Affordable Winter Coats.

As we're in the midst of the winter months, I thought it'd be appropriate to finally do a blogpost on coats. But not just any coats, I found these gorgeous pastel beauties on polyvore and instanly fell in love with all of them!

The pastel hype has finally calmed down a little in the past year, but I don't think that pastel coats such as these will ever go out of fashion. They're an easy way to subtly brighten up an outfit without looking garish.

Most of these are from New Look because I love love love their winter stock this year!; so you won't break the bank but you'll still look effortlessly fab. I'm the kind of person where, if I find something I like, I NEED to buy it in every colour available- love hate relationship with that! But New Look is amazing with the choice of colours in these coats so you'll most definitely be spoilt for choice, but if in doubt, buy them all..

I've never dared to wear a pink t-shirt outside of the house, nevermind a coat; but I think these low collared kinds can suit a variety of people. The main reason I shy away from these kinds of colours is because of my dark hair, I'm always cautious that not everything will match my taste; but after seeing so many people in coats like this, I'm really starting to rethink that now!

(left to right)

1- New Look

2- New Look

3- New Look

4- John Lewis

5- House of Fraser

6- New Look

My most-used lipliners.

I think these 3 colours are a must have for anyone who wears lipstick! You can easily match them with a variety of colours and finishes & they're really good quality to say that they're drugstore brands.

(going from bottom to top)

Red. I use Rimmel Exaggerate in 'Red Diva'- this is such a good match for Mac's Russian Red lipstick (as I said in my previous post) as this lipliner is a lovely blue toned red. The consistency is so creamy when you apply it, but can become drying if you're applying all over your lips- as a lot of lipliners would, I'm not complaining too much about that. The packaging claims that this is a 'full colour lipliner'- it does exactly what it says on the box (or tube)- definitely one of the most pigmented red liners I have owned. Rimmel are amazing for longlasting lip products and this one does not dissapoint at all, I've found that I don't need to reapply after eating with this one.

Dark red/Berry. I use Rimmel Lasting Finish 1000 kisses in 'Wine'- I always pair this liner with Mac's Diva because they're essentially dupes for eachother. Again, this can also be drying if you apply a large amount to cover your lips, so best to apply a lipbalm if you do do this. This lipliner can smudge quite easily because of the thick consistency but I always apply a lipstick to keep this at bay.

Nude. I use Maybelline ColourSensational in 'Sweet Pink'- I think you can wear a nude lipliner with any colour lipstick, personally I use this specific one with Mac's Creme Cup or Revlon Colourburst Matte Balm in 'Shameless'. I'd say this liner has a good staying power and you can wear it for quite a while without fading. The only complaint I have is the scent, it has quite a sickly acidic smell to it, but I'd just advise checking this out before you buy.

Review: Mac Russian Red lipstick.

Russian Red was my first ever Mac lipstick, but ever since has been my everyday go-to lip colour! I believe it can suit a variety of skin tones, as it is the perfect blue-toned red- making your teeth look super white.

Russian Red is a matte lipstick, but definitely isn't too drying when you actually apply it; compared to a lot of opinions on Mac's 'Ruby woo' I would defintiely opt for Russian Red if you're worried about your lips looking chapped or flakey whilst wearing a red lippy. One thing I would recommend, is exfoliating and moisturising your lips beforehand, as this lipstick has a matte finish, I find that I may have to reapply lip-balm over the top to recreate the creamy consistency that was present on first application. 

I always always use a lipliner when I wear this, as I'm always conscious of it bleeding/smudging everywhere! (If you're wondering which lipliner I use, its Rimmel Exaggerate in 'Red Diva'- they work so well together!). But I find that if I apply the lipliner all over my lips rather than just to outline, this does make the lipstick's staying power much longer; so you wouldn't necessarily need to reapply after eating/drinking etc (unless you really wanted to of course). 

If you're looking for a clean, crisp outline to your lipstick, I find that Russian Red is a really good product to use to do so, it's very easy to use concealer around the edges to touch up, because it doesn't stain your skin/lips as much as darker reds would.

I'd probably say that other than the colour, the scent is definitely my favourite thing about this lipstick! All Mac lipsticks (at least the ones I own anyway) have such a gorgeous vanilla frosting scent- definitely the best smelling lipsticks I own!

Monochrome Winter Wishlist.

As I'm sure you've gathered from my previous Polyvore inspired blogpost, I just love black clothing; so I think these pieces especially would be great staples for anyone who's into the same kind of things that I am- monochrome, grunge, punk etc.

Black jeans, you can't go wrong with them, they're super simple to pair with any kind of top really. My favourites are Topshop's Joni Jeans, as they're super stretchy & comfortable (meaning I can eat as much as I want when I'm out!). They come in a variety of colours and patterns so you don't have to pick the 'usual' denim colours that everyone expects from skinny jeans.

Striped t-shirts are, to me, an all year round staple! Not only are they (most of the time) super slimming but they suit so many different outfit options. Personally I wear them with just about anything- skinny jeans, skater skirts, fitted skirts. They're very easy to pair and look great on any body shape.

Slogan tees have always been my favourite kind of tees, as they're so quirky and reflect my personality. I chose these monochrome pieces because, in my mind, I can then pair them with lots of flannel shirts or cardigans for chilly afternoons etc. Don't be afraid to wear them, they can easily add a little bit of sass into whatever you're wearing!

Leather skirts have been up and coming in fashion for the past few years- especially 2013. I believe that skater skirts are the easiest way to wear this trend- they're comfortable, flattering on your waist & will look fab in a variety of colours (much like skinny jeans, its very hard to get them wrong).

Dr. Martens are just absolutely a-m-a-z-i-n-g. They have the godly power of pulling any outfit together, giving it a 'punk/grunge' vibe. They're just so versatile! Whether you're wearing a floral summer dress, leggings, jeans, anything at all- they will bring the look together and look effortless.

Knee high/Thigh high boots are making a return A/W14, ever since Kylie Jenner (see picture below) was pictured wearing them a few months ago, everyone has been going crazy for them! I'd love to think that I'd be able to pull off the thigh high, platform AND 6 inch heel look, but I'm always very concious of not being 'too tall' or that my outfit is 'too much' hence why I'm on the fence about getting them- but I do absolutely adore them nonetheless.

Jeans- Topshop.

Striped tee- New Look

'Drink Moschino' tee- Moschino

'Bad Idea' crop- Lazy Oaf

Leather skirt- Chicwish

Dr. Martens- variety of stockists

Flat boots- Office

Heeled boots- Aldo

Beanie- Delias

6 Makeup Myths.

Myth 1- "Pumping the mascara wand will help to load it with product so the lashes are covered better" 

Truth- Doing this will only dry out the mascara inside the tube by letting excess air to react with it. Don't think that you need to use up the mascara until it is completely dry, doing this will only make it more difficult to apply and make it prone to flaking.

Myth 2- "The best place to test a foundation shade is the back of your hand"

Truth- The back of your hand and your face are completely different tones, as the sun doesn't hit them from the same angle and the exposure time will never be exactly the same. There are a lot of theories on the best place to test this, but I still believe that the most effective (for me at least) is the face/neck area. 

Myth 3- "Makeup causes acne"

Truth- Spots/acne are usually caused by poor hygiene (ie. sleeping in makeup, not cleaning makeup brushes thoroughly/often or using products that have passed their expiration dates) rather than makeup products themselves. 

Myth 4- "Wearing a foundation darker than your skintone will make you look more tanned"

Truth- No, just no. Doing this will only make people think that you can't choose makeup properly. You'll end up with a very suspicious foundation line across the whole of your jawline- you have no hope of blending an uber dark foundation into a pale neck- just don't do it..

Myth 5- "Apply concealer before foundation"

Truth- Applying foundation first will cover up most blemishes, but concealer is for stubborn areas that need an extra bit of coverage. (If you were to apply concealer first, when you come to blending in your foundation, you'll be rubbing away the traces of concealer, not giving you the effect/coverage that you need). I personally use concealer to cover stubborn redness around my nose and to cover up dark circles. 

Myth 6- "Not everyone can wear red lipstick"

Truth- Everyone and anyone can wear red lipstick, makeup brands understand that no one has exactly the same skin tone, which is why they all offer a vast range of shades. It's all about finding the shade that suits you, but also finding one that you are comfortable and confident in wearing.

My take on Grunge-Glam.

I absolutely adore the simplicity of this outfit! Black skinny jeans are an essential in any 'grunge' outfit, as black goes with more or less any colour, but I always seem to go back to matching with other shades of black.. The ripped effect adds extra dimension to a certain extent, but also makes this look more unique. If you're not a fan of the ripped look, that's cool too; regular skinnys will look just as good, depending on your own individual style, its all about what you like and whether you're comfortable and confident in wearing it.

You can't go wrong with any type of flannel shirt in my books. Whether you're slinging it over a plain white t-shirt for a simple laid-back look or whether you choose to have it buttoned up like in the picture above. As I say, you can't go wrong with them, I don't think that it matters what colour- especially if you're outfit is all black- of which the whole "Grunge Look" is a fan of!

Chunky shoes are a MUST for pulling off this look, I'm a fan of vagabonds because they're so sturdy and can be pulled off with a variety of outfits without looking 'over the top' or 'clumpy' as my mum would put it! Again, vagabonds aren't essential, but any kind of chunky boot/shoe would look fab with this look, alterations are what makes an individual's style unique.

I decide to put a Prada Saffiano bag (very realistic Charlotte, well done) with this look as personally, I'm not a fan of wearing rucksacks etc. In my opinion, this particular bag pulls the look together and makes it look a little more sophisticated- although I'm not against rucksacks by any means, I choose not to wear them as they just don't suit my body shape. I think shoulder bags like these look good with any body shape, but also help to emphasise how laid-back this outfit is.

Jeans- Quiz.

Flannel Shirt- Uniqlo.

Boots- Vagabond.

Bag- Prada.