Lately...

I bought this bag at the weekend after my old faithful, goes-with-everything bag broke. I went off to the shops and found this cute satchel for a bargain of £9! (Primark, I heart u x) 

This week has been manic and it's all felt non-stop. I ran my first ever art club with the year 7's and they're so cute! That as well as having a driving lesson where I did some new manoeuvres means that this week has been exciting, guys. Yesterday I hot-footed it up to Newcastle for the uni open day and loved it. Watch this space, there is a chance (however small) that I'll be a northern gal this time next year. 

Everything's been a bit strange at my house recently. It's so quiet because my brother George has moved to university. I mean, it's not like he was a loud person, but it does feel really strange without him. We ring most nights though, and I have to say some of the photos uploaded to Facebook from Fresher's Week have really made me see my brother in a different light, we shall say. Has anyone else had the experience of having an older sibling moving away? I would love to know what your experience was- George is pretty far away so I won't see him very often. Thank God we have the interwebs to keep in touch. 

One last thing- I know I should be saving this for the monthly favourites, but here's a song I can't stop listening to...

Grow Old With Me- Tom Odell

Great Photos, Beauty and Writing #4

Great Photos, Beauty and Writing #4 by rubysterland 

Great Photos- Fashion Envious- Cross My Heart. I've been loving reading Mariana's blog at the minute, her outfits are always brilliant and her editing always looks great! Definitely check out her blog for inspiration.

Great Beauty- I Covett Thee- Chanel Rouge Noir. It turns out I'm not the only one who'll forgive Chanel's polishes for being prone to chipping. I'm in love with this colour and Alix's blog. Check out her YouTube channel too! 

Great Writing- Kerralina- The University Diaries. You'll have seen me write about Kerralina before. I love reading all her little anecdotes, and this one about starting university is no exception. 

WOMF #3

This face was so simple, it didn't even take me 10 minutes. I kept my face really bare (no bronzer/contouring, just a little blush) and focused on the eyes.

I blended Rimmel Match Perfection in Light Porcelain using my fingers to create a base, and then took the Natural Collection Cover-Up Cream in Fair under my eyes and on any blemishes. This was blended in using a fluffy brush. The colour selction for the concealer is pretty awful to say the least (I think there might be 3??) but I'd heard it's got good coverage and I wanted to try this range which I'm new to. Luckily, it matches me pretty well, and yep, I can confirm that it does cover my dark circles, really well in fact. (It's just a shame that the packaging isn't nicer, but I guess you get what you pay, right?) 

I used my fingers to dab a little of the Bourjois Cream Blush in Rose Tender on the apples of my cheeks, and my base was done! Now to the eyes... I cracked out the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze, which I blended out with a fluffy eye-shadow brush. I used the Natural Collection Liquid Eyeliner to thicken my lash line, then the trusty They're Real by Benefit on my lashes. I was quite impressed by the eyeliner too, the brush was tiny which meant it's really easy to use. I left my lips bare, and that's it, done. 

What's your usual make-up routine? Would you try something like this, or would you add in a bit of contour and something on the lips? Let me know in the comments!

Chunky V Neck

When I was down in London last weekend I had an hour to nip to the shops, and my first port of call was Primark. Because of the freezing weather I've only had eyes for jumpers, and this one caught my eye. I bought it a few sizes too big, and now it falls off my shoulders, which I love. The sleeves are really nice and long (something I struggle to find, being so tall) and I'm really liking slouchy sweaters with a pair of skinny jeans. 

There's not been much to report on, other than I had my 2nd driving lesson again the other day and I got to drive around a car park, which was exciting. (I didn't stall guys!) Last night our sixth form all went on a trip to raise money for a school expedition- we all bought tickets for a train journey where we got popcorn, fish & chips and played quizzes. It felt like we were on our way to Hogwarts- we all got a little compartment just like the Hogwarts Express. 

I hope you've all had a good week- I'm all snuffly and really tired, but tonight I'm going to a girl's night for my friend's 18th! It's scary how old we're getting. My brother moved to university last weekend, it's the strangest feeling! Wishing you all a happy weekend. 

The Vlog: London Fashion Week

Hi Everyone!

As promised, here is the little vlog I put together for my day in London. I had an amazing day and can't wait to share this video with you, so I hope you all enjoy watching it! (I hope it's worth it, it took me over two hours to upload...) Here are a few photos I took too. I bumped into the lovely Kavita from She Wears Fashion, and we had an amazing chat! I got to take her photo for you guys too, she was so gorgeous and so, so friendly. 

I would love if you subscribed to my YouTube channel- then you'll get to see any vlogs I post! I may be thinking about posting more frequently on there, but no promises as of yet...

LFW, I'm Coming For Ya!

Last night I got a text I never thought I would receive- tonight I'm hot-footing it down to London for the Zoe Jordan show. I'm writing this on Thursday night at 10:50pm and I'm still struggling to take it in. I would love to take you all along with me, so I'm going to try and film bits of my day, so expect that sometime next week. (By the time I've edited it, it will probably be next Sunday) Until then, make sure you follow me on Twitter and Instagram to keep up to date with all the happenings.

I hope you all have an amazing weekend! 

Take Me to Paris

Say hello to the new edition to my wardrobe- a winter coat. It's from good old Marks and Spencer's, and it's so versatile. The combo of red lipstick and stripes left me pining for a trip to Paris- any fancy buying me a train ticket? One day I'll go back to the Eiffel Tower, eat Macaroons and visit all the galleries. *A girl can dream.* 

WOMF #2

Here's another WOMF offering, inspired by Scarlett Johansson's cover for this month's Harper's Bazaar UK. I'm never been a red lip kinda gal, but I think this changed today. I'm wearing Rouge G de Guerlain in Girly. It's a gorgeous cherry red, although maybe not quite as vampy as Scarlett's lips. The texture is really nice- as you would expect with a high end lipstick. It's creamy and really pigmented, but I was really easy to perfect and clean up any smudges. (Basically, my whole chin wasn't left looking red) 

As usual, I used Rimmel Match Perfection in Light Porcelain, with the 17 Hide Away Concealer in Fair under my eyes and on any blemishes. No.7 Natural Blush Tint in Honey is a peachy, brown blusher which works really nicely for contouring. I applied it sparsely- it can build up to be quite orange! I bought it up to my temples to try and recreate Scarlett's bronzed complexion. 

I went back to my The Rich is Back palette by Benefit, and started off with a base of Disco Dust, the lightest colour. Then I swept Get Down Brown all over my lid, and Solid Gold in the middle of my lid. I wanted there to be a hint of purple, so lightly patted a Korres eyeshadow, Plum, in my creases, and blended it out. Finally, I layered on the They're Real mascara from Benefit. 

What do you all think? It's more than I would usually wear, (I'm not really that much of an eyeshadow girl) but having said that, I love this look! Change ain't always a bad thing, I guess. 

Autumn Inspiration

I took to Pinterest and Tumblr to find some Autumn inspiration. As much as I love summer, I get so excited for the crisp mornings and cosy sweaters that autumn brings. Does anyone else feel the same, or is it just me?

As far as music goes, the only song I'm listening to is...

 Brand New Day- Kodaline

Something about it makes me think of running (and slipping) through all the soggy autumn leaves outside. Maybe you'll think of something completely different, but regardless, I love this song. 

NOTD: Lychee and Sour Apple

If you read my last post, you'll know that I love a textured nail polish every now and again, even if my nails don't. You'll also know that I got this new beauty to for my birthday, and it was only a matter of time until I tried it out! 

It's Sour Apple by Barry M, and is described as a confetti effect polish. The polish is clear, but there are tiny flecks of turquoise and neon yellow in there, which I think have a really striking effect. I toned it down a little with my favourite nude, Lychee. I've waxed lyrical about this polish and my seemingly undying love for it, all of which you can read about here. 

I'm all ready for Autumn and to me, this looks more like a spring/ summer colour, but who cares, it's so darn pretty. I have yet to try and remove the stuff though- and something's telling me that it ain't gonna be easy. 

Birthday Haul

Here are a few snaps of gorgeous birthday presents I had from friends and family. Keep a look out for some of these things on my blog! I can't wait to use the Soap and Glory Body Buff- it smells amazing. So do the goodies from Lush, (Dragon's Egg, Think Pink and Creamy Candy). Despite the fact that they don't budge off your nails, I love textured polishes, so I can't wait to try out this confetti nail polish from Barry M. The baby pink nail polish reminds me of Pink Diamond by Essie. 

The Queries and Reminders Notebook is from Emma Bridgewater, and the Organiser with a cute bicycle print is from Paperchase. 

The bracelet was a gift from my parents, and the gorgeous collar necklace has come all the way from Croatia, where a friend spent her summer holiday! Thank you again to all you lovely people that wished me a happy birthday, here's an slice of internet cake from me! I went back to school yesterday, (the 6am alarm was a shock to the system) but thankfully, I get a few free periods on a Monday morning. *Sighs*

Good luck to everyone going back to school this week!

17.

Yesterday was my 17th birthday! (All you people on the road watch out, I'm coming for ya) But seriously, I had the best night with friends, and I wanted to show you all what I was wearing! I feel like I've spent all year searching for a playsuit and I finally have one. I like the vintage vibe it's giving off, and I love that I can wear it in Autumn, Spring and Summer. Of course, my beloved ankle boots had to come with me. 

I hope you've all had a fantastic weekend! I'm back to school tomorrow, which feels impossible. How is it September 1st already?