pink & orange

Tuesday 24 September 2013

Topshop Lipsticks in Macaroon and Infrared

While my wardrobe remains a plethora of white, grey and dark grey variations, recently I have really been embracing wearing actual colour on my lips rather than my usual slick and go of my go-to quick and easy Clinique Chubby Sticks. Two of my favourites at the moment are from Topshop's infamous lipstick collection; Macaroon, a bright neutral pink with a touch of peach which is lovely for an everyday lip, and Infrared, a vibrant orange which screams summer. Infrared was my go-to colour on holiday and continues to be a favourite for nighttime, whereas Macaroon is gorgeous for everyday wear.

At £8 a piece they are by no means the cheapest lipsticks on the high street but with a texture good enough to rival MAC's creamsheen offerings and lasting power of a good 2-3 hours on the lips, I will definitely be picking up more of Topshop's lipstick offerings!

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The Denim Diaries; Boyfriend Edition

Friday 20 September 2013

DAY
T-shirt, Cardigan and Jeans - Tesco, Shoes - Converse

Skinny jeans are usually my holy grail trouser option, yet boyfriend style jeans are suddenly growing on me. They are easy to style up or down and are ridiculously comfy and slouchy to wear. For daytime I pair mine with my new favourite item of clothing ever, a H t-shirt (H for Hannah, geddit ;) and a printed cardigan thrown over the top. Converse are the obvious choice to finish the outfit for everyday comfort.

NIGHT
Top & Jeans - Tesco, Blazer - H&M, Shoes - Very

For night-time heels and a blazer will always be my best friends for dressing up the simplest of outfits. I added a white vest with gold seam detailing and of course a red lip!

Don't forget to check out yesterday's denim diaries... skinny jean edition and check out Tesco's selection of denim styles here.

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The Denim Diaries; Skinny Edition

Thursday 19 September 2013

The lovely people over at F&F for Tesco asked me to be involved in their Denim Diaries; styling up both a pair of skinny jeans and boyfriend jeans into day and night variations with a few key pieces from the F&F range.

DAY
Jeans, Jumper and Boots - Tesco, Collared Blouse - Primark

The deep indigo skinnies are great for layering with a big fluffy jumper this autumn and this cable knit grey jumper is both warm and super comfy for day wear. I also wore my new brown ankle boots with the jeans rolled up to just above ankle level, but could be equally lovely paired with fluffy socks in the depths of winter!

NIGHT
Top & Jeans - Tesco, Boots - Primark, Necklace - Republic, Bracelet - Ebay, Lips - Rimmel Apocalips Big Bang

To dress up the jeans I added a black, slightly peplum top, an extremely spikey necklace and my beloved Primark cut out boots! A slick of red on the lips and bag was necessary to pull the outfit to nightime worthy!

Check back tomorrow for the denim diaries... boyfriend jean edition!

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Holiday Essentials

Monday 16 September 2013


So we are already midway through September and summer has pretty much waved goodbye for another year. To get away from England's slightly bipolar end of season weather I jetted off to Lanzarote with my family and after a few packing disasters, a lot of forgotten products and much borrowing from my beloved sister, I whittled my holiday beauty products down to a perfect fit!

Stand outs were Origins Zero Oil Cleanser, a sample which has lasted me a good couple of holidays, and cuts through any tough to remove facial sunscreen leftovers leaving my face squeaky clean. On my face I was using La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL, SPF 50 which left me burn free at the end of the week. One problem I alway encounter with this product is the white cast it leaves over my skin making me look even more washed out, so I pair this with Origins VitaZing Moisturiser which has both a tint and SPF, double whammy. This was my ultimate favourite product this holiday as somehow I managed to forgot foundation so used this as a super light and glowy base in the evenings, paired with a swirl of Nars Laguna Bronzer all over the higher points of my face and a touch of Sleek Pout Polish in Electro Peach on the lips.

In terms of sun protection, I love The Sun Mousse, a very weird formula which is super easy to apply and one application usually lasts me all day. While it is difficult to spread, it doesn't leave me sticky and uncomfortable as other brands such as Nivea and Garnier have in the past. I also relied on my Clarins Liquid Bronze Self Tanning to add some colour to my otherwise very pasty complexion, as for some reason I am resistant to developing a tan!

What were your holiday essentials this summer?!

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the joni jeans

Saturday 7 September 2013


The infamous Topshop Joni jeans have fast become a staple in my wardrobe, and while they are fantastic for everyday being super stretchy and comfy, they are also my answer to less shiny Disco Pants for a night out! I paired them with my New Look lace top which everyone and their mother seems to own, and of course my trusty Primark cut out boots. I cant seem to peel these off my feet at the moment as they seriously go with everythannnng, even if I was hobbling along the morning after as they are not the most comfy shoes in the world!

Makeup was kept reasonably natural with just black liner, neutral eyes and my favourite Ardell Demi Whispies to top off the eyes with soft coral lips. For once I wore my hair natural on a night out which I realised half way through the night was a mistake... hot nightclubs and untameable hair are not a good mix! For finishing touches I added my favourite silver spiked necklace from Republic, which is gorgeous but must always remember to try to not poke someone's eye out whilst hugging them!
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my brush collection

Tuesday 3 September 2013

Face; Real Techniques Contour Brush, Blush Brush, Expert Face Brush, Deluxe Crease Brush, Buffing Brush, Zoeva 127
Eye; Real Techniques Base Shadow Brush, Detailer Brush, Cozzette D300, ELF Defining Eye Brush, RT Pixle-Point Eyeliner Brush, ELF Eye Crease Brush, Zoeva 227, Unknown Angled Brush, Zoeva 231, Zoeva 228
(click for links!)

Embarrassingly, this is only my everyday brush collection, or at least the ones I reach for on a slightly more regular basis that I like to have on hand. I have at least 2 (wince!) more brush organisers with a whole load more brushes which rarely see the light of day and are currently gathering dust in a draw, forgotten and unused!

Of course, like any beauty blogger, my collection consists largely of Real Techniques by the infamous Samantha Chapman. Her face brushes, especially the ever popular Buffing Brush make foundation application literally a quick swipe, 5 second step to perfect skin, and her Deluxe Crease Brush will forever be a favourite of mine for quick and easy concealer application. I also adore her Contour Brush for pinpoint application of cream blush and use her Blush Brush adversely to add a smattering of powder over any shine. My Zoeva 127 is extremely useful for adding powder blush as a final step to ramp up the colour- you can never be too blushed is my motto! Finally my Expert Face Brush is often neglected until I rediscover its extraordinary ways of blending out any over application of foundation or colour all over the face!

In terms of eye brushes, Real Techniques are not as potent, yet I adore the Base Shadow Brush for a quick and easy wash of colour. I also use both the Detailer Brush and Pixel-Point Eyeliner Brush for inner corner highlights, whereas actual eyeliner application is reserved for the supreme power of the Cozzette D300. Blending and crease work is taken to new levels by the magical Zoeva 227, 231 and 228 along with detail work using my old but trusty ELF Defining Eye Brush and Crease Brush. Finally an old faithful angled brush which has neither a name or brand is reserved for brow use when I want a bolder look.

Although of course I don't use all these brushes on an everyday basis, they are all my absolute favourites and are amazing at their jobs! What are your favourite brushes?

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