Tuesday 25 February 2014

Red, Nude & Lace









So technically this post isn't really relevant until mid June (Graduation!!) But I'm just too in love with this dress to not share it with the population because it is beautifulllll and may be the most gorgeous thing to ever grace the doors of my wardrobe. It was welcomed into my life last week, but I first spotted it in the windows of the Phase Eight store in Guildford a few weekends ago. 
Despite having been determined to visit Guildford for nothing but holiday planning at Sta Travel I couldn't resist trying it on, and the lovely lady in the store promptly made sure I was in it and in love in under 30 seconds I swear. Now the dress is made up of two layers, and the only issue I had was the nude layer seemed a little baggy around my middle and my bottom, but because I didn't expect to be making any commitments to a graduation dress so early on I couldn't be bothered to try another size on.
Then as fate would have it I visited home last weekend and went shopping with my mum, and I came across the dress again in Debenhams. I tried it on this time in two size...a ten and a twelve. Generally I run at a size twelve but I felt the size ten flattered and fitted me much better. I could have kissed the fitting room attendant when he agreed with me, because I had been having an age old argument with my mum over the sizing. 
After settling that I could have bought the dress there and then, but because I had taken it on and off over 50 times I decided to order it online so I could have a lovely fresh boxed dress to keep safe for graduation day. The shade of red in this dress is divine, as well as the fit and detailing of the lace...but it could have really benefited from a zip. And I really do feel for all those girls out there that are going to leave distinct foundation face prints on the fabric because they don't have a friend or mother to help fish them out of it.
Phase Eight are a brand I have never really taken any notice of beforehand, I think there target customer probably runs a little older than me, but for occasions I think they offer some stunning and high quality pieces.


My heels are also new and strictly out of bounds until graduation, boo! They are the perfect shade of neutral for the dress but NOT my sickeningly pale legs. Hopefully I will have a bit of a bronze glow by then and the blend of paleness won't be so unflattering.  Depending on your heel budget you might think these are a little pricey, but they feel heavenly on the foot and are a wardrobe staple. The shape is classic and I am loving the brushed leather, super soft and pretty! They are also a lovely height, I'm already on the tall side so cripplingly tall heels at a graduation would just be awkward. These heels come in a variety of different colour options so if ya likey like I really recommend the investment! 

x


Saturday 22 February 2014

A Little Liz Earle





The past couple months my eyes in the morning have been driving me insane, they are itchy, sticky and just haven't been the ideal canvas for applying make-up. I'm not sure why this is, I haven't been removing my make-up differently, I just think early winter mornings have made the department of gooeyness in my eyeballs extra productive. So after being completely over fishing out crusty bits and making them water even more I thought enough is enough! And got my hands on the Liz Earle soothing eye lotion which sounded the ideal solution to my problemo, after using for several weeks now I have not been disappointed!

I can't quite remember where I first heard about this product, but I already have a soft spot for Liz Earle after being introduced to the infamous hot cloth cleanser! So after sourcing on the website I purchased straight away. Bear in mind that if your going to do this you have to pay p+p, don't be put off by the £3.75 charge for 5 -7 day delivery option...I had a bit of a sour face at this because I was like whoah pricey, but the order arrived after like two days hurrahh. The package was a whole loads better than your standard cosmetic product delivery, you receive not only the product ordered but a whole host of minty green information delights. I get that its only information on the brand, but they do it so beautifully you actually wanna give it all a read. I also received a fairly decent sized sample of the hot cloth cleanser I mentioned a little earlier, I used this a couple years back and as much as I liked it I wasn't convinced it was enough for my oily skin. Still, if you haven't heard of the hot cloth cleanser and are a little intrigued go and have a google, there are gazillions of reviews out there. 

When I first went to use the soothing eye lotion I was a little thrown by the fact that it isn't even a lotion?! For me if your gonna call something a lotion its going to be creamy and thick, but this is the opposite, its more of a watery solution. As I have used this more I've become grateful of that, I don't really fancy sticking anymore gunk in my eyeballs than whats there already. I keep this on my bedside table and its applied to cotton pads and glued to my eyeballs the moment my alarm goes off.  It chills my eyes, removes all that gritty gunk and soothes those dreaded puffy eye bags! I've also developed a weird habit of using it over my lips as well, the combination of witch hazel, aloe vera and cornflower is just super refreshing in the morning I can't help myself ! I loovvee this product and have quite happily given it a spot in my daily beauty routine. 

x

Friday 21 February 2014

A Little Late for Valentines








Although Valentines Day is pretty much a distant memory to most I am determined to get this post out there! I actually had a Valentines post going on weeks ago, but couldn't post it because my boys gifts didn't turn up in Afghan for about a year, so I have had to have a bit of a shiffle shaffle with how I do this one but at least it is finally gonna be out there in the blogosphere. 

I wanna begin with saying that I LOVE Valentines Day, it really riles me when I hear all the moaning drivel about consumerism, corporations and romantic gestures being unnecessary if you are all that in love. Personally I think there is nothing cuter than a day existing to officially celebrate love, because we all have it in our lives one way or another and a bit of valentines cheer can easily make a person feel all squishy inside. Which is ideal if you no longer believe in Father Christmas. I worked the evening before Valentines day and sold countless bouquets...although mildly depressing at times it was generally very comforting to see so much romance, and it got me so in the mood for the day itself.

The morning of Valentines was spent giving the house a reet good spruce up. I live with six others and most of the time it is pretty disgusting. Doing this meant I had given myself the perfect environment to bake!! I had known for ages that the black forest meringue pictured above was going to be dish of the day, and surprisingly it turned out pretty decent to say I hadn't had any prior practice and a crappy history with meringue making. Saying that, the photograph doesn't show the carnage that took place an hour later when the topping decided to just spread everywhere. I plan on making these in mini form next. Possibly a more in-depth blog post opportunity there but in case I don't get round to it you can find the recipe here.

I was expecting my valentines to be a pretty much female affair, but I did have a gorgeous bouquet of roses arrive mid way through the day which I was very very happy about. Later on in the evening I had some of my gorgeous friends round for cocktails before we headed out into town. I'm going to try and make last Friday my last night out before final deadlines. Gone are the days where I could be productive on a hangover, I'm not sure I ever had them to begin with. Hope everybody out there had lovely Valentines!

x

Saturday 8 February 2014

#nextLFWoutfit Competition



So the weather outside is absolutely terrifying me! During the night the chimney in my bedroom has spat out what looks like the remains of a chocolate muffin, and its just pouring with rain one minute and blowing people over the next. Right now I should be on the way to the gym, but I can't help remaining cosy and safe inside...not like I need any excuse to avoid that place. Thanks to my cosy surroundings I have spent the entire morning browsing blogs, and caught site of the #nextLFWoutfit competition. I can't resist entering, its so simple and pretty fun at the same time. To celebrate LFW being just around the corner, Next want bloggers to come up with their dream outfit for a catwalk show using gorgeous items from next.co.uk.  I'm trying to be super strict with the purse strings at the moment with graduation and summer holidays on the horizon, so imagining this outfit will have to suffice for now. The competition winner will receive a two night stay at the Mayfair Hotel plus £200 to spend at Next...so If I'm extra lucky I might end up with it in my wardrobe anyways, fingers crossed! See all the outfit inspiration on twitter using #nextLFWoutfit 

1. Linen T-Shirt in Grey Marl  Personally if it was me at LFW I would no doubt be slighty stressed and of course sweaty. Sooo a little bit of loose linen is going to work wonders. I think there is nothing better than a well fitting, good quality t-shirt. Especially when its accessorized in the right way! It becomes a whole lot more glam. 

2. Black High Waist Leather Skirt and the glaming comes in the form of this beauty! With the t-shirt tucked in loosely its just a winning combo. I have lived in leather skirts and thick tights for the majority of the winter, it would be dreamy to have a piece like this in my wardrobe. 

3. Black Weave Shoe Boot I can't get enough of these heels, so on trend and super expensive looking. I own nothing like these, and they are quickly going to have to make there way into my shoe collection whether my bank balance likes it or not. 

4. Bespoke Silver Diamante Necklace So sparkly and pretty, this will sit perfectly with the collar of the t-shirt. 

5. Black Square Sunglasses Its fashion week darling so although its London and no doubt grey and dull outside, these are clearly going to be needed to protect you from the glare of all those camera flashes!  

6. Weave Boxy Clutch Bag I doubt I will be needing to carry much else with an outfit as gorgeous as this, the stunning colour of this bag saves the outfit from being too simple in its colour scheme. The pop of colour is the perfect finish to my #nextLFWoutfit  

Friday 7 February 2014

The Glossybox Wedding Box Review & Make-Up Look










The Glossybox limited edition wedding box has been out for well over a month now, and I've almost had it for the same amount of time. Just want to point out that I AM NOT GETTING MARRIED, I'm not even close to getting married. But it just looked too beautiful to resist and I desperately wanted to get my hands on it...so I did! This is the second limited edition box I have purchased, the one before this was the Christmas edition which was also rather delightful. This box is priced at £25, but you do get money off if you purchase more...which I think is a lovely idea if you actually are getting married and fancy buying these in bulk for your bridesmaids.  After getting to grips with the products for quite sometime I really do think that the ladies out there put off by the 'wedding' tag shouldn't be! It offers gorgeous products for the everyday and its really great value for the monies too. (Worth a stupendous £99!!!) If you like what you see this box is still currently available to buy online.

Before I even go into how well this product works I want to just praise how gorgeous the design of it is. I think there is nothing worse than paying a pretty penny for a product when the quality and design of its packaging is a little naff. (Ya hearing me Dermalogica.) I love seeing this on my bathroom shelf and can't get enough of using it either. As exfoliants go this one is super soft, and the milky consistency makes it easy to apply. In the photos above I have applied it to damp skin, gently massaged and then rinsed it off in the shower. It gave me the perfect base on which to apply my moisturizer and primer. From here I applied foundation, concealer, powder, bronzer and styled my eyebrows, which you can see in photograph 4!

 This is by far my favourite product from the box. In fact its the best illuminator I have ever come across. Although its fairly pricey I would highly recommend, I will get use out of it for donkeys and I will 100% repurchase once I have used it all up.  The amount of shimmer in the product is just right, you can apply a little or a lot and either way your going to come up trumps with beautiful results. In  the photographs I have dabbed a little on my cheekbones and just under my eyebrows, it gives a glorious shimmer and glides on like a dream. Perfect for a bride!

Holy potatoes I literally can't get over the price of this product. Although the shade and the quality of the lipstick is pretty, mine has fallen apart after a couple uses. Boo. Still, the deep dusky rose colour is super appealing too me, and although its already moisturizing, the lipgloss on the opposite end compliments the lipstick with a subtle shimmer and shine. Just a shame there is so little of the gloss, I will definitely be running out before all of the lipstick has been used up! But this is great for a bride...a lippy and a lipstick in one is easily concealed! 

At first I was so confused by this palette, the eye shadows are all entirely matte....which to me makes no sense as I assumed every bride would be wishing for a little shimmer on her big day! But I have given this palette a fair few goes, and although I initially hated it and was crying get this off my face, I have found you can actually achieve a really great and subtle smokey eye. The palette includes a primer, I tried this once and it barely made any difference, so I have avoided it since! For the make-up look here I have applied the bottom left nude shade to the whole lid all the way up to the eye socket, I then used the taupe bottom far right shade across the central part of my eye lid, and for definition I used a combination of the brown and black shades which is blended from the outer lid to the centre. I also found that the white shadow and the pale grey shadow look lovely when applied to the lower lash line. You can make your look as subtle or as strong as you like, I have kept mine fairly low key just because the lip colour is so deep. 

This product does completely NOT what it says on the tin. It took me forever to get any sort of volume or definition, and once I did create a little the formulation is so wet it ends up all down your face. Not ideal for any type of tears whether through wedding day emotions, chopping onions, or a sweat off at the gym, its just the worst mascara ever and invincible to nothing. I did use it in the photographs above which is why I look as if I have barely no eyelashes, perfect though if you prefer the natural look of lashes! But this just isn't a product for me.

Wednesday 5 February 2014

January


Despite literally posting less than an hour ago promising a beauty post, I have decided to get this out there before it gets too far into February and then consequently looks like a daft post. Generally I am late for most things but this will not be one of them! (If you ignore the five days we have already had of February.) For me January has been actually alright, I normally get so angry with the first few months of the new year, they just drag on and onnnn, plus its constantly freezing and permanently black outside. I know Instagram recaps are a common theme on blogs, soooo this might seem pretty dull. But I think its a sweet way to remember all the little things I haven't mentioned on here already, plus I love Instagram and don't need an excuse to regurgitate everything I have already shared. You can find me here @lauramcatherine 

forever a crumpets girl / promised myself these will be the last new boots of the winter season / being a domestic dream as always / a lovely evening of cocktails / and the aftermath / glossybox wedding edition (dreamy) / eyeing up the eye make-up of a MAC make-up artist / new bedroom edition / avoiding uni work selfie / got me some lychee / fresh flowers / close up of my loaf cake / with my beautiful nai nai / ladies night / annoying poopie on a hangover / DISSERTATION DONE AIIIAIAIAI / discovering the joys of muffin break/ missing miley 

x

The Last Weekend for a Little While









     

I'm feeling a little guilty for writing this post, I have so many beauty themed tutorials in the pipework, but because I have been in dissertation destruction for the past week I have barely had time to apply lip balm let alone blog about it. So instead I'm sharing some photographs from last weekend. My dissertation is now, finished, done over! And I could not be more relieved. The past week has been a slice of hell and I am so glad to see the back of it. Not only did I have to say bye to my boyfriend for five months but  I had a good 85% off a 8000 word essay to get finished. A major happy bubble swallowed me up once I had handed it in and I'm so excited to get back going with my final project.

Anyways back to last weekend..since this was going to be mine and Tarans last weekend before he left for Afghan we decided to make it a little more of a special one. For the best part of six months he has been based in Germany, so whichever weekend he has been able to come home for we have always made a bit of an effort. But seeing as this one was the last weekend for five months of course I was going to push for a hotel! 

We ended up booking a 'deluxe studio apartment' at the Fraser Residence City, This hotel was in the perfect location for us, I live fairly close to central London anyway and  for some reason whenever we do visit we always end up in The Liverpool Street area. The hotel is fairly close to this part of London and it worked out amaaazzingly cheap in the end, only £114 for the night when booked online. Pretty decent considering you have a gorgeous room which is generously sized, a kitchen (which although wasn't used properly did come in handy for pesky appliances you always forget you'll need like bottle openers etc) and a pretty bathroom. Which came stocked with cute L'occitane mini's I am fuming I forgot to pinch!!  
In the evening we went to Las Igunas for dinner in Spitalfields Market, again we aren't a stranger to this place, but mexican is a fave and I would happily live off their re-fried beans and calamari for life if I could. 
After here we planned on going for drinks at the Drift Bar in Heron Tower. Unfortunately we left Las Iguanas a little later than planned because Taran had 'mislaid' his bank card earlier on the evening (well done babe.) So we missed last orders by a smidge and returned back to the hotel instead. As much as I adored our apartment, once we were back in the room it became pretty obvious they had a night club smack bang next door. Fraser Residence is perfect for a little luxury stay, but you aren't going to be over the moon if your kind of light sleeper and staying there on a a busy weekend.

After checking out at 11 we made our way into Shoreditch, we walked and it took an absolute trek to get there. But I'm sure it would be a shed load quicker if your with someone who genuinely does know the way, Taran likes to think he has a great sense of direction but I am yet to be convinced. We ended up having brunch at a place called Franz and Evans, somewhere I have wanted to go FOREVER. It is only teeny and super duper popular but the food is absolute heaven. You can see the cakes and bakes in the photographs above, I didn't get any of the salads but even they looked to die for. If I was a dedicated health bean I would have definitely gone for one, but I'm not and went for the 'Trecolore. A combo off sourdough toast, 2 poached eggs, spinach, smoked salmon, crispy prosciutto & hollandaise sauce. What I would do to have it all over again!! I love this place, and although the size means you generally do have to share tables and sit on customers laps (not really) I would loovveee to pay it a visit again. Especially after eyeing up the belly pork on the dinner menu. YUM.  

I think I'm just about over sulking that the weekends is over and Taran is now 29438492002 miles away. I'm occasionally like what on earth?!  How has it only been a week since he left, but I'm sure the time will pass eventually and I'm happy knowing we will be back together by the summertime. 

(Beauty post to follow I PROMISE)



x