My fashion style has changed a little over the past year- I actually now own black clothes. As a child, I obviously adored pink and all things pink, and then I ventured into more of a vintage vibe as I went into teenagehood. Now, I prefer more rough textures, that black, effortlessly cool look with messy long hair and a flawless face (or I try to make it as flawless as possible).
I think as I've been writing my blog for 2 years now, and gone from compact camera to DSLR, my photographs have also changed in style. Taking photos now is such fun, as I know for sure they will be aesthetically pleasing as well as visually.
Anyway! Grab some tea and I hope you enjoy!
Fashion
River Island Booties
Oh yes, my new children. Oh my god, I am so in love with these it's unreal. I picked them up on St Stephen's day in River Island for just over 20 quid, and they are perfection. I have been looking for boot-stompers with a chunky heel for a while now, and these are just it. They have all you need- cut outs, straps, lace-ups, zips on the heel and buckles. They are so badass (yes I know) and they add some height to my frame, height I probably don't need but now I tower over everyone and feel empowered (I'm so weird, I'm sorry). Anyway, they are soo gorge- I don't get too tired in them either, but I do need to sit down after 3 or so hours. They're perfect for the ever changing weird Irish weather, they don't get my feet wet in puddles and don't mind the snow either. They're probably gonna be my winter shoe for the next year as well- I am so in love, I've been wearing them non stop since I got them.
Really, these aren't booties, but more of a sandal, but I like the word booties so I call them booties (again, a bit weird today). They're like a spring version of my River Island booties above- they have that same thick platform and heel, but in white. They have three buckles and a closed toe, and a zip on the heel, same as the black pair. They're also a lot lighter than the black pair, so hopefully I can wear them in the summer as well. I actually haven't worn these out yet, but they are so beautiful so that even if they turn out to be uncomfortable I'm gonna sit at home with my feet stuck out in front of me and just admire them. Fingers crossed I can take these to Paris with me later on in the month, you can never know with the weather!
Beauty
Maybelline Baby Skin Pore Eraser Primer
Unless you're into a full glam look, primers are almost a taboo topic- there's so many misconceptions that they clog up your pores even more than your make-up (oh my god the comments about clogged skin on make-up posts on Insta drive me around the bend and back) or that they don't let your skin breathe. They're the main reasons I always avoided primer, but I have the oiliest T-zone in the world, and my makeup wouldn't stay on my skin no matter how much I powdered- it would slip and slide and after 5 hours wear, none would be left. So I eventually gave in, and bought this primer- and omg I am obsessed. It's like glue for your face- it keeps absolutely everything on, nothing goes nowhere. In terms of it being a pore filler, it doesn't do much to minimize anything or 'airbrush' my skin- it isn't the best at reducing oiliness either, but it keeps my makeup on my face all day, and that it is enough for me. It's a clear gel consistency, and a little goes a long way. Also, it leaves my skin unbelievably soft and velvety, its amazing to touch. If you have oily skin, get this- it is an absolute life saver.
Catrice Camouflage Cream in Ivory w/ Zoeva 142 and Cala 408
If you've been keeping up to date with all the latest S/S 15 trends off the catwalks, you would've noticed that clear, effortless, beautiful, fresh and dewy skin is especially big this year. I love my make-up and I can definitely take a lot of it, layered, blended, set and powdered. However, my skin went through a rough patch and I needed something to truly cover. I heard amazing things about this concealer, and I definitely agree- for a tiny 3.45e, you literally get the coverage of a Mac product. This is soo good- it deposits cleanly, blends in like a dream, stays on your skin, and covers blemishes like nobody's business. It's so creamy, and the formula is buttery, so it blends into skin easily and stays there. I put it under my foundation usually for a full coverage, but these past few days I've had good skin days so I just dab this on to blemishes, blend out and set with powder. I like applying it with my Cala Concealer brush, and blending out and buffing into the skin with my Zoeva Concealer Buffer brush (a post on the beautiful Zoeva Rose Gold set will be up soon!)
W7 In The Buff: Natural Nudes Eyeshadow Palette
I have heard so much about W7 In The Buff palettes at this stage- how they're such spot on dupes for the Urban Decay Naked Palettes, how theyir pigmentation is amazing, how they're even supposed to be more long lasting than the Urban Decay shadows- and I was so curious to try one. Originally, I wanted the In The Buff original, but I didn't realize until I got home that I picked up the Natural Nudes version- the dupe for the Naked 2 palette. I have to say I'm a little disappointed that there is only 2 matte shades- Buff and Chocolate. The rest are beautiful sparkly shimmers, which is perfect if you like shimmers, but I prefer most matte shades.
Nevertheless, I really like this palette. With a primer, they last a long time and don't crease. I don't notice any fall out, and they are the perfect blend of dry and buttery- they have enough pigmentation, but aren't overly dry and deposit nicely. There's 12 gorgeously blendable shades, and I reallyyy like Dust, which is a beautiful rose gold shimmer (I may be a little obsessed with rose gold atm). There's also a truly beautiful orange gold shimmer, Camel, and it brings out blue tones in blue eyes, so it really works for me. Obviously, the palette is designed to be a Naked rip-off, so the packaging is extremely similar. The shadows are encrusted in a foam material, and the rest is metal- but the packaging is kind of ridiculous as the lid fell off after a day. Also the brush that comes with the shadows isn't too bad, but I prefer to use my own. It's a great palette to have, and it's been such a change to add some colour to my shadows as usually they are brown, taupe or there isn't any shadow on my lids at all.
Right-Left: Buff, Camel, Sand, Dust, Chocolate, Topaz
Right-Left: Earth, Storm, Silk, Wave, Thunder, Onyx
I even gave this whole eye look malarkey a go- and tried to photograph a look for you guys. I wish I had put more brown in the crease and winged it out (old habits die hard) but I'm very happy with this result, I hope it fuels you with inspiration haha. I believe I used Camel and Dust on my lid, Chocolate and Wave in my crease, and then Buff for my inner lid and brow bone highlight.
Random
Hozier
It all started when one of my friends went to see him perform in Castlebar- and then I listened to Take Me To Church, and couldn't stop. And then I downloaded his album, and the rest is history. Hozier is definitely something entirely else- his lyrics are rich and brilliant, with a hidden meaning behind each clever phrase. All of his songs have a purpose- a poignant sweet meaning, and his deep husky voice accompanies the string and bass orchestra gorgeously. He is truly so talented, and when I first got the album, I didn't even listen to The 1975 for 3 days :O I would love to go see him live, and from what I've seen on Youtube, he sounds the exact same on record as live, which is so rare nowdays. It also helps that he looks like an Irish Jesus.
American Horror Story
I'm going to try and make this as short as I can, as I never shut up about it ever, but AHS is so good. Like, the freakishly brilliant sort of horror that's so weird and twisted yet genius and brilliant and you never knew you could like it but you do. If you haven't heard of AHS, it's an American (duh) anthology horror series, which means that in every season, there is a new plotline, new set, new charachters, but the same original actors remain in every season. Those include the genius Jessica Lange, who is life goals, Evan Peters, who is bae goals, and Taissa Farmiga, who is hair goals.
The first season is really the scariest- it's set in a large 20s mansion, which is possessed by the ghosts of people who have been murdered there. Asylum is a lot more messed up, with a Catholic bedlam run by extreme nuns and badly cared for patients. Coven is my least favourite, although it is aesthetically pleasing, witches, witchcraft and voodoo magic. Season 4 is Freakshow, one of my favourites- it follows the events of a travelling freakshow in the 50s, with its main stars having two heads, a lady with a beard, and lobster hands.
I will be writing a monster post on AHS soon, because I have soo much to talk about. I love how it involves a lifetime of different themes in each season, and even references each and future seasons, it's so clever.
Tom Rosenthal
Tom Rosenthal is a musician I've been familiar with for a while, but I never fully listened to his music till now. I first heard his Take Care in the last generation of Skins, and then started only listening to him through Bertie Gilbert's Rocks That Bleed (brilliant short btw, watch it it has Jack Howard in it what more could you want). Tom is so amazing- he has those deep, husky vocals and short little lyrics. I love how he keeps his songs 2-3 minutes long, and doesn't throw masses of lyrics at the listener. His songs are so catchy and you learn the lyrics quick- they're clever and quirky and once you listen to one song, you really can't stop. My favourites include Ian, As Luck Would Have It, Sex Death and Landscapes, and A Thousand Years. They're sad songs, but they're good sad. And good sad is sometimes very necessary. (he also replied to my tweet on twitter so I like him even more now)
Thanks for reading! Have you tried any of these products, I'd love to hear your thoughts/read reviews. Don't forget to leave your favourites below!
Gaby x
