Sunday 2 February 2014

OOTD-Sunday Dinner (2nd Feb 2014)

Hi there!
So if you're lucky enough, you'll be spending your Sunday in your pajamas in your room. But if you're like me, you'll be having Sunday Dinner with your family. So today I thought I'd tell you guys about what I'm wearing today.
 
Outfit:

So I'm going to be wearing my spotty blouse from New Look tucked into my denim high waisted jeans from Generation (i couldn't find my exact ones but these from New Look are pretty similar)
I've then got my frilly spotty socks from TopShop (are you seeing the trend here?) and my absolutely lush chunky necklace from Miss Selfridge (again, I couldn't find it online but this is kind of similar)

Make Up:

First I'm starting with the Sk:n Skin Hydrator For Oily and Acne Prone Skin (its a moisturizer basically). After waiting 10 minutes (you're supposed for some reason, I'm not exactly sure why) then I'm using the new Baby Skin primer from Maybelline then I'm going to get out my trusty Urban Decay Naked Palette and using the brush that comes with it, I'm going to put Toasted all over my lid and then blend Dark Horse through my crease using a fluffy blending brush.
 Next I'm using my favorite foundation ever, Rimmel London Wake Me Up and blending it all over my face using the Real Techniques Buffing Brush from the Core Collection.
Next up is eyebrows; I brush through them with an old mascara wand and use Penny from the MUA Matte Pallete and the Real Techniques Eyebrow Brush from the Starter Set to fill them in. Nevr draw your eyebrows on, just fill in any sparse areas, it's much more natural.
Next I'm going to curl my lashes using Superdrug Eyelash Curler, it's cheap and does the job. Then I put on a generous coat of Maybelline The Great Lash (waterproof version) it's a very natural looking mascara and doesn't clump; perfect for school and such.
Almost finished! Using Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer I'm going to put it on any blemishes and under my eyes using my ring finger to blend.
Finally, I'm going to put a light dusting of Rimmel London Stay Matte Powder all over my face to set my makeup and get rid of any shine. I just use my Real Techniques Buffing Brush again.

Hair
Not doing anything special for this part, just straightening my hair with my GHDs and leving my side fringe down.

Voila! My Sunday look is complete! Thank you for reading and I'll be posting again soon
- Zara xx

Friday 31 January 2014

Let's start again, shall we?

Hi there!
So let's just say I haven't posted for a urm, well quite a while. As of January 31st, I'm finally putting my new years resolution into place: restart blogging!
So I've got my brand new snazzy netbook from my birthday (MSI U180, its pretty cheap and pretty, you can find it here and images here)
So, heres to a brand new year of brand new blogging and I'll hopefully be posting again sometime this week.
Thanks for reading!
-Zara xx

Friday 6 September 2013

How To Survive School

Hey there!
As mostly everyone is back to school by now, I thought I'd put together a quick post on how to help you survive!

You definitely need the things like pens and pencils so you need to make sure you've got them. I brought a pack of 10 pens and 10 pencils from my local supermarket as I have a horrible habit of loosing my pens and pencils or them just running out.

But to really survive school, there's a few things you need to add into your bag.

First of all you need a small makeup bag, I personally use a pencil case because then I won't be tempted to put in stuff I don't actually need. Here's what I include.
  • A 2true concealer in number 3
  • Rimmel London Scandal Eyes Show Off Mascara
  • 2true Eye Defining Twist&Line in Number 8
  • Charlie 'Enchant' Body Spray
  • Impulse 'Tease' Body Spray
  • Nivea 'Pearly Shine' Lipstick/Lip balm
  • Cute Or What Lip Gloss
  • Burt's Bees Lip Balm
You could argue I don't need all these things, but believe me, I do.

Next up in my school bag, I've got things you actually will need. There's a zip pocket inside of my bag and tucked away inside is some Wilko Skin Therapy 3 in 1 Facial Wipes, who knows when you'll need them? Also tucked away is some girl necessities; 3 BodyForm Sanitary Towels (4 drops-Normal), 3 panty liners and a spare pair of underwear just in case, you never know what could happen right? Being prepared is never a bad thing!

Next I've got a little zip up purse of tablets. I've got a packet of Paracetamol for any pains or cramps and a packet of Rennie tables because I get nervous stomach ache quite often and they really do help. I've also got a couple of hair bands a few grips along with a hair brush in there.

Last but not least, I've got 2 books. My all time favorite which is The Fault In Our Stars by John Green (I hope to be doing a review on it when the movie comes out, watch this space!) and Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini. These are just in my bag in case I get bored, need a book for a lesson or just need some me time.

Oh! Don't forget your headphones and your music player/mobile phone!

If I missed anything out let me know in the comments(: also let me know if there's anything you'd like me to write about/review! all product links are at the end of the post as always.

Until next time!
-Zara xo
 P.S: I didn't have time to edit and check so please excuse any mistakes!

Products mentioned:
Please let me know if one of the links doesn't work, thank you for reading!

this is not a sponsored post

Tuesday 3 September 2013

Back To School makeup Tutorial!

Hey there!
So if you're from England like me, you'll know its back to school this week! First day of a brand new year, you wanna make a good a good impression right? Gotta look your best! So here is my back to school make up tutorial. All products mentioned are for a guideline only and are just the things I personally prefer to use.

Step one is to obviously clean your face, you want to get rid of all the dirt on your face to reduce the probability of spots. I personally use the 'Simple Kind To Skin Moisturising Facial Wash' (All product links at the end of this blog post!)

Then you want to prep you face! First use the 'Garnier Skin Naturals Pure Active Moustriser' (smells so good for the record and makes you feel so awake!) then apply a good layer of Vaseline onto your lips.

Next of all you want to conceal any black bags underneath your eyes. I recommend the 'Rimmel London Wake Me Up Concealer' in 020 True Ivory. It's absolutely brilliant and my favorite under eye concealer yet. Personally I use the doe foot applicator and put a blob at the inner corner of my eye by my nose and four more blobs underneath my eye where the bags are. I then use the 'Real Techniques Pointed Foundation Brush' to blend it all in.

Now move on to foundation! I put one and half pumps of 'Rimmel London Wake Me Up Foundation' in 103 True Ivory on the back of my hand. (Ooh look at me! Matching foundation and concealer!hehehe.) I apply it with my hands and evenly spread it all over my face, making sure I go right up to my hair line and blend it into my jaw line. I don't want to be wearing a mask of my face on my actual face! Next I use the 'Real Techniques Buffing Brush' in circles just to make sure I haven't left any patches. I actually then use my concealer to go over my bags again using the same technique as before and go over any pesky spots or blemishes my foundation didn't cover.

Now here's the part where most people would use powder, I however don't. Because of how oily my skin is, it looks really caked on bunches up on and around my nose. If I was to use powder however, I would use the 'Rimmel London Clear Complexion Clarifying Powder' in 021 Transparent.

Next for my favorite part of all make up! Eye make up! As it's for school, I don't bother with eyeshadow but if I was going to, I'd use a very very light neutral matte shadow.

First I get my 'Miss Sporty Mini-Me Eye Liner' in 010 Black Raven and line my tight line and my water line. Adding it to my tight line as well makes my eyes look more defined without adding too much black.

Then I apply my 'Maybelline New York Great Lash Mascara' in Very Black. I apply around 3-4 generous coats because I like my eye lashes to look super long but it's up to you about how many coats you feel comfortable applying.

Afterwards I then add some blush using my Body Shop blush which is sadly discontinued, but you could easily use the 'Body Shop All In One Blusher' in 03 Flushed as the colour looks fairly similar. I apply this with my Blusher Brush also by Body Shop. The one I own has also been discontinued but the one linked below is very similar.

To finish it all off I apply either a nude lipstick (Rimmel London Kate Moss 026) or a lip gloss in a light pink or clear.

Voila! There you go! A cute almost casual back to school make up tutorial! I've worn this look everyday for the past year to school and it stays on for the majority of the day. My foundation does, however, stay put the whole day!

Until next time!
-Zara xo

Products Mentioned:

Friday 30 August 2013

Quick Thoughts #1-Best Friends

Hey there!
Cheeky shadow selfies!
So I've decided to make something on my blog called 'Quick Thoughts'. Quick Thoughts is going to be anything that happens to pop into my head that makes me want to write a short (hence the name Quick Thoughts) blog post about. I guess this goes into the 'Life' part of my blog.
My first Quick Thoughts is going to be about my best friends. 


Yesterday, me and my two best friends (I'm not going to mention their names just for their privacy and the fact no one knows I've made this blog, whoops!) decided to go for a nice little walk to the lakes not far from our house's (around 30 minutes walk away) and on the way there, with the sun blazing onto us and sparkling on the lakes, I suddenly got really grateful for my best friends. It was just so nice to be able to walk in 27'C weather (hot hot hot for England!), with my two bestest friends in the whole world, laughing and smiling and just being happy together. It made me realize how much they mean to me in the short time I've known them. Well a year, but that's quite short if you think about. They're the most hilarious and kind two girls I've ever EVER met and (sorry for repeating hehe) I'm just so so grateful for them. So proud of them for everything they do and so amazed at how they've put up with me!

So my first Quick Thoughts was just me rambling on for a paragraph about going round the lakes with my best friends and how much I appreciate them, what do you guys think of this segment (right word?) type thing? Hope you enjoyed!
Until next time!
-Zara xo

Tuesday 27 August 2013

Product Review- La Riche's Directions Pastel Pink Hair Dye.

Hello there!

After my disappointment with the L'oreal Paris Toning Conditioner (Review here), I decided to try the La Riche's Directions semi-permanent Pastel Pink hair dye. (Said to last 6 to 8 washes depending on your hair type)



I found it easily in a shop just on my high street and brought it for £4.95 however, I don't know if it's available everywhere so I'll leave a link for it from Ebay at the end of this blog post!
I followed the instructions on the back of the pot and washed my hair with my Tresseme Deep Cleansing Shampoo and using a hair dye brush (not provided with the dye!) applied the hair dye generously onto my bleached blonde highlights sectioning my finely hair to do so.
On the tub, it says to leave the dye on for 15 minutes (their website says 15-30 minutes), but after reading it up online I decided to leave it on for an hour and a half. (Don't panic! My hair didn't go an unwanted crazy colour!) But before I got back in the shower to rinse my hair out, I blow-dried my hair as it *apparently* opens your hair follicles and helps your hair to absorb more dye.
I then rinsed my hair with cold water (apparently stops you from rinsing all the dye out and causing it to be faded) and blow-dried my hair and voila! I have lovely baby pink streaks in my hair!
I am absolutely IN LOVE with La Riche's Directions hair dye and I'll probably (more like definitely!) be trying out more of their colours!
My highlights are bleached blonde so you're probably better off having blonde or bleached hair if you want the colour to show up brightly or if it's a light coloured dye! I'm super SUPER happy with this hair dye and I recommend it to anyone!

Until next time!
-Zara xo
P.S I should probably mention you'll possibly need more than one pot of the dye to dye all of your hair.


Products mentioned:
Directions' Pastel Pink Hair Dye from Ebay-£6.45 (currently on offer for £5.81)

Tresemme Deep Cleansing Shampoo from ASDA(probably available in most shops)-£4.66 (currently on offer for £2)

Hair Dye Application Brush from Ebay (probably available in most shops and in hair salons)-£0.99+50p postage and packaging.

L'Oreal Paris Pastel Toning Conditioner in Pastel Pink Panther from SuperDrug (also available in Boots)-£4.79 (also available in Pastel Lilac Lavender and Pastel Peach Punch, NONE of these are a recommended buy)

This is not a sponsored blog post(:

Monday 26 August 2013

Product Review-L'OREAL PARIS Feria Pastel Toning Conditioner (In S01 Pastel Pink Panther)

Hello there!
After seeing it being raved about by a friend on Facebook, I decided to give the L'oreal Paris Feria Pastel Toning Conditioner a go.
Finding the actual product was a huge pain, I went into my local Boots, local SuperDrug and local Wilkinsons before eventually finding it in Boots in a different and bigger shop. I then found you can get the product in 3 different colours, a pastel purple, a pastel pink and a pastel peach, I clearly went for the pink.
Before I brought the product, I wanted to check how much it would show up in my hair. On the back of the carton it said that on my bleach blonde highlights, it should show up as really nice pastel pink. However, it didn't exactly go to plan.
After getting back home, I followed the instructions on the packaging by washing my hair (I use the Tresemme Deep Cleansing Shampoo) and leaving it wet to apply the dye. (I didn't bother with conditioning my hair as the dye also acts as a conditioner.)
The dye comes in a squeezy tube (which I personally think is easier to use than out of a pot) and also a pair of black rubber gloves. I then applied the dye over my bleached highlights from lengths to roots as directed by the instructions.
 After waiting 15 minutes as the instructions suggest, I noticed no change to my hair and ended up leaving it on for an hour before washing it out. (Don't worry, my hair didn't turn green!)
After the long process of drying and straightening my hair, I was disappointed to see that even though the dye had shown up, it wasn't as noticeable as I would have liked.Nor did it match the image on the packaging underneath 'Bleached Blonde'.
All in all, I think it would be a good product if you have naturally very light blonde hair. Hopefully I'll be trying out Directions' Pastel Pink dye later on this week.
Until next time!
-Zara xo

Products mentioned:
L'Oreal Paris Pastel Toning Conditioner in Pastel Pink Panther from SuperDrug (also available in Boots)-£4.79 (also available in Pastel Lilac Lavender and Pastel Peach Punch)-http://www.superdrug.com/hair-colourants/loreal-feria-pastel-toning-conditioner-pink-panther/invt/651351

Tresemme Deep Cleansing Shampoo from ASDA(probably available in most shops)-£4.66 (currently on offer for £2)- http://groceries.asda.com/asda-webstore/landing/home.shtml?cmpid=ahc-_-ghs-_-asdacom-dsk-_-hp-_-sub-toiletries&#/product/56094638

Directions' Pastel Pink Hair Dye from Ebay-£6.45 (currently on offer for £5.81)-http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LA-RICHE-DIRECTIONS-HAIR-DYE-COLOUR-X-2-full-sized-pots-choose-colour-SAVE-/250901133573?pt=UK_Health_Beauty_Hair_Care_Hair_Colouring_Dyes_PP&var=550049004248&hash=item3a6adf7905