Monday, June 30, 2014

Video: Monochrome Blonde LookBook


This is my first lookbook for a good long while! I'm pretty proud of it, I'm happy how it turned out and I love love love these outfits. This video is also a great example of my dancing haha.

Outfit 1 -
White T Shirt Dress - Primark
White Frilly Socks - eBay
Boots - Doc Martens
Sunglasses - eBay
Bag - H&M

Outfit 2 -
Stripe T Shirt Dress - eBay
Platform Chelsea Boots - Boohoo

Outfit 3 -
Sweater T Shirt - H&M
PU Wetlook Shorts - eBay
Bag - H&M
Low White Sneakers - Converse

Outfit 4 -
Black Pom Pom Playsuit - Dollygirl Fashion
Platform Black Heels - eBay
Handbag - Primark

Outfit 5 -
Crop Rib Tee in Black - Topshop
Scallop Edge Lace Shorts - MissGuided
Jelly Sandals - Rubi Shoes

Makeup -
L'Oreal True Match Foundation in Vanilla
NARS Deep Throat Blush
Illamasqua Heliopolis Bronzer
Urban Decay 'Buck' Eyeshadow
NYC Liquid Eyeliner
MAC Lipstick in Snob & Peach Blossom




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Sunday, June 29, 2014

My Must Have Brushes






Today's post is a post that is extremely close to my heart because my makeup brushes are seriously my favourite things about makeup (closely followed by face products). Brushes are integral to application; I still look back and cringe at my 14 year old self who smeared my Dream Matte Mousse on with my fingers, and applied my sparkly blue eyeshadow with my ring finger, or worse, one of those spongey applicators!! For me, makeup brushes can really make or break a makeup look, but I do understand that they're one of the top most expensive aspects of building your makeup collection. I've narrowed down my absolute must have brushes, that I could comfortably live with and still achieve flawless makeup every day. There are six in total; 4 face brushes and 2 eye brushes!

Sigma Blending e25 Brush
I always liked to think I knew what I was doing when it came to eyeshadow blending, but let me tell you, I had but not a clue until I bought this brush. I have a bigger fluffier one, which is good, but this one's slightly more rigid bristles give a whole lot more control over where the eyeshadow ends up going. It's great for building up colour in the crease, and needless to say, ALL of Sigma's brushes are so incredibly soft and feel lovely on the skin.

Sigma Eye Shading e55 Brush
The thick, dome-shaped bristles on this brush are perfect for packing on a lot of colour all over the lid, but you can stretch it's use if you need to. I like to use it to smoke out underneath my lower lash line using heavier colours, and you can also use it to highlight the browbone. 

EcoTools Custom Coverage Buffing Brush
When I discovered buffing brushes, my entire makeup routine changed and the quality of my makeup rose so much! No more painting foundation on using those awful pointy foundation brushes. I love this buffing brush because it blends the foundation into your skin for a seamless coverage, and increases your foundation's staying power and natural look! On top of this, EcoTools is a wonderful vegan brand which stands for a wonderful vegan message; all of the brushes are cruelty free and have a gorgeous rustic look. The bristles are actually softer than any animal hair brush I've ever tried, and so since I tried this baby I've been building up my EcoTools collection. I'm a huge fan.

Sigma Large Powder f30 Brush
This is one of those brushes you just have to include; it isn't a showstopper or anything, but you'd be a bit stuck without it. My makeup requires an insane amount of setting because my skin is so oily, and this brush is absolutely massive and makes quick work of setting my foundation with a loose or pressed powder. Again, it's bristles are amazing and soft, and there really is a lot of brush here for your money!

NARS Ita Kabuki Brush
The most amazing brush any contour-loving girl could ever ask for! This is a must have for me, because I really love playing up my cheekbones with a contour, and this brush creates that crisp, defining line beneath the bone. The bristles are fluffy and comfortable on the skin, really easy to control and the brush itself is really beautiful. I love the NARS packaging and it is translated wonderfully onto the brushes!

RealTechniques Blush Brush
RealTechniques is a cult favourite among beauty bloggers, and it is no surprise why. I remember being shocked and in disbelief at how amazingly soft this brush was when I took it out of it's box! The dome shaped hairs (I can't even call them bristles because they're so soft!) make for perfectly blended blush and allow you to build up product without it going cakey or smeary. This brush also doubles as a great contour brush! For a really light contour, you can dust the bronzer underneath the cheekbones and it looks wonderful.




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video: First Tattoo! - Tips & Advice


Hello beautiful people! If you are subscribed to my YouTube you may have seen this video already! This is my newest video, and it's a vlog style vid before and after I got my first ever tattoo! I'm currently writing up an in-depth First Tattoo blog post to help any of you guys out who are worried or nervous, and hopefully you'll enjoy this video too!

I'm so pleased with how it turned out. I'm literally the happiest I could be with it; it is exactly what I wanted! Look out for the upcoming blog post and chuck us a like or a comment if you have any questions!





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Friday, June 27, 2014

Recipe: Refreshing Summer Smoothie!





It's summer here in the UK, which means you can probably find me out back in my garden, scantily clad, reading a book and sipping on one of my favourite things ever; a fresh juice or an icy, home-blended smoothie. I'm big into smoothies, purely because you know exactly what has gone into them. It's so important to be aware of all the ingredients you're fuelling your body with, because nine times out of ten, if you're feeling less than perfect, it is something missing or something wrong in the food you're eating!

This smoothie is all natural, all healthy and really cheap to make. It is absolutely perfect for sipping on slowly, and the ingredients are specially selected to nourish, hydrate and refresh your body when you're sitting out in the sun!

In this baby, I used:
1 whole banana, peeled
2 handfuls of frozen berries (raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and cherries)
1 handful of ice
400ml of Tropicana with juicy bits, or any orange juice you prefer

I simply chucked them all in my blender and whizzed it all up. What came out was about a pint of red deliciousness of all natural, icy cold refreshment which I spent about an hour sipping through a straw in my back garden. Loooovely! It's so important to take into consideration that you can buy slushies from loads of news agents, and you can even buy icy cold soft drinks and juice drinks, but you can never guarantee the level of goodness in a product unless you make it from scratch! So many products have added nasties that cost you more money in the end. I'd say this pint of goodness only cost about £2 to make, so it's already cheaper than a whole load of stuff you can get in the shops. Then add in the fact you get a whole lot more than what you can buy instore, and then consider how nutritious and delicious it all is! Can't be any simpler.





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Thursday, June 26, 2014

Saturday, June 21, 2014

Alpha-H Skincare Purchase



Good old eBay! I’d had all these items sitting in my basket on another website, and the cost was over £100, and too hard to justify. Suddenly, a brainwave occurred and I popped them all in on eBay, and I got a saving of over £25! Winning! I’ve been lusting over the Alpha-H skincare for a good few weeks now, and as my Skin Doctors T-Zone range is running out, I needed to get my skates on and buy a new load of stuff! I read a lot of really helpful reviews and this range looks pretty well respected among the blogger community; I’m particularly excited about the cult favourite Liquid Gold (oooh). Obviously you can expect a big review post when I’ve tried out these babies! 



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Friday, June 20, 2014

Why You're Far Too Good To Wait For Him

Hi everyone. Today’s post is going to be a little bit different to anything I’ve posted before, but it’s something I really feel like I need to address in order to get over something that has recently happened in my personal life.

I have recently stopped seeing someone (well, I’m not even sure if you can call it ‘seeing’ because it only happened over the course of about a month), basically because it turned out we didn’t want the same things. At first, everything seemed perfect, and most of us girls will know what it is like to have a guy treat you so amazingly and say the most perfect things to you. I was smitten almost immediately, but I knew I had to be wary and keep my guard up. After some time, we met and I felt amazed that someone could be so sweet and good natured and kind, but then, for some reason, everything just stopped. All the texting throughout the day, the cute picture messages, the facebook messages etc just stopped. Every time I asked if he wanted to meet up, he was really up for it and came out and things were amazing again, but still, he wouldn’t be available to talk or text when we weren’t together. Two weeks pass of barely being in contact, and all the while I’m wondering how I should play it, or whether I should text him, or play hard to get, or whatever. The last time we hung out, again, it was amazing and I felt like I was being treated like a princess, but afterwards, again, NOTHING. No texts, no messages.

This is where I drew the line. I’ve had relationships in the past where I’ve been treated truly amazingly, and so my bar is set pretty high already. I was so smitten that for about a month I allowed this guy to play around with my feelings and lead me on without realising that he was just getting the best of both worlds, without actually having to commit. At first, I felt like I just wanted to wait around for him, because honestly I was infatuated and felt like I’d do anything to be with him and get treated the way I was treated when I was with him. The reality is though, that he simply couldn’t be bothered, and wasn’t ready, and didn’t know exactly what it was he wanted. Looking back now, despite speaking to this guy for over a month, I realise he never let me in, and I know almost nothing about him.

If someone ‘doesn’t know’ how they feel about you, then they aren’t anywhere near good enough for you. A real connection is between people who actually care, and who will both put an equal amount of effort into a relationship. It should never be you waiting by your phone for a text, and there should never be games where you play ‘hard to get’. It took me far too long to convince myself of how brilliant a person I was, and I really don’t have time to convince someone else! The person of your dreams; your soulmate; will just know. When you’ve found the right person, there won’t be any games, there won’t be any indecisiveness or dilly dallying. You just have to be strong enough to realise when something you want just isn’t going to happen, and that you’ve got to let go.

I read an article when I was feeling the most upset, and it really helped me out. It made me realise how ridiculous it was that I’d got my heart set on a person and for some reason I felt like I had to wait for him to realise how great I am, and that he wanted to be with me.

You’ve made a decision about him and decided to stick around in spite of the fact that he hasn’t got both feet in the relationship.
In fact, you’re waiting for him to make a decision about you, when you’ve already made a decision about him! Does that even make sense?
How horrible is it to be around someone who isn’t sure that they want to be with you when you have your heart and mind so set on him?”

When you’re with someone who can’t bring themselves to put both of their feet in the relationship and instead keeps a foot out, or just a toe in and makes it clear either through words or his actions that he is not on board. Instead of fighting for his attention, trying to prove yourself, trying to win, the fact that he is himming and hawing about you should be a serious indicator that something is wrong and that you need to step back, get real, and be careful of projecting what you think, feel, and believe on to him because clearly, you’re not on the same page.”
We are so much stronger than allowing ourselves to be treated like doormats. We are far too good to be picked up and put down by someone who just wants the best of both worlds. It’s hard not to be led on when someone makes such amazing promises and says such beautiful things, but if we teach them that we are happy to be ignored when it suits them, yet come dashing back at the first instance, we will only set ourselves up for a disappointing relationship.

It definitely helps to surround yourself with friends and family, and to throw yourself into your work and hobbies. Definitely don't go all psycho on them (I haven't even officially called things off with this guy; I'm just waiting for him to suggest we meet up so I can tell him he's got no chance!). For me, writing about it and reading positive, empowering articles has been my most helpful way of dealing with this. I’m counting it as a lucky escape; imagine how much worse it would be had things become more serious, and I’d developed true feelings for this boy. Just remember, us girls are clever; look at their body language, read the signs and trust your gut instinct. Remember what an incredible, bright, funny and dedicated person you are, and recognise why you're far too good for this idiot who can't see that for himself!




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Monday, June 16, 2014

Bleach LONDON Rosé Review - How to get pastel hair!







It finally happened! I took the plunge I’ve been dying to take, and dyed my hair this gorgeous pastel pink! To do it, I used a product I’ve heard good things about; the Rosé temporary hair dye from Bleach LONDON. I heard about this product on twitter, and immediately planned to try it out. It’s a great way for blondes to check whether a fun colour hair will suit them, because if it ends up looking crud you can wash it out easily and not have to go through the whole stripping your hair colour, or worse; dying it brown! Bleach LONDON also does a huge range of blonde haircare products, like silver shampoos and toners, and it even does bleaching kits (not something I’d be brave enough to try, but it was sold out at my Boots store so it must be a hit!).

Anyway, the Rosé cream is quite a vibrant flamingo in the 150ml bottle, which costs £5. I grabbed two because although my hair isn’t thick, it’s pretty long and the last thing I’d want to do is nip back out with half-pink hair. The colour put me off a bit, I was nervous about how vibrant it would come out, but I’d read that it comes out quite sheer so I trusted my fellows on Instagram and twitter! The directions instruct you to apply it to shampooed, towel tried hair. I chose to tone my hair using the Lee Stafford Bleach Blondes shampoo, to knock out any of those pesky brassy tones before I applied the dye on top. Hair looking nice and ashy (though a bit dry-feeling and matted due to the lack of conditioner), I proceeded to squeeze the dye out of the bottle. I sectioned off my hair as best I could using my hands in my hideous-feeling rubber gloves, and applied the dye root to tip. I think I saturated my hair with the dye, but now looking back I probably should have cracked out the other bottle just to really make sure I got every strand of hair and concentrated the colour a tiny bit more.

The design of the bottle does get a bit annoying, once you’ve got half, the other half is reeeeally hard to squeeze out! However, having said this, I was really happy with how the 150ml bottle lasted, and I felt like I’d put more than enough on my hair and spread it all around really well. I was both excited and horrified when I saw just how pink the formula looks on the hair; that is, very very pink indeed. I waited between 10 and 15 minutes (I wasn’t timing when I really should have been) and then rinsed off the dye. It is a really nice and easy dye to wash off; it has the consistency of a thick conditioner or hair masque and it’s quite clear to see when the water starts to run clear.


As for the colour, I’m over the moon! There’s something so grungy and sexy and edgy about pastel hair, and it’s made my confidence sky rocket this afternoon (Imagine me dancing around in front of the mirror singing to the pussycat dolls!). I’ve got a whole new style of makeup that’s been unlocked for me, and I can now do smokier looks under the eye, and rock plum lipsticks without looking proper vampy. I’m loving this new look, and I’m definitely going to keep colouring my hair this gorgeous rosé shade for a while. I can’t really fault this product, other than the slightly annoying bottle shape, but the affordability and quality and results are so worth the extra shaking of the bottle! 








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Sunday, June 15, 2014

Face & Body Wishlist!


NARS Tinted Moisturiser // Sigma Small Contour Brush // NYX Matte Finish Setting Spray // L'Oreal Nude Magique CC Cream in Anti-Redness // Body Shop Tea Tree Body Wash // Body Shop Pink Grapefruit Body Mist // Nip & Fab Coconut Latte Dry Skin Fix Body Butter

More often that not, I find myself lusting over new items when I've got ZERO spare money in the bank to buy things with. This is when I find things I really NEED! But I find that putting them into a blog post is a great way of reminding myself of what I've been wanting over the course of the month. 

NARS is always a winner with me, I adore their powder blushes and bronzers, and their SheerGlow foundation is probably my favourite foundation of all time! The summer months are calling for a lighter coverage and easier application though, so I'm drawn to the tinted moisturiser which has many positive reviews! 

I've also been obsessing over The Body Shop, which always amazes me with its incredible fruity scents and cruelty free formulas which really do the job. On top of that, I always forget how affordable the products are; they're such amazing quality for a few quid! 


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Saturday, June 14, 2014

*CLOSED* MAC Lipstick Giveaway in a colour of your choice!



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video: What's In My Handbag?




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wishlist - june


Alpha-H Balancing Cleanser with Aloe Vera 200ml £23 // Alpha-H Micro Cleanse with Glycolic Acid & Rice Bran 100ml £19.60 // Alpha-H Liquid Gold with Glycolic Acid 100ml £31.50 // Alpha-H Clear Skin Daily Hydrator Gel with Eucalyptus 50ml £22 // Topshop Scallop Crop Top in Cream £8 // Topshop Petite Rib Crop Tee in White £8 // Topshop Joni Jeans £40 // MAC Blush in Melba £18 // Kate Moss Lipsticks in 101 and 110 £5.49 Boots // Jaz White Strappy Platforms eBay £30 // Benefit They're Real Push Up Liner £Not yet released! // Revlon Colourburst Matte Balm in Mischievous £7.99 Boots

This month I've been loving crisp, fresh whites and peaches! Don't ask me why, but maybe it's the boiling weather and my sunburn that has made me crave those soft, cool shades. My Skin Doctors Skin care recently ran out, so I'm on the hunt for another relatively high-end range to help me crack down on my terrible breakouts. I've read loads of amazing things about Alpha-H products so I'm excited to see what they can do for me. 

I'm loving Topshop Joni Jeans, of course I am, I mean, who on the earth isn't a massive fan?? I tried a pair on instore a few weeks ago and for some reason I was unhappy with how huge they make my hips look, but actually I think it might be a good thing. It's always good to accentuate your butt, ladies! And as the genius 2-Chainz once said; 'she got a big booty so I call her big-booty' - big booties are obviously widely accepted these days. I'm back on the hunt for some, but now my birthday is over I'll have to find a really good excuse to buy some!

My current go-to blush is Deep Throat by NARS; I love it's sheer peachiness, but I think I'd like a nuder peach just to dust over my cheekbones to add a bit of warmth, rather than look obviously pink and flushed. That's where MAC comes in. I've always loved my Fleur Power by MAC, so I think it's time to branch out with my MAC blush collection!


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