NEXT CHRISTMAS WISH LIST

Hey there lovelies. I hope you are all well on this fine Saturday. A bit chilly I know, but at least the sun is out :)

I have been browsing through the NEXT website to create my 'Christmas Wish List' of essentials for the festive season.

GLAMOROUS BLACK DRESS

This is great staple dress that is perfect for the party season. I love the structured sweetheart neckline and the skater skirting of the dress. It's sexy by showing off the collarbone and shoulders while hinting at some cleavage. Silver glam accessories would accentuate this perfect dress. Wearing a gem encrusted belt would change up the style entirely too.

BLACK FELT SHOPPER BAG

This bag would work for every day. Adding a bag charm or scarf for a hint of colour or print makes it easy to pair with a variety of outfits.

STITCH ROLL NECK DRESS

I am forever a lover of jumper dresses. I think they are perfect for taking the fuss out of styling and keeping you warm throughout winter. I sometimes wear a bodycon dress underneath or a vest and leggings.

WATERFALL BELTED CARDIGAN

I think these cardigans are great for casual every day looks as well as a cover up on an evening out. Just add a broach or a detailed belt to transform into a more formal piece. I have shown the shades berry and grey here which I love, but I would also love this in black.

TWO PACK ROSE GOLD AND PEWTER PLAITED BELTS

I think these metallic belts would be perfect for the cardigans above to add interest. As they are plaited they can be adjusted perfectly to fit well around your waist, just tucking the end through the belt so no awkward 'belt sticking out' moments.

BLACK SUEDE OVER THE KNEE RIDER BOOTS

When are black over the knee boots ever out of season in winter. A perfect pairing with the cardigans and jumper dress shown above.

So let me know which of these you would choose as part of your NEXT 'Christmas Wish List' in the comments below.

Images not my own.

Love to you all

Vicky xx

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Next Lip Balm & Astonish Handwash Reviews

Hi there everyone and Happy Friday! Thanks for taking a peek at my blog today. I have 2 really mini reviews for you and here they are. 

Astonish Yourself Coconut Anti Bacterial Handwash ~ 99p for 500ml

I do love shopping in the 99p Stores as there are always such bargains. I have also tried the Silke Soft handwash as well as the Milk & Honey from this range. I do have to say that I have enjoyed using them all. I love the coconut scent of this, but the scent doesn't really stay on my hands when I wash them which is a shame.

Next Just Pink Strawberry Lip Balm

This was a Xmas gift from a friend and I really hate to give it a bad review, but after persevering with this product for about 2 weeks I have to say that I am not a fan, sorry :( The strawberry scent is very evidently super sweet and yummy and the glossy appearance it gives to the lips is beautifully shiny and iridescent. The problem is the texture and the affect it had on my lips. It's a very sticky formula and didn't glide on to my lips as easily as other lip balms of this nature. My lips began to feel sore after using this for about 2 days. I did continue to use it for longer though as mentioned above, but I actually felt like my lips began to feel more sore even without touching them. I do still have another product from this Just Pink range that my friend gave to me to try so I will review that for you as soon as I can. I am not sure on the price of this product as I can't seem to find it on the Next website, but I have seen this range in store if you want to check it out as the product packaging is certainly girly and appealing. At least to me anyway :)

I hope you enjoy these reviews. I will keep trying out products for you and letting you know my thoughts on them. What are your favourite handwashes and lip balms and why? Let me know in the comments below.

Love to you all 

Xmas Gifts To Me

Hey everyone. I am sorry that it has been a while since I posted on Beautiful Addictions, but I hope you forgive me. I had to pick up Xmas gifts all the way up to Xmas Eve while feeling a little rough and then we were out visiting as well as having family and friends over like most of you I'm sure. So today I thought it would be cool to show you my Xmas gifts that I love, but there is one that I am so excited about :)

My SONY NEX 5T camera is amazing. I have been lusting after a new camera for so long, but never really had enough money to buy one of this standard. My man however stepped up and bought this for me as a Xmas/birthday present as my birthday is in January. I did get a bit emotional lets just say. I was also given a memory card from his family later that day which almost set me off again. I have been trying to learn all the parts of the camera so please bear with me while I try to improve. I am figuring out the video too as I am going to attempt uploading YouTube videos in 2014 :) This photo was taken with my Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FS15 camera. It has served me well so far (thanks Mum) and it will still come in handy I'm sure because it is so compact and takes pretty good photos. I would totally recommend it if you are new to blogging or just want something simple to use that takes good quality photos.

My Mum bought this cake stand which I thought would be fun to display most of my presents on. Beauty treats galore!

More beauty with a little Hello Kitty in the mix.

Vouchers and money never go out of fashion right!

Some home decor and note books for blogging.

Beauty essentials

My amazing Katy Perry Killer Queen fragrance that I have wanted since I received a sample in my GlossyBox, a snuggly hat and an American Eagle Outfitters t-shirt that was bought for me in New York.

Yummy chocolate and gloves to scrub the dishes as well as myself.

Apologies for the composition of this photo, but it was only meant to be a test shot. I just thought you might want to see my tree :)

So that is all of my lovely presents. I have my secret Santa present to collect when I return to work on Monday as I took some last minute time off to get things prepared in time for Xmas.

I hope you all had a great time and that you are still in good spirits. If you have any photography and/or camera tips I would be most grateful if you could leave them in the comments below.

Do any of you have New Years Eve plans? If yes, let me know also what you are getting up to.

Love to you all

Blogging Workshop With Next

Hi everyone. I have a very informative post for you today. I wish I could have written about my fantastic day out sooner, but I have been ill recently. I won't bore you with that and instead just tell you what this post is all about.

Next held a workshop on Monday 28th October as part of their #NBN (Next Blogger Network). I sent in my email hoping for a place and yay I was accepted. I promptly booked the day off work a few weeks before and waited for the day to arrive. 

Unfortunately the 28th October was the day of the storm where travelling became a waiting game. I stood at the train station for almost 2 hours and was close to going home when they announced a train was arriving. I swiftly made my way to The Hoxton Hotel a little windswept, but all in one piece. 

There were lots of bloggers already sipping their warm drinks and nibbling on croissants. I handed my coat over and received my wrist band saying which group I was in and a goodie bag with some useful and fun items.

As you can see I was gifted with a handy canvas bag, some snuggly angora slipper socks, a photo frame, a notebook and pen which came in very handy and a Xmas gift guide. There was a card for Snapchat Bingo too. During the day we were supposed to mark off the keywords on our card when we heard them and Snapchat them to next-official. The first three won a £100 Next gift card. I kept forgetting to check mine as I was engrossed in what the speakers were saying and making notes. 

There were 3 types of workshop and everyone was put in either group 1, 2 or 3. I was in group 2 and my first session was 'Brand & Advertising'.

Guest speakers during this workshop were Emily Johnston from Fashion Foie Gras and Abisola Omole from Abimarvel & The Apartment discussing working with brands and managing advertising. 

Emily's Top Tips

Abi's Top Tips

Then it was time for lunch .........

I opted for the chicken roll, some chips and a diet coke from the fridge. We could grab drinks any time of the day such as coffee, tea, water and soda drinks. I also had a brownie which was to die for, yum :)

The next workshop was 'Photography & Film'. Guest speakers during this workshop were Kit Lee from Style Slicker, Lily Pebbles from lilypebbles. & Anna from Vivianna Does Makeup sharing their film and photography tips as well as industry knowledge.

Kit's Top Tips

Lily & Anna's Top Tips

Then it was afternoon tea ......

I went for some chocolate cake and another diet coke.

The last workshop was 'SEO & Web Design' with guest speakers Faye Marie from Fashion Beauty Etc and Diego Puglisi from Greenlight talking about things such as SEO, coding and creating social media icons.

Faye's Top Tips

Diego's Top Tips & SEO explained

There was of course some Next fashion to peruse at the workshop too.

There was also a really cool tuck shop as well .....

I gave most of these to my fella, but I saved the cookie for a cup of tea that night :)

I had a fantastic time and learnt so much. I am so thankful to Gemma for accepting me into the workshop. I would definitely attend one again in the future. I think other companies should take on board what Next have accomplished here. Bloggers are a massive part of their advertising community so if they can help us to improve the way we blog then surely they will only profit.

Plus a day of learning can be fun too ;)

For more information on the Next Blogger Network click here!

Did you attend the Next #NBNWorkshop? If yes, was it worth going for you? If you didn't attend would you like to go next time? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Love to you all

Beautiful Addictions' 2nd Birthday!

Hey there beautiful people. I just wanted to pop on my wee blog to say thank you to any of you that take the time to read or comment on my blog. I have really enjoyed developing Beautiful Addictions over the past 2 years and getting to know more and more of you. I still have many ways in which I want to develop my blog though. I am always learning from others and love to discover new blogs along with the people behind them. 

I hope that many of you still enjoy to read my posts. I try to write a mixture of reviews and hauls along with the occasional creative make-up or nail art post. Feel free to put your suggestions in the comments below of the type of posts you would like to see as I am open to suggestions.

When I first began my blog I was fearful that no one would enjoy reading my posts or want to hear my opinions, but I am so glad that I gave blogging a go as after all I had nothing to lose. I hope that you feel at home when you read my posts as I really feel like I am talking to you when I write them.

If you are thinking of starting your own blog please give it a go. You don't need to know the ins and outs of how blogging works in the beginning just make your blog your own and write about what you love.

Thanks once again for supporting me by reading, commenting and following (subscribing). 

As a reminder you can follow me in many ways. You can follow via bloglovin', glipho, email, twitter & instagram. 

You can also follow me via Google Friend Connect, but as I believe that will no longer be an option from 1st July I would advise that you follow me through as many of the options as you wish above.

If you would like to show your support for Beautiful Addictions please feel free to vote for me in the Cosmopolitan Blog Awards 2013 with Next under the category 'Best Established Beauty Blog'. You can do that via this link.

Love to you all, mwah!

Cosmopolitan Blog Awards 2013 With Next

Hi there my loves. I hope you have all had a great day. Today I am not going to beg, but I would fully appreciate your support if you would like to nominate me for this years Cosmopolitan Blog Awards 2013 With Next under the category of 'Best Established Beauty Blog'.

I am so pleased to still enjoy writing, reviewing and creating on my blog. Beautiful Addictions has been my baby for 2 years this month and it's been so much fun. I have tried and tested many products which has helped me to make new discoveries and had fun with make-up, especially at Halloween time. It has been great to get to know so many of you through the growth of my blog and I hope to meet more of you in person. I have attended a few PR events which have been interesting and fun too. Thank you once again for checking in on my blog. I hope you continue to enjoy my future posts. I want to expand Beautiful Addictions more and more so any thoughts or suggestions please leave in the comments below.

You can vote for me here 

Good luck to all bloggers and vloggers in every category and love to you all

Next Guest Blogger Competition

Hi there you gorgeous Beauty Addicts. I have woken up a happy bunny this morning as I had a really good birthday yesterday. It was full of great company, great food and great presents. I will share them with you in another post, but for now this one is all about the Next Guest Blogger Competition. It's basically the chance for one person to win three outfits each up to the value of £150 and the opportunity to guest post about their style picks on the Next Blog by answering one of the 3 questions set in the Next stylish challenge. 

Here is a link to the competition including the 3 questions, Link.

This is the question that I am going to answer in my post.

What key SS13 trends are you most looking forward to wearing?

I personally think if you are tempted by a trend, but not quite sure how to wear it I always think accessories are a safe bet. They can be really inexpensive and a great way to update your wardrobe in either a subtle or elaborate way. I think sunglasses are a great staple to go for as you will get a lot of use from them (UK residents let's hope so). They are great if the correct shape is found to accentuate your face shape. Just keeping trying them on until you find a pair that enhance your features rather than overwhelm them.

 Enamel Flower Rimless Sunglasses ~ £15 

These are a great way to tap into the floral trend without being OTT.

 Pink Leopard Print Sunglasses ~ £12.50 

 These are perfect for cool cats.


Now onto a couple of clothing items that I think anyone could wear.

Essential Printed Trousers Leopard ~ £25

Sticking with the animal print theme I think these are a great pair of easy throw on trousers that could be worn with flats or heels. I would also add a simple black or white t-shirt or vest. For cooler times of the day or to just smarten up the look I would add a blazer. A slouchy bag for day and a clutch for night with some simple gold accessories and you are ready to rock. These are comfort and style combined.

Black Jersey Hareem Trousers ~ £18

Now I have always been a bit put off by the hareem trend because of how low slung most of this style are in the crotch area. I don't think that look does much for the the bottom. This pair I think offer a slightly more structured and feminine feel. They are casual yet chic.

Fluorescent Textured Cotton Chinos Pink ~ £24

To add a pop of colour into your wardrobe while going for cool comfort why not go for a classic style like chinos with a modern colour twist. These have a flattering cut too.

Textured Peplum Top Navy ~ £12

I am a fan of the peplum trend already and I don't see at as one that is going to fade away any time soon. This peplum top is less structured than some styles out there so is very wearable. It comes in various shades, but I picked navy as I think it would suit all skin tones.

Buckle Ankle Sludge Boots Chocolate ~ £65

Every summer I have this vision in my head of a look I would like to wear. It includes boots like this or those of a more cowgirl style with a pretty floral dress and a glowing tan. For some reason I never pull it out of the wardrobe, but I do think it's a look that comes around every year. Will you be rocking the Nevada trend this spring/summer?


I hope you enjoyed this post. I think it's good to try new trends, but I will never wear something just because it is trending at the time. This is why I tried to find items for this post from the Next website that are wearable too.


If you wish to enter this competition yourself than you must do so by 3pm 31st January 2013. Good luck to those who do!


Have you entered this Next competition or will you? Which trends are you going to be wearing this Spring/Summer? Let me know in the comments below.




Love to you all