"orangey reds"

Topshop 'Infrared'

MAC 'Lady Danger'

 More often that not, recently I have found myself constantly reaching for orange toned reds in a pathetic attempt to bring sunnier weather (which worked today, but this was purely coincidence) and now try and steer clear from deep reds such as Russian Red or Rimmel Kate Moss 107 which were firm favourites right the way through autumn/winter. 

Whether you prefer matte or a more sheer finish, both of these offerings have something for you. In the day, I tend to reach for Infrared as it gives a nice wash of colour which can be built up with more than one stroke across the lips so I love how versatile this lipstick is. It's an easy way to bring a pop of colour to a neutral eye and I pretty much wear this everyday to uni nowadays. 

On nights out or if I'm having a casual evening at the pub I go for Lady Danger because of it's lasting power and high pigmentation both due to the matte formula. It's difficult to wear this lipstick with dry lips as it does tend to drag across when applying but with a good base achieved using a lip scrub (I love Lush's bubblegum lip scrub) and a good lip balm (I reach for Carmex Cherry or Burts Bee's peppermint lip balm) then it drags less, your lips look smooth and the colour still lasts wonderfully with this firm base.

I love both these lipsticks equally but for obvious, very different reasons but I don't feel my collection would be complete without either!

weekly roundup #2

loving the nude polishes / before i realised i had food poisining but after some alcohol / pretty flowers my mum received for valentine's day / bakery treat - subsiding my craving for carrot cake / essay work is mind numbing / would be wrong to pass up offers on stationary

I've had the privilege of having a reading week off uni this week so my plan was to spend a week doing essays and drinking copious amounts of tea... not exactly how the week went. 

It started off well and I got work done until Tuesday night when I gave myself food poisoning and didn't realise until I got drunk and was in the middle of a club, fair to say it didn't end well and was followed swiftly by a phone call for my mum to come and save me from my death bed. I'm far too lucky to live only 30 minutes from home. It's now Sunday and of course my wonderful mum convinced me to stay home until tomorrow morning to then whiz back to uni for a lecture at 1. 

I also got new glasses this week which I absolutely love! I'm not supposed to wear my contact lenses for more than 10 hours a day or everyday in a week -which I do because I didn't like my glasses and felt they didn't suit my face and we outdated since I'd had them since 2010 so I was treated to some lovely Ralph Lauren glasses which I'm sure will pop up in this blog for you to have a look at. 

I had planned to take my Canon on a walk in the countryside near my house this weekend but that turned into food/knick knack shopping with mum and this week we celebrated the retirement of the vicar at my parish church here at home. I've been attending since I was born and have grown up with my vicar guiding me and my family through good times and bad and I'm so sad to see him leave. But now he and his wife can enjoy their new house in the country with their little puppy and I'm sure they'll enjoy it immensely whilst missing us mad lot. My church is such a warming and friendly place, not what you'd typically imagine a church to be like and I definitely wouldn't be the person I am today without my faith and all the friends I have made there and I miss going every Sunday morning and enjoying their company. Anyway, I won't go on!

It's been a good week, not as planned but sometimes it's better that way and now I'm less stressed (and sick) and ready to get back into lectures, blasting out these essays and hopefully improving my diet (no more dunking biscuits in tea!) 

Wish me luck.

favourite nude polishes

Apologies for the yuckiness of the skin around the nails and the red tinge to my fingers!

Slowly my nail polish collection is growing, especially as I've finally grown my nails and although they are not at the length I want them, they are slowly getting there and are presentable enough to do this little post for you!

During this 'inbetween' winter/spring stage I never really know what to go for, I'm fed up of deep reds and burgundy's but it's not quite pastel weather - this is where nudes come in! Although perfect for any time of year, I feel like they just fit in right now. So I thought I would choose my top 5 from my collection and share them with you.

(L to R)

Model's Own 'Nude Beige' (standard beige)

Barry M Gelly 'Lychee' (soft ivory)

Ciaté 'Ivory Queen' (peachy nude)

Essie 'Tea and Crumpets' (more of a pink nude rather than how it has photographed here)

Essie 'Delicacy' (a pearl iridescent)

All of these brands have fantastic polishes which last for a considerable amount of time with the right top coat and there's something to suit everyone's budget. I love the formula's of all of them and the drying time isn't too long either. 

I'm currently rocking 'Lychee' by Barry M which is a firm favourite of mine, plus adds the effects that my nails are longer than they are due to a light polish, rather than a dark berry tone which is an added bonus for me!

I can't wait for my nails to be that bit longer for spring and then I can donne the pastels, I'm dying for some colour to brighten up my look!

Which nail polish make is your favourite? Are you still wearing dark berry shades, clinging onto the festivity or have you opted for something a bit lighter now we are (hopefully) moving into spring?

weekly roundup #1

a couple of monday treats / the most fluorescent nails (models own - hedonist) / boring historical/contemporary issues lecture is boring / homemade butternut squash soup / if you can't wear a red lip on valentine's day, when can you? / treats in the form of pancakes for a loner on v-day morning / valentine's dessert for 4 anyone? / how did i forget this pink beauty in my collection?

This week, knowing I wanted to start this mini series, I vowed to take more 'on the go' photos. I always want to but chicken out when it comes to people staring if I take a photo of something I find unique or interesting but that stopped this week and I embraced photography! It's so handy having a decent camera on my phone (iPhone 5) because I know I can take snaps that are of reasonable quality and now have to carry around my Canon everywhere which is of course extremely impractical. 

This week has obviously had a massive focus on love and valentine's day which I'm sure has been the same for everyone, so this week I decided to treat myself to feel a little bit better! Plus some of the girls at uni (who all happen to be in relationships, how ironic) and I decided to go for some food at the uni pub and ended up drinking cocktails and eating the most amazing desserts. 

I'm finally making decent headway on my 4, yes, 4 essays due in March/April so I'm glad that I'm no longer procrastinating and doing my best to get the best grades I can this year. Even though this first year of my degree counts for nothing when it comes to my overall degree, I still want to do the best I can so I can do the modules I want next year. 

I've been wearing a lot of red lipstick recently, as obviously the weather has been freezing but I found the beauty that is 'Impassioned' by MAC that I completely forgot I had in my collection so I have decided to wack it out and embrace pink lips as we move into Spring (I can say that right? - I'm clinging onto the idea that warmer weather and lack of wind will be here soon)

Have you seen my post from Wednesday? Although Valentine's day is over, the look I created is still great for this time of the year! So here is the post. 

makeup look: valentine's day

  

Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner '01 Black' 

It's that time of the year again and although I'm not spending this day with a significant other, I am going for food and drinks with all my single friends at uni so I'm going to wear this look out to feel a little special! 

The start of this look is most definitely a flawless base, my favourite foundation is Revlon Colour Stay which for me particularly, having oily skin, is a total saviour with it's great coverage and lasting power. A strong brow frames the eyes which I have left fairly simple so's not to upstage the pop of colour from the lips. I never usually wear a cat eye flick of eyeliner so I thought as I'm making a bit more of an effort than everyday I'd attempt and I don't think it went too badly! As always I used a firm beauty favourite of Maybelline 'The Falsies' mascara and you could even wear false lashes or a few individual lashes if you want to go all out! If you can't wear a red lip on Valentine's day, then when can you? It's a total classic and there are so many different shades you can go for depending on your skin shade. 

sunday ootd

Grey cropped jumper (topshop) / black skater skirt (newlook) / black tights 

simple brown neutral eye (urban decay naked basics) / contour (mac 'harmony' blush) / revlon lip butter 'tutti frutti'

rose gold michael kors watch 

friendship 'wish' bracelet (etsy)

thinking positive

Ever have one of those days where you feel like absolutely nothing has gone your way and you're left feeling deflated, unmotivated and just sad in general? Don't we all? I can't be alone on this!

I saw this little quote on pinterest and decided to share it on my blog because I think it's a little gem of advice and something I'm definitely going to remind myself of whenever I'm having a totally poopy day.

It's extremely difficult to pull yourself back up again when you're just in 'one of those' moods but if you look properly at how your day went I'm sure everyone can find at least one thing that went right. It could be anything, even the little things that we take for granted every day. Did you have your favourite breakfast? Your mum say she loves you before you leave to go to school/work? Listened to a good song? Hair went exactly how you like it? It could be anything! 

I was having what I thought was a disaster of a day filled with a lack of sleep, a day full of lectures and arguing with someone but looking back on it, my day was filled with life long friends, laughs, a day full of learning about my dream career, and ultimately I had a roof over my head, clothes on my back, food in my tummy and was surrounded by people who like me just for who I am. 

Another thing I find useful, especially now I have moved out, is that I ring my mum or grandma. Even if I don't express my upset, just hearing their voice and asking about their day cheers me up just a little. Nothing beats a cuddle with your mum but just hearing her say she loves you is a close second. 

One thing that never failed to make me smile is listening to that song that you just love and whenever you hear it, you just can't help but sing along. A good dance and mime around your bedroom can work wonders, just getting your blood pumping and getting all the negative out of your system is a miracle worker. Anyone for a dramatic rendition of Timber by Kesha?

I know thinking positive is a lot easier said than done and when you're having a crappy day the last thing you want to do is think about the day, you just want to forget it while devouring a tub of Ben and Jerries and watching The Notebook but it can be rewarding to remember the good things. It not only makes you feel a bit more positive but makes you appreciate what you have.

I'm not really sure of the reason for writing this post, it is a lot more personal that my others but I feel like sometimes I need to get things off my chest, which is another good way of feeling a little happier. I think it will be good to look back on this post in the future, whether that be in a week or even a few years down the line, read my own advice (and hopefully take it!) and see that this little quote is as much relevant now as it will be in the future.

Apologies if you don't like this sort of post but I think it has been beneficial for me to get this off my chest, plus if you take anything from this, then remember this little quote and always remember the positives, no matter how small they are.

most loved this week

Hollister Body Mist in 'Tippers Beach'

This was a stocking filler at christmas from my grandma and it has been a god send! I love the Impulse body sprays but always find that the scent doesn't last very long on your skin/clothes so I feel like I'm spraying every few minutes and am forever repurchasing. This spray smells delicious, it is very floral and sweet and is very strong so lasts for ages which means you aren't forever spritzing yourself. Now I never leave the flat without this in my handbag, especially on long uni days in hot lecture theatres. I've had so many compliments on this scent and when this runs out (which will not be for a very long time) I will definitely repurchase one of these sprays, if not in this scent then another that Hollister has to offer.

Revlon Colour Burst Lip Butter in 015 Tutti Frutti

I had never previously owned a lip butter as I'm very much a lipstick kinda girl but I thought this would be a good addition to my lip collection for days when I want moisturised lips with just a slick of colour. Since winter is coming to an end (I hope...), I thought I would go for a fresh peach for the spring! I've worn this a lot this week and I'm sure I'll continue to enjoy it in the spring and summer months. 

Clean Bandit - Rather Be feat. Jess Glynne

I first heard this song when it was featured on Celebrity Big Brother and used the trusty app that is 'Shazam' to find out what this song was... and I haven't stopped listening to it since. If you haven't heard it yet, I highly recommend you listen to it, it's so uplifting and upbeat, I just want to sin and dance when I listen to it, a real feel good tune to brighten up your day!