OOTD x2!

Bonsoir! 

I hope you don't mind me posting these but I have been enjoying everyone else's, I thought I'd contribute!

First up in this double post is last nights outfit, hugely over the top for the occasion but I enjoyed wearing it! We went to a little restaurant for dinner, it was a little bit posh but not enough for sequins! I've had this top since Easter and this was it's first wearing!

Top - Monsoon Fusion

Trousers - Monsoon

Wedges - Clarkes

Lipstick - MAC Gulabi

I bought the cropped trousers in the Monsoon sale the day before coming to France, I'd been looking for a pair for aaages! The shoes are a pair of black patent peep toe wedges that I got in the Clarkes sale a couple of years ago but have never worn them. They were one of those purchases where I stuffed my feet into them because of the price! Now I've lost weight they fit fine!

Top - Monsoon Fusion

Trousers - Laura Ashley

Sandals - Accessorize

Today's outfit also features a top from Monsoon Fusion! I love this top and bought it with the other one, I have worn this twice now and continue to enjoy it! I love the sleeves and the little print.

Do excuse the seriously dodgy hair, I tried to curl it today for the first time since having it cut and it's still a bit short to achieve a good look! Apologies for the blurry pictures too, not sure what's going on here, different camera and laptop!

 It is freezing here today and as I type my dad is lighting the wood burner downstairs IN JULY!! I brought one cardi that has gone on now!

Anyway, hope the weather perks up it has been rubbish this week, wet and pretty cold! 

xoxo

Evening OOTD

This is my outfit from last night, we went out for dinner in a local town. It was a smarter restaurant so we got a little dressed up, normally the French are fairly casual around here.

Top - Monsoon

Trousers - Laura Ashley 

Sandals - Accessorize

Bangle - Accessorize

I love to wear white linen trousers in the summer but I am terrified of sitting in something, spilling something or generally touching anything with them on! I would like to add that these are a size 10!!

Also the first outing of the green top, it has little butterflies on it and I have to say I am getting more comfortable with sleeveless! I know you can't see my sandals, I did crop the photo but for some reason it won't upload the cropped version, but they have Swarovski crystals along my foot, love a bit of sparkle in the evening!

xoxo

French OOTD's

Salut!

I thought I'd share a couple of my OOTD's, I only have two pictures so far but I will try to take more as my holiday goes on! 

I wore this on Tuesday, it was the outfit I tweeted about last week saying that I was unsure about the amount of leg and arm that was on show but I was surprisingly comfortable with it! We had gone to watch the Tour De France go through a local town, as usual on one's first day I got quite sunburnt!

Top - H&M

Skirt - H&M

Belt - H&M

Sandals - Accessorize 

Sunglasses - Accessorize

Excuse my brothers dopey look! This was Thursday, Bastille Day and market day. It was a little chilly in the morning but it turned out to be a lovely day so I removed the cardi!

T-Shirt - Laura Ashley

Skirt - Monsoon

Cardigan - Zara

Sandals - Accessorize

Sunglasses - Accessorize

Bag - Tabitha

We haven't been out for dinner yet so I haven't gone any evening outfits but I am looking forward to wearing some of the other clothes I have brought so I will get some pictures! I loved my first outfit so much, I have washed it and am wearing it today!

xoxo

Holiday Maquillage!

Bonjour!

I am writing this from my parents house in the south of France, I am sitting outside enjoying the sunshine at the moment and having a lovely time with my family. 

As usual I have packed too many clothes and brought too much makeup but I did carefully select some lipsticks to bring with me. I hate getting ready and discover that I could have brought a certain colour with me! So I have tried to cover all colour groups! When selecting things to take on holiday you really narrow down your favourites and think these would be mine as of now!

MAC - Gulabi, Dressmaker Dressmaker, Lady Gaga, Ever Hip, Candy Yum Yum and Hibiscus

Chanel Coco Rouge - Romance, Sari D'Eau

Okay, so I brought eight lipsticks for a 14 day holiday, but a girls gotta have options!

As for nail varnish, I couldn't quite control myself quite as well!

OPI - Black Onyx, Diva Of Geneva, Can You Tapas This, Hot And Spicy, Sparrow Me The Drama and Mermaids Tears

Nails Inc - Eaton Square, Blandford Street, Portobello Market, Maple Street and Cadogan Square

Orly Luxe, Jessica Sexy Siren, No7 60's Mini Skirt, Essie Mint Candy Apple, CG Flip Flop Fantasy, CG For Audrey.

Umm...... yeah.

That's 17 nail varnishes!

Well, I have toes and nails to paint and I brought some for my Mum to use as she didn't bring any *justifying this craziness*

I have changed my polish a couple of times and as I write this I am waiting for Portobello Road to dry and this is my view!

Is there anything you can't control yourself around when packing?!

P.S I have also brought 8 pairs of shoes......

xoxo

Yellow Fever!

This summer I have been drawn to anything yellow, I realise this is not completely a choice made of my own freewill as there are many gorgeous yellow items popping up in the shops this year all coaxing me to buy them, at which they have been successful!

The yellow coloured items in my wardrobe have gone from virtually nothing to five items with two more to come hopefully!

First up my Tabitha handbag!

I know you have all seen it but this has been a pretty major accessory for me in the month that I've had it. I have used it almost every day. I promised myself I wouldn't use it for work but I have been as I just can't put it down!

O.S.P by Osprey purse.

I had my eye on this for a little while but I was waiting for a 10% off weekend, the wait was worth it as it had 20% off in the end! I adore the colour and the lining is beautiful it reminds me of a silk scarf or dress. I love a big purse, I don't like fiddly little ones!

Skinny belt from Accessorize.

I bought this earlier in the year, my first yellow purchase! I wear it with a white tunic and blue leggings, it gives a little bit of colour on an otherwise plain outfit. 

Zara scarf.

My most recent yellow item, I bought last week in the Zara sale. I looove it! With just a white t-shirt it looks so summery and fresh, I just bought a plain black H&M maxi dress today and this will be perfect as a cover-up for the evening!

Nails Inc Spitalfields polish.

A previously unloved polish in my collection now has pride of place on my bedside table! I've spoken about it loads but for me it's the perfect shade for my nails. I would like to try a stronger shade but have yet to find one I like!

There are two more items on my yellow wishlist, this skirt from Topshop,

I have only seen it in a magazine and have been in the shop and checking the website daily but I don't think it's in the shops yet, I hope I haven't missed it!

Monsoon Fusion Skirt

In the new section of the website this pleated skirt is hitting two trends! If it's long enough on me I'll be buying this when it gets to the shops, I had a look today and it's not out yet. I think it will amazing with a white t-shirt tucked in, a skinny black belt and my chunky patent black heels. I just love the accent colour around the zip! Shame I couldn't get it before I go on holiday, it would have been great for the evening!

Well I think that's enough yellow for now! Have you added anything yellow to your wardrobe?

Accessorize Haul!

My favourite shop started their sale this weekend, thanks to Giltyxx for tweeting me about it! It went online midweek and hit the shops on Friday.

I had a sneaky look on the website and the necklace I was going to buy anyway had gone into the sale. Result! So off I went to buy it....

I almost bought this earlier in the month for £15, but I didn't get around to it, glad it went in the sale for £7.50! I love wooden accessories in the summer, I have various bangles and earrings in the style but no necklace. I like the longer style of this one and it looks great with a maxi dress.

Well that should be the end of this post.... 

but of course it isn't and I was drawn in by other lovely items!

These cute earrings were £3, they are a bit lightweight but they co-ordinate nicely with a t-shirt I recently bought! 

My favourite item! A long beaded necklace with a gold tassel, something I hadn't noticed in the shop pre-sale but impulse purchased! I actually love this! Again it's nice with the previous earrings and top I mentioned.

Love this too! I stacked this with my plain wooden bangle and long necklace and it looked great with the hint of sparkle! It was £6.

I bought this for the evening on holiday, I have the matching earrings that I bought waaay earlier in the year, maybe February. I wouldn't wear them together but I love the style, this was £7.50.

Finally I bought these today when I went for another quick look! They were £3, I have the pink pair which I wear ALL the time! In fact I have backed them up just in case I ever loose them!!

Loving a barg!

Did you get anything in the sale?!

xoxo

NOTD - Purple Leopard

I thought I'd try out another different coloured leopard print nail this time, I saw this combo in a Look magazine a couple of weeks ago and the loved the colours.

I used Nails Inc Cambridge Circus for the main colour, OPI Shorts Story for the dots and my trusty WAH Models Own black nail art pen!

If I do this again I think I'd use a lighter purple or a lilac, I don't think there is enough contrast between the base colour and the pink dots! Anyway it looks really cool with my lipstick today which is Candy Yum Yum and it totally matches the pink of Shorts Story!

xoxo

First Try - Leighton Denny

This week my Leighton Denny experience has gone from one product to four! I had purchased my first polish from his line last month, 

Inside Scoop from his SS11 Gelato collection. It's a lovely pale pistachio ice cream green, I have worn it and I got a few compliments on the colour and I did enjoy the shade but it took three coats.

Last weekend I was reading the Obsessive Cosmetics Disorder blog and Leanne had mentioned that she had enjoyed using a trial size of the Leighton Denny Essential Remover and would purchase the larger size! I started to wonder if  a higher end polish remover would help with my sensitive cuticles and since I change my polish every few days, maybe more if I'm honest, it may be gentler on my nails.

I've had it a week now and I love it! I smells really good and it has essential oils in it and is very conditioning for my cuticles and I have definitely noticed a difference this week, I must have used it four times on my hands and twice on my toes. It smells of lavender and is lovely! It was priced at £5.50, which I didn't think was too expensive, I'll see how quickly I get through a bottle but for the extra couple of £'s over a cheapy one, the difference it makes is worth it for me!

I also purchased the Crystal Nail File. This was out of necessity rather than choosing this particular brand. I have had a large glass Nails Inc file for a few years and I have recently lost it, I know it's in the house but I have driven myself mad looking for it!! I hate emery boards, I promise once you use a glass file you can never use an emery board. I honestly think it was the best nail purchase I have ever made, although expensive at the time, they should last forever, unless you sit on it or loose it!!

This one is smaller than my lost one and comes in a plastic case, a great idea as I sat on my very first glass file and totally broke it! To be honest I prefer the Nails Inc one, it's a little more abrasive and I feel it files a little better and easier. It was £12, which is comparable to the Nails Inc one.

Also this week I purchased Harpers Bazaar magazine which comes with a free Leighton polish. After much deliberating between the three other colours, a taupe and a red, I picked Do Me A Flavour a hot orange.

Also from the Gelato collection, this polish is worth £11. I love the colour, it VERY bright! Great for the summer and orange it such a hot colour this year. A couple of nails went streaky and could do with a third coat but I left it at two.

So far I have been fairly impressed, I'm not sure I would purchase any more colours form his line, I don't feel they are particularly unique and I feel they aren't worth the £11 price tag. The other thing that puts me off the line is the amount of useless packaging that the products come in. Everything comes in a clear plastic box which it totally unnecessary and must push the price of the product up. The polish and the remover do not need extra packaging.

I am interested in trying the Renovate, that helps to restore and protect the surface of the nail.

Have you tried any Leighton Denny what are your favourites.

xoxo

FOTD featuring Candy Yum Yum!

I missed out on Candy Yum Yum a couple of months ago when it first came out with the Quite Cute collection, I just wasn't sure that I'd like it. When Kelly Osborne mentioned on Twitter that this was her new favourite lipstick and YouTubers and bloggers started to get excited, I started to want it!! Anyway a friend bought it and she didn't like it so we swapped, I had just bought Creme Cup and didn't like that either.

I wore it as soon as I got it and my BFF, gasped when he saw me wearing it and proclaimed "That's a bit bright isn't it?!" Perhaps it was little wild for work! 

I took it off and tried again at home, and it looked awful. So away it went as a lipstick that was collected but never worn.

Today I tried it again, 

LOVE IT!!!

I used a lip brush and applied a little bit of clear gloss over the top. The lipstick itself is quite matte so the gloss helps to soften the look but it stays bright. I love it for the summer, I still think it's too bright for work but will be fab for my holiday!

I am also wearing,

♥ Chanel Vita Lumiere in Biege B20

♥ MAC MSF Natural

♥ MAC Amazon Princess Blush

♥ MAC Retrospeck and Patina Eyeshadow

♥ MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack

♥ Bobbi Brown Clear Lip Gloss

I kept the rest of my makeup pretty neutral and let the bright lipstick be the feature.

Have you got this lipstick? What do you think?!

xoxo

Outfit and Makeup Of The Night!

Just an outfit for dinner with friends, I wore,

♥ White t-shirt from H&M

♥ Skirt from Monsoon, first time wearing it!

♥ Belt H&M

♥ Wedges Monsoon, although they had to be changed to flats because I couldn't walk in them!

♥ Bag Zara

Accessories,

♥ Earrings, scarf and rings from Accessorize

♥ Bag Zara

I wore,

♥ Benefit Moonbeam

♥ Chanel Vita Lumiere in B20 Biege

♥ MAC MSF Natural in Medium

♥ Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess Bronzing Pearls

♥ MAC Amazon Princess Blush

♥ MAC MSF Highlighter in Soft and Gentle

♥ MAC Retrospeck and Mulch Eyeshadow's

♥ Urban Decay Twice Baked Eyeshadow

♥ MAC Superslick Eyeliner

♥ YSL Faux Cils

♥ MAC Gulabi Lipstick

Nails Inc Sumner Place and I had OPI Suzi Loves Cowboys on my toes!

Love the skirt! I did my make up kind of Arabic I suppose with a smokey (for me!) eye and winged out eyeliner. I love this lipstick, I was a little unsure when I first bought it but it's perfect for the evening! I had to change the wedges as I've never really walked in them, I couldn't walk anywhere in them!! Glad I took some flat gold sandals just in case!! 

I used my scarf as a wrap in the end as it rained tonight and it was bloomin' freezing for an evening in June, even for the UK! 

xoxo

The Trilogy! OOTD, FOTD, NOTD!!

I've had a wonderful day today, the sun is shining, it's very warm and I think I may be wearing my favourite summer items today!!

I love everything I'm wearing today, clothes,  makeup and nail varnish so I thought I'd break the norm and bust out all three "OTD's"!

I'm wearing,

♥ Top from Laura Ashley, bought last week to go with a pair of white linen trousers that I also bought but it 

matches some of the flowers in the skirt.

♥ Skirt from Monsoon, I love this skirt now! When I first bought it I felt a bit "Granny" in it but it all depends what you wear it with! This is my maxi skirt for the summer as most maxi's are too long for me!

♥ Wedges from Monsoon, I love the espadrille wedge. I bought these about three years ago but have never worn them!

♥ Bag from Tabitha, the colour compliments all of the colours in my skirt and I love the studs against a feminine skirt.

♥ Jewellery from Etsy and bangle from John Lewis a couple of years ago.

I would also wear this with flat gold sandals as the wedges are a little high and not suitable for all terrains!!

I'm wearing,

♥ Chanel Vitalumiere Foundation in Biege

♥ MAC Blushcreme in Ladyblush

♥ MAC MSF Natural

♥ MAC Retrospeck and Mulch eyeshadow

♥ MAC Superslick Eyeliner in On The Hunt

♥ YSL Faux Cils in Black

♥ MAC Everhip Lipstick

I quite sure this will be my go to face for the summer! I picked up an awesome tip from BrushingOnBeauty last night, she said to put creme blush on top of foundation and under your powder. I tried it today and it gives a lovely glow and helps the blush last longer!

OPI Stranger Tides, I know you've seen this but I've worn this for a couple of days now and I love it!! I got lots of compliments at work which surprised me as I didn't think it would be a colour most people would like! I love how fresh the colour feels and it feels like it's a new shade in the colour palette for polish! It still feels feminine despite being a murky colour. Coincidentally this colour is in my skirt too!

In a not normally seen toes of the day, I painted on my favourite summer colour, China Glaze For Audrey, I adore the colour with tan and it's yet another colour in my skirt!!

Well there we go an unnecessarily in depth look at what I'm wearing today! I have thoroughly enjoyed it and will be reaching for this combo again!

xoxo

NOTD - CG Cracked Concrete

China Glaze Cracked Concrete is a mid toned grey crackle. I used it over Essie Nice is Nice, I like the combo of the pastel with the grey and I bought this particular polish with the intention of using it over the pastel shades that are everywhere this summer. I'm not sure that I like the way it has cracked, I think I need to use a thinner coat, I still haven't quite got the hang of this yet! I think I would like the look more if I could see more of the lavender showing through, it's not a look I will wear for long, I imagine I'll get bored after a day or so. 

xoxo

OPI Pirates Of The Caribbean Collection

OPI's most recent collection is a collaboration with the lastest Pirates Of The Caribbean film, On Stranger Tides. I first head about the pairing of the two back in February when OPI held a bloggers day in London and pictures started to pop up online later that day. I was beyond excited! I loved the shades of the collection and I adore the films! The film was released in the UK this week and so was the nail varnish collection.

The colours in the collection were not what we were expecting but I think they fit the theme perfectly. Murky dusky pastel colours I think are appropriate for the Caribbean Pirate theme. Having seen the film last night I think they fit in well with the scenery and images from the movie itself.

L-R Skull And Glossbones, Stranger Tides, Mermaids Tears, Planks A Lot, Sparrow Me The Drama.

Skull and Glossbones is a slightly green tinged grey. It looks like a mouldy skull that has been left below deck of the Black Pearl! I love the shade, the hint of green makes it stand out from other greys out there but it still looks classy and sophisticated. Two coats will do the job.

Stranger Tides carries the name of the film and is really gorgeous! An interesting shade its very unusual and it reminds me of an avocado! I can't explain it very well but this colour seems the fit the feel of the film perfectly. I have nothing like it it my stash and I just love it! 

Mermaids Tears is a soft dusky turquoise pastel. I think this will be the most popular colour from the collection and I completely understand why.... its gorgeous! Although similar in tone to other jadey greens, Mermaids Tears has a sort of cloudy effect. The mermaids in the film itself are no brightly coloured Disney mermaids, they are dark characters that live in the depths of the ocean, this colour is reflected in the their tails and is totally appropriate.

Planks A Lot is a foggy purple shade. With definite tones of lilac in the colour, its a very pretty shade. I am always drawn to these colours in the bottle but I find I don't wear them very often. I like this colour a lot and it fits in well with the pastel polishes that are massive this summer.

Sparrow Me The Drama is adorned with our favourite pirates name although I'm not sure this is a colour he would wear himself! It is a murky rose that feels very vintage, it's bright yet dusty. This is the colour I chose to wear when I saw the film and I really enjoyed wearing it. 

There are two more polishes that complete the set, Steady As She Rose and Silver Shatter. I felt the rose wasn't really my colour and I'm still only dabbling in a the crackle craze, although I have heard the silver is very sparkly and paired with the other colours in the collection.

As a collection I love the whole vibe of it, I feel the pastel hues are completely appropriate for the Pirates theme. As for the film itself? I loved it, it was such good fun and on par with the first film, I love the flirting between Jack Sparrow and Penelope Cruz's character Angelica! Go and see it!!

xoxo