SHOPCADE Back to School Competition!

Shopcade is your very own personal shopping application. It allows you to discover new things, create lists of things you want and find yourself exclusive deals. You can share your lists and what you find with others and even earn cash back in the process! You can find out more about Shopcade  HERE!

Now, onto the competition part! Shopcade is running a competition in which you could get your hands on a £150 prize to spend at a Shopcade retailer of your choice! To enter this competition, all you have to do is create a blog post featuring your favourite back to school outfit. You then create a Shopcade list with these or similar products and feature it on a blog post! You can find out more about the competition HERE.

So, of course I am very excited to enter this competition and here is my back to school outfit:

The products listed in this outfit are:

- Red High Top Converse - £55.
- Ladies Wonder Woman Racer Back Vest - £29.99.
- Miss Selfridge Mid Wash Denim Shirt - £10.
- Tan Fiorelli Zip Cross Body Bag - £39.
- Evil Twin Kryptonite Leggings - £50.

What is your favourite piece that I have chosen? Are you going to be entering this competition? Make sure if you are to hurry - this competition closes Wednesday 11th September. Thanks for reading!

Levinia x

Review: Cuticura Vitamin E Hand and Nail Treatment.

Today I am going to review a hand cream. I am a big fan of hand and nail care and I am always looking for new creams and lotions to try. In my local 99p store, I picked up this Cuticura Vitamin E Hand and Nail cream. I had heard of this brand before and previously used some of their products so I thought i'd give this a go. I have been using this for a week or so now and I think it is time that I review it!

So, this cream as I said is a hand and nail treatment. It is formulated with Vitamin E as well as Allantoin and Glycerin known for its soothing properties.

After using this cream for a week, I have found that my hands do look and feel a little better. Previously, I had been suffering with quite a bit of dryness as my hands and skin can be quite sensitive. This cream absorbs well into the skin. It has a light and pleasant scent to it and I find that it does indeed leave my hands feeling softer and smoother. It does not irritate the skin in anyway which is good and it feels light on the skin. I wouldn't say however that it is the most moisturizing though ans that moisturized feeling tends to fade a little after a few minutes.

Overall though, I do think this a nice hand cream. It does what you want it to and for 99p, I really don't think you can go wrong.

Thank you very much for reading, I really hope you liked this post or found it helpful! Do leave a comment if you like, I love to hear from you!  

Levinia x

OOTD: 28/08/13.

A casual and girly outfit post for you today, enjoy!

First of all, I wore this really cute white vest with a black peter pan collar. I love tops with collars like this, they are so pretty and girly!

With this top, I wore this maroon coloured cable knitted cardigan. This cardigan is so comfy and warm and the colour makes it really versatile too.

Along with the top and cardgian, I just wore some black jeggings rolled up above the ankle.

On my feet, I wore some black ballerina flats with leopard print detailing.

That is the outfit complete! 

What I wore and where it's from:

Cardigan -Boohoo

Top - Glamourous

Jeggings -Newlook

Flats - Newlook

Levinia x

My Favourite Drugstore Foundations!

As you may have read from the title, in this post I am going to write about my top drugstore foundations. I have tried a fair few in my time and I am going to share with you my favourites!

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation - £7.99:

This foundation for starters smells really good. It is a fairly light coverage but can be built it up. It blends very well and feels very light on the skin. It gives the skin a really nice, dewy finish. It's extremely natural looking and its shades match well with skin tones. This is probably my all time favourite drugstore foundation!

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation - £8.99:

This foundation gives you a really nice glow and is as the title would make you think, perfect for eliminating signs of tiredness and makes your skin look much more awake. It has a good coverage, can again be built upon and lasts for a fair amount of time. I have found it is not as easy to blend as the Bourjois but mixed with a little bit of moisturizer, it's perfectly fine. The shade matches my skin well, too. Overall, a really good foundation.

L'oreal Matte Morphose Foundation - £10.29:

This foundation is a little different to the rest. Firstly, because it is a mousse and secondly because it gives your skin a matte finish. I usually go for a dewy finish to my skin but one day I tried this and really loved it. It gives the skin a very nice, airbrushed finish and it's fairly easy to blend. You must make sure your skin is really well moisturized I have found however or it will look dry and flaky. It is though a very nice foundation and as I said before, the finish is lovely and smooth. For a matte finish foundation, I would recommend this!

And there you have my favourite drugstore foundations! Thank you for reading and I hope you liked this post! 

Levinia x

HOTD: Wavy.

Hey guys - I have a little hair post for you today. I am going to tell you guys how I achieved this really easy to do, big wavy hair look! This look is completely heatless too, keep on reading to find out how I did it.

I began this look with wet hair, this look works with dry hair but I prefer the outcome when my hair is wet.

So, first of all I sectioned layers of my hair and clipped them up. I left my bottom layer down and then took a smaller section of my hair and began to do a simple plait. To secure the plait I used a very small elastic. I continued to plait all of my hair, working up to each layer until my whole hair was plaited and secured by elastics.

Now, this is where we wait. If my hair is wet, I like to leave it overnight but you can alternatively just wait about 3-4 hours till it's completely dry. If it is dry, i would definitely wait overnight just to be sure your hair will definitely curl.

Once my hair is dry or I have waited overnight, I took all of my elastics out. I then seperated the plaits and began to brush my hair out a little. This made my hair quite big and so I continued to brush until it was a bit more tame. I brushed against my hand to avoid frizz.

To style the hair, I just took a lttle bit of styling wax on to my fingertips and work it through the ends and roots of my hair. I took my bangs and just twisted them together and secured them on the side.

And that is the look completed! As you can see, it is really simple to do and the results are great! This hairstyle is so voluminous and versatile and you can style your hair in alsorts of different ways with these waves.

Thank you very much for watching this video. I hope you like this look and please leave a comment if you like!  

Levinia x

Tutorial: Dark Purple and Brown Smokey Eye.

Today I have a little eye shadow tutorial for you.. It is this dark purple and black smokey eye look. It's very wearable and you can change it up and tone it down if you please! Keep on reading and I shall tell you how to achieve this look..

First off, prime your eyes. You can either do this with a primer or by adding just a little bit of concealer all over the eyelid. Next off, using my Sleek Oh So Special palette, I mixed the mid and dark brown colours together with a fluffy brush and applied it all over the lid. I took some more of just the darker brown and deepened the colour of the outer corner and crease with it. After this, I took some of dark purple from the same Sleek Palette and applied this onto the lid from the inner corner and about 3 thirds in. I blended it upwards towards the crease as well and blended everything else out as well to remove any harsh lines or colours. I applied some matte black to my inner corner and blended that in a little bit into the crease. I took a little bit of the same black and lined under the water line of my lower lid. I also lined the waterline with a black kohl eyeliner. I took that same kohl eyeliner and lined my top lash line. I smudged out the kohl eyeliner and then curled my lashes. I applied my favorite mascara and then highlighted my inner corner and brown bone with a shimmery white shadow. And that is the look done!

As always, thank you for reading this post. I really hope you like this look and have fun if you try it out! Feel free to leave a comment and make sure to follow me!

What I used:

• Elf Eyelid Primer

• Sleek Oh So Special Palette

• NYC Show Time Mascara 

• No.7 Kohl Eyeliner

Levinia x

OOTD: 24/08/13.

I have an outfit of the day post for you guys today!

So to jump straight in, I wore white vest top with a cross on it. The cross is purple and within it is a sort of galaxy print. You can't really tell, but the arms are very open on the sides so alot of your side is exposed - hence why I have a bandeau on underneath! I also got this vest a size bigger as I just love baggy vests.

With the vest, I wore this studded denin shirt. This is also baggy as I much prefer the fit and knew that most of the time I would wear the shirt open as more of a lightweight jacket!

I also wore these lovely purple leggings. Leggings are a staple in my wardrobe and I got these particular ones just to add a pop of colour.

On my feet I just wore my black Light Oxford Converse and that is the outfit complete!

Thank you very much for reading, please leave a comment if you like and be sure to follow me! :)

What I wore:

Vest - Newlook

Shirt - Select Fashion

Leggings - Asos

Converse - Schuh 

Levinia x

NOTD: Glossy Red.

Today I thought I would do a nail post for you guys. I recently got a new nail polish and my nails were due to be done so I thought I would use it!

I just simply painted my nails this lovely glossy red colour from Nails Inc. The shade is called Dean Street and has this really gorgeous sheen to it.

On top of my nails I applied my 2True top coat. This really added to the sheen of the polish!

I got this polish from eBay but you can buy Nails Inc from places like Asos, Debenhams and Feel Unique!

Thank you for reading this post! Feel free to leave a comment, I love to hear from you.

Levinia x

Coconut Oil: Benefits & How I Like To Use It!

Recently, I read a few articles and did a little bit of research into coconut oil. I have always opted for skin care products - particulary for my body - that contain things like coconut and cocoa butter but had never really thought about purchasing pure coconut oil. As I mentioned though, I did my research and was really amazed at all of the benefits and uses of it. So I got myself some!

I read up and saw that purchasing organic coconut oil is important as it is 100% and doesn't contain anything un-natural. So that is what I got! Before I tell you about how I use the oil and what I think of it, I shall tell you guys a little information about coconut oil and its uses..

Lauric acid is contained in large quantities within coconut oil and this possesses many beneficial features. One of its most best known features is its anti-bacterial qualities which helps to of course fight bacteria and infection. Coconut oil is also packed with antioxidants which helps to generate new skin cells and therefore produce younger looking skin!

Some uses for coconut oil include:

→ Moisturizing skin
→ Deep cleansing and prevention of spots and black heads
→ Anti-bacterial
→ Soothes skin - good for treating conditions such as eczema
→ Anti-ageing
→ As a hair treatment.

I like to use my coconut oil mainly for my skin and I have yet to use it for my hair. Every other day I like to apply it to my legs and arms and anywhere I tend to get dry skin. As it is an oil, a little bit goes a very long way. I also like to sometimes apply itto my face instead of a moisturizer once or twice a week - usually on the night as I can give it the whole of the night whilst I sleep to sink in and absorb. Instantly, my skin feels soft and it smells delicious which is always a bonus! I have noticed a very clear difference to my skin and face after only a few weeks of using this product. My skin has a natural glow to it and looks a lot more healthy. It feels soft but not oily and the blemishes a little spots I had on my skin have more or less gone. My skin feels and looks a lot better. As I said, I have yet to use it on my hair, but I absolutely love using it on my skin.

I got my coconut oil from my local Supermarket and I paid seven pounds for it. That may seem a tad pricey but bare in mind it is organic and will last for an extremely long time - so really its not so bad! The coconut oil I got is  from The Groovy Food Company and it is Virgin coconut oil.

Coconut oil has so many more uses that I haven't even covered here and it is loved by many. It is a natural product that has been used for thousands of years and I for one would definitely recommend you give it a go. 

Thanks for reading!

Levinia x

OOTD: 20/08/13.

An outfit of the day post for you all today!

I wore this grey, long sleeved crop top first of all. I love this piece as you can wear it with a lot of different things.

I tucked my top into this berry coloured skater skirt. Around the elastic waist band of the skirt, I added a skinny tan belt.

I wore tights on my legs and on my feet I wore a black lace pair of flats.

To accessorise, I added a gold oversized heart necklace and a small gold bracelet.

And that's my outfit! Thank you for reading this post. Feel free to comment and please do follow me!

What I wore and where it's from:

Crop top - Asos

Skirt - Asos

Flats - H and M

Necklace - eBay

Braclet - Newlook

Levinia x

Hair Tutorial: Vintage Curls.

So this post is a little something different to what I usually write about. It is a hair post! I recently tried out a style and I really wanted to share it with you guys and tell you how I achieved it.

The style itself is a very vintage curled hairstyle. It is worn on the side and secured using bobby pins. The curls are heatless, too!

To start off, here's a list of what you will need:

• Foam rollers (small or large depending on desired curl).

• A brush.
• Bobby pins.
• A styling product like a wax.

So, to begin you will want to start with damp hair. Then, section your hair in layers to make it easier to put in your foam rollers. Clip away the bits of hair you are not using and section smaller bits of hair for your rollers about half an inch to an inch thick depending on your own desires.

To put the rollers in, take a piece of hair and begin to wrap it around the foam about 2 inches up from the ends. Once you have wrapped the hair around the foam roller at least once from the end, begin to roll upwards towards to the root making sure the hair is in line as you roll. When you reach the root of your hair, secure by bending the rollers in place. Keep doing this until you have all your hair done!

Once you have all of your hair up in rollers, it is time to decide how you would lik to create your curl. If you want your curls done fast, then you will need to dry your hair using heat for around 15-20 minutes. If however you have time, you can wait for your hair to naturally dry or simply sleep on it. Whatever option you choose, it is important than your hair is completely dry before removing your foam rollers!

Now, once you have made sure your hair is dry, you can take your rollers out. This part is going to be the most time consuming - brushing out the curls. Not completely, just so they are looser and not as tight. Brush your hair against your hand to minimize frizz and keep on brushing your hair until the curls are more like waves or just till they are loose enough to your liking.

After this, take some of your chosen styling product - I like to use a wax as I find it combats frizz better. Use just a little on the tips of your fingers and run it down your hair focusing on the ends. This will make your curls look smoother and softer. Now, to style it into the finished look. You can wear your curls out if you like. The bangs you can clip up and away or you can brush them down and into shape and wear them out! I went for brushing my curls to one side and securing them with a few bobby pins. My bangs were brushed to the opposite side as I have a side fringe. 

And that's the finished look! I really love this style. I am a fan of all things retro and I think this look is so pretty and classy. It is actually way more easier to do than it sounds and it really does not take that long.

Thank you for reading and I hope you have fun trying this look out - let me know how it goes if you do!

Levinia x

OOTD: 18/08/13.

A casual outfit post for you guys today!

I wore this Flash t-shirt. I love tees like this and I am into superheroes too! They are great just throw on and can be dressed up a little as well.

Next off, I wore these jeggings. I love the colour of them and I think they work really well with a lot of different things. They are super comfortable as well which is a bonus!

I also wore my lightweight parka with this outfit as it was a tad chilly that day.

Finally, on my feet I wore my red Converse from Amazon.

That's my outfit for today! Thanks for reading and I hope you like this post.

What I wore and where it's from:

Parka - Asos

T shirt - Play.com

Jeggings - Newlook

Converse - Amazon

Levinia x

Review: Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation.

So, as you may have read from the title - I will be doing a product review in this post. It has been a little while since I have done one of these but recently I have made quite a few purchases, so expect some more coming up soon!

The product I am going to be reviewing is Rimmel's Wake Me Up foundation. I got this foundation in mid July and have been using it since then. My foundation is in the shade Ivory and I purchase the product from Feel Unique. I have heard quite good reviews about this foundation and seeing as I was planning on buying a new one anyway, I picked this one up!

The foundation describes itself as proving your skin with a radiant glow and a flawless finish. Its purpose is to make your skin look fresh, healthy and more awake. This is perfect for me - especially during early mornings when my skin looks anything but!

I applied the foundation with a buffing brush and I found that it was very creamy and had great coverage. It leaves the skin looking very soft and blends in well. However, on its own I did see that it applies slightly patchy to the skin although I solved this with the addition of a little moisturizer into the foundation. The shade for me was perfect.

Overall, I personally really like this foundation. It gives me a nice glow, blends well and gives good coverage to the skin. I would recommend this - especially if you are looking for a well priced foundation that gives a more glowy finish.

Have you tried Rimmel's Wake Me Up Foundation? What did you think of it?

Levinia x

OOTD: 16/08/13.

A quick and casual outfit of the day post for you guys today!

So, today the first thing I wore was this black and white polka dotted sleevess blouse.

I teamed this blouse with my new jeggings. These leggings are so very soft and I love the colour!

I also wore my lightweight parka with this outfit. It is a very versatile piece and it is one of my favourite recent purchases.

Finally, I wore my black Light Oxford Converse and that is my outfit complete!

Thank you for reading - leave me a comment if you like!

Levinia x

Another Mini Beauty and Fashion Haul!

Today's post is going to be another little haul one! I went and got a few beauty bits and one fashion pieces and I thought I would share them..

So, first off I shall start with the fashion side. I just picked up these mid blue coloured leggings. I have been searching high and low for jeans or jeggings in this particular shade and I finally came across these. They are leggings but with a denim pattern so it's the best of both worlds here as I find leggings much more comfortable to wear. These were £9.99 and I picked them up from Newlook.

Next off, I went into Superdrug and picked up 3 MUA polishes. I have really been in love with these new MUA nail polishes and I couldn't resist picking up more! The shades I got are Deepest Purple, Bright Coral and Fever Red. These polishes were only £1 each!

I also went into my local Poundland and picked up a few things. I got these make up wipes which were on a deal for two for 1 which I thought was too good to miss out on! I also got this Milani highlight in the shade Pink Glimmer. I have heard a lot about this brand and never really seen it on sale anywhere else and for one pound, I thought why not and picked it up!

And finally, I also received an eBay order I made a while ago today and they were these four Collection 2000 lipsticks. I got them in the shades Sienna, Flushed, Mocha and Fuschia Crystal. These were a bargain and I got them in my first ever eBay auction for £2 - yay!

And that's my haul. I hope you liked this post, thank you very much for reading!

Levinia x

OOTD: 14/08/13.

An outfit of the day post for you guys today. It is a little cooler as of late here in England so I wore things that would keep me a little warmer than usual!

Firstly, I wore this dark purple sweater. I really love the colour of this and it keeps me nice and snug and fits well too. I like how it can be worn off the shoulder or resting on both.

On my legs, I wore my light blue denin jeans. These jeans are skinny fit and very comfy.

On my feet I wore my tan coloured brogues. These shoes are so versatile and very comfortable!

To accessorise I just wore my spike necklace from Asos.

That's my outfit for my today! Thanks for reading, I hope you liked this post.

What I wore:

Sweater - Newlook

Jeans - Newlook

Brogues- Newlook

Necklace - Asos

Levinia x

MOTD: Sunset Inspired Eye Shadow Look.

Todays post is going to be on this really colourful, sunset inspired eye shadow look. It uses bright, warm colours that really emphasize the eye colour as well as look super pretty!

So, to begin I primed my eye and then applied the orange eye shadow from my BeautyUK Soho palette. I blended it out to about just over a third of the way in. Next to the orange shadow, I applied a matte pink all the way into the outer corner. I blended it into the orange aswell to avoid any harsh lines. I also blended the orange and pink into the crease as well. Next off, I took a bright matte purple and applied that onto the outer of my eyelid and into the crease about a quarter of the way in. Once again, I made sure everything was blended and I also mixed a bit of the pink and purple together to line my bottom lash line with. I highlighted my inner corner and brow bone with a little shimmery white shadow and then I applied my liquid eyeliner which I flicked out. Finally, I curled my lashes and applied my favourite mascara.

And that's the look done! I love this look and I hope you do. Have fun trying it out and let me know if you do - thanks for reading!

Levinia x

Mini Fashion and Beauty Haul!

Todays blog post is a little fashion and beauty haul! Today I treated myself a little and got myself some goodies and I thought I would share what I got with you :) Lets get started!

The first thing I picked up was these two pairs of pyjama bottoms from Primark. They were £5 each which I think is a bargain and I really love the cute prints on them.

Also from Primark, I picked up this pack of earrings. They are really cute and you can never have too many pairs of studs! I also picked two pairs of black tights because they are always good to have.

Next; I got these lovely ankle boots from Newlook. They are in this very versatile tan colour and I love them! I think they are so cute and I cant wait to wear them. I also picked up this adorable bow headband with heart detailing.

I took a little trip to Superdrug as well today and got myself a few beauty bits. I picked up a nail polish from Collection 2000 in the shade Fruit Salad, an MUA polish in Bold Blue and finally a 2True top coat. I also got an MUA eyeshadow; I love their palettes and this particular one is called Glitter Ball.

And thats everything! I hope you guys enjoyed this post - thank you very much for reading.

Levinia x

OOTD: Polka Dot Top & Skater Skirt.

Hey guys! So, this outfit of the day post is another top and skirt look. I have been wearing dresses and skirts quite a bit lately, not sure why - I guess I'm just feeling girly! I really like this outfit, I think it's quite retro.

The first thing I wore was this pretty, polka dot strappy top. It is black and has this zip front detail that I really like. I think it is a perfect top to dress up or down and it is actually quite versatile.

With the top, I wore a simple black skater skirt. I tucked my top into the skirt and added a belt fashioning it into dress. I love how these two pieces go to together, it looks like an actual dress but has the added bonus that both things can be used separately for all sorts of looks - win!

With the skirt and top I added this cute, cable knitted cardigan in this lovely deep red colour.

On my legs and feet I wore some thin black tights and some shiny patent black flats.

And there you have my outfit of the day! I hoped that you liked this post and thank you very much for reading. Be sure to give me a follow if you haven't already!

Levinia x