Winter Wishlist 2015: Fashion

It's the end of September, and chilly mornings, bonfire night and Christmas shopping trips are just around the corner - which means its time to start thinking about your winter wardrobe! 

For me, this season I'm loving faux fur, high necks, and a palette of dark reds, navy, and mustard. 

All of the items are from H&M, Pull & Bear or Forever 21 - I've been loving these stores at the moment so I thought I'd keep it simple and just use these 3!

I desperately need an oversized coat in my life, especially one that is fur or fur lined. I imagine it will make going out into the cold a much more enjoyable experience. 

I also really love a bomber jacket for when its a bit warmer, and I like this one in navy as I already have far too much black in my wardrobe. 

My tops wishlist basically includes anything with stripes, a high neck or ribbed style. I also like long-line tunics that I've seen in shops recently - paired with leggings I think they make an outfit that looks fashionable but is still comfy and casual.

 These are all things that my wardrobe is lacking - baggy style mom/boyfriend jeans, high waisted trousers and grey high waisted jeans. I need them all.

So many accessories!! Accessorising is so important as they will complete an outfit, and make your outfit look on trend even if you're just wearing jeans and a t-shirt. 

So that's my fashion wishlist for this autumn and winter! If there's anything you like it will be on either Pull&Bear, Forever 21 or H&M websites.

Leave a comment below to let me know whats on your wishlist for this season :)

Review: Max Factor 3 in 1 Facefinity Foundation

Hello!

Today I'm reviewing the Max Factor 3 in 1 Facefinity Foundation, which claims to be a primer, concealer and foundation all in one. 

To start off - I love the design of the actual bottle. I think it makes it look more like a high end foundation rather than a drugstore one, not that it really matters!

I also like that it has a pump, as my previous foundation was Revlon and it was such a pain to have to pour it out (even though I really liked the coverage of the Revlon foundation).

I've worn this a few times now, sometimes with primer and sometimes without but always with concealer as I found its not really high coverage enough to wear without on my skin. 

It definitely has staying power, it looks pretty much exactly the same after a long shift a work, the only difference being I usually look a bit shinier. However, I'm fine with this as it's not too shiny and I prefer a dewy look anyway.

The main issue I have with foundations is that while my face is oily, between my brows and forehead tends to get dry and flaky no matter what. Even if I exfoliate, moisturise, put primer on, it doesn't matter my forehead will ALWAYS do this and it's incredibly annoying!

Which brings me to my favourite pro of the Max Factor foundation - I've found that although my forehead looks far from flawless, it definitely minimises flakiness compared to other foundations I've used (Revlon Colourstay, Rimmel Wake Me Up, Match Perfection). 

Coverage: Medium

Pros: Lasts all day, reduces dry forehead, has a pump, shade matches well

Cons: Coverage not as full as I wanted

The bottom line is that I really like this foundation and I would definitely purchase again, but use it mainly for daytime and keep using Revlon Colourstay for a higher coverage night time look.

AW15 Style Inspiration

Since September is just around the corner, I decided to do a bit of trend research online and create a Pinterest board!

I've pinned images from a wide variety of places, from designer catwalk AW'15 looks, high street stores New In, street style photos and more, I've linked the full board below and I hope it also gives you a little inspiration of what to wear when Autumn arrives!


Follow Beth's board ☂ AW15 ☂ on Pinterest.

6 Easy Tips to Keep Readers on your Blog

After having my own blog for a few years and also reading others for many more years than that, I have come across some amazing blog designs as well as some bad ones.

I am by no means an expert on blog design or anything like that, and I'm sure that most people reading this aren't either. Which is why I've decided to put together a simple list of really easy, beginner tips that I think will make a big difference between whether someone will stay to read your blog or click away from it immediately.


1. Readable font - Go totally crazy with your header and headings, but when it comes to the main body of text go with something simple like Arial, Times, Calibri, etc. They may seem boring but its so much easier to read. Even basic fonts can sometimes look blurry so make sure you check before you make a final decision.

2. Big, clear images - I will always use the 'extra large' option when placing a photo. I think this is really important, especially on a beauty blog where you are taking photos to show swatches or make up looks, because the whole reason you are taking them is so people can see what they look like!

When possible, take photos in natural light and consider downloading free Gimp software (basically Photoshop but with a weird name) to edit. Practice doing simple edits and touch ups with beginner online tutorials if you have the time.


3. Make the most of a navigation bar - Make sure you have a 'home' button or your title/header/logo links to your home page (or both) - not all readers stumble up on to your blog at the home page, and if they want to read more they will want to be able to navigate to it easily.

Make sure to label all of your posts with keywords, then create different pages on your nav bar based on these labels, e.g. reviews, make up, fashion. This will make is easy for readers to find posts they are interested in - here is a simple tutorial for making label pages.

4. Links to popular posts - This is a widget you can easily place on the 'Layout' options. I would definitely recommend adding it, one of the posts may catch a readers eye and encourage them to stay on your blog for longer. You don't even have to do any HTML editing to add it, so it really is super easy.


5. Don't clutter your blog - while having a nice blog design is important, the main reason readers come to your blog is to actually read your posts! So if you have so many extra features on your blog that it becomes slow and unresponsive, this is going to put people off straight away.
Also, having a background design that looks a bit too crazy might discourage people from reading too.


6. Add a search bar - and I don't mean that rubbish search bar gadget that comes on the blogger layout options. Simply google search bar widget for blogger and there will be plenty of options to choose from, this is the one I have used.

Simply add labels to your posts and the search bar will show posts containing these labels, which is really helpful if you have a lot of posts as readers probably aren't going to search through your archive to find something.



I know a lot of these tips seem really basic, but you'd be surprised how many times I've immediately left a blog post because I couldn't read the font or the pictures were so tiny. So I hope this post helps somewhat when creating your blog!

xxxx

Superdrug Make Up Haul

Hello!

I have been to Superdrug for a bit of a make up shopping spree.

I was in desperate need of some new foundation and mascara, and once I'd started researching ones to buy I ended up with a fairly long shopping list, so I'll get straight to it!

Max Factor FaceFinity 3 in 1 Foundation

I think this is the same product as the Covergirl 3 in 1 foundation in the US, but I'm not 100% sure!

This is apparently a fairly high coverage foundation, which is what I was after as I already have a more sheer one. It is advertised as a primer, concealer and foundation in one, although I'm sure I'll probably end up wearing concealer with it as well.

I had some issues choosing a shade, as the Beige 55 looked really pale on my skin, however Golden 75 looked slightly on the darker side. I ended up going for the Golden 75, as it was slightly closer to my skin tone and I already have a foundation that is very light which I could mix it with.

I will be doing a full review of this foundation once I've had a chance to try it out a few times.

Maybelline Sensational Mascara

If you're a regular beauty blog reader/beauty video watcher, you've probably seen this mascara been raved about!

I've been using a Bare Minerals mascara previously which I really loved, so I wanted a new mascara that would live up to my expectations. This one was recommended to me by a friend, then after looking it up online I saw that a lot of people had great reviews about it so I've decided to try it out!

 Revolution Eyeshadow Palette in Romantic Smoked

For the longest time I've just been using the Naked2 palette, and while it has some great matte and shimmery shades, they all are basically different shades of brown/gold so I decided it was time to branch out and get a new palette.

I have gone for the Romantic Smoked because I have brown eyes, and this palette is mainly purples and greens which I've heard are good colours to match brown eyes.

There are 6 shimmery ones and 6 matte, with plenty of range to do inner corners, crease and eyelids in green, purple or pink, which I think is a really great deal considering the palette is only £4!

I might do a full review with swatches of this palette, but if you're looking for some new shades to add to your eyeshadow collection I don't think you can really go wrong with 12 colours for £4.

Miss Sporty 24hr Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner

I feel like I've come full circle with eyeliners, when I was a young teenager I started out using liquid eyeliners like this, then I moved on to pen eyeliners, then on to gel in a pot, then back to pens, now liquid again.
I thought liquid ones are harder to apply accurately, pens always dry up especially if you're trying to put them on over eyeshadow, and gel ones always seem to dry up quickly too.

I think I'm always going to find faults so matter which product I use!

So now I'm back to liquid, and I bought this one purely because my friend said she had heard good things about it so hopefully this one will satisfy me for at least a few months.

MUA Eyeliners in Snow White and Berry Wine

Can you believe these are only a pound each??

I love these MUA ones because they come with a sharpener on the lid, which is absolutely ideal as I ALWAYS lose my sharpeners. I don't really have much more to say about these, the sharpener and the price to me make them clear winners when it comes to choosing eyeliner pencils.


So that's it for my mini make up haul, I can't wait to try some of these products out, and keep your eyes peeled for a review of the Max Factor foundation and the Revolution palette in the near future! :)

xxxx

Spring-Clean Wardrobe Swaps with Yumi!

Spring is here and Summer just around the corner (although you wouldn't guess it living in Manchester, where an umbrella is an every day essential), and what is a better way to prepare than spring-cleaning your wardrobe? Yumi are doing this awesome competition to swap 5 items in your wardrobe with 5 items from their current collection to win £1000 to spend at Yumi, so here we go!

This is also kind of a wishlist post - I've chosen a few tired old items from my current wardrobe and 'replaced' them with 5 shiny new Spring items from Yumi that I've got my eye on.

There were actually so many lovely items on Yumi - they have such a wide collection that it was hard to whittle it down to just 5. I have tried to be a bit varied in my choices, with 2 dresses, a jumper, skirt and blouse.

Tapestry Print Kaftan Dress

Ahhh I love this dress. I've been wanting a shirt style dress for ages and this one is just so perfect for me. The print is like 70's style and I think would look really cool with a pair of boots.

Dinosaur Print Jumper

This jumper is actually the best thing I've ever seen. Me and my housemate have a bit of a weird obsession with all things dinosaur so I think this jumper is really cute. It also looks a bit vintage, I would probably just wear it with skinny jeans and a pair of trainers for a really casual look.

Rainforest Print Summer Dress

Words cannot describe how much I love this dress. I've been really into yellow recently, and the print on this dress is so nice - it reminds me of prints I've seen on the SS15 catwalks this season.

I'd wear this either casually with a jacket and some boots, or more dressed up with some strappy heels for a summer night out.

Bird Print Blouse

This comes in both mint and pink, I really like the mint one in particular. On the website they've styled it with white skinny jeans which I think looks soooo nice - really fresh colours and very 'spring'.

Daisy Print Skater Skirt

The white daisy print on black is a really nice subtle way of inserting a bit of springtime floral into your wardrobe without it being too much. I'm a big fan of monochrome and this print is really in this season. I also really like the exposed zip at the back.

Once again this could be worn casual or dressed up - I'd wear this with a baggy t-shirt tucked in and a pair of converse.

These are my old wardrobe swaps that I'd like to get rid of, please!

As you can see there's a bit of a theme here. I won't bother going through each one - they're all either not in this season, too wintery or I'm just plain bored of them, so if I could swap them for the items above that would be fab, thanks!

Thanks for reading, and make sure you have a look on the Yumi website and see if there's anything you'd swap with!

How To Style: SS15 Yellow

Whilst looking at this season's fashion week, the yellow trend that kept cropping up really stuck out to me. 

It's a pretty bold colour that you don't see people wearing very often, which got me thinking about the different ways it could be styled into an outfit for this season. 

These are a few of my favourite examples:

If you're anything like me and tend to stick to more neutral colours, you're probably thinking to stay away from this yellow trend (which is what I initially thought!), however it's easy to include a bit of this bright colour into your outfit without looking too 'out there'. 

River Island Paisley Print Shorts - these really remind me of the Karen Walker print pictured above, and they'd be easy to pull of with a baggy t-shirt for casual day wear or a shirt for something a bit more smart.

New Look Collarless Coat - for those cold Spring days, this yellow coat from New Look would be a perfect addition to an outfit. I also love how they have styled it with the monochrome dogtooth print.

Topshop Yellow Pelmet Skirt - just like the shorts, this Topshop skirt can be styled for many different looks, whilst still looking subtly on-trend.

ASOS Yellow Bikini - this is just one example from ASOS, but a great way to include yellow in your Spring/Summer wardrobe is a bikini for your summer hols!

River Island Navy and Yellow Purse - the yellow on the catwalks this season is often paired with blue, which is why I liked this purse in particular. I think a purse, handbag or clutch bag is a great way to add a bit of colour to an outfit without it being overbearing.

Some other simple ideas would be a yellow nail polish, statement necklace or blazer.

Will you be wearing yellow this season, and if so, how? Let me know!