Vanity Claire | Birmingham Fashion and Beauty Blog

ClaireJuly 15, 2013

Outfit of the Day: Neon Skater Skirt at Wireless Festival

Good afternoon one and all. After suffering from a terrible case of bloggers’ block, dithering about what to write about today and Claire threatening to throw her pen at me (SEE WHAT I HAVE TO PUT UP WITH?!), I have finally settled on filling you in on my weekend.

If you follow our Twitter account, you may have noticed a slight lack of activity on my part (I can tell you’re thinking, ‘Ah, this is why I felt a horrible sense of loss over the weekend’). This was because I took the plunge and decided to leave the comforting streets of Coventry to hit the big city with my pal for Wireless Festival. After agonising for MONTHS about what to wear, I ended up spending Thursday night cleaning the house, lying on my bed reading ‘Dancing in my Nuddy Pants’ and generally not choosing what to wear. I’m half on a spending ban at the moment (tell that to WH Smith’s and their half price note pads), so I decided to be frugal and not buy anything new (which was probably sensible as port-a-loos and new outfits don’t mix brilliantly). However, it did mean getting up at 7am on Friday and charging around my room in my pantaloons with a horrible sense of panic. We’re having beautiful scorching weather (WOO), so being too hot was a no-no. Unfortunately, I also burn like Guy Fawkes and Joan of Arc on a hot (paha) date, so I need to be covered too. PROBLEMATIC? Horribly.

I ended up settling for a neon yellow skirt I bought a month or two ago, a black body, a pair of casual sandals and a chunky gold necklace (obviously channeling my inner Waka Flocka Flame). I teamed it with a denim jacket while we were still in Coventry because at that point it was cloudy and I didn’t want to look like a raving lunatic at 9am. Surprisingly, I wasn’t too boiling at Wireless. Which was most likely because of the lovely hydrating pints of cider I was drinking, mmm appley.

I thought I’d give you a little picture tour of my day on Friday; I didn’t take many snaps as I was too busy realising how much I love Ke$ha.

If you’re interested in recreating this little outfit, here is where you can get the same or similar items (I have to admit, it’s quite a good one for the hot weather when you want to protect your shoulders!).

I only went for the day on Friday, so me and my lovely friend stayed at a hotel in Shoreditch, did a bit of shopping in the Spitalfields Market on Saturday and then headed back to our respective homes. Claire and I headed out in Birmingham on Saturday night, which we should hopefully have some outfit of the night posts up soon (I wore Claire’s trousers, so no new exciting clothes there either. Sniff.).

My highlights of Wireless were definitely Frank Ocean (still swooning) and of course, Justin Timberlake. Did anyone else head to Olympic Park this weekend?

ClaireJuly 13, 2013

Outfit of the Day: eBay Mint Blazer

Mint Blazer: eBay / Dress: ASOS (old) / Necklace: Primark / Watch: Casio (can buy here) / Shoes: Primark

Good afternoon lovely folk of the world! If you’ve read any of our other OOTD posts then you may notice that this we’ve had a slight change of scenery today. Usually we take pictures in our front room because the lighting’s better in there and it’s where our desk is, making it the room for all things professional. However (much to Lauren’s delight), that room is currently cluttered up with loads of my stuff that my mum unceremoniously decided she wanted out of her spare bedroom, and so until I find the energy to move it all up to my bedroom I had to re-locate to the other living room to take today’s OOTD.

Obviously, this was a really bad decision. The angle was terrible, the light was terrible and I suffered from a bad case of bitchface because I was worrying about all of these things too much. These are sadly the best of a very bad bunch. Sigh, the things we go through(!)

Anyway, this is my new(ish) blazer that I absolutely LOVE. Being short and quite small-framed, I really struggle with blazers as they’re usually too long and bulky. So when I found that this selection of cropped, waterfall blazers on eBay actually fit quite nicely, my little heart soared. I’m usually not a fan of having the same thing in various colours, but I’ve got to confess I have this in both the black and white versions too. As you can see in the first photo (or the bitchface photo), the lapel tends to run amok a bit but generally, for the price, you can’t beat this little number!

I’m planning to do a post soon about my favourite eBay bargains, so keep your little eyes peeled.

On that note, I need to go and find a pub garden immediately. T’ra.

ClaireJuly 12, 2013

What’s In My Bag: The Honest Edition

One of the most popular posts amongst fashion and beauty bloggers is ‘What’s In My Bag’, where fabulous bloggers show off their beautiful handbags and the delightful objects that they carry around in them. View Full Post

ClaireJuly 11, 2013

The Best Beauty Products For Summer.

I’m vaguely aware that we’re basically half way through summer at the moment and we should all be being fashiony and thinking about autumn/winter BUT I SAY NAY. We still have at least a month or two left of warm-ish weather and lots of us have holidays abroad to look forward to (except for me and Claire…we are peasants.). View Full Post

ClaireJuly 10, 2013

E.l.f Lip Primer & Plumper: Review

It’s been a couple of weeks now since our mammoth E.L.F. makeup haul, and after managing to restrain myself from reviewing everything straight away (no, really – there were shackles and everything) I am finally back with my review of their Lip Primer and Plumper. This was a product that I admittedly bought on a whim, as I’m prone to a good gimmicky product every now and then. View Full Post

ClaireJuly 9, 2013

Collection 2000 ‘Fix Me Up’ Makeup Setting Spray Review.

If you follow us on Twitter or Instagram, you may have seen me get over excited about the fact that Collection have a makeup setting spray for around £5. I believe it was launched towards the end of last year, but the first time I saw it in-store was about a month or two ago – I’m not sure if this was me being horribly unobservant or if it hadn’t been stocked in Birmingham until then! I got it from Boots, if anyone is at all interested.

I think Claire and I have garnered ourselves a bit of a reputation for being bargain hunters (though I think in reality, we are just cheap and driven by poverty paha), so I’m always on the hunt for cheap-yet-quality makeup products. As far as setting sprays go, I’m a bit of a novice (hairspray on the face, anyone?). After doing a bit of research, I gather that there aren’t a huge number of fixing sprays on the market. Urban Decay do one called ‘All Nighter’ for £19, which generally has rave reviews – as does the Clarins Fix’ Makeup spray, which will set you back £18.50. I’ve heard conflicting things about the Mac Fix+ (£11) product, which teeter between rave reviews and confusion as to whether it actually is a setting spray or not (some say it’s more of a brightener?). Armed with this information, I still decided to invest in the Collection ‘Fix Me Up’ setting mist because it was one of the cheaper versions, and I’m generally a fan of their makeup products.

Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite deliver. Claire and I have this strange compulsion to like products and feel extremely disappointed if they aren’t really what we wanted. This is mainly why I was so sad that the Collection setting spray wasn’t great – and there are quite a few reasons why it just is a bit crap. I thought I’d set them out in list form because who doesn’t love a list, quite frankly?! (probably people with list phobias).

1. IT’S FALSE ECONOMY. For £5.99, you only get 18ml. I’m sure there’s a way of working out the maths but I am genuinely useless at that sort of behavior. Let’s just say that you may as well get the 118ml Urban Decay spray for £19.

2. It’s a bit damp. The packaging describes it as being a “weightless mist” but to the packaging I say “WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT, have you gone mad.” I think the problem is the spray nozzle – it kind of comes out in squirts and doesn’t cover your whole face brilliantly (I’m sorry for how wrong this sounds). It just leaves you feeling a bit soggy and rained on.

3. The product doesn’t actually do very much. This probably should be at the top of the list but hey ho, I’m a maverick. I wouldn’t say I noticed a huge difference in my makeup staying on. For a girl who is genuinely a disco ball without powder, I was really disappointed. The setting spray didn’t deliver really and to that I say GOOD DAY SIR.

So, not a great review of Collection 2000’s ‘Fix Me Up’ makeup fixer. I would say that I don’t hate the fragrance as much as other bloggers seem to – it does smell a bit cheap but I quite like it! Other than that, I don’t really have anything good to say. Sorry Collection, but you have let me down on this occasion. The hunt for a good setting spray continues – I think I’m going to give the Ubran Decay ‘All Nighter’ setting spray a go after pay day and see how that treats my sheeny shiny face. After that…WHO KNOWS?!

Any of you lovely ladies have any other recommendations?

ClaireJuly 8, 2013

Outfit of the Day: Neon Crop & Motel Rocks Skirt

Crop top – Primark / Maxi Skirt – Motel Rocks / Wedges – Primark

It’s so boring when all English people do is go on about the weather. With that in mind, COR HOW NICE IS THIS WEATHER? I hope you all had a lovely weekend basking in the sun. It was absolutely gorgeous here in Costa Del Coventry, so what did I do? I spent my Saturday asleep on the sofa for three hours, then went shopping and to the gym. No, I don’t know why either.

This outfit isn’t even from this weekend, I’m such a fraud. This is actually what I wore last weekend for my sister’s friend’s birthday party. As you can see, it’s a pretty out-there choice for me. A crop top and maxi skirt!? Move over Lady Gaga, there’s a new creative genius in town.

ClaireJuly 6, 2013

Why Breakups Are Actually Brilliant

We all know that breakups are one of the least fun things that you go through in your life. Whether you’re the dumper or the dumpee, suddenly having a boyfriend-shaped hole in your life is a pretty intense thing and you have to indulge in a bit of wallowing. View Full Post

ClaireJuly 5, 2013

Nailspiration: Nail Ideas for a Sunny Day

The sun is shining, I’ve just got back from a picnic lunch by the river Avon and life is just genuinely idyllic (apart from the fact I have to continue working this afternoon, snore). While I was walking home from the gym yesterday, I had SO many ideas for blog posts that I walked straight past my house and ended up in the park because I am a lunatic. I’ve been trying to curb my excitement and not pester you all too much BUT I SIMPLY CANNOT CONTAIN IT ANY LONGER. So this is my post on nail ideas and the nails Claire and I have been wearing recently.

A little background information first. Both Claire and I wear false nails. For me, my natural nails are massively thin and no amount of products/nail care has changed this heartbreaking fact. Even when they do grow nicely, they snap off when they reach a certain length, which saddens me every day as you can imagine. I love having long nails and I have been getting acrylic nails done on and off since I was about 16. I also dabbled in doing my own acrylic nails for a while (which worked fairly well but the effort was too much) and now have settled on glue on nails. These are genuinely amazing and I recommend them to any gal who’s looking for length without the price. I’ve taken a little snap of my box at the moment – it’s nearing the end and is looking a bit tired. BUT, when it is shiny and new you can get 200 nails + nail glue for A BARGAIN PRICE OF £8.50. These nails last me about two months, with me applying the nails every week or so.

I’m actually doing my nails at work today (naughty…for important blogging purposes, of course.) because I didn’t get a chance to last night so I thought I’d post a bit of a step-by-step guide to how I do them. It’s not really rocket science – I’m the clumsiest and least coordinated person EVER – so if I can do it, you definitely can too! If you’re keen to buy the Boots nails, you can find them here. Nailene also do a box of 200, but we haven’t seen them in-store for a while.

Excuse the copious amounts of nail caviar at the bottom of the box – this was last week’s nail venture when I used my nail box as a kind of bowl. Another great reason to buy the Boots false nails, the box is multipurpose ;).

The instructions recommend that you file the nail to give the glue a better surface to stick to. I tend to skip this step as I find it doesn’t make a massive difference. There’s no need to damage your nails even more

I then pick out the nail sizes I want – at the moment I’ve run out of my ‘ideal’ sizes so they’re a little big for my nails. I think they still look vaguely ok though!

Then it’s gluey time – no special tips or tricks for this! I just whack them on and hope I don’t glue my hands together…

The exciting bit – painting! Claire and I have both found that nail varnish dries extra quickly on these false nails so that is a definite plus in my book! I usually do two coats of whatever nail varnish I’m using to be sure I get the best coverage. Today I’m going for a bit of pastel action – pink and green! I wanted to do a multi-coloured pastel situation with my Bananan Split Model’s Own colour and a baby blue Barry M nail varnish but I couldn’t for the life of me find them this morning. These two Barry M colours were downstairs, so I grabbed them (clearly thought a lot about my colour choice, eh!) and thought I’d give them a whirl. I went for a pastel green with a pink accent on my fourth fingers (achieved with a spot of sellotape).

And here are a collection of claw pictures that may inspire you if you’re feeling a bit ‘meh’ about nail polish choices at the moment! I’ve tried to remember where all of the nail varnish products are from, but as I’ve robbed these from both me and Claire’s instagrams, I may not have found them all! It’s not groundbreaking nail art…but sometimes you just need reminding why painting your nails is fabulous.

| Elf Desert Haze | Model’s Own Banana Split | Barry M Confetti Bubblegum |

| Barry M Peach Melba | Barry M Foil Effects Gold |Barry M Textured Nails Atlantic Road |

WELL…I didn’t realise Claire and I were such Barry M ambassadors…

ClaireJuly 4, 2013

Primark Autumn/Winter 2013 Collection: Best and Worst

Lauren and I make no secret of the fact that we love Primark. It was therefore with great fervour that I rushed to Look’s website to have the first peek at the new Autumn/Winter 2013 collection. The items aren’t due to launch in stores til August, but going into Primark is like going into battle (hands up who’s had a pushchair try to plough over them like a tank?) and so strategic planning is necessary.

Primark seems to have gone up a lot in people’s estimations recently, with many saying that their S/S 2013 collection and the pieces available on ASOS were all indicative of them really upping their game. So what do we make of the A/W collection?

To put it bluntly, I’m not hugely impressed. I don’t think this is anything personal against Primark, rather I just don’t think this winter is going to be very ‘me’ in general. I was a big fan of last year’s gothic-inspired stuff, but I think this winter I was hoping to see something a bit more cheerful. Alas, no. It’s all doom and bloody gloom again.

Dominatrixes, rejoice! Leather looks set to hang around. I do normally like leather, but a lot of the pieces this season have a crackled, patent finish that I’m not a fan of. I do like the mixing of textures on the leather, varsity-esque jumper though, so hopefully there’ll be some more bits like that that I can scoop up.

Another key look seems to be tartan. Again, I’m not a fan. Unless tartan is coming at me in the form of James McAvoy in a kilt ready to cart me off for a traditional Scottish wedding then I’ll leave it, ta. Lauren and I have discussed it at length (I do wonder how we still have jobs) and she thinks a pair of tartan trousers could work, while I’m willing to maybe try a tartan scarf if I absolutely have to. In the name of blogging, of course.

As we move onto the accessories in the collection, my sense of bewilderment begins to border on anguish. What are these cheap, be-jeweled pieces? I love statement jewellery, but the only things these seem to state is ‘hiya, I’m crap’.

Next, the shoes. Someone please explain to me when it suddenly became okay for heels to be this height? And slingback? And pointy-toed? Oh Yahweh, please take me from this world because I do not want to exist anymore.

FINALLY, there are some things that I do actually like. And what I do like, I like a lot. All of these are simply delightful:

And I’m sure once it all actually arrives there will be plenty of other pieces that I love in store. If not, then I’ll still be sporting neon and mesh and refusing to accept that S/S has ended, so please just bear with me through this difficult time.

What do you all think of the Primark’s A/W 2013 collection? Which pieces do you like?