Una Healy Inspired Makeup

I have done a couple of celebrity inspired makeup looks on the blog and today I’m back with another! Una Healy is one fifth of one of my favourite bands; The Saturdays and as it’s Una’s birthday on Monday I wanted to come up with a look inspired by her. Our hair and eye colours are similar and Una has the most beautiful green eyes – what suits her should suit me. I have gone for a simple and straightforward base with emphasis on a bold red lip!

1. Simple Kind To Skin Hydrating Light Moisturiser – I have three open Simple moisturisers on the go at the moment and I’m closest to finishing this one so I try to reach for it as often as I can lately. I applied two layers of this moisturiser before going in with foundation to keep my skin super soft.

2. Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil in 002 Hazel – I have been using this to fill in my brows since March and I’m still a fan!

3. Max Factor Lasting Performance Foundation in 101 Ivory Biege – Una’s skin always looks so natural and flawless and this foundation is perfect when I want more coverage to achieve that flawless look.

4. Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in 1 Fair – I dot this onto the areas where I get some redness (my chin and around my nose) and pat it in with my finger.

5. Qianyu Eyeshadow Palette – I don’t think this palette has an official name but I picked it up for $2.50 because of how pretty and shimmery the shades look. Using my ring finger I applied the white shade as a base before applying the green shade over top. Una’s Irish roots and green eyes inspired this choice.

6. Rimmel Exaggerate Eyeliner in Rich Brown – I haven’t worn this eyeliner in forever and I don’t have black eyeliner so this had to do. I wanted to add slightly more depth to the eyes so I applied a thin line of this to my upper lash line.

7. Rimmel Day 2 Night Mascara – I applied two coats of lengthening mascara to give my lashes a subtle flutter.

8. Revlon Fire & Ice Lipstick – I know Lady Danger from MAC is a firm favourite of all The Saturdays and this is the red closest to Lady Danger that I own. Fire & Ice is both a warm and cool red making it suitable for a range of skintones.

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What do you think of my take on Una’s look? Is there a celebrity whose makeup has inspired you lately?

❄ 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?

Vanessa White Inspired Makeup

Happy Monday lovelies! Recently I’ve found myself becoming a fan of nude-brown lips. Normally I don’t like brown at all but I have always thought a nude lip looks beautiful paired with a smoky eye or a bright shimmery eye look. Today’s post features a makeup look inspired by Vanessa White. Vanessa is a British singer and member of one of my favourite bands The Saturdays. Vanessa’s makeup is always immaculate and there are a few key points to achieving her look; a matte (or nude) lip, dark smoky eyes and a flawless base.

I don’t wear a lot of smoky browns so it was fun to create this look and experiment a bit with darker colours. Obviously my skin is paler than Vanessa’s but I knew the look I was going for and adapted her signature style to suit me and my skin tone.

Products listed in order of application:

1. Simple Replenishing Rich Moisturiser – I squeeze a small amount into the palm of my hand and apply it using my middle finger. Thin, frequent layers soak into the skin more easily and are less likely to clog pores.

2. The Body Shop Vitamin E Face Mist – I spritzed this onto my face after applying moisturiser to give an extra bit of hydration.

3. Brown Eyebrow Pencil – I hardly ever fill in my eyebrows but I know Vanessa is a fan of a bold brow. Mine are naturally quite thick (lucky me) so I filled them in slightly to give a hint of definition. I did this first so any harsh lines would be covered by foundation/concealer.

4. Max Factor Lasting Performance Foundation in 101 Ivory Beige – I opted for this foundation over my Rimmel Match Perfection as this gives a more matte coverage and more coverage in general; adding to that flawless look.

5.  Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in 15 Fair – As usual this was applied on my chin and around my nose where I have some redness. I also applied a small amount to the outer corners of my eyes to brighten things up a little so they wouldn’t look too dark with all the eye makeup.

 6. Australis Concealer Stick in Light – I don’t use concealer stick a lot anymore since I purchased Maybelline’s Fit Me but I decided to change things up a bit and try and use this for some contouring. I applied this on my chin, my forehead, down the centre of my nose and on my cheeks in a triangle shape.

 7. The Body Shop Honey Bronzer in 01 Light Matte – I lightly dusted this bronzer into the hollows of my cheeks and up onto my forehead and jawline using a ‘3’ motion.

8. Maybelline ‘The Nudes’ Eyeshadow Palette – This palette had to be it with the gorgeous browns and taupes. Shade 3 was applied as a base all over the lid followed by shade 7 which was used in the crease as a transition shade. Shade 6 was then applied over shade 3 and blended with shade 8 to create the dark smoky look.

9.  Rimmel Supercurler Mascara – This mascara adds a lovely curl to my lashes and the curved brush really allows you to get into each individual eyelash and wiggle the brush to distribute product.

10.  Dainty Doll Cream Blusher 003 Billion Dollar Babies – This blush is literally the perfect everyday, barely there shade. I wanted to use this nude shade to add a little something to my cheeks without going over the top with colour.

11. Rimmel Apocolips Lip Lacquer in 200 Comet – Vanessa prefers a matte lip to a gloss but this is the closest lip product I own colour wise to her style. What I love about these lip lacquers is that the finish is somewhere between glossy and matte. The formula is not sticky and packs a punch on the pigment front. Comet also inspired this post and this look!

I haven’t done a post like this before and I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know if you’d like to see more along the same lines.

Playlist: 21 Songs In 21 Years

Hey everyone – welcome to the second of my special birthday posts! Music is such a big part of my everyday life and I came up with the idea to compile a list of 21 songs into a playlist, each one representing a year I’ve been alive. These are all songs that I have loved since I was little and songs that are special to me. The playlist will be broken down step by step and I’ll explain why I chose each track.

Rules: In order to be considered, each song had to be released as a single or feature on an album in the year it corresponds to.

#1. 1995: Shania Twain – (If You’re Not In It For Love) I’m Outta Here!

I chose this song as the first track as it is a great way to kick off the playlist and 1995 was the year big things started happening for Shania. The album this track is from was released just two weeks after I was born. Shania is a huge inspiration to me and her music has always stayed with me throughout the years.

#2. 1996: Spice Girls – Wannabe

Who doesn’t love a bit of girl power? Wannabe is a song that makes me happy whenever I hear it and is the essence of fun. I also know Mel B’s rap word perfect!

#3. 1997: Shania Twain – From This Moment On

I know I shouldn’t be biased but From This Moment On is one of my favourite songs from the entire playlist. This is the song that made me buy Come On Over and fall in love with the album. To this day it is still my favourite album and one of my most played albums of all time. I also want this song to be my wedding song.

#4. 1998: Jennifer Paige – Crush

I’m not going to lie, 1998 was a hard year to choose a song for but I did it. The beat to this song is so poppy and up my street and I always sing along whenever I hear this on the radio. In my opinion this song has aged well, it doesn’t sound nearly 20 years old at all.

#5. 1999: Steps – Better the Devil You Know

This song (a cover of the Kylie hit) is what ignited my love for Steps in the first place. Steps hold such a special place in my heart as their music made me realise that I want to be a singer too. I have an old video tape of Steps performing this song that I used to play over and over.

#6. 2000: Kylie Minogue – Spinning Around

Spinning Around is my favourite Kylie song and always brings a smile to my face when I hear it. This song brings back childhood memories of me dancing round the living room when I was five or six years old. Spinning Around was track #1 on a cassette tape and I played that cassette tape to death. I’ve still got the cassette and played it a few years ago – it’s still a cracker!

#7. 2001: Enrique Iglesias – Hero

This is another one of those songs that doesn’t seem it’s age. By 2001 Enrique was a worldwide success and Hero further cemented that. The lyrics of this ballad are so beautiful and almost bring me to tears. This song is special because we all need someone to look after us and be a hero in our lives.

#8. 2002: Dannii Minogue – Put the Needle On It

You can’t include one Minogue without the other. Put the Needle On It is one of Dannii’s classics and helped her 2003 album Neon Nights to become her most successful. Everything about this track is slick and sexy, the beat, the lyrics and the music video.

#9. 2003: Lisa Scott-Lee – Too Far Gone

Words probably cannot explain the obsession I have with Lisa Scott-Lee. She has always been my favourite member of Steps and her solo music is right up my street and the type of music I’d like to make. Too Far Gone was Lisa’s second solo single after Steps split and is a perfect groove for the dancefloor!

#10. 2004: Maroon 5 – She Will Be Loved

My mum is a fan of Maroon 5 so in a lot of ways this choice reminds me of her. The poignant lyrics of this song have always struck a chord with me – the words are sad but beautiful.

#11. 2005: Sugababes – Push the Button

Again, this choice reminds me of my mum – she used to have this song as her ringtone. Push the Button also reminds me of my 11th birthday. I had my first ever birthday party and my friends and I were talking about how much we loved this song.

#12. 2006: Cascada – Everytime We Touch

One of the biggest things that draws me into a song is the beat. While I do love a good, slushy ballad, up tempo music is where it’s at! This track is proper Eurodance and has the most amazing beat that just makes me want to sing along and dance.

#13. 2007 – Westlife – Something Right

Something Right is up there with My Love as my all-time favourite Westlife track. When I first heard this song it reminded me what I loved so much about Westlife when I was a kid – beautiful voices making good pop music. This track really reignited my love for Westlife, for a few years they had slipped under my radar but they were back!

#14. 2008: The Saturdays – If This Is Love

I cannot begin to explain how special these five ladies are to me, what did I even do before The Saturdays? I feel like The Saturdays are one of the first bands I have followed right from the very beginning and all of the memories and friends I have made because of them I will treasure forever. It’s only fitting I picked their debut single as it’s where everything began.

#15. 2009: Natalie Bassingthwaighte – Someday Soon

This song gives me goosebumps because the lyrics are very personal to me. The lyrics are all about chasing your dreams and being successful in what you do. The lyrics could apply to a number of situations but the line, “someday soon, they’re gonna write your name in the sky” makes me imagine what it would be like to make it as a singer and inspire people which is my biggest dream. Also the line, “You know you’re my hero, you’re gonna be a star tonight” makes me think of being on a stage and hearing people sing your lyrics back to you, that’s when you know you’ve made it.

#16. 2010: The Saturdays – Higher

This is hands down my favourite Saturdays song! I prefer the album version with Una’s middle-eight over the single version which features Flo Rida but New Zealand Spotify only had the rap version so you’re stuck with it.

#17. 2011: Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Not Giving Up On Love

I have been a fan of Sophie since the ‘Murder On the Dancefloor’ days and this tune from 2011 is one of her best! She teamed up with Dutch DJ Armin van Buuren and Australian sisters Nervo to deliver a track full of euphoric synths and pulsating beats. I am so glad I’ve been able to showcase a few of my favourite Euro/trance tracks with this playlist.

#18. 2012: Ellie Goulding – Anything Could Happen

The title Anything Could Happen just makes me happy and fills me with positivity. It could have negative connotations but for me it doesn’t. Anything Could Happen is about releasing and letting go of everything and moving forward with the mindset that good things will come to you. This song was also a turning point in the show when I saw Ellie in concert, the whole room felt electric and everyone was singing along.

#19. 2013: The Saturdays – What About Us

This is the last Saturdays track I promise! What About Us is very special to me as it was the band’s first #1 in The UK and it was the first time I heard The Saturdays played regularly on New Zealand radio. Before that I felt like I was one of few people who knew about them and the fact What About Us charted at #27 in New Zealand means the world to me. Enough people bought and liked the song despite not knowing a lot about who was singing it.

#20. 2014: Da Buzz – Touch My Soul

I have listened to Da Buzz for years and I truly believe Swedes make some of the best music in the world, the singers, writers, producers etc. I really don’t know what to say about this song apart from it’s a bloody corker! It is in that Eurodance vein but with Da Buzz it is about the lyrics and vocals just as much as the beat. It’s not just a few lines layered over top of a sick beat and repeated for 3 minutes.

#21. 2015: Ellie Goulding – Love Me Like You Do

Love Me Like You Do is my absolute favourite track from 2015 and I think it really did a lot for Ellie. It opened up her voice and music to so many more people and has bought her a lot of success in the process. This song even made my brother a fan of Ellie.

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Honourable Mentions: There were a few tough choices and that meant some of my most played tracks didn’t make the cut. These songs are also very special to me and I wanted to mention them: 2008: Girls Aloud – The Promise, 2011: Pixie Lott – All About Tonight, 2013: Shane Filan – Everything To Me and 2015: Delta Goodrem – Wings.

Thanks for reading, I know this was a monster of a post!

Week In Review: October 13 – October 19, 2014

I post an update here every Sunday giving an overview of my week. Accompanying photos from my Instagram are also included. Here’s the latest:

Twitter world was amazing to me this week! I received a tweet from Rochelle (my favourite member of The Saturdays), three members of Steps regarding this Twitlonger post and some words of wisdom from Dannii Minogue.

As mentioned last week I want to finish reading The Road Code before Shane Filan’s autobiography arrives and I kept my word. The majority of what’s left to read are practice questions for the driving test so it’ll be interesting to see how much information I’ve retained. *insert covered eyes emoji here*

Wednesday marked eight years since I bought my copy of Steps’ album Buzz for $0.97 and of course I had to commemorate my 8th Stepsversary by listening to it! After all these years I’m still a huge fan and it’s one of my favourites to listen to.

Upon completion of both the 30 day squat and 30 day sit up challenges I decided I wanted to continue doing something along the same lines. For the next few weeks I’m trialling doing 50 squats and 50 sit ups per day, using every fourth day as a rest day. I had a mid week planning session and printed out a yearly calender from arigigiart.blogspot.ch.

I cut out the month of October and stuck it onto a journal card to keep in my Filofax.

The reverse side of the journal card. Coincidentally, this quote is appropriate because I do enjoy doing my challenges. Even though it might not seem like much, I have witnessed the benefits and every little bit helps.

This week saw me make my first purchase on Depop, which is an app very similar to eBay. One person was selling 12 different singles by The Saturdays, 8 of which are hand signed by the band. At the moment I only own 3 singles (all signed) so I’m extremely excited to add to the collection.

On Friday I had another wee planning session, blog related this time! I just wanted to jot down some ideas I have for future posts. I used a piece of yellow spotted washi tape to create the heading before writing on it with a Sharpie. (I’ve purposely left this image quite small in case you don’t want me to spoil what’s coming up on the blog).

I also went to the recycling centre. It feels good to know you’re doing your bit for the environment and the planet and it’s generally pretty busy when I’m there which is good to see!

I thought I’d be a little bit vain this week and leave you with a selfie.

Thanks for all your likes, comments and support – hope you had a great week!

Chanelle x

Week In Review: September 15 – September 21, 2014

I post an update here every Sunday giving an overview of my week. Accompanying photos from my Instagram are also included. Here’s the latest:

The first half of this week was quite hectic. I had a few bits and pieces to do relating to work and looking for employment. I won’t double post about it so if you’re interested in reading what happened click here.

The Saturdays are on their Greatest Hits Tour of The UK and Ireland at the moment and a close Twitter friend of mine had a meet and greet with them at Monday’s Birmingham date. It was his first time meeting the girls and he was also kind enough to give me a shoutout. Mollie even remembered me as the New Zealand girl she tweeted nearly four years ago.

Dannii Minogue is one of my favourite people and this week I finished writing my letter to her. First I typed the letter out in Microsoft Word then printed it out to write onto lined paper. I want the letter to have a personal touch which is why I decided to hand write it. I actually began typing/writing out the letter last week but went through it again this week making sure there are no errors or spelling mistakes. I haven’t written letters like this before but the thought of doing something nice and giving back to her is what inspired me to write it.

 

 

 

 

In yesterday’s post I briefly talked about election day. Politics is a touchy subject and can cause controversy but personally I was a little bit excited. In New Zealand you have to be 18 or older to vote, and me being 19 meant I was old enough to vote for the first time! I don’t pay a lot of attention to politics but yesterday felt like a milestone and made me feel more grown up (haha).

I took a selfie when I got home from voting, which included the caption “My just been to vote selfie 👍.”  I went for a very natural look yesterday with my make up and in fact didn’t wear any! The only thing I put on was a coat of Nivea’s Pearly Shine lip balm.

That’s all for this week, would love to hear how your week went too!

Chanelle x

Day 20 – The last song alphabetically in your iTunes

‘808’ is quite a recent addition to my iTunes library featuring as one of the new tracks on The Saturdays‘ Greatest Hits album released last month. It’s a great uptempo dance-pop track and is especially good to start your day with – I started mine with it this morning! 🙂

Music Monday

Here’s some tracks I’m loving at the moment:

1. Calvin Harris – Summer
2. The Saturdays – What Are You Waiting For?
3. Cheryl – Crazy Stupid Love
4. Ella Henderson – Ghost
5. Dami Im – Super Love
6. OneRepublic – Love Runs Out
7. Adam J ft. Amelle & Nightcrashers – Love Is All We Need

What song can’t you get enough of?

30 Days To Love: July

1. Miracle On Regent Street by Ali Harris
Reading is one of my favourite hobbies and this month saw me finish Miracle On Regent Street written by British author Ali Harris. The novel is set in and around Christmas time in London and sees main character Evie Taylor trying to deal with a number of issues in her personal and professional life. One of these, the threatening closure of department store Hardy’s, sees Evie transform the store one department at a time. Can she do it and will she get the credit she deserves?

Despite the book being set at Christmas, it didn’t harm the storyline for me. The book is quite light hearted but still written in a way which presents problems relevant in real life. Miracle On Regent Street touches on deceit, romance, friendship, and adultery and conveys that at the end of the day what’s meant for you won’t pass you by.

2. The Chase
The Chase is a game shows which sees a team of four contestants each answer a minute of quick fire questions. Any question they answer correctly in this round adds £1,000 to their total. The Chasers (quiz geniuses) then try to catch the contestants in a head-to-head round. Any contestant who is not caught gets their money added to the prize fund and is eligible to play in the Final Chase, where the team must outrun the Chaser once again. In the Final Chase the team has two minutes to answer as many questions as possible. If they answer more than the Chaser they win any money in the prize fund. Host, Bradley Walsh is also incredibly funny and makes the show.

3. ‘What Are You Waiting For?’ by The Saturdays
‘What Are You Waiting For?’ is the first single to be released from The Saturdays’ upcoming Greatest Hits album Finest Selection. The dance-pop track was written and produced by Xenomania (most famous for their work with Girls Aloud). The song took a few listens to grow on me but now I love it and have been playing it a lot this month! ‘What Are You Waiting For?’ is released on 10 August 2014 (NZ – 8 August) so be sure to get yourself a copy!

What are you loving this month?

Chanelle x

If This Is Love… 6 Years On

The Saturdays (five-piece British/Irish girlband) released their debut single, ‘If This Is Love’ six years ago today: 27 July 2008.

The track samples Yazoo’s ‘Situation’ and was co-written by Remee (Jamelia’s ‘Superstar’) and Ina Wroldsden (Pussycat Dolls, Leona Lewis, Britney Spears) among others. ‘If This Is Love’ entered the UK charts at #8 and is the first of a string of singles released by the group to reach the UK top 10.

I have been a huge fan of the girls since the very beginning and they are easily my favourite band (along with Steps). I can remember hearing the song for the first time and instantly falling in love with it. It is still one of my favourite Saturdays songs and a great choice of debut single.

The track holds such special memories; I remember being 13 and being so excited I’d found this new band. I played the track on repeat constantly.

In this case it most certainly is love!