ClaireOctober 13, 2013

Outfit of the Day: Motel Bardot Dress

I look like I’m about to topple over in this picture. I have no idea why I thought the Leaning Tower of Pisa was an appropriate inspiration for a pose, but it happened so we all need to deal with it.

Dress: Motel Rocks | Shoes: eBay | Rings: New Look & Primark | Bag: Forever 21 | Lipstick: Sleek ‘Cherry’

This was what I wore out for my 23rd birthday last weekend. As I was pretending to be sophisticated I made everyone go out for a meal first, so chose a skater dress so I would have the freedom to wolf down carbs. And wolf I did – oh lasagne, men will come and go but you will always be my one true love.

And you, eBay shoes, shall always be my second. Mwah.

What do you all think of this outfit? Have you bought anything from Motel recently? Or visited the Pisa? Anyone?

ClaireOctober 12, 2013

Bourjois Bronzing Primer | Review & Contouring

Hello chums.

Well here I am again, legging it after the bandwagon because I have well and truly missed it.

On a recent shopping trip, I nipped into Boots and decided there was nothing in life I needed more than some kind of bronzing cream with which to contour. After watching Laura Leigh’s (from Belle’s Boutique) contouring tutorial (in which she used Tom Ford’s Shade and Illuminate), I have been a-hankering after a cream to use with my foundation – instead of using highlighter/bronzer after powdering. After sneaking around Boots wondering if such a highstreet product existed, I had a stroke of wizarding genius. BOURJOIS BRONZING PRIMER*

I have read so many blogs that have reviewed the Bourjois Bronzing Primer and most have raved about it. But I have to say, it’s completely baffled me why you would want a primer that bronzes your face too. Fine if you are a gal who just wears primer out (do any lunatics actually do this?), but for us gals who like to trowel on foundation with gay abandon – WHAT IS LE POINT?

So I decided to be a maverick and use this product for something it wasn’t meant for. ‘Pardon and what?!’ I hear you say. Yes, that is correct; I don’t play by anyone’s rules, not even my own.

I figured that because it was cream based, bronze in colour – it would do the job that Laura Leigh’s Tom Ford product did so brilliantly. AND WAS I RIGHT OR WAS I RIGHT?!

As you can see, this is quite an orange product. I would suggest that if you don’t slap on St Moriz like the Fake Tan Fuhrer is after you, it might be a bit too orangey for pale skin. However, I am permanently an orange, glowing beacon of ~~hope~~ ridiculousness – so the colour is perfecto.

I won’t bore anyone too much with how I went about contouring. In brief, I stippled product onto my hairline, cheekbones, nose and chin. I blended vair well (to avoid looking like I had tried and failed at lion fancy dress) and added highlighter. Watch Laura’s vlog for the full how-to, she’s much better at it than I am.

And this was the result. Not too shabby for my first attempt at cream contouring and I’m pleased with how the Bourjois Bronzing Primer performed in it’s second role. I’m sure there’s a joke here about being a poor, single mother working two jobs to survive but unfortunately I can’t quite reach it. My look is much more subtle than Laura’s, but as I’m off for luncheon and it is only 11am, I didn’t want to look too mad.

The Bronzing Primer retails at £9.99 if any of you gals are interested.

*They also do a bronzing cream. Which was right next to the primer at Boots. Do not question my logic, I have none.

What do you all thnk? Tempted to try using this as a contouring product?

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ClaireOctober 11, 2013

Skint Girls’ Guide to Shopping

In the words of the philosophical genius and champion of the lady humps, Fergie: ‘IF YOU AIN’T GOT NO MONEY TAKE YOUR BROKE ASS HOME.’

So… we’re safely at home. If you and your broke ass are too, then this post is for you. I’ve been meaning to write this for a while, as Lauren and I are staunch believers that being skint is no excuse to not go shopping. It’s an excuse to not pay your rent, yes, and definitely an excuse to get away with living off Flumps and tap water for a week – but to not go shopping? We think this is simply showing a lack of dedication to the shopping cause, and we have some handy tips to help you shop on a budget.

1. Go Global
I harp on about this quite a lot already, but the amount of bargains I have had delivered from China recently is mad – mad I tell you, mad. Everything from false eyelashes and cosmetic storage, to jewellery and clothes can be found so much cheaper online if they’re being shipped from China. My main source for tracking down these bargains is, of course, eBay. As well as good dupes of UK high street pieces, there are also some really unique stores selling things you wouldn’t find here in the UK. Here is one seller that I’m particularly obsessed with at the mo – cow-print shorts? It can’t be me that thinks these are so wrong they’re right? Of course with international deliveries comes quite a long waiting period – usually around 2-3 weeks, though I’ve had some things turn up after just 9 days or so – but as long as you shop in advance then this isn’t too much of a problem.

2.Finding the highstreet on eBay
Of course, my next tip was going to have to involve eBay too. If you don’t fancy the long shipping period of international shopping, or are looking for some recognisable British high street brands then there are a couple of ways to hunt these down on eBay. Obviously, you have the auctions where you can find either second hand pieces (often only worn once so don’t be a snob, especially if you’re skinto) or the occasional BNWT (Brand New With Tags to any non-eBayers out there) gem. If you filter your search to ‘New’ only then you can have your page filled with brand new items at cheapy prices. Another great way to find cheap high street items on the site is by searching for ‘ex’ items. I don’t really know how these come to be sold by these sellers – something to do with them being manufacturers’ overs – but there are plenty of supposedly ex-Topshop and ex-ASOS items to be found. I’ve had one or two of these before and can confirm that they’ve seemed to be authentic, but at usually around a third of what you would expect to pay for them in the shop. BARGAIN.

3. Discount Codes
Nothing can tempt you into making an online order quite like the promise of free next day delivery or 20% off with your own exclusive discount code. Online retailers know this, and this is why they’ll occasionally throw these little treats our way. However, these discount codes aren’t really that occasional at all – 9 times out of 10, there are discount codes floating around for your favourite store that you just don’t know about. A quick Google of a phrase such as ‘Missguided discount code’ will bring up numerous sites (Latest Fashion Deals being just one that I quite regularly turn to) that will list all the latest offers or discounts available on that site. The amount of times I’ve managed to shave 10 or 20% off an order is amazing, and guess what magically happens? About 80% of your shoppers guilt is shaved off at the time. Magic, hey?

4.Check Online First
I particularly use this tip when it comes to buying new beauty items. Boots and Superdrug are the two dominant beauty shops on the high street, with both stocking most of the same brands and products. The chances are most of us will pay a cheeky visit to both of these establishments during our shopping trips, and often it’s just a case of which one we head into first that will determine which one reaps the rewards of our impulse shopping. There’s nothing more annoying, though – and I mean NOTHING – than finding out that one of them has a huge offer on a brand after you’ve just paid full price for the same products at the other one, so have a quick check online before you head off shopping to see which is the best place for the bits you know you might want.

I hope you’ve found some of these tips remotely useful. As the old saying goes, ‘take care of the pennies ~~and the pounds take care of themselves~~ and you have even more pennies to spend on other junk’!

Do any of you have any more tips for shopping on a budget? Share them in the comments section!

ClaireOctober 11, 2013

Barry M ‘Natural Glow’ Eyeshadow Palette | Review & Swatches

Ever since writing our post on the Barry M new releases I was feverishly excited to try out the new products. Despite some misses (Brow Pen, we’re looking at you), Barry M are a brand we both love and so I was eager as the proverbial beaver to see them work their magic in their latest products.

I was particularly interested in the eyeshadow and blush palettes, so when I was in Superdrug recently I nearly jumped for joy when I saw that this was finally in stock. I chose the ‘Natural Glow’ palette as, let’s face it, neutral colours will always have my heart and loins. Plus, it had the nicest blusher shade of the three so I was completely sold on it.

On first impressions, this is a gorgeous palette. The packaging is sleek, sturdy and contains an extremely useful and good sized mirror in the lid. It also comes with two applicators, which I don’t think anybody ever really uses but, well, we’d moan if they didn’t include them, wouldn’t we? I like the colour range (though if I was being picky I would like them laid out from lightest to darkest, but Barry M weirdly didn’t ring me to ask my opinion on this) and the equal mixture of shimmer and matte.

So, all is looking positive. And then we move onto the application…

and very unfortunately the product falls down a little bit for me. The pigmentation is simply not as good as I was expecting. It’s much better on the shimmer shades than the matte, but as I’m more a matte girl anyway this isn’t much comfort to me. I mean, really, can you even see that first shade? It just looks a bit like a bruise, and that’s not reeeeally a look I go for.

I’ll hold my hands up and say I’m WUBBISH at applying eyeshadow, so I really need quite strong pigmentation to actually be able to see what I’m doing. People who are naturally more skilled in the eyeshadow department (i.e. everybody, probably even my neighbour’s dogs) will probably be able to get more from the palette, but for me it’s a bit too much of a struggle trying to work colour into the crease for quite little payoff. I think maybe I’ve been spoiled by MUA’s Undress Me Too (which you can see me rave about here) which is just amazingly pigmented.

On the bright side, this morning I realised that the third shade along is actually the perfect match for my light eyebrows so I’ve used it to fill them in a bit. It took quite a few layers to actually, er, see it at all but I’ll definitely get some good use out of it in that respect.

The blusher is a bit more pigmented than the shadows. It’s still quite subtle, but that’s better with blushers anyway because at least you can’t get carried away and end up looking like a clownish idiot. As you can see, it’s a nice pale pink with a slight glimmer to it so I’m much happier with this part of the palette.

These retail for £6.49, which is still an excellent price for six shadows and a blush, and to be honest it still makes a good addition to my makeup bag as a product I’ll turn to now and again. Kind of like if I was a Victorian man and had a mistress – you know, like I’ll never really love her but she’s good for a bit of a change now and then. Yep, that’s my analogy and I’m sticking to it.

Have any of you tried the Natural Glow palette from Barry M? What did you think of it?

ClaireOctober 10, 2013

Evie Knight | The UK’s Nasty Gal?

In my short time as a blogger and comparatively huge time as an online shopping buffoon, Nasty Gal is a brand that has been on my radar for years. Although I’m still slightly intimidated by their claim that their clothes are for ‘the coolest girl in the room’ (erm, I’m more likely to be the village idiot in the room), it’s safe to say that me and every blogger ever has a major clothes crush for everything Nasty Gal…

Apart from the fact it’s not in the UK. And that we have to pay customs fees. What is le point?

So, with my fashion hat on and ferrety detective skills on the go, I have gone on the hunt to discover what British shops like Nasty Gal we have on home soil – mostly so we don’t have to put on a fake accent and/or moustache to pretend we are somebody else when the postman comes knocking with customs’ bills.

And I have come up with Evie Knight. Let’s be honest, British fashion is top notch and I should really not have been surprised that it only took me approximately five minutes to stumble across something brilliant. Evie Knight was founded by a swell gal called Dani while she was at uni (skint gals unite) and has now become one of the coolest UK vintage stores on that mysterious thing we call the internet. Definitely a top player for the UK’s Nasty Gal sister, oui? OUI.

But let’s get properly technical and compare Evie Knight and Nasty Gal with our intellectual brains fully engaged.

Vintage

Like Nasty Gal, Evie Knight sources unique and excellent vintage pieces from around the world. With some pieces reworked and some in their original condition, it all is wonderfully cool and marv. Here are some of my fave picks from Evie Knight’s vintage section, but it’s worth having a browse if you’re a vintage keen bean. Check out their vintage section here.

Clothes

Again like Nasty Gal, Evie Knight also stocks regular non-vintage clothes (also known as new clothes. Why say something in two words when you can say it in four eh?!). Three cheers to whoever is their buyer because these are equally as amazing. Saint print leggings? Well I think they would go marvelously with my cathedral print dress (see here, it’s jazzy), don’t you? Biff me over the head and call me a heretic, but I would even say Evie Knight’s selection of new clothes is better than Nasty Gal. It’s quirkier and a bit more interesting.

Shoes & Accessories

Nasty Gal shoes are a big reason why I have been a big stalking lurker on their site for a long time. Bags are another reason why we all love a bit of Nasty Gal action (I am sorry for how pervy this sounds). Thankfully, for those of us looking for a UK Nasty Gal, Evie Knight’s are just as on point. Maybe with not quite the shoe selection that Nasty Gal has, their accessories are a hugey favourite of mine.

Well friends and great pals, what do you think? I thoroughly recommend having a nosey at Evie Knight, especially if you gaze with longing at Nasty Gal stuff and curse the fact that you live in a mid-terraced house in merry England. It’s worth having a little mention that Evie Knight is a lot more affordable than Nasty Gal is – even without P&P and so on and so forth. HUZZAH AND THANKS TO THE QUEEN.

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ClaireOctober 9, 2013

Beauty Haul: 23rd Birthday Box!

Ladies, I make no attempt at humbleness today – I am bragging and want you all to prepare yourself to be jealous. You ready? Let’s go.

I’ve documented my relationships with beauty boxes in quite a lot of detail on this blog, with Glossybox and (the artist formally known as) Beauteco both eventually disappointing me and being unsubscribed from. Imagine my absolute sheer delight then, when Lauren presented me with my bithday present from her and the rest of my friends and it was my VERY OWN PERSONAL BIRTHDAY BEAUTY BOX.

So, what goodies was my box jam packed with?

Real Techniques Powder Brush
Superdrug Face Masks x 3
John Frieda Luxurious Volume Root Booster
Lee Stafford Spray Shine
Charles Worthington Colour Shield Spray
Seventeen CC Cream
Barry M Nail Varnishes x 3
Soap & Glory Flake Away
Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge
MUA Lipstick
Boots Vitamin E Eye Cream
Tresemme Platinum Strength 60 Second Treatment Shot

How lucky am I?! I was particularly amazed by the Real Techniques brushes (am I a real blogger now..?) but am so excited to try everything out. A huge thank you to my chums for giving me this amazing present, and for putting up with me for yet another year despite my endless foolish behaviour and hair shedding.

Have you tried any of these products, or have you ever had a present like this yourself?

ClaireOctober 8, 2013

Outfit of the Day: Baroque Missguided Tshirt Dress

Hello ragamuffins,

As you may have discovered if you read our blog a lot, it was Claire’s birthday over the weekend and we had a whale of a time drinking Lambrini and lurking about like the lunatics we are. Thankfully, she received lots of lovely presents to keep the blog going while I have been in a pit of sadness over my lack of stuff (sob sob).

We went out on Saturday night for a jolly old knees up and I can safely say, making hash browns at silly o’clock in the morning is a sign of a great night – no jokes. I would like to stress that these were potato-based hash browns and not made from wacky baccy, before you all start thinking I am some kind of hoodlum. Whilst stressing about what to wear (it’s been so long since my last night out that I had forgotten what on earth you wear to bars. I almost went for the middle-aged option of a nice pair of black work trousers and kitten heels. Thankfully Claire slapped me out of it before things got out of hand), I ended up buying what can only be described as a cathedral.

Maddie Missguided Baroque Dress | Garage Nude Wedges | Primark Gold Necklace | Black Primark Bag

Some might say that a bright gold dress with what I think are cherubs printed on it would be enough bling to be going on with. I say NAY. I piled on a statement gold necklace, curled my newly weaved locks and glued on a pair of double eyelashes. Subtle? No. Magnificently dope? Probably not either. But anyway, I was happy with the general look and popped on my favourite nude wedges (after Claire instructed us to wear our comfiest shoes because we would be drinking £4 Lambrini with a straw) as well as a new Primark box bag/satchel. HUZZAH AND THANK YOU TO THE QUEEN, it is the only recent new purchase that I have made but I love it – a useful little number to stash my vast array of things in.

Keep your eyes peeled for Claire’s outfit of the night, which will be on its way soon! What do you all think about this Missguided tshirt dress? It’s very loud but I can’t help but have huge amounts of love for it. My descent into garish madness begins!

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ClaireOctober 7, 2013

Outfit of the Day: Winter Floral Swing Dress & Primark Brogues

Hola amigos and amigettes. We had a SUPER busy weekend here at Stylingo HQ; what with it being my birthday on Friday this of course meant that the celebrations had to carry on into the weekend. That’s what birthdays are basically about after all, isn’t it? Just stretching out for as long as possible the amount of time that people have to be nice to you and buy you food? Here is my OOTD from Saturday afternoon, when I went out for lunch with a friend. Nothing says ‘happy birthday Claire’ quite like free bubble tea and chicken fajitas. I was a happy egg.

Floral Swing Dress: Cameo Rose c/o New Look | Tights: Primark | Brogues: Primark | Bag: Marc B

Not to toot my own wardrobe’s horn too much, but I’m quite in love with this outfit (dishevelled left shoelace aside). I wasn’t sure whether swing dresses would be flattering on me or not due to their swampy nature, but I actually think it sits really nicely – and allows for chicken fajita bloat, which is an added bonus. I had to wear a bandeau underneath because it falls quite low at the back and I didn’t feel like flashing the world the back of my bra, but I think that’s mainly down to my lack of boobs making it fit a bit baggier on me.

My favourite part of the dress is the print; it can be hard for florals to look winter-appropriate but I think the colours in this dress work perfectly. The orange in the dress also help the brogues (which appeared in my birthday haul post) to work with this outfit – I used to be a passionate hater of wearing brown with black, but I think when there are other colours thrown into the mix like with this outfit then all is fair in love and fashion.

I’m waffling now, I literally have no idea what I’m even talking about. But let me know what you think of this outfit!

ClaireOctober 6, 2013

October Birthday Haul: Marc B, Juicy Couture, Primark, Sleek & More!

Hi there errybody! I’ve got a few minutes free on the retirement home’s desktop before a rousing mid-afternoon game of backgammon accompanied by a fine glass of sherry awaits me, so thought I’d quickly do a post for all of you young’uns. In case you’re wondering what in the name of all that is holy I’m waffling on about, I am of course referring to the fact that I turned 23 on Friday and am now probably the World’s Oldest Blogger.

I actually had a really nice birthday, despite my mammoth reservations in the run-up to the occasion. The actual day was quite a nice chilled one; I took the day off work to see various family members and friends, shop and eat cake. Then last night I went out for dinner with some of my besty friends, which was inevitably followed by cocktails, spiking our own fishbowls and crap dancing. Superb.

As it was my birthday I received some absolutely amazing presents, which I thought I would share with you all now in the form of a birthday haul post! Some of these were given to me, others were bought with birthday money – all have equal amounts of love attached to them.

Marc B ‘Giselle’ Bag in Maroon: Be still my beating heart! I’ve been after a Marc B bag for ages; they’re so sophisticated and classic, yet also retain a fun element with the leopard print lining and gold plaque detailing. I desperately needed a new everyday bag as my Topshop one was literally going bald (damn you, leopard print panel!), so when my dad asked what I wanted for my birthday, this was top of my list. It is absolutely BEAUTIFUL. It’s also bloody massive – you can see it in its full glory in this OOTD post where you will see that it has basically made me look like ~~even more of~~ a Borrower.

Leopard print throw, ear muffs and thermos: my dad sent my sister on a shopping mission to pick up a few more presents for me (I know, how lovely of him! I think he takes pity on me not having a boyfriend so spoils me more as a result) and she oh so wisely picked up an array of leopard print treats. The thermos is a particular fave; tea AND animal print, TOGETHER?! No finer combination of things has ever existed.

Clothes: knowing how dear Primark is to my heart, my sister also picked me out a few bits from there.

Viva La Juicy Noir: I’ve loved this since I got the sample version in one of my Glossyboxes and now a full size bottle is mine!

Game of Thrones figurine: ’nuff said

Makeup: with some birthday money from my momma, I couldn’t resist buying some new makeup. I ordered the Sleek stuff about a week ago, and decided to get the BB Cream in the ‘Fair’ shade to actually match my skin tone (shudder) and a new lipstick in the shade ‘Cherry’. I picked up the Barry M bits in town – I opted for the new matte nail polish in black, the new Natural Glow eyeshadow and blush palette and then because of an offer I got the Lash Vegas mascara for free for spending over £10! I am always a bargain hunter, even when it’s someone else’s money. I also bought this eyebrow pencil from Maybelline.

Brogues and rings: couldn’t resist popping into Primark and picking up these beauties. I’ve been after some brogues for ages but have just never really got round to buying some – these were only £12 I think, so it was finally time to actually get some. The stacker rings are a mixture of silver, gold and rose gold so will come in vair handy.

I have to stop writing now because I’m very hungover and need a vat of squash in my system RIGHT NOW. But let me know what you think of this haul!

ClaireOctober 5, 2013

Outfit of the Day: Birthday Marc B Bag!

Hey loves! As you may know from Lauren’s very kind Twitter proclamations, yesterday was my 23rd birthday. I’ll have a full birthday post including all the lovely goodies I’ve received coming soon, but for now I thought I would quickly share my OOTD, including one new very special piece of arm candy… MY NEW MARC B BABY.

Cardigan – Primark / Cami – Primark / Jeggings – Topshop / Frilly Socks – Primark / Ankle Boots – New Look / Necklace – Tiffanys / Bag – Marc B

I just had a very casual day for my birthday yesterday, which involved popping into town for some lunch and – of course – a bit of shopping, hence my very casual outfit. I don’t know about all of y’all, but making an effort to dress nice-ish for work each day (which we don’t have to, but ever since I accidentally ended up getting VIP tickets to Rihanna and had to go dressed like a tramp, I like to make more of an effort in case anything else is sprung on me) means that when I get a day off I just enjoy slouching around.

A huge thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday on Twitter! I’ve had a brilliant one so far, and the fun is continuing over into the weekend – HUZZAH. Maybe being 23 won’t be so boring after all.