Review// Rimmel Apocolips Lip Lacquer

Hello, It is review time again! Apologies for how long it has been since my last blog post, I've been on holiday (reasonable excuse?) I thought I would kick of my return with a review on the much lusted Apocolips Lip Lacquer by Rimmel.As soon as I saw these little beauties advertised I knew I had to pick them up!

Now in terms of price, this product sells in Superdrug for £6.49 which is so reasonable! The product comes in eight colours; Celestial, Nova, Galaxy, Apocalyptic, Big Bang, Lunar, Stella and Nude eclipse. In store I had such a hard time limiting myself to only two but decided upon Luna and Celestial for bright summery lips.

At first, I was a little unsure as to how the finish of as 'Lip Lacquer' may be. The best description is that i would be the lovechild of lipgloss and lipstick. The finish is glossy like a gloss but lasts like a lip stick. The mix between the two means it does not dry the lips and covers any dry skin evenly. Overall, an excellent finish.

The application is used via a doe-foot applicator which does the job effectively. This applicator contains a well of colour meaning you don't have to keep returning the applicator to the tube which is going to prevent drying of the product and contamination, yay!

Luna (pictured above on the left swatch) can be worn lightly as an almost nude coral but can be built up into a darker coral shade which is the most summery bright shade I have seen. Celestial, a gorgeous rose pink, is a more subtle, wearable shade. One I wear for the daytime (right swatch.) I would say they last around four hours, possibly more if you aren't constantly drinking (like I tend to.)

The last comment I will make is the packaging. I am not usually too bothered about packaging but these look fantastic. I think the fact you can see the colour through the tube also means you wont be hunting through your makeup bag. And as for the name Apocolips, who doesn't love a play on words?

Overall, a fantastic product and my new favourite. Next on my wish list is Big Bang, a bright red! 

Leave a comment and tell me what you thought of them!

Lots of love,

Icon// Lucy Mecklenburgh

Lucy Mecklenburg

I like to give credit where credit is due and I think Lucy Mecklenburg needs a pat on the back for being absolutely perfect. I am an avid watcher of The Only Way Is Essex and she is the character I can relate to the most and she seems like a genuinely nice person. That and she is absolutely stunning and one of my many icons.

Her fashion sense is impecable so i've included my favourite outfits of hers. Some of which she sells in her boutique and online on 'Lucy's Boutique' website. 

How cute is this? Lucy has (what I imagine to be) a natural tan which is set off by this little white number. This picture is the best one I could find online yet it doesn't shows the heels she wore. That being said, as it's white any colour would work well.

I think Lucy wore this to the races last year and I think it's simple, classy and fashionable. She has coordinated it with white heels and a hat. Lovely.

I had a playsuit similar to this (same colour) but it had birds dotted all over it. Though, I much prefer this cute little pink playsuit. Like many of her outfits, it is just simple and classy.

 

This white asymmetric dress is sold on Lucy's clothing website at around £300 and I do not care what I have to do but one day I will buy this dress and find an excuse to wear it. I think shes an absolute vision in it. Could I fawn over her any more? Here's a few more pictures to enjoy.

 

Much love,

 

Fashion// What I wore on holiday

 Dress: Boohoo £12.99, Cardigan: New Look £7.99 and Bag: New Look £24.99

I have recently returned from a two week long cruise aboard the MSC Opera and thought I would show you my holiday outfits and a general 'What I got up to' post. We visited Imjuiden, Amsterdam, Harlem, Guernsey, Vigo, Bilbao, Lisbon and Le Havre. I think everyone will agree that wearing a new outfit on every day of your holiday is what makes it for us girls.

The outfit above was really a last minute idea. The bag is one that I have already owned for quite some time and it goes with everything. The dress is quite plain really (apologies I don't have a better Image of it, I am still without my DSLR.) But for travelling in, it is perfect. I also wore this for the flight to Paris earlier this summer and it is so comfortable.  The cardigan was only £7.99 and it goes with everything. It's also perfect for walking round the ship at night when there was a slight chill.

 

Bag: As above, Maxi Skirt: New Look £16.99, Crop Top: New Look £3.99 and Belt: Primark £1.00

This was the one outfit I could not wait to wear. This image was taken beside the waterways in Amsterdam, which was the first stop of the cruise. I knew this skirt would be great for walking around in as it is so soft and really light. A plain white crop top is really a wardrobe essential in my eyes as they can go under everything.

 

Skirt: As Above, Crop Top: New Look £9.99 and Clutch Bag: Lavish Alice £19.99

At some point I will sit down and take a close up shot of the clutch bag featured here, it's so individual, I have never seen anything like it before or since. Check out the Lavish Alice website as it is really great for one off pieces no one else will have.  The maxi skirt is the same I wore in the day, but it became a whole new outfit when paired with this polka dot crop top. The image was taken on the main stairwell and you can see from this picture that the cruise ship was gorgeous. 

Playsuit: New Look £19.99 and Satchel: New Look £12.99

This playsuit  has been in my wardrobe a couple of years and It's still one of my favourite items to take on holiday. It's great for walking around and exploring, which is what I was doing here around Vigo. 

 

Peplum Top: New Look £8.99, Leggings: New Look £7.99

This was quite a dark outfit for me (being all in black.) There was a jumpsuit version on ASOS for £50 and this, considering  it looks exactly the same on, was perfect for a night in the bars. When we visited Guernsey there was a new look and you may have noticed that practially everything i've brought is from there. I LOVE New Look and it has always been my go to place for everything. As suspected, when I visited I found a cute plain tee and a bright pink clutch which I thought would brighten up this outfit. Here I am getting rather excited about it below.

The clutch.

 

Playsuit: New Look £24.99 Bag: As Above

I love a bit of polka dot and this playsuit is cute as a button. It's navy and white so I can pass as nautical, which think is only appropriate. 

Dress: Miss Guided £38.99, Clutch: Primark £3.00, Necklace: Accessorize £9.00

This was the dress I wore for Gala night and I wish had a reason to wear it every day because I love it. The clutch was an absolute bargain that I brought before the dress and it was only £3.00! 

After yet another very long blog post (Holiday blues haven't set in yet) so I will leave you with some other photos from my holiday. 

 Lots of Love,

Haul// Holiday Essentials

It's that lovely time of year again where we all get to escape to somewhere wonderful. I love love love summer. The heat, the tanned skin and the gorgeous feminine clothes that flood the highstreet. I know i'm not the only one who begins buying things months and months in advance. I also suspect I'm not the only one who has 'must haves' that they take on holiday. Well here are the things i'll be taking away with me this year. Behold my lovely holiday essentials.

Image includes:

 Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes,

Miss Sporty Fabulous Lash Mascara,

Elvive Colour Protect Shampoo,

Elvive Colour protect Conditioner,

Hawaiian Tropic Aftersun Body Butter,

Hawaiian Tropic, Dry Spray Oil SPF 15

Hawaiian Tropic, Dry Spray Oil SPF 10

Hawaiian Tropic, Tropical Tanning Oil, Dark

Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid in Sun Beige

Victoria Beckham perfume 'Intimately Beckham'

Hawaiian Tropic Aftersun Body Butter, Hawaiian Tropic, Dry Spray Oil SPF 15 and Hawaiian Tropic, Dry Spray Oil SPF 10.

I am the biggest fan of Hawaiian tropic products and have been using them for years. Others who have used this product will agree that it's exceptional.  It's a spray on oil which distributes an even amount for you to rub in and done! The coconut smell of this product is gorgeous and a wiff in the middle of winter is enough to take me back to my holidays. This time around i'm only taking SPF 15 and 10 as i've already developed an all over base tan from sunbathing in my garden. In Britain (I know, weird right?) 

Anyhow, i'll also be taking along the Dry tanning oil. I'd heard of this product a lot recently and decided I'd give it a go as all of Hawaiian tropics have done me so well in the past. I wasn't disappointed, although I definitely recommend using an SPF underneath! 

Hawaiian Tropic Aftersun Body Butter.

Now, I don't even like lime smelling things and yet this smells delicious! I committed the biggest blogging faux pas and used a bit of the product before photographing it. Why tell you? Well you can see it on the tub, whoops! Anyway, hydrated skin is known to tan far better than dry skin so an aftersun is a must. As expected, it's fantastic. My skin still felt soft the morning after using it.

Elvive Colour Protect Shampoo & Elvive Colour protect Conditioner.

It may not seem like what shampoo and conditioner you use is that important. However, I have naturally quite long hair which, when sunbathing, gets dry. That being said, I need hair products that keep it moisturized and healthy.  I'm also naturally a golden blonde and I dye it brunette so colour protection is a must. These are my regular Shampoo/Conditioner go to products and really bring out the vibrancy of my hair. They aren't as moisturizing as dry hair products are, however I combine with extraordinary oil (Review coming soon) and it maintains my locks.

Victoria Beckham perfume 'Intimately Beckham'

To me, perfume is the best investment a girl can make. I think having a fragrance you wear regularly makes you feel feminine and is an essential last touch before I leave the house. My all time favourite fragrance is Christina Aguilera by Night. It's rich, floral and for a student, very expensive. Therefore, I only wear it for nights out and special occasions (unless i'm flush in which case I wash in the stuff.) For my everyday perfume, I use this one. It's light and floral and lasts a long time. Best of all, I brought a 30ml bottle for just £7 (Wilkinson's!) On holiday I want to look and feel my best so this is first in my suitcase.

 Miss Sporty Fabulous Lash Mascara & Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid in Sun Beige.

Makeup, we all knew this was going to end up in here. I buy a lot of new makeup products for holiday but the two essentials are my mascara and foundation. As you tan on holiday, the foundation you arrived in becomes too light. So, I make it my priority to pick up a darker shade. This time i've been a little presumptuous in the colour i've chosen, sun beige. If i actually get dark enough to wear this I will be a very happy girl indeed. 

The miss sporty mascara is only £1.99 and I'm really happy with it. It makes my eyelashes look long and curly, without any clump whatsoever. You're probably wondering why I buy a new one to go away with (or you don't really care.) Reason being is that this mascara dries out a little faster than most, though I can't grumble for the price. I always take a new one so if it does dry out, I can throw it and carry on using my regular one at home. 

   Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes.

 This is probably an odd product to include in an 'essentials' post but for me it really is. I usually remove my makeup with a cleanser/toner/moisturizer etc. However, when you're watching your luggage weight you have to watch what products you take. These are light, remove makeup really well and leave skin clean and fresh. They are expensive at £3.00 for 25 wipes but a one off purchase for holidays is fairly reasonable in my mind. 

I think this post has given a new meaning to the word longggg. Hope you enjoyed reading and have a lovely holiday if you're off anywhere. 

Lots of love,

Update// My Twitter, Instagram & Contacts

Just a short post this time (I bet you're thinking thank god for that) to let you know about my twitter, instagram and contact details. Should you want to get in touch or see what I'm up to.

 

Twitter: @LauraJHobbs

Instagram: @laurahobbsy

Email: ljh14@aber.ac.uk

If you ever want to get in touch with questions or comments you can message me on any of the above. If you're emailing me, please put in the descriptions box 'Blog' so I know what you're messaging in reference to. I always love to hear from you (I've had some lovely contact already) and will be happy to take suggestions for future posts, a bit of inspiration is always lovely! I'll leave you with some of my Instagram photo's to take a mosey through. 

 

Night Out.

Faro, Portugal.

OOTD.

Aberystwyth Beach at Sunset.

Have a cheeky peak at my Instagram for more of my photo's. 

Much Love,

YouTube// Ones to Watch

I believe that at least 80% of the things i've learned about makeup have come from watching YouTube tutorials. Many a time have a seen some gorgeous celeb sporting a new look and you can always trust YouTube to provide you with the tutorial to recreate it. If you haven't taken full advantage of this tool at your fingertips, start doing so now. To help you along, I have chosen three of my favourite YouTube personalities that I think you'll like.  I'm thinking of maybe doing a 'Ones to Watch' post once a month showing different YouTube personalities, so keep an eye out.

Lauren Curtis 

This girl is simply fantastic. From wedding and prom to everyday, every makeup look is fantastic. She does use high end makeup products which if (like me) you can't afford, you can buy cheaper versions to recreate the look. The image above is from her 'Bridal makeup tutorial' which I strongly recommend you watch if you want to recreate this gorgeous makeup look. Here's short list of some of my favourite tutorials.

Prom Makeup Tutorial
Get Ready with Me: Casual
Red Mahogany Smokey Eye Tutorial
In-Depth Makeup Tutorial for Pale Skin

Chloe Morello

 

Chloe Morello is one of my all time favourite YouTube personalities (not sure what else to call them?) I have relied on her makeup tutorials a lot in the past. In fact I was going for a day out with the boyfriends parents and couldn't decide how to do my makeup. Actually, I was having a bit of a meltdown then to my rescue Chloe Morello had a tutorial for just that (last video in the list). As it turned out, my 'mother in law' (just kidding, not engaged) actually complimented my makeup, nice one Chlo! I really had trouble choosing just a few of her tutorials but here's my all time favourite three. 

Adrianna Lima's Victoria Secret Angel Makeup

Simple Yet Elegant Makeup Look

Natural & Glowing 10 Minute Makeup Tutorial

Lauren Luke

 Lauren Luke is the goddess of the tutorial world. I'd go as far to say that she was one of the first. After doing hundreds of videos she now has her own makeup and brush collections. All which have a specific makeup tutorial to show you how versatile they are. I intend to get one (not long until Christmas!) Plus, she has the longest eyelashes i've ever seen! Just look at the thumbnails of some of her videos and you will think they're fake. 

Leona Lewis Bleeding Love Inspired Tutorial

Rihanna & Angelina Jolie Cat Eyeliner Eye Makeup Tutorial

Sweet & Innocent Bridal/Wedding makeup Look

Well I hope you take my advice and check out the YouTube channels of all these lovely ladies. You will not regret it I promise.

Love,

Wish List// University Shop

I've probably mentioned a dozen or so times how excited I am to go back to university in September (wanting to go back and work, crazy!) And I wouldn't be a true follower of fashion if I hadn't racked up a wish list of clothes i'm in love with. Now I am in LOVE with everything New Look. It's cheap, in fashion and is always in good taste. So it comes as no surprise that everything in my wish list is New Look stock. Here's some items i've got my eyes on and a breakdown of cost and outfit ideas.  

 

So here's my nine items. Not so bad right? Considering how many gorgeous items of clothing there is out there, I think this lot are just peanuts (or at least that's what i'm telling myself)

1. Mandi cream 3/4 sleeve open knit top £15.00

The Great Gatsby was released earlier this year and I can't help but be reminded of it when i look at this top. This sort of item is perfect with jeans and a white tee underneath. Understated but very cute.

2. Shell pink eyelash textured jumper £19.99

Is this not the cutest thing ever? If a girl likes anything it's pink, make it fluffy and it's practically perfection. With leggings and some cute boots this outfit would be perfect for popping to lectures.

3. Inspire Mink Brown cut out racer back top £12.99

This may seem to be a boring thing to lust over but I just love it. I think it's one of those items that you buy without really thinking about, and find that you're taking it out of your wardrobe again and again. 

4. Brown Contrast Zip Pocket Tote £10.00

Yes, only £10, it went in the sale so i've actually already purchased it. When I get my lovely camera back (moan moan moan) I will photograph everything, promise. I think it will go really nicely with the top mentioned above. In fact I think everything in this selection go really well together.                                                   

5. Brown Western Purse £7.99 

I don't really need to explain this to much. It's a purse. And it's nice.

6. Monochrome Scratch Print peplum £9.99

I think this is an absolute bargain. I'd wear it with heels and leggings with a clutch for an evening out to the pub or with trousers for a smart workwear look. It's so versatile and so cheap I can't pass it up. 

7. Black Double Buckle Wedge Boots £24.99

Now for a student, this is pretty pricey for shoes let me tell you. But what fashionista would I be if I passed up on these beauties? They are tallll but I think for nights out they're perfectly appropriate.

8. Blue Peplum Shell Top £8.99

For £8.99 we're practically stealing these from New Look. They also sell in red, cream and black. I honestly love all of them and have yet to decide upon which colour i'll end up buying. Who knows, maybe my wardrobe will end up with all three. 

9. Gold Mega Chain Drape Necklace £17.99

This is costly for costume jewellery but it's so glamorous who can resist? This show stopper could make a plain tee and jeans an outfit and I desperately need it in my life.

Congratulations if you have made it through my incredibly long (and sad) post about my current New Look wish list. I'm sure the list will grow a lot knowing me but I think you've probably suffered enough. 

A big thankyou if you've read,

Much Love,

 

Review// Rimmel Powder Stay Matte Pressed Powder

Review time again! It may seem odd to do an entire review just for powder but for me, powder is an essential part of my makeup bag. For years i've been using Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid foundation (review to come soon) and despite it being one of my favourites, it's not complete without a dusting of powder. 

I have tried countless highstreet powders from products by 2True and MUA to Maybelline but this is by far the best i've used. The retail price is currently £3.99, which is perfect for a student budget. It comes in a few colours, though the only two I can name are Warm beige (the colour I brought) and transparent. The transparent is a very pale shade whereas Warm beige is a darker powder. Again, I apologise for having to use these photos, my DSLR is in my university room 120 miles away. Anyhow, back to the powder, the finish is light but can be built up for a better coverage. The only thing about the product i'm not overly fond of is the packaging. Many a time I have ruined a compressed powder by undoing the screw top and finding the base has flown off elsewhere. Just me? But, for the price I can't grumble.

Thanks as always,