NEVER FULLY DRESSED | CLOTHES WEBSITE

I can only confess to being a slight instagram addict; every night when I'm supposed to be attempting to sleep, I instead get consumed by beautiful fashion pages. It was around a month ago when I stumbled across Never Fully Dressed 's instagram and loved the photos so much I did some further research and found their website. 

A self proclaimed 'fashion brand that's not really into fashion.' Never Fully Dressed has a range of unique styles that were originally all hand made until demand outweighed manufacturing ability.  

They really are a fashion line with a difference, in 2010, 100% of the profits from their jewellery sold was donated to build a school and a water well for the underprivileged kids of Moshi, Tanzania, in association with Child Research International. Their website  holds more details of other charitable campaigns they have been a part of, and even offers to get involved in other campaigns. 

Another thing I love about this website is the fact that all items are presented in an outfit which shows how the product will fit on the body, something that means internet shopping mistakes are less likely to occur! 

The clothes fluently switch from a night out to day time chic to suit any and everyone's individual style.

Although, without knowing the brand the name may seem a little suggestive, I predict the slogan top to be my first purchase, along with a few of their pillow 
                                                     cases ! 

I hope you all take a look and not only find some great wardrobe finds that make you feel amazing but also support some great causes. 

You can find 'Never Fully Dressed' on their website, 'here.'

CELEB STYLE | BLAKE LIVELY

Now, who didn't love The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants in their youth? A classic chick flick that doesn't just show the fun lives of 4 best friends but also actually opens your eyes to all types of real life issues that unfortunately effect all of us, be that family drama or death, which is rare to see in your typical chick flick. 

Anyway I'm getting distracted! That was the first interaction I had with Black Lively, and ever since she has been on my admiration list! Although she became a household name in Gossip Girl I was more drawn to the books, so wasn't an avid watcher, however she still looked amazing throughout the series. 

Once again I've been stalking looking at photos on Celebrity Style Guide and have found an outfit that I need to buy, but obviously, I have found alternatives that are slightly more in a realistic price range ! 

I can see this being the perfect outfit to take you from summer into Autumn. If it's a warmer day the tights and jacket could be removed. In my opinion Blake always rocks the causal look when not on a red carpet, obviously, and this is part of why I love her style; it's easily transferable to our lifestyle, for example I cant see myself sharing Miley Cyrus' recent wardrobe choices! 

Here are some similar items that I've found, so we can all steal Blake's look!

1. I've always had a crush on River Island shoes however at £40 I'm far too indecisive to be spending so much on each pair of shoes, so I've generally been able to find alternatives in New Look however, for the sake of Blake I've chosen these as an alternative to the high heel. 

2. After looking at numerous websites I had almost given up on a suitable bag, but then this came up as a suggested item on New Look and is £27.99 but equally beautiful. I shouldn't admit this, but I am yet to perfect walking in heels, and generally feel too conspicuous in them, so have always been a little more into bags than shoes the result being more bags than I can go out to use! 

3. For those who prefer more figure hugging clothes, this River Island Jacket is £50 and very versatile for any Autumn look. 

4. This bracelet is from Miss Selfridge and although I wouldn't intentionally look in there for jewellery I think it would look great with the outfit, adding a touch of glamour to the slightly tribal feel of the skirt, the bracelet is £7.50. 

5. This skirt first attracted my eye while on a shopping trip and ever since I've been trying to find an excuse to purchase it, I think one has presented itself! It can definitely be styled for the day time or evening so at £34 and rated 5 stars on the website I can't see how it doesn't pay for itself! It's also available in both tall and petite - no excuse not to buy it!

6. Forever 21 has created these boots at £32.75, and although I am yet to own any ankle boots from here I did buy some Knee high brown flat boots last year and they have been perfect. 

7. This Topshop Cashmere vest is £20 which seems a little expensive however after purchasing similar items I can't fault them,  they're super soft and as boring and bland, as it seems I love grey as it goes with any colours or patterns which I normally prefer to wear in blazers or skirts. 

8. These boots are the closest match that I could find to Blake's. I personally couldn't ever wear them, which is why I've found some lower heel alternatives!

9. From Topshop, no surprise this is £85, however, I did buy a blazer very similar to this from River Island last year and wore it for weeks as it's warm without that 'preparing for a cold winter look'. 

10. This jewellery piece isn't partially close to what Blake was wearing however when I saw it I had to incorporate it somehow, there seems to be a pattern with Topshop items here! It's £15.50 so I would for sure advice being patient and waiting for the sales seeing as most of the jewellery becomes half price, I seem like a bit of a cheapskate but when there's so many beautiful clothes to buy I need to be! 

11. Finally this Topshop bag is £36 and beautiful... It almost brings back a fashionable nostalgia to the days when backpacks were the only bags to my name! 

12. This bracelet is also from Miss Selfridge and costs £8.50. I think it would be a great addition to an otherwise fairly plain outfit. 

I hope you've enjoyed my choices, this has been a very risky post considering now I have so many more clothes that I 'need' to purchase after looking at so many websites. Please tell me there's other people out there who constantly look up celebrity styles just so I don't feel quite as stalkerish! 

THE FRESHER'S SURVIVAL GUIDE # 1 | WHAT TO PACK?!

If like me you're a bit of a worrier, then you'll know how stressful life changes can be and how scary they may seem. I've decided to write a series of posts to help all you freshers to be, get ready for going away to uni and hopefully give you some comfort that it really isn't all that scary but instead a great experience. I'm starting my final year at uni this October and I always feel like people who are actually still experiencing what you're going into, are often the ones you trust and believe the most, so hopefully I can help with my experiences.

Firstly, I thought it would be handy to talk about what to pack. When you're away at uni you do have a huge amount of new freedom and independence, but obviously this also means a whole lot of responsibility, you need to make sure you've packed everything, for every occasion and for every possibility.

I cannot pack light and obviously as a beauty blogger, I'm obsessed with beauty products, which definitely doesn't allow you to pack light... Wouldn't it be so much easier if we were boys? they don't need half as much as us girls do! 

What to pack?

I'm sure you could get by with a lot less but if you want to make sure that you have everything you need and to avoid having to get buses or any other public transport all over a new place that you're not familiar with you may want to pack for every possible situation. I had a Tesco Express right next to my accommodation which was really handy as I only had to walk down from my block, through the reception and I was pretty much already there. However, as it was only a small Tesco, it didn't stock everything or much in the way of utensils, plates, etc. The nearest town was about a 15 minute walk away from my accommodation, however, it wasn't the nicest area so I didn't really like walking around there much, especially alone so I made sure that I stocked up on most things that I would need when I was at home. 

Kitchen Supplies 

Before uni, I luckily already knew how to cook the basics. It's a good idea to know the basics of how things work, especially the oven and how to boil pasta and rice as these can be good bases for your meals. Most of the people that I lived with were on the same level as me and we all helped each other out if we needed some advice, so don't worry if you're not the best cook, you're all in the same boat! One of my flat mates had absolutely no idea how to make anything and even had to ask me how you put a pizza in the oven, so we all tried to help him out and by the end of the year he was able to boil his own pasta, add a sauce AND put pizza and wedges in the oven! It's definitely a good idea to get a little student cook book or something, as you do quickly get bored of every meal being pasta and you welcome the change! You can also look up recipes online. One of my flat mates and I used to type into google, 'what to cook with chicken' etc and lots of easy ideas would come up.

I can be a bit of an awkward person and sometimes didn't like cooking with other people and worried what they might think of what I'm eating or how I'm eating it, but honestly that's silly and you really don't need to worry. Everyone has different tastes but no one will care about what you're cooking, if anything they'll be jealous if you're actually cooking something interesting and they're on their sixth pizza of the week! 

Okay... so what do you need to pack to ensure you can cook?

Appliances

1. Toaster
2. Kettle
3. Radio

Some places provide both a toaster and a kettle, however mine didn't, so we all chipped in to buy a toaster, which obviously between 8 of you doesn't cost you much at all. One of my flatmates brought a kettle with him which we all shared. If you're fine with people sharing your stuff then feel free to bring them with you, however kitchen space is often limited so you may find it a better idea to wait until you get there and do what we need, so you all buy a new toaster or kettle and share between you all. 

Another great idea is to buy a small radio between you all, which also won't cost you much once the price is divided between you all. It brightens up the environment and also is a great idea for when you have 'flat parties' or 'pre drinks.' 

Equipment

1.Plates & bowls
2.Cups/glasses/mugs
3.Cutlery

I brought 2 big plates, 2 small plates and 2 bowls from our set we have at home as you don't need a full family set as this will just encourage you not to wash up. If you bring 2, you can be a little lazy with washing up or you may have a guest over who wont want to share your plate with you!

Everyone who I lived with thought I was a little strange that I would fill up 2 glasses every time I had a drink, however when you're doing work in your room, you don't always want to be coming out to get a refill of your drink, so I was glad to always have a spare. 

I did buy a full set of cutlery, 4 forks, 4 knives, 4 spoons and 4 teaspoons. This is handy as they don't take up much room, as they came in a round holder, like a pen holder and it's handy in case you lose one or two. 

4. A big sauce pan and a little sauce pan 

5. Frying pan 

6. A couple of big stirring spoons, wooden or any other spatula

7. Flat baking tray (for chips or any other quick dinner)

8. Deep Baking tray (Incase you get a little more advanced and decide to cook some meat or bake potatoes etc).

9. Tin opener

10. Vegetable peeler

11. Bottle opener (VERY ESSENTIAL & your flatmates will love you)

12. Cheese grater

13. microwaveable bowl 

14. measuring jug (You probably wont often need this)

15. Chopping knife

16. Chopping board (VERY ESSENTIAL, you wouldn't want to use the side board once you've all used the kitchen and discovered that people are not clean and tidy)!

17. Scissors

18.Tea Towels (a few if you're not going to do your washing often)

19. Cling film & Kitchen foil

20. Plastic tubs for leftovers

21. Sandwhich bags

22. Plastic drink bottle, to take out with you instead of having to buy drinks out all of the time.

I didn't use these but you may also want:

1. Pizza cutter

2. Colander

3. Sieve

4. Whisk

Other

1.ANTI-BACTERIAL SPRAY!!! (HUGE necessity, it's more than likely that at least a few of the people you live with will be very messy!).
2.Sponges for washing up (I would advise to keep yours in your cupboard as that's what I did and my sponges remained clean and smelling of washing up liquid, while every other sponge had turned brown and horrible. 
3.Washing up liquid (Mine smelt strongly of mint and tee tree which was a good extra as it made everything feel even cleaner in a not so clean environment, so nice smells are a must)!
4.Basic recipe book
5.Shot glasses! 
6.You may want to bring some cheap plastic cups for when friends come over for pre-drinks, without glasses. 

Food Basics

As money is always an issue, while you're a poor student at uni, I'd recommend making the most of whatever your parents feel like offering you. Most will probably be so worried about whether you're going to survive on your own that they will be happy to buy you lots of food to take with you. Any quick and easy foods are great, like soups, beans, crackers, fruits... (obviously not together)! I found that the milkshake powders that you can buy are really handy, as they're quick and easy and fill you up when you're a little hungry. 

Bedroom Supplies

1.Bedding, sheets, duvet/quilt/covers 
2.Pillows & cases
3.Mattress protector 

Some of this may already be provided so it may be worth checking. I was provided with a mattress protector, but brought the rest of the bedding with me.

4. Alarm clock (Or just use your phone)

5. Desk Lamp

6. Bin & Bin bags, or just large carrier bags (I had a bin provided)

7. Pins (I had a pin board, so needed a lot of pins for photos, uni posters and work etc as we were not allowed to put anything on the walls). 

8. Photos and familiar items to make you feel more at home.

Laundry Items & Other Cleaning products

1.Clothes wash basket/bag and clothes airer (to save paying for tumble drying all the time)!

2. Washing detergent/liquid/powder

3. Clothes hangers (May be provided but likely to not have enough)

4. Spare sponges, clothes, dusting clothes

5. Anti-bacterial spray

6. General polish sprays/glass cleaner/bathroom sprays (Very handy for room inspections)!

7. Toilet cleaner

8. Air freshener 

Stationary 

1.Lots of note pads

2.Folders/ring binders

3.Lots of pens, pencils, coloured pens...

4.HIGHLIGHTERS (I can't tell you how many I've gone through in my 2 years)

5.Sticky notes

6.Revision flash cards

7. Permanent markers (useful for marking what's yours in the kitchen etc)

8. Hole punch

9. Stapler/staples

10.scissors

Other - Fun stuff

1.Alcohol

2.Dressing up items (Normal themes are, school disco, beach party, Military,pyjama...)

3.Face paint

4.Pack of cards 

5. Any other board game that can be turned into a drinking game, or if you're not so cool, like me, I played monopoly with my boyfriend and another couple and drank tea... either way.

6.TV, Xbox & games (One of my flat mates brought hers and we spent hours playing, I would never normally play but when you're at uni it's a great way to bond with everyone and play together)

7. Gym wear

8. Swimwear

Other - Boring stuff

1.GOOD Ear plugs(I lived next door to an idiot who literally played music for the whole town to hear and then decided drums were a good idea...at all hours)! 

2. Medicines for freshers flu! (I didn't suffer luckily! But most do)

3. Sewing kit

4. Passport/ID

5.Passport size photo

6.Offer letters from your uni and any other details

7.Printer & Ink (not necessary but library printer costs can add up)!

8. Winter coat, scarf, gloves (Depending on where you are, it can get freezing when you least expect it). 
9.Painkillers

I hope that's helped, in case you were struggling with packing, obviously you'll also need the basics, like toiletries, clothes, make-up etc, but they were just too obvious to include. 

KATE MIDDLETON INSPIRED NAILS

I love my nails being painted; I can't stand having them naked, so, the only time I'm not wearing any nail varnish is when I'm taking the old colour off, to put on the new colour. However, I do hate choosing what colour to paint them or what nail art to try, as I'm sure like us, you've all got so many that you're literally choosing from every colour possible.

While I was sitting pondering over which colour to choose, Kate and Will came on the television, showing off their new royal baby. The polka dot blue and white print of Kate's dress was so cute, especially since she had a boy, so I wanted to follow the theme and copy take inspiration with my nails. I'm definitely a fan of the whole, 'wear the gender colour of your baby', so pink for girls and blue for boys, as long as it remains classy like Kate's and not over the top. 

The blue base colour is from Nails inc. If you've read our previous posts on Nails inc polishes, you'll know that we haven't ever paid full price for any of the quite a few that we now own and instead have either bought them with a magazine or when they've been on offer. They're nice, but they're not £11 nice. This colour came with Instyle magazine and ours either never had a name or it's just come off. 

I used two of the NAIL ART pens, one bright pink for the petals and a white to do the dots. I'll forgive you if you didn't guess that the design on the ring finger is supposed to be roses! At least I tried! I used Revlon's Nude pink for the inside of the roses and also added the Barry M confetti in Marshmallow to try to add texture to the roses, however, you can't really see this in the photo. The green leaves are Models Own Green Tea. 

I loved having my nails like this as it made a change from just one plain colour and I got so many compliments! Even people that I wouldn't expect to even notice my nails were commenting on how good they looked, which was nice. 

I'd love to know what your favourite, easy nail art designs are? 

KARDASHIAN KOLLECTION FOR LIPSY

Without sounding like a totally obsessed stalker; while following all of the Kardashians on instagram, especially Kourtney, I couldn't help but yern for the next Kardashian Kollection to be released. All three of the Kardashians upload various pieces of their kollection and it all looks so amazing on them. (I'm starting to realise I may be revealing too many girl crushes!). A vague release date of the new Autumn/Winter Kardashian Kollection has finally been announced for October.  However, an additional surprise has also been handed to us; the collection will no longer be sold at Dorothy Perkins, moving instead to Lipsy! I'm not yet fully decided on my opinion on this! 

Thrilled by the news there will be another collection available for us in the UK, I can't help but be curious of the logistics of the change and the reasons. That is, there are only around thirteen stores in the UK the rest being concessions, so will there be enough of the Kollection in the High Street for all of us, a serious concern! 

Initially I was surprised to learn that it would be in Lipsy, however I thought the same thing of Dorthy Perkins, as in my view it has a very different target audience and style, for example DP's range of basics is far from the dresses and blazers of the previous Kollections. In saying this I think that Lipsy does have a much more young, glamorous and dressy style that should suit the Kollection more, as well as hitting the target consumers more effectively. Also Lipsy's pieces are known to be more expensive, like the Kardashian Kollection, as it always seemed a bit too high in price for Dorothy Perkins. However, one negative of the change to Lipsy is that Dorothy Perkins were very generous with their offers and I don't think Lipsy will do the same, which is likely to make us less inclined to buy as much as we otherwise would. 

Overall, I can't wait to see the new Kollection, and can only hope, although unlikely, that this time its the Kardashians themselves modelling it, as I always thought Dorothy Perkins were missing a trick in not doing so on their website. As well as this, I also hope that they begin to sell more than just the clothes, shoes and bags, as in the USA they sell underwear and home accessories that need to be in my possession!

BABY LIPS FULL RANGE REVIEW UK | WORTH THE HYPE?!

Oh my gosh... really? Another Baby Lips post on a beauty blog?! How original...

Yeah, I think there's probably a fine line between the hype and the annoyance of the hype by now. 

Anyway, we embraced the hype with open arms as we wanted to know what the fuss was all about, so we bought them all. 

Cherry Me, Pink Punch, Peach Kiss, Hydrate, Intense Care, Mint Fresh

I had looked around in my local Boots and Superdrug, when I saw that they had been spotted in some UK stores, however, I never had any luck until last Saturday when I wasn't even expecting it! 

I was shopping with my boyfriend and as I'm trying not to buy anything that I don't actually need, I completely ignored everything in Superdrug that I would normally lust over. We had only gone in to get something for my boyfriend, which was safe because man stuff doesn't interest me at all. When he went to pay I went with him so I could nab the beauty card points. This was when it happened... 

There sitting pretty at the till, were the Baby Lips, waiting for me to acknowledge their appearance and grab them up. I actually shrieked and mumbled, "I need them". I started to worry; the que was huge and I didn't want to just but in as I wasn't the one paying so I couldn't just add them with my boyfriends stuff. 

Luckily I have a lovely boyfriend and he said I could add one, (I don't think he realised one wasn't really an option. Come on, they're 3 for 2)! So I mentioned this to him and he said I could chose 3, YEY! The whole range wasn't there, so I had Peach Kiss, Hydrate, Mint Fresh and Intense Care to chose from. I quickly picked up Peach Kiss, Mint Fresh and Hydrate. 

A few days later I looked in Boots to get the others and nearly didn't see them as they were right at the bottom of the Maybelline stand, nearly hidden. Unfortunately they only had the Intense Care, which must be an unpopular one as the rest were sold out. I went to Superdrug and I nearly thought that they didnt have any either, but luckily they were all at the till and all of the colours/flavours were there too! I grabbed the remaining colours and also got some for Hannah too. 

Cherry Me, Pink Punch, Peach Kiss, Hydrate, Intense Care, Mint Fresh

So what do we think? 

Non-Tinted Baby Lips:

Hydrate (blue), Intense Care (yellow) and Mint Fresh (green) are the non coloured ones, so they are clear on the lips. These all contain SPF 20, which is a nice bonus for most, although I have heard of some people that say they can't use lip balms with SPF in. The balms contain aloe, honey and shea butter, which are popular in skin care. They claim to give 8 hours hydration to the lips. 

 We were really impressed with how hydrating and creamy the balms feel on your lips, considering they are hard sticks of product. Although they seem very similar, we are definitely finding favourites as we use them more and more. 

Hydrate, Intense Care, Mint Fresh

Hydrate (Blue):  Firstly I love the colour contrast of the pink and blue as it's very cute. The lip balm has a lemon scent to it which is subtle and pleasant. However, I'm not a huge fan of this one overall, as it leaves an unpleasant taste in the mouth when you apply it. I'm not sure how to describe it; it isn't horrible, it's just that kind of not nice lip balm taste... 

Intense Care (Yellow):  This one doesn't have any smell to it and is the only unfragranced one out of the six that have been released in the UK, which may be the reason why it doesn't seem as popular. However, it's really nourishing on the lips and does everything you would expect. I'm not sure whether it's any more conditioning than any of the others, as it claims to be the 'intense care' balm but it's still a great product.

Mint Fresh (Green): This is my favourite of the non tinted Baby Lips. It has a gorgeous mint smell to it, which is pleasant and not overpowering at all. When applied to the lips it leaves a slight tingly effect, like mint products tend to do, so it feels like it's really working into the lips. I applied this balm earlier and it left my lips feeling really nourished and hydrated and around 5 hours later, my lips are still not feeling like they need any lip balm reapplied. I can't feel the product on them anymore, as you would expect...that would be pretty impressive, however, I do feel like I can still feel the effects, as I'm normally applying a lip balm every couple of hours. (My boyfriend just over read that last claim and said, "Every couple of hours?! More like every couple of minutes"). Well, there you have it!

Hydrate, Intense Care, Mint Fresh

Tinted Baby Lips:

Unlike the non-tinted Baby Lips, these three do not include spf 20, which doesn't really bother me... but now I think about it, it would be handy to have these when you're sunbathing on holiday as they would add a gorgeous hint of colour to your otherwise make-up free face and protect your lips from the sun! But I can get over that. 

We both love these three; they smell gorgeous, look so pretty & cute and also leave a lovely tint to the lips. They seem to give the same nourishing and conditioning benefits as the non-tinted Baby Lips and apply really easily and feel nice and creamy but light, on the lips. 

Cherry Me, Pink Punch, Peach Kiss

Cherry Me (orange): This Baby Lips has quite a strong gorgeous cherry scent to it as you would guess. However, it isn't over powering at all and once it's applied to your lips it's only a very subtle scent. It also adds a rose-pink tint to the lips, which is a lovely natural colour. Although not the strongest of colours, I really like this one for an on the go touch up as  it adds enough colour to brighten up your face but is still subtle enough to be able to apply without a mirror and you wont make any mistakes, like you might with lipstick. 

Pink Punch (Pink): This has to be my favourite smelling Baby Lips, as it's a gorgeous summery bubblegum type scent. When I first applied this to my lips I was so surprised at how pigmented it really is. It gives a really bright but lighter pink colour to the lips, which I would say is more than a subtle tint, however, it's still just as easy to wear and apply on the go. 

Peach Kiss (Purple): Once again, Peach Kiss has a lovely smell to it and as you can guess, it's a peach scent. This one gives the least colour out of the three, as it's a nude colour in the stick. It gives a subtle nude tone to the lips and feels as lovely on as all of the others. 

So, are they worth the hype?!

Considering that the hype around these little things is probably compatible with the excitement that surrounded Will & Kate's babies birth, they probably aren't worth that hype. However, we both do really love them. Our favourite's are the tinted ones as they smell and look the best on the lips. I love that these are great for adding colour to your lips, without having to worry about having a mirror around to apply it and how they're going to last. I also really love the minty one as it is the one that feels like it's doing the most to your lips, as it gives the tingly feeling to them. I'm impressed with how well they seem to moisturise the lips and I've definitely noticed I don't need to reapply as much as I normally would. These have replaced our current lip balms; we both normally use Carmex and we much prefer these. 

I would recommend giving these a go if you're interested and love cute packaging and pretty scents. So far they do seem great for the lips too!

SAVE, SPEND, SPLURGE | MAC LUSTERING LIPSTICK DUPES

A couple of months ago, Debenhams had a 10% offer on all of their beauty products, which included MAC Cosmetics and as a new MAC addict I couldn't resist ordering a few things... I pondered over which shades of lipstick to get, as I was relying on online swatches, that all seemed to look different, therefore it's not the easiest way to pick lipstick. I chose Vegas Volt (reviewed and swatched here) and Lustering. I really wanted a nice bright but wearable pink and Lustering seemed a good choice. 

When I first tried Lustering, I really liked the colour, so I was pleased with my choice. However, after wearing it a couple more times and also wearing Revlon's Lip Butter in Sorbet, in between, I realised that they are nearly identical! Now, this is a good realisation for those who don't want to fork out on a MAC lipstick as they are pretty pricey! However, this is pretty annoying for me, as out of the 100's of exciting colours that I could have chosen, I chose one which I pretty much already own! 

Left-Right, MUA Shade 3, Revlon Lip Butter Sorbet, MAC Lustering

Dupe #1 MUA Shade 3 Lipstick - £1!

Even more annoying is the fact that I also own ANOTHER lipstick that is very similar and so much cheaper! MUA shade 3 looks a very similar colour in the stick, however, it is quite a bit darker on the lips and has more of a matte finish than the Revlon Lip Butter and MAC Lustering. However, for £1, you are getting a good lipstick of a very similar colour shade! I would probably use this lipstick to top up Lustering and carry it around with me on a night out, as I would much rather risk losing a £1 lipstick, that wont break the bank to replace, than a £15 one! 

Dupe #2 Revlon Lip Butter Sorbet - £7.99

As the Revlon Lip Butter is the closet Dupe to MAC Lustering, I'll be focusing on only those two for the rest of this post. 

The colours are very true to how they are shown in the photographs. I would describe both as quite bright but darker toned pinks, that are very wearable and would look great on the majority, if not all skin tones. Not only are the colours very similar in the stick and on the lips, the texture is also nearly identical. When I first applied MAC's Lustering, I was quite surprised how different the texture seemed than the other lipsticks that I own. I now realise that it's due to it's lustre finish which means it is more sheer and gives a wet-look glossy finish. Similarly, the Revlon Lip Butters give a very similar finish. Although both lip products can be applied sheer, you definitely don't need to apply much more for a much fuller and darker colour, which I really like. Both apply really smoothly and so easily onto the lips. They also last really well and I don't find either of them drying at all. You do need to reapply after a few hours, to bring back the intensity in the colour, however, they do slightly stain the lip so the hint of colour remains on the lips for a very long time, even if you do not reapply. 

 As you can see both the Revlon and MAC lipsticks look identical on the lips. I do think MAC's Lustering does have slighlty more pigmentation and I do think you get more product from MAC lipsticks than the Lip Butters, however for the price difference(Revlon = £7.99 & MAC = £15), I would definitely go for the Revlon Lip Butter for a nearly identical dupe, if you don't want to splurge on MAC. The MUA lipstick is a close match however not as exact, but definitely worth trying out for only £1! 

OOTD/N | RACHEL BILSON STYLE

To give a little insight into how much we love all things Rachel Bilson, we're currently scouting Ebay for a new full season box set of The OC because we have watched the four seasons so many times the DVD's are on their last legs and barely even work. (I'm now starting to think that that's not something to admit to so openly). My love for The OC was created through a slight girl crush I harbour for Rachel Bilson. I have always kept close tabs on any of her latest projects, for example her Shoe collection at Shoe Mint that tragically can't be ordered to the UK, however owning a pair is on my bucket list so I will find a way! 

When the TV programme, The Hart of Dixie came on I was extremely excited to see more of Rachel, however, when watching it, unlike The OC, I didn't really go past looking at her style and outfits and trying to replicate, or take inspiration from them into my own outfits. Therefore, I became a regular on google, searching for her style and even found Celebrity Style Guide, a website that collects photos of, you guessed it, Celebrity styles. Although you can't see much of the outfit in the photo below, its from Season 2 Episode 4 if you're intrigued. (I couldn't find a full length photo anywhere)!

Rachel's outfit on The Hart of Dixie

I found the top in River Island and instantly thought of the episode I had watched the previous morning.  Although I completely understand this is not Rachel's personal style it can't be denied she looks amazing in most things and so I have became a fan of the Shows style that can also be found on celebrity style. The leggings that I'm wearing come from Miss Selfridge and in my opinion take away the office look of the white collar shirt and add a more stylish feel to the outfit. The necklace is from Accessorize, around this time last year, finally the shoes are from Primark and give me the added height that I am always in need of. Which brings me to another reason why I love (bit too intense, I did say girl crush!) Rachel; which is for her lack of height, google says 5 foot 1 inch, and at 5 foot 4 inches we are close enough for me, I think its refreshing to not style yourself on someone that is 6 foot and will clearly wear clothes in a completely different way to yourself. 

Overall this is a fairly simple and easy outfit that would be suitable for the day time; you could wear some flats with it to make it look more casual and maybe tie your hair up like Rachel's in the Episode. It would also be great for a night out; you could add higher heels, more jewellery and other accessories and obviously intensify the make-up, with maybe a bold red/pink lipstick. 

Here's a close up of the print, which I think is a really great pattern as I haven't seen much of this pattern elsewhere or many other tops that are of this shape or style either, therefore, it's quite a unique buy. 

The leggings are really in style right now, especially as we're not far off of the autumn/winter months again.They're great to wear as they're super comfy, but look stylish and the PU, leather look panels really are a great feature and turn normal plain black leggings into something way more dressy and interesting.

These shoes are so great for only £12 from Primark, we've never really tried Primark's shoes before, but recently we've picked up a few pairs and really like them, especially as the prices are so low too!

 The nail varnish that I'm wearing is a Shellac colour, which our opinions of, may be being featured in a future post, so keep an eye out! 

Does anyone else love Rachel's style?

BEAUTY WISHLIST # 2

A couple of months ago, I wrote a post (that you can read 'here'), about my shopping problems that I'm sure we are all guilty of. You'll know that you also suffer from the same problems as me if you have enough beauty products, that you could probably survive without going shopping for at least a couple of years. Who really needs draws full of products when you can only use a few everyday anyway!? 

To slightly ease my intense desire to always be buying new products that I don't realistically need, I have decided to write everything down that I want to buy and keep wish lists, for when I have actually ran out of a particular product. Also, in case anyone decides that they just want to treat me then I'll have a very, very long list for them to chose from. Unfortunately for me, my birthday is the same month as Christmas, so I have to wait all year for the two best days when people just love lavishing you with presents. 

 1. Maybelline Baby Lips 

2. Lush Toner Water

3. Lush Big Shampoo

 4. Clinique 'Take the day off' Cleansing Balm

5. Mac Cranberry Eye shadow

6. Mac Sketch Eye Shadow

7. Tangle Teezer

1. Maybelline Baby Lips

When I first started to hear about Baby Lips from the American bloggers and youtubers I wasn't really too bothered about them. However, once every female in the UK started to crave them, I also started to think I needed to try them. They're so cute looking that I'm finding myself not being able to resist them anymore! 

2. Lush Toner Water

I really love how natural Lush products are and their toner waters look really lovely. I also watched one of Jaclyn Hill's Youtube videos and she said she used one of these toners, so if they're good enough for her, they're good enough for me! 

3. Lush Big Shampoo

I was given two little sample pots of this shampoo earlier this year and I now feel like I definitely need to get the full size product. The shampoo contains sea salt, so it seems really weird putting it into your hair, as it's a very different texture than we're all used to. However, it does foam up really well and a little amount easily covers your whole hair. It also has the most gorgeous smell to it. The first time I used the shampoo, I washed my hair in the morning and saw my boyfriend that evening. He told me that I smelt really nice and I said it was probably my perfume that I had JUST sprayed minutes before, but it wasn't and it was actually my hair that he could still smell! Amazing! 

4. Clinique Take the day off Balm Cleanser

I've really been getting into skincare lately and I've been trying to use up all of my face products as prior to this year, I didn't have much of a skincare routine. I've now hit the 20's and I'm sure I'm noticing wrinkles appearing, so I've now been trying to treat my skin really nicely, in hope that it will treat me well too in the future years to come. Also, balm cleansers have Caroline Hiron's seal of approvable so they must be good! 

5. Mac Cranberry & 6. Mac Sketch Eye shadow

I love the summer and if I could, I would happily move somewhere where it's always warm and sunny. I didn't think I would even miss the seasons, as people normally say they would miss the leaves turning colour and coming in from the cold, to a burning fire, cinnamon and christmasy smelling candles.. blah, blah... Recently I've been getting sick of the corals and bright pinks and instead craving autumn/winter colour make up; I've been longing for the chance to wear burgandy and cranberry shadows, like these two from MAC and dark lipsticks. I don't want the summer months to end, but I do want the autumn/winter make up to start!

7. Tangle Teezer

I'm so obsessed with make up that I really feel like I neglect my hair. I like the idea of doing lots of glamourous styles, however, I take so long with my make up that I normally run out of time. I've recently been trying to make more of an effort with my hair and I feel that I need the tangle teezer in my life. As I have very thin hair, it does tangle very easily and often tangles itself up, for no reason whatsoever. I think the tangle teezer will be good to carry around with me, so that I can untangle my hair easily and not have to carry a huge bursh with me. 

Let me know what's on your wish list as I'm sure I'll be needing to add stuff to mine too!