2013

I've re-vamped this blog because it was too peppy before and it wasn't meshing well with my sardonic nature. After all, I'm twenty now and it's unfashionable to be so happy and optimistic all of the time. 

I want it to be more aesthetically pleasing whilst still being aware of it's own vacuousness, beautifully conceited if you will. Vanity can be pretty, I'm convinced of it. 

This was a warning post. 

On the Mend || #1 - Urban Outfitters Jumper

Hi again, I hope you had a nice weekend! 

Inspired by the lovely El at aThriftyMrs, I thought I'd start a new DIY feature on this blog in which I show an old, abandoned item of my clothing and attempt to mend it/customise it so that it's wearable again. I've lost a dress size recently and, being a student with a heavy addiction to live gigs, (why are concert tickets so expensive dag nammit?) I'm struggling to afford new clothes for the colder months. Then I realised that I'm a massive clothes hoarder and I have many an unloved skirt or top lying dead at the bottom of my chest of drawers and that it would be easy and cheap to fix them rather than go and buy a whole new wardrobe. Ok, being sensible with money might not be as fun as going on a shopping spree but learning to get better with my hands can only be a good thing, right? ;) Ahem, moving on...

Today I mended  the little hole between the neckline of a grey UO jumper I found from a couple of years back and the statement neckline made of the same fabric. I used an invisible plasticy thread I found in my mums sewing tin and stitched that baby right back up. It only took 5 minutes despite my lack of sewing skills, cost me nothing and I had something that felt new to wear this weekend - awesome :)

Oooohh.... ahhhhh.... pretty new-ish jumper. Marvel at it in all its mended glory!

 Also, I went to Alton Towers today with the family as a last day out together before I go back to uni, it was really good to spend some time together and I managed to take this mediocre picture with my phone before it ran out of battery:

What did you get upto this weekend? Have you ever DIY'd any of your clothes before?

Hollie x

Nails of the Day: Topshop 'Play for Keeps'

Today I'm wearing 'Play for Keeps' from Topshops permanent line. I'm usually really impressed with the formula of Topshop nail polishes but this one took three coats to not look patchy and you couldn't get away with trying to wear one sheer coat as it didn't cover the nail evenly. You might be thinking that the colour is a bit summery for this time of year but it looks more of a peachy-nude colour IRL and compliments my tan quite nicely I think ( I hope!) 

What are you wearing on your nails today?

Hollie x

✰Wishlist✰ || September '12

1. Nails in 'Dart' by Louise Gray for Topshop ★ RRP £6.50 || 2. Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream in 'light' ★ RRP £7.99|| 3. The Kensington Leather Watch by Nixon in 'Rose Gold/White. ★ RRP £110.00 || 4. The Disco Pant by American Apparel in 'Black' ★ RRP £74.00|| 5. Protective Hand Ring in Gold/Silver by datter on Etsy ★ RRP $48.00||

What do you hope to get your hands on this September?

Hollie x

Instagram: Trip to London

1. My ticket to Wicked  ✰ 2. Helena <3  ✰ 3. The awesome view for Wicked  ✰ 4. The Globe Theatre  ✰ 5.  The Millenium Bridge  ✰ 6. A pretty flower  ✰ 7. Tickets for the Damien Hirst exhibition  ✰ 8. 'Hymn' by Hirst at the Tate Modern  ✰ 9. A beautiful day in London

Last week I went to London for the third time in my short life as a treat for Helena's birthday and I thought I'd show you the bits of our short trip I that immortalised on instagram :) We were there for two days and managed to see Wicked, the Damien Hirst exhibition and do a bit of casual sight-seeing in the sun although I admit I wish I could have stayed a lot longer because I really fell in love with the Tate Modern and the surrounding area. It was beautiful weather and I love the atmosphere in London; most people talk about Londoners as though they're really antisocial but it all felt very friendly and inclusive to me, just lots of different people doing their own thing and enjoying the city. Hopefully I can live there in the future for a while and then I'll have been a resident of the 3 major UK cities, aww yeeeahh. Although I'm not sure whether I'd be able to afford it, £2.58 for a tube of pringles Tesco? Are you kidding me? Not on my student budget! hehe ;)

Hollie x

Blistex Intensive Moisturiser Review

Hi again!

I hate sounding so over-enthusiastic about everything I write about on this blog, but I'm not coming across a lot of stuff I don't like lately, so sorry about that. Anyway, this is just a quick post about a new staple in my "beauty regime", which i'll admit is rather lacking at the minute due to my time at the gym and flouncing about bare-faced in the sunshine. I picked up this Blistex 'lip moisturiser' in the airport on my recent trip to Mallorca from Boots as I my lips were getting quite badly chapped and I wanted something with an SPF to protect them from the sun (this one is SPF 10) which was as moisturising as physically possible. Since then (for about two weeks) I've been putting it on every night after cleansing my face before bedtime and whenever my lips have felt dry throughout the day, and I have to say that it's really helped. I've often used hoards of Vaseline,Carmex, Chapstick and the like on my lips in the past but nothing has ever really done as much for me as this has, maybe it's the routine of putting it on that's helping but the others just seemed more greasy to me than moisturising in comparison to this one, it's in the name I guess! It feels more balmy if that makes sense, It sinks in but doesn't leave a greasy residue.

Blistex Intensive Moisturiser  ★ 5g ★ £2.59 from Boots

It's minty in flavour and smell and depending on the amount you put on it either looks clear on your lips or lightens them slightly as the solution is white in colour - I like the way this gives a  baby pink tone to my lips which are usually somewhat darker. The main thing I have noticed with this product, though, is how much fuller and plumper my lips look since I've been using it, especially when I wake up in the morning. It makes sense that properly moisturising your lips would have a plumping effect on them, but I've never had this experience with any other lip-moisturising product before?

This is how my lips are looking lately, and compared to how they looked in my previous Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet post I think I can see a difference, especially in the size of my top lip! 

What are your favourite products for keeping your lips in nice condition? Has anyone else noticed that their lips are fuller after keeping them moisturised properly?

Hollie x

Long time no post! An apology mini-haul...

Hi again!

Sorry for the lack of posts... the 7 things thing didn't really work out as I've found my life slowly consumed by my fitness routine. It's worked though - I've lost half a stone so far, yey! More on that later, though... today I bring you a mini-haul of some of the things I've collected throughout the past few weeks and am really excited about trying once I actually start wearing make-up on a daily basis again (there's little point in wearing it at the gym as I quickly sweat it off - glamorous, I know!). 

Eau Roma Water ✰ Lush

I had to pick this up from Lush along with my 'Angels on Bare Skin' cleanser to add a cheap-and-cheerful toner to my skincare routine, and so far - I like! It doesn't smell so much like rose to me, more like a nice herbally scent with notes of lavender, either way, it's natural and refreshing. I also like to use this to sort out my powder-face in the summer months because I tend to go a bit OTT with the ol' blotting powder to stop me looking 'too glowy' in the hot weather, to put it nicely. Using this after powder has allowed me to look dewy without looking sweaty!

Creemsheen in 'Creme Cup' ✰ MAC

I only went and popped my MAC cherry with this beauty didn't I? Shocking, I know. I'm not looking back now, though. Although this comes out a little pinker than I originally intended it to (I bought it on the assumption that it would be a 'my lips but better', everyday shade that was more moisturising than my Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet lipstick), I'm growing to love this. The consistency of this creemsheen is exactly what I was looking for, moisturising but not too slippery so it stays put for a while, not to mention the beautiful smell - it smells like a subtle cookie dough to me! 

Dewy Glow All over Radiance Creme in 'Iced Gold' ✰ Jemma Kidd Make Up School

I know, I know, I'm REALLY late jumping on this bandwagon. I've been lusting after this one ever since I first heard about it on Estée's and Vivianna's blogs and Youtube channels. I could finally afford it after BeautyBay did a recent offer of 20% off all Jemma Kidd items - amaaaahhzing! Initially I'm not so sure about it to be honest, it looks pretty in the packaging but perhaps a bit too subtle for my liking. I'm sure I'll share my full opinions on it when I've given it a good trial run.

Dallas ✰ Benefit

This is the thing I'm most excited about, I haven't tried it on the visage or even swatched it yet but against my initial presumptions I've fallen in love with the colour. It was bought for me, very thoughtfully, as a gift from BuyaPowa and I can not express how much it has cheered me up this past week. I have often donated many a thought and a fantasy about the Autumn looks I could create with it whilst plodding away on the cross-trainer at the gym. I'm very pale and never looked at this powder because I just assumed it was a bronzer and I'm really not a fan of trying to alter my Casper the friendly ghost look; however, when I recieved it i saw that it was the most beautiful dusky pinky-brown shade and I can't wait to use it as a contour or a more nudey blush for the Autumn. 

★★★

That's all my lieblings, expect full reviews on these products soon... if I feel like it ;)

Let me know if you have tried any of these products and which ones you like best!

Hollie 

x