Best.runway.show.EVER!

I’m ridiculously in love with the Oscar de la Renta Spring Summer 2015 runway show this year. It’s undoubtedly my favourite collection in this history of time…. so couldn’t resist sharing it with you!

 

It’s full of pastel blues and pinks with full bodied skirts, plus lots of 3D flowers and chiffon. Plus feathers, neon green, and the best coats I’ve ever seen in my life. Perfection!

Here’s some of my favourite outfits but if you want to see the full collection you can do so here: Vogue SS/2015 Oscar de la Renta

 

Splurge Friday – L’Oreal vs Rimmel foundation review

 

 

Recently I’ve been using a combination of these two foundations and I thought you lovely readers might like a review comparing the two. They retail at a similar price and have both had plenty of media coverage and I think they’re both great but for very different purposes.

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation – 3oml, Soft Beige – £8.99

L’Oreal True Match Foundation – 30ml, Rose Vanilla – £8.49

 

 

 

 

 

First off, the L’Oreal True Match….

I normally only buy foundations that are thicker as I like a fuller coverage. I generally don’t see the point of wearing foundation if it’s not making a significant difference to my appearance and skin tone, so normally discard runny foundations immediately. However, unfortunately this means that often my foundations can be too thick so a bit cakey looking, or brings out my spots in a vicious circle of coverage meaning I need more! So, this time I had som time to kill in an airport and figured I’d browse the makeup testers. I immediately fell in love with this foundation and have been using it as  my daily foundation ever since.

 

As you can see in the pictures it’s super runny (I’ve tried to show how if I angle my arm it runs off straight away). BUT, it gives a really good coverage and spreads on really smoothly and easily. I use less than one pump for my whole face and find that is plenty (I just add a little bit of concealer under my eyes and on major spots). It covers all my uneven skin tone or spot scars.

 

 

 

 

I’ve also found that my skin has been in better condition since using it as it’s got a lighter texture than foundations I used to use. I’d highly recommend this foundation, and will certainly be repurchasing (even though it’s over £5!). It also comes in a huge huge range of colours which is always a plus – so you can try and get your exact skin tone.

 

 

 

 

Next, the Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation (as advertised by Kate Moss!). This comes in a whole range of products including concealers.

 

As you can see here the Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation is far heavier and can stand on it’s own pretty much! Again, this is just one pump’s worth and covers my whole face easily. I actually only used about half of this on my face so normally try and get out half a pump’s worth.

 

 

 

 

 

The coverage here is certainly more significant, you can clearly see the ‘tide line’ on my arm here! I generally use this foundation to go out as it’s a bit darker and heavier. It has very good staying power although does get quite shiny (it’s got a little bit of shimmer in it which is quite brightening and ‘awakening’ at the start, but can get a bit shiny by the end.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall, I’d highly recommend both of them, but it’s the L’Oreal that I’ve really fallen in love with and will 100% repurchase. I’ve been so impressed with the extent of it’s coverage considering it’s lightness and I do think it’s had a positive effect on my overall skin condition. Also, because it’s so fluid not much gets stuck to the inside of the bottle so when it runs out you can actually be pretty confident you’ve got it all (I did try prising it open to check and it was totally empty!). And £8.49 really isn’t much to spend on about 4-5 months of everyday usage!

 

Splurge Friday – Origins Body Cream review

 

I am in love with this hydrating body cream from Origins and would highly recommend it. Although I’ve posted this as a ‘Splurge Friday’ it’s actually really really good value for money. This pot is huge (200ml) and it’s so rich that you only need a tiny bit at a time. In the photo where I’ve got some on my finger that’s what I use to do my elbows at night, but I also use it for my legs, neck and decolletage too. I once read that it’s your neck and decolletage that give away your age so moisturising them often will keep you looking young – doesn’t hurt to get into the habit now!

 

Origins hydrating body cream – £27 – available here

 

 

 

Splurge Friday – Jimmy Choo sale! Classic or statement?

Perhaps I’m just going stir crazy from revision but today I found myself browsing an online sale retailler of Jimmy Choos (yes postage to the UK is free whilst prices are in bargain dollars!). I think it’s all legit (although check out their ‘Customer Service’ page for some amusement). Whenever I’m considering a (comparatively) big purchase like this I always wonder whether it’s better to go for a piece which is classic and will go with every outfit and not go out of fashion, or….. if you should pick something that is unusual and cannot be found on the high street – the kind of thing that will make people stare and ask “wow, where is that from?!”

People generally say classic is better, but I tend to wonder “couldn’t I just buy plain black court shoes from New Look though? Here are some of my ‘classic’ vs ‘statement’ choices (the images link to the page where you can buy them for around £100). I’ve tried to order them in increasing crazy-ness – would love your thoughts!

Help me oh wonderful readers!

Splurge Friday…. Diamonds second hand

This week we’ve got a special guest appearance from my (Fairy) Godmother who has a pretty admirable diamond collection…. and she’s given me her top tips on how to buy diamods second hand.

1. Make sure you look in jewellers first, then eBay, and then finally hit the antiques markets. That way you know what you want and how much the going rate is. Make sure you ask for plenty of detail on carat and cut so you can compare them. But remember – jewellers will be about 4 times the price of a second hand diamond!

2. Take a magnifying glass with you, and ideally a micrometer (to measure them with – in fact we got ours second hand at a car boot sale!) so you can check the authenticity of their claims.

3. Look with the magnifying glass for inclusions (specks of black) – of course the less of these the better, but if there’s none you can be sure it’s fake. There should also never be cracks in a real diamond.

4. You’ll probably want to come up with an approximate price rule of thumb. When I was shopping for an eternity ring I knew it was about £1000 for a carat, so when I got offered £600 I snapped it up!

5. The carat is the total size of the diamonds on the ring – e.g. bigger but fewer diamonds will have the same carat as lots of small ones. If you get it off eBay make sure you measure it to check they weren’t lying about the carat.

6. The classic things to check are the 3Cs – Cut, Colour, Clarity, Carat

Cut: Brilliant cut (the circular one with a pointed base) is the most sparkly, and actually quite cheap as it’s simple to cut. Heart cut is the most expensive as it’s difficult and needs a big diamond. Modern cuts refract the light better (the older ones have a little circle on the base if you look vertically through if, because they cut them differently now – good way to check if it really is vintage)

Clarity & Colour: obviously… clearer, brighter, whiter, all better! Minimum inclusions but not none (see #3)

Carat: see above.

7. Of course there’s the ongoing ethical issues of blood diamonds. If you want to avoid this then you can buy ones from Canada, but second hand a lot of them won’t have certificates. If you buy from eBay you generally won’t be able to get a certificate, which isn’t a huge problem but does increase the risk of getting tricked.

8. Can’t resize eternity rings but otherwise it’s pretty cheap to resize so well worth going for second hand.

9. Apparently white metal makes the diamond look brighter than gold – might be worth it.

10. And it’s an investment so go for it and have fun!

Anyone else got any handy tips? Or an area of expertise you’d like to share with the world? xxx

Splurge Friday… Graduating Sally

As some of you may know…. it’s my final year at university now so rather than working ur dissertation everyone’s been thinking about what to wear for graduation. I haven’t decided my outfit yet but the wonderful Sensational Sally has…. and it’s from a charity shop!

It’s featured in Splurge Friday as they cost over £5, but they’re all from charity shops so we’ll still call her an honorary ‘Pauper’.

Reiss white ruffle blouse: £10.50
Purple 3/4 sleeve skater dress (M&S): £8.50
Black Warehouse dress: £8.50

All from Bath charity shops!

 

 

 

Splurge Friday… that fabulous party dress

Credit: Boy borrowed from the lovely Ingrid

 

This dress was an absolute steal and when I saw it I just knew I had to get it. It was £20 in the Karen Millen outlet store just outside of Boston. It was in the sale and then reduced more because a couple of gems from the shoulders were missing (but I just shuffled them around and used the spare ones you’re given and you’d never notice now!). It’s fits like a glove and I think you can really tell it’s expensive. Karen Millen stuff is always amazing and I always covet it, so I was thrilled to find this.

I wore it to a ‘Mad Men’ themed 21st in Bath and then also to my own 21st in Boston. As you can see, I’ve had LOTS of fun in this dress and have worn it many time than just featured here. I’d really recommend Karen Millen, and if I could afford it I’d buy everything in the shop (especially the shoes – swoon!)

See the blog for the other bargain outfits featured in this photo here.

Splurge Friday…. the perfect formal jacket

 

I got this blazer in the sale at Punky Fish (of all places???) in Hemel Hempstead. It cost me £25, which as we all know is a lot for little old me! But I’m so glad I got it. I’ve worn it loads and it’s my major ‘go to’ jacket if I want to look really chic with quite a simple outfit. I often pair it with just jeans an a tshirt and it adds some dramatic ‘streetstyle’ to everything. But, I also wore it to my boyfriend’s graduation for over the top embellished glamour, and I felt like a million dollars!

 

 

 

 

It’s a bit delicate, of course, so I do have to be really careful, but fashion isn’t about ‘easy to wash’ garments. Plus, it reminds me of my all time favourite pearl sweater from Boston….

Which yes, was £4 from Goodwill in Davis Square – charity shop win!

Splurge Friday – a very special dress

 

When travelling it’s really easy to loose track of what is a bargain. When you’re hotel costs £3 a night and your dinner £1, £40 seems like a HUGE amount of money. I found this dress when I was in Vietnam in a shop called Princess Secret (I just knew fate was calling me there!). It was in the sale reduced to £40 and I ummed and ahhed about it for ages before I realised I could hardly bear to take it off, let alone leave the country without it. You can read more about my handy travelling tips here.

 

And now, I’m so glad I bought it!! I wore it to the Bath University Summer Ball last year, and also to my genius boyfriend’s graduation. Both times I was way overdressed and LOVING IT!

 

The dress is a peach colour made of lovely shimmery sating and covered in 3D flowers. It’s really thick and super tight at the waist, but I just can’t get over how awesomely it flares out. I can’t wait for another chance to wear this, and I hope when you find something you really love you’ll realise all the money you saved on your other bargain purchases can go towards something really special.

 

xoxo

Splurge Friday…. Fake Fur Coat

See the full post for this outfit here

I got this (fake) fur coat in Boston from a consignment shop. I think I paid $30 which is about £20 – so certainly above my £5 limit. But, at price per wear it must be down to about 10p now as I wear it alllllll the time.

 

I’ve found adding a fur coat to any outfit immediately makes you look super chic and glamorous, and I’m never one to be fashionably underdressed! Of course, second hand shops are amazing for fur (fake or real depending on what you like) and although things get snapped up quickly, you can often get a bargain.

 

I’ve also found that its WAY warmer than anything else I’ve got, I suppose there’s a reason animals use it too…. duh! But if I’m ever in doubt about whether I’ll be warm enough, I always take my fur coat.

 

It’s a must have in your wardrobe I’d say! I’m now constantly on the look out for a second/third one.

 

 

 

And here is some evidence from the runways in case you don’t believe me….

Fendi

Michael Kors

Gucci

Victoria Beckham

Chanel