Outfit details...

Sunglasses, top & socks - Primark

Jeans - Zara

Shoes - Dr Martens

Watch - ASOS

Lipstick - Mac Morange

Necklaces - Topshop

'E' pendant - present

Nail Varnish - Essie Mint Candy Apple

Rings - vintage, Topshop, H&M

I took so many photo's for this post I think I went a little bit crazy towards the end….

Loves

xxx

Naked Basics 2 preview….

I couldn't be more excited. I'm not a huge eyeshadow wearer - a slick of liquid liner and a bright lip is my signature look and I reserve the smokey eyes and fancy eyeshadow looks for makeup jobs on shoots etc. But every now and again a girl needs some kind of crease definition or a matte brown toned shadow to complement a nude lip or just to spice things up in general. I'm not one for crazy colours, and shimmers always get a bit messy on me so when Urban Decay bought out the Naked Basics palette it was instant love. It's the most worn palette in my collection by far, so when I saw the Naked Basics 2 in Sephora when I was in New York last week I did a little makeup squeal of excitement. This thing is gorgeous. 

The same sleek packaging as the original Basics palette this is spot on for travel or just throwing in a makeup bag. More cool toned than the original, it echoes the same theme with five matte shadows and one satin finish that acts as a perfect highlight. The darkest shade is on the grey side of things and actually acts as quite a nice brow shade for me so this really is all I need when travelling. 

The taupe shade shadows are great crease colours, all over lid shadows or accompaniments to other Urban Decay palettes like the Electric palette that need grounding with some neutral shadows to make them more wearable. Fans of the original Naked palette, of cool toned taupe shadows, good quality matte eyeshadows or just neutral eyes in general will love this. Released on the 1st of October in the UK, this one is a must have in any collection. 11 out of 10.

L-R Skimp (pale nude satin), Stark (nude-pink matte), Frisk (warm grey matte), Cover (muted red-brown matte), Primal (muted brown matte) and Undone (deep, smokey brown matte).

Loves

xxx

Summer empties...

It appears I have a favourite deodorant….Also loved how long the Soap & Glory Foam Call shower gel lasted and it smelt delicious. I'm fairly fickle with body products though, and I can't say I've repurchased any of these...

Elvive Fibreology shampoo is my all time favourite I'm well into my second bottle of this stuff and I'll 100% keep using this for the foreseeable future. Also loving the Batiste XXL dry shampoo…forever a staple in my hair routine. I didn't love the Philip Kingsley Elasticiser as much as I expected to - it's one of those cult blogger products I just couldn't get into. Another re-purchase has been the V05 dry backcomb spray - it's the perfect texture and not sticky at all, an absolute livesaver in my freshly washed hair. 

The Garnier Micellar water is an empty from my professional makeup kit…I get through this SO quickly its ridiculous but it is a perfect dupe for Bioderma. The only two products I've not repurchased were the Nivea eye cream (an eye cream is an eye cream and I've since found cheaper alternatives) and the Vitamin E Hot Cloth Cleanser. This was nice but a bit heavy for my oily skin. 

The second my Seche Vite top coat ran out, I could have cried. Don't fear though, I've got back ups of this as it's probably one of my top five holy grail products of all time. The Elf brush shampoo and Scandaleyes mascara were definite no-loves. My top tip of the day is STAY AWAY from this mascara, awful awful awful. 

What has everyone else used up over the summer months?

Loves

xxx

Hats, checks and oversized t-shirt OOTD….

Simple and laid back is my go-to style of choice lately. This was just a quick thrown together outfit before I left the house for a last minute makeup job this week. Skinny jeans and a black t-shirt will forever be my wardrobe staple. I'm not 100% sure on the hat though, what do we think of hats guys??

Jeans - Vera Moda

T-shirt, boots & watch - ASOS

Shirt - Vintage

Hat - Primark

Loves

xxx

New dream mascara alert..

Now, I don't want to say anything rash here but I think I may have found something special. We're talking Benefit They're Real special. The newest offering from 17, the Falsifeye HD mascara, claims to lengthen and add volume to lashes creating something pretty special. I'll admit, the before and after picture on the box sold it to me (yep, an ex advertising student being sucked in my the packaging…awkward). 

The actual mascara packaging is spot on. Sleek, black, simple, nice and substantial. The wand is everything I love from a mascara wand. Plastic, short bristles, easily loaded up with loads of product to make a quick 'one swipe' mascara job a real possibility. The wand reminds me a lot of They're Real, minus the spiky ball on the end, but this one tapers down to a nice fine point which makes it really easy to get into the inner lashes and coat the bottom lashes nice and easily without making one big mess.

So, to business. Bare lashes on the right, two coats on the left. I've since loaded up with three to four coats of this stuff and, thanks to the wand, it doesn't clump at all. It's super black, easily to manoeuvre the wand around the upper and lower lashes and get right into the roots thanks to the super spiky wand. I saw no signs of flaking or smudging, and I've done the ultimate test of sweating it out in the gym for a solid hour after an 8 hour shift at work and it looked just as perfect as when I'd applied it at 5am in the morning. And at around the £6 mark (they always have offers on so you can probably pick it up a bit cheaper) it's probably my new favourite find and a staple in my makeup bag.

Winner

What other drugstore mascaras does everyone love?

Loves

xxx

Leopard jeans OOTD….

Top - Cotton On (Australia)

Handbag & Sandals - Aldo

Jeans - Miss Selfridge

Sunglasses - Ray Ban

Watch - ASOS

Necklace - Topshop

I've really been enjoying sticking to the basics recently….I can't think of anything better than pairing a plain t-shirt with a staple sandal and a pair of interesting bottoms. These leopard jeans FINALLY fit me again after loosing all my Australia weight and I couldn't be happier to have them back in my daily wardrobe rotation 

How would everyone style leopard print (or just patterned) jeans?

Loves

xxx

Ombre, brights and rips...

Shirt - Vera Moda

Jeans - River Island

Watch - ASOS

Sandals & bag - Aldo

Lipstick - Mac Lady Danger

I'm loving everything casual right now…and ripped jeans paired with loose shirts are my absolute go-to, especially now it's cooled down slightly (still sandal weather though luckily! Yay!)

Loves

xxx