Whistles Stop Tour

Lately, I've not been able to get Whistles out of my mind. There's something about the minimalism that I just cannot resist. This, in combination with the January sale, has been deadly for my bank balance. 

First up, the Alexandra top, a purchase inspired by none other than Anna, from Vivianna Does Makeup. This is the perfect mix of lace and black, two of my favourite things in clothing. The fabric is heavy and good quality, whilst the lace is delicate and as pretty as you'd want it to be. At full price, this was £110, and I can absolutely see why. I grabbed mine for £42 from ASOS. Bitchface is optional.

Then, my second ever Whistles purchase, a grey and black sweatshirt. I don't have the name of the top and can't see it online, but I've seen similar tops in New Look lately. It's a good stable for the Winter, in my opinion, as it's thick but flattering. Role up the sleeves and wear with leather-effect jeans and heels for a night out, or with blue jeans in the day. Costing me £45, I think that this will see me through a few years to come.

Lastly, the Rivington Clutch. As soon as Whistles released their classic clutches with a chain, I knew I would have to get one (I just can't say no...). Although it hasn't photographed particularly well, shocker, this has a patent navy blue finish. It's big enough to fit my purse, sunglasses, lipstick and a book in, but I can't quite manage to get my water bottle to fit. Nevertheless, I'm really happy I picked this bag up as it's casual enough to be worn during the day for errand-running, but small enough that I can easily take it out at night. I grabbed mine for £45, reduced from £95.

Revlon Colourburst Matte Balms // Review

First and foremost, apologies for the hideous photo quality. I don't actually have a camera at the moment, so am forced to use my iPhone to take these photos for the time being (first world problems and all that...).

However, please don't let the atrocious picture above put you off. These new releases from Revlon are amazing. Amazing. The Matte Balms are essentially what I've wanted every matte lipstick I've ever tried to be. They're long lasting, leaving a stain that lasts hours behind even after they've disappeared, and yet manage to be incredibly moisturising. Impressive stuff.

I opted for three bright colours, as matte nude lips don't really appeal to me as much, but I can't resist a good pop of matte colour. The shades pictured above are (t-b): 220 Showy, 245 Audacious and 240 Striking.

Showy is an all-out, 'Look-at-me! Look at me!' hot pink. On my yellow/golden skin tone such shades aren't often that flattering, but I actually think that this is a very wearable shade. It's a fresh pop of colour that can be patted onto the lips sheerly, or built up to full capacity. I've been loving this paired with minimal face makeup, a smudge of deep brown eyeliner and lots of mascara for a fresh every day look.

Audacious is an orange toned red. These sorts of shades are, in my humble opinion, very flattering. They just to a really good job of perking up the complexion enough to distract from any signs of fatigue around the eyes. This shade also leaves an incredibly pretty stain after it's worn off, so this is a good one for a night out.

Striking is much more of a classic red. I love me a good matte red, and the Revlon offering does not disappoint. I actually find it quite reminiscent of the NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Red Square, which I appear to have lost (insert wailing and hair-pulling here), but nearly £10 cheaper. I'm very much looking forward to wearing this with a bit of a tan come Summer, as I think it will look quite striking.

The overall quality of these products is, to my mind at least, unexpectedly good. The colour selection is fresh, easy and, as much as I hate to use this word as an adjective, fun. These are the matte lipsticks for the people who didn't think they liked matte lipstick.

Self-Confessed NARSissist

As soon as I saw the promo images for the NARSissist eyeshadow palette, I knew I had to have it. NARS is probably my favourite cosmetics brand; it's the perfect mix of natural beauty and edginess. The NARSissist Eye Palette does not disappoint.

Containing five matte shades and ten shimmers, this is the perfect palette for both day-time and night-out appropriate looks. What's more, there's a wide range of cool tones and warm tones, so it should suit near enough everyone.

Judging by the swatches, pigmentation does not disappoint, nor should it at £55. Mine literally arrived about three hours ago so I can't comment on wear time just yet, but I never normally have any issues whatsoever with NARS shadows.

All I can say for now is that this is easily the most coveted piece in my makeup collection. I vow never to be without it.

As soon as I've had a chance to play around with the palette some more, I'll try and and get a full review up... But for the moment, would you just look at that beauty?

Ode to an Instant Classic

Much has been written about the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation, but none of it quite prepared me for how much I would instantly love this base. Nothing else I have ever tried has managed to look so much like skin whilst also being so perfecting.

Having quite golden-yellow undertones, I can quite easily look very sallow this time of year, but Luminous Silk instantly adds a bit of light to my complexion. For some reason my skin is also highly inflamed and acne-prone at the moment, hence the lack of photo of me in this post, but this has me covered, pardon the pun. All scarring and redness is concealed with ease, whilst my cystic spots are covered without looking smothered. It's love.

The finish is glow-y where I want it to glow, matte-without-being-too-matte where I don't want any shine. Somehow, this foundation manages to find some sort of balance with my currently combination skin. So far, I've worn it for 10+ hours with a setting powder, no problem.

In comparison to my previous favourite foundation, NARS Sheer Glow, Luminous Silk has slightly more coverage and is marginally less dewy. I always found that Sheer Glow started to look a little to bit too shiny after a few hours and faded a bit too quickly, but the Armani is definitely longer lasting. For reference, I wear Shade 4.

It's pricey, at £34.50, and it's not the easiest of bases to get hold of. However, if you're in the market for a foundation that doesn't have SPF, making it perfect for a night out, that is light enough to wear in the day and just makes you look better, it's certainly worth considering over a MAC or CHANEL base.

NARS At First Sight // Review

AKA, the palette that made my entire makeup collection redundant. This matte black beauty has been my absolute go-to since it came home with me. Containing a bronzer, a blusher and four eyeshadows, this has you covered for a plethora of looks, from 'no-makeup-makeup' to a sultry smokey-eye. It's just so good.

First up, the cheek products. These were the main reasons I picked up this palette, as I was looking for a NARS bronzer and blush anyway. Included are Laguna and Deep Throat, two cult classic shades. And honestly, they are worth the hype. Laguna adds just the right amount of colour to my face to restore a 'healthy glow'. In other words, it makes me look less like I've been sat inside on my laptop for the last four months, more like I've been to Monaco. I'm a big fan. As for Deep Throat, the texture and the pigmentation cannot be faulted. I've found that it's quite easy to be a little bit heavy handed with it, but that's as much my fault as anything else's. It's one of the blushes that instantly just makes you look better. This is my second NARS blush (I also own Sin) and I'd say that the high quality is consistent.

Now onto the eyeshadows. I have two single eyeshadows by NARS in my collection, Babygirl and Lhasa, and haven't really been blown away by either. Babygirl is too gritty and Lhasa always just looks a bit 'meh' on me. The shadows included in the At First Sight palette are, however, a very different story. The lightest shade, All About Eve, is amazing at opening up the eyelid and making you look awake. It's become my go-to neural over any of the shades in my Naked palettes. Then there's Bellissima, a cool-toned matte shade that looks fantastic through the crease. In my opinion, Bellissima actually has the most buttery texture of the four shadows in the palette, even though it's matte. The darkest shade in the palette, Codura, is a blackened brown shot through with gold shimmer. It's a stunner. I personally use this as a liner and a little bit through the 'outer-V' of my eyes. It's brilliant because it has all the depth you'd ever want, without the harshness of black. Finally, there's the wildcard shade of the palette,  Nouveau Monde, a super shimmery silvery-lilac. I thought that this would be my least favourite of the bunch, the the opposite couldn't be more true. My preferred way of sporting this colour is as a 'lower lash line smudger'. It frames the eyes perfectly, without closing them up too much.


At £45, it isn't particularly budget friendly, but I don't think it's unreasonable in the slightest given the high quality of the products. If you love neutrals and keeping it easy, this could be one to check out. Available here. 

Being Better

I'm not one for New Years' Resolutions and the like, but this year I am determined to be better. And superficial as it may be, I want to be better at blogging. It's something I've wanted to do for so long and as you may have noticed by my utter lack of posts later, I've been slacking somewhat. Between studying for a course I don't enjoy (I'm currently trying to change to History... Fingers crossed on that front) and developing a full-on Netflix addiction, I've not really given my self a chance to get into things. So, I'm making a plan. Every week this year I am going to write a post every Tuesday and Thursday. Mark it in your diaries ;)