Sleek Lipstick

Earlier this week I went on a beauty haul in super drug and boots and ended up getting a few new products aswell as some old favourites. I am going to go a blog post after this one on all of the products that I got but first up I wanted to do one just for one of the products that I got. 

I was first introduced to Sleek make up a month of so ago, by thebeautycrush and her video 'Boyfriend does my make up tag' on YouTube. One of the products she used was the Sleek contouring kit, I've been teaching myself to contour for a while but can never seem to get it right or    have the right products to do it. So off O went to Superdrug to try and get this contouring kit (I got it btw). While I was looking for this I saw that Sleek did loads of great lipstick colours, but unfortunately all the colours I really wanted were all sold out! So off I went on my beauty haul and saw the Sleek make up range in Superdrug as I was shopping and thought that I would check it out. 

Unfortunately they still didn't have all the colours available (I've noticed that Superdrug aren't great at keeping there stock filled up) however I did find a lipstick titled 'Cherry' which is a very dark red colour, which I personally think is a great colour for your lips in the Autumn/ Winter. 

All lipsticks at £4.99 which I think is a pretty decent price and I was happy to pay this. Although like I mentioned before there wasn't a huge range of colours available for my to purchase the range of colours that Sleek do is pretty big and ranges from your nudes and pinks to your reds and purples. This element is one of the reason I think that they are a great dupe for MAC lipsticks with the cheapest MAC lipsticks being £15, Sleek is a great alternative. 

Below are a few pictures of some Sleek dupes that I think work well as a alternative to MAC. 

MAC                         SLEEK

Flat out Fabulous       Amped

Creme d'nude           Baby Doll

Hang-up                    Vamp

Russian Red              Vixen

MAC 

SLEEK

Peace & Love

G. x

Oh Hello again!

Firstly... a big capital OOPS! it is nearly the beginning of December and I 
haven't even blogged once this month! Which upsets me quite a lot as I was really enjoying reviewing things and publishing things for you all to check out, but unfortunately the time has just flown by. 

It has been a pretty hectic month in which I have had million and one deadlines to complete with more still to come which has made me unbelievably stressed. 

However, for the month of December I am planning to blog everyday about my beauty advent calendar so I can share with you all my goodies that I get! I'm so excited to start opening it and can't wait to bring a little joy to the start of my day! 

Anyways, until December 1st you glamorous bunch, happy blogging! 

Peace and Love

G. x

Boots; Beauty Advent Calender!

Product Name: Beauty Advent Calender
Avaliable at: Boots
Price: £30

I am already pretty excited about Christmas but now I am even more excited! I was on Instagram the other day when I came across the Boots Beauty Advent Calender and I had to find out what it was, so basically it is an advent calender but instead of getting a peice of chocolate for every day in December you get a beauty product! -I am actually finding it hard to contain my excitment!

Although being priced at £30 it is pretty expensive when comparing it to your normal chocolate calender which normal is priced at about £2-£6. It is said to hold goodies that are worth up to £65 altogether, from brands such as Soap & Glory, Nails Inc, Paco Rabanne, Juicy Couture, Rimmel, Mavala, Umberto Giannini and Many More....

Boots Description:
'Wake up every morning to a new beauty treat and fill the month of december with gorgeous gifts to pamper yourself from head to toe.'

http://www.boots.com/en/Boots-Beauty-Advent-Calendar_1401928/

 

I can't wait to get my hands on one!

 

Peace and Love

G. x

 

House of Holland; Get Nailed

I've been wearing my new stick on House of Holland nails for the last 4 days now and I love them! Basically they are false nails designed by Henry Holland, the founder of the designer brand House of Holland. 

For the last 3 months the only colour I have painted my nails is white, I don't know why but I just think they look chic and make your nails look wow! When I came across these bad boys I just had to have them. 

The whole set cost me £9 which I don't actually think is too bad, considering to get a good set from Boots or somewhere it normally costs you about £6.50. I got mine from Urban Outfitters, but I'm pretty sure that you can get them elsewhere to. 

As you can see from the picture they are white with a black outline, in pack you also get some black stickers letters A-Z and symbols such as ! and #. I didn't know what to put on mine so I just used the # on my thumbs to make them a little more interesting, but to be honest you can write whatever you wish, the example they gave on the box was YOLO but something like LOVE or PEACE would be quite cute I think.

Over the past 4 days I've only had to re-glue 2 of them which I am really pleased about, considering I have done a fair bit of washing up and washed my hair which may have caused them to go a little soft and fall off but it didn't. 

What's In The Pack?

-24 Nails (10 sizes)

-Nail Glue
-Letters and Symbols (2 x all Consonant and Symbols 3 x all Vowels)
-Nail File
-Instruction Leaflet

They do a few other designs but these where my favourite and I have even had a fair few people ask me where I got them done which is pretty nice considering I just did them myself. I even had one friend ask me if they could take a picture of them so they could ask they're nail person to do them in the same style!

So grab yourself a set and add some Henry Holland to your life! 

Peace and Love

G. x

Oh you glamorous bunch!

Hey you glamorous bunch!

I've been so bad at blogging this month and really need to get back into the routine of blogging more regularly now that I'm back at Uni. I've been pretty busy for the last two weeks, firstly packing for Uni, sorting out Student Finance and trying to see as many people as possible before everyone heads back to Uni/College/Work. 

Last week it was my first week back at Uni (3rd year) so it was Freshers week. I can just feel it in my bones that this year is gunna go so fast and I know it is gonna be probably one of the most stressful experiences of my life; which will probably result in me crying a lot! Yet I am still gonna make sure I make the most of the freedom and student lifestyle as much as I can! It's so weird to think that I'm never gunna get this again, whether it be Freshers week, living in hall, or whatever, being in 3rd year officially sucks. 

Anyways, here's a heads up on some posts to look out for in the next few days...

-What's in my Make Up bag

-The 3 'must haves' this Autumn

I'm also starting to write for my Uni online magazine which is gonna be another great chance for me to spread a little bit of Glamour and Grace. 

Peace and Love

G. x

The Perfect Brows

For the past 4 years my eyebrows have been a big part of my life. I've always had quite big, bushy, dark eyebrows (thanks mum) and over the years have tried a number of different strategies to try and tame them. 

When I was about 16 I first got my eyebrows waxed and although it did the job they weren't nicely shaped. Then about 3 years ago I was introduced to a small salon near me that did eyebrow threading for £4! So I thought why not give it a go... and I haven't looked back since. 

Threading is by far the best method, they make your eyebrows look defined, sleek and perfectly shaped! Plus I love that fresh feeling I get once I have just had them done. 

However it is only in the past 18 months that I have also started to filled in my eyebrows with make up; again this just makes them more defined and really makes this feature stand out on your face. My usual routine to fill in my eyebrows is to gently stroke on a few strokes of my brown eyebrow pencil- I always use brown as black can sometimes come across being a little too harsh (MUA- £1! dirt cheap!) on them and then smudging it in with the smudger on the end of my eye liner (no.7 about £7) this routine literally takes me 2 minutes to do so it's pretty handy when I'm in a bit of a rush. 

A few of my friends use the Benefit brow kits 'brows a-go-go' £27.50 or  'brows zing' £23.50' both products look really good, however I myself just couldn't part with that sort of money even though I do love my brows. 

I have managed to find a dupe of these with MUA called Pro Brow Kit! Which only cost me £3.50. Inside the kit there are 4 options to choose from, a mini pair or tweezers, an angled brush, and the whole kit also doubles up as a little compact mirror. There are two brown shades, I'm guessing one for darker eyebrows like mine and one for lighter eyebrow. First you apply your preferred shade with the angled brush by sweeping as much as you wish through your brows. Secondly there is a highlighting shade which can be used to define under your brow and erase any stray particles from the eyebrow shadow you have just used. Finally there is some holding gel, you only need a tiny bit of this and again you kind of sweep this on your brows. This gel is meant to set your brows and also give them a more natural and gloss finish. 

Overall I think that this a great dupe and is definitely worth the £3.50 that it cost me. Although when I am in a rush I will still use my original routine when I am going out and have more designated make up time I will use my Pro Brow Kit by MUA. 

But like my mum always says to me 'eyebrows should be sisters and not twins' meaning they will never be exactly the same. 

Peace and Love

G. x

Glamour and Grace

One of my best friends brothers made this for me! 

LOVE IT! -thanks Carl Sherry!

Peace and Love 
G. x

Maybelline; Baby Lips

So what's all this hype?

In the beauty blogger world Maybelline; Baby Lips has been the talk of the town. 

Maybelline- Baby Lips is a moisturising lip balm with SPF 20 which supposedly keeps your lips moisturised for 8 hours. Over the past week or two I have read a load of reviews from other bloggers about this Maybelline product that has come over from America.

I recently read one particular review of the product by the lovely Nuala from dolleduplondon.com  and that's what gave me the final urge to go out and get one of these Baby Lips, lip balms. So into Boots I went, I already had an idea that I only wanted to get one as Nuala had pointed out that although they are good, there is no need to get all 6 variants that Maybelline have to offer.


These are.... 
-Pink Punch,
-Peach Kiss, 
-Grape Vine,
-Cherry Me, 
-Peppermint
-Quenched

Peppermint and Quenched are clear lip balms whereas all of the rest have a slight coloured tint to them.

In my local Boots all of the colours available so it was up to me to take my pick on which one and being £2.99 they are pretty cheap and definitely worth a try. I chose 'Cherry Me' which has a Cherry coloured tint to it- how ironic! I always love to have some colour on my lips and I'm really into my cherries and raspberry colours at the moment so it was the perfect option. As soon as I put it on my lips I could feel the moisture, although if you apply too many layers your lips can feel a little greasy. 

Baby Lips is the perfect solution for when you are at work or if you are in a situation where you can't re apply lippy for a while. This is perfect for me when I am at work as I never get time to re apply my lippy and I always end with a horrible line around my lips by the time it is lunch, but with Baby Lips and its ability to keep my lips moistured for hours on end this won't happen!  

Peace and Love

G. x

SW4 - SOUTH WEST FOUR

South West 4 Festival

This weekend I had a pretty busy but amazing weekend with the most amazing people! On Sunday I went to South West 4 Festival in Clapham Common, it is a two day festival (Saturday and Sunday) but my friends and I just went on the Sunday with Example headlining. SW4 hosts a variety of DJ's, Artists and Musicians from the Dance music world.


What did I wear?

Well in terms of what I ended up wearing to the Festival completely depended on the weather and thankfully the weather turned out to the be perfect! Although it had poured down a few days prior to the Festival this meant that the field was pretty muddy and since we were the 2nd day festival goers, the field had already been trampled on but to be honest it wouldn't be a real english festival without a bit of mud! 

Shoes- I wore my black Doc Martens which kept my feet dry and allowed me to squidge and dance around in the mud. By wearing my DM's it also meant that I didn't have to worry about what state they would be in by the end of it as they are easy to clean. (Wellies are also a great option!)

Dress- My dress was from the Topshop sale it was originally £28 then reduced to £15 and then with student discount £13.50 what a bargain! Recently when I have been buying clothes I also try and think how I can wear them in the Winter as unfortunately our Summer is  coming to an end, so here are a few things I would add to make a Winter outfit. 

-Black tights (to hide those goosebumps.)
-Boots (heeled or DM's; depending what occasion it is.)
-Black/grey cardi (for that extra warmth, I love to layer up during Winter!) 
-Maroon scarf/ Beanie ( I love to accessorise as it really completes the overall look) -Khaki -Parker coat (perfect to keep you warm and also super stylish.) 

There you have it, a winter outfit from a summer dress! (I also wore little black shorts under my dress, this was so then when I got on someone's shoulders I still kept my dignity!)

Bum Bag- This is a must! If you wanna be safe from sneaky pick pockets then get yourself one! Not only does it mean that you always have your belonging to the front of you but it also means that you have your hands free to dance and hold your cider!

Tassles- In this picture you can't really see my sleaveless black cardi with tassles but hopefully you can in one of the other pics, I picked this up a while ago in Republic for £7! I absolutely love it, its great for putting over something that is a little plain to spice it up or just to add some festival vibes which is what I wanted for SW4.  

Peace and Love

G. x

No7 Airbrush Away Primer

Name: Airbrush Away

Brand: No7

Make up: Skin (Base)

Price: £19.50

Rating: 9/10*

For the last 3 years I have been a huge fan on No7 make up and all of the make up in my make up bag is of the No7 brand, this is mainly because my Mum used No7 and therefore that is how I got introduced to it. I was introduced to this amazing beauty product by my Mum, she had bought some No7 products and has got a free No7 make up bag which contained some mini samples including a waterproof mascara, lip gloss, eyeshadow, night cream and a mini No7 Airbrush Away Primer. I had been saying to myself for a while that I had wanted to get myself a primer to use as a base for my foundation as prior to this I had just used a Nivea moisturising cream as a base but I thought it was about time to get a proper primer. 

So about the product... when applying the primer I just put 5 little dots on my face; the middle of my forehead, my chin, my nose and both cheeks and then slowly swept it over my face with my index finger (this finger applies the least pressure to your skin) covering my face evenly. Instantly I felt the effects of the product, my skin felt amazing and silky, almost as smooth a babies bottom! I couldn't believe the effects that a few dots of this product had had on my skin and how much my skin was glowing. Although I did feel that I had to use more the product that I had expected in order to cover my whole face, I think this is purely down to the consistency of the product and how much my skin absorbed it.

Next it was time to apply my foundation (No7 Beautifully Matte Mousse Foundation; £12.95) I apply my foundation with brush (Mac 130 Short Duo Fibre Brush; I got this as part of a set but individually they are £30.00.) My foundation took to my face perfectly, with the primer allowing my brush to gently slide on my face beautifully and I believe allowing my foundation to cover my face more evenly. 

Although the price of this product is pretty pricey and I honestly don't think I would have been introduced to it if it wasn't for the sample my Mum had given me, I do believe that I will re-purchase this product when my mini sample runs out as it definitely makes my skin feel beautiful and soft.

Check out this video to!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYL9nsCBA2M&feature=player_embedded

(*all ratings are my own personal opinion, I am comparing them to other products I own/have used)

Peace and Love

G. x

Crazy for Cami's

Crazy for Cami's!

Zara £25.99

This season we welcome back a 90's fashion piece that we are very much pleased to see back on our high street, the Camisole!

Zara £22.99

Cami's; Camisole 'A camisole is a sleeveless undergarment for women, normally extending to the waist. The camisole is usually made of satin, nylon, or cotton with spaghetti style straps.'

They are silky, slinky and just damn right sexy! Although the description states that they are an 'undergarment' that is a thing of the past now a camisole adds that edge of sexiness to an outfit while still keeping that classiness. Camisoles are perfect teamed up with a tight pencil skirt or some printed cropped smart trousers creating that sexy but sophisticated 'ready for business' kinda look.

 Top 3 websites/shops for Camisoles


*River Island!- http://www.riverisland.com/search?keyword=cami's&f_gender_category=women

River Island £10

-River Island have a load of gorgeous silk plain cami's for only £10 is a range of colours including, mustard, turquoise, light pink and lime. Shop quick as these are sure to sell out fast!

*Zara- http://www.zara.com/uk/en/woman/shirts-c269186.html#product=1433511&viewMode=two

Zara £29.99

Zara have some great cami's at a range of prices, check out there printed patterns!

Asos £14

Asos £90

*Asos- http://www.asos.com/search/cami?hrd=1&q=cami

As always Asos are great for everything, pick up a cheap cami for only £15 or a more expensive one for up to £90! Take your pick ladies! 

If your not really feeling any of the print cami's, grab yourself a plain one and glam it up with a big statement necklace!


Peace and Love 
G. x

Other UK

In the Words of Other UK...

We are the rule breakers & thought provokers, Outcasts & Innovators

We are the original & the unorthodox
We are the box on the form for the answer that wasn't anticipated
We are those that refuse to stand inline & that don't fit the mold.
We defy stereotypes & push boundaries
We are the unexpected
We are the Others

Be original be OTHER; Other is an Independent streetwear & lifestyle brand looking to bend the rules & push boundaries. Mixing trends & innovative designs with the highest quality apparel.

A bit about the brand...

Other UK clothing was launched in October 2012- when I found out that it had been launched less than a year ago I was extremely surprised as it is a very well established street wear brand and has developed and progressed greatly in the last 10 months.

The brand was created in Cardiff, Wales and founded by 3 people, Nick, Mia and Nathan. 

The brand name 'Other' is named after the box that states 'other' on forms, wanting to inspire people to take the 'other' option and be different by buying their street wear brand. Other UK offers another option for people that are wanting to be original and part of the 'other'. 

Other UK has boomed in popularity with their consumer market growing by the days, with much of their stock online being labelled as 'sold out'. Other UK are currently planning their 5th collection for Autumn 13 and are also in talks with P Money about a collaboration collection which will hopefully be hitting the web.

Other UK has been seen on artist such as JLS, Young O, Lady Leshur, Shystie, Manga (Roll Deep), P Money and Leigh-Anne (Little Mix).

A bit more personal...

I was first introduced to the brand about 4 months ago when a fellow colleague of mine started doing some promotional work for the brand so I thought that I would check it out and see what it was all about. When I heard that their Summer 2013 collection was due out I was soon counting down the days for it to be released; below I have done a brief analysis on a few of their Summer collection products.

I was very impressed with the collection, however a majority of their products including most of their sweaters and tee are black on black or black and white however they have recently added a Cheetah Authentic Basketball Jersey £75 which is completely different in terms of their previous Jersey designs. 

Like most streetwear brands Other UK also do a number of different designed beanies that come in khaki, maroon, grey and red. With Leather being a huge phase at the moment, Other UK have also latched onto this providing leather vests and jumpers for consumers; I am also a huge love of these too! Although a little hot to be wearing in these baking days we have been blessed with at the moment.

If you are as huge fan of the bandana print as I am at the moment but are finding parting with $150 for a newly designed bandana tee by Rhuigi Villasenor (brand Rhude) then grab yourself an Other UK tee instead about your only be out of pocket by £35! 

My favourite item from this collection is definitely the Rose Tee £35, as soon as I saw it I completely fell in love with the print and with the amount of black on black I wear at the moment I thought it would be a great alternative to add to my cupboard.

I am a regular viewer of the website and a follower of their Twitter and Instagram pages, check it out!

Instagram: OTHERUK,  NICKYOTHER

Twitter: OtherUK

Website: www.otheruk.com

Peace and Love

G. x

Pucker Up with Coral Lips!

It's time to pucker up Girls!

So we have been bless with this beautiful weather for the past 2 weeks now! However when the weather is this hot I find putting on make up such a chore and I instantly feel yucky as soon as the sun shines onto my face making my complexion look sweaty and shiny- not a good look. 

In regards to eye make up I have been only wearing a coat or two of mascara as not only does it smudge everywhere as soon as I sneeze due to my dreaded hay fever! ...but I am also really enjoying the sun kissed fresh look of summer. 

As all my friends already know I am a huge fan of lipstick and will not leave the house without it being lacquered to my lips! Whether it be pink, bright red, chilli red, raspberry or coral, it is a must and instantly brings colour and happiness to my face and I never feel I am complete without it. 

About 5 years ago their was a huge hype for wearing foundation on your lips with a dash of clear lip gloss. However I personally was never been a huge fan of having foundation covered lips on myself. I feel that it really washes me out and I look too dull- normally peoples preferred tone of lip colour for the Sun Kissed look is foundation coloured lips. 

However I have found a new adaptation for this! I have a new found love for Coral! I absolutely LOVE it! It is so summery and lifts your lips instantly making them as kissable as ever as well as adding to popular pastels that are around at the moment.

There are a lot of make up ranges out there that provide Coral as one of their lipstick options, but I personally use No.7 Coral Rose 'Drench Moisture' £9.50

Not only is the colour beautiful but it also leaves my lips feeling moist and soft and most definitely puckered up and ready for that special kiss. 

Go on try it!

Peace & Love

G. x

The Ragged Priest

The Ragged Priest is one of the hottest up and coming newest designers, it takes core vintage items and adds a contemporary twist by adding, tassels studs, rips or patchwork materials to their products. It is slowly but surely becoming an established designer, this has been proved through The Ragged Priest products being available in various Topshop stores, the Topshop website and ASOS. 

-http://www.theraggedpriest.com

-http://www.topshop.com (search The Ragged Priest)

With their use of studs, leather and denim, The Ragged Priest certainly adds a tough and rough look to your wardrobe and definitely shouts attitude! However with their latest range featuring tie dye and tassels it also adds elements of the 60's and 70's hippies era as well as providing a perfect festival look.

Like most new designers beanies are a big must, the beanie craze has boomed in past 18 months and The Ragged Priest has jumped on this bandwagon. With the neon vibes set for the summer, The Ragged Priest has created illuminous neon beanies of green, orange and yellow. 

  

I have two personal favourite items by The Ragged Priest- 

**HALLE CROP TOP BY THE RAGGED PRIEST; £30.00

**COCHISE SWEAT BY THE RAGGED PRIEST; £55.00

SPOTTED ON THE CELEBS!

LEA-ANNE LITTLE MIX

JESSY LITTLE MIX

RIHANNA

JESSIE J

Go check out The Ragged Priest now! 

P.S Topshop have a great sale on The Ragged Priest products!

Peace and Love

G. x