GOTHIC GLAM

Oh my. There's a long, long story about these images. I won't bore you, but to sum-up, I lost them and now they're back.. so yay!!
Anyway, I've had this beautiful gown for quite a while now, and I've been guilt-ridden over not featuring it as of yet, but I didn't want to just throw it up with a lack of passion, so I've taken my time and eventually I came up with this look! 
I'm a sucker for a long, glamorous evening gown, and I have a rack of them in my wardrobe just waiting for the right occasion!  When given the exciting opportunity to select something from Quiz's party range, I was drawn to this ultra-glam sequin number like a moth to a flame. It's a thick body-con material, layered with sparkly black sequins. It's nice and stretchy, despite being plastered with embellishment. For those who love flashing a little leg, there's a cheeky little thigh split which I adoooore.
As it's extremely icy at the moment, it would be inappropriate of me to not chuck on a little outerwear. I decided a boring, old coat wasn't going to cut the mustard, but my super snuggly plain black cape from ASOS, surprisingly did the trick! Rather than wearing it on my shoulders as most people do, I decided to chuck it over and around my neck.
I'll leave a link to the dress below, so you can see the full detail!

DRESS - c/o QUIZ (now on sale!)

CAPE - ASOS

SHOES - TOPSHOP (now on sale!)

SLEEK 'MATTE ME' LIP GLOSSES

After receiving a positive response to my last 'Sleek' beauty post, (linked here), I decided to go ahead and share another Sleek beauty favourite of mine!

In the Summer, I was accumulating lots of 'Kylie Jenner-esque' lip sticks, glosses and liners, and I picked up the perfect '90's nude' matte gloss from Sleek. At a very affordable £4.99, I thought I'd give it a try!  I love the opaque finish, and the fact it does't budge all day! I haven't used a lip liner for my swatches, but I'd probably use MAC Whirl to add a little definition.

Shade - Birthday Suit

The next two shades are glosses that I got for free with my Sleek 'Eau La La' lip liner purchases. After having already used and loved this gloss in the shade 'Birthday Suit', I was eager to pick up a few brighter shades to try out!

Although it looks very pink in the picture below, the gloss is actually very purple, and almost identical to MAC Flat Out Fabulous, and certainly a cheaper alternative!

This is one of my favourites, and again, the colour pay-off is incredible. 

Shade - Fandango Purple

My third and final shade, (for now), is deep, bright orange. Quite the contrast to it's name of 'Party Pink'.

It may not quite be the time of year to be rocking summery oranges, but who's going to stop you stocking up for the coming seasons?!

Shade - Party Pink

I've tried a fair few 'matte glosses', most of which have been incredibly drying, and have immediately cracked and flaked away, but these little gems are the perfect alternative to a lipstick, and much more lasting. Also, the accuracy of application is made so much easier as the nib is very precise.

I hope you've enjoyed this post! Have any of you tried these glosses bef

SLEEK 'EAU LA LA' LIP LINERS

Woop! I'm back with another beauty post. It's 11.10pm, and I've just shot these images! This is excellent for somebody who loves blogging, but doesn't have the privilege of enjoying daylight hours, *cough* work *cough*. 
About a week or so ago, I was browsing the beauty section in Boots, and I picked up two lip liners from Sleek. Since then, I'm sad to say I haven't even reached for one of my MAC lip liners. Sorry! These are the most pigmented, creamiest lip liners I have ever tried. So good, that I went back a few days ago and picked up two more shades! I would have had the whole collection, but the other few shades weren't my cup of tea. Boots are currently running an offer, where if you purchase any two Sleek beauty products, you receive one of their 'Matte Me' lip glosses for free. (So now I have two of those!). Let me know if you'd like a review/post on those.

(from left to right) Shades - Venom, Lingerie, Dragon Fruit & Raisin

Here is a little swatch of what they're like with one stroke. The pigmentation is incredible, and they glide on like a dream. (The colours in order are, 'Lingerie', 'Dragon Fruit', 'Venom' & 'Raisin').

From the feedback from my last beauty post featuring my MAC lipstick collection, I decided to show you these on my lips, with the lipstick I'd wear with them! I hate my lips, and I'm no professional when it comes to putting lip liner on, but here you go!

Liner -  Lingerie

Lipstick - MAC Captive

Liner - Dragon Fruit

Lipstick - MAC Girl About Town

Liner - Venom

Lipstick - MAC Rebel

Liner - Raisin

Lipstick - MAC Cyber

(For some reason, this lipstick came out really patchy on the camera, but in person it doesn't, I promise!).

Let me know if you enjoyed this post, or if this has inspired you to try out this lip liner! Also, I love trying new products, so if anyone could recommend me any liners to try out, please do!

GLITTER AND FEATHERS

As mentioned in my previous post, I've been doing a lot of shopping on Pretty Little Thing recently, and I'm 100% obsessed. 
I picked up this glittery matching suit during the Black Friday weekend, and got it for only £30! I'd had my eye on it ever since it dropped, so I'm super pleased it's now in my wardrobe. I was expecting it to be very tough and fitted, but it's the most comfortable relaxed material, almost a very fine knitted feel! I've found it's come up a little larger than I expected, but that's fine as I like my things looser anyway! They also sell it in white, and I so so badly want/need it!
Since the suit is quite jazzy, I decided to pair it with my Missguided feather crop top. I had originally purchased the full co-ord, but found the skirt wasn't particularly flattering on my figure. I absolutely love the top though, so I didn't part with that.  I think adding this crop has made this a very 'Christmas party' suitable outfit. I've been collecting quite a few dressy pieces recently, so I plan on creating a little 'Christmas Party Outfit' lookbook/series.. what do you think? 
My shoes are actually a summer favourite from Missguided. They're so comfortable, and the leather, (or 'pleather'), is incredibly soft. 

BLAZER - PRETTY LITTLE THING

TROUSERS - PRETTY LITTLE THING

TOP - MISSGUIDED

SHOES - MISSGUIDED

SUIT UP

Since me and my boyfriend luckily had a day off together, he very kindly offered to shoot a few sets of pictures for me! Yay!  I brought my dog with me today, and he hated it, oops. He's not really an 'outdoorsy' dog, preferring the comfort of his own home with lots of warmth and snuggles. I don't blame him in this instance, the bitter cold was atrocious. We soldiered on, however!
I've had this Pretty Little Thing matching suit for a couple of weeks now, and it has been worn a little too much. It's my go-to outfit at the moment, and it's seen me through the Christmas Markets, a very exciting photoshoot with Branded Lab PR, a day's shopping, and numerous other occasions. It would be inappropriate of me not to show it to you all, as it's been such a favourite of mine. Although you can't see it because of my jumper, the trousers are high-waisted and incredibly flattering. I find it such an easy suit to wear as it consists of two very basic colours, therefore I can throw in any colour I like!
As it is undeniably cold, I paired suit with my new H&M jumper. I wasn't particularly pleased to be spending £30 on a jumper, but I went back to it on four different occasions, so obviously I couldn't leave it behind. 
I've really been loving Pretty Little Thing at the moment, and frequently find myself browsing all of their beautiful clothes. I made another purchase over the Black Friday weekend, and I'll be showing that in my next post!

BLAZER - PRETTY LITTLE THING

TROUSERS - PRETTY LITTLE THING

JUMPER - H&M (linked similar)

BAG - PRIMARK

SHOES - PRIMARK

MAC LIPSTICK COLLECTION 2014

Happy December! Apologies for not putting any posts up for the past week or so, I've mentioned it before, so to sum up my absence in a few words.. work and weather. Grr. Fortunately, I don't need lighting or weather to pop up a little beauty post, so here we are!  I've been collecting MAC lipsticks for quite a while now, and to date, I've accumulated 22, however I know of another four that I'm receiving for Christmas, (eek!). I popped a little picture up on my Instagram showcasing my collection, and I asked if anyone would be interested in me posting about it, which generated a positive response! I shot my pictures in categories of 'finishes', so there're a variety of colours in each section. Unfortunately, I haven't mastered the art of shooting pictures like a beauty blogger, but I'm hoping they're sufficient!

Cremesheen

I actually only have one lipstick in this finish! Shock. This is a fairly recent one, and one I purchased for the Winter season. I'm not the biggest fan of this finish, as I feel it's a little too sheer for me. However, if you're looking for a more subtle wintery shade, this one is perfect as it's very build-able. 

Shade - Hang Up

Matte

Now this is what I'm talking about. 'Matte' is by far my favourite finish that MAC offers. The opacity is excellent, and you get a really nice rich, pigmented colour. The staying power is second to none, and I often even struggle to get it off at night after wearing it since the morning! I sadly do agree with the masses of beauty fanatics out there pointing out how drying it can be on your lips. Boo! Oh well, we can't have everything!

(from left to right) Shades -  All Fired Up, Velvet Teddy, Diva, Relentlessly Red, Russian 

Red & Heroine

Satin

'Satin', is my second favourite MAC finish. I find it has very similar opacity to the 'matte' finished, but a lot creamier and smoother on the lips. Looking back at this photo, I seem to have hoarded a lot of similar shades.. oops! 

(from left to right) Shades - Cyber, Rebel, Captive, Amorous, Twig & Brave

Amplified

This is a super bright finish, or at least it is in the shades I own! It basically does what it says on the tin. The colour is a lot brighter, and seems to accelerate as you apply it. I find this particular finish perfect for the Summer months, and adds a lovely, fun pop of colour to any outfit.

(from left to right) Shades - Red Balloon, Girl About Town, Impassioned, Craving, Morange & Up The Amp

Lustre

Actually, I take back what I said about 'cremesheen' being my least favourite finish. I have to say that 'lustre' has stolen that title, and are actually my least used MAC lipsticks. I didn't realise just how transparent the finish is, and it's not my favourite look. It's very wearable, but I don't often stray from a bold lip, so these two babies are no stranger to collecting dust!

(from left to right) Shades -  Milan Mode & Lustering

Okay, so I didn't intend on doing a 'my favourite MAC lipstick' image, but I accidentally forgot to include it in my 'matte' range. It truthfully does happen to be my favourite lipstick though, hence why it was in my bag!

This is my, 'I'm bad, beautiful and sassy' lipstick, and I crack this baby out when I'm not feeling my best, or I need a confidence booster.

Shade - Flat Out Fabulous

Well, I hope you've all enjoyed this post! It was thoroughly enjoyable to make, and I think I might make a few more beauty related posts if you're interested! I love trying new products, and I know I've asked for lots of new make-up to try for Christmas, so expect to see a few more popping up!

SNOW LADY

After having such a horrid past week or so, this is cheering me up having the chance to blog a little!
With it being Black Friday, obviously work decided to put me in to work a 9-6, which meant I would be missing out on a LOT of shopping. Not on my watch! Yep, I spent my entire break mooching around the shops, searching for bargains. Much to my dismay, the offers were pretty poor, and I only purchased one thing, but I am in love with it. I picked up this snowy white coat from H&M. I'd actually spotted it before and regretted not buying it, so I jumped at the chance when I saw it dangling off a rail on it's own. Admittedly, it is a little too big for me, but nothing was going to stop me from buying it! I did receive a measly 10% off it, but for only £35 to begin with, there's not much to complain about.
As the coat is fairly lengthy, and I decided to have it tied, I didn't feel the need to wear any bottoms, (oops!), but I wore my well-loved roll-neck jumper I've had for years underneath for some additional warmth. I love the look of a roll-neck underneath a coat, it looks so 'chic', plus, it keeps you warm!
I've been obsessing over the fluffy heel trend ever since I saw the sneak-peeks from A/W14 press days, and now I own a nude pair, and these black ones from Linzi Shoes! These ones are so practical, (as practical as heels can be), as they zip up at the back, rather than having an awkward strap. It's a little sad how excited I was about that, haha! I love scrolling through all of the shoes on Linzi. They have so many pairs that I fall in love with, so affordable too!

COAT - H&M

JUMPER - TOPSHOP (linked similar, which I also have)

SHOES - c/o LINZI SHOES