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Monochrome me up

Friday 31 January 2014

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Blazer: Primark
Dress: Missguided
I love love love monochrome, i just think it's such a sophisticated look and i don't think you can really go wrong in what your wearing if you stick to a monochrome outfit. This horizontally black and white striped dress is from Missguided, unfortunately i'm not a big a fan of it as i thought i would be, as it's bodycon and i tend to stay clear of pieces like that. But despite that, i do really like the dress. It's very simplistic, just how i like it. I decided to wear it with this monochrome blazer as i thought a little clash of the monochromes would be a nice touch. Personally i think it looks really nice, and works really well together.

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Nina's MAC dupes (Guest Post)

Wednesday 29 January 2014

First of all, a big hello to all you beautiful readers of Courtney's blog! I'm Nina from The Beauty Spot and I am a guest blogger for the day and feel very privileged to be able to share some of by beauty ramblings with you all! If you'd like to see more of my blog the link is above or the Bloglovin link is at the bottom of this post! a

I was searching through my makeup collection last week and rediscovered this little beauty! I've had it for almost a year but unfortunately I haven't used it to its full potential. It was only when I recently purchased my Mac Pro Quad that I thought I had seen some of the shades somewhere before! Enter MUA! This palette has been reviewed so many times and I don't need to say how amazing the MUA range is, especially for the price (true meaning of value for money!). So I thought I would compare some of the shades to some of my Mac ones and see how 'dupe able' my Mac ones are! My Mac Quad contains: Satin Taupe, Naked Lunch, Smut and Black Tied. I'm not sure if I'll keep this collection together, but I seemed to be drawn to these shades. One of my all time favourite base shades is Naked Lunch, and when I looked at the MUA palette more closely I thought two of the shades could pass for it.

b '3' is obviously a little more frosted than Naked Lunch, but number 6 is an almost perfect match! Hurrah! I still love 3 as a shade as it would be a good inner corner highlight and also to blend out some of the more intense shades.

c
 This comparison isn't spot on, but it's a really good option! Satin Taupe seems to be one of MAC's most popular shades and if there's something similar in this palette that's a pretty good choice made by MUA! You can see that Satin Taupe has a slightly more brown shade to it, but again a pretty good dupe in this palette! '5' is perfect for that daytime crease shading, but could also be used for a nighttime look by blending with a darker shade at the edges of the crease for a really intense look.

d With these two shades I actually prefer the MUA one. It has just a slight shot of blue through it which I think would great to build up for a smokey eye, or also used wet for a liquid liner. It's still on the top row, which is definitely the 'dawn' collection of shades, but I am always a fan of something that can be used for a number of different looks!

e Finally we have Black Tied vs 12 (does anyone else think that MUA should've given these some names?). These both needed a couple of applications to get the depth of colour seen here, but again MUA have hit us with a pretty good dupe! Black Tied definitely has more sparkle to it, but for a palette that takes any look from day to night, this is a great addition. It could sit on top of 10 or 11 to really finish off a smokey eye. All in all I think this palette is fantastic value for money! I purchased it from the MUA website in January (post Christmas blues anyone?!) alongside a few other items (10!) and quite a few of them have become staples in my collection. I chose this palette to take away on a winter holiday and thought the shot of purple and blue on the bottom row would be a great addition to my holiday makeup bag especially as I wanted to travel light in the makeup department! I really don't think you can go wrong with MUA palettes, there some great choices and very comparable quality to other brands, whether that's high end or drugstore. I will definitely be purchasing more products from the MUA range, I just wish that my local Superdrug was better for their range of MUA and keeping products clean and tidy.

  What MUA products have you tried? Any favourites I should try?

 Nina xx

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I'll do what i want

Monday 27 January 2014

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Blazer & Skirt: Primark
Top: Miss Selfridge
Necklace: New Look
I've had this gorgeous maxi skirt for a while but i've never actually worn it i don't think. Despite it being cold i'll still always be a skirt over trousers kinda girl. I love the colour of it, the deep red colour is just gorgeous and it sits really nicely too. I decided to keep this outfit quite simple by wearing just a plan white tee so it doesn't overshadow the skirt. I think a patterned top would of been just too overpowering. I'm wearing this cropped black blazer which i think really brings the outfit together making it look a lot smarter as opposed to cutesy. To top it all off i'm wearing this statement necklace which i think really finishes off the look and gives that needed bit of oomph. I love this necklace

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Bambi's Hair Care On A Budget (Guest Post)

Sunday 26 January 2014

Hi lovelies, I’m Bambi from Maklina Makeup and today I’m going to talk about my favourite budget hair care products. My hair is less of a priority than it should be and as a student I’m usually quite low on spare cash so all my everyday hair care items are low-cost, decent quality products that work really well for the price. Unfortunately a lot of my hair products have been left behind at my old flat – since I’m no longer a blonde, things like toners were forgotten, sorry! Let’s have a quick look at what I’ve been using lately (excuse the Australian pricing, I’ve found the £ price where possible, give or take!)

budgethair1


[Budget Hair 2]
budgethair2
Tresemmé Heat Tamer Protective Spray - $7.00AUD (£5.00±)

Everyone needs a good thermal spray to protect their hair from heat damage. I use this whenever I blow dry or heat-style my hair and it works really well. This doesn’t weigh down or leave any kind of residue in my hair like I’ve had with some other brands.

[Budget Hair 3]
budgethair3
Schwarzkopf Hair Repair with Liquid Keratin - $7.50AUD (£5.00±)

I have two of these, one for when my hair is feeling really dry and one for protecting new colour when I have dyed my hair. I don’t find there to be a lot of difference between the two but they both leave my hair feeling a lot silkier without being heavy or greasy. These are great for everyday use, or just spritzing my hair before I leave the house.

[Budget Hair 4]
budgethair4
Babyliss Pro Argan Oil - $16.00AUD (£10.00±)

I’ve tried a few Argan Oils and Babyliss Pro turned out a lot better than I expected. You get a lot of product for the price you pay and it leaves my hair feeling so shiny and soft! I would actually recommend buying the bottled version of this rather than the spray, this tends to leave a little oily layer on my skin and the bathroom floor if I’m not careful…

[Budget Hair 5]
budgethair5
Deep Conditioning Protein Treatment - $10.00AUD (£6.00±)

The ones pictured here are just what I’m using at the moment – they’re the free treatments that comes with box dyes (I’m so cheap, haha) but I would definitely recommend the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Deep conditioner. It’s only about £6.00 and works absolute wonders! Protein treatments are amazing for reviving damaged and dry hair. Be sure to only use the treatment once a week though, too much protein in your hair can actually cause it to fall out, eek! As long as you don’t use it too often, protein treatments are my absolute favourite thing to do, I pretty much brought my hair back from the dead when I bleached it to white too many times.

[Budget Hair 6]
budgethair6
Tigi Bed Head Ego Boost - $19.00AUD (£8.00±)

I love this leave in conditioner, it’s so hydrating and smoothing. It leaves my ends feeling so soft but I find that it does tend to weigh my hair down a bit, so I save this for night time, or when I straighten my hair. I don’t really have anything bad to say about it otherwise! It’s a little more expensive than my other products (over here, anyway) but it’s definitely worth the price.

[Budget Hair 7]
budgethair7

Garnier Mousse & Taft Hairspray - $6.00 (£2.65±)

I love this Garnier mousse for adding volume to my hair when I blow dry. It has the sweetest, fruitiest smell and doesn’t leave my hair feeling sticky at all. Of all the hairsprays at my local beauty store, Taft is the only one that will hold my hair perfectly without making it rock hard or sticky-feeling. Because of this it’s great for everyday use and for perfect, sculpted looks.

So that’s everything for my hair care on a budget! It is a bit of a poorly range since I’ve moved out but I hope you can keep these in mind next time you need an inexpensive quick fix. Thanks for reading; you can find me on twitter @maklinamakeup if you have any questions or in the comments below!
Bambi xxx

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I just wanna know you better

Friday 24 January 2014

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Under Top & Top: H&M
Jeans: Boohoo

This is just really an everyday casual outfit, and is actually rather casual for me as i'm used to always dressing in skirts or dresses. I love these pastel pink jeans, they're not only comfortable, but they're a gorgeous colour too. I think this blue lace top goes really nicely with the jeans and the colours really compliment one another. The black top underneath was a necessity to keep my modesty as i didn't want my bra on show, and i think the black top actually works really well with the outfit too. I'm not wearing any jewellery as i think the colours both really popped off one another that it didn't need any.

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Abi's OOTD (Guest Post)

Wednesday 22 January 2014

Hi everyone! I'm Abi from Handbags and Gladrags and Courtney has kindly given me access to write on her lovely blog today. My blog is mostly outfit posts with the odd beauty review, fashion news and lifestyle post chucked in for good measure. I have been blogging for nearly 3 years now after being forced by my university lecturer to start one.. and 3 years on, I am so glad I did. 

Anyway, enough about me, more about the outfit. This is a really plain one for you today and a lot simpler than I would usually go for. I wanted the cute, fluffy collar to be the statement piece as it's pretty hard to mix it with any other prints or textures. I bought this little collar in the H&M sale a few weeks ago for £2! It certainly jazzes up a plain black jumper and gives my neck an extra bit of warmth during the freezing cold winter. I finished the outfit off with my favourite boots which you will see a lot over on my blog which have actually just broken! The bottom came off one of the heels, nothing too dramatic and hopefully fixable, so they will live on! These little beauts are from F&F believe it or not! As you can tell, I do love a bargain, and you will see lots of bargain Ebay finds on my blog, mixed in with some Topshop and high street classics.

What do you think of my outfit? I would love for you to come over and check out my blog. Let me know if you do. 

Collar- H&M
Jumper-Uniqlo
Shorts- Miss Selfridge
Boots- F&F
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Albertine's Winter Beauty Essentials (Guest Post)

Tuesday 21 January 2014


Heya I'm Albertine from DippyWrites and today I thought I would share with you my 4 winter beauty essentials.  As the weather gets colder and harsher, my skin completely changes and gets a lot dryer.  These are the 4 products I use to combat the harsher conditions!

L'Occitane passionate jasmine hand cream-This was a freebie in Marie Claire way back in September or October I believe and it's been such a life saver over the past month!  L'Occitane do the absolute best hand creams, they always leave my hands super soft without being too thick or tacky.  Using this once a day stops my hands from drying out and the soft jasmine scent is beautiful.

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream-This is just a miracle in a jar to me!  Before using this I used to get the occasional dry patch on my face, and no moisturiser I used ever seemed to help it!  This cream is specially formulated to boost hydration levels in the skin during the harsher weather conditions winter brings.  Since using it, my skin has never felt so soft or hydrated.

Lush Breath of Fresh Air toner water-I'll admit, until this year I kind of just skipped out using toner.  But, when I visited my local Lush store earlier on this year, I was introduced into the wonderful world of toners and since them I've been hooked on using this one!  The sea water, aloe gel and seaweed in this help to lock moisture in, which is exactly what my skin needs.  

Dr Lipp nipple balm for lips-This is the best lip balm I've ever tried.  The thick waxy balm works wonders on my lips and when I pop this on before bed, I always wake up with nice soft lips.  

I hope you guys have enjoyed reading my winter beauty essentials, if you have, don't forget to head on over to my blog and see what else I blog about!



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