Under The Radar

Every so often I will forgo an overhyped album, book, film for no reason in particular apart from the fact that I'm stubborn. And so when I was on the search for new songs to listen to I came across Rihanna's latest album which I have failed to give any attention to. In that moment I found my song of the moment. Some of the songs are slightly too grungy for me, unless I'm in that specific mood, but this song spoke to me and I've had it on repeat ever since.

Love Without Tragedy/Mother Mary - Rihanna

New Balance Love

 

These are the comfiest pairs of shoes that I have ever worn in my life. I have been wearing them with absolutely everything. Jeans, midi-skirts, dresses. And I'm sure that they will look just as great with shorts if the weather ever decides that it's going to warm up and actually behave like spring/summer. I've been a converse girl for the past few years but these have totally converted me. I had been considering buying a new pair of trainers for a while. I'm on my feet all day when I'm working so one evening when my feet were aching the decision was made. The pair that I have are the New Balance 373 in navy, baby blue and white.

I'm not normally one to give into the hype but there is good reason around the hype for these! They can be casual or smart depending on how and what you wear with them. I can't see my feet straying from these anytime soon. 

New Balance 373 Trainers

The Regulars

When applying my makeup in the morning I usually change up what I'm wearing on my lips, cheeks and eyes quite frequently. That's one of the great things about makeup, there's always a new shadow, trend, colour to try out. However there are some products that make an appearance every single (make-up wearing) day which I don't expect to change any time soon. They are my basic basics.  My base can change up depending on the day (read: the state of my skin), the colours that I wear vary and the amount of makeup that I put on will change day to day, but these will always make an appearnce.

Bobbi Brown Corrector in Extra Light Bisque / MAC MSF in Light Plus / NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly / MAC Paintpot in Painterly / The Body Shop Vitamin E Lip Care

Make Up On The Go

A look at some of the products that I take with me if I am going out for the day, either to work or somewhere else. I don't like to take alot out with me because most of the time I won't actually use the majority of the products, it's just nice to have them with me just in case. Powder for the t-zone, concealer just in case, the lip product I'm wearing that day, lip balm and I always take the maybelline lip gloss out with me because it's an easy alternative to slick on and go which will go with anything.

The Body Shop Vitamin E Lip Care SPF 15 / MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NW20/ Real Techniques Blush Brush / Maybelline Colour Sensational Shine Gloss in Cashmere Rose / L'Oreal Rouge Caresse in Tempting Lilac / MAC MSF in Light Plus

Cette après midi..

All images from ELLE magazine

As I read the magazines that I buy every month (Vogue, Elle, Company, the list goes on) I always see makeup looks that I want to keep so I can look back on them.  So I had the idea of creating a little scrapbook of exactly that: my inspiration, my favourite looks, the trends, looks I create, anything that takes my fancy. This past afternoon has been spent cutting and sticking looks out of said magazines into my sketchbook that I bought from a local arts store. I decided to date each look so that in however many months or years time I am able to look back and have a reference point of when they were from. I am going to try and make this a monthly ritual to try and keep up to date with the looks around. 

Wishlist.

French Connection Amelia Striped Tee Dress , New Balance 565 Trainers , French Connection Classic Polly Plains T-Shirt

In recent times I have been spending a fair bit of money on makeup (a spurge may or may not have happened last week, inevitable really). However my attention seems to be changing to favour fashion items. Does anyone else have that? Their attention will be completely on makeup and skincare with absolute no interest in buying any clothes, and then suddenly the tables will turn and clothes are back at the top of the list again. Welcome to my mind ladies and gentlemen.

So here are a couple of things I have been lusting over recently. The dress and top are both from French Connection, a shop I had previously overlooked. Oh what a mistake! After wandering around Topshop the other day and coming out rather disheartened that nothing had caught my eye, which has been the case more and more recently. *whispers* Maybe my style is evolving out of Topshop? Shocker, I know.  So French Connection was my next hit and I love it! I did buy a couple of tops from there, including the blue top that I have on this wishlist but in a midnight blue. It's the perfect basic tee, hence why I've got the lighter blue shade on my wishlist, with many more shades to be bought after as well I'm sure. The dress is another FC find which I think would be great for casual summer days which can also transition into Autumn with some tights.

And finally, I've been thinking about buying a pair of New Balances for a while.  The decision was made after another day when I came home from work and my feet were in pain. I'm on my feet all day and converse just don't seem to be cutting it anymore. So these would be a worthwhile investment, right? My favourites are the New Balance 565 trainers in black and white.

Should Have Been Over It

The L'Oreal Rouge Caresse lipsticks came out in 2012(!) so don't even ask me why it has taken me this long to get round to purchasing some of their line. It's not as if the line has received  a torrent of negative reviews, in fact it's the complete opposite. They received rave reviews and yet I still refused to purchase one (or two in this case) until now. Come to think about it, the Revlon Lip Butters came out about the same time as these lipsticks and I think for some reason I must have favoured the Revlon option over the L'Oreal. I would like to apologise now for being so naive because I absolutely love the L'Oreal option!

I have two shades, the popular shades some may say, Tempting Lilac and Dating Coral. They give a sheer finish but I would say that the colour pay off is slightly more opaque in comparison to the Revlon Lip Butters. Both of these shades are very easy to wear, and in particular I have fallen in love with Tempting Lilac. If that shade is not a swipe on and run out the door shade, then I don't know what is.
 

Camellia

There has been a lot of hype recently around the Liz Earle Healthy Glow Cream Blushes, in particular the shade 'Nectar'.  I'm not one to buy makeup off the internet without having previously seen the product in real life, the example colours online can be so misleading! So that I did, I set off to my local department store where there is a Liz Earle counter and made my way straight to the cream blushes. I immediately could pick out which one was 'Nectar', (a sign I've been reading too many beauty blogs?) but it didn't capture my attention. For someone who has naturally quite flushed cheeks it seemed a bit too bright. Instead I was much more attracted to the neutral shades, in particular 'Camellia'. You can see that I did indeed end up buying this shade, because in the end I felt like it was a shade that I would be more comfortable wearing on a day to day basis.

After using it for about a week now I can tell you that I love it! It is the most natural pink colour for my pale skin tone and leaves the skin with a dewy glow throughout the day. I have worn this to work and I can see the colour is still get there when I get home. Seeing as I put on my makeup at 7:30 in the morning and get home at around 6 that is pretty impressive wear! It has become the blush that I've been reaching for everyday and I think it is going to get a lot of use this summer.

Saturday Afternoon :: Sun and Watercolours

One of my favourite past times is painting. Watercolours being my preference. And so yesterday afternoon the sun was out, I had no plans and I didn't want to waste away the day sitting indoors. A warm, sunny day is not one to be missed when you live in England, they go past in the blink of an eye!  The painting supplies, paint brushes and sketchbooks were taken out of hiding and I sat down outside and started painting. I could tell I was a bit rusty but mainly I just focused on the colours rather than details, which I find is the best way with watercolours.  My favourite thing to paint with this choice of media are flowers, I find that the delicate colours translate well with the watercolours. My next aim: find some flowers in my garden and make painting, or generally being creative, a regular occurence. When I'm using my creativity is when I feel most at peace.

My Creative Corner

This is one of my favourite areas of my room, it's only one shelf but it houses all my creative influences and reads. I don't know what it is about keeping old magazines and having them on display but I really like the look of it. I also have some of my creative books on show which I like to dip in and out of when I'm inbetween books.

ELLE / Vogue / Company / Glamour / i-D / LOVE /  Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual / 100 Years Of Fashion / Vintage Style / Paris Street Style

Crushing on... Bobbi Brown

As mentioned in my last post I recently had my makeup done at Bobbi Brown. I'm not overly familiar with the brand so it was great to have a chat with the lovely girls who were working there about the products and the makeup industry in general. The makeup artist talked me through some of the skincare and makeup products they have and she did a lovely look on me. If I had the money I would have bought the majority of the products that she used on me, but unfortunately not! Initially I narrowed it down to 3 products, but as luck would have it the eyepaint in 'Stone' was out of stock. So in the future I am definitely going to have to try and find that as well as the blush in 'Pretty Pink' and the Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation, finally a foundation which gives a good coverage but doesn't feel heavy on the skin!

The products that I actually did buy were the Shadow Stick in 'Golden Pink' and the much coveted Corrector in 'Extra Light Bisque' (the extra light made me laugh, the woes of being pale!).  The shadow stick is a gorgeous colour which is a great everyday option! The corrector is a product that I have been hearing and reading about for years so I thought it was only fair that I finally gave in! She used it on me during the makeover so I could tell that it really did make a difference.

I think I may have found a new love in the form of Bobbi Brown. I'm sure there will be many more purchases to come in the distant future (who am I kidding? I'll probably be back there next week).

Barely There Makeup

This morning I was getting ready to go into town for a little bit of shopping. I had booked a complimentary makeover with Bobbi Brown for 11:30 that morning, but I was intending on getting to town just after 10 to do some shopping beforehand. So when it came to the time of getting ready for the day where I would usually make my face up I was stuck in a momentary dilemma. Is it worth putting on makeup for such a short period of time? I would have happily gone make-up free, it's not really a big deal for me especially since my skin has cleared up. But I felt like I wanted to wear a very minimal amount. A very light barely there base, curled lashes, a pop of colour on the cheeks and a natural shine for the lips.

Estee Lauder Day Wear / NARS Creamy Concealer (Chantilly) / MAC MSF (Light Plus) / Bobbi Brown Blush (Apricot) / MAC Paintpot (Painterly) / Max Factor Clump Defy Mascara (not pictured) / Maybelline Colour Sensational Lipshine (Cashmere Rose)

A Glow For The Pale

As summer approaches and thoughts of tanned skin and healthy glows start to enter people's mind, I have to remind myself that I will not, and will never have the golden bronze that is so sought after. Many a time I have been referred to as an 'English Rose', now whether that's because I'm pale or it relates to my name is up to you. Instead of turning bronzed and lovely, I get an increased amount of freckles everywhere, in particular on my face and my hair goes blonder (that's the real tell-tale sign of whether I've been in the sun). If I'm completely honest with you I have accepted that I don't tan and I have moved on. I'm just not one of those people that can lie in the sun all day and enjoy it, I need shade. 

But there are some days when I would like a bit of a glow to my skin. And for these days I have recently discovered a method to create this. Let me introduce you to the Estée Lauder Daywear Sheet Tint Release, I like to mix this in with whatever base I am wearing that day, in recent weeks it has been my beloved NARS Tinted Moisturiser. It is a grey-ish liquid which once applied to the skin adapts and creates a subtle glow, on it's own it has next to no coverage but mixed gives the perfect coverage to create a healthy glow. Appropriate for those pale skinned girls out there like me. Search no more. The wonder product is here. 

This product is quite expensive, but I have had it for a few years now and it is nowhere near to running out. Of course I don't use it everyday but I would say that it is a worthwhile investment. 

Weekend Reading

Magazines We Should All Be Reading / Recipe: Green Bean & Grape Salad / Instagram Life: Paris / Daily Wears / Charging Your Phone On The Go / Embracing Smokey Eyes Part 1: Matte Brown / 6 Things That Every Twentysomething Should Do / Life Is Too Short To...

When I Grow Up I Want To Be...

Image

A bit of a different post for you today. There's still going to be somewhat of a focus on beauty and lifestyle, but from more of a behind the scenes angle. I'm going to dive straight in at the deep end. In life we grow up as children being told that we can do whatever we want to do in our careeers, to follow our dreams, to do whatever makes us happy. I am a strong believer in this. Hence the reason why I recently withdrew from university and decided to follow a path that I love. Creativity. So why is it that when I now tell people that I want to be a make-up artist their responses can go one of two ways.  Those who are already in jobs in the creative industry are full of praise and interesting questions. And there are those people who choose to criticize, undermine and fault my choice. Isn't that very expensive to train in? You won't find a job for years.. Are you sure? Is that an actual job? But you're too clever to do that! Don't you want to get a degree first? Most of the time it is these people who have no concept of the hair and make-up industry and how huge it actually is.

And what happened to when they were saying follow your dreams, just do what makes you happy. Because now I am doing what makes me happy and not following the manufactured route through university. And some people just can't seem to get their head around that. Now I am strong enough to go on in life without taking what they say to heart, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't infuriate me how narrow minded some people can be. There are some people who believe that they need to voice their own opinion on every event and thought in life that comes their way. Well to those people I have something to say to you. You may undermine my choice in career. You may not understand it. You may never get it. But what matters most to me in life is my happiness. And your spite just makes me want to push harder and prove you wrong. I will be happy. I will be creative. I will not bow down to peer pressure.

So before you even think about undermining anyone's choices in life, take a step back and think about your words. You don't know what their back story is. Or how the past few months have treated them. Or how much courage it has taken for them to come out, go against the crowd and say what path they want to follow in life with their career, or anything else for that matter. You only see the front that they put on, and you never know how deceiving that is and you probably never will. 

Lilac

Another outfit post from my recent holiday. And yes it is another midi skirt. I did say I'm having a bit of an obsession at the moment. I saw this online a few months ago and completely fell in love with it. Perfect for those lazy summer days, or days spent at work. A very versatile and a soon to be well loved piece!

Top - Topshop
Skirt - Topshop (not online)
Shoes - New Look

Duty Free Made Me Do It

I mentioned at the beginning of last month that I was going to try and spend no money on anything  beauty or clothes related. Well that didn't go exactly to plan. To any self confessed beauty addicts out there, if you are able to walk past the MAC counter, or any other beauty counter, in duty free then I salute you. Because it appears that I can't. 

I was innocently (read: naively, stupidly) perusing the different products and brands being sold with no intention of parting with my hard earned cash. I walked past YSL, Dior, Benefit. I even walked past the giant Cadbury's chocolate bar without loosing my will. And then MAC happened. At first it was just testing out multiple shades of eyeshadows on my hand, and then blushes on my arm, and then lipsticks on my other hand. Which if I'm being completely honest with you is how I usually leave MAC (note to self, always bring wipes with you to remove this evidence) so I wasn't worried yet. 

Then the damage happened. The sales assistant asked me if I needed anything. The beginning of the end. Before I knew it I'd asked to have the eyeshadow in 'All That Glitters' and a 217 brush.  And that was it. They were mine. As I write this there is still no feeling of guilt or regret at this impulsive purchase. Perhaps because I have fallen head over heels in love with the eyeshadow, a golden-champagne shimmer. Or I have finally realised why so many bloggers have said (and I have dutifully ignored for the past few years -face palm-) that you do need at least two 217 brushes in your collection. It makes eye makeup just that bit simpler and cleaner. AND to top it all off I made a generous saving. What can I say? Duty free shopping doesn't come around every day now does it? 

Bluebells

Yesterday was spent walking and eating. Typical weekend behaviour except it was even more special because it was Monday yesterday, bank holidays I love you. The bluebells bloomed a couple of weeks ago and I've been meaning to go on this walk so I can see them in their glory as I know that they don't last long. It was such a scenic and beautiful walk. An added bonus, as we were walking through some of the fields there were some very cute lambs running around. One was even brave enough to run towards us, luckily we already had our dog on the lead.  You can see in the last photo just how small the lamb is, so cute!  Until next year bluebells... 

One Wash Wonders

There are some days where I don't want to spend years applying numerous shades of eyeshadows and then spend years blending it all to look 'au naturel'. This is where these products come in handy. One shade, swept across the lid. Done. No fancy blending, no nothing. Just a pretty simple look achieved by using one eye shadow or if I'm feeling very lazy then a paintpot is the simplest and quickest option.  Here are my choices...

L-R

1. MAC All That Glitters

2. MAC Paintpot in Bare Study

3. Rimmel 030 Smokey Quartz

4. Maybelline 24 Hour Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze

5. MAC Patina

6. MAC Paintpot in Painterly

Pinterest Lovin': Spring Time

I've been stuck in a bit of a rut recently with my clothes. I just feel like I wear the same outfits over and over again and I'm getting bored. So for some added inspiration I headed over to the one and only Pinterest. I find it really helpful to look at what others have been wearing and take some inspiration from that to apply to what I already have in my wardrobe. I already have a 'Fashion Inspiration' board so I thought I'd take a look at what I have pinned and I rediscovered some outfits which I really love. Rather than keeping it to myself I thought I would share it with you lovely people, so you can be inspired and get an idea of what my preferred style is. Because let's face it, we're all nosey and interested in each others lives and fashion choices.  As you can see I have a bit of an obsession with stripes and midi skirts, the latter which has already been mentioned a fair few times on this blog already. They're just so easy and chic! I think that's how I would sum up my style, if you can really call it that. Easy, simple and chic.

Pinterest is my way of keeping inspiration and ideas all in the same place. All the looks you can see here are in the 'Fashion Inspiration' pin board, and many more of my favourite looks if you are interested. What's your go-to spring look/item?

Pinterst Looks (L-R) 1, 2, 3, 4

Summer Nights

A quick post on an outfit I wore one evening on holiday.  I am really loving this skirt, infact throw any midi skirt at me and I'll wear it. It's turning into a bit of an obsession. I am missing the sun so much, but I'm hoping the weather in England will warm up soon so I can wear this outfit again!  There's also a little sneak peak into some of the makeup I was wearing with this outfit, keeping it very 'au naturel' of course.

Outfit: 
Top - Topshop
Skirt - Topshop(not online)
Shoes - Office (2 years ago)

Makeup:
MAC All That Glitters
MAC Satin Taupe
Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Kissable Pink