Review: Rimmel Matte Pressed Powder & Macaroons!

"Happy Windsday Piglet" - Just thought it would be a nice way to start, especially since it has been a little windy today... Or so it seems through the bars of my cage... Over-dramatic, anyone? 

Anyway, as my readers might have picked up from other FOTD posts, I am a loyal to Boot's No7 make-up especially their 'creme touch pressed powder' which is the perfect base for my make-up and is one of my essential items. So when it ran out the other day I thought I might try something else that was a little cheaper and came across this little gem by Rimmel! 

For £5.49 (I think), I am seriously thinking of dropping Creme Touch and replacing it with this! The coverage is absolutely amazing and gave me this flawless skin look with only a little application whilst avoiding that 'caked on' look that you can get with some powders. This is one happy customer! Plus the colour was perfect for my complexion which is sometimes hard to cater for being so pale! The only downside is that it doesn't come with a powder puff or anything which is annoying but not something that is going to hold me back from buying again. 

Here's the rest of my look using my beloved Naked2 Palette and Rimmel Liquid Eyeliner:

 Eyeshadows: 'Verve' & 'Pistol' from Urban Decay's Naked2 Palette; Blush: Benefit's 'Thrrrob'; Eyeliner: Rimmel's Liquid Eyeliner; Mascara: Diorshow Iconic; Powder: Rimmel Stay Matte.

That last one is because my hair is getting dyed again tomorrow so think it will be the last time for a whiiiiile that I am going to be a redhead - shall miss it I think! But bring on the new spring/summer hairstyle!

And just as a random thing, since being stuck at home I have got into baking using the 'Great British Bake Off' recipe book. Yesterday, I made a victoria sponge, which like the title says, was the perfect victoria sponge - weight was definitely gained. Today, I upped the challenge and decided I was going to conquer Pina Colada Macaroons, from scratch. After a good hour or so of preparation and having my outfit covered in icing sugar (anyone want to donate an apron?), here were the results:

And they were goooood - not to blow my own trumpet or anything... However, they literally are just sugar, double cream and pineapple - but a gorgeous treat for every now and then, bringing a little Paris to Essex!

Now what to bake next??

Do you have an essential make-up item? What do you think of Rimmel make up?

Love,

Hello Sailor! Going Nautical with Polka Dots & Stripes.

Ahoy there me mateys! How aaaarrrgh thee? Ok, enough with the pirate talk considering this isn't even a pirate fashion post, the thought process just went: sailor-sea--pirate! Anywaaay, the outfit I am blogging about today is actually one that I have owned since sixteen so its always a nice feeling to be able to still fit into something I bought six years ago - but is that a fashion faux pas? Even if it is, I love these items so much and for me, I just have not been able to part with them. Plus with the jumper it has a 1920s theme to it, but without the jumper it goes 1950s - I love the cross over these two periods!

 New shoes from H! by Henry Holland

Jumper: New Look; Skirt: New Look; Tights: M&S; Shoes: Debenhams

For me, this is one of my most ideal outfits that I just can't see me getting rid of EVER - it has everything I want: a knee length full circle skirt with polka dots, short sleeves, navy and the perfect mix of stripes/polka dots! Plus the colours just work for both a more chilly day (with tights) and in spring/summer. The only new item of this outft is the shoes which I have had my eye on for a while now. I love that it is a striped bow detail and being ballet pumps they're just too cute! I know you're not supposed to wear navy with black, but it doesn't look that awful really... 

Do you have any outfits that you can't bear to part with? What do you think of the blue/black faux pas? 

Love,

Sunday's Spring Shopping - Boohoo & Sugarhill Boutique.

Hello my dears - hope you are all having a relaxing Sunday especially with the sunshine! With my knee not being in tip-top shape, I am filling my time with online & dream shopping when my puny purse cannot reach the costs of everything I want. Today, I purchased my first items from Boohoo.com, and discovered Sugarhill Boutique as another online retailer that has absolutely everything I want at prices that I'm not so keen about - look at me becoming adventurous! 

Having heard mixed reviews about boohoo.com, I haven't tried buying anything from them before and only rarely glanced at their collections, but after seeing their 50s inspired fashion ad I was intrigued. I have to say, I did fall in love with several of their dresses & skirts, and after brutally cutting down my basket I decided on a pink polka dot dress & butterfly waist belt:

Photo from Boohoo.com

I love the 50s large polka dot pattern and sweetheart neckline of this dress as well as the candy pink colour - definitely something for spring and to brighten up my work wardrobe with! They also have it in navy which I was tempted by but got convinced to go for something different which I'm feeling pretty good about.

But after this spending and buying The Muppets soundtrack on iTunes, I had to control myself - something that is always painful to do, especially since I discovered Sugarhill Boutique from another blogger. So instead of buying everything, and I mean literally every dress on the Sugarhill website, I decided to blog my current dress dream-list:

Photos from the Sugarhill Boutique website.

Oh, they are just so beautiful! Seriously, these dresses just make me desperate to win the lottery or to marry a millionaire - sadly, neither seem like a likely option so until then its dreaming about these beauties. I have to say that the sunflower dress does seem like the ideal spring/summer dress with its pattern and shift dress style - love it! Alas, with the price tag of £48, its not an affordable dress for me right now. Oh well, a girl needs to have a dress to dream about right?

What do you guys think of Boohoo.com & Sugarhill Boutique? Got any dream dresses on your summer/spring list?

Love,

Glossybox March - Heavenly Harrods.

Hello my darlings! So after my recent disappearance from the blogging world due to flu last week & my knee operation this week, I am back and blogging - starting with this month's Glossybox!

From first hearing about the collaboration through the Glossybox mystery codes and then getting sneak peeks into the products being offered through the promotional event at Harrods, this month's box had succeeded in catching my eye after previously losing faith in Glossybox. After cancelling my subscription last month having felt let down by the past two boxes (almost like its luck of the draw if you are going to get the box with good products or the other one...Anyone else feel like this?), I was won over by the promise of some luxury  minature items from the Harrods Beauty Hall - a promise Glossybox definitely kept to this month! My box arrived this morning and I was absolutely pleased as punch at the goodies I got, receiving decent sized items from Yves Saint Laurent, Burberry, Molton Brown & Clarins, as well as a perfume sample!

 I love the class olive green Harrods bow!

The presentation of this box alone is lovely, especially with the classic Harrods touches! But I am absolutely thrilled with the products I got - especially the Burberry Lip Cover in Rosewood Satin which is quite a natural colour with a satin sheen that applies so smoothly, and a decent sized Molton Brown shower gel! I had been secretly hoping for the Molton Brown minature being a complete addict, so this was definitely a joint number one product with the lipstick! Despite getting a youth serum by Yves Saint Laurent, which at only 22 doesn't seem all that necessary (I get mistaken for under 18 a little too often for my liking sometimes...), I did use it this morning simply because it smells something gorgeous and works as a nice face base! I'm yet to use the Clarins Extra-Firming Body Cream but looking forward to reviewing it as have been dying to try some Clarins for ages now. The only thing I wasn't that impressed with was the perfume sample from Narciso Rodriguez which I wasn't a fan of the scent, but that's just a personal thing being quite fussy and only wearing Chanel! 

So for me, the Harrods-Glossybox set up has been a huuuuuuuuge success and absolutely loved it! With more boxes like this being offered, I would definitely resubscribe to Glossybox! 

Has anyone else received their boxes yet? What do you think? 

Love,

Review of Benefit's Hervana - Shimmering in Pink.

Since being a Benefit fan since my late teens, I am always happy to see a new product of theirs come onto the market. Like 'They're Real' mascara, Hervana has similarly not been a let down. In its mini box casing with such a pretty design, like its predecessors of Thrrrob and Dandelion to name a couple, it offers a variety of colours that when swept together create this beautiful feminine pink shade that shimmers across your cheekbones. Lighter than Thrrrob but darker than Dandelion, it is the perfect mix between blushing and a healthy glow with a shimmer. I was a little nervous when looking at the first mix of colours and generally being strictly against bronzers on my pale skin I wasn't sure of the results, but I was reassured from the first stroke across my cheeks. 

The pictures have not shown it that well on my cheeks, but it really is such a soft pink that emphasises a natural glow. The blend of those three different shades in one small box have created a perfect shade for my pale skin to give me permanent rosy cheeks - something I am always looking for when choosing a blusher. It isn't too bright, and isn't too soft. Just right. 

This is one satisified Benefit fan, and definitely recommend it to anyone who wants a rosy cheek complexion with the added benefit (see what I did there.. hah hah hah) of a shimmer with it.

Have you tried Hevana yet? What do you think?

Love,

Eylure Eyelashes - My First Successful Attempt at False Eyelashes.

Hello my dears! Today I attempted false eyelashes for the second time in my life, after the first time it ended in having one of my eyes glued shut. Yes, that is how competent I was at using false eyelashes. So as you can imagine I was not that hopeful when trying them again for the second time today - alas, I surprised myself by having it work successfully! No eyes glued together this time, and the eyelashes still haven't come off - five hours after being put on and being windswept after my adventures outside! I am one happy girl, and pretty impressed.

I tried Eylure 'Gorgerous Lashes' designed by Cosmopolitan and given to me by Dani, who with her gorgeously long natural eyelashes, already looks like she has false ones on - lucky girl! Eylure supply a small tube of glue, which with only a thin layer has kept them stuck on all day, and was an ideal length so luckily didn't have to attempt trimming them which was a concern as some eyelashes can be too long. Once applied with a little pressure, they were on, and I could then fill in the gaps with my liquid eyeliner to blend it all in naturally. Voila - instantly longer lashes, and with a little Diorshow Iconic mascara for a final touch, I was ready for a wide-eye look. 

I love these eyelashes particularly for a day look, as they're not too thick to be over-dramatic but definitely add that something to the day look. I have to admit, I can see myself wanting to buy more for different occasions and to try out different looks now - with my eyes on the Eylure Katy Perry collection and MAC. So I've been won over.

How do you feel about fake eyelashes? Do you have a particular brand that your favour?

Love,

Review of Chanel Rouge Allure Intense Longwear Lipgloss - I'm in love.

Hello my lovelies, hope the weekend has been treating you all well! I actually saw sunshine today, can you believe that?! I actually saw sunshine! However, it did mislead me a bit in thinking it was warmer than it was, and therefore froze the moment I went outside. 

Anyway, after a mini shopping trip with my mum on Friday, I brought home two new stunners to add to my beloved make-up collection. One: My necessary eyeliner after I was disappointed by Maxfactor, the other, was a new Chanel lipgloss. Boy, was that second one a treat. As everyone who reads this blog knows (and even those who don't!) I am a complete Chanel addict - my boyfriend thinks I am insane for spending inordinate amounts of money on such little pleasures, but its my addiction. So when I was given a £10 gift card for Christmas, I have been saving it up for a special purchase - and there, after being swatched against several other Chanel and Dior lipsticks, I began my love affair with the Chanel Rouge Allure lipgloss.

Ah, such a beauty - isn't it? The price, not so much. At £23.50, you have to be in love with the product to even begin justifying spending that much - thank God for the £10 help towards it! I swatched different pink shades from all different brands but nothing matched this one which tipped me towards getting it - the perfect mix between a natural pink but with a hint of red to give it that richness in colour. So it had to be bought as a daytime colour - something different from the clear glosses and red lipsticks I usually have. 

And it does what it says, a longwear colour that is intense like a lipstick, but has the softness and sheen of a lipgloss - best of both worlds really! So far, this is one satisfied customer. However, can't help feeling sometimes that you can spend more on the name of Chanel rather than for the product, but in this case, no other product matched the colour for me.

What do you think of Chanel products? 

Love,