Russian Red in London Town

Now that the chaos of late 2014 is over, I've finally regained blogging time! Last weekend I went to one of my favourite museums, the Victoria & Albert museum in South Kensington, London. 

I wore a monochrome outfit with red lips for a simple but elegant weekend look. I bought the dogtooth coat in the January sales; I found the January sales much better than the post-Christmas ones at the end of December. Boxing Day sales only discount items by around 30-50%, whereas in January lots of stores such as Zara and Warehouse have amazing 50-70% discounts!

I LOVED this coat the minute I spotted it in-store, and when I saw it had been reduced to £29.99 from £79.99 I couldn't resist buying it! I can't find it on the Zara website, but it may still be available in store as I only bought it a couple of weeks ago. My jumper is from boohoo.com, whose online sale has also been fantastic: the jumper is still available online for only £10 (was £25). All my outfit information and links are below. I know that London gets especially cold during the January/February months, therefore I love investing in knitwear and coats as I know they will get a lot of uses. 

Items worn:

Coat - Zara (similar)

Scarf - Primark

Jumper (worn underneath) - Boohoo

Jeans - ASOS

Boots - ASOS (similar)

Touchscreen gloves - Marks & Spencer

Earrings - vintage

Bag - Boohoo (similar)

Lips - MAC Russian Red

G x

September Favourites

It's been a while since I last blogged, but September was a hectic and fun month, especially for beauty! It's that time of year where summer transitions into autumn, yet the weather still stays reasonably warm and humid....and so the make up dilemmas begin. 

Below are some beauty items that I have been consistently using during the past month and will continue to use in the coming months. 

Nails

 Maybelline Forever Strong  nail polish in Rose Poudre, £4.49

When you can't decide on nude or pink, this dirty pink shade is the perfect autumn neutral tone. It stays on for ages and the colour doesn't fade easily- the label states 'Super Stay 7 Days', and I was honestly about 5 days in before I had to top up the odd chip here and there. I love the shade, love the quality and love the price! 

Lips

Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Colour Luminous Lipgloss in Sunset, £17.00

I received a sample for this a while ago and instantly fell in love, so I had to purchase the full version. While it's on the pricey side, it is worth the money - the colour is gorgeous, it's long-wear, it smells amazing and most importantly moisturises my lips too. My lips get dry fairly easily and some lipglosses/lipsticks come off easily and leave my lips feeling rough - this means I constantly reapply them throughout the day, which can actually worsen the problem. This product is a lip balm and gloss in one as it keeps my lips hydrated throughout the day, which means that a little goes a long way as I don't have to keep reapplying it. 

The lipgloss is sheer and Elizabeth Arden have a great selection of colours for all skin tones. Did I mention it smells like heaven? Although if you're not into sweet vanilla scents you may not agree. 

Sunset is a pinky coral colour which I love and my next colours to purchase are Precious Petal and Red Door Red. 

Face

No7 Match Made Concealer in Warm Ivory, £7.50

I tend to use liquid concealers during the summer so that my face doesn't feel so cakey. However my under eye circles are quite dark so I prefer thicker concealers for covering them. This product is perfect for covering large pimples and dark under eyes as it gives full coverage. I also use it on my nose to cover imperfections and larger pores.

For under eye application I would recommend applying eye cream and primer beforehand in order to reduce creasing.  I also have sensitive under eyes and so eye cream acts as a protective layer too. Apply a light layer of this product under your eyes, leave it for a couple of minutes and then pat it in with a concealer brush or beauty blender - this will allow the product to settle in and reduce creasing or fine line appearance. I'm wearing it under my eyes in the pictures above (in Lips).

It's a great price for a concealer and is really creamy which means that it doesn't feel too thick on my skin but still gives great coverage. 

What will you be rocking this autumn? 

G x

MASCARA REVIEW: No7 Extreme Length Mascara

I never normally buy lots of different mascaras as I like to use one for a set period of time, meaning that the others that I don't use dry out. However my Benefit They're Real mascara was starting to run out and I thought it would be nice to try something new. I also had a voucher for No7 (one of those £3 off ones) so I hit two birds with one stone and bought No7 Extreme Length Mascara (normal price £12.50). 

My eyelashes are quite thick, which is why I don't buy volumizing mascaras as it causes them to clump together. If like me you want longer lashes without overly thickening them then this mascara is perfect. 

The wand is really delicate with small and thin bristles therefore I can get into all those awkward inner corners nicely. 

The mascara comes off quite easily with make up remover which is really useful as I hate scrubbing my eyes clean and seeing my lil' lashes fall out!

If you have fine and thin lashes then I wouldn't advise this mascara for dramatic results. It's more for creating a cute doll-eye look with long, defined lashes. 

Rating: 8/10

G x

It's A Summer Smoothie

I love the effect of summer on my skin - a natural tan looks healthy, and a good amount of sunlight makes skin glow. However, the sun can dry out skin too. As bad as pale legs are, flaky legs are that bit worse. The UK has harder water than the rest of Europe, which not only causes lime scale but dries out hair and skin too. That's why you may have noticed how much smoother and silkier your skin and hair are when abroad in other European countries, for example Spain, Holland, Germany and Italy. 

I'm sure most of you know that the best way to get smoother skin is to exfoliate and moisturise. However, I have quite sensitive skin on my legs therefore wanted to find a scrub that wouldn't irritate them. 

I love the different Body Shop ranges - I normally shop their cocoa butter, olive oil and tea tree lines. I'd heard good things about Body Shop scrubs, so thought I'd give one a go. I don't like scrubs too fragranced as I find they don't exfoliate as well as non fragranced ones. Also, added fragrance can irritate sensitive skin like mine.

I went for the Coconut scrub as it smells nice but not too strong, and the scrub itself has the right consistency - it's fairly milky and creamy but has plenty of exfoliating beads to scrub away dead skin cells seen in flaking skin. It's gentle enough to use all over the body, but I don't use it on my face as I have St Ives Apricot Scrub for that purpose.

I loved the results and immediately noticed softer and healthier looking skin. I use it once a week, or twice if I've been wearing skinny jeans that have been rubbing against my legs all day - oh how we suffer. Additionally, the coconut scent oozes a tropical summer vibe, so it's basically a holiday in my bathroom (...I said 'basically'....). 

This product is a must for those looking for smooth summer skin, and I would definitely continue to use it during the winter as it really nourishes skin in areas like my legs, which tend to be a problem all year round. 

It's time for that summer scrub y'all. 

G x

Get Lippy

So it's been a while since my last blog post (nearly a month, oh dear)......

I started a new job at the beginning of the month so between that, returning from my holiday, seeing friends and actual decent summer weather I haven't had time to blog. So then, it's about bloody time!

I haven't been wearing much make up recently because of the heat but more importantly, the humidity. When the air is really muggy and sticky I avoid foundation and most other face make up as I break out in a series of spots (or as my mum calls them, 'sweaty spots'). I went to the music festival Lovebox in east London last Friday, which also happened to be on the hottest day of the year so far at 32°C. Trust me, 32°C is hot for the city let alone a festival, it feels like Londoners are trapped together in a giant greenhouse.  It was the first day I had worn foundation and powder in three weeks and the next day my face erupted in pimples. 

As a general rule (especially from now on!), I tend to opt for tinted mists, serums and moisturisers in the summer as they don't clog my pores as much on hot summer days.

I tend to go for dewy, fresh faced looks during the summer and I find that the best way to brighten up your face without using highlighter is through your lips. A slick of the right lipstick or gloss enhances the most minimal amount of make up.

My favourite lip brand? While you cannot fault MAC for lipsticks, I have never been consistent in using their lip glosses except for Clear Lipglass. 

However, I felt to treat myself one day and stumbled upon the MAC make up counter in my local shopping centre (as you do) and tried their Cremesheen Glass in Just Superb. It's a slightly dirty pink that I knew would look amazing layered over a nude lipstick. I like mixing neutral/pinky lipsticks and glosses to create a magnified effect. Cremesheen is fairly thick but without being sticky (no hair stuck to lips incidents ladies). 

It's not too bright which means it can adapt nicely to the lipstick beneath it without making the look too Barbie-esque. Just Superb goes really well on top of Brave, a brown-pink Satin lipstick. Brave is on the darker side of the nude scale, so Just Superb softens it really well.  I had to top up the gloss quite a few times (Cremesheen is not known for its staying power), but it protected the lipstick which managed to stay put!

Below are swatches of Just Superb lipgloss (top) and Brave lipstick (bottom).

The Result:

Do you like to mix glosses and lipsticks? If so, what shades and brands? 

G x

How To Wear: Bright Make Up

Before I properly begin this post, it's worth noting that anyone can pull off bright make up: be it lips, eye shadow, lashes - you name it. I'm not going to go into step-by-step detail on how I achieved this look as my make up may not necessarily suit you, but it just provides an idea on how to get the colourful ball rolling. I've named the most important products needed to get the look and little tips and tricks on how to pull off bright make up. 

I wore this look on a night out to Camden Town recently. I find red lips extremely elegant and timeless, but for this night I wanted a fresher, more playful make up look. Hot pink it was. I used my favourite pink lip shade, MAC's classic Girl About Town, £15. I love this lipstick because it does not budge from my lips all night - it saves me running to the bathroom to check my lips every five minutes. Ain't nobody got time for that on the dance floor. Now I'm no stranger to a pink lip - I wear it more than my red lipstick simply because I think it work day or night, dressed smart or casual. I may be wrong, but it feels so right. 

 As you can tell from the pictures, I didn't do anything particularly bold with my eye make up as it would look too intense (*messy*). Think of your eyes as legs and your lips as cleavage: it's one or the other. I just used a thin slick of liquid eyeliner and pumped up my lashes using mascara (from past experience, falsies and Camden have never ended well).

What really pulls this look together is the Laura Mercier Metallic Creme Eye Colour in Rose Gold. Be it make up or jewellery, rose gold goes well with my complexion as it creates a richer look without being too obvious. The product is on the pricier side at £19, but you need so little of it that it lasts ages. 

Tips and Hints

Inserting some sparkly eyeshadow by your tear duct and under your lower lash line immediately gives a more wide awake, vibrant look. Paler skin tones should opt for white, rose gold or vanilla shades, whilst darker skin tones will suit golds, bronzes and coppers. Think of it as contouring for the eye. 

If you're feeling brave, try contrasting colours: blue eyeliner and pink lips, emerald eyes and coral lips, yellow eyes and purple lips. However, when using coloured eyeliner, less is more. The brighter the colour, the thinner the line. It's easier to add slightly more on than to take loads off. 

If you make a mistake applying liquid liner, put a splash of eye make up remover on the tip of a cotton bud and gently rub it off. 

When rocking a bright lip, don't forget lipliner. You may think you can get away with it, but pictures the next day will be very unforgiving. You'll end up looking like a rainbow rash has attacked your mouth area.

To create a matte look, dab some of your powder onto your lips after applying lipstick. 

With bright make up, keep your eyebrows groomed and filled in but natural looking. A strong Elizabeth Taylor or Audrey Hepburn brow does not merge well with 80s eye colours. They were different eras for a reason. Same rule applies to false lashes - if used, keep them subtle. 

Ponytails and up-dos look amazing with bright make up - your face becomes the star attraction.

I love bold make up with all black outfits: it's such a style statement and gives the wildest make up looks an elegant finish.

Make sure you have somewhere special to go and then paint away! 

Hope you enjoyed this look and want to try it for yourselves.

G x

Review: LUSH Mint Julips Lib Scrub

When it comes to exfoliating and moisturising skin, I'm a preacher. However, I recently found that whenever I applied lip gloss or lipstick, I would get dead white skin developing in the corners of my mouth over the course of the day. This is mainly caused by dehydration, but sometimes no matter how much water I drink, lip products just don't take to my lips as nicely as I would like. 

As a result, I've been contemplating lip scrubs for a while now but was always put off by the thought of a grainy, scrubby texture on my lips - surely it's not natural? But then something changed: I walked into LUSH. While I've liked LUSH products for a while now (the store smells better than what Heaven probably smells like - I want to eat everything in it and bathe in it at the same time), a lot of hype in their cosmetics can be more about smell and appearance rather than effectiveness. 

Whilst I was browsing, I came across some lip scrubs in Bubblegum, Popcorn and Mint. I picked up the Mint Julips one (mainly because I like the smell of mint, but also because bubblegum smells nauseating to me, like an eight year old chewing Hubba Bubba for hours on end...). LUSH have natural, handmade cosmetics so in my eyes what could possibly go wrong? Also, did I mention that it's EDIBLE (or should I say lickable?)? Smooth lips and minty fresh breath in one (slightly overpriced) £5.50 pot. 

Now I know that anyone can make a 'homemade' lip scrub using sugar, but in all honesty I'm too busy (i.e. lazy) and also want an excuse to walk into LUSH. But in all honesty, the product isn't amazing - it doesn't exfoliate excellently so I generally end up using quite a lot of it. I'm also not in love with the packaging, it's not the most practical or sanitary for getting product out of. Grains of minty sugar end up getting all over obscure places in my face, fingers and bathroom.

 Additionally, I could probably learn to make it myself if I bought some sugar/made an effort. It tastes and smells nice, but I always end up needing to use quite a lot of it (and not because I have particularly big, luscious and pouty lips). I tend to apply lots of Vaseline on my lips after I use it anyway, so that's the reason why they feel softer and hydrated.  

Overall, it's a cute novelty buy and would make a nice gift but I don't think I would buy it again. It is a good starter product for lip scrub virgins like myself, but if you want a cheaper and more powerful alternative hop down to your local supermarket to buy a bag of sugar and with the power of Google, make your own product and scrub away. 

Rating: 5/10

G x