Why The National Portrait Gallery is the Best Source of Inspiration.

Photography has recently become very much 'my thing'. I love it to pieces and really do appreciate any type of photography but especially magazine shoots. The look, the concept, the model, the styling, just everything about it excites me.

Picture from victoriasadler.com

I went to the National Portrait Gallery on Thursday to visit the Vogue 100: A century on style exhibition, so ready to take a look at all of the magazine images and I was not disappointed. The images are all so stunning and if you are a very visual person then this is definitely something to go and see because there isn't too much writing to read. The images were so stunning but unfortunately, you weren't allowed to take any photos in there so obviously I had to treat myself to the Vogue image book so I could keep them all and it is honestly the perfect coffee table book that I think I'll have in my living room on my coffee table for years to come!

As you walk into the exhibition, you are greeted by bright magazine covers from the past 100 years followed by a glass room reflecting the amazing imagery with some very known faces making a few appearances. After that, its up to you. Choose where you want to start and you will quickly become engulfed in some amazing photography from some very inspiring photographers such as the amazing Mario Testino and Tim Walker, who quickly became my two favourites. Take a look at the time line of how the Vogue cover has evolved and peek into the life of the person who chooses each final image before looking at each and every amazing and iconic vogue shot from the last century.

All I want to do now is pick up my camera and set up for a few editorial shoots now. If you love photography and you're feeling as though you're in bit of a rut then its definitely worth going as you gain so much inspiration and even if you're just into fashion or vogue itself, I could not recommend it enough!

(Just wanted to clarify that this post is not sponsored - I just 

love photography and it really excited me! I went to it
 on a college trip and just wanted to share the love!)

♥ 

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Getting Creative with Stamps.

I've really been getting into fancy nails recently after enrolling in an acrylic nail course and I've started spending a little bit more time on my own nails so I thought I'd show you this really easy design I created a few days ago!

I love this colour and it's a little bit different for me; I usually stick to my dark reds, purples and browns and possibly a nude every now and then but because I'm not really too much of a pastel girl, this is definitely as spring like as I'm going to get!

I used a stamp to create the design on my ring finger, I love how intricate it looks but it was super easy to do. The stamping plate I used is this one from MoYou Nails London and I purchased it when I attended the Professional Beauty show in London a few weeks back. It is honestly really simple to do once you've got the knack of how much polish to use and how hard to press which was a little frustrating at times because all the girls at the show made it look so easy but I love the plate never the less and already have my eye on some others!

The polish is an OPI one in 'Just Lanai-ing Around' which I only recently added to my collection and I believe it is part of the Hawaii collection for Spring Summer 2015 so you know, even though it isn't part of the Spring Summer 2016 collection, I still absolutely love it and wanted to share it with you!

♥ 

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Just a Casual Tuesday Afternoon.

So this was my casual Tuesday afternoon a few weeks back when my Mum and I visited Ickworth house. I took my camera and she, well came with me and bought lunch. She did however also take my outfit posts and kept me company so I can't forget about that but anyway, it was lovely and quiet and I think I got some pretty good shots so I thought I'd share them with you and I also threw a few outfit posts in there too. 

Coat | Topshop (old)

Jeans | Topshop Joni Jeans

Trainers | Aldo

Jumper | Karen Millen

I love this Jumper because of the shape but it also has a black chiffon triangle at the back of it which just adds so much interest and makes it super pretty. It's also the perfect dress up, dress down piece which everyone needs in their wardrobe.

The sheep that were roaming about were so heavily pregnant some could hardly stand let alone walk. I think I'm going to try and go back once the lambs have been born to try to get some pictures of them too.

(This was me listening to people behind the row of tress talking about a tree that looked like a dragon. It was strange, trust me.)

There were honestly so many squirrels and robins roaming about. I think I followed the one in the top photo for a good 15 minutes trying to get some good shots of it. 

I know this post was a little bit picture heavy and I couldn't really talk about much but I just wanted to share them with you because what use are they all stored on my laptop doing nothing. 

♥ 

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Are These The Only Palettes You'll Truly Ever Need?

So today I thought I would do a post on my two ready made MAC palettes. I've owned them for quite a while which has given me time to get a good idea of what they're like and what I think of them.

Top | MAC Warm Neutral Palette

Bottom | MAC Cool Neutral Palette

Both of these palettes retail for £65.00 which is a really good price for a palette filled with shadows. The shadows alone retail for £10 each so instead of spending £150 on shadows, you're getting the shadows and the palette for only £65 saving yourself over £100 which is a bargain too good to miss if you ask me.

I have owned the warm palette since the end of October last year and the cool one, I got for Christmas so I have had a good play around with both. Personally, I prefer the warm one just because I wear a lot more warm tones because of my hair colour being a warm brown and red but that doesn't mean I think the warm one is better. I love them both, I just get more use out of the warm one. It would be up to you to decide for yourself what one you would prefer and which would work best for you.  

Swatches from left to right | Divine Decadence, Unwind, Honey Lust, Amber Lights, Dark Brew, Gingersnap

Some of the eyeshadows in the palette are from the permanent MAC eyeshadow line whereas others have been created and made exclusively for this palette. 'Amber Lights' is one of my favourites in the palette and is the perfect bright, pigmented gold. Even if you don't want this palette, I would definitely recommend buying Amber lights separately as it's just so gorgeous. 

Swatches from left to right | Black Tied, Deception, Pearled Earth, Crushed Clove, After Dusk, Sun Tweaked

These are my absoute favourite shadows the cool palette, especially 'After dusk' and 'Sun tweaked'. Because of this one being cool toned, I mostly use this on clients and other people just because I don't really suit the shadows at the moment. 

Every colour in each of the palettes just seem to work together; you could pick any two colours and they always seem to match. These palettes are great for someone who is starting out in makeup and wants to invest in a palette that they will get a good amount of use out of and is worth investing in. If you have ever used MAC shadows before they usually always blend perfectly and have a good pigment to them which is also completely true for these and they can create anything for a natural eye look to a bold, smokey one.

As I mentioned earlier, they are also great for your kit if you are a makeup artist as they have worked well for everyone I've used them on and are just a great addition.

Have you tried these palettes? What are your thoughts on them?

♥ 

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The Three Step Miracle Skincare.

My skin has been horrendous lately. Oils, blemishes, scarring, the lot; But I think I have finally solved the problem: 

La Roche-Posay Effaclar 3-step Anti Blemish System | Available here

This stuff is amazing! I picked this up recently after looking at the Effaclar duo [+], I decided to just invest in the set of skincare and purchase something that would really work for my skin instead of purchasing some skincare that would make it worse like I have done before. I think a face wash, toner and a cream is everything you need in your routine and I have no regrets about buying this.

Step One: Cleanse. The face wash claims to reduce any excess sebum and leave the skin nice and clean which I would agree with. Once I've washed my face and patted it dry, it definitely feels fresh and squeaky clean and removes any makeup that was missed when taking off my makeup. 

Step Two: Tone. A toner will close any pores that were opened when washing your face stopping any dirt from getting in them. I'm not entirely sure I have noticed a dramatic difference in my skin from this product exactly but I think it has evened out my pores making them less visible under makeup.

Step Three: Correct and Hydrate. This is the miracle product! Although I haven't been using this skincare all that long, I have noticed a dramatic difference in the appearance of my blemishes and scarring. Within a few days, the scars had lightened and after two weeks they have almost disappeared. At the moment, my skin has been breaking out quite a lot but this product is pulling out all the crap under your skin and once it has all been extracted, it will stop it all going back in. I think it has also evened out the texture in my skin and has removed all the oils meaning that I don't turn into a river of oil after two hours.

After using all three items all over my face for a week, I decided to stop using the cream on my cheeks as these were never spot prone or oily, but the cream was making them feel slightly dry so if you already have dry skin then this probably isn't great for you but I just apply a thin layer of moisturiser on my cheeks at night and in the morning. 

Pros:

• Reduces the appearance of any scarring.
• Evens out skin texture.
• Extracts skin impurities and reduces blemishes.
• Reduces oil on skin.

Cons:

• Can make skin dry so is suited for people with oily skin.

If you have been thinking about this skincare then I would definitely push you to get it. Although it may seem a little pricey, it is worth every penny and is on offer on the boots website at the minute saving you about £8.00 so now is the time to do some shopping!

♥ 

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The Trainers You Need In Your Life.

White 'Elza' trainers | Aldo

It was time for an upgrade in the trainer department. I used to wear Nike high tops, these exact ones to be exact and I wore them until they fell apart but after that I moved onto some slightly better looking ones but never really fell in love with them the way I loved my 6.0s. Then came converse which was a whole new thing. I loved my converse but now they are saved for college, casual summer outfits and work. When I was in America last year, I spotted these and instantly fell in love but they didn't have my size no matter what shop I went in so as soon as I got home, I ordered them and I love them.

I think a pair of classy trainers is perfect with any outfit. They are the kind of shoes which look cool and like you tried even when you threw an outfit together in 2 minutes that morning. I think it's because of the patent and leather with the gold hardware. They have structure and just look so cool when wearing them.

Aldo is the perfectly place for trainers especially if you don't particularly like ones with the normal sportswear brand name plastered all over them with wacky colours. These are also in the sale so even more of a reason to buy a pair now or take a look at some of the others they have online.

No, this post isn't sponsored, I just blooming love these trainers!

♥ 

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Making Time to Relax.

I get told this on the daily.

I wake up on my days off at 7.30. I'm up, dressed, tidied both my room and my office and eating breakfast by 8.15. To do list has been written by 8.25 whilst sipping on my latte that is needed to keep me going and then thats where the chaos starts. Off I go, feed the rabbit, clean out the hamster, organise those drawers, sort that box, finish those mood boards. A possible break for lunch at about 12.30 and then it continues: wash kit makeup brushes, sort lipstick tray, do some revision, complete another moodboard and I'll be lucky if I actually allow myself breathing time during this day. 

This is a typical Monday.

Having been recently told that I have both Anxiety and OCD, my life feels far from calm. I organise to control my anxiety but it makes me look like a sorting machine. Just earlier today, I opened my wardrobe for a split second, noticed one pair of heels were out of place and a jumper had fallen off its hanger causing me to become severely stressed, pull everything out of my wardrobe and drawers, shoe rail and all, almost have a panic attack because I felt so overwhelmed and claustrophobic about the amount I had and then put it all back in again. Many people do a wardrobe clear out once every maybe five or six months. I do this on a weekly basis. 

I admit it: I just can't relax. If I'm sitting on my bed scrolling through Instagram and I remember my foundation drawer being slightly messy then thats it. No more reading for me until its tidied. Relaxing just doesn't happen.

But it should and you should make time for it. Just because you are in the bath, just laying there, doesn't mean you should be doing anything other than just chilling. If you know someone who is totally relaxed about everything and a deadline doesn't cause them rely on red bull and coffee because they are so tired from being up all night working on it, it doesn't necessarily mean it's bad thing. Just make time for yourself and switch off. Scroll through Instagram, go for a run, meet with friends. Everything is going to be ok and 10 minutes out of your day isn't going to stop that. I just can't stop and if nothing needs to be done then I will make work for myself but sometimes its ok to chill. A calm life can often be much better than a hectic one. 

♥ 

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20 Facts About Me.

So todays post is of the slightly more chattier nature (hence the cup of tea) which are possibly my favourite posts to do. I thought I would do a 'facts about me' post because I don't think I have ever written anything like it before and thought you may like to have a read.

1. I have a phobia of flying but I love to travel and I love airports. Strange I know. I think it's the turbulence; A spot of turbulence and I think we are going down.

2. I am an only child and no, I never got bored on my own. I loved it, there was none of that sharing rubbish!

3. I hate the idea of camping. Sleeping on the floor, having to walk miles to go to the toilet. Nah, not a fan and I don't plan on experiencing it any time soon.

4. I hate the fact that the iPhone six doesn't fit into my back pocket. The point in me not carrying a bag is that I don't want to carry anything in my hands.

5. I tell it how it is. If you're doing/saying something I don't like, you are going to know about it.

6. I only watched Harry Potter for the first time four months ago and now I'm obsessed with it. You can watch all eight movies in just under 24 hours? Bring it on!

7. I am also just as obsessed with the books and I'm half way through the series. I promise I'm not a bad person, I love both!

8. I love tattoos but probably won't ever get one. They are just to permanent and I like change. Piercings on the other hand? Yes please.

9. My three fur babies mean everything to me. You even dare try and mistreat them and I will kill you.

10. I am a Leo and are very much a Leo.

11. Directions seem to be my thing. Even if I've never been to a place, I seem to know my way around it which means all of my family and friends rely on me when they're driving.

12. If I like a song, I will play it over and over again until I don't like it anymore.

13. I love rollercoasters - the only one I didn't like was the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit at Universal. That was just wrong. I have never sworn so much in my life.

14. Heels are my thing. I would rather wear a pair of pointed heels over a pair of converse any day.

15. One thing I love to do is teach even though it is not something I can see myself doing in the future. 

16. I love films and many of my favourite people are actors and actresses. Alice in Wonderland is possibly my all time favourite movie and the cast for the second one is goals. Alan Rickman, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen is just ah. 

17. Speaking of Alan Rickman, When I found out he had died, I was at college and nearly cried. 

18. My Mum is my best friend and we have always been really close.

19. I am very stubborn. I very rarely apologise and I will hold a grudge until the end of time.

20. I cannot wait to drive and I have dreamt of having my own car since I was probably about eight.

♥ 

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It's a Grey Kinda Day.

So I've been in a massive rut recently with my outfit choices and what look I want to go for but I have changed it up and bought a few new pieces to help! As I mentioned in my last post, I want to go for a kind of monochromatic wardrobe with maybe a few dashes of colour here and there making everything very simple but still classy and stylish and so far, I am over the moon with the bits that I've bought.

Jumper | Paul Costelloe (via TkMaxx)

Jeans | Topshop Joni

Heels | Next

Clutch | Newlook (similar here)

Watch | Fossil

My jumper is one of my most recent purchases from TkMaxx which is a shop I have fallen in love with! I know it can often look like a jumble sale and trust me, the lack of colour coordination upsets me too but there are often some hidden gems inside that chaos that are worth spending hours looking through the rails for. 

The jumper is from a designer called Paul Costelloe which I feel is known for mostly mens suits but also does some nice womenswear which I would never have gone into a shop to look at but on the rail in TkMaxx, it was perfect! The jumper is actually a size 12 so is quite oversized on me even though I am usually a size 10-12 but I think its just the way I have styled it. I love the relaxed feel of the v-neck and the bagginess that forms when it is pulled up slightly and is the perfect dress up or down piece that is a statement in anyones wardrobe!

My jeans that I'm wearing are the infamous Topshop Joni jeans and if I'm honest there are probably more cons than pros of these. They are the best fitting jeans I have ever owned and are so comfortable and stretchy but they fade so quickly and every pair I have ever owned have began to pucker and pull around the sides which just isn't very nice and makes them feel more like leggings so despite already owning three pairs, I doubt I will be buying anymore and I am currently looking for an alternative black jean which doesn't fade within two washes so if you have any recommendations, I would really appreciate it!

The pointed heels that I'm wearing hardly ever leave my feet; I love them. I bought them in May last year from Next and they are so comfortable and go with every single outfit and because of the wear on the heel, which was caused by me falling down a crack in the pavement one to many times, I think a new pair is on the cards and luckily Next has bought them out again this year, so it's all sorted!

My watch is from Fossil and I have worn it everyday since I bought it. It has quite a masculine feel to it with the huge face which I adore and it's the style 'Vintage Muse' but sadly they don't have it on the website anymore but they do have others such as this one and I think the marble effect in the face is super pretty!

♥ 

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Changing Up My Style.

I have decided that I am no longer happy with the contents of my wardrobe. I buy because I quite like it or I love the pattern but then later decide that I have nothing to match it with. This is going to stop.

I'm no longer a 'wear it with black jeans' kinda gal; I like to create different yet intriguing outfits and I have decided to change up my style to go for elegant and classy yet still relaxed and effortless. I am going to spend a little bit more on items that will last instead of buying then all from primark and replacing them every 3 months. 

One of my style icons at the moment is Alexia from Fashion Filth as she has an amazing style with lots of layering and just makes every outfit look great. I am obsessed with her feed, everything that she posts and has impeccable taste. Do I sound like a weird fangirl yet?!

Some of the places I have been recently scouting for new clothes is All Saints and TK Maxx but I still need some other places to shop, perhaps some that many others don't know of. If you have any ideas then please do let me know!

♥ 

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What Nobody Tells You About Coloured Hair.

I've had red hair for about four months now and despite that not sounding like a lot, it is enough time for me to learn a bit about it and about all the things no one ever told me:

• It is so much work. Don't get me wrong, I love having coloured hair but it just fades so quickly. Thats 15 minutes putting it on, 30 minutes just sitting there and about 10 billion hours trying to wash it out, It's commitment but it is worth it.
• Everything will be that colour. Everything is pink. Towels, walls, tiles in the bathroom, the grout! You were going to wear a white shirt and its raining? forget it!
• People do stare at you and you will think you have something on your face for a few moments and then you realise it's just your cool hair. I've had someone stare at me from about a foot away and didn't even flinch when I looked directly at them. You get used to it after a while.
• Makeup and clothes. I can't wear purple lipstick or many cool tones because they just don't work. Warm shadows and a nice nude though - Hola! That is pretty!
• You start tracking the weather. Light colour clothes become a no go in the rain and you will have to take an umbrella out on all occasions; hair dye down your back really isn't attractive.
• People feel the need to touch your hair and then proceed to tell you the condition of it - It's just hair guys and since when were you a qualified hairdresser?

That does sound like a lot of downfalls but there are more positives than negatives, trust me! If you are still undecided but really want it done - just go for it! You're going to look fabulous!

♥ 

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Autumnal Feelings.

OK, so today I thought I would show you another really easy go to makeup look. This post is more focused on a favourite winter lip colour rather than on the eye makeup but I thought I'd talk about everything anyway. 

I become obsessed, I repeat: OBSESSED with flawless bases and dark lips in the winter. I mean I love a good browny lip and nice flawless skin all the time but in winter, I just get a little teeny winsy bit obsessed with them both just as equally. I feel like both go hand in hand because I wouldn't do a bold lip without a flawless base - that's just the kind of person I am.

Lipstick | MAC 'Rebel'

Lipliner | Kiko '710 - Rouge noir'

On my lips I have MAC Rebel which has been getting a little bit dusty since last year with a kiko lipliner underneath. Kiko lipliners are amazing quality for like £2.50 and I love them just as much as MAC ones. You will notice my lack of red hair in this post. It's still there I promise, when my hair was down, the red made my lips look so purple so I popped it to the back of my head just to show the true colours.

Foundation | Estee Lauder Double Wear

Concealer | MAC Select Cover Up

Highlighter | MAC 'Soft and Gentle'

On my face is the Estee lauder double wear foundation which I have recently become obsessed with and I'm thinking of doing a review on it sometime soon. Another prominent thing on my face is my highlight which is the ever so famous 'Soft and gentle' from MAC which is definitely a holy grail. I lost it for a few days when I left it at College and I felt lost without it! God, I sound so sad. 

In the crease | Kat Von D Shade and Light palette

On the lid | MAC 'Mythology'

On my eyeballs is a mixture of my Kat Von D shade an light eye contour palette which I adore and also I think it is MAC 'mythology'. I can't be too sure as I took these photos quite a while back, but even if it's a different shadow, they look the same so I'm guessing that it is. 

I hope you enjoyed this post and I really enjoy writing them so I want to do more in the future hopefully!

♥ 

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An Ear Full of Metal Without the Pain.

One of my favourite things to wear in the colder months is fake earrings. I just feel like with pale skin and a dark lip, silver earrings always look pretty especially when there's a lot of them. I love piercings but I haven't quite got the balls to get my next one yet so fake hoops are currently the way forward and I have found the perfect shop for it!

I'm sorry this picture is slightly out of focus, my camera would only focus on one piece of jewellery at once and it chose the large ear cuff. All three of these pieces are from an online store called Body Jewellery Shop which have an extensive range of ear piercing jewellery that you are just spoilt for choice. Everything is so reasonable as well; I mean where else can you get a specialised piece of jewellery starting at £2.00?

Ear cuff with three ball closure rings

This ear cuff is in a bright silver and you can clearly see the balls which would be on a hoop in a cartilage piercing. This obviously makes it look more realistic but in my opinion, it depends how you would wear a hoop as to whether this would be best suited to you. On my actual piercing, I push the ball to the back of my ear so you can't see it because I think it looks more dainty that way but I am still obsessed with this ear cuff.

Ear cuff with three rings

This ear cuff is my favourite as it works the best for me. It doesn't have any of the balls visible and is just three plain hoops all connected at the back. It is a slightly darker silver and fits in with my other jewellery. Both of the hooped ear cuffs are really comfortable to wear and to be honest, you forget that they're there. 

Large elegant ear cuff

This ear cuff is so pretty and looks really nice when you have your hair down and it just peeks out from behind your hair. To be honest, it's the only piece of jewellery you need on your ear at once and I wouldn't wear it with lobe piercings. I think this is going to be perfect for the christmas party season and would look lovely with a nice sparkly dress or combined with a statement necklace on a plain outfit just to add that finishing touch. 

I love this online shop and I think these are going to be in my most worn selection this Autumn Winter and I will definitely be looking out for some more so if you know anywhere that you would recommend buying some from then please let me know!

♥ 

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