No7 Haulin'

Those pesky £5 off vouchers, they always catch me off guard. I had somehow managed to acquire two over the past week so when I was in Boots this afternoon I felt obliged to use them, you know how it is. Im going out this weekend and im totally out of fake tan so my initial plan was to just use one and get myself a new bottle of the orange stuff but £30 later here's what I ended up with...

Beautiful Skin Cleansing Water for Normal/Oily Skin

Quick Dry Tinted Lotion in Medium/Dark

Nourishing Lip Shine in Pink

Stay Perfect Nail Colour in 'Lucky Lilac'
Free Gift

I've never tried a no7 fake tan before, but whilst I had the voucher I thought why not give one a try; I normally flit between good old St Moritz and the Superdrug Solait lotion so I was fancying a bit of a change. I chose the 'Quick Dry Tinted Lotion' as they didnt have a mousse option and im not a big fan of sprays so im hoping it gives me the desired glow; ill be sure to let you guys know if I like it.

The sales assistant informed me that when you spent £25 (including your voucher) you got a free goodie bag and I am SOO weak that I thought 'why not?' and went for it. Id like to point out at this stage that I have no money and have no idea what I was thinking. I mean who do I think I am? Anyway, the first thing I knew I had to get was the nourishing lip shine i've heard so much about. I was hoping they'd have the peachy shade but alas, it was not meant to be and I picked up the pink. I also bought the cleansing water for normal/oily skin as no matter how much I wash my face my eyemakeup just does.not.budge so im hoping that will do the jobby. Finally, to get it up to the £25 mark I picked a nail varnish as it was the cheapest thing going and I bought the shade 'Lucky Lilac' which is a gorgeous pastel lilac colour, as you would expect.

So now on to the all important free gift. I didn't actually bother to look what it was until I got it home because I just heard 'free' and thought 'well okay then!' but ill start by saying im actually really pleased. To begin with it all came wrapped up in a cute little makeup bag which ill deffo be taking on holiday with me next month but the winner for me was easily the 'Exquisite Curl' mascara which I have heard so much about and I cannot wait to try out. I struggle to find mascara's I like and frankly I just hate buying them so that makes life a lot easier for me. There was also a mini 'Liplicious' moisturising balm in the shade 'Sweet Peaches' which I really like the look of and a sample of the 'Triple Protection Tinted Moisturiser' which im excited to try; im a HUGE lover of foundations and base makeup in general. The other 2 freebies didn't excite me as much, they were a mini serum and a mini body wash, BUT THEY WERE FREE, so who the hell cares?!

 

When I paid for all this she gave me ANOTHER no7 voucher, do these people not understand it's hard for me to say no?? My friend literally had to drag me away from the counter. I think I need help. Have you guys been taking advantage of the no7 £5 off vouchers?

Becca.x

 

OOTD & FOTD - Working 9 To 5

It's 9-6 actually but who's counting? Working in retail, Im lucky I have the freedom to wear whatever I want. As long as I look well presented and I don't have too much jiggly flesh on show, I can dress pretty much however I like and I thought you might like to see an example of a typical outfit i'd wear for work. Apologies for the expression on my face, please forgive me, it was 8.30 in the morning and I was running very late.

Graphic Tshirt - Miss Selfridge

Skirt - Topshop

Necklace - H&M

Boots - Office

Bag (on floor) - Zara

I never wear my hair down for work because it takes too long to style and it gets so hot and sweaty on the shop floor (mmm) that I normally just shove it up in a messy bun like this. This tshirt was a totally unexpected find in Miss Selfridge; I never normally buy anything from there but I saw this graphic print and fell in love, it has a beautiful sheer back too. The skirt was a recent purchase from the Topshop sale and set me back a staggeringly high £7, not the most exciting buy ive ever made but deffo something I know ill get plenty of use out of.

Chanel Vita Lumiere Aqua Foundation in 'B20'

Mac Mineralize Skin Finish Natural in 'Medium'

Nars Bronzer in 'Laguna'

Illamasqua Blush in 'Lover'

Revlon Lipstick in 'Pink in the Afternoon'

Mac Eye Kohl in 'Smolder'

Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara

I keep my eye makeup super, super simple for work, im not a big eye shadow wearer anyway so I tend to just wear some black eyeliner in the waterline and a bit of mascara, anything fast basically. I always have to set my foundation with a powder on a morning as I have oily skin and it would not last a 9 hour shift on my face! The only thing I really change up with my work makeup is my lipstick; if im wearing a jazzy outfit ill go for a nude or a pink lip and if im wearing something a bit plainer ill go for something bright such as a coral or an orange. Ive said it once and ill say it again. I love lipstick. Yeah yeah?

Becca.x

Lipstick Series Part 3 - Top 5 Drugstore Lipsticks

For the final installment of my lipstick mini series i'm going to be talking about my favourite "drugstore" lipsticks. I find it weird saying drugstore as we don't really call them that over here in the UK but I thought id go with what the majority of people will know. I remember once when I was about 8 I was in town with my dad and he needed to buy something from Superdrug and I was SO scared we were going to be arrested for buying drugs I started crying...Anyway enough of this trip down memory lane, lets dive straight in to the top 5 (In no particular order).

 

 (L-R Revlon Lip Butter 'Tutti Frutti', Revlon 'Smoked Peach', Topshop 'Infrared', Revlon 'Pink in the Afternoon' Rimmel 'Spotlight Beige')

1) Revlon Lip Butter 'Tutti Frutti' - Revlon lip butter's have had so many rave reviews and whilst I can see why, there are certain factors im not 100% convinced on. This shade however is just perfect. As I have mentioned plenty of times before, I LOVE ORANGE. This is a lovely sheer wash of colour on the lips and is ideal for daytime wear when you want something a little more toned down. It is lovely and moisturising as ive found to be the case with all the lip butters ive tried and this one doesn't contain too much shimmer which a few of them do.

2) Revlon 'Smoked Peach' - As you can probably tell Revlon are by far my favourite high street makeup brand. Smoked peach is the most unique, stunning true peach shade and is easily in my top 5 favourite lipsticks OF ALL TIME (du du duuuuuh). This is a matte lipstick but I have the world's driest lips and this is fine for me, nice and creamy and really smooth. I would rather have this over any of my high-end lipsticks anyday and that's really saying something.

3) Topshop 'Infrared' - Ok ok, now I know I bigged up smoked peach just then but this is just something else. This is the most amazing orange/red and easily my favourite lipstick to wear, and dare I say it, my favourite lipstick of all time. The formula is so smooth and moisturising with a hint of glossiness and for the price I cannot recommend Topshop lipsticks enough. This is a real attention grabbing lipstick and I get so many compliments when I wear it. YOU NEED THIS LIPSTICK IN YOUR LIFE.

4) Revlon 'Pink in the Afternoon' - Another entry for Revlon, shock horror. This is the perfect daytime pink. Simple as. It's super flattering, possibly the most moisturising lipstick i've ever used and it has excellent pigmentation.

5) Rimmel 'Spotlight Beige' - This is such a nice nude; its a pinky brown and not too light so it's ideal if you have highly pigmented lips like me or are slightly darker skinned. It's from the Rimmel 'Moisture Renew' collection so as you would imagine it isn't at all drying and is really easy to wear. Sadly I think this shade has been discontinued but it's pretty easy to find online and shouldn't cost you more than a couple of quid.

I don't have tons of drugstore lipsticks I love but the few i've found are easily some of my all time favourites. I can't recommend Revlon and Topshop highly enough if you're looking for highstreet lippies. As you are well aware I am always looking to expand my lipstick collection (naughty naughty) so be sure to let me know what your favourite highstreet lipstick is!

Becca.x

My New Lover

I was shopping the other day as I have a serious major clothing shortage, but as is always the case in these situations, I couldn't find anything that looked nice and I began to throw a serious diva strop. To try and pull myself out of what was really a very dark time in my life I decided I simply had to buy some new makeup. It was the only way to save myself.

I hastily sped off in the direction of The Victoria Quarter, and more specifically the Illamasqua store, to see what goodies they had that might just cheer me up and I found myself completely enamoured with all the beautiful products. Ive heard so much about their skin base foundation that I knew I would have to invest and see if it lived up to the hype. The sales assistant was very helpful and quickly and accurately matched me to shade 7.5, which seems a good match for when im wearing fake tan as I am at the moment. On the Illamasqua website it says shade 7.5 is for skintone's with a more yellowy undertone, and whilst I normally have quite a neutral skintone, it does seem to be working well with the fake tan I am currently using. Today is the first day I have worn it so I wont do a full review yet but I will say that so far I am LOVING it. If I continue to enjoy using it you can deffo expect it to crop up in my up and coming 'Top 5 Foundations' post.

 

Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation in shade 'SB 7.5' - £25

I was considering being sensible and just leaving it at the foundation, there aren't any makeup items I desperately need at the moment, but when the S.A told me it was 15% off when you bought two products, who was I to refuse? Im only human afterall. So as I seem to be over-run with lipsticks at the moment, I decided to be vaguely sensible and go for a nice new blush, ive been looking for the perfect peachy shade for ages. Ive heard so much about Mac blushers such as 'Peaches' and 'Melba' but for some reason ive never been completely convinced. I was pouring over the blush stand like a total perve when I spotted 'Lover' and without even trying it on I knew it was the one. The website describes it as a 'soft matte apricot' and my god aint that the truth. Ive only worn this blush once and I am quite happy to make this statement; FAVOURITE BLUSHER EVER. That's right, I said it.

Illamasqua Blusher in shade 'Lover' - £16.50

After that cheeky little visit ive realised me and Illamasqua might have just struck up a little love affair and im simply going to have to buy more. Ive already got my eye on the majority of the 'Naked Strangers' collection and the 'Human Fundamentalism' neutral palette is calling my name, 'Beccaaaaa buy meeeee'. 

 What's your favourite Illamasqua products?

 Becca.x

My New Fro

So after a seriously long debate with myself and a whole lot of inner turmoil, I finally took the plunge yesterday and got my hair cut; something which I tend to find quite an ordeal.

Blouse - Zara

Lipstick - Topshop 'Hazard'

To give you a brief insight into my hair history, growing up my hair was very curly and very thick. Up until the age of around 14 I always had it extremely long and rarely used heat on it. At the age of about 15 a defining moment in my life happened; I became the world's biggest emo kid (lol) and this caused me to my bleach my hair bright yellow, straighten it to within an inch of its life, wear terrible ratty hair extensions and dye an ugly black streak in the most ridiculous sweeping side fringe you would ever lay eyes on. Luckily this phase was over and done with within a year or 2. When I left school at the age of 18 I trained as a hairdresser for a year and the ability to have my cut and colour done for free resulted in me sporting a rather eye catching bright red bob. Since I began university in 2009, I have been attempting to grow my hair and because of this I have now developed a fear of going to the hairdressers and coming back bald. Yeah you know what I mean, that old 'Ill only take an inch off' then you come out looking like youve just been scalped.

That then leads us up to this haircut. With my hair being so thick and heavy I told the hairdresser I wanted her to put some shorter layers in to give me some volume and I asked her to not take anything off the actual length; thankfully that's exactly what she did and I am now finding myself constantly flicking my hair round with its new found body. As for the fringe, I asked for a Zooey Deschanel inspired heavy full fringe (or bangs if you're in the US) that was longer at the sides to blend into the rest of my hair; we all know that girl is just queen of the fringe. I didn't get my hair re-ombred however I think the shorter layers have given my colour a new lease of life, it's looking much fresher!

 

Since having my hair dip dyed a few months ago I have noticed the ends of my hair feeling a lot drier and because of this I have felt the need to invest in more specialist haircare, unfortunately good old Herbal Essences just weren't cutting the mustard. I have been using Loreal Professional's 'Silver' shampoo in order to stop my ombre looking brassy and I have just recently purchased Redken's 'Exreme' conditioner which is meant to put the vital proteins back into dry and distressed hair. I want to test the conditioner more before I do a full review of this product, but so far so good!

Overall I am really happy with how my hair is looking and thankful to have found a hairdresser that respects what I actually ask for. Im always on the look out for products that put moisture back into dry or damaged hair so if you have any recommendations please let me know!

Becca.x

Lipstick Series Part 2 - Top 5 High-end Lipsticks

As I mentioned in my Mac lipstick post, I love lipsticks blah blah blah. High-end lipsticks don't take up a big proportion of my collection however, ive found cheaper formulas I really love (such as Topshop) so I am reluctant to spend the best part of £30 on one lipstick when I could have several for the same price. I do have a few I am very fond of though and im not going to lie, I do get a little thrill when I splash out on a pricey lippy, sad I know. So here, in no particular order, are my top 5 high-end lipsticks.

(L-R Estee Lauder 'Crystal Nude', Clarins 'Tender Rose', Chantecaille 'Aurora', By Terry 'Sweet Mandarin' Illamasqua 'Scandal')

1) Estee Lauder 'Crystal Nude' - I hear loads of bloggers and YouTubers talking about Estee Lauder's 'Crystal Baby' but this is not one I ever find mentioned. I have quite naturally pigmented lips and therefore find it quite difficult to find a nude that doesnt look weird on my lips, and doesnt wash me out. This is a gorgeous nude with just the right balance of pink and beige and the glossy formula is perfect for my constantly dry lips.

2) Clarins 'Tender Rose' - I dont normally go for baby pinks, shades that are more peachy or corally tend to suit me more, but Tender Rose is the perfect pink for my complexion. It has excellent pigmentation and it stays put on the lips for a long time which is rare for me to find.

3) Chantecaille 'Aurora' - I love the formula of these Chantecaille 'Lip Sheer' lipsticks as they are very moisturising which is one of the main things I look for in a lip product. I find this colour to be possibly the most boring lipstick I own on first look, however when I apply this to my lips something magical happens and it is the most stunning browny-coral colour which really brightens up my skin if im having a dull day. Also when I bought it, it came in a little velvet pouch, what's not to love about that!?

4) By Terry 'Sweet Mandarin' - This for me is the PERFECT light peachy coral. I love love love love love orange lipsticks and this is the ideal one for day or night. The formula is so creamy and pigmented and goes on incredibly smoothly and the packaging is just to die for!

5) Illamasqua 'Scandal' - As a rule I stay as far away from matte lipsticks as possible. As ive already mentioned a bazillion times in this post I get very dry lips and matte lipsticks are notoriously dehydrating; I think I only own three in my whole collection, this being one of them. I can honestly say this is the creamiest lipstick I have ever used, as I think you can tell in the swatch above, and this bright pink hue is the classiest looking pink ive ever tried; this literally looks so expensive on the lips! So if like me you tend to stay clear of matte lipsticks, id deffo give the Illamasqua ones a shot.

I hope you've enjoyed the second part of my lipstick series, you can expect the final installment shortly! 

Becca.x

Top 10 Nail Polishes For Summer

I never used to get nail polishes. I think it might have something to do with the fact my nail's are so weak and flakey; nail polish never seemed to stick around for longer than 5 minutes before becoming a chipped mess so the desire to bother just wasnt there. I really cannot explain how this has happened, and for my bank balances well being I seriously wish it hadnt, but the last 6 months have seen me develop an obscene collection of nail varnishes and I have turned into some kind of nail painting MACHINE. Anyway, it's happened and im just going to have to accept that im destined to be poor forever; here are my top 10 nail polishes for these beautiful summer months. (I hope you could detect the sarcasm there).

(L-R Models' Own 'Peaches & Cream', Nails Inc 'Albert Place', Essie 'Splash of Grenadine', Topshop 'Naked', Ciate 'Jelly Bean', Rimmel Lycra Pro 'Ultraviolet', Chanel 'Distraction', Essie 'Mint Candy Apple', Nails Inc 'Brompton Place', OPI 'Ogre the Top Blue')

1) Models' Own 'Peaches & Cream' - All my friends know, and im sure over time you will too, that I have a serious love affair with orange. I love orange lipsticks, orange nail polish and ive even been known to rock an orange tan once in a while. Peaches and Cream is a stunning pastel orange which is as you would expect, very peachy. The polish applies smoothly and only takes 2 coats to be opaque, which I have found to be the case with all Models' Own polishes I have tried.

2) Nails Inc 'Albert Place' - Albert Place is the perfect blue nail polish. It is a pastel cornflower shade which is miraculously opaque in just one coat (Although I tend to apply 2 for longevity). Possibly the creamiest formula of nail polish I own and somehow manages to be both bright and muted at the same time; perfect if like me, you're not used to dabbling in a bold hue.

3) Essie 'Splash of Grenadine' - This is a really unique colour, somewhere between a barbie pink and a lilac and perfect for enhancing a tan. What I also love about this polish, and infact Essie polishes in general, is they are now available in Boots and Superdrug so they are ALOT easier to get hold of in the UK.

4) Topshop 'Naked' - This is a sandy coloured nude, very yellow based and is easy to wear toned down with neutral clothing or perfect to pair with a brighter outfit to avoid it being OTT. A very affordable nail polish brand and very smooth to apply.

5) Ciate 'Jelly Bean' - As mentioned in my 'Everyone Loves a Freebie' post, this is available free with this month's Marie Claire magazine. As far as I know, this shade, and the other two available, are exclusive to Marie Claire so I would 100% recommend running out and picking one (or all 3!) up. I think the most obvious thing I can say about this polish is that the bottle is just STUNNING and looks so cute sat in my collection. The shade is a vibrant fuschia pink with a very subtle blue shimmer and is opaque in just 2 coats.

6) Rimmel Lycra Pro 'Ultraviolet' - This is the cheapest polish in my top 10, retailing at just £4.59, but it is easily my favourite for application. The wide brush covers the nail in just one stroke and this is the perfect pastel purple for the summer months. The finish is smooth and shiny and pretty long lasting on the nails.

7) Chanel 'Distraction' - This is the most pricey of my nail polishes but I will say the quality of it is second to none. It is SO creamy and the colour is perfect for me, an orange based coral. The bottle is gorgeous as you would expect from a brand like Chanel and I cant rate this polish highly enough for summer.

8) Essie 'Mint Candy Apple' - Probably the most blogged about nail polish of the moment, I was reluctant to buy this at first because I find things never seem to live up to the hype for me. However this isnt the case and Mint Candy Apple is the perfect pastel mint. It's quite a bluey mint which I prefer to a polish with too much green as I think its a lot easier to wear whatever your skin tone.

9) Nails Inc 'Brompton Place' - This is the definition of barbie pink and is very Nicki Minaj! As with all the other Nails Inc polishes ive tried, the formula is very creamy and opaque and this is the perfect pink for summer.

10) OPI 'Ogre the Top Blue' - This isn't a colour id usually go for as im not a big bright's fan, im quite boring when it comes to polish really, Im not a big fan of glitter or shimmer or duo chrome or any of that jazz! This is such a beautiful vibrant blue though and I just couldn't resist adding it to my collection. OPI are probably my favourite nail polish brand as I find the quality and colour range superior to most other's and this blue definately doesn't disappoint. 

Im a bit sad and love looking at nail polish swatches online, so what are your favourites?

Becca.x

Everyone Loves a Freebie

Ive seen loads of bloggers over the last couple of weeks going crazy for the Benefit freebies in this month's Glamour Magazine. Now personally, I NEVER buy magazines, the insane amount of advertisements and the fact I can rarely afford any of the items they actually feature in their glossy pages mean it just seems like a massive waste of money to me. I much prefer reading blogs or watching YouTube videos as they are real people's opinions, more often than not, talking about products on the great british highstreet.

However, when I heard there was a chance for me to snap up a sample of Benefit's 'The Porefessional' for merely £2 (and with a free copy of Glamour magazine haha) I had to jump at the chance. Having oily skin I always need to use a primer under my foundation but with a £23.50 price tag, and my extremely sensitive skin, its not the kind of thing i'd want to jump in and buy without testing first. So off I tootled down to my local Co-op and was lucky to find the magazine shelf well stocked with all 3 free gift options of Glamour. Having tried 'Bad Gal' before (The mascara) and being distinctly unimpressed, I decided to pick up the 2 primer editions which featured 'The Porefessional' and 'That Gal'.

Whilst browsing further down the aisle I also noticed that Marie Claire were offering a free Ciate nail polish worth £9 for the cost of their £3.70 magazine. There were 3 shades to choose from 'Jelly Bean' a hot pink shade with a subtle blue shimmer, 'Bon Bon' a mauvey looking pale pink, and 'Purple Sherbet' a very creamy pastel lilac. As tempted as I was to buy all 3, my excessive nail polish collection already contains a number of pastel purples and a wide array of muted pinks so I settled with 'Jelly Bean' and dragged myself away to the till where the cashier kindly chirped 'You do realise 2 of these are the same magazine don't you love?' to which I hung my head in shame and nodded 'I know, I just want the freebies'.

 

So now on to what I actually think of the products. I'll start by saying I completely LOVE the nail polish, I never go for bright's so im ecstatic (Yes im really that enthusiastic) I pushed myself out of my comfort zone slightly and went for this bold fuschia shade. It applies like a dream, is completely opaque in 2 coats and hasn't chipped for  3 days, which for my flakey nails is somewhat unheard of. You can see swatches of this nail polish in my upcoming 'Top 10 Nail Polishes for Summer' post.

As for the Benefit products, I think both are nice but neither impressed me as much as I was expecting from all the hype surrounding them. 'That Gal' works well enough as a suble cheek highlighter but personally I didnt enjoy the way it made my skin feel as an all over primer. The Porefessional I do like, however, after wearing it all day at work under my usual foundation, I felt it did no better job than my current 'Lumi Magique' primer from Loreal, and at more than double the price, I wont be purchasing the full size.

Did you purchase this month's Marie Claire or Glamour Magazine? What freebies did you choose?

Becca.x

OOTD - Dead Casual

I was in two minds whether to actually bother featuring this outfit post, my face isn't in the photos because I was having a serious bad face day and you can infact see more of the rickety old garden shed than you can of the outfit itself, but hey, I thought you might all like to see what I wear on just a regular, casual day. After these photo's were taken I popped out for a spot of lunch and browsed the shops looking at beautiful things my massacred post-student bank account cannot afford. Not really selling this outfit am I?

 

Nice little cringey, awkward pose for you there!

Bag - Zara

Oversized Tshirt - Topshop

Necklace - H&M

Cardigan - Miss Selfridge

Leather Panel Leggings - Topshop

Shoes- Coverse (White Low Top) at Office

Nails - Essie 'Mint Candy Apple'

Perfume - Prada 'Infusion d'iris'

Id just like to give the Miss Selfridge cardigan a special little mention as I think it is so similar to the American Apparel modal shawl ive been lusting after for aaages, but at less than half the price. Having said that I do still really want the darker coloured AA one...MY BAD.

Becca.x

Lipstick Series Part 1 - Top 5 Mac Lipsticks

I LOVE LIPSTICKS. Some people like nail polish, some people like blusher; my thing is definitely lipsticks (I like them all but ya get what im saying). I decided I wanted to do regular posts on my makeup and skincare 'Top 5's' and the logical place to begin was most certainly, without a shadow of a doubt, lipsticks. However when I sat down to peruse my larger than necessary collection I realised this was going to be a feat far too large for the likes of me. Because of this I have decided to split my lipstick post's into three; a mini series if you like (Oooh), of mac lipsticks, high-end lipsticks and high street lipsticks.

I have started with my top 5 favourite Mac lipsticks as in my opinion, they are by far the most superior brand in terms of quality and colour range. Before we dive in i'd just like to give an honourable mention to my ALL TIME FAVOURITE LIPSTICK, Mac's 'Fanfare' which would most definitely be making its screen debut in this rambley blog post if it wasn't for the fact I left it in the draw at work and it had melted into a sticky mess. Heartbroken. But without further ado, here are the fab 5, in no particular order, that managed to make the shortlist:

 (L-R Dubonnet, Ravishing, Creme Cup, Costa Chic, Shy Girl)

1) Dubonnet - This was my first EVER Mac lipstick and one that holds a special place in my heart. It's an amplified finish in a deep, berry red; very vampy and perfect for the autumn/winter months.

2) Ravishing - The latest addition to my Mac collection and easily my current fav, Ravishing is a cremesheen finish so lovely and moisturising. The website describes it as a 'clean light peachy coral' and this is the perfect every day shade, one I wear frequently at work.

3) Creme Cup - One of the most well-blogged about Mac lipsticks, I wasn't actually keen on Creme Cup at first as it can wash me out, but with a tan this is a gorgeous nudey pink colour, again in a cremesheen finish, that looks perfect with this summer's pastel trend.

4) Costa Chic - Being a frost finish, I thought I wouldn't like Costa Chic but after hearing so many positive reviews I decided to grab the bull by the horns, so to speak, and purchase the hot coral hue. I don't actually find there to be too much shimmer and the excellent length the colour hangs around on the lips means it is a definite worthwhile investment.

5) Shy Girl - Shy Girl is another cremesheen, by far my favourite formula from Mac, and a much more wearable nude for my skin tone than Creme Cup. A beautiful peachy colour that looks perfect with a brown smokey eye.

Im always looking to expand my collection so do let me know what your favourite Mac lipstick is!

Becca.x 

Home Sweet Home

After a not so whirlwind romance of almost six years me and my boyfriend Andrew have finally decided its time to take the plunge and move in together. I'm back from studying in Sheffield and the tenancy on his current flat runs out in September so it seems to make perfect sense to find our own place. We have decided that each month we will stock up on some of the house bits we will be needing and have started to build up quite the collection.


Now I don't know if this is just me but the cost of homewares seem to be insanely high; I just can't justify spending the best part of £50-£100 on a set of bedding that will blatantly end up covered in fake tan and mascara, or £30 on a candle that will no doubt give me a banging headache. Whilst I am happy to splash the cash on certain things, decorative house items just aren't one of them, and when you can find them so cheap if you really search, why bother?


My current favourite places to shop for little trinkets and treasures are definitely charity shops, or 'thrift stores' if you reside on the other side of the pond. Whilst you do have to be willing to put time aside to scour the shelves of these shops, and believe me I am well aware how tempting it can be to walk in then walk right back out, this is a small price to pay (literally) for the gems you can find if you really put in the effort. Below are some snaps of a few of my favourite finds.

We aren't 100% decided what we're going to use this cute little parmesan tin for, if you have any suggestions do let me know, but for £1.50 we just couldn't say no! It has a really sturdy little lid and I think it will fit in perfectly with the whole 'Shabby Chic' (god I hate that phrase) feel we are going to be going for in our new home.

I spotted this little wire rack in the window of a charity shop in Wetherby and it was instant love, our eyes met across the busy road and I just knew it had to be mine. I think this will be perfect for storing my perfumes and skin care bits on my dressing table and whilst not being the most masculine item, for £3.50 even Andrew couldn't argue.

One thing we have been finding surprisingly hard to find is a nice oven glove, who knew they were so scarce? We found this one in the same Wetherby charity shop and I just love the simple design with the super cute patchwork applique. I would have happily paid up to the £10 mark for this little beauty, but for just £2 it was an absolute bargain.

I really hope you've all found this useful, I can't recommend highly enough getting down to your local charity shops or thrift stores and having a good browse, you might just be surprised what you can find.

Becca.x

OOTD - Horsing Around

Its hard to know how to start your first ever blog post, do I tell you a bit about myself? Do I launch right in and pretend I know what I'm doing? Do I apologise profusely for my SERIOUS lack of ability in both the layout and photography department? I think ill begin by saying that this blog is just somewhere for me to blab about everything fashion and beauty related and save my poor long suffering boyfriend's ears the pain of incessent chat about my latest lipstick lusts. I am in no way a professional and simply hope you enjoy reading what I enjoy writing.


So for my first post I thought id start with an OOTD (gosh look at me using the lingo already) as this will allow you to all get some kind of idea about my style and what you might expect to find on this blog. I went to Bramham Horse Trials with my mum at the weekend and this is just a casual outfit I wore to sit in a muddy field all day, oh English weather how I love you.

Scarf - Topshop

Bag - Zara

Leather Jacket - Zara

Dress - Topshop

Wellies - Hunter (Navy Adjustable) at Office

Lipstick - Revlon 'Smoked Peach'

Becca.x