Blog As I Go Tutorial!

So I don't know if this is an actual thing but I thought I would blog what I'm doing and using makeup wise as I did it! This is 100% real life time trust me it is currently exactly 3pm on Wednesday 3rd Sep 14 so let's see how long this takes!

First I'm going to start by priming my t zone with this - (L'Oréal Nude Magique Blur Cream in light to medium skin)

Next I'll be applying L'Oréal Infallible foundation in the shade 140 golden beige - this shade is a bit too dark but is perfect with a tan. Plus this foundation is perfect for staying all day and honestly is 24H like it says!

After that I'm using my Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer to highlight under the eyes, down the bridge of my nose and to conceal any imperfections.

To set my face I'm using my Natural Collection Loose Powder in Neutral Translucent - this is perfect to keeping your base staying flawless all day and gives you a natural matte finish.

Then I just filled in my brows with my beloved elf Eyebrow Kit in dark :)

Next I bronzed my face with the Bronzing Summer Glow Kit by 17 and  contoured my cheeks and nose with Nars Laguna.

For my eyes I used the Sleek Au Naturel palette and placed the 2nd greyish shade all over my lid. I then placed the 5th shade which is a peachy orange into the crease. I darkened up the outer v on each eye by placing the warm brown shade there with a small fluffy brush by Estee Lauder. Using the same brush I placed the almost black shade on the outer V also and blended it all together with a clean fluffy brush from eBay (these eBay/china brushes are soooo good and incredibly cheap so I'll leave a link below if I can find them). 

Next I used my eyeko skinny liner to add a small wing which makes the black shadows draw into the centre of the eye without looking too heavy. Next i used my new favourite mascara - the volume million lashes so couture by L'Oréal. 

For my blush I used Benefits Coralista with a Real Techniques duo fibre face brush in order for the product to be applied more sparsely. I used the same brush to apply my highlight which was the MUA Undress Your Skin shimmer highlighter. For my lips I used Revlon Super Lustrous Matte lipstick in Smoked Peach 013.

MAKEUP BRUSHES: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/10-Pcs-Professional-Makeup-Brushes-Set-Makeup-Brushes-Kit-Free-Draw-String-Makeup-Bag/1836599605.html

I was stupid and forgot to take a selfie so you could see the finished product... the one photo that actually matters... well... if you create this look I'd love to see the different ways it came out haha! just respond with a photo :)

Thanks again!

Melissa xoxo

My Summer In Photos!

I'm thinking of making my blog a bit more universal as now I'm working between 5-7 days a week it can be difficult to think of new ideas specific to beauty or health that are quick for me to do. 

Plus, to make my blog attract more of a universal audience, I decided to include lifestyle and day to day posts, starting with this one! So over the summer I haven't gone on holiday like most people do but have had a lot planned in terms of days out etc! 

So this is my summer so far (22nd June - 13th August) in photos!

Click to view larger

My Handbag Essentials!

This week on the blog I thought I would share with you my handbag essentials! Currently the bag I am using is my beloved Bestillini bag (TKMaxx) which is like my child. I filmed a 'What's In My Bag?' video about a week ago when I got this bag HOWEVER you all probably know the situation with videos at the moment (they just ain't happening) so if that ever goes up then it will be très similar to this post but this can be a little preview for you :)

                           

In the photo I carry these 9 essentials with me almost everywhere - whenever I take a handbag or bag, all these things go in there, obviously besibes my clutch when I'm out for the night because I'm sure I won't need sunglasses or my diary...

So below is what I carry on a regular basis when I'm running errands, including a box of ibuprofen (or paracetamol as I get headaches frequently), body spray (gots to be keeping freshly scented am I right ladies), my keys (der), my glass (I need to see things sometimes), my sunglasses (I actually don't know why these go in every bag with me - I want to get the most out of my sunnies but it's England come on I should replace these with a brollie).

I also have there my little pink diary - I bought this just after the year began as I wanted to be more organised and I use it all the time I don't know how I could have lived previously without one and I didn't think I would actually stick to using it (thought I would resort to my phone) but nope I record all plans, events and deadlines in there and it has saved my life. I've got my lady essentials (of course) in my little purple tin courtesy of BodyForm (never know what is gonna happen, expect the unexpected and all that jazz) and in my Beatles tin (which my ma got my yonks ago for Christmas) I keep chewing gum. The story behind this is that I bought one of those Extra gum boxes, the little cardboard ones, but in my bag they just get squashed and gum is flying around everywhere so I popped them in this little tin which I had been trying to find a use for since I got it. I also helps to keep my gum fresh as it's a metal tin.

Lastly, I can't go absolutely anywhere without my purse! (who goes somewhere without their purse) This is my new Prada purse :) (it excites me very much) I love a big purse because I like everything in one place - I've got hella loyalty cards and receipts and coupons going on in there I can't be keeping a tiny wallet for all that crap.

                                     

Thanks for reading! Melissa xoxo

London Zoo OOTD + MOTD

Last Wednesday I supervised a school trip to London Zoo (I hate London Zoo) and thought it would be a good opportunity to show a outfit of the day (ootd) and the makeup I wore as well (which I also had to carry on without reapplying for my whole shift at work straight after so my makeup survived about 14 hours of wear (or just about). 

For my makeup look, I really wanted to create a look that accentuated my eye shape as you may have noticed I have hugely round and large eyes which makes it difficult for me to wear certain winged liner. After watching like all of LustreLux's videos on Youtube (most specifically her video tutorial on her everyday cut crease makeup which I adore omg) it gave me the motivation to attempt something similar. Here I softened the cut crease and used natural toned shadows for it to be easily blended before lining my lids with my Eyeko Skinny liner. I paired this eye look with a simple pinkish nude - using e.l.f.'s lipstick in Rosy Tan and topping it with a clear gloss by Rimmel - this is really lip plumping and is a favourite recently.

For my outfit I wanted to keep it casual as I was only supporting a trip so I went for the iconic, t-shirt and jeans look and topped it off with my new stone/grey faux leather jacket from H&M. I have this jacket in black (which you may have seen before) but I ordered this one online and it arrived about a week ago so it wasn't until it arrived I realised it was exactly the same as my black one just in a different colour! This jacket makes any look more edgy but not too grungy as the black jacket does.

I paired it with this t-shirt - a men's shirt originally from UNIQLO but found in a charity shop. This cost me like four quid (bargainnnnnn) and is soooooo soft and a perfect fit for an oversized t-shirt for my shape. Plus I love the graphic font on it and how it's navy which just makes it so versatile.

I wore jeans as I said before with this outfit and these are some of my favourite jeans - they are Primark skinny jeans for eleven pounds and Primark change these jeans all the time - the fit, the stitching, the material, something just always changes every time I buy a new pair but these are the best I have found. They are so stretchy and soft plus they are very flattering (making dat butt look good). My only fault with these are that they fall down on me as they are quite big even though they are my size (but I find Primark sizing should not be trusted at all it is very messed up) so I do belt these every single time.

I wore my old low top converse with this outfit as I thought it could rain plus I would be walking through London all day so needed something remotely comfortable but hell I was wrong. I love these as they were my first pair of converse I bought (I only have two though??) yonks ago as converse are actually quite pricey. Especially for a teenager. So I bought these ones as I wanted something versatile like the black classic converse but also something unique as I was spending a fair share of my money on trainers so I picked the ones with the limited edition blue stitching - these also come with three different laces to choose from but I am pretty sure they don't sell these shoes anymore. 

 

So that concludes this brief OOTD and MOTD! Hope you enjoyed and if you like posts like these plus +1 it or comment below!

Thanks for reading, Melissa xoxo

Natural and Simple Bridal Look! Perfect for Summer ☀️

It's that time of year where it seems everyone is going to weddings. Either you yourself is getting married, one of your best friends or maybe you're just attending the reception but we all need a look that we can wear for the day. 

This look was so last minute of me that I decided to make it into a blog post after I wanted to put on a bit of light coverage makeup and made my hair into this bohemian bun. This look is so versatile and adaptable especially for the warmer months as you can wear it with different headbands or even with braids/plaits if you have the time and it is so much more easier to do than it looks! Thus, this look can be used for festivals looks for when your hair is a tad oily or if you have an event or such where you need your hair up but still like it looking flawlessly pretty. The makeup is too very gentle to wear when it's warmer as the base that I used was Clarins HydraQuench Tinted Moisturiser which has an SPF of 15 in it to keep the sun off you for the day and is light on the skin which let's it breathe. Below is what I used for each step of the makeup and how I did my hair for this Summer Bridal Look! 

To achieve the natural makeup, after applying the base I set it with MAC Skinfinish Natural as this is known to keep your foundation in place for the day - a must for special occasion makeup! I lightly contoured my cheekbones with Nars Laguna Bronzer to give my face a little dimension. I applied Benefit's Coralista blush to the apples of my cheeks to give it a natural flush to add to the natural and simple makeup look. 

I filled my brows in with my L'Oreal Brow Artiste pencil as a brow pencil gives the effect of my natural brows as you can easily mimic brow hairs when filling them in. This pencil is great as it comes with a tiny brush on the cap to comb through the brows before and after. Plus one end of the pencil is wax which you can easily set the brow in place with. Although the wax end of this pencil is very soft this means it runs down very very quickly so I don't use it every single time - especially when it was part of my everyday makeup routine.

After filling my brows, I wanted to go for a 'barely there' look for the eyeshadow. I contoured my eyes by placing Laguna bronzer into the socket and crease from my brow bone towards the inner corner to make my eyes less rounded and more 'cat-eye' shaped. I used Benefit's long wearing shadow in the shade Call My Buff to highlight under my brows and in the tear duct area before placing a light petal pink shade from this Sleek palette shown below and mixed it with Call My Buff to place all over the lid and blended into the crease. I used my favourite mascara at the moment, Rimmel London's Scandaleyes RetroGlam mascara - this isn't a natural looking mascara but for this look I really wanted to achieve super long and thick lashes, just to give the look something that stands out for special occasion makeup. To make my eyes brighter, I used Rimmel London's white kohl eyeliner - white eyeliner is great for making your eyes look bigger or brighter and makes you look more awake so it's great in the mornings!

I used L'Oreal GlamShine Stain Splash in Lolita - a gorgeous natural pink coloured gloss - these glosses are just thick enough to last for long periods of time (great for special occasions such as weddings!) but they're not incredibly sticky and disgusting that makes you want to blot it every 20 minutes like some glosses. There's not a huge variety of shades but the colours that are available are perfect for everyday wear.

Moving onto the hair, I wanted to achieve a natural, beachy up-do and interpreted a version I saw on Youtube by Courtney Lundquist but I only curled the front sections of my hair that weren't up. So what I did is I sectioned off those front pieces first and curled them really tightly with a GHD flat iron and sprayed them with Pantene Pro V Ice Shine hairspray and separated the curls from the rest of my hair with the headband that is shown in the photos. I divided the rest of my hair into two top and bottom sections, forming the bottom half of my hair into a ballerina bun by twisting it and wrapping it around itself then securing it in place with a hair band. Afterwards, you just take sections from the top half of your hair and wrap them either over or under the bun you just created. As I said I didn't curl this section but in Courtney's video she did and I admit my hair would have looked a lot better if I had the time to curl it! After wrapping sections around the bun, you just pop in some bobby pins to secure it in place. I'd suggest using those pins that are made for this kind of look - they're grips designed for pinning hair in buns (I don't know what they're called but they are kind of like these I guess - Boots Hairpins) and if your headband is still in place you are pretty much finished when you have pinned all the hair back!

Thank you for reading! As always, if you have any requests please leave them below or email me! Melissa xoxo

High-End Rosy Makeup!

Today I was desperate to rediscover some of my higher priced products that i rarely used because a) I am lazy and use the same products and b) I am cheap and don't use high end stuff when I can use cheaper ALAS I realised that I actually own a bit of high end makeup and thought I would do a look as best I can using high end makeup. I also didn't want to do a full eye look today like I usually do - I wanted to do a simple look that's wearable for anyone and maybe even a 'no makeup' makeup look! That said, these are the products I used. *disclaimer: this is not sponsored but it turned into a little first impressions too soz lul*

I started priming my skin with the Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer. I haven't used this that many times to say that it holds all my makeup in one place but I expect good things from it - it didn't necessarily smooth out my foundation when I put that on and give a smooth completion but my main aim of this foundation is that it increases the longevity of my base makeup and hopefully it pulls through!

Then I used the BB Skin Perfecting Cream (with SPF 25 - super great to wear during the summer as it's creamy and has a dewy finish) from Clarins in the shade 02 Medium. This wasn't as impressive as I thought as I thought it left my skin looking a bit patchy over perfect like it says on the tube! And for a thick and creamy foundation/base it's a light coverage. It says it is a light to medium coverage - I'd say more medium as it dis cover quite well but I'm just confused how the product is so thick when it's such a light coverage!

I used Benefit's Erase Paste on my undereye area to cancel out any dark circles and definitely does the trick however I prefer a brightening undereye concealer so I will probably be sticking to my Rimmel Match Perfection concealer. I used the shade No 2 Medium for the Erase Paste. After that I cheated a bit as I didn't have a light high end powder and used by e.l.f. Eye Brightener in Buff to set that undereye concealer. I set the rest of my face with MAC Mineralise Skinfinish Natural in Medium Plus with a Too Faced kabuki brush. 

Next I bronzed my face very lightly with Benefit's Dallas Bronzer using a Real Techniques Blush Brush. This is my sister's bronzer so I don't use it loads and I prefer shimmer bronzers like my Rimmel one I've usrd plenty of times! I contoured the hollows of my cheeks with Benefit's Hoola Bronzer which is my all time fave and I use it to contour anyway. I use a slanted and curved brush to contour which is very similar to the brush that Hoola comes with anyway!

For my blush I tend to use either Rockateur or Coralista anyway (from Benefit) but I sensed this look was becoming very Benefit heavy so I used a MAC blush which unfortunately I don't know the name of as I have had it agesssss and the sticker has come off on the packaging :(

Keeping the look natural, I didn't fill in my brows properly and just combed them through and ran a brown shadow through the tails of each brow to make them a little more defined. 

For my eye look I used a neutral tone brown, a transition shade (you can use any and I used the lighter brown in Sleek's Oh So Special palette) that I applied into the crease and onto the brown bone to give a more elongated look to the eyes - this is a good look if you have larger and more rounded eyes like me as it doesn't make them look smaller as such but more elongated and cat eye. I went over that briefly with an olive shadow from a No 7 trio I had lying around (It has no name but a number printed on the back - 220NN - I don't know if that helps anybody?) I blended that shade in my outer V and onto the brow bone slightly. I used Benefit's They're Real Mascara but was running out so topped it up with The Body Shop Super Volume Mascara in the shade 01 - this Body Shop mascara is actually really good at volumising definitely recommend!

Lastly, moving to my lip combo! I realised I didn't have a neutral or nude toned lippy so used Benefit's Bene-tint to almost line my lips before applying a lip colour in the shade Tutti-Cutie, also by Benefit.

I realise this is quite Benefit heavy but I honestly just own more Benefit cosmetics than I realised and a lot less other high end brands! Overall, I love how this look turned out natural but rosy and the makeup definitely blends better in the photos than how it does when I look in the mirror. Nonetheless, the makeup has blended a lot better now than it was earlier when I first applied it so I guess the creamy Clarins balm just needs to breathe a bit!

Thanks for reading! I hope to be posting a lot more now that I have no exams or school and especially as I don't go back to work for a further ten days! Thanks again and if you have any looks you would like to see I will try and see if I can do them! I wish I could have filmed this as a tutorial but you probably know the situation with my computers. I know. It is sad. I disappoint. :(

Thanks, Melissa xoxoxo

OOTD! 16th June 2014

This morning I had my last exam (thank god) and I was expecting to meet a friend for lunch when I had finished so this is what I wore this morning! (As in right now I am in trackies in bed). This evening I'm going up the pub so will be wearing the same outfit but a different top so the crop top was a tad too short for my liking! I will most likely be wearing the top I am wearing now which is a blue and grey baseball raglan tee from ASOS.

Biker jacket: H&M - £15 (Sale price)
Crop top: ASOS - £7 (Maybe? I can't really remember but it was almost definitely in the sale!)
Jeans: Leigh Topshop - £38 (thereabouts, I don't believe these particular ones are for sale anymore, they are quite thin and stretchy but they have similar jeans available)
Shoes: Converse at Office - £48

Simple Dewy Makeup Look for Summer! + Quick OOTD

Here's how I achieved this simple makeup look which is lovely when it's gets a little warm and you want your makeup to last but it still to be "barely there"!

I started off with just a simple MUA primer, I know this one doesn't give me a matte finish on my skin which is nice for glowy or dewy skin. Then I buffed in my L'Oréal True Match foundation (I used the shade Golden Ivory) which is a perfect foundation as it gives you the ability to go matte if you want but glowy too as it blends with your natural tones! I used my Rimmel London Match Perfection Skin Tone Adapting concealer in 010 Ivory which gives that beautiful Kim Kardashian, highlighted glowy effect to the skin. I set my under eye area with e.l.f.'s Eye Brightener in the shade Buff. I set the rest of my face with a transparent powder by Collection and set any blemishes I had, and also around my nose and chin with L'Oréal True Match powder in Golden Ivory to keep them from looking oily and to keep redness at bay.

I then set my brows with my e.l.f. Brow Kit in Dark (with a tiny bit of a brown eyeshadow shade from the Sleek palette Au Naturel). I contoured my face very lightly with Benefit's Hoola bronzer and buffed it out with a kabuki after so it wasn't as harsh. I then used Nars Multiple in Orgasm for my blush, only on the highest points of my cheekbones.

For my eye look I stuck to one eyeshadow colour (this is not what usually happens I know), using a light rose-y gold colour from Sleek's Au Naturel palette by patting it all over the lid and then using a fluffy brush to blend it into the crease. I lined my eyes quite small with my L'Oréal Blackbuster Super Liner (I love this product HUGE recommend) and used my Max Factor Masterpiece Max mascara then topped my lashes with Rimmel London's Lash Accelerator Endless mascara.

On my lips I used my Nars Multiple in Orgasm and massaged it in and blotted before applying Revlon's Super Lustrous Lipstick in Pink Pout (all time fave lippy) and voilà the completed look!

Hope you enjoyed this kind of post - I'd do a video but I've explained the situation with my computers many times on my vlogs and the other blog posts are connected to the videos so they don't make sense without the vids so I feel like it would be pointless but anyway, I really enjoyed this look - I feel like it shows off the wearer's natural beauty and glow with the dewy skin and minimal liner (no wings) and long lovely lashes! Plus the glossy pink lip is very cute! Once again I apologise for the video/computer dilemma I am trying my best to fix it but it's not going as to plan at the moment, wish me luck!

Thanks, Melissa xoxo

P.S. Quick OOTD because I love this outfit it is so cute and is still summery without going to bright with colour (I know some people don't like lots of colour so this maybe ideal for you!) I wore this striped long sleeve t-shirt from New Look - I still believe they sell it online for four pounds in the sale - this shirt is very light as it's cotton. I paired it with this textured white skater skirt from Primark which is the first time I've worn it since I bought it (which was last year actually but still it's very light, a bit see-through) I paired this outfit with black slipper pumps as the only place I was going out was Sainsbury's and I had to wear closed toe shoes as I was wearing skin tone tights. Anyway I shall love you and leave you!!!

OOTW - 15th-19th April :)

So this week I was away from home and returned on Friday, in the morning and I attempted to take a selfie to show my ootd for each day while I was there but of course I forgot on the FIRST day wouldn't I? So I thought I'd do it from Tuesday to Saturday, that way you can see the outfit I wore for my friend's birthday party which was neon 80s/90s themed.

Tuesday 15th:
On Tuesday, I had come back from staying at a friend's house but still had limited clothing with me so this quick outfit was something I literally had no time to plan but is a favourite of mine to wear casually in the spring months here in London, but can also work well in the cooler months with high riding boots or wellies for example. My stripe top is from New Look, jeans from Primark, shoes also Primark.

Wednesday 16th:
Today I had a lazy day, showered and threw on chill clothes to study in before having to get changed and head to work in the late afternoon. Here I wore a mustard shirt from H&M, and smart joggers from Primark.

Thursday 17th:
I went to lunch at this cute French restaurant, plus it was super sunny and spring-like that day so I wanted to dress the part. Here I wore this chiffon ivory shirt from Primark and these floral lilac print trousers from H&M. Slipper shoes also from Primark.

Friday 18th:
This day I had to be up early, pack my case and get home so I threw on some black jeans from Primark (they are a lot nicer than my Topshop Leigh jeans) and this dark red and blue plaid shirt from Select. I paired this outfit with brown Chelsea boots from New Look and a studded belt courtesy of Primark.

Saturday 19th:
As I said, it was a friend's birthday that I went to which was neon themed, and neon is actually quite hard to find! So I wore this neon pink shirt which is friggin adorable from H&M (thanks Mum for the awesome find), white jeans from Primark and the black slippers also from Primark.

#celfie

I apologise but this is true to real life, my wardrobe is a majority of Primark and H&M and I am too wearing a t shirt from H&M right now accompanied by Primark running shorts so please understand that these two places are just my fave high street stores okay and that's where my clothes are from because a) nice stuff b) super cheap.

Thanks for reading!
Melissa xoxo

Favourite Clothing Websites!

I have been asked plenty of times by friends, "what online stores do you use?", well, here is that insight! I love to browse online, especially as the vast majority of clothes are shown online and are not in stores (that is often the other way around with H&M though I find). So here are the following sites I like to browse on and I'll show you the most common sites I actually purchase from. Bear in mind that the sites I browse on I would purchase their stuff, I don't just look for fun - if that makes sense? It just happens to be that I haven't ordered from them as of yet! 

Top sites I've purchased from:

ASOS:
 Of course! This is literally my most ordered from site in the fashion category (maybe of all time too/probably joint with Amazon) but the key reason I love ASOS is their wide range of brands on the site. For example, I think my most recent order from ASOS didn't even include anything from ASOS brand itself. I ordered brands such as Vero Moda, Rare London, Love, Pull&Bear and New Look. I also just bagged myself a new Eastpak backpack (pun intended) for half price too which was an absolute steal! Plus, free delivery (woohoooo!)

H&M:
 One of the main reasons I order online from H&M is because I find that H&M stores (well ones near me anyway) change around their stock quite fast, either it gets put in the sale, is an old line or just gets moved around to a different part of the store. So shopping in H&M used to stress me out a bit, hence why I browse online. I find that online, H&M have loads of great sale stuff - I rarely ever buy non-sale items online. When I do buy in store, which I have done quite a lot recently, I buy non-sale items, which are so cheap they may just as well be!

New Look:
 Now this is one of those sites that kinda cheats a bit because I've only ordered online from them once. However, I so rarely ever buy anything in store from them now I feel like it needs to be in this part of the post. New Look online stocks tonnes and tonnes of clothes that I'm quite frankly surprised they sell that many in the first place. (Maybe because my local store is a tad small). New Look sale items online are often such bargains, that in the last month I bought 8 items all in the sale for such decent prices, that I fell in love with 2 pairs of shoes, 2 tops, a cut out waist belt, hair accessories, and a skater skirt. But oh my god these shoes are to die for okay.

Top sites to browse:

As I said before, I would definitely order from these sites, I just haven't yet!!

Boohoo.com:
 I have to admit I was sceptical at first as for some reason I had it imprinted in my head that boohoo didn't sell good quality clothing. However, I learn that they are and when payday comes I know exactly what I am ordering from this site! The sell a lot of basic clothes, like wardrobe essentials at really great prices so I can't wait for my next pay check to come in!

Fashion Union: 
 I saw an advert on the tube for this site and the model wore a gorgeous blue dress, ideal for the upcoming summer with brights and pastels being on trend. So I checked it out online and my God was I in for a pleasant shock. The prices are so good for what this site sells - pieces of fabric that you can drape on your skin that just shine as if from angel Gabriel's butt. They sell such unique, fun and pretty clothes that make you just want to order everything.

My New Favorite Bag!

I cannot get enough of this bag oh gosh I am so glad I bought it because it is so cute and metallic and ditsy and handy and adorable oh dear. I bought it about a week ago from H&M in the sale for £7 and used it for the first time on Thursday when I went to Bastille at Alexandra Palace and it the perfect size for a small evening bag. It fits my phone wallet perfectly, a pair of sunglasses and my lipstick and plus it has a little zip pocket too for all your personal things. I absolutely love the strap detail of the chain (oh my god) and that the bag itself is structured, like a box (if you understand what I mean!), so there's no damage done by weighing out the bag. If H&M had this in a matte faux leather black then my dreams would come true and I think my dream mini bag would be a reality but in the meantime, thank you H&M for creating such a beautiful baby bag.

Thank you for reading!
Melissa xoxo

New Hair!

Ahh I haven't posted in so long but I've been so busy with college now that revision for my June exams has started and I'm trying to be more organised with myself but I am not sure that I am completely up to speed!

Anyway, on Wednesday I spontaneously decided to chop my hair off! My hair prior to this was sooooo long (it came down to my waist and probably measured 18-20") and I wanted something new - to be honest I was bored at the time too and saw inspiration to cut it but I didn't really have a style in mind and just went for it! I'm so pleased with how it's turned out, I'm impressed with my hair dressing skills! My split ends were unbelievable and thank God they are all gone because my hair is so healthy and fresh now, so much thicker I just know it.

I'll be posting more frequently (I hope) as I have a lot of ideas down, one of them being an all about my hair post if that's something you would like, just let me know!

Thank you for reading!
Melissa xoxo

Quick H&M Haul!

On Friday 28th February I was in town (I spent the day in court which was really boring) and a friend that I was with had to return something to H&M during our lunch hour and while I was in there I spotted this really nice skirt so as the day progressed I decided to go back to H&M after court was dismissed and see what they had. At the time I was wearing one of those basic H&M tube skirts that cost pennies and is it just me or do those skirts lose their stretch if you wear them for the day? Mine had faded a bit anyway due to many washes but it was losing it's stretch so it wasn't a tight mini skirt like it was supposed to be anymore but ANYWAY what I am trying to say is that when I saw this skirt I thought I would try it out and probably change into it because the basic tube skirt wasn't doing me any favours. I tried two different skirts on and ended up buying a really cute pleather, cross texture black mini skirt with silver zip detail on either side (insert cool photo that I took of Nina Nesbitt as she wore the exact same skirt the day I went to see her on the 13th Feb how freaking awesome - H&M don't have this skirt on their website so make do with this photo of Nina modelling it for you honestly you can't even see but oh well)

The next day, the Saturday I was supposed to meet a friend that I hadn't seen in a long time to go on a spree in Primark however her train was delayed by a couple of hours so I was wondering around (guess where) H&M for a while before picking up some cute things. Normally when I shop H&M in store (and online to be fair) it does tend to be sale items and I rarely purchase full priced items unless it's accessories like bags or shoes. The pleather skirt the previous day was a good buy at £14.99 and I was impressed that I managed to bag a cute black v-neck chiffon dress at just £14.99 too, a chiffon jumper style crop top which had PEONIES on it which was a cheap £9.99, a black scuba fitted mini skirt that was sale priced at £5 and lastly an adorable little box bag for a decent £7 which is so cute that I wrote a whole post about the bag itself and its many wonders.

THEN Sunday I was at work so I wasn't shopping but on Monday, I asked my sister Sophie if she wanted to come into town with me and honestly we were probably just going to get Starbucks then leave but her friend and my other sister Chloe joined us too and of course I ended up buying the kids McDonald's and reduced chocolate in Smith's before buying myself the dress of all dresses in (you guessed it) H&M! It's beautiful and I love it - it's half sleeve, navy blue velvet top half which is a sweetheart neckline with almost black chiffon from the sweetheart neckline to the neck plus a chiffon skirt. I'll insert a cheeky photo below as I probably haven't explained all too well what I am on about.

This isn't the exact dress as H&M didn't have it online but just imagine this ASOS one, without the deep plunge, half/three-quarter length sleeves, a chiffon skirt and the top velvet part in navy and then voila - I did see the dress on eBay actually when googling it

To sum up, I have ADORED H&M's stuff recently (so gorg) and I keep browsing the website almost everyday I swear I do it subconsciously but I love love love their new arrivals and just a lot of their shoes that they have available now too so when payday arrives the Friday after next, I will be there don't you worry.

Thanks for reading!
Melissa xoxo

Massive Haul! - Primark, Accessorize, H&M and ASOS

Yesterday (Tuesday) I went shopping (woops) and only bought from Primark and two necklaces from Accessorize. I spent huge in Primark, which I kind of knew was going to happen but I ended up coming out of the store with two of their massive massive massive bags for everything! So I thought I'd share some of the stuff I got with you!

I am wearing some things now which I won't show but they are just an ivory wrap blouse and a pair of rose floral leggings which are featured in my most recent instagram post (see below).

I picked up this gorgeously soft tartan pyjama set for only £7 - I slept in it last night hence the extreme creases in it but oh my it is so effortlessly soft I am so glad I bought this bad boy because I was skeptical when I was in the store because honestly, I don't need more jammies but #yolo. (Plus they have gold thread in them)

The first two things that entered my basket were these pairs of trouser leggings (or treggings -hate that word ew). I haven't tried them on yet but they were really good value for money (£6 each) as they feel incredibly soft and warm and have this little quilted patch by front pockets which makes it look less cheap. So of course I got the gorgeous emerald green ones featured in the picture and I also picked up a black pair for the all important structured black legging look. 

I saw this blouse below and fell in love. It's exactly what I had been looking for such a long time so I could finally get rid of this cotton one I'd been clinging onto for way too long! This sheer blouse is so perfect for all year round whether it be day time casual, for work or for a night out - IT IS PERFECT and was only £9.

This jumper was on one of those little sale racks that they have in there and I saw it and loved the cable knit pattern of it! I think ivory/cream cable knit jumpers are a staple item for autumn/winter and I desperately wanted to replace my two others which I didn't get much use out of this season. This jumper was originally £14 but was half price at £7 in the sale.

Below is a beautiful angora jumper which is so soft and snuggly and I cannot wait to wear this soon - it's gorgeous rose cutouts make it so different to anything else in my wardrobe. Bought for £7 as was half price - originally £14. (It's like a burnt rose colour but it doesn't pick up well with this camera - it's not bright red like it is shown!)

The last of my items in Primark include a blue pullover hoodie with a university varsity logo bang in the middle which I know is going to be super cosy as I have a similar one in a different colour which I purchased before. (Hoodie: £7).

 As I said I bought a pair of rose floral leggings which are incredibly soft. I love printed/pattern leggings like these this season as you can easily lounge in them with a sweatshirt but you can also dress them up like I did today with my outfit and accompanied them with another blouse I also bought in Primark yesterday, a sheer ivory wrap blouse bought for £5 in half price sale. (I paid £6 for the leggings). I also paired the leggings and blouse with a new item in my wardrobe - my new navy double breasted jacket/blazer from H&M which I only paid an amazing £8 for!

Some other few essentials in Primark were a pair of plain black £3 leggings, a teasing comb (£1), exfoliating gloves (£1), makeup wipes (£1), hairbands (£1), black t-shirt bra (£4), 2 lace thongs (£1 each), two packs of 40 denier tights (£3 each) and a pack of 2 cosy socks (best socks ever for £2).

Carrying on with my H&M items, I bought two of these vests shown below - one in the colour shown and the other in a sky blue costing £3 each. 

I also bought two long sleeved t-shirts similar to the picture here: 

One is mustard yellow, the other in burgundy - these tops are so great for layering especially in winter and they are so soft too I love them! Paid only £3 each for those too. I also ordered a burgundy v-neck top which hangs so nicely - it's fitted in all the right places but doesn't hug you - it swings were it's meant to and it is so great for layering too I love this top so much it is soooooooo soft I LOVE IT and it cost £3 too! 

One last item from H&M was a black knitted cardigan (never can have too many) - I haven't had a chance to wear it but I got such a good deal on it! I have a feeling the original price was somewhere between £24-£36 and it was put in the sale for £12 (at least 50% off anyway) and I got 25% off my most expensive item which this happened to be so I only paid £9 in the end! 

From Accessorize I picked up this absolutely stunning necklace (see links below) for 50% in the sale but the cashier gave me a further 10% off as one of the stones is missing but I could hardly tell anyway but I adore this statement necklace soooo much. (http://uk.accessorize.com/view/product/uk_catalog/acc_15,acc_15.6/4822460800)

I also bought a similar necklace too for an extra pop of colour as the stones are coloured and as coloured acrylics - the chain is also a tad longer :)

LASTLY - what I got from ASOS - I won't show the playsuit because even though I love it I wish I would have ordered a size up as it doesn't sit right on my upper half (even though the short part of it is fairly long) plus it was three straps on each side (so 6 in total) but I think maybe two of them have fallen off but luckily I still have the tag on it so I will be returning it when I have a chance!

I will tell you about my other purchases: a floral swing dress from the brand Love, with black lace shoulder cutouts and sleeves (it's so cute and ditsy aha) which cost me £13: 

I also bought this New Look plain black off the shoulder skater dress for a bargain of £9.99:

This Vero Moda lace swing dress looked so gorgeous I couldn't resist and when it arrived and I pulled it out the box it looked huge HUGE! And I tried it on and it is just a tad too long as it runs past my knees slightly but the thing I've found with jersey swing dresses is that they can easily been worn with skinny waist belts for a different look and that's what I love about this dress which cost a cheap £12.50.

And last but not least is not a clothing item but a bag from Pull and Bear which I ordered on asos.com. I did expect this bag to be a bit bigger as it is called a 'sports bag' but I used this as an overnight bag and it was the perfect size- I love the print (it reminds me of Katy Perry and I love her and I love tigers and I love bags and I love blue).

 This is such a lengthy post so if you have read all of this then wow I love you, you're great. All of this stuff I have bought has been since my last paycheck which was just after Christmas so of course naturally I would hit the sales! *Disclaimer* If anyone thinks I'm trying to brag about any of this you're stupid I love watching hauls on Youtube etc and reading posts on people's blogs about them - all of the items I've mentioned here and probably will buy in the future, I have paid for with my own hard earned money that I earn through my job (and a bit of Christmas money) so no I am not bragging/spoilt blah blah blah. 

ANYWAY thank you for reading this far! Tell me please if you like my writing style/the way I post - give me advice or tell me what you like by leaving comments below- THANKS SO MUCH XOXO