THE CAMEL SUEDE VEST

Whilst shopping recently, two features have been attracting me to various clothing items. Camel colours, and suede textures. You can only imagine my reaction when I saw this cami in New Look that comprised both those things into a single item for £9.99.

Of course it isn't real suede, but the quality and handle of the fabric itself is still lovely. The fit of this is incredible too, I was wowed when I saw it on the hanger - and even more in love when I put it on in the changing rooms. It is such a flattering cut and hangs so well on my body. What I adore is how versatile this item is - I can wear it with jeans, shorts or skirts and make it both casual and formal.

The only minor grumble I have with this is that it has a small interfacing round the neckline on both the front and the back - and this tends to pop out the top quite regularly as it's only attached at the top - but I think a good press with the iron and maybe a couple of stitches to tack it own can solve the problem if it really bothers you, but for me I'll just tuck it back in and keep going.

Such a classic piece that I will be wearing for months to come I imagine... maybe I'll pick up the black version too.

AUSSIE DO SHOWER GELS

I've always loved the Aussie hair range; from the punny labels to the scents of the products, so when I found out that they were bringing out a range of shower gels/body washes I was over the moon. I chose the Shower Smoothie version, that literally smells like the bubblegum-ish shampoo, but still fresh and not sickly by any means. There's another 3 in the line I believe, and I hope to make my way through them all, but I chose this one for it's debut in my shower.

What I like is how well this lathers, as I need a small amount and there are endless bubbles. It's also pretty nourishing on the skin, and doesn't leave the skin feeling tight like some intense shower gels cam, but of course you still feel fresh and clean after using it. The moisture is probably thanks to the Macadamia Nut Oil, and each scent has a different addition to it, from Ginseng to Jojoba Oil. You can also purchase these in 2 sizes, and I've seen quite a few offers on since they launched, so definitely worth having a look.

I'm certainly not disappointed, and I'm looking forward to seeing where Aussie branch out to next.

SUNGLASSES SEASON

Perhaps a little typically British of me, but as soon as a hint of sun shows I go mad for sunglasses, rooting through my old collection as well as picking up some new ones. I am the type of person that leaves them lying around in the car or in the bottom of my bag and they end up looking tatty, so cheap and cheerful options are always what I go for, and I hit the jackpot with these £1.50 pair from Primark. They're oversized, but for once I don't look like some sort of bug.

What I like about these is the balance between them being square and slightly cat eyed at the edges, as they don't look too heavy and harsh on my face that is rather small. Sunglasses are one of the things I find hard to suit me, they are either too big, too small, too square or too round, and it is rare I find a good pair for me, especially in Primark where some of them look too plastic and cheap.

These also have a thick, shiny rim around them which I quite like, and I'm surprised at how fashionable these sunglasses actually look, and the seem sort of Céline to me, of course not quite matching the style, price and brand, but it must just be the classic style to them that does it for me. I'm hoping the sun sticks around, because I'm itching to wear these more.

DIY RIPPED KNEES #2

Ripped jeans has been a trend a lot of fashion bloggers have enjoyed throughout last year and going into this year. Personally, I don't have the money to fork out for a pair of pre-ripped jeans as they seem to be more expensive than regular jeans, and having short legs the slits never quite match my knees anyway, so I do it the budget way and DIY it.

The jeans I used were from Primark, their Ultra Soft Super Skinny £11 ones, in the Petite leg. I'm rather short and it's such a struggle to find jeans that I don't have to turn up due to extra length, but these are the perfect fit, and aren't baggy on me at all either. Because they have a slight stretch to them, it made the ripping much more simple, compared to last time where I used a pair with more of a stiff denim.

All I did was mark out where my knees are with tailors chalk I had lying around, and then took the jeans off to make it safer and easier. I cut two small holes and then used my inner strength (I joke) to rip that hole the entire width I had marked. This caused fraying and that distressed look I was going for so I didn't have to go mad with the cheese grater nor tweezers like last time.

After months of searching, it seems I've found the perfect fit of ripped knee jeans in the comfort of my own home.

RIVER ISLAND LEOPARD SLIP ONS

Slip On/Skate Shoes are a trend that a lot of people enjoyed last year, and towards the back end of 2014 I got myself this leopard print pair from River Island for £10 in the sale, and it's started what I think to be a long term love regardless of whether the trend continues into 2015.

I did want some black croc textured ones (and still do) but of course they weren't included in the sale, being such a staple design, so instead I decided to go against my comfort zone of all black and try out these ones - slightly lustred, snakeskin textured leopard variations. I didn't know how I'd get on with them, but I'm really enjoying styling them into various looks (my personal favourite; black skinny jeans, and a thick deep green roll neck *outfit post coming soon*).

Upon the first 2-3 wears they did hurt the backs of my feet a little but with some plasters to help me through I managed to break them in and can go out fuss free. These have easily become my current favourite pair of shoes and I'm hoping my collection of slip ons will grow in the upcoming months - although purchasing my new blog design (what do you think?) has set me back on the spending slightly.

AFFORDABLE JOGGERS: LAZY WEAR

So, as you may know I am going to the USA (Florida to be specific) in a matter of days when I am writing this post, and I will be there by the time this goes up. I was on the lookout for some joggers or leggings that looked quite nice for the journey, and I stumbled across these in Primark for £7 and I could have squealed.

I saw something similar in H&M for something around the £15 mark which is still quite reasonable, but for finding something cheaper that I still really like the look of, I obviously decided to save a few pounds.

They are a grey wool looking material with black accents like the waistband, heel cuffs and pocket linings, and I really like the style. Being short like myself, it is often difficult to find things like this that still look slim, but these seem to look really nice on me.

Overall, a great bargain and I know these will be my choice of at home loungewear from now on, and if you spot these in Primark, definitely get yourself a pair.

DAILY MAKEUP BRUSHES

It's all very well owning brushes upon brushes of all different shapes and sizes in your collection, but when it comes to the daily makeup routine hunting around for a suitable brush begins to waste time, which is why I've narrowed it down to 8 brushes I use on a daily basis that seem to get me through the mornings.

FACE: When it comes to the face, only 3 brushes are really well loved. The first is the Real Techniques Contour Brush, which comes in handy for multiple uses, and for me, contouring, highlighting, and powdering (as well as cream and powder blush when I wear them) are the steps where I tend to reach for this brush. The Real Techniques Buffing Brush comes in handy for applying foundation and concealer, when I really want to spend time buffing in to create that photoshop finish on my skin. The Nanshy Round Buffer Brush is used for the same purposes, but as it's more dense and less flexible I find it quicker to slap on products using this offering when I'm in a rush.

EYES: Here's where things get a little bit more complex, with each brush doing something different. The Tiger Spoolie is used daily to comb and shape my brows, with this Ebay Fraulein angles brush to fill them in with my Elf Pebble Eyeshadow. The next brush along is the Nanshy Tapered Crease, which comes in handy when I'm applying and smudging shadow along the lower lashline for a sultry look. Then comes the Nanshy Blending Eyeshadow, which I tend to use for applying colour to the lid, and also working a warm matte into the crease. Finally, the No7 Blend and Contour Brush is one I always just to finish off any blending and make my eye shadow look seamless.

Now all I need is a good gel liner brush, perhaps a powder brush, and something a little smaller for precise concealer application. What brushes do you use daily?

BARGAIN SUNGLASSES

Whilst browsing Matalan the other day, I found a pair of sunglasses I instantly fell in love with. I never spend much money on sunglasses because I either go off them, or leave them floating around in the bottom of my bag to get scratched. But, despite the £2 sale price tag of these (reduced from £8), I will be keeping them in good condition because they are just too darn nice. Sunglasses rarely suit me, so the fact I'm blogging about this pair is a huge statement.

They have quite a Kourtney Kardashian vibe to them in my eyes (excuse the pun), as they are slightly winged in the top outer corners, and they also don't have any plastic round the bottom which I think makes them look that little bit more chic. The lenses themselves are fairly round, but the black plastic on the top diverts away from this giving them that stunning shape.

I also quite like the gold arms, they just add to the style, and honestly I don't know why but wearing these makes me feel so fashion forward, that I don't want to take them off. These will definitely be coming with me to my trip to America in October, so despite the late purchase, I will be getting my wear out of them.

GARNIER MICELLAR CLEANSING WATER

After a long day, most of the time all I want to do is get my makeup off, and as quickly as possible. I’m not exactly a face-wipe fan, so generally I go for micellar water for the face followed by a separate eye makeup remover. I finally got my hands on the Garnier Micellar Water and I have been using it nearly daily since I bought it so I thought it was the prime time to give you the low-down.

It definitely does the whole speedy removal thing well, I soak a cotton pad, and within a couple of swipes over the face, the bulk of my makeup is gone. I have tried this on my eyes too, and it doesn’t do too badly of a job on waterproof makeup on the eyes, but it takes a couple more swipes than your general bi-phase remover.

It claims for no rinsing afterwards, but I am one for a second cleanse with my Origins Clean Energy Cleansing Oil, so I haven’t tried it out on that aspect, but I will say you don’t have too much of a sticky residue after, but for me it’d feel odd to just go straight in with my night cream afterwards. If you are really desperate to jump into bed however, this would be a good option to go for if you can’t be dealing with the full on cleansing routine.

For something short of a fiver for what claims to be 200 uses, this really isn’t a bad product, and if you haven’t tried it out I would definitely give it a shot in your skincare routine.

EXPERIMENTAL EYES #2 - PINK AND GOLD

You might remember my first installment of 'experimental eyes' and today I'm here with part two, which is a bit more wearable and is a soft, almost quite romantic pink and gold look. I will add that my brows were not looking on point on the day and I can't help but gawp at them instead of focusing on the shadow, so apologies.

I started by using the Avon Eye Primer as per usual, and then took Shade 2 from the MUA Undressed Palette (a budget friendly look today) on the inner half of the lid to create a slightly pink sheen. Shade 4 (a pale brown/taupe shimmer) went over the rest of the lid with Shade 6 (quite comparable to Half Baked by Urban Decay) in the centre of the lid to add that golden sheen.

For the pink crease I began with Shade 5 as a warm matte brown base, and then took Crochet from the Sleek Lace Blush By Three, along with the pink from the H&M Spring Flowers Blush to transition it as it was a bit lighter in colour. I don't own any pink shadows so it's all about working with the products you own whether that be blushes, bronzers or something else. As usual I blended the outer edge with a touch of the Sleek Contour colour to give it a warm, seamless look and is pretty much foolproof.

I used the Barry M Blink Pen Liner to create a wing slightly less dramatic than shown in the previous look, but still fairly noticeable. I also used the same array of mascaras as the previous look, Soap and Glory Thick & Fast, followed by Sheercover Lash Fibres, then Too Faced Lashgasm - a bit of a creature of habit it seems (or maybe not considering I just put pink on my eyes). 

TWO BUDGET CLEANSERS

Being a teenager, I have a lower budget than most of the beauty bloggers out there, so the majority of the products in my collection are budget based (and I don't think there is anything wrong with that personally), because there are so many gems in high street/drugstore, and by the looks of it, that's no different for when it comes to cleansers.

The first of the duo is one I have mentioned a few times now, and as I had a new bottle sitting in my drawer (my third bottle of the stuff) I feel like it deserves to be in this post. The Superdrug Naturally Radiant Hot Cloth Cleanser is a thick, cream/hot cloth cleanser which does a good job at removing makeup in the first cleanse, or fully cleansing as the second cleanse. I also really like this one in the morning, and it doesn't leave any kind of a tight feeling on the skin.

A recent discovery for me is the No7 Melting Cleansing Gel which I got when I had the ever so famous £5 off voucher. Don't be fooled, this is called a gel, and at first it is a balm-like gel. Once you start massaging it into your face though, as it warms up it turns into an oil texture, and then upon rinsing, washes off more like a milk. I prefer this for the second cleanse, and although it does remove the majority of makeup, I had a little eye-stinging action with this when trying to get of the remains of my waterproof mascara - so keep that in mind.

If you know of any budget oil-cleansers out there, do let me know as that is what's next on my skincare wishlist.

THE EYE PRIMER PARTY

As much as I don't get along with many face primers, not a day goes by without me using an eye primer. No-one likes a creased eye look, nor a liner wing that's halfway down the lashline.I have 4 in my collection, all of which I find work for different things.

My favourite of the bunch is the Avon Eye Shadow Primer in Light Beige which is slightly tinted so it colour corrects the eye and mattifies (without drying whatsoever) the entire lid and preps it for anything you are putting on top - shadow, cream products, or just liner. It's great.

The next offering is the MUA Pro Base Eye Primer, which was actually my very first post on this blog. I raved about it then, and although this is still great and extremely budget based, I feel like the Avon one just beats it for me. But, this one still does the job well and if I didn't have the Avon one in my life I would still be using this daily.

When I am doing a dramatic eye, or anything involving a touch of colour, I reach for the Dainty Doll Frankie Girl Eye Base as it is so pale that it totally blanks out the lid with a creamy coloured layer, which makes any colour stand out more and mattifies so there is no creasing.

Finally, the Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer (mini) has been in my collection for a short while now. I did rave about this originally, but the last time I used this I had a bit of creasing going on. I'm hoping it was a one off because I really liked this one beforehand.

What are your favourite eye primers?