Amsterdam OOTD // Weekend Edition

Hello lovelies,

Since being back at university I haven't been blogging. Not because I don't want too but I've actually become head of fashion & beauty for the university magazine, meaning that I've been up to my eyeballs in writing and editing articles... Alongside a mountain of work! But, I've started a module all about blogging and I remembered just how much I missed my blog so what better way to restart than to post my first outfit of the day (OOTD) post from my trip to Amsterdam. 

I spent the weekend in Amsterdam for my boyfriends birthday (giving him the lovely job of taking millions of photos of me) and thought I'd take snaps of what I was wearing as lately I've been really into wearing and trying new looks. I'll do my best to link the original items but alternatives might be in place as I do a lot of my shopping in vintage shops here in Leicester. 

Enjoy!

Day 1- From airport to Amsterdam

Finding something comfortable but stylish for your first day can be a bit of a mission but culottes are perfect! They can be dressed up but also dressed down so I decided to pair them with some Stan Smiths and an oversized washed out denim jacket.

Culottes 

Adidas Stan Smiths 

Denim jacket (Similar) 

Day 2 - Red accents

Red has swiftly become my all time favourite colour and this beanie I found in Bershka Amsterdam adds a pop of colour to a relatively monochrome outfit. I've also been loving my denim skirt and find pairing it with an oversized hoodie can keep you warm as well as comfy. Not sure you've noticed yet but comfort for me is key!

Denim skirt 

Beanie

Adidas Stan Smiths 

Belt 

Hoodie 

 Day 3 - Oversized everything

T-shirt dresses and band tee's have been in all summer and have been coming into the colder months as a layering option. I found pairing this dress with another oversized item of clothing worked really well. The jacket is an old school vintage Nike waterproof that adds some colour to the outfit. Every person in the world seems to own a pair of Vans and I don't blame them. These shoes are go with every single outfit ever and are super comfortable! 

T-shirt dress (similar)

Nike waterproof (vintage shop)

Vans  

I used the same bag throughout the trip but unfortunately I brought it so long ago and abroad that I have no idea where you could find it from! If any of you know any designs similar please comment below I'd love to be able to find an alternative! 

Love B x

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Photo diary // Amsterdam

Hello lovelies,

My photo diary posts are my absolute fav to sit down and create so I thought I'd do another one on my quick New Years trip to Amsterdam. Me and boyfriend booked this trip back in November and I'd been desperate to go ever since. 

We only spent three days in this beautiful city but managed to get so many touristy things done! I loved taking photos of the streets and of our food ect. (watch out for a mouth watering pancake pic!) However, as I've said before I am by no means a professional photographer and all my photos were taken on my iPhone 6s. 

I hope you enjoy taking a look at some of the memories I have made and I hope to carry on blogging about my travels later on this year! 

Love B x

The beautiful canal during sunset

Brunch at a cute little cafe

Quick pit stop at an adorable coffee shop

A street snap on the way to the zoo!

Amsterdam's hard rock cafe!

Ice skating in front of the museums and the I Amsterdam sign

Entrance to the Vondel park

A very dark shot of me and my boyfriend inside the Ice Bar

Entrance to the Ice Bar

One of many beautiful shops in the city centre!

The best chips I have ever tasted!!!

The cheesiest, most touristy photo I could get!

One of many hot coffees (We are defo a coffee kinda couple...)

A gorgeous walk into the centre

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Hair transformation // Grey hair!

Hello lovelies!

This week I decided to chop my blonde locks off and go for a brand new look. Grey ombre!!! I absolutely love this look and want to thank my hairdresser so much for achieving it (even though she'll never read this...) because my hair was a total mess before she worked her magic on it.

After the hairdressers

I thought I'd do a blog post on how she achieved this look and how to maintain the grey, because it does tend to fade quite quickly and it does require you toning it at home yourself.

After a week

Before applying any grey dye to my hair I had blonde highlights put through my hair so that the colour/toner would take more. I had sliced foils put through so it was more natural looking. (Basically one layer highlighted, then the other not, then another highlighted)

After having the highlights done my hairdresser mixed a silver/blonde toner with Crazy Colours Granite hair dye. This was applied to wet hair and was applied all over. The dye was left on for about 20 minutes because I have thicker hair but you can wash the dye off in around 10-15 minutes if you have much lighter or thinner hair!

When it comes to maintaining the colour purple shampoo will become your best friend! I use an intensive shampoo and condition once a week and any other washes I just use the daily ones. On top of this I tone my hair by using the Granite hair dye and mix in some of the Silver hair dye just to dilute the colour. This is just my personal preference. For lighter hair you can just use the silver or if you prefer it darker just use granite!

I'd love to hear some of your tips for maintaining grey/silver hair in the comment section below!

*Disclaimer*

I know I have some explaining to do because I have fallen off the radar completely but blogging and drowning in uni work definitely took its toll on me and bloggers block was real! But I'm back and I have loads of drafts waiting to be publishing so watch this space.

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Life Update // University

University is something I have always had mixed feelings about. The thought of it makes me feel both incredibly excited yet so nervous. Luckily, I have been offered an unconditional place at De Montfort University to study Journalism and Media BA (Hons).

With going to university comes big responsibilities such as living on my own, doing my own food shopping and juggling my time between studying and everything else. It scares me to think I'll have to fend for myself instead of having my mum and dad cook me dinner and wash my clothes. (Although bringing bags of washing home for my mum will definitely happen!) I'm so excited for this experience and thought I need to let you lovely lot know because everyone in the blogging community are so supportive and lovely!

 I can't wait to start writing blog posts about things I have brought for my room and tips for saving money ect. Keep an eye out for those soon! I've already posted a mini haul here, but will probably post 10 more before I go, watch this space. 

Anyone else looking at going to uni this year?

B x

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Chapstick // Smoothie Mixstix

The cold weather always leaves my lips feeling super dry and horrible so I've been on the search for something that would rehydrate them. I've tried tons of different chapsticks but none has lasted long and most medical ones taste or smell horrible! 

The other day I popped into my local boots to find this super cute double ended chapstick. I've never seen this type of chapstick before so I was instantly interested. The novelty of this product is one of the things I love the most. One end is banana flavoured and the other is strawberry. You can mix both flavour together like it suggests or just use one end at a time. The smell and flavour is very sweet and intense which I personally love. Even when you look past the super cute packaging and all the jazz of a two in one product the overall product does do what it says on the tin. And it does it very well. Since using this chapstick my lips feel smooth and moisturised. 

Strawberry end

Banana end

Any great novelty products you've come across recently?

B x

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Would you rather... // Beauty Edition

I thought this year I would mix up my blog posts a little bit. Instead of the normal beauty review posts I thought having a few chatty posts throughout the year would be nice. So grab a seat boo's this is gonna be a rambley one.

Beauty tags are always fun to read and I find it interesting what other bloggers have to say. So, to kickstart this switch up I thought I'd do the Would You Rather Beauty Edition. I know that there are a few different ones online but this is the one I most recently saw being shared on my bloglovin' page!

1. Would you rather go out with messy hair and nice makeup or nice hair and no makeup?

100% messy hair and nice makeup. I do this already... I love a messy bun! I much prefer spending time doing my makeup than my hair because my hair NEVER goes right.

2. Would you rather shave your eyebrows off or have your eyelashes fall out?

This is so hard because I love my eyebrows and eyelashes! But, seen as you can more easily fix your eyebrows by drawing them on, I'd rather shave them off. Imagine having no eyelashes??? The amount of stuff you'd get in your eyes would drive me insane.

3. Would you rather be forced to shop at MAC or Sephora for the rest of your life?

Sephora is basically the mothership of makeup. I love loads of different brands that Sephora sell. Even though it's a lot easier to find a MAC store in the UK, I would rather Sephora for the rest of my life.

4. Would you rather wear the lipgloss/lipliner look or have an 80's perm?

I have naturally crazy curly hair so I would never ever get a perm. I know some people do the lipgloss with lip liner look. I think if you combine a very pigmented gloss and light lip liner it can actually look alright!

5. Would you rather leave the house with an obvious foundation line or over done blush?

This is probably the hardest question yet because both look absolutely ridiculous... I would have to go with the over done blush. Sometimes you can pull off a rosy red cheek! I think an obvious foundation line is one of the first things someone notices and no one likes the orange line!

6. Would you rather wear MC hammer pants or biker shorts?

The hammer pants of course. MC hammer pants can be pulled off way easier than biker shorts. Who even wears biker shorts except bikers?! I think in the summer MC hammer pants can kinda work!

7. Would you rather have a bad orange spray tan or weird tan lines that can't be covered?

I've actually experience both of these. Woops! I'd go for the bad spray tan. Tan lines can last for months and a spray tan can last for a week or so!

8. Would you rather have a bad hair cut or bad hair colour?

Bad hair cuts have happened many times before and so have bad hair colours. I'd go for the hair cut as it can grow out or you could always pop it up with bobby pins or hair ties. Bad hair colour can last longer and be way more damaging for your hair which isn't worth it!

9. Would you rather have Youtube or Twitter taken away forever?

This is a tough one because I spend a massive amount of my time tweeting and communicating with other bloggers but also supporting and watching Youtubers. I'd have to go with Youtube as Twitter is such an important social media site for my blogging and has been a place where I have become part of a community with other bloggers!

10. Would you rather give up using makeup brushes or using mascara? 

Makeup brushes for sure! I used to apply makeup all the time with just my hands or makeup sponges. Not exactly the most professional way I know, but what's a full face of makeup with mascara?! I know you could use fake eye lashes but no one needs to be doing that everyday!

Leave any of your answers to these below! I love reading them!

B x

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Winter Reds // Lipstick Review

Winter is my favourite time of the year. It brings jumper season, duvet days and dark nights. However, the main reason I really love winter is because I get to wear my favourite lip colours every day without looking like I'm a vamp wanna-be. 

Red's at this time of year are perfect. I would love to pull a Taylor Swift and rock a red lip every single day of the year but unfortunately I am not blessed with suiting a bold bright red. Instead, I'm more of a dark burgundy kinda girl! So, as it's now the middle of the season I thought I'd share with you lovely readers what my top 3 shades are. (And boy it was like picking a favourite child!)

The first shade I'm going to start with is the most recent lip shade I have added to my collection. Mac Diva. I have been searching online and in store for this shade since the beginning of October. It was sold out for months but finally it is back on the Mac Cosmetics website! Hooray! 

This shade is very, very, very matte. It's very intense burgundy shade and lasts on the lips for hours. Trust me, it doesn't budge! The only thing I find with this lipstick is that because it is so matte, it does dry out my lips quite badly, so I always apply a base layer of vaseline to soften my lips.

The second shade is from L'Oreal Paris. It's number 703 Oud Obsession from their Colour Riche collection. I've never owned any of the L'Oreal lipsticks before, but after this purchase I'll definitely be expanding my horizons and buying some more shades. This shade is a browny/red colour and is the darkest shade I own. It leaves quite a glossy look on the lips and is moisturising which is a bonus. I also adore the packaging of this lipstick. The gold makes the lipstick look classy and elegant.

The last shade is from one of my favourite drugstore brands, Rimmel. It's from the Lasting Finish By Kate Nudes collection. It is a more neutral shade compared to the other shades I have mentioned. The finish of this lipstick is very creamy which I love. You do have to reapply throughout the day. As it comes under the nudes collection for a more intense look you do have to apply at least two coats. However, it is a very wearable shade so you could apply just one for a more natural look.

Below are two pictures of swatches and links to the products mentioned in this post.

Swatches from top to bottom: 

Rimmel Lasting Finish By Kate Moss 48

L'Oreal Colour Riche 703 Oud Obsession

Mac Matte Diva

If any of you have any other statement lipsticks for the winter I'd love to read about them in the comments below!

B x

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Photo diary // A weekend in Paris Part 1

Hello lovelies, I've never done a photo diary post before but I have so many beautiful photos I would love to share with you all. So, I hope you don't mind this post not being beauty related!:D

This valentines was perfect for me and in no way am I bragging I just am so happy I got to go to Paris as I've been dreaming about going for years. Me and my boyfriend went to the romantic capital for 3 nights and it was our first ever trip abroad alone. Ciaran (my boyfriend) brought me this trip as my christmas present so I have been looking forward to this since November! This first post will be about the day we spent being complete tourists and the second part will be about the day we spent at Disneyland!! Enjoy photo browsing my lovelies<3

B x

The streets of Paris were so photogenic

Me and Ciaran in front of the Arc De Triomphe

The beautiful Arc De Triomphe

Me and Ciaran standing in front of the Louvre

Sephora was a dream! Blog posts to come ;-)

The Eiffel Tower up close

The Eiffel Tower all lit up

Paris had so many beautiful views

Shopping on the Champs-Elysees

Taking this photo was scary!!!

The Champs-Elysees was sooo long!

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MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Highlighter // Review

Hello lovlies! As promised I am uploading weekly again, yay! This post is going to be linked with other posts I do in the upcoming weeks as I brought a few new MAC products and want to review each one separately:)

When I went to Oxford a few weeks ago I popped into the rather large MAC counter in Debenhams. Unfortunately, where I live doesn't have a MAC counter which means I either have to go to MK centre or order online. (I hate ordering makeup online unless it's a repurchase!) My boyfriend actually brought the two products I got as part of my Christmas present. One of these items was the Mineralize Skinfinish Powder in the shade Soft & Gentle.

I love this shade so much simply because it isn't too dark so it can be used either lightly as a highlighter for the cheekbones or can be built up for more of a bronzing look. The shimmer is so intense in this product and adds such a natural glow when caught in the light, Below are two images; One taken with the flash and the other without just to show the shimmer better.

The power had a high metallic finish on the skin and feels so smooth. It's known for its velvet finish which is one of the reasons I chose this product. I use to add definition mainly to the tops of my cheekbones but also down the bridge of my nose and even under my eyebrows to give a polished finish.

I can't recommend this product enough. It's a perfect highlighter! As always I love discovering new products so if you are loving anything at the moment feel free to share with me!:D

B x

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