This autumn I am making it my duty to bring back two fashions which I absolutely adore but I feel just don't get enough love... Mustard and tweed.
Mustard is one of those colours that is so ugly that it's nice- if that makes any sense? Mustard is a great colour for accessorizing with (my personal favourite being the classic mustard tights, but also looks great as hats/ scarves/ gloves) and it goes amazingly with denim- or tweed is you felt so inclined. Mustard also goes surprisingly well with beige cardigans or a moss-green colour, strangely, it is my personal opinion that ugly colours go stunningly together (I am really liking moss-green as a colour as well this year).
Something which I have always, always, always loved has been tweed shorts- I look for a pair every year but I have never been able to find the perfect ones until now. Johnnie B (Boden for teenagers) is a little pricey (£30 per pair of short) but the clothes are always such good quality and the shorts that I have got from there before have been so comfy that I simply can't not buy them! There are two pairs of tweed-look (probably not actual tweed but I don't mind that) shorts on the website and it breaks my heart that I can't buy both (damn teenage funds) but I have settled with the classic grey checked pair (there is also a beautiful red and beige very-very-grandfather-style in tiny checks) and I am buzzing to order them asap.
An autumn trend that I am loving this year and very grateful that it has been brought back into fashion, is tartan. Last year I purchased a tartan coat (£40- H&M) which I absolutely love and will hopefully last me at least two more years, and I see nothing wrong with pairing tartan with more tartan. You can't go wrong with a tartan scarf or skirt, but I have also always loved the idea of pairing a tartan coat with tartan creeper shoes- the more tartan the better! (Tartan is becoming a really strange word now I need to stop typing it). On a side note if I am wearing tartan is has to be red- green tartan is okay for a scarf but nothing bigger.
So this autumn I will be wearing:
-Tartan coat (last year- £40 from H&M)
-Tweed shorts (Johnnie B at Boden- £30)
-Mustard tights (£3.99 from H&M)
-Moss-green beanie- not complete without a pom-pom of course(!)- (£17.99, Accessorize)
-And my Harry Potter Gryffindor scarf- couldn't resist it, my whole family each has a different one, sad, I know, but I really couldn't care less!
At some point I hope to do a autumn-into-winter-this-year-and-last-year-accessories post, but we will see about how well that will actually work...
Sunday 29 September 2013
Tuesday 17 September 2013
NOT BABY LIPS AGAIN...
I apologise for the awful quality of my photos.
American packaging
I have actually found some quite significant differences between my two Baby Lips, Quenched/ Hydrate and Peach Kiss; I don't know if it's the two different flavours and what's in the product or the fact that one is from America and the other is from the UK.
English packaging
First up, the packaging is different. When I bought Quenched (the blue and pink one), I wanted the packaging to look more like the English one does; the American one had a blue tube with pink writing on it, when you take the lid off you expect the writing to just be on the lid, but the lid is actually also blue with the writing still on it. Peach Kiss (the purple and orange one) is how I though Quenched would look, the tube is purple and the lid is clear with just the writing on it. Personally I prefer the packaging for Peach Kiss, which is the one I bought in the UK.
Peach Kiss (English)- This is what I am talking about with the lids
I have found that they feel different on the lips. When I wrote the first review I said that it felt quite thin on the lips, but Peach Kiss actually feels a little bit thicker than Quenched; it's not the thickest of lip products but it doesn't feel as thin as the other one. Despite the strong colour of the product and all the swatches people have done on their hands over time, I have not found Peach Kiss to be that tinted, and it is not sparkly like everyone online said it was; neither of these are a problem for me, however, as I do not particularly want brown, sparkly lips.
Quenched (American)- This is what I am talking about with the lids
The product itself, I actually think that the American one is a slightly wider product, not too noticeable unless you study it as strongly as I did. The smell of the peach is very strong in the tube, possibly a bit overly strong but not as sickly as the other one smells, however the smell wears off after a while; this is something that many may have a problem with but I like because it means I don't have to go around smelling overly strong peach under my nose all day.
You can sort of see it but Quenched (the blue one) is slightly wider
I much prefer Peach Kiss to Quenched, after I bought Quenched I was a bit put off Baby Lips but I love Peach Kiss and my faith in Maybelline's Baby Lips has been restored.
Sunday 15 September 2013
THE NEXT BEST THING
Being a lip balm junkie, for ages I have been wanting an Eos (Evolution of Smooth) lip balm. The packaging is super cute (though it does look a little bit like a deodorant) so it was annoying for me when I realised you can only get Eos in America, unless you order it from Amazon with ridiculous postage prices.
THEN I discovered Balmi, Britain's answer to the Eos crisis. Balmi (£4.99 in Boots) is basically the same as Eos with the same, awesome circular packaging, however you actually get better value for money with Balmi as it actually contains more lip balm, despite being the same size as the Eos (Balmi- 10.5g, Eos- 7g). Like many lip products, Eos suffers from there being too much packaging and not enough product, giving the impression of more when really you don't get that much- tubs of Carmex have this same problem, better to stick with the tube.
Like Maybelline's Baby Lips, Balmi is a very thin product and has the unfortunate appearance of a deodorant, as well as the texture. However, I like it a lot. There are five great flavours to choose from (I have raspberry in the pink packaging), however the selection is very limited to very basic flavours that you can get in any lip balm range; flavour-wise I prefer Eos (despite not having one yet), as there are loads more exciting flavours to choose from (I am tempted by Honeysuckle Honeydew or Pomegranate and Raspberry- though Summer Fruits has been very highly reviewed).
My only main disappointment with Balmi, despite the thin-ness of the product as I am not as great fan of thin lip balms, is the new packaging. I loved the circular shaped packaging and was really excited for it, however I found that you can now only get square shaped packaging with a pyramid shaped lip balm inside. The square packaging is still very cute, and possibly a more convenient shape as it is less bulky that the round ones, but you can only get four flavours in the square ones instead of five. Much to my great joy though, I believe that you can still get the circular shaped packaging from the shop section of Birchbox.co.uk which I will hopefully get round to ordering in a different flavour, though I will eventually order an actual Eos if I can find somewhere with low shipping price!
The packaging is a much brighter pink than this in person.
THEN I discovered Balmi, Britain's answer to the Eos crisis. Balmi (£4.99 in Boots) is basically the same as Eos with the same, awesome circular packaging, however you actually get better value for money with Balmi as it actually contains more lip balm, despite being the same size as the Eos (Balmi- 10.5g, Eos- 7g). Like many lip products, Eos suffers from there being too much packaging and not enough product, giving the impression of more when really you don't get that much- tubs of Carmex have this same problem, better to stick with the tube.
In comparison to my normal sized hands- it is quite a small product.
Like Maybelline's Baby Lips, Balmi is a very thin product and has the unfortunate appearance of a deodorant, as well as the texture. However, I like it a lot. There are five great flavours to choose from (I have raspberry in the pink packaging), however the selection is very limited to very basic flavours that you can get in any lip balm range; flavour-wise I prefer Eos (despite not having one yet), as there are loads more exciting flavours to choose from (I am tempted by Honeysuckle Honeydew or Pomegranate and Raspberry- though Summer Fruits has been very highly reviewed).
Whereas the old product was round, this is in a pyramid shape.
My only main disappointment with Balmi, despite the thin-ness of the product as I am not as great fan of thin lip balms, is the new packaging. I loved the circular shaped packaging and was really excited for it, however I found that you can now only get square shaped packaging with a pyramid shaped lip balm inside. The square packaging is still very cute, and possibly a more convenient shape as it is less bulky that the round ones, but you can only get four flavours in the square ones instead of five. Much to my great joy though, I believe that you can still get the circular shaped packaging from the shop section of Birchbox.co.uk which I will hopefully get round to ordering in a different flavour, though I will eventually order an actual Eos if I can find somewhere with low shipping price!
(Excuse the messy opening of the packet) I am not too sure how I feel about this...
Tuesday 3 September 2013
BELOVED BURT
I get very chapped lips all year round so I've been wanting a Burt's Bees forever, but they are so expensive here in the UK. Averaging at just under £4 in most shops, I do not think that it is worth it for a lip balm, not matter how good it is, especially as you can get the trusty Nivea stick for under £2 in Tesco.
Therefore I jumped at the chance when I was in Target (yes, again, I did a lot of food shopping in Target when I was in America) where you could get a pack of two Burt's Bees for just 5$. I'd seen you could buy Burt's Bees in Cracker Barrel (American restaurant chain) earlier in the day, admittedly a strange place to buy lip balm, but it was 3$ which is still quite expensive for a small lip balm on it's own.
(My Burt's Bees packet got a bit bent on the plane journey home.)
HOWEVER, despite my original 'ooh this is very expensive for a lip balm, is it really that good, is it really worth the price?' worries, I am converted. Burt's Bees is one of the best lip products I have found in a long, long time, coming in second place closely behind Blistex Relief Cream which is absolutely amazing and I used to swear by. Burt's is much better than Blistex in the sense that Burt's is a balm which is easily portable, and Blistex is a cream which comes out of the tube very fast in great quantities and has the tendency to explode in my bag whenever I take it anywhere; Blistex is also very thick and not a pretty sight to wear out in public, therefore I tend to stick to just using it at night.
Both Burt's and Blistex are very similar on the lips as they have a feeling that is quite hard to describe but is like your lips are hot, cold and minty all at the same time; it sounds very strange but is actually a very pleasant feeling, especially when you have super chapped lips but then I personally like the feel of it stingy and burning though most do not. I find that Burt's makes your lips feel almost quite numb but very, very smooth.
Blistex seems to be one of those products that never runs out as you don't need to use that much at one time so mine is looking a bit tatty but this is what the packaging looks like.
I have been using Burt's Bees religiously in the morning and in the evening every single day since I bought it and I noticed visible results in the smoothness of my lips after only a few days. I always put Burt's on before I put on any lipgloss or lipstick as I find that they occasionally dry your lips out and having a 'base coat' on really reduces this and keeps your lips looking smooth throughout the day.
I think it is safe to say that I have completely fallen in love with Burt's Bees and the beauty of the two-pack means I can keep one in the bathroom and one in my bag at all times without having to keep swapping them around!
Therefore I jumped at the chance when I was in Target (yes, again, I did a lot of food shopping in Target when I was in America) where you could get a pack of two Burt's Bees for just 5$. I'd seen you could buy Burt's Bees in Cracker Barrel (American restaurant chain) earlier in the day, admittedly a strange place to buy lip balm, but it was 3$ which is still quite expensive for a small lip balm on it's own.
(My Burt's Bees packet got a bit bent on the plane journey home.)
HOWEVER, despite my original 'ooh this is very expensive for a lip balm, is it really that good, is it really worth the price?' worries, I am converted. Burt's Bees is one of the best lip products I have found in a long, long time, coming in second place closely behind Blistex Relief Cream which is absolutely amazing and I used to swear by. Burt's is much better than Blistex in the sense that Burt's is a balm which is easily portable, and Blistex is a cream which comes out of the tube very fast in great quantities and has the tendency to explode in my bag whenever I take it anywhere; Blistex is also very thick and not a pretty sight to wear out in public, therefore I tend to stick to just using it at night.
Both Burt's and Blistex are very similar on the lips as they have a feeling that is quite hard to describe but is like your lips are hot, cold and minty all at the same time; it sounds very strange but is actually a very pleasant feeling, especially when you have super chapped lips but then I personally like the feel of it stingy and burning though most do not. I find that Burt's makes your lips feel almost quite numb but very, very smooth.
Blistex seems to be one of those products that never runs out as you don't need to use that much at one time so mine is looking a bit tatty but this is what the packaging looks like.
I have been using Burt's Bees religiously in the morning and in the evening every single day since I bought it and I noticed visible results in the smoothness of my lips after only a few days. I always put Burt's on before I put on any lipgloss or lipstick as I find that they occasionally dry your lips out and having a 'base coat' on really reduces this and keeps your lips looking smooth throughout the day.
I think it is safe to say that I have completely fallen in love with Burt's Bees and the beauty of the two-pack means I can keep one in the bathroom and one in my bag at all times without having to keep swapping them around!
MAYBE IT'S BABY LIPS?
I apologise for the awful quality of my photos.
Whilst I was in Florida this summer, Maybelline's Baby Lips came out in the UK, I'd heard a lot of people rave about them on Instagram and so I read a few reviews and decided to get one. I was actually so surprised when I heard that there were waiting lists for Baby Lips in Boots and Superdrug in the UK because I simply strolled into Target (an American supermarket) and picket one up from the masses they had in stock there.
I haven't used the Baby Lips very much (I got the clear one called 'Quenched' which I think is called 'Hydrate' in the UK, the blue one anyway) as I also got a Burt's Bees at the same time. I would describe the smell as being quite sugary and a little bit citrusy, a bit like pink lemonade. This sounds gross but it feels sort of like a roll-on deodorant when you apply it as it is a little bit smooth and slimy, but in a nice way. It is very thin on your lips, unlike most lip balms which feel quite thick on, and is kind of like a lip gloss that you buy as a child or one free from a magazine.
The bright, block colours of the packaging give a fun, pop-art vibe that is eye-catching on the shelves, another eye-catching point is the price, costing only £2.99 each I personally think that these are very reasonably priced for such a longed for and sort after product.
Despite my so far seeming-quite-negative review, I do actually like this product and am tempted to buy a tinted one. I am not as taken with it as much as everyone on Instagram so far (Instagrammers LOVE it, many of them own all six), but my views may change over more time of using it.
I haven't used the Baby Lips very much (I got the clear one called 'Quenched' which I think is called 'Hydrate' in the UK, the blue one anyway) as I also got a Burt's Bees at the same time. I would describe the smell as being quite sugary and a little bit citrusy, a bit like pink lemonade. This sounds gross but it feels sort of like a roll-on deodorant when you apply it as it is a little bit smooth and slimy, but in a nice way. It is very thin on your lips, unlike most lip balms which feel quite thick on, and is kind of like a lip gloss that you buy as a child or one free from a magazine.
The bright, block colours of the packaging give a fun, pop-art vibe that is eye-catching on the shelves, another eye-catching point is the price, costing only £2.99 each I personally think that these are very reasonably priced for such a longed for and sort after product.
Despite my so far seeming-quite-negative review, I do actually like this product and am tempted to buy a tinted one. I am not as taken with it as much as everyone on Instagram so far (Instagrammers LOVE it, many of them own all six), but my views may change over more time of using it.
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