Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Conditioner

 

I was in town with my mum recently and whilst looking through all the offers they had on beauty products in Superdrug, I came across this conditioner. I used to use this a really long time ago, I'm talking when I was around thirteen/fourteen years old, when my hair was in really bad condition due to the amount of straightening I put it through on a daily basis (this was back when it was in fashion to have dead straight, really thin hair), and because my hair hasn't been looking too healthy recently, I decided to pick it up again.

There are so many great things about this product. The first one is the smell, it says on the back that the mint in it has a naturally sweet scent, and the only way I can describe it is that it smells like those blue and pink sour cola bottle sweets. I used to buy them all the time when I was younger, and the smell of them always makes me feel nostalgic, so I love that my hair smells of it all the time now! 

Secondly, it doesn't take that much of the actual product to improve the quality of your hair. I use about half of what I would normally use in terms of conditioner and found it does an even better job. 

And lastly, it actually does what it says on the label. I've tried lots of products in this area before that have sort of half-worked but made my hair get greasy quicker, or just not done anything to my hair at all, but this really does work. I've found my hair to be a lot more manageable, look a lot less damaged and also feel and look smoother and shinier.

I love this product, and if your hair is similar to mine (heat-damaged, brittle and difficult to manage), then I definitely recommend it.

OOTD: 23.06.14

So now that I am done and finished with university for the summer, I have got absolutely loads of spare time on my hands. So yesterday I found myself actually PLANNING an outfit rather than just finding something that was clean, shoving it on and hoping it works.

I bought this lacy kimono from H&M only last Friday, so they will probably still have it in store if you want to purchase it yourself, and I've been dying to wear it ever since. So yesterday I got my chance! I was only walking to my grandma's house, about 20 minutes away, but I still felt all floaty and summery walking down the street in this. Until it started spitting, that is.

I teamed it with a black vest top and black leggings, as well as my beloved jelly shoes and brown satchel. I also curled my hair into some loose beachy waves in order to give off that proper summer-style effect. I think it really fits with the white trend that has come into fashion recently without making me feel like I'm going to play tennis or something.

The outfit felt so lovely and comfortable to wear that I didn't really want to get changed out of it at the end of the day. I think it would look fab with a brightly coloured day dress, or some high-wasted Levi shorts, and I definitely think it's going to be my staple festival item of clothing for when I go to T in the Park in July!

Rimmel Stay Matte Primer

As somebody with a very oily t-zone, I often struggle in the summer to keep my skin looking matte by just powdering and using blotting paper, so when the weather started to get really warm I decided that I needed to change what I was doing to keep myself oil-free.
I've always been a big fan of primer, and the Rimmel Stay Matte range, so I thought the best option would be to combine my two loves and purchase the Rimmel Stay Matte primer! I used to use the Rimmel Fix & Perfect, but I'm so glad I've decided to switch product slightly and go for this one instead. It doesn't feel too heavy on my face, doesn't dry my face out too much, and it's great to just put on in places that I feel I need it (normally just my forehead, nose and chin). 
Because I don't make a lot of money and I'm currently a poor student (waa), the price of this is just right for me and is great value for money. If you're like me, and warmer weather is bound to bring out the worst case scenario oil-wise for you, then I would definitely recommend picking this up and trying it next time you're out shopping!

OOTD: 19.06.14

So despite the fact that it is now JUNE the lovely English weather has decided to revert back to autumn-style wind and rainy. Fabulous. This means all the clothes I would normally be yanking out the back of my wardrobe for summer have been put back away (cry, cry) and the grey coat has come back out!

It's still not so cold that I had to wear all my woollies though mind you, so I ended up styling it with this green patterned day dress I got from Primark aaaages ago and I was so pleased with how it looked that I thought I might as well do a blog post on it.

The dress was originally a bit longer and had some short sleeves, but I got my grandma to shorten it and take the sleeves off because it felt a little too conservative for me. As always, I wore it with my trusty brown satchel, black tights and black ballet pumps.

I really did like this outfit, it felt as if I looked like I'd made an effort but with minimal effort (if that makes sense), and I think it would look great even without the coat when (if) the weather warms back up!

The Jelly Shoe

I do apologise for my recent absenteeism on this blog, however my life has been filled with some pretty big events and decisions recently, some university related and some fun and social related including an amazing holiday with my friends in Spain!

Today I'm here to talk about the odd things that have been happening in the shoe division of fashion this year. With the increasing popularity of the 'ugly shoe' trend, I've just felt like I've not really adapted my style to incorporate any of these changes into my wardrobe. As the lovely Mark Francis from Made In Chelsea pointed out a few episodes back: style is constant; fashion is ever-changing, and you must incorporate fashion into your style. So I made up my mind a few weeks ago to make some kind of alteration to my shoe collection!

However, as somebody who's quiet tall and rather clumsy, I felt as if the bulky 'ugly shoes' on-trend at the minute would just make me look ridiculous. I feel like those kinds of shoes suit the daintier, more slight people among us - something that I am most definitely not. But I have been absolutely delighted in recent weeks to discover that my childhood favourite 'jelly bean' shoes are back, so I couldn't wait to pick up this pair from Boohoo.com (for only £10!)

I've been loving wearing this the past few weeks, and have been great for updating my wardrobe and just making my outfits feel fun again! I've been wearing them with high-wasted jeans, printed dresses and plain leggings, and I honestly think they're great for any kind of style. I think my next venture into the world of new shoes will again be jelly-related, however this time I'm going to dare to go for low-heeled, silvery ones with a tiny speckley-sparkly pattern on them.

OOTD: 03.05.14

Yesterday I wore a baggy black and white striped jumper tucked into a pair of black skinny jeans, my black ballet pumps with a gold band across them, and my brown satchel. Accessories-wise I went for plain gold studs, my black watch and two gold rings. I also wore a brown belt to break up the outfit and make it look less black and white.

I really love the fact that the weather's getting warmer now in the UK, as I'm getting so bored of having to wear jackets of things. So it was really nice yesterday to be able to wear just this and still feel comfortable!

March favourites

Although I haven't had to chance to do a lot of shopping this month due to a serious amount of work as well as a lack of funds, I have managed to buy some new things and I've also been re-using some old stuff too. So here are my favourite things I've been using over March!

I seemed to have developed a bit of a passion for comfy grey knits this month, I'm not really sure why, I've just suddenly started wanting to wear this grey cardigan and grey jumper all the time! I've been finding lots of different things to team them with, for example over the top of a floral printed dress or skirt for a spring look that still keeps me warm, or just with leggings for a casual uni outfit.

It seems the time has passed to be able to wear thick winter coats now, so I've been donning my thin leather jacket constantly. It was on sale at Primark about a month ago for only £10, so I decided I just had to have it. It also came with a removable fur collar, just in case I feel like switching it up a little. This vintage-style print dress and floral printed pinafore are quickly becoming my staple spring/summer outfits. I love wearing the pinafore over the top of a band t-shirt with my grey boots or Converse trainers, and the black and white print dress goes great with my huge denim jacket and sunglasses.

I have been literally obsessed with wearing this flannel shirt during March. I either wear it over the top of an outfit as a sort of thin layer to stop me from getting too cold, or with leggings, brown satchel bag and sunglasses which makes me feel really comfortable as well as stylish.

I picked up this little necklace when I was last in Topshop. I've been needing some new jewelry for a while, and after seeing this for only £4.50 I fell in love and decided I needed it in my life. It's honestly never left me since, the only time I've really taken it off is to sleep or shower. It goes with almost everything, and just makes me feel happy whenever I look down to see the little elephant dangling there all cute and elephant-y!

These are the beauty things I've been loving this month. I've been having a lot of trouble with my skin in terms of blemishes, and so this Clearasil All in 1 Wash and Mask has been an absolute God-send. I love Clearasil stuff for my skin, as it helps to balance the oils on my face without making it feel to dry, as well as keeping my skin relatively clear when it's going through a bad patch.

This blemish stick from Witch is something that I always keep in my bathroom, just in case I have a spot-related emergency and am in dire need of help. It's a fabulous product, and gets to work straight away (you can feel it working as soon as you apply it). This has definitely been the product I've been using the most this month.

My nails have been painted mostly this bright red from the Rimmel Lasting Finish line, as I've not been wanting to keep using the darker colours I had for winter but also at the same time I feel like everyone is wearing pastel colours at the minute. I always make sure to have red nail polish in my house, because I don't think I'll ever get bored of wearing it. It goes great with most things and can be worn in both colder and warmer weather.

Joining the gym

Around November last year I joined a gym, and although I've been going a few times a week and have been doing pretty well for someone who usually just sits around thinking she's healthy because she didn't have a second breakfast this morning, it's only been in the past month or so that I've decided to really take my fitness seriously. 

So with my new found vigour for working out, I took myself shopping for some proper gym gear (any excuse, really). I bought a training bra from Primark and two large baggy tops to wear over the top so that I don't get all hot and flustered in more tight-fitted tops, a pair of jogging pants from Adidas, and two pairs of shorts for when I get to summer. I already had a few vest tops to wear, and my blue Converse ankle trainers, but felt like if I was going to start taking it seriously then I needed to look the part a bit more.

I've been loving going to the gym, especially if I've been having a stressful day as it just helps me to work it all out and feel calmer, as well as getting fitter and more toned for when it gets to summer. I can already feel my fitness improving (I ran for the bus the other day and didn't even get that out of breath), and I really enjoy knowing that I've done something productive with my evening, rather than sitting around watching tea-time quiz shows on TV like I normally do.

If you're looking for something to do to help you feel less like a couch potato and more like enthusiastic about exercise, I would highly recommend joining a gym! 

Bye for now,

Lexi

x

Everyday makeup routine

My make-up routine changes a lot as I discover new products, try out new techniques and develop different tastes as time goes on. However as somebody with quite problematic skin (E.g., oily skin, tendency to go orange easily, spots and dark circles), I thought that giving you all an insight into what my routine is like at the moment might help a few of you with the same troubles as myself. All products I use are from the highstreet/drugstore, so being unable to afford the make-up I mention shouldn't be much of a problem for most of you.

For the bags under my eyes and any blemishes that need extra cover-up, I use the concealer from Witch in Natural. Then, using my Real Techniques face brush, I use the Revlon Colorstay 24hr foundation, and then I apply Stay Matte powder from Rimmel with a stippling brush to even out my skin tone and make sure I stay oil-free throughout the day.

For my eyes, I use an eye shadow palette (that I can't remember the name of) from MUA, and I use a light brown shade across my top lids, with a darker shade of brown (or a shimmering orangey-brown if I'm feeling adventurous) in the crease of my lid, around the curve of my eye and under my outer bottom lashes. I then use the lightest shade (usually a pale skin colour) to highlight under my brows and to brighten the inner corners of my eyes. After this I use the Extreme felt-tip liner from Collection to create a thick, but not too thick, line along the top of my lid. I make sure to follow the arch of my eyes in order to enhance the wideness of them, and then use mascara by Collection and The Body Shop's coconut lip balm to round it off as I don't feel my make-up looks complete without putting mascara and lip balm on.

Obviously the mascara, eyeliner, eye shadow palette and lip balm are interchangeable depending on your tastes, but I do think that the concealer, foundation and powder are the best for oily/combination skin types. I hope you found this helpful and/or interesting and that you take something away from it.

When it comes to blusher, bronzer and contouring I will forever be a Sleek girl. Their products are so affordable and pigmented that it's difficult to go wrong. I use their contouring kit in Light and use a random, unnamed blusher brush to sweep the dark powder under my cheekbones and the highlighter across the top, before pulling an super stupid smiley face in order to find the apples of my cheeks so I can apply the Rose Gold blusher. Now that it's Autumn and my tan has pretty much disappeared, I very rarely use bronzer as it makes me look like I've fake tanned my face and no where else (potentially very awkward for those who hang around with me).

If you use anything that you think would be better for my than the products I already use, please let me know down in the comments!

Bye for now

Lexi

x 

OOTD: 07.03.14

This is the outfit I wore yesterday whilst at uni. I teamed a white/light cream blouse with a pair of dark, bottle green skinny jeans turned up at the corners. The wind has been quite chilly today, so I layered it with my vintage denim jacket and tartan scarf, and due to the fact it was raining the morning I wore my black leather shoes with a thick heel (my mum calls them my 'Mr Noisy' shoes, cause I clack around in them on the wooden flooring in our house).

To accessorize I wore a golden thumb right on one hand, and another thick gold ring on the other, with my gold hooped earrings and black double-strap leather watch. I also used my absolutely massive black/grey/dark green leather bag to lug around all my folders and files with me all day.

I don't wear this outfit often, but when I do I feel totally comfortable as well as stylish (I'm never one to pick style over comfort), and I think the accessories really help to pull it all together and look like a properly planned, cool outfit.

Bye for now

Lexi

x

Fashion haul

Over the past few weeks I've been finding myself getting a little bored with my clothes, and as we're moving into spring a lot of the clothes I've been wearing through winter don't really feel right anymore. So this is a collection of clothes that I've bought to change up my wardrobe (I didn't buy these all in one go, they've been bought over the course of a few shopping trips).

saw these 'treggings' in the above right picture in a Lily Pebbles video and loved them so much that I thought I might as well get my own. Because they're part-legging part-trousers, they're comfortable whilst still feeling smart, and I think they can be worn with anything, from a band t-shirt to a floaty white blouse.
I've also spent ages looking for a loose-fitting stripey black and white t-shirt to wear over leggings or tuck into my black skater skirt for when I no longer need to wrap up in woolly jumpers and scarves, so when I saw this in H&M I thought I might as well go for it. Although H&M stuff isn't the best quality, it is still really cheap for what you can get and I love to shop for my basics there.

These two jumpers are from Primark, and I bought them after seeing a random post on Tumblr about how baggy jumpers can make an instantly cute outfit with minimal effort. They're great to combine with leggings, ballet pumps and chunky necklace, and I can't wait for the warmer weather when I don't have to wear a coat and can just use these to keep me warm when I leave the house.

I'm not sure why I didn't take a better photo of this, maybe I was just trying to be artistic, but I absolutely adore my new leather jacket with a fur collar. It's wonderful for when I don't need a thick coat; just something lighter for when it's a bit windy. I got it in the sale, which meant it was only £10(!), and I can't wait to wear it with a floral dress and some Converse shoes or chunky shoes to give it an 'edgy' look.

I bought these on a whim when I was heading towards the tills in Primark. I've been looking for some more 'special' slip-on shoes to help spruce boring outfits up a little, as I just feel that maybe when I'm wearing all black, or have gone for a more monochrome style one day, the gold links across the toes will help give it a bit of a twist.

Bye for now,

Lexi

x

Skinny shaming: it's a thing

Today I'd like to talk about something a little bit different to my usual posts. It's something that's really been playing on my mind recently, and after searching around on Google for a while I've actually found that I'm not alone in my way of thinking.

Everyone's heard of fat shaming; it's been a thing for as long as I can remember. You can't tell a fat person that they're fat: it's unkind. You can't use the word 'fat' as an adjective when describing somebody, despite the fact that they might be: it's rude. You can't tell a fat person to stop eating: it's ignorant of the matter at hand.

So why is it acceptable for people to do it the other way around?

I am one of those people that can eat like a pig and never put on any weight. I go to the gym maybe twice a week and try to have my five a day, but can never resist chocolate when it's offered to me. And still I've remained at a 'skinny' UK size eight-to-ten figure since I was around 13 years old. 

For the longest time I have had people come up to me and go, 'God, I hate you. You're so skinny' and I've had to laugh it off despite being totally embarrassed. It's one of those comments that makes everyone around you turn and look; scrutinising you as if you're there to be judged solely upon your weight.

It took me a long time to realise that these skinny shaming comments are just as bad as the fat shaming ones. On a basic level, there is a vulgar value consensus in today's society that 'nothing tastes as good as skinny feels' and therefore how can anyone get offended by being branded 'skinny'? But on a deeper level, there has been such a backlash against certain blogs and websites promoting all sorts of unhealthy advice in order to lose weight, that people are now starting to see all 'skinny' people as followers of this advice and, in turn, using this against them.

A prime example of this has happened to me too often to count: a supposed 'fat' girl telling me to 'get some meat on my bones' or 'get some food down me', and people have just looked on as if it's perfectly acceptable for a girl to basically judge me for how much weight I carry around with me. Yet if I were to walk up to a girl who was deemed to be overweight and tell her to 'stop eating so much rubbish' or to 'get to the gym and work some of that fat off' there'd be looks of utter shock and cries of outrage from just about everybody within earshot.

Yes, 'Thinspirational' websites promoting losing weight in unhealthy ways need to be stamped out. Yes, people need to start feeling comfortable in their own skin. And yes, things like anorexia are becoming alarmingly apparent in teenagers. But that doesn't make being overweight healthy. It's just as unhealthy as it always was, and it always will be. Neither fat nor thin should be promoted by anybody; an individual's relationship with food is complicated enough without an increasing number of other influencing factors. 

The way I think of body image is a spectrum, with underweight people who have genuine eating disorders at one end and overweight people with genuine eating disorders at the other. To be on either side of the spectrum is no good. As human beings who have the potential to create amazing lives for ourselves we should always aim to be somewhere in the middle; maybe not completely but for the most part healthy. 

A person aiming to hit somewhere in the middle of the spectrum should be encouraged to do it in the healthiest way possible, never should a person be told to lose or gain weight via over/under-eating, not eating at all, vomiting or stupid diet crazes that are advertised in just about every celebrity magazine published.

As human beings we should strive to help people start or remain living healthily, and never use their weight (or lack of it) as a reason to shame them.

OOTD: 19.02.14

This is the outfit I wore yesterday when I went shopping with my mum. The weather's been a lot warmer than you'd think it would be for February in the north of England, so I teamed a loosely knitted jumper with some thermal leggings, black ballet pumps and my brown leather satchel to break up the serious amount of black. I also pulled the collar from a white shirt I own out the top to give it a cute, girly twist. I wore my hair up in a high pony with my fringe out, gold hooped earrings and two gold rings to complete the outfit.

I really love how, despite it being all black, I managed to make it look more stylish than gothic. I think I'll be able to wear this outfit again in different ways, for example with some brightly coloured pumps or a flowery collar; even a different bag would still suit this style. It may even end up being my go-to outfit when I can't decide what to wear first thing in a morning.

Bye for now,

Lexi

x

How to wear: Boyfriend jeans

This look is great for if you're having a lazy day, or have to be up early and can't be bothered to make too much effort in the morning. The boyfriend style of the jeans is great for making this otherwise plain and boring look seem more fashionable.

 I absolutely love the patterns on this shirt from Topshop, and I think it would be great to wear during these colder months with a chunky cardigan or a jumper with a collar pulled out. The earrings give it a special touch and the wedged shoes look great with the jeans too.

 I accidentally stumbled across this pale blue blouse on the River Island website whilst looking for something else and instantly fell in love. The icy colour makes it perfect to wear with silver jewelry, and the looseness of it along with the boyfriend jeans and clunky black boots make this a great laid-back yet stylish look.

I've always been a fan of band t-shirts, leather jackets and Converse, however I often avoid wearing them with plain skinny jeans because it often makes me feel boring. By adding the boyfriend jeans they make this kind of tomboy style even cooler, and the studs on the collar of the leather jacket give it that extra something.