Hello darlings,
I know, I know, it's been too long, but I have been in a musical! That's a good enough excuse, right? But now I'm back and ready to gab on about the things that make our lives just that little bit more sparkly. Today, a post about something I'm sure we're all familiar with, the famous first-world problem, namely, the beauty ones, and hopefully I can also offer up some tips on how to deal with these dastardly occasions.
1. HELP! MY EYESHADOW HAS SPRINKLED ALL OVER MY CHEEKS!
We all know the feeling, you finish applying the perfect smoky eye, you're practically catwoman as you preen yourself, and yet that last swish of dark eyeshadow manages to litter a fountain of it all over your under-eye and cheekbone area, leaving you with a rather unsightly smudge. Make-up, ruined. But here's how to fix it!
If you're using a non-matte, glow foundation, try and do as much of your eye make-up befor applying any powder, bronzer or finisher. A non-matte foundation tends to be quite slippery, and this means smudges are easily wiped away with a cotton pad or just a finger, leaving you to perfect the top layer with your finishing powder etc.
If you're a matte girl from the get-go, it's a bit harder, but the secret is then within how you apply your eyeshadow. Eyeshadow is much more of a marathon, not a race, (unless you're late!) It's all about the blending and the building, so start slow, don't load up your brush, and smudges should be minimal. Secondly, a good quality brush goes a long, long way. It's easy to get caught up in cheapo brushes, but these are often the ones that drop powder everywhere. The MAC brushes and the 'Real Techniques' ones (found in Boots) are the ones that I have found best. Be warned, they are a little pricey, but look after a brush and it'll treat you well for a very long time.
If all else fails, or you're in a big hurry, a fingertip never drops powder, I won't tell if you won't!
2. NO! My lipstick always manages to disappear five minutes after leaving the house!
Lipstick, what a game-changer. You can go from boring office-worker to utter vixen in five seconds. But what do you do when the lipstick never seems to want to stay put? The golden rule of lipstick is to always provide a base. This means, when you're doing your foundation, don't miss out your lips! Foundation does just that, provides a perfect foundation for other products to build upon it, so use it!
3. COME QUICK! My skin insists on behaving like an angry teenager!
You look in the mirror, you could have sworn you left those hideous puberty days behind, yet your skin still insists on behaving like the skin of a teenager, and the blemishes still reign strong. The solution? If your skin insists on acting like a rebellious teen, treat it like one! We all grow up and then suddenly think we must use 'grown-up' skincare, when really there is no shame on using products fit for purpose. My current favourite blemish-busting product is Visibly Clear's new pink grapefruit daily moisturiser. It works wonders, smells amazing and the pink, stylish packaging is a world away from the usual clinical look of other skincare products of its kind.
4. SOB! My hair just will not stay put on a night out!
Having straight hair (like me), can be a disaster zone of utter flatness, no matter how much primping you do in the house, a quick taxi ride turns it into something more boring than that report that's been sitting on my desk for the past five weeks....I must do that one day.
The solution? Ever wandered around the haircare section of the chemist and spied those tiny little bottles of haircare stuff, and thought, nah, I'll go for the big one? The small ones are there for a reason! While those diddy bottles are great in case you want to test a product first, they are also dinky handbag-sized solutions to all your hair needs! Pick up a baby bottle of hairspray, and as soon as you get to the bar, go into the loos, tip your head upside and let that tiny bottle work it's magic! For a more summery look, get a little bottle of salt spray, or just some root-boosting powder for a more subtle helping hand.
Just remember, at the end of it all, it's just make-up, try not to panic, and where you cannot see a solution, google! You're bound not to be the only one!
I'll write more often now, promise! See you all soon!
Abi x
Monday 31 March 2014
Monday 10 March 2014
Top 10 Chick Flick Fashion Lessons
Hey cutie-patooties (too much? Possibly)
10. Pretty Woman - Redheads CAN rock a red dress.
We all experienced that heart-gushing moment when Julia steps out in that GORGEOUS red number, complete with the ice round her neck courtesy of Richard Gere. We felt that princess moment along with her, as she, once and for all, stamped out the myth that it is impossible for redheads to look fantastic in a well-styled rouge number.
9. Clueless - The visible collar, always a DO.
8. Mean Girls - Halloween, the only night a year....you know the story.
7. Never Been Kissed - Don't be afraid to let out your inner 'nice' girl
Drew Barrymore in 'Never Been Kissed' goes through about a hundred fashion changes in under two hours. An impressive feat really. But never does she look as pretty as when she can finally be herself, in the end scene where she lets go of all the try-hard dresses and poodle coats, and wears a pretty, subtle pastel number. Even Jessica Alba, the beauty of the film, is dwarfed by her all-powerful nice-girl look. Boom.
6. 10 Things I Hate About You - Always make your friends be honest about your new hairstyle.
Oh Julia Stiles, we laughed with you, cried with you, and that's right, cringed with you at the hair disaster during the prom scene of this classic film. Julia looks amazing, and a darn sight better than her 'prettier' sister throughout the film with her tousled, messy-look blonde locks. However, this skin-tight pulled back poodle 'do is one for Fashion Room 101.
4. Legally Blonde - Workwear doesn't have to be void of personality.
If ever there was inspiration for fabulous workwear, it is Elle Woods. Granted, we might not want to turn up at the office in a full hot pink suit, yet the sentiment is still there, there is always room for fashion! Check out these five triumphant looks from the film, a few fully wearable even today!
3. The Devil Wears Prada - Hair changes everything. Oh, and over 40 can totally be fabulous.
I am a full supporter of the full-fringe look. Although a risk, it can turn a plain face into one that is instantly fashion forward with one quick snip of the scissors. It's not for everyone, so compare your bone structure to famous faces who are champions of the full fringe (like Zooey Deschanel) before taking the chop, however, if you get it right, it may change your life (over-dramatic? I think not). Anne Hathaway's transformation from frumpy to fab in this film classic wouldn't be complete without it. Also, Meryl Streep will never not look amazing.
2. Dirty Dancing - A hint to the 50s, a staple summer favourite.
This film is full of iconic moments. The lift, the lake, every time Patrick Swayze melted our pre-teen hearts. But I bet the costume designer for the film didn't guess that she was creating looks still wearable forty years later, with Baby's classic fifties/early sixties cuts, which have all of the feminine class and subtlely of that era, and none of the frump. She also brings out her playful side in the denim shorts, white shirt outfit, which cemented the denim and white combo as a summer favourite for every generation. I challenge thee not to see it as soon as the sun breaks through the clouds this year. Baby, soldiers of fashion everywhere, salute you.
1. Grease - Saucy and morally questionable. A winner all round.
Yes, we know Grease has a terrible moral lesson. Sweet, shy Sandy abandons everything she believes in and lives by and sexes herself up, all to bag herself a man. But who can worry about that when Olivia Newton-John looks so goddamn amazing at the end? Plus, we were all brought up on Grease, yet we don't walk around sporting skin-tight shiny trousers and red lips....oh wait.
The ultimate moral is, monochrome works. It has always worked, and will always work. Meoww.
You know what I love on a Monday lunchtime? A good countdown to read. So today I'm compiling the top 10 fashion lessons us 90s girls learnt from those good old fashioned chick flicks. Warning, I'm talking classics only, none of this new fangled rubbish.
10. Pretty Woman - Redheads CAN rock a red dress.
We all experienced that heart-gushing moment when Julia steps out in that GORGEOUS red number, complete with the ice round her neck courtesy of Richard Gere. We felt that princess moment along with her, as she, once and for all, stamped out the myth that it is impossible for redheads to look fantastic in a well-styled rouge number.
9. Clueless - The visible collar, always a DO.
Clueless, famous for it's fabulously 90s preppy fashion, delivers an understated look in the form of it's collared, 'grown-up school uniform' style outfits. Now, in 2014, you can't walk the street without seeing someone sporting the same look, albeit slightly updated. Clueless also cemented it's name within fashion stardom by proving that if Calvin Klein says it's a dress, it IS a dress.
8. Mean Girls - Halloween, the only night a year....you know the story.
Dressing in lingerie and animal ears on halloween. A hotly debated topic. Every year there is a rampage of women moaning about girls who dress as a 'sexy big bird' or other slightly hilarious outfit options. However I say, if halloween is the one night of the year we can dress as sexy big bird, why the hell not?! Halloween is about dressing up as something else after all, so why can't the mousy librarian from floor 23 dress as her own fantasy of herself. In Mean Girls, we were all thinking it, they look bloody fabulous.
7. Never Been Kissed - Don't be afraid to let out your inner 'nice' girl
Drew Barrymore in 'Never Been Kissed' goes through about a hundred fashion changes in under two hours. An impressive feat really. But never does she look as pretty as when she can finally be herself, in the end scene where she lets go of all the try-hard dresses and poodle coats, and wears a pretty, subtle pastel number. Even Jessica Alba, the beauty of the film, is dwarfed by her all-powerful nice-girl look. Boom.
6. 10 Things I Hate About You - Always make your friends be honest about your new hairstyle.
Oh Julia Stiles, we laughed with you, cried with you, and that's right, cringed with you at the hair disaster during the prom scene of this classic film. Julia looks amazing, and a darn sight better than her 'prettier' sister throughout the film with her tousled, messy-look blonde locks. However, this skin-tight pulled back poodle 'do is one for Fashion Room 101.
5. She's All That - Wearing glasses and your hair in a ponytail does not make you hideous.
As pointed out in 'Not Another Teen Movie' - the entire premise of Rachel Leigh Cook's makeover in 'She's All That' is ludicrous. We can all clearly see she is pretty right at the beginning of the film. However, watching it now has an entirely different meaning with the new emergence of geek chic, you could be forgiven for thinking you were watching a film in reverse.
4. Legally Blonde - Workwear doesn't have to be void of personality.
If ever there was inspiration for fabulous workwear, it is Elle Woods. Granted, we might not want to turn up at the office in a full hot pink suit, yet the sentiment is still there, there is always room for fashion! Check out these five triumphant looks from the film, a few fully wearable even today!
3. The Devil Wears Prada - Hair changes everything. Oh, and over 40 can totally be fabulous.
I am a full supporter of the full-fringe look. Although a risk, it can turn a plain face into one that is instantly fashion forward with one quick snip of the scissors. It's not for everyone, so compare your bone structure to famous faces who are champions of the full fringe (like Zooey Deschanel) before taking the chop, however, if you get it right, it may change your life (over-dramatic? I think not). Anne Hathaway's transformation from frumpy to fab in this film classic wouldn't be complete without it. Also, Meryl Streep will never not look amazing.
This film is full of iconic moments. The lift, the lake, every time Patrick Swayze melted our pre-teen hearts. But I bet the costume designer for the film didn't guess that she was creating looks still wearable forty years later, with Baby's classic fifties/early sixties cuts, which have all of the feminine class and subtlely of that era, and none of the frump. She also brings out her playful side in the denim shorts, white shirt outfit, which cemented the denim and white combo as a summer favourite for every generation. I challenge thee not to see it as soon as the sun breaks through the clouds this year. Baby, soldiers of fashion everywhere, salute you.
1. Grease - Saucy and morally questionable. A winner all round.
Yes, we know Grease has a terrible moral lesson. Sweet, shy Sandy abandons everything she believes in and lives by and sexes herself up, all to bag herself a man. But who can worry about that when Olivia Newton-John looks so goddamn amazing at the end? Plus, we were all brought up on Grease, yet we don't walk around sporting skin-tight shiny trousers and red lips....oh wait.
The ultimate moral is, monochrome works. It has always worked, and will always work. Meoww.
Monday 3 March 2014
eBay - A Bargain Hunter's Do's and Don'ts
Hello pretty people,
I'm sure you're all flooded with blog posts about the Oscars and those beautiful dresses. Alas, I fell asleep long before the cream of the crop even started arriving, so I'm going to have to wait for the highlights tonight before I can make my decisions on who I think belongs on the best-dressed list this year. I know it's naughty to hope for at least one dress disaster, but come on, these people get to be dressed by Valentino, we deserve a little fun!
However, today I'm going to go against the trend of Oscar posts, and rather than write about dresses that cost more than what most of us make in a year, I want to give you all a few tips on one of my favourite pastimes, a little bit of bargain hunting on eBay. You never know, there might be an Oscar winner hidden there somewhere.
I won't claim to be an expert or anything, but I spend an embarassing amount of time on this gem of a website, even if it is just to drool over the bags that I know I can't have! Over my time, I've learnt a few tricks of the trade, so listen up, beauties, and a bargain might be waiting for you!
Try out a search with a mispelled brand name. Sometimes proof-reading isn't someone's special skill, and if they don't look at it properly, Hollister can often become Holister, and so on and so forth. Beware, if something is mis-spelled it might mean they know less about the brand, or it could be a warning sign of a fake, so keep your eyes peeled. However, it's always worth checking that fashionista having a clear out didn't make a mistake while distracted by this month's Vogue.
careful the mis-spelling isn't actually on the item!
Be tempted by eBay fakes. It's not worth it by any account. Personally I don't like fakes in general, as I always think anyone with an eye for fashion can tell in a heartbeat. However if you buy in person you can check out the stitching, the lining, and see if it at least is a well-made fake. On eBay, this person is already breaking the law, so you don't know what else they are doing wrong, are those pictures real? Did they just nick that off of someone elses' website?
Have a quick check in your area. By changing the location settings you can see if anything is less than ten miles away from where you live. If that pair of Louboutins is waiting in the next street, why pay for ten pounds of postage?
They're out there somewhere, find me, pretty red soles!
Don't -
Be willy nilly when getting anything cosmetic related. I wouldn't risk it unless I was ABSOLUTELY sure that it was a genuine product. Be warned, people are sneaky and use pictures of receipts etc. to trick. There have been a lot of stories of people buying fake cosmetics on eBay hoping for the real deal and getting some nasty chemicals, or just a cheap product put in a fake designer bottle. Don't risk your money!
Some subtle differences between a real and fake perfume, it's almost impossible to spot! You have to get your clues from other parts of the listing.
Do -
Check the feedback on that seller from other buyers. If a lot of other people have had problems, it's likely you will too. Don't get me wrong, there are people out there who will moan about anything, but learn from other's mistakes and don't go near a seller who messes people around.
Probably best not to trust someone with the username 'iaintpayinyou'
Don't -
Bid straight away. eBay is a game just as much as anything else. No-one else can see if you are watching someone but they know you're interested if you bid 4 days before it ends. Watch in the background like a little fashion tiger waiting to pounce. Timing is everything, so catch the other bidders out in the last hour, minute, or second, just keep them guessing! You never know, they might be busy and forget and you can nab it! Naughty!
This is how I like to imagine a fabulous fashion tiger. Has this blog gone a little loopy?
Do -
Check in-season items haven't gone on sale. Often, eBay sellers sell off in season items that they have been given, or cannot take back to the shop, at a small reduction of the shop price. This is a great way to get a new item that you have seen in the shops for a bit cheaper. However, I once went to buy an asos jumpsuit from eBay, at 25 pounds when it was 35 online. I thought I would just give it one quick check online and saw that it had suddenly been put in the asos sale at 15 pounds! It's a rare occurrence but always best to check when sales change so fast.
Don't -
Trust anyone who asks you to make payment outside of eBay. They are trying to scam you. Always use PayPal, as it's the safest way to pay on eBay.
Do -
Know your buzzwords. Words like 'vintage' often bring up a lot of rubbish someone has found at the back of their wardrobe. However searching for a specific era, like '1960s' or using words associated with that era (e.g. hippie) will come up with more specific and fashion-friendly items. My favourite current buzzword is 'blogger' as people tend to tag this onto items that have been popular in the blog world, meaning they have often already been reviewed and approved by the hallowed halls of blogger fashiondom. Also, remember searching for specific brands is is pretty fail-safe - but be wary of people who cut out the label and still insist it is a certain brand, I spy a crook on the horizon!
Score a beauty like this party dress with the right vintage buzzwords.
Don't -
Search in the 'lowest price' option. Unless going for 'Buy it Now' items, the 'lowest price' search often will usually lead to false hope and disappointment. Of course that mulberry bag is going to be fifty pounds if someone uploaded it an hour ago, however when it gets closer to the end of sale, the price will rocket up. I find it is better to go for the 'ending soonest' option. You get a much more realistic idea of price, and you get the excitement of knowing it's ending soon.Do -
Try out different wording options. Looking for something in particular? Maybe your perfect dressing table stool might not come up when you type in 'dressing table stool'. But type in 'bedroom stool', and BAM! Shabby chic galore. Looking for that perfect fifties skirt? 'Fifties skirt' might churn out lots of fancy dress items, but 'A-line skirt' brings you a fabulous swishy skirt to bring out your inner Marilyn!
Speaking of which, midi A-line skirts are going to be huge this year, I love this little tulle number from Topshop, what a pretty summer colour!
And lastly...
DO -
Remember. If it is too good to be true, it probably is. eBay is a community full of thousands and thousands of people. If no-one else is bidding on that once in a life time, stop the press, jaw-dropping bargain, it is probably because they have spotted something you haven't. Look again, do some research, you'll probably save yourself a big headache later.
I hope this gives you some useful strategies when you're hunting for that perfect spring outfit on a budget, or trying to find that out of stock item you've wanted for weeks! eBay is great for finding labels while keeping the purse strings tight, but you just have to keep your wits about you.
I hope you are all having a happy Monday, and if you haven't watched the Oscars yet, I hope you enjoy it tonight! Let me know in the comments if you have any good eBay tips of your own!
Abi x
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