BUILDING UP A MAC PALETTE #3 | PATINA, AMBER LIGHTS, MULCH

I told you in this post that it was going to be a long, drawn out process. An update on my quest for the perfect MAC palette is long overdue. I actually purchased these shades a few months back where I added the three colours sat on the magazine: Mulch, Amberlights and Patina. In the rest of my palette (working down the rows) is Gleam, All That Glitters, Embark and Woodwinked.

So, here's the low down on my three newest shades:
Mulch (Velvet) - Think Woodwinked's older, goth sister. A shimmery, dark chocolate brown, it's been my go-to for nights out.
Amber Lights (Frost) - Amber Lights is pretty much how it looks in the pan. Way more sophisticated than Half Baked in your Naked Palette, it makes gold eyes something magical but wearable. It's easy to work but my favourite way to wear is in the outer corners under a matte shadow.
Patina (Frost) - A one sweep wonder that is easily overlooked as not one of MAC's most eye grabbing eyeshadows. The colour is hard to describe, taupe, gold, silver?! It varies on skin tone. On my super pale skin it's a light gold-brown with a delicate shimmer running through it. An easy, natural shade to perk up your eyes when you don't have time to spend on your make-up.

After watching various Youtube videos and lurking the palette of all of my favourite beauty bloggers, I've come up with my idea of the perfect palette. Now that I'm raring to go with my birthday Selfridges gift card since turning 20, I think I'm only one more visit to The Bullring in Birmingham from a full palette. *Squeals*. So what's left? On the top of my list is a light matte brown (I'm thinking Espresso), a matte white, a wearable pink, some more golds, a peachy brown and a one or two daring shades.

What do you think of my latest additions? What are your favourite MAC shades and are there any you'd recommend?

Lydia Rose,

xoxo

TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK 

WHAT I WORE | KIMONOS IN SHOREDITCH

Duster Jacket/ Kimono (similar) Band of Gypsies (bought via TK MAXX) | Top - Brandy Melville | Skirt - Zara (similar)| Shoes - Chicwish*

These photos were taken a few weeks ago on a Sunday spent roaming vintage stalls in Shoreditch. I bargained with my boyfriend to trawl through clothes with me if I watched the World Cup final with him in the evening. Football is my least favourite thing and shopping with me is probably his least favourite thing so I guess we struck a fair deal! Shoreditch is definitely one of my favourite places in the city. I found this kimono in TK Maxx on a day where it was seriously boho heaven. There were so many amazing jumpsuits, duster jackets and kimonos that I wanted to buy the place out. I settled for a few and this was one of them. I love how colourful it is. I'm already missing London, so I'm excited to be heading back for a few press days and exciting events which I'll be blogging about. Eeee!

What do you think of this outfit? 

Lydia Rose,

xoxo

SUNDAY CATCH UP | TURNING 20, MEXICAN FOOD & LEARNING TO LIKE YOURSELF

This week has been pretty up and down. Good points? My summer starts now, meaning I have all the time in the world to fill with writing and blogging. My birthday was lovely, I hung out with with friends, had the dreamiest afternoon in The Lakes and gorged on Mexican food. These photos were taken in my favourite restaurant where I live, Amigos. The best Mexican ever. But negatives? Well...


I had the worst hair disaster I've had in, like, years. Basically, a chemical reacted in a product I'd left in my hair (I never wash it before going to the hairdressers) which reacted with the dye and so a pretty hefty chunk of my hair snapped off. I don't want to talk too much about it as I don't want to scare anyone by giving out false information. So I'm going to wait to hear back with a bit more scientific back up, and then believe me, I will warn you about the product you need to wash the hell out of your hair the night before you get it dyed.
As you can imagine, it's affected my happy, motivated vibe this week. But it's also made me think a lot about self-image and how much of an impact it has in my life. I totally understand the power of improving things about your appearance as a means to boosting your self confidence. I've had my teeth straightened, my hair bleached, I've lost weight. All of these things have helped to make me at peace with the girl in the mirror. But where do you draw the line, if your appearance is the only thing making you feel good? When does it become an obsession?
My head isn't just filled up with the next hair product I'm going to buy or what outfit I'm going to feature on my blog. I have a hell of a lot more going on. If this had happened 2 years ago, I think I would've just had a melt down.  I've been scared of turning 20, but it's forced me to reflect on my teen years and think about how much I've grown as a person. A flaw in my appearance doesn't throw my universe off centre anymore - and it's a relief to say that. I have a tuft of hair in an obvious place that is going to take years to grow out. Whenever I wake up in a bad mood, that little tuft is going to stick up and just make that feeling worse. But let's be honest, if visible flaws are the only thing contributing to your bad day then you need a reality check.
I had a crying fit and got over it. Sometimes I think losing your comfort blanket is the best thing because it forces you to get a thicker skin. That skin will get you through life. Not relying on cosmetic things like your hair. I've realised that I need to start being kinder to myself, stop obsessing and get a grip. And hey, at least the growing out period will mainly be in the winter and I have a pretty awesome collection of hats.
What I'm saying is, if you've ever had a knock to your visual appearance; be it a shit haircut, dye job, whatever, embrace the opportunity to learn to how to like yourself. I'm taking baby steps, but I think I'm on my way.

How was your week? Have you ever had a hair disaster?

Lydia Rose,

xoxo

TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK 

THE SUMMER SKIN SAVIOUR | URBAN DECAY SETTING SPRAY

Urban Decay Chill Make-Up Setting Spray - £20.00

Let me tell you, I've never really believed in make-up setting sprays. I've toyed with the idea of them plenty of times but always settled that they're just expensive bottles of water. But my problem? Make-up just seems to melt off my face. I'll leave the house singing the praises of a new base product only to find it oxides all over my skin and rubs away. My face just eats up make-up. And it's not pretty. So that's where the UD Setting Spray comes in...

You might be thinking that surely a primer is a better option for this. But I'm a self-confessed lazy girl when it comes to skincare and an extra step after moisturiser just feels like too much. So, a primer is just a no-go. But a product you apply after you've finished your master piece? Now that's something I can remember.
There's three different versions; the all-nighter (a cult favourite), the de-slick (for oil control) and the chill. I impulse bought 'Chill' purely for the cooling factor. In the summer months nothing feels more refreshing than spritzing something cold on your skin. This was a must-have when I was interning in London and applying my make up at 7am and not getting into the house at night until 11pm. Whenever I forgot to apply this product, trust me, it showed. I'd had the spray for quite sometime but it was only from these long days that I realised the full-effect of the product. It seriously worked.
If I spritzed it a few times my make-up stayed in place perfectly and I had nada problems with patchy foundation. Another thing I love about it is that it also leaves your make up looking visibly refreshed. I always set my make-up with a powder which can look and feel heavy on the skin. After spraying, it seems to leaves my base visibly less matte and more naturally dewy. Oh, and the relief when you pull this out of your bag, feeling hot and flustered after getting sticky on the tube or melting in the city is just bliss.
You can also use it as a primer, but I have to say, I really don't like how the product feels on naked skin. The residue feels like a sticky hairspray but with a full face of make-up, you don't get the stickyness, just a cooling, hydrating relief. It's also magical for pigments or eyeshadows where you might experience fall-out, just a spritz on your brush and the product lasts and will.not.budge.
Post-purchase, I realised that the all-nighter tends to get a bigger thumbs up from the bblogosphere than any of the others for really making your make-up stick. So if you're planning a holiday or tend to go for really 'out-there' make up, it might be worth considering that version instead. But for me, keeping my every-day make up in place and providing a cool, refreshing feeling on application, it's perfect.

Have you tried a setting spray before?

Lydia Rose,

xoxo

TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK 

WHAT I WORE | MY BIRTHDAY IN WINDERMERE

Yesterday I turned 20 (aaagh) so headed up to The Lake District with my mum for an afternoon at Storr's Hall. Here's what we got up to...

Storr's Hall is a Georgian mansion that looks over Lake Windermere. It has a lot of history which you can feel walking around. The interiors are just beautiful, spiralling staircases, huge portraits, and antiques, just quintessentially British. I grew up going to The Lakes with my parents and although I barely live a half hour drive away from Windermere when I'm home from Uni, it's rare I get to go up there as I can't drive! But it's such a beautiful place to be, especially after living in London for a month. London, you're great and everything but you don't have much on The Lake District...

We picked the gazebo to sit in which was right at the end of the grounds with a perfect view. Sipping Pimms and watching boats go by is the perfect way to relax. It makes you feel as though you're on holiday, just half an hour from home.

I didn't want too much as we were heading out for mexican in the evening, so went with the soup. Everything was just too pretty, you didn't even want to eat it! We only ordered scones but the lovely people at Storr's added a few extras for my birthday, so cute. I love macaroons.

My outfit is full Choies; a simple croptop, fishnet skirt and waistcoat. I'm not usually one to wear waistcoats but loved how effortlessly classy it made me feel. I guess being 20 and everything I'm making unconscious attempts at sophisticated dressing. Where's the wrinkle cream?

Storr's Hall is a really magical place, where you can just sit and think, away from distractions. It felt great to go there after such a busy month and clear my head. Afterwards I headed out with family to my favourite restaurant, a Mexican where we live. It's literally a tradition now. We're such locals there that they bring out free tequila. It was an awesome day, roll on the weekend for more birthday cocktails with my friends!

Have you been to The Lake District before? What do you think of this outfit?

Lydia Rose,

xoxo

WHAT I WORE | WHITE OUT

Two Piece - Motel (Similar) | Necklace - Vivienne Westwood | Shoes - Chicwish* | Photography - Unlimitedbyjk

These photos were taken just before we headed out for the night in London. Luckily one of Lizzie's friends was a street style photographer - so like any blogger would, I obviously seized the opportunity to get some photos! I was so happy with how these turned out, Joseph is really talented and you should check out his website.

This two piece from Motel is something which I've been mixing and matching up throughout my time in London. I rarely wear white but I've been loving it lately. I'm blogging from my boyfriend's in Birmingham today and getting the train home in a few hours. I'm so excited to see Pom, my friends, breathe clean air, etc aha. It's also my birthday tomorrow, I'm gonna be 20! Eeeek. The thought of not being a teenager is pretty scary. 

What do you think of this outfit?

Lydia Rose,

xoxo

THE SUNDAY CATCH UP | SUNDAY IN SHOREDITCH & 4 WEEKS IN LONDON HIGHLIGHTS

So my time in London has now come to an end! I'm going to miss my morning walk through Carnaby Street to the Hearst offices and having the best city in the world on my door step. I spent my last night hanging out with Lizzie where we went to another amazing vegetarian restaurant and then a few Kopparbergs in a cute pub. We were walking through Leicester Square and it suddenly hit me that I'll be back to living in a farm town and battling it out at Warwick for another year. Real life sucks, doesn't it? But it's all about having an end goal. With the things I've achieved this year I'm a firm believer in that if you REALLY want to make something happen, then you can. Working at Company has done a hell of a lot for me. I feel infinitely more confident in what I can do and proud of myself for overcoming situations where I felt totally out of my depth. If you ever need a confidence boost - dip your toes in a fashion magazine. You'll come out with a way thicker skin! Anyway, here's some photo highlights... 

Last Sunday Ryan came to stop with me and so we spent Sunday in Shoreditch. First stop was Brick Lane, Rough Trade and rummaging through vinyls, then searching through all of the vintage stalls. I nearly bought this fringed kimono but decided it was too much ££ and now I can't get it out of my head. Gahh.

If you've ever walked through Brick Lane then you'll know that there's a strip of Indian restaurants which all compete against each other to give you the most food for the cheapest price. Veggie korma, coconut rice, peshwari naans and poppadoms for £10? Now that's something I just can't refuse. Indian food is my life, haha. Ryan is also toying with the idea of starting a blog so it was pretty fun to do someone else's outfit photos. I will now remind myself to be much nicer to the people I make squat down in the middle of the street to get the right angle. It was funny too because we found the perfect location for what he was wearing without even searching for it.

Derping around with Lizzie! This was such a fun weekend. I stopped at her flat in Clapham where we went out, had too much tequila and danced to Iggy Azalea. In the morning we walked to Brixton and had the most amazing Latin American brunch.

Gabbi's Head for Benetinis. The perfect girly hang out, and they're keeping it open a little longer! 

Of course, I tried and tested out pretty much every vegetarian / vegan restaurant in London. This cacao smoothie in The Wild Food Cafe was heaven. I'll be posting about my favourite ones sometime this week!

What have you been up to lately? Where are your favourite places in London?

Lydia Rose,

xoxo

HAIRCARE HAUL

It was just a boring Sunday night. I had a list full of products from #bbloggers chat, a bucket load of self-pity and a bank card within reach. You already know what happened. Let's just say LookFantastic seriously benefited from my ugly day. If you follow me on Twitter you'll know that I've been having some serious hair troubles. I've always had long, thick and naturally wavy hair where I've just had to swoop my fringe to the side and be good to go. Combine a serious period of stress with a hairdresser who didn't listen when I said "I DON'T WANT LAYERS" and you get the source of my current #firstworldproblem. Basically I've had to have 2 inches chopped off and haaate it. So, I ordered a load of beauty products to make myself feel better. Problem solved? Not quite. But (most) of these have been making my hair happy lately...


 Bumble & Bumble Creme De Coco Shampoo and Conditioner £18.50 each
I can't believe that I am actually that person who spent this much on shampoo. But there is nothing I love more than a coconut scent, it's that happy, summery holiday smell. Mmmm. I wanted something to really nourish my hair and give it the intensive love it needed so I've really been loving using these. There is something so luxury about them, although I do feel immediate guilt and wonder how much money every little drop is worth as I lather my hair. You only need a small amount of it to go a long way and it definitely does leave your hair feeling AMAZING. My only pointer would be if you do have damaged hair, I've found it's good to switch up your shampoo( I've seen also bought protein rich shampoo to alternate). Also, reverse-washing is *magical*.

Redken All Soft Supple Touch £12.95
 Redken are usually a safety net when it comes to haircare. No matter what you purchase from them, you know it'll be good. But with this product, it just wasn't what I was expected. I'm always on the search for that all-in-one. I basically want a product which detangles, nourishes, heat protects AND adds volume so that I don't have to use multiple products on my hair to stop it looking weighed down. Okay, so I don't think anyone has actually invented that yet. But from reviews, I did expect it to protect, detangle and leave it feeling fabulous. But I haven't really found that it's made a significant difference to the condition of my hair or made it easier to brush through when it's wet. So, meh, Redken - not feeling this one. But I'll keep using it a little more before a final review.

Moroccanoil Glimmer Shine Spray £19.45
This is JUST amazing. I always use an oil on my hair but this is so much better for giving your hair shine without weighing it down. You just have to make sure you spritz it from quite far away other wise you will end up with a greasy streak, which is never cute. It tones down that post-blow dry frizz and makes your hair feel amazing.

Have you tried any of these? What products are you loving right now?

Lydia Rose,

xoxo

WHAT I WORE | A NIGHT IN CAMDEN

Dress - Motel | Bag & Necklace - Vivienne Westwood | Shoes - Jeffrey Campbell

I'm now in my last week interning at Company Magazine and really can't believe how quickly it's gone! I'm going to miss living in London and having the most amazing city in the world on my doorstep every day. My boyfriend took these one Saturday night when we went to Camden. Camden brings back some serious nostalgia for me, I remember going there for the first time as a 14 year old with my bright red hair and just being in awe of EVERYTHING. I was in my phase of obsessing over Japanese street style and bought huge, layered black dresses which I still have hanging up in my closet. These days it's full of Lady Gaga t-shirts and almost feels a little... Gimmicky? Either way, I think it's a super cool area and has a really safe atmosphere about it. We went to The World's End pub which is one of Ryan's favourites from when he used to tour and play in London. I kept my outfit simple with this black leather dress and my studded JC's. Had to goth it up a little bit, right?!

Did you used to love Camden? Where are your favourite places to go in London?

Lydia Rose,

xoxo

A NEW FOUNDATION BRUSH | SIGMA FLAT KABUKI F80

Sigma Flat Kabuki Brush F80 $24.00*

For the past two years, there has only been one foundation brush on my dressing table - the Real Techniques Buffing Brush. A beauty blogger's favourite, it's a great starter foundation brush that's perfect for buffing in your foundation. But when Sigma offered for me to join their affiliate programme, it was something I just couldn't refuse! I've had a Sigma brush set Pinned to my Wishlist since FOREVER so I couldn't wait to try out their products.

So when this arrived on my doorstep, you can bet your stash of lipsticks that I was excited. And y'know what? I haven't reached for my beloved Real Techniques brush since. Surprise! Now I'm not saying that it isn't a great tool for foundation application, because it is. But if you're wanting to move up in the beauty tool chain, this is somewhere near the top. 

Sigma's brushes are famous because they're made out of 'Synthetic Sigmax bristles'. Now I'm not going to pretend to know what that means, but I can tell you that this brush feels amazingly soft. The bristles are really dense which means no streaks or uneven application. What I love most about this brush is the flat top. I stipple on my foundation and then buff it in which always makes my base looks flawless. It allows you to get the full effect of your product which is great for me as I opt for light coverage foundations in the summer. I also feel it gives tinted moisturisers a much fuller coverage. 

The only problem I have had with the brush is getting it clean. Whilst the Real Techniques Buffing Brush doesn't require a lot of effort to deep clean - this does. The only problem with a brush with dense bristles is that the product seems to get stuck which means you have to clean it quite a few times. So if you do buy it, be prepared!

What's your favourite foundation brush? Have you tried Sigma?

Lydia Rose,

xoxo