Technical Issues! - Why I've Been MIA

Hey lovely people! 

My current situation is this, my internet will work on my phone but not on my MacBook. It's been like this for probably just over a week (on and off). I'm not sure why this is to be honest, maybe the signals too weak or maybe it's something to do with my Mac. 

Either way, my next post is going to be about how to pack light for a weekend away. I'm writing this while getting all my stuff together to hop on a train to York to stay there for the weekend with some friends. 

Hopefully when I'm back I can get the internet working on my MacBook again and resume blogging as usual! 

Becky

XO

A Few Things I'd Been Loving In October

It's that time of the month again! I think I said this in my September Favourites but I can't believe how quickly this year is going, how is is November already?! I don't know about you but I actually can't wait for it to start getting colder, I'm a bit disappointed that it's still quite warm here in the UK.

I've got another mixture of things I've been loving this month, starting with the Rimmel 1000 Kisses Lip Pencil in 050 Tiramisu. This is a really lovely browny/nude that goes with anything! At first I wasn't sure of the shade on me but I've grown to love it and it's now my go to lip colour at the moment. It's super long lasting and you can either wear it as all over colour or as a liner. 

Next up are Face Wipes. I've stuck with Johnson's face wipes for years as I've never found any others that work for me, but I was in Primark the other day and spotted these. They're £1 for 2 packs so I thought 'What's the worst that could happen?!'. I got the ones for Combination skin, they're enriched with tea tree and witch hazel. The ingredients were one of the things that swayed me to get them because I know tea tree and witch hazel are really good for blemishes. I've nearly finished my first pack and I think they're just as good as the ones I used before them. The only thing that annoys me about them is they're quite thin and not very strong so they fall apart slightly. 

My film/TV show favourite for this month is Scream Queens. I recently started watching it and can't get enough! The cast list includes a lot of celebrities, Emma Roberts, Ariana Grande and Nick Jonas, just to name a few, and I'd probably compare it to something like Scary Movie, but in TV format. It's quite dry, ridiculous humour, so if you're into that kind of thing then I'd definitely recommend it.

I got this Watch from B&M for around £5. I needed a simple and inexpensive watch for work because I work in an environment where jewellery can easily get damaged or caught on things. I spotted this one and loved it because of the rose gold face, it's sleek and I'd say it looks more expensive than it was.

Lastly is the Collection Shimmer Shades blusher quad. As you may be able to tell from this, I only use the bottom two colours, I mix them together and it makes a lovely peachy colour with a slight shimmer. Mixing all the shades together makes it too pinky for my liking so I just stick to the bottom two. I think that's the beauty of products like this though, technically you've got a multitude of blushers in one because you can mix shades or just use one at a time. 

I hope you enjoyed reading about my favourites this month.

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Thanks for reading!

Becky

XO

Greasy Hair? Don't Care!

I've suffered with greasy hair all my life. I'll wash it one day and it'll be greasy the next. I've searched many times online for shampoo's that are specifically for greasy hair but often to no avail. There have been about two shampoo's I've been able to find and try that are actually for greasy hair, but one was discontinued and the other just seemed to make my hair worse. I've also searched for tips and tricks for my hair type but it seems as though it's a taboo subject or something that I can't find much information on. After doing a lot of digging, I found out about clarifying shampoos and wondered if maybe one of those could do the job.

A clarifying shampoo is one that is used to remove product build up and give your hair a total refresh by deeply cleansing it. Now, I don't use a lot of product on my hair, as I feel this contributes to oiliness, but had an inkling that it could remove excess oil. As you may have guessed by now, clarifying shampoos work for oily hair! I'm not saying they banish it forever but they definitely help keep it at bay for longer than normal shampoos. I've also found that some shampoos designed to add volume can help with oiliness, but, on the other hand, some can make your roots seem full of product. It's just all trial and error really.

These three shampoos are my favourite ones at the moment. They are, Soap & Glory Glad Hair Day, Kebelo Clarifying Shampoo and Tresemme 24 Hour Body. The Soap & Glory Shampoo isn't actually a clarifying shampoo, but it acts like one. It says on the tube that it has a 'no build-up formula', so when looking for a shampoo, it's often best to read the small print. This is my most used shampoo as it works wonders for my hair and smells really fruity. I also use the Tresemme one a lot, I like to switch up the shampoos a bit so my hair doesn't start getting too used to one type. The Kebelo one is actually a new addition that I got in a Birchbox. This one is marketed as a clarifying shampoo (unlike Soap & Glory), so I'd suggest only using this every now and again. 

One quick tip is that although clarifying shampoos are great for greasy hair, they can also dry the scalp out and make it itch and also dry the ends of the hair. This is one reason you shouldn't use a clarifying shampoo every time you wash your hair. After you've thoroughly rinsed the shampoo out, make sure to apply conditioner only to the ends of the hair (I also sometimes put it on the very front of my scalp/hair line as it can get a bit dry there). Applying conditioner only to the ends will ensure you're not adding any extra moisture to the scalp.

I probably don't need to tell you this but, Batiste Dry Shampoo is a life saver for greasy hair too. If you have darker hair and don't like getting white roots (who does..?) then get the ones for coloured hair. I either get Medium & Brunette or Dark & Deep Brown, it just depends which is available. 

Also, If you have flat hair as well as oily hair, then here are two great products for creating lift without creating product buildup and greasy roots. TIGI Small Talk is a 'thickifier', 'energiser' and ' styliser' so fulfils all your needs in one! Just beware not to use too much as this will make your hair greasy, you only need a small amount rubbed between your fingers. Another option is the Percy & Reed Volumising No Oil Oil, this is another product I got in a Birchbox. I was always scared to use an oil on my hair, because oil = oily scalp in my mind, so I was very intrigued to see if this would work and it actually does! Same as before though, don't use too much. Just 2 or 3 drops should do the trick. 

I hope this helped some of you. If you want any more information or have any questions, don't hesitate to leave a comment.

You an follow my blog on Bloglovin' by clicking the 'B'' icon to the right of this post, or by clicking here. 

Becky

XO

Top 5 A/W 2015 Highstreet Coat Picks

Coats are one clothing item that I just love. I just can't help myself when I see a beautiful coat or jacket, I think it's because you can wear them year after year, which you can't do with many pieces of clothing. Last year my obsession got so bad that I didn't allow myself to buy another coat before I'd given one or two to charity, so thats what I did. That means this year, I'm free to buy coats again! So without further a-do, here are my top 5 picks so far this A/W season...

Miss Selfridge Faux Fur Collar Belted Coat

£89.00

This is definitely one of my favourites. You can wear it with basically anything. The faux fur on the collar makes it look so warm and the belt will just pull you in at the waist and makes it look a bit more put together. 

New Look Burgundy Faux Fur Long Line Biker Coat

£49.99

The colour of this one is what first drew me in. I usually go for black or grey coats, as you'll see from the rest of the coats in this post, so I think it would be nice to have a more colourful coat. 

Topshop Slouchy Boucle Wool Blend Coat

£85.00

I like the relaxed look of this coat. It has double-breasted popper fastenings (try say that fast a few times!) inside the coat, with them being hidden, it makes the coat look a lot 'cleaner'. It looks as though it has elasticated cuffs to keep the cold out, but it doesn't actually specify this on the description.

River Island Grey Block Panel Blazer

£55.00

To me, this is more of a dressy coat, it's not necessarily something you'd wear everyday. Although it'd described as a blazer, I'd say more blazer-coat, it has the look of a blazer but it looks a lot thicker. I love the leather-look patches that add a bit of interest.

River Island Light Grey Padded Faux Fur Coat

£95.00

This is probably my second favourite. As soon as I saw this I couldn't help but include it. It has all the things I love a coat to have, a faux fur collar, belt, padded, texture and silver hardware, whats not to love! 

What's one thing you look for in a coat?

Thanks for reading.

Becky

XO

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Collection's New #MakeupPalettes

The makeup brand 'Collection' have released four brand new makeup palettes. I first found out about this release when I read Victoria's (Inthefrow) blog post. You can find her post here if you want to check it out!

These were released on the 14th October, I made sure to order mine as soon as I found out about them as I was worried they might sell out. I got mine online from Boots and had them delivered to store so they were ready for me to pick up the next day. I actually only ordered three of the palettes because the other one wasn't appealing to me, more on that below. At the moment, you can get 3 for 2 across all makeup at Boots, so I managed to get one of the palettes for free, which isn't bad at all considering they're already pretty cheap.

The three palettes I got are:

#BlushAndGlow - £4.99

 

This was actually the palette I ended up getting for free in the 3 for 2 deal. It comprises of four products, a bronzer/contour, highlighter, a blush with shimmer and a blush without. I really like this palette, the bronzer is great for contouring and is the perfect shade for my pale skin. The highlighter is subtle and not too over the top. I've only tired the matte blush so far but the shade is lovely and gives you a rosy glow. The shimmery blush is nice when watched so I think I'll be trying that when I next go on a night out.

#FaceTheDay - £6.99

This palette consists of 4 shimmer eye shadows, a shimmer blush, a bronzer and highlighter. I nearly didn't get this palette because it didn't shout out at me. I only got it in the end because of the 3 for 2 deal. Don't get me wrong, it's a good all round palette. I just wish the eyeshadows were matte instead of shimmery and, I haven't used the bronzer yet, but it looks a bit orangey. You never know though, I could love it once I use it. Overall, I like the palette and all the products included have good pigment to them, but I feel like Collection went a bit shimmer crazy with all the eye shadows, blush and highlighter. I just prefer it when the shimmer's optional and you can add it to your look with highlight. Does anyone else feel this way...?

#ConcealAndLightLikeAPro - £5.99

 

This is the palette I was most excited about. I have dark circles around my eyes, so thought the colour correcting would be perfect for me. Also, I often find it hard to find a concealer that matches my whole face (if that makes sense). I don't wear foundation in the day so sometimes concealer can make my skin look blotchy if it doesn't match properly. This palette has four shades of concealer that can be blended together to create your perfect shade. It also includes three colour correctors; Yellow for brightening and correcting dark circles, purple for correcting yellow tones and green for correcting redness. There is also a cream highlighter in this palette.

The fourth palette in the line is called #YourStyleYourMood. It's an eyeshadow palette made up of 2 matte shades and 8 shimmer shades. I decided not to get this one because there are already some eyeshadows included in the #FaceTheDay palette and I don't use shimmery shades all that often anyway!

To create this look, I first colour corrected any problem areas using the #ConcealAndLightLikeAPro Palette. I used the green corrector to correct redness around my nose and also put it on top of any red blemishes to tone them down a bit. Next I went in with the yellow around my eyes to cover my dark circles and finally used the purple for the slight yellowness I have around my mouth. After this I used the lightest colour concealer around my eyes. I will warn you, when using this around your eyes it will most likely sink into any fine lines as that's what it did on me. Also, I found it didn't do a great deal for covering dark circles so had to use my Revlon Colour Stay Concealer over the top. I then went on to make my correct concealer colour to conceal any blemishes, the concealer in this palette is very buildable so is good for covering blemishes. After this, I blended it all in with my beauty blender and set it with the Soap & Glory One Heck Of A Blot powder. 

Next up I used the bronzer, highlighter and matte blush from the #BlushAndGlow palette. I used the bronzer to contour my cheeks, forehead and around my nose. Then went in with the blush on the apples of my cheeks and finally the highlighter on my cheeks and down the centre of my nose. 

I decided to give two of the eyeshadows from the #FaceTheDay palette a go. Unfortunately, due to my hooded eyes *rolls eyes*, you can't really see them and I didn't want to do it too OTT as I was going to work straight after shooting this image. However, I can tell you that I'm quite impressed with their pigment and will be using them again. 

I finished the look off by using my usual eyebrow products, YSL Babydoll Mascara and a touch of colour on the lips using the 100% Pure Fruit Pigmented Lip Glaze in Elderberry that I got in this months Birchbox (You can check out that post here).

Will you be trying out any of the new Collection palettes? If so, which one takes your fancy?

Becky
XO

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Stylist Guest Editor Birchbox

It's that time of the month again, Birchbox time! This month there were two boxes to choose from. Option one was 'Back To Basics', this was based around basics that Birchbox felt everyone should own and the second option was this one, the 'Stylist Guest Editor' box. This box includes items that have been hand picked by Birchbox's Stylist's Associate Editor, Joanna McGarry. I decided on this box for the simple reason that I preferred the products in this one as I'd already tried some of the items in the other one. Anyway, without further a-do, here's what my box consisted of this month...

1. When Travelmate Sheet Mask 

This is exactly what it says it is, a sheet mask. It is said to deeply moisturise skin and is especially good for long haul flights and after days in the sun. This is because it will help to bring back moisture to your skin and help restore it to it's former glory. 

2. Bioderma in Sensibio H20

Even though many people rave about Bioderma, I've never actually tried it out before. I'm really looking forward to using this and what makes it even better is that this one is great for sensitive skin.

3. PARLOR by Jeff Chastain Smoothing Blow Out Spray

In a past Birchbox I received a Moisturising Sea Salt Spray by the same brand as this and I really like it so I'm hoping this will be just as good. It has a really lovely smell to it, this is something I think is important for a hair product as scents that you put in your hair can last for a long time. I'm not the best at describing scents but it says in the Birchbox booklet that this has a peachy and woody scent.

4. Rituals Yogi Flow Foaming Gel 

When you first pump this out onto your hand it is a gel but it slowly starts expanding and, when you rub it, it starts turning into a foam (see image above). I like these kind of products because a little goes a long way so it should last quite a while. I have come to find that Rituals products always smell divine and this one certainly doesn't let you down in that area. The scent is Indian Rose and Sweet Almond Oil. 

5. English Laundry No. 7 Signature For Her

I wasn't all that thrilled to see this in my box this month. I do like the scent but I received this in a Birchbox earlier on in the year so it would have been nice to get a different scent or perfume sample. 

6. 100% Pure Fruit Pigmented Lip Glaze in Elderberry
Now this is a product I really love. I love the packaging, how it looks on, the feel of it, that it's made from natural ingredients... I could go on. It's formulated with avocado and cocoa butters to help nourish the lips. It's very moisturising when on and the colour is quite buildable.

That's it for my Birchbox this month! If you want to know more, or would like to subscribe to receive a box each month, then just click here. 

Are there any products here that catch your eye? Let me know in the comments!

Becky
XO

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Three Ways To Wear Long Dungarees

I recently bought these Long Black Dungarees by Liquor & Poker from Asos (identical ones from Boohoo here). I'd been wanting some for a while, I looked at the blue denim ones, but decided they weren't for me so eventually took the plunge and went for black. They only had a size 10 left so I bought them and hoped for the best as I can sometimes be a 12 on the bottom. When they arrived I liked them and they fit but I wasn't 100% sure on them (I thought I maybe looked a bit too much like a painter and decorator...), but now I really love them and I've come to realise how amazingly versatile they are!

I decided to make this post as I think a lot of people might be wary of buying dungarees for fear they won't suit them, or they won't get enough wear out of them, as that's exactly what I thought. Hopefully this might help you decide whether to buy some or not, or if you already own some, give you some quick outfit ideas. 

Outfit 1: Everyday Casual

 -

Miss Selfridge Crop Top (similar) // Miss Selfridge Necklace // Forever 21 Bag (similar)// Steve Madden Shoes

I like the look of long sleeved crop tops with dungarees as it breaks up the outfit a bit by giving a flash of flesh on the waist. These Steve Madden slip on's are perfect for the cold damp weather, the keep my feet dry and warm throughout the autumn/winter seasons. 

Outfit 2: Winter Layering

H&M Scarf (similar) // New Look Sleeveless Jumper // River Island Boots (similar) // Apple Watch

I love layering and dungarees are perfect for this! Throw a jumper on underneath them with an oversized scarf over the top and you're good to go. Pair with your favourite boots and you'll be ready to tackle the cooler autumn days. If you want to wear a sleeveless jumper, like I have here, but are cautious about your arms getting cold. Make sure you wear an oversized scarf because they can often double up as a cape or shawl so you'll never get caught out. 

Outfit 3: Going Out Out

Miss Selfridge Embellished Top // TK Maxx Clutch (similar) // New Look Heels (similar)

You might not immediately think of dressing up dungarees, but they look perfect with heels and an embellished top like this one I got in the sale at Miss Selfridge recently. I like the all-black look for a night out, I feel it makes the dungarees look more night-time appropriate and classy. However, if you're more into colour, you could easily inject some in there with a pair of bright heels and/or a colourful clutch.

Becky

XO

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