Kiss me, beneath the milky twilight...

I have always been a big fan of lipstick. I think there's something very chic and classic about wearing lipstick in general, regardless of the shade. I love wearing a neutral shade in the day, and something a bit more daring and bright on an evening.

I was always advised away from wearing bright lipstick when I was a teenager due to my pale skin, and it took me a while to find the courage to ignore this ridiculous advice and try some daring new pinks and reds! Since then I've never looked back, and so I invested in 4 new lipsticks last week - 3 as part of the 3 for 2 offer at Boots, and 1 Maybelline 24 hour lipstick which was on offer (£2 off!)

This is the new Maybelline Super Stay 24 Color in shade no. 260 'Wild Berry'. The Super Stay range is a new idea in lipsticks - you basically get a two-ended product that has the lip stain at one side and the 'conditioning balm' at the other. The concept is that you stain your lips once, with a 'thin layer' of the colour, and then all you need to do for the rest of the night is apply the balm to keep your lips soft and shiny, and stop the colour creasing. Simple enough? It actually is!

I chose this plummy colour because I have plenty of bright pinks and too many reds to count, and wanted something dark(ish) for an evening. The colour came off a lot lighter when I tried it on my hand compared to when worn on the lips. I've put pics of the lipstick with and without the conditioning balm so you can see the difference it makes. I really liked this - excellent staying power, superb colour and the freshness of the idea is good too. I'd definitely recommend this for an evening wear lipstick - for example if you're going on a date and expect to be eating, drinking etc long into the night, as it means you don't have to worry about smearing, smudging or touching up your colour. Brilliant! It's currently £8.19 at Boots, but I managed to get it last week on offer for £6.99. Linky

The other 3 lipsticks I've bought are all Barry M 'Lip Paint' - £4.49 each from Boots (currently on 3 for the price of 2). I already have a luscious pillar box Blondie-esque red lipstick from the Barry M range and have always been very happy with it. The lipsticks are generally very highly pigmented, even the more natural and sheer colours. They go on very easily but at the same time are easy to wipe off if you make a mistake around the lip area. I've found most lipsticks to have a drying effect (even the really expensive ones!) and so Barry M Lip Paint is no exception. I will say, however, that these lipsticks don't dry my lips out as much as cheaper brands or other ranges I've tried. Linky

This is shade 152 - it's a lovely shimmery plummy pink colour and just perfect for wearing on a night out without being too overstated. I plan on wearing this with a more natural, low-impact eye, in order to avoid looking too drag-queen!

Next up is shade 53, which is an iridescent bright coral/pink colour.

Again this is probably more of an evening paint as in my opinion the colour's too high impact for just wearing during the day. It's an absolutely incredible colour though, very pearly and shimmery and looks great in the sunshine!

Finally, shade 150 - a delightful shimmer nude colour that is ideal for daywear.

I actually wore this lipstick as soon as I bought it - applying it during my lunch break! It's a lovely shade to accentuate a natural look and enhance what you've already got!

I essentially got these 3 Barry M Lip Paints for £9 which I think is a bargain and I would definitely recommend them. Even individually priced at £4.49 you can't go far wrong!

xx

Dressed to Kill

Last week I placed an order with ASOS, as they kindly gave me a VIP preview of their sale! I picked up some truly gorgeous dresses that I'm really excited to share with you!

This Vera Moda maxi is one of my favourite dresses already! It was a steal at £15 in the sale, and it's so perfect for warm Spring days in the park with a denim shirt over the top! I was stopped several times when I wore this out by people asking me where I got it from! Linky

You probably saw this dress in the post below about The Shoes! £22 in the sale, its made from a lush jersey material and I love the cut as it sits really nicely on my hips! As I'm quite pale in my complexion I'm often wary of shades like this one, but I think it compliments my skin tone more than anything else! How cute is the pearl detail peter pan collar?! Linky

This photo does not do this bodycon cobalt blue dress any justice at ALL! £20 from ASOS, it's made from a lovely clingy material but doesn't cling in an unflattering way, instead it just compliments your silhouette. I plan on wearing this dress to a proper 'club' night, complete with killer black heels & a cute clutch! Linky

Last but definitely not least is this little stunner! I'd lusted after this dress on the ASOS website for WEEKS and was over the moon when it went into the sale! I think it's absolutely divine and it fits me like a glove! Plus it's always nice when you're forced to return a dress for an exchange in a smaller size! Linky

The colours compliment each other perfectly and I adore how the polka dots are a light dusty pink rather than the traditional and perhaps less complimentary white! Only £20 I can't wait to have an occasion to wear this to! I'm thinking nude heels & understated accessories to allow the dress to speak for itself! If only my crush would ask me on a date...

xx

The Shoes

I couldn't wait any longer to introduce you to the new love of my life.... these INCREDIBLE wedges!

I fell in love with them around 6 weeks ago on the H&M website, they were £39.99 which I thought was wayyy out of my price range but I loved how designer they look, and how original they were!

I then subscribed to the H&M newsletter and nabbed myself a nifty 20% off one item ordered online... but I decided to wait and see if they had them in store before ordering, to save myself some postage.

They didn't have them in any of the H&Ms I visited on Oxford St, so it was with a heavy heart I returned home & looked them up online, only to find they'd sold out in my size!!!!

Some days later they FINALLY came back into stock, I ordered them & they were delivered on a Saturday while I was out at work (luckily my flatmate was around to receive the delivery) - nicest thing to come home to in the history of the world? I think so!

And here comes the happily ever after part of this love story! They fit a treat, were ridiculously comfy despite probably being the highest shoes I own, and I even managed to wear them out on the first night out I went on after they arrived! I had to dress down so the shoes could stand out and make the outfit all on their own!

Voila! The happiest union there ever was!

xx

In Her Eyes - eyeliner

I'm back as promised with what will hopefully prove to be a useful beauty-oriented post! I've invested in some new bits and pieces of late and intend to update you on them over the next day or two! I'm currently going through a big coloured eyeliner phase, and to reflect this I'll start by posting about eyeliners!

Until a few months ago I never strayed beyond simple black eyeliner - usually kohl on my waterline or the most basic of liquids just above my upper eyelashes. A friend of mine suggested I take the leap and try a coloured liner, as I have queer coloured eyes and she thought using different coloured eyeliners could help to bring out the different colours in my eyes. Boy was she right!

My first purchases were from E.L.F. If you haven't heard of it already, E.L.F. (Eyes Lips Face) is a big drugstore brand in America, with most items selling for $1 over there. The company recently began selling through its own UK site, and most standard items are £1.50. I purchased 3 coloured eyeliners, one 'Brightening Eyeliner' in the shade 'plum', and two 'Shimmer Eyeliner Pencils', in the shades 'gunmetal' and 'plum passion'.

The gunmetal shimmer shade is at the top, the plum passion shimmer shade is in the middle and the plum brightening shade is at the bottom. I've worn all these eyeliners out for the day (on different days, obviously!) and will comment on them each in turn.

The gunmetal shimmer eyeliner is a really nice metallic, soft shade & goes on nicely. The lovely practical-minded people at E.L.F. kindly make all 'Shimmer' range eyeliners with a pencil sharpener in the lid! A nice touch. In terms of wear-ability, it's not as metallic on the lids as I'd hoped, but this does mean that the shade is suitable for daywear and isn't too garish or shocking. It stays on for most of the day (around 7 hours until it starts to fade and look a bit rubbish) which I thought was brilliant value for £1.50!

The same applies to the plum passion shade of the shimmer eyeliner. This is a delightful shimmery colour and I've worn it out a few times, but it does seem to lose its pigmentation much quicker than the gunmetal shade. Again, very good value.

The plum 'Brightening Eyeliner' is my favourite of the three - it kept its pigmentation well into the evening, and it's a divine colour. Very well pigmented in general and goes on very easily. E.L.F. send you a pencil sharpener with the eyeliner, but it's loose so will probably get as lost in your make up bag as it has in mine! Recommended - an absolute steal at £1.50 and I love it!

Next up are some Collection 2000 eyeliners. Although obviously a big fan of the E.L.F. ones above, I really can't praise the Collection 2000 range of eyeliners enough, they're definitely my favourites. At £1.99 for a pencil and £2.99 for a felt tip they're excellent value too.

This is the Collection 2000 'Kohl Eyeliner Precision Colour' in shade 'Kingfisher 20'. I am head over heels in love with this colour, it's such a luscious shade and is very highly pigmented and lasts and lasts and lasts! I put it on at 8 in the morning and it was still bright as ever when I removed it at 11pm at night.

I like to wear it when I'm going for a more rock chick look as I think it's a bit edgier than most other colours. My favourite eyeliner, I would recommend this without a shadow of a doubt. I bought mine from Boots for £1.99.

Here are the other three Collection 2000 eyeliners I purchased using the Boots 3 for 2 offer that's on at the moment. The top one is an 'Extreme 24hour Felt Tip Liner' in 'Blue', the middle one is another 'Kohl Eyeliner Precision Colour' in shade 'Purple Passion 29', and the bottom is 'Kohl Eyeliner Precision Colour' in shade 'Brown 2'.

Starting at the top, the felt tip liner is the most lasting liner I've ever used. Collection 2000 don't mess around when they label something '24hours'! Although the shade of blue is duller on the skin than I expected, it's still a really nice shade, if a little dark. I prefer to wear this liner on a night out, but it has a lovely metallic navy edge to it. Very easy on, a steal at only £2.99!

Next is the pencil eyeliner in 'Purple Passion 29'. A lovely bright purple colour, this is similar to the blue above - goes on nicely, excellent durability and overall very good value for money at £1.99. I prefer the blue shade to the purple but I think that's more personal preference than anything else!

Finally, the pencil eyeliner in 'Brown 2'. There's nothing new to say about this one really. Obviously it's a brown/neutral shade so the colour isn't bright but it is easy to put on, stays on a long time and to be honest in all the shades of brown eyeliner I've come across, this is a nice natural nutty colour which will look great for a day to day nude make up look. Again, recommended as it's only £1.99!

I hope this somewhat hefty post on eyeliners has left you seeing these products more clearly (!) and I hope if you haven't done so before, you give coloured liners a go, or even place an order with E.L.F. for the first time! If you 'like' E.L.F. on Facebook (search eyeslipsface) they often post discount codes and offers on their page which is a great way to get an even better deal on your make up!

xx

Forever in blue (& green!) jeans

Apologies for being too busy to update over the last couple of weeks, I have a whole bundle of lovely posts to make up for it so I hope you can forgive me!

First up - jeans! Although I don't wear jeans that often, I'm definitely one of those girls who dreads her jeans getting too tired & torn, shrinking in the wash or ending up too big, because it inevitably means you have to shop for new ones! My sister is the same, but as we both needed a new pair when she came to visit me last week we headed to Uniqlo on the recommendation of a friend, hoping that this time we wouldn't be made to feel like oversized freaks by the poor sizing & unflattering lighting that haunts every girl who seeks a new pair of denims...

Someone must have been listening, because the first pair we tried on fit us both like a dream & were just what we were looking for! Yes, this does mean that my sister and I now have matching jeans, but as we live ~250miles apart, I don't think it's the end of the world.

They're the 'Perfect Shape' range, and were £29.99 on offer at £19.99 from Uniqlo and fit me like a glove! I've been looking for some decent light wash jeans for about a year, so I'm chuffed to bits I've found these!

As they're a couple of inches too long for me, I decided to turn them up which I think makes them look a lot more casual. Perfect for a cool Spring afternoon!

Also whilst out and about I recently picked up these GORGEOUS pastel green skinnies from TRF at Zara for £19.99! I wasn't even jean shopping at the time, but I couldn't resist impulse purchasing them and I haven't regretted it. I've worn them around 7 times since I bought them. I'm so happy to have found some coloured jeans just in time for the colour blocking trend this season!

How do you find jean shopping? Are there any stores that you steer clear of? Where are your favourite pair of denims from?

xx

Hey now, you're a rock star

Just a little Saturday morning post! I picked up a few bits last week that I wanted to share with you!

This gorgeous black sequin strapless dress was a BARGAIN at £10 from Tesco! I plan on wearing it to an indie night with an amazing camel & black leopard print blazer I already have and killer shoes!

Also a bargain, this All Saints-style vest top (grey with sheer skulls) was £5 from Tesco too! I've already worn this out with camel shorts, sheer tights & a denim shirt - very rock chick.

Finally this gorgeous bat print one shoulder dress £10 from Tesco. I LOVE it!

Close up pics to show the funky detailing on the shoulder and black and grey bat print. I really love this dress!

xx

Bags of Style

I had been lusting after a particular bag for about 7 months, hoping and wishing and praying it would go into a sale or somehow come down in price. I wanted to buy it as a staple for my September work wardrobe (when I stop being a student & go out into the big bad world - power dressing is key!)... but time and time again I was disappointed - it wasn't in the Autumn sales, January sales, etc etc. UNTIL NOW!

This, my fashion friends, is 'Bo'! Isn't she beautiful? (excuse the lingering white packaging on the handle!) Bo is a Nica bag - so very vegan friendly as it's made from non-animal materials. Originally £65, I couldn't justify spending that much money... but I got it for £32 direct from the Nica website!

I love the beautiful embroidered flowers on the bow - little touches like this make Nica bags seem far more expensive than they actually are!

I also treated myself to this 'Dee Dee' grab bag which was only £15 down from £49! It's great for taking out with you on a weekend as it's the perfect size for all your essentials; book, magazine, diary, purse, phone etc! This took my order over £40 so I got free delivery! Brilliant!

Whilst (vaguely) on the subject of work, I also recently invested in these gorgeous grey wedges from Debenhams (Red Herring) which were a bargain at £15 down from £35! I think they'll style up a boring suit and give my feet a rest from tottering around on heels all day!

Finally, I bought this beautiful sheer pussybow blouse from Debenhams for work too. Amazing bargain at £12.60 down from £38! It's got a lovely lace detail at the bust under the bow, and has silver polka dots instead of white (which I tried to show in the second pic with limited success!) I'm looking forward to wearing it with a black vest underneath & a black high waisted pencil skirt & blazer with some nude patent heels. City chic at its best!

xx