YSL Rouge Volupte Lipstick

 

I couldn't resist writing about this lipstick because, well it's just too pretty not to. It's the Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte lipstick in the shade 'Peach Passion'. My lovely parents picked it up for me in duty free on a recent trip and I have to say, I don't think I've ever owned any make up with such pretty packaging. Generally I buy all my make up from Boots or Superdrug so to spend £24 on one lipstick would never have crossed my mind, thankfully it was £17 in duty free which still seems a lot but It's something I'll keep forever to sit pretty on my dressing table.      

Anyway enough about the price, I know these lipsticks have been around for quite a while and are best sellers for YSL and I can certainly see why. When first applied it's very glossy and quite wet but after a minute or so it dries to a creamy consistency. It really glides on to the lips which feels very luxurious and even for a pale pink lipstick the colour pay off is great. 'Peach Passion' is a gorgeous pale pink/coral colour which look amazing against my pale skin and I like to wear it with tons of mascara for long fluttery lashes for a real sixties look. It's a versatile enough colour that you can wear it year round which is ideal now the seasons are starting to change,   

However be aware if you have very dry lips as it tends to show up all the lines and cracks which isn't really ideal for a lipstick which is supposedly 'nourishing' for the lips. It does however last a good few hours as I was impressed to find out after a recent shopping trip. It's not so great when eating or drinking but then against most moisturising lipsticks aren't.

Now what can I say about the packaging, well it's just beautiful. The intricately carved logo design reminds you you've bought a very high quality product and of course it's touches like this that your paying the high price for. I love the added touch of having the colour of the lipstick on the packaging and I'm sorely tempted to collect all the colours just so I can display them on my dressing table. 

I'm not sure this lipstick has quite convinced me it's worth paying upwards of £20 for one lipstick as I still think there's some really great quality lipsticks available for a quarter of the price. I do think though that it would make a perfect Christmas or birthday present and  I'm sure most girls would be happy with such a luxurious and beautiful gift.

Available here for £24.50.

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Sunday Night Chatter #4

 

I've neglected my blog a little bit this week, I just haven't been in a blogging mood. You know when you have one of those weeks where nothing gets done. Yeah well I've had one of those. However, the cloud has finally lifted and I have lots of new ideas for posts planned in the coming weeks including a new series which I haven't seen before on any other blog so I'm really excited to get started on it. 

Besides that there is not really much to mention about this week, my dog Freddie is feeling miles better and there's no trace of an abscess which is a real relief for all of us. I'm pretty sure though that he's now got more energy than before, he's been pretty cheeky this week! 

The week ended well today as I got a glimpse of the highlife during a trip to the Southampton Boat Show. We mainly wanted to have a look around the multi million dollar yachts which more than lived up to our expectations, they were incredible! We didn't however get to have a look around the biggest yachts as there was huge queues of people waiting to have a look. Maybe this was for the better, it somehow seemed a little undignified seeing people queue up for a glimpse of something they would never be able to afford but we can all dream! Now I just need to find that rich husband...

O.O.T.D A Girl In A Striped T Shirt

Just a little post today in which I thought I'd share my outfit just cause I really like it.

I love this skirt because I can literally wear it with anything, its completely versatile but not too boring because it has this cool, crinkly pattern on it. 

You know I forgot how amazing tights are, you just feel so much more comfortable than having bare legs and worrying if people can see up your skirt.

I've had a bit of an obsession with Coral this summer so this coral striped t shirt has been one of my favourites these past few months and I just love the neckline, its so flattering.

My favourite part of this outfit has to be my shoes, they're just simple suede black pumps with the most amazing bow shaped bejewelled silver buckles on the front. The only problem is I don't want to wear them too often in case I ruin them and if it's raining then it's a no go. 

The top is from Forever 21, the skirt is from Monki and the shoes are from Next.

Sunday Night Chatter #3

Well what can I say about this week, it's been pretty good actually and I'm hoping it's the beginning of better things to come. I've overcome a few obstacles which have previously defeated me so I'm quite proud of myself this week.

I mentioned in last weeks post that I had my driving theory test this week and I promised I would let you know how I got on. Well... I passed! I was so happy as I tend to get really nervous doing exams so I don't always do my best but somehow I managed to stay really calm and it wasn't too bad. It just means now that there's nothing in the way of me doing my driving test which is both exciting and terrifying all at the same time! I just need to hurry up and pass now, I can't wait to be able to drive myself around!     

Unfortunately my driving lessons have come to a halt whilst I search for a new driving instructor. I won't go into detail right now but I'm thinking of writing a post on my experience of learning to drive if it might be useful to anyone else.

My Mum and Dad were away for a long weekend in Italy as well this so my sister came to stay to keep me company and we had such a great weekend. She moved out a few months ago and I've really missed not seeing her everyday so It was really lovely to spend some time together with just the two of us. On Friday we had a nigh out on the town and it was really great to get dressed up and have some fun even if the nightlife in our local town isn't exactly buzzing. Saturday was really chilled, we did a bit of shopping and then had some dinner at Zizzis which has to be my favourite restaurant at the moment, I just can't resist Italian food! Afterwards we went to the cinema to see About Time which we both really enjoyed, I'd definitely recommend going to see it if you love a good rom com. Sunday we treated ourselves to a McDonalds and then had a duvet night in front of the TV watching rubbish but I wouldn't have had it any other way to cap off a really great week.   

Max Factor Mini Nail Polish



Max Factor Max Colour Efects Mini Nail Polish in 'Diva Coral'

I always find it difficult to choose a colour to wear on my nails at this time of the year, the weather is starting to turn yet I'm still trying to get the most out of my colourful, summer clothes. With that in mind I decided to go with this darker coral shade from Max Factor, it's slightly more orange than pink which satisfies my need for a bright colour on my nails is ever so slightly neon. I was really impressed with the formula of this polish, only two coats are need and it's really shiny which is great because I was in a bit of a rush This little bottle is perfect for travelling or to keep in your bag for touch ups when you chip a nail. It's a shame really that I only discovered this polish at the end of the summer. Available here for £3.99.

A Few Recent Buys From Primark

This is just a little post on a few recent buys from a surprisingly successful trip to Primark. The last few months I have not been the biggest fan of Primark, I just couldn't find anything I liked and every store I went into looked as if they had been ransacked by a pack of feral, bargain hunters which, if we're honest, is what happens to the best of us upon entering Primark. So this latest visit was not with the highest of hopes and after trailing through countless aisles of floaty camis in every colour under the sun and hundreds of patterned pyjama bottoms I found what I was looking for (although I was never really sure what I was looking for).

First I found these two dresses, the one on the left is a dark green colour with a white geometric 60s style print on it and slightly puffy capped sleeves. It's quite fitted at the waist and falls just above my knees. The dress on the right is white with an Aztec style multi-coloured print and grey t shirt  style sleeves. It's thigh length and made of quite a light weight material. The waist is elasticated so it's slight more comfortable than the other dress but is more loose fitted.    

I was pretty happy with my finds so off I went to pay when I saw these really cute round neck cardigans in tons of different colours. I've been after some nice cardigans for ages so I picked up one in black and another in electric blue and I think they'll be perfect for autumn/winter. For some reason the blue cardigan has full length sleeves and the black cardigan has three quarter length sleeves which doesn't bother me, I just found it a bit strange seeing as otherwise they are the exact same cardigans. I suppose it's just another quirky trait of Primark clothing that many of the same items in different colours are slightly different to each other. I wonder if anyone else has found the same thing?

  

The total for all the items came to £30 and I honestly can't see a difference in quality between these clothes and ones you'd find in Topshop or Miss Selfridge. Primark, just as you're loosing me, you draw me back in, how can I resist £30 for four items when one dress in Topshop costs £30. It's simply really.

Unfortunately in the Primark I went in to they didn't yet have any of the autumn/winter range I've seen so much of online. There looks to be some really great items in it so I think I'll have to make another trip there in a few weeks.

Sunday Night Chatter #2

This week's been an interesting one to say the least, some of it good and some of it not so good. There's been vet appointments, birthdays and exam revision. So yeah, good and bad.

About a week and a half ago I noticed my dog Freddie had a small lump on his neck that appeared overnight so we booked a vets appointment to get it checked out. Unfortunately they couldn't work out what it was and by the end of the weekend it had grown to the size of a golf ball. I knew there was no reason to be too worried because Freddie was still really well in himself, he still had the same energy and he hadn't stopped eating but obviously it was quite alarming that it suddenly appeared overnight. This week we've been going back and forth to the vets and are still none the wiser to the cause of what we found out is an abscess. Thankfully these last few days it's decreased in size significantly, he's on antibiotics and all sorts of tests have been done so hopefully this week we might get some answers. I'm just trying not to worry about it too much but it's so difficult when pets are ill and they cant tell you what's wrong. Poor Fred :(

On a happier note I celebrated one of my closest friend's 21st birthday this week. I only turned 20 about two months ago so it's mad to think that she is already 21! Those of you born during the summer months will know what I mean! It was such a great night and it was really nice to celebrate with all my friends before they go back to university next week.  

I also had another driving lesson this week and it's going really well. I love driving so much and I can't wait until I've passed my test! My driving theory test is next week so I've been cramming in as much revision as possible. It's funny cause as much as I say to myself 'don't leave it to the last minute' I always do! When will I learn! Anyway I'll let you all know how I get on be it good or bad, wish me luck!

Maybelline 24HR Colour Tattoo

The other day I picked up these cream shadows on a three for two offer in Boots, they are the Maybelline 24hr Colour Tattoos in three different shades; Pink Gold, Permanent Taupe and On and On Bronze. I'd never really dabbled in cream shadows before I bought these so I've really been putting them to the test this past week.  

Pink Gold is a beautiful Baby Pink colour with a gold shimmer running through it. Permanent Taupe is the only matte colour in the trio and is a smokey grey/brown. On and On Bronze is a glitzy gold colour with a paler golden shimmer.

As you can see from the swatches, the colour pay off is really impressive. You only need the tiniest amount for a wash of colour on the lids or you can build it up for more of an evening look. In terms of application, I've found using my fingers to be the best way of applying these cream shadows, it's much easier to blend out the colour or build it up, it tends to get a little messy using a brush.

There's an obvious use for the 24hr Colour Tattoos as a base for your eye shadow which these work perfectly for. I found when I used these as a base my shadow lasted a lot longer and didn't crease at all. I can't say that they would last for 24 hours although I haven't actually put this to the test. Who wears the same make up for 24 hours anyway? However it's true to say they last all day whether they are worn on their own or as a base.   

The formula is spot on, its really creamy but once on the lid it transforms to a fine powder which is easy to blend out with out loosing any of the high pigment of colour. It doesn't crease or transfer once on and at the end of the day it's easy to remove. What more could you want from an eye shadow? 

I've been really impressed with these cream shadows and will definitely continue to incorporate them in to my every day make up routine. In fact I'm sorely tempted to buy a few more colours in the range!   

Available here for £4.99

Sunday Night Chatter #1

This post will be the first in a series of Sunday night catch ups, basically what will be a review of my week and what has been. I'll probably end up sharing more than I should but they're generally my favourite kind of posts on other people's blogs and hey, who doesn't enjoy being nosey once in a while!

So lets starts with this week, well it's been a pretty exciting one for me actually. I had my first driving lesson at the end of the week and the nerves had been steadily building but when it came to it I was actually more excited than nervous. I know most people get nervous about their first lesson but it was a pretty big deal for me and I'm really pleased with myself for having taken this big step in my life. It went really well and I'm more than ready for my next lesson. It's exciting stuff people!

 In other news OxJam 2013 happened on Saturday and what a day/endurance test it was! (If you have no idea what Oxjam is click here.) The sun was shining and not a cloud was in sight. Add to that a pretty incredible atmosphere, everyone was smiling and just enjoying some really great local music, and you have the perfect recipe for a successful music festival. I'm so proud of my sister for having organised the whole thing, not only did the day go off without a hitch but she raised a ton of money for Oxfam and everyone had a whale of a time. Well done Big Sis, you really nailed it! 

We also celebrated a birthday in the family this week, my Mum's, and we all enjoyed a yummy lunch at a lovely pub on the River Thames. Yes we were dive bombed by wasps throughout the afternoon which made everyone enjoy it slightly less but we all got away sting free and the sun was shining so no one complained. Well, maybe I did a little bit but I absolutely HATE wasps! Happy Birthday Mum!

 Of course we've seen the beginning of September this weekend and I'm really looking forward to a month of being proactive and positive. Fingers crossed next week will be just as good as this one.