OOTD: 60's Vibes

Hey guys! I'm back today with an outfit post. I think I was kind of channelling 60's vibes today, I wore my new dogtooth shift dress and styled my hair in a 60's up do (which you'll see in my next FOTD post!). I don't own any shift dress or really any other style dresses other than skater. When I saw this though, I really liked. I want to start branching out more with my fashion and getting things I genuinely like even if it is not something I'd genuinely go for - I think this is a great way to really explore your fashion tastes and to develop your wardrobe.

Missguided Dress | £9.99 (On Sale)

Newlook Ankle Boots (Unavailable, similar alternative) | £25.00

Boohoo Cardigan (Unavailable, similar alternative) | £20.00

ASOS Scallop Bag | £20.00

 

Face of the Day #2

Today's face is pretty much my go to look for when I'm not in the mood to play around with an eyeshadow look... It's a classic kind of pin up look: the cat eye and the bold lip. In today's case I went for something a tad more toned down in the lip department with a Revlon lipstick in the shade Pink Pout which is a lovely lilac-pink. I am a huge big fan of the cat eye because any one can rock it and look great in it, it's a timeless and super versatile look!

Products Used:

Benefit Porefessional Primer | £24.50

MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NC20 | £21.50

Maybelline The Eraser Concealer in Light | £7.99

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in 115 ( Highlight) and 305 (Contour) | £5.99

Anastasia Beverley Hills Dip Brow Pomade in Chocolate | £15.00

Urban Decay Primer Potion (Original) | £16.00

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette - Shade Nooner | £37.00

Soap and Glory Supercat Liner in Carbon Black | £6.00

L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara in Magnetic Black | £10.99

Nars Blush in Orgasm | £21.50

**Glo Minerals Pressed Base Powder in Beige Medium | £30

Revlon Matte Lipstick in Pink Pout | £7.49

** - This product was sent to me previously for review. It's product I've tried, tested and do genuinely like!

And that's my face of the day - I hope you liked this post and thanks for reading!

OOTD: 24/07/14

A pretty casual outfit post today, I just wore this little ensemble to do a spot of shopping! I want to try on work on my outfit posts a little bit to make them better. I don't know if it's how I pose (which is super awkwardly, I know) or if I just want to play around with locations and stuff. Either way, I want to make some changes in this kind of post so keep on the look out!

 Newlook Cardigan (Unavailable, alternative) | £17.99

Asos Woven Cami | (On sale) £6.00

Newlook Skinny Jeans (Unavailable, alternative) | (On sale) £17.99

Hight Top Converse | £50.00

Asos Scallop Edge Bag | £10.00

REVIEW: Benefit's Hoola Bronzer.

Hey! I've got another review for you all on the blog today and this time it's on Benefit's Hoola Bronzing Powder. This is something I'm pretty sure everyone's heard of because it's constantly raved about... 

Contouring was never something I was really interested in when I first started using makeup, I didn't really understand or see the need of it. However, eventually I became more interested in the process of highlighting and contouring and I realised just what a difference it can make even with the smallest bit of product...

As that interest grew and contouring became an official element in my makeup routine, Hoola was a product that stood out as it was really the only bronzer I'd ever heard such a big praise about. Finally I got it and after having it for a good few months, I have to say I do really like and enjoy using it.

One thing I'm not a fan of though is the packaging, being a higher end product I would have liked something that was perhaps more sturdy and felt a little bit more luxurious. Although mine isn't there yet because the box is made of cardboard, I've seen how worn down the packaging can get and it can end up looking really unattractive. Though it's not the end of the world, for a more expensive product I think it's justified to want better quality packaging to actually protect what is inside. That said, the concept of the packaging is quite cute and I like the way it opens I just wish it were made of something stronger. You do also get a brush with the product but as with most others, I never really use the brushes and prefer to use my own. It's a good addition for travel though and it will get the job done!

The bronzer itself is a soft, mid brown colour with a matte finish on the skin. It's very fine and light enough that it still looks natural on lighter skin tones but build-able for a deeper colour on those with a tan or darker skin. The fact that it looks so natural is one of the things I really enjoy about Hoola because often bronzers can look very harsh and muddy on those of us who have paler skin. This however has just the right amount of pigment and is the perfect shade to achieve a defined yet natural look.

The colour itself is nicely pigmented and really gives you that subtle contoured look as I said before. One of the things I like about the bronzer in particular is that it has multiple uses because it makes a really nice eyeshadow shade, too. It's a great crease colour or even an all over lid colour for a quick and easy look. The bronze blends nicely and it wears very well throughout the day.

There's not a whole lot of product in my opinion despite the box having quite a depth to it. To be honest, the box did kind of make me think I'd get more than I actually did. Despite this, a little bit of it does go fairly far and so I think that makes up for it. It is still on the pricier side at £23.50 which I think is quite a lot for a bronzer - an element that in a rush I would probably end up skipping. However, I do think that this really is a quality product and you can truly see that in the finish and look that the bronzer gives you when applied to the skin. Whether it's worth £23.50 I think is a matter of opinion - yes for those of us who enjoy contouring but perhaps not for someone who is just discovering it or maybe doesn't feel the need to. (If you're looking for a good bronzer to start off with, MUA do a really good one that comes in various shades. I use shade 1 and I really like it).

Overall though, this is a really nice product and I can definitely see why it is raved about. It's multi-purpose and it's build-able for that really natural or really defined look. You can get Benefit's Hoola Bronzer online or from Boots as well as in Department stores such as Debenhams and John Lewis. I got mine from ASOS.

Thank you for reading this review - I hope you found it helpful! Have you tried Hoola? What is your favourite bronzer? Let me know!

REVIEW: The Urban Decay Electric Palette.

Hey! Today I've got a review for you on the Urban Decay Electric Palette. As a fan of bright and bold colours, this was something I really wanted to get my hands on.

This is a pressed pigment palette containing 10 super bright and bold shades - 8 of which are completely new. There is a range of matte to shimmery finishes offered in this palette, let's take a closer look at the colours we have...

Revolt - a bright metallic silver shimmer with silver glitter.

Gonzo - a bright matte turquoise.

Slowburn - a red / orange shade shot through with pearl finish.

Savage - a hot pink with a matte finish.

Fringe - a metallic teal.

Chaos - an electric blue with a matte finish

Jilted - a metallic fuchsia with a blue shift.

Urban - a bright metallic purple.

Freak - a bright green with a gold shift.

Thrash - a super bright lime green with gold pearl.

One of the main things I love about the palette is the packaging. Matching the super bright colours you find within, the palette has a gorgeous design with this sort of colour explosion on the front of it. It's also nice and sturdy without being too chunky - this makes it good for storage and / or travel.  The brush you get with it is also surprisingly good quality - this isn't something that is usually the case with brushes that come with makeup palettes. This one however not only looks good with the contrasting blue and black but it's double ended making it multipurpose - it's great for packing on colour and the smaller ended side is good for detail.

The eyeshadows are all impressively pigmented and I've swatched them for you without any base or primer to really show that. Although I'd always recommend a base for eyeshadow application, these ones are definitely great on their own so they won't need a white base like a lot of brighter colours do. There's little to no fall out in any of these colours (except for a slight bit from Slowburn) from my own experience and just like my other UD shadows, they are velvety and smooth. They blend really nicely and are extremely build-able if you really want an intense colour. My personal favourites are Jilted, Urban and Thrash because I'm a sucker for anything purple and Thrash is just amazingly pigmented and looks great on the eye. 

A lot of you may be wondering how practical this palette really is and I think that's the reason a lot of people are kind of iffy about. For me personally, I love experimenting with colour and would happily wear a bold look any day of the week but of course that isn't for everybody. 

But for those of us who prefer a more natural look, I can see why this perhaps wouldn't be a good purchase so you may want to opt for one of the Naked palettes (which I also love) if you're looking for a great neutral palette. However, if you think about it - all of us makeup lovers will at one point want to play with colour and a really nice pigmented bright eyeshadow can sometimes be expensive to buy individually or simply just hard to find. If you bare that in mind, this palette is actually a good investment because you have all the colours you could want if ever you feel like rocking a bold look without having to pay for individual colours which will prove a lot more expensive.

Even if you don't want to wear a super bright look, think of this palette as a 'pop of colour' palette - perhaps adding some pink into the inner eye or some electric blue on the waterline? I really think the quality of this palette justifies the price and if anything I would of assumed it would have been more expensive, I was pleasantly suprised to see it was on a pound more expensive than the Naked Palettes. There, I really think The Electric Palette is worth a go - especially if you are a fan of colour!

You can purchase The Urban Decay Electric Palette from one of your local department stores here in the UK, I got mine from Debenhams.

I hope you enjoyed this review and found it helpful, what are your thoughts on this palette? Let me know!

Face of the Day #1

Hey! So I want to start posting more makeup looks but I don't really want them in a tutorial format (except for maybe the odd few)...

With that in mind, I thought I'd start posting my 'Faces of the Day' where I just post some selfies (I still don't know how I feel about that word) - of my makeup and list the products I used and where to get them!

This is my FOTD and I went for a simple cat eye with added smokeyness and then a nice bold lip which is kinda my thing!

Products used:

Maybelline Baby Skin | £7.99

MAC Studio Fluid (NC20) | £21.50

Anastasia Beverley Hills Dip Brow (Chocolate) | £15.0

Sleek Face Form (Fair) | £9.99

Urban Decay Naked Palette (Virgin, Naked, Buck, Darkhorse) | £37.00

Maybelline Eye Studio Gel Liner (Black) | £7.99

Maybelline The Falsies Mascara (Very Black) | £7.99

MAC Lipstick (Heroine) | £15.50

Maybelline Eyeliner Pencil (Black) | £2.99

I hope you liked this post, let me know what you think of this look and / or the products I used! Thanks for reading.

OOTD: Lace and Denim.

Hey! This is going to be an outfit post! It was pretty crappy weather today so I tried to keep it as cool / weather friendly as possible which proved a pretty difficult task. Luckily, I didn't really get caught in the rain though - the joys of English weather.

Newlook Denim Jacket  | £19.99

Glamorous Lace Cami (Now on Sale) | £11.00

ASOS Ankle Grazer Skinny Jeans  | £30.00

Converse Light Oxfords (Unavailable, alternative colour) | £44.99 

REVIEW: Sigma 12 Brush Essential Kit!

Hi guys! Today I've got a review for you on some makeup tools! I'm going to be talking about the Sigma Essential Brush kit.

You get 12 full size brushes in this kit and their names and uses are as follows:

• F30 - Large Powder Brush: For even powder application.
• F50 - Duo Fibre Brush: Used to create an airbrush effect onto the skin. Can be used with powder, liquid or cream products. 
• F40 - Large Angled Contour Brush: For cheek product application of contour and / or blush. 
• F60 - Foundation Brush: For smooth foundation application of liquid or cream products.
• E60 - Large Shader Brush: Used to uniformly cover the whole lid with product.
• E40 - Tapered Blending Blush: Used for blending shadows in the crease. 
• E70 - Medium Angled Shading Brush: For a soft application of colour. 
• F70 - Concealer Brush: For concealer application in smaller, more precise areas. 
• E55 - Eye Shading Brush: Used for an even application of colour.
• E30 - Pencil Brush: For creating soft, smoked out lines or adding shadow to smaller areas of the eye.
• E05 - Eye Liner Brush: For smooth and even lines, used with gel or liquid liners.
• E65 - Small Angle Brush: Used to create a precise lining.

From the kit, I have a few brushes that I really enjoy using in particular. Firstly is the F30 which I use for it's intended purpose. It's so soft and gentle on the skin but still dense enough to nicely pack on a light coverage of powder onto the areas that I want it.

Secondly, is the F60 brush which I again love for it's intended purpose. It's shape and design make it perfect for contouring the grooves of the face and it's soft enough to lightly blend the product so it's not overly harsh in appearance.

The E40 is also particularly good for blending out. It's not as dense as some blending brushes so it makes for a much softer look - great for finishing up an eyeshadow look.

The F70 is a brush I've recently been really enjoying. I use it for the standard application of concealer - smaller trouble spots like like blemishes and pimples as well as under the eyes. I also use it to clean up my eyebrows after filling them in so I can achieve a sharper, more defined look.

Finally, I love the E65 brush for filling in my eyebrows. The small angled brush makes for precision as well as creating beautiful defined lines and curves. 

One of the main things I like about the brush set in general is not only the quality and performance but how they look. They are simple in design yet you can tell they are quality, the black and silver makes them look very professional and sophisticated, unlike some brushes that can look cheap and tacky. I also really like the holographic writing on the brushes which adds to that feeling of quality. The brushes are all so soft and well made -there is no shedding from these brushes after several washes and they keep their shape well. 

The whole kit retails for just £99.95 which means each brush is less that £10 each in the set. More or less all of these brushes retail individually for at least over £10 so you're getting a smashing deal. Sigma is a popular brand of brushes and they are regularly used by makeup gurus and artists alike. I can definitely see why too and I think they're definitely worth the price. It's always worth investing in some good tools so that you can really get the most out of your makeup.

With this kit, you're pretty much set and have more than enough brushes to do whatever you want with your makeup. Even if you still want more brushes after getting this (I'm kind of a brush collector so I'm always on the look out), these are still a brilliant addition to your collection in my opinion.

You always get a free travel sized version of the E05 too - who doesn't love a freebie?! You can grab this set for yourself from Cocktail Cosmetics.

Have you tried any of the Sigma brushes? What are your personal faves? Let me know! 

My Current Shoe Obsession: Dr Martens.

Like most people, I go through phases of really enjoying a particular item. I have lots of these little 'obsessions' some of which have stayed with me for a long time and probably always will. One of my most prominent obsessions right now are Dr Martens. 

In particular, I love the classic 1460 Eyelet Boot style - I think it's one that makes the brand instantly recognisable. Dr Martens are a shoe that you can automatically spot and it's iconic, too. I love how a pair of them can instantly give even the girliest of looks that little edge. As of today, I have two pairs of Docs and I'm slowly working up my collection and currently lusting over quite a few pairs too! 

The first pair I ever got was a black printed pair of the 1460 boots in the print 'Victorian Flowers'. I saw them whilst doing a spot of window shopping and I fell in love with them. I was lucky enough to then get them as a Christmas present and I'm so happy I did. They have this really beautiful vintage floral pattern on them and where released as part of the Autumn-Winter collection a few years ago. I adore all things vintage and retro and this print really sold it for me. 

Though they are the classic style of boot, they are made out of a canvas upper as a opposed to the traditional leather. The canvas and boots itself though is extremely strong and durable - it's nothing like the canvas of a pair of Converse for example. Other than this, nothing really is any different in this boot other than colours - the classic yellow stitching and 'Air Wair' tag is replaced with pink to match the overall print.

Recently, I got my second pair of Dr Martens and they were a gift for my birthday. After getting such a jazzy pair, I began looking at the original 'classic' Docs and my interest in them grew. The black 1460 Eyelet boots are pretty much THE iconic Dr Martens and I didn't think my collection could be without them. I know I can pretty much wear them with anything and they're going to be so great in the colder months. 

So, these are the original, classic black 1460 boot, with the air cushioned sole, yellow stitching and they also come with the yellow laces as well. They have a polished leather finish which I really like the look of and I think they'll look even nicer once they're worn in a bit.

One of the most well known facts about Dr Martens is that they are quite tricky to wear in. I've definitely learnt that from my floral canvas pair. My canvas pair hurt my feet particularly where the tongue is attached on top of my foot - that area is so stiff and strongly stitched.. However, everyone knows it takes patience to wear in a pair of Docs and eventually they'll be the comfiest shoes ever, promise! It's just because they're so well made and durable that it takes some time to break them in - there are Dr Martens socks you can wear and different tips and tricks to make the process a little easier such as stuffing the shoe with newspaper to stretch them out of a period of a week or so. 

If you're looking into buying a pair and maybe don't know where to start or what kind of outfits they'd go with, I'm made a little look list using the Shopcade app and you can check it out down below! You can even buy the picks if they take your fancy through the Shopcade website.

Thank you for reading what was basically a rant about my growing love for Dr Martens! I hope that maybe you still got something from this even if it is just that I'm a little crazy about shoes... What are your thoughts on Dr Martens? And what shoes have you got your eye on right now? Let me know!

What I Got For My Birthday - Beauty.

Hey guys! In this post, I thought I'd share with you some of the gifts I received for my birthday. My birthday was on Sunday and I got some really lovely and thoughtful gifts and I'm so grateful and excited to use them! 

Generally, I'm not one to buy higher end beauty products on a regular basis - I like to ask for them as a gifts or to treat myself with them. That's because I'm a believer that you can get high quality products with a smaller price tag and higher end products are also more difficult to access locally for me. However, their are definitely some amazing higher end items out there really worth the money and so I always have a good think about them and so sometimes I'll treat myself or pick out items as gifts that I've been seriously lusting over or think are worth buying. With all that said, I'm going to show you what I got - and I want to just point out (been said so many times before, I know) that I'm not bragging, just simply sharing. So.. yeah let's get into the post already.

So, firstly I received to lip items from my brother. I gave him a few selections of lip items I'd been really wanting to own and he then chose some of them. He got me MAC's Heroine which is an absolutely gorgeous blue-toned purple. Purple is my favourite colour and I've never really found the perfect shade until I saw this. I wore it for my birthday and I absolutely love it. Bold lipsticks are totally my thing and I know I'll be getting a lot of wear out of this one.

He also got me an OCC Lip Tar in the colour Stalker. I have one other lip tar in the shade Hoochie and I LOVE it. You get so much product (seriously) that the price is totally justified for me. Not only that, the are long lasting and such good quality that I'd pay £11.95 (Cocktail Cosmetics) all day long! This colour is a gloss kind of finish, it's not an in your face gloss though and it's a really lovely true red colour.

I treated myself a little bit of my birthday too and I took a trip to Debenhams and bought myself the Urban Decay Electric palette. I love the UD Naked palettes and after seeing this a few months ago, I've been really wanting to get it. The colour are beautiful and I fell in love after swatching them in store. I was kind of uncertain on getting it, bigger purchases require a lot of thought from me but after swatching and getting a closer look I just kinda had to. The colours are so pigmented and I cannot wait to do a look with this palette as well as reviewing on here - keep an eye out!

I also took a trip to Lush, I find them kind of expensive with certain products but I really enjoy their bath bombs and bath melts. So, I got a few of those - I got the Comforter which is one of my favourites, the Butterball and finally the Candy Bar melt which smells delicious!

The Comforter

Candy Bar

I was gifted the Ray of Sunshine gift box which is also from Lush and it's one I've had quite a few times before. You get four items in this particular box and I love the fresh, citrus scents they all have - so good.

Hair care is kind of a big deal to me, it's a process I actually kind of enjoy and using nice hair products just makes me feel really pampered. BED HEAD by TIGI is a brand I've only used a few times but everything I have ever used I've really enjoyed. They're kind of pricey hence why I don't buy from them frequently but all the stuff I have ever used has always felt and smelt so darn good. The products I got from them for my birthday are no different - they are the Colour Goddess shampoo and condition and they came in this massive 750ml bottle! For a higher-end brand, these came in a decent priced twin gift set and they smell so delicious - seriously, I'm tempted to eat this stuff. This particular range is for colour treated hair and is infused with natural oils so I'm excited to give this a go and see how it does with my hair.

The last thing I got that was beauty related was another hair product. I got a pair of Remington curling tongs which are 19mm in length. I got these specifically with vintage hair styles in mind as this is the perfect sized barrel to do pin curls with and i've been wanting to them for a long time. I'm particularly excited to give these a try because I've got quite a few hairstyles in mind.

That's everything I received that falls into the beauty category. Thank you so much for reading and do let me know if you'd like a review on of these items in particular!

OOTD: Birthday Edition - 13/07/14.

Hey everyone! So I'm back today with a birthday outfit post. Yesterday it was my birthday and I turned 20, eek. I firstly did a little spot of shopping (expect a birthday haul) and then I went out for a lovely Chinese - I came home feeling well and truly stuffed but boy it was delicious.
I got some amazing gifts and generally had a really good day, I feel truly grateful for everything I received and for the birthday messages I got as well. I still don't quite feel like the adult my age tells everyone I am but I'm looking forward to the next few years to come and to see where I will be then and what they will bring.

Anyway... onto the outfit. I wore my new romper from Forever21 which I really love and I teamed that with a denim jacket and some ankle boots:

Newlook Denim Jacket | £19.99

Forever21 Romper (Unavailable, similar print) | £30.00

River Island Ankle Boots (Unavailable, alternative) | £20.99

eBay Henna / Tattoo Style Choker | £1.00