Vanity Claire | Birmingham Fashion and Beauty Blog

ClaireSeptember 23, 2013

The Pale Gail Revolution: How to Make the Most of Pale Skin

Today, dear readers, I come to you with an announcement that I never thought I would make: I am giving up fake tan.

Ever since I recently bleached my hair and made the decision to try to achieve a very white/silver colour, I’ve been thinking about what this means for my skin. Considering that my inspiration for the new colour was definitely a combination of Iggy Azalea and Daenarys from Game of Thrones (shut up, fictional mothers of dragons ARE legit beauty icons), I had to ask myself:

Is it time to become a Pail Gale?

I’m not the most extreme fake tanner in the world, but I’ve consistently applied fake tan at least once a week for several years now, and before a night out will usually aim to make my skin at least 26 shades darker before I’m happy leaving the house. Being tanned for me is practically synonymous with being healthy, groomed and ‘ready’. Pale is something that only happens to me if I’m ill or depressed or dressing up as a porcelain doll for Halloween (which, FYI, was the worst, fugliest fancy dress idea ever). To put it simply, although so many people pull off light skin beauifully, I just don’t know how to be pale and look nice. Here are some of the burning questions I have vis-a-vis the matter:

how do I avoid looking ill?
can I still contour or will all bronzers and dark shades look atrocious?
how can I make bare legs look nice and not like flabby pieces of ham?
what do I do if I walk past a white wall and become camouflaged and get run over by a passing bike?

Confused by all my questions, I took to Twitter and let out a cry for help to fellow pale beauty bloggers. The response was excellent and so below I have a huge amount of advice, both for myself and anyone else who might be interested in taking the pale way of life.

Vickie from Stone’s Got Style

I may not have always embraced it or been as accepting of it through out the years, but the fact is ladies and gentleman that I am, and always will be, a pale, practically translucent skinned young lady (careful I’m not that old).

Yes it has taken me many years to be able to happily and confidently say that sentence out loud. Actually that’s not exactly true up until I went to university I had a Twilight phase in which I tried to be as pale as ‘humanly’ possible (not a hard task) and didn’t brush my hair for a good 6 months in the hopes of achieving the Kristen look!

However awkward, embarrassing vampire phase aside I have always been a little embarrassed by my as my Dad would lovingly say (thanks Dad) English rose looks. Meaning I was the girl in the playground with freckles, dark hair and pale, pale skin. Sounds ideal nowadays right? But back then well they just didn’t get it (must have been the lack of Twilight).

Now like with everything first you have to find your own unique ‘look’. It took me a very long time to tell myself that it is OK to look different from everyone else. It’s all about what you feel comfortable in not about what’s in trend at that moment. I suggest trying the different trends and styles to see what feels most like you. If you feel uncomfortable in something chances are people can tell. So dare to be different be you, be pale and most of all… be proud!

Now to the first and possibly biggest problem with being as pale in my opinion is…LEAVE THE OOMPA LOOMPA’S IN THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY! Or in normal terms pick the right foundation for your skin. Let’s face it ladies no one loves a bright orange face especially when your neck is ten shades lighter! Pick a foundation that is the closest shade to your own skin tone. Something very tricky for us pasties I know, however just remember that mixing is your saviour. If you can’t find the ‘perfect’ shade for you then why not mix a couple of the closest shades you have.

Now I’m going to be a little controversial here and say that this is the same with picking and using fake tan. Sometimes you’ve just got to say no! I’m not saying you can’t tan if your pale but take the proper precautions and don’t load on the extra dark shades as I have done in the past (who else is guilty here?) and ended up looking like a basted chicken! Instead stick to gradual tanners in lighter shades so you can control the ‘orangfication’ process.

Find out what colours really pop against your skin. I am personally a huge fan of dark contrasting colours against a pale base. My pale beauty crush/ actual girl crush (you know you have them) is the stunning Rooney Mara! Oh gosh that woman can do no wrong as far as I’m concerned. Since dropping the American girl next door look of long light locks and bronzed skin, Rooney has in my opinion never looked better. I love the contrast of her jet black hair and fair skin against her most often make-up choices of simple black liner and a dark berry or bold lip! I am a huge, huge fan of dark lip colours on pale skin and personally this is what I will be seen wearing nine times out of ten.

So ladies and gents my ultimate rules of the pale go something like this, embrace your natural beauty, pick the right shades for you, do not reach for the extra dark self tanner, slather is not an appropriate way to apply tan either (you know what I mean) and pick colours that really pop against your complexion. And most of all have fun with it!

A few of my favourite products.

Revlon Colorstay foundation- I wear the 2^nd lightest shade! (can you believe it)
Dainty Doll and Sleek Blushers.
Tom Ford Black Orchid (a bit of a luxury but the perfect berry lip colour)
Kate Moss for Rimmel shade 04 (a cheaper alternative)
Sleek contour kit- light
Dove Summer Glow Body Lotion- fair to normal skin.

Katie from Katie Guilding

Like you Claire, I haven’t always embraced my pale skin and have used fake tan and sunbeds in the past. But over the past 2 years I have avoided hitting the bottle and the beds.

My first bit of advice would be don’t think pasty, instead think glossy and dewy. Use your lighter foundation shades to create a really flawless and creamy finish. In my opinion red lips look most striking against pale skin, think Dita Von Teese.

Embrace your inner old Hollywood Glamour goddess – pale was sexy (and sign of wealth!)

Looking pale and flawless is just as easy as looking bronzed and beautiful once you know how. You can still use bronzer to contour your face just don’t use as much on your brush and make sure you blend the product in to your skin. Build the products up gradually.

I also think being pale blusher is a must! It brings the colour to your face, leaving you looking healthy and fresh. You can go a pink as you wish, think the brightest pinks as well as the most pale pink shades.

Don’t be scared of flashing pale pins – tip from me always shave the night before, as well as moisturising regularly will keep you legs looking smooth. If you still feel a little uncomfortable or feel your legs have some pigmentation you want covered just lightly dust over your legs with your face powder. And a light brush of highlighter straight down the middle of your legs will create a lengthening illusion.

Over the past few years I have noticed the change within the makeup industry, more and more brands are producing many different shades of pale (instead of the one shade!) So this is the perfect time to forget the fake tan.

Use pale stars such a Nicole Roberts for your inspiration. Best of luck!

Amy from Purse Friendly Pretty

Fair skin is possibly one of the biggest pains to work with. It burns easily, and it’s hard to find foundation to fit just right. However, there are ways to work fair skin and stop hiding it behind fake tan and bronzer and learn to love and embrace your fairness.

Personally, I aim to add colour to my fair skin without overwhelming, washing out and distracting from my features with a rosy blush, light contouring with a cool toned matte bronzer, a neutral eye, and a cool champagne highlighter polished off with a glossy nude peachy pink lip.

When you’re going for a night out, don’t forget to make any exposed pale bits (particularly legs) look great, too.
I like to conceal my body imperfections with a body foundation to get rid of bruises, veins, etc., then mix a good moisturiser with a little highlighter to make them really glow without the tan and bronzer!

My most used products for my pale skin which I recommend include:

Revlon Colourstay foundation in Ivory
Dainty Doll Loose Mineral Foundation
Maybelline Fit Me Concealer
MUA Powder Blush in Bubblegum
Laura Geller Blush in Nude
NYX Highlight and Contour Powder
Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in Notting Hill Nude + Pink Chic

Natalie from The Blonde Ethos

I have been blessed with very fair skin but cursed with terrible blemishes. My skin was clear throughout my teens but since I have entered my 20s, I have experienced the nightmare of acne. I understand that skin troubles can make anyone feel very self-aware but I feel that having fairer skin accentuates the extreme redness of blemishes and pigmentation even more.

Because of my problematic skin I have been forced to hunt down good coverage makeup, whereas I would have previously survived with a little concealer and bronzer, but being so fair, this has proved tricky with some of my favourite brands not even making a foundation light enough (Origins and No.7, I’m talking to you). The brands that I have researched, tried and tested (several times) and eventually invested in are:

Estee Lauder: I use Double Wear in shade Ivory Nude and would recommend it for all skin types.
Bare Minerals: I use the shade Golden Fair and would recommend Bare Minerals for normal, oily or combination skin.
Laura Mercier: I used Creme Smooth in Porcelain Ivory during a dry-skin phase.

With fairer skin, using the wrong shade of foundation is a lot less forgiving so please don’t settle for ‘okay’ and instead aim for ‘flawless’ – it should look like your own skin, only better! I think it is really important to know whether your skin has pink or yellow undertones; mine is yellow and, it seems, harder to match! I recommend matching foundation with your neck rather than different sections of your face and always asking at beauty counters whether a sample is available for you to try outside of the harsh store lighting and alongside your own products.

In terms of other makeup colours, I think a subtle bronzer is great to add a slight sun-kissed look as well as to contour with and my preference for blushes are pretty peaches.

Rosie from Rosie Alexandraa

First all, pale is the way forward! Especially in A/W!

Fake tan wise, I only ever fake tan on good nights out 🙂 I seem to be the only person who doesn’t understand the logic in just fake tanning your legs?! What about the rest of you?! Hahhaa! Anyway my favourite fake tan is St Tropez Gradual Tan in Light/Medium! As long as you exfoliate about a day/two days before hand, it doesn’t streak! I like to rub the gradual tan in with a bit of moisturiser and then apply it all over except the face because this just gives that even effect! It’s hard finding a fake tan that matches your skin because being so pale, it always looks awful! But St Tropez is by far my favourite! You pay for what you get I suppose!

Foundation wise, my holy grail foundation that i cant rave about enough is Max Factor Face Finity 3 in 1 in Light Ivory. It’s suchh a pale colour but it’s gorgeous. I can’t cope with pale people wearing foundation shades too dark, and having an awful line across their jaw to their neck, it looks awful! My plan is to rock the pale look with a pale foundation, and just make it nice with a bronzer and blush 🙂 It looks natural and lovely! That foundation is the only one I will buy. It’s perfect. It’s about a medium coverage but it’s really light and quite runny which again I find nicer because I hate thick creamy foundations.

To create a flawless look with that foundation, apply it with a brush and then buff it with a brush like RT buff brush or expert face brush or one similar! Then I use a pale powder to set it!

Contour wise, I use the Sleek Contour kit in light because I love the colour 🙂 I then use a bronzer for places like forehead, temples, jaw line etc! My bronzer I’m currently using is the Bourjois Delice de Poudre in shade 51. There’s mixed reviews about this but i love it. It’s gorgeous, smells nice and its a lovely subtle colour that adds some colour to your face. I’ve also heard the Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder from the body shop in Light Matte is meant to be divine! And another contour kit thats great is the Crown concealer palette because it has a ray of brown shades that you can match to your skin 🙂

Blushes are great for pale skin because most of them look great. You can use a dark pink for like a natural subtle look, or a brighter pink for that flushed look. I tend to stick to more subtle blushes!

Lipsticks are awkward for pale people i think. Red looks nice especially in winter, all the dark shades are great! Nudes are good. I don’t think bright pinks are good with me though 🙁 But definitely dark shades. So gorgeous in A/W with this dark ‘gothic’ look!

The Pale Gail Round Up

Firstly a huge thank you to all the girls for helping with this post; I for one am feeling very inspired now I’ve heard all this pale-lovin’. The key things that I’ve picked up are that:

bronzers and tan don’t need to completely banished from my life; instead it’s just about picking the lightest shades for clever contouring and evening out pasty pins
highlighters are also a big part of keeping pale skin looking fresh and healthy. Just because you’re not bronzed doesn’t mean you can’t have a glow
contrast is the key to achieving ‘pale and interesting’ so dark lips and pops of colour should be on the agenda
your new best makeup friend will be blusher

I’m not sure whether I’ll ever be fully over my penchant for fake tan, but hopefully these tips will help me grow used to my actual skin tone and learn to embrace it.

Are any of you pale? What are your tips for making pale skin look its best? Please let me know in the comments below!

ClaireSeptember 22, 2013

Life Tips from Miley Cyrus

Good morning to you, her maj and this fine country we call the Kingdom of Great Britain.

You may have read a post I wrote a while ago entitled ‘Life Tips from Amanda Bynes‘. I felt (and continue to feel deeply) that we can learn a lot from Amanda and by following her lead, we can achieve fulfilled (if slightly set-yourself-on-firey) lives. Unfortunately my life coach and all round favourite top gal has now been sectioned, so I have been forced to find a new leading lady to learn from. And who else but Miley Cyrus to fill the horrible Amanda shaped void in my life?

I’m sure we can all say that Miley is a girl that has had a huge impact in all of our lives. Just yesterday I found myself asking a friend, ‘do you remember where you were when you first heard ‘Party in the USA’? To which they said, ‘no, you are a fool. Go and buy me some crisps’. Nevertheless, Miley’s botty got it’s own hashtag after the VMAs and I firmly believe that she is the reason pretty much everyone knows what ‘twerk’ means these days. But what else can we learn from our Miley?

Have love for the ugly things.

Miley has shown us that judging a book by its cover is wrong. We need to remember to show love for the uglier or less attractive things, just like she did in her ‘Wrecking Ball’ video. Who knows for how many years that wrecking ball was waiting for a naked hug? Who knows how many nights it spent crying because nobody loved it? Treat everything like you would like to be treated yourself and you are guaranteed to be happy in life. In fact, go a step further and whip your clothes off to hug people and/or things. Studies have shown that naked hugs are far more beneficial than ordinary clothed hugs. If there are no wrecking balls handy, just take a look around your town. There are bound to be many found objects that you could show love to – perhaps an old plant pot or a neglected bench.

(Giraffes aren’t ugly FYI, this is just funny)

Short hair, don’t care.

I have to say, I’ve never personally been a fan of short hair. I have quite a round face and short hair would make me look vaguely like a potato in a David Bowie wig. I’ve also always felt that short hair is a bit boring – there is very little you can actually do with a cropped ‘do. HOW WRONG I WAS. Thank goodness I have Miley to show me the way. I think what she has really shown me is that all you need are a few tiny bobbles and a lot of hairspray to look like a ~~twit~~ hot homegirl with short hair. She is such a trend setter <3. I’m attacking my head with scissors as we speak, so keep your eyes peeled for my ‘DIY Miley Haircut’ post.

People will take you seriously if you talk rubbish.

I’m going to put my hands up in honesty right here and right now. At first, I thought Miley was a rat in Doc Martens. But as time has progressed, I feel like I’ve really got to know the real Miley. And let me tell you, she is deep and thoroughly intelligent. Did any of you guys read her interview about the ‘Wrecking Ball’ vid? You can read it here, but she basically said this:

‘If you look in my eyes I look more sad than actually my voice sounds on the record. It was a lot harder to do the video than it was to even record the song. It was much more of an emotional experience.”

‘If people can take their minds off the obvious and go into their imagination a little bit and see kind of what the video really means and the way that it is so vulnerable.’

Wow. I mean genuinely wow. I really get what she means…’Wrecking Ball’ is not only art but it is such a wonderful expression of ~~attention seeking~~ vulnerability and emotion. This is definitely a life lesson to be learned. If you waffle on about things that don’t really make sense but sound impressive, people will 100% believe in what you say. It’s one that can easily be transferred into your daily working life, especially when you use fancy employment terms that no one really knows what they mean (e.g. “ah yes, let’s get those kpis actioned by close of play tomorrow so we can determine usps, logistics and WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT”).

These are just a few life lessons to be learned from Miley. In fact, we could all probably learn many more (like how thigh high boots and hotpants are a classy daytime look or how nude underwear doesn’t make you look about 80 years old), but we will leave it at that for now.

Let’s all remember though…when in doubt, ask What Would Miley Do (WWMD). If it doesn’t involve foam fingers, sticking your tongue out, twerking or getting nakey, then you are probably doing the wrong thing.

All images sourced from Google!

ClaireSeptember 21, 2013

3CE Lip Pigments / OCC Lip Tar Dupes | Review

When these finally arrived at work for me after a 2-3 week delivery waiting time from China, it was typically a day that Lauren was off sick. This meant that my yelps of “Look! Look what’s came! Look what they do!” were largely ignored by all the boys in the office, who looked at me blankly for about 2 seconds before going back to talking about, I don’t know, servers or something.

I was SUPER excited about them though because as I say I’d been waiting flippin’ weeks for them and couldn’t wait to give them a whirl.

Most people are familiar with Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics’ cult ‘Lip Tars’. These are highly pigmented products that are meant to have the smoothness of a gloss but the longevity of a lipstick – so a bit similar to Stila’s liquid lipsticks or Rimmel’s Apocalips, but the pigment factor means that the tiny tubes are meant to last you FOREVER. The range is also completely mixable and contains black, white, yellow and blue so that you can get all jazzy and creative with your lip colours. I’ve heard quite a few people rave about the OCC Lip tars, but at £11 each they’ve never sneaked their way to the top of my ‘to buy’ list.

But when I saw these 3CE lip pigments on someone’s Instagram (I wish I could remember whose, let me know if you’re reading this and it was yours!) my interest was piqued. Now, there have been a few high street attempt at OCC dupes – Sleek’s Pout Paints being one – but none as far as I know that are as cheap as these. Brace yourselves, women and children, for these are just £1.90 each. China, you never fail to amaze me.

I immediately decided to snap one up to see if they were any good. And then accidentally ended up snapping up 4. But at those prices, how could I say no? So with free delivery I had all four of the above products sent to me for just £7.60.

There are 7 shades to choose from, but I decided on the somewhat randomly named White, Plum, A1 (..?!) and Pink. When they arrived, these were thankfully labelled on the boxes in a much more understandable system of 01, 02, 03 and 04. 01 is the white mixing colour, 02 is a bright purple-pink, 03 a deep orange and 04 is my go-to colour of choice, a pale peachy-pink. Each pigment comes in a box with its own little lip brush.

Swatches

As you can see, the word pigment is CORRECT and these are very bright shades. The consistency is thick and not runny, but then not so thick it’s difficult to blend – it’s basically like those stupid expensive paints in the tubes you had to buy if you did GCSE Art (which are a proper waste of money when you only come out with a C, puh).

I found application a leeeeeeeetle bit tricky just because I’m not used to using a lip brush – also I suspect that the ones provided are too small to do the job properly, unless you have tiny thin lips or are planning to put these on your grandad. With a bit of a combination of lip brush action and some good old fashioned finger dabbing though, I eventually applied a nice coat of each for your perusal:

Mixed Swatches

The really exciting part of the pigments for me comes when you get to the mixing. Although they can all be mixed with each other, I decided to keep it simple and so below is each colour mixed in equal parts with the white 01 shade.

Stating the obvious here but this created a lighter, more pastel version of each shade. I personally liked these colours more than the non-mixed versions, just because I’m not really a ‘bright lipstick in the day’ sort of person so these were much more in my comfort zone. I also don’t think stark orange looks very nice against my skin tone, whereas the more peachy colour that’s created when 01 is mixed in is much more wearable. I think the addition of the white also made each pigment look a bit glossier, though it’s also possible that I’d just got better at application by this point and wasn’t being such a cack-handed idiot.

Ever a creature of habit, the final pale pink colour of 01+04 is of course my favourite, though I honestly do like the whole shade range.

I suppose the negative of these products is the fussiness of application in regards to the brush etc. It’s not a big problem with the individual shades as I have since found that finger application is okay; but when it comes to mixing up colours with the white then this definitely becomes a little less practical. You could find the perfect shade for a night out, but re-application is going to become a bit of a nightmare unless you want to crack out your artist’s palette and start mixing shades in the toilets of a nightclub.

The counter-argument to this though (ooft, mention of my GCSEs seems to have brought out the essayist in me) is that the high pigmentation means that the colour lasts. I would definitely back this claim up; I wore 04 to work yesterday and even after a good few hours there was still a strong stain of colour on my lips. Although my lips definitely started to feel dry and I had to slap a bit of lip balm on, I’m also happy to report that it didn’t end up caking or clinging to dry parts of my lips too much, which is always a worry of mine.

Overall I am vair, vair impressed with these cheap little beauties. The shade range of the OCC Lip tars is far more extensive and after watching a few Youtube videos with them in, they do look like they apply a bit slicker than these 3CE dupes. For the money though, you can’t complain. You just can’t, or I’ll have to proclaim you to be some sort of pedantic fool.

As I said, these lip pigments were just £1.90 and I bought them from this seller – I can’t see them listed there anymore, but plenty of others also do them. As in most cases, you can find UK sellers who will get them to you much quicker but they’ll cost you a good few quid more.

Have any of you tried these, or any other 3CE products? Or are you loyal to OCC? Let me know what you think in the comments below, and leave your blog links too!

ClaireSeptember 20, 2013

Currently Watching: eBay Wishlist

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: I bloody well love eBay! I always have at least twenty things in my ‘watching’ list, which I look at daily like a creepy Peeping Tom. A lot of stuff gets deleted once I go off it, but other bits lurk around there for weeks until I inevitably lose all willpower and make that transaction. Here are some of the things I’m currently lusting after:

1. Lipstick Storage Box – £2.99
2. Floral Jumper– £8.95
3. Tartan Scarf – £8.99
4. Platform PU Leather Chelsea Boots – £22
5. Lace Turban Headband – £2.00
6. 9 Piece Knuckle Stacker Rings – £1.85

An example of my piss poor willpower: in the few minutes it took me to write those prices down, I’ve just bought the jumper. The mind is willing but the flesh is weak.

What do you all think of these items? What are you watching on eBay at the moment?

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ClaireSeptember 19, 2013

Outfit of the Day: Primark Printed Trousers & Fur Coat

Good day scoundrels,

I’ve been woefully absent on the blog over the last week as I have been suffering from the stupid flu, which like a stalker will not leave me alone. I finally allowed myself to have a proper day off work today (after having an emotional/physical breakdown yesterday and one of my lovely colleagues having to drive me home) and it’s doing me miles of good! So much so that I actually feel like eating AND leaving the house (pardon?!), so I decided to slather my troll face in makeup to make the short journey to the corner shop. For biccies.

I’ve been dressing in attractive array of big tshirts and leggings for the past 4 days, so today felt like the day I should look like a normal human being and wear real clothes. This was my outfit!

Primark Printed Trousers : Topshop Peacock Print Baggy Tshirt : Dorothy Perkins Boots : Primark Gold Chain Necklace : Topshop Ring

I bought these delightful trousers a few weeks ago in Birmingham and I genuinely love them. They’re really comfortable and easy to wear, meaning if you get the urge to do some street lunges – YOU CAN. I think they have the capacity to be dressed up or down and they are a fabulous addition to my wardrobe. I can’t exactly remember the price, but they were around the £10 mark.

The tshirt is an old one, I bought it from Topshop a couple of years ago but it’s still a firm favourite. The picture doesn’t pick it up, but there are actually velvet peacock feather prints on the shoulders (I’m a gal that likes alliteration but that sentence was a bit much pahaha).

I don’t know about you guys, but it is fereeeeezing here in Cov and because I’m still in the throes of illness, I figured my adventure to the shop needed to be super warm and cosy. CUE GIANT BEAR COAT. This Topshop fur coat is my child, I love it so dearly. It’s also quite old now but it’s still in amazing condition (even after I couldn’t be bothered to take it to the dry cleaners and did it in the washing machine…). I hope it will stay with me for many years to come and if any of you lovely lot are thinking of investing in a fur coat from Toppers…I recommend it. I can’t believe how well this has lasted!

Topshop Fur Coat : New Look Bag

What do you all think? I for one am proud that my hair doesn’t resemble Hagrid’s beard.

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ClaireSeptember 18, 2013

Superbreak Competition | What to Wear on an Autumn City Break

Hey amigos! We’ve got something a bit different for you today in the form of a competition. Superbreak are offering the chance to win a city break for 2 to Paris, with a 4* hotel and travel included. I BEG YOUR PARDON?!

Now, we would absolutely freakin’ LOVE to win this competition. Not only because we’re huge fans of baguettes, garlic, men called Pierre and stereotyping…but also because it’s been over a year since the first and last ~~lesbian getaway~~ weekend city break we took together.

It was a magical day last year when we were bored at our old job and Lauren casually mentioned that she’d heard of someone getting a really cheap flight to Frankfurt and that we should do a trip somewhere sometime. The next thing you know, we had booked a trip to Brussels for five days later (and Drake thinks he invented yolo? Get real Drizzy) and were soon off on our merry way. We spent a few days desperately searching the city for a cup of English breakfast tea, doing tequila shots with vikings (who were actually very nice Norwegian boys, one of whom was a rapper) and ~~sightseeing~~ lurking around laughing at statues of urinating boys. It was a wild old time…we witnessed robbery and managed to use a map. Here are a few snaps from our adventures and as they would say in the old country, plane vodka is excellent vodka.

Now, onto the competition!

What to Wear – Day One

Sightseeing is a very tiring business and all that stained glass can take a toll on your eyeballs. With this in mind, city break daywear needs to be comfortable, practical but also tres stylish. Us Brits have a reputation to uphold as global fashionistas (apparently, although my collection of cow onesies begs to differ), so us homegirls have to be sure to be on the fash ball at all times. I’m thinking comfy flats, oversized coat and a dash of dark lipstick is an ideal way to make the foreign boys shout ‘zut alors’.

I’m a huge fan of these tartan trousers, they’re so wearable and genuinely perf for strolling around a city and looking at boring fountains etc. Pair with a simple white blouse, cut out comfy brogues and MEGA BLING. A hint of winter pastels and you are ready to rock not one but two of this season’s trends. Il en a bavé des ronds de chapeau!!

What to Wear – Evening

If you’re anything like us then your idea of sight-seeing in the evening will involve seeing the sights of the local cocktail bars, and potentially even the discotheque. Now, the most important thing to remember when dressing for a night out in a foreign city is that you’re representing England and Her Majesty the Queen. This means NO DRESSING LIKE A HOOCHIE. You just don’t know what’s acceptable in another country, and don’t want to risk someone shouting “sacre bleu! Have you seen le hussy over there?! She looks like she’s come straight off le Jeremie Kyle!” It’s a good idea, then, to play it safe in something glamorous but sophisticated.

With that being said, there is no reason why you can’t make your shoes and accessories scream “Bonjour, je suis jazzy!” Also, if your hotel or hostel has a curfew then you will definitely need a wristwatch to make sure you don’t get carried away grooving with the funky Europeans.

River Island Midi Dress | Missguided Block Heels | ASOS Hologram Clutch | Limit Chain Watch

What to Wear – Day Two

You might be feeling a bit fragile after your wild night of partying with Vikings (no, just us?) but that is no excuse to let things slip in the fashion stakes. Remember that this season is all about layers and texture, so throw on as much animal skin as you can while strolling around this wild terrain that is Paris. A wide-brimmed hat will also help you hide your bleary eyes.

More Advice

Here are a few other tips we have for your autumn city break:

try to learn a little bit of the language. If this fails you when you’re trying to order a sandwich in a cafe, then just start gesticulating wildly at bits of chicken. When you end up with a massively weird sandwich, just smile politely like the English simpleton you are
if anybody starts speaking to you who you don’t want to talk to, then pretend you’re a Sim. As they try to ask you where you’re from, just ramble on “aroose chilta? Picawo mellag! Abomba filu!” until they decide you’re too much of a lunatic to bother with and wander off
try to leave some soom in your bag when packing so you have plenty of room for all the snazzy European souveniers. You have no idea how upset I was to not be able to bring back a four-foot tall recreation of Brussels’ famous ‘Pissing Boy’ statue – it would have looked bloody lovely in our hallway

How to Enter

If you would like to enter this amazing competition with Superbreak then all you have to do is create a blog post around fashion advice for a city break in Autumn, including a link back to Superbreak’s city break page. Once this is done, submit your entry to superbreak.community@gmail.com and keep your fingers, toes and eyes crossed!

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ClaireSeptember 17, 2013

Bare Minerals Pure Radiance | Review

Bare Minerals ‘Pure Radiance’ – c/o Chemist Direct

I’m a big fan of reading reviews of products before I buy them, so when I saw one internet user casually announce that this product made her look “like an angel” I of course had to get my hands on it immediately to see what on earth the mad wench was on about.

The Bare Minerals Radiance range has five shades to choose from: Clear, Flawless, Rose, Tropical and Pure. They’re a selection of loose powders, all infused with a light shimmer to give you a ‘healthy, youthful vibrancy’. As I edge ever closer to my 23rd birthday, youthful vibrancy is something I’m starting to feel desperate for; plus, I’m really trying to step out of my matte comfort zone and embrace a lil’ bit of glow in my life.

On first impressions, the product could definitely look a little prettier. This retails in most places for £19 (though it’s only £15.11 on Chemist Direct so definitely shop wisely, women!) and I would personally expect something a little more luxurious for that price.

Once you begin using the product though, you can tell it’s definitely a higher-end product than your standard high street brand. It’s highly pigmented, and a little certainly goes a long way.

(Without Flash / With Flash)

The Radiance powders can apparently be used under, over or blended in with your normal makeup. Some of the other shades might look fine all over the face, but Pure Radiance should definitely only be used for highlighting purposes. It’s described as being peachy in tone, which I would agree with. It’s a very warm powder with a gold sheen, and so is instantly noticeable when applied.

As far as the application goes, I’m not too impressed with the ‘tip it in the lid’ method. I don’t think that’s something that angels should have to do, do you? Though it does come with a useful twisty bit (technical terms as always) so no powder can escape once the lid’s back on, keeping messiness to a minimum.

Initially, I tried to use it over the top of blusher, as recommended – and ended up looking like I was about to enter a child beauty pageant and show everyone my talent for hula-hooping. Since then, I’ve been using it instead of my blusher, which works much better – though it still might be a bit too Disco Face for some people to wear on a day-to-day basis. I think this powder will really come into its own for night-out makeup when Disco Face is more appropriate (though be careful in case people start dancing around you thinking you’re actually the disco ball), or if you already have a pretty healthy tan and want to add some highlight.

In general, my thoughts towards this product are pretty mixed. The colour is well pigmented and has good staying power, meaning it should last quite a while. The ‘Pure’ shade might be a bit orangey for some, though if applied lightly can bring some nice colour to the face. I think my main issue with the product is its price – I would never personally pay £19 for this, though if you’re used to spending that much anyway then I’m sure it wouldn’t be a huge disappointment. Oh and it didn’t make me look like an angel, I’m still a crummy human.

Have any of you tried this product, or anything else from Bare Minerals or Chemist Direct? What did you think?

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ClaireSeptember 16, 2013

John Frieda Everlasting Blonde Shampoo & Conditioner | Review

If you read this blog regularly then you may know that Stylingo HQ is soon to be a house exclusively of blondes. I’ve just taken my mid-blonde hair bleached blonde again, and Lauren’s going through the slow process of going from brunette to blonde (though one hair dye mishap has meant she’s now back at dark brown – no, we’re not entirely sure how that happened either).

One consequence of our blonder way of life – apart from the fact that we’ll probably have to start living with some old geezer in a dressing gown a la the Playboy mansion – is that we need to get SERIOUSLY SERIOUS about our hair care now. Everyone knows that blonde hair needs a lot more love and attention to keep it in top condition (or at the very least, to stop you resembling Worzel Gummidge). This is why I was very excited when the amazing people at John Frieda sent over this shampoo and conditioner for us to try.

The Everlasting Blonde shampoo and conditioner are part of their wider range for blonde hair. I never realised quite how extensive this range is – it’s safe to say that Johnny F’s got everything covered for blondes. As well as hairsprays and mousse specially designed to make blonde hair shimmer, there are also shampoos and conditioners to lighten the hair itself – which I can only assume is made with some sort of wizardry.

The Everlasting Blonde Colour Preserving shampoo and conditioner is designed to stop blonde hair from fading while still keeping it in good condition. These retail at around £5.99 each; at one time, I would have balked (oh what a wondrous word) at the thought of spending this on shampoo. But thinking about it, whenever I use a conditioner that’s cost me about £2 I end up using half the bottle just to feel like it’s doing anything to my hair – whereas with only a little bit of this John Frieda one you can notice the difference straight away. Beware of false economy, lads and lasses.

Both of these products feel really luxurious to use and left my hair feeling so much softer than it usually does. The bottles are also huge and I didn’t have to use much at all, so I’m very excited about how long these will last me!

If anybody’s after any more information on John Frieda products or want to pick up some expert tips then they also have a YouTube channel that’s very handy indeed.

What do you all think of John Frieda? Do you think more expensive brands are worth it?

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ClaireSeptember 16, 2013

Outfit of the Day: Quilted Leather Skirt

Top: Topshop Petite (old) / Quilted Leather-Look Skirt – Primark / Tights – Primark / Boots – New Look / Necklace – Tiffanys / Bag – Topshop

You know when you buy something and then don’t wear it for weeks and weeks because you just can’t work out whether you like it or not? That is the situation I’ve found myself in lately with this skirt, which I featured in my August haul post last month. I knew it was a good Autumn piece, I knew it should theoretically go with a lot, but could I just put it on and be happy? No, I could not.

Eventually though, I manned the eff up and wore it to work one day last week. It wasn’t until I actually arrived in the office that it occurred to me that wearing a leather mini skirt to work might not be a toooootally normal thing to do, but hey ho. I decided to keep it simple and monochrome by teaming it with this lace-ish scoop-back Topshop top that I’ve had for yonks, thick black tights (winter is coming, as the Starks would say) and of course my cut-out boots, which might have to be surgically removed from my feet soon.

After months of wearing thick gold chains and heavy spikes, I’ve started to prefer more delicate pieces of jewellery again. In steps my Tiffanys necklace that my sister got me for my 21st. It’s basically the only nice piece of jewellery I own and I love it very very dearly – potentially as much as I love flapjacks, and that’s mega loads.

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ClaireSeptember 15, 2013

If I Was A Rich Girl | September Wishlist.

Hello lovely ladies,

Claire and I are currently on a horrible spending ban, which means life is terribly tragic and boring at the moment. BUT IT DOESN’T MEAN WE CAN’T DREAM. I’ve got lots of things I’m hugely lusting over at the moment, so I’m quietly making a list of stuff to go wild over when I finally allow myself to spend some hard earned dollah.

1. Missguided leather panel midi skirt. 2. Topshop lipstick in Hazard 3. Seventeen animal bronzer. 4. Topshop geometric print trousers 5. Boohoo brocade cape. 6. Urban Outfitters lattice shoulder blouse 7. Asos coat with leather sleeves. 8. Too Faced Natural at Night Palette.

1. GOOD LORD, I love this skirt. It’s Claire’s birthday soon so obviously I need something new to wear. We’re going for a faaaaaaaayncy dinner, so I need something a little sophisticated to keep up appearances. I’m loving the leather panels and I’m thinking it’s a good way to incorporate the leather autumn/wintertrend into my ‘drobe.

2. Let’s all face it, deep red lippy is an absolute necessity for colder weather. I need this more than life, isn’t it gorgeous?

3. I don’t really need a new bronzer BUT HAVE YOU SEEN THE ANIMAL PRINT? HAVE YOU?!

4. These trousers are incredible, I love the print with all my heart. I feel like I need more trousers in my wardrobe and these are definitely on my trouser list.

5. This Boohoo cape is amazing – bring me the capes…that’s right China. All the capes.

6. Those who know me will know I have about 10000 white blouses but this is one that I would love to add to my collection! I can’t wait to give everyone flashes of my shoulders, ooer.

7. I am in need of a winter coat as all of mine of boring and uncool. This Asos one makes me want to cry with love and admiration.

8. I love a natural eye palette and how fabulous does this one look? SO FABULOUS, THAT’S HOW.

So, home girls, this is my September wishlist – what do you all think? Any things you’re lusting over but can’t get quite yet?

Vickie from Stone’s Got Style

Katie from Katie Guilding

Amy from Purse Friendly Pretty

Natalie from The Blonde Ethos

Rosie from Rosie Alexandraa

The Pale Gail Round Up

Have love for the ugly things.

Short hair, don’t care.

People will take you seriously if you talk rubbish.

Swatches

Mixed Swatches

What to Wear – Day One

What to Wear – Evening

What to Wear – Day Two

More Advice

How to Enter

|| Don’t forget that you can follow us on Bloglovin’ and Twitter! || and we also have a giveaway on at the moment!

|| Don’t forget that you can follow us on Bloglovin’ and Twitter! ||
and we also have a giveaway on at the moment!