OOTD - Collar Tips and Bright Lights

Turquoise and gun metal silver earrings and ring - Primark 

Bracelet stack - Primark 

Black shirt with orange and yellow Aztec detailing - Primark 

Navy jeggin jean - NewLook

Egyptian print dolly shoes -  Primark               

Everyday outfit for easy, no fuss wear. I love detailing. Whether it's a collar tip, statement shoe or colour pop jewel. Even the slightest of hints can transform an entire outfit. 

This outfit is mostly sourced from Primark so its an absolute bargain.

(Champagne taste lemonade budget!)  

xxx

Modern Pastel Manicure: Nail Art

Here's a modern take on the traditional French manicure. I love nail art but am never very adventurous, so here is what came of me playing around with a couple complimenting nail varnishes and some sellotape. 

                  

I used this varnish as a base, called Berry Ice by Barry M, as you can see its a pastel lilac and its quickly become one of my favourite shades. Barry M not only offer affordable varnishes in on trend shades, the consistency is perfect, meaning you can apply several layers for a thick, Gelish look or keep it thin for barely there colour. It also dries quickly and I have never had problems with lumps or gunk. 

                   

I think I've mentioned this nail varnish before, called Blooboo by Models Own, it just looks modern and fresh. Slightly thicker than the Barry M varnish, its a bit harder to apply and achieve great coverage but the thickness does grant a fantastic, vibrant colour. I used this for the tips of my nails, considering the consistency of the two varnishes, it probably would have made more sense to have applied the other way round but I preferred the colours this way.

Essential Eye Make-Up

Here are a few of the products I use everyday on my eyes, for a basic, well groomed look.

GROOMED BROWS

I must admit, I did only start using these tweezers today as I left my normal ones in my Bournemouth home. But as a cheap replacement, from Superdrug at only £1.99, I'm very impressed! I might even go as far to say that I prefer them to my regular Body Shop tweezers. 

The slanted nib is sharp and thin, allowing me to get a great amount of control and precision. The grip around the body of the tweezer keeps me from slipping and the plain black design looks sleek and professional, I doubt anyone would guess they cost me under £2.

As far as eyebrow advice goes, whether your a threader, waxer or plucker, there is no excuse for messy looking brows. I have tried a few different techniques to get a good outline, like using white eye liner to draw the outline of my desired shape of brow, or getting them waxed or threaded professionally and following that guide. But would say that simply having a good amount of light and steady hand are the best tips to be given for DIY plucking.

Buy these tweezers from Superdrug online here.

MAINTAINED AND GROOMED

Filling in eyebrows is a really skilful trick to master, whether your using a gel or pencil getting it right can make you look a lot more youthful and frame your face creating a well groomed impression. The pencil I use is completely cheap and cheerful, it costs £1 by MUA and to be honest does the trick. The double ended tool comes with a brow brush on one end and pencil on the other. The colour matches the tester colour and glides on easily. I also use the brush to smudge in the pencil lines, to create a more natural look, especially if I have applied too heavy handedly. 

CONCEALED EYES

Eye bags, be gone! Anyone who has ever been stressed in their life, will have had eye bags and will know how much they can drain your face, making you look exhausted and lacklustre. 
Garnier is a great brand and I have used this eye roll on for as long as I can remember. However one thing I would say is that I have begun applying with a concealer brush rather than just rolling on. I used to find that applying with the roll on left me with far too much product and after 5/10 minutes, I would have a line of excess concealer in the crease beneath my eye. I use medium, even though I am really pale, somehow the medium shade suits me better, especially when applying with bronzer.

LIQUID CAT EYES 

Here's another cheepy product that I love! 2true is the cheapest of the cheap. I will never splash out on liquid eye-liner, my belief is that if you can apply your eye-liner well, then you can get away with using a cheaper product. When applying I would advise to keep your eyes open, when I was young and foolish I would shut my eye of the lid I was applying and ended up with awfully wonky lines. As for flicks, mine genuinely look different everyday! I honestly think its just trial and error on that front. 

PHAT LASHES

My eyelashes are my own worst enemy. They are short, thin and not very dark. I used to leave them and accept I wasn't gifted in that area but recently I've started using mascara and curling everyday. This new regime is most definitely really bad for them and just making my case worse but using mascara and eyelash curlers seems to make my eyes pop... I use Soap and Glory's Thick and Fast mascara and the curlers are Superdrug's own. 

THE FINISHED PRODUCT... (Excuse the cross-eyed-ness)

Money Saving Beauty

1 - No.1 spot treatment 

This has got to be the best thrifty, beauty tip to ever have been given. I always used to read in magazines that crushed up aspirin tablets mixed with a few drops of water would work miracles on spots, repairing broken skin and reducing redness, and to be honest I was a little sceptical. Until I tried it myself. 

I use one crushed tablet when my skin has flared up on my problem areas, mix it with water till a smoothish consistency and leave over night. It is a bit of a pain as when the water has dried away, the tablet gets flakey and will fall everywhere! Though believe me, the little mess it makes, is well worth the result, especially considering you can pick up a pack of 16 for under 30p! 

2 - Home-made smoothing exfoliator salt scrub

For an instant dose of smooth skin use this DIY salt scrub! Its cheap and cheerful and can be made up quickly of the essentials hiding in your kitchen cupboard. My mum and I swear by this and have been using this clever trick for a very long time!
Simply mix the salt and oil until a smooth paste is formed, rub onto dry or wet skin and wash off. The salt helps to remove dead skin and the oil leaves you feeling smooth and silky. For an extra indulgent treat, add a couple drops of your favourite essential oil, my personal favourites to go with this scrub are almond and jasmine oils. 

3 - Desperate fix, eye make-up remover

For desperate measures when your out of facial wipes, don't go using shower gel to take off your eye make up! Soap in your eyes is really painful and shower gels are often really drying for your delicate eye area. Instead take a cotton pad and use a really gentle moisturiser like Nivea, without putting too much on the pad and getting it stuck on your lashes or into your eyes, carefully swipe away your mascara and eye-liner. 

                                                          4 - Lash nutrition

People are always saying that putting Vaseline on your lashes makes them grow longer, now that's a beauty myth. But it does nourish them allowing them to repair from mascara wear and curling, giving them the potential to grow longer. For glossy, nourished eye lases put a little Vaseline on before bed and wipe off in the morning, after a week or twos use you should be able to notice the difference.

Also if your false eyelashes are looking a little worse for wear, but you can't make the shops to buy another pair, try putting some Vaseline on a cotton wool pad and carefully wiping off the excess glue and mascara from last times use!

5 - Eyelash and brow comb 

Need something to comb your lashes with after applying a clumpy mascara? Try washing out an old mascara brush to swipe off excess mascara or even to comb your eyebrows. Maintained eyebrows are a big beauty statement as of late with models at the recent London Fashion Week seen sporting the BIG brow look. Just be sure to clean the brush properly and often as old bacteria and colour could be left on. 

Vintage popularity - Why I love vintage

Living in Bournemouth is totally feeding my new found love for vintage. With the vintage fairs and shops on offer in the area and surrounding towns, its no wonder I'm quickly falling out of love with the high street. Here are three reasons why I love vintage:

1. The majority of the time its a lot cheaper than high street, sometimes items can be pricey but if you know what to expect and where to shop, your a winner. 
2. It lasts much longer than high street. 'The proof is in the pudding' if its lasted long enough for you to purchase it as vintage its likely going to be a hard-wearing piece and will have a whole lotta life left. 
3. Its unlikely you will have the same outfit as your best friend. There's nothing worse than turning up to a party and deciding who is going to leave/change/stay in a darkened corner. 

The above photos were taken in a vintage, Alice in Wonderland themed boutique in Boscombe, quirkily named 'What Alice Found'. 

Owned and run by Nicki Grainger, a vintage and general fashion goddess, this little shop is the perfect hideaway and could brighten up even the dreariest of afternoons. After visiting the wonderland a handful of times, I can safely say I am a dedicated fan and will be sure to feed my latest obsession - by visiting once a month! 

 (I must apologise for the poor picture quality! Admittedly I forgot to take my camera to this event so these images are snapshots from my filmed footage)

THE VINTAGE FAIR

This is THE vintage event to attend, its the largest travelling vintage fair in the UK, housing over 50 stalls, which stock pieces from the 40's to the 80's and there are is even a vintage themed tea room and hair salon. The atmospheric music and brightly coloured stalls are exciting and paint a really retro picture,

Another difference between high street and vintage are the people involved, I met Gina Walters (pictured below) and she was absolutely lovely! I always find that vintage traders are much friendlier and care a lot more about their customers and product.