Christmas Party - The Lookbook

Hey Beauties!

Sorry it has been a while, I've always been skilled at bad time keeping! I have a few festive events coming up so I've been trying to gather some outfits ready for the party season so what's better than a post filled with fashion inspo for your festivities?!

 

Here are 4 different outfits I have chosen and how I style each one, enjoy..

 

Dress: OHMYLOVE

Bag: River Island

Shoes: Schuh

 

 

Two Piece: Missguided

Shoes: River Island (OLD)

 

 

 

Dress: Missguided

Shoes: Schuh

Bag: River Island

 

Playsuit: OHMYLOVE

Necklace: Primark (OLD)

Choker: Miss Selfridge (OLD)

Shoes: Topshop (OLD)

 

... and there it is, my 4 key items for the party season. Comment and let me know which is your fave outfit combo as I don't know which to choose for my work night out next Saturday - girl struggles!

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Hope you enjoyed this little post and thank you for reading beauties,

Stefi xoxo

Illimasqua Skin Base review and giveaway winner!

Hey Beauties

 

If you're anything like me and you feel like you're constantly searching for the perfect foundation then this post may just be for you! I have tried pretty much all the favourite foundations from Mac, Estee Lauder to Bobbi Brown and although I will always hold a massive soft spot for Mac, sometimes it's nice to try something new. I wanted to try Illamasqua's skin base foundation for a while now so I made my way to the counter at Meadowhall's Debenhams and got myself matched up, by the way, it was the best colour match I have ever received.

 

 

The good thing about this foundation is you can choose a colour additive to make it lighter or darker which is ideal if you're a fake tanner or use sunbeds etc. I was lucky enough to pick up a white as well as the amber tint, at the minute I am yet to try the foundation with them as like I said the colour is perfect for my skin tone. The coverage is medium to full and the lasting power is pretty good, although I would suggest a finishing powder to try and prevent transfer.

 I use mine with Body Shops Matte it primer as it tends to leave a dewy finish and I don't dig shining! I am hoping to try out Illamasqua matte primer on my next visit to Meadowhall.. so another review may be on it's way. Any of you lovelies tried it? Let me know!

 

I am really loving this foundation at the minute and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking to try something new.. I do struggle to get the product out of the tube though, you have to really grit your teeth and squeeze it to get some foundation out which is a little bit upsetting but apart from that I don't have any major qualms with it!

 

Here's the finished look using skin base..

 

 

This photo isn't edited so you can see the genuine finish of the foundation, my shade is 8.5 for you who may be wondering, the foundation is a little bit on the expensive side at £32 but a little really goes a long way so I would say it is worth a little splurge.

 PS.. I have gone blonde, I kept the roots dark though to stay true to my brunette genes. What's your thoughts?

Oh and I now have a winner of my giveaway! Congratulation's to Sarah Jarvis for being the lucky one, thank you to everyone who entered, there will be more giveaways in the future so don't be disheartened (:

Thank you all for reading, if you have any suggestions on what you would like to see next on the blog don't be afraid to let me know.. Don't forget to check out my Facebook and Instagram for regular updates and follow me on Bloglovin if you enjoy reading my blogs!

 

Stefi xoxo

 

London - The House of Vans

Hey Beauties

I'm going to jump straight in with this one as I am mega excited to share this with you! I recently won an incentive at work where I was given the opportunity to go to London to the House of Vans. The House of Vans is an establishment which opened in August 2014 which offers free entry to the site for skateboarders and BMXers for 2 hour booking slots which can be made online. Not only this but they also hold huge musical events and educational workshops for children!

 

 

 Saturday I made my way to the big city all on my ones, I even managed to find my way about on the tube.. massive proud moment for me! However when I arrived in waterloo I got lost trying to find the House Of Vans. After an hour of hopelessly wandering around staring at my maps on my phone, not to mention the fact I even got in a taxi in hope they would be able to take me there (no such luck) I rang the organiser and he managed to point me in the right direction luckily! Me and my embarrassing efforts aye.. I arrived and I was greeted by some fresh faces from other Schuh stores where we made our ways to the 'cinema'.

 

Here we were given a brief history overview of vans and their relationship with Schuh etc. Look how cute the set up is, just cushions that make up the seats on wooden platforms! They even hooked us all up with a free pair of vans, I got these hot pieces..

 

 I cannot wait to style these bad lads, I am a massive fan of slip on vans at the minute which is a bonus!
There was also an art exhibition themed around Halloween, not the kind of art I would usually enjoy but the talent of these artists is un-doubtable.
 

That Saturday they had a bowl jam on, where skateboarders competed to win a prize of 10,000 euros, so after grabbing some food and a voddy red bull in the café we made our way back to the cinema to watch it on the big screen.

 

 There was so many talented skateboarders and there were even kids competing against adults and by the looks of things they were giving them a massive run for their money! Even skaters from Spain, Poland etc. came to participate in this competition.

At around 4 we were able to check in to our hotel, we were put up in the Park Plazza County Hall in waterloo, just a pebble throw away from the House Of Vans. Mmm nothing like 4.5 star luxury after an exhausting commute..

The plan was to freshen up before meeting for a drink prior to the meal we had booked, so I made myself a cup of tea, wrapped up in my complimentary dressing gown and slippers and chilled after a nice soak in the huge shower.

 

 

.. I can't remember the name of the restaurant but I do remember the melt in your mouth fillet steak they made..

After we'd all polished off our food we toddled off to the House Of Vans for the big event! Everyone was dressed up in Halloween costumes, there was no half arsed attempts either.. it was such a great atmosphere filled with excitement. They had acts such as SEMTEX, Crossfire and Sound System plus loads more playing. A huge mix of artists to suit the guests.. It was so refreshing to see different cliques come together under one roof to enjoy such an event.

As you can probably guess I got a little drunk, but I was loving life and taking full advantage of the experience! Safe to say I had massive weekend blues when I returned home and I am still suffering now.. If you ever get the chance to go to the House Of Vans especially when they have an event on I would 100% recommend it! Massive thank you to Schuh and Vans for this opportunity.. Here's a few snaps of my night..

We were all pretty giddy to the point where we ended up pouting in every photo.. you know how it is after one vodka, it's like an automatic reflex when you see the flash of a camera to stick on your best pout. I had such a fantastic day and evening that I wanted to share it with you!
Don't forget to follow me on Instagram like my page on Facebook and follow me on Bloglovin. Remember there is still time to enter my GIVEAWAY all you have to do is follow me on at least one platform! I will be back soon with a mini haul.
Thanks for reading beauties,
Stefi xoxo

The Body Shop - Christmas Makeup collection!

 

Hey beauties!

 

I know it's been a while but I have been busy with Uni deadlines (urgh) but I am here now ready to tell you about my exciting experience with The Body Shop! Now around a month or so ago I went to the York Designer Outlet with my sister. I insisted I was 'nipping' into The Body Shop as she continued to look around other shops.. I was there for around twenty minutes surrounded by a beauty lovers dream of discounted goodies. I was asked by a reader of my blog to try out some primers, so I went with the intention of getting a couple to sample. I ended up getting a couple of testers and picking my brother up some shampoo (he is worse than a girl with his hair).

I got carried away chatting away with the staff and I mentioned that I am a beauty blogger. I got to the till and paid for my things and as I tottled out with my shopping I was shouted back in and asked if I would like to blog for them! I couldn't believe my luck and I am honoured to have been given this opportunity from them.

So last Monday (20th of October) I went to get a make over by their store makeup artist using their new Christmas cosmetics line. They also gave me some to go home and try out myself and as I had a wedding evening do to attend I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to give them a go. So here is my review on the products..

 

Now I have wanted to try this particular one for some time now, it is their ALL-IN-ONE BB cream. It comes in 5 different shades (00-04). The reason there is only 5 shades is because it is a colour adapting formula! It actually comes out of the tube white and as you blend it into your skin it changes colour to match your skin tone.

 

 

 

I am shade 02, which is for medium skin tones. Now I do like my full coverage foundation especially as my days are long and full coverage is easier to maintain, but I was pleasantly surprised with this BB cream. It actually gives a really great coverage! It leaves a dewy finish but with me loving matte skin I paired it with the 'matte it' skin primer of theirs. If you have a good complexion and are looking for a lightweight foundation or if you want a base foundation which is buildable this is definitely worth checking out! The 'matte it' primer is actually one I picked up on my first visit and by the way it is absolutely fabulous.

 

As for eyes I was given the Dolly Pastels eye shadow palette..

 

 

It comes with 4 different shades:

top left - base

top right - outer corners

bottom left - lid liner

bottom right - highlight

 

Now there is two variations of the palette, there is this one (dolly pastels) and another which is called frosted pastels which contains more minty hues. I really enjoyed playing around with these colours, they have a frosty finish to them so they are slightly metallic apart from the matte brown. I found the colour of the shadows have to be built on but that's not really an issue, as I tend to pack it on when I opt for a smoky eye anyway. With their products being made from natural ingredients they don't harm your skin so these shadows would be perfect for children's Christmas parties too!

 

 

For my lashes I used their glitter mascara, now when you read that I bet you screwed your face up and said to yourself 'who's worn that since the 90s', but don't be to quick to judge as it is really subtle and I found it brightened up my eyes! It's perfect if you're going for a basic eye, it adds an extra bit of sparkle which everybody loves during Christmas time!

 

 

Last but not least I finished my look with the Vanilla Brulee body sparkler.. as you might have guessed it is scented. It also comes in two other scents Frosted Cranberry and Glazed Apple. To be honest it is not the kind of thing I would normally go for but it is really subtle and smells divine. It can also be worn in your hair, so if you have children it would be perfect for their Christmas parties, I think it's better than those cheap and nasty glitter hairsprays you can buy and with this being au natural it's going to be harm free. If you use this over one of their body butters it will also intensify the smell and look how cute the packaging is!

 

 

The great thing about the York Designer Outlet Body Shop is that they have massive savings on their products. I think it is 20% off if you buy two of their products and a massive 40% off if you buy 4 or more.. PLUS if you own a Body Shop beauty card you get an EXTRA 10% off.. now tell me the reason not to shop there?! The cards are £5 for the year and they often throw in a free gift when you sign up or if you're like me and a student they are freeeee! With it you get 10% off your purchases in regular stores and as I have just explained an extra 10% off in YDO. With every purchase you make you get a stamp, once you get 4 stamps you get a free gift worth up to £5 and when you get 8 you get a free gift worth up to £10. That goes for them as a company not just York Designer Outlets particular branch.

 

Here is my finished look!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for reading beauties! I hope you enjoyed this one, I know I did. Don't forget to check out my GIVEAWAY . You can also find me on Instagram, Facebook and Bloglovin.

Thank you to The Body Shop for this massive opportunity and to you lot for reading me babble.

I will be back soon, if you have a post you would like to see don't be shy about commenting and letting me know (:

Stefi xoxo

 

Did someone say.. GIVEAWAY?

Hya beauties!

 

Exciting times ahead, I am now announcing my giveaway! I've finally gathered all the bits ready for it! Now everything I'm giving away as been bought with my own pennies and the reason I am doing this is for all the support I have gained since starting my blog up. It's nice to give a little back sometimes, ya know? The things I've got together are all the things I use myself bar one which I just thought was cute! The goods are worth up to £50, so it is well worth entering..

 

Now, if you regularly read my posts you will know just how much I love this product.. yep the Sleek face form contour palette! I got it in the shade medium as that is the one I use and I feel it is probably the most adaptable for all skin tones..

 

 

 

I also picked up the Rimmel wonder'full mascara with argan oil as it is my current fav!

 

 

An ecoTOOLS angled foundation brush as I use mine to death everyday!

 

 

The Soap and Glory Righteous butter (full 300ml) size as if you have read my Get ready with me post you will know I use its velvety texture goodness on my skin!

 

 

 

PS mind the not so cute acrylics.. I haven't had time to get them fixed up and I lost one today. Don't judge me haha! Last but not least I picked up a Ciate caviar manicure set. Now as I've just mentioned I wear acrylics on my nails and I get my toe nails gelled, but I have always wanted to try out Ciate manicure. So I thought to myself why not give it away to one of my subscribers and let them tell me how it is? Its so pretty!

 

 

Now the rules are simple, you just need to be following me on at least one of my channels.. however for every platform you follow me on you will be entered again. I am going to use an online name generator to pick a winner therefore you know the winner will not have been chosen by myself in anyway. The winner will be announced within the next three weeks. So get following/liking and sharing for your chance to win! Here's the links to my media's:

 

Facebook 

Bloglovin 

Instagram 

Google+  

 

I hope you are all as excited as me! Thank you for reading and thank you for your support!

Stefi xox