Basicly Chic.......

 

Whilst browsing through Pinterest fighting my boredom I came across these two collections of clothing/accessories. I think it's so secret that I'm a lover of everything basic & simple & none girly. I don't know who created these collection (trust I'd give credit where credit is due!) but they obviously have the key to my monochrome heart. There is something completely effortless about each outfit but yet they are just the bare bones to everyone's wardrobe. I know I have these basic clothing items in mine & I feel some what refreshed when I find inspiration to look at them in a new light. You don't have to buy all the basics from All Saints (£55 for a basic white tee....are you fucking insane?! I'm off to Brandy Melvin!) to look amazing you can do so on a budget & splurge on the extra special bits like handbags, shoes, watches, jewellery etc (or makeup in my case, there's no better accessories to life like Ardell Demi Wispies!). I think I'll be looking to Pinterest for inspiration more often & hopefully reawaken all the long forgotten items tucked at the back of my wardrobe!

Sleek Lip Palettes.......

I saw these lip palettes by Sleek & could not resist them, I mean who could?! I love the brand Sleek I have many of their blushes & their contour kit is a daily go to item for me. I've seen their vast array of lipsticks but never tried any of them, I have no idea why! I decided to pick up the colours Siren which is full of oranges, corals & red, & also Ballet which is full of nudes & browns. Two perfect palettes filled with extremely wearable shades & nice & compact for travelling (much like the 3 Blush Palettes which are also excellent!). 

The palette itself is nice & compact although it is a little chunky but meh! beggars can't be choosers! It also has a nice large mirror inside which is really handy, it did come with a little lip brush which is fab, although the quality of the brush isn't great, again this is a product you're hardly going to buy for the brush! I simply add a lip brush in to my make-up bag instead. Now on to the formula, I wasn't expecting a Mac lipstick formula just a basic one if anything, the lipstick has no scent & isn't greasy, I do find the matte shades a little drying on the lips but I find that with the majority of matte lipsticks. The big wow for these lipstick palettes for me is the pigmentation! It really is WOW! It's so bright edging on neon with some shades & there are several excellent colour dupes hidden within these palettes. 

First up is the Ballet Palette;

Each shade that I'm wearing is wrote on the photo, the dupes within this palette are;

• Plie for Mac's Pillow Talk
• Tutu for Mac's Creme'd Nude
• Pirouette for Mac's Honey Love 
• Swan Lake for Creme Cup

Next is the Siren Palette;

The dupes within this Palette are;

• Love me for Mac's Party Parrot & very close to the limited edition Watch me Simmer 
• Miss me for Mac's Lady Danger boarding on to M'orange

So there we have it! In my opinion these are excellent & not only save room in your makeup bag but are handy to throw in to your bag for a festival or clutch bag for a party & you also have that lovely sized mirror. They chunkyness of the palette makes it easier to find so you won't end up losing your beloved lipsticks (R.I.P Lady Danger

Argan Oil Hydrating Hair Mask.....

After running out of my much loved Herbal Essences Bee Strong hair mask ran out & my S Factor "Serious" conditioner also came to an end I felt slightly at a loss. I enjoyed both hair treatments & my hair did too but I wanted to try something different. Whilst having a browse & killing time in my local Home Bargains I stumbled upon this Argan Oil Hydrating Hair Mask, now for a tiny 99P I wasn't expecting miracles...I also was debating if I should use it or not, I'm somewhat of a hair snob & refuse to use cheap & nasty shampoo that leaves your hair feeling notty, dry & brittle. None the less I decided to give it a go & for 99P it was no love lost if it was rubbish. 

First I shampooed my hair & you use this treatment in between conditioning, I towel dried my hair as directed & worked this product from root to tip but mainly focusing on the ends of my hair. I left it on for around 8 to 10 minutes & rinsed it off with warm water & then went on to condition. I have to say I was stunned, my hair is visibly shinier & thicker, but also thicker to touch, so much so my Mum commented asking if I had hair extensions in for volume....I didn't. It was all the power of Argain Oil. I really am wowed at how a product so cheap can do wonders to your hair, it smells really nice & has a thick consistency slightly thicker than the SFactor Serious conditioner, which surprisingly I found easier to work in through my hair.

 I'm not saying this is better than my other favourites mentioned but it is certainly on par & again for 99P I wasn't expecting anything so to have visible results is certainly a big gold star in my book!

Outfit styling 001

There's something extremely chic, flattering & stylish about a basic white tee paired with denim....any sort of denim but especially slashed shorts in the summer months. Topped off with a bright matte lip, cute ankle boots & an overly large & obnoxious statement necklace, this is my go to outfit. That never fails to impress & can be dressed up or down & made seasonally appropriate. With payday on the horizon I can sense a Topshop splurge is imminent especially now that the sun has finally decided to make an appearance here in Wales. Time to tan my milk bottle skin so I can flash the pins all summer.

A weekly round up....

This week has been slightly uneventful (until Sunday!) but here are some highlights;

There has been some gorgeous sunshine this week in Wales but also some horrid thunder storms, so it means when it's sunny you have to grab it with both hands & jump to it! 

We had some lovely tea this week, I'm getting more & more into cooking & having the fridge packed out with fantastic ingredients inspires me even more to get creative & cook something delicious & fresh from scratch. I'm cooking up a storm! 

So it's time I should address the adorable little ball of fluffy also known as Nigel....I didn't pick the name Marty did! Little Nigel was the only little Russian Dwarf Hamster left in the pet shop & he's so precious Martyn refuses to leave him there, so we have a new member to add to the growing list of fluffbutts. 

Finally we had lots of move nights this week especially when the storm hit, nothing is better than a big bowl of popcorn & a snuggle on the sofa during a thunderstorm.