... So Far

Lots of photos today and (hopefully) lots of home inspiration for you! I've left my blog rather neglected the past week but now you've seen just how much shopping and organising myself I've been doing you should understand. I move into my halls on Saturday and will have an ensuite room, share my flat with 7 others and cooking wise be self catered. Perhaps I should be at the stage where I'm getting excited but really there's nothing but nerves at the moment so if anyone's got any tips to combat them it'd be much appreciated. Obviously as a student, none of these things break the bank with the majority being either from Asda, Tesco or Dunelm Mill. I'm going to list links and prices of the more interesting and my favourite items but if you want to know about anything else, just leave me your question in the comments. If not, simply tell me what your favourite item is I've picked up and whether you're now after any of these. I think my personal favourite has to be the 'Unnecessary Item Fund' coin tin (£2.50 here) simply because I know that's what I'll use it for! 

Anyway, I hope this gives you some ideas and I'll be back to more regular posting as soon as I can.

Lara xo

Items

Cupcake Themed:
Apron - £4 here
Tea Towels - £4 set of 3 (can't find online) 
                     £2 individual towel here
Oven Mitt - £4 here
All Asda

Purple Shower Scrunchi with Pink Platypus (!?!) - 49p here - Dunelm Mill

White with Blue Hearts:

4 pack bowls - £8 here
4 pack side plates - £8 here
Set of 4 Mugs - £5 here
All Asda

'Receipts for Money I Used to Have' Tin - £6.91 here
'Unnecessary Item Fund' Tin - £2.50 here

Rimmel Brow This Way - Yay or Nay?

Review

I mentioned in this post that I'd picked up Rimmel's Brow This Way as a cheaper alternative, as I couldn't bring myself to take the plunge and pay £17.50 for Benefit's Gimme Brow. I also mentioned that I'd picked up the shade medium blonde which, as you can see, my hair clearly isn't. Over the past week I've been using it almost everyday both alone and on top Faint from the Naked Basics Palette. Whilst I can't compare it directly or indicate how much of a dupe it actually is of Gimme Brow, I can tell you what I think:

Shade: I personally think anyone with medium blonde hair would find this to be too dark, however it definitely does have warm undertones which wouldn't make it suitable for all brunettes either; luckily, it's pretty much a perfect match for me but the colours available definitely don't cater for everyone. Whilst I find it looks lovely and natural actually on the hairs, if it splodges onto the skin in sparser areas the colour does tend to look a bit funny so, especially when I was first using it, I often had to go back in with a cotton bud to clean up. 3/5

Application: Definitely becomes easier with practice! I'd never used a product anything like this so faced with the overloading of the brush as often happens with new things, I didn't find it the easiest. It also tends to unavoidably highlight any stray hairs and whilst this is perfectly fine for a natural looking brow, if you want to achieve something a bit more defined it works better if applied over a powder. 4/5

Wear: The colour neither changed nor budged. I found no problem with the wear at all even when faced with sweat or rain. It doesn't smudge if you scratch your eyebrow or something during the day, yet is still easy to remove in the evening. 5/5

(Pictured, is without any other products on the brows, although I would add that mine are naturally quite dark and dense.)

Overall, taking into account shade, application and wear, I'd give it a S.A.W. score of  12/15 (that's so appeasing that that rhymes!), but with it only costing £3.99 it's definitely worth a try! It will be interesting though to see how long it lasts before it dries up in the tube, or whether I finish it before it does.

Have you tried either Brow This Way or Gimme Brow? What did you think?

Lara xo

P.S. I recently joined Twitter and I'd love it if you could follow me on there. You can find me @LaraM_W - thank you!

Playing with Makeup | FOTD

Purple & Gold

Sometimes it's nice to just sit and have a play with your little treasure chest of makeup. Although each to their own because my little brother walked in while I was doing this and was confused as he knew I wasn't going out and how could this possibly count as 'fun'. I just find so often we end caught up, slapping on makeup in a rush or feeling pressure to get it perfect because there's a big event. There always seems to be some time constraint, so for once I simply sat, maybe for an hour or so knowing that no matter how it turned out the end result would still be a good deep cleanse. Despite this it's inevitable that it's going to turn out the better than when you actually need it to look good!

I focused mainly on my eyes because that's always been my favourite bit to do and strayed the tiniest bit away from my everyday subtle browns using the Nars Kuala Lumpur Duo and last year's Christmas Too Faced Palette, 'A Few of my Favourite Things.' I normally never use gold, instead opting for a champagne shade when I want something a little more sparkly, however it went perfectly with the gold specks in the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Metallic Pomegranate I used as a base. I also for a change used pencil eyeliner, my new Rimmel Exaggerate that I mentioned in this post. I honestly didn't expect to like it half as much as I do; it smudges out beautifully but without losing lots of pigmentation and despite being waterproof I didn't find it a pain at all to remove. I can definitely see myself becoming a convert!

I'd also like to point out how impressed I was all over again by Magnifibres which I reviewed here. I hadn't used it for a while so combined it with MAC's Extreme Dimension 3D Black Lash and as you can see from the side, my lashes turned out oh so long but still perfectly separated.

I think I'm going to try and do this more often as I find so regularly doing makeup ends up being a stressful experience instead of just a bit of fun. Do you ever do your face even if you're not leaving the house?

Lara xo

Social Media Phobia?

Terrified of Twitter

Oh the irony. 3 months into blogging and I can just about manage to publish a post without my heart racing, but dealing with social media still terrifies. I'm not sure if there's a proper word for this phobia, but if there is I would be the epitome.

So today I created a twitter account for this little space on the internet that I've been sheltering and nurturing however probably also restricting from actually being seen. I don't know why, but even making it I started getting shaky and my insides had a little nervous dance. Please tell me someone, just anyone, can relate to this?

Either way I bit the bullet so if you want to find me over there and laugh at inevitable embarrassing moments to come click this link and press the follow button before it runs away to hide. I'd also love to be actually able to see who's reading this as google analytics scarily assures me a fair few of you are, and if you have blogs yourself, please leave your link below and I'll be sure to have a good nose!

Right then, cringey post out of the way . . . Until next time. 

Lara xo

Fall into Autumn | Spy Love Buy

Transitional Shoes

All images from www.spylovebuy.com

While it may not quite be time yet to drag out the winter fur lined boots (as much as I love them and would happily live in them all year round), it definitely is about time to put away the sandals for another year. 

Spylovebuy.com is an online store offering the latest in footwear including shoes, boots, heels and wellies. They also handily have a fashion blog on their site to provide tips, tricks and fashion news, including information on their most popular items and how to wear them. There's currently free 2-3 day UK delivery for orders over £15 (which is never hard to spend on shoes!) or just £1.99 for orders under this. Their international shipping rates are 3-7 working days for European countries at £7.99 an item or 5-14 working days for the rest of the world at £9.99 an item.

I've recently been browsing the site for shoes that would be perfect for transitioning into the colder months; shoes that can be worn with socks so your feet don't get too chilly but also that don't look overly heavy and clumpy for the milder autumn days.

These lace up platform ankle boots (£24.95) are a dressier version of the basic black canvas sneaker. The heel is chunky enough and low enough that they'd be comfy for everyday wear, but combined with the low curved top would help elongate the leg meaning for short legged girls these would look great with either trousers or skirts. 

Despite being a higher topped ankle boot, the pointed shape of these Western/Chelsea style shoes (£32.95) make them appear more delicate. The brogue detailing and tan colour hint at the warmer weather but the light fur lining makes them practical for chillier temperatures.

The cut-outs in these black biker ankle boots (£26.95) makes them perfect for either wearing with bare feet when it's warmer and then later in the season pairing with some cute socks whose design can peek through the sides. They're casual boots but would add a hint of edge to any look.

 

Out of all these shoes, these cut-out sandals (£24.95) err most on the summery side, but this would make them great for coming out the other side of winter as well, worn with pastel socks with a frilly trim. Whilst being counted as a flat shoes, they do have a very slight raised heel which I often find makes shoes comfier to walk in. 

Finally, these block heel cut-out ankle boots (£24.95) are a subtle but interesting design that would go with anything. They are the perfect everyday shoe for A/W with the feminine shape making them suitable for both causal and more formal wear. 

I absolutely love ankles boots and autumn shoes as gone are the hard-to-get-your-feet-in strappy designs or shoes that almost fall off your feet with every step. It's just a shame that with the new season often comes a lot of rain! 

Let me know which of these is your favourite pair. Now I just need to resist buying them all . . . 

Lara xo

LIB - The Glamour Beauty Power List 2014

New Latest in Beauty Collection

Image from latestinbeauty.com

Just a quick post today because I really couldn't resist sharing! I received an email this afternoon announcing that this year's Glamour Beauty Power List Box from Latest in Beauty is out. I've had a couple of Glamour Beauty Boxes now and have always found both the value for money and selection of products great and this seems no different.

Included is:

30ml sample size of Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish with Muslim cloth

Full size pack of 10 Eyeko eye makeup remover wipes

60ml sample size of Philip Kingsley Daily Damage Defence conditioning spray

30ml sample size of Laura Mercier Foundation Primer

25ml sample size of James Read Sleep Tan Mask

Full size Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde Mascara

Full size Maybelline Stripped Nudes lipstick 

Plus an annual digital subscription for iPad/iPhone etc of Glamour Magasine.

Overall I think the variety in this box is brilliant whilst also being everyday-esque products that will actually get used. The box costs £15.99 which is normally the cost of the magasine subscription alone. 

You can buy the box or get more information on the LIB website here.

Lara xo

Budget Beauty Buys

Superdrug Haul

I popped into town today having heard that both a foundation and powder had been added to Collection's hyped Lasting Perfection range (not sure how behind I am on the news of that one though!) I, along with the majority of the beauty community, absolutely love the concealer, not just for its quality but more importantly for its shade; I have the colour 1 Fair and it's one of the few drugstore concealers that's light enough to actually offer some highlight under my eyes rather than an orange toned shadowy effect. I had high expectations that the shades would be similar in the other products but after swatching the foundations in Superdrug I barely found a difference between shades 1-4 and would categorise them all as for more medium skin tones. However, having come with £10 in  my pocket and prepared to treat myself I couldn't resist picking up a couple of bargains.

Both products are from Rimmel which I would consider now one of the higher priced drugstore makeup brands. I usually associate Collection, MUA, Makeup Revolution etc with bargain products as Rimmel, Revlon and L'Oreal are definitely pushing it now with one item sometimes reaching around the £10 mark. However both Brow This Way and the Exaggerate Waterproof Eyeliner were reduced from £3.99 to £2.99. On top of that there was a buy 1 get 1 half price across the whole Rimmel range meaning as opposed to paying £7.98, the total instead came to £4.50 which I was pretty chuffed about!

I picked up Brow This Way in the colour medium blonde (called mid brown on the website), however I did find the choices hard to pick between. Whilst I have brown hair, the shades are clear, blonde, medium blonde and dark brown so I did feel there was a perhaps slight gap in the middle as the dark brown was verging on black. I wanted to try it out as a cheaper alternative to Benefit's Gimme Brow and plan on doing a full review once I've used it for a while.

My other purchase was fairly standard; simply a black pencil liner. However, I haven't properly tried using one since old dance show days when I'd had very little practice with makeup and thought the more I looked like a panda the better as it meant I would at least show up on stage (I think I've been put off ever since.) The Rimmel Exaggerate Eyeliner is a retractable pencil design with a built in smudger and sharpener; certainly a bit more advanced that the basic pencil style I used to drop accidentally and manage to break all the way through. Hopefully I'll get on with it but even I don't I'm not particularly worried since it didn't exactly break the bank!

Overall, what started in disappointment all turned out to be pretty good and there's nothing like the excitement of new makeup in your stash! Have you picked up any bargains lately?

Lara xo