Stripes, Lava and Wooden heels!

I've been back from holiday for a couple of days now, but have been overcoming a cold and as a result have been far too lazy to get on the computer and blog/vlog.

However, this morning I've dragged myself away from True Blood to post a quick outfit that I wore yesterday to a meal with the family...and hopefully by tomorrow I'll have a video up.

I've seen a lot of people pairing shirts with knitted jumpers and was sceptical at first as it slightly reminds me of school uniform. But as usual I've fallen into the trend and will probably be seen wearing this outfit all throughout the winter.

While I was on holiday in Lanzarote I picked up a few pieces of jewellery, including this lava stone ring.

It always feels more special when wearing items that have a story behind them, rather than something from Primark or Forever21. I found this particular ring on a stall next to Los Hervidos, which is a site where lava (from one of the many volcanoes on the island) flowed into the sea. When the waves crash against the solidified rock it looks as though the water is steaming - I don't think my photos really do it justice.

I also wore these wooden effect platform boots that I bought from New Look in the sale. And I only have one thing to say about them - I'm obsessed!!

Knitted jumper - H&M

Shirt - H&M

Jean leggings - Gap

Bracelets - Forever21, Boutique in Lindos, Rhodes and a gift from a friend

Lava stone ring - Stall in Lanzarote

Boots - New Look

I hope you all have a lovely Friday night. I'll be at home eating comfort food and willing my cold to go away by tomorrow night...fingers crossed!

x

Miss Universe!

If I went on holiday to the US, one thing I would definitely do is pick up a ton of OPI polishes!

I love the wide range of colours and finishes they offer, but in the UK the cost is just too much for me. So I always opt for buying off of EBay.

Two shades I recently acquired have sparked quite a lot of interest when worn.

Crown Me Already and It's My Year

Crown Me Already

I applied two coats of this and as you can see it hasn't given an opaque finish, but if a really thick layer of glitter is applied it is impossible to get off! Even with two coats though, it took at least 10 minutes of hard scrubbing to remove. This is the price to pay with glitter polishes. Perhaps a layer of silver polish first is the answer, so I only need to use one layer of Crown Me Already.

It's My Year

This is an absolutely beautiful shimmery polish that has me staring at my nails all day! This was opaque after two coats and applied smoothly.

How do you feel about OPI? Did you get any shades from the Miss Universe collection?

Most Used: Liquid eye Liner

Continuing on with my 'Most Used' series, today is all about liquid eye liner...

I have two most used eye liners, though I have to say, only one really impresses me that much!

First off, Bourjois Liner Feutre. This is a felt tip liner pen that gives a precise or thick line depending on how it's used.

I used to be a big fan of this liner, but after recently purchasing a new one, it has let me down for two reasons:

1) It started becoming fluffy at the end of the brush after only a short period of time, and unsurprisingly ruined my liner.

2) I only bought it about a month or so ago and it's already dried out.

On to my favourite...L'oreal Super Liner in Carbon Gloss - a favourite among many bloggers and youtubers. This liner has a fine tip and bends easily for hassle free application.

This eye liner is fantastic for anyone who likes winged eye liner. As the tip is so fine, it gives you the option to create a much wider array of looks.

As you can see below, the Bourjois liner (left) creates a thicker more stark line, whereas the L'oreal liner (right) gives a thin more subtle line that can be built up.

What's your most used eye liner? I would love recommendations.

x

Pleather and Knit

Knitwear is one thing I really look forward to when I think of Autumn/Winter..

But this season, the grunge/gothic inspired collections give a nice edgy touch to the soft look of knitwear, which makes me love it even more!

This white knit jumper from Primark tones down my pleather shorts from H&M, so that while the outfit does look dressy it's not over the top.

Jumper - Primark

Shorts - H&M

Shoes - Office

Watch - Emporio Armani

Cuff - EBay

On a more personal note...I'm going away for a week so probably won't be able to put up YouTube videos but I have a few blog posts scheduled. I'm rushing around today trying to get things done, which is why this post is so short. I never usually leave things to the last minute, but I wasted yesterday watching True Blood - so addictive.

Anyway, I hope you're having a lovely day.

See you when I'm back

x

The Kate Lace Body

I've been on the hunt for the perfect lace top for quite a while now. And after seeing Millie Mackintosh wearing a gorgeous v-neck lace top in an episode of Made in Chelsea, I had to track down the exact version she was wearing...

But, unfortunately, the top she wore (apparently from The Kooples) was:

1) Ridiculously expensive

2) Not available anymore

So I gave up trying...and then while searching through Asos's daily additions to their website (I know it's sad, but I do it every few days) I found the Kate Lace Body!

As soon as it arrived and I tried it on I fell in love, because it's:

1) Not too revealing like most lace tops and has an attached under-top

2) The perfect fit - it's a body, so gives no sagging around the hips

Kate Lace Body - Asos

Shorts - Topshop

Cardigan - Primark

Watch - Emporio Armani Braclet Watch

Studded Cuff - Ebay

Bag - Focco (Ebay - Stud bottom bag)

Hope you're having a lovely weekend!

x

The nudest nude: MAC Fleshpot

So...I'm meant to be on Project10Pan, meaning no buying products until a certain 10 products are finished...

But, I caved! I knew the MAC Fall Colour collection was coming out in October and there were a few items I'd had on my wishlist for months - so that's my excuse!

One of the goodies I bought was MAC Fleshpot, which is a nude beige lipstick with a satin finish.

It completely erases the colour of your lips and is like no other lipstick I own.

I definitely wouldn't say it would suit everyone and there are probably plenty of you that would hate to wear such an opaque nude...but I'm obsessed!

The only downside is that the finish is quite drying and can also exentuate any dry spots on the lips.

Have you tried Fleshpot? What do you think of nude lipsticks?

Most Used: Lip gloss

It's hard to please me when it comes to lip gloss because...

1) I can't stand that sticky texture the majority of lip glosses have

2) I hate the way most turn lumpy and (what I like to call) 'bitty' on the lips after a certain amount of time

But there are a few gems I've found:

Nars Striptease - Nars lip glosses in general are fantastic! They're incredibly creamy, come in a wide range of shades and last a good amount of time on the lips. Striptease in particular is one of my favourite colours as it's the perfect nude colour.

L'oreal 6h Glam Shine in Forever Nude - Forever Nude is a sheer, shimmery champagne colour that makes your lips look instantly plumped. The texture of the gloss is just as creamy as Nars lip glosses and lasts a fair amount of time, however, for a drugstore lip gloss it's not that cheap at around £8, but then it's considerably cheaper than Nars.

Barry M lip gloss in Coral - The colour and smell of this gloss are the main factors that draw me in, however, it does go slightly sticky after a while so the formulation definitely isn't my favourite. But it is the most affordable of my lip glosses at around £4.

Nars Orgasm - The top end of the double sided lip gloss is Orgasm and the bottom is chihuahua. Chihuahua is nice but not one of my favourites, so I haven't swatched it. Orgasm lip gloss is a shimmery peachy colour, identical to the Nars blush! As I said earlier, the texture of these glosses is lovely and creamy. The only downside is the smell, which doesn't bother me but others have noted that after a few months it starts to smell like plasticine.

Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker in Candy Gloss - A gorgeous, sheer, shimmery lip gloss that plumps your lips to give you a seductive looking pout. This does go sticky after a while, but I put up with that because it makes my lips look so luscious!

Nars Turkish Delight - Light, baby pink gloss. As you can see I'm a big fan of Nars lip glosses, I honestly don't think much else can compare to the creamy, buttery texture!

What are you favourite lip glosses?

Pop and Powdered

After oohing and aahing for weeks over these two Topshop blushes, I finally picked them up!

**Note** it was well before my Project10Pan started...so no cheating yet.

The first and most obvious thing about Topshop makeup is the absolutely adorable packaging. It may not be to everyone's taste, but cute details like this draw me in! 

As for the products...

Pop is a lovely light coral, that gives a nice flush to the cheeks. It's perfect for paler skintones like mine, but could easily be built up on darker skintones.

Powdered is a bright true pink that is again light enough to flatter paler skintones but wouldn't be too sheer to show up on darker skin. It makes my skin look perked up and is perfect for those days when you're looking tired!

You can see how Pop gives a nice flush to the cheeks which isn't too overdone on my lighter skin.

Have you tried either Pop or Powered? What do you think of Topshop Makeup?