New Years Eve Make Up

I thought I'd do one last post to round up 2014 seeing as it's been such a great year! Normally I upload on a Tuesday but I wanted to finish on New Years Eve with a little tutorial of the make up I have been loving these past few weeks when going to Christmas parties etc! I've been using my Urban Decay Naked Palette on the eyes mainly using the golden tones to create a really strong eye look and then leaving the rest of the face fairly neutral.

Before doing the eye make up I used Collection's Lasting Perfection Concealer in 'Medium 3' just in the spots I needed, Soap and Glory's Kick Ass Concealer Under the eyes and to highlight, then Soap and Glory's Archery Brow to shape my eyebrows. I then finished this off with MAC Studio Fix Powder and a bit of Benefit 'Rockateur' Blush and primed my eyelids with Urban Decay's Primer Potion. All brushes used in this were also from Real Techniques, I honestly do love their brushes! Here's a little step to step on the eyes...

Step 1. Using a 'Deluxe Crease' Brush wipe the shade 'Natural' all over the eyes to even out the eyelid and give a bit of a base for the eyeshadow.
Step 2. Using a 'Base Shadow' Brush push 'Half Baked' all over the mobile lid and blend in (make sure to tap off the brush as you can get some fall down with these)

Step 3. Using an 'Accent' Brush bring 'Half Baked' into the very inner corner of your eye and slightly underneath. This can be done quite strongly into the corner, I find it gives an amazing highlight, just be careful not to get it in your eye!
Step 4. Back to the 'Base Shadow' Brush, lightly mix the shades 'Buck' and 'Naked' and blend into the crease lightly just to smooth the outer edge.

Step 5. Using an 'Brow' Brush, get any dark brown eyeshadow and very slightly use this to line the outer corner of the lash line, only going to about the middle of the eye. (I also tight-lined with Soap and Glory's 'Supercat' eyeliner but you can skip this step!)
Step 6. Finally finish off with lashing's of mascara or you could add false eyelashes if you wish!

Have you been wearing any make up staples this season? Let me know what you think of this look!

And finally, just to say thanks for reading and Happy New Year! See you in 2015!

Great Christmas Discounts

Even though this time of year I always say that I'm going to be super organised and buy presents well in advance, there always seems to be something that I forget/miss and I end up running around trying to find something good! This year though, there are a few great Christmas discount codes out for these last few weeks that are great for those who have left their Christmas shopping to the last minute. Here's a little run down of a few I think are well worth checking out...

1. Boots

With £10 off orders of £90/£100, £5 off Fragrance orders of £50 and Free Next Day Delivery along with their 3 for 2 on Christmas Gifts, there's so much you could choose from to finish your Christmas Shopping by the Weekend! 

2. Look Fantastic

At the moment, Look Fantastic are doing a great 20% off of First Orders but also have some great offers on such as 15% off selected brands and 15% off £50 orders with Free Next Day Delivery. Definitely worth checking out for those beauty lovers presents!

3. Debenhams

Offering a free £5 voucher when you order online and use Click and Collect in store, you save both on delivery and get a voucher to spend in the New Year, double bonus! Also an offering of Free Next Day Delivery on orders over £30, great for getting a range of gifts with all the different things Debenhams has to offer!

4. Buyagift

For the less conventional present, Buyagift have some great offerings and a great £10 off orders over £20/£50 etc, you can hopefully find something for even the hardest person to buy for.

5. The Fragrance Shop

An extra 15% off online/instore is being offered at the moment, great again for those beauty lovers and they do some lovely gift sets this time of year!

6. New Look

Also offering a great discount for £10 off orders of £50, you can normally get free Click and Collect Delivery with this as well which is great if you don't want to pay for postage! They do some great sets for presents as well as their normal accessories range etc that I think make lovely gifts!

These are just a few great discounts out at the moment for last minute shopping, there's loads more out there though! I normally check www.vouchercodes.co.uk as they have pretty much all of the most up to date codes and some great exclusives!

 What great discounts have you found this year?

Soap and Glory Skincare Series - 4 - Puffy Eye Attack Turbo-Boost Hydragel

My fourth product I've looked at this past month or so as part of my Soap and Glory Skincare review series is the 'Puffy Eye Attack Turbo-Boost Hydragel'. This is an eye cream that is supposed to help with dark circles under the eyes and puffiness. 

With first use, I found that this made my eyes sting slightly but I seem to have found that with first use of a lot of the Soap and Glory products and that it goes away by the second use. I noticed results however almost immediately! Within a couple of days I did see a slight difference in brightness and a slight reduce in the puffiness under my eyes! (I'm not great at sleeping so my under eye circles are quite bad!)

I use this both in the morning and evening after I apply my moisturiser and dab a tiny amount in all under my eye up to the inner corner and all the way to the bottom of my dark circles with my ring finger - this is the best finger to use as it doesn't pull on the skin at all! I also found that this was nice and moisturising for under my eyes when putting on concealer. Before using this I found that under my eyes was really dry and my concealer didn't sit so well and this has really helped to stop that!

I've used this for over a month now and really like it! I skipped using it a couple of evenings to see if I could notice any difference and again it was almost immediate! The next morning my dark circles were a lot worse and I struggled to cover them!

The tub for this is 14ml so it's really nice and compact and you only use a tiny dab so this will definitely last ages and I definitely recommend it a try! 

Have you tried any new skincare products lately you've loved?

(Also if anyone has any recommendations I'd love to hear them, I seem to be having a tough time with my skin at the moment - breakouts, make up not lasting, pigmentation issues - so I'd love to know if anyone's tried anything they would recommend for a girl with combination skin!)

The Knitted Dress

Big cosy jumpers, cardigans and huge scarves that you can wrap around your neck multiple times are one of my favourite things about Winter! I get so excited that I can now layer up and love the fashion that is around this time of year, with the chunky knits and darker colours.

(I had to take this picture from the New Look website as my camera deleted mine, hopefully I'll have one on my Instagram soon!)

Recently when shopping, I stumbled across this little knitted dress from New Look. It's not something I would normally go for as it does have a slightly odd 'A-lineish' shape that I worry would stick to my hips, but I just fell in love with it. I think knitted dresses are so cute and a really nice thing to have in your wardrobe this time of year when you want to dress up a bit but still want to layer up!

I wear this with really thick tights and either flat ankle boots, or heels depending on where I'm going. I always add a scarf as well (I don't think I even go out without a scarf on in the winter) and if I really need an extra layer then I pop on a big chunky cardigan.

I just wish they did this in more colours! Undoubtedly I'd have to buy them all!

Let me know if you see any other knitted dresses you like this year!

Winter Wish List

I really enjoyed making my Autumn wish lists (linked here and here) and looking back to see what I have actually got or what I'm carrying over. So I thought I would do one for Winter as well! Even thought the weather hasn't changed as much as it does from Summer to Autumn, I still find that with it getting a lot colder I need to change both my beauty/skincare routine and my wardrobe. Here's just a few things I'm going to be looking out for this Winter...

(Going clockwise from top left)

1. Knee high boots
 I've become slightly shoe obsessed in previous months and have decided the next thing I'd like which I don't have in my collection are a pair of knee high boots. These ones are from Duo and I've been eyeing them up for ages now (possibly a early Christmas present for myself? I wish!)

2. MAC 'Ruby Woo' Lipstick
I've seen so many people raving about this one lately saying that it's a staple item and I definitely think I've been convinced! Such a perfect colour for this time of year and possibly the perfect red shade!

3. The 'Boyfriend' Coat
 I absolutely love this style of coat and think it looks so chic but really easy to wear! I've been looking for one all last season but can't get one that isn't too long/doesn't look like I'm wearing my Dad's coat so I'll definitely be on the hunt for one like this!

4. New Look Tartan Reversible Scarf 
New Look have brought out a few colours of these scarves and I honestly can't decide which one is my favourite! I love that you can almost get two scarves out of one or wrap it round and get the different sides together!

5. Una Brennan Superfacialist 'Salicylic Acid Anti Blemish Pore Purifying Clay Mask'
 I've been meaning to try this out for ages and have been really been getting into using face masks more as a little pamper session in the evenings. I love the idea that this hopefully absorbs oil and helps with blemishes!

6. Body Shop 'Glazed Apple' Collection
I think this is a limited edition scent for Christmas and I'm really hoping they bring it in to their full range! It's such a fresh scent (I almost want to eat it!) and I'm going to try and stock up before it leaves stores!

7. Elegant Touch Press On Nails 
I've been trying out a set of these nails recently and am really impressed! The current pair I'm wearing have only been on for a couple of days but they're really comfortable and didn't take me too long to apply seeing as I normally get someone else to do them. I love the glitter and Christmas versions they have out though and will definitely be picking some up for parties this time of year!

What's on your wish list at the moment?

Soap and Glory Skincare Series - 3 - Instant Radiance Energy Boost Balm

In my third edition to my skincare review series of Soap and Glory products I've been trying out the 'Bright Here Bright Now Instant Radiance Energy Boost Balm' (bit of a tongue tangler!). This is a skin-perfecting cream which claims to lift, energise, tighten and brighten the skin and give a super-radiant glow! My skin has been lacking recently and I feel I quite often go through stages with my skin where it just seems a bit dull and doesn't react well to my make up, so thought I would try this out and see if it helped at all.

 

At first try of this one, as with many of the other Soap and Glory products, it did tingle slightly whilst it soaked in, but by the second go I didn't even notice it was on my skin! It has a bit of a strong scent when you initially pop it onto the skin which I didn't like too much, but doesn't smell at all once rubbed in and soaks in really easily. The formula is pretty much that of a light moisturiser, which is how I like to use it, or it can be mixed in with your foundation/base products. 

I've noticed a slight difference with this, using it in the morning and letting it soak in before doing my make up. I've definitely noticed a bit of a skin-perfecting element (I don't expect it to do much without actual concealer added in as I do have quite bad scaring) and think that it just adds a bit of life to the skin with a bit of a radiance. It's not too brightening that you glow (I have combination skin so was slightly weary but I don't get any more oily in my t-zone than before using it) and it just adds a little highlight where needed! I think it would be really nice to use strategically as a subtle highlighter if you wanted!

I'm definitely going to be trying this out mixed in with tinted moisturiser next!

Have you tried any skincare products recently you've loved?

Marks and Spencer Christmas Event

This past Wednesday, I had the pleasure of being invited along to The Mall Cribbs Causeway's Marks and Spencer store for their first Christmas Blogger Event. They had transformed their Espresso bar into a 'Winter Wonderland' showcasing some of their best pieces for this season, along with lots of lovely nibbles, a beautiful Christmas tree and nail bar!

They had some beautiful rails out, full of this seasons must haves and faves! I spotted a few items which I will definitely be popping in to look at more for Christmas parties including gorgeous skirts, blouses and a coat which I may just have my eye on now! Their Christmas jumpers were also probably the best I have seen this year, along with their hats and scarves which I will definitely be donning this Christmas season! 

I had already been eyeing up the Marks and Spencer Christmas gift sets this year, especially the beauty ones! The boxes for most of their sets is a beautiful rose gold colour, perfect as a bit of a luxury present! They have some brilliant gifts as well that are more non-beauty prezzies that are well worth checking out!

Marks and Spencer also have some really great brands in the beauty department including Ren and Diego Dalla Palma; brands which I don't really see around much and am very excited to try out! I was also lucky enough to be given a few mini goodies from these brands which I most definitely will be trying out and letting you know how I get on with them! 

Unfortunately, I had to pop off slightly early, but I would really like to thank the great team that organised this lovely event for inviting me! I'll definitely be looking forward to if they have another one next year!

Pick of the Christmas Gift Sets!

I love that this time of year you can walk into any Boots store or department store and be surrounded by lovely little Christmas presents and gift sets. I seem to spend hours in Boots (and I actually did the other day!) going up and down the gift aisles working out who I can buy for and wanting them all myself. So I thought I'd pop together a little list of some brands collections/sets that are great gifts this Christmas time!

Soap and Glory

Soap and Glory is probably one of my favourite skincare/beauty brands ever! I don't think I've ever bought anything from them I don't like and their Christmas sets definitely don't disappoint! They're really reasonable and there's something there for everyone (they even do men's sets!) They do sets for both their make up range and skincare, I've got my eye on the eye shadow palette! Definitely worth checking out even if you just want to try some of the products for yourself!

Ted Baker

Ted Baker are another brand that stock in the drugstore and again are really reasonable. The boxes/packaging for their gifts is so beautiful and quite luxurious if you're looking for something a little more special but without the hefty price tag! They have some really nice stocking fillers as well this year, sets of nail polishes etc and a new bright colour scheme for some of their designs which I absolutely love!

Benefit

The sets from Benefit are always so lovely and always in such pretty packaging. I especially love the sets this year and think they're always such great value for money. The miniatures they put in them last a really long time considering they're not even have the size of the normal and I think it's a really great way of trying out some new bits! I love their idea of a little stocking you fill with miniatures as well!

The Body Shop

Every year I find myself getting at least one person something from the Body Shop for Christmas! They have some really great sets, all at different price ranges and sizes, whether you just want a little something to make up a present or a big set. This year they brought out the Glazed Apple range and I honestly love it! Imagine Appletiser or Apple Tango but in a body butter! (So so good!)

What are your favourite Christmas Gift Sets?

Fave things for a Winter's Evening!

It's got to that point in the year now where I no longer want to go outside unless I have to and would much rather spend the majority of my time tucked up under a blanket watching films! I don't ever really get to do this, but I do have a few quick things that I love to do on a cold winter's evening...

1. Hot Chocolate

I'm still striving to perfect my own making of a hot chocolate but no matter what, this is a must in my books for a cold evening. Sometimes I think there's nothing better than sitting down with a warm drink, snuggled under a blanket watching a good film!

2. Fairy Lights and Candles

I have fairy lights up all year no matter what, but find I put them on a lot more in winter with the evenings getting darker earlier. I just think fairy lights or lighting candles helps make the room feel all lovely and cosy when it's freezing outside!

3. Magazines, Face Masks and Cosy Blankets

Occasionally, I find myself stopping everything early on an evening, putting my onesie on and taking a bit of time out. This can be reading a magazine or a book (I'm just starting the last in the series of the Maze Runner and love it!) or just snuggling under a blanket watching I'm a Celeb.

What do you like to do on Winter Evening's?

'No Make Up' Make Up Base

This week for some reason I had a bit of an allergic reaction to something and haven't been able to wear any make up etc around my eyes (except mascara which I pretty much could never leave the house without!) I've been having a lot of these days lately though, trying not to wear too much make up and actually think I prefer it sometimes.

(Excuse the well used bottles, for some reason the writing always rubs off within a day, does anyone else find this?)

I've not been wearing foundation day to day but quite like the lighter, less coverage base that I've been wearing. Of course, it doesn't last all day but with a little bit of topping up of powder half way through I don't really mind that my skin and scars are showing through a bit, actually I'm kind of trying to embrace them! I also have combination skin so do get a fairly shiny T-Zone but have found wearing less sometimes means I don't become so much of a sheeny mess within an hour!

MAC Studio Moisture Tint in 'Medium Plus' - I don't wear this every day but just the days where my skin has a few more dry patches or needs a little bit of a pep up. It's not much coverage but keeps the skin hydrated and does help to even things out a bit!

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in 'Warm Medium' - A staple for so many beauty bloggers and definitely one for me! I've used this for years and just find that it gives really good coverage and blends really nicely. I only wish they did more colour options!

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer in 'Soft Beige' - Not being able to wear much around my eyes I've found this is the lightest and softest thing to use under my eyes that didn't irritate them so much. I definitely think this is one of the best high street concealers for under eyes you can get!

MAC Studio Fix Powder in 'NW25' - I've only been using this the past couple of weeks but really love the extra coverage it gives. It's a really light texture that doesn't feel at all heavy on the skin and just keeps things in place a little bit longer. You can either use it as a lightly tinted powder or build it up a bit for extra coverage.

Have you been loving any base products lately?

Review - Maybelline Color Drama Lipstick

As mentioned in my Autumn Beauty Wishlist I have been searching for ages to find the perfect berry lipstick. I'm not entirely sure if this is what I'm looking for but it's definitely close. The Kiko Ace of Diamonds lipstick in 27 'Refined Burgundy' is top of my list at the moment but I'm yet to try it out in real life. So, when I spotted this new reveal by Maybelline and the perfect colour, I just couldn't resist picking one up! This is the Maybelline Color Drama Lipstick in 'Keep it Classy'.

It the tube you don't see the colour so well, but when on the lips this is a great deep berry that has a hint of purple . It's definitely a statement colour but so effortless to apply that it can be worn everyday. It's a really nice formula, light on the lips and no scent as such so really easy to wear. You can use it as a stain patting it onto the lips or straight from the crayon to create a much darker look. The pigment is definitely one of the best I've tried and doesn't have to be built up too much to create maximum effect! Being a pointed 'crayon' shape, you also don't necessarily need a liner as you can easily draw around the shape of the lips and fill in.

Staying power isn't the best as such, I wore it all day on the weekend stopping for lunch, drinks etc and did have to reapply after every time, however I think building up and blotting layers before first application or maybe applying a similar liner all over the lips in the morning will definitely help it stay and stop just the outline of the lipstick remaining after a sip of a drink.

I really love this lipstick as a whole though and will definitely be going and picking it up in a few more colours!

Have you tried these yet? What lipstick are you loving at the moment?

Autumn Beauty Menu

As with most people, when the season changes so does my make up routine. I love all the autumnal colours, all the deep golds, purples, burgandys and berries and love experimenting with the season. So I thought I'd put together a little 'make up and beauty menu' of a few bits I love wearing for Autumn!

Maybelline Colour Tattoo in 'On and On Bronze' - Great for just a sweep of colour over the lids, as a primer or built up as a base for a gold smokey eye look!

Sleek Contour Kit in 'Light' - Even though Summer's over I still love a good bronze to keep the tan going a bit longer. I love using this as an eye shadow too!

Maybelline Colour Drama Lip Crayon in ' Keep it Classy' - I absolutely love berry lips and this lip pencil is so great! It's so easy to apply and doesn't feel at all drying on the lips, I'm definitely going to be picking up more colours!

Benefit Rockateur Blush - This is probably one of my favourite blushes of all time, I think it's perfect for this time of year though! Gone are the corals and pinks of Summer, instead this has a slightly darker tone and gives the cheeks a warm natural flush

Max factor Colour Elixir lipstick in 'Burnt Caramel' - This is a great one to wear everyday, it's a bit deeper than a 'your lips but better' colour so great for this season to just add a slight colour!

Deep Red, Plum and Nude Nail Polish - I love darker nail colours a lot of the time and these are great for Autumn. If not then light greys and nudes are my definite go to

Urban Decay Naked Palette - I could probably use this quite easily all year round. The only difference this season is the colours, at the moment I'm loving using the darker colours and really building them up for a slightly more smokey look or sheering them for a more natural look

What products are you loving this Autumn?

October Favourites

I honestly have no idea where this past month has gone! It feels like just yesterday we weren't starting back the college year and now it's only 8 weeks till Christmas (not that I'm counting or anything...although, maybe I am). With the Autumn Season coming to a high and the colder weather coming in, I've changed up my routine slightly this month and been trying out some new bits. These are just a few things I've been loving this month (including a non 'beauty' fave)!

Urban Decay Naked Palette - I got this for Christmas last year and seemed to use only this for months. Then Summer came and with the exception of a little soirée with 'Half Baked' I didn't seem to be reaching for it all that much. This month though, I've regained my love for this beautiful palette, particularly loving using 'Smog' and 'Buck' at the moment!

Soap and Glory Sexy Motherpucker Gloss Stick in 'Plum Jam' - With last months mention of this lipstick in 'Nudist' I sparked my own interest to pick them all out again and remember what great colours they are for Autumn, particularly this one! I just pat this in my lips day to day, or build it up for a little more colour and more of a dramatic look!

Burgundy Top - I purchased this top from New Look a few weeks back now and have just got so much wear out of it! It's great as a 'day to night' piece that I wear for any occasion, dressing it up with heels and black jeans or blue jeans and boots for the day. I love this colour for Autumn as well!

The Righteous Butter Body Lotion - I'm a huge lover of all Soap and Glory products, I've never found anything I didn't like really and don't think I ever will. I've always used their body butters, but wanted to try this one seeing as it was a lotion so hopefully quicker to use (which it was) and liked that it had a pump rather than a tub. Definitely will be repurchasing this one!

The Maze Runner Trilogy - I started reading these books when I went on holiday late September and have just been hooked! I'm just starting the third one now but wanted to finish the first one before seeing the film and cannot put them down! They're packed with action but a great mysterious back story which you find bits out about throughout. I both can't wait to finish this and also don't want to at the same time!

What have you been loving this month?

Love Hope xxx

Bit of a Collective Haul

Recently (well in the past month or so..) I seem to have been doing a bit of shopping. Where I have been so busy though, I completely forgot about some things and yesterday whilst tidying up got all excited to see what I've got again, so I thought I'd show you too!

These aren't bits I bought altogether, there was a student event in Cabot Circus near me that had some great discounts and I also did save up to visit Cardiff this week as it's one of my favourite places to do a shopping spree!

Grey Dress - I got this from New Look in Cardiff and absolutely fell in love, I love knitted dresses and this one was just what I was looking for! It's a skater shape and really soft. It's not too thick but this would be the sort of this I would layer anyway!

Burgundy Converse - I actually got these in the Sale from Office at such a great price I couldn't resist! I already have this style in the white colour and when I saw these were the last pair in my size I thought it must be fate!

Fiorelli Tan Purse - This weekend, my family and I visited Clarks Village which is a little outlet village only about an hour away from me. They had a Fiorelli Outlet there which I couldn't resist spending a good half an hour in and managed to pick up this purse to match my bag at only £10!

Maybelline Color Drama Lipstick in 'Keep it Classy' - I have wanted this shade of lipstick for so long and found this one a few weeks ago and just had to get it! It's a really nice berry colour, great for this season!

e.l.f Eye shadow in 'Saddle' and Eye shadow Stick in 'Turkish Coffee' - Whilst in Cardiff I popped down one of the little lanes that I love going to when I'm there and stumbled across an 'e.l.f' store, so had to pick up a few things. These eye shadows are both bronzey-brown colours and when I swatched them in store thought they were lovely and natural!

Dusky Pink Top - This top from New Look is the same style as my berry one mentioned a few posts ago but in a lovely light pink. When I find a shape/style of something I like, I can't resist but to buy nearly every colour!

Leather trousers - I have been looking for years for the perfect leather trousers (there was a huge gap in my wardrobe!) and I think I've finally found them! These are from Pull and Bear and just what I wanted! The leather isn't shiny but almost feels as if it's real and they're nice and stretchy so really comfortable to wear, which is difficult to find with tight leather!

Love Hope xxx

DUO Boots #BootTribe Blogger Event!

Shoes have become a slight obsession for me in recent months especially and last Thursday evening, I was lucky enough to be invited to the Duo's #BootTribe Blogger's event in Bath. I'd never heard of this brand before and being my first proper blogging event, I was so excited! 

Duo is a fabulous footwear brand that is known for its quality and versatility, with a huge range of both shoes and boots that are tailored to fit with 21 calf sizes and 3 widths! As soon as I heard I would be going to this event, I hopped onto their website and I must say I fell in love with a few short of a dozen pairs of shoes. They have such a great selection with just about any design you could ever wish for, and the quality in real life is amazing! Definitely boots you'll be able to wear forever!

The event was named #BootTribe and the aim of the evening was to determine which tribe you belonged to - whether that was the ankle boot, over the knee or knee high. I went for an ankle boot (which actually ended up being the winning tribe of the evening) however, I also have my eyes now on a pair of knee highs too. (Christmas? Possibly!)  

 

 

The boots I was lucky enough to choose a pair of were the 'Mathias' boots in tan. Not a style I thought I'd initially go for when browsing through the website, but a pair that I fell in love with when seen in real life! I picked these as my collection was missing a good pair of tan heeled boots and I could see me wearing these both in the day or evening. I always find shopping for shoes so difficult as I have small but quite wide feet. The ladies organising the event were so lovely and helpful though, and I'll definitely be visiting the shop again very soon! 

The event was a great experience, with lots of other lovely bloggers there all from around the South West including the lovely Michelle from eclecticthreads.wordpress.com who did a great post on the event!

 I honestly cannot rave enough about how great the brand are and how lovely the shop is! If you get a chance to pop in do! (They have stores in Bath, London and Edinburgh) I know from now on whenever I need new boots I'll definitely be heading here!

To find out more about Duo and browse their amazing range you can pop to their website - www.duoboots.com or follow @DuoBoots over on Twitter!

Love Hope xxx

The Leather Jacket

For years now, a leather jacket has been a staple item for my wardrobe, especially in the Autumn and end of Winter. I'd worn the same one for a couple of years now, just a plain black style with silver zips and detailing from New Look. However, this year I fancied a change as mine was looking a bit worn down!

I'd done a bit of research online, trying to find the perfect style and a good 'petite' size as I don't like mine to be too long. I then stumbled across this one from Miss Selfridge and completely fell in love.

I love that there is so much faux fur around this season and I think this was mostly what drew me to this jacket. I also managed to get it in a petite version, which wasn't as tight on the arms as I thought it would be and still left some room for extra layers. I love the detailing on this as well, I think the gold makes it look a bit more expensive and looks a lot nicer than the silver zips. The fur is detachable too, which is great for when you want something really casual.

I'm definitely going to be wearing this non-stop until it gets too cold!

What staple piece do you love for this time of year?

Love Hope xxx

Soap and Glory Skincare Series - 2 - The Fab Pore Moisture Lotion

The second edition to my little Soap and Glory skincare review series sees me trying out the 'Fab Pore Moisturiser'. Such as with the facial wash, I've been trying this for a little while now, incorporating it into my daily skincare routine. 

I picked this moisturiser as I have combination skin and wanted to see if it would work to minimise pores and control that troublesome t-zone and I'm glad to say I definitely noticed a difference! 

Within the first few weeks of using it, my skin did feel a bit better. My skin was more soft and even a bit brighter. I noticed when I swapped it for a tinted moisturiser in the mornings that I was having a lot more breakouts and getting dry patches, but as soon as I switched back it was a lot more manageable. I'm not sure it controls the oils in my t-zone as such, but it has helped minimise pores slightly.

As the weather's getting colder, it's still keeping up its duties, although I am finding that the change in the weather is meaning that I have a lot more troublesome dry patches so I may need to start using something a bit stronger overnight, but I'll definitely be keeping this one in the routine in the morning!

Do you have any skincare recommendations I should try out?

Love Hope xxx

The Backpack

I absolutely love that backpacks have come back into style these past few years, I think there are some really lovely ones out there, but was hesitant to wear one myself with worry I'd look like a 10 year old walking to school (I'm only 5 ft, so everything looks massive on me!). I decided for this year at college though, I was going to try out a backpack and see whether it stopped me being weighed down on one side with a shoulder bag full of folders.

So, I scoured the shops in search of a backpack that was a bit different but still looked stylish and came up with this one. This gorgeous bag is from ALDO (although I did order it from ASOS) and I think you can still get it in the shops.

(Photos taken from the ALDO and ASOS website) 

I just really love this bag! I love the sleek style and wear it just about everywhere at the moment! It's not too big, but big enough for A4 folders and can be adjusted with the zips at the side to be bigger. There's loads of pockets as well, which is again really handy, when like me you carry everything but the kitchen sink in your bag. 

I think it's safe to say that I am now a backpack convert!

Have you seen any bags you've loved lately?

Love Hope xxx