What I Wore | Aztec Affair

So today I thought I would share yet another what I wore post with you, but I was very excited about this one in particular as it features my brand new sale ASOS dress which was a bargain at only £7.50!

What I wore on my body

 Dress - B/W Aztec Print Dress, Asos (love love love)

Belt - An oldie, unfortunately I cannot remember where it is from (Sorry guys!)

Tights - Supercosy Cotton Tights, ASDA

What I wore on my feet

Pumps - Bow Glitzy Pumps which you have seen before, New Look

What I wore on my face and head

Hair - Voluminous lightly curled and pulled to the side (apologies for the roots!)

Face- Benefit Porefessional Pore Minimiser
L'oreal 24hr Infallible Make up (Porcelain)
Collection 2000 Pressed Powder (Ivory)
Eyes - Max Factor Khol Eyeliner Pencil in Charcoal Black
MUA Browns Trio Eyeshadow
Clinique High Impact Mascara
Lips - Burts Bees Lip Balm

What I wore around my neck

Necklace - A beautiful gift I received for my 14th or 15th birthday, stunning heart shaped locket with an art deco pattern. Can't seem to take this off at the moment I'm really loving it.

 I hope you've enjoyed this edition of 'what I wore' I love hearing your comments, seeing your latest fashion endeavors or even just general blogger feedback!

As you all know today marks the end of February, so stay tuned for my latest best buy post coming in the next few days along with some latest beauty product reviews, from the likes of Philosophy, Garnier and Dove.

If you like that and more you can keep up to date with my posts on Bloglovin or keep up to date with just me on Twitter

Losing My Lush Virginity | Angels On Bare Skin Cleanser Review

Today I am going to be chatting to you about my recent Lush purchase which ashamedly enough was a result of me losing my 'Lush Virginity' yes that's right ladies and gents, before last week I had never bought a single product from Lush! Anyway onwards and upwards it is safe to say that now I am addicted and even now wish to move house specifically to accommodate a bathtub, as obsessions go that's quite a commitment!

Our local Lush store is located on Aberdeen's Union Street and is quite small in size so all of the scents in the store sort of hit you all at once, but it wasn't nauseating like I was expecting, if anything I could accuse the scent of sending me into a purchase frenzy and brainwashing me through my nose!

Even though tempted by the many soaps, washes and scrubs Lush has to offer, I did go in with a specific aim. Recently my skin has been rather lack luster due to our terrible weather, you name it, I've had it, blotchy patches, dryness, blocked pores, it has been awful so I really wanted a miracle cleanser to give my skin that sort of kick it desperately needed to get back to its usual glowing self.

The sales assistant was so helpful and really seemed to know her stuff, she was very attentive to what my requirements were and eventually she recommended I try this nifty product, the Angels On Bare Skin Cleanser.

The woman in the store told me this was a very well balanced cleanser as it's sensitive enough to use on dry, sensitive skin but also dense enough to help those with a more oily skin condition, so it's quite a good all rounder if you aren't looking for something too specific. The cleanser isn't much to look at, granted, in fact when I first spotted it I thought it looked like an oatmeal concoction with some plants spread throughout, but honestly if you like lavender it smells divine and that really helped me past the initial appearance!

I have been using this cleanser for about 4/5 days now and have implemented it into my morning routine, before applying my moisturizer and a little definitely goes a long way with this solution. I have so far loved using this cleanser, it's a nice feeling when you're using an all natural product on your face especially and it might be psychological but that all natural feeling makes me think I'm doing good for my face.

For the sake of being honest and open I will say this, unfortunately you cannot use this cleanser as a two in one to remove your make up unless of course you rub very very vigorously which I would not recommend. With all Lush products this one does have a use by date which in my case is May, and with the amount you use daily with a cleanser of this consistency it probably won't even be finished by then. And finally I would say that for a single purpose cleanser that Lush are on the pricey side, this one is 100g and it set me back £6.35. A nice little luxury I would say!

Overall though I look forward to trying out more Lush products in the future and a bathtub is certainly on the top of my wishlist for when we move in May! What are your favourite Lush products or which ones are you dying to try out? Drop me a comment below, catch me on Twitter or if you want to keep up to date with my latest posts follow me on Bloglovin

H.Elizabeth

What I Wore | Another Manic Monday

Hello there, thought I would share with you yet another wardrobe post just for an easy beginning of the week read. Fun fact, beleive it or not the 'top' I'm wearing below used to work as a dress! Damn those milky ways...

What I wore on my body

Top/Dress -Navy blue ruffle vest, Topshop

Trousers - Black 'harem' esque trousers, River Island

What I wore on my feet

Biker Boots - Black Leather Lace Up's, Brantano Footwear

What I wore around my neck

Necklace - Blue Floral Jewelled Necklace, Accessorize

What I wore on my head and face

Head - Loose volumised curls, Babyliss Curling Wand

Face- Benefit Porefessional Pore Minimiser
L'oreal Infallible 24hr Make up (Porcelain)
Collection 2000 Pressed Powder (Ivory)
Eyes - Max Factor Khol Eyeliner Pencil in Charcoal Black
MUA Silvers Trio Eyeshadow
Clinique High Impact Mascara
Lips - Burts Bees Lip Balm

As you can probably tell from my other recent 'what I wore' posts my babyliss curling wand has been my best friend as of late, my favourite way to wear my hair is in loose curls and perhaps now that the weather is ever so slightly warmer I might just be more motivated to get up earlier to recreate this look.

Of course if you follow me on Twitter you'll know that I am currently on the hunt for some good texturising salt spray I think it would add a good look to my hair in the Summer when my highlights come in and I can feel human again, so if  you have any recommendations be sure to drop me a comment below, catch me on Twitter or if you'd just like to see more of me in the future you can follow my posts on Bloglovin

H. Elizabeth

Getting a bit Lippy

Good day everyone, today I thought I would share with you one of the biggest beauty dilemmas I face in day to day life, and fingers crossed by the end of this post we will have worked out a solution to my beauty buy woes.

Lipstick. Lipgloss. Balms, hell lip products many times have sadly eluded me. You name it I have it, pinks, reds, browns, corals, purple but I can never settle on a die hard favourite to have its own prestigious place amongst my beauty favourites.

Below are a few of my lip based purchases in the last few months and perhaps you can share your lippy wisdom with me and help me get out of my colour rut! Starting with my glosses.

1. Missguided - Funnily enough, free with a magazine, this colour on is a hot pink colour with pigments of purple throughout. I thought this would be an excellent statement gloss and would provide a good contrast to my Casper skin....I was wrong, think I'll be steering clear of purple for the foreseeable future!

2. Barry M - Another freebie, this came along with an impulse Christmas deodorant set and it's a lovely pale pink colour which I often use when I have my hair in a bun (the wind up here is ridiculous and gloss matted hair is not yet in style!)

3. Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker XL Extreme Plump In Pink Out Loud - This is a fairly new purchase but so far I'm really enjoying using it mainly because of the sensation you get from these lip swelling products, call me crazy but I love it!

And now the sticks.

1. Miss Sporty - An oldie and cheapie but goodie, when I first bought this it was fantastic (as I was a lippy virgin and didn't know good lipstick yet!!!) Now the stick has dried out entirely and is unusable. No good for long term!

2. Rimmel - This one is called 'Gold Coral' and I went through a major phase where I wore this everyday, not entirely sure which Rimmel range this is part of but I love it for a Summer into Autumn colour. However this one dried out my lips terribly and the cracked effect only looks good on nails I'm afraid.

3. MUA - Ashamedly this is my only red lippy and I'd love another one as this one is getting a tad grubby.

4. Clinique - My all time, number one favourite lipstick, well cheating here it's really a coloured balm if anything. I love the silky feeling it leaves on my lips and the colour is really great, unfortunately I would say this colour is rather subtle and I'd really like to get a collection of these going in all and every colour... when I win the lottery!

As some of you may know from reading my Twitter feed I have recently purhcased two of the Rimmel Moisture Renew lipsticks one in a lovely latte brown colour and the other in a deep pink colour, stay tuned for my verdict on these two sticks!

I hope you have enjoyed this rather lenghty post, I'd love to hear your comments on what your fave lipstick brands are so I can give them a sample! As always you can catch me on Twitter and can follow this page via Bloglovin!

H.Elizabeth

What I Wore | Feeling French

Recently I've been feeling as if I've hit a sort of wardrobe rut, nothing I seem to put on is giving me the usual confidence boost that comes hand in hand with a great outfit. However this day the clouds parted and I, for the first time in weeks found an outfit I remained happy for throughout the day.

What I wore on my body

Top - 'Tres Jole' Cropped top, H & M
Dress - Black Tube Dress, Topshop
Tights - Super Cosy Cotton Tights, Asda

 What I wore on my feet

Boots - Leather and Suede effect heeled boots, H&M

What I wore on my head and face

Hair - Voluminous lightly curled and pulled to the side (All time favourite hairstyle)

Face- Benefit Porefessional Pore Minimiser
L'oreal Infallible Make up (Porcelain)
Collection 2000 Pressed Powder (Ivory)
Eyes - Max Factor Khol Eyeliner Pencil in Charcoal Black
MUA Browns Trio Eyeshadow
Clinique High Impact Mascara
Lips - Burts Bees Lip Balm

What I wore on my ears (This is a new one!)
Black teardrop earrings, a gift from my mum.

I was very chuffed that I was having a good hair day, these are few and far between and for it to fall on a day where I was also having a good wardrobe day seems improbable but there you have it. I hope you've enjoyed this 'what I wore' post I feel like my wardrobe blues may finally be at an end!

As usual I love hearing from you so drop me a comment below, catch me on Twitter or if you just can't get enough, follow me on Bloglovin.

H.Elizabeth

Fragrance Faves

Today I thought I would share some of my fragrance faves with you, it's a kind of ritual that every birthday and Christmas I'll try and find a new perfume to add to my ever growing collection in an attempt to find my 'signature scent'. At the moment I have 9 perfumes on my vanity table, so I want to share my 4 favourite scents of the moment.

1) Killer Queen - Katy Perry

Yes, I bought into the hype I'm quite a Katy Perry fan and loved her previous perfume 'Meow' Firstly I love the bottles quirky design, it's so playful and makes me feel fancy!! The perfume itself is very sweet and reminds me of a berry sort of smell and ALL of my scarves smell of this perfume it's very long lasting, and as I learned the hard way, a little goes a long long way!

2) Lola - Marc Jacobs
The newest addition to my collection, this one I've been lusting after for a good while now, and it's so lovely. My special occasion perfume you could say! As you can probably tell from the beautiful lid this one is very floral and reminds me of Summer, something I am desperately missing in my life!

3) Nina - Nina Ricci

For me this is an oldie but goodie, 'Nina' was one of the first perfumes I ever truly loved. I have bought 4 bottles of this in total and even have a reserve for when I run out! First I fell in love with the bottle (I tend to like the shiny shiny things in life) it adds a beautiful, vintage, fairytale look to my dressing table not to mention it smells divine!

4) Lady Million - Paco Rabanne 

After buying 'Black XS' by Paco Rabanne as my 'school perfume' I was hooked, and instantly fell for the hype surrounding Lady Million. It's my 'night out' perfume again with this one, a little goes a very long way it's hard to remove the scent though but I love being able to smell my own perfume...it's reassuring!

Keeping it short and sweet today, I hope you've enjoyed my fragrance faves post. As always your comments are appreciated, if you want a wee chin wag you can catch me on Twitter or if you want to keep up with the latest Granite City posts follow me on Bloglovin

H.Elizabeth

The Glamour Beauty Edit - Beauty Box

A couple of weeks ago I ordered my first ever Glamour 'beauty box' featured in their magazines. For only £14.95 Glamour promise you will make a saving of over £30.00 with what fills the contents of your own box.

Here are a few pictures of this edition of Glamour's beauty box and what came along with it.

As you can see the items come in a lovely understated boxed packaging each one appears to be hand packed with care given the crepe paper wrapping and the straw covering underneath. This box could easily be reused as a make up box and would look super stylish on your dressing table.

 

  Featured in 2014's beauty box, pictured above are the following:

1. Daniel Sandler Long Lasting Waterproof Eyeliner in Aqua Velvet
According to it's descriptor, this liner was made specifically for Glamour and has a strikingly turquoise appearance when worn. I look forward to experimenting with this liner as blues, greens and browns tend to match my skin tone quite well.

2. Percy & Reed Abundantly Bouncy Volumising Mousse
This is a product I have tried previous to buying the beauty box and was sort of a deal breaker purhcase, at least I knew there was going to be one thing I was sure to love. I love big hair and back combing, so this mousse really contributes to the look I tend to go for.

3. Burt's Bees Lip Balm

I have heard quite a lot of hype surrounding this lip balm in magazines and blogs alike. I very often struggle with lip based purchases as my lips tend to become incredibly dry I have been on the hunt for a conditioning balm that can save the day and perhaps I have found it?

4. L'Oreal Paris Mega Volume Miss Manga Mascara
Such use of alliteration, what can go wrong?! With the promise of 'Miss Manga' lashes, I was bound to purchase this mascara eventually, I am a sucker for mascara products and hype. My favourite staple for my eyelashes has simple been false eyelashes and I'd love to finally ditch the glue and move onto a simple mascara!

5. Rituals Zensation Organic Rice Milk & Cherry Blossom Foaming Shower Gel SensationDescribed by Glamour Magazine as 'non gloopy' I don't really have much to go on with this gel, I'm not really one to buy into hype around shower products I'm afraid I'm generally a simple Imperial Leather lady, but never say never!

6. Cheeky Chat Me Up Paint In Tongue N Cheek

It's coral pink, it's nail polish. Need I say more.

7. Invisibobble

With the appearance of a 1990's phone cord, the fabulous invisibobble allows you to tie up your hair and take it down kink free! I'm so looking forward to trying this out especially since for my job I am required to have my hair up for the whole day!

Sad as this may sound I am most excited about using the Invisibobble, I want kink free hair so bad!! Stay tuned for the in depth invisibobble review!

Have any of you bought the latest beauty box? If so comment below with your favourite item! Otherwise you can catch me on Twitter or if you want to keep up to date with my up coming posts you can follow me on Bloglovin

H. Elizabeth.

Liebster Award Nomination

It can be said that to me writing this blog has given me a new lease of life, through my writing and thanks all of you lovelies reading and commenting I have been able to rediscover a fundamental part of myself which I feared had been lost through the waves of university life, studies and life planning!

So while chatting and tweeting with a few readers and fellow bloggers a couple of days ago, I was touched to hear that Talita, of Talita Says had nominated me for the Liebster Award (for much more info zip over to Talita's blog!) Now before we all get a head of ourselves and writing our pageant acceptance speeches a few details must be duly noted:

• The Liebster (German for 'dearest'/'beloved') Award is an inter community honour which aims to inspire a blogging environment of positivity (much like the free love movement)
•  There is no prize or award for the Liebster
• Upon nomination you must complete 5 tasks in order to express acceptance and keep the love train going!
  

1. Make a post dedicated to the Liebster Award and follow the rules of common courtesy, be thankful.

2. State 11 interesting facts about yourself.

3. Answer the 11 questions from the blogger who nominated you.

4. Nominate 5 - 11 new bloggers.

5. Write 11 new questions for those bloggers to answer.

11 (what I think are) interesting facts about me.
1. My mother raised me to always be clean and tidy, yet I am probably the biggest slob ever.
2. I love to travel alone, sounds like a lonely existence but snuggling down with a good book on a bus is one of the greatest things I can think of doing.
3. I am an only child and I love it, now that I'm 20 I use this as an excuse not to share anything!
4. This is the longest time I have stuck to maintaining a blog, so happy I am though.
5. It is one of my life goals to complete the London Marathon by the time I am 25.
6. My grandma threw away all of my hundreds of pokemon cards, to this day I am devastated.
7. I am addicted to online shopping, the i-Pad is my nemesis.
8. Because of my job I am not allowed to paint my nails, so it's a massive treat when I can.
9. I will have finished my degree by the time I am 21 (also a life goal)
10. I would love to be able to say I am good at baking, the sad fact of the matter is I work in a bakery but I am a disaster in the kitchen.
11. My TV guilty pleasures consist of 'Real Housewives' and Millionaire Matchmaker.

Talita Says' 11 Questions

1. Why did you decide to start blogging?

2. What's your most treasured memory?

3. What's the best advice you've ever received?

4. What song have you had on repeat lately?

5. What's your favorite part about blogging?

6. If you could hop on a plane right now, where would you go?

7. Who would you bring with you?

8. What's your definition of the perfect day?

9. For what in your life do you feel most grateful?

10. What is the greatest accomplishment of your life?

 11. What's your biggest dream?

1. Having lost time for writing due to studying I began to really miss it and starting this blog has kept me grounded and helped me rediscover my love of writing.

2. Not really a specific memory as such but walking to the cinema every Sunday with my parents as a kid.

3. Start as you mean to go on - I have used this advice in every walk of life.

4. Let It Go - Idina Menzel from the Disney hit 'Frozen'

5. Being part of something bigger than myself, and chatting to people with similar interests to me.

6. Cliche I know, but New York.

7. I would bring my partner Nick.

8. Shopping and having enough money to do so!

9. My happy family life (by which I mean my relationship with my parents)

10. So far making it through my university degree without cracking!

11. To have a published novel or to run my own events management company.

My chosen Bloggers 

1. Pint Size Pixie

2. hannahheartss

3. Hello Freckles

4. The Beauty Baker

5. I Totally Paused

My 11 Questions

1. Other than blogging what are your hobbies?

2. What is your dream job?

3. What is your biggest achievement so far?

4. What are your favourite beauty products at the moment?

5. Which fictional character do you most identify with (book/film)?

6. If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go?

7. And what would you do?

8. Who is your role model and why?

9. What is the best advice you have ever been given?

10. What is your favourite film?

11. If you could give advice to any fellow writers/bloggers out there what would it be?

Apologies for the long long post, but thank you if you've stuck around for so long. As always your comments are appreciated you can find me on Twitter or follow me on Bloglovin

H.Elizabeth.

Valentines Day - A Granite City Romance

Happy Valentines Day everyone, today I thought I'd do something a little bit different to the traditional 'valentines day look' blog post and instead tell you a bit more about my own love life in the form of documenting my relationship milestones in photographs thus far. 

Going Courting: Year 1

First things first, Nick and I met a fairly generic way in a bar in Summer...while he was clad in lycra and dressed as one of the greatest cult superheroes of all time, Spider-man. Indeed I love the eccentric and meeting a man in dressed lycra, on a Summers night, for no particular reason...well naturally this was a pairing that was meant to be (plus the comical link of Spider-man and redhead Mary Jane)

Going Steady: Year 2

This year Nick and I came a long way in our relationship, as a very talented watch maker I received the most thought out and personal gift, a custom watch as you can see above (he's a difficult gift giver to top!) For our first anniversary we hired bikes and embarrassingly Nick taught me how to ride one... (when I say I'm a city girl I mean it in the most literal sense) And on another milestone, we took our first couples holiday to Rome. City of romance and rejection I'm afraid (My attire wasn't appropriate enough for his highness the pope..oops) But lovely none the less the Trevi Fountain is on my list of top favourite romantic places.

Going Down the Aisle: Year 3

Last year marked one of the best years of my life as you can probably guess. On taking a trip to London for our anniversary Nick proposed in the only way I would have expected, while we were eating pizza and he was dressed as Spider-man. Best holiday ever! (to end on a high I'll tell you the top right pic is us at the Rocky Horror Picture Show)

And here are some of the other bits in between

I hope everyone else is having as fab a Valentines day as I am, I look forward to the next 3 years worth of milestones Nick and beginning the rest of my life with him as from August this year.

How have you guys been spending your Valentines Day, drop me a comment below, send me a Tweet or if you want to keep up with my posts follow me on Bloglovin

H.Elizabeth

Barry M's Matte Nail Paint

Nail polish is my vice, I'm not good at putting it on, taking it off and I have not yet mastered the art of the non smudged manicure! Nevertheless I am a sucker for the latest and greatest in nail polish, I have the lacquers, gels, glitters, chameleon, neon...all of the things, so it was no surprise that when Barry M released their latest matte finish nail polish, it was at the top of my wishlist and I was near first in line at Boots.

On going to purchase the polish I was still undecided about the colour to go for, so far their matte range has 5, and I was swithering between their gorgeous (what looked like) deep red and their grey colour called 'vanilla' Eventually I settled on their red 'crush' I figured if I'm going to go Matte I may as well make a statement about it!

 Here is what the paint looks like on, apologies for the shabby handiwork and camerawork actually! On brushing the colour across my nail the polish at first appeared to be a deep deep burgundy colour, which is what I was expecting. However when it dried, and it dried surprisingly fast, it turned into a sort of Matte plum colour which I was even more chuffed with!

I really like the alternative grunge look it offers your fingers over the hi-shine or glitter ones that I am used to especially since I haven't been feeling particularly Summery with this dreich weather we've all been suffering through!

So I hope you've enjoyed my take on Barry M's Matte Nail Paint, I'm off out to get another in my next haul!

 As per I love to hear from you so drop me a comment, catch me on Twitter or if you just can't get enough, follow me on Bloglovin where you can keep up to date with my latest and greatest Granite City posts.

H.Elizabeth

What I Wore | Feeling Theatrical

As many of you know, at the weekend I went to see Ghost the musical and had a fantastic time, usually I find it difficult to find a nice yet comfortable outfit to sit for about 3 hours in. So since I feel Saturday was a wardrobe success I thought I would share my look with you.

What I wore on my body

Playsuit - Crochet lace appearing play-suit, Zara
Tights - Super cosy cotton tights, Asda

What I wore on my feet

Boots - Leather and Suede effect heeled boots, H&M

What I wore on my head and face

Hair -Twisted hair sections pinned back, fringe quiffed (fantastic style for vision!)

Face- Benefit Porefessional Pore Minimiser
L'oreal Infallible Make up (Porcelain)
Collection 2000 Pressed Powder (Ivory)

Eyes - Various from Urban Decay's Naked 2 Palette 

MUA Cream coloured shadow
Max Factor Khol Eyeliner Pencil in Charcoal Black
Clinique High Impact Mascara

Lips - Nivea Moisturising Lip Balm
MUA Red Lippy (not sure of name!)

What I wore around my neck

Deserving of a section all alone is my lovely Art Deco necklace given as a Christmas gift from my grandma a few years ago. I love this necklace as a statement piece especially when paired with a plain white vest, dress or regular top, as I feel it makes quite a bold contrast, especially when you're as Casper as I am!

Well I hope you enjoyed this edition of 'What I Wore' as usual your comments are more than welcome, if you'd like to keep up to date follow me on Bloglovin' or of course you can always catch me on Twitter

H.Elizabeth

Ghost comes to Aberdeen

As some of you know (from my 20 things post) I have a fairly close relationship with my Mum (the daily phone calls was a hint) she is a wonderful, hardworking woman who deserves nothing less than the best, therefore every Christmas I work to find the perfect annual gift to give her and for Christmas 2013 I found myself giving her the gift of a Ghostly theatrical performance!

Since a young age I have shared many cinema going and movie watching experiences with my mother, but none, more so, than of the Hollywood blockbuster and romantic comedy genre ( mostly of the Patrick Swayze persuasion I may add!) With some of her most loved films being Dirty Dancing, Pretty Woman and of course Ghost it was natural that I take her to the live stage shows when they occasionally appear in Aberdeen, and this year was no exception.

 

(My copy of the programme)

On purchasing the tickets for 'Ghost' the West End spectacular about 6 months ago, I went in with not only skepticism but exceedingly high hopes, the transition of a Hollywood classic to a theatrical stage show is not an easy feat to accomplish, but tackled the right way can lead to something mesmerising.

From arriving at our well picked (if I do say so myself) seats in the stalls I was in awe at how my small local theatre had been transformed into a clear window display of the New York skyline, from then on I was hooked (my NYC love knows no bounds) Although, we were intrigued as to how they could turn one of our favourite movies into a musical performance having known only one song from the actual film, but I must say their original songs 100% delivered and I think struck the perfect balance between cinema and stage show.

Perhaps the most impressive and jaw dropping aspect of all; other than the male lead's washboard abs.. it had to be mentioned; was the special effects. NEVER and I mean NEVER have I seen a show who used so many clever lighting tricks and special effects to simply add to a shows performance. Bodies floated with what appeared to be no strings, the actors ghostly bodies appeared while at the same time leaving their physical bodies behind, and most impressively our buff Sam was shown to pass through physical objects, as if the scene had literally jumped out of our much loved Hollywood blockbuster and onto stage... more impressive in real life if you ask me!

(Musical numbers from the show)

As I do not want to spoil anything for those who may not have seen the film, or those who may even now be wishing to see the stage show, I'll end here, but I will say this...bring your tissues ladies and gentlemen, there won't be a dry eye in the house.

Most importantly, my mum had a blast and I couldn't have been happier! So until the West End decide to make a Pretty Woman Musical I may have to get a bit more imaginative with future gifts!

As always your comments are welcome and you can always catch me on Twitter or follow me on BlogLovin

H.Elizabeth

  Stay tuned for my Ghost | What I Wore post coming soon.
 (Recent theatre visits include: Dirty Dancing, The Full Monty and The Rocky Horror Picture Show)

What I Wore | Ladies Who Lunch

This week has been quite eventful for days out and a busy social calendar, so I am going to share my Thursday luncheon look with you, what one would wear to a casual afternoon of Brazilian food and fine company.

What I wore on my body

Vest- Black Plain, Forever 21
Blouse- Sheer White, Topshop
Bottoms- Dark Blue Jeggings, Sparkle & Fade, Urban Outfitters (Stretchy as a necessity!)

What I wore on my feet

Flats- Grey & Silver Bow Pumps, New Look (New Addition)

What I wore on my head and face

Hair- Minnie Mouse Bow Bun (See Previous How To Post) 
Ears- Faux pearl earrings (my go to pair)
Face- Benefit Porefessional Pore Minimiser
L'oreal Infallible Make up (Porcelain)
Collection 2000 Pressed Powder (Ivory)
Eyes- Urban Decay's 'Rehab' Cream Shadow
MUA Cream coloured shadow
Max Factor Khol Eyeliner Pencil in Charcoal Black
Clinique High Impact Mascara
Lips- Nivea Moisturising Lip Balm

As I discovered later on in the evening I was happy to be wearing VERY stretchy jeggings as I ate my weight in Brazilian food! Anybody else have a special pair of eating bottoms?!

 As always I appreciate any and all comments from you lovely people and if you want to chat with me a bit more reach me on Twitter and you can keep up to date with me on Bloglovin

H.Elizabeth

Minnie Mouse Bow Bun | How To

So if there are any girls out there who, like me, are still chasing that elusive dream of Disney-like hairstyles, fear not help is at hand in the form of a Minnie Mouse-esque bow bun!

Usually my attempts to play around with my hair and throw together a hairstyle (a myth I assure you!) go awry and ordinarily end with me clutching my hair in two frizzy clumps on either side of my head and ultimately throwing it into a bobble and having done with it!

However one day, and one day only, the clouds parted and my misfortune melted away temporarily as one of my hairstyles turned to be a giant success and yes, you guessed it I achieved the Minnie Mouse 'Bow Bun'

In celebration of my mass achievement I would like to share with you my 3 step guide to achieving the Minnie Mouse Bow Bun.

You will need:
 1 Regular Hair Bobble
Lots of bobby pins
A tin of hairspray
Patience

Step 1:  Begin by taking your hair as high as possible on your head and put it through a bobble once as normal, then bring it around a second time but do not pull all of the way through. (This will create a mini loop as you can see from the picture on the left)

Step 2: Using the loop of hair you have just created, split this in two using your fingers to create two even loops (they may look a bit messy, this is normal) Form these loops into two rounded hair buns using your hands (where the patience comes in handy)

Step 3: Using your hair pins, pin both of the buns into place (as many as you feel necessary) To get your middle section, you should still have a wee bit extra from where you left your loop, take that around the front, and secure with more pins! 

Finally spray with as much hairspray as you see fit and you're done!

I hope you have enjoyed my first ever how to post, to keep updated follow me on Bloglovin or send me a Tweet!

H.Elizabeth

Urban Decay's Cream Shadow

Today I am going to be talking about Urban Decay's Cream Shadow which I bought as part of my February wish list earlier this month.

I really wanted to try out just a general cream eyeshadow and I figured you couldn't go far wrong with Urban Decay having already bought their Naked 2 palette and loved it, mostly this was a curiosity buy and today has been the first day I have had time to try and test.

Finding them was the most difficult part, I had read reviews and saw them featured in various vlogs and tutorials but could not find them in store for the life of me, so I turned to Ebay, and thank goodness I did! In the end I ended up getting a lucky bag mix of 5 cream shadows for only £10.00 (Amazon RRP. £3.70 each)

Striking luck I got all of the colours I wanted, a beautiful blue and purple (Radium & Delinquent), my go to neutral brown (Rehab)  and a couple of fun colours thrown in for good measure (Sphynx & Weeds) The colours just completely pop when you are as pale and ghostly as I am, so I'm really looking forward to a day when I can attempt a blue and purple look (there are indeed some benefits!)

Today I opted for 'Rehab' the brown you can see above, along with an off white MUA shadow to blend on my inner eye and under brow. Thankfully these shadows come with a handy little applicator which made using it so much simpler than I had first anticipated, however it does need a bit of brushing off in the tub before you can go ahead and put it onto your eye as it was a bit clumpy to begin with. So slightly time consuming for my tastes but regardless it appears to have lasted the day, which is all I wanted.

I am really looking forward to trying out some fun styles with these shadows, perhaps a Neapolitan effect using the brown and pink with a cream.

Has anyone else ever tried these out? If you have what do you think?

H. Elizabeth

Quirks of a Cinephile

Today I'm going to reveal something a few of you don't know about me, I am a major Cinephile.

A 'Cinephile' for those who don't know is someone with an intense interest in cinema and film, I personally have gone to the cinema every week, at least once a week since I was about 5 or 6 years old. It's a passion I have shared with my parents  for years, with the interest actually stemming from their...encouragement (can it be called that?)

Those who know me often have to suffer through those Cinephilic quirks which have came to define my personality and enhance my...qualities as a person, here is a taster of what it can be like as a friend of a Cinephile:

#1. First of all as a cinema fanatic and being an avid viewer of many many films over the years, I have a movie reference for pretty much everything, discussing McDonalds will remind me of Pulp Fiction and even my shopping style is reminiscent of scenes from Confessions of a Shopaholic. So if you ever are in a situation where you meet me, you can guarantee I'll have a movie reference for that exact moment.

#2. Watching a film with me can literally take hours and hours if you're a chatterbox, that film will be paused and rewound more times than Leo DiCaprio has cried on screen ever!

#3. I remember life milestones by the film that was released that year, for example the year I met my first boyfriend was the year I went to see Juno in Vue Cinema (significant as it isn't my regular cinema) and the day I was accepted into my college course, I went to see Scott Pilgrim Vs The World, a surprisingly handy way to remember my life!

#4. Cinema is my temple of worship, many of my pet peeves were born in the cinema, loud crunchers, erratic movements and misuse of the 'silent' phone option being a few. You need to be a truly special person to achieve cinema-going status with this Cinephile!

#5. Not only am I a Cinephile, I am an analytic Cinephile, meaning that when I see a movie I spend days deconstructing the plot and searching for plot holes to determine whether or not I shall ever watch it again (Iron Man 3 is a big no no unfortunately)

#6. My house is full of film related memorabilia, mainly Star Wars and Avengers related, one of my favourite websites for this is called Sideshow Collectibles which I recommend for any film fans looking to add some character to their homes (pun intended)

#7. My favourite films are often related to consumerism, greed and excess, one of the most recent cinematic wins I have witnessed from this category is, 'The Wolf Of Wall Street' and 2013's 'Filth' as well as recent indie flick, 'The Bling Ring'

#8. A film debate with me can turn very nasty very quickly.. you were warned..

#9. I have had a Cineworld Unlimited card since they were released originally as Virgin cinemas (I think)

#10. And lastly on my Cinephile quirk list, a wee bit more personally, I have collected every cinema ticket stub I have been able to for the past 10+ years.....

Now you have seen into my quirky mind and read about one of my greatest loved past times, I hope this doesn't send you running! As always all comments are appreciated, it'd be nice to hear from some fellow Cinephiles, or I'd love to hear about your own quirks?

(a couple of the oldest in my collection)


H.Elizabeth

Back to School Wear

Every year as the Christmas holidays come to a close I get awfully excited about the beginning of a new term, new year, new start, new classes and the novelty of a new wardrobe (often unwelcome additions due to over-stuffing my face!) So I thought I'd do a little post on my  back to big school look!

At the beginning of every semester I usually try to make a bit more of an effort than usual, because you know I don't want everyone to know my everyday wear consists of a pair of comfy joggers and a baggy t-shirt courtesy of last years freshers fair!! So here it is my back to school look!

Clothes

Top - 'Emerald Green' Blouse from New Look

Vest - Plain white baggy vest from Forever 21

Bottoms - Dark Speckled Jeggings by Sparkle and Fade from Urban Outfitters

Necklace - Chunky Chain and Taupe Stone Necklace from Accessorize

Shoes - 'Emerald Green' Flats from New Look

Today's outfit is full of oldies but goodies (because I haven't outgrown them yet) my necklace is my favourite statement piece at the moment and I love the combination of the colouring of the jewellery with the deep green of the blouse.

Hair and Make Up 

As you can see from the picture I was actually very lazy today, opting for a high messy bun (no doughnut required) pulled back out of my face, of course for minimum distraction during my schooling...

Today I opted for quite a subtle look (for me at least)
Face - Benefit Porefessional Pore Minimiser
L'oreal Infallible Make up (Porcelain)
Collection 2000 Pressed Powder (Ivory)
Eyes - Various Nudes from Urban Decay's Naked 2 Palette
Max Factor Khol Eyeliner Pencil in Charcoal Black
Clinique High Impact Mascara
Lips- Nivea Moisturising Lip Balm

Of course stay tuned for my mid semester breakdown, where I once again become consumed with coursework and my outdoor attire may as well be a black bag! Feel free to follow, drop me a comment or come find me on Twitter

H. Elizabeth

The 20 Things Post

Traditional with even the most modern of blogs, here comes the 20 things about me post! I have tried to make this as entertaining as possible so as not to bore you all to tears, so here goes nothing.

#1. I love tacky home ware, my latest addition is an ornamental pug which I got for Christmas.

#2. My grandma is still convinced I go to school, and every time I visit asks me how school is going and if I have any homework, I find it both endearing and slightly insulting.

#3. As you will find out pending an upcoming post I am a Cinephile.

#4. I now realise that as a child my parents allowed me to watch wildly inappropriate films ala, American Pie and The Sweetest Thing (I maintain that they are educational...in their way)

#5. Until a few years ago I never embraced my naturally ginger locks courtesy of a lot of jealous ladies I went to school with.

#6. I talk to my Mum at least once a day and my current flat is literally 10 minutes from my parents house.

#7. The first sweet I ever got was a Kit-Kat biscuit.

#8. My Dad and I share a great love of anything Star Wars or Star Trek related (I have the tattoo to prove it!)

#9. I love body art and have a total of four tattoos at the moment.

#10. I am a major advocate of learning from mistakes, I rarely listen to what looking back is fairly sound advice!

#11. My favourite time of the month is when all of my magazines are out to buy, it's the little things in life really!

#12. My favourite thing to drink is Dr. Pepper...it's becoming a bit of a problem actually!

#13. The best thing to wear on a night out for me is a play-suit, especially my Aztec Urban Outfitters one!

#14. My fiancee proposed to me in my favourite UK city (London) when we were celebrating our 2nd anniversary there..following a spending spree earlier that day (Best day ever!!)

#15. I love to run and aim this year to clear more time to take part in more charity runs.

#16. My greatest fear is sharks, although one of my greatest loves is swimming.

#17. In my recent years I have come to appreciate the woes and struggles of Disney villains, everyone is driven by something!

#18. I love to sing (something a lot of people don't know in my life) but haven't sung in public since I was 12.

#19. My career goal is to own an events planning company but my dream is to become a novelist.

#20. I am a master at procrastinating, but somehow always get things done!

So there it is, 20 things about me you may not have known before, do you have any quirks you'd like to share? Drop me a comment or get me on Twitter!

H. Elizabeth

February Wishlist

Another monthly features, following on from my end of the month best buys I introduce my wishlist. A collaborative list of products I am dying to try over the next month and aim to review at the end of the month.

 

#1. Yves Saint Laurent's Touche Eclat (Boots. RRP. £25.00)

       Currently my Touche Eclat highlighter is en route via online shopping, the reason this is on my wishlist is that recently my sleeping patterns have been so erratic and all over the place I'm dying to find a something to effectively cover these unwanted bags! I have read and read about it via other blogs I follow, heard some fantastic reviews about it and overall I am a slave to consumerism and therefore I must have it!

#2. Barry M's Classic Matte Nail Paint  (Boots. RRP. £3.99 Per Polish)

      Having tried, and loved Barry M's Gel paint, why not? It's something that little bit different and I hope will offer a Wintery, grungier alternative to the eye popping colours of their gel polish, colour to be determined!

#3. DIY Cat Ear Headband (N/A)

      Less of a purchase, more of a DIY endeavor, I have my headband, pipe cleaners, leather and some decorative embellishments, hopefully by the end of this month I'll have a quirky new headband to rock with my matte polish! 

#4. Urban Decay Cream Eyeshadow (Amazon. RRP. £5.64)

       Another en route purchase from my online shopping antics, as you may have read in my January best buy post, I recently bought Urban Decay's Naked 2 eyeshadow palette, and really I just want more! I've never tried a cream eyeshadow before I'm a sucker for powdered shadows, so this is a bid to step out of my comfort zone and experiment with some new products.

#5. Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Lip Plumping Gloss (Boots. RRP. £10.00)

      Not a product I have ever really seen being reviewed too heavily but all the more I love the tingly feeling you get from a lip plumping serum and I also love the Soap and Glory products, it seems so far like a win win!

Fingers crossed I'm able to cross these off of my February wish list by the 28th, you never know Valentines Day is right around the corner! Stay tuned for the end of the month's best buys!

H.Elizabeth