Kendall + Kylie espadrilles

Most of the things I have bought lately have been a bit impulsive. I'm really enjoying seeing all the new season clothes and I feel like I am at a turning point in my own personal style, where I am trying to branch out of my comfort zone and experiment with different looks.

My most recent such purchase was these gorgeous pair of suedette espadrilles from the Kendall and Kylie collection at Office.

I only wandered in there to look for some white trainers/plimsolls last Saturday, but it was so busy in that part of the store that I ended up looking over the other side, waiting for the crowd to die down a bit. And there they were!

I'd wanted some espadrilles since seeing the Chanel ones all over Instagram, but as a lowly teacher they are clearly not in my price range. Those who know me, know that I love a bit of sparkle or bling, so the grey rhinestones on the toe immediately caught my eye. Plus the fact that they were suede and a greyish colour - two other favourites of mine, counted in their favour.

They are quite pricey at £60, but still much cheaper than Chanel! If you're a student, Office do 10% student discount, also Office is on Quidco so you can get cashback. I ordered them online on Monday evening and they arrived on Wednesday (free delivery) so the service was great too. You can purchase them here. They also come in black, but I thought the grey/khaki colour was a bit more spring/summer appropriate for me. (Although, if I had the money, I'd probably have ordered both!)

I've styled them today with my white Primark jeans, grey high neck bodysuit from New Look and denim shirt from Topshop. They are the perfect shoe to go with jeans or shorts and they are so soft and comfortable.

What would you wear them with?

MAC Velvet Teddy

So now I feel like I am well and truly on the MAC lipstick bandwagon since adding the current bestseller Velvet Teddy to my stash only a week after trying my first (Mehr). Since the World discovered that it was supposedly Kylie Jenner's fav, MAC counters across the globe have been regularly selling out of this beauty.

I can see why it is so popular; as a matte deep nude pinky beige it is the perfect lipstick for day or night. It is not too bold to wear to work, yet strong enough to glam up your out-out makeup for the evening.

I have a feeling that my MAC lippy collection has only just begun...

Chilly shoulders

My obsession for the cold shoulder look is growing. I saw this blouse when I popped in to River Island on Saturday, just wasting a bit of time before my optician appointment. The second I spotted it hanging on the rail, it was unexplainable love at first site. It is not even the kind of print I'd normally wear and I don't think I've ever spent this much on one top before, but something about it just struck me and drew me in. I thought it was beautiful and I had to have it.

I wore it for work today, paired with some ASOS black cropped skinny trousers and New Look tassel loafers. It will also look great tucked in to a black pencil skirt, or paired with jeans for a more casual look.

One of my cheeky year 8 boys asked me at work today what I was wearing?! He obviously doesn't know a single thing about fashion!

For me, as I said; it is love at first sight.

You can find it online here.

MAC Mehr lipstick

I've just jumped on the MAC lipstick bandwagon and I have a feeling that my collection is going to grow.

I've had a wish list for a while with lots of different shades that I add to after watching YouTube videos or reading blogs. I always browse eBay for a good deal and I managed to get my hands on Mehr last week for only a tenner. You may turn your nose up at me buying MAC from eBay with all the potential fakes out there, but I did my research. First off, I messaged the buyer to confirm the authenticity and they assured me it was. A lot of the fake sellers will ignore these messages as they will be in huge trouble with eBay if they do indeed be found out to sell fakes after denying it. Or they will word their response carefully so it does not confirm authenticity. I felt this buyer was being honest. Secondly I read numerous articles about how to tell a fake and when I received the lipstick it matched up with what to look out for with the 'real'. 

When I first tried on Mehr, initially I didn't think I'd like it, I thought it was a bit too red. I headed back to the Internet in search of photos and inspiration to try and make it work for me. In some pictures it reminded me of my Rimmel lip liner in Eastend snob, so I thought I'd give it a go with the liner. The result was a new found love! 

I've been wearing the combo the last couple of days; to work and just out and about and it's a really wearable colour.

I am definitely a fan.

What colour should I get next?

WUNDERful brows

If you use Facebook, the chances are you have seen many of the Wunderbrow video adverts. I'm never sure what to think of Facebook adverts, but then my trusted beauty guru Hollie Wakeham also endorsed the product on her YouTube channel so I was sold.

It took me a while before ordering to decide between blonde and brunette. I spent a lot of time trawling through Instagram posts and browsing Google images before I eventually settled for brunette which in the end turned out to be the right choice for me.

I purchased mine directly from the WUNDER2 website. You can get it in Boots for the same price, but the website were offering a money back guarantee if you didn't like the product so that's why I went with them. The delivery wasn't particularly fast. They say about 5 working days; I ordered mine Tuesday evening, and got it the following Thursday. It also wasn't packaged very well (just in a plastic bag) so my box was slightly crushed. This didn't affect the product though.

So, the product, is it any good I'm sure you're wondering? Well, yes! I really really like it.

I've been applying it with a Spectrum A17 brow brush rather than the built in brush as I found that was too thick to allow much precision. Then I use the mascara style brush it came with to sweep over and soften the product out.

My photos don't really do it justice; I find it looks much sharper and neater than my usual brow pencil and it lasts the whole day without fading. There are claims that it will last for 3 days, but I certainly haven't found this to be the case. As soon as I take my makeup off and wash my face, Wunderbrow comes off with it. However, this isn't really a problem for me as I don't need it to stay on for 3 days. Again comparing it to my usual brow pencil, I do find it takes more time and accuracy to apply, but the results are definitely worth it.

I will be buying this again for years to come (although next time I'll probably order from Boots to get quicker delivery and Advantage card points :)).

Primark OOTD ft. white jeans

I went to Lakeside shopping centre the other day with my sister and baby niece and ended up buying this great spring/summer ready outfit from Primark.

I went in looking for a pair of white jeans. I have some high wasted white jeans from boohoo but they aren't actually denim, so I wanted some this year that actually have that "jean" feeling. This pair are a distressed, ripped ankle grazer style. For only £13 for some jeans, I think I can't go far wrong.

Also, I'm loving these cold shoulder style tops at the moment. They give the normal t-shirt or vest top a bit of a sexy edge don't you think? This one is £7.

Finally I got this pair of black suedette sandals with tassels and small gold detail. They are only £5 and so comfortable and padded.

So the whole outfit cost £25.

What do you think?

OPI Nail Envy review

I recently bought the OPI Nail Envy in Hawaiian Orchid after seeing a picture of it on Instagram and falling in love with the colour. At the time, the fact that it was a nail strengthener never really entered my mind. I'd tried various nail strengthening potions in the past and never found they'd made a shred of difference. It was purely all about the colour.

OPI Nail Envy Hawaiian Orchid

I applied Hawaiian Orchid practically as soon as it landed on my door step. I'd never tried OPI before, so it immediately struck me how great the formula is and how much I love the shape and size of the pot - its really easy to hold and apply. Although it seemed thinner than a regular nail varnish when on, it was opaque after two coats and the colour was as I'd hoped for; a beautiful dusty pink.

I headed back to the Internet to see what other colours they did in the range and came across Bubble Bath. The pictures I saw of it, made it look like a lovely opaque pale pink, my thinking was perfect for spring.

Top: Hawaiian Orchid, Bottom: Bubble Bath

When Bubble Bath arrived, I did think it didn't look as pink as I'd imagined it would from the pictures, it is more of a nudey pink. I was slightly disappointed when applying it to realise it was not going to be opaque after all like I'd hoped for. The photos above are with three coats of Bubble Bath and you can still see my natural nail underneath.

However, after my initial disappointment with the colour it struck me a few days later how healthy my nails were looking. Throughout my teenage years and my twenties I'd struggled with nail biting and had weak nails that peeled and would easily break probably as a result of that. I haven't been so bad the past couple of years, but my nails always still seemed weak and would break easily. But all of a sudden I have noticed that I have some length to all of my nails and no breakages. I can only attribute it to Nail Envy, a miracle worker in a small bottle.

If you have problems with weak, breakable nails I would definitely recommend you try this. I now intend to buy the original Nail Envy to use as a base coat under all of my other nail polishes.

Trend alert: Body suits

I'm currently loving body suits or "body's". They look great with jeans, trousers, skirts or leggings and I prefer them to wearing a top tucked in that always shifts and ends hanging out during the day or bulks out around the waist.

There are lots of great styles on the high street right now, so I'd thought I'd share with you some of my favorites.

First off, ones I own:

Pictures from New Look

The newest addition to my collection is this grey high neck sleeveless number from New Look. At only £9.99 it's an absolute bargain. Great for wearing with jeans for a casual day look, or under some smart trousers/skirt for work.

Pictures from River Island

Another high neck number, but from River Island this time and with these cute cap sleeves for £25. At time of posting stock is low on the River Island webpage, but it can also be found on ASOS or maybe in store. Again this is great for work, it looks really smart with a grey pencil skirt or it can be dressed up for the evening with a nice pair of skinny jeans and some heels.

Pictures from Boohoo

This Victoria chiffon vest style body suit from Boohoo is perfect with a high wasted skirt. I have this one in both black and white, but coral, navy and lilac are also available. For only £14, it is a bargain. It has a second layer under the chiffon that clings to your body like a traditional body suit which also helps to keep your bra hidden.

Now for my wanted list:

Picture from Miss Selfridge

Last year bardot tops and dresses were huge and they continue to be a staple in 2016. However, if you invested in a bardot top it is more than likely that you experienced it rising up over your shoulders and spent a lot of time walking around trying not to move your arms too much for fear of it sliding up. The bardot body should, in theory, be the end of the sliding up bardot as it will be held nicely in place by the poppers around your nether regions. This one from Miss Selfridge looks like a great buy.

Pictures from Missguided

A lace up front is very in now and most of the stores are doing lace up bodysuits, like these above from Missguided. I've yet to try these as I am not very gifted in the chest department and some of them plunge very low. But I like the stripy one above on the second row for £18 because that doesn't seem to come too low and the navy and cream stripes are a great look for summer.

Have you joined the body suit brigade yet? What other ones do I need in my wardrobe?