Lou's How To's :: Birthday Wreath

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

A couple of days ago I instagrammed ('Sprinkleofglitr') a picture of something I had made for Baby Glitter and I had so much interest in it, that I thought I would write a blog post for you all.

This is the image in question. It is a Birthday Wreath made for Baby Glitter's upcoming 1st Birthday Party and it was beyond easy to make.

My friend Marie in America had made one for her little girl's birthday bash and I instantly fell in love and decided to make my own. You can check her video out HERE to see all her gorgeous party decor.

I shall give you a step by step and ebay links for crafty bits if you like to order online. Alternatively, you could pop along to your local craft store. I just like ebay because it's easy, speedy and paypal friendly- ohhh yeaaah!

Steppy by Steppy's:

1. Get yourself a polystyrene ring, a ball of wool in whichever colour you prefer, about 50cm (to be on the safe side- you may have excess) of ribbon in whichever colour you prefer, stick on gems, scissors and most fun of all, embellishments!! You can go wild with whatever you would like, but I chose cupcakes to give it a birthday feel.

2. Wrap the wool around the ring. For a more full and plush appearance, wrap round a couple of times. Warning- this takes time! Sit yourself in front of a film and just enjoy the easy task and feel satisfied watching it slowly fill up.

3. Wrap the ribbon round the ring to give it a candy cane spiral effect. Tie a bow and loop at the top so that you will be able to hang it from a hook.

4. Add the embellishments in any pattern or design.

5. Add the stick on gems in any pattern or design.

6. Stand back smugly in the knowledge that you just made a Birthday Wreath.

Seriously, this is an easy peasy lemon squeezy project and could be adapted for any occasion. How nice would an Autumnul wreath look? Mmmmm, I love Autumn.

I plan on displaying this near Baby Glitter's highchair at her party so that it is in a lot of her photographs and then afterwards I will hang it in her bedroom. Maybe we'll get it out every year!

If simple pimple baby projects are your bag, last year I wrote a post on customising baby clothes with pens and waaaayyy back in 2009 in my first ever month of blogging, I wrote a post on making a tutu for a barbie doll. Craft-tastic!

Is this something you might try? Do you think it will make a unique decoration?

Toodlepip!

xx

I heart Topshop Crystal

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

I'm going to assume that a large portion of you that read this blog are makeup addicts like me, and have far too much an enjoyable selection of makeup. You know how after a while, some products become a little samey and it can take quite a lot to impress you now? Well hold on to your seat belts, this is one of those products that will make you clap your manicured hands with joy!

I give you (well, show you pictures of!) Lips in Crystal by Topshop. *Combined 'Ooohhhh' and 'Ahhhh*

Lips in Crystal is a, "Moisturising sheer lip tint that reacts to your skin to create a unique pink shade" from Topshop's new Sisters Of The New Moon collection, and retails for £9.

Imagine a lip balm, shaped into a lipstick bullet, popsicle pink in colour, icing pink coloured glitter suspended within it, that reacts to your lips to create a beautiful rosey shade. That is what it is.

A-Mazing! Also, for all you glitter-phobes, panic not. The sparkle is actually very subtle on and doesn't give a 12-year-old-at-the-disco kind of look. Heh heh.

I love whipping this out of my handbag and just starring at it's supreme gorgeousness. I challenge you to not be mesmerised by it's beauty. Please do go and have a little swatchyswatch, because photographs don't do it enough credit in my eyes.

Quenches your lips? Check. Gives a little colour? Check. Looks incredible? Check.

Have you had a play with this little gem yet? No? Go and get your shoes on immediately!! Haha, nothing like demands and orders to finish a blog post off, eh?

Toodlepip!

xx

Tuesday Tip :: 'Ear 'Ear

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

It's Tuesday Tip time again! Gosh, that went fast didn't it?

This week's tip is a beauty one, so all you makeup lovers can do a silent fist pump of joy together. Ahhh unity.

Applying foundation is a fairly basic and necessary beauty step for most people. It hides spots, covers blemishes and evens skin tone. I usually blend right down my neck to prevent chavtastic tide lines and right into the hair line too. Today's tip to you though, is to consider giving your foundation brush a quick swizz over your ears.

Think of all those times when you become a little flushed (hot office boy winks at you, you run for a bus, you say something ridiculous) and you smugly think, "Oh joy unbounded, I have my foundation on so there will be no red cheekedness for me!". Wait, your ears are giving the game away! A quick swipe of foundation and you're sorted.

This also works well if you are going to be photographed a lot (nights out, occasion days, paparazzi...maybe not) as it gives you a professional overall finish.

Do you ever do this?

Toodlepip!

xx

PS- I will be taking bookings for April advertising slots (look left) for a couple more days, so if you have a blog or handmade business that you would like to promote for a small monthly fee, AND a linked feature in my Amazing Advertisers post, please do drop me an email and we can arrange something lovely.

louise.pentland@hotmail.co.uk

xx

Pink Sparkle

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

When the sun is shining and the birds are tweeting and we all have that spring in our step, I find myself drawn to cutsie girlie colours in every aspect of life, including my nails.

I think it's the promise of Easter that lures me to pastel pinks, lemons, lilacs and sky blues, but as ever, for me, a nail look isn't complete without a sprinkle of glitter. See what I did there? Heh heh.

In my opinion, there is very little better than pink sparkle. So as you can imagine, a have more than one nail polish in this variety, and love them all. I thought you might like to see which ones I love and then maybe add one to your collection too. Go on, I dare you.

I swatched these on a plain nail wheel (which you can buy HERE) so that you could clearly see, but I think they look gorgeous over other shades- mint being a personal favourite. I applied 2 coats for all products, to keep things nice and fair :)

Revlon Nail Enamel in 219 Sparkling is quite similar to China Glaze Glam in colour, but not in sparkle sizing. With one finely milled glitter and one medium, you can build up your coverage with multiple coats and could actually create an opaque look with this. I think the price tag (£6.49) is reasonable as the longevity is super and it's a little bit special because it was released (along with others) to celebrate Revlon's 80th Birthday. Save me a slice of cake!

Topshop Adrenalin (I believe) is set to be released at the end of this month and is a beauty! With finely milled pink glitter and holographic hexagons, this polish is slightly mesmerising. I *think* this will retail for around the £6mark, which I think is a fabulous price for something so glitzy.

China Glaze in Glam is the oldest of my pink sparkle collection and you can buy it HERE. I would describe the glitter in this as chunky. You don't get a fantastic coverage, but this allows your base colour to be quite prominent. You could apply just one coat if you wanted literally only a few dots or you could really build it up if you wanted something chunktastic. OOhhhh I think 'chunktastic' might be my new word.

Something sneaky that I like about glitter polishes, is that when they chip (which is usually faster than regular shades), you can easily touch up the tips without anyone seeing the chip-lines, because of the texture of the glitter. This means your manicure can last that little bit longer- Yipee!

Are you a glittery gal? Have you tried any of these little gems?

Toodlepip!

xx

Style Compare

Sponsored Post.

Hands up if you love online shopping? Sitting on the sofa, drink to your side, cat by your feet and an array of lovely things to buy at the click of a button. *Hand firmly UP*.

One such online haven is Style Compare. Listing over 50 fashion retailers on the same website (Yay! No more flipping between tabs for us!), shopping is made quick and easy. I've had a good long mooch around myself, and as well as some luurvly clothes, I've got my beady eyes on a gorgeous Cinderella Ring and a shmexy tortoise shell watch. I do love a good accessory.

Each week, on Style Compare's Facebook Page, there is a Fashion Friday Competition, and today they are offering the chance to win £100 towards any blazer from the site. I love blazers in the Spring for when it's too warm for a coat but too cool for bare arms. To win, all you need to do is go to the Facebook Page and tell those Style Compare kids whether you prefer polka dots or stripes.

As well as having a snazzy Facebook Page, Style Compare are also on twitter, as @stylecompare. Tweet tweet!

Easy!

Thank You for reading!

x

Amazing Advertisers :: March 2012

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

Is it that time of month again already? It's time to have a look at this months Amazing Advertisers and get to know them all a little more. If you have emailed me about advertising, rest assured, I will respond- I tend to save up a big batch of advertising enquiries and answer them all in one go. If you are wanting to place an ad on Sprinkle of Glitter, please do send an email soon as April spaces are filling up FAST! Email louise.pentland@hotmail.co.uk for bookings.

 (Image: www.weheartit.com)

Secret Diary of a Fashion Journalist
Laura is Lovely. This is la facte. She has been advertising on Sprinkle of Glitter for a few months now and so we have had quite a few little chitchats via email and she is an absolute pleasure to work with. Her blog is as lovely as it's writer and this month reached a big milestone- it turned One! Congratulations! On top of that, there are fashion, beauty and lifey posts and I couldn't help but notice that Laura and I are pink Primark scarf twins. Woop woop!

Beauty and Baggage
Seonaid has been a very lucky ducky this month and has been to the land of cheese and wine, Paris. She kindly posted a fab haul of high end and drugstore brands, enough to make your drool and has spent the month sharing her reviews and Paris snaps. If you are in the market for a new mascara, this is the blog for you.

Maydoll
Ellie's blog is fresh and easy on the eye. I could go on and on about her posts, but one that has literally HURT my bank balance is her recent Laura Mercier post. Puurrrleaasee go and have a look, you will just swoon. With great photos and the fact we both own the same MAC lipstick, Ellie's blog is a winner.

Adoreabubbles
Sarah is completely adorable (haha see what I did there?!). As a blogger and vlogger, she provides a great range of products and reviews, as well as talking about recent beauty experiences she has had. I love that there is no photoshopping and she isn't afraid to do a before and after shot, so you really can see exactly what a product or service has to offer. Great informative blog, with plenty of personality to boot.

Kiss and Makeup
Lisa's blog has had a bit of changey roundy this month and a new twitter account too. With fabulously photographed posts on nail polish (neon bubblegum pink please!), skincare, lipsticks and palettes, it's a girlie haven. With hauls galore, this is the blog for you.

Briar Rose Beauty
Jess's blog is not like other blogs. With catagorised pages filled with inticing little squares that link to articles, it's and organisationy girl's dream! Posts range from craft to nails to to beauty to style, so you can be sure there will be something you'll like. If you don't check it out for the info and reviews (tut tut), then go and have a look at the swishness and unique layout!

Danzies Bits of Beauty
Danielle is quite clearly, OBSESSED WITH LIPSTICK! With reviews, photos, swatches (on and off lips), giveaways and a range of highend and drugstore, this blog is choc-a-block with lippies. You'll also find posts on nails, subscription services and a bit of general chitchat. A lovely blog, that really makes me want to hit the makeup stands and swatch, swatch, swatch!

SBTCD
Charli has everything in a blog that a love. Clear layout, consise writing, gorgeous photographs and considered and well reasoned thoughts. Deary me, I sound like a teacher writing a report, but really, I do love, love, love this blog. Charli reviews a variety of products for a variety of budgets and even chats about her blog event experiences too. Lovely!

Lilly Belle
Lilly Belle Accessories is a cute, girlie shop filled to the brim with jewellery and headwear. There is even a collection for the little ladies in your life. There really is something pretty for so many occassions on this site- I even spotted a bridal garter- ooerrr mrs! If you have a little looksie at the ad button to the left of the screen, there is a cheeky little discount for all us Sprinklerinos. Woop.

Jessica Racheal
Jessica's blog makes me really happy. She does amazing nail tutorials with step by step nail tutorials and makes me want to try some of her fancy fun camera ideas. Jessica has just tipped over the 100 follower mark but I'm 100% sure she'll be shooting up, up and away. Please so go and show your glittery support.

Sam's Notebook
Sam's little space of the internet is awash with gorgeous pictures and insightful words about a range of beauty products, a lot of them very affordable. I love that Sam shows that you don't always have to buy incrediably expensive products to have a great cosmetic collection. Check her out s'il vous plait.

Hanny Made
Hanny Made is a shop full of handmade goodies, created by Hannah. See what she did with the name there? Clever non? Hannah has created a selection of very affordable girlie pieces and told me that the galaxy pendant is her best selling item, so be sure to snap it up before it sells out!



If you have blog or handmade business, a blog button no wider than 200px and would like to advertise in April (from the 1st), then drop me an email and we can talk about prices (which are tres reasonable).

Hope you find a new blog to add to your reading list!

Toodlepip!

xx

Tuesday Tip :: Think Outside The Box

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

Today's Tuesday Tip is a baby related one, but hopefully something you can apply to lots of other aspects of life too. A transferable skill if you will.

For the past few months I have been searching for a small table and chair set, for the mini human thing we keep here at Casa Del Glitter. I wanted something that could stay in the lounge but suit our other furniture.

I had considered THIS kind of mini picnic bench, that I would paint white and varnish, but just as I was about to take the plunge, I took off on a spur of the moment IKEA trip.

As we were walking round, pretending we lived in the showrooms (don't lie, you do it too), we stumbled upon a little white, square coffee table for £4.99. A table for under a fiver!! Bloomin' 'eck! It was perfect Baby Glitter size, easy peasy to assemble and did I mention it was a mere snip?!

I then bought a teeny white chair from the children's area for £9.99. It had a table you could also buy, which was ridiculously similar to the coffee one, but much much more pricey.

Now they are together and in my lounge, you would never know they weren't a set or that the table isn't a designated 'children's' table, would you?

The tip here, is to look around at everything that might suit your need. Don't assume that the only place you can find lovely children's furniture/toys/bedroom decor, is from a children's department. Some of the best things Baby Glitter has are from other walks of life and they look just fabulous!

Have you made any substitutes like this in your life? Care to share?

Toodlepip!

xx

A Long Time Coming

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

Last year, a blogging chum of mine sent me a surprise parcel of handmade goodies. Unfortunately, they were sent to Fanx HQ (a place where I worked for a few weeks in the summer, but hadn't told Cole I had left) and the kind chaps there, decided not to bother telling me. The parcel sat lost and unloved (on Lee's desk, grr), for months and months, but at last, here are the contents, in all their (slightly late) glory!

Scabble rings for Lister and I. Moustache Earrings.

Large cross earrings.

A selection of bracelets. Look at Baby Glitter's teeny tiny pink one! Cuuuttteee!!

Cole lovely lady and a pretty snazzy blogger too. She does amazing nail tutorials (bunnies on your nails anyone?) and finds some cracking MAC Dupes. If you would like to check out her shop, HERE is the link. You'll love it.

I have actually already seen Cole since my package arrived and thanked her in person, but I knew you would like it too, so this is just for you fancy little Sprinklerinos.

What was your favourite piece? Have you checked out the mulitcoloured cake ring in her shop? WOWZAS!

Toodlepip!

xx

Happy Mothering Sunday

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

This is for all the yummy mummy's who read Sprinkle of Glitter. It's lovely to have you and we hope you'll be a Sprinklerino for a long while to come!

I do hope you don't mind the watermark, I don't normally bother with beauty products but naturally I don't want folk pinching my cutie baby photo.

Today we will be going out for a jaunt in the countryside and spending some quality Mummy-Baby time together. Awwwww.

What will you be doing on this most maternal of days?

Toodlepip!

xx

Saturday Happies

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

If you follow me on Instagram (Sprinkleofglitr), then you will have already seen this snap so I do hope your eyeballs are not disappointed.

(Did you spot Mindy in the background?Meow)

I'm feeling pretty chipper today and thought I would share with you some of the good things in my life.

For those of you that leave lovely jubbly comments like, "Ahhh you're always so happy" and, "Your life is amazing", thank you. I think it's only right to tell you though, that I do have all the poopy days that you do, I just focus on the glitter. I still get stung by failing MOT tests (thanks car, thanks a bunch), arguments with Matt over stupid things and smearing baby poo on my new top. What I'm trying to put across, in a round about way, is that I bet your life is amazing too, when you add up all the micro happies and jump for joy at the small things. *Smiles in a beautiful, end of movie with background music playing way*. Haha.

On with the exciting stuff!

♥ I bought Baby Glitter the cutest little table and chair set for my lounge. It was a clever little dealio actually so I will be blogging about it soon.

♥ Remember how I was featured in my local paper a few weeks ago (Look in the 'I've Been Featured!' tab at the top of this screen)? Well they liked the article that I wrote myself so much that they are giving me a regular monthly beauty column! I had a meeting with them last week and a photoshoot (not as glam as it sounds let me assure you, think backroom with white sheet hung up and a camera) for my ByLine. Deary me I'm excited for that. I know it's not Carrie Bradshaw and the New York Times, but it thrills me none the less.

♥ Spring is finally here. Birds tweet in the mornings, flowers are popping up everywhere and the trees have pink and white blossom on. First step Spring, next step, BIRTHDAY!

♥ I have been crafting my socks off (not literally, that's be peculiar) for Baby Glitter's 1st Birthday Party, so I feel all Martha Stewart. Would you like to see the crafts?

♥ Zoechummy is coming to stay next week and I just know we will have a laughter filled week of fun and frolics. Please do leave your video requests below.

♥ The documentary I was filmed for part of will be airing on french TV tomorrow. It's a programme called 66 Minutes and will be on a channel called M6 at 5.30pm if any of you live in the land of cheese and wine. I hope I come across OK and the edit out the part where I tried to get out a deck chair and failed. Haha.

♥ I have a blog packed full of brilliant followers who are just marvellous. I know that sounds like a cop out point to make, but really I mean it. I am so lucky to have people like you and if ever I'm having a bit of a quiet moment or a down day or feel a bit lonely, I log on to here and feel like I have a whole room of friends by my side. Oh dear, I'm becoming very emotional aren't I?! Sorry about that. *Dashes off to suppress feelings*

What are you micro happies today?

Toodlepip!

xx

For your childish Benefit

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

Call me immature (go on, I dare you), but this little flyer that I picked up in a Benefit store last week, tickled my pickle and I hope it will tickle yours too. ;)

'Butt in and out' anyone?

Tehe!

Toodlepip!

xx

PS- Before I have you up in arms about equal rights and all that jazz, I actually love it when a man takes care or himself and grooms nicely. Tis a bit sexy, non?

Lou's Reviews :: Eldora Lashes

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

I love wearing false eyelashes. I think they give you a huge dose of confidence and automatically give your face the 'wow' factor.

I've tried and tested quite and array of brands and have often found price does not reflect in quality. It's for that reason that I am always willing to try new lashes from different brands, and have found some great pairs this way.

I found these lashes from Eldora at the London IMATS. I had actually seen them the year before but not bought any, so I thought I would give them a whirlybird this time and I'm really glad I did.

(Please do excuse the slightly grainy photos. I took them on the poopy face-forward side of my iPhone because I was popping them on for a dinner party with chums and thought, 'Oooohh I should snap these whilst I can and blog about them', so here we are with not perfect pictures, but real lifeness none the less!).

The pair I bought (H149) were £3.33 at the IMATS as they were doing a 3 for £10 deal but I have seen online (linked above) that they are £4.25, which I still believe to be a fair price.

They were easy to apply, the provided glue was surprisingly good quality (I usually use my own Duo glue, but I couldn't find the tube) and they stayed put all night.

I liked that the actual strip of lashes was flexible, so you could mould it easily to the shape of your eyelid. Sometimes I find it unbearably tricky to apply lashes that I give up in gluey frustration, but so far, with Eldora, that hasn't been the case- hurrah!!

Also, if you don't pull them off in a wine fuelled stupor (ahem), then you could easily wipe any mascara and glue off and use them again. 99% of the time I get at least 3 uses out of my lashes. This obviously means you save money, but please don't be tempted to borrow your chum's lashes after she's had a wear of them, you could run the risk of infection! Bleaugh!

The packaging is pleasant and slim enough to fit neatly in my false lashes box. Hmmm, you know you have too many when you have a dedicated box for them! Haha!

I'm pleased as punch with this brand and am really looking to dabbling into some of their more adventurous pairs- like feathers or fabric. Oohhhh! Although I must say, if you're new to the land of lashes, H149 would be a great place to start as they provide an element of flutter, but without the 'oh wow, have you grown wings from your eyes?' feel that they can sometimes bring...and that secretly I quite enjoy.

Are you a lash lady? Would you be tempted to try Eldora?

Toodlepip!

xx

Sister Glitter

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

Can you help me with something? I hope so.

This is my Little Sister, or Lister as I call her, Tiyana.

She's far to shmexy for my liking, because I remember her, like this...... (ooooooh, she will kill me!!)....

Ahhhh look at that little hand.

Firstly, you may have noticed that we look nothing alike! We are actually half-sisters but have never thought of each other this way. As far as I'm concerned, Tiyanabanana is my little sister, regardless of DNA percentages, and I know she feels the same. We have the same Dad and different Mothers. The lack in physical appearance similarities is down to her Mum not being English. Pretty simple really. I thought I would clear that all up, in case you were a little confused.

I will just say now, yes, Tiyana is the Daughter of the 'Serious Woman', but that is not relevant to my relationship with my sister and would politely ask that we don't comment on it. Tiyana and I both know the score and have our own opinions on it which we are not prepared to share as it is a deeply personal issue. Thank you for leaving that topic well alone. Ooofff I think that was the firmest I've ever been on here! Haha!

Secondly, here's where we need your help. We've made a couple of videos together over on my YouTube Channel and we had a whale of a time doing so and want to make mooooorreee. But what do you want to see?? We're completely stuck! Rather than going round in circles with poopy ideas, I figured....'Why not ask the folk that actually take time out of their busy days to watch?'. Seems obvious really, haha.

Sooooo, whaddaya want from us? If we can sit and chat about it infront of a camera, we're up for it!

Any suggestions?

Toodlepip!

xx

Tuesday Tip :: Facial Wipes

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

Last week, I wrote a Tuesday Tip blog post on blue lipgloss and since you all gave such positive feedback, I have decided to carry this feature on for the month of March. Woop woop!

This weeks tip is actually something I learnt from a Sprinklerino, and thought it was superduper so will be sharing it with you. I do love our glittery community y'anno. ♥

On to the tip.

Do you use face wipes for makeup removal? I do. There are some nights when I just don't have the oomph to do an entire cleanse, tone, moisturise routine. So a quick wipe swipe and my head is on the pillow.

To keep your wipe moist and prevent the top ones from going dry and not working as efficiently as they could, store the packet upside down. This way, all the 'wetness' and cleansing properties sink to the bottom due to good old gravity, and each wipe you take, will always be lovely and wipey. No more dragging a dry square of disposable fabric across your face for you! Yippee!

So there you have it, this week's tip. Was it useful to you or was that one you already knew of?

Toodlepip!

xx

YouTube :: Baby Glitter OOTD

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

As you will know if you follow me on Facebook, I recently had rather a splurge in the holy lands Primark and Baby Glitter has been spoilt rotten. I made a short YouTube video today just showing you how cute she looks in her Primarni ensemble so thought you blog readers might enjoy it too.

First off, here is the thumbnail I made for the video which was far too adorable to not include in this post- even if I am a bit biased- tehe.

Every single thing she is wearing (besides the shoes, which frankly, if they did in my size, I would wear!) is from Primark! What a bargainous baby!

Wear do you shop for baby clothes (for yourself or chums)?

Toodlepip!

xx

Travel Dealios

Sponsored Post.

From time to time I am asked to write something a little more specific than my usual musings about a product or site that might be of interest to you. After having a little moochypooch around this site, I thought it might be up your street, seeing as we all love a bargain, and so here I am, sitting tiptapping away.

I'll try and keep this short and sweet as I'm rushing around like a loon trying to get sorted before today's toddler group with Baby Glitter- eeep!!

Dealcollector.co.uk is a nifty little site, designed to find you the best travel deals on the internet, without you having to endlessly search through hundreds of different websites. Each day it scores the likes of Kelkoo, Keynoir and many more, brings them all onto it's on site and voila- presented easily for you to puruse.

If that more broad way of shopping doesn't tickle your pickle, you can tailor your search. So for example, if you lived in Belfast, you could just search, 'Deals Belfast' and see what offers were available to you that day.

Deal Collector not only find offers from individual companies, but work with discount giants like Groupon (ooohhh I've had some good bargains from there!) too. So, using the same example as above, if you had a seen a great Groupon Belfast deal, it would also be picked up on Deal Collector- clever non?

Sadly for me, I don't get to do a lot of travelling at the moment, but as time goes on, we plan to see this great big world we live in and show Baby Glitter the sights and sounds. This sort of site would really help us find the best deal for our mula, so I shall be bookmarking for sure!

Thank you for reading.

Sponsored Post.

Google HQ and the TV Crew

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

A different sort of post for you today, although actually still beauty and baby related.

A little while back I was contacted by a TV station from France who asked me if I would go down to Google HQ in London to talk about what I do on YouTube and how it all happened for me. I was pretty apprehensive at first and the sceptic in me thought it might be a bit of a scam, because let's face it, there are FAR better YouTubers out there than me.

It was then explained that they were looking for someone who was growing fast but needed technical help (ie. is poop at the computerywizz stuff) and could be sat down with a YouTube Exec who would go through a few tips and pointers and then the viewers of the programme would also hear/see the tips and could use them themselves. Knowing my complete ineptness with technology, I thought this would really help me, so threw caution to the wind and said yes!

Unfortunately, I couldn't film whilst I was in there because Mr Google has pretty strict policies on this, but I did manage to take a few photos of interesting things, so I thought it would be fun to share them with you.

I know this isn't a beauty review or Baby Glitter update, but without those things and without ALL OF YOU, I wouldn't have Sprinkle of Glitter, and I wouldn't have had this fun day out. So as always, I big courtesy and bow to all of you readers, who enrich my life in ways you didn't even know you could.

*Dabs tears from eyes*

On with the show!

This is part of a double decker bus that Google built with spare parts and just have in the office, as you do. I actually instagrammed this picture so you may have already seen it. (Instagram name- Sprinkleofglitr)

Just a collection of old TV's from around the world. As you do.

My view of reception. The coffee table was a bath, with glass over it for putting things on (mostly tres serious international newspapers- no glamour magazines to be seen) and inside where random things and toys and globes.

To sign in, you do it all yourself on a touchscreen dodar which I thought was rather swish. I was also a bit mesmorised by the lava lamps. Mmmm laaaaavvvvaaa. And yes, that light fitting is a bowler hat.

Leave your iPhones at home- there is a Google phonebox on hand.

The French film crew- Pierre (how apt) and Aude. They were tres bon oui oui oh la la. (I'm practically fluent!).

If a double decker bus doesn't get your transport juices flowing (ew), then a rowing boat in an indoor park might. Claudine the PR lady (who was so on our wavelength, Sprinklerinos-you'd like her) said nobody really sits in it. Frankly, if I worked there, I'd have my breakfast, lunch and dinner in it, just because I could! hahaha.

The park was in the middle of level four, which is designed like a spaceship. It was trippy and this picture gives you a sense of that I hope.

Look closely at those books. No Sophie Kinsella or Bridget Jones for us! Haha.

Did you know, if you work at Google, you can bring your dog in? This makes me want to buy a dog, just so I can go there with it!

Just doing crazy clever computer work, in a deck chair. Lalala.

Boating Baby Glitter. She had such a fun day playing with everyone and soaking up the atmosphere. I'm so happy to take her along on all my adventures, she'll have some great stories to tell in the playground, won't she?

Not Smarties, oh no- Google Choco Bits!! I don't know why but that REALLY tickled my pickle. If you work at Google (or are visiting), all your food and drink is free. Now I've worked in offices where there were disputes over budget price teabags, so this was a refreshing change of play.

Types of computers with my married name (I still go by my maiden name online) at the bottom. Do excuse my goofy smile. I had lost all sense of reality by now, but so would you after being in an indoor park in the middle of a spaceship, with a rowing boat and free smarties google chocobits. ;)

My moment of filmy glory with Sara Mormino, Head of YouTube Partners.

She gave some cracking tips, which I was so grateful for. I'm fairly sure she thought I was a bit of a dunce and kindly suggested a beginners course in something for me, so I'm really looking forward to that. I have no shame in admitting I am a beginner in technology and am always really willing to learn and improve myself. I will let you all know how the course goes.

We had to do lots of filming of  'casual walking' and 'making smalltalk about YouTube' which was funny, because often we had to to quite a few takes so it felt weird saying, "Oh Hi Sara, fantastic to meet you" for the third time and really hamming things up. Hahaha.

All in all, it was a brilliant day and well worth the time and effort getting there. The documentary will be aired at the end of the month on a French TV station called M6 in a show called '66 Minutes'. If they upload it to the world wide web, I will show you it. If not, I hope my snaps have given you a bit of an insight into my adventure!

I can't think of a relevant question except- what was your favourite picture? Soooo, what is your best computer related fact?

Toodlepip!

xx

Tuesday Tip :: Blue Lipgloss

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

Ever walked past the makeup counters and seen blue tinged lipgloss and thought, "Why oh why would I want lips like a smurf?!". If you have, this might be the post for you. If you know the answer already, then you can give yourself a gold star and I tip my cap to you.

Blue lipglosses are sneaky little buggers. Although slightly apprehensive looking in their packaging, they rarely (not that I have found anyway) are opaque and actually can be quite wonderful.

They're clever wonder-power is this: When the tiny sheer pigment particles are on your lips and you smile, the blue of the product makes your teeth look whiter- cool eh?

As you can see from the swatchy demonstration above, both of the blue lipglosses I own are actually pretty harmless. As my lips are naturally darker than my arm, the blue barely shows up and they appear practically clear, but still maintaining their nifty teeth whitening properties. Super!

If a blue lipgloss is still a little wild there for you, consider trying something like this (above)- A purple sparkly gloss, with teeny flecks of blue glitter within it.

The shade of glitter still has the gnasher dazzling abilities and you have vibrant purple lips- woop woop!

I'm sure a lot of you will have already heard of this little tip, but I thought it might be nice to impart a few of my tricks on you and maybe help a couple of you out.

If this easy lightweight kinda post floats your boat, do let me know and I shall do more Tuesday Tips soon. :)

Toodlepip!

xx

Lou's Reviews :: Baby Nose Clear Nasal Aspirator

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

Bit of a baby related post today. I shall try to sugar coat it as much as possible, but I'll warn you now, it is predominantly about snot. Boogers, mucus, slimey green stuff. There you are, if you're not entirely grossed out, then read on and you'll be fine.

 

As you can see, I've tried to make the picture 75% cute, 25% snot-related product.

In the last couple of weeks, Baby Glitter has been really suffering with a terrible cold. She's been sneezing, sniffling, spluttering and all in all, having a rotten old time. I tried to sooth her as best I could with constant (yet gentle) nose wiping, calpol, warm bottles and plenty of Mummy cuddles, but the thing that seemed to bother her the most was her bunged up little nose.

After a little bit of research, I came across the 4little1 Baby Nose Clear Nasal Aspirator and bought it for £8.49. The idea is quite simple. You put the little blue bullet shaped end just at the tip of baby's nostril, the other end in your mouth, and gently suck. There is a mesh valve in the bulbous part of the aspirator that means that none of the yulch will go in your mouth (thanks goodness!) and is collected safely, ready to be washed out (it unscrews).

When you consider that a baby cannot blow their nose or say, "Hey Mumtypewoman, my nose feels stuffed up and I feel just awful", it makes sense to give them a little help. This product is super because it rids the baba of excess snottiness, ins't too intrusive, doesn't involve any drugs and is reusable. It is also suitable from birth, so can help ease conjestion and encourage better feeding.

Personally, I'm quite happy to spend £8.49 to help Baby Glitter feel better and will gladly use this the next time it is needed.

I do hope this review hasn't made you feel queasy. I know it's a little TMI, but I really think this product is unusual and something that may help a few of you who read Sprinkle of Glitter purely for the Baby Factor.

Is this an item you would consider?

Toodlepip!

xx

A Sporting Love

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

Did you fall for it? Did you think this post would be about something exercise related? Hahaha, worry ye not.

 It's actually a little play on words for a new range of nail polishes by Miss Sporty (found at Boots and Superdrug), which I am really enjoying at the moment.

I must admit, I have a slight nail polish addiction. There is something about dainty glass bottles filled with coloured liquid that floats my boat...and empties my purse!

I recently spotted in Boots Miss Sporty polishes are on a 3 for 2 offer, meaning you can take home 3 new shades for £3.98! Bargain alert!

All the colours above are ones I have bought for a rather enormous giveaway I shall soon be hosting over on my YouTube channel (so do make sure you are subscribed to ensure you don't miss out!), but I am building up quite a collection myself. The navy and holographic sparkle polish is probably my favourite and so I just had to put it in the competition loot too.

The Miss Sporty polishes have a great finish, are long lasting enough for a drugstore purchase, and come in a vast array of rainbow hues.

Next time you are aimlessly wandering the aisles (you know you do it too), be sure to have a look at this affordable wonders.

Have you tried anything from Miss Sporty? What did you think of it?

Toodlepip!

xx

The Seven Deadly Sin Tag

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

From time to time I see a tag on YouTube which really tickles my pickle. The Seven Deadly (Beauty) Sins Tag definitely appealed to me so I whipped up a little video for you all. Seeing as I like the concept so much, I thought I would share it on my blog as well, in case you don't follow YouTube like a hawk (aka. like me!)

If you would like to make a video on this or perhaps a blog post if that is more your bag, then go for it, it's a hoot!

Do you know of any good tags that you would like to see on Sprinkle of Glitter?

Toodlepip!

xx