Fashion Looks I Love

Hi! I thought I'd do a fashion post, as since it's awards season there have been a lot of gorgeous dresses! It was also London Fashion Week recently, and I was particularly interested in watching the video of the Topshop Unique show, since Topshop Unique is actually easily available to me and girls like me, although it's still quite expensive so I would probably only buy something if I really loved it. I saw a lot of fur in the Topshop Unique show, which was gorgeous but I really hope it's faux!

So firstly I was randomly watching the Diane Von Furstenberg Spring 2015 show and saw some really beautiful pieces. I also thought the models looked stunning, a lot of them actually smiled and they also weren't too skinny. I saw this dress and was quite surprised at how similar it is to one I spotted when I was browsing in Peacocks the other day:

I mean obviously the style is very different but the print is almost identical! I know the High Street shops are influenced by high end designers but I haven't seen a similarity like this lately. The Peacocks dress is £16 here. I quite like it but I probably won't buy it because I already have enough summer dresses, and I don't really love it enough if that makes sense. However this dress is definitely a cheerful, summery piece and it makes me quite happy just looking at it - it's almost Spring so hopefully it's not that long to go now until it will hopefully be warm enough to wear dresses like this!

Ten Makeup Favourites Under £10!

Hi! So I thought since I've mentioned high end brands in my other posts so far that it was about time I balanced it out a bit and talked about really good affordable products (I'm sticking to makeup, because it would be hard to talk about skincare as well and fit into a list of ten products!) They're all available at your local Boots or Superdrug unless stated otherwise, and they're all in no particular order. For each product I'll mention if there's a high end product it compares to and if I have any minor gripes with it. Enjoy!

1. Collection Ultimate Wear Lasting Perfection Concealer, £4.19

I'm starting with an obvious one! I mentioned this in my last post as I'm currently trying out the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer and I'm curious to see how it compares with this. This concealer is really, really good - there's a reason it gets so much hype in the beauty community (blogs and YouTube.) It gives you a high coverage and doesn't look cakey. It can sometimes be drying and settle into fine lines under my eyes, but other than that this concealer is amazing. I've repurchased it many times.

Here is a swatch along with the NARS one. The NARS concealer is making the Collection concealer look kind of orange but it's not! The fairest shade is a good match for my skin tone.

Top: Collection. Below: NARS.

Some Exciting New Purchases

...or at least exciting for me!

So - oh dear. I caved.

My Bright Lipstick Of Choice

If anyone reading this post knew me at Uni in Aberystwyth and ever went on a night out with me you may well have seen me wearing a bright pink lipstick. It might seem like an unlikely choice for someone as naturally shy as I am, however I'm not scared of wearing this colour - in fact it makes me feel more confident! Alcohol also helps.

MAC Show Orchid Lipstick

As you can see, it's a beautiful bright fuchsia pink. It's bold and definitely a night time shade, and I've worn it on countless nights out.

Here is a picture of me wearing it in my first year at Uni:

I took this photo in a nightclub and apparently didn't think to move my hair out of my face first! Haha. This is such a throwback. It was when I first started 'coming out of my shell' I suppose, both in terms of wearing brighter makeup and my all together more outgoing personality when I started going out more at university.

To be fair I was already quite late to the party when it came to makeup, as I don't think I started wearing it regularly until I was 16-17. (And then getting kind of obsessed with it from 17 onwards) Before that, I'd only dabbled with lip smackers, lipglosses that I got free with teen magazines and an eye shadow palette shaped like an Ipod that a friend got me when I was 14.

Anyway, while I definitely wouldn't say I *need* this lippie to feel confident, it certainly does help with making me feel good about myself - something which doesn't happen too often. I think it compliments my fair skin nicely, probably because of the blue undertones. So if you're fair skinned like me and are looking for a new bright lipstick, this one is a great choice! It's definitely one of my favourites.

This lipstick used to only be available at MAC PRO stores (I bought it when it was available with a limited edition collection) but I just looked on their website and found it's being sold there! Eee! The only snag is that it's quite expensive at £15.50 (ouch. MAC lipsticks were £13.50 when I first started buying them 3 or 4 years ago.) 

So if you're on a budget and would like to buy a dupe, I have a lippie in my collection which is very similar, just slightly darker - L'oreal Rouge Caresse Lipstick in 202 Impulsive Fuchsia.

Comparing swatches on my arm

I don't know why I bought it really considering how similar it is to the one I've already got, but oh well! It's not that different from Show Orchid in terms of formula. Both are quite shiny and I would say the L'oreal one is a little bit more nourishing on the lips, but Show Orchid is by no means drying.

Sometimes I like to use this as a 'base colour' to help Show Orchid stay on better. Or other times I might not want to take Show Orchid out with me and risk losing it (yes, I'd be kind of upset - is that sad?!) so I take this for top ups instead.

Personally I like both a lot but prefer Show Orchid's ever-so-slightly lighter colour - not to mention I love the vanilla-y smell that MAC lipsticks have!

The L'Oreal Rouge Caresse Lipstick is £7.99 available from Boots and Superdrug. MAC Show Orchid is available here.

Do you like bright lipstick? If so, what's your favourite? x

Review: Urban Decay Naked on the Run Palette

Hi! So for my first proper beauty blogging post I thought I'd share with you my thoughts on a recent release by Urban Decay, the limited edition Naked on the Run Palette, which Urban Decay describe as:

The ultimate travel kit for Naked junkies, this palette comes loaded with EVERYTHING you need for a complete Naked look.

Yep, it has you all set - well apart from with foundation, concealer and brushes!

I received this product for Christmas and have really enjoyed using it. It's actually briefly stopped me from buying any more make-up since at the time it had been a while since I'd tried anything new and I was getting tempted (even though I have plenty of make-up.)

It is a little bit bulky but you do get plenty in there and it doesn't weigh that much. It also has a built in mirror which is very handy on the go.

So what do you get?

First Post!

Hi everyone!

I'm pleased to introduce myself and my new blog! I already have a blog for my creative writing and opinions at sabrinajaine.wordpress.com, and I thought it would be a good idea to create a separate one for fashion and beauty. I've been meaning to set up this blog for ages and I thought it was about time!

A bit about me: I'm 22 and from Staffordshire. Last July I graduated from Aberystwyth University with a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing. I love pretty much anything girly and pretty, and in this blog I'll share my thoughts on beauty products, my 'hauls', fashion looks and items that I have my eye on - all on a currently unemployed graduate budget... (hopefully not for much longer, though!)

I'm sorry in advance for the quality of my photos - I'm still finding my feet when it comes to photography. I'm also going to work on getting the background and everything to look good too, so bear with me for a bit!

Hope you enjoy my blog :)