Quick Fix Hair Days

 

We all have those days where our hair just feel a bit limp and lifeless, and not exactly fresh either. On the second day after washing my hair, my hair tends to feel slightly greasy so I always use a dry shampoo to help with that. Dry shampoo is a great way to make your hair feel cleaner and look much more volumized, and is especially helpful when you don't have time to wash your hair in the mornings and get completely ready and out the door in the space of 30 minutes. Recently I purchased one of Ruth Crilly's Dry Shampoo's in the fragrance, London. Her range is available in Superdrug and on Feel Unique. There are five different scents to choose from, the one I have in the black can is called the 'classic fragrance' and is a lovely sophisticated smell. I also love how this dry shampoo doesn't show any traces of white chalkiness after you've applied it, so you don't have to spend ages rubbing it into your scalp. A few sprays on your roots, massage it in, and voila!

Beauty and Fashion Haul - November

I've been shopping a couple of times in the past few weeks and picked up some new beauty products as well as some fashion pieces, so I decided I would share them with you today and give little reviews on the products I have tried.

The first item I bought was the Maybelline Fit Me concealer because I had heard brilliant reviews on it all over blogs and YouTube! I got the shade '10', and it suits my skin colour quite well. I always find it so difficult to match concealer shades in store as you can never tell if the colour is right because of the yellow lighting. But anyway it works very well at covering dark circles; I find it doesn't crease like the Collection Lasting Perfection concealer does on me. The formula isn't too heavy, although it has good coverage. Overall I am very pleased and for £6 I think it is great.

My skin has been playing up recently, I'm not too sure why but I was getting pretty annoyed. I read some reviews on The Body Shop Tea Tree range and so many people said the products worked wonders on their skin! I went in store and found a set for £13 including the tea tree foam cleanser, toner and clearing lotion. I have been using these items for just over a week now, and I am really enjoying using them. The tea tree scent is so refreshing especially good in the morning to wake you up! I may do an updated skincare routine soon, when I have tried out the items for longer.

The last couple of things are some fashion pieces. I was looking around the sale section in Topshop expecting not to find anything in my size and then I spotted a pair of Mom Shorts reduced to £10 from £30. I kind of had to buy them, even though we are now getting into the colder months of the year... I figured I could pair them with a nice woolly jumper along with some tights and boots. Let me know if you'd like me to write a winter style post, or how I style jumpers. I have also been needing a new bag, not too big, not too small, to go shopping with or just out and about. I found this lovely burgundy/wine red coloured bag from Primark for £5, it is the perfect size and the colour fits in with the Autumn season well.

Current Nail Polish Picks

 

 

Today I thought I would share my current nail polish picks, the shades I am loving on my nails at the moment. As you may be able to tell from the photos, all these colours are quite similar, they are all red toned pinks and purples. Right now I am wearing Barrym Gelly nail polish in Pomegranate which I am absolutely loving! It is a vibrant red with some pink tones through it.

 

In order the nail polishes are:

Champneys Mulberry,

Avon Cherry Jubilee,

Barrym Pomegranate,

Avon Pink Radiance.

 

I can't wait to wear these darker polishes for Autumn/Winter time, to add some colour to my completely black outfits. One colour I am missing in my collection is a dark navy/black polish, so make sure to comment below if you own any good ones.   

Tartan kind of day

 

Top // New Look
Skirt // New Look
Scarf // Jennifer
Khaki Jacket // New Look
Chelsea Boots // Primark
Black bag // Dorothy Perkins

One of my favourite things about autumn is bringing back the scarves and layering clothing. I love the fact that a scarf can add colour and pattern to a pretty basic outfit, like I was wearing. My tartan scarf is from a French shop called 'Jennifer', but if you're looking for a similar one check out Topshop, Primark and H&M's winter collections. And yes I did wear two items of clothing both with a different tartan print! I actually really liked the look of them paired together, along with a plain white top and boots. I wore this outfit out for lunch (which was so delicious..), and it suited the occasion perfectly. Overall I think this look is girly but still comfy and casual. I recommend buying yourself a printed scarf to add some more WOW to your outfits for the months to come, and to keep you warm too.  

My Autumn Look

 

 

 

Since the season of Autumn is now here, I thought I would share with you an autumn makeup look today. Autumn is probably my favourite season, I love the fact that the dark lip shades are coming back as well as the fashion which is my favourite.

 

To conceal blemishes and dark circles I used the Collection Lasting Perfection concealer. This works well in the colder months as it stays on your face pretty much all day. For powder I used the Rimmel Stay Matte, another cult beauty favourite. On my cheeks I went for a peachy, shimmery shade. I used a blush palette from Sleek in the shade 'Lace', and went for the middle colour named 'Guipure'. I find this shade works as a highlighter as well as a blush, adding some colour.

 

Base done, and moving onto eyebrows. I have really been enjoying the Maybelline Brow Drama recently as it adds some colour and keeps my brows in place all day. I use the shade 'Medium Brown' just in case you were wondering. For eyes I kept it quite simple, another great product from Maybelline; the Colour Tattoo in 'On and on bronze' all over the lids. To finish off the eyes I used No7's Lash Impact mascara. I have done a review on this mascara so if you would like to read it, click here. And at last the main part of this look, the bold lip. I absolutely love the shade of this lipstick and I am so happy I can wear it again, as I forgot I even owned it, it's been so long! It's from Avon and is in the shade 'Very Berry'. How Autumnal. It is not a full bold lip, it has some sheen to it and the colour is a berry red, making it very wearable.

 

I hope you liked this post, make sure to leave me a comment if you did! I am hoping to post some more Autumn style posts soon so look forward to that and I'll talk to you next time.





Pamper Routine and Essentials



I'm a great lover of having Sunday's to chill and pamper myself just before the long week ahead. The types of products I generally use include hair and face masks, nails, and of course a bubbly bath! I adore the lush bath products as they smell amazing and create a lot of bubbles. Whilst I'm in the bath I like to play some music, at the moment I am loving The Mowgli's, Walk the Moon and Matt Corby, I would recommend going to check out their music! After shampooing my hair, I will use a hair mask. For a deep conditioning mask I like to use the Argan Oil hair mask which I bought from Savers for such a small price. I only use this mask once a week as it is quite rich and heavy. If I feel my hair just needs a little more shine I will apply the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle. Both of these masks are great and make my hair super smooth.

 

Whilst the hair mask is sitting in my hair, I also apply a face mask. Again, depending on how I'm feeling I will either use a fun, nice scented mask from Montagne Jeunesse which make my face silky smooth and lovely, or Garnier's Pure Active 3 in 1 mask. The second option gives me a deeper cleanse and helps to remove impurities. For nails I keep it simple and only use a sheer pink shade as well as a clear coat to keep things looking shiny. Go and check out my last post to read about my full Simple nail routine. And that's about all I do on a Sunday evening to pamper myself, and mainly watch The X Factor, or Gossip Girl on Netflix! Leave a comment telling me your main pamper essentials so I can pick up some new items and I'll talk to you soon.

Natural nails

 

 

 

 

I love having my nails nicely painted in cute colours, however now I'm back to school I sadly can't. So instead I try and make my natural nails look the best they can, using hardly any tools or products.

 

File & Shape

 

Firstly file (or cut) your nails to your desired length, followed by shaping your nails to however you would like! My nails are mid long, and are quite rounded/square. This part is up to you.

 

Buffing & Cuticles

 

To make your nails smooth and naturally shiny, you can use a nail buffer. I use this cube shaped nail buffer, which comes with four simple steps on each of the sides. You can find these many places such as supermarkets or drugstores like Boots. After this I go onto sorting out my cuticles. Taking a cuticle cream (or a moisturiser if you don't have one), rub it into your cuticles to moisturise, and use a little cuticle stick (obviously not the correct word haha) to push your cuticles back.

 

Polish

 

Finally, I like to paint my nails in a coat of a nude/light pink shade, I use the Champneys nail varnish in 'Nude'. Once my nails are dry I go over them with a top coat. The clear nail varnish I use is from Collection and claims to help strengthen your nails and prevent splitting, but any clear or top coat will do. Finishing off with a clear coat makes your nails look a lot more healthy and shiny, so this step is definitely worth the extra patience to let your nails dry!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liebster Award!

 

 

 

 

I would like to thank the gorgeous Selin from Persian Princess for the Liebster Award nomination! Go and check out her lifestyle blog as her photography is stunning and her posts are very interesting! This award is for bloggers who have under 200 followers to become more recognised by the help of other bloggers here on the internet. First I will answer Selin's questions and then leave my nominees and questions afterwards.

1. Why did you start blogging?
I began blogging because I had read a few other beauty and fashion related blogs and I was inspired to write my own thoughts in my own personal space on the internet. I also really enjoy photography and writing so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to begin a little hobby!

2. If you were only allowed one make-up item for the rest of your life, which would it be?
Either a concealer like the collection lasting perfection, or some kind of brow product like Maybelline brow drama or a brow powder.

3. Your favourite quote?
I like the quote 'Everything happens for a reason'

4. Who's your role model when it comes to blogging?
I am in love with Anna's blog from Vivianna Does Makeup. Her photography is so unique and beautiful and I love her unique style of writing.

5. Your favourite city?
London is an amazing city, I enjoy all the places to visit, and Oxford Street shops are pretty much my heaven!

6. Your favourite season?
Summer is my overall favourite season as I love how easy it is to leave the house and meet up with friends and family, as well as the cute summer fashion. I also like autumn because everything tends to get a little more cosy with the fluffy jumpers, soft blankets and relaxing baths with a nice lush bath bomb!

7. Do you prefer cooking or baking?
Definitely baking!

8. In the future would you rather live in the city and have your dream job, or live with your family in the countryside?
Well if I had my own family I would obviously live with them but depending on my age, I would adore to live in the city with my perfect job. However after a while I would probably rather stay in the countryside as it would be more relaxed and less stressful.

9. Pants or a skirt?
I would say I wear jeans and leggings most of the time and are easier to wear than skirts.

10. What's on your wish list?
Some new autumn clothing such as a couple of cute jumpers and a nice pair of boots. Also a few new makeup items like the Maybelline Fit Me concealer, Naked palette and the Sleek contour & highlight kit.

My nominees:

Emily - www.lifeofemilyyx.blogspot.co.uk
Lauren's looks - www.itslittlelaurenslooks.blogspot.com
Meg - www.xmegharris.blogspot.co.uk 
Julia -   www.bonafide-xo.blogspot.co.uk/ 
Lucy wishes - www.littlelucywishes.blogspot.co.uk
Aimee - www.aimeetalksbeauty.blogspot.co.uk

My questions:

1. When did you start blogging?
2. What is your makeup must have?
3. Dark or bright nails?
4. What is one thing that you wish you could do?
5. Favourite type of blog post to write?
6. Your favourite word?
7. If all your makeup collection was to disappear, which item would you be most sad to loose?
8. How do you like to relax?
9. Which celebrity do you most want to meet?
10. Rings, necklaces or bracelets?

The Rules:

- You must link on your post the person who nominated you
- You must answer all of my questions
- You must come up with 10 different questions of your own
- You must tag 5-11 other bloggers with less than 200 followers

French Beauty Buys

 

 

Hello everyone! So long time no see, I am aware I haven't blogged in what feels like forever. I haven't felt very inspired recently to post but now I want to get back into a routine of posting once a week! Today I am doing a mini haul, reviewing and talking about the beauty products I got on my holiday to France. I ventured to the well known and loved French pharmacies, to pick up a couple of items raved about on the blogosphere. I also went to Sephora and a few other shops too.

 

The first shop I want to talk about is a French Pharmacy. I have read all over numerous beauty blogs about how the pharmacies in France sell everything from skincare, beauty products, body care and SPF's! Going to France every year, I am surprised I have never actually bought anything from a pharmacy in France, however this trip I picked up 2 items.

 

The first is extremely well known, Bioderma Micellar Solution. I've wanted to try this out for a long time, but as it isn't too easily accessible in the UK, I haven't got round to trying it out. It is a makeup remover/ cleansing water especially designed for sensitive skin. I am so happy I purchased this product! It removes my makeup very well, and doesn't leave my face red or irritated at all, due to the fact that it is easy to take the makeup of your face with a couple of cotton pads. I highly recommend Bioderma for a pretty inexpensive, good quality cleanser/ makeup remover.

 

Secondly, I bought the Nuxe Reve de Miel lip balm. I think I went to 3 different pharmacies before I could find this one lonely lip balm left on the shelf. It has a thick consistency, and applies very balmy onto your lips. The finish it gives is matte, slightly glossy, unlike the majority of lip balms on the market, which is good to apply lipstick on top. I had chapped and dry lips so I applied it throughout the day as well as overnight, and the day afterwards my lips were completely soft and smooth again! I am glad I did splurge a little on this lip balm as it is slightly more expensive than other lip balms, but in my opinion it was definitely worth it. 

 

I went into Sephora and was amazed by the counters of beautiful luxury products, and was  intrigued to go and try out a few testers of products from brands we don't have here in the UK. After testing many products from benefit and being tempted to get something from the counter, in the end I decided upon a Foundation Compact from Sephora's own brand of makeup. I have the shade D30, which I find really suits my skin tone at the moment (taking into account I have a tan), and the product gives a great matte look to your skin without looking cakey.

 

Finally, the last shop I went to was H&M. Surprisingly I didn't find any clothing I particularly wanted to buy but bought a cute, dainty necklace instead. I must say that I really like H&M's jewellery, they have some basic pieces for not a lot of money at all, and some pretty statement necklaces too which are affordable. The necklace I bought has a thin gold chain with a small arrow, V- shape detail. I thought it would look cool layered with other necklaces or worn by itself.

 

I really hope you enjoyed this French haul and the small reviews of each of the items I picked up. I would love to know if you have tried any French Pharmacy products and what they are like, so I can pick up some more items when I next visit a pharmacy! As I said I am going to try and be more consistent with posting, hopefully on a weekly basis, and I have changed by blog name and layout. Tell me in the comments or on Instagram if you like it and I will talk to you very soon! Au revoir!   

No7 Lash Impact Mascara

 

This post is going to be a review on the new release from No7, which is their Lash Impact mascara. I got this as a present for my birthday, when at the time I think it was on offer for £10. Now its usual retail price is £13.50; from the drugstore I do think it is a little expensive. I haven't really tried many products from the brand No7 before, including none of their mascaras, so I wasn't too sure what to expect.

 

 

 

 

The first thing I said when I opened this present was 'wow the packaging is so cool!' The bright red shimmery colour looks very glamorous and stands out within your makeup bag. The wand is fibre with quite small bristles, which I find helps me apply my mascara well as the wand is a little flexible. They claim that the mascara 'adds intense volume for dramatic lashes'. Another reason why the Lash Impact mascara is meant to be good is because you can apply more than one coat to add more volume without it clumping.

 

I use this mascara every day for school as with only one coat is isn't too dramatic, but gives a nice amount of volume whilst lengthening my lashes too. I find when I apply one coat is doesn't clump at all, it just leaves my lashes looking fluttery and pretty. I rarely apply another coat throughout the day, however when I do my eyelashes become slightly longer, with a bit more volume also. In my opinion what they claim is true.

 

 

At the end of the day this mascara does make the bottom of my eyes a little black (as it isn't waterproof), but nothing too much so I look like a panda! Even though I don't curl my eyelashes before I apply this mascara, the curl keeps pretty well, however perhaps curling your eyelashes before hand will make the curl last longer.

 

Overall I really like the No7 Lash Impact mascara as it gives the right amount of length and volume for every day use or a more dramatic look. I think it is overpriced for what it is, and for a drugstore mascara, so I'm not sure whether I would repurchase it in the future. I will probably try out a new mascara instead. Please leave a comment telling me your favourite mascara, drugstore or high end and I will talk to you soon.

Simple Skincare - Brand Focus

Recently I have begun using some products from the Simple range. Simple is designed especially for sensitive skin, and contains no artificial perfume or colour and no harsh chemicals in their products. My skin is quite sensitive, so I don't like to use heavily scented cosmetics, which is why I thought I would try out some skincare items from the Simple line. They are inexpensive and can be purchased from places such as boots and supermarkets, where they always have deals such as 3 for 2. I've been using these products for just over 3 weeks now, and my skin has definitely improved since I have been using them.

All the products I own are from the Kind To Skin range from Simple. The first product is the Simple Purifying Cleansing Lotion. It says it can be used morning and evening, but I prefer to use it in the evening to remove my makeup. I rinse my face with water first, then apply some of the lotion to a cotton wool pad and gently cleanse my face. It does a great job in removing my face makeup as well as my eye makeup too. It leaves my face feeling very clean and completely clear of any traces of makeup.

Next is the Simple Moisturising Facial Wash, which I sometimes use after using the cleansing lotion to thoroughly wash my face. I really do like this product. You only need a small amount, meaning this bottle has lasted me a long time! It leaves your skin feeling soft and moisturised as the name suggests, which is perfect for people with drier skin. The product foams up nicely and washes off with no residue left on the skin.

Another product is the Simple Soothing Facial Toner, which I try to use most mornings and evenings after I have washed my face and before I moisturise. I must say, the first time I used this product I was not too keen on the scent, however now I am used to it. The actual toner itself is lovely, I just apply a few drops to a cotton wool pad and apply to my face. It doesn't sting my skin at all, just leaves it feeling nice and fresh.   

My last Simple product I own is the Simple Replenishing Rich Moisturiser. I use it morning and evening, and it really keeps my skin moisturised all day without making my face oily. I find that even though it is a rich moisturiser, it isn't too heavy on my skin, so I can use it in the summer as well as the winter months.

Overall I really like Simple products and would highly recommend them to people beginning with skincare items, and people with or without sensitive skin! Over the past few weeks my skin has been much better since using my new Simple skincare items, and I will definitely be looking into buying more products from the line. I hope you enjoyed this post.

Chloe x

DIY Fringe T-shirts

Hello everyone! Today I thought I would share with you a simple DIY project of how I transformed a basic tee, to a cute fringe shirt perfect for summer. If you have a t-shirt just sitting in your draws with no use, this is a great way, to make it more interesting and wearable! This DIY is super easy to do and the end result looks fab! Below are some before and after photos, of both mine and Katie's t-shirts:

 

 

 

To begin with, here are the things you will need:

 

 

Fabric scissors work better as you will be cutting fabric, however you can use any sharp scissors also. You can either use an old t-shirt you already have but I recommend the top being slightly oversized as you will be cutting it shorter. We just bought a white tee from Primark for only £3.

 

 

 

Firstly, put on your chosen t-shirt and use the pen/pencil to mark where you want to cut your top. Personally I found this easier to do whilst wearing the top so you can easily tell the length of the shirt on. Remember you will be cutting the fringe too, so don't cut your t-shirt too high unless you want a shorter crop top (the fringe part makes the top shorter). I cut 5 inches off my t-shirt as I wanted the top to be slightly cropped. You may decide to cut off more or less depending on your personal preference and the length the shirt is already.

 

 

After you have marked how much you are going to cut off, take your scissors and carefully cut the front and back of the t-shirt in a straight line, so it is to your desired length. It doesn't matter too much if the line isn't exactly straight because you will be cutting the fringe so it will not be as noticeable.  

 

 

When you have cut off the unwanted material, your shirt will look something like this! Next you want to measure how long the 'fringe' will be, and mark it with a small line. I went for 4 inches, which made the tassels perfect to my liking. Again, it's up to you how long you want to make your fringe as it will change the overall length of the top. I cut each strip approximately an inch wide.

 

 

 I chose to only fringe the front of my t-shirt, but you can cut the back too, which is what Katie chose to do. Then when you have cut all of the tassels, you are done! To achieve the look of Katie's fringe t-shirt, all it involves is taking two tassels next to each other and double knotting them. Keep going all the way across the front of the shirt and you will be finished!

 

 

Above are the finished results! Overall it is a quick and easy method to spice up your t-shirts. I really enjoyed this DIY, and I hope it has inspired you to have a go to! Trust me, this was our first time making my own DIY shirts, and I must say they turned out pretty good! I hope you liked this post and please do comment if you try it out!

 

Chloe x