night outfit 1
knitwear
knitwear
joni jeans
joni jeans
L’Oreal Paris Lumi Magique Primer Review
Primers. The chore of my makeup routine. I always um and ah over them because, after applying my moisturiser, I always feel like I’m clogging my skin with an unnecessary amount of products. Yes, they do make my makeup last longer, but I’m really impatient and there are no immediate results so I’m pretty bad at applying them.
I recently purchased the L’Oreal Paris Lumi Magique Primer in a 3 for 2 offer in Boots and I was really impressed!
A while ago, I bought the L’Oréal Paris Studio Secrets Smoothing Resurfacing Primer and couldn’t have been more disappointed with the thick, stodgy texture and the way it left my skin feeling heavy. I was reluctant to invest in another L’Oreal Primer after this disaster, but I gave into the rave reviews that I’d heard and took the plunge and it paid off.
The Lumi Magique Primer is pumped out in liquid form – a white, shiny, semi-thick liquid – which I blend evenly across my face with clean fingers. It doesn’t feel sticky or heavy on your skin and blends in effortlessly. Already, my skin has a healthy, dewy glow (but not shiny!). If you don’t wear much makeup, or you’re having a ‘less-makeup’ day, this would be perfect on it’s own just to add a bit of life to dull skin.
I applied my usual everyday makeup over this and I have to say the difference was astounding. Even after dusting powder over my face, I still looked dewy and healthy. This primer allows me to set my makeup and feel confident that it won’t ‘melt’ off, as well as keeping my skin looking dewy and fresh – which isn’t an easy combination!
As for staying power, this primer isn’t the best I’ve tried (that would have to be the Smashbox primer) but my makeup lasts up to 8 hours without me needing to touch up or reapply, which, let’s be honest, will do, especially at £9.99 in comparison with £25.50 for a Smashbox primer.
Where this primer lacks in staying power it more than makes up for it with the lightness and feel it leaves on my skin. Definitely a worth while purchase!
Photo from: the L’Oreal Website
Makeup Splurge: Estee Lauder
I realise I’m going against my mantra of ‘budget beauty’, but recently I received an Estee Lauder voucher and ended up getting a bit carried away!
The first product I looked for was the Double Wear ‘Stay In Place’ Foundation. I’ve read so many reviews of this foundations and comparisons with my much-loved Revlon ColorStay so I wanted to see what all the fuss is about.
Firstly, unlike many other foundations, I was easily able to find a shade that matched my skin perfectly (pale but with a slight yellow undertone) – 1N1 Ivory Nude (almost identical to Revlon’s ‘150 Buff’). Estee Lauder produce an astonishing 31 shades of foundations across a variety of undertones and skintones suitable for everyone!
I applied the foundation by dabbing it across my face and then blending it out with my BeautyBlender sponge and the initial look on my skin was flawless, smooth, not-cakey and gave a more airbrushed look then the Revlon Colorstay. But less than an hour into my day, shine began appearing around my nose and chin (both with Rimmel’s ‘Stay Matte’ powder, and Estee Lauder’s ‘Double Wear’ powder on two separate occasions), so I reapplied more powder over the shine. This made my skin appear flakey and cakey and another couple of hours later, my foundation had become patchy, not just in those areas but all across my face to the point where it was beyond repair.
Obviously, with skin as oily as mine, shine is to be expected but given that with my much cheaper Revlon Colorstay, I can stay shine-free for much longer and when I do need to reapply powder, my foundation looks freshly applied. Personally, I was really disappointed with this foundation, despite the initial flawless look as it really fell down on its tagline ‘Stay In Place’. This foundation would be ideal for a makeup look for a photo but don’t expect it to last too long. All in all, it did not measure up to its hype and sadly, it’s ended up on my products-I-regret-buying pile. Not a great start from my Estee Lauder splurge.
Thankfully, the next product saved the day! Another Double Wear product, I was a bit skeptical after the Double Wear foundation disaster but tried this out nonetheless. The Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Flawless Wear Concealer (although a bit of a mouthful to say) definitely lived up to its name.
The thick consistency of this product really helps to cover and conceal any blemishes to give a really flawless look. Despite this, once applied it still feels light on the skin and doesn’t feel cakey or heavy. Unlike it’s foundation counterpart, once applied this concealer really lasts, which surprised me as I mostly conceal the oilier parts of my face (around my nose, chin and forehead).
The packaging is simple yet gorgeous, with the clear tube and gold screw top. However, one down side of this is the applicator. I am not a fan of concealer that come with applicators that dip into the product because I apply concealer to hide acne and blemishes. The thought of putting this applicator directly onto said blemishes to pick up bacteria, to then put back in the bottle and reapply to my face later makes me squirm as it’s unhygienic and allows for the spread of bacteria. Instead, I draw out the applicator and, with my Real Techniques concealer brush, remove some of the product and then apply to my face. I then blend this into my skin with my Real Techniques Blending Sponge for an airbrushed look. (After each application I wash the brush and the sponge with some warm water to get rid of any bacteria).
Continuing with the Double Wear theme, the final product I purchased was the Double Wear Stay-in-Place Powder Makeup, a pigmented compact powder.
Usually, I set my makeup with a translucent powder (one with no pigmentation) so as to not disrupt the colour spread of the foundation I have just applied. However, I bought this powder in the same shade as the Double Wear Foundation, expecting to use them together. Unfortunately, this made my face appear cakey, and the addition of another pigmented product made my face appear as one block colour with no natural changes of shade or definition which could only be corrected by adding more makeup. I tried this powder out with my much-loved Revlon ColorStay Foundation with similar results.
After nearly throwing this onto my ‘Products I Regret Buying’ Pile, I gave it one more try. I was leaving the house (to go on a food shop) with no makeup on, but I’d noticed in the mirror that day that my face was particularly red and blotchy. I lightly dusted some of this powder across my face, and due to the pigmentation, it evened my skin tone out – not enough to give full coverage, but enough to make me appear less red. This powder is perfect for those days when you’re not bothered about getting fully made up but want a bit of coverage and a bit of SPF protection (SPF 10), although I’m pretty sure you could buy a similar product with similar results on a smaller budge, so I’m not sure this was really worth the money!
I think I’ll be sticking to ‘budget-beauty’ after my first high-end splurge ended rather disappointingly!
Photos from: Estee Lauder
Topshop Wishlist
I have been browsing Topshop both online and in-store and I have fallen in love with so many pieces. I am so impressed with their products as always. I don’t begrudge Topshop at all for their prices (I mean let’s face it, they’re hardly the cheapest of the high street stores) as I find their products to be consistently great quality, but it is a little bit soul destroying when you’ve got your eye on so many new clothes and shoes but your bank balance won’t stretch that far! So instead, I created a Wishlist and styled some of my favourite pieces.
This burgundy crochet vest adds some of that ‘festival style’ to this very casual everyday summer outfit. I paired this with some high-waisted denim shorts (I really love the way crop tops look with high waisted bottoms – showing some skin but not feeling half naked!) Carrying on with the bohemian festival theme, these cute feather earrings which would look fab with loose beachy waves. Another trend I’m really loving, is the floppy hat! I do have to admit that I was hesitant about them at first as I’ve never really seen myself as I hat person but after trying a couple on, I realised that they can be really flattering and look effortlessly stylish! And finally, I finished this outfit off with a pair of simple brown sandals which are perfect for an active summers day because who wants hot sweaty feet?!
This next outfit is more for those colder spring/summer days. But rather than reverting back to my winter clothes, I thought that this pastel pink jumper kept a summery feel and would brighten up what would be a simple outfit. Keeping along the theme of lighter colours, I chose these light bleach wash jeans. Nothing tops off a casual laid back outfit like a pair of comfy trainers and I thought these white lace ups complemented the pink perfectly. As far as accessories go, I wanted to keep it simple, in line with the outfit, and opted for a gold necklace with a small heart pendant as I’m a sucker for gold on pink! Like many others, I love nude nails and this gorgeous nude pink nail colour would look elegant along with this outfit.
This outfit is a bit smarter and more suited to a summer night and is a summery take on the monochrome trend. It’s no secret that I love Joni jeans, and this white pair is the perfect way to make them a bit more summery. To complement this, I chose this lacey black crop top, which have been all the rage recently. The sultry lace is perfect for an evening event or night on the town. I love chunky heels but I sometimes think that they can look to bulky particularly in summer, so you can imagine how I felt to see these gorgeous stroppy chunky heels – perfect for summer! I thought gold jewellery would add an elegant tough so I opted for these gold hoops and a gold Casio.
Next, a casual stylish summer look featuring these floral statement shorts. The high waist lends itself perfectly to wearing with a crop top and the lace trim at the bottom adds an extra dimension to this stunning piece. I really wanted these shorts to be the main feature so for the rest of the outfit I went quite basic and stuck to black. The high neck ribbed crop top adds a 90s touch and the neck line lends itself to this incredible gold necklace, with chains and coins (my favourite when it comes to jewellery). I decided to tie in the gold with these gold detailed black loafers – a comfy option for a summer’s day. And finally, who doesn’t love a floppy hat in summer, especially this black one – stylish and practical!
This ones a bit different and more for the colder days. I love the manly androgynous style but I’m very wary of taking it too far due to body type mostly and bone structure (basically I’m scared that if I dress like a man, I’ll look like one!) but I think this outfit is a flattering blend of my usual style and a more androgynous flair. Obviously, I reached for a pair of Joni jeans as the base of this outfit, but chose some black ones with rips at the knee to roughen them up. The khaki green oversized utility shirt would contrast well with the skinny jeans left untucked. As for sunglasses I opted for gold aviators as the gold goes well with the khaki and not only do aviators suit my face shape but they add a certain elegance whilst keeping with the androgynous theme and the same goes for the gold Casio. For shoes I opted for a heeled boot (you need something girly in each outfit right?) and loved these brown lace ups and feel like they really complete this look!
I went super casual with this one. This ripped jeans add a bit of edge to quite a tame outfit (and I know, they’re NOT Joni jeans?!) and help when you’re striving for that ‘I’m not trying too hard’ look. Stripes are all the rage right now, and this white and grey stripped tee with grey piping around the neck and cuffs looks casual yet interesting. To go with this, I chose these grey platform skaters for a tomboy-ish comfortable look. I kept it simple with accessories for this outift, as this would be my go to ‘throw-on’ look so instead I browsed Topshop’s makeup range and opted for some neutral nude-ish pink makeup, to keep this look simple and natural.
These are only some of the great pieces that Topshop have in right now, and they are really worth checking out!
My Fashion Guilty Pleasure: Joni Jeans
Joni Jeans have been a fashion staple for some time, and over the last year or two, I have definitely done my bit in supporting this fashion trend. I realized quite how much I love these jeans when I opened my wardrobe and saw that I have now collected 10 pairs of Joni Jeans, and I can honestly say I don’t regret it!
Almost an exact copy of the American Apparel Easy Jeans, the Topshop Joni Jeans are super high waisted (for me, the top of the jeans fit into the smallest part of my waist) and feature a concealed zip and button fastening on the front (with no pockets) and two deep pockets on the back. I find this an extremely flattering design, particularly for my body shape: fairly large thighs, wide hips and a comparatively small waist. Normally, finding jeans that actually fit is a struggle, they’re either too tight on my legs or too loose around my waist. The lack of pockets on the front allows the jeans to hug your figure without any odd bumps created by excess material or stitching which comes with having pockets, which therefore really accentuates your natural shape.
Although some people strongly defend that jeans should be made of denim, the composition of these jeans allow them to be as skinny as they could. Nicknamed ‘spray-on jeans’, ultra-skinny jeans need to be elasticated as you could not get the same effect with denim. Made with 70% cotton, 27% polyester and 3% elastane these jeans are not only tight and shapely, they are comfortable, which in my opinion is the most important. I always find that denim would crinkle under the crease of my knee and would become itchy, it would be more difficult to move in and in hot temperatures would cause my legs to become even hotter and sticky and it was just generally not a pleasant experience. Joni Jeans do not restrict your movement at all and are comfortable even for someone like me with a very active daily life. However, the elastic feel of these jeans did not come worry free as I was concerned that the shape of the jeans would be lost over time as they would stretch and become looser with each wear and wash, but I have to say I am extremely impressed with their quality. I have owned a couple of pairs of these jeans for well over a year and they still fit as if they were new, I’m yet to see the typical tell-tale signs of old worn jeans such as saggy knees, wide ankles and bunched up crotches!
The array of colours that these jeans are available in is incredible. There are many options for typical ‘jean’ colours, as well as some bolder block colours. Two favourites of mine are Forest Green and Aubergine, perfect for the Autumn transitioning into winter. Quite frankly, I find myself not wearing any other kind of jean because why would I need to? I can get all the colours I want in these jeans which to me are the most comfortable and flattering. I own Forest Green, Black, Aubergine, Dark Blue, Vintage Wash Blue, White, Coated Black, Ripped Grey, Light Blue and Grey, which allows me plenty of choice in the morning!
While I appreciate these jeans are on the expensive side at £38 a pair, the quality and durability is definitely worth it. They are a much cheaper dupe for the American Apparel Easy Jeans at £66, which I personally think really is too expensive for a pair of jeans. However, for those of you on a budget, Primark sell a dupe of the Joni Jeans for around £1o a pair which is an absolute steal! However, this price really does reflect the quality as they stretch after only one or two wears, they aren’t quite as comfortable and don’t have quite the same fit.
I am a very strong believer in Topshop Jeans as I feel I can rely on the quality, a decent fit and a large choice of colours!
Photo from: topshop.co.uk
My Makeup Storage
I deliberated over buying the Muji drawers for quite some time but I always ummed and ahhed about the fact that they were clear. As neatly as I store my makeup, I can’t help the packaging from looking grubby and worn which was one of the reasons I was put off the clear drawers. I’m also a bit obsessive when it comes to symmetry and colours so being able to see the different products through the drawers would no doubt stress me out.
So, I was on the hunt for something a bit different but I wasn’t quite sure what I what I was looking for (useful!). Before now, my makeup was kept in tupperware boxes by my mirror which was neither ideal nor attractive but it was functional so my need wasn’t desperate.
These are smaller than the Muji drawers (their standard size drawers are 26cm wide) whereas these are 16cm wide and 16cm long (perfectly square!). This wasn’t actually a downside for me, as my makeup collection is large for your average teenager but nowhere near the size of some Youtube beauty gurus. The smaller size meant that I could categorize each individual drawer without them feeling empty. Of course this did mean that I needed to buy two of this units!
Drawer 1: Primers (Face and Eyes), Concealers, Highlighters
Drawer 2: Foundations, Powders
Drawer 3: Blushes, Bronzers, Contour palettes
Drawer 4: Mascaras, Eyeliners, Eyebrow products
Drawer 5: Eyeshadows
Drawer 6: Lipsticks, Lip glosses, Lip liner
Instead, my palettes are freestanding alongside my drawers with my Naked 1, 2 and 3 palettes at the back and my Naked Basics 1 and 2 in front. They’re easily accessible and I can see them clearly from the side of the shelf. In the long term, this isn’t ideal, but this shelf was too perfect to not use, so it will do for now!
In front of my palettes, I’ve got my MAC brush cleanser, which I keep in its box purely because I think the packaging looks nicer than the bottle. In front of this, are my Urban Decay sprays and then three eos lip balms just so they are within easy reach. I keep my makeup mirror (from Boots) to the left with my brushes so that there is enough space to turn it as one side is magnified which is great for eye make up.
Seeing as all my nail polishes at the moment are by Essie, I like how they look together so I keep my nail polish on top of my drawer units. I keep the brights in the back row and the muted neutrals at the front as they go more with the cream colouring of the drawers.
To finish off my ‘makeup station’, I’ve stuck some fairy lights around the shelf, to brighten it up and add a little extra light!
Azurea 