Ultimate Summer Pink Lipsticks

When it comes to Spring/Summer, I do love wearing my favourite nude lip products but it's also a great opportunity to bring out the brighter pinks and corals and rock them during the day. There's two products in particular that I always find myself reaching for when I'm looking for that pop of colour and they are to me, the ultimate lipsticks. 

This was one of the first bold lipsticks I ever bought and it was one that I bought because I thought the shade was pretty but I never actually thought I'd wear it. That being said, I have gotten quite a bit of wear out of it this year in particular and it is the shade Flat Out Fabulous by Mac. This is a retro matte shade and it's basically a super intense bright with probably one of the most matte formulas I've ever come across, without being too unbelievably drying on the lips. I do always like to apply a lip balm beforehand with this one as it can become slightly uncomfortable throughout the day because it is so matte but it definitely doesn't come anywhere near as drying as the likes of Ruby Woo. 

A lip product that is practically the same shade as Flat Out Fabulous but a completely different formula is Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Pink Pong. Now though this is also a matte, it applies super glossy and almost like a lip gloss. It does however then dry extremely matte and provides the same sort of finish, minus any of the dryness you get from a full matte lipstick. This is probably the most long lasting of the two in terms of the colour, it stays vibrant and matte for practically the whole day and then you're left with a nice wearable stain afterwards, whereas the Mac lipstick does begin to settle into the lines of the lips and can sometimes look questionable mid-way through the day.

If you are looking for a bold shade for the season then I'd definitely recommend you pick up one (or both) of these products. Both are super matte, so very long wearing and the formulas feel super comfortable to wear. They are also cool toned pinks so they make your teeth look exceptionally whiter and will suit pretty much all skinniness in my opinion. 

Spring Wishlist

h&m knitted top | asos sunglasses | topshop necklace | new look dress | zara hairband | zara kaftan | topshop shoes | new look sandals | new look jumpsuit | topshop faux fur clutch | h&m sleeveless trench 

As everyone keeps mentioning, Spring is on its way and taking at glance at my wardrobe it dawns on me that it mainly consists of black, grey or the occasional white t-shirt. Not exactly spring/summer appropriate eh? It also contains copious amounts of jumpers and coats, none of which will help me very much in this somewhat warmer weather we seem to be experiencing here in the UK. 

I've been browsing online for a good week now and have picked out some of the key pieces that I think need to be added to my wardrobe in the not too distant future including a rather lightweight coat alternative in the form of this H&M sleeveless trench - I can envision this worn with a blue and white stripes top and blue jeans. Very spring-like. I've also been looking at dresses and jumpsuits and have picked out these two, both from New Look, as great options for both spring and summer. The jumpsuit I've had my eye on for some time now and the dress just reminds me of a less eye-wateringly expensive version of some Lavish Alice pieces I want. 

What's on your spring wish list at the moment? 

Spring Nail Edit | Brights

The clocks have gone forward, the sun is shining and the UK seems to be experiencing the first hints of Spring. Now with a new season comes a whole array of new nail polish shades to break out of the dark depths of my cupboard and for me, it's often a decision between bright and neutral shades, with pastels usually coming somewhere in between the two. I thought I'd put together two little edits of my favourite spring nail shades covering bights and neutrals and everything in between! 

First up this week is the brights edit and I've tried to pick something to cover every colour give or take, some being my absolute staples and others being ones that I wear occasionally. Lets start with the newbies to my collection and they are the new Rita Ora for Rimmel shades in Port-a-loo-blue and Glaston-berry. I love the names of all these polishes and you probably guessed, they are all festival inspired. There is a great mix of bolds, neutrals and darks in the collection but I chose these two as they are perfect spring shades in my opinion. The formula is great, two coats and you're good to go, and they seem to last a good while before showing any signs of chipping. 

Next are from my old favourite brand, Barry M and they are part of the Gelly Hi Shine collection and for me, these work great and require no topcoat, which is a bonus for me, anything to cut down the time it takes! The shade Prickly Pear is the perfect mid-pastel lilac that can be build up to be a bold and this is one of my go-to shades during spring. Key Lime is one that in the bottle and swatches I love but against my skin tone it just doesn't work. I do however think this one would be great with a super pale or dark skin tone but unfortunately I seem to sit in between the two.

If you follow me on Instagram then you may have seen that I had the ever popular Ciate advent calendar on the lead up to Christmas and one of the more unexpected shades I got was Big Yellow Taxi, ironically in the tiniest bottle ever! This is your typical sunshine yellow shade and so would work perfectly as a spring/summer transitional shade. The formula is great and after two coats it is opaque enough for me. I would recommend Ciate if you're looking to splurge slightly more on your nails. 

Finally we have one of my favourites of the bunch and that's Lovie Dovie by Essie. I'm definitely a pink nails kind of girl (let me know if you want to see a pink edit) and this shade is just the perfect barbie pink bright. I absolutely love the formula of all Essie polishes and they last an unbelievably long time before chipping. I have several shades but this is up there with my all-time favourites. 

Well there you have my spring brights nail edit. As mentioned, I love to wear a mix of brights and neutrals throughout spring so if you're more of a neutrals kind of person, next week I'll have another edit up running through my picks. 

Don't forget to let me know your favourite spring nail shades! 

Lush Haul | Video

I've been to Lush quite a few times in the past few weeks picking up various bubble bars and baths bombs from their Mother's Day, Easter and Spring collections so I thought I'd film a little haul! Don't forget to subscribe to my channel to see my future videos on demand. 

What is your favourite Lush product? 

Tips For Spring Cleaning Your Wardrobe

It's time to introduce some newness onto my blog and to start with I've got a handy little tips post for you to spring clean your wardrobe. We are mid-way through March and Spring is well and truly on it's way. It's time to store away your chunky knits and knee-high boots and swap them out for blouses, skirts and sandals - maybe a pub garden lunch isn't on the cards quite yet, but it's certainly getting warm enough to warrant a wardrobe clear out ready for the upcoming season. Here's some tips that I have found useful...

EMPTY EVERYTHING

Start by completely removing everything from your wardrobe. Yes I did say everything. Then begin sorting your clothes (move onto shoes afterwards) into three piles: essentials, items you wear but not often, and items you never wear nor like. To decide which pile an item should go in, ask yourself these questions:

When did I last wear it? Do I look good wearing it? Is it falling apart?

If you answered no to any of these questions, or stood and pondered your answer for more than five seconds, then discard the item into the rubbish pile - it doesn't need to be a part of your new and improved spring wardrobe! The key to this tip is to be brutal with your decisions. I like the next person get attached the clothes and often utter the sentence: "But I might wear it one day!". Almost always this will never happen and it will just be taking up valuable space in your wardrobe that could instead be filled by that sheer blouse or maxi duster coat you've been eyeing up on ASOS.


ORGANISE

This is a key tip when having a wardrobe detox. It's all well and good getting rid of old items but if you then proceed to throw everything back in willy nilly you'll be left with just as much mess as you had to begin with but with fewer items! Obviously depending on the size of your wardrobe the way you organise your clothes will vary but for me, I have three wardrobes (and still not enough space for everything!) so I find it easiest to have one for coats and bags, one for spring/summer pieces and one for autumn/winter pieces.

I then tend to organise things by the type of item, so for example all my shirts sit together - in colour order - all my bottoms and all my t-shirts etc, you get the picture. This just helps me when piecing together outfits as I know exactly where the item I'm looking for is rather tun having to rummage round for ages. I also don't fold anything, except pyjamas but they don't really count. This just leaves things creased and means you can't really see what the times are anyway; stick to hanging everything up if you can.


NEW (NECESSARY) ITEMS

Once your wardrobe is cleared out and re-organised, you can finally see what pieces you are lacking and what you actually need to buy. This obviously helps keep clutter down but it also helps with curbing spending habits and I know that's something I personally, definitely need to do. You can see exactly what pieces are missing, lacking dresses or basics, and then can tailor your shopping to just trying to find the key pieces to complete your seasonal wardrobe.


So there you have it, a few hopefully helpful tips to detox your wardrobe ready for spring (or any season really) and now you're probably thinking: what do I do with the multiple reject piles all over my room? Sites like Depop and eBay are a great way of getting rid of slightly newer or better quality items, while car boots are a quick and pretty stress-free way of ditching those slightly less desirable items!

image via pinterest

Spring/Summer Lips | Beauty

The weather seems to be turning around as of late and it has been rather sunny in the UK amidst all the rain that is to be expected all year round here. Because of this, I've been digging through my make-up stash for my favourite spring/summer lipstick shades, as well as a lip balm (or two) to help combat the dreaded chapped lips that I seem to get in both winter and summer!

To start with, I've been reaching for my favourite scrub, LUSH Bubblegum Lip Scrub. It smells divine and it really works well for my lips to get rid of any dry patches. Plus it tastes good too! I've had this little pot now for maybe a year (do lip scrubs even have an expiry date?!) and it's still going strong and works perfectly at night or just after a shower. Alongside a lip scrub, I'll sometimes use a regular lip balm and my favourites at the moment: Korres Lip Butter in Jasmine and Dior Creme de Rose. I've tried plenty of lip balms in my time and these two are definitely the best for me personally, they both work to smooth my lips right before applying my lipstick/gloss of choice.

Following what I like to call the 'lip prep stage', I then apply my favourite lip product of the moment and lately I've been switching between three. The first is my favourite nude and it's the very popular L'Oreal Collection Privee lipstick in Cheryl's Nude. This is the perfect nude for me, even though I don't feel I have the same skin tone as Cheryl Cole whatsoever. Either way, the formula is just so creamy and the colour is great for everyday wear and it's quite subtle. I even like the old school play-doh smell that these lipsticks have, is that weird? Next is a higher end option, but again, a very wearable everyday shade and it's YSL Rouge Volupte Shine in number 13. First lets address the obvious, isn't YSL packaging just to die for, it looks and feels so luxurious and the lipstick itself really reflects this. This is a much pinker shade and although it;'s from the shine range, the colour pay-off is great. I've been reaching for this a lot over the past few weeks.

The final lip product is the boldest of the lot and one that was very much out of my comfort zone before I bought it and it is Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in 06 Pink Pong. This is one of those lip products that definitely requires super smooth lips beforehand so that's where the scrub will work wonders. I just love the colour of this lip product and the lasting power is incredible, it does not budge at all! It's also a matte finish, which worried me at first but it's not drying in the slightest. These lip creams (is that what you'd call them?) are definitely worth checking out, even despite the very limited shade range.