Shopping Haul, Manicure Monday, What I Did Today

I warn you now, this could be a long post!

Anyway, I'm going to begin by stating the obvious and say that this isn't a prom series post... after doing a good few posts in this series, I realise that for my readers who come to read beauty reviews and hauls and who aren't going to a prom, it could get a bit boring. So today's post is all about what I have been up to recently...

On Sunday I went out for lunch with some friends and afterwards (as well as before hand) we did a spot of shopping. As my birthday is just around the corner (next Sunday!) I didn't buy too much...however, everything was beauty related and so I'm going to show you all what I brought.

Firstly after reading Lily Pebbles' review on the Topshop highlighters that she recently purchased, I decided that I would go out and buy them myself to try them out and review them. When paying at the till, I let slip that I was buying them thanks to Lily and the assistant said she read Lily's post too! I will link Lily's review below so you can read her opinions on these gorgeous products! (This isn't my review on them, that will be coming soon!)

Topshop Glow in Polished

Topshop Sunbeam

Lily Pebbles' Review:

http://www.whatihearttoday.com/2013/05/topshop-highlighters.html

Next I popped into Boots and spent ages in there...literally ages. I picked up some Katy Perry for Eyelure eyelashes because I was looking for the Mille Mackintosh ones but couldn't see them :-( however these Cool Kitty ones look lush and I can't wait to try them!

Katy Perry Eyelashes in Cool Kitty

I also got a new Essie nail polish in Cute As A Button which is a gorgeous coraly, pinky summer shade that is so warm and summery and makes me feel happy. It is certainly a shade that will be featuring heavily on my nails this summer! So todays Manicure Monday is Essie Cute As A Button!

I then went to Superdrug which was probably a bad idea in some ways... I picked up the Real Techniques Stippling Brush which I have been wanting ever since I purchased the Core Collection. The reason why I held off was because I was so in love with my MAC 187 and I didn't want to disregard it and hardly ever use the amazing makeup brush that cost me close to £40...however, I gave in and brought it and it is amazing! I will be doing a full review of it soon as I only got it yesterday but already I can tell that I'm going to love it and it will become one of my favourites!

I also got a new, cheap moisturiser because my skin is really dry at the moment and what with the weather warming up I will probably want to start fake tanning so I need nice soft skin! E45 cream is something that I have used in the past to help dry skin etc. 

The last thing I got from Superdrug was the Accessorize 4D nails in Stardom. Basically these are the Ciate Caviar nails but they are only £5, and after having spent an arm and a leg on the velvet nails set which I was disappointed with, I would buy a cheaper version and see how I get on. I'm really excited to use this set as I think the blue colour scheme is really pretty. Lets hope they last!

The last thing that I picked up was a new Bubblegum Lip Scrub from lush as I have really dry, chapped lips at the moment and so though I would buy myself a new lip scrub...

A few of these products I will soon be writing reviews for so stay tuned!

More of an unusual part to my blog...Today, I went to a farm with my friend Lucy and we had a great time holding baby animals like goats, ducklings, goslings, piglets and rabbits as well as feeding sheep! Here's me holding a baby goat!

Hope you all had a lovely sunny bank holiday!

The Prom Series: Hair

After posting a lot about the prom series, I feel that it would be best to continue to post about prom in the run up to my prom (and hopefully yours). This way it means that it will all be in one place and in one go (kind of) and so people won't have to keep looking too far back and struggle to find the posts in this series.

With that said, today I am going to talk about choosing what kind of hair style you may want for prom.

To begin with, I suggest that you look in hairstyle magazines and magazines in general to gather ideas and inspiration. I want to talk in more depth about what magazines I read, but in your usual fashion and beauty mags such as Glamour and Elle there are beauty sections which have articles all about hair trends, colours and styles. Also the internet is a great place to get ideas. Google your favourite celebrity 'red carpet looks' and use their hairstyles as inspiration. Tumblr, Pinterest and We Heart It are also great places to look! I have created a Prom board on my Pinterest regarding everything to do with prom so make sure to check it out!

Gathering ideas should be done if you are doing your hair yourself or if your going to a salon to have your hair done. I am going to my local hair salon and having my hair done professionally, but doing it yourself can be just as good!

Make sure you know what works for your face shape, dress, makeup ideas etc. Secondly, see what you have to work with - how long/short is your hair, what is it like naturally curly, wavy, straight, do you want it up or down. 

Next you need to think about what you will need to have/use in order to create the look you want - hair straighteners, curling irons, bobby pins, slides/grips, hair ties, bun nets, gel, hairspray, mousse etc.

The last few things that I mentioned - gel, spray and mousse - you will want to consider so that you know how your going to set your look and how your going to create volume and texture.

Unlike in my makeup guide post I said how to create the basic look with some steps, I am not going to give you a step by step guide in how to create looks. I will however add some photos of what I like and think is a good idea for prom hair.

My Inspiration:

My top tips if your doing your hair yourself:

Practice, practice, practice - you don't want to have a panic on the day!
Make sure you have everything you need
Lay everything out so you can see/use it all properly

Top tips if your going to a salon:

Voice what you want - make sure your stylist knows what your going for
Plan your trial three weeks before the date so you have time to change anything
Make your appointment at a suitable time so that your hair doesn't fall flat, curls fall out etc.

The Prom Series: Accessories!

Accessories, my favourite part! Your look is starting to come together and now your adding the final touches to your outfit.

When I say accessories I'm talking about your bag and jewellery, however, whilst your out buying these things it would be a good idea to look at hair accessories and any make up items that you will need if you will be doing them yourself.

When shopping for your bag, you need to think about what you will need to put in it so that you can determine the size that you will need. Things that you might want to put in your bag will be your phone, lipstick or gloss, a camera, breath mints etc. 

I think that most people will go for evening clutch bags as they are easy to carry and put down while your dancing, and they also look good in photographs as they are small and not too bulky.

If you dress and shoes are quite plain or have minimal detailing, then you could choose a more sparkly bag or if your dress is simple and a muted tone then you could add colour to your outfit by having a colourful bag!

I'm going to say it again...make sure you try your dress on with your shoes, holding your bag to see how your outfit looks!

Next, jewellery! When shopping for jewellery, you should also take a photo of your dress with you so you can compare colours, detailing etc. 

Depending how your going to have your hair (up or down) depends on what earrings you should wear. If your going to have your hair up, then dangly earrings will look lovely as you will be able to see them and if your having your hair down then bigger studs will also look lovely. Remember that if you buy earrings you can't return them even if you haven't tried them on!

You also need to consider the neckline of your dress. If the neckline is more of a sweetheart shape, then you could wear a pendant, but if the neckline is embellished, then consider something more subtle or nothing at all!

Don't forget to remember to look at rings - cocktail or more intricate designs, bracelets - bangles, simple chains or beaded, you may also want to consider an anklet?

When your home, try on all of your jewellery with your dress, bag and shoes. I would also recommend taking some photographs when you try on all of your outfit together so that you can see how it is coming together and how it will look in photos!

The Prom Series: Makeup

I feel that recently, my blog has moved slightly away from makeup and beauty and entered more into the fashion world due to my holiday OTTD's and the prom series as I have been talking about dresses and shoes. However, an important part to prom is your hair and makeup. 

Today I'm just going to touch on the basics and what I think you need to consider when choosing your prom makeup, but as part of the prom series, I hope to post more tutorial based posts such as applying fake eyelashes and the perfect tan.

This post is more for the people who are considering or going to be doing their own prom makeup rather than going to a makeup counter or artist. I will be doing my own prom makeup and so I hope this will help me to clear my head and think about what needs to be done.

I will mention here that I think that whatever brand of product you use in your trial should be what you use on the day so that you know how the product works and what look it gives. Also as you have probably guessed, I recommend that you do a makeup trial before the day.

The benefits of the primer will be that it will help your makeup to last through the evening and on into the night. As well as using a face primer, I recommend that you use an eye primer to keep eyeshadows in place and stop eye cremes from creasing in your lid. Good eye primers are the Urban Decay Eye Potion for eyes and the Benefit That Gal primer for face.

Next you will want a long lasting foundation which is matched to your skin tone. Make sure you take note if you are going to be having a spray tan that your skin tone will be a few shades darker and so you will need to consider mixing colours or adding a touch more bronzer than usual.

Your foundation should also be in a suitable finish; matte, shear glow etc. I'm hoping to use the NARS shear glow as everyone seems to love it and say how amazing it is. It also gives a glossy, dewy finish too.

For your concealer, you don't want to lighten your under eye area too much as this can look strange in photos, although you don't want bags under your eyes or pigmentation. Choose a concealer which will give you maximum coverage and a reasonable amount of colour. I recommend Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer or Benefit Boi-ing.

Next is eyebrows. Make sure that you have tied them up in reasonable time (the day before or morning of your prom) and be sure to have a suitable colour to fill them in with. This could be a gel, pencil or shadow. I recommend the Two Face Naked Eye palette in the shade Velvet Revolver for red heads and darker blondes. A good brow setting gel is also a must to comb through and hold the hairs in place. 

The next thing I recommend to do, is to powder down your face to get rid of any shinyness and to 'blot' your eyebrows (I tend to do this before adding a setting gel). My fail safe powder is the Rimmel Stay Matte face powder.

Next up contouring, bronzing and adding blush. This is all very optional (as is everything else) but you should add as much or as little as you want or as it necessary for your skin tone. 

I usually begin with an all over bronze, using my NARS Laguna bronzer and Bare Minerals Flawless Face brush which gives me an even coverage. Next I will contour my cheek bones using my Real Techniques contouring brush and my NARS bronzer. Add the bronzer gently to the hollows of your cheeks, building up the coverage so that it is even. Finally I will add my blush, usually NARS Desire blush using my Real Techniques buffing brush. I apply this to the apples of my cheeks and gently buff it into my bronzer so that it is all blended evenly together.

Once your 'base' is done, this is a good place to stop and have your hair done or do it yourself. This means that you can clip back your hair to get right into your hair line when doing your make up, and not worry about messing your hair. Then it will also have a chance to set whilst you do your hair.

Once your hair is done, then you can move onto your eyes. To start off with I would apply any eyeshadow, cremes, liner ect that you may want to include in your look. At this moment, I am unsure what eye look I will be having, but I'm pretty sure it will be simple and natural with minimal colour and eye product. However, I recommend all MAC eyeshadows for great pigment and coverage and also the Two Faced Naked Eye palette for subtle browny, gold colours.

Next I will curl my lashes and apply one coat of mascara using my Rimmel Scandalous Eyes mascara and leave it to dry. I will trim my fake lashes so that they fit my eyes and will add the glue onto the band. I think I will be using Millie Mackintosh's fake lash brand, although I need to have a look at the different styles, otherwise Eyelure is great! I will be posting about how to apply fake lashes so I won't go into too much detail now, but make sure to put some lash glue in your bag incase they come unstuck during the night!

Once the lashes are on and in place, you can leave them to dry - make sure they have dried properly before applying mascara! I will add a number of coats of mascara to blend the fake lashes and my lashes together, and because I like the big, bold lash look. At this point I will also begin to use my Benefit They're Real mascara.

Once your eye look is finished your look is almost complete! Now is the time to make sure your happy with everything and make sure you have no mascara under your eyes or on your lids, that your lashes aren't too clumpy and that you have no excess shadow product under your eyes. Now is also a good time to add a mineral veil - I swear by Bare Minerals Mineral Veil for a glossy, airbrushed finish.

I haven't forgotten about highlighting I just like to leave it until last so that it doesn't wear off or become too shiny. I like to add Benefit Watts Up highlighter stick to the tops of my cheek bones and blend it in. Then I add Benefit Girl Meets Pearl liquid highlighter to my brow bones. Make sure if you have created a smoky eye look then you have highlighted with a light eyeshadow before you began!

The very last step to your make up is adding lipgloss or lipstick. Make sure to brush your teeth before hand so that you don't get your lip product all over the place! Also take with you whatever you have used in your bag so you can reapply during the night!

This is also a good time to add perfume! An amazing find is the 'Travelo' perfume bottle. Its small enough so that you can carry it in your hand luggage when you fly, but you can fill it up with your own perfume. Because its so small it is really easy to put in your bag to take with you to prom!

Lastly, I recommend taking blotting papers with you in your handbag so that if you get a bit shiny during the night then you can touch up. A mini mascara and a powder compact is also a good idea.

The Prom Series: Finding the Perfect Pair of Shoes

So you have found the perfect dress, now its time to find some shoes!

This is my favourite part of prom shopping (or outfit shopping in general). You get to try on lots of pairs of gorgeous shoes and its less hassle than having to keep on going into fitting rooms to try on clothes.

When shopping for your shoes I strongly advise that you try to do it in person and go to stores rather than buy over the internet. This is because sizes vary from store to store - you might be a 5 in Topshop but a 6 in Office. Also colours look different from internet pictures to the real thing. 

If you have been into a store and have tried on a pair of shoes but resisted buying so you could have a look around, then I would say its okay to buy online, so long as you have tried them on in person first!

Another tip when buying shoes is to have a photo of your dress so you can remind yourself what the detailing looks like, the colour, style etc. Some dresses come with a little pack of extra beads or buttons and can include a sample of the fabric your dress is made from so that you can test washing bleaches before you wash your dress. This is perfect to take with you when your shoe shopping so you can colour match and see what different shoe finishes look good with your dress.

Something to consider is the heel height. Kitten heels have a bad reputation as many people (including myself) don't like the 'short heel' look (I could also do with the extra height!). However, whilst I say that they aren't for me, they can look effortless with the right dress. The are elegant and very lady like, especially if they are pointed at the toe. 

Other heels you might go for may have  high heels, usually with platforms. These look great, add lots of height and always come in gorgeous styles. The only problem with huge heels is that your feel will become sore during the night. Make sure that you wear them around the house first! Its also a good idea to buy some feet cushion pads to protect and cushion the balls of your feet. Remember, once you have taken your shoes off they will always be harder and hurt more once they are back on!

Once you have brought your shoes, make sure you try them on at home with your dress on so that you can check that they suit each other and compliment the overall look your going for. (You will notice that I will keep on mentioning to try everything on together to see the overall look)

So you have brought your dress and shoes, and have tried them on again at home. Now your happy that everything looks good together, you need to 'break in' your shoes. Make sure you wear them around the house to soften up the fabric. You don't want to have to take your shoes off during the night! 

The Prom Series: Finding the Perfect Dress

Its coming to that time of year when GCSE exams are about to begin (13th May) and soon it will be time for prom! As there is so much to talk about, this will certainly be an unusually long post!

My prom is in June and so I am already thinking about nail colour, hair and tan appointments and how I'm going to have my makeup. I already have my dress, although there are a few that I still want to try on and look at until I make the final decision.

Some people don't really know what they want or what they like and so I thought I would start a new series on how to get ready and organised for prom and offer advice and inspiration.

Todays Prom Series post is about choosing your dress...

I think I should also say 'Dare to be Different' you may not be the dress type of girl. There are so many other options you could go for. These could be trouser suits or skirts and tops. This series aims at people shopping for dresses, but can be applied to whatever prom outfit your looking for!

First off, you need to shop around! Don't walk into a shop try on one or two and feel that you have to buy that dress, because you don't! You don't want to buy your dress and see another one that you wished you had brought.

Secondly, try to have an idea in your mind about what your looking for. Think about what colours would compliment your skin tone and hair colour, consider your body shape and what would compliment that. You also need to think about the style - backless, strapless, fishtail, long, short, puffy, straight down etc.

Once you have a first idea on what your looking for, you have somewhere to begin. Although I suggest you go with an idea in your mind make sure your open to ideas and trying dresses on that you wouldn't think of. I lost count on the number of dresses I tried and some I would never have chosen unless the assistant hadn't told me to try them!

Also make sure that try the dresses on! This seems so obvious but unless you try them on you can see the fit. What might look good on the hanger might not suit you or it might look dull and boring and then amazing on! Give everything a go and the old cliche 'don't judge a book by its cover' comes to mind!

I also recommend that you consider and set yourself a budget. This could be an overall budget taking into account hair, makeup, bag, shoes etc or a single budget just for your dress. Mine was around the £200 mark because I can't see myself ever wearing my dress again and so therefore I didn't want to spend too much. This also means I have more to spend on the additional items that I have already mentioned.

Although I say to think of a budget, this is your prom and sometimes its nice to walk into a shop and try on dresses whatever the cost for the fun of it!

I live in a really good place for prom dress shopping. In my two local towns, there are a good few bridal shops and prom dress shops but also in the bigger towns there are great department stores.

I really recommend House of Fraser. My nearest store is Guildford and I went there with my mum for a day of prom dress shopping (believe me a day is no where near enough time so don't leave it until the last minute). 

To try on my dresses I walked around the concessions and looked at anything that took my fancy. Coast is a really good place to start, although quite a few people look there so make sure you know what other people are getting! 

I tried on at least twenty dresses from BCBG by Max Mara. These were amazing dresses and great quality as you would expect from a designer. The only down side is that they are quite costly and won't fit into all budgets.

I tried on these amazing shoes that I couldn't resist showing you all!

BCBG by Max Mara Runway Hex Colour Blocked Sandal

The final piece of advice that I have got is to consider what underwear you will need to wear with your dress and make sure you don't leave this until the last minute! It may seem really strange to have to consider this as usually we only worry about wearing matching underwear but there is more to consider than you think. 

Thats the end of The Prom Series part one, make sure you keep up to date with part two by following me on Twitter @JessieRObsessed and also check out my Prom board on Pinterest.

The Prom Series

Proms are fast approaching and I know that a few have already been and so I thought that it would be a good time to start writing about my prom experience and how I plan to get ready and organise myself...

This is more and introduction to this new series and every so often I will be posting little tips and tricks on how to achieve certain looks or how to plan for your night! These will include things like when to book your hair appointments or how to apply the perfect fake eyelashes and so on.

I hope that this will help you to get ready and provide you with inspiration and ideas to help you with your choices that you will be faced with when deciding factors to do with your prom!

Make sure that you follow me on Pinterest (Jessie McVicar) where you can look at my boards. There I have created a board called 'Prom' where you can find dress, hair, nails, shoes and so much more to gather inspiration for prom!

Make sure you keep up to date with my blog but following my Twitter @JessieRObsessed to hear about new posts!

Real Techniques Update

So a couple of months ago I purchased the Real Techniques Core Collection. I had given into temptation and all the hype surrounding them, although I wasn't really in need of more brushes!

As I said in my original post, this collection retails in Boots at £21.99 which I think is an amazing deal considering the quality and hype they have created. They easily measure up to and win over any other brushes I own - MAC, Eco Tools, Stigma etc.

Im going to talk about the brushes in the order that I spoke about them in my original post which I will provide the link for below (go and look at that to see what Sam Chapman the creator recommends each brush is used for). This way you will be able to easily compare my first impressions and how I feel about them now.

The first brush is the detailer brush. The brush head is really small and originally I used it for applying lipstick and gloss. However, over time I have come to not use this brush at all which is bad as it also means I mix lipstick colours on the odd occasion... I don't really have any more to say on this brush other than considering the rest of the collection its a disappointment.

The next brush is the pointed foundation brush. To begin with I used this for applying primer as I feel it is too small for actual foundation application. When I purchased the Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer, I didn't want to use my fingers to blend it with (I'm not quite sure why!) so I began to use this brush for blending my concealer in, and its great for this purpose.

Next up is the buffing brush. Which I declared as my second favourite...well it is definitely joint first now! I use this for buffing concealer into foundation, blush into bronzer, erasing harsh highlight lines - the list goes on! Certainly a winner in my eyes!

The final brush in the contour brush (it is smaller and more delicate than the photo looks!) This is the brush that also comes joint first in my eyes. It does exactly what it says on the tin - a cliché but totally true! The contour that it produces is soft and dewy and looks really natural and effortless - something I look for as no one wants a harsh line marking their lower cheek/jaw area!

And thats it! An update on my Real Techniques Core Collection. I cannot recommend these brushes enough and if you haven't go these then go and get some!

I use these brushes everyday with the exception of the detailer brush and do not know what I would now do without them as they are an essential part of my makeup bag and tool collection. They go everywhere with me, holiday, school, handbag makeup bag - literally everywhere. Whenever I do someone else's makeup like my mums I have to use them as I prefer the finish they give to the usual brushes. 

They certainly rival MAC and my 187 brush hasn't had the same use that it used to - sad but true. However, this doesn't mean that I would never use anything other than the Real Techniques brushes again as I haven't got the whole set. I am certainly going to buy some more, starting with the stippling brush!

Let me know what brushes you use or if you have any Real Techniques brushes in the comments below!

Here is the link to my original post where you can read about my first impressions after using them for a couple of weeks and also read about the brushes in a bit more detail - what they're made from, more about Sam Chapman and also read what the packaging suggests you use each brush for!

http://jessieobsessed.blogspot.pt/2013/03/real-technique-brushes.html

Holiday OOTD & Haul

Last night we went to an amazing steak house (although I don't really eat meat, and so I had tiger prawn pasta). The atmosphere was really nice and the restaurant itself was really modern.

Outfit:

Flower print tee shirt from H&M (old)

Disco pants from Glamorous

Oxblood wedges from H&M

City Office bag from Zara

Nails:

Blueberry by Barry M

We also went to Algarve and Quinta de Lago shopping where they have a Sephora which I love and miss in the UK. Although they had relocated the store so it wasn't as big as it used to be.

I know I'm arriving late to the Ciate Nails party, however I have finally brought the Ciate Velvet Manicure nails set in 3am Girl. Keep a lookout for a Manicure Monday or general post about it!

Holiday OOTD's

Yesterday was really busy, although I don't really know where any of the time went...and so I didn't end up blogging :-(

On Monday we went to one of the hotels restaurants and so we decided to dress up a bit more.

White vest top from Marks and Spencer

Chiffon top with beaded flower detailing from Hollister

Disco pants from Glamorous 

City Office bag from Zara

Oxblood wedges from H&M

Yesterday I went for a massage to relax a bit, and it was amazing. I had a whole body massage and Sandra included an amazing Indian head massage too whilst the hot stones were working on my back and legs. Definitely going to try and book another one before I go home!

Last night was much more relaxed and casual and so I really dressed down - I even went out with damp hair which I never do! 

Black peplum top from Topshop

Khaki Leigh jeans from Topshop

Nike Blazers

City Office bag from Zara

Rose gold chain necklace from ASOS