Spring Trend #1 Short Suits

So,I`ve been out of the blogging swing of things since June but after recently getting back into following other beauty/fashion related blogs I`ve decided to give mine the kickstart it needs to get going again.So here goes....

As Spring approaches I`ve decided to dedicate a whole 7 days worth of blog posts to the new seasons must haves.I have been scouring blogs,magazines and the highstreet lately in search of whats going to be hot this Spring/Summer and I have to say I like what I see.Kicking off this 'mini series' are short suits,these have been seen all over the runway and have now filtered down to the highstreet with some great options up for grabs.A few of my favourite highstreet options are shown below starting off with The Saturdays Mollie King.

Mollie looks girly,sophisticated and stylish in this gorgeous peach co-ord short suit from Topshop,it retails at £95 and is absolutely stunning.I love how Mollie has teamed it with a simple white scalloped vest (also Topshop) and tan clutch-perfect!
And it seems Mollie isn`t the only one to be loving the short suit look at the moment as her bandmate Rochelle Wiseman was spotted in this beautiful coral Lipsy number.The colour looks amazing against her skintone and is perfect for Spring/Summer.Unfortunatley the jacket is sold out in smaller sizes on the Lipsy website at the moment but is widely available in stores.

I can`t wait to wear this trend myself and I can deffinelty see it following through to Autumn by adding thick tights,chunky ankle boots and a scarf.

Will you be investing in a short suit this Spring?

Whats In my makeup bag?...

Today I thought I would do the the 'Whats in my makeup bag?' post and share what I`m currently using makeup wise on a day to day basis.Up until recently I stored all of my makeup in acrylic draws (clear cube rip off!) and a metal cabinet from Ikea however I have since decided to store my most used products of the moment in a makeup bag to save me time when getting ready.I will switch up these products regularly but for now here is what I`m using on a day to day basis.Obviously I don`t use ALL of these products at the same time-I like to have a couple of lip/cheek options to hand.

Makeup bag-Sephora
Makeup forever HD foundation
Clarins everlasting foundation
Mac select sheer pressed powder
Mac eye pencil in teddy
Estee Lauder double wear pencil in black
Estee Lauder sumptuous mascara in black
Mac peaches blush
Nars Orgasm blush
Dior matte bronzer
Clinique airbrush concealer
YSL rouge volupte in no 1
Nars chelsea girls lip laquer
Mac rubenesque paint pot
Urban decay primer potion in eden
Rimmel brow pencil in dark brown
Clarins instant light natural lip perfector in 02
Mac viva glam Gaga 2
Dior Addict lipgloss in 556

My Mac studio finish concealer would also be in here normally but I left it in my handbag and forgot to photograph it!

FOTN:New products from Clarins

Hey everyone,

Last week I made my first ever purchases from Clarins,including thier instant light lip perfector,LE mosaique bronzer and their everlasting liquid foundation.As I was going out on Saturday evening I decided I would try them out and take a few photo's for my blog.
Face

Mac studio finish concealer nw25

Clarins everlasting foundation 112

Clinique loose powder in translucent

Clarins mosaique bronzer

Mac melba blush

Mac by candle light msf

Eyes

UDPP in eden

UD toasted

UD smog

Mac brule

Benefit bad gal liner

Rimmel brow pencil in dark brown

Lancome hypnose mascara

Eyelure lashes (unsure of the style as I got rid of the box)

Lips

Mac playing koi lipstick

Clarins instant light lip perfector in 02

Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Review...Less than impressed!

Hey everyone,

Today I decided I would post my thoughts on one of Smashbox's most well known products,their Photo Finish Primer.I believe that Smashbox also do a similar oil free version of this primer which had I known about prior to picking up the regular version I would have chosen to purchase instead as I have normal-oily skin which is prone to break outs and blocked pores.

Whilst browsing Sephora on holiday in Vegas I decided I would give this primer a go,I have only ever tried out 3 primers in the past and had heard that Kim Kardashian swears by PF so from that alone I was basically sold!I decided to purchased the 'to go' version of the primer which contains 0.5 oz and sells for around $16 as the full sized version was pretty expensive and I wanted it to be something I knew I loved before shelling out any more cash.

For those of you that don`t know PF is a clear,gel formula which Smashbox claim will provide a perfect matte canvas for foundation.According to the Sephora website the formula contains vitamins and antioxidants and even promises to prevent the destruction or collagen and fill in fine lines.Sounds amazing right?

Wrong!Well for me at least anyway.

I began using PF regularly around 3 weeks ago but decided to wait until I had chance to try it under a range of foundations,with moisturiser and without and also in different temperatures.

Full of hope and promises of a shine free,flawless face I whipped out my PF for the first time and applied it over my moisturiser which I had let settle into my sin for at least 15 minutes.I then applied Chanel Mat Lumiere and powdered with Mac blot powder,I applied the rest of my makeup as usual and off to work I went.Immediately after application I did not notice any dramatic difference in how my foundation looked and I was little disappointed,I was expecting at least something,a smoother finish,hidden pores,maybe I was expecting too much?

Around an hour into my work shift I noticed I was looking oilier than usual,I found this strange as I don`t usually get oily so quickly and I had to go blot my face-something I hardly ever do.As the day went on my foundation became gradually worse and by the end of my working day (6 hours later) my face was a total mess.My nose had virtually no foundation left on it and my forehead was a patchy oil slick,not good.

The next day I decided to test out PF with my trusty Studio fix fluid,Mat lumiere doesn`t hold up as well on me as some of my other foundations so I pretty much blamed it for the previous disaster.Once again I headed to work feeling sure that I would remain oil free all day as I always do when I wear sff however the same thing happened again.After a few hours the make up on my nose was gone and I was an oil slick everywhere else,I was amazed and horrified.Normally I can wear sff when set with either sf powder or blot powder and remain shine free for hours on end but not only was I shiny my foundation had literally melted off my face.

Not being one to give up I decided that I would persevere with my PF and decided that maybe it was just the increase in temperature or some sort of random hormonal imbalance that was the cause of my makeup disasters over the past couple of days.Over the next fortnight I tried various ways of wearing PF,with and without my moisturiser,under a variety of foundations and powders all to end up with the same disastrous outcome.Even more disastrous was that I began to break out after a couple of days of using PF but had been trying out a new cleanser at the same time and had not realised that PF was the cause until I had stopped using my new cleanser after blaming that for the outbreak of acne.

3 weeks on and I have finally given up on PF and will be giving it away to whoever I can palm it off on!I have read so many mixed reviews on this product since buying it so obviously it works for some,unfortunately just not me.In the mean time I have been left with a face full of acne and blocked pores to tackle.I hate to give a product a totally negative review but I honestly have nothing good to say about PF,its expensive,it made me break out,it increased oil production and made my makeup melt of 10x quicker than usual.If your thinking of purchasing then I definitely recommend trying out the smaller,travel sized version first-I`m glad I did!

Clothing,accessories and shoe haul...

As I mentioned in a previous post I have been planning on doing my first 'proper' fashion haul.Recently I have been trying to add to my spring/summer wardrobe and have been focusing on fashion more than makeup.As a result I have a 'few' new pieces to share with you.Everything is from Topshop unless stated otherwise.

First up is knitware,on the left is a bat wing cardigan that I thought would be very versatile and great for days when you need to cover up but don't want something too heavy.The colour of this cardigan sold me really,its not showing true to life in the photograph but its actually a lovely dark raspberry colour,I plan on wearing this with jeans,shorts,pretty much everything!On the right is a cream,slouchy knit jumper which once again I think will prove to be very versatile,I`ve already worn it with jeans but it looks equally as good with denim shorts,it cost £26 which I don`t think is too bad for Topshop! I originally saw this t-shirt online and immediately loved it so the next time I visited my local Topshop I was thrilled to see they had it in stock.I absolutely adore the cut out shoulders,you can`t really tell from my photograph but basically its a regular t-shirt shape with the shoulders cut away and sleeves still attached.Its a really cool concept and I love the cross design.I think this top will be fab tucked into high waisted shorts,skirts or even just paired with jeans.On the right is a peach collared button down shirt which I also think will be look good paired with anything high waisted. The following items I definitely won`t be wearing together I just found it easier to photograph them this way.I love these rose denim shorts,there so pretty I was also tempted to buy the jeans in the same colour.I`m not sure where I`m going to wear these yet but hopefully we will have a really hot day and I can team them with a simple white top and my military boots.The jacket was a bit of a random purchase,I wasn`t planning on a jacket but I`m sure I will get plenty of wear out of it as the weather is still rather dull where I live.I adore the three quarter length sleeve and the grey is a lot softer in person.This photo does not do is justice so I`m hoping to include it in an OOTD post soon.

I have always been more of a bag girl but lately I have become seriously addicted to buying shoes.I love these nude peep toe platforms from Topshop,they will go with literally everything and are surprisingly comfortable considering they have such a high heel.I think everyone needs a good pair of nude platforms in their wardrobe,or at least that's my justification!

A couple of hair accessories I have picked up recently,I love this sweet bow hair tie from Topshop and got a few compliments when I wore it to work last week.I have to have my hair up at work so its nice to have an interesting hair accessory.I bought this a couple of weeks ago but noticed they also have a bright pink version in now also.The lace hair band is from Accessorize and I am yet to wear it,I do love it but I'm just not sure how to wear it.

On to another pair of shoes, I have nothing but good things to say about these wedges from Office,I already own the black version of these and after wearing them none stop on holiday and realising how comfy they are I decided to purchase them in coral.I could literally walk for miles in these shoes and they go with pretty much anything,the coral colour are especially great for the summer.

Below are a few summer inspired purchases,first of the white/cream denim waistcoat which I thought would be fab to throw over maxi dresses and team with floral skirts.I really wanted a denim waistcoat last year but never got around to buying one so I was glad to get my hands on this.I bought the skirt to wear casual with a plain white vest tucked in and sandals and finally the stripped collared shirt is the same style as the peach one pictured previously but I loved the striped version also and again this will be great with high waisted denim shorts

Some Topshop fans may have seen a similar version of this play suit which has been around for a while now in stores and on the topshop website.The original version has a camel coloured top and black shorts but I much prefer this camel and white version-its much fresher!I also can`t get enough of peter pan collars.On the right is a dress which is part of the Topshop 'dress up' range which features a range of 'going out' dresses,I love the colour of this particular dress (I`m a sucker for anything nudey/pink) and I also love the detailing on the straps.I just need somewhere to wear it now!


Finally are another pair of Office shoes,I have been after these suede wedges for absolutely ages but couldn't`t get my hands on them in my size anywhere!Pixie Lott was recently pictured wearing the blue version so maybe that had something do with them being sold out absolutely everywhere!Anyway I finally managed to track them down last week and I love them,I can`t wait to wear them out,I think they will be especially nice with play suits.


So that's pretty much all of the clothing I`ve purchased over the past 3-4 weeks or so,I`m going to be posting my first outfit of the day posts this week so watch out for those if your interested.I think I`m going through a bit of a clothing phase at the moment as opposed to makeup,it seems I often do this,am I the only one?I`m also really loving fashion based blogs and watching clothing hauls on youtube,if anyone has any recommendations for great blogs or channels then do let me know.I hope you all enjoyed this post and let me know if you would like to see more clothing hauls in the future.

Thanks for reading!

Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque Review

Hi again,I'm back with the first of a few product reviews I have planned,coming up soon I will be giving my thoughts on

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  James Brown Photo fabulous intensive treatment



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  Chanel Mat lumiere



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  Make up Forever-Smokey lash mascara,Hd foundation and concealer palette

But for now I`m kicking things off with my review of the popular Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque.Now I`ve never personally seen this available in any UK stores although I am aware it is much more easy to find in the US and I have also heard it can be found in Sally's.I purhcased my tube from Ebay just by typing the name into the search box and buying from the cheapest and most reliable seller.I think I paid about £7-8 including postage although from what I have read on other reviews it is much cheaper to buy in the US costing about $5-or so I have read.So far I have used this product 5 times which I think is a decent amount of time to wait before voicing my opinion however I will of course update if my views change.

The mask claims to 'dry up acne pimples,rinse away black heads and shrink enlarged pores'

Pro's:

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  Cheap-ish,I paid more than the average person but even so the price was very reasonable



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  Left skin feeling smoother and softer immediately after use



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  Noticeable shrinkage of pores



• 
  
  
  Improved skin tone



• 
  
  
  Easy to apply



• 
  
  
  None offensive smell

Con's:

• 
  
  
  Had to be purchased online



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  Made my face feel tight,moisturising afterwards is deffinetly required and may not be suitable for dry skin



• 
  
  
  Seemed to bring under the skin spots to the surface

I start with a clean,dry face and apply a thin layer of the mask all over my face and neck,the mask is very thick so little product is needed for a full coverage.At first I can feel a tingling sensation especially in the areas where my pores are largest for example my cheeks.After a few minutes the tingling stops and the mask begins to dry,I usually leave it on about ten minutes as I`m very impatient.I find the mask easy to remove and after a few rinses all of the product is gone.Straight away I can feel my face is much smoother and softer,I then tend to look in the mirror and notice my skin looks more matte and my pores appear tighter.I like to apply moisturiser straight after removing the mask as in the past I have noticed after an hour or so my skin feels slightly tight and uncomfortable,ensuring I apply moisturiser means this is never a problem however I`m not sure how well very dry skin types would get along with this drying effect.I would say this product is more suited to those with normal,combination skin and those will oily skin will love it for its drying properties and the decrease in pore visibility.

One minor problem I have with this mask is that each time I use it a spot seems to surface over night.It seems as if this mask is pushing all of the rubbish from under my skin to the surface so I`m not complaining as my skin will probably benefit in the long run although I would rather it stopped spots forming althogether rather than bringing them to the surface.

Overall I would highly reccomend this mask to those with combination/oily skin and those with enlarged pores as this is fabulous at drying up oil and tightening pores.Its also great for those who want to even out there skin tone.If you are hoping for an acne cure however then I wouldn't expect any miracles when it comes to getting rid of spots and those with dry skin may find this makes the condition worse. Personally I will continue using the mask and see how my skin reacts further as the pore minimsing effect is just to good to pass up and the mattifying effect provides a great base for makeup.Based on my use of the product so far I would give it a very healthy 3/5

In and Out...

In...
Lady Gaga-Born This Way
Unless you live under a rock I`m sure you have all heard about/already own Lady Gaga's new album Born This Way which was released about a fortnight ago.Needless to say I had mine delievered first thing on the day of release and have been listening to it none stop ever since,I absolutely love it and it has certainly lived up to my expectations.Naturally I love them all but my favourite tracks are Marry the night,Bad kids,Fashion of his love,The edge of glory and Born this way.

Del Monte Smoothie Ice Lollies
Seriously!These lollies are A-mazing,if you haven`t tried them you must.They're fat free and under 100 calories,definetly the nicest ice lollies around and perfect for the hot weather we have been having this week.

Fake tan ban!
Yes,I have given up on the brown stuff and gone au natural-well,not quite!After being a fully fledged fake tan addict for many years I`ve decided enough is enough of the continous fake tanning cycle.I worked out I was spending £50 plus on fake tan per month and even worse I was rarely 100% satisfied with the results out and when I was it was time to scrub it off and start again after about 5 days.Instead I have decided to use a gradual self tanner every other day and the occasional sunbed (bad I know!)I scrubbed off the last of my tan last night and its so refreshing,my skin looks more luminous and of course I`m paler but I actually look healthier.

James Brown hair care
For the past 2 months or so I have been using several products from the James Brown hair care line and on the whole I am seriously impressed,especially with the moisturising hair mask which is hands down the best hair mask I have ever used!I may do a full review shortly as it deserves some recognition in my book.

Out
Boys holidays!
On Friday my boyfriend jetted off to Ibiza for a week with his friends so until Friday I am on my lonesome!lol.On one hand I will have more time to catch up on blogging but on the other I`m a very lonely girl!I`m hoping the time flys.

Britains Got Talent
I`ve just finished watching the final of Britains got talent and I have to say I was shocked!I was expecting Ronan to have it in the bag (diddn`t everyone?) but congratulations to Jai,he was a worthy winner even if he wasn`t my favourite.I also thought it was a great shame that Paul Gebegbaje (pianist) diddn`t finish somewhere in the top 5,he was a great talent and I feel that sometimes the British Public over look acts like his.

Having to work in the heat!
As your probably aware I live in the UK,specifically the north of England where sunshine is a true rarity.However the past few days have been positivitly hot and there is nothing worse than being stuck indoors when everyone else is enjoingy bbq's and sunbathing.Hopefully the warm weather will stick around a little longer so that we can all have a chance to enjoy it!

I hope everyone is having a great weekend,I might start doing these posts more often as I enjoy reading other peoples.If you've done an In and Out post recently be sure to leave me a link so I can check it out :)