Outfit of the Day | Off to lectures we go

Outfit of the Day | Off to lectures we go

Well today started off looking summery, hence my ootd was light and cheery! Little did I know that the rain was heading my way but luckily I got back just before the showers started - phew! So my outfit held up whilst I went to my whole one and half hours of lectures. It's a hard life I know. I would just like to add I am in 9-4 every  other week this summer so this is my week off. Sort of!

Skirt - Oasis (Sale item)

Sandals - New Look 

Top - New Look 

Watch - Michael Kors 

Earrings - Isle of Wight Pearl

Phone Cover - Cath Kidston (for iPhone 5s)

Keeping with the pastel trend this summer I teemed my blue geometric pattern oasis skirt with creams and neutral tones. The top is lace so I wore a nude crop top underneath so I didn't have to worry about which underwear I chose! I always do this so that I don't have to be too fussy about what to wear underneath!!

As my top has  a pearl detail collar I teamed my gorgeous pearl earrings from Isle of Wight Pearl with my outfit just to give it a touch of coordination!

The Oasis skirt was my top find in the summer sales! I bought it for just £10 at the Birmingham (Bullring) Store along with a pink floral patterned one of the same style (for £30). Oasis do many skirts in this semi-tailored style and I find they're perfect as a smart day outfit and I've even dressed this one up with heels for a girly night out. 

My nude sandals from New Look (which I think were £20) are THE comfiest sandals I have bought in forever! I always struggle to find a comfy pair of sandals that I can spend hazy summer days in without getting blisters and ending up hobbling home, but these fit the bill perfectly. They're current season, and with student discount are an absolute bargain. They seem to be wearing well so far too so fingers crossed they'll last me for at least this summer. 

I knew it wouldn't be many posts later until I mentioned my beautiful Michael Kors watch. It is gorgeous. I must admit that until I bought this watch (last Christmas) I had never really gotten into wearing a watch nor had I really been interested in getting one. But, and this is a big but, when I spotted the gorgeous rose gold range in by Michael Kors I just had to have one and now I wear it almost everyday. I especially love the gems adorning the outside. It's just too cute!

♥ My Everyday make-up look ♥

Here is a little sneak peek into my usual everyday make up look. Of course I do something different with my make up almost everyday (as we all do!) but I quite liked my make up today so thought it was a good one to share. I never really go for bold statement colours unless its for a special occasion or a evening out so everything I use tends towards a natural look. Let me know what you think! ☺

Everything I used for today's hair and make-up...

Well as you can probably tell my hair was natural today so I just combed it through with my tangle teezer first as my hair always gets super cotty as it's really fine. I then used my round brush just to define my natural waves (well they're more 'I went to bed with slightly wet hair as I couldn't be bothered to dry it properly' waves, but let's stick with natural for now) and to curl my fringe under. You can see both of these brushes in the top left of the photo above. I got my tangle teezer for £10.99 from boots, but you can get them for under £10 in some online stores. Definitely worth the investment if you have fine hair that's always getting knotted up like mine. I just gripped the sides back using some basic blonde coloured bobby pins from boots. I always think the bit up bit down look is cute, as well as easy, for days when my hair is natural.

Now for my make up. As I have mentioned in my previous blog posts I have blemish prone skin which means I have to take good care of it to prevent non-stop break outs. I've found the Clinique Anti-blemish solutions range to be pretty good for keeping unruly skin in tip top shape, and you can the starter kit (the sizes in my photo above) for just £40, which for skincare products that work isn't that bad I'd say. SO after cleansing my skin, I used the toner, moisturiser and anti-blemish gel from this range before applying my make up. I find it's always best to wait a few seconds for the gel to dry before starting make-up application.

Of course, I applied the Porefessional by Benefit Cosmetics primer first of all, just to even out my skin tone and blemishes. I followed this with DiorSkin Nude BB Cream in shade 001, which gives a lovely dewy glow to my skin and ensures a good even skin tone. This shade is perfect for super light skin like mine and doesn't at all look orange or require a lot of blending like other BB creams. I have quite dark circles under my eyes (especially while back at uni as sleep doesn't seem to be in everyone's routine here even though I LOVE getting an early night), so my 'The Eye Eraser' by Maybelline is a lifesaver on early mornings. It covers dark circles and helps disguise eye bags so gets a 10 out of 10 for a good non cloggy concealer. I also used my Maybelline Fit Me concealer to cover a few blemishes. Just to avoid any oily patches developing in my day I lightly brushed on my Dior Forever powder in shade 010 using my EcoTools brush. I only used it on my T zone to prevent taking all of the colour out of my cheeks. I used Benefit Cosmetics 'They're Real' mascara which enhances my eyelashes beautifully - I never knew they were that long until I used this!! - along with my Browzings kit just to touch up my eyebrows and keep them ship shape. A touch of Dior lip reviver lip glow just added a pink sheen to my lips and boosted them with some much needed moisture.

All that was left was to add a couple of sprays of my favourite perfume - Daisy by Marc Jacobs - and I was ready for the day! I hope you've found my blog useful or interesting - or even both!! 

See you soon,

Little Vintage Rose 

xx

Benefit make-up must-haves ♥

Benefit make-up must-haves ♥

^ My everday make up look is above ^ 

I always keep my makeup neutral, opting for no eyeliner and only a pale gloss or balm on my lips.

So as I reviewed all of my favourite Dior products, I thought I probably should give my second favourite brand (Benefit Cosmetics) a mention. In fact I think my favourite make-up product has to be Benefit's Porefessional - afterall it was my first 'expensive' make-up purchase and triggered my ever-growing make-up and beauty collection! 

Having called it expensive, at £24.50 a tube I think Porefessional is actually great value, but I say expensive in comparison to the cheaper brands such as Revlon/Maybelline/Bourjois (which I must add also do some amazing products at such good prices!)  It lasts for ages - for me about 3-4 months when I use it everyday. 

Anyway I haven't actually told you what it is yet...oops! Porefessional is Benefit's primer and it is honestly the best one I've found yet! It makes skin feel silky smooth and helps to even out any blemishes or fine lines. Not only is it a great make-up base, when my skin is fairly clear I can often just wear this with no concealer or foundation as it has a slight tint to it, unlike many other primers which are just clear. 

Although this is by far the best primer I have tried yet, Maybelline do a fantastic high street alternative at around 1/4 of the price - and it lasts just as long! While trying to save money I looked for good alternatives to my more expensive products, and found that Maybelline's Baby Skin face primer gives the same silky smooth effect. It isn't tinted so I've found it's best to apply a bbcream or foundation over the top, but it works just as well for this purpose. The only downside to it (hence why it's so much cheaper!) is that it can feel a bit greasy, which isn't great for days when my skin is already feeling blemish prone.

My other benefit find that deserves a mention is the 'browzings' eyebrow palette. It comes in either light or dark shades, which you can select depending on your hair colour and skin tone. The palette contains a wax for shaping eyebrows and a powder for filling in any gaps - with a little teeny tiny brush for each, which just adds to the cuteness! (I love mini things!!) And as if it couldn't get any more adorable, you get a miniature pair of tweezers for any stray eyebrow hairs! It's perfect for everyday use and also for travel as it contains everything you need to keep your eyebrows in shape in a compact palette. 

I hope you all find my reviews helpful! I have tried many more make-up products and won't be writing reviews for them all, so if you're interested to know if I've tried something just ask in the comments and I will write you a review if I've tried it ☺ 

Thank you for reading (if anyone has!!) 

Little Vintage Rose 

xx

My favourite beauty items ♥

My favourite beauty items ♥

So for my first blog post I thought I'd review some of my absolute favourite beauty items! I've tried so many different make up brands all claiming to make you look beautiful and after trying nearly all of them I've finally whittled them down to the ones that work and the ones that don't! 

You can see just a few of my favourites above!! ^^^

I'll start with my favourite brand of all - DIOR ♥

I cannot praise their makeup enough! For younger skin it is the perfect combination of light consistency (for those that have quite oily skin like me) and enough coverage to mask any unsightly blemishes. 

DiorSkin Airflash - this product is perfect for an early morning start as you can get quick even foundation coverage in seconds. I must admit when I bought this product I wasn't too sure it would actually work - surely a spray on foundation would look messy?! However as long as you shake the can before application, the spray is even and gives a lovely light coverage - perfect for daytime. Despite the hype you DO have to blend this in after spraying, but nowhere near as much as you have to with an ordinary foundation. (they did try to say that no blending would be needed at all, but no matter how good you are there's always a few bits that need a tweak!!) The only down side is that the can does seem to run out quickly if you use it every day, but I will certainly be buying it again! 

I have very pale skin and often find that even ivory shades look orange, but the lightest shade (100) is perfect.

HydraLife Pro-Youth Sorbet Creme - I have oily blemish prone skin and struggle to find moisturisers that don't cause break outs but still moisturise my skin enough. I was so pleased to find this creme which does both! It's a little pricey at around £60, but is perfect for younger skin and lasts ages! I use it almost everyday, twice a day, and have had the pot for about 6 months! It comes with a handy applicator to avoid putting dirt from your fingertips onto freshly cleansed skin. My favourite thing about this moisturiser is that it gives a light dewy feeling to my skin after application - great as a make up base! Certainly worth the investment!

DiorSkin Nude Foundation and Compact Powder - The perfect duo! Dior's light coverage Nude foundation and powder are perfect together. With many foundations and powders, mixing between brands and ranges to find what suits you best is nearly always the way forward - with the exception of these two products!! The powder takes the shine away from oily skin without clogging up pores and sticking to the foundation (I have tried using the Dior Forever powder over the top and although it still looks okay, you lose the dewy skin look!) I use the lightest shade of both (010) and it is perfect fro my porcelain skin tone.

Top Tip - Sign up for a Debenhams beauty card! You get £5 off your next purchase just for signing up and earn loads of points every time you buy from there! I don't buy ridiculous amounts of make up and often have £10 off to spend as if you purchase make up items in one month you get £5 to spend the next month! Watch out though - each £5 only lasts for 6 months so you can't save them up forever! Plus it's just a points card so you're not having to pay on a store card to receive these great benefits! Don't miss out ☺

Anyway that's enough from me for now! I hope my reviews are useful if you're looking to try new make up! I'll post again soon with more reviews of benefit make up (which I also love!!). Look out for more blog posts on lipsticks/glosses and my summer fashion finds. 

Little Vintage Rose 

xx