Beauty Bits - Purple Champagne Makeup Look

 

On Saturday I had a bit of time and was in the mood to play with make-up, so I thought I'd do a (very subtle) purple eye look, as I was off to watch the Dockers play in the AFL Grand Final. As I said in my last post, I am not a football follower, but thought I may as well jump on the Freo bandwagon, and it was an excuse to have a bit of a play with colour.

It's a very simple look with a champagne colour all over the lid, purple eyeliner smudged along the lash line, and a browny-plum colour in the crease. It's very subtle, and perfect for those like me who are a bit too scared to wear a full-on coloured eye look. 

I realised when looking at these photos that I could have done it all with just the Naked 2 palette and purple eye-liner, but I was having a bit of a play with my make-up stash, and ended up using the MAC Illustrated Face Kit as well (you can read my post about it here)

Here's a quick run-down of what I did

1) Maybelline Colour Tattoo in "Barely Branded" all over the lid as a base. 

2) "Booty Call" from the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette on the inner half of my eye

3) "Plum Reduction" from the MAC palette in the crease. 

3) Purple eyeliner along the upper and lower lash line

4) Champagne eyeliner on the inner half of the lower lash-line (mine is from Shiseido, but has sadly been discontinued)

I smudged and blended it all together, added some mascara, and that was it!

I also used MAC blush in "Dame", a Revlon Balm Stain in "Crush", and painted my nails with Essie's "Bangle Jangle" which is a really pretty lavender colour. 

So that's it!

I'd love to hear how you like to incorporate colour into your make-up look :)

I hope you're having a lovely day

Love Lauren

xxx

PS - I'm sorry for the extreme close-up!! :p

My Style Diary - Pop of Purple

Hello there :)

This week has been rather exhausting, so it's nice to finally be able to sit down and do some blogging! My parents are away in New York at the moment, so being the "responsible adult" in the house has meant lots of early mornings dropping my littlest sister to school (she starts at 6:50am), driving her to cello lessons, and just getting all those little things around the house done. I'm not complaining by any means, I'm more than happy to do it, it's just  been very busy! It does really make me appreciate all the things my Mum does though!

Anyway, yesterday was the AFL Grand Final (that's Australian Football League for those of you who aren't Australian). I need to start off by saying that I am by no means a fan of football, I usually watch one game a year - the Grand Final - and it's more a chance to catch up with friends and eat food than really pay much attention to the game. However, this year the Fremantle Dockers were playing for the first time ever, and the whole of Perth seems to have gone football crazy, and jumped on the Freo bandwagon. It's all I'd been hearing about all week. 

I went to my boyfriends house to watch the game with his family and thought I'd show my support for Freo with just a little touch of purple in my outfit (admittedly it's more like lilac... but I tried :p). I actually also watched the whole game this year... and discovered that I should never watch any form of competitive sport again. Not because I was bored, but because I get much too worked up about the whole thing! Obviously I wanted the Dockers to win, but it wasn't a particularly big deal to me if they didn't, and yet I was getting very nervous during the game. I realise that is quite ridiculous... but... it's true! Oh well...

Let's have a quick chat about my outfit. As always it's very simple, just jeans and a girly top and cardigan. I also did a purpley/champagne eye make-up look, which you can't see in these photos (it's very subtle), but I'm going to show in my next beauty post. I had a bit of time in the morning and was in the mood to play with make-up :)

Anyway, that's it for now.

I hope you're having a lovely Sunday afternoon!

Love Lauren

xxx

Top - from France

Cardigan - Pull and Bear

Jeans - Siwy from Subway DC

Sandals - Therapy 

Essie nail polish in "Bangle Jangle"

My Style Diary - Country Road Overload

What better way to spend a rainy Sunday morning than sitting down with a cup of tea and doing a spot of blogging? :)

I didn't realise until looking through these photos that my outfit was pretty much all Country Road (excluding accessories that is). I am a bit of a Country Road fan, as I'm sure you can probably tell - the brand just suits my simple, relaxed (ok lets face it - rather boring compared to most bloggers) style.

What can I say? -  I like basics! 

Although I often admire the cute/quirky/intricate outfits of other bloggers and think - "I want to dress like that!", when it comes down to it, I just don't feel comfortable in that kind of style.

 That's the thing about fashion, there are so many different definitions of "style", and there's no right or wrong, it's just about what feels right to you. If we didn't all have different takes on what "style" means, the blogging world (and fashion world in general), wouldn't be nearly as exciting as it is!

Anyway, I hope you're having a lovely Sunday!

Love Lauren

xxx

Top, Pants, Shoes - Country Road

Bag - Jigsaw

Necklace - from my Bisnonna (Great Grandma)

On The Weekend - The Perth Upmarket

A few weekends ago I headed over to UWA to check out the Perth Upmarket where I spent a lovely afternoon wandering by all the stalls and feeling very inspired. There was a huge variety of things on sale from candles to cupcakes, and of course plenty of jewellery.

One stall in particular caught my eye as it had some gorgeous and very unique jewellery pieces made out of Polyclay. 

If you haven't heard of polyclay before, it's basically like plasticine which can be moulded into shape and then hardened by baking it in the oven. 

My best friend and I used to spend hours making jewellery and a range of other things (ie: props to use when playing with our Barbies - think mini teapots, cupcakes, pizzas etc), so seeing all this gorgeous jewellery at the stall made me quite nostalgic. 

The business is called Clay and Clasp and all the piece are hand made by a lovely lady named Lucy. There are some really cute, quite whimsical pieces, that are something a bit different to what you'd usually find. Although I was very tempted to pick up one of the Macaron necklaces, I ended up settling on a long pendant necklace with a bunting design in gorgeous pastel colours. If you like slightly quirky, unique jewellery, I'd definitely recommend checking out her website!

As you can see from the photos above, I also picked up some macarons for my family to share. Just looking at the bright colours makes me smile, and they were really delicious... I might have to try making them one day, although that could go quite badly as I'm not the best at cooking! (particularly baking... it never turns out for me!)

One more photo - I just thought I'd share a picture of these earrings that I made out of polyclay when I was in primary school. I think they're really cute, although I wouldn't really wear them now. They're a nice reminder of fun times though :)

Anyway, I hope you're having a lovely Saturday!

Lots of Love

Lauren

xxx

On My Wish List # 2

I was just having a bit of a play around on Polyvore and I thought I would put together another Wish List post of some of the things I've been lusting after lately. Quite often I don't end up purchasing a lot of the items on my list, but it is nice to have a little reminder of things to save up for (and it helps prevent too many impulse buys)!

1. Jo Malone Cologne

I don't actually have once particular fragrance in mind, but I was in David Jones the other day and had a chance to stop by at the Jo Malone counter. It's so exciting that we have Jo Malone here in Perth now! The fragrances are just so beautiful and unique. There's something about them that sets them apart from so many other perfumes with each one being really distinctive, and none of them having just a "typical perfume smell" which I find with many others I try. I am very picky with scent but I love so many of the Jo Malone colognes... I have difficulty narrowing down which is my favourite! When I was in Europe I picked up the English Pear and Freesia, and the Rose Water and Vanilla scents. I love how now when I smell them, I'm instantly transported back to my holiday. That's the amazing thing about scent. It's also why I only tend to buy them if it's a special occasion. Having a special memory attached makes the scent that much more magical (particularly when buying a Jo Malone fragrance which is definitely one of the more pricey brands!)

2. French Connection Knit Jumper

This is such a gorgeous jumper. I love the white lace poking through at the bottom paired with the grey knit. It's so cute and would be such an easy piece to just throw on. I'm hoping they have it in store so I can try it on because I don't usually have the best of luck with sizing when shopping online! 

3. Calvin Klein Rose Gold Watch

This is still on my list from last time. Every time I walk past CK I go in and look at it, but I just can't bring myself to spend $400 (or around that) on it! I came very close the other day to splurging... but I managed to resist in the end. 

4. Forever New Lace Top

I've had my eye on this one for a while, but I actually ended up buying it the other day! It's a lovely soft lace material, not at all scratchy or uncomfortable as some lace can be, and the "latte cream" colour, as it's described, is just up my street. I'm excited to wear this so expect to see it in an outfit post soon!

5. Mac Eyeshadows

My parentals are going to New York next week and my Mum has been kind enough to agree to picking up a couple of make-up items for me while she's there (it's just so much cheaper in the US)! I've been in Mac multiple times swatching a tonne of colours, trying to decide which ones will be the best. I only want to get colours I know I will use, and I'm probably going to limit it to 4 so I can put them in a quad. I already own Woodwinked, and I'm hoping to add  All That Glitters, Wedge and Brule to my little collection. :)

6. Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed

There's been a lot of hype around these blushes on YouTube, and I'm dying to try them out! This looks like such a beautiful natural blush colour and I've heard very good things about them. It's just a shame they're so hard to get in Australia!

So that's what's on my wish list at the moment. What are you lusting after right now?

Love Lauren

xxx

My Style Diary - I'm a Jeans and T-shirt Kinda Girl...

These photos were taken last weekend when the weather was much sunnier, warmer and lovelier than it has been today (it's been crazy windy, with pouring rain...and I'm sure I heard thunder last night). 

I've actually been sick the past three days and feeling rather horrible, so I've been tucked up in bed doing nothing but sleeping, only venturing outside to go to the Doctor's. For some reason, I can never just get a simple cold! It's never straightforward! Oh well... I don't mean to be complaining... 

Fortunately I've started to feel a bit better this afternoon, and thought I would sit myself up and actually do something. These photos have provided an excellent distraction, reminding me of the lovely weekend I had! 

This is obviously not the most fashion forward outfit, but I love it because it's super comfy, practical and has a really relaxed and laid-back feel. I really am a jeans and t-shirt girl at heart. There's something just so great about the simplicity of throwing on your favourite pair of jeans, and a t-shirt. My favourite way to accessories these outfits is with a long necklace, and this time a trilby. I'm not usually much of a hat wearer, but this one was so cute, and I just think it adds a nice touch to what would otherwise be a bit of a boring outfit. I actually bought this for my little sister (she pulls off hats much better than I do), but stole it for the day! 

I wore this to the Perth Upmarket held at UWA on Sunday. I'll write more about that in my next post, as I have a couple of pictures to share from it!

Lots of Love

Lauren

xxx

Top - H&M (I think...)

Jeans - Calvin Klein

Shoes - Converse

Bag - Jigsaw

Necklace and Watch - Thomas Sabo

Hat - Sportsgirl

Bracelet - Pandora

My Style Diary - Down South

Right now I'm watching TV with my Dad, catching up on reading blogs, and doing my own little bit of blogging. All in all, it's been a very relaxing night, which is what I needed after a busy week! 

These photos are from my very short trip down to Margaret River last weekend (I was working Saturday morning so only got to stay one night). Despite the short stay, it was a great little break and I had a lovely time hanging out with my family on Father's Day. It's amazing how much more refreshed you feel after getting out of  your usual environment. I think it's especially relaxing being surrounded by nature... waking up hearing the birds chirping... sitting on the veranda drinking tea... going for bush walks... 

Anyway... snapping myself out of my little day dream... on to the outfit. I love the relaxed feel this has with the slouchy top, blue jeans and "natural" colour scheme. While I do love my bright colours, my favourite outfits are usually the ones that incorporate neutral colours. I'm a sucker for whites and cream pieces... there's just something so clean and fresh about them. One of my colleagues at work commented that I only ever wear two colours. White or pink. She has a point, and I could probably try to branch out a little more... but if you love something, why change it? :)

I hope your Friday night's been great!

Lots of Love 
Lauren
xxx

Top - Witchery
Jeans - Calvin Klein
Boots - Betts
Scarf - a birthday gift
Ring - Asos
Necklace - Rapture (from China Red)

Beauty Bits - Spring Lip Product Loves

Even though the weather in Perth seems to be a little confused (it's been quite chilly, and raining on and off for the past week), it is technically spring, so I thought I would do a little post on some lovely bright lip products that I'm excited to break out for the warmer months.

Let's get started with the newest additions to my makeup collection - The Bourjois Colour Boost Lip Crayons. These have been raved about on YouTube, and the colours are stunning, so I just had to try them out! I picked up three of the four colours - Orange Punch, Peach on the Beach, and Red Sunrise. (I decided to skip Fuchsia Libre as I already have too many pinks!)

Orange Punch - This is a great, wearable orange in my opinion. It's pigmented enough that the orange really comes through, but sheer enough so you don't end up looking ridiculous! 

Peach on the Beach - I had really high hopes for this one after seeing Zoella's video where she was wearing it. It is a beautiful peachy-pink colour that is quite unique and looked gorgeous on Zoe, but on me I feel it looks a little strange. I love the colour though, so I'm going to keep trying...

Red Sunrise - This is my favourite. The pinky-red colour is stunning, and in my opinion the most flattering (on my skin tone at least).  It is opaque in just one swipe, and is a very bold colour!

These have a lovely formulation, very creamy and pigmented with a gorgeous glossy finish. They have really good staying power, although I think the claim of lasting 10 hours is going a bit far. In comparison to the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains (which I love), I would have to say the Revlon ones last longer - mainly due to their more lip balm-like quality (which eventually turns into a stain). These are more like a gloss and not quite as moisturising, but the colours are just perfect for spring/summer! 

Moving on to lipsticks...

Mac's Girl About Town - This is another much talked about product. I'd had my eye on if for ages and finally caved. The amplified formula is really creamy, moisturising and opaque and I just love the bright fuchsia colour.

Chanel's Rouge Coco Shine Lipstick in Monte Carlo - I  love this pink-y coral. It's creamy, moisturising, and quite sheer. It doesn't last a hugely long time but is very easy to reapply (no mirror necessary). This is one of my most worn lipsticks and is an all time favourite.

Mac's Mineralise Rich Lipstick in Lady at Play - Mac describes this as a "mid tonal cool tangerine". I think of it more as a pink-y coral (as you can see I love those kind of colours). It's very opaque and creamy and lasts for ages. 

L-R: Girl About Town, Lady at Play, Monte Carlo, Red Sunrise, Orange Punch, Peach on the Beach

Anyway, those are the bright lip products I'll be wearing this spring and into summer. I'd love to hear about your favourite lipsticks!

Lauren

xxx