unpacked whilst moving home. I am also very happy to announce that I am back with my boyfriend, after a whirlwind of 6 months apart; we have both decided to give our relationship another chance. Now that I am back home it is a lot easier to see each other and the 6 months apart gave us both an opportunity to develop as people and realise what our goals are in life. I’m very glad I was able to share my happiness with my parents, my boyfriend and my friends at university. 

To finish the day, I enjoyed a celebratory curry with my parents and boyfriend back home in Mancunian land.

Have you recently celebrated  your graduation day?

Manicure Mondays #NOTW #9 #BarryyM #Pomegranate #GellyHiShine

Hello Lovelies,

This week’s Manicure Mondays is back with another Barry M wonder. Barry Ms pomegranate colour is perfect for those hot summery days. As this is a deeper colour than what I usually wear I found it was harder to apply as it was quite runny but once dried the colour looks amazing!

Are you a Barry M fan?

Relaxed Friday nights with ‘The Comforter’ Lush

A few weeks ago I took a trip back to Mancunian land to get my hair done and after I took myself on a mini shopping spree to Lush to get some face masks and bath bombs to indulge on weekends when I am wanting a bit of TLC.

Regrettably I haven’t done a blog posting for a whole week as things have been super hectic at the moment. Unfortunately I am still looking for full-time employment and with my tenancy agreement ending on my flat in Huddersfield, it only meant one thing, I had to take the plunge and move back in with my parents for the meanwhile until I can secure that all important job which can pay enough to get me an apartment in Manchester. I moved out of my student flat this Thursday and from the start it was a nightmare. We had to make two trips because of the amount of clothes I have and when I arrived back to Mancunian land Thursday, everything was everywhere in my room and I didn’t even have any space on my bed.

The Friday just gone was spent clearing things out and making room so I could fit a few things in my wardrobe. On top of this I also have my graduation, my 21^st birthday, my mum’s birthday, meals out and a photo-shoot to organise in less than a month which I really need to get organising A.S.A.P.

Friday night I was feeling so exhausted, I needed some pamper time so I ran myself a lovely bath and cut a small piece off the comforter and plonked it right in the water. Literally within a few minutes the water turned a stunning vibrant pink and my bathroom smelt like something from a sweet shop. A few minutes after this, whilst I wasn't paying attention as I was applying Lush Cupcake face-mask which I shall review in another post, I turned around and noticed my bath was filled high with bubbles and to be honest I started to giggle like a little child as I felt my youth had been relived because Friday nights was always bubble bath night.

Lush say, “Sometimes you just need to shut yourself off from the outside world under a blanket of fruity foam that will put you back in the right frame of mind to face the world. This bar is supersized, so you’ll only need to crumble half a bar under your tap to make enough bubbles for a long, comforting soak. Cassis absolute gives a distinctive blackcurrant fragrance, while bergamot adds an uplifting note.”

I personally believe this bar will last 3-4 times as if I had put half of the Comforter in the bath I think my bathroom may have been flooded with bubbles. I love how a little bit goes a long way with this bubble bar and priced at £4.50 it is really good for the money. (As I told the woman in the shop I was a blogger, I got The Comforter for free). However next time I would happily pay full price for this wonderful item. In all I would rate The Comforter a top 5/5!

What’s your favourite Lush bubble bar?

Degree Celebrations- What my degree means to me

(Ready to party on results night)

It’s that time of the year where everyone is receiving the all important degree classifications to determine whether or not to stay at university to do a masters or enter the big wide world. After three years of hard slog and an emotional roller-coaster I received mine a few days ago and to my honest surprise I got a 2:1. I would be lying if I said I didn’t cry because I did.

I haven’t had the greatest times at university and in my first year I was so close to quitting because I didn’t click with anyone. Living away at university, even though only a short 45 mins down the road was added pressure and although I didn’t do too bad fending for myself and making food, I had no social skills what so ever. Being an only child I think didn’t help with this matter as I was used to just me. Of course I had a few friends back home but I could never really let my hair down and be wild in front of them because I had serious confidence issues. However I didn’t want this to stop me from doing what I came to university to do. I had many arguments with my parents about quitting university because they wanted me to quit too. They would drop me off at my flat after spending weekends at home and knew I hated every moment of being there because I was alone. I managed to get through my first year thankfully and after spending all summer at home, the nerves started to come back to me when September arrived because I thought what if I don’t fit in again?

I made more of an effort although it was difficult and I partied more, made more friends and actually spoke to people off my course a lot more. However in my second year I became stressed with my university work so much I made myself ill. I had already been diagnosed with a weak immune system by the doctor which didn’t help matters at all but I would come home after a full day at uni and spend most of the night doing work too. I found it hard to make proper meals at university as my budget was so tight and in the end I was ill every week. I had the flu 10 times, and other illnesses which meant I spent time travelling home to the hospital for blood tests but at the end of the second year I received a 2:1 and I was ready to finish my degree once and for all.

I remember coming back to university for the third time round and moving into a new flat again. I noticed on Facebook there was a flat party happening that night and I had been invited. I sat there and for the first time in my life I thought I’m going to this party. I had nerves of course but going to that party was the best thing I did. I made some amazing friends this year which I couldn’t last without. Throughout the whole year we made healthy meals together which kept my immunity at bay but this time I was struggling with my course. I had a lot of bad luck with many things this year on a certain project and I didn’t know if I was going to make it through.

It was the last few months of my degree and I was in serious meltdown and to make things worse my boyfriend of almost three years finished me 2-3 months before finishing my degree. People ask me if I was hurt by it because I didn’t really show emotions but I was. The first weekend in nearly three years I spent alone. I sat in my flat a big emotional mess because I felt like I didn’t have the energy or the confidence to even go outside. To be honest on the Saturday of that weekend I stayed in bed literally all day, I didn’t shower or even get up to eat I felt sick. I had always spent my time every weekend with him and now he wasn't there I was lost and felt a big empty space out of my life had been lifted when I needed someone the most. At one point I was going to defer my degree for a year because I couldn’t deal with things. I never missed university and my tutors said how well I looked because I got up every day and dealt with it as it came. It came near deadlines and I handed everything in to the best I could do with the situation. I did a few all nighters to try and finish everything to my satisfaction but when I received some of my results this year I was left a bit disappointed because I thought I could have done better.

Results day came and I nervously waited for them to load online and to my surprise it read upper second (2:1) and then it hit me like a brick. All those times I spent unhappy were worth it because from the start I did this degree for myself. Age is just a number because at 20 years old I have a degree under my belt and I’m excited to get more experience to pursue my career in PR. At the moment I am unemployed but as  I tell my parents every day I've never quit at anything and I’m certainly not going to make a habit of it now.

The biggest thing I have got out of my university experience is confidence; I can walk in a room full of people now with a big smile on my face. I can socialise with new people without even feeling nervous. I am so glad I have been given this opportunity to do a degree because not everyone has the chance to. Now four months on after my break up and I’m my own independent person. I have payed more attention to my blog and attending the gym which is what I enjoy doing. I think without going through some of these things at university I wouldn't be who I am today and I am ready for the next challenge ahead.

Have you just recently finished your degree?

Birmingham weekend in photos

Last weekend me and a very close friend took a trip to Birmingham to get away from Mancunian land. From the start they're was lots of laughs and giggles and we knew a shopping trip was on the cards when we arrived to Brummy town.(I went a bit crazy in Selfridges and bought some Bobbi Brown make up for £75 whooops) We had planned to go on a night out after a meet up in January and the weekend was perfect. Along the way we took a few photos to remind us of our weekend. Although we unfortunately didn't have time to explore monuments so we have agreed to take a trip back there soon for more Birmingham madness.

(Review of my Bobbi Brown haul coming soon)