BEAUTY IN THE MAKING

Sorry I've been off the radar this week, a very very heavy workload with a random day trip to London thrown in the mix! After a 7 hour journey (don't even get me started) we finally arrived in the capital city to visit the 'beauty in the making' exhibition. None of us actually knew what the exhibition was about so we were surprised to find that its all about paper and the paper making process! 

The exhibition itself was really interesting and we were given a lovely notebook/colour chart and other information abut GF Smith (which is the paper company that created the event). My favourite and most inspiring part were the stacks of paper with stencil cut outs that acted as sign posts, even for the toilets! The event unfortunately finished on Friday but i can keep anyone posted on the next one they stage.

I'm sure you can understand that paper itself is actually fairly boring so we only stayed for a few hours and then headed out to the capital for some retail therapy. Unfortunately i have £0 in my bank account so there was no shopping for me but it didn't stop me browsing. I found that Zara sell perfume which smelt lovely but they don't sell it online so if anyone knows if their local Zara sells the perfume please let me know because it was super cheap and too good to miss!

TAKE A LOOK AT MY LIFE, ITS ALL BLACK

Hat, blazer & leggings: H&M

Sunnies and necklace: Topman

Oversized tee: American Apparel

Boots: River Island

That leg position: Models own

My first outfit post! It didn't rain in Preston today, whey! (for anyone who is familiar with the north west, it always always rains). This is my first outfit post, as you can see I'm not a stick and I'm not ashamed of that either and i definitely don't have any model features, as you can tell my legs have a bit of a mind of their own, no doubt that will become a regular occurrence - sorry!

Anyway, i have a very varied style. One day you can see me looking really girly the next i look like a boy but its just because i have an interest in all different parts of fashion so i don't just stick to one style. One thing to remember with me is that black will always remain. Its classic and i love it and its something that will never be 'dated' or 'not on trend' if you catch my drift.

WORK WORK WORK

sketchbooks and sharpies is how i spend my student loan, plus £12 worth of magazines for inspiration!

I can't believe its been a week since my last post, since that post I've moved back to Preston for uni and the work load has been doubled for the next week or so. I'm currently trying to improve and extend my work for my portfolio and plan and style a photoshoot for our end of year magazine. I'm sure you can imagine the workload...

Most students will have received their loans this week which is such an exciting day because you feel so loaded but unfortunately theres no shopping for me as I'm trying to save it for my year out, boo! A friend has bought some liberty x nike trainers and now I'm really pining for a pair but I'm trying to stop myself.

Other than that I've not seen anything in the shops i really want, that doesn't stop me drooling over asks every half an hour though!

I'm getting my new tattoo tomorrow which I'm absolutely bricking it about because my first one hurt like hell (i have a ridiculously low pain threshold). I'll try and man up for it so wish me luck!

Do any of you do creative courses or want to? Let me know!

ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT GOLD

Necklace £4 H&M, Clutch bag £8 Primark

Hi, just a quick update! Ive recently been to London (again! i know) and had a nice nosey round some shops in particular Supreme, Size? and Ben Sherman. Their shop design and identity are really cool. Carnaby street is definitely a great place to shop and to be inspired.

I also managed to check out the nikexliberty 2012 collaboration in the flesh and i was utterly disappointed. The display was so boring and uninspiring and they only had designs on display.

I popped into h&m and say the new conscious collection which is lovely, the colours and shapes are beautiful but i was on the hunt for basics and basics only. H&m never lets me down on that front. I picked up this white stone necklace, i love these kind of crystals and i used to have a bit of a collection when i was younger so this is a win win for me. It came attached to a metal base but i managed to remove it and i think it looks a lot better.
I also managed to get into primark on oxford street, which if you've ever been you will understand is such a nightmare. I managed to pick up this grey clutch bag and a couple of other things that I'll be sure to show you soon. I don't actually own any clutch bags so i thought now was the time to jump on the bandwagon. I'm going out twice this weekend so a nice bag is a must i suppose. Its quite big so il get a lot in there but guess what, there's no zip compartment! Which is such a pain because i usually just take cards out with me and not a purse, so i don't lose the entire thing!

Hope you've all had a great Easter.

IM CURRENTLY LUSTING OVER: WILDFOX JEWELLERY

Ive been a HUGE Wildfox Couture fan for a very long time, i bought my first tee at christmas and i LOVE IT (not so keen on the price tag though). So a couple of months ago they launched their jewellery range which is a great move for them. All of the pieces are lovely but these are the 5 i adore, especially the studs because my surnames Webster the 'w' kinda works for me. They're also the cheapest part of the collection!

Wildfox couture is available at asos in the UK but i order a lot of stuff from Karmaloop, which is an american site so you do pay a lot more for postage but the items are a bit cheaper and they've always got a wider range and sales on! My favourite word...

Do you own any Wildfox Couture jewellery? What are your favourite pieces?

IVE BEEN REALLY NAUGHTY

Chatterbox, amplified finish mac cosmetics

Trust me and only me to walk out of mac buying the wrong lipstick. I spent 20 minutes trying on bright pink lipsticks umming and arring between two different finishes. By the time id asked 3 different employees i finally decided which one and must have told her the wrong name because i ended up with this. Don't get me wrong its a nice colour but it wasn't the bright fuchsia pink i was expecting. Im going to keep it of course because its much more wearable than my viva glam nicki and i don't see any harm in building up a nice collection. Whats best of all is that debenhams has 10% off all beauty and fragrance so this only cost £12.15!

I also got to try the new Dior addict extreme, my eyes went straight towards the colour lucky (536) and the lady on the counter told me it was the colour kate moss was wearing in the adverts. Great minds think alike right? Anyway the lipstick has a lovely finish, almost like a glossy stain and the colour is so bright. Unfortunately i'll probably never own it but a girl can dream right?

Do you have any new additions to your lipstick collection?

HELLO FACE

I suppose everyone should see the face behind the blog!

Ive been trying a lot of my new make up recently and I'm getting on really well with some products more than others although i still can't make my foundation not turn orange! Its fine when i put it on but after a while i just feel like an oompa lumpa!

Face: Revlon colour stay foundation, Rimmel stay matte powder

Blush: Natural by 17 (available in boots)

Lips: Revlon lip butter strawberry shortcake

Eyes: Rimmel lash accelerator and maxfactor false lash effect fusion both black.

Brows: Rimmel eyebrow pencil

V & A - BRITISH DESIGN 1948-2012

On a recent visit to London i had loads of time to kill so i took a wander to one of my favourite museums, the Victoria and Albert museum in south kensington.The weather was glorious so i spent ALOT of the day outside chilling in the sunshine, eating my kids meal as it was the only thing i could afford!

The museum its self is full to the brim with with artefact's of art, design fashion and culture. Unfortunately the fashion part (which is my favourite) is closed until may so i decided to pay the £8 to see the British design exhibition (the rest of the museum is free).The exhibition itself is great, a really varied mix of fashion, architecture, music, graphic design and engineering.  Really cool exhibition for whatever you're interested in, i highly recommend. The exhibition is on until the 12th august 2012, find out more here. 

SUNDAY NIGHT REVIEW

Thought i would summarise my fortnight, its been quite stressful as I've had a deadline, presentation, new brief and I've moved back home for the Easter holidays (all in one week). So for those of you that don't follow me in twitter, here's a few snippets of my fortnight. Enjoy!

- I went to see The Hunger Games, i thought it was really really good. Ive even downloaded the book on my mums kindle to read and that's my challenge for this Easter break to get it finished!

- McDonald's monopoly is back! YESSSSS and now i stop eating happy meals so i can get the stickers. I won some chicken nuggets so I'm pretty pleased with myself.

- A quick snap of myself in the library lift. Id been doing some work but i had to leave because i was missing out on all the fun outside! The dress I'm wearing is about 5 years old and ill never get rid of it.

- My best friend cooking our BBQ at the park, a mega heatwave hit Preston and we had to make the most of it, no one got food poisoning either so it was a win win situation.

- Back in the library again, found out we had a really nice coffee stand downstairs and they do iced lattes. Cue my new library addiction...

- Fell up the stairs and in order to protect my mac book i put my elbows out. Hence really sore carpet burn and me planking on the stairs just shouting 'owwwwww' for about 5 minutes.

- Fake tanned for the first time ever, missed a huge bit on my ankle so looked like a wally but I'm sure ill be a pro by the end of the month.

- My Sunday afternoon, catching up with The Voice which i think is really good! painting some false nails in 'pink lemonade' by 17 cosmetics and drinking lots of coke.

In other news:
- I encourage everyone to view the new Nike x liberty 2012 collection. I like the air max 90's best.
- In more shoe related news two of my favourite brands have collaborated Wildfox x Jeffrey Campbell. Unfortunately i think they shows are only available in the US! sucks to be us
- Tomorrow morning i have a placement interview in London, so I'm up super early with all the commuters, going to try and get to the v&a afterwards because i love that museum so much.
- Tuesday i fly out to Barcelona for a few days, can't wait. So excited because I've not been since i was super young and i hope the weathers okay!

REVLON HAUL

Lip butter £7.99, foundation £12.49, concealer £7.49 all 3 for 2 at boots

I was in desperate need of some new foundation, I'm a huge fan of Estee Lauder double wear but i just couldn't afford the price so i was recommended Revlon colour stay for oily skin.  I picked sand beige and I'm actually getting on quite well with it. I do have to use more than i did double wear but its half the price!

Because i bought them on 3 for 2 in boots i decided to pick up a concealer and a lip butter. The concealer is 'light' and its not too bad although the first time i used it a lot of product came out which was a bit of a waste. My lip  butter is strawberry tart. Id heard some mixed reviews of them but i like moisturising lip products because i find i have quite dry lips. I think the consistency is nice, they don't last very long on but the colours are really strong. I've been wearing it everyday since Thursday and i really like it. I'm dying to try some of the other colours!

Have you tried any of these Revlon products? What did you think of them?

FAVOURITE FIVE

I thought id write a little post about my favourite 5 things in my wardrobe/things i can't possibly live without! I believe every girl has their own go to items and these are my five wardrobe staples...

Black blazer - h&m - Probably the most work item in my entire wardrobe, I'm rarely seen without it. I think its great because it smartens up any outfit and will always be stylish and classic.

Skinny jeans - Topshop - I actually hate jeans and for about 2 years i never wore a pair because i just thought they were horrid and they made me look even bigger and didn't go with anything and were quite childish. Then i was introduced to the 'Leigh' jeans from Topshop and i fell in LOVE. They're not proper jeans which makes them super comfy and light and easy to wear. They don't fall down and expose any of the dreaded 'builders bum' and i always wear mine rolled up at the ends because they're black and i bought super long ones accidentally!

Black leggings - h&m - I challenge you to find a girl in the UK that doesn't own a pair of black leggings. They are a fashion staple and i honestly could not LIVE without mine. Before my Leigh jeans leggings or tights were all id wear for over 2 years!

Converse - office - Converse are a classic which go with anything and everything, enough said really.

White tee - h&m - White tee shirts can be really hard to wear especially if you're like me and only own 1 white bra! No one likes seeing someones bra through a top (unless its on purpose) so it can be a bit hard but i love a nice baggy white tee, it looks fresh and understated with everything. Plus you get to wear amazing jewellery because the top won't clash!

What are your favourite five classic wardrobe pieces?

MUA GOODIES

MUA Heaven & earth palette £4, blusher £2.50, lipstick £1 all available here

Im sure the entire world and its mother now have the MUA heaven and earth palette. I've wanted to try it for months and never really got round to it but I'm so glad i did because i love it. Before this i used the topshop smoky eye palette which is lovely but this has a much bigger shade range and aren't all glittery like the topshop ones. I love brown eyeshadow and rarely wear anything different just because i have brown eyes and brown hair i just think natural colours suit me best. In summary, I'm really pleased with this palette and for the price i think its brilliant. 

I also bought the mosaic blusher and the lipstick in juicy. The blusher itself is made from lots of shades of pink and purple and is really easy to apply. I did find this blusher a bit too shimmery for me to wear alone so i use it as a highlighter swell as a blush. I think this blusher would suit people of a paler complexion whereas i think mines quite warm so it didn't really suit. 

The lipstick is a really lovely peachy colour, and goes on really easily. However i have quite dry lips and although its very moisturising the lipstick settled in all the cracks and didn't really leave me happy. Im going to keep trying it though and see if i can get it right.

Do you own any MUA cosmetics? Whats your favourite, let me know!

FLATFORMS

flatforms £25 h&m 

It's official, i am well and truly on the flatform hype! Mine are from h&m and i ordered them online so i had to pay extra for the postage, boo! I'm finding them really comfy but very strange to walk in the first few times (i did actually fall out of my bedroom door wearing them, so its not just high heels that can make you brake your ankle, I'm looking at you parents who only think its the high ones!) but after a while I'm quite steady on them. the only issue i have with mine are the sizing, i hate h&m shoes because they're really hard to get hold of and i think the sizes are very weird. Unfortunately one shoe is a bit looser than the other so i need some insoles or something to sort that out.

Any one else jumping on the flatform trend?

BOOKMARC

On a recent trip to New York i was lucky enough to visit the 'Bookmarc' shop in the west village. Bookmarc is a brand extension of Marc Jacobs and the shop directly opposite Marc Jacobs sells a variety of books, notebooks, iPhone covers and stationary. Its a great extension and all the products are very competitively priced as you are buying into a high end designer brand.

I unfortunately don't have an iPhone (yet!) or iPad (i wish!) so those two products were off the cards for me. However being the stationary lover that i am i picked up a few pencils and a classic black sharpie which cost me about $5.50 (£3.50 ish). They had some lovely notebooks which we bought as a present for our friend and they had some brilliant little padlocks which told you 'not to touch that persons stuff'. The actual message wasn't that polite!

All the products come in the very iconic Marc Jacobs bag, mine was super tiny but something i want to keep as i'll probably never hold a full size Marc Jacobs bag! A girl can dream i suppose.

If you're lucky enough to visit New York City i suggest heading to the west village where you will find the extremely tasty magnolia bakery, Mulberry and Lulu Guinness to name a few!

VIVA GLAM NICKI

This is actually my first ever mac purchase. I've heard about the Viva Glam Gaga lipsticks which were released last year and whilst in New York i popped into the times square store. The shop its self is amazing and puts every Debenhams concession in the UK to shame! The staff were really helpful and chatty and even 2 male members of staff argued over who was actually Nicki Minaj, very interesting experience! You were encouraged to try products yourself rather than making them apply it for you. I purchased the Viva Glam Nicki lipstick because i loved the colour and all the money raised from selling the products goes straight to charity, they even rang a bell at the till to inform the store someone had bought a Viva Glam product. Win win situation really, they also have a lip conditioner this year which is endorsed by Ricky Martin which i also really wanted to try but didn't get round to.
The Lipstick is a satin finish which looks nice on and doesn't dry out too much, this lipstick is incredibly long lasting and has made a very good impression on me. I don't usually wear lipstick because i have quite small, dry lips and they usually just crack and fade away but this lipstick has made me want more and more of them! Next I'm after a more subtle pink or coral to start a collection.
 Once you go mac, you never go back!