My 22nd Birthday!

Hello everyone! As some of you might know it was my 22nd birthday this week (Tuesday to be exact) and I wanted to share my makeup menu, and give you a little run down of what I got up to on the day.

This year I was torn between having a lunch/dinner and inviting people along or just having a chilled, relaxing day. I opted for the latter and I did really enjoy the day. As a present from my mum I had a massage. I’d never had one before but the massage therapist was lovely and I felt so relaxed afterwards. I then came home and had lunch before my boyfriend picked me up and we went on a short walk. Later that night we ate pizza down by the lake and he took me on a drive.

Presents:

• MAC Matte Royal lipstick (brother) – I asked my brother to buy this for me. I have been curious to try a dark blue/navy lipstick for a while.
• Massage (Mum) – I had never had a massage prior to this but it felt very relaxing and I’d love to go back again.
• Skechers for work (mum) – For the majority of the time I’m at work I’m on my feet so comfortable shoes are a must. I got a pair of ‘Stellar’ Skechers which are black/grey as well as being lightweight and super comfy.
• Gift card (boyfriend).
• Atomiser with Juicy Couture perfume (boyfriend’s parents).

Outfit of the Day:

Left To Right:

Top: Keira Short Sleeve V Neck Tee (Cotton On)

Shorts: Daisy Cheeky Denim Shorts (Glassons)

Jumper (for the evening): Slouch V Neck Jumper (Glassons)

Makeup Menu:

• Simple Kind To Skin Replenishing Rich Moisturiser
• Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil in 002 Hazel
• The Body Shop Vitamin E Face Mist
• Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation in 010 Light Porcelain
• Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer  – 1 Fair
• The Body Shop Honey Bronze Matte Bronzer in 01 Light
• Maybelline ‘The Nudes’
• Max Factor Excess Shimmer in Copper
• Rimmel Day 2 Night Mascara
• MAC Ruby Woo

Finished Makeup Look

I am a big fan of this look – I used a number of my staple products and paired them with a classic red lip.

Random balloon pictures – who doesn’t love balloons?!?!

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Thank you for reading this post and a big thank you to everyone who took time out of their day to wish me happy birthday!

❄ OOTD: I’m Gonna Be Warm This Winter ❄

In New Zealand we are over halfway through winter and thankfully it hasn’t been too bitter. *Touches wood* I wanted to share an outfit with you that I have been wearing a lot lately, it’s perfect for winter but will still keep you looking stylish. (The outfit is pocket friendly too!) This outfit is a cross between casual and semi-formal. I took inspiration from nature and opted for greys and blacks to represent the clouds and gloomy weather. I kept the colour palette neutral so it would be easy to recreate and it also means you can accessorise easily and wear whatever makeup you wish. Unfortunately, most of these items aren’t available online anymore but I will link the products I can find at the end of the post.

Clothing

Long sleeve Roll Neck Boucle Jumper – $15

I purchased this jumper at the beginning of June and I have been obsessed with it ever since! I spotted this in store and instantly fell in love. The jumper is lightweight and doesn’t feel heavy on but is still warm and cosy. I really like the roll neck, how it looks and the practicality of it for cooler weather. This jumper is quite slouchy and oversized but somehow it is the perfect fit at the same time. The sleeves aren’t too long and the hem sits nicely. The short splits at the sides are a cute touch.

Anna High Neck Tee – $5

Cotton On has become one of my favourite places to shop for clothes recently. Their clothes are the right mix of stylish and affordable and I picked up this high neck tee back in January for only $5! I like the ribbed effect, the sleeve length and the fitted look. I’m a curvy girl but I love how this looks on and how it makes me feel confident when I wear it; it hugs in all the right places. I believe this tee would work with most outfits all year round.

Grey Jeggings – $15

I love the comfort of leggings and I love the look of jeans so it was a no brainer for me to pick up this pair of jeggings. My pair have an elasticated waist as opposed to a button and zip closure. Unlike a lot of jeans and leggings that gather around my ankles because I’m short, these don’t. Although I couldn’t find a picture of my exact pair online, I feel this image best represents the colour, not dark grey but not light grey either.

Accessories

The Saturdays Crystal Heart Necklace – $2

I have had this necklace for a couple of years now and it was an even bigger bargain than the high neck tee! By Gioia are a company that specialise in jewellery from the world’s biggest musical artists and I purchased this necklace from The Saturdays’ line for £1. When the line was first released I think this retailed for roughly £17.99. This necklace has an adjustable chain and I chose this particular piece to compliment the roll neck jumper because of its’ length.

Footwear

When it comes to footwear for this outfit, I have two options: one is more casual and the other is more dressy if you were going out or had an event in the evening.

1. Skechers Flex Appeal Sweet Spot Walking Shoes – $77.99

 This pair of shoes is the most expensive item in this post but as far as shoes go they’re still not too expensive. I find shoe shopping can be difficult because I have wide, short feet and my ankles roll out when I walk (pronation). These shoes are one of the most comfortable pairs I have worn and I’m sure that’s down to the memory foam. I love to be comfortable and I bought these because I wanted a nice pair of trainers which these certainly are. If you’d like to read more about these shoes, I wrote a post on them HERE.

2. Onix Suede Boots – $20

I bought these boots almost two years ago and they are still in near perfect condition. Despite these being suede, I’ve never experienced any water damage or any marks. Originally these boots retailed for $179.99 and I almost couldn’t believe it when I saw the price sticker for $20. These boots have the slightest heel but that doesn’t alter how comfortable they are to wear. These look so cute with the grey jeggings tucked into them.

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Jumper: Kmart

Top: Cotton On

Jeggings: Postie

Necklace: By Gioia

Shoes: Skechers

Shoes: Diana Ferrari

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I hope you enjoyed reading this post and seeing what I’ve been loving and wearing lately fashion-wise. Let me know what you think of this outfit – would you wear it?

April Favourites 2016

Hey everyone! This month has zoomed past and I feel like April has been a bit of a blur. Personally, there’s been some huge changes at work but everything seems to be settling down and getting back to normal. I’ve also changed up my exercise routine, I’m now cycling three days a week instead of five and doing yoga the other two. I feel it’s important to give a little lifestyle update at the end of each month along with my favourites as it gives you an insight to what’s been going on personally as well.

Onto this month’s favourites:

1. Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil in Hazel – I picked up this Rimmel eyebrow pencil in March and I have been using it to fill in my brows for the past month and I love it! I’m lucky that my brows are naturally quite thick and dark and I don’t need to do a lot to them. The hazel colour is lighter than your usual brown and has a slight red tone to it which ties in well with my hair. One thing I’m not a fan of is eyebrows looking thick and unnatural and this pencil enhances my brows without doing that. If you’re new to filling in brows, give this a product go! It’s so easy to use and doesn’t wear off during the day.

2. Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick – 077 Asia – I purchased this lipstick last month upon recommendation from Claire (Eclairs Cares). I saw a post on her blog and the colour looked so beautiful. Asia is a pinky/brown nude and I have been wearing it a ton over the past few weeks. The formula of Asia is incredible and comparable to that of a much more expensive lipstick. I’d say this lipstick could almost be called a demi-matte. The colour is very creamy and easy to apply but it’s also very pigmented. Asia has made such a good impression, it even featured in my Nude Lipsticks 101 post along with three of my other top nude lip products.

3. Skechers Flex Appeal Sweet Spot Walking Shoes – I purchased this pair of trainers over Easter weekend and just thinking about wearing them fills me with excitement! These are so comfortable and stylish and I know I will get a lot of wear out of them. CLICK HERE to read my First Impressions on these shoes and a more thorough review.

4. Olive Pomegranate Hand & Nail Cream – Recently I finished up my Shea hand cream from The Body Shop and I started using this one from New Zealand based brand Olive. We sell this at work and everyone always remarks how lovely it smells so I had to smell it myself. I ended up loving it so much I had to buy it! This product contains 50ml as opposed to The Body Shop’s 30ml meaning, it’s almost twice the size so should last twice as long. I’ve saved the best point about this hand cream until last; it smells like bubblegum. It’s not a sickly sweet smell and lingers for a good while after application. This soaks in quickly and keeps my hands nice and moisturised.

5. Zayn – Mind of Mine – I reviewed this album on Monday (CLICK HERE to read that post) so I will keep things brief. I have been listening to this album non-stop over the past month and I still haven’t gotten sick of it. The slick, sexy R&B tones are not normally what I listen to but something about Mind of Mine intrigues me. Zayn has made a stellar debut and I can’t wait for his second album! Standout Tracks: Pillowtalk, BeFoUr, sHe, Borderz, TiO and Like I Would.

April’s Spotify Playlist:

This month’s playlist is all about good vibes!

| Bloglovin’

First Impressions: Skechers Flex Appeal

Hi everyone, hope you had a good weekend! It’s not often you see a first impressions post about a pair of shoes so I’m switching things up a bit and writing one for you. I purchased these shoes over the long Easter weekend and I got a pretty good deal – they were 40% off! I finally had the chance to wear them last weekend and gather my thoughts to share with you.

What inspired the purchase?

Trainers to me are one of the comfiest styles of shoes to wear because they are so versatile. You can wear them with casual outfits, to the gym, on long walks or simply running errands. Over the past few years I haven’t needed to wear trainers (except for mowing lawns but I have a cheap pair for that) as I didn’t wear them to school and don’t wear them to work. I got to thinking and came to the conclusion it would be nice to have a proper pair that I could wear on weekends for shopping or hanging out with friends. The weather is cooling down and it’s time to put away the sandals and summer shoes and start thinking about covered in shoes for those rainy days.

Style and Colour

I was drawn to this particular pair as I like how sleek they look. The shoes themselves don’t look heavy and bulky – I like something that is light to wear. The Flex Appeal line comes in a range of colours but I opted for a black and white pair as I think they look really cute and chic and it makes a change from having solid black shoes. My mum actually has a pair of Skechers almost identical to this and instead of white soles hers are multicoloured. All the colours look really cool but I didn’t want to be quite that adventurous. The shoe features a Skech-knit mesh fabric upper and comes with two pairs of laces (black and white) so you can alternate or keep one as a spare.

Size

I purchased these in a US Size 8 and I knew this was the right size as my mum’s pair are the same size. I’ve worn hers before and they fit perfectly. One good thing about Skechers is that they have 1/2 sizes so if you’re between two sizes chances are the 1/2 size will be right one. I like the fit of my trainers to be quite snug so I know they won’t fall off.

Memory Foam

I have always found it somewhat difficult to find comfortable shoes for my feet as when I am standing still my feet are quite wide and when I walk my ankles roll in which is called pronation. Skechers feature an insole made of memory foam which adds to the comfort and makes it feel like you’re walking on air, meaning your feet get less sore over long periods of time. The memory foam moulds to your foot but bounces back as soon as you remove the shoes.

Price

I mentioned earlier I got these for 40% off meaning I paid $77.99 NZD. I don’t buy shoes very often and what I’ve learnt is that in the long run it does pay to spend a bit more and make sure what you’re getting is a good fit and feels comfortable. I know these shoes will get plenty of wear and are so versatile and will go with pretty much anything. Would I pay the full price of $129.99 if they weren’t on sale? Honestly, I’m not sure. I have only worn the shoes once so I’m not ruling out that I wouldn’t but I need to wear the shoes a few more times before I could say.

Overall Verdict

I’d recommend these shoes if you’re in the market for a stylish, reasonably priced pair of trainers. There’s a huge variety of colours and styles and something that would suit everybody. These shoes are lightweight and comfortable to wear; perfect if you’re on the go and for everyday wear. Rating: 9/10.

What was the last pair of shoes you purchased?