July Beauty & Fashion Haul 2014

July Beauty & Fashion Haul 2014

Sunday, 10 August 2014

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Now July was a particularly spendy month for me. And by that I mean the spending was pretty much constant. As a recovering strapped student having money is still something of a novelty to me and I seem to be on a mission to rid myself of it as soon as possible to return to my natural state of broke-ness. So before we get too far into August (although we are now 10 days in… oops) I thought I would share with you all the things I bought in July.

H&M Bowler Hat 

I saw this in H&M and just had to have it. It was a silly purchase but whenever I look at it I smile. I love it.

Topshop Ankle Boots 

I saw these boots in Topshop last October and it was love at first sight. But being a broke student at the time I couldn't afford the £80 it would cost to take them home with me. It just wasn't meant to be. Then a couple of weeks ago I was in Topshop and there they were, the last pair in my size. In the sale. £30 down from £80. It was fate. Well as you can imagine I snapped them up and I love them. They are so beautiful and yet so comfortable. I will be living in these come winter. 

Cream Lace Shoes from New Look

I got these for my Uncle's wedding a couple of weeks back for the ridiculously low price of £11 (they were on sale). I adore them, they are absolutely stunning and the comfiest high heels I have ever had the pleasure of having on my feet. I had these on from 10 o'clock in the morning until 11 o'clock at night and they didn't hurt at all. Sadly there was an unfortunate incident where I got one of the heels stuck in a grate and it snapped off. I was so upset and I just had to go back to New Look the next morning to get a replacement pair. I love them. 

ASOS Navy Pleated Skater Dress with Cream Panels 

I bought this dress for my Uncle's wedding, 3 days before the event I might add. I was looking for an outfit for weeks and weeks and couldn't find anything remotely nice until I saw this little lovely on ASOS. It looked gorgeous on, made me feel fabulous and cost £13 in the sale. Win.  

Real Techniques Brushes 

I don't need to talk more about my recent obsession with Real Techniques (you can read about them here & here). The brushes are amazing and soft and so ridiculously affordable and I love them. 

No 7  Eyeshadow Trios 

Cappuccino

Good Earth

I had some No 7 vouchers floating around and so decided to treat myself to a couple of new eyeshadow trios. The colours are nicely pigmented and have a good texture. They don't last as long as I'd like but even so I like them a lot. 

Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer in 040 Soft Beige

Oh Rimmel you are so awesome! I've used it every day since I bought it and have nearly used up my first tube of this (I will definitely be re-purchasing.) I use it to cover the bags under my eyes and it just makes me look more human. It's more highlighting than it is covering but it's still awesome. 

No 7 Essential Moisture Day Cream

Another purchase made with No 7 vouchers. My skin was going through a really dry phase but this moisturiser has really helped. It has a thick and creamy consistency. I use it in the morning and it makes my skin feel so nourished. Big like for this Day Cream. 

MAC Amplified Creme Lipstick in Girl About Town

Oh this lipstick. I couldn't love it more if I tried. Read more about my love for it here, here and here. 

The Simpsons Lego Minifigures

I love The Simpsons. I love Lego. And I am a giant child so of course I had to get The Simpsons Lego. I have since added Ralph Wiggum (who is one of my favourite Simpsons' characters ever) and Krusty the Klown to my collection and I will be collecting them all. Because I'm cool that way. 

Sleek Face Form Pallet in Fair

Read about my thoughts on this contouring pallet here. 

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint in Sugar Apple, Huckleberry and Almond

Sugar Apple

Huckleberry

Almond

These are my current Barry M faves. They are gorgeous! Particularly Sugar Apple. I love them. 

L'Oreal Paris True Match in Vanilla Rose 

This my favourite drug store foundation ever.'Nuff said.

Maybelline New York's Forever Strong Super Stay 7 Days Gel Nail Color

From left to right: Surreal, Nude Rose, Hot Salsa, Divine Wine & Extreme Blackcurrant. 

The thing I find with Maybelline is that as a brand it can be very hit and miss. Now whilst these don't last the 7 days they promise, they are nice. They're not my favourite nail polishes but the formula is good, the colours are nice (particularly Surreal and Nude Rose) and they do last a good few days before chipping. I like them but like I said not my favourite.

Maybelline New York's Baby Lips in Cherry Me and Pink Punch

As lip balms go these are ok. Not great, not terrible. Cherry Me was a Wish a couple of weeks ago (read about it here) and I really wasn't impressed with the pigmentation. Having said that they are both moisturising and smell nice.

Rimmel London Moisture Renew Lipstick in 360 As You Want Victoria

This is a beautiful, glossy pink lipstick, it's so pretty. I love it. 

So that was what I was spending my hard earned pennies on last month. I've actually mentioned a lot of these on here before so I hope you guys don't feel like I'm saying the same thing over and over and beating you around the head with the same products. 

Anyway I will be back tomorrow with my July Favourites where some of these will be making a special guest appearance, apologies in advance. Until then check out my twitter, facebook, BlogLovin, instagram & pinterest or let me know your thoughts by commenting below. If you do comment I always reply so do check back. Happy Sunday! 

Love love love xx

Friday I'm in Love #1

Friday I'm in Love #1

Friday, 30 May 2014

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After just over a year of chaotic, sporadic on-off blogging I have decided that the time is ripe to establish order. And by order I mean scheduled blogging. Introducing Friday I'm in Love. Named for the song by The Cure of the same name (listen to it here) from now on every Friday will be Friday I'm in Love where, funnily enough, I will be posting about the things I love that week. These could be anything from makeup (natch) to music, books, food, films, tv, other blogs...you get the gist.

This week I went home for a week of rest and relaxation, before going back to Bedford and the stress of moving and job hunting that awaits. My week has been full of shopping, make up, lazy days and yummy food and I can't wait to share it with all of you. So without a further a do let the inaugural Friday I'm in Love commence!

Matte Nail Paint by Barry M in Cancun & Rhossilli

Matte Nail Paint by Barry M in Cancun & Rhossilli -  I have never really been a fan of matte nail polish, not being overly keen on the chalkboard effect. However when in Boots on Tuesday I stumbled across Barry's M new matte nail collection for the summer and fell in love with these two beauties.Whilst I am still getting used to the rather curious matte effect the colours are absolutely gorgeous and very summery.The formula, as with all Barry M nail paints, was very easy to use being lovely and creamy and only taking two coats to become opaque, however it did only last two days before chipping. Despite that the colours were so lovely that I will be reaching for them again.

No 7 Beautiful Skin Eye Make Up Remover

No 7 Beautiful Skin Eye Make Up Remover - This is a re-purchase, having first tried this eye makeup remover last year I quickly fell in love with it. Whilst it is for all skin types I have incredibly sensitive skin and have found that some other eye make up removers made the delicate skin around my eyes sore, sometimes even causing a rash. This is incredibly gentle on my skin whilst still removing all my eye make up, I love a smokey eye so it has quite the challenge. However it does have quite a greasy texture that I am not overly fond of BUT I still think it's an excellent product.

The Simpsons 

No 7 Beautiful Skin Eye Make Up Remover - This is a re-purchase, having first tried this eye makeup remover last year I quickly fell in love with it. Whilst it is for all skin types I have incredibly sensitive skin and have found that some other eye make up removers made the delicate skin around my eyes sore, sometimes even causing a rash. This is incredibly gentle on my skin whilst still removing all my eye make up, I love a smokey eye so it has quite the challenge. However it does have quite a greasy texture that I am not overly fond of BUT I still think it's an excellent product.

Herbal Essences Bee Strong Strengthening Intensive Mask with Honey and Apricot Extracts for Damaged Hair

Herbal Essences Bee Strong Strengthening Intensive Mask with Honey and Apricot Extracts for Damaged Hair - My step mum gave me this hair mask after the ends of my hair became really dry from hair dye and straighteners and all the bad stuff I shouldn't do to my hair but do anyway. On Wednesday night I massaged a handful of this gorgeous smelling goop into my hair, focusing particularly on the ends, and left it for 35 minutes before rinsing it off.  Since then there has been a noticeable difference in my hair, rather than being dry and brittle it now feels stronger but also really soft and smooth. This hair mask worked wonders with my dry and style damaged hair and will definitely be making a weekly appearance in my haircare routine.

The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner read by Tom Hiddleston (swoon!) - I have a lot of trouble sleeping. I grew up in a pub and because of this I can't sleep in total silence. Herein lies the problem if I put the tv on then I'll watch it and it then takes me hours to drift off. If I have music on I'll sing along and get super pumped up and won't sleep. So I was at something of a loss and then someone, I forget who, suggested audiobooks. Now usually I spend my sleepless nights reading so this seemed like the ideal solution. Intrigued I downloaded The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner read by Tom Hiddleston. It is no secret that I am a lover of Mr. Hiddleston, being a fully paid up member of Loki's Army. The combination of the story - from what I remember it was good - and Tom Hiddleston's beautiful voice - which honestly sounds like melted chocolate and really good sex - lulled me into the first good night's sleep I had had in a long time. I will definitely be downloading more.

And finally I thought I would end with my song of the week (another new feature of my blog). Matchbox Twenty's How Far We've Come. I only discovered this song about a week ago in a film trailer, I forget which one, and after downloading it I have been listening to it pretty much constantly. The lyrics are just really apt for what's been going on in my life at the moment. Now that I have finished university and still have no idea exactly what it is that I want to do with my life I am in a state of flux not knowing what my next move is. Like the title suggests this song is about how far I've come, and reminds me that in the past four years I have changed and achieved so much, more than I thought possible and it's a nice, albeit very scary, feeling.

So that was my first ever Friday I'm in Love. Hope you liked it. Would love to know the things you are loving this week - use the hashtag #FridayIminLove if you want to share it with me.

Until next time feel free to check me out on twitter, facebook, Bloglovin, instagram & pinterest.

Love love love xx