Halloween 2015

Firstly I apologise for these appalling quality photos! I didn't have the time or proper lighting for my Canon so iphone selfies had to do. They're alright for Instagram but once you blow them up not so good!

Anyways, this Halloween I went to a couple of parties over the weekend so I got the chance to do two looks and they were both so fun! On the Friday I did the cracked doll which I did a very similar one in 2013 (and I took better quality photos!) which you can see here. And on the Saturday I did a sort of spontaneous look, I hadn't planned it at all but I'd seen how people did a scale effect using fish net tights so I had a go at that, did some dramatic eye makeup, patted some eyeshadow on my lips, backcombed my hair and sprayed some glitter in it. I think I turned out as a sort of mermaid/fish/punk, all good fun!

I curled my hair with the Nicky Clarke Styling Wand which I love and will hopefully be reviewing soon! For my face I used my No7 Beautifully Matte Foundation, which is quite pale on me and I used more of my Collection concealer than usual in shade 1. I then powdered over it with a white powder from Amazon (which wasn't great). I filled in my eyebrows as usual, contoured with Benefit Hoola bronzer and one of the Sleek palettes on my cheeks. 

I'm wearing the Urban Decay Vice Palette on my eyes with lots of Loreal Super Liner. I did the semi-circle under my eye and filled it in with white eye liner which I set with white powder, then met the line with the liner along my upper lash line. I wore two pairs of lashes on my upper lash line so that they extended right the way to the end of my eyeliner to make my eyes look bigger. The first pair were Eylure and the second were a set of two Smiffys Dolly Eyelashes which I got off Amazon. I then glued the lower lash ones to the line I had drawn underneath my eyes. 

I then drew the cracks using the Super Liner, and blurred them a little using a brown eyeshadow.

Very rushed outfit shot! I bought the dress and the Petticoat off Amazon, I was impressed by the quality of both!

For this look I did the same base, then pulled some fish net tights over my head (very uncomfortable!) and used my Urban Decay Book of Shadows Volume II (which I've had a good few years!) to contour. I used a green shade at the top of my forehead and a blue shade further down. I then contoured in the hollows of my cheeks using a mixture of the blue and green. I dabbed some lip balm on my lips before patting on some eyeshadow, mostly in the middle. I did a smoky eye using the Vice Palette again and tried my hand at some dramatic eyeliner, by doing cat flicks outwards and dragging it down past my tear ducts. I used a Mac highlighter on the top of my cheekbones and cupids bow.

I just brushed the curls out of my hair and backcombed it a lot (although it didn't stay in long!) and I pinned some bits back.

Here's me and my bestie at the party (she was a mad scientist if you couldn't tell!)

Our scary faces!

Two mad scientists!

I hope you all had a fun Halloween whether you staid in and watched movies or partied all night!

What did you dress as? I need inspiration for next year ;)

Halloween Looks: Glamorous Vampire

Since Halloween is fast approaching, and my favourite thing about Halloween is being able to transform yourself into something else, I thought I'd post a couple of looks I was experimenting with! I'm not sure how many of these I'll post, as many as I have time for I guess! This look I tried was a vampire, however it wasn't really a scary vampire, hence the term "glamorous vampire"! Enjoy!

Step 1: Dare to bare! So I started by using Bodyshop's Seaweed Mattifying Day Cream as this stops my face from going oily. I then used Revlon PhotoReady Perfecting Primer as a base to keep the makeup in  place.

Step 2: I then applied MAC's Pro Longwear Concealer (which is very pale on me at the moment) to cover up any blemishes. I then mixed Revlon Colorstay Foundation in my regular shade with a cheap White Cream Makeup that I picked up from Asda. I didn't expect much, hence why I mixed it with my foundation to stop it going streaky! The cream was quite cakey and hard to blend, but I think it worked okay. 

Step 3: I then filled in my eyebrows with Benefit's Browzings. 

Step 4: For my eye makeup I wanted a dramatic burgundy colour. So I used a flat shader brush to apply Coppering by MAC, I applied this all over the lid and blended it really far up using a dome brush. I also applied some underneath my lash line. I then patted Urban Decay's Last call all over the lid, which intensified the colour and gave it a shimmery finish. I then went in with Urban Decay's Blackout from Naked 2 and blended this into my crease and in  the outer half of my lower lash line. I also applied Urban Decay's Sellout into the corner of my eyes and along my brow bone. 

Step 5: I then went in with Maybelline's Gel Liner in Black, and drew an exaggerated flick. If you struggle to draw a straight line, I'd recommend leaning your elbow on a surface to keep your hand steady. I also drew a flick angling down too, just for something different! I also used a gold liquid eyeliner that I got from Avon years ago to draw a couple more flicks with, but you could use any glitter eyeliner you had lying around! I also lined my lash line with a Bodyshop black eyeliner. 

Step 6: I went over my lashes quickly with Maybelline's The Falsies and then applied Eylure eyelashes in No.140 and stuck them on using DUO glue (which I reviewed here).

Step 7: I used Avon Bronzer mixed in with a touch of Blackout on the hollows of my cheeks and a very small amount on my forehead and down the sides of my nose.

Step 8: I then used MAC's Dark Side on my lips and used Miss Sporty Extreme Black in the centre of my lips to create an ombre effect.

Step 9: I then messed up my hair and popped in some Love Bites fangs (they're a bit tricky so please read the instructions in order to get the perfect fit!)

Dress: Cameo Rose and New Look (last year's)

Belt: Primark

Hope you enjoyed the tutorial! I really liked this look, especially if you don't want to be too scary. Although I must say it's very difficult to smile in fangs!! I've linked most of the products too if you want any.

What are you dressing up as this halloween?

Hello October: What I Love About Autumn

Photo taken on a trip to Berlin in 2012

How is it autumn already?! It doesn't seem two minutes since spring! I do love autumn, it's cold but not too cold, we still get some light in the mornings and evenings, but it's dark early enough to get that lovely cosy feeling and be able to snuggle up on the sofa. The colours are amazing and long autumn walks are one of my favourite things. I love autumn fashion too, dark red lips and black clothes, my favourite! We will be needing to break out the scarfs, hats and boots soon too, yay! I love a good woolly hat. Here are some snaps showing my favourite things about autumn.

I took this photo during a trip to Berlin in 2012, the city had the most stunning autumn colours! I love the crunch of the leaves and the colours that autumn brings so much.

Autumn walks!

Th fair of course! This was taken 4 years ago, wow!

Reading a good book/magazine with a cuppa!

Dark lips, a wooly hat and a hot drink, perfect!

Candles, candles, candles!! This on is Golden Sands by Yankee Candle, not very autumnal but it was on sale and smells amazing!

Halloween!!! I've always been a massive halloween lover, I love scaring myself silly with horror films and experimenting with different costumes! These were the looks I went for last year. You can read a quick how to for the looks here.

What's your favourite thing about autumn?

Post Holiday Blues

It's that time of year again. Summer has made a brief appearance and come and gone in the blink of an eye. Many of us have enjoyed holidays and festivals and now it seems we've seen the end of those long, sunny days and the cold seems to be creeping in again. We are sadly putting away our beloved summer dresses and reaching for the thermals instead, covering up what tans we may have built up over the summer. It can be a sad time!
I had both my holidays late this year, and when I was in Tenerife last week and all my friends were telling me how cold it was, as I got to the airport I stood and soaked up the last few rays of balmy, hot sunshine that I'd probably see for at least another 8 months. Goodbye sun! :(
If you're English like me then you may have the same outlook as I do. I always love autumn and winter up until Christmas. I love how cosy it is near Christmas, when you can snuggle up with a blanket, a cuppa and a book safe from the cold outside. I love buying new gloves and scarfs and then buying everyone's Christmas presents. However as soon as the festive season is over it seems like its just a long, painfully cold wait until summer, a summer which isn't even guaranteed here in England and can be pretty cold and wet!
I think it's important during the colder months to set yourself some goals and maybe arrange some things to look forward to so you don't miss the summer too much. Here's what I'm going to focus on:

♥ Going Back to University

For me September is both a sad and exciting month, as being at uni means I've been able to come home for summer and spend it with my family and home friends which I love, so going back to uni and facing all the work load can be a bit daunting, however I have freshers week to look forward to and I get to see all my uni fiends again and I also feel like I have a great deal of independence when living away from home.

♥ Organising My Life

This autumn is going to be the start of me being majorly organised! I'm going into my third year which means I need to stay on top of my workload, and this starts now! I also want to carry on writing regular blog posts, going to the gym and work a decent amount of overtime at work too! Oh and try as visit my boyfriend in Oxford when I can! Time management will be crucial to fit all this in haha.
I have an amazing gym in Sheffield and I can't wait to join it again!! I've been really unhealthy these last 3 weeks being on holiday so I'm excited to get in shape and start challenging myself again and setting myself new goals!

♥ New Wardrobe

I can't wait to buy some new winter clothes, I really need some new shoes, some cute little ankle boots I'm thinking and maybe some brogues or something. I also want a new coat as I didn't get one last year and some nice knits!

♥ Halloween

I love Halloween! Mainly because you get to dress up and I usually decorate my uni flat. It's also a good excuse to bake!

♥ Christmas!! 

I think I love the build up to Christmas more than Christmas itself! We did a secret Santa last year which was really fun, I love getting all festive and decorating, buying gifts and putting my Michael Bublé album on, and of course I then get to go home and see my friends and family! My birthday is on New Year's Eve too and this year I'm the big 21!! How scary!? So I have a party to plan for that.

Here are some of my best memories made this summer :)

What are you looking forward to this autumn/winter? Do you have anything special planned to fight the blues?