What's In My Bag?

Hello everyone!

"What's In My Bag" blog posts and videos on YouTube are increasingly popular - for reasons of which I have NO idea. I watch them, I'll admit it, but I have no idea why they're so interesting. Maybe as humans we have a soft spot for the mundane, we find comfort in knowing that we're all as normal as each other...

Anyway, here's what is in my bag. Enjoy!

I'm currently using a small satchel type bag from Tesco. It was only £5 and I got it the year before last. It's serving me REALLY well, and has only just started to peel a tiny bit around the piped areas.

Because it's a small bag, I'm limited to what I can put in it, which for me is a really good thing! I'm inclined to fill my bag with unnecessary things, which means I can never find what I actually need to, and it gets too heavy.

So, my purse is from Accessorize. I've had it for about five years and it's pretty good. There's all the sections in there you could possibly wish for, although I'd like some more card slots - I'm doubling up at the moment and sometimes forget where the cards are which brings on social anxiety and flapping in shops, haha. Like the bag though, it's lasted me really, really well.

Next, I always have a tube of Aquaphor for chapped lips and a hand cream - more so in the winter time. I also tend to have a lip gloss in there, which at the moment is Benefit's Dandelion.

My phone always comes with me, along with a pair of earphones usually, however these are nowhere to be seen right now...

Pens. I generally have at least one, on this special day I've got two - crazy! These are for...well, when I need a pen...

Chewing gum also seems pretty self explanatory. I'm a bit funny about being able to taste food after I've eaten it, I like a fresh mouth afterwards. Also, after drinking things like tea. I find it gives a really funny aftertaste, not that pleasant.

Last, sunglasses. I often forget these actually, but I've got very sensitive eyes, particularly to wind and sun. They water pretty easily, so I try to remember my sunglasses on sunny or bright days.

Sometimes I take other stuff out with me, for example my diary or Kindle/iPad, but these are generally the basics that I take out.

What do you take in your handbag? Leave it in the comments below!

Thanks for reading!

IOTD - Alicia Silverstone

SOTD - Early Winter by Gwen Stefani

My Favourite Photographers

Hello people!

As a former (shortlived) art history student, I very much enjoy studying photography. I'm also planning to take a BTEC course in the practical study of photography. So, looking at the work of other photographers and practising taking my own, I thought I'd share with you some of my favourites. For an interview I attended late last year for one of the BTEC courses I'm interested in, I had to put together a portfolio of my own photography work, as well as a sketchbook of other creative work I'd made. Because I'd taken a rather long break since creating anything of my own, aside from photos, I had to start something completely new. I decided that the sketchbook would take on the form of those similar to the ones I completed for GCSE art at school and filled it with sketches, paintings, collages, etc, and also artist reference pages. I did this to keep the theme of photography key throughout all the work I showed the tutors so they could see how much I'm interested in photography and media. I did pages on many photographers, and I'm going to share with you, 3 of those. Hope you like them too!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own, or claim to own, any of the photos used in this post. All were found on Google.

First of all, is Alice Hawkins. On researching fashion photographers, I came across her collection entitled "Dolly Parton is My Religion", in which she creates photo set ups evocative of the Tennessee born country singer. I liked these photos in particualr because they encapsulate a modern twist on vintage looking stylings and scenery. Alice Hawkins has worked for i-D, Vanity Fair and Vogue, along with creating other exhibitions.

Solve Sundsbo is next in this post because of his experimental use of light and dark in these particular photos. The clever use of shadows on the models appeals to me because it creates something modern and unique. Solve Sundsbo cleverly manipulates photos to create something "hi-tech" looking, and also often fantasical - such as the use of water in a shoot with Linda Evangelista which was used to make her look like she was on fire.

Last but not least, is Tim Walker, one of my favourite photographers - EVER. All of his photos look like something out of a Tim Burton movie, they are creative, lavish and colourful. In the instance of advertising campaigns that he's produced, for example Miss Dior Cherie perfume, his set ups are very much outside the box, in particular the photo of the girl holding balloons. You wouldn't know what was being advertised at first glance, however they are eye catching and memorable, which any company wants when advertising their products. This is the sort of fairytale-esque photography that I aspire to be able to create myself.

Are there any photographers that you think I might like? Leave their names in the comments for me!

Thank you for reading!

IOTD - Lily Cole, who appears in the above Tim Walker photo.

SOTD - Rollerblades by Eliza Dolittle

I Enjoy Reading!

Hello people!

Hope you are all doing tremendously well.

As this is a lifestyle blog, I thought I'd share with you some other things I enjoy doing with my life - one of which is reading, as you may know already after reading my review of Humans of New York which can be found here if you haven't.

First, I'll share 5 fiction books that I've read and enjoyed, along with a short description.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

This is a dystopian novel centred around a society in which women are simply a tool for reproduction after the government is overthrown. The story is set during the time of the new government, with scenes in which the protagonist known as Offred tells the reader about her life before this happened. I read this book in preparation for writing an English Literature essay and it surprisingly became one of my favourite books, despite having to analyse it so heavily. Although sometimes disturbing, Margaret Atwood writes about this dystopian future in a very real way - creating a book that will stay with the reader long after they've finished it.

You can find more information about it here.

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen

This teen/young adult novel is about Remy, a teenager whose upbringing (a mother and 5 step fathers) has made her cynical about love and relationships. In this typical boy meets girl, coming of age story, Remy meets Dexter and starts to change her ways. These books are great for holidays or a weekend where all you want to do is tuck into something light and un-challenging.

You can find more information about it here.

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

This is my favourite book by Sarah Dessen. It's about Annabel who returns to school after summer having previously been the "it" girl of her town, to now being pretty much alone. After family troubles and a cutting of ties with her best friend, she meets Owen. With his help, she tries to reinvent herself and come to terms with what has happened over that rocky summer.

You can find more information about it here.

When God Was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman

"This is a book about a brother and a sister. It's a book about secrets and starting over, friendship and family, triumph and tragedy, and everything in between. More than anything, it's a book about love in all its forms." (Taken from the description on Goodreads). I thought this was a brilliant description of the novel, which details the life and experiences of our protagonist Elly. If you enjoy books about people, then this could be up your street. It covers all emotions - you'll be smiling, laughing and crying reading this. It also has a list of discussion topics at the back of the book so would be perfect for a book group.

You can find more information about it here.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

This novel follows the story of Jacob Jankowski, an elderly man living in a care home who retells his story when a circus visits the town he lives in. Sara Gruen creates a beautifully written and atmospheric story about Jacob's life working as a vet and water carrier for elephants in a circus. I will say that the end of book may not be as satisfactory as the rest, and that you should read the book instead of watching the film.

You can find more information about it here.

I also thought I'd link this post back to fashion and beauty and show you two books I often look to for inspiration.

Style and Beauty by Lauren Conrad. These have great tutorials for hair and make-up, as well as collections of outfit ideas for many different occassions. There's everything from casual-wear to date-wear. I often look to Lauren Conrad for style tips - we seem to like the same sort of thing. Her fashion line "Paper Crown" really reminds me of the style of clothes from Oasis, which is my favourite shop. Definitely check these books out if you like that sort of thing!

You can find out more about Style here and Beauty here.

Hope you enjoyed this post! Keep reading!

IOTD - Lauren Conrad - seems appropriate since I've mentioned her books.

SOTD - Pretty Face by Soley

Purple Eye Make-Up

Hello there!

Today I had a play around with purple eyeshadow. As you can probably tell from my recent posts, I'm trying out some new things and trying to steer away from just wearing brown eyeshadow.

This isn't a difficult look, clearly, but it is in quite a lot of steps, so stick with me if you want to try something similar.

So, I used MUA eyeshadows, however, I'm not going to talk about specific shades from that particular brand. I'm just going to talk about colours so that you can recreate this look using whatever brand you have - just to make it more accessible.

To begin with, use a concealer all over your lid and up to the brow bone, as well as underneath your eye. This will even out the skintone and cover any dark circles (I get them really bad!).

Next you want to take a pale colour - a white or beige, mine was a beige with hues of gold in it - and apply this to the entire lid, up to the brown bone and into the inner corner of the eye as a highlight.

Then, take a fairly light pink/purple shadow and apply this to the entire lid.

Apply a bright purple to the outer corner of the lid and slightly into the crease.

Blend these two colours together using a clean blending brush.

Then, you want to take a medium brown and apply just above the purple that you applied to the crease, taking it all the way along the crease. Over this, you want to apply a dark brown. Repeat this entire step along the lower lash line, very softly.

Blend the brown with the purple using your clean brush.

Add a small amount of black shadow to the crease, but remember to blend this really well. Just use the black half way along the crease - leave the inner third of the crease. Blend, blend, blend!

Then, mixing a browny purple and the dark brown from before, apply this to the lid. This is the point where you can decide how much purply shading you want in your look. If you want it more purple, use more of the purple shadow and vice versa.

Finish off with a final blend, line your lashes with a gel eye liner, line your tight and water lines with a kohl eyepencil and finish off with lashings of mascara on your top and bottom lashes.

Done!

Hope you liked this look!

IOTD - Diane Kruger. I watched Inglourios Basterds last night and although I actually didn't like the film (I thought it was a bit slow. DON'T watch it if you don't like gore! There's lots of blood!), I think she is beautiful! I'm hoping to do a hair tutorial based on hers during the film fairly soon - so keep your eyes peeled for that!

SOTD - Rebel, Rebel by David Bowie

My Perfume Collection

Hello!

Today I'm going share with you my perfume collection. I currently have 6 that I alternate, not in any particular order, just whatever I feel like wearing on a particular day. I'll also talk about perfumes I've used before and liked and some that I'm interested to try.

I'm a big fan of Marc Jacobs perfumes and currently have 3.

Oh Lola - available here. This is described as flirtatious and charming with a sparkling personality. It's a very girly, sweet scent. And I'm nearly out! So sad!

Daisy - available here. This is fresh and very feminine - perfect for Spring!

And Dot - available here. This has a blend of red berries, dragon fruit and honeysuckle.

I'm really keen to try Honey too. My nickname is Bee, as you've probably guessed from the title of this blog, and it only seems fitting for me to wear a perfume called Honey, haha.

This is from Laura Ashley and is called Pink Petals, can be found here. It has a woody base scent with floral tones.

This is Believe by Britney Spears and can be purchased here. Like all Britney Spears perfume, this is VERY sweet, but not as candy-like as the others. I've also used the Curious perfumes and Midnight Fantasy which smell like candyfloss. Believe is a bit fresher, sexier and possibly more grown up.

This is by Caudalie and is called Thé Des Vignes, which can be found here. This is a sweet, floral yet musky scent.

So as you can see, I go for lots of feminine and sweet perfumes, sweeties and flowers are what I always seem to go for.

I've also used Stella McCartney In 2, however I can't seem to find this anywhere so I'll assume it's dicontinued nowadays - big shame as it's beautiful! I've also used Alien by Thierry Mugler which I absolutely LOVE! It's a lovely dark wintery perfume.

If you're like me, and like to be sweet smelling, give any of these a try and I'm sure you'll quite like them.

Thanks for reading!

IOTD - Stella McCartney for creating my all time favourite perfume, In 2

SOTD - Have a Little Faith by Michael Franti & Spearhead

Blue Eyes

Hello!

Following my embracing of coloured eye shadows from last week, I thought I'd do a similar look, only using blue this time. Hope you like it! I've enhanced the photos slightly so the colours show up a bit better - I left this post until far too late for natural lighting (it's nearly 9pm) so my flash just ruined the whole thing. Sorry!

I used all drugstore eyeshadows from 2 different MUA palettes - Immaculate collection and Glamour Nights. I will insert photos of the palettes so you can see the exact colours I used. Some of them stupidly don't have names so this is going to tricky - bear with me!

I started with a white (1) shadow all over the lid up to the brow bone. Then on nearly the whole lid I applied a  navy (2).

I then applied a more purply navy (3) along the crease and outer third of the lid. On top of this, I applied a very light shimmery blue (4), along with a darker light shimmery blue (5) (if that makes sense - it was still light blue, but lighter than before). Finally, I went over the crease with the same purply navy (3) as before.

I lined my lash line with Borjois Clubbing liquid liner and used my usual Borjois Kohl and Contour for the water/tight lines. Then I used Benefit They're Real on top and bottom lashes.

Really simple, but quite pretty and smokey.

Glamour Nights:

Immaculate Collection:

Sorry this post isn't great - I was just so disorganised and, well, quite lazy today. BUT, what matters is that the post is up and vaguely shows something that I hope you'll find interesting...

IOTD: Molly Wringwald. I feel like blue eyeshadow is sterotypically very 80s so I've chosen one of my favourite teen movie actresses - she is in The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink which are two of my favourite films!

SOTD - About Today by The National

Wearable Green Eye

Hello everyone!

Today I thought I'd show you a wearable eye look that injects a bit of colour into your make-up. I'm normally a bit scared of using colour, I'll admit it. I'll go reasonably bright for my lips, but that's as far as my experimenting goes. However, I'd like to become a bit more colourful and since watching the YouTube videos of make-up artists such as Pixiwoo and Tanya Burr , I've realised that you can use coloured shadows without looking like a pre-teen experimenting with make-up for the first time (90's bright blue eyeshadow, anyone?).

So, here's what I came up with:

(I am aware that my eyebrows need a little attention - it's on my list, don't worry!)

(Also, my camera isn't wonky, it's just my face)

It's very subtly green, I did that on purpose in order to ease myself into using brighter shades, and I think it would work for daytime or nighttime.

I used fairly old make-up, so I don't know if it would still be available, but eyeshadow is eyeshadow, you'll always be able to find suitable dupes for any shade. It’s all drugstore make-up (apart from my mascara), so if you find you can still buy it, you’ll be pleased to know it’s not expensive.

I used the Borjois Smokey Eye Kit in 02/Baroque. I used the darkest colour in the crease of my eye and on the outer third. I then used the medium colour over the inner two thirds on the lid and then used the lightest colour above the crease to illuminate.

I then used the green, which is by 17 and in the shade Ivy Leaf, over the medium colour of the smokey eye skit and blended it with that browny-gold shade. Finally I went back over the crease with the original dark shade to deepen the crease and make my eyes look more shapely.

I finished with Borjois Kohl and Contour eye pencil in the tight and waterlines and used Benefit They’re Real mascara on my top and bottom lashes.

That was it! Easy peasy!

IOTD – Tanya Burr. As I said before, Tanya is my inspiration for eyes like this as she made me reconsider my fear of colour.

SOTD – Suit & Tie by Justin Timberlake. I read a Buzzfeed article of 33 reasons why JT is amazing to celebrate his 33^rd birthday and have singing this song ever since. “As long as I’ve got my suit and tie…” *Dances off*

Favourite Films and Recommendations

Hello!

I've always enjoyed watching films, not really at the cinema (bad eyesight for the win!), but a good DVD or a Sky+ recording sets me up for a couple of hours so I thought I'd make a post about some that I've enjoyed over the years, and then some that I've watched in the last couple of weeks, with their trailers. So if you're stuck for something to watch, maybe this list can help you narrow it a bit. I'm no expert and I'm sure you won't like everything I've chosen, but everyone is different and that's what makes life fun!

Comedy:

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off – Directed by John Hughes, Cert 15

The Breakfast Club – Directed by John Hughes, Cert 15

Pretty in Pink – Directed by Howard Deutch, Cert 15

Shaun of the Dead - Directed by Edgar Right, Cert 15

Bridesmaids - Directed by Paul Feig, Cert 15

Romance:

Garden State - Directed by Zach Braff, Cert 15 (I couldn't find an actual trailer for this one, but here's a short clip of it that I did find)

Sleepless in Seattle - Directed by Nora Ephron, Cert PG

Pretty Woman - Directed by Garry Marshall, Cert 15

Dirty Dancing - Directed by Emile Ardolino, Cert 15

Romeo and Juliet (1996 version) - Directed by Baz Luhrmann, Cert 12

Drama:

Marie Antoinette - Directed by Sofia Coppola, Cert 12

Anna Karenina - Directed by Joe Wright, Cert 12

Philadelphia - Directed by Jonathan Demme, Cert 12

This is England - Directed by Shane Meadows, Cert 18

Big Fish - Directed by Tim Burton, Cert PG

Action:

The Bourne Trilogy (NOT LEGACY! If Matt Damon isn’t in it, I’m not interested!) - Directed by Doug Liman (Identity), Paul Greengrass (Supremacy and Ultimatum), Cert 12/15

Flightplan - Directed by Robert Schwentke, Cert 12

Hanna - Directed by Joe Wright, Cert 12

Phone Booth - Directed by Joel Schumacher, Cert 15

The Day After Tomorrow - Directed by Roland Emmerich, Cert 12

Recently Watched:

Ruby Sparks - Directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, Cert 15

The Sapphires - Directed by Wayne Blair, Cert PG

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen - Directed by Lasse Hallström, Cert 12

Mermaids - Directed by Richard Benjamin, Cert 15

Cruel Intentions - Directed by Roger Kumble, Cert 15

Hope there's something here that you might like, if not, give me a recommendation in the comments! I'm always looking for films to add to my rental list on Lovefilm, so go right ahead!

IOTD - Jessica Mauboy who plays Julie in The Sapphires

SOTD - Fall by Ed Sheeran

Haircare Routine

Hello!

I'm about to say something that will probably make you all think I'm incredibly conceited, but bear with me, please:

I get a lot of compliments for my hair.

There. I said it. But it's not what you think - I am genuinely surprised that I get so many! It's just hair, after all. And that doesn't mean I appreciate them any less, but yes, I'm always a little taken a-back by it.

On the whole, I have pretty healthy hair, though it hasn't always been like this, I've worked on it to get it this healthy, but I thought I'd write this post to tell you about what I use/do to keep it looking good.

In the summer of 2011, my hair was an absolute state. It was in horrible condition because I didn't look after it - I didn't get it cut, I had bleach highlights put in, I over straightened it.... you know the deal. So I had my nearly boob length hair chopped off to just above my shoulders.

I went from this:

(Taken on my 18th birthday in Icmeler, Turkey in July)

To this:

(Taken in a Camden cafe in August of that year)

My amazing hairdresser decided I was in desperate need of a chop in order to grow healthy hair again. I will admit that I cried when I got home - my hair is my security blanket and I felt so sad that it was gone. PATHETIC CHILD.

Anyway, I have since got my hair cut every 6-12 weeks and I've stopped bleaching it. For a while I switched from highlights to demi-permanent all over colour, but I'm back to highlights now and I get 10G in the Paul Mitchell range.

It's taken nearly 3 years, but now it's like this:

(Taken in November of last year in Oxford)

In terms of my own haircare, here are the details.

I wash my hair every other day using shampoo and conditioner for either dry and damaged hair or volume and body - I had crazy thick hair, but I like a lot of body so it doesn't lie flat. At the moment I'm using Pantene for volume and body.

Then, I occasionally use Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Relaxing Balm when it's still wet. I don't use this very often simply because it's expensive to buy so I'm using it very sparingly. I do get frizzy hair but I tend to just spray hairspray on a hairbrush and brush through, which also does the trick.

I then leave my hair to dry mostly naturally and brush through it when it's just damp (takes about 30/40 minutes). My hair gets VERY tangled in the bath/shower because there's so much of it so I use this detangling spray from Tantrum. It smells deeeeeeeeelicious and is a miracle worker!

I sometimes blow dry it, but I tend to use this blow drying brush from Tresemme which is fab! It leaves my hair silky smooth and frizz free. I don't do this very often though - it takes quite a long time and I don't like to use too much heat on my hair (I've learnt my lesson the hard way!).

Finally I use a GHD to either straighten or curl my hair. I've used GHD's since I was about 14 and I've the same iron since then - which is nearly 7 years! It's lasted me so well and is showing no signs (touch wood) of breaking.

And that's my barnet!

IOTD - Lana Del Rey. *Sighs happily* My Lana. I love this woman so much and her hair is amazing. Nuff. Said.

SOTD - Lucky Ones by Lana Del Rey

Black/Grey Smokey Eye

Ola!

I was meant to post this on Friday, however I'm forgetful and now it's Sunday. Sorry about that, but it's ok, it's up now!

Thought I'd show you a black smokey eye. It DOES look very grey. The flash on my camera lightened it rather a lot, but it's a bit dark not to use the flash, silly old winter nights!

This is great for parties as it's a little bit sparkly and a little heavier than you might wear in the daytime. I used the MUA Immaculate Collection which is BRILLIANT! 24 shades for about £8 in Superdrug, I love these! This brand of make-up is super affordable and really not bad quality. The eyeshadows are the only thing I've purchased, but they have a very reasonable pigment and lots of shades to choose to from.

I used shade 20, which is white, as a base and took it all over the lid, up to the brow bone and into the inner corner of the eye as an highlight.

I then used shade 16, which is grey, all over the lid.

Then I used shade 4, which is black, in the crease and outer third.

I then used shade 11, which is a sparkly silver, in the inner 2/3 of the lid.

I extended the black slightly above the crease and then added a little of the silver above that.

Then blend, blend, blend - which is crucial with dark colours. I've probably not blended enough, but then again, I'm not sure you CAN blend enough!

Finally, I lined the upper lashline with Maybelline 24 hour lasting drama gel liner, lined the water and tightlines with Borjois Kohl and Contour and used Benefit They're Real on the top and bottom lashes.

C'est fini!

IOTD -  Erin O'Connor

SOTD - Irreplaceable by Beyonce