Illamasqua makeover review

Bonjour my lovely bloggers,

Yes I have been absent for some while, and I apologise for that deeply, but I am finally feeling inspired to start this up again! So, as the title suggests, this post is all about Illamasqua. If you haven't heard of them (i'm sure you have) they are a higher end makeup brand that specialise in unusual and striking colours. A lot of makeup artists favour Illamasqua along with Mac, Urban Decay etc and I can see why. They are quickly becoming one of the top makeup brands and definitely my favourite.

One of the reasons I have been a little preoccupied recently is that it's been my 21st birthday. I decided that I wanted to feel really special and have my makeup done professionally. I have been feeling a little down about myself recently, and this is another reason that my blog has been neglected, I got stuck in a rut but this really gave me a boost and inspired me again. I decided I wanted a heavy, smokey look as the club we were going to is a rocky/grungy club. I booked into Illamasqua's concession in Debenhams (Meadowhall, Sheffield) with a girl called Zoe, who is utterly incredible. She talked me through everything she was doing and kept asking my opinion on products and what I would like her to use. This really put me at ease as I felt I could let her know if I wanted anything changing, which is something i'm always worried about with makeup counters. I was really happy with the finished look and had loads of compliments on my makeup.


Here is a few shots of the final look

The picture on the left is my naked face and the right is after Zoe got her hands on it !!!

Products used : 

Eyes- Stealth cream, obsidian,wolf, forgiveness and feint eye shadows, infinity gel liner and mascara.

Brows- Brow cake in thunder and an angled brush

Skin- Hydra Veil primer, skin base and powder blusher in Alure 

Lips- pencil in Honour and lipstick in Shard.

I absolutely loved my look and as Illamasqua's tag line says "Makeup for your alter ego" I really felt like someone completely different! The makeover cost me £30 and this was redeemable on the day against products. I ended up buying the brow cake, honour pencil and lipstick in shard, and have managed to create great looks with them myself. 

Check out Zoe's work here 

Instagram- ZOELEANNEPEPLOW

and on Facebook too!

What are your favourite Illamasqua products? 

Ruby xo

Moments That Mattered 2013

Hello my lovely bloggers,

I know I have been very neglectful of this blog, but I promise i'll try my hardest to get this blog going. I have been looking for inspiration for months and I have been feeling really down about myself over the last few months, so when Georgina at She Might Be Loved posted her blog on 'Moments that Mattered' for a http://www.lloydsbank.com/ competition I saw it as a brilliant opportunity to look back over my last year and remember the important moments that got me to where I am today.

So here it goes.....

My year has been full of ups and downs, which I guess is how most years go. One of the moments that really changed things for me, hit me like a train in spring last year. I have been so lucky in my life to never really have to deal with severe illnesses and loss. It is something I have always taken for granted I think, so when I found out my Grandad had lung cancer I was heart broken, as anyone would be. My family are all very close, we all live within 10 minutes of each other and some of my favourite memories of being young were with my Nanny and Grandad. Although this sounds like a really sad memory, it has actually turned into a really positive memory. Following this news our family made a real stand to make the best of life, to not take for granted the time we all have together. So this year my memories are fully of lazy afternoons stuffing our face with cake and tea, of a perfect christmas, boxing day and new year spent with the whole family ( again stuffing our face with food!!!) He has had a lot of treatment and things are starting to look up!

me and my grandparents a few years back :)

Now on to slightly less important but memories that made me smile!

One of my favourite brands, Tatty Devine posted that they were looking for their SuperFans to celebrate their fifteenth birthday. Fans were asked to email in or nominate others to explain why they believe they are superfans...or why they love Tatty Devine. I entered, in the tiniest hope that I could maybe win, but more to just tell Tatty Devine how amazing I think they are. Mainly, I love them because they are super innovative and creative, they still hand make their jewellery in the UK and they are an incredible example of how important and interactive social media can be! I had no hope that I would win, I earn close to minimum wage so I can't buy every single Tatty Devine item that I would like to, and I never ever win anything. Then one day it came, that amazing email saying I was now a SUPERFAN! Only 25 lucky fans got this title, and my gosh were we lucky. We received a limited edition super sparkly platinum brooch, the chance to make our own charm bracelet, a tote bag and the best thing any Tatty fan could get......a HANDWRITTEN card from the founders!!! I was so overwhelmed, I may have done a little cry....maybe. ;)

My last thing, was less of an actual event than a very important decision. It all stems from a few years ago, when I had a real life effecting experience within a job. I was working caring for children which is such a huge huge passion of mine. Anyway, the end of the story is I had an awful experience in the setting, my confidence was hugely shattered, and I struggled to even leave the house. This is how I ended up working at Lush. I needed a job and I luckily got hired. I cannot thank my Lushie coworkers enough. I love them to pieces and they don't quite understand how much impact they've had on my life. They have built my confidence so high and truly shaped me to be the person I am today. And this is my moment....I finally had the confidence to decide I am going to go into teaching properly. I am going to follow my dream, believe in myself, and do what brings me more joy than anything.

So there it is, my moments. It's been a hard few years, but 2013 finally felt like the beginning of a change of luck for me.


Hope you enjoyed reading all about my strange little life!



Ruby xo


-http://www.lloydsbank.com/

My top 5 things for feeling like a 50's pinup

Hello sweeties,

Seems a little while since I last posted, so I do apologise for that. But i'm here now, so a big hello to past and new readers! Today does not contain photos of my fashion today(because if i'm really honest i'm having a makeup break for a few days and noone wants to see that on a photo!!) but there is a few older photos of some of my favourite things to make me feel like a sassy pin up girl!

1. Lush Emotional Brilliance lip colour in Decisive :

photo from lush.com

I love the fashions of the 1950's, so popping this colour on my lips makes me feel all sassy and makes me instantly feel more like a pin up girl! It's a really beautiful blend of rose wax, candelilla wax and jojoba oil, meaning that I can wear a bright lip colour that keeps my lips lovely and soft. WIN WIN! It's such a strong pigment which for me, means I can wear it all day long and rarely top it up, and it still looks vibrant and fabulous.

Here is me wearing decisive with my old hair and an attempt at victory rolls!

2. A good set of underwear.

This is clearly not me, (a girl can wish eh?) but I do have this set of underwear! Whenever I wear these, I feel like a million dollars! It's madmen 1950's feel appeals to me greatly but the best bit are the briefs. These Lyla briefs are high waisted so if you have a little extra tum and bum like me, then these will give you that extra support and suck you in a little, without feeling frumpy and horrid! These are from boux avenue and they have them in a range of colours, I highly recommend investing in a special set of underwear that makes you feel gorgeous!

3. A good 50's dress (of course)

This is a photo from my holiday to Tenerife in September, although it looks rather cloudy here! I love the shape of this dress as it hides a multitude of sins (it was in the sale for £15 in Topshop and is Jones and Jones)! It's a great shape for my figure, as I have a big bum and hips and the kick at the waist and pleats cover all that up. Make sure you have an underskirt handy or buy a dress like this one that already has one sewn in as it gives a dress a real pin up feel! This dress is fairly short so if you are wary of your thighs, then you can always find one that has a few more inches to the skirt. I'm usually not fond of my thighs, but I just adored this dress so thought 'who cares'. Pin ups and women of the 50's were not tiny women, Marilyn Monroe was not stick thin, they all had beautiful curves, SO EMBRACE AND LOVE THEM LADIES :D. 50's fashion is a perfect way to do this, as it often cinches you in on the waist, making it appear smaller and then kicks out on the hips (always fetching on the chest too!).

Marilyn shows off her beautiful hips and waist here!

4. A head scarf

I often wear a scarf in my hair and this is usually a lush knot wrap, or vintage scarf! Lush do a range of knot wraps at £3.95 and you can pick up vintage scarfs for reasonable prices too! A scarf in your hair does two things; 1. it give you a wonderful rockabilly look and 2. hides messy hair or hair that may be on the verge of needing a wash (let's face it, we don't always have time!)

Sorry about the rubbish photo but you can see the kind of affect a hair scarf has :)

5. An LBD/ pencil skirt

I've got to be honest, when I wear a pencil skirt I feel very sophisticated, my bum and tummy always looks a little large in them but who cares? I feel like a secretary in the 50's, just pass me some glasses and a typewriter ;)! This pencil skirt is a good length as it comes to midway down my calf, it is also a stretchy material which means it is not too tight and doesn't restrict movement ( with large thighs I can sometimes walk like a penguin in tight pencil skirts!) The skirt was around £8 in Primark and they always make them in a few colours, a staple item for any wardrobe I say! I teamed it with a primark vest that was about £2 and a red waist belt that came on another dress, so really a very very budget outfit! The necklace is of course Tatty Devine and the most expensive thing about this outfit! 

What are your tips for a fabulous pinup look?

P.s There is another addition to the dress family...but in a different form. Keep your eyes peeled at the start of next week for that post ;)

Love and Hugs

Ruby xo

Handmade With Love

Hello my lovelies :).

Again, it has been 0 days since my last purchase of a dress, in fact i've bought three in the last two days! Despite the fact there are new babies in my collection, this post is not about dresses. I have decided that my start of week post will be about my dresses, and my midweek post will be about other bits and bobs!

In the last few days i've had a few lovely deliveries, so I decided that todays post will be about the lovely handmade goodies i've received! I have been really into the site 'Etsy' recently, as I love handmade items. I find it truly beautiful to own something lovingly crafted by someone, and think it's also important to support people trying to make a living! One page I love is 'I Love Crafty', as she has some beautiful mermaid items (who doesn't love pretending to be a mermaid?!). She is also a fellow blogger, so be sure to head over to her blog which I shall link at the bottom of the post. I was tempted by so many items but finally decided on some cute pink shell earrings.

I think they're really sweet, and playful and will surely add a little sparkle to any outfit. I was amazed at how quick they arrived, and Laura (who owns the shop) kept in contact with me excellently! A really wonderful seller. 

I also found this in my order, which I thought was a lovely touch as i'm dying to buy lots more from her. Not only does she do mermaid jewellery, she also does a cat range called 'feline fatale' a 'tropical range' and a range that uses lots of hearts! It's all so very cute! I will definitely be treating myself to some more items!

Another shop I found was 'Ladybirdlikes', who makes wooden jewellery involving lots of animals and cute images. She also has a blog so please check her out! If you have read my other post, you will have noticed I have a pug cross, so when I noticed there was pug related jewellery, I whacked my debit card out and ordered straight away. I decided on the pug collar clips as it is an item of jewellery I think looks really cool but have never really bought before. It came in really sweet packaging with lovely little messages on.

Apologies for the ripping, I was very eager to get into it :)

On top of this, I also have a beautiful little butterfly brooch that makes any item look super pretty! 

www.ladybirdlikes.blogspot.com

www.ilovecrafty.blogspot.com

So, what are your favourite handmade sites?

Love and hugs,

Ruby xo

Dress #1

Hello, my names Ruby...and i'm a shopaholic! It has been 0 days since my last purchase (in fact it was only last night). I am obsessed with buying clothes, accessories, shoes, EVERYTHING, but my main addiction is dresses. The title of the blog suggests it all really, yes that's right, I have 97 dresses to date! Although my collection is rather large, I do shop on a budget, I am a part time sales assistant on a fairly low wage so when I buy, I never really splurge on one item. I also really love the thrill of getting a beautiful item of clothing for a bargain! This blog is dedicated to all of you out there who are fashion obsessed. My dresses will appear regularly, but there will be other bits thrown in there too! 

So here it goes ... post #1, dress #1

With autumn creeping up on us, monochrome has been a favourite of mine. You can't go wrong with black and white, it's sophisticated and looks very striking! You can also jazz it up a little with some bright accessories for a different look. 

When I saw this dress I had to have it, and at £13 in Primark it was an absolute bargain. Surprisingly, I don't have many shift dresses in my collection of 97, so it seemed only sensible to buy this little number. This is the first time i've worn this dress, and it was to a trip to the cinema and nando's. I decided to keep the whole look monochrome with a touch of silver in the accessories.

Although I shop on a budget, I do love my trusty Tatty Devine accessories! They aren't cheap, but they are so versatile that you can make any outfit look amazing by popping one on! So on this occasion, I whipped out my favourite of them all, The Cinderella Carriage. Now what's not to love? Disney and shiny too! I was always a little hesitant to buy it myself as it is £60, but when my boyfriend bought it me for my birthday I wept tears of joy and have treasured this little cutie ever since!

Along with my carriage, I also wore my Cartoon Eye rings. I think these go perfect with this outfit as they are monochrome and give the outfit a bit of fun. These are also Tatty Devine and cost £30 for the set.

To finish off this outfit I added a cute monochrome dog clutch bag. Now, I say clutch bag, this is really a Ipad/tablet case from Primark for £4. But shhhh...that is strictly our little secret. I love dogs, especially squashed face dogs like pugs, french bulldogs and boston terriers, so when I saw this I just couldn't resist, and I think it actually looks rather good, what do you think?

As I was finishing off the photos for this post, my puppy got a little jealous that she wasn't in the spotlight so she gatecrashed my photos, 

I think she's a rather good model even if she is a little squashy round the edges!

So that is my first autumn look, i'd love to know what you think about it and what your favourite trends for autumn are?

Love and Hugs,

Ruby xo