A Spring Wishlist

Georgia winged bag- £32.00 accessorize.co.uk
White 'Paige' sandals-£55.00 debenhams.com
Checked cut out skater dress -£22.00 missguided.co.uk
Boyfriend coat in baby blue -£54.99 missguided.co.uk
Pink dirndl skirt - £12 Primark
Blue midi heels -£45.00 debenhams.com
Winged shoulder bag - £37.00 accessorize.co.uk 

The sun finally decided to pop it's head out from behind the clouds this week so of course I started dreaming of things I want to add to my summer wardrobe. Pastels are a huge trend again this year which makes me a very happy bunny, I've got my eye on a pastel coat to keep me snug until the summer months and this baby blue number from Missguided is beautiful and such a great price too! Plus, just look at those bags from Accessorize, I honestly don't think I could choose between them. In fact their whole collection is so gorgeous I want it all! If only I could win the lottery. I suppose I'd actually have to start doing the lottery first mind.

'Pictures property of Debenhams' 'Pictures property of missguided.co.uk' 'Pictures property of Primark', 'Pictures property of Accessorize'

OOTD - A Girl In (Faux) Fur

- Fur Lapel ASOS - Leather Jacket H&M - Dress Primark - Shoes Matalan - Jumper H&M -

I haven't done an outfit post for ages as my sister/photographer is moving at the moment so doesn't have much free time at the weekends. I thought I'd have a go myself instead, queue a lot of running back and forth trying to set the camera whilst making sure I'm in shot before the timer goes off. I just about managed a few poses but unfortunately the light wasn't great. Nevermind, you can see what I'm wearing so that's all that matters right?!

I wore this outfit at the weekend to a local vintage fair which turned out to be not so great but on the plus side I got to drive there! It was one of my first drives since passing my driving test on Valentine's day so to say I was excited would be an understatement! I'm generally a very nervous person so it was a huge deal for me to even do the test let alone pass first time. Let's put it this way, this time last year there was no way I would have been able to do it so I'm very chuffed with myself right now! I threw on the jumper later on when I got home just cause it was way too cold not to wear it. Come on summer, hurry up, I need you! I'm so over layering up with coats and jumpers.

This is pretty much the makeup look I wear every day, it's getting to the stage now when I just don't feel as if I look right without that little flick of eye liner. I guess it's a security thing but I'm pretty sure we all have that little something that makes us feel good about ourselves, it's just a shame it takes me so bloody long to perfect! Other than that I just went for a nude lip, a peachy cheek and plenty of mascara as always.

Makeup used:
Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation 'True Ivory' - £8.99 boots.com
Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer 'Chantilly' - £21.00 narscosmetics.co.uk
Rimmel Clear Complexion Powder - £3.99 boots.com
L'Oreal Miss Manga Mascara - £8.99 boots.com
Benefit Magic Ink Liquid Liner - £15.50 benefitcosmetics.co.uk 
Benefit Sugarbomb - £23.50 benefitcosmetics.co.uk 
Autograph Moisture Colour Lipstick 'Powder Pink' - £8.50 marksandspencer.com
Benefit Browzings 'Medium' £23.50 benefitcosmetics.co.uk 

Spring/Summer 2014 Beauty Trends

Braids

Braids were all over the Spring/Summer 2014 catwalks including at Giles, Rebecca Minkhoff and Nicole Miller. Be it a side braid, french braid or milkmaid braid, it's the most on trend way to wear your hair as the weather starts to warm up.

 

Urban Decay shadow in 'Painkiller'

Aqua Liner
Blue used on the eyes was a continuing trend on the catwalks for Spring Summer 2014. Giorgio Armani and Badgley Mischka both went for a wash of sky blue colour all over the lid while Marc by Marc Jacobs chose electric blue to line the eyes. For more of an everyday look swap black liner on the top lid for an aqua blue.

 Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in 'In Love With Ginger' - £6.49 boots.com

Orange Lips

I think most of us by now have cottoned on the brilliance that is orange lips. Prabal Gurung, Rag & Bone and DKNY all went for matte orange lips for a modern, fresh look. Don't be thinking you can't pull this look off, there are shades of orange to suit all skin tones. Pale girls should try tomato orange shades whilst those with warmer skin tones should stick to vibrant, neon oranges. 

Defined Curls

Forget loose waves, Spring/Summer 2014 is all about the more defined curl as seen at Maria Grachvogel and Holly Fulton. Both went for a deep side parting with large curls brushed through. Hair was kept looking sleek at the top for an elegant, sophisticated look.

Barry M Neon Nail Paint in 'Lime Green' - £2.99 boots.com

Vibrant Nails 
Go for primary colours and vibrant shades on the nails to complete your Spring/Summer look. It's all about being bold with your colours choices to create a statement with oranges, yellows, greens and blues. As seen at Suno, Rebecca Taylor and Prabal Gurung.

 What are your favourite beauty trends for Spring/Summer 2014? Let me know below!

Review - L'Oreal True Match Foundation

I bought the L'Oreal True Match Foundation with high hopes, its been a beauty bloggers favourite recently so I was desperate to try it out. It's described as being 'super-blendable' as well as beings able to match 'skin colour and texture'. I've tried plenty of foundations that claim to match skin colour but never skin texture so this was a new one to me. To be honest I'm not really sure how this would work other than just being able to sink in to the skin without leaving a layer. So does it live up to it's promises? Well, it's a mixed review if I'm honest but I'll start with the positive. Yep there's only one.

L'Oreal have got the colour matching spot on with this foundation. You can see in the pictures below after I've blended it in that the colour really does match my skin tone perfectly, it literally disappears! By default I tend to pick the lightest shade available of any foundation I buy and even then it's still too dark so it's great to know that L'Oreal  is thinking about us really pale girls too.

Unfortunately, now I'm going to be negative and say that this foundation just did not sit well on my skin at all. I really found it difficult to blend out to look natural and it would look really streaky all across my face. I tried applying it in all different ways using different brushes as just my fingers but still found it very difficult to sink in to my skin.

Second gripe, it made my skin look really dry and flakey especially around my nose. I normally have the opposite problem in that my skin is very oily so I couldn't work out how it was making my oily t-zone look dry, very odd!

The coverage is about average I'd say, it is buildable but it's not great at covering redness so I did rely on my Nars Radiant Creamy concealer quite a lot. The longevity isn't great either, it tended to rub off of random areas of my face even when used along with powder.

It's safe to say I won't be buying this foundation again. it really isn't a terrible foundation, it just doesn't work for me at all. I'd be really interested to hear what other people's experiences are with the L'Oreal True Match Foundation. If you've tried it then let me know below!

L'Oreal True Match Foundation - £9.99 boots.com

Primark Spring/Summer 2014 - My Picks

Primark are playing a bit of  blinder with their Spring Summer collection for 2014! I'm really impressed so far with what they've released and I've already got my eye on a few things that are now available in store. It may not be so different to what we saw last year (lots of pastel!) but it sure is pretty! Here's my picks:

BEVERLY HILLS Jumper £12 
Slogan jumpers are everywhere at the moment and this pink number is perfect to throw on with some denim cut offs. (once it stops raining obviously!)

Peach Spear Necklace £3

This gorgeous statement necklace would compliment any look, pair it with a little black dress and heels and you'll be good to go!

Slingback Court £10

Comfort and style is what it's all about in these peachy pink sling backs, I think they'd look fantastic with a tan! 

Perforated Skirt £14
This simple white skirt is in no way boring thanks to the intricate perforated detail which really gives it an edge.

Skirt £12
My favourite of all my picks, this gorgeous lace overlay skirt is perfect for hiding away your pale pins unitl you get a bit of colour on them!

Jacket £25
The perfect alternative to black leather, stand out in this pastel pink number on those cooler days.

Caged Ballerina Sandal £8

White sandals go with literally any outfit so in my eyes they're a must for Spring/Summer!

Skirt £6

The weather might not be tropical but you certainly will be in this palm print skirt!

Asymmetric Crepe Wrap Skirt £10

This lemon asymmetric skirt will certainly brighten someone's day, especially worn together with a cute, white button up shirt.

White Satchel £9

It would be impossible to find an outfit you couldn't wear with little white satchel with!

Pink Contrast Raglan T Shirt £4

This t shirt will be available in multiple pastel shades and I'm most definitely picking up one of each. Perfect to wear with jeans whilst we wait for Summer to come.

Everything I've featured is available in stores now so you might as well make a start on your new Summer wardrobe now! I'm planning on getting down to Primark as soon as possible before it sells out! 

*All pictures propery of Primark UK*

My Skincare Saviours

It's safe to say I'm not on best terms with my skin at the moment, it's been really spotty and red lately! I know that it's really important to look after your skin and I'll be the first to admit that I've not looked after it in the past. I did start to rely on face wipes way too much, oops! So I've decided to do something about it and up my skincare routine. 

It's all about cleanse, tone and moisturise from now:

Cleanse - Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser

Tone - Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic

Moisturise - Origins GinZing Moisturiser

I've already started to notice a difference in the appearance of my skin since using these in a regular routine, the spots are starting to disappear and there's less redness. The main thing I'm noticing however is just how much more makeup I've removed from my face just by doing that second step of toning, it's disconcerting to think that I was leaving so much make up still on my face! 

I have very oily skin, especially on my t-zone and I always felt that moisturisers were making my skin even more greasy. It would just sit on the  skin's surface making it even more spotty, especially intensive moisturisers (I'm looking at you Nivea!). After countless recommendations I decided to try Origins GinZing moisturiser which is soooo much better suited to my skin. It's incredibly light and sinks in to my skin like a dream, there's no more greasiness for a start and I find that my make up no longer sits on the surface around my nose. 

To tackle those pesky spots I turn to my old favourites:

Sudocrem

Tea Tree Oil

Sudocrem is an antiseptic cream mainly used by Mums to treat nappy rash and eczema. However it also works perfectly on spots, especially those swollen, red, under the surface ones that are really hard to shift. Dab a little on a spot before you go to bed and in the morning you'll notice a considerable difference! I probably use Sudocrem more than I do tea tree oil as tea tree can be incredibly drying if used too often. I find its best to use on particularly oily parts of the skin to clear up problem areas.

As well as my face, my hands really suffer in the winter too but for the opposite reason. They become really dry and chapped to the point where they bleed and actually really hurt. I've tried countless hand creams but the only one that works is the Vitamin E Hand & Nail Treatment from The Body Shop. It doesn't make my hands sting and they actually stay moisturised even after one use. I had real trouble with my hands for a long time before I started using the Vitamin E hand cream so if you're like me and have really chapped hands, (well used too!) then definitely give it a try!

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser 100ml - £13.25 lizearle.com
Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic 200ml - £13.25 lizearle.com
Origins GinZings Moisturiser - £23.00 origins.co.uk
Dr Organic Tea Tree Pure Oil - £4.39 hollandandbarrett.com 
Sudocrem Antiseptic Healing Cream - £2.59 boots.com
The Body Shop Vitamin E Hand & Nail Treatment - £8.00 thebodyshop.co.uk 

What are your skincare saviours? Let me know below!

Soap and Glory Girl-O-Whirl Review + GIVEAWAY! (NOW CLOSED)

I actually got this Soap and Glory Girl'O-Whirl Gift Set for christmas and was planning on putting a review up not soon after. However my Mum surprised me with with another Girl-O-Whirl gift set she got free as part of a deal when she bought one for me. She thought I might like to give it away on my blog and I for one think that's an excellent idea so I'm doing just that! 

First though just a little info on this set, it contains a 'bundle of bestselling beauty stuff' from Soap and Glory. It contains 6 'LIDSTUFF' eyeshadows, 6 SUPERCOLOURFABULIPSTICK shades, THICK & FAST Super Volume Mascara, SEXY MOTHER PUCKER GLOSS STICK in Nudist, GLOW ALL OUT Luminizing Face Powder, SOLAR POWDER Multi Shade Bronzer, a double ended eyeshadow brush, a double ended lip brush and a blusher brush. Phew, that's a whole load of products, all of which is contained in a handy zip up case with mirror. 

Considering this is a gift set, the eyeshadows in this are really great, extremely pigmented and glide on like a dream. It's certainly convinced me to try more of Soap and Glory's LIDSTUFF eyeshadows! All the shadows are matte which makes a nice change from a lot of glitter. I think matte shades are generally easier to work with and the colours are all really wearable, well maybe not the blue but if you're feeling daring then why not!

I'm really impressed with the SUPERCOLOURFABULIPSTICK lipsticks as well, again all very pigmented and a really nice mix of pink shades. They're very creamy and moisturising on the lips too, they really make me want to try the full size product of these too! In fact I think it's a great way of deciding which full size lipsticks you want to buy. 

The THICK & FAST Mascara is a bestseller for Soap and Glory and it's not hard to see why! It's one of those mascara that's really easy to apply, you can apply it quickly and not worry about clumps first thing in the morning when you're still half asleep! The brush is big and bristly, the best size for applying just the right amount of product to your lashes. It leaves you with long, thick lashes for a really natural look.

My favourite product from the Girl-O-Whirl Gift Set has to be the SEXY MOTHER PUCKER GLOSS STICK in 'Nude'. Not just because it has a cheeky name but it's the perfect lip crayon to apply during the day for a natural look. I've been using it most days mainly because it's easy to apply quickly before I walk out the door and compliments any makeup look. It's not hugely pigmented, it's definitely supposed to be more of a gloss than a lipstick which is ideal because it'll suit everyone!

Finally in the set we have the SOLAR POWDER Multi Shade Bronzer and the GLOW ALL OUT Luminizing Face Powder. Both these powders are hugely popular so it's great to see them included in this gift set. SOLAR POWDER is a bronzer/highlighter which gives a really natural glow to the skin without being too glittery. It can be used as a highlighter on darker skin or to contour/warm up lighter skin so it really is ideal for anyone to use. GLOW ALL OUT is a gorgeous highlighter which gives a real luminous look to the skin. I love both products as I have very fair skin so find it difficult to use bronzers and highlighters without it looking too dirty or glittery and both these powder are excellent for creating a really natural look.

So, giveaway time! If you'd like to win your own Soap and Glory Girl-O-Whirl Gift Set all you need to do is enter via the Rafflecopter widget below. This giveaway starts on Monday 3rd February at 12.00am and finishes at 12.00am Tuesday 4th March at 12.00am. The two requirements for entry are that you follow 'A Girl Called Eleanor' on Bloglovin and that you follow me (@agrlclldeleanor) on Twitter. Easy peasy!

Entry Rules:

• This give away is open to UK residents only
• If you are under 16 please make sure you have permission to enter from a parent or guardian
• You must be following A Girl Called Eleanor on Bloglovin
• You must be following @agrlclldeleanor on Twitter
• All entries should be made via the Rafflecopter widget below
• Once the prize has left my hands I cannot be held liable for any problems with the post. 
• Once the winner is notified you will have 48 hours to respond otherwise I will choose another winner

This is the perfect opportunity to try out some of Soap and Glory's bestselling makeup products if you haven't already! Good luck everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sunday Sounds #3

PLAY WHILST LISTENING

This weeks Sunday Sound is one of my all time favourite songs; Dreams by Fleetwood Mac. It reminds me of when I was really young sitting in the back of the car on long journeys, everyone in the car would be singing along and even at that age I knew every word. It's such a beautiful song, quite calming really. I guess I can thank my parents for my love of Fleetwood Mac.

So whilst you're listening, here's a round up of this weeks top posts on 'A Girl Called Eleanor':

OOTD - A Girl and A Spotty Dog - Another outift, this time just a really casual look for me plus my Dalmatian Freddie makes an appearance too! If that doesn't make you want to take a look, I don't know what will! 

A Few Recent Buys - A mini haul type post of a few recent purchases including the most gorgeous dress which was an absolute bargain from Primark.

Must Haves Skirts For Spring/Summer 2014 - A round up of my favourite skirts from Asos for Spring/Summer 2014. I know I might be getting slightly ahead of myself but they're just too pretty to resist!

Alexa Chung Makeup Look - I'm trying to do my best Alexa Chung impression in this post, recreating the makeup look she wore in January's issue of Glamour UK magazine.

My favourite beauty products this week  have been a few old favourites, the first of which is Bella Bamba from Benefit. I used this blusher at the start of the week having not used it for months and have realised again just much I love it. Unfortunately I found out this week that Benefit has stopped selling it, I have no idea why! It's a real shame, looks like I might have to ration my use from now on.
Another favourite this week has been my new Revlon Colourburst Matte Balm in 'Unapologetic'. It tastes minty, why don't all lipsticks taste minty! Plus it's super pigmented and just the most gorgeous bright pink, I can't wait for more opportunities to wear it!

Revlon Colourburst Matte Balms £7.99 boots.com