Hello my lovelies!
Today was supposed to be cloudy, yes, but DRY. I decided to wear a summery outfit to try and tempt the sun back out from behind the clouds, but alas, it decided to rain instead, as soon as I exited my seminar. Nonetheless I feel it would be nice to show you this outfit, as I'm particularly proud of the skirt - 99p on ebay! It's from Dorothy Perkins and it's just so pretty and summery. I don't usually wear yellow so I wasn't sure what to team it with, but ended up settling on this New Look jumper I borrowed from my little sister.
For my make-up I decided I wanted a bit of a corally look, so I used Bourjois blusher in Rose Coup de Foudre, and that lovely Gosh liptint I posted about on Monday. I love this product so much, seriously, if you're looking for a decent liptint I would recommend this one with bells on! I haven't really used any other new products recently, although I do have my eye on a few Chanel Mat Lumieres (in my shade this time!) on ebay, so fingers crossed I get my hands on one! Honestly I have become an ebay fiend over the last month or so, I can't stop and since getting the app on my phone I find myself searching for items on a daily basis.
As my shopping addiction is getting a little out of hand, I was wondering if I ought to try a shopping ban for all of April. It's my birthday on the 15th so it's not like I won't be getting goodies, I just won't be the one buying them! Lauren of Lauren's Dressing Room has just completed her 30 day shopping ban and I feel a little inspired.
I shall keep you posted!
Hope you're all having a lovely week so far!
xoxo
Hello my lovelies!
I realise I haven't done a 'proper' make-up post in ages, and considering I started this as a beauty blog I think that's pretty poor! Over the last couple of weeks I've been using some new products I really like so I thought I could do a little post about them and why I like them!
1. Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation.
Love this! The finish is perfect, I don't need to use powder and it covers up blemishes without looking too heavy on. There's a reason why this is a favourite among so many people! (Retails for £25.50)
2. GOSH lip tint pen
I've only owned this for a few days but I love it already. It lasts longer than any other lip tint I own (Max Factor, I'm looking at you!) and I love the colour selection. I picked this one because I didn't already own a true red lip tint and it's just perfect, so bright and vibrant! (Retails for £6.99 usually but on offer now for £4.99 in Superdrug!)
3. Origins mascara
I got this in a gift pack along with the Ginzing eye cream and two lipglosses, so I wasn't expecting great things but it's really good, it holds the curl nicely and doesn't clump too badly! Not sure how much this costs on its own though, I got it in the gift set for £12.99 at Boots though!
4. MAC Shroom eyeshadow
This was one of my prizes from Jenn's Beauty Bloggings giveaway a few weeks ago, and since I received it not a day has gone by without my wearing it! It just brightens up my whole eye area without looking too chalky. I can see why this is such a favourite, I don't know how I managed without it!
I'm sorry for the quality of these pics, I'm not at home at the moment and thus don't have my regular camera, so my phone is filling in! Hope you've all been enjoying the lovely weather!
xoxo
Hello my lovelies!
Inspired by Maria of Frills'n'Spills (yes I'm mentioning her again but honestly she is worth it!) I decided to go for a nautical theme today...well strictly speaking I wanted a stripy element in my outfit and this is the only stripy top I own (shocker I know, I must get my hands on more!). The navy blue made it a wee bit nautical though, I think!
I think the top was a cheap one from Primark, but I find it's a bit low-cut for me (I don't like flashing everyone in town, you see) so I added a grey H&M vest underneath, popped on my Miss Selfridge jeans and a cardie and voila! I think it's a nice spring outfit, very casual of course but it meant I didn't have to ponder my outfit so much today.
As you can see I'm not making a huge effort with my make-up at the moment because I think the simple look just seems to go with the lovely weather we're having, although not wearing eyeliner means I feel I have to make up for it on the lipstick front! I'm wearing my Barry M hot pink lippie today because it felt like my outfit needed a pop of colour. I really need some colourful ballet pumps now instead of my ancient cream-and-black ones! Any recommendations?
Hope you're all having a lovely day! Not long till the weekend now!
xoxo
Hello my lovelies!
Sorry about the lack of updates over the weekend! I always seem to find it easier to update during the week, and recently I've found it difficult to put nice outfits together because I haven't really felt like I looked nice enough to warrant them! A little self-esteem dip, but I'm trying to combat it with more healthy eating and exercise (half-killed myself jogging on Monday...yeah, not doing that again!) and I decided a nice spring outfit would help perk me up a bit!
So the gorgeous (and, true to form, polka-dotted) dress I'm wearing is one I bought off the lovely Maria from Frills 'n' Spills! She has a little separate blog dedicated to selling her clothes and the moment I saw this dress I knew I had to have it!
I'm also sporting my lovely little MAC goodies today: I decided my usual liquid liner was a bit heavy for such a sunny day so I'm just wearing a quick sweep of Shroom on my eyelids and mascara (Origins, if anyone's interested! I got it in a little travel pack from Boots). On my lips I'm wearing the gorgeous Chatterbox lipstick, it's so pretty and summery, I just love it!
Hope you're all having a good week so far and enjoying the sunshine! Alas I have essays to do but I might snatch a couple of hours of reading outside, I can't let this weather go to waste!
xoxo
A rather special outfit post today...and yes I deliberated for ages on how to style it! I chose the Shakespeare T-shirt in honour of my degree, what else could I have done? I also succumbed to temptation and bought the Topshop Kristen jeans that I've been coveting, they're very comfy but I'd like them a bit tighter on the leg so perhaps I'll have to try and shrink them (my mum says I have to sit in a cold bath with them on?! Please tell me there's a better way!!)
So in honour of Comic Relief, my friend Stephie and I are doing a sponsored silence today (and we usually talk a LOT) and we will spend the next 12 hours being absolutely silent and communicating through miming gestures (barring our seminars as we have to talk during those!). So far we've raised £70, which I think is pretty good since our target is £100, but it's kind of worrying how many people don't want us to talk all day!
Anyhoo, if you are interested the link is http://my.rednoseday.com/mimingitup, although there are probably a lot of funnier things out there you could donate towards! Did you get a Comic Relief T-shirt? I do like this one, although the Beatles one from the last Comic Relief was pretty good too!
xoxo
Eeeeee I was so excited when I got home this afternoon to find these beauties, courtesy of the lovely Jenn from Beauty Bloggings! I won her giveaway and was able to select a lipstick and eyeshadow from MAC. I've never owned anything from MAC before so I was super excited!
I asked for the eyeshadow in Shroom and the lipstick in Chatterbox, as it was a colour I didn't already own. The photo doesn't really do it justice as it was starting to get dark (despite being horribly gloomy all day, where's the sun when you need it?) and so the lighting wasn't excellent when I took the photo, but it's a lovely light pinky-red that looks so pretty on, I shall have to do a face of the day when the lighting is better!
In other news, I am SO GUTTED over the end of Sunday's Being Human episode, I honestly feel like I've lost someone I knew! I've never been so emotionally invested in a TV show before, but now I have got Jon hooked so we shall rewatch old episodes until the fourth series comes out (that's nearly a year, then!). But honestly, if you haven't watched Being Human before I highly recommend it, it's so well-written and well-acted, it's a perfect mix of comedy and drama and it's just amazing. One of the highlights of British television for sure!
Hope you're all having a good week!
xoxo
Hello there my lovely readers!
Today's face features some new products (hurrah!), namely, Estee Lauder Double Wear (I now own the full-size bottle) and Maybelline gel liner. I also let my hair dry naturally (except the fringe) which is why it looks so super curly!
I know the liner has been doing the rounds on blogs for the last week or so (Nats featured it not too long ago!) and it was on offer in Boots so I picked it up. The brush is much easier for me to use than a slanted liner brush but I'm still no expert, as you can see by the smudges on my eyelid! I'm loving the foundation though, finally a colour that suits my skin tone and doesn't require powder so I don't get that dreaded wrinkly look I used to get with other foundations!
Sadly though, as I have bought this high end foundation, I must say farewell to another...as my Chanel Mat Lumiere was too dark for my skin tone, I am selling it on eBay. So if you're interested and you suit the colour Beige (40) then click here! I'm selling it for £16 as opposed to the usual £29.62. And with that shameful self-promotion out of the way, I bid you good day! It's almost the weekend - what are your plans?
xoxo
Hello my lovelies! Wasn't it lovely weather today? I can't wait for it to actually warm up properly though so I can discard all my woollies and boots!
[wearing: New Look top, Miss Selfridge jeans, Accessorize carousel necklace]
I look a bit ridiculous in both these photos, I don't know why I'm so awful at looking halfway normal in photos, I just end up looking smug! Ah well...I called this my almost outfit because I didn't actually end up wearing it out as I decided I felt more comfortable in a skirt, but I love this top even though it's not the most flattering, simply because of the design! Bows AND polka dots - instant admiration. It was only a fiver in the New Look sale too and it goes nicely with high-waisted skirts, so a success all round, I'd say!
In other (make-up related, if anyone cares!) news I've finally bought the Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation after deliberating for months and months; I shall add it to the Foundation Files once I've worn it for a few weeks! I'm also devoting some thought to doing a giveaway once I hit 100 followers as I feel it's only right to reward you for reading my mindless drivel! I'm compiling a list of things to add to it, so if you have any ideas for prizes please drop me a line!
Hope you're having a lovely week!
xoxo
Hi! First of all I just want to say WOW and THANK YOU because today I opened up Blogger to find I have 70 lovely readers :) thank you all so much! It really means a lot to me that you read my blog :)
Today's outfit is one of my 'spring' outfits (with tights and a cardie for warmth, it's not as warm outside as it looks!) I'm wearing the dress I got engaged in (New Look) with my H&M cardie, H&M short leggings (as the dress is quite short) and a Zara waist belt.
Excuse the silly poses, it's sunny, I'm happy!
I also decided to use my Double Wear tester again because my foundations are all still too orange for me. I really do love this foundation so I think I'll be getting a full-size one when this runs out.
To keep the look a bit more summery than usual I teamed Sleek Rose Gold blush (love the shimmer when the light catches it) with a shimmery Too Faced eyeshadow and my bright pink Barry M lipstick.
Just as a little aside, Double Wear has really helped my blusher stay in place, as usually it's faded a bit by now but it's still just as bright as it was when first applied! A little scrap of info for you there!
In other news, my friend Stephie and I are beginning a proper exercise regime, made even better by the lovely sunshine today. I hope it stays sunny as I find it really motivates me to get out the house more, so hopefully I will slim down a bit as well!
Thank you for reading my ramblings again!
xoxo
Hello my lovelies!
I keep recycling outfits at the moment because I just don't seem to feel confident in the majority of clothes in my wardrobe...sad times! I also can't afford to buy new things at the moment because my grant STILL hasn't come in (although this is not such a bad thing, a little restraint is required at times!).
It was so cold today! After taking the photos I added a big jumper and a coat because it was freezing outside, I lost all feeling in my toes! But I did have a lovely afternoon and cream tea with my grandparents and cousin, so all is well.
[wearing: New Look dress, Dorothy Perkins cardie, scarf was a gift!)
I'm back to wearing foundation...and I just can't get used to it again! I can really feel it on my skin, it's just weird, but my skin is bad at the moment so I feel I need it...argh! Oh well, I brightened everything up with a pop of bright pink lippie, that makes everything okay! Whilst on the subject of lipstick, I was lucky enough to win the lovely Jenn's give-away and will soon have my hands on my very first MAC products, including a lipstick and an eyeshadow! I can't wait!
Hope you're all having a good week so far!
xoxo
Sunday: Fortnum & Mason for afternoon tea, courtesy of my future mother-in-law as it was for her mother's 90th birthday. They had TEA STRAINERS! Sandwiches, poached egg (for Stephie) and cakes galore followed. I also sampled my very first lemon macaroon - HEAVEN. I have vowed that this is the way I would like to celebrate all my birthdays from now on!
I wore:
dress- Dorothy Perkins
red mac - New Look
lipstick - Chanel Rouge Allure Laque in Dragon
Are you an afternoon tea aficionado? Sorry for all these photos!
xoxo
(image via Google)
So...it is the END of NO-FOUNDATION-FEBRUARY!
What have I learned from this, erm, rewarding experience?
Well, for starters, I've learned that doing my everyday make-up is super fast when there's no foundation involved, as I spend ages blending it usually.
I've learned that people can't tell when I'm wearing foundation or not (hardly anyone noticed I wasn't wearing foundation!)
I've learned that it's worth investing in a good highlighting concealer for those foundation-less days.
I've learned to value the importance of blusher.
Ditto lipstain.
Ditto mascara!
I've also learned that foundation DOES NOT CAUSE SPOTS. Well, not for me at any rate, as my skin has stayed the same through the month, even getting worse than usual at some points. Maybe foundation acts as a kind of barrier against bad stuff?
To conclude, I know I've learned a lot from No-Foundation-February. It's been eye-opening in some ways; I know now that people genuinely don't care about the way I look and my awful skin exists mostly in my head (aside from the SPOTS that clearly do exist!). I also know that I can accept my skin without foundation and that I don't need to spend twenty minutes on my make-up to feel I look acceptable.
(picture from the beginning of Feb! Not too bad, right?)
So...henceforth I shall forgo foundation WHEN I AM IN A HURRY. Sounds fair, no? However, I can't quite accept the unevenness of my skin tone, the dark circles, the spots when I know I can cover them up with a simple swipe of Bourjois Healthy Mix, for example. So I shall continue to use foundation when I have time to do so, and I'm looking forward to using the lighter Healthy Mix Serum because I feel I will be able to tolerate its low coverage better now that I've gone without for a month.
Could you live without foundation? Or is it inconceivable that I should be so attached to it, still? Let me know!
xoxo
