The Shoe Addiction Continues - LK Bennett & Dorothy Perkins.

I love shoes. I do. They're pretty and can instantly dress up or down an outfit which can double your wardrobe styles whilst staying on a budget! However, I do not have the space for new shoes nor the funds really to buy every pair of shoes that I fall in love with (but then again, does any girl really have the funds to buy any pair of shoes she wants unless she is Blair Waldorf?). Despite this shoe-ban I have imposed upon myself, there were two sneaky exceptions which just crushed my shoe self-control: L.K. Bennett & Dorothy Perkins.

Firstly, I have loved L.K. Bennett shoes from the moment I saw Kate Middleton strolling about in her nude sledge shoes, they just looked the epitome of elegance. Unfortunately, I cannot afford myself a pair of sledge shoes, but found these beauties instead in the sale:

 

I love them. I love them possibly as much as I love my boyfriend. I originally tried these on in black, but opted for the nude-y colour as I have quite a few pair of black platforms and did not really need to add more to the collection. It was the lily decoration that caught my attention at first, with such detail being put into it that you could see it was a lily, followed by the elegantly sculped platform heel - a mix between a block & stiletto heel.

They were originally £130 and went down to £65 in the sale - an extravagant treat I have to say but one I do not regret even though I may not have worn them out yet! I ordered them online and one of the things that impressed me straight off was that they arrived the next day - fantastic! To add to this, they came in their own material bag inside of the shoe box to be completely protected from any scuffs that could possibly occur on the journey - I like how much thought has gone into this presentation! The soles are also lightly padded which makes wearing them a lot more pleasant than normal platforms which after about five minutes for me have my feet throbbing. 

 These picture are quite deceptive about the size of the heel as they look quite average sized, but they are in fact in the sky-scraper heel boundary, giving me a good four inches of extra height. 

Originally I wanted to wear these to work but feel they are a bit too special for that, what occasions would you recommend wearing them to?

The second pair:

These were much more work orientated when being purchased, as they had more of a kitten heel rather than being platforms. I have come to realise that the only navy pair of shoes I owned were my nautical ballerina pumps which, as much as I adore them, can pick up dirt quite quickly, as well as having a more casual feel than these do. I liked these as they had a vintage 1920s feel to them with the strap and design of a contrasting trim. It's also an ink coloured navy which just looks smarter than a washed out navy shade which are my pumps. For only £30, I was quite pleased with myself for snagging these and have already worn them a couple of times at work, being complimented on them in the process - thank you DP!

 

So those are some of the recent purchases, going to split up the rest with other posts but I have been having a little bit of a spending spree from ASOS to Yumi! 

What sort of shoes do you get sucked in by - ballerinas or platforms? And how do you store them?

Love,

Summer Skin Regime #1 - Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions.

Hello my lovelies! It's back to blogging again, and I wanted to write about the new skin regime I have started myself on. Now, I hate to admit this as a beauty blogger but I have not always been the best at looking after my skin. I know, I know its awful! But I just couldn't be bothered after work and took the lazy route of a quick wash with soap rather than a more cleansing routine. However, my skin started to rebel against this attitude and eventually I began trying new skincare products to solve the problem of a combination skin type that led to unwanted outbreaks, but none seemed to work. Until...

As a previous user of Clinique products, I felt quite confident in purchasing a small heap to kick my skin back into a healthy submission. I had used them a little during university , but stopped because it was becoming an expensive habit that I just couldn't afford to keep up. I was lured back recently, partly because I had some extra money to spoil myself with but more so  with the free gift offer that Clinique were running with various mini sets of skincare products to suit your particular skin needs. Out of the four kits they had on offer, I went for the 'Anti-Blemish Solutions' one which had a bar of Anti-Blemish Cleansing Bar, a 60ml bottle of Anti-Blemish Clarifying Lotion, and a 30ml Anti-Blemish Moisturizer. 

I have previously used the Anti-Blemish Solutions 'Clear Blemish Gel' and found that it worked brilliantly when attacking blemishes directly but isn't really a whole face product. Nevertheless, it made me feel confident that choosing this particular kit would be worth-while and after using it for over two weeks I can attest that it works pretty damn well. 



Considering these are only minis and are still being used twice a day, everyday, for coming up to three weeks now they have lasted remarkably well! I have literally just finished off the clarifying lotion, but the 30ml moisturizer is still going strong, along with the soap!  Along with their lasting power, I have felt that my skin is becoming significantly clearer but also feels deeply cleansed - especially by the clarifying lotion. I am still having little outbreaks, but I have noticed a definite difference in my complexion in that my pores are tighter, my skin is clearer and I am having fewer break-outs which proves that the products are keeping to their names. The moisturizer is a favourite simply because a little can go such a long way (making it worth its' money) as well as being a brilliant primer for make up - plus it's not oily which is a worry for me with moisturizer. 

I loved that this is in such a cute little pouch (perfect for travel), and that it was decent sized minis that have given me a chance to really test out these products. I am quite tempted that once I have finished my next set of Clinique products for a 'dry combination' skin type, that I may go back to the Anti-Blemish Solutions set. 

The full size product prices (as shown on Boots.co.uk) are:
- Anti-Blemish Solutions Cleansing Bar - £14
- Anti-Blemish Solutions Clarifying Lotion - £17
Anti-Blemish Solutions Clearing Moisturizer - £18.50


Next time, it will be the 'Dry Combination' Three Step Starter Kit. 


Are you a Clinique fan? Which products of theirs have you found the most effective?


Love,