Superdrug Haul

 

I never thought I would be one of those girls who love make up, and who loves trawling the aisle of stores like Superdrug for the perfect shade of matte lip stick, but here I am, trawling and loving. 

I always kind of stick to the same colours, a sort of deep, powdery, vintage pink, I really don't know how to explain it but that about sums it up. I do of course love bolder colours but I have quite big lips and sometimes feel like it's too much for the office and you don't have to keep on top of lipstick bleed or it rubbing off too much if it's a bit closer to a natural shade. Plus, I'm a bit clumsy and would 100% wipe half of it across my face so I'm always hunting for that perfect shade. Usually I love Meir by MAC but I wanted a liquid matte lip colour as another option. 

So I went in and had a look around, I always end up around the Makeup Revolution stand, I tend to steer away from their lip products as you generally get what you pay for with lip products and I've never had much luck with them. I did buy a lip kit from them recently but it was so awful there are no pictures of the event...

I did however see a nice cream contour set (£.3.50). I really need to up my contour game so this was a nice affordable step to start with. I've tried to powder ones before but find them too dark for me and struggle to blend so cream was the way to go this time. While I was there I also found a nice primer, they don't have it online anymore but you can see it in the picture. It's different from most primers I've used that are creamy. This one was almost a serum with a shimmer running through it so putting it on makes me feel instantly fabulous. 

The stand is next to Freedom Makeup and my skin has been looking a little red recently so I bought some green camouflage and correct concealer to sort that out. I'm still on the fence about this product, it doesn't feel like it melts into my skin very well, but it does tackle the redness and it's £3.00 so it's fine enough. 

I was still struggling to find the perfect matte colour until I found myself looking at the Barry M stand, they have a new range of 'Matte Me Up' lip kits. The kits comes with a liner and a lip paint for £6.99.  I chose the shade 'Berry' which perfectly fulfills all my colour preferences. 

 I tried it and loved it! I've not used lip liners very much but this was brilliant. The lip paint goes on really well too and dries to a lovely and velvety touch in seconds. This colour was so great I'm going to go back to look at the other shades. I thought for £6.99 it was a really really good value for the quality. I thought I might need to use the liner to keep the bleed from the lip paint in check but you don't actually have to. It actually does stay on all day as well and during eating a huge burger...because I'm classy like that. 

 

p.s. yes I love all the filters

 

Now I'll finally end this post with a bit about the face products from their own Naturally Radiant range. I've felt I needed to finally start using serum and cream and I can have sensitive skin so I thought I'd give this range a go as it was on offer. I actually really love it, I've been using them every day, night cream and serum and will definitely continue. At the moment you can pick up the cream and serum for £2.95 each.

I also bought Micallat water, because you know, it's life. I've always found great buys at Superdrug, any recommendations?

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Chi Chi London Beatrice Curve Dress Review

 

For the longest time I've been wanting to get my hand on a Chi Chi London dress. To be honest I've had no occasion to wear one until now. Me and the bearded wonder have a wedding to attend in a few weeks and I've not really thought about what I'm going to wear as I have so many dresses, and if I'm really honest I ordered this on a whim just to see how it looked but thought I'd have to return it as I have no where to wear it to... that is of course, until I tried it on.

The Beatrice dress from the Curve range comes in sizes 18-26 (mines a 20) but you can get the exact same dress in smaller sizes too. It comes in at £57.99 which I thought was really reasonable for an occasion dress. When it arrived I was instantly pleased with how heavy it seemed without actually being heavy, does that make any sense? It felt like a quality product. 

What I really love is that it's a Bardot neckline which I'm really into at the moment, a bit of off the shoulder action is perfect for summer. I have worn it with a little cardi here but you really don't need to. It's a really pretty floral fabric, not my usual style at all actually, where's the black?? But I love how girly it is, I really felt like I was ready to attend a summer wedding and it hit me that it would be perfect for the one we're going to that's coming up. Once I had that in my mind, the selfie stick came out. 

While it seems like a heavy fabric it's actually just fairly stiff so it has a lot of structure and keeps you in whilst really showing off your waist without making you want to die. You can still breathe too which is a huge plus. Because the fabric is stiffer the pleated skirt part of the dress really sticks out and has as much volume as my hair after leaving my victory rolls in overnight saturated in hair spray.

Look how much it sticks out! I'm not even wearing a petticoat! I do feel like my back fat is eating at the waist band a little but a little shapewear should smooth that out nicely. I have to say, I am a little bit in love with this dress, I really don't think I can face sending it back and I think I will just have to find a place for it in my ever shrinking wardrobe. Shame. NOT! Welcome my friend.

This is not a sponsored post, I just bloody love this dress! I think if you sign up to their newsletter you'll get 10% off too!

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Preparing For Summer With Evans! - Review

Summer is finally on the horizon, the sun's been out so I'm finally looking to ditch the black tights and bring some colour back.

 

I've been eyeing up Callie Thorpe's Instagram and just LOVED the Collection Khaki Zip Front Cami Top she's been showing off recently from Evans. I really struggle to find tops I like so I was a bit hesitant but dropped it in my online basket anyway. For £15.00 I thought it was a bargain.

(Image from Callie Thorpe's Instagram)

When I was on the site I also couldn't help but notice this Blue Floral Print Prom Dress, for £60.00 for a dress I thought it was pretty reasonable so... that went into the basket too. 

The khaki top I got in a 20 and I think it's because I'm used to having to size-up from other stores because of the boobs, I could easily have gotten this in an 18, however it did still fit well I just prefer a more snug fit. I sometimes feel like tops that aren't fitted all the way down can make me feel bigger and they can stick out, this fabric fell really nicely and nice and loose for summer without making me feel like Homer Simpson in his moo-moo (and the zip is a fabulous details also) thumbs up!

I was really excited about trying on the dress, I was MORE excited about the fact it was scuba fabric and didn't need a zip so it could be pulled straight over my head and boobs with ease. The fabric also didn't lose any colour when stretched like some scuba fabrics can that make you look like your wearing an ill-fitting product. The fabric didn't change at all which was lovely and I felt like a normal human being in a cute dress. This was a size 20 and it was a perfect fit and length.

The colours are beautiful and it's a heavy fabric so it falls nicely but you don't feel too hot in it so will be great over summer. 

I've taken a close up of the pattern to really show it off. 

Next I'm looking for some cropped patterned trousers which I've always been scared of! Suggestions?

Product images from Evans

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Oil Slick Hair, My Dream To Be A Disney Villain

I've had red hair for years now, about 5 I think. And I love it, I really do. But I've always dreamt of something darker, something more...Ursula or Maleficent and maybe even a bit of Hades creeping in. 

To be really honest I've always wanted blue hair but haven't dared bleach it to achieve this dream. I did however notice that the ends of my hair were getting very light, light enough to colour blue? Why not! I caved and bought some 'midnight blue' from Directions and boldly whacked it on hoping for maybe a bit of ombre? And what did I get? DISNEY VILLAIN OMBRE THAT'S WHAT!

I did panic slightly when I blow dryed it as it looked like a dark storm, blue and black and murky. Once I'd washed it once more what I was then left with was, oil slick hair, perfect for any evil character. 

In the sun it was beautiful, stunning blue at the bottom and streaking throughout the red which now had streaks of purple and almost looked iridescent like those purple/red/green cars you see around. 

I decided to pin curl it and this was the best decision I made. It brought the blue higher up and more visible and you could really see all of the colours working together. So in love with this hair. 

Long term, will I keep it? Not sure, I think blue will be harder to maintain than the red but I just really wanted to try it out. The blue will stay in a little longer but I may colour it again with the red which I think will make the overall end colour really stunning.

Stay tuned!

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Christmas Eve in Lindy Bop - Review

It's been ages since I posted, will do better this year! I thought I'd do some more outfit posts, and I'll start with my favourite outfit of the festive season. As we're Norwegian, we mainly celebrate on Christmas Eve with a huge meal consisting mainly of meat, a huge rib of pork, meatballs and various kinds of sausage which is a tad perversely shaped...don't ask. 

 

We also like to dress up for this meal as it's really special and what's the first thing you'd pick to wear? Maybe something that you could eat loads in (thinking of Joey in Friends with his thanksgiving turkey eating pants), something with a full skirt that fans out hiding the after belly of food? NAH!

 

I knew you'd want to see the meat in all it's glory... no sniggering

I felt brave and ordered something I've never ordered before, a figure-hugging wrap dress from Lindy Bop, the 'Sadie' dress. I wasn't sure how this would suit me but slapping on the control shorts I gave it a go and I bloody loved it. Bright green leopard print may not sound like something you'd wear to Christmas Eve dinner but it's actually really lovely and I felt amazing in it. I really hope they release more styles.

The fabric is nice and heavy so it falls nicely and gave me a great shape I wore it again on new years eve but my hair wasn't nearly as good hence so pictures! It gathers and ties up at the side which I love as I'm not sure how I'd feel in a tight wiggle dress without this little disguising feature but you never know, I might brave it next time. 

Great news is that Lindy Bop has a sale on, you can get it now for £20.99. 

PS. Not an endorsed post, I just love it so much. 

I also thought I did a pretty good hair and make up job! All using Makeup Revolution, their Ultra Brow Palette is the best and give me the brows of my dreams and their contour trio palette works a treat though I don't think that's online anymore. I did a wet set on my hair the night before to get the pincurls perfect for the day!

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Hell Bunny Olivia Cardi

Anyone who knows anything about rockabilly fashion knows about the Dita Cardi, everyone who doesn't have one - wants one. This includes me. The downside is that it's very expensive, nearly £100 and you have to ship it from Australia and I've heard horror stories about buyers getting stung by customs making it even more expensive. 

 

Finally a UK brand Hell Bunny had produced a cardi with a similar and elegant feel making it much more realisic to buy more than one...which is great as the Olivia Cardi comes in two colours, green and red. I bought mine from eBay for about £30 which was an absolute steal in comparison. I love red but I first went for the green one. 

It's green and black with black embroidered roses across the bust, black buttons right up to the neck which has a really cute a Parisian feel tie up folded down collar.  The green is a stunning vibrant green which really pops and looks great against my red hair. The fabric is so soft and holds its shape really well. 

I'm definitely going to be buying the red version and I really hope they bring out some more colours in the spring. Has anyone else snapped one of these Olivia Cardis up yet?

I teamed it with my back velvet check pencil skirt from Primark and black tights. I think this picture shows off the colour really well.

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Goodies from Vintage Pip! - Review

Instagram accounts a lot of my purchases over the last few months, one of the great accounts it led me to was that of Vintage Pip's, a great online store selling all the best of Aussie rockabilly accessories. Which I love as there's so much I want to buy but if I did it all separately it would be so expensive with postage so this way I can do it all in one go. I have a few more bits on the way but for now have a lot at some of these beauties I bought about a month ago.

I've always lusted after Erstwilder resin brooches, they're so cute and pretty and I've drooled over many a picture online on all of my IG friends' accounts. I just had to have one. There's SO many that I wanted but in the end I chose this Flying With Fifi brooch, I love the bird ones and I definitely want a sparrow one next. It comes in a cute box so you can keep it safe when not wearing it. It looks great on everything and I wear it pretty much whenever I can. 

Dress by Voodoo Vixen

 

 Top and cardigan by Collectif

My next items came from Kenzie Accessories, I love how colourful and bold their prints are. I just couldn't resist these two, the Kissable Lips brooch and Flick the Flamingo brooch in black. I haven't worn the flamingo yet as almost all of my clothes are black...so it needs the right outfit. I've worn the lips quite a bit teamed with red lipstick and it pops on almost everything that I own.

Dress by Lindy Bop

Now I couldn't visit Vintage Pip without buying something from Jubly-Umph, I love their old tattoo like traditional designs across earring, necklaces, brooches and cardigan clips. I LOVE cardigan clips, they're not just for old ladies you know! And I own a lot of cardigans. I chose the Swooping Swallow design and it's just gorgeous, I think I need a jewellery box to keep all of my lovely things. The other designs of their I love is their sewing machine designs...they might be my next purchase!

Anyway, go check them all out you won't be able to leave empty handed!

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My Birthday Weekend In Amsterdam

This weekend marked my 27th birthday. I keep forgetting I'm in my 20s and I'm still waiting to feel like a proper 'grown up', does anyone else feel like that? I'll start acting like a grown up soon I promise...maybe!

Excuse the posey pics, this was my hair for the travels!

I decided to spend the weekend in Amsterdam with my best friend Sarah. My birthday was on the Saturday so we left Friday night and came back on Sunday. We landed at in Schiphol and got a private shuttle to our hotel, The Albus. We did a lot of research for hotels and where the best places were to stay in the city. Our lengthy Tripadvisor searches we went for The Albus, and it was brilliant! A 4 star digs in a European city, who could ask for more? A special shout out to Mariska on reception who greeted us and we clicked with straight away, so friendly and helpful and drew up loads of interesting places on our map for us to go to. After hearing it was my birthday the next day she sent up a bottle of fizz for us to enjoy which was a nice touch and really lovely so we downed that straight away. 

As it was late and we'd been traveling we went around the corner for a little Italian, they were so lovely in there and the food was gorgeous. Feed me cannelloni and I like you. We then headed down to the local square for a few drinks and a nose around to see what was about. 

 

Saturday was my birthday and I was gifted with glorious sunshine! After a lay in we strolled up into the center for some pancakes and took a tip into the Sex Museum, you can't not can you? It was terrifying/hilarious/strange/brilliant all rolled into one. A lot of pictures, art and life sized figures. They had a section with Bettie Paige and Marilin Monroe, I even set the alarm off once when I pointed into the set at a record I owned - it was extremely loud and embarrassing and I pretty much ran away!

We then spent the day strolling up and down the canals, had a peak at Anne Frank's house, the queue was insane so we just had a look. We then did some shopping and more sight-seeing and stopped for some hot chocolate. Suddenly we felt a bit lost and the map wasn't making any sense until Mariska rescued us! She saw us on the street looking puzzled and walked us back! ha. She also showed us some nice places for dinner.

 

When we got back we realised they'd sent up some another bottle for us! So we got into bed and got smashed watching the rugby players on TV. 

 

It suddenly got a bit late so decided it was time to get dolled up for my birthday meal. I bought this Lindy Bop dress before I went away (£34), I love the colour and it's nice and heavy so falls really nicely. I've got a big chest so I put a little strap top underneath so the girls weren't completely on show, I don't have enough structure going on under there to keep everything in place! 

 Excuse the filters...I just can't help it!

 I teamed it with the black cherry necklace I bought from H&M earlier that day and my Lindy Bop underskirt. I absolutely loved it and wore it out to the restaurant, which annoying I felt really self consious at. Every kept staring at me, and normally when you catch someone's gaze they look away? Nope! Kept staring, and not in a nice way so it made me feel really weird but I tried to ignore it. 

After the hefty meal we went out to an area called De Pup which had a lot of cool bars in, we drank loads so I have no idea how I didn't have a hangover in the morning. We decided to spend the rest of the day before going home doing some more shopping and seight-seeing. You can't visit Amsterdam without seeing the Red Light District, I'm quite happy we went during the day, half of the people there were the same as us - just curious. The other half were gross men getting their kicks and it did feel a bit awkward going down some of the extremely narrow streets with them behind. 

Then soon again we were back at Schiphol Airport, which by the way - was amazing. All other airports take note! They did it right, it was so easy and quick and the 40 minute plane ride was a dream. 

I just really loved this shop

I did enjoy my birthday weekend away, I loved Amsterdam in the day and the hotel was lovely. By night? It unfortunately didn't do much for me but I still had a great time with my bestie I would still go again but maybe in the summer :)

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