First Mini Haul of 2013

...And now it's time for my first mini haul of 2013, I don't think anything I have purchased is too bad or too expensive, no beauty buys this time around unfortunately but most of my love is directed to Topshop, Zara and Aldo. I have purchased more than this but I dont think It's necessary to blog everything. I purchased a peplum top from Zara, a black skirt with a long slit on the side from Topshop and some rings from Aldo. 

These two buys have to be my favorites so I did them first, I absolutely love them and I pray I grow old with them somehow. The Zara clutch is amazing and looks like a timeless piece, I can't even bring myself to wear it because it is so delicate. The necklace from Aldo was actually the last one in stock, I had to go to three stores to get my hands on it after I saw a mate of mine post hers on Instagram, I had to have it! lol

I'm sorry and I know I seem like a huge dork but this my 2nd favorite buy, I know it's not my usual kind to put in a haul but I am hoping it'll be useful to some readers but after the flowers I got with this vase died I didn't want to chuck the vase away and the pink ribbon o the from was too cute, however I am not down for buying flowers every week so I had to look for some plastic flowers/faux flowers... whatever you call it lol. I went to Ikea and oh my gosh for my favorite shop they really let me down. I stumbled across these beauties below from the 99p store in Bromley, I bought one white bunch and one pink... aren't they pretty?

I have wanted a Aubrey England coin purse for so long so I got one :) I am getting a bag from their after my next pay... won't reveal which one yet! But the normal purses are only £60 so they are quite an affordable brand, I just never got round to purchasing.

Organisation this year is so key for me so I got myself a black Collins diary for £14 from John Lewis, I feel like a woman now lol

These Topshop sandals came in at £60, they are higher in person than in the pic!

I got this jacket from Zara in the sale, I loved it and had my eye on it for ages, still don't know whether or not its a keeper... hmmmm...?

These Topshop flats look so long and pointy in this pic but I love them! I couldn't decided which ones to get between these and the black ones but these honestly do look better with my skinny jeans!

Is Contour... Magic?

One thing I always get asked about is contouring, its actually crazy the amount of questions I get even though I feel like I have already answered them (I don't mind the questions though, keep them coming lol). But I will give you a full post explaining more about contouring and some pictures that are in detail. 

Contouring is not a new phenomenon, people think it is and believe that Kim Kardashian created it, she didn’t but she did bring it to the forefront and is known for being a contour queen lol. It’s very common in the theatre to contour and if you notice, transsexual men contour too when they dress up as women to make their features more slim and feminine, be careful though because if you contour too harshly as a female, you are at risk of look masculine lol.  

Here are some pictures of how to contour: 

The lighter parts are called 'Highlighting' and its the darker parts that contour your face, these two elements work together to just add a bit more dimension to your face. To highlight just use a concealer thats two shades lighter that your skin, I use MAC's studio finish concealer and to contour just use a significantly darker powder, you can also use cream forms, some people prefer to use Mac's sculpting cream, i prefer sleek's contour kit, its just very straightforward.

 If you learn more by watching videos, here is a video that breaks it down quite easily for you, I don't do it like this but there is no right or wrong way to do it.

I did a review on not only the Ben Nye Banana powder but also MAC's translucent powder and I found that I initially didn't get along with the translucent powers,  since then I've noticed that it was actually my skin, I was going through a texture change, I was shifting from dry skin to combination oily which meant the lotions I was using at the time added too much moisture to my skin causing my makeup to move easily. I recently got given some Clinique items and I am getting along with the three step quite well. 

I love the 3rd step the most which is the dramatically different moisturising gel, It's excellent and makes your make up apply amazingly because it makes your skin underneath stay matte, I definitely recommend it!

I then use the smashbox primer just under my foundation which I initially tried some free samples of and I really loved it so it became a must have, it has a velvet kind of texture and keeps my make up on all day! (Get some samples)

I then use my Ben Nye Banana powder once I have finished highlighting my face and it just sets and completes my make up, completely amazing! 10/10

I don't use a brush to apply it like some others do, I actually use a powder puff so it just pushes all the product in to my skin and gives it a more matte but also coloured glow!

Here are some pics of my contoured face: 

  

You can see (below) that when the light hits your face the highlighted parts of your face really stand out!

2013 - Ready, Set... GO!

Hi guys, I feel like I owe you an explanation because I’ve been gone since the end of October and I’ve actually had people complaining verbally and via emails and so forth, I am really sorry, I’ve had so much going on in my personal life that I’ve allowed it to consume me. 2012 was an okay year for me especially since I graduated, but there were also so many things on my prayer list (I write a prayer list of all the things I need to achieve and overcome during the year) that I didn’t get to tick off, I will not let this effect me, as a matter of fact this has motivated me to do and be better during 2013! I’m just praying that all my moves will be guided by the Holy Spirit and in my darkest moments I will sing the songs of the Lord and no longer let my situations overwhelm me, I’m teaching myself that wallowing in my own self pity is not cool and I’m also focusing on positivity too.

I had an amazing surprise party back in April and I also received nearly everything on my wish list. But guess what I purchased at the end of last year? My MacBook Pro! I was living without a laptop since it crashed on me in mid April whilst I was writing my dissertation but now I’m blessed with a laptop :D

                      ….. Also my mum got me this Ted Baker laptop case for Christmass

Towards the end of last year I was very weary about how I posted, I think some people have taken me for a beauty blogger, when I was more into fashion and I used to attend London Fashion week I was placed in the fashion blogger bracket. I just use my blog to write whatever I feel, and I’m grateful you take the time to listen x