Beauty. Fashion. Lifestyle.
Archive for August, 2013
Student Fashion Essentials: Ball Dresses for a Night Out
1
5 years
Today’s post is the first in a series of features about Student Fashion Essentials, the rest of which will run throughout September. Whether you’re starting life as a student this year or are a university veteran, every student should have a few specific wardrobe essentials that will make your time at university that little bit easier, and a lot more fashionable! As I can vouch for, most students live on a tight budget, so you’ll be pleased to know that a lot of these fashion essentials are very kind on the bank account, but in my opinion it’s worth investing a fraction more of your student loan on some items, as if you buy quality you’ll save in the long run as you can avoid buying replacement after replacement.
So, without further ado, in no particular order, fashion essential number one is aimed at the ladies with beautiful ball dresses for a night out! For a lot of people a big part of university life is going out and having fun, and looking good whilst you do it. In my experience, the best place to go for these glam night out outfits is New Look, as their dresses are affordable, but also versatile and very good quality, so you can wear them time and time again with different accessories, in different situations, and you’ll always get complimented on how good you look.
Here are my picks from New Look’s current range of dresses, some of which are even in the sale!
Black Embellished Neck Keyhole Sleeveless Skater Dress – £34.99
Madame Rage Pink Floral Prom Dress – £30.00
Dark Green Sparkle Drape Sweetheart Strapless Dress – Was £34.99, Now £18.00
Purple Embellished Cut Out One Shoulder Prom Dress – £44.99
Vila Yellow Mirror Print Dress – Was £34.99, Now £18.00
Yumi Dotty Tunic Dress – Was £39.99, Now £27.99
You can view the rest of New Look’s range of dresses here.
Keep an eye out for the rest of my Student Fashion Essentials posts, coming soon!
Naomi x
*This post is a collaboration.*
FashionistA Fashion Secret Flawless Primer
2
5 years
by Naomi in Face
One product I’ve always struggled with is face primers. I have an allergy to salicylates, and for some reason almost every primer I’ve ever seen or tried has had some form of salicylate in, and has brought me out in red rashy spots – not a good look! I’d just about given up looking for a primer suitable for my skin when, whilst browsing MUA’s online sale, I came across FashionistA’s Fashion Secret Flawless Primer. MUA are currently selling off loads of FashionistA products at heavily discounted prices, and at £3 down from £10 I thought I might as well give this one a go.
Going by aesthetics, this primer isn’t especially exciting. Just a simple grey tube with a wide nozzle which, quite frankly, makes quite a bit of mess as it lets out far more product than you actually need. But as they say, it’s what’s on the inside that counts, and what’s inside this IS special.
Almost every other primer I’ve encountered has had a heavy, creamy consistency, so I was quite surprised to find that this one is a clear, lightweight gel. At first I was a little put off as I expected it to be a bit greasy, like hair gel, but a little goes a long way and it actually glides on perfectly and forms a silky finish which is the perfect base for make up. My skin always feels so soft and smooth when I’m wearing this, which is lovely, but it does leave an odd residue on your hands after application which needs washing off.
In my experience, both liquid and powder foundations apply easily over the top of this primer to create an even, flawless finish, and quite impressively one application keeps your make up in place all day, which for me is the sign of a very good primer! Furthermore, I’ve been using this for over two weeks now and have had no sensitivity to it whatsoever, so this is a great little product for allergy prone skin (although check the ingredients first, obviously!)
Make up over primer.
Without a doubt, FashionistA’s Flawless Primer is worth every penny I paid for it, and I’ll definitely be stocking up before it sells out. It is available online from MUA here, and costs £3 for 30ml.
Will you be trying it?
Naomi x
MyChelle Dermaceuticals Skin Care
0Quite a few months ago I was sent three skin care products to try by the vegan, cruelty-free brand MyChelle Dermaceuticals. MyChelle’s tagline is ‘Seeded in science and rooted in nature’, which sums them up perfectly. Their products are all made from nontoxic, natural ingredients, which have been chosen and formulated specifically for their concentration and nutrient levels, which can help the skin look and feel healthier.
MyChelle’s products are organised into five steps which, when combined, create the perfect skin care routine – you just have to pick the right products for your skin type! Step 1 is cleansers, Step 2 masks, peels and scrubs, Step 3 serums, Step 4 mists, and finally, Step 5 creams. The three products I received, and have now been using for a while, are their Fruit Enzyme Cleanser* from Step 1, Pumpkin Renew Cream* from Step 5, and Fabulous Eye Cream*, also from Step 5. I haven’t tried any products from Step 2, 3 or 4 so cannot comment on how well the routine works as a whole, so I will share my experience of each product individually.
Fruit Enzyme Cleanser – 61ml – £8.50
MyChelle say: Gentle deep cleanser uncovers remarkably fresh, smooth skin. A special blend of natural multi-fruit Alpha-Hydroxy Acids unclog and purify pores, and increase cellular turnover for a more youthfully refined look. Strengthening and antioxidant Turmeric keeps skin calm and eases signs of irritation, while Fructooligosaccharides from sugar promote and protect skin’s health.
I say: The Fruit Enzyme Cleanser comes in a squeezy bottle with a mess-free click lid, which makes it really easy to control how much of the cleanser you use, meaning there’s no waste. MyChelle recommend using a dime-size amount to cover the whole face, which in English money is about the same size as a five pence coin. In my experience that is enough for a good cleanse, so even this 61ml bottle will last a good while.
The cleanser contains a mixture of natural oils and plant extracts, but the one that dominates is orange, so it has a gorgeous sweet orange scent, which happens to be one of my favourite toiletry scents. It also has a light gel consistency which massages in like a dream, and doesn’t feel greasy at all. The gel washes off easily with warm water and leaves the skin feeling soft, fresh and incredibly clean, without that tightness you sometimes get from facial cleansers. I’ve noticed my face has looked a lot clearer since I started using this cleanser and I’ve had far fewer breakouts which is brilliant.
Pumpkin Renew Cream – 35ml – £21.00
MyChelle say: A lightweight, hydrating formula blends antioxidant-rich Pumpkin Seed Oil with reparative Peptides to protect cellular health and maintain hydration. Astaxanthin, from Micro-Algae, neutralizes free radicals while reducing moisture loss. EGF Peptides promote cellular renewal and collagen production. Shea Butter and Vitamin E replenish skin’s lipid barrier to prevent dehydration.
I say: MyChelle’s Pumpkin Renew Cream is not orange in colour as you’d expect, but a pale minty green. It smells absolutely beautiful – fresh, but with a sweet and spicy note of nutmeg which really stands out. The formula is light, and in the pot looks a little bit oily which, I’ll admit, worried me slightly at first, but I was relieved to find that it doesn’t leave behind any greasiness on the skin. Rather, it is absorbed nicely and is incredibly moisturising and softening, and also has a calming, soothing effect on tired or angry skin.
MyChelle’s Pumpkin Renew Cream is suitable for all skin types, including combination skin like mine, and can be used as a day or night cream, so it’s a great little all-rounder. I’ve been using my pot in the morning as a base for my make up, and it hydrates dry patches and evens out oily patches for a perfect finish.
Fabulous Eye Cream – 15ml – £19.00
MyChelle say: Advanced formula nourishes the delicate eye area while minimizing the look of fine lines. Revolutionary Edelweiss Plant Stem Cells inhibit collagen breakdown and are clinically proven to reduce wrinkle depth by 15% after only twenty days of use. Hyaluronic acid binds moisture within the skin, smoothing and firming the eye area.
I say: Once again, MyChelle’s packaging prevails with this cream and the easy squeeze tube and narrow nozzle make it really easy to control how much cream you use, and you really only need a little bit of this to cover the whole eye area. The cream itself, like the Pumpkin Renew Cream, is non-greasy and easily absorbed, and gentle enough for the eye area, causing no irritation. The Fabulous Eye Cream smells different to the other two products (I love how they all have a different scent!), with a delicately sweet, almost floral aroma with hints of coconut, lavender and orange.
Being only 23, I don’t yet have many wrinkles around my eyes, but I’ve been using this almost as a preventative, and it’s doing a great job so far. After application my eye area feels smooth and firm, without being uncomfortable, and it’s definitely been helping to reduce my morning eye puffiness!
Overall, I’d definitely recommend MyChelle’s products and I’d love to fill the gaps in my routine with more of their offerings. My skin is really quite sensitive and I often have allergic to reactions to facial cleansers and moisturisers, but I haven’t had any such reaction to MyChelle. Definitely something to remember if you too suffer from sensitive skin!
You can view MyChelle’s full range here.
My parcel from MyChelle also contained two packets of Pur chewing gum, and since I am a gum addict it was a nice little surprise to receive these. The gum comes in two flavours – Peppermint and Wintergreen, and is aspartame and sugar-free, so it contains no nasties. It’s also suitable for vegans, diabetics and those who are gluten and lactose intolerant, so it’s a really inclusive product. The gum itself has a nice, powerful flavour and tastes and chews just like any other gum, so it doesn’t suffer in that respect, but the flavour doesn’t last as long as I’d like. Still, for a natural product that pretty much anyone can have, it’s impressive.
Naomi x
*These products were sent to me by MyChelle Dermaceuticals for review purposes. All opinions expressed are honest and my own.*
Blog Sale: UPDATE!
0Hi everyone,
I hope you’re all enjoying the weekend.
This is just a quick update to let you know that I have just added some new items to my blog sale, mostly clothes, and reduced the prices of almost everything else! If you want to see what I have for sale, click here, or visit the ‘Blog Sale’ tab above. If anything takes your fancy you can either comment on the post or email .
Thanks!
Naomi x
Victoria British Boutique Vintage Charity Fashion Show
3On Tuesday, my sister, my mum and I headed down to the Leicester Tigers rugby stadium for a special event – a Vintage Charity Fashion Show organised by Victoria British Boutique. The fashion show was in aid of “20-20 Voice” Cancer Appeal, a charity who provide support for head and neck cancer sufferers, with the aim of purchasing new, up to the minute camera technology with the money they raise, so hospitals can detect such cancers early.
Victoria British Boutique (VBB) is a vintage boutique owned by the lovely Vikkie, which specialises in a mix of unique, vintage pieces and current, stylish designs, both evening and day wear, all of which are British. The boutique is situated online, on eBay, so people from all over the country can browse and buy from Vikkie’s store. The boutique also prides itself on aiming for 100% customer satisfaction, so you know you’re going to get good service when you buy from VBB.
On the night there were a lot of one-of-a-kind outfits and items of clothing for sale at very reasonable prices, with most of them being modelled on the catwalk by six gorgeous nurses who work at local hospitals. I was lucky enough to get a front seat next to the catwalk so I had a really good view of the show and the clothes on offer. There were some really lovely pieces for sale, including a purple floral dress and a green and purple skirt suit which you can see below. I just wish they were my size! The models did a great job and were really well-received by the audience, and the show was a lot of fun to watch – well done, ladies!
As mentioned earlier, the aim of the evening was to raise as much money as possible for the “20-20 Voice” Cancer Appeal, so there were also stalls selling handmade jewellery and other goodies, and there were several raffles and competitions to join in with. Unfortunately we didn’t win anything, but congratulations to everyone who did!
Overall, all three of us had a great evening at the Victoria British Boutique Vintage Charity Fashion Show and I hope it raised a lot of money for such an excellent cause. You can find out more about the “20-20 Voice” Cancer Appeal here, and you can find Victoria British Boutique here. You can also follow Vikkie’s boutique on Facebook and Twitter if you want to keep up-to-date with all the latest news from VBB!
Naomi x
NIVEA In-Shower Body Moisturiser Skin Conditioner for Dry Skin
3For me, moisturising is one of the most important parts of my skin care regime, but sometimes (especially on work days) I just don’t have the time to moisturise properly. So, when I saw NIVEA had launched their In-Shower Body Moisturiser a couple of months ago, I couldn’t wait to give it a try as it seemed like it would slot nicely into my morning routine and save me a bit of time each day. The In-Shower Moisturiser comes in two varieties – one for normal skin which comes in a white bottle, and one for dry skin which comes in the classic NIVEA blue bottle, which is the one I opted for.
The instructions on the bottle are simple – Use your normal shower product and rinse off, apply the In-Shower Body Moisturiser while still in the shower, rinse off, dry yourself, get dressed and go. What could possibly go wrong? As it happens, quite a lot.
NIVEA’s In-Shower Body Moisturiser has a creamy, smooth consistency, massages in nicely and has that typical, fresh NIVEA scent, but that’s where the positives end. After applying the skin conditioner I rinsed and rinsed, but the moisturiser left a thick, greasy coating on my skin that just wouldn’t budge. Even after drying myself the residue remained and it felt sticky. I even tried scraping it with my finger nail and a gloopy, white mess gathered behind it, eurgh! After leaving such a thick layer on my skin I at least expected the In-Shower Moisturiser to make my dry skin feel softer… Nope! I could still feel the dry patches through the grease, which is not a nice feeling.
Overall, I’m disappointed with NIVEA’s In-Shower Body Moisturiser. I bought my bottle half-price from Superdrug a couple of months ago, but full-price this 400ml bottle costs £5.09, which would be better spent on a good quality, normal moisturiser. I still use it every now and then if I’m in a real hurry, but I’ve learnt my lesson and I’d much rather take those extra few minutes to moisturise properly, even if it nearly makes me late for the bus!
Have you tried this product? What do you think of it?
Naomi x
What I Wore: Cool Summer Weekends
13
5 years
by Naomi in Fashion
July’s heat and sun seems to have given way to a much cooler August, so a lot of my summer clothes have taken a back seat and my spring skinny jeans have made a reappearance. Last weekend was particularly rainy, but it’s not quite cold enough for jumpers just yet! As such, I’ve been making compromises, and have invested in a dip hem shirt which is perfect for the recent unsettled weather. The long length and sleeves make it great for those cooler days, but it’s sheer and light so not too warm. I think this is a look that will work well in early Autumn too.
So, here is my go-to outfit for this month’s not-so-summery summer days. I wore it recently to see a band play at a pub, and I’ll be wearing it tonight with comfortable flats for a meal out with my partner.
Dip Hem Shirt, Vest and Skinny Jeans – Primark
Suedette Shoe Boots – New Look
Studded Skull Bag – Everything5Pounds
Handcrafted Silver Bat Skull Necklace – Birthday gift from my Dad (bought from Etsy)
What have you been wearing on these cooler summer days?
Naomi x
Cosmetics and Toiletries Blog Sale
0
5 years
by Naomi in Blog Sale
Evening everyone!
I’ve been having a bit of a clear out lately and have gathered together a few cosmetics and toiletries which I’ve decided to sell, including body lotions, lipstick, nail varnish, aftershave and more. Almost everything is brand new and unused, and a lot of it is still sealed. If you’d like to have a look at what I’m selling, click here or visit my ‘Blog Sale’ page via the tab at the top. All information on postage costs and payment details etc can be found there.
Thanks!
Naomi x
One Dough, Two Cookie Recipes
4I thought I’d post something a little different today and share with you all a recipe for some cookies that I baked this afternoon. I’ve been an avid baker since my childhood and love to experiment with new ideas and flavours, but sometimes it’s good to keep things simple, which is what I did today and it definitely paid off! These cookies are some of the easiest I’ve ever baked as they only contain a few ingredients, and the basic dough is so versatile. Today I decided to divide the dough and make half of it into orange cookies, and half into good old chocolate chip, but you really could add anything. Lemon zest would be delicious, as would dried fruit and hazelnuts!
This recipe makes 24 generously sized cookies.
Ingredients:
- 200g Unsalted Butter or Stork
- 100g Caster Sugar
- 300g Self Raising Flour (Sieved)
- 1tsp Vanilla Extract
- Zest of 1 Orange
- 100g Milk Chocolate (Chopped)
Method:
- Preheat oven to Gas Mark 4.
- Mix the butter, sugar and vanilla extract together with an electric whisk, until creamy.
- Divide the mixture equally into two bowls and stir half the flour into each bowl, adding orange zest to one, and chopped chocolate to the other. Mix until a dough is formed
- Divide each ball of dough into 12 equal pieces and roll into smaller balls. Place each ball onto a greased or parchment lined baking tray (as far apart as possible) and press down gently with a fork. You may need to bake in batches as they won’t all fit onto one tray. I tend to bake two batches of six at a time.
- Bake in the centre of the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until lightly golden. It’s best to check after 10 minutes and then every minute or two until they’re done.
- Leave to cool on a wire rack.
- Enjoy!
The texture of these cookies is lovely – soft, but also slightly crumbly, like a Viennese whirl. They taste absolutely delicious as well and have gone down very well with my partner and family!
Will you be trying this recipe?
Naomi x
