Changes.

Hey beauties,

I thought I would write a post as it's been so long, literally.. like almost a year?!
So here is what I have been doing..
First of all I have FINALLY finished University and managed to graduate with a 2:2! I am so pleased with this result and anybody who is/has been close to me will know how proud I am of myself for achieving that grade, it made all the hard work worth while.

It feels so surreal that three years have passed and I actually have to be an adult now. It's actually harder to adjust to adult life than my actual degree was, no joke. I've still got to master cooking and cleaning, but apparently creative people are messy people, so I think I'm going to use that as my excuse until I figure them out.

So after I graduated I wasted no time in putting myself out there career wise. I left Schuh in June of last year, after 5 years which was kind of crazy but it was time to make that move. I now work at Kurt Geiger, so apparently I can't keep away from shoes, I think they might be my weakness. I am loving my job and I feel like I have got an exciting career ahead of me with KG.

I've had a year full of changes and new beginnings but these are just a few examples I have shared with you. Changes are still happening too and they are even tougher, but I believe everything happens for a reason and that's what pulls me through. I am so thankful for the people who have been in my life and even more thankful for those who have stayed, but I've got love for you all for playing your part in my life. Is it strange to say I feel at peace? Or should I be using the term content? Whichever it is, that's how I feel. I don't have everything yet, but I am working on it. For now I am doing me, working on where I am going and learning from where I have been. Perseverance leads to progression and I am feeling positive for my future.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, I hope you didn't find it to heavy for a Sunday night..

Much love,

Stefi xoxo

Illamasqua Haul..

Hey Beauties!

I am crazy obsessed with makeup at the minute, even more so than usual. So the other day my fingers slipped and I ended up on Illamasqua's website.. Oops. They have a sale on some of their products so it was kinda rude not to get involved, right? 

Here is what I picked up.. 

 

A box full of goodies! I cannot wait to try these out. I think a tutorial/make up look is in order, yes?! 

This beautiful eyeshadow is in the shade 'burst'. It is a deep blue colour with turquoise undertones. It's not something I would usually go for but I thought it was the perfect opportunity to try something new out with it being £6.20 reduced from £15.50.. Bargain. 

I have been really loving purples and lilacs for my eyes, I think they look beautiful with browns to create a smokey eye. This pretty little number is the shade 'cancan' and was also £6.20! 

Blusher time! Look how bright this is.. It is actually more purple toned than pink but my camera hasn't picked it up.. Boo! But you can still see how pretty the colour is, I think it may be my go to summer blush. This was £10.75 from a whopping £21.50!

 

I got another blusher in the shade 'peaked'. It's a velvet blusher and it comes out like a cream but finishes like a powder.. I think this would work well with a bb cream for a natural 'I'm wearing makeup, but I don't want you to know' look, if you know what I mean.. and for £10.75 I can afford to look like I am not wearing makeup.

I also picked up an illamasqua medium pencil in Uncanny which was only £5.50! This works as an eyeliner and an eyebrow pencil nothing like a 2 in 1!

 

How beaut is this metal cream pigment please? This is in the colour 'Solstice'. It was originally £17.50 and I picked it up for £7.00..

 

 

My final purchase is possibly the new love of my life, it is the Illamasqua lipstick in shade 'Posture'. It is just so perfect and purple! I was lusting over it for a while and as soon as pay day came around I added it straight to my basket.

 

If you would like to see a makeup look featuring these products I will get that done for you ASAP, just comment and let me know. Thank you for reading beauts!

Don't forget you can keep up with me via my Instagram where I post daily makeup and outfit looks!

 

Stefi xoxo

Aspirations..

Hey Beauties..

I'm getting those 'end of uni nerves' with me having less than 5 months left.. What am I meant to do with myself?!  It's such a scary thought not being able to use the 'I'm a student' excuse anymore.

I'm lucky enough to be blogging for the brand English Girl now and I absolutely love it and I would do blogging full time given the opportunity, I mean what's better than talking about fashion and makeup? Especially when the only thing I want to do is Fashion or Makeup.. You know? Blogging is what I love and is what I want to do professionally one day because I don't want to be stuck doing something my heart isn't in, so I guess It's time to fix up and make these final months count. 

Positive vibes on the blog this evening, I found this quote on Pinterest.. It inspired me so fingers crossed it inspires you too!

Take a leap of faith, you never know where is may take you.. Learn from your failures and embrace your successes. Anything is possible!

Stefi xoxo

I've been called by the the disco ball, follow it with me..

 

Hey Beauties,

 

I haven't been the best blogger recently, but as you can imagine I have been busy during the festive season doing nothing but WORK, whether it be because of my job or because of Uni.. So I think a little update is in order, yes?

 

So I received a very exciting email in December from an up and coming brand which I was lusting over, on their Instagram due to the hypnotic prints on their 'disco' garments. A women called Michelle, creator and mastermind behind the brand English Girl asked me.. yes me! If I would be interested in doing some blogging for them. How could I pass up on this kind of opportunity? I just couldn't, I love nothing more than an adventure and when it involves fashion, well, lets just say bet your bottom dollar I ain't gonna say no!

 

So anyway, in a nut shell I was asked to put together some ideas for herself ready to reveal tomorrow and fingers crossed, you will be able to follow me on this adventure along side the rest of the team behind it.

 

The clothing is due to launch end of February/Early March time and their S/S collection is a paisley dream, a print synonymous with their brand. The print on their garments tells a story and that's what has made me fall in love, there is so much passion and culture that has gone into the print, it's almost as if you're wearing a short story!

 

Here's a few sneak peaks of some of the things you can look forward too..

 

 

Exciting, yes?! Keep your eyes pealed, I've got a feeling you won't want to miss a detail.

 

Stefi xoxo

 

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