Topshop Sunbeam Highlighter

Topshop Sunbeam Highlighter - £10


When it comes to shimmery makeup, I'm such a magpie. Being drawn in by anything that sparkles in the light. Whilst in Topshop testing out a few different products and becoming covered in stains from swatches, I noticed the Topshop Sunbeam Highlighter. I'm fairly new to highlighters, but as soon as I'd swatched this, my whole hands and arms ended up doused in glittery gold dust. No matter how much I willed to wipe away the dazzling glitter flecks, they remained put. Even in my messy twinkly state, I did think to myself that it must be a long lasting product (when applied correctly) as no matter how much I scrubbed, the glitter wouldn't budge.

What are your favourite highlighters? What have you tried and tested? What don't you rate?

the perfect weekend

Dress c/o Matalan, Tesco tights (which I shamefully discovered had a hole mid thigh whilst out and about), Georgia Rose boots c/o Sarenza.



Yesterday was one of those days that makes you think "this is what the weekends should be like, always". With almost spring-like sunshine beaming down on us, Best.Friend. and I hopped in her car (she's my personal driver, really) and headed down to Clarks Village in Somerset; about an hour away from us. I raved about this place a couple of weeks ago when my parents went, and I will continue to rave. Best.Friend. bought a beautiful dress in the Monsoon outlet at a crazy price to wear to a mutual friend's wedding in May (I am yet to purchase my dress, but know what it will be!) and we both stocked up on undies in M&S (£5.75 for a matching set) and bras in Calvin Klein (3 for £16). The Cadbury shop is always a delight and we came away with chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate, and the surprise winner of the day was Claire's Accessories where I got some much needed silver stud earrings for crazy cheap.



Other shops we looked in and enjoyed were Yumi which had amazing bargains if they had your size; they didn't for me this time, and several places selling handbags. We had a cheap and tasty lunch in Subway and stopped off at a nearby Sainsburys to raid their bakery for a snack.



The evening was spent watching Saturday night TV before falling asleep shamefully early, and today I am hopefully seeing Ellie for one of our Chickpea buying missions with an added trip to Primark. I need to be restrained as I don't get paid until Wednesday, but when shopping opportunities present themself, it'd be rude to refuse.



How's your weekend going? Bought any bargains or done anything especially wonderful?



xxx

zippo meets Fred Butler

(images from fredbutlerstyle blog)

I'd say it's pretty much common knowledge now that I didn't attend London Fashion Week; a bit of better planning on my part means I probably could have done, but to be honest I find it quite over-hyped and the idea of the general chaos and sheer volume of people kind of puts me off.



Saying that, there are a couple of shows/presentations I wish I could have gone to and top of that list was the Fred Butler A/W presentation. Sculptural pastel pieces that look more like props than apparel. Pastel hair. An almost anime feel...I am besotted.



And every fashionista knows that goodie bags are a perk of Fashion Week...for the Fred Butler presentation they broke the mould of tradition by giving out a limited edition Zippo lighter created especially for the event...

 

 

I was very kindly gifted one of these lighters and even as a smoker with a penchant for Zippos I can't quite bring myself to use it. Something so awesome and unique shouldn't really be used for such a filthy habit, right? I think I'll treasure this one as the reminder of the one Fashion Week presentation I am genuinely gutted to have missed.



xxx

with my blue shoes on

Next jumper, Matalan skirt, Superdrug tights, Clarks shoes from a super awesome friend.



Clarks isn't the first place I'd look when searching for shoes, but one evening I was randomly browsing and came across this pair. Tempted to order them next month from Sarenza, I checked with a friend who works in a Clarks shop if they were as nice in real life as they looked online. Well, I guess they figured there was only one way to find out, as a few days later a parcel had arrived for me.



Have I ever mentioned how awesome my friends are?



What's the sweetest thing a friend has ever done for you?



xxx

USC Wishlist

USC is a shop that has flitted on and off my radar for years. To be honest, I'd kind of dismissed it a couple of years ago; I just didn't think it sold the kind of clothes I liked, so when they got in touch with me to tell me a bit more about the store and I took a look, it was kind of a shock to end up with a MASSIVE wishlist...



This is just what I fancy from the latest arrivals!

USC has an unrivalled range of branded fashion and footwear across 38 stores nationwide including flagship stores in Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle and Liverpool and the web hosts over 3,000 produces online- www.usc.co.uk

They have some great brands include G-Star, Diesel, Police, Huntington & Co , Adidas Originals, Ugg Australia, Fred Perry, Soviet, Maggie & Me, Little Mistress and Replay. It is a destination shop for all the best known and loved brands and is one of the few multi-branded retailers in the UK.

I'd encourage you to take a browse online, or give the nearest store to you a chance...although please don't blame me if you end up blowing your wages in one fell swoop!

xxx

specs, studs and feathers

Dress c/o Motel Rocks, Tesco Tights, Buffalo boots c/o Sarenza, Glasses Red or Dead at Specsavers.

Finally, after *coughyearscough* much delaying and putting it off, I had an eye test last week, which revelaed I do still need glasses (I've had them since I was 9 though not many people knew!) and that I needed to wear them a bit more than I had previously. My old frames had literally fallen apart, so I treated myself to two new pairs (gotta love a buy one get one free deal) and picked them up this week.



How amazing is the world/how much easier is my job when things aren't quite so blurred? I got the red/black pair you can see above, as well as a more neutral pair for when I feel a bit less bold.



I will not leave it seven years between tests this time. Promise!



xxx

Chanel Soleil Tan Bronze Universal

I was most pleased to awaken Valentines morning to a little white Chanel gift bag placed neatly on the fireplace. Intrigued as to what was inside, I stepped over and had a peek. My lovely Boyfriend had bought me the Chanel Universal Bronzer - which I had actually been banging on about for ages that I wanted to purchase it at some point and try it out.

Chanel Universal Bronzer - £29.50

I'm sure many of you have seen quite a few blog posts floating around on the blogsphere about the holy grail that is Bronze Universal. I know it has changed it's name, now currently to ' Soleil Tan De Chanel', but I find 'Universal bronzer' much less of a mouthful. Plus, I can see myself absolutely butchering the French accent if I even so much as attempted to pronounce the new name.

I am still yet to try this product, and can't bring myself to spoil the pretty little swirl. The makeup artist on the Chanel counter has done a swatch test on my hand before in store using a normal kabuki brush to apply, so I have a good idea of the finish it gives, but I am yet to try it myself. The formula is that of a mousse consistency making it easy to blend yet build able for a more intense bronze finish.

Have you ever tried this product? What are your thoughts?