Friday 28 September 2012

Budget Make-Up Test Part 1

As promised in my previous blog post I have been putting budget Make-Up to the test the last couple of days, starting with Collection 2000's "Angelic Eyes" which comes in at just over £4 at my local Boots Store.

With all sorts of vibrant colours in this eye shadow set, I decided to test the blue shades and run with the whole Under the Sea theme which is inspiring the fashion world right now. Here's the result: 





Whilst I am by no means an expert when it comes to applying any kind of make-up here's how I did it - in case you'd like to give it a try yourself..



  • I started by generously applying the light silvery colour (1) to my entire eyelid using a fluffy round eye shadow brush, making sure to cover both the outer and inner corner of my eye and brushing up to the browbone and highlighting it at the same time. Then I lightly dusted below my lower lash line using the same colour and removed any excess powder with a cosmetic tissue.
  • After lightly scraping the sky blue shade (2) with the end of my eye shadow brush to reach a colour rich result, I went to sweep the medium shade in a half-circular move on the crease of my eye lid. To add some depth I blended the shade down towards my upper lash line with a round-tipped brush that had no product on it. (I find that it's easier to avoid unwanted smudging by using a clean brush for blending heavy contrast shades)
  • Next I went to softly dab the purply blue (3) coloured eye shadow just up onto the outside corner of the eyelid and using my little finger I went to blend that same shade ever so lightly into the inner corner of my eye lid.
  • I used the navy blue shade (4) to accentuate the eye crease and applied a light grey eyeliner to my upper lash line, the inner corner and the outer corner of my lower lash line as well as a few dots on my brow bone. Then I finished the Under the Sea inspired look by applying some black mascara.

The application of the eye shadow took me a bit less than 10 minutes and its removal was straight forward leaving no ugly dark stains (as some other colour rich eyeshadows are known to do) so all in all I was extremely happy with the result.

As to the colour strength/pigmentation, here a little colour swatch so you can see all colours in this set


The colours lack a bit in intensity despite the fact they look so vibrant but there's nothing a good primer (as a base) and a good strong brush won't fix :) I actually used my Studio Secrets Primer from L'Oreal - have a look at this Review I wrote a little while ago if you want my opinion on some current Primers on the market.

So here we go, a big thumbs up from me to Collection 2000 Angelic Eyes - eyeshadow palette.
Really good value for money.

My piggy bank is happy and so am I. :o)

xoxo
Kate

I've got a crush...

I just wanted to share one of my latest gem-crushes with you. I've discovered a little boutique shop called "Crystals" in Exeter a few weeks ago when I was searching for wedding jewellery. I really enjoyed exploring their cute selection of jewellery, stunning crystals and rare minerals. It was amazing what gorgeous things were hidden in this tucked away little boutique just off the main high street.

I was immediately taken by this cute tear shaped amethyst pendant and chose a plain silver snake chain to go with it. Given I adore everything purple, I couldn't help but fall in love with it and buy it straight away:


I've read up a little bit about amethysts and apparently they are purple because of the iron that's in this type of quartz stone. It's quite interesting what random information you can find online about crystals.

The most funny fact I read about this particular stone was that the Greeks believed amethysts could prevent intoxication (which is why they drank wine out of amethyst wine goblets - hah!) whilst the medieval European's believed the stones had healing qualities and wore little amethyst amulets during the war..

Oh and in case you were wondering, I did actually wear this to my wedding.... :o)


xoxo
Kate

Sunday 23 September 2012

Budget Make-Up Shopping Haul

I am sure, I'm not the only one who finds it hard to save when there are so many things out there available to buy!! *sigh*

Normally my Make-Up bag is never questioned by my piggy bank. However, today's the day. I just cannot keep spending money on high end product without giving Superdrugs Finest at least a try...

So, here is my budget Shopping Haul...

Angelic Eyes by Collection 2000

Smokey Eyes by Collection 2000

Eye Shadow Pallette by Rimmel London

Single Eyeshadows by Collection 2000 and Maybelline

Overview of all product bought

I shall spend the next week testing these products and telling you all about them. Fingers crossed that we can keep the piggy bank happy and like these pieces... :)

Have a great weekend, my lovelies! x

xoxo

Kate

Tuesday 18 September 2012

£50 Boohoo Fashion Voucher Blogger Challenge

Good morning my lovelies! The sun is shining and it's not cold so I am wearing my favourite dress and subsequently am in a really great mood to tell you about Fashion Voucher's blogger challenge. The challenge is to find the best outfit for £50 on Boohoo.com and blog about it for the chance to win one of four £50 fashion vouchers. (Details of Rules on how to enter yourself and the T&C's can be found here.)

£50 !! If you're eyes went as wide as mine then good on you because I wouldn't even know where to start to create an entire Outfit for that amount...

Anyway, my Fantasy Shopper Stylist friend Leanne had no troubles at all so she's chosen her ideal Outfit to enter into this competition - and what a gorgeous Outfit it is! Here we go:

Here's what Leanne has to say about her Outfit of choice:

"The base item of the outfit is the sheer lurex maxi. Maxi skirts/dresses have yet again been a wardrobe staple S/S 2012 and look set to stay through autumn as seen on the catwalks for A/W 2012 a la Valentino. (£15.00)

The corset (£8.00) was chosen to add a bit of structure and elegance to the outfit and lets face it, the corset is a true classic and a fashion that never dies. I would choose to perhaps customise this piece to form a crop but either way - it works!

As for the shoes, it always has to be a boot in the winter! I don’t want cold feet, particularly during a now typical British winter….Brrrrrrr! As for this exact choice, well they’re plain and simple, not too flashy and yet just enough to give the outfit an edge. (£20.00)

Last, but by no means least, no party outfit is complete without a dose of bling! Therefore this statement necklace and earring set at £6.00 is just too good to pass up on! Now all that is needed is my trusty clutch and I’m ready to party! :) "

Well, what do you think? I think it's definitely a winner for me - now it's over to Fashionvouchers to decide if this is worth the prize! Good Luck, Leanne!

I'll let you know if she wins! :)

xoxo
Kate

Thursday 13 September 2012

Autumn is coming

A/W 2012 collections are storming the High Street and I my wardrobe is in dire need for a revamp for this season. So, part of my goal for this week is to plan out my Autum/Winter wardrobe.

Some of my favourite trends for this fall are Spikes and Studs ( I love putting a dose of attitude in my 9-5 look), berry colours (with my dark hair I always embrace red shades as I know it suits me) and Baroque inspired jewellery and clothing.

As you know I've recently bought myself some studded ankle boots at Office shoes:


I've been lusting after this metallic Karen Millen tote from their KM by Karen Millen collection ever since it's launch - but the price tag (£99) put me off. Last week, I was doing my weekly shop at Sainsbury's and had to avoid a queue of old people so ended up in their accessories aisle...
You wouldn't believe my surprise at finding this metallic bag in their TU range for only £12 - bargain! So, I bought it :)




Now, before I go investing any more money into my autumn wardrobe I've made a little shopping list of items I need this season which I can combine with stuff that I already have:

 







 


Let's see how long it will take me to actually buy these items. Bring on Payday!
Until then I'll horde them in my Fantasy Wardrobe. :)

xoxo
Kate

Tuesday 4 September 2012

Shoe Shopping...

Look at what I've treated myself to yesterday.. These boots are my most uber-cool addition to my spring/summer wardrobe. I found them in Office Shoes and totally fell in love with the stud and zip detail. I haven't taken any pics of me wearing them yet but I'm positive they'll feature in one of my next outfits on here soon


Even my dog loves them! ;) .... and now I'm looking forward to strut around in these studs.. just as well given the flip flop weather is late this summer :)

Have a lovely Sunday!

xoxo
Kate

Sunday 2 September 2012

The Liebster Blog Award

The Liebster Blog Award is given to upcoming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. Thank you Sarah (from My Wishlist) for tagging me.. so here goes:

The Rules: 1. Each person must post 11 things about themselves. 2. Answer the questions the tagger has set for you and create eleven questions for the people you've tagged. 3. Choose eleven people and link them in your post. 4. Go to their page and tell them. 5. Remember no tag backs!


11 Things About Me
1) I am originally from Germany
2) I speak 6 languages
3) I have a six year old Westie who I love very much
4) I don't share food (not even leftovers)
5) I am obsessed with cars
6) I work for and am obsessed with Fantasy Shopper
7) I used to be editor in chief of my school newspaper in High School (yes, geeky much!)
8) I love to cook and try new recipies
9) I can't survive a day without a Latte
10) The most famous person I have ever met is Heidi Klum
11) My catchphrase is "Really?"






Questions from Sarah for me:
What is your Beauty Routine?
After cleansing my face with Johnsons Daily Essentials Gentle Exfoliating Wash, I apply my Johnsons moisturiser  followed by L'Oreal's primer, Estee Lauder's foundation and face powder and apply Maybelline's illegal lashes mascara and Benefit Bad Gal Lashes mascara. Then I line my eyes with Rimmel's soft kohl eyeliner and apply a bit of blusher to my cheeks. I also use a mud mask once a week.

How much have you spent on make up in the last month or last 3 months?
In the last month probably around £30. In the last 3 months I'd say somewhere between £120-150.

How often do you clean your make up brushes/foundation sponges?
I clean my make up brush every other day. I don't use sponges as they are hard to keep bacteria free.

Are you on YouTube?
Yes, but it's more of a collection of nonsense videos I created or stuff I did to use on Facebook. You can check it out here.

Desert Island Discs - music you'd take to an island?
Any Foo Fighters Album

How many people do you follow on Twitter?
Currently I follow around 91 people

How often do you paint your nails?
Nearly every day because I tend to bite the nail varnish off when I get stressed!

Handbag Essentials?
Make Up Powder, iPhone, Filo Fax, Keys, Earphones, Chewing gum and Mascara

If you had £1000 to spend what would you buy? Make up/beauty/perfume only!
Oh I would go for perfume. There are so many fragrances I lust over but can't get myself to splurge out on because I have so many already!! I'd definitely get the new fragrance from Roberto Cavalli and I'd also try some more Estee Lauder products I suppose. I've been meaning to stock up on lipsticks for a while so I'd splurge out on an entire colour palette.

When did you get into Blogging and why?
I started blogging in February this year. My main reason was to help myself wind down after work and do something I'm passionate about (writing). Unfortunately, I haven't found enough time to blog more than 2-3 times a month yet. This is about to change though - promise!

Lastly,what do you intend to purchase next, in terms of Beauty/Make Up?
I am planning on buying L'Oreals Elvive Extraordinary oil Sublime Hair Enhancer. I've seen some good reviews for it and supposed to be a really good conditioning treatment for all hair types. So, my curiosity spiked - especially after hearing it's only a tenner.

Questions for the people I Tag:
1) What is your favourite beauty product?
2) Which item in your wardrobe would you never ever throw away?
3) Do you follow all fashion trends religiously?
4) What was your very first blog post about?
5) What is your favourite fashion brand?
6) Twitter or Facebook?
7) Would you ever go out without any hint of Make up?
8) Do you shop by price tag or style?
9) Are you a shoe addict or Handbag collector?
10) What's your favourite designer?
11) What is your favourite book?

"11" people I'm Tagging: 
Now, this was very hard because I know you're only supposed to tag people with less than 200 followers on their blog and apparently I don't follow many that fall into that category.

I quite enjoyed having a look around for some new blogs but found it difficult to discover some without a huge following. It's a shame really because I am sure there are many awesome blogs out there with a handful of followers who'd deserve a mention.

So, here goes the list - unfortunately not 11 but only 3 bloggers that really stood out to me.
However, I would love it if you guys could suggest some more blogs out there that have a low following but really stand out to you and I'll give them a shout out on here! :)

1 ) http://jennyleeyoung.blogspot.co.uk/ (Jen)
2 ) http://lenlambert.blogspot.co.uk/ (Len)
3 ) http://amyandbeauty.blogspot.co.uk/ (Amy)

added some more following Jen's recommendation below:

4) http://www.juliehedlund.com/julies-blog
5) http://susannahill.blogspot.com
6 ) http://designofthepicturebook.com

xoxo
Kate

Saturday 1 September 2012

My Jewellery Box

Oh wow, what a week. I have no idea where the last seven days have gone. Besides working, band practise and watching the Games, I haven't really done anything. No idea what happened there. I meant to blog about my recent shopping discoveries but haven't had a chance to charge my camera. (boo!) I'll definitely take care of that this week.

Today I spent a lot of time doing some chores I've been putting off for a while. One of which was tidying up my bedroom (without much success I may add) and promptly got distracted by my jewellery box. I haven't bought a lot of jewellery lately apart from the necklace watch I told you about in my last blogpost. Subsequently I quite enjoyed rummaging through my jewellery and re-discovering a few pretty cool pieces.

Whenever I go on holiday I end up buying jewellery. It's a logical purchase really. No need to worry about suitcase space (after all, it all fits into my hand luggage) so have a look what I've found on some of my semi-recent trips abroad:


Tribal Necklace from Augsburg | Shell Bracelet from Tenerife | Tribal Necklace from Munich | Statement Turquoise Necklace from Tenerife 

I love re-discovering things that I haven't worn in a while. Seeing as I am all into the bohemian inspired outfits at the moment these pieces will come in handy to complete my boho look.

Right, it's quarter past midnight... I better go bed. Definitely time for some beauty sleep.
Have a great week my lovelies!

xoxo
Kate

PS: Sorry for the bad image quality - had to use my iPhone :) x