Monday 29 December 2014

Style Edit: Miss. Monochrome

Hello everyone! I’ve got another Style Edit to share with you today, I hope it gives you some NYE fashion inspiration. Enjoy :)







What I’m Wearing


Playsuit – Asos
Shoes – Newlook


If you’re looking for something to wear to a party that’s more interesting than your plain old LBD then this backless playsuit from Asos is perfect. This piece is great for nights out because the bodice is sequined and catches the light beautifully. It has both a hook and eye and a zip fastening so although you’re quite exposed, it’s very comfortable and nothing feels like it’s going to fall out! For the price, it is made extremely well and feels very expensive, little details like the pockets and the box pleats really make a difference...my love for Asos clothes knows no bounds!!! I think this would look really beautiful with white or nude accessories, add some sky scraper heels and a clutch for a party perfect ensemble. If you’re going for a look that really turns heads then wear your hair in an up-do to expose the back of the playsuit. As usual I've linked all the available products in the 'What I'm Wearing' section. I hope this has been helpful and given you some fashion inspiration!

Tam x

Sunday 28 December 2014

10 Best Beauty Buys Under 10 Pounds

Hello everyone! As I’ve done quite a few high-end product reviews, I thought I’d so something different and share with you my favourite inexpensive beauty products from the high street. Enjoy :)



1.       Ardell ‘Demi Wispies’ Eyelashes - £5.49

Before I found these lashes I always thought that false lashes looked strange on me and obviously fake, I’m not one for the Only Way Is Essex look and really wanted some lashes that looked natural but longer and fuller than my own. These lashes are now an absolute staple in my makeup bag and I never use any other brand. I urge you to try these out, they’re so feathery looking and feminine. I would choose these over MAC eyelashes any day.

2.       Sleek ‘Arabian Nights' Eyeshadow Palette - £7.99

I absolutely love this eyeshadow palette! The colours are so vivid and long lasting and there’s a great range of shades (It's limited edition though so don't hang around if you want to purchase one). Sleek have so many different palettes so if this one isn’t for you try out one of their more neutral palettes.


3.       Maybelline The Falsies Volum’ Express Mascara - £7.99

I have to say that my favourite mascara of all time is the Benefit They’re Real Mascara but I am a student with a student budget so when I can’t afford to fork out £20 for a mascara, this is always the one I reach for. I think the reason this mascara is so amazing is the shape of the brush, it’s has a curved shape ‘spoon’ brush so I find it actually curls your lashes upwards as you apply it.

4.       Sleek Contouring and Blush Palette - £9.99

My favourite part of applying makeup is probably contouring, it makes you look so much healthier and glowing, but you don’t have to pay a fortune to get great results. This is the second sleek product on my list and they are definitely one of my favourite brands for affordable beauty so make sure you check them out if you haven’t already. I have the shade ‘light’, because I’m basically one shade away from being an Albino but they also do a medium and dark shade so it’s perfect for all skin tones.


5.       Natural Collection Clear Mascara - £1.99

In my opinion, there are some products that you shouldn’t skimp on, I always pay more for foundation, for example, because I find it so difficult to find a colour match with high street brands. However, brow gel is not one of those products, there is really no need to buy expensive brow setting gels when this clear mascara by Natural Collection does the same thing – it’s perfect if you want to set your brows without any colour pay off.

6.       W7 ‘In The Nude’ Eyeshadow Palette - £4.51

If, like me, are desperate to own one or all of the Naked palettes by Urban Decay, but can’t afford to spend £30 on eyeshadows then look no further. This is the closest dupe I have found to the Naked palettes, and granted, the colours are obviously not as pigmented and don’t last as long as the Urban Decay shades, but for the price, it’s not bad. 


7.       L’oreal Super Liner - £6.49

I’ve actually spoken about this product already in my ‘Liebster Award’ blog post, so I’ll try not to talk too much about this one. This liner is an essential in my makeup bag, I can do a winged eyeliner in about 2 minutes which has made such a difference to my makeup routine. If you haven't tried it already I would definitely recommend you give it a go!

8.       Kate Moss Lasting Finish Lipstick - £5.49

These lipsticks are by far my favourite available on the highstreet, they have a satin finish and last all day! This one is in the shade 08 which is a brown toned pink, very on trend with the 90s lip made popular by Kylie Jenner. If you like to use lip liner under your lipstick, Rimmel do have an excellent collection, if you’re trying to replicate the Kylie Jenner look try ‘East End Snob’.



9.       Bourjois Healthy Balance 10 hour Matt Finish Powder - £8.99

I’ve honestly repurchased this powder about 10 times, of all the face powders I’ve tried this one lasts the longest without needing a touch up and it’s got excellent coverage. If I’m having a particularly good skin day I can skip foundation and go straight to concealer and powder because the coverage is quite full. I definitely wouldn’t recommend this for someone with dry skin but if you have oily skin with imperfections then you should definitely try it out!

10.       Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer - £4.19

If you haven’t heard about this concealer then where have you been, this is a blogging and youtuber favourite and has grown in popularity recently! This concealer is an absolute lifesaver, it’s the only cover up I’ve ever found that is an exact colour match, lasts all day and covers anything and everything from under eye shadows to spots and scars. I have a lot of expensive concealers by brands like MAC and Bobbi Brown but I always reach for this Collection one. Just goes to show that price doesn’t necessarily mean quality!


I hope this post was useful, if you're interested in buying any of the products simply click on the product name. Let me know in the comments what your favourite inexpensive beauty buys are.
Tam x 

Saturday 27 December 2014

Style Edit: All White Party

I hope you’ve all had a wonderful Christmas and I hope you have a fabulous New Year. I’d also like to apologise for the lack of blog posts recently but I’m planning to blog more regularly from now on. Christmas is over but the party season is still in full swing so I thought I’d share with you some New Year’s Party outfit inspiration. Enjoy!







What I’m Wearing

Skirt – River Island

I built this outfit around the gorgeous white leather skirt from River Island which is an absolute steal at £25. It reminds me of the super-tight bodycon skirts that Kim Kardashian often wears and it looks a lot more expensive that it is (always a bonus!) I think a lot of us are guilty of over-wearing our staple ‘little black dress' and I certainly wear far too much black so I thought an all-white outfit would be nice change. I’m absolutely loving off-the-shoulder or Bardot style tops at the moment too, I think they’re so flattering and feminine as they show off your collarbone and décolletage. This white one is from PrettyLittleThing.com, they’ve got some amazing clothes and shoes on their website that I haven’t seen on the high street and they often have really big sales on so it’s worth saving the website into your bookmarks! I find it's often more interesting and more flattering to wear separates in the same colour rather than wearing a dress in one block colour because showing a small section of midriff draws the eye to the smallest part of your waist. I hope this has given you some style inspiration!

I’d love to know what your plans are for the New Years. Let me know in the comments :)

Tam x

Monday 8 September 2014

Style Edit: Autumn Dressing

Hello everyone :) I thought I'd share another style edit with you today, this time an everyday autumn look for chilly days. Enjoy :)








What I'm Wearing

Cropped Jumper - H&M (Similar Here)
Skirt - Urban Outfitters (Similar Here)
Tights - M&S
Boots - Schuh
Backpack - River Island (Similar Here)

So the nights are drawing in and the weather is getting colder which means only one thing...I need to update my autumn wardrobe! Just because it's getting colder though doesn't mean you have to look frumpy in huge, bulky jumpers. I'm loving cropped jumpers at the moment paired with A-line or skater skirts and thick, black tights. It's a great way of staying warm and still showing off your figure. I'm also going to pass on a valuable autumn fashion tip to you...M&S tights! I cannot express to you how much I love these! So many times in the past I've reached for  a pair of black tights and they're laddered or have holes in the toes because they're from Primark or New Look and they never last long. I will admit, M&S tights are expensive at £8 for 3 pairs, but they will probably last me the entirety of autumn and winter because they are practically indestructible, so in the long run, it definitely works out cheaper! The cropped jumper and backpack are this season but unfortunately I couldn't find them online so I've done my best to find similar items which I've linked above if you're interested in any of the pieces.

Let me know if you've seen any good cropped jumpers on the high street so I can fuel my obsession! 
Tam x


Thursday 4 September 2014

Day Trip To Bristol Docks

Hi everyone! So a few days ago I decided to go to Bristol Docks for the day; I took a few pictures of the area and what I was wearing which I'll post below to hopefully give you some Autumn outfit inspiration. Enjoy :)













What I'm Wearing

Jeans - River Island
Leather Jacket - Miss Selfridge (Previous Season)
Watch - River Island
Boots - Schuh
Bag - River Island
Fur Collar - Topshop (Previous Season)

If you hadn't already noticed, most of what I'm wearing is from River Island. I am so impressed with their AW14 collection so you should definitely go and check it out if you haven't already. I really wanted some comfortable high waisted jeans, not tube pants, which can be so difficult to find but I bought their Lana superskinny jeans in dark wash and black because I love them so much. I also find that it's difficult to find cropped tops in thicker material, a lot of them are made for going out and not wearing during the day time so I snapped up the burgundy marl ribbed cropped top as soon as I saw it. I hope this gives you some inspiration for your autumn wardrobe.


What are your go to jeans for autumn? Tam x

Tuesday 2 September 2014

Liebster Award

Firstly, I'd like to say thank you to Evelina for nominating me! Make sure you check out her blog, she does amazing outfit posts which are great for outfit inspiration!



The rules of the Liebster Award are as follows:

  • Your post has to link back to the person that nominated you.
  • Answer all of the questions chosen by the person who nominated you.
  • Nominate bloggers of your choice, who have under 200 followers and don't forget to let them know.
  • Create 11 questions for the bloggers that you've nominated.


Now to answer the questions...


1. What are three top cities in the world, that you would like to visit?
I have always wanted to go to America, it's definitely something that's on my bucket list so I would have to choose New York and Los Angeles as the top 2 places that I want to visit. I would also love to visit Paris, I think this desire has definitely stemmed from watching too many episodes of The Little Paris Kitchen.

2. What's your favourite thing to eat for breakfast?
I'm actually training for a 5k in October at the moment and I try to go to the gym every day so I always start off with a Protein World protein shake in the morning, I have the Vanilla Slender Blend mixed with a tablespoon of PB2 powdered peanut butter - it's delicious!

3. Your favourite fashion magazine?
I love reading fashion magazines and I usually opt for Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Heat or Company. I also love the ASOS magazine, it's great for style inspiration!

4. Do you have a favourite movie and a TV show? What are they?
I am a massive movie geek so it's so hard to choose a favourite film because it changes all the time so I'll tell you my favourite movie at the moment in each genre. My favourite romance is The Notebook, my favourite horror movie is Silent Hill and my favourite comedy is Sean of The Dead (I could probably recite the entire script). My favourite TV show at the moment is definitely The Great British Bake Off, I am soo addicted that I actually re-watch all of the episodes about 5 times!

5. One thing in your makeup bag, that you couldn't live without?
Until recently I only used to wear gel eyeliner and it took me so long to apply and was such a fuss that I often just didn't wear eyeliner or just lined my waterline with a kohl liner. However, I decided to try the L'oreal superliner because so many YouTubers rave about it and now it's an essential in my makeup bag, I can do a winged eyeliner in about 2 minutes which has made such a difference to my makeup routine. If you haven't tried it already I would definitely recommend you give it a go!

6. Your all time favourite song?
It's so hard to pick a favourite song so I've decided to pick my favourite album instead which is easy, hands down Unapologetic by Rihanna. I think I love this album so much because I used to play it on repeat during my first year of Uni and it reminds me of going out every night and spending time with friends.  

7. Would you prefer living in a house or an apartment? and why?
I don't have a strong preference with this one, being a student I've lived in both halls (which is like living in an apartment) and in a shared house and I like both. As long as I'm around friends I really don't mind.

8. What's your best memory of this summer?
My best summer memory is probably being chief bridesmaid at my big sister's wedding, it was an absolutely unforgettable day and I felt so honoured to be so involved in the day. I've also done a blog post on the day if you wanted to see any pictures or read more information about the venue.

9. Who is your style icon?
To be honest, I don't really look to celebrities for fashion inspiration, I usually just buy clothes based on whether or not I like them rather than because I've seen someone else wearing something similar. However, if I had to choose a person who's style I admire I would have to say Audrey Hepburn because she always looked so sophisticated and elegant and, like me, she also wore a lot of black.

10. Is there a person that you could call your biggest inspiration?
My biggest inspiration and the person who I strive to be better for is probably my little sister. It's very important to me that she has somebody to look up to and so I always try to set a good example and show that you can achieve whatever you put your mind to because I want to be an inspiration to her.

11. What are your three favourite things about yourself?
This is very tricky! Instead of choosing physical attributes here (which would be impossible, I am far too self critical), I thought I would choose personality traits. I would say that my best traits are that I am fiercely loyal, a good listener and I don't take life too seriously.

I hope that these questions have helped you to get to know me a little better :)

Now for my nominations:



Sorry if you have already been nominated, it's difficult to find fairly new blogs that haven't been nominated yet.

Here are your questions:


1. What inspired you to start a blog?
2. If you had to pick one staple piece from your wardrobe, what would it be?
3. What colour do you wear most often?
4. What foundation do you wear?
5. Where do you live?
6. What is your favourite high street shop?
7. What is your favourite nail varnish brand and colour?
8. What are three things that you want to do before you die?
9. If you are a student, what do you study? If you have a job, what do you work as?
10. What is your favourite book?
11. If you could have any job in the world, what would it be?

I'm looking forward to your answers ladies, make sure to let me know when you have posted your response :) 

Tam x

Friday 29 August 2014

Style Edit: Graphic Prints

Hello everyone! I thought I'd share another style edit with you guys, this is my take on the graphic prints trend we're seeing a lot of this AW14. Enjoy :)






What I'm Wearing

Playsuit - River Island
Chelsea Boots - Schuh
Watch - River Island
I am so impressed with River Island's AW14 collection, I think they can be quite hit and miss but this season's collection is my favourite on the high street by far. For a high street store, everything is such great quality and looks far more expensive that it is, I have a feeling that a lot of the pieces in my Autumn wardrobe will be coming from RI so I would definitely recommend you check it out! Graphic prints are everywhere this Autumn, we're starting to say goodbye to dainty summer prints and hello to big, bold prints and loud colours. This playsuit from River Island is one of my favourite graphic print pieces I've seen. I love how eye catching this piece is, it's so easy to wear a lot of black in the Autumn months but I wanted to inject some colour into my Autumn wardrobe. I love wearing playsuits and I know I'll get great wear out of this; it's such a staple piece that I will definitely wear on nights out. I think this would look great paired with a piece of statement head jewellery and an oversized clutch or if you are feeling particularly bold, you could dress it down for the day time with thick black tights and a duster coat. As always, I'll put the links for each of the pieces in the 'What I'm Wearing' section if you're interested in any of the pieces shown.
What do you think of River Island's new collection and what are your favourite pieces?
Tam x

Wednesday 20 August 2014

Review: DiorShow Fusion Mono, Long-Wear Professional Mirror-Shine Eyeshadow

Hello everyone! I'm back from holiday now so I'll be putting up a few more blog posts soon, including a couple of Style Edits, so look out for those! I thought I'd start off by sharing another beauty review though, this is another high end product, the Dior Fusion Mono Eyeshadow, if you'd like me to do a few drug store make-up reviews then let me know. Enjoy :)







About the product


This is officially my new favourite eyeshadow for an evening look. The shade I have is '381 - Millenium' which is a beautiful grey/black shade with delicate gold glitter. Don't be put off by the word glitter though, it's not the cheap-looking chunky glitter that you'd expect from a Barry M product, this is so finely milled that it creates more of a subtle, shimmer effect. (My pictures definitely don't do this justice). However, this is also available in a matte finish if you prefer matte shadows. I love this product for so many reasons. Firstly, I often find with creamy, pot eyeshadows that they crease after a few hours and end up looking awful; this even happens with my MAC shadow pots! However, this Dior shadow stays in place, doesn't crease and doesn't smudge. I also love this product because my favourite eye look is a smokey eye but I often find that creating a smokey eye takes a lot of time and effort, believe it or not this creates a smokey eye without needing any other products, it's a one pot wonder! For a soft smokey eye, I simply apply it with my finger tip and then smudge the outside with a MAC 217 brush. If you want a more intense look simply wet the applicator that comes in the box and apply to get a really deep, dark lamé effect.

Texture


Dior describe this as a 'gel-foam' texture. It's definitely not a typical powdery texture; it feels so buttery soft when you apply it with your fingers. If you have used either the Maybelline 24hour Colour Tattoo or any of the MAC cream colour bases, the Dior shadow is not as wet as these formulas and I think that's why it doesn't crease.

Affordability


As this is a high end product, it does have a high end price tag. However, this is probably going to be the only eyeshadow I use for a night out make-up look now so I'll definitely get my money's worth. This may just be me trying to justify my purchases but I'm of the opinion that it's far better to splurge on one item that will last than to buy loads of poor quality shadows that will only last a few hours and end up smudging down your face.

Packaging


Well done Dior! This packaging is absolutely beautiful, everything about the product says luxury. For starters, the pot is made of glass which may seem inconsequential but it honestly makes such a difference and the shimmery, midnight blue lid had the famous Christian Dior logo in metallic lettering which looks so sophisticated. I also love the fact that it comes with its own applicator, which is great quality by the way, it's not very often that I will actually use the applicator that comes with the product because they are usually cheap and awful. Its little details like this that you are paying for and which make it stand out from a drug store shadow.

Do you have any other pot eyeshadow recommendations for me? Leave me a comment to let me know your favourites :)

Friday 8 August 2014

Review: Guerlain Meteorites

Hello everyone! So I thought I'd post my first ever make-up review today. I love beauty products and have an addiction to buying make-up so let me know if you guys like this post and I'll make sure to do some more beauty reviews in the future. Enjoy :)







About the product

This is actually the first and only product I have ever bought from Guerlain and I'm so glad that I purchased it! These beautiful illuminating pearls are by far the most luxurious make-up item I own. I have the shade '02 - Clair' which is the lightest shade but they also do medium and dark shades for different skin tones. Guerlain describe this product as an 'illuminating powder' which you can use all over to set your makeup or as a very subtle highlight. I have quite oily skin and I find that I do have to re-apply my powder after a couple of hours if I use it to set my base so I often just use it as a highlight but if you have normal or dry skin I'm sure this would look lovely as an all over face powder. I would recommend you use this if you ever feel your makeup looks flat or your face looks lifeless because it instantly refreshes your complexion and adds a certain amount of dew to the skin, giving it a natural glow and radiance.

Texture and Smell

The texture of this powder is really fine and it goes on to the skin so smoothly, everything about it says high end! The smell! Where do I start? Oh my gosh! This is THE best smelling make-up product I have ever come across. I'm usually awful at describing smells but these candy looking pearls smell exactly like parma violet sweets which is probably half the reason why I love them. I know that people with sensitive skin are often scared to use scented products on their face but I have very sensitive, spot prone skin and this product has never caused me to have any adverse reactions. If, however, you just don't like having scented face products in general then this isn't one to go for because the scent does linger, which I love because I think the smell is addictive, but I know that it's not for everyone.

Affordability

As expected of a Guerlain product, the only downside to this is the price. It's definitely something to treat yourself to or to buy as a special gift for someone; this isn't any normal drug store powder but I do think that when it comes to make-up, you get what you pay for!

Packaging

My favourite thing about these pearls, other than the smell, is the packaging. It's so glamorous and makes me feel like a Hollywood movie star when I get it out of my vanity table; this is definitely one to put on display and if you finish using the product, the tin would be great to keep little trinkets or bobby pins in. Maybe this is just me but I'm totally won over by sophisticated looking make-up packaging.

Let me know if you have any other Guerlain product recommendations for me. Tam x