Monday 29 April 2013

Beatles in the woods

Lovely morning spent feeding ducks and their little ducklings (aww!!) in the woods near me. I was sad that it wasn't quite warm enough to get my (slightly) tanned legs out but at least I have put away my winter coat, hopefully, for the next couple of months :)


Sunglasses- Primark £2
Scarf- Market stall £4
Cardigan- Generation@ New Look £8 (in the sale)
Beatles Tshirt- H&M £7.99
Bracelets- Primark £1.50 for 2
Skirt- Generation@ New Look £11.99
Plimsoles- Primark £6

I love the Beatles as they were a band my mum  listened to frequently when I was growing up, so they always bring back fond memories. I mostly associate their songs with warmer weather so I thought it would be appropriate to dig out this Tshirt and wear it with my new denim skater skirt.  Although it was sunny today the wind was pretty chilly I had to put on some tights, but hey only one pair,  a scarf and cardigan. I'm obsessed with the way the bottle green of this cardigan and the deep red and orange of the scarf look together, it just looks so right. In fact these two items are staples in my wardrobe and I pair them with anything even if it clashes!

Thanks everyone :)



Saturday 20 April 2013

Get them toes out!

Yay! My feet have finally come out from hibernation and I wore my first sandals of the year!! Rather excited if I'm honest because I just love open-toed shoes :) Although there has been other warm days where sandals were a possible footwear option I haven't been able to as I can't have my feet exposed at college due to health and safety...blah blah...
These pink jelly sandals I bought last year from Primark and I do believe they were only about £2-3. I was wearing a monochrome outfit so thought these would add a bit of colour. Bright pink, giant bows and plastic charms? So tacky right! Oh well I think they are one of my more 'fun' pieces I own which add a bit character and playfulness that seems appropriate as soon as the sun shows it's face.
Obviously I had to make sure my toes were looking their best so I gave them a bit of a pedicure and painted them in the Essie shade Brazilliant which totally clashes with these shoes but hopefully in a good way!
Aww don't you love flowers for no reason? :) Brightening up my window a treat! Especially seeing as the plant to the left isn't growing!

Hope you enjoyed the sun! 




Thursday 18 April 2013

About time too...

Yes I have finally purchased a Rimmel Apocalips! I first heard of them before they were even released when Dolly Bowbow reviewed them on her Youtube channel (see the full video here). She had all the shades they carry and I pretty much loved them all, hence why it took me so long to buy one...ah decisions, decisions.
For those of you that aren't familiar with Apocalips they are basically a lip lacquer; somewhere between a gloss and a lipstick. They come in gloss-like packaging and formulation, but they have the super pigmentation and staying power of a lipstick.
The colour I finally decided upon was Stellar. This was the one that knew I was most likely to end up with although I did consider Lunar and Nova as well (future purchases no doubt). Stellar is rather bright and is somewhere between red, coral and pink and seems to look like a different colour in different lights so I can't make up my mind what the colour really is....but I know I love it :)
Soo what do I think.....
I have worn this 3 times now and can safely say that this is my favourite lip product that I have tried to date. The formula is just perfect, it is really long lasting but in no way dries out your lips. When it does eventually begin to fade (hey nothing lasts forever) it doesn't got go patchy but instead looks like a lip stain and gets lighter...I would say until it disappears but I haven't worn it long enough for that to happen and I've worn it all day!
When you apply it to your lips I would recommend that you scrape any excess product off  the applicator first instead it can look a bit too glossy. Apart from making sure you don't have any flaky skin on you lips (a necessity anyway, right?) you don't really have to prep your lips as Apocalips is lovely and moisturising. Also you don't need to line your lips as it doesn't feather (mind you I have only tried one shade but it is a pretty bright one that you would think would feather.)
One amazing product I say and it won't break the bank as it retails for £5.99 but seems to be discounted in a  few places, I got mine for £5 in Asda :)
My current nails.  Clouds on the thumb and alternating daisies and polka dots.

Thanks everyone :)



Friday 12 April 2013

Nails of Pinterest

When I get a free second I love to peruse the Hair and Beauty category on Pinterest for a little bit of inspiration and the other day I came across this image:
There's nothing I don't like about this nail design, who doesn't love a bit of tribal pattern? I also like that this is perfect for this season what with the bright colours but also the fact that you could swap up the colours to anything you want.
Seeing as I liked these nails I thought  would give them a go and show you how I did them :)
This is what I did! Obviously I have changed the design slightly, it is a bit simplified but the main reason I have done this is because I have really quite small nails so wouldn't have been able to cram as much detail on mine as there is on the original! Maybe if I had done the black stripe a little wider? Oh well there's always next time :) Also the base colour is more of a 'sunshine' yellow as opposed to a neon yellow with a tinge of green. This was because it was the only bright yellow I have in my nail varnish collection (something I shall amend soon enough I am sure).
1.
So with any nail design you want to start by prepping your nails. File your nails into shape using a nail file, just make sure it isn't too coarse as this could damage your nails. Also you want to file your nails in one direction at a time and not 'saw' at them as this can also damage them.
 Next you want to do some cuticle work; how much you do will depend on the condition of your cuticles. Massaging an oil or cream into the skin around your nails will help to soften them making them easier to push back. If your cuticles are slightly overgrown then you can also use a cuticle remover product (these can be a gel, liquid or a cream) which will dissolve any dead skin making it easier to remove from the nail.
If your nails are maybe looking a bit dull, or perhaps they tend to peel, then buffing them with a multi-sided buffer will be beneficial.
Apply a base coat to your prepped nails to make a smooth surface for the nail varnish to stick to and prevent any staining.
2.
For my base colour I used an NYC nail varnish in Lexington Yellow. This is a lovely primary yellow and cost under £2. As it was a cheaper brand of nail varnish I did have to apply three coats to get an opaque finish (two coats looked a bit streaky). Make sure the nail varnish is completely dry before moving on to the next step.
3.
With a two-way black nail art pen (I used the thin brush end), or you can just use a striping brush and any black nail varnish, I painted thick-ish stripes vertically down my nails. The thickness of the stripes will depend on how wide your nails are, and remember you need to leave a bit of space either side to do some dotting. I alternated whether the stripes were central or to one side to mix it up. On the original picture there are horizontal stripes at the tips but at the moment my nails are slightly rounded at the tips so I didn't think this would look as good but would look fine if you have square nails.
4.
The stripes don't really have to be dry to do this step so that's a bit of a time saver :)
Using nail art pens, or a dotting tool and coloured nail varnish, I created a row of dots either side of the black stripe. The colours I used were a pastel pink, pastel turquoise and a bright coral which I alternated down the row of dots. Now if your dots are larger than mine then you could always add a smaller dot of black or white inside it, but just make sure the first dot is 100% dry first.
5.
Make sure the black stripe is completely dry before doing this step.
Using a white nail art pen I painted zig-zags down the black stripe. As my white isn't very opaque I drew these fairly slowly letting the colour flow out the pen to create a thicker, more opaque line. This is just the way I prefer to do it but you could just as easily give the zig-zags two coats instead.
6.
Now using the white nail art pen again add dots between the zigs and zags (if you catch my drift!). Once again if you have room for larger dots than I have done then you can always add a smaller dot of colour in the middle of the white dots.
Once everything is totally dry (so as not to smudge your work) apply a generous amount of topcoat to prolong the design and add a beautiful shine :)


Hope you enjoyed this tutorial :)









Thursday 4 April 2013

March favourites!

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OK so I haven't officially decided if I am going to do a monthly favourite post every month seeing as I don't change up my products all the time so there's a possibility I will just be repeating myself. Plan is I will play it by ear and if I have been trying something different which I'm loving I shall tell  you :)
Firstly say hello to my new(ish) bag! I was looking through my bag collection and realised I didn't have an everyday black bag soo I thought I better amend the situation and decided on this Alexander Wang lookey-likey from Ebay. I love the gold hardware and studded base. It has a long, adjustable strap so you can carry it on your shoulder or you can carry it in the nook of your arm (does that make sense?) with the shorter straps. It is nice and roomy so I can put  all my stuff in it with ease but it's not too bulky.
I previously did a blog post on this Barry M textured nail paint in Ridley Road and have recently loved pairing it with this Models Own nail Varnish in Nude Beige. Typically I have used Ridley Road on my ring finger as an accent nail which jazzes up a nude manicure :)
I have been using this Illuminating Touch light diffusing concealer from Collection 2000 in the shade Naked to banish those pesky under-eye shadows I seem to be cursed with and it really is doing a good job because of it's pinky tone which 'corrects' the blue tones found around the eyes. It is full coverage (necessary for the darkest of under-eye bags) but I haven't noticed that it creases or goes cakey at all which is excellent especially seeing as it carries a lovely small price tag of around £4! As this is an illuminating concealer I have also been using it as a subtle highlight when contouring. I apply it in the middle of my forehead, down the middle of my nose, on my cupids bow, centre of my chin and on the area under my eyes and on top of my cheeks. Next I blend, blend, blend it in so that there are no harsh lines and I'm left with lovely natural glowing skin :)
This Topshop Magical Lip Tint in Crystal is formulated to react to your skin to give a colour that is unique to each person. Me and my sister have both used it and the colour was indeed different  for each of us. The colour it gives isn't anything to crazy and vibrant its just a super pretty, sheer pink that really is your natural lip colour but enhanced. It also acts as a wonderfully moisturising balm that gives your lips a natural shine.
I found this moisturiser free with a magazine and although I didn't really need a new moisturiser seeing as it was free I thought it wouldn't do any harm to give it a go. Elemis is an esteemed brand that is used in salons (I've had one of their facials and it was lovely) so was sure I would love it. This moisturiser is designed for skin that has excess oil, which mine can be guilty of , so it is super light and fast to absorb into the skin. I have been using this only in the morning, as I prefer something a bit heavier to deal with any dry patches (oily, dry isn't my skin the best?!) for night. After I've applied this moisturiser my skin feels hydrated but not greasy and my foundation just glides on beautifully!

What have been your favourite items recently?





Wednesday 3 April 2013

Here comes the sun :)

Oh my word Spring is finally here!...Oh I do hope I haven't jinxed it and the weather doesn't turns miserable again cos that would be pretty infuriating. I just love the way a little bit of sunshine can lift the spirits and make you think 'hey lets stop hibernating and do something!'. And if I'm totally honest it makes me happy because I think you can have more fun when it comes to clothes. See I feel the cold quite a bit and hate (so not an understatement!) getting cold so when I am pondering the day's outfit I normally go for anything that will keep me warm. 'Ah, practical' I hear you say, but most of the time (well for me it does) practicality goes hand in hand with boring! I am so very tired of jeans, jumpers and big old bulky, albeit snuggly, coats. So when I peeked out my window to see the glorious blue sky the first thought that came to my head was 'DRESS!'



Uh oh look at my dandelions! Hey I'm no gardener I let the weeds grow if they wish.

Cut out shirt dress- Generation @ New Look £6 (sale)
Green cardigan-Generation @ New Look £9 (sale)
Tights-Asda £3 (pack of 4)
Lace trim socks- Primark £1.50
Sunglasses- Primark £1
Bag- Ebay £8
Creepers- New Look £24.99
Chunky silver ring- Dorothy Perkins £1 (sale)
Ring- Dorothy Perkins £3 (part of a set)

OK so this is "my first spring outfit" but I can see that although it does involve a dress the colours are far from spring-y. Hmm, let me see, black? Yep. More black? Grey? Yuh huh... but hey there's green! Now I do love this outfit (check out the cute cut out detail on the dress) and it's a good one for easing me into a new season and out of my winter wardrobe. Yay am already planning more outfits for all the sunny days still to come :)

My makeup today was something a little bit more subtle than what I normally go for. I tend to do a smokey eye 90% of the time and then the rest is black eyeliner but this can sometimes look a bit too harsh in the sunlight so I went for an almost bare eye with pink lips and a subtle peach blush. I had to, of course keep my strong brows because I feel rather naked without them!


I had a lovely and rather seasonal appropriate day of munching on (more!) of my Easter chocolate, cooing (read: screeching) at cute baby animals, genuinely considering getting a teeny tiny pony and putting it in our garden (hey it could eat the dandelions!), singing loudly to music in the car and hoping to tan away my snowy complexion.

Hope you all enjoyed the sun :)