Goodbye 2013... You've Been Fab

L-R

Colour Co-Ordination; Take Me to Paris; 17; Blue x 2; White Stripes; 

It Started With a Whisper; Ditsy Florals; Living For The Weekend; Collar + Sweater; Lately;    

2014 is very fast approaching! Here's a little review of what I've been wearing throughout the year. 

I've had so many amazing experiences throughout this year with family and friends- and I've had a few amazing opportunities too. Working with Mulberry for two weeks has to be one, as well as meeting Anna, Lily and Amelia Liana. September saw a trip to London Fashion Week, which I'm still pinching myself about. 

I can't wait to see what next year brings so be sure to stick around- I'm sure I'll be documenting it all on here. 2013, you have been a beautiful year and I'll miss you. Hello 2014, you're looking awfully exciting.

Update: Merry Christmas!

Other than eating, drinking, and playing games with the family, I spent some time capturing little moments of the day. 

*Cue pretty lights and food*

If you celebrate Christmas I hope you had a wonderful day. I hope your head isn't pounding too much from all the Christmas cocktails, and that you have plenty of left-overs for the next week. (Because let's face it, who doesn't love left-over turkey and stuffing?) Now to hibernate in a corner with chocolate and a good festive movie... 

The Mid Chop

My hair has been in need of a good chop since goodness knows when. I took inspiration from the likes of Alexa Chung and blogger Alix, (who writes I Covett Thee) with her long bob. My hair now feels uber short, but I'm liking it. 

Forgotten how long my hair was a few days ago? Take a scroll through my last few posts- it was pretty long. I'm not planning on changing my routine that much, but we'll see how we go! It's going to be so much more manageable, and hopefully my beloved Aussie Texturizing Spray that I spoke about in July will make a re-appearance now that my hair won't be so heavy. 

Would you go for such a drastic change? 

Colour Co-ordination

I decided to go all matchy-matchy with my skirt and lipstick. Quelle surprise, I used Rimmel's 107. 

This is an outfit I wore to a work do a week or two back. I think the velvet is a cute little nod to Christmas, and this skirt will be great for the festive season because it's so swishy (as demonstrated above...) 

It's scary to think that this time next week we'll all be lying on the sofa in a food coma (I certainly will be, anyway), and all the presents will be opened, and Christmas will nearly be over. I finished school yesterday, so this next week is going to be jam-packed with a whole load of festive goodness. Some of it will be making it's way to the blog! 

NOTD: Beyond Cozy by Essie

Queue the festive nails. I spent the grand sum of £1.01 on Amazon a few weeks ago, which got me 5 different tools. I feel like it's still slightly early for the full on, bright red, christmassy glitter nails, so I went a tad subtle with lilac and silver. 

It took me a few attempts to get it right, but I'm pretty happy with me attempt at nail art. Essie's Beyond Cozy was used to create little blobs of silver, over two layers of Berry Ice Cream from Barry M. 

Stick around- the nails are set to get more and more festive in the run up to Christmas! 

Living for the Weekend

 I'm so into the festive mood that I'm trying so hard to refrain from giving my blog a little xmas makeover. I guess this means that I'm over-compensating with the festive wardrobe. Yep, I bought the obligatory festive jumper last week. 

I also bought this tartan mini, which I've been dying to show you. It's uber short, maybe even too short to warrant tights- I think this one might be a leggings job, if only because it's a bit chilly. This dress is a big contender in the run for my christmas day outfit- even if it's the exact same pattern as my old, pleated, tartan school skirt. I definitely don't miss that uniform.

I know it's only Monday but I'm living for the weekend already. There's a bag of popcorn and some marshmallows in the cupboard, waiting for me and the Love Actually dvd.

Finally, what are your thoughts on another one of my new purchases- my lipstick. I finally caved and bought Rimmel's Kate Moss Lasting Perfection Lipstick in 107, because it's so darn christmassy and everyone talks about how nice it is. (I agree) I think it's the icing on top of this outfit- expect it to make many reappearances throughout the winter months.

Insta lately #2

I thought it was time that I gave you all a little catch up on what I've been doing lately, and what's been on the blog. Here are my instagram posts over the last month. 

01- Last saturday night was the last gig of the month, which meant Lewis Watson. If you've been reading my blog for a while I'm sure you will know how much I love this guy. It's the 2nd time I've seen him live- click here to see the post I wrote last time I saw him live. 

02. Lewis Watson merch with a Pug on it? Yep, I bought one!

03. Barney and Cassie, having cuddles in front of the Aga. 

04. Another subtle, smokey eye look going on. Click here to see the full post!

05. Back at Rock City, this time for Disclosure. Read my Music Monday post from way back, here.

06.  The German Christmas Market in Birmingham!

07. After watching Tanya Burr's Haul, I got inspired to re-visit Polyvore, and this happened. The full post is here!

08 + 09. Before and after: experimenting with some new nail art tools!

10. At work- I found a pear as small as my finger.

11. Gabrielle Aplin, live at Rock City. 

12. Barney again, looking all cutesy.

13.  Barney's first appearance on the internet! He's a little Yorkshire Terrier rescue puppy; the new addition to our family.

14. Reading an interview with Lorde.

15. Taking inspiration from Tumblr. See the full post here. 

 

16. Wrapping up warm in an outfit post, which you can see here! 

WOMF #5

Enter the bronze, smokey eye and pale, nearly bare skin. This one is all about the eyes. I stuck with the Garnier BB Cream as a base and concealed under my eyes, and around blemishes. Now to the exciting bit- the eyes. Starting with a wash of On and On Bronze from Maybelline, (what else would it be?) and then building up the colour with Benefit's Solid Gold. Get Down Brown went through the crease and under the eye and a clean brush helped blend it all together. Add a good few coats of mascara- I'm still using Benefit They're Real! and then go back under the eyes with concealor to clean up any of the fall out, and done! 

You could always add a bit of contour- I dabbed on Topshop's Nevada, a really pale, peachy nude. I decided to keep my cheeks clean of blusher for a simple, christmas-do worthy look. 

How would you wear this look? 

Winter Picks

Christmas is fast approaching (I'm warning you now, it's all I'll be talking about until New Year...) and I love a bit of sparkle. I saw Tanya Burr talking about this Topshop sweater in a recent video, and liked it so much that I got to day-dreaming about the result. Here's the result...

Winter Picks by rubysterland 

Gabrielle Aplin, Rock City

Last Saturday I found myself queuing up by Nottingham's Rock City, in the freezing cold, waiting to see Gabrielle Aplin with my cousin Jodie (she has a blog too, y'all) Thankfully we were full of Nandos to keep us warm, because it was flipping cold out there. 

Weather aside, Gabrielle Aplin was pretty awesome. Favourites from the night have to have been How Do You Feel Today, Human, Home and November: they've all been on repeat since. I love going to gigs, especially in little venues like Rock City. 

Are there are any bands or artists that you've seen and want to rave to me about? 

Next up on my wish-list, McBusted tickets. A new set of tickets are going on sale tomorrow, and I'm determined to get my virtual elbow nudging on to get some tickets. I always said that if Busted got back together I would be there, no doubt about it, so McFly and Busted, together, on the same stage? Hell, yeah. 

Wish List: 12/11/13

Wish List: 12/11/13 by rubysterland 

To any family members feeling extremely generous... did someone mention Christmas? 

I've had lots of chances to scan the shelves over the past few weeks and it's fair to say that my wish list has been piling up.

A christmas jumper from Miss Selfridge, because I can't say no.

Rimmel London Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Eyeliner- I saw Anna from using this last week in a fab post. I want.

A potentially dangerous trip to the John Lewis Beauty Hall left me pining for the Bobbi Brown Corrector. 

I also found some shelves stacked with Diptyque goodness, and found Philosykos. 

 Another Miss Selfridge offering that I will definitely get my hands on when it's back in stock.

A pair of fluffy, velvet-y slippers from Boden. 

Lately... Tumblr

I've been noticing a slight trend in my tumblr content... If I'm re-blogging interiors, you can bet your bottom dollar that it's gonna be white, with some fairy lights thrown in for good luck.

I can't get enough of Tumblr at the moment, and you can follow me here!  

Cold Hands, White Light

BBRRR. 

Say hello to my new hat, which is most definitely going to be a favourite over the coming months because it's getting chilly out there. Here are some of the pieces that I'll be wrapping up in. I'm back at school tomorrow (say aaah) so I'm anticipating a shed-load of work. Slightly frustrating when I've only just finished one load of work. 

Another thing, has anyone else noticed the sudden swell in Christmas advertising? Geeze, I'm still getting over Halloween. Thanks for all the wunderbar feedback on my last post, I always get slightly nervous posting those kind of things- I'm no professional beauty blogger, but I do want to share my finds with you! So yeah, glad you liked it. 

This time last week I was at a spontaneous Tom Odell gig (spontaneous for me, not for Tom). Since then his album Long Way Down has been on repeat, especially I Know. 

Wearing: Rimmel | Kate Moss Lasting Finish in 110

    01. Straight from the bullet.

    02. Applied with a brush.

A few days ago I took to twitter and asked both Anna from Vivianna Does Makeup and Amelia Liana from Liana Beauty for some drugstore red lippy recommendations. I picked up Anna's choice from Boots, and as I branch out into bolder options I might branch out into Liana's favourites, but I have to take it easy before my lips go into colour overload.

So for now, the chosen one is the Rimmel Lasting Finish Matte Lipstick in 110. I was uber close to picking up 107 too, which is a darker more autumnal red, so watch this space.

So I had a good old experiment with shade 110 and I'm really impressed. It is totally out of my comfort zone, but I've found two ways of applying which give completely different effects, making it pretty versatile. Even though it's matte, and therefore pretty drying, it goes on really nicely straight from the bullet and builds up to be a really bold, in your face red. It hangs around too and here's the proof- I ate an apple and had a cup of coffee- lips still in tact for a few hours before it needed re-applying.

I went back to it this morning (apologies for the difference in lighting... and hair) and had a further play. Now this is where it gets good. I went straight in with a brush instead of applying it directly, and it gives a really nice, subtle (as subtle as red can be) tint to the lips. Maybe a tad more every day?

Let me know what you think of the colour, and whether you would wear it?

You can see how Anna wears it in her video: Super Simple Red Lip Tutorial.

October Favourites

Glam Glow Youth Mud Tinglexfoliate Treatment*- what a mouthful! I've had this a few months and have used it a good few times now, and I'm really impressed. There's been quite a bit of internet hype over this stuff and I can see why. It leaves your face tingly, man. (Can you tell I'm no skincare expert?) I like to treat my skin with this when it's feeling a bit sorry for itself because I know it will do the trick. It is pricey, but if you're willing to part with a bit of cash for your skincare, it's really worth it. 

No7 Stay Perfect Nail Colour in Temptress- I had a good search through my mum's nail polish a few weeks ago and found this gem (among many others). The colour is the perfect oxblood / wine shade for Autumn, and looks great on toes and fingers. The packaging has been re-designed since and I'm not sure if they still sell this shade, but there'll be plenty of alternatives out there.

Weleda Almond Soothing Cleansing Lotion & Almond Soothing Facial Oil*- Like I said above, I'm no skincare expert, I just know what works for me. These two make a great duo that I've been using since the start of summer. I know that they'll never strip my skin (it's taken me a while to find a cleanser that won't) and all my makeup comes off, the gentle way.

Southwestern Style Sweater, Forever21- This beauty made it's first appearance earlier this week, which you can see here. It's the cosiest little jumper, and looks great with a pair of jeans and boots. 

Loafers, Clarks- You can rely on Clarks for comfy shoes, and I love these quirky loafers. I had to go to three different store to get these in black, in my size and thank god they're worth it. 

The Carrie Diaries- I've just finished watching the first series and it's great. I guess yeah, it is a typical teen series, but fashion, drama and cute boys is something that I can't resist. 

Jennifer Lawrence- This, I'm sure, sounds like a really random one but c'mon, who doesn't like Jennifer Lawrence? She graced the cover of Harper's Bazaar this month and her interview was great. 

Collar + Sweater

 I love a good collar/sweater combo. I can't get enough of this jumper at the minute, not only is it one of the warmest things I own, it's also one of the brightest. Buying this was pure coincidence- I bought it from Forever 21 as consolation for the fact that I couldn't find the shoes I wanted. 

I really haven't done much, I've been stuck inside because of the awful weather, so thank god it was sunny today and I managed to get these photos done! I have got my Halloween costume sorted, though! Keep an eye out for that, I can't wait. 

I'm home alone tonight, which means I've been dancing around my living room to this song which I re-discovered, and I'm just about to watch The Carrie Diaries. Popcorn or Ice Cream? It's a tough call. 

Even though I've been busy all day getting blog posts stacked up, I've felt quite alone. My brother's at uni, my parent's are away until tomorrow, and my friends are either on holiday or still at school. Roll on Halloween, when I get to see them all again! I'm not going to lie, it's nice to be away from school, and I don't just mean the work. Things have been a bit dramatic at school lately (the perks of an all girls school) but I think friendships are slowly healing themselves. For now my company is a snoring dog, and I think it's best to let sleeping dogs lie.