Sole Affair

*I'm really sorry about not updating but I've been really busy with life and stuff like that, apologies for being sloppy with my blog*

I put this casual outfit together in about 5 minutes today as I wanted to write about the block heels I recently received from Sole Affair without getting too dressy. I first wore these absolute babes when I went to Annecy (France) and realised that they go really well with casual black joni jeans as well as dresses. What I really love about these is that I can style them with literally any outfit, and they make me look sassy as hell, in comparison to normal flats that I wear on a normal day.

I always wore platforms which are sort of heels that cheat completely, because my foot was laid flat in the actual shoe and that made them very easy to walk in (they still made my legs look better and me taller which is basically the same effect heels have), but over the past few months I've been experimenting with heels and have come to the conclusion that walking in them is in fact, a quite enjoyable art. I am almost pretty certain that I can walk in block heels (I will eventually be brave enough for stilettos) without looking like an idiot and I'm excited to wear them out on casual days instead of just parties. They are great for anything, apart from long shopping trips, unless you're an expert in heel strutting. 

I'd recommend styling these with some gold accessories as the buckle and cap are gold, and personally, I think that mixing silver with gold is a crime. You won't be able to see, but the chain on my fluffy white bag is gold, as well as the bridge of my sunglasses. 

Like I said, it didn't take long to put this outfit together, but I was really happy with the result, and I definitely recommend these bad boys, because they're simple, yet so effective for any dull outfit.

Links to items mentioned in this post:

1. Sole Affair SALLY Block Heel Ankle Strap Sandals
2. Topshop MOTO Black Joni Jeans
3. Kylie Jane The Posh Fluffy White Bag
4. Zara Light Blue Sweater (sold out)
5. Bird on a Wire Vintage Sunglasses

Powder - Pink Ribbon Foundation

Powder are a UK based accessory shop that specialises in beautiful and unique scarves (as well as gloves and faux fur). I recently received one of their spring scarves from their latest collection and even though spring scarves (or any type of scarves) aren't usually my thing, I really fell in love with this one. The Pink Ribbon Foundation Scarf really stood out for me because of it's beautiful combination of colour and the light and soft silk that it's been made from.

Another reason to love this scarf is that Powder donates 100% of their profit made from it (and that means every single penny!!) to the UK Breast Cancer Charity (The Pink Ribbon Foundation), meaning that you're funding and supporting a very very very good cause. However, if you don't like the look of this scarf, I'm pretty sure you'll love some of the others on Powder's website.

Make sure to check them out and let me know down in the comments some of your favourite Powder products, and even if you don't think they're for you, think of getting one as a gift for someone else.
(Hint: it's mothers day on the 15th of March!!)

January Favourites

First, a massive thank you for the lovely comments left on my last blog post. Secondly, apologies for not posting anything else sooner; posting once a week was probably too ambitious but I'm really working on fitting this blogging hobby somewhere in my life.

Instead of doing my coursework I thought I'd invest my time in something I enjoy. Now that I have a job and all, January was actually a pretty great month for me in terms of buying new things and experimenting with fashion/make up. I came across some items and products which have now totally taken over my life, so I thought I'd get you guys addicted to them too.

A lot of you have noticed that I have changed my brow routine and ask me daily about what I use instead of the brow pencil I mentioned in my last post. At first I was a bit sceptical on Topshop cosmetics but I came across the tiniest brow palette in shade "Whatever" and I couldn't resist. I bought it without even thinking about the actual product itself, I just thought the packaging was cute. Turns out it's actually a really handy and an easily-portable product which can literally fit anywhere you put it; in comparison to most palettes which are usually the size of my actual make up bag itself. I really like this palette because it comes with a cute little two-way angled brush, spoolie and a tweezer, but more importantly it makes my brows look way more natural than the pencil; not to mention it also takes me about two minutes to fill in my brows when before it took me about ten. As for the concealer in the photo, that's my first ever concealer so I can't make any comparisons but it's good and does the job for it's price, it doesn't crease and feels very very light on my skin, so I do recommend it, but you do need a brush to blend it! I use my Real Techniques expert face brush to do so.

I know that in my last post I talked about how I don't particularly like make up brushes and hate using them but since then, my opinion has completely changed. Now that I've invested in some good quality ones, I get excited about putting on my make up, rather than it having to be a boring, everyday chore. Last week I purchased the Real Techniques Expert Face and Powder Brushes, which weren't cheap, BUT were really worth the money. They leave your skin looking flawless and blend your foundation really well, not leaving smear marks or sharp edges on your face. I also found that using these, I waste less make up, which is a major plus in my opinion. Moving onto the base of it all: foundation. When I get paid I go a bit crazy with my shopping, so, walking down Oxford Street one day I decided to stroll into the well-known-expensive-as-frick Selfridges. Being silly (like I can actually afford to spend money in there) I wandered over to the MAC Cosmetics stand and asked the nice ladies to pick out a foundation in my skin colour. Next thing I know I'm sitting in the studio chair getting my make up done by a professional, falling in love with the foundation, and purchasing it. To summarise in five simple words: this foundation changed my life.

I have never owned a pair of ripped jeans in my life so this was probably a good time to run to Topshop and buy some. High-waisted and tight, Joni Jeans are probably the most popular jeans at this moment in time amongst teens, and are also my favourite. They pretty much go with anything, trainers, sandals, heels, crops, tees and jumpers; not to mention that they are comfortable as hell and don't require the strength and energy to put on and take off like normal, non-stretchy jeans. The pair I got are currently my favourite pair of trousers I own, even though they do have knee holes which leave me freezing to death in the wonderful month of January, and now February. Second pair of favourite jeans are my American Apparel high-waisted jeans. Let's face it, we all know American Apparel is ridiculously overpriced, however you cannot deny that they do have some good quality products. Even though these jeans were £75, I don't regret buying them; they fit me perfectly and unlike most mom jeans, they are a bit slimmer at the bottom, making my legs look quite alright. A lot of people have requested me to do a post on how I style these jeans so I will most definitely be doing that closer to spring. Speaking of AA, I also purchased the both white and black micro-mesh triangle cross back bra and the undies to go with those, which are both from the Cali Sun & Fun collection, which I'm sure you can't purchase online on the UK website, but they definitely do them in some retail stores across the UK (I got mine from the Oxford Street store).

Hope you enjoyed reading about some of my favourite items this month, let me know about yours in the comments down below! Have a lovely day/night/evening depending on where you are. I promise I will try to write more regularly.

Links to all Items/Products mentioned in this post:

1. Topshop Eyebrow Palette in "Whatever"
2. Seventeen Stay Time Concealer
3. Real Techniques Expert Face Brush
4. Real Techniques Powder Brush 1401
5. MAC Cosmetics Matchmaster SPF 15 Foundation
6. Topshop MOTO Bleached Ripped Joni Jeans
7. American Apparel Medium Wash High-Waist Jeans
8. American Apparel Micro-Mesh Cross Back Bra
9. American Apparel Le Grind Glissnet Panty

Everyday Make Up

Hi guys, I haven't really written a blog post before or even know how to write one, but this is my first attempt of what I've actually wanted to do for a really long time but just didn't get a chance to.

I have been getting a lot of requests to talk about the make up I use on a daily basis. The make up I use isn't so fancy and can be purchased at most drug stores like Boots or Superdrug in the UK, it is really affordable so if you have an opportunity I suggest you purchase some of the products listed below. 5 years ago, I started experimenting with make up so speaking from experience, these are some of my favourite products I have come across so far.

I skip the steps of primer and concealer, and cut straight to foundation after moisturising my face. I have found that I don't particularly like using foundation brushes for my whole face so I don't tend to waste my money on them and instead use a sponge (The Beauty Blender) to apply foundation to my face, this makes sure that my make up isn't patchy and is evenly spread out across my face. If the beauty blender is a bit too pricey, you can always buy simple make up applicator sponges from your local drug store which are way cheaper and still do the job just as well. I use the L'Oreal Paris True Match Foundation (in W1 Golden Ivory) and I find that this foundation is really light and easily spreadable, I really love how it isn't heavy and still manages to cover up my imperfections whilst it evens out my skin colour, it doesn't give me a lot of out breaks and I think this is the best foundation I have come across so far.

I don't contour my face, so after applying foundation, with a powder brush, I apply the Rimmel London Stay Matte Pressed Powder, (in Peach Glow) all over my face. This powder literally saved my life as it ensures that no part of my face looks shiny or looks oily, especially in the t-zone area. It is really inexpensive and easy to apply, I suggest you pick this up if your face sometimes decides to look shiny in photos or during the day, and trust me when I say that if you're looking for a cheap but good quality powder which will last you a long time, you should buy this one.

My eyebrows aren't great, but most of you seem to think they are and ask me on a daily basis which products I use for them. I use the Rimmel London Professional Eyebrow Pencil (in Dark Brown) and blend the shape with the spoolie-like brush which is attached on the lid of it. I then use the transparent L'Oreal Paris Brow Artist Plumper to make my eyebrows appear tidier and thicker. Once that's done, I highlight my brow bone to give the illusion to make my eyebrows look sharper and more defined. I do this by just using a normal foundation brush with a lighter shade of foundation to the one I'm already wearing. Most people use shimmery or a light coloured eye shadow to do this but I prefer to do it my way. 

As you probably figured already my every day make up look is boring and really simple. I don't wear eye shadow. However, I do use eye liner and let me say that this is by far the best eye liner you will ever come across. The Max Factor Colour X-pert Eyeliner in Deep Black is waterproof so it's suitable for all of you cry babies like me out there and also has a really soft tip applicator that is really small, allowing you to draw the lines precisely, and finishing by giving your eyes a well defined look. After the liquid liner has settled, I get my pencil eye liner and fill in my top inner lash line, which creates the illusion of longer lashes after mascara has been applied. The eye pencil I use is the Midnight Black 101, Color Riche Crayon Le Khol from L'Oreal Paris. Finally, I use two different types of mascara, both from L'Oreal Paris. The first is the Double Extension Beauty Tubes. This mascara has two sides to it, after curling your lashes, the first step is to apply the white conditioner onto your eyelashes, which will increase the length of them once the conditioner has settled after a minute or so. The second step is the mascara, which coats over the conditioner, creating the illusion of longer and thicker lashes. If your eyelashes always get clumped like mine do, you may want to invest in a separate spoolie brush, or like me, use another mascara with a much smaller brush. The other mascara I use is the So Couture: Volume Million Lashes in So Couture Black which has a tiny brush, separating all of the clumped lashes from each other, creating the effect or more, evenly spread lashes.

I very rarely wear lipstick but when I do, it is usually a deep red colour. I use the Color Riche lipstick from L'Oreal Paris in shade 297 Red Passion, which is very a very bold colour, making your lips the stand-out feature of your face. I invested in the Barry M Matte Lip Paint in shade LP121 Pillar Box Red before this, but I have found that the L'Oreal one doesn't smudge at all compared to the Barry M one, making Color Riche one of my favourites. This lipstick also prevents your lips from getting dry which is a bonus for everyone with chapped lips. I love this lipstick, and I don't regret buying it. On most days however, I don't wear lipstick and prefer to stick to my normal Hydro Care Nivea Lip Balm which prevents my lips from getting extremely dry.

I hope this post was good enough for everyone who was asking me to write up an everyday make up list/tutorial. I tried my best and I really hope this was of some help to you.

Sidenote: I am not a make up artist/expert, I am just sharing my own method of make up application which works for me for other people

Thank you for reading!