UK Drugstore Makeup Haul

I think we all know what it's like, you pop into Boots to pick up one thing (A top-up of my favourite drugstore foundation) and you come out with a hefty bag of things! WOOPS! 

Here's the list of things I bought on my recent accidental drugstore haul!

Starting with the thing I went in for, my L'oreal true match foundation. I have raved about this before and despite trying a selection of other brands I still came back to this guy. I love the creamy formula, it's not too matte and not too glowy (Or shiny & sweaty looking as some can turn out!). The coverage is excellent, it evens out my skin tone and cancels out any red looking patches and blemishes meaning I have less concealing to do too.
                                                                                                                                      

Next up I finally picked up the Maybelline Instant Anti Age Rewind Concealer. I am really late to the party with this one, I have been reading about it on many beauty blogs for a while and at last I realise what the hype is about. The sponge applicator makes it super easy to apply, I use it under my eyes to brighten the area and it does a really great job. Plus its got a really light feeling formula so it doesn't crease up and end up looking wrinkly by the end of the day which is naaaaaht a good look. I am a bit freaked out by the questionable hygiene of the sponge applicator but I try and keep it as clean as poss! All in all, this is a great product and well worth a try if you are in the market for an affordable brightening under eye concealer.
                                                                                                                                    

I also picked up a lipstick from the L'oral Collection Exclusive range (Yes, the one I rave about last post!) This time I tried out one of the nude shades. After many swatches on my hand (I always leave boots with multi-coloured hands covered in makeup looking like a loon!) I decided on the shade J-Lo, this is truly a nude shade, really close to my natural lip colour with added shine. I like this lipstick and I recommend it but I am nowhere near as obsessed as I am with dear Blake.
                                                                                                                                     

And theeeeeeeen, I picked up three more shades in the Maybelline Super Stay nail polish range. I still love this polish, the formulation is fantastic, you only need a couple of coats, it dries quickly and its quite hardy.. I can keep this on for about 4 days before the ends start chipping which is pretty good in my books. I went for some more Spring-y shades in the hope that Winter will hurry away, a rosy nude and a pretty pink, plus I got a clear top-coat.
                                                                                                                                                              

Last of all I picked up my favourite pen-style eyeliner from the drugstore, the L'oreal Super Liner. It has a super thin nib meaning you can get a nice thin line and flick. Application is really smooth and easy too. It's not the blackest of eyeliners, if you really want a super black finish I always recommend using a gel pot and a brush.
                                                                                                                                        

That's all for now folks

xx

PS ..LUCKILY I PRE WROTE THIS  as being the smart girl i am I fell over and fractured my elbow yesterday!! Due to this painful & mightily uncomfortable experience blog posts  may be a bit less wordy for the next couple of weeks - (it has taken me about 20 mins to even type this sentence in haha) 

Baby, it's cold outside...

The smell of bonfires in the crisp cold air, the crunch of burnt orange leaves under your feet, the feeling of soft warm socks and woolly scarves... there's not much I love more than this time of year. It is time to embrace the cold.

What better way to celebrate the start of the chilly season than to welcome a new winter coat into your wardrobe.. and there certainly isn't a lack of choice in the UK highstreet at the moment! So, which to pick?...

TOPSHOP CAPE

I've already banged on about how big blanket capes are this season so I don't need to tell you why I love this topshop one.. I just do! Pull out the mustard tones with a yellow bobble hat!

ZARA CAMEL COAT

Camel coats are always classic, play with the simplicity by adding contrasting printed accessories - I love these leopard print boots from New Look & Striped hat from Wommelsdorff.

WHITEPEPPER DUSTER COAT

The duster jacket is another big trend this autumn winter, it sits about mid shin and is quite light weight. This one from The Whitepper is a delightful ice blue colour and looks great with a pop of colour.

MAKO BLACK COAT

Keep it grunge with this hooded piece from Ma-Ko, the layered arms add extra detail and interest. I love maroon at this time of the year so can't go wrong with a wine-stain-red beanie and biker boots!

RIVER ISLAND SHEARLING COAT

Make like Penny Lane and rock a shearling coat this winter, just add simple accessories and care free curly hair and you are good to go and dance with the band!

COS BOYFRIEND COAT

Another modern day classic is the oversized boyfriend coat, I love the way this coat and bright red hat reminds me of the Wes Anderson film The Life Aquatic...look it up!

All woolly accessories in this post are from knitwear brand Wommelsdorff - Check them out here. 

All Boots are from New Look - Check them out here.

Xxxx

Are You Ready Boots?...

....Start Walking!

Autumn has taken over here in London and I am embracing it full swing! If there’s one item I always go back to every time the leaves turn brown it’s a nice pair of Chelsea boots. Chelsea boots are timeless and never go out of fashion; I love to wear them with black tights and old summer dresses a ’la Alexa Chung.

I've bought Chelsea boots over the years from a few different highstreet brands and although they have been nice they always tend to wear out very quickly.  I think if you know you are going to wear an item year on year you should think about investing a bit more money to make sure that piece will last you more than one season! Queue this beautimous pair of boots that arrived on my doorstep last month from Chatham for review…

Chelsea Boots - C/O Chatham

Coat - Primark

Dress - Milanoo

Hat - Portobello Road Market

One of my favourite colours for Autumn/Winter is maroon so when I saw these Chelsea boots had maroon elastic I knew we’d get on like a house on fire. They are 100% leather so I think they will last me for a few good years and they are super comfortable...

On this particular day Will & I went for a wander around Portobello Road Market and they put up well with the day of walking through crowds and standing at bus stops... 5 stars from the City Girl! At Portobello I also picked up this black hat (strongly inspired by What Olivia Did & Wish Wish Wish). I am pretty chuffed with it as it was only £18 and the one I had been eyeing up on ASOS was £30! Pleased as punch!!

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These are a few of my favourite things...

Is it just me or is this year zooming past so fast?? I am already laying out a few of my favourite things of the month once again!

MAKEUP

This Mac paintpot in Groundwork (a matte taupe-y brown shade) is the perfect lazy girls alternative to putting on eye shadow in the morning! No need to fuss around with powders & brushes, just smudge this onto your lid and blend out with your finger, add mascara and BOOM ready to face the day!

NAILS

After eyeing up the different nail polishes on offer in boots I came across these Maybelline super stay polishes (which I ended buying in a nice selection of colours!). This Rosy nude colour is the perfect 'Autumnal pink'.. not too barbie but still pretty. The formula of the polishes is really lovely and thick plus it stays on a long time before chipping compared to similar ones from other brands.

FRAGRANCE

Oookay, this actually smells so good. I can't explain scents very well at all but it is the perfect fresh but still autumn/winter-y smell! It really does remind me of the British country air.. mmm... just go smell it ok? Ok.

WEAR

I recently received these stunning boots from Chatham, they are the best Chelsea boots I have ever owned! More to come on these in a later post so that's all I shall say for now!

Chelsea Boots c/o Chatham

xxxxxx

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Pick Of The Co-Ords

Matching separates... 

It's like marmite I think.. love or hate? For a long while I thought, wow.. I would look ridiculous in an all matching outfit,  you have to be very brave to get away with that! However, as part of an unspoken fashion resolution to try more daring things when it comes to trend choices, I would like to step into the pool of matching pieces which are popping up in highstreet shops. Other bloggers' got the hang of this look a long while ago, it's time I did the same! 

So, with that in mind today's post is a choice of different matching separates from various online stores that I like! Let's give it a go shall we?.......

 Topshop

gingham is very in this season dontcha know? I really like this cropped top & trouser set from Topshop. I think it would be an easy way to pull off all over pattern.. I particularly like the idea of wearing it with red lips and killer heels for a night out look!

Asos

I just love this dark floral set from ASOS, it totally suits this transitional seasonal weather - (florals for Spring? Groundbreaking) - no but seriously - add tights and cardi when its cold & wear with nothing but brown leather sandals in the sunshine!

Chicwish

I found this look on pinterest and it set off my pastel thing massively! I think this looks like something a modern day Marie Antoinette would wear to chomp down cakes on a Sunday afternoon! Soooo cute.

 Asos

I think this is an easier way to pull of a Co-ord without being too obvious, dark denim looks good with black tights & leather as well as gorgeous summer golden skin. Can't go wrong!

The White Pepper

Again another floral set, this time from The White Pepper. I like the idea of wearing the skirt separately in a '1950's' style with white socks and pumps but also the set together is quite swishy and charming :)

That's all for now folks.. hope you liked this post! Are you into the Co-ords trend?

 LOVEEEEEEEEEEE

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My Daily Makeup Essentials

Hey Guys,

Thought I'd do a beauty related post since I haven't done one in so long! Today's post is 'My Daily Beauty Essentials'. Almost all the makeup items I use on a daily basis are from the highstreet/drugstore and are easily accessible from Boots/Superdrug/online etc.

Starting off, foundation.

Now, in terms of skin, I am quite lucky to not have many troublesome areas or regular skin problems.. My main focus when looking for foundation is that it suits my very pale skin tone and that it has buildable coverage. I have tried a lot of different foundations in my time - luxury (NARS Sheer glow is a dream however my budget is far too strapped for that to be a regular on my dressing table) & highstreet and have finally found my perfect match!! L'Oreal True Match in Fair is the best highstreet foundation I have ever used!!(Take note pale girls) The colour choice is good in the foundation and the lightest colour suits my very pale skin tone perfectly. The foundation smooths and blends really well & gives an even look without looking heavy. I really, really recommend you give this a go if you haven't already!!!

Next, concealer,

 now if you haven't heard about Collection lasting perfection concealer - Where the heck have you been?! This extremely cheap concealer is AMAZING, the coverage is really really good, it brightens under eyes and covers red marks amazingly. The only problems I have is that 1) The tube runs out too quick!!!! 2) The colour selection is pretty low (I can find my colour fine, but as an MUA a low colour choice is annoying).  Apart from that this is honestly the best concealer.

If you have more stubborn spots or marks to cover the MAC studio finish concealer is also really great, the thick high coverage concealer covers spots and dark patches really well. However, I really wouldn't recommend using it under your eyes as it is too thick and tends to crease throughout the day!

Moving on to face powder,

my go to is Rimmel Stay Matte  in transparent - does what it says on the tin and doesn't cost the world. Plus the 'transparent' colour choice is a dream come true for us pale girls.

Again, if you are looking for a powder with a lot more coverage and don't mind spending the money the MAC Studio fix powder plus foundation is really good. It gives you coverage and it completely mattifies your look.

For blush 

I love Sleek makeup. Sleek are an amazing brand sold in Superdrug in the UK, their eyeshadows (you'll see this later) and blushes have amazing pigmentation. I love the colour 'Rose Gold' which gives a subtle pink flush with even more subtle gold shine.. lovely for Spring & Summer!

For eyeliner,

 I always use liquid or gel, for Gel I like Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Eye Gel (I use a different brush as the one given is LAME) - make sure you allow this to dry on your lid before you blink too heavily and it will stay on all day!

On the days when I am feeling lazy (see: most days!!) I like the L'Oreal Super Liner, the tip is really thin and it lends itself well to my signature winged eye look! 

For Mascara,
to be honest I am still searching for the perfect one!! I loved Benefit They're Real but I didn't love the price tag, I loved the YSL shocking volume but that is EVEN MORE expensive. So, now I flit between different Rimmel and bourjois mascaras... any tips would be great!

If I am using eyeshadow,

which is mainly for a simple brown crease colour or a smoky eye if I am feeling daring, I always use the Sleek eye shadow palettes - particularly Au Natural for everyday matte shades and Storm for shimmery smoky shades. Honestly, these eyeshadows sooo good. They are bendable, highly pigmented and SO much cheaper than MAC.. give them a go!!

For lipstick

 I tend to go for either a bright red or bright pink - I have highstreet & high end versions for both shades..
For Red I either use

 Sleek Vixen - Shiny pillar box red

MAC - Russian Red - (MY FAV) Matte Slightly darker than pillar box red

 or CHANEL rouge allure- Passion - Shiny pinky red.

For Pinks
I either use

Sleek - Amped - Matte Hot pink

or MAC Girl about town - Shiny blue toned pink.

I hope you liked this kind of post, very wordy but that's because this is my THING haha - if you want to see more like this feel free to request makeup specific posts below:)

What's your fav mascara?

LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
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