Down With The Kids

I've read in a couple of places online recently that a good way to get cheap clothes is to just buy in the kids section! I don't know what size shops think children are these days but most decent clothing stores sell children's stuff up to 'age 16' which is plenty big enough for most size 12s I would say. Even better New Look's kids shoes go up to a whopping size 6! Here's a few gems that I've found recently...

Clockwise from top left: Jumper New Look, Boat Shoes River Island, Pastel Shoes Next, Jumpers Next.

All of the jumpers are so cute but I love the cable knits from next, anything with elbow patches works for me! The pastel loafers are amazing and the pumps are only £13! The boat shoes from River Island are a great find - they're actually from the boys section, and at £15 an absolute bargain. I bought a pair of high-tops from the boys section of River Island about 6 months ago (only £20) and I wore them so much that they've got holes in the bottom. Usually this would be a sign of bad quality but I hardly took them off for a solid 5 or 6 months so I don't think its bad! Unfortunately they don't stock them anymore, so next time I see some I like I might have to get 2 pairs.

Have you got any 'finds' from the kid's section anywhere? I've heard there's some great stuff in H&M but the online shop is pretty useless! I'll check next time I'm in town...

Ladies That Lunch

I had a lovely day out with my 'home girls' yesterday. We took full advantage of the Orange Wednesday offerings starting with a trip to see Magic Mike. You can't really go wrong with a film about male strippers, especially when it stars Channing Tatum and Alex Pettyfer! It was a good laugh and there was some pretty impressive dancing as well as drugs, drinking and a bit of love. The perfect chick flick with plenty of eye candy and a happy ending, definitely recommended for a rainy afternoon! With student tickets and 2-4-1 from Orange Wednesdays it was only £2.30 each!

We then went on to Pizza Express for lunch, we all had dough balls (NOM) followed by pizzas from the 'Legarra' range. These are the low-cal pizzas that Pizza Express do, they have a special base and a hole in the middle with salad in it. Mine was topped with Goats cheese, spinach, red onions and caramelised onions - it was delicious! Uploading the photo has made me want another one! With the same Orange Wednesday code you get 2-4-1 on dough balls and any main courses so we got all of that for less than £7 each!

Pretty much the perfect day in my book and the sun even came out for an afternoon sit outside Costas, I tried their new Pink Grapefruit Iced Lemonade which was really nice and refreshing.

Any films you recommend? This might become a weekly occasion if we get the chance!

In other news I had a meeting at (a different) Costas today and starting my new job there next week, nice to have a bit of a change as I've had the same summer job for 4 years. A bit scared but excited too!!

My Make Up Bag - Part 3 FACE

This is the final part of my 'Eyes, lips, face' feature and it's just a run through of what make up I use on a day-to-day basis. I've included my 'daytime' and 'out' foundations and bronzers as they're slightly different and as I'm quite pale I have to be careful of being to orange in the day!

Clockwise from top left: ELF Primer, Max Factor Xperience weightless foundation in 45 Raw Silk, Max Factor Lasting Performance Foundation in Soft Beige, Under Eye Concealer & Highlighter, ELF Studio Bronzer - Warm, Bourjois Blush in 95 Rose De Jaspe, ELF Studio Bronzer - Cool.

I'm pretty set in my routine now with these products, it's taken a few years but I'm pretty happy with what I have now. The ELF primer is only £6 and leaves my skin nice and even and its 'mineral infused' so its pretty good for my skin too. The MaxFactor 'weightless foundation' is great! Can't say enough about it! Its medium-full coverage but really does feel weightless and a little goes a long way so one bottle lasts a long time, I wear it every day. The 'lasting performance' foundation gives full coverage and is quite heavy, but I feel like you need that in a 'night out' foundation! It blends well when I've got my tan on too. The ELF concealer is especially for eyes but I use it on blemishes too, I'm pretty lucky as I've got good skin and this blends really well so its perfect for the odd spot. The two ELF bronzers are really good too, I especially like the 'cool' one as it gives me a glow without looking too orange, they're really good value too, only £3.75. I love the little bourjois pot as well, the brush it comes with is really handy and it gives a nice subtle colour for day time but is easily increased with more liberal application - super hand too.

These are my favourites, have you tried any? What do you use?

My Make Up Bag - Part 2 LIPS

Ok so following through on my 'Eyes Lips Face' idea with the Lip section. Now I have to say lip colour is something I am very lazy about and to be honest, on a day to day basis, Carmex usually does the trick! I do, however, have a few stains and sticks that I wap on for a night out.

1. Maybelline Colour Sensation Lipstick in (250) Mystic Mauve, available at boots here.

2. E.L.F. Studio Matte Lip Colour in Tea Rose available online here.

3. Benefit Benetint available at boots here.

These three all have their pros and cons and I'm still on the look out for the perfect lip colour. I really like the effect of the Benetinit, it gives a really natural redder-than-usual effect and doesn't look like you're wearing anything, my problem with this product is that it always dries my lips out quite badly, even when i use Carmex on top - I got mine, a mini sample, free with a magazine last year and I won't be purchasing a new one once I'm done! Really don't think it's worth the £24.50.

The other two are really good consistencies and feel great on my lips and the ELF one tastes amazing! I'm just not crazy about either colour, the maybelline is too dark and purpley which I put down to trying way to many lippies the day i bought it! The ELF one is just a bit too dark too, I think I need the shade down for the nude look I want. Might have to purchase it as they've just announced a 50% sale on EVERYTHING so check out the site now!

So this is my pathetic collection! Any additions to recommend?

My Make Up Bag - Part 1 EYES

So over the next few days I'm going to give you a run down of what make up I use on a day-to-day basis. All my make up is pretty cheap, no frills, 'drug-store' stuff and though one of my aims in life is to earn enough money that I can browse the make up stands in House of Fraser with actual intention to buy, this stuff is doing pretty well for me at the moment! I've decided to split this make up post into 3 sections, Eyes, Lips and Face. Just like one of my recent 'finds' in the online shop department - E.L.F. (well worth a look and they have great deals on their Facebook page all the time).

So. Eyes. And, almost more importantly eyebrows. Here's a look at the products I use most.

Clockwise from top left: No. 7 Amazing Eyes Pencil, Rimmel Scandal'Eyes Mascara, Bourjois Smokey Eye Palette,  Collection 2000 Liquid Eye Liner, Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara, Benefit Smokin' Eyes Palette.

In the last 6 or 9 months I've got very into 'doing' my eyebrows. After mixing and matching with lots of different products I've finally settled on a routine. First off I use the styling wax in the Benefit kit, it's a really good colour and keeps the hairs in place really well, then I go over it with the No. 7 pencil. I actually got this from one of Mum's free No. 7 kits but it blends really well so I'm keeping it! Sometimes I fill them in with whatever brown eye-shadow is lying closest if they look a bit thin and use the pink highlighter powder in the Benefit kit to hide any stray hairs. 

The rest is pretty self explanatory, I use the Rimmel mascara on my top lashes, its fantastically thick without being clumpy and has lasted a long time. I use the Max Factor one on my bottom lashes, it lengthens well while keeping my lashes separate and natural looking. The boujois palette is perfect for a nice brown smokey eye (I prefer brown over black for blue eyes espesh in the summer but I have the black palette too!) and if I feel like mixing it up at all I use the 6 in 1 ELF palette which has pretty much every colour under the sun. Liquid liner on the top and pencil on the bottom (from the benefit kit) and there you have it, MY EYES.

Do you use any of these products or have you got your own faves? Let me know and keep an eye out for my Lips and Face posts over the next few days!

Wimbledon Fashion

As Andy and Roger are off for a rain break I thought I'd do a quick post on what some of the audience have been wearing. If you've been watching you have probably seen the Duchess of Cambridge and her sister, Pippa Middleton looking Fabulous in the Royal box. Here's a quick snap, looks like Pippa must have read my post on peplums the other day ;-)

As usual the sisters look gorgeous in outfits perfectly fitting for the occaision. Pippa is wearing a lovely blue bird printed peplum dress from Project D and Kate a beautifully fitted dress and jacket by Joseph Vanessa. Styled with simple accesories, big sunnies and soft wavy hair the girls hit the nail on the head once again!

Also in the crowd are the Beckhams, David looking dashing as always and Victoria looking stunning (if a little glum) in a dress from her own collection.

Hope you are all enjoying the tennis as much as we are! Caroline's in Glasgow drinking Pimm's like it's going out of fashion and I'm just sat in with my Dad, how are you watching?