Life Lately #2

I've been leading a pretty hectic life recently, and it's not come very easily to me. I've struggled a lot with moving away to university in so many ways, but it was a choice that I've never regretted. There's plenty of things linked to it that haven't been great; I wish I could change the degree I chose, where I've lived, nights out that I have, or haven't gone to, some of the people I've lost touch with. Two years of university has changed me more than I could have ever imagined, and I'm not in denial that it hasn't all been for the better.

Though if you're thinking of university, don't let me scare you. We all react to things in very different ways, and if me pre-uni met me now I'm not sure I'd believe some of the choices I've made or had to consider.

I wanted to take a moment just to let you guys know that, as hard as I'm trying, there are a lot of days where I'm not okay for no particular reason, and at some point it might affect my blogging. While this space is something that I've never let get too personal, it's only fair that if I disappear, you know why. 

Having said that, blogging is what I do to get away from everything and just have 'me time'. It's why I started blogging and why I still love it so much, even those times when I had to get up ridiculously early because I forgot to schedule a post. 

I don't want to make a big deal of anything, because overall, I really am okay, there's just been a lot of ups and downs recently that aren't over quite yet. There just might be a bit of radio silence. I hope you're all okay, and here's a video that I found really helped me if you're not. If you ever need anyone to talk to, I can be a pretty good listener no matter how stressed I am.

n xx

Cosmopolitain Blogging Masterclass Event

A few weeks ago it was with RED magazine, this week it was Cosmopolitan. Apparently beauty events are all part of my new jet set London lifestyle. Well okay, not quite, but you get my drift. I heard about this event a few weeks ago and thought it would be perfect for advice and just general blogging know how, and I was right. 

A panel were there to talk about 'how to make your blog shine' in a nutshell; find more here. The panel consisted of Joe Williams (founder of Zen Optimise), Ali Luke (head of Content at Zen Optimise), Vicki Fogwill (social media manager at Next), Kat Williams (founder of cult wedding site rocknrollbride.com) and Fleur De Force (beauty and fashion vlogger). I absolutely loved the evening, and survived my first ever trip alone to London!

I spent the day in London before I went to the event in the evening, so I thought I'd share with you guys just some photos that I took throughout the day!

 top - Topshop

skirt - Miss Selfridge

cardigan - H&M

bag - New Look

shoes - Topshop

Couldn't resist a quick snoop round choccywoccydoodah, I was going to buy my boyfriend something but I was worried about it melting too much in the humid weather!

 I know there's hundreds of interesting places to go in London, but because of anxiety reasons I settled on somewhere I knew, which worked out pretty well because this is literally my favourite lunch ever! I love the mushroom risotto, and the edamame beans? Pass me a sackful please.

 Sitting in Starbucks before the event, I mass produced some little business cards just in case I wanted to swap some details with someone!

 The panel at the event!

 I can't believe I met Fleur! She was one of the people that inspired me to start blogging. She's so lovely, even if I did have a bit of a star struck moment and looked like a total idiot. Oh well.

 I never normally get the chance to go first class, and as it was only 60p more because I got such a late train, I decided to treat myself!

The goodie bag from the event! Contents break down coming soon...

I hope you liked this post! I quite like doing more lifestyle based posts, so I might try to feature them a bit more!

n xx

Review | Lush R&B

Recently, I've been really getting back into loving Lush in a much bigger way. I've always loved their products, but other high street brands just aren't always hitting the mark for me right now. All of my hair, skin and nails seem to be going though something of a moment, so I've been heading for more natural products to help combat the split ends and armies of blackheads.

See it on the Lush website here

100g £11.25 (size pictured)

225g £19.95

R&B is a hair moisturiser, that claims: 'revives the hair and balances the scalp. A leave in moisturiser, full of beautiful butters, oils and herbs.' More specifically, it contains goodness like oat milk, organic avocado butter, fair trade olive oil and organic flower absolute. I was actually recommended it after explaining how dry my hair has been, and decided to buy the full size after working through my sample pot faster than any other sample pot ever. You moisturise this into your hair when it's still damp from washing, and it feels just like your standard cream.

The main problems I've been having with my hair is dryness and split ends, which are going strong even though I've pretty much given up using heat on my hair. Since using this with every wash, I've been noticing that my split ends are dramatically less prominent, which I've been very self conscious of. You don't need to use much, maybe the amount of a 50p coin depending how much hair you have, so I think that this tub is going to last me a fair few months.

I've seen improvements in that my hair doesn't seem to get as dry as fast, as well as fewer split ends appearing after hair cuts. I've also noticed that it helps with the frizziness of my hair, which although significantly more tamed in recent years, can still be very noticeable when I've not been using the right products. I've only been using this just over a month, but I'm hoping that my hair is loving it and benefiting so much from this little pot of yellowness.

The smell of it is very distinct, coming from the orange flower absolute and bay. I'm beyond rubbish at describing smells, so if you're thinking of buying this, or if you're just in Lush, go and have a smell! It's quite tropical and refreshing, and the scent does linger for at least a day before it fades. The packaging is just the 'not virgin' black pots that are standard to Lush, made from recycled materials. If you take back 5 clean full size pots, you get a free face mask! I'm about to take some of mine back so I'll be sure to let you guys know what I pick up.

Overall I really love this! It's helping me no end with my hair woes, so I'd definitely recommend it, and I consider it to be pretty good value for money too. 

Do you think you'll pick this up?

n xx

Wishlist | Wardrobe Lusting

I might be having something of a wardrobe midlife crisis, because I avoid over half of my wardrobe these days, which has lead to quite a large wishlist building up, so I thought I'd put together a selection to see! Warning: there's a lot. I'm very wishful.

Topshop chiffon sleeve shirt £32

New Look pale blue lace clutch £12.99

Miss Selfridge floral printed skort £25

New Look mint green v neck skater dress £19.99

Miss Selfridge black suede fringe bag £35

River Island black floral kimono £38

New Look shell pink strappy skater dress £17.99

Miss Selfridge crochet shoe boot £47

Missguided amalka lace shorts £19.99

Missguided  libby rose print playsuit £29.99

H&M short sleeved jersey dress £7.99

New Look black textured mini backpack £15.99

Boohoo lauren oversized contrast black chiffon shirt £18 (currently £15)

Accurist brown leather strap watch £70

River Island black longline unfastened blazer £45

Ted Baker nistee skater dress £129 (currently £90) 

Zara platform strappy sandal £39.99

Topshop embroidered bomber jacket £65

Topshop sunray pleat mini skirt £34

Topshop wizard multi strap wedges £45

Topshop lava tunic dress £32

River Island lilac feather bag £30

New Look cream crochet cut out wedges £29.99

If only I could afford half these! I'm definitely thinking of getting a few of these though. I'm in love with the H&M jersey dress and River Island pygmy puff-esque bag, for starters.

What's your wishlist looking like, any recommendations?

n xx

Loving lately #1

I don't have an interesting enough life to update you guys on every single week (unless you want to hear about how much time I spend on trains, which just recently is a whole load), so every other week I'm going to update you guys on what I've been loving, from music, to other blogs, books, and literally anything in my life!

all photos from google

Blogs

Vivianna Does Makeup 

aka Anna, top right

If you don't already know about this girl, you should. She is hot stuff, and I'm loving her youtube and blog ridiculous amounts recently. She posts from beauty skincare, make up, fashion, vlogs, with occasional fitness and food inspiration. Just a little bit of everything, really.

ETC lilymlrs 

aka Lily Melrose, centre

I only recently discovered Lily's blog, but I've gotten to love her style pretty fast. She gives hints and tips about make up and general beauty with some fashion thrown in for good measure. I've definitely been influenced into some cheeky purchases by this!

Music

Ed Sheeran - X

top middle

The whole album might not be out yet but I alreay know  the words to all the songs released. Yes, I know I'm sad but if I could only listen to one artist for the rest of my life, it would be Ed Sheeran. I just can't get enough of his voice.

Ellie Goulding -Halcyon Days

bottom right

I loved this album when it first came out, and recently I've fallen back in love with it. Tessellate is a leading favourite, but I just love Ellie Goulding's voice. 

Instagram

gh0stparties

bottom middle

itsbeccarose

bottom left

Both these two post such beautiful photos of make up, interior design, outfits, food and just general loveliness. Definitely worth a look if you've not seen them before!

bunnymama

top left

Who I follow on instagram is pretty wide spread, including a lot of cute animals. Right now I want a rabbit more than anything ever, but for now these balls of fluff are the closest I'm getting. Luckily they're absolutely adorable!

I hope you liked this post!

What have you been loving recently?

n xx

Review | Topshop Parma Violet

I've been giving my nails a lot of breathing time recently, but the other day I decided to rummage around my pastels and came out with this from the depths of my nail varnishes.

I love pastels at the moment because I think they're perfect for the spring to summer time of year, even if they're not in the trending limelight.

I don't have hundreds of the Topshop nail varnish range, but I do really like a lot of the colours that they have to offer and I've been really loving them just recently. I especially love the really cute packaging, though they aren't especially big in size. They're £5 for plain colours; not the most expensive but you can get better value for money from the likes of Barry M, to name one.

I would say that this lasts about 4 days without chipping and without topcoat (I always give up by the time I get that far), but about a week with one. The biggest thing that I'm not so keen on is that the pastel shades can need about 3 coats, if you put too little on. I'm starting to get into the knack of their thickness though, so I think it's just adapting to different formulas.

Although the brush isn't thick, it is really good for precision if you struggle with keeping in the lines, so to speak. I know I do with some brushes as I have quite skinny fingernails apparently.

I'd really recommend this range if you haven't tried it before, especially some of the pastel colours. Even my nemesis shade orange looks tempting!

I'm glad I rediscovered this shade, have you ever tried it?

n xx

Trending | Double Cleansing

The new trend of double cleansing is something that I embraced with open arms. Making sure that my skin is extra squeaky clean? Yes please, sir. I've been playing around with combinations, and this is one that I'm happy with. 

I've done full reviews of both- the Soap and Glory Peaches and Clean here, and the Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Butter here.

So why do I love these two together? Firstly, they leave my skin feeling beautifully soft and clean. I use the cleansing butter first, all over my face, and remove it with a muslin cloth. I expected this to make my skin feel a little greasy, but it doesn't leave any kind of cake-y residue that then interferes with whatever I put on afterwards. Then following with the peaches and clean, massaged in and washed off with the same muslin cloth. I think they compliment each other really well, which is nice because I threw them together purely by whim of one very boring evening.

Cleansing duos are like buses for me, because I've found a few other combinations too. Let me know if you would like to hear them!

Are you a fan of cleansing duos?

n xx

New Release | Max Factor CC stick

Beauty in sticks seems to be all the craze recently, but it's a trend that I'm not that keen on. What can I say, I'm a sucker for pretty packaging, and some products just don't seem to work with it. But when I heard about the launch of these, I decided to give them a go.

Designed to prime your skin, Max Factor have released these in 5 different shades to target different skin complaints; correcting redness, dullness, under eye circles, dark spots and highlights. They're all obviously slightly different colours, in the same tube packaging that twists up from the bottom.

I picked up the one that corrects under eye circles, which are my nemesis. Anything that helps out with covering up my purple beauties, be it creams, correctors or concealers, is more than welcome in my beauty stash.

Like I mentioned, I'm not overly keen on this kind of packing, but it is slimline and not exactly offensive on the eye, so it does get brownie points there. It's kind of what I'd expect from a high street product that cost £9.99.

The colour is really good, and it saves me from my double layer of extra strength concealer. It cancels out purple a lot more than I expected (I'd love to show you photos but I'm in eye bag denial stage 'it's just lack of sleep'), but I would say that maybe it doesn't have the greatest lasting power. I've noticed that my concealer doesn't last quite as long with it underneath, which is odd considering it's essentially a primer. I'd say it still lasts a good 6 plus hours on a good day though.

To put it on, I just apply (very, very) liberally and then smudge it in with my fingers. Once blended it does retain a distinctly yellow tinge that means I wouldn't feel like leaving it just there without concealer on top, like some other primer style products.

I think I'd recommend giving one of these a go if you have a really specific complaint that one of these targets; I might not be totally keen on this, but it's a good product, and I'm all for anything that helps me look less like the living dead.

What do you think of this new Max Factor release?

n xx

Life Lately #1

I'm a bit rubbish at keeping you guys updated with me as a person, not just a little laptop gremlin, so I'm going to make more of an effort from now, letting you know what I've been up to and what I've been loving recently. 

This week is just a little summary of what's been happening on my instagram recently; my username is nikkiyvonne_ and I'd love to know yours if you feel like leaving it below!

I've been loving having flowers in my room, and these were absolutely amazing | at a family wedding, my dad caught this beautiful moment on camera | yes, I am still obsessed with hot chocolate and manicures

make up for the day (post here) | little bit of Topshop loving of far too many things | recently body image has been very important to me; Marilyn Monroe in particular

in London, by the Mall | taking blog photos in Trafalgar Square (thank you boyfriend camera man) | a throwback photo, it's been a month since I went to Italy and it's gone so quickly!

I hope you liked this!

Have you seen my recent posts?

RED Beauty Start Up Event

How To: The Perfect Bath

Manicure Favourites

n xx

The Body Shop | Camomile Cleansing Butter

Cleansing butters have leapt into the limelight recently, and especially when it comes to double cleansing. I've finally joined in with this contribution from The Body Shop, which I've heard about plenty enough in the blogging world already. It's also now recognised on their website as a 5* 'beauty gem'. 

So what's different about cleansing butters? I was put off by them by the name. Butter? Erm, okay. But trying this has changed my mind, because it's not a solid chunk that you really have to work into your skin. More aimed towards people with dry skin over oily due to its moisturising nature, this is a real winner but still has a few flaws.

This one in particular literally melts between your fingers, and has an amazingly silky texture. It's easy to get out of the tin without being messy. I love how it makes my skin feel, refreshed and clean without leaving it feeling oily and clogged. Once I've massaged it into my skin, I wash it off using a wet muslin cloth- it's one where you can see the dirt/make up coming off your skin (which I love. Anyone else?). The camomile scent is also lovely, and not too over powering.

I wouldn't say that this is the most refreshing cleanser that I've ever used. Afterwards, my skin feels like it needs just a little more to really get the dirt off, but it certainly does the job when it comes to removing make up. Water proof mascara? No problem for this baby, it literally just slides off my eyes.

So am I glad I bought it? Definitely, and despite anything negative I've said I will 100% buy this again when I finish this tin (which in itself, when cleaned out, will make a very handy little storage tin). 

It's £12 for 90ml, and I'm less than half way through using it after 3 weeks, so I think that so far it's definitely been worth what I paid. I'd even say that if you're not sure, then risk it! I've liked this as a bridge into the world of cleansing butters, and it's definitely made me want to try out more from other brands.

Find it here online.

Do you think you'll try it, or have you taken the plunge already?

n xx

RED Beauty Start Up Event

I was lucky enough to be in London earlier this week for an event with RED magazine, a 'beauty start up', about how to approach you setting up your own beauty business. There's more about the event here if you're interested (I happen to be lurking in the background of photo 7, if you're interested for my new claim to fame). The panel of the evening were Nicky Kinnaird, Rachel Vosper and Sarah Chapman, all highly inspirational women in their own ways and how they've followed their 'starting your own business without giving up' dreams.

 The panel- l-r 

Nicky Kinnaird, Sarah Chapman, Rachel Vosper, and RED beauty director Annabel Meggeson

 dress - Ted Baker

bag - H&M

shoes - Topshop

After the event, I met up with my boyfriend and we wandered around for a bit near Trafalgar Square, and we had a wonderful evening!

If you're interested in finding a RED beauty event to go to for yourself, I noticed they have a fair few happening- here's a link to other RED events (they're not sponsoring me, I just really enjoyed my evening!)

If the world of beauty is something that you want to get into, I really recommend finding things like these events. I don't currently have any beauty business plans but I met some lovely ladies, and it was just interesting to go to! I'm looking into going to more in the future.

n xx

MAC | A/W 2014 Inspired Look

My boyfriend's mum is currently on an internship at Red magazine, and among hundreds of other amazing things, she got to go to a MAC A/W 2014 event (cue undying envy, I know). Luckily for me she knows how obsessed with make up I am, so she gave me the make up bible that came with it. 

Rambling aside, this is a look that I saw, loved and vowed to recreate minus the exclusively MAC products list (I can only dream of that bit still). Please excuse the a. phone quality photos, I'm saving up for a better quality camera for make up on my face shots and b. pose-y 'I'm going to use this for Instagram' face.

I combined a few looks, lining the outer side of my eyes, minimal products on my skin and a classic lip.

Stila One Step Correct Primer

Benefit Porefessional Primer

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion

Collection Lasting Perfection in 1 fair

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in 003 peach glow

Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder in golden light

MAC Fix+

MAC Omega and Espresso eye shadows (brows)

L'Oreal Superliner Blackbuster

Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl in 005 nude

MAC Brule eye shadow

Natural Collection Lash Care Mascara in black

Soap & Glory Thick and Fast Super Volume mascara

No7 Precision Lips Pencil in blush

No7 Poppy King Lipstick in allure 

I hope you liked this look!

If you're wondering, my instagram name is nikkiyvonne_

n xx

How To: The Perfect Bath

Baths, I think, are a very personal thing. Everyone has specific things that they do and don't like, from fragrance to temperature. So, here's some of the ingredients that I use for mine.

Slightly shoddy pictures forewarning: I have a not so great camera and not so great lighting. I'm a student who wastes money on make up, not sensible new cameras. 

Of course, there's nothing like a hot chocolate. With all. The. Toppings. I normally have a lemon and honey or camomile tea with my bath, unless I'm it's been a bad day. Then I bring out the big guns of little marshmallows.

 My favourite cleansing duo of the moment (review upcoming) that I'm currently using to remove any slap off my face, and I'll use both even if I've not worn make up. I like my baths lava hot, and I hate the idea of any dirt seeping into my skin.

 Currently I'll use these Aussie lovelies once a week, leaving the 3 Minute Miracle on for about half an hour. If you haven't tried it, it leaves my hair feeling so unbelievably soft and happy, and I'd highly recommend it! I've just rediscovered my old love of the Take the Heat Leave-In Cream, even though I don't use a lot of heat on my hair at the moment.

Finally I sometimes have candles if I've got them lurking around, and some kind of magazine or fairly easy going book. 

I know I've not included anything about bath bombs here, but don't worry. I haven't forgotten. Stay alert for a post dedicated to my favourite fizzers and bubbles coming soon!

What's your bath recipe?

n xx

Haul | The Body Shop

I've always had a bit of an on/off relationship with The Body Shop, not because I dislike certain products but because I just forget they're there (I'm blaming the one-stop-wonder of Boots). But recently, I've been really loving their products, and I've picked up yet more.

Raspberry Shower Gel

Blueberry Shower Gel

Both £4 for 250ml

We all do that whole showering/bathing/smelling fragrant thing. These caught my eye because I wanted an excuse to buy anything, so I decided that one would be perfect to take on holiday. Then they were on buy one get one half price and I'm a sucker for deals, so I picked up the 'early-harvest raspberry' and 'blueberry'. I took the raspberry scented shower gel away with me as promised, and oh boy. It smells like heaven. If you've not had a whiff of either of these, I promise you it's worth finding a Body Shop just for that.

Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter

£20 for 9ml

I picked this up because I've been contemplating it for ages; I've seen so many good reviews for it, it seems to have hit the beauty world hard. But remember that thing I sometimes do where I visit a shop about 5 times before actually buying something? This beauty was a serious case of 'do I really need it?' doubt. But as we were browsing, I told my friend Mia about it and she then immediately decided to get it. So of course, I had to too.

So far, I've been loving this beyond belief. To the extent where I'm seeing a repurchase on the horizon. Full review coming soon!

Have you bought anything from the body shop recently?

My Mia has her own blog!

n xx

Mascara Mixing and Matching

I've always had a thing for pairing up two different mascaras, normally one for lengthening and one for volume. I have absolutely no idea where it came from but I can remember doing it since I started getting into the whole beauty scene.

With that in mind, I thought I'd let you in on a few combinations that I've found to work pretty darn well together...

Soap and Glory Super Volume Mascara

Natural Collection Lash Definition Mascara 

 I wasn't initially very impressed with this Natural Collection mascara; it's a little too wet for my liking, and it's not one that I would use by itself. Having said that, for £1.99, it's amazing, and I definitely want to try the rest of the range. 

I've used this Soap and Glory mascara before (it's mentioned here and here), and I love it. It doesn't clump, it's not too wet, and I'd go so far as to call it one of my staples. It does magical, lengthening things to my lashes, and if you can get over the size of the brush (which is pretty huge), then I would recommend this.

I use them together like this; first the Natural Collection lash definition to the outside half of both my top and bottom lashes, layering it quite a bit to give them as much volume as possible. I then use the Soap and Glory super volume all over, after leaving the first layers to dry a little. I love how these two together give my eyes a really good false lash effect, as they really fan out towards the edges.

Do you have a favourite mascara combination?

n xx