DAILY GRUNGE - THE OUTFIT

Flannel - H&M  /  Vest - TkMaxx  /  Bag - H&M  /  Jeans - Primark  /  Shoes - New Balance 410

The majority of my wardrobe consists of monochrome so for me it's not difficult to create grungy, dingy looks, but today I think the combination was worthy of a post itself. A black and white flannel shirt seems to make any outfit that little bit more edgy and it just seemed to pair really well with the sort of acid wash grey loose vest. I actually found it in TkMaxx for £8 the other day and instantly imagined this outfit, and it's lovely quality too. 

I think some ripped jeans would have tied this outfit together that little bit more, however they were in the wash so standard, slightly looser jeans were on the cards. I've also got a corresponding makeup look too with quite a warm red smokey eye and some cool toned lips that'll be going up at some point soon, so look forward to that one. 

NEW BALANCE 410 BLACK SONIC TRAINERS

For a while now, I've been wanting a decent pair of trainers, and I've never quite found a pair I loved (being the fussy buyer I am), and I've often been known to spend hours trawling the internet to find a pair - even making a few orders and returns along the way.

I'd seen the New Balance 410 style around and liked them a lot, but never wanting much colour I just waited, until I found these Black Sonic ones on ASOS. I kept sending screenshots to my friends, and eventually I caved. They are all black, apart from the white and grey sole, and are mesh with suede look panels, and I am in LOVE. Seriously, it is £60 very well spent.

The fit is amazing as is the comfort of them, but I would add that I usually fit a UK size 5 but after some research I went for a 6 instead as apparently they come up a little small - and the 6's were a perfect fit. I must admit, I do also love the neon coral lining on the inside of the shoe. I'd been looking for trainers that I could use to workout and to style in outfits, and these fit that category perfectly. They aren't your Nike Free 5.0s by any means, and they probably aren't major running shoes, but for workout DVD's in the house (my personal favourite), they fit the bill.

ASOS seem to have a good selection of New Balance trainers if you are interested - so go and have a look whilst trying not to spend all your savings...

NYC SUNNY BRONZER

Being quite fair skinned (until a holiday or the sun comes out - then I tan sooo easily, which I guess is rather lucky) and a fake-tan fearer, I try to get the faux glow going on with the help of bronzer, and my collection is pretty much brimming. Nars Laguna is 100% my favourite, but as I have hit pan on that I've gone back to the trusty NYC Sunny Bronzer. 

What I love about this is that it is extremely budget, I got it in the USA for the equivalent of about £1.50, which is a total bargain, and you get quite a decent amount (and a mirror) for that price. For me, the colour is a little too intense on pale skin, so the Real Techniques Duo Fibre brush comes in rather handy to get a light amount, however when I'm tanned, this is a pretty good colour, and I find it looks best when I've already got some colour in me.

It's almost totally matte, which is what I love, as although it is becoming more popular among drugstore brands, finding a matte bronzer used to be extremely difficult on a budget. I still wouldn't use this for contour and the colour is still a bit too orange for that on my skin, but it might work well on others.

If you can get your hands on this, I totally recommend it, as it doesn't break the bank either, and try out your preference with it. At the moment for me, it's a light handed affair, but I'm hoping as the sun comes out a can pick up a brush that's a little more dense....

KIKO SMART LIPSTICKS

KIKO is a brand I don't own very much from, as I don't live in London, and I often don't want to make a full on order online, so KIKO products are very few and far between my ever growing makeup collection. I do own three of the Smart Lipsticks though, and I do love them.

The formula is quite creamy, and by no means matte on the lips, so not majorly long lasting, although for a slightly sheen-y product they do have pretty good staying power. I seem to have accumulated colours across the spectrum, and I'm fairly sure they are cheap (I'm talking around the £3 mark from what I remember).

908 is the true red, and surprisingly one of the only reds I have ever found to suit me. It's so so pigmented, and one coat has the lips ready to go almost, and I think the fact that it's slightly more glossy than a matte means I find it a little less 'bold' if you will.

912 is a medium pink, that has a slight red tone to it, so it isn't anything fuchsia here, and is one of the first bold lip colours I actually felt comfortable wearing. I'll also add, these smell pretty good, as I find a lot of lipsticks to smell too plasticy, whereas these are slightly sweet.

Finally 901, that I'd describe as a brown nude that is slightly peachy (quite a throwback shade I guess) and I really enjoy wearing this one on a daily basis, as the consistency and the colour is so wearable.

I hope to grow my collection of the KIKO Smart Lipsticks, but I don't know where to start! Do you have any colours from the collection?

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.