Winter Fashion | Casual Monochrome

Dress - Miss Selfridge | Leather Jacket - Oasis | Necklace - Oasis | Tights - Primark | Socks - Oasis | Boots - Primark

Hey lovelies, I hope you've had a great weekend! Over the past few months I've developed a slight obsession for wearing monochrome clothes. Anything black and white has been instantly catching my eye and on my last trip to Miss Selfridge, this lovely little jersey shift dress became one of my newest purchases! I loved the boucle texture and it's very different to anything I own in my wardrobe, yet at the same time it's such a simple everyday dress.

Being a shift style dress made from such a stretchy fabric, I wasn't sure whether it would sit right on my body and be slightly unflattering. But I was pleasantly surprised when I tried it on that it's a beautiful fit and is one of those dresses that can easily be dressed up or down depending on what accessories you pair it with! As it's such a comfortable material, I've been wearing this dress for casual occasions such as shopping and spending time with friends and I thought I'd show you how I wear this gorgeous piece.

Makeup: Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation | Soap & Glory Archery Brow Tint | Urban Decay Naked 3 Eye Shadows Liar & Factory | Soap & Glory Thick & Fast Mascara | Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Lip Lacquer in Charm Offensive

As this dress is quite short, I don't like to wear my long parka coat with it so I've been pairing it with my beloved faux leather biker jacket from Oasis. I love pairing this leather jacket with dresses as it gives the look an edgier feel, especially with the quilted shoulders and zip detailing. But then, to keep the look girly I've also been wearing cute little socks with ruffles and frills at the top which I think looks really sweet when they pop out the top of your pair of boots!

To complete the look I wore my gorgeous new statement necklace from Oasis which ties in beautifully with the dress as it has grey, silver and black stones and detailing. I've been after a rope statement necklace for ages and was really excited to find this little beauty in the sale! I've literally been wearing it non-stop and I think it completed any simple outfit perfectly.

Let me know in the comments your thoughts on my casual monochrome outfit and how you would style this dress! I think to dress it up I'd wear a pair of black boot style wedges and accessorise it with the same necklace but also add a bright coloured clutch bag - a perfect outfit to wear out for some drinks with the girls! Thank you for reading today's post!

What is your favourite fashion style to wear during the Winter months?

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Autumn & Winter Lipsticks

Hey everyone, I hope you're all having a lovely week and looking forward to the weekend ahead! Today's post is actually my 200th blog post, I seriously cannot believe I've posted that many times in just over a year - it's crazy! So today I wanted to share with you some of my favourite lipsticks I have been using over the Autumn months. I always get so excited for Autumn and Winter as it's the time of year you can get all of your berry and plummy coloured lipsticks out and have a good play around with your makeup looks. Some of my favourite lipsticks I own are my deep reds that I only bring out at this time of year, so I'm really excited to be sharing them with you!

MAC Lipstick in "Ramblin' Rose" | LINK | LOOK
So to start off my top 5 lipsticks for the Autumn and Winter is actually a lipstick that I think is perfect for all year round. I received Ramblin' Rose during the Summer and thought that it suited tanned and glowing skin really well. However, this lipstick is also a perfect Autumn time rosy nude shade because it has a gorgeous golden frost finish that makes your lips sparkle! Frost lipsticks look lovely in the Autumn time and I think this lipstick is that perfect everyday lipstick that goes with so many makeup looks.

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in "Drop of Sherry" | LINK
My next lipstick is probably the oldest out of the 5 and is this gorgeous deep pink toned red which has a hint of shimmer. This is such an easy lipstick to wear as it's pretty much a "your lips but a million times better" lipstick! I picked this up in a set from TK Maxx ages ago but I do believe you can still buy it in the shops. If I don't want a really intense red lip, say when I go to college, then this is the shade I usually go for!

Rimmel Lasting Finish Kate Lipstick in "107" | LINK
Next up is the shade I go to when I want the complete opposite to "Drop of Sherry" and want to wear an intense and full red lip, this is Rimmel Kate lipstick in "107". What Autumn lipsticks post would be complete without this beautiful shade? This infamous lipstick has an amazing colour pay off and gives your lips a deep and full red look with a matte finish. This is probably a lipstick I wear more towards Winter when it's more of the festive season. I absolutely love this formula of lipstick and I think their wear time and pigmentation are amazing!

Soap & Glory Super-Colour Fabulipstick in "Pom Pom"* | LINK
The next lipstick I have been loving to wear recently is the newest addition to my collection and is Soap & Glory's "Pom Pom". This is a gorgeous deep berry pink shade with a matte finish and I for one think it's beautiful! This is the first Soap & Glory lipstick I've tried and I think the formula is amazing - much better than what I was expecting after trying the Mother Pucker lip glosses! I think matte lipsticks are a perfect formula for this time of year because a deep glossy lip never looks right on me, so I have to go matte or shimmery or nothing at all!

Makeup Academy Lipstick in "Shade 8" | LINK | LOOK | REVIEW
My final favourite lipstick for the Autumn and Winter months is probably my most favourite lipstick I own - and it's the cheapest! MUA's "Shade 8" is a deep pink toned red with a lot of golden shimmer in it - it's pretty much the perfect Christmas time lipstick! Despite it having a lot of shimmer in it actually applies really smooth and feels lovely on the lips. I always get compliments when I wear this shade and I highly recommend you adding it to your collection, especially as it's only £1!

So these are my top 5 lipsticks that I'm currently wearing and all of which are perfect for the Autumn and Winter months! If you would like to see any of these lipsticks in a more in depth review, then do let me know in the comments below!

What are your favourite lipsticks to use during the Autumn and Winter time?

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Autumn & Winter Nail Polishes

Each polish after 1 coat

Hello lovelies! I cannot believe how quick Summer has gone (in fact, 2013 is going way too fast!) and that I'm now thinking of Autumn and Winter kind of posts. If you read my blog, you may remember that I did a Spring and Summer nail polish post where I talked about my top 5 polishes of those seasons. I thought it would be good to keep these kinds of posts going and chat to you all about what nail polishes I'm going to be loving for the cooler months! I had a good rummage through my box of polishes and found a few that I'm really excited to start wearing again this Autumn/ Winter. I probably could have included another 5 berry shades and another 10 glitter polishes, but I narrowed it down to my top 5!

Butter London Nail Lacquer in "Shambolic"

I found this nail polish on sale last year and I instantly fell in love with it. It's a gorgeous deep golden purple glitter polish that works really well over other purple toned polishes. It has different sized bits of glitter in and can be built up to an opaque finish in a couple of coats. This is the type of polish I like to wear on my ring finger nails as an accent polish, but it can easily be worn on all the nails for a glitzy look!

Barry M Gelly Nail Paint in "Plum" | Review | LINK

I love deep, rich shades for the Autumn time and I think Barry M's Plum is going to be my go to purple shade this year! The thick and creamy consistency of this polish means it looks great in just 1 coat plus with the glossy finish, there's no need for a top coat. I think this will be a great partner for Butter London's Shambolic. 

Barry M Nail Paint in "Amethyst Glitter" | LINK

This polish is probably one of my all time favourites as it contains a range of gorgeously coloured glitters! Everything from pink to navy to gold, it's a glitter top coat that can work with a range of coloured nail polishes. Glitter polishes in the Autumn/ Winter time are a staple for me, especially around Christmas time! I think this polish will look it's best with a deep, navy shade.

Barry M Nail Paint in "Raspberry" | LINK

Yet another Barry M nail polish. I just think their colour and glitter ranges are amazing for this time of year and I'm really looking forward to their new collections for Autumn! Barry M's Raspberry is quite a popular nail polish, especially for the Autumn time as it's a gorgeous berry toned raspberry polish that looks stunning on the nails. I've been really looking forward to using this polish again and I've definitely missed using it through the Summer!

Nails Inc Nail Lacquer in "Chelsea Manor Street"* | Review

My final top nail polish for Autumn/ Winter is probably my favourite out of the bunch - Nails Inc's Chelsea Manor Street. Metallics are a really popular shade for this time of year and I think the gunmetal colour of this polish is gorgeous! Also, it has tiny specks of glitter in which makes this polish look amazing on the nails. It has a creamy and opaque formula and is one of my favourite nail polishes to use.

So these are my top 5 nail polishes for the Autumn/ Winter time! I really can't wait to start painting my nails with all different deep toned and glitter polishes, it makes a good change from wearing bright colours all the time. I hope you enjoyed this post and I would love to hear what your favourite polishes are for the Autumn/ Winter time!

What is your favourite nail polish for Autumn and Winter?

What do you think of my top 5 polishes?

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Winter Beauty Essentials

Winter is definitely the time of year when mine and many other people's hair and skin are at their worst. Frosty mornings, cold winds and the lack of sunlight can leave you feeling down but there are a few products I use to battle against all this!

♥ Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation in 100 Ivory - this is a new foundation I picked up recently from Wilkinsons. Lots of the Rimmel makeup was down to under £5 so I thought I would try this out after hearing some great reviews. At this time of year as my skin can start to feel dry and dull, but this foundation has a slight shimmer in to make you look more awake and give a glow to your face. It's brightened up my complexion and makes my skin look a lot better than it really is! It has SPF 15 in too which can protect your skin from the Winter sun rays. It also lasts a really long time, especially if you set it with a powder.

♥ Cath Kidston Hand Lotion in Cherry Blossom - I picked this up recently from TK Maxx for just £4.99 and thought it would be lovely to sit on my chest of drawers as a piece of decor. I wasn't expecting this to smell amazing and actually moisturise my hands, but it does! Really well in fact! The consistency is quite thick, so you only need a little pump. I'm not sure if they have this in a smaller size, but I would love to have one to pop in my bag to use it throughout the day!

♥ Pantene 12 Hour Night Therapy Oil Replacement for Dry/ Damaged hair - as well as the Winter cold being really damaging for my hair, I recently used the L'Oreal Wild Ombres to Ombre my hair and was quite worried my hair would get damaged from the bleach. I found this product in Poundland and thought I would give it a go. This is amazing stuff! I apply it every night before I wash my hair (so about 2/3 times a week) and once I have washed my hair the next morning, it's super smooth! My hair doesn't go as frizzy after it's dry and is in such good condition compared to before I was using it. If you see this in your Poundland, definitely pick it up! It's really good and such a bargain!

♥ Blistex Relief Cream - this is my all time favourite lip therapy cream. It has ingredients in that will help cold sores, sore, cracked and chapped lips. I use this when ever my lips feel sore or need some moisture and leaves them in great condition. Definitely worth keeping in your makeup bag.

♥ Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter - everyone needs to use a body lotion in the Winter time as skin can get very dry. I love using this body butter on my elbows and knees as this is where they get the driest skin. I have also been using a sample of the L'Occitane Shea Butter Ultra Rich Body Lotion which I would really recommend too!

♥ Re-Gen Cream - this is my new skin care favourite! I read a review of this on Zoella's blog ages ago and finally found it in my local Asda. This cream basically has the same ingredients as Bio-Oil, but the great thing is you can use it on your face! It has reduced my pigmentation marks, blemishes and has left my skin feeling really soft and moisturised! I use it twice a day, everyday and noticed the results so quick. I will probably do a full review of this once I've tried it out for longer, but at the moment I love it! 

What are your Winter beauty essentials?

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Nails Of The Day | Stars & Glitter

Left to right: Essie 'To Buy Or Not To Buy' | Revlon 'Star' | Barry M 'Silver Glitter' | Barry M 'Hologram'

Hey everyone!

So today I have another nails of the day post! I'm going out tonight and because I can't have my nails painted very much (blame college!), I wanted to make my nails have an extra 'something' than usual.

This look is a glitter ring finger and nail tips than would be perfect for winter because of all the cool colours.

I started with a base coat from The Nail Doctor Strengthening kit (review coming soon) to prep my nails for all the polish. I then applied 2 coats of Essie's 'To Buy Or Not To Buy' which is a cool, lilac colour with blue shimmer. Then over my ring finger, I applied about 3 coats of Revlon 'Star' which is a mixture of navy and silver glitters. I then left this over night to make sure it was completely dry for the next steps. 

The next day I applied about 2 coats Barry M's 'Silver Glitter' to the ring fingers. Whilst it was still wet, I use the pointy end of an orange wood stick to pick up some of the chunkier glitters in Barry M's 'Hologram'. This makes the nail more interesting as it has different sized glitters on.

For the tips, I used Nailene Perfect Tips strips (as I am not a neat painter) and applied a coat of 'Star' and 'Silver Glitter'. I then waited for about 40 minutes and peeled the strips off. If you do it any earlier, the glitter will just peel off too. Finally I used the top coat from The Nail Doctor kit! So much nail polish haha!

I love how it turned out considering I rarely do tip colour/ glitter to my nails.

Hope you enjoyed this post!

Amie ♥

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