OOTD | Leather Look Tee & Topshop Trousers

    

Top: Ebay

Leggings: Topshop

Hey :)  I thought that I would do an outfit post today to show you my new favourite thing – this leather look top that I bought from Ebay for a bargain £5.49.  I have seen some similar tops doing the rounds in most high street shops lately, and even though I really wanted one, I didn’t quite see the point in paying much money for something that isn’t even real leather..!  I came across this one and it is perfect, I love the slightly baggy fit (I went up one size) and the fact that it looks more expensive than it was.  I think it will be very versatile, when I bought it I imagined wearing it with these leggings (which were bought earlier this year) and I’m so pleased with how they look together!  I have hardly worn these leggings, I feel pretty limited in what I can wear them with but I really like them, so I’m glad that this top goes with them nicely.  The black and white outfit was completed with some lipstick, specifically Topshop’s Rio Rio.  I generally stick to natural lip colours for daytime so it was nice to wear this lovely bright orange/red shade again! 

Just a quick post today, I am really bad at managing my time lately – working more hours has really thrown me off course!  I love blogging, but I’ve lately been coming home and just reading other blogs rather than working on my own!  xx

NOTD | Barry M Gelly Nail Paint in ‘Lychee’

Hey!  Soooo… this is awkward, since this month I have been trying to take part in #blogyoursocksoff september and this is my first post since Friday I believe..boy is my face red!  Not that it’s a major disaster or anything, I just feel a bit disappointed in myself  ):   My new (ish) job is a lot harder on my brain (thank god) so I have been coming home in the evening struggling to switch off and after cooking etc all I want to do is crash out in front of the tv!  I have actually been reading a lot of blogs though and watching even more videos,  so I haven’t been completely awol from the blogging world.  My dog has also been taking up more of my time, as his latest hobby appears to be running off during walks and rolling in horse poo etc., so showers are becoming almost a daily task!  I’m sure you really wanted to know that..you’re welcome ;)

Never mind, here is today’s post.  Another simply nail look featuring Barry M Gelly Nail Paint in ‘Lychee’.  This is the latest addition to my nail polish collection, and another that I deemed suitable for work.  It is a pretty inoffensive colour, a really glossy nude that takes two coats to look perfect.  I think I love it, but a small part of me still sometimes looks at it and thinks “I kind of hate it”, and I think that’s because it blends into my skin colour a little too well… that sounds ridiculous, maybe it’s just that I love my bright nail colours so much that this just doesn’t cut it for me!  But in general I do like it for an every day shade.  The formula is good and the hi shine finish is as lovely and professional looking as ever, if I want a new colour lately Barry M Gelly is the brand I always looks to first. 

What nail polishes are you loving right now?  Are you a fan of this colour? xx

Favourite Brands #1 | Benefit

Hey!  I thought I would start doing some posts on my favourite brands, ones which I always go back to and buy a lot of.  The first one that came to mind was Benefit, I have been using their products for a loooong time now and there are a number of their products that I count among my favourites.  They are not a budget brand, but I think that their products are of a good quality and of course…the packaging is pretty! 

The products of theirs that I currently have include the Big Beautiful Eyes palette, which is a little kit containing three eye shadows that are designed to create a lovely, natural contoured look that is perfect for daytime.  It also has some concealer in it too, which is handy if you take the palette out and want to top up your make up throughout the day.  There is a dark brown eye shadow in there which has actually completely run out (hence why I didn’t have a photo of it all opened up!), which I have often used to fill in my eyebrows.  It just happened to be the perfect shade for me, so I really need to think of repurchasing this as I really am missing it! 

Lemon Aid is another little gem, it is a product a bit like an eye primer that can be used to even out the skin tone on and around your eyelids if, like me, it is an annoying area that is so pale/translucent that you can see veins!  I have also used it to even out the skin tone under my eyes, the yellow tone in it is perfect for lightening dark circles. 

Then there are the cheek/lip products.  Benefit blushers are my all time favourite, I love everything about them from the bright range of shades to the sheer finish they have, and even their lovely smell!  As you can probably tell from the photo, Sugarbomb is my favourite and most reached-for.  This is the second purchase I have made of it, and I recently bought Rockateur too, which I reviewed a few days ago.  Coralista is another lovely shade, as the name suggests it is coral and leaves a healthy rosey glow on the cheeks that doesn’t look too fake or full on.  Cha Cha Tint and Posie Tint are liquid products that can be used both on the cheeks and lips.  Cha Cha Tint has to be my favourite out of the two, as Posie Tint is a little paler than I like.  I use Cha Cha Tint more on my lips, because I love the shade of coral that it is, and it’s also buildable so I can choose whether I want a light bit of colour or more of a bold pop instead.  The other great thing about this is that it lasts so so long, I can put some of it on my lips in the morning and it still looks exactly the same much later on in the afternoon!   High Beam has also recently been reviewed on here, I love it so much and it is a great high lighter in my opinion. Moon Beam is a similar product but the shade is different; it is a little darker and more yellow toned, and the sheen it has is more mother-of-pearl and iridescent finish if that makes sense?!  Hopefully the photo shows you what I mean hahah! 

Lastly, there is the Benefit Foundation Brush.  I used this all the time, and have nothing bad to say about it, it’s just that I’ve since discovered Real Techniques and this poor thing has kind of been neglected! 

Do you love Benefit as much as I do?  What are your favourite products? xx

Review | Topshop Lipstick in ‘saint’

Ahhh, it’s been a while since I bought a lipstick, what with all the lip butters and crayons coming out and stealing the limelight for a while!  Since I heard that Topshop lipsticks (maybe even all of their make up, I’m not sure) are made in the same place as MAC ones, I have refused to pay for MAC and I don’t regret the decision at all.  Topshop lipsticks are £8 and I find them to be really pigmented and also very moisturising. 

The latest shade that I’ve added to my collection is ‘Saint’, which is a nude colour.  I haven’t worn a nude shade for ages, I have just been loving the corals too much lately.  But I fancied giving this a go, and I will probably start slapping on a bit more eye make up now, since the unwritten laws of make up state that less on the lips means more can go on the eyes..!  I barely ever live by that rule, but for day to day wear I guess it is rather practical.  I have tried this lipstick out a few times so far and I really like the shade, it is pretty pale but not in a bad way (as in it does not look like foundation lips..thank god), and it has a sheer velvety finish which I love and which adds a bit of a shine. 

I can’t recommend Topshop lipsticks enough, I own a couple of MAC lipsticks but I honestly can’t say that I prefer them to Topshop.  The colour range from Topshop is really good, the pigmentation is excellent and they are moisturising on the lips, perfect! 

Are you a fan of Topshop lipsticks? Have you tried this shade? xx

Review | Benefit Rockateur

So this is what happens when I go to Westfield looking for a new jacket: I see too many, I can’t decide which to get, so I end up at the Benefit counter buying their latest blusher instead.  I do not know why, I do not know how, but that is how it was.  I have had my eye on Rockateur since it came out, and a while ago I hit pan with my beloved Sugarbomb so this was always going to happen sooner or later!  At £23.50, Rockateur is the same price as the other Benefit blushes, although when I got this one home I did notice that it has slightly less in it than the others – very sneaky!  Let’s just hope it lasts as long..

My first impressions of it are good; it is a soft peachy coral colour, with a soft sheen that looks really flattering and radiant on the cheeks.  When you first open it up, there is quite a heavy amount of shimmer on it, but I noticed that after one use, this had mostly gone so it seems to be just a top layer intended to make it look nice!  It does look cute, the box has a lace type pattern on it which I like, and there is a little mirror inside too which can come in handy.  The word ‘rock’ is stamped across the product, which is a nice little touch!  It also comes with a little blusher brush like the other Benefit blushes, which I have to say I used to enjoy using before I got my Real Techniques blush brush. 

The colour is not a strong one; having owned both Sugarbomb and Coralista by Benefit, I would say that Rockateur is the most subtle and gives a softer finish.  I personally really like it, and I think it gives a nice healthy and natural glow to my cheeks without being too OTT. 

Have you tried Rockateur?  What do you think of it? xx

My Daily Make Up #1

Heyyy!  I named this as my first daily make up type of post because I can guarantee there will be more, since I change my make up so often!  I actually feel quite guilty spending so much money on make up that I don’t need (even though I convince myself that I do need every single thing), and in fact I reckon that it has recently over taken how much I spend on clothes which is actually a little worrying.  Most of this can be blamed on my foundation addiction, I love buying them the most and I’m ashamed to say that there are a couple of ones laying around that aren’t even half used >__<.  I say this here because I think this is the only place where there may be some people who read who actually understand this madness!

Anyway, so these are the current products I am using.  I am still getting through my first ever Origins product, their A Perfect World moisturiser, and I love it.  It feels very gentle on my sensitive skin and I love the fact that it has spf 25 in it.  I use the Hydraluron Moisture Booster under my moisturiser and it helps to get the very most out of it and claims to hold in a lot of the skin’s moisture, giving you a healthy glow.  I have already reviewed this product, and I really do think that it is helping to make my skin look better than it has in a long time.  I’m really enjoying using my new Real Techniques blush brush, at first I was surprised at how soft and light it was, and it took some getting used to, but I am loving it now.  The Illamasqua Skin Base foundation is still going strong too, this is one of the best foundations I have ever used, and I’m still so pleasantly surprised that I found my perfect shade!  My beloved Naked 2 palette is also there, I hated how much I paid for it, but at the same time I love every colour in it so I use it almost every day and am making sure I get my money’s worth!  The GOSH eyebrow pen is a great buy, I highly recommend it.  I looks like an eyeliner and the tip is very similar too, but it makes it really easy to create a nice natural shape with your brows, if you suffer with pale brows that have little/no shape like me (I don’t think they have ever recovered from being plucked to within an inch of their life back when I was a teen).  The little angled brush came as part of a set of brushes from Ebay, and I use it for filling in my brows if I happen to use a powder product on them, or as an under eye eyeliner brush which is what I’m currently using it for.  Benefit Sugarbomb blusher is gorgeous, and it has lasted me absolutely ages!  It has a lovely peachy coral glow and a light sheen which makes my cheeks look subtly flushed.  Benefit High Beam is another firm favourite of mine, it really completes my make up by creating a glow in places like the top of my cheek bones and the arch of my brows.  MaxFactor Masterpiece Max mascara cannot be beaten in my opinion.  It was talked about a couple of days ago on here, and this is one product that I repurchase over and over again.  MaxFactor is really underrated in my opinion, I have always loved their mascaras and they have a great selection of foundations and nail polishes too. 

So there we go, my current make up that I use on a day to day basis!  I didn’t include any lip products because there isn’t really any one product I use every day right now, I sometimes just put on a little balm if I’m going to work, or I switch between various nude shades I have. 

What are your current make up products? xx

OOTD | Primark damask top + Topshop fur gilet

hey :)  First things first, I feel like I must defend my hair, as I have just noticed that it looks mighty uneven in this photo!  I can confirm that I have just double checked it in the mirror and that it is in fact all one length, rather than the wonky mess it looks here.  I can only think that it was the clip in my hair that caused one side to look shorter than the other.  You may not of even noticed, but now me mentioning it has drawn attention to it so I’m stuffed either way now.  Ho hum. 

I haven’t done an outfit post in a long time now, so I thought I would mark the occasion by showcasing my first outfit of autumn.  I love the summer months and the warmer weather (when we get it) but I just love dressing in the autumn, from the darker clothes to the warm layers!  This top is probably one of my best bargains ever, it was £4 from Primark and I love love love the damask pattern on it, I think it looks a lot more expensive than it actually was!  The fur gilet was a Topshop sale find, I pretty much live in this when the weather is cold.  The trousers were another bargain from George at Asda, but again I don’t think that you can tell and that they could pass for something like Topshop or even Zara.. at a push ;).  I’m definitely all for finding a bargain, and even more so when it is pieces like these that look a lot more expensive than they actually are!

What have you been wearing this week?  Have you found any bargains? xx

NOTD | Glitter Manicure with Barry M & Rimmel

Hey!  I haven’t done a nail related post for a long time, mainly because during the week I have to keep them subtle and natural looking for work.  However, I soon tired of looking at my boring hands and thought that I would experiment and try to make the most of a bad situation.  This look is my latest experiment and I have been wearing it on my nails for a couple of weeks so far.  It is made by using Rimmel Brit Manicure in Ivory Tower as the base, and Barry M Glitter Polish where the white tip would usually be.  I created the slight graduated glitter effect by first scraping most of the excess back into the bottle, so it’s small pieces of glitter rather than large that are left on the brush, and putting it halfway up my nails.  Then I wait for that to dry and get some of the bigger pieces of glitter and dot them carefully (ish) along the top of my nail.  Lastly I add a top coat to hold it all together and add shine, and voila! 

It is a really simple look, but I think it looks really pretty and is a nice alternative to having a regular french mani or just one colour on the whole nail. 

Rimmel and Barry M are two of my favourite brands for nail polish; I love Rimmel for their Pro collection and the flat brushes that create an even finish, and Barry M’s Gelly polishes have the most gorgeous range of colours and all have such a high shine. 

 Do you like this look?  What is your favourite daytime nail polish? xx

Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation | First Impressions

 

Hey!  So today’s post is just my thoughts on my latest foundation, Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation.  I have only had it since Friday, but as I have used so so many foundations before, I can usually tell after the first couple of uses whether I really like one or not so I thought I would give my humble opinion on it so far.

Well, I have to say that so far I am not at all disappointed!  I was persuaded to try this particular base because of the range of shades they do, and I have hardly ever found a colour to really match my pale, pink toned skin.  I find that many bases, especially drugstore ones, have more yellow undertones that just do not look right on me and even the lightest shades are too dark, so I was interested to try out Illamasqua, whose shades start from white!  I decided to get the next shade up which is 02, an ivory shade with pink undertones.  I have to admit, when I first starting applying it, it shocked me a little to see how pale it was since I’m so used to having darker ones!  But it turns out that it was actually a perfect match for me, which took a bit of getting used to but I’m really impressed at how it blends so seamlessly with my own skin.  The consistency is creamy without being thick, and I only need a small pea-sized amount to cover my face.  The foundation it medium buildable to full in my opinion, which is perfect for me as I do love my coverage!  The staying power seems to be pretty impressive too, I wore it for around 7/8 hours one day before having to touch it up.  I would vaguely compare it to my special favourite, Estee Lauder Double Wear, because the matte finish is similar and the coverage is too.  I will definitely carry on using it and so far I am loving it, the only downside is that you get a pretty small bottle which is a bit of a let down when you spend £27 on it! 

 

I am really loving this product so far, have you tried it? xx

What I bought this week #10

 

Hey :).  So…payday happened.  Therefore, Boots happened.  And 3 for 2 on hair care PLUS buy one get half price on make up happened.  So to conclude, I spent some money! 

I love Lee Stafford products, so two of those found their way into my collection; My Big Fat Texturised Hair Super Spray and Detangling Spray.  The third product is Umberto Gianni Extreme Taming Spray.  Full reviews will come, but I have high hopes for these three beauts!

Next up is the Real Techniques Blush Brush.  I already have a few of these brushes and absolutely love them, so I thought I would add this plush looking brush to my collection next.  I also picked up MaxFactor Masterpiece Max mascara, Maxfactor are my favourite brand to buy mascaras from and this particular one is a firm favourite so I don’t really feel like I need to try anything new just yet!

Lastly I bought the oh-so-hyped L’Oreal Micellar Solution, although I found this on offer in Sainsburys, not Boots.  I have heard very good things about this, so I am really excited to try it out for myself and at only around £3 I am hoping it will be a regular purchase! 

So there are my latest beauty buys!  I will be reviewing them properly once I have given them a good try, so that’s about all I can say on them for now! 

 

What have you been buying lately?  Have you tried any of these products? xx

Revlon 2 for £10 | Just Bitten lip stain & Lash Potion mascara

Hey!  So yes, the title says it all really!  I went into Boots knowing very well that I didn’t need anything, and the latest offer on Revlon products, 2 items for £10 caught my eye.  I thought it was a pretty good deal since the Lash Potion mascara was £9.99 on its own, so I picked up one of those and a Just Bitten Kissable lip stain. 

I haven’t tried the mascara yet, but I wore the lip stain today and I already love it!  The colour I bought ‘Rendezvous’ is similar to one of the Revlon Lip Butters I have, it’s a nice soft orange shade that is really moisturising and can be built up depending on how bold you like to wear it.  I think this will be my new favourite for a while, at least until the next new product comes along! 

Also, since taking the photos for this post, my latest foundation has arrived; I’ve bought Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation after hearing great reviews about it, and also seeing that they have a shade that might just be the right shade of pale for me, so fingers crossed!

 
Have you tried either of these products?  xx

p.s  For anyone that may have seen this post before… I made a boo boo and named it Bourjois rather than Revlon, being the wally that I am!  Sorry about that, it will teach me not to write posts too late at night when I’m half asleep/watching The Tudors ;) xx

Review | Benefit High Beam Highlighter

Benefit High Beam Highlighter, £19.50

 

Hey :)!  Me again, I’m really enjoying blogging every day so far, but I’m dreading fitting it in this weekend since Saturdays are always so busy because of work (and it happens to be pay day weekend) but I shall try! 

I have previously bought a budget version of this product called High Lights by Technics.  That has now run out and I had nothing against it at all apart from it could sometimes be a little bit of a nuisance to blend, but for something like £1.99 I really didn’t mind.  I decided to splash out on Benefit’s High Beam because 1) I have used it before and really loved it, and 2) I was near the Benefit store so..I went in and purchased it before I could think rationally about my finances. 

I think that this highlighter really completes my look, it adds a lovely iridescent sheen that looks healthy and glowing.  It is ideal if, like me, you struggle to naturally achieve the dewy/glowy look and want a quick realistic fix.  I apply this on the apples of my cheeks on top of my blusher, on my cupid’s bow and just below my eye brows, and I really love the effect it has.  It catches the light in the best possible way, and adds definition that I wouldn’t naturally have.  If you prefer the ‘no make-up’ look, then it probably isn’t for you because you can tell you’ve got it on, but to me it looks lovely and I wear it every single day!

It is ideal for people with pale skin like me, as it a very pale, pearly pink colour, and blends beautifully with my natural skin tone.  I have also tried Moon Beam but that has a slightly more yellow tone so wasn’t quite right for me. 

 

Have you tried High Beam? xx

A/W Wishlist #1

Image Sources: Zara Coat, Topshop Playsuit, River Island Necklace, Miss Selfridge Crop Top, Topshop Jumper, Office Shoes, Urban Outfitters Skirt

Hey!  Here is another wishlist, this time it’s some clothes I’m lusting after rather than make up.  I have to say that recently a lot more of my money has been spent on make up, probably because I just don’t usually feel that inspired by spring/summer collections.  Florals?  Sports Luxe?  Yawn, seen it all before!  Autumn/Winter however is much more me, I love layering up and going back to my favourite jumpers and dark clothes, not to mention coat shopping! 

I love the look of this playsuit from Topshop, I love playsuits and always try to ignore the fact that they make going to the bathroom a mission.  This Zara coat, well…it’s just beautiful!  As soon as you go for a look at their winter coats you just know they will have some gems!  They are a bit out of my price range in general, but I am going to keep this coat in mind just in case I happen to not see another that is equally as lovely.  I loooooove statement necklaces, especially cross ones, and this is right up my street!  The different coloured stones in it are gorgeous, and you could wear it with any top/dress and instantly it will complete it.  The Topshop jumper I have included looks really snug and warm, textured clothes like this get a big big thumbs up from me.  The crop top is from Miss Selfridge and I absolutely love it!  It is just so pretty and I can imagine it going nicely with my disco pants, so this may end up in my possession before long.  The Office shoes are really cute I think, I love bows and straps like that, they look so feminine.  The wedge is a bit high for me, I would just fall straight over in them!  So sadly these will probably remain as a wish list item!  How cute is the tartan  skirt?! It’s a bodycon style one, so it would look great worn dressed up or down, tucked into a t shirt or with a crop top for a night out.  I haven’t worn a skit in ages, so I am very tempted by this right now! 

 

What clothes are you loving right now?  Is there anything on this wish list that you like? xx

Autumn Beauty Wishlist #1

Image Sources:Laura Mercier Primer, Benefit Rockateur Blush, Topshop Lipstick in Trigger, Essie Nail Polish in ‘A List, Estee Lauder ‘Raisins’ Palette, Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation in 02

Hey!  I never do these kind of posts, but I do love reading them so I thought I would give it a go today.  Thinking of things to go onto this wish list was no problem at all, and I could easily have included loads more products that I have my eye on! 

I have run out of my current primer, and pretty much every blogger and their great uncle Bernie raves about this Laura Mercier one!  It is no cheapie at £28, so this probably will remain on the wish list for a long time!  The latest blusher offering from Benefit is Rockateur and it has soft rose gold tones, which sounds amazing so I may well end up caving in and getting my hands on this little beaut. The Essie polish in ‘A List’ is a lovely deep red and screams autumn to me.  I really cannot wait to start wearing all my favourite dark colours again, deep reds and blacks are my favourites and luckily for me they always seem to be key for Autumn/winter trends.  Although to be honest I would wear them even if they weren’t, who wants to be a slave to fashion if you can’t wear what you really want to?!  Moving on, my favourite type of make up to shop for is foundation.  I really love finding new ones, and I generally go for medium to full coverage ones because I just prefer that finish on me. This summer I did start using some lighter ones and even a tinted moisturiser, but it just doesn’t do it for me – I need my coverage!  So as my true love Estee Lauder Double Wear comes to its end (sob), I am on the hunt for something different.  One thing that I always struggle with is finding a good foundation that has a light enough shade for my skin, nearly all the ones I come across are either too dark or have yellow undertones rather than neutral/pink.  So after much searching, it would appear that Illamasqua is the one for me.  It has a great range of shades, starting from white!  So I have chosen the one up from white which is shade 02, and after payday(this friday, FINALLY!) I think that this will be my first purchase.  The Estee Lauder eye shadow duo ‘Raisins’ has been rather hyped on the bloggersphere too lately, and this is definitely a wish item rather than something I will actually buy anytime soon because I just cannot justify paying £23 for it!  However it does look really lovely, and I’ve been trying to emulate similar looks with colours from my Naked2 palette.  Lastly is the Topshop lipstick in ‘Trigger’, another gorgeous red colour! 

What make up products are on your wish list right now? xx

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Review | L’Oreal Glam Shine Reflexions Gloss

 

Hey  :)  This post marks the start of me taking part in #blogyoursocksoffseptember, an idea that Jess from Lovely Jubbly came up with where you blog every day throughout September…this is just the kinda thing I need to make myself get a bit more organised and schedule more posts! 

So today it’s all about my latest addition to my everyday lip gloss collection: L’Oreal Glam Shine Reflexions gloss.  I actually only picked it up because I had a voucher for £2 off one at Boots, so I thought I would give it a go.  As you can see from the photos, it has an angled applicator which I actually really like and it fits with the natural curve of your lips and means the gloss goes on in one sweep.

The other major thing I noticed was that it does not have the dreaded sticky finish!  This is a big relief, because one of the most annoying things EVER is when you’re walking about and your hair is getting stuck to your lips over and over again.  It’s so bad that if there’s a wind outside then you’re almost definitely going to end up looking like you’re wearing a fake beard.  But anyway, this isn’t the case here and the finish is a smooth and soft gloss which I could compare with the finish of a balm.  I have very dry lips naturally and this doesn’t dry them out at all, which is a deal breaker for me! 

The colour is a soft, subtle pink with a gentle shimmer.  It’s perfect for daytime wear and work etc if you just want a natural look that is just the right side of glossy and sparkly.  It is ideal if you want less colour than lip butters etc, but the shimmer makes it stand out without being too over the top for day time.

Have you tried this product?  Are you taking part in #blogyoursocksoffseptember?  Let me know! xx