Primark Haul,. September 2011

Its officially my favorite time of year,. I adore Autumn and Winter if I'm honest. I love how the sky is clear, the sun is shinning, yet it is cold and I can wrap up without becoming a victim of the dreaded "hot flush". I am sure I have already mentioned I really do not cope well in the Summer or under any kind of excessive heat, I don't really enjoy only wearing one layer, revealing skin, baring flesh, getting legs out etc etc, its just not for me. I'd rather be too cold rather than too hot.Yes I am clearly a 22 year lady old trapped in the mentality of a middle aged women, but I do simply just enjoy "wrapping up".
So when the cool Autumn breeze started nipping at me, I was delighted and looked forward to going and purchasing some new clothing for this season.
I just wanted to get a few versatile pieces that would keep me warm and be on trend with regards to colour etc.
So here we go;

Cotton Vests, £2 each, one in a Blue/Grey, and other in Grape ( deep purple). Let the layering begin :)

 

The trusty cardigan. I'm just going to put it out there, I bloody love them. These two were only £6 each, I got these as I love the autumn colours, however they have a massive range of colours available in the basics section. For £6 these are really good quality, I have worn one a few times, it is so soft and keeps its shape.

This jumper comes in a few different colours, and I have seen loads of guru's on youtube with it. Its a lovely thick knitted jumper which hangs lower at the back which makes it great to team with leggings or thick tights as it covers your bum ( never reveal the bum!). In fact I am wearing this as I type, and it is just so comfortable. It is oversized and can look a little "boxy",. but I guess this is the trend so I shall just go with it. Oh and it was £10, which I believe to be a bargain and it will last a long time and keep you super warm when the Winter arrives.

 Next on the list of things to buy were "bottoms" aka,. jeans or jeggins or something to put over my legs :)


I picked up this pair of black skinny jeans for £9. I have these in dark blue also and they are the perfect fit. I have jeans which cost up to £120, and none have ever fit me so well. They wash great and are made very well, they even have floral lining in the pockets :)

Next purchase was a pair of grey jeggings, do exactly what it says on the tin, they are grey, pretend to be jeans when in fact they are more elasticated, no zip just elastic waistband and pretendy pockets. They were £8, fit like a glove, and a great put on for everyday casual wear.

The last pair of "bottoms" I got were a pair of thick grey leggins, these a very similar to the 'treggings' that H&M offer. These were £6 and remind me of jodhpurs, never the less very comfortable and thick enough to pass off as real trousers. 

Now onto jewelry and accessories, I got this skull ring which is a little bit McQueen'esk for £2. I also picked up a pair of very vintage looking earings which have the green "gem" inside a rather over the top swirly gold casing, these were £2 also.

The next item I got was a long necklace with an imitation tooth/bone pendant. I believe this was £2-£2.50.

I was after a thick belt, to actually keep trousers up rather than for show, this does the trick nicely. It is a thick brown embossed belt with a brass buckle. It was £2.50
























And finally for the inevitably cold British winter, I got a hat, scarf and mittens.
Green Oversized Zebra Print Scarf £4

Woolly Green PomPom Hat £3

Christmas design wool fingerless gloves/mittens £3,.. I think these are so cute and love the little button is a loveheart :)

Hope you like my purchases, Thanks for reading.

Stay Classy xox

Just smile

I am a lucky girl, the Interflora man delivered the most beautiful bunch of Roses last week from my ever so kind boyfriend. It made me smile so much and thought I'd just share a few little pictures to show how pretty they were :)

The wonders of skin,..

It is my personal belief that the most important thing about "beauty" is to look after and enhance what you were given, for this post I am talking about taking really good care of your skin. If you have the best skin you can possibly achieve then you can get away with using almost any kind of make up. It is the skin that you're in that makes you beautiful, not what you put on it, the skin and products both have to work together in harmony. What I am trying to say is for example, if you have dry skin the make up you wear can sit on your skin and look "cakey", if you have oily skin the make up just slips off during the process of the day, and so forth. Invest in your skin and save money & time with make up.


For reasons unknown this summer my skin went crazy and so so oily it was unbelievable. I have never suffered from breakouts or excessive oil and thought it would just be a fad so was reluctant to spend too much cash on expensive products. I made it my mission to try and find some cost effective skincare which would really clear up my skin, and thought to myself I shall share this as it really has worked for me.


The first product I highly recommend is Clinique Liquid Face Soap for Oily Skin. 

I found a sample of this in the back of my wardrobe :) Due to never having oily skin I must of just received it as a gift and forgotten its existence, however it has been a life saver. I use this in the morning, lather it on my face, it is extremely gentle especially around the eye area, I then wash it off using a muslin cloth. This brings me onto my next skin must have. The trusty muslin cloth, it replaces the good old "flannel" and gently ex-foliates the skin removing any dirt and excess oils. You can pick these up almost anywhere now, I am using a Superdrug's own one, however I have heard great things about Liz Earles.


Next I swapped using a toner for Clean&Clear Shine Control Daily Facial Lotion.

"Clean & Clear morning energy shine control daily facial lotion that has been uniquely formulated with lemongrass and fruit extracts. The formula not only removes dirt, oil and impurities, but also to leaves your skin looking shine-free all day. It’s even gentle enough to be used everyday"


This product also contains salicylic acid, which is common in acne treatments, which can open clogged pores and neutralize the bacteria within them.  Again this product is extremely effective at removing excess oil and leaving the skin feeling very clean and refreshed. Its a steal at approx £3.99 too.


The last main part of my skin routine is the Eucerin  DermoPURIFYER Cream-Gel. 

Now my friends, this stuff is actually the holy grail of all things oily skin related! I love it, with it being more of a gel than a cream it is very light on the skin. Its obviously oil free, and when it soaks into the skin leaves an almost matte finish which is great as a base for applying make up. I'll give you a little information on the scientific side of it :
" Significantly reduces blemishes and helps prevent the formation of new ones, while providing oil free moisturisation. For a healthy looking, smooth and clearer complexion within 3 weeks.

• Anti Bacterial
• Non- comedogenic
• Comedolytic action.
• Compatible with common acne medication.

The unique liposomal transport system found in Eucerin DermoPURIFYER delivers highly effective lactic acid directly to the follicle where blemishes and acne originate while also moisturizing the surrounding areas".


I can really vouch for this product, when my skin first became oily I had breakouts and spots all over the forehead, within  THREE days of using this product, they had cleared up completely. When you first apply it, you can actually feel the pores almost tightening, it is a very strange sensation where the face feels tight for a few seconds, but truth be known I like it. A little goes a long way and this will last you a good few months using it twice daily.
I was lucky and managed to pick this up on sale for £2.99, however I believe it retails for around £11.99, I happily would pay full price for this, and plan to when it runs out. 


Lastly is a product which I have found great for when I am in a rush, its the Simple Spotless Skin Quick Fix Cleansing Wipes. 

These contain Zinc PCA and Chamomile which absorb excess oil and soothe the skin, they also have a natural antibacterial, Phytosphingosine, which helps fight spots and blemishes. 
The wipes are great for quick removal of make up, again they are really gently on the eyes area and even remove waterproof mascara. I will use these at night to take off my make up before or instead of using the Clinique facial soap. 


Now don't get me wrong, I am in the process of getting my skin back to normal, and I am not even sure if it will ever be completely oil free like it used to be. The products I have mentioned above are really effective, fantastic skin care additions, however come 6-7pm my skin in getting a tad oily again. Although this is still an issue it is a great improvement to the skin being constantly oily, and if needs be I can always just repeat the process in the evening if I was going out etc.


Lets just hope the cooler weather will put my skin back into check, who knows in a few months living with the British Winter I could be doing a "dry skin" post :P


Thank you for reading, Stay Classy

Models Own mini haul

Ok so I managed to get through all of the products I boxed to finish, see post here, so I thought it was about time I treat myself to a few goodies as I actually managed to not purchase a single item whilst finishing up the ones I had. 
My sis in-law told me about Models Own 50% sale, and we jumped at the chance to make an order together so we could get free delivery too, ( I think you had to spend about £25 after the 50% discount was taken off to get free delivery).
I thought I would share with you my purchases and show a few little swatches. 

Left to right :  Nail art pen in black, Snow White, Purple Grey, Gold Digger, Peach Puff and Pink Fizz.

The formula of these polishes are fantastic, the only one I have an issue with it Snow White, which I find a little streaky, the rest are AMAZING and provide true colour from just one coat. 
I chose these colours for Autumn in a hope to move away from pastel shades. Snow white is perfect for French tips etc, however worn alone can be problematic due to its streak-like tenancies.

Gold Digger, Purple Grey, Peach Puff, Pink Fizz and Snow White.

I wore Peach Puff with the Pink Fizz glitter over the top for about a week, it did not chip, the glitter did not start falling out, it just stayed perfect and pretty :) 


Speaking of glitter, I know it can sometimes be such a pain to take off, and I have seen many tips including tinfoil etc to ease this process, however I have a massive recommendation  for you guys. Its the Sally Hanson Moisturizing Polish Remover. I swear this stuff could remove gloss paint!! It makes removing glitter polish a complete doddle, I only had to use one cotton ball soaked in the stuff for all 10 of my nails! Its also packed with vitamins and Aloe Vera which leave your nails feeling really strong after removing the most stubborn of polish.

Thanks for reading, Stay Classy xox

August Favorites 2011

Ahoy there my lovelies. I thought I would share with you the products I was reaching for the most during August ( I know this is a tad late I am sorry) Hope you enjoy. 

• Firstly I appear to have developed a love affair with mascara. The more layers I can slather on and the thicker my lashes become the better. Here are the ones I have been reaching for the most, I use the N07 to really curl and define my top lashes, the brush is thick dense bristles and the colour is a very nice matte black. I love MAXfactor's MaterpieceMax mascara for the bottom lashes, it has a straight plastic brush which provides precise application to the shorter more difficult lashes. It really adds dramatic length and definition, I loooooove it, oh also the wand is great for brushing through the top lashes when I have gone OTT with mascara and need to make them look like lashes and not a black clump floating above my eyelid. Lastly is the Rimmel Max Bold Curves, now the formula of this is a tad thin and sloppy, I wouldn't use it on "naked" lashes, however over a couple of coats of other mascara it really adds volume and curl, it also doesn't clump on the lashes due to its thinness.

• I have found myself grabbing for "easy" make-up over the summer. By this I mean make up I don't have to spend hours applying, being extremely precise and not a lot needed. I don't like to have layers and layers on my face when its hot ( or very warm as it rarely gets "hot" here in the UK). The Obsessive Compulsive Pigments are FABULOUS. I never need to use a lid primer whilst wearing this, the colour payoff is fantastic, it is so nice and finely milled,  it lasts all day and takes less than a minute to sweep all over the eye to create a really nice everyday look. I have been using this OCC pigment in  CLOVE. It is a beautiful almost rose-gold colour. What else can I say, this product gets a 10/10 and I feel rather bad for neglecting it in my kit for so long. 

• Mac Paint Pot in Bare Study is another quick and easy make up product I have been using a lot of this month. For the days I do wear other eyeshadows this acts as a great lid primer. The colour is a champagne, and due to this I have been using it under most shadows as I usually go for a neutral look. You can also just wear this alone on the lids, I would say it is a little sheer so I usually find myself building it up a tad to get it to really pop, however if you wanted a very subtle shimmer this would be ideal. A great product and one I can see lasting a very long time making it great value for money. 

• This little beaut was a complete bargain, I picked it up for £1.60 at TJ Hughes. It is the Urban Decay Brow Box, in BEIGE BETTY. This is such a smart little piece of kit, it has a really good mirror, two eyebrow shades ( I usually mix them both together) a really suprisingly good mini angled brow brush, and an adorable little set of tweezers, you then slide out the bottom section to get a draw of brow setting wax. This is so handy, you literally have everything you need to create perfect brows on the go, the colour payoff and staying power of the powders is very good. For some reason my brow powders usually shade shade during the day to a nasty orange colour, these however DO NOT. I have been really impressed with this set, and would pay the full price for it when it runs out. 

• This summer has reeked complete havoc on my skin and lips. My skin has become massively oily and my lips float at the complete other end of the spectrum being very dry and chapped. This is the Lush lip scrub in the Bubblegum flavour. You basically scrub it all over your lips to remove any dead skin then wipe or even lick it off ( mmmmmmm dead skin in your mouth yummy). It works a complete treat and leaves your lips smooth, you MUST condition them after however. 

• Lastly for my make up favs is the POREfessional Primer by Benefit. I mentioned in the previous post how much I loved this product so went out and purchased the full size tube. Again a little goes a very long way, it leaves your face looking "seamless", beaming and guess what PORE FREE.  The formula is oil free, which is great as I mentioned my face has become excessively oily over the past few moths. It evens out the skin tone, and I am using a fraction of the amount of foundation as I did previously. By far the best primer out there. 10/10 :)

As I have mentioned my skin has been so unmanageable over the past few months. It became oily, and I mean oily to the point it looked like my face was wet! Gross. And breakouts from hell, and just nastyness! I have always had clear normal skin so this was a shock not to mention an inconvenience. I still haven't got to the root of why this happened, I am going to say its a mix of stress and the ever so changeable British weather. 

• In no particular order, I have been using the Eucerin DermoPERIFYER, which I picked up from Boots in the sale for £2.99. It contains 2% Lactic Acid, and I kid you not after 2-3 days of use my spots had gone! It is a fantastic oil free moisturizer, it sinks in straight away leaving no residue on the skin and does exactally what it claims to do. I will be writing an updated skin care routine for oily skin so stay tuned for a deeper review of this product.

• The Simple have been in my skincare for a few months now but they are a product I can safely say I couldn't live without now. They remove all traces of make up and again help combat spots and oily skin. Amazing wipes which are reasonably priced. 10/10

• Lastly is the Clean & Clear Shine Control daily facial lotion. I use this in the morning and night on a cotton pad and just wipe it over the skin. It removes an excess oil and leaves my skin feeling fresh, clean and awakened. Again the above will be in another post in more detail but they are deffinately the most reached for skin products this month and have really helped clear my skin and restore it back to its "normal" oil free state.

Thanks for reading. 

Stay Classy