Beauty Talk | Charlotte Tilbury

When word on the street that there's a hot new beauty launch, I like to patiently wait it out and suss out whether it's worth the splurge. Taking my sweet ass time, it became pretty darn apparent that where Charlotte Tilbury's new line was concerned I was seriously late to the party. Taking a nod from beauty blogger Adrienne, I made my way to Selfridges beauty hall (the mothership) where I became instantly smitten. Taking in the array of beautiful lipsticks, shadow sticks, blush compacts and that contour kit, all sleekly housed within the luxurious art deco packaging.

Having spent the last twenty years working as make-up artist, transforming some of the world's most leading ladies, Charlotte's work is nothing short of show-stopping. With her infectious charm and fiery red hair, she is on speed dial to the world's biggest designers, high-pofile super models and fashion photographers a plenty. Channelling her love for making women look and feel sexy and powerful, her beauty line was an instant success.

Lip Pencil in Pillow Talk ∙ Lipgloss in Portobello Girl  

 

Capturing my full attention was the lip pencil in Pillow Talk, a soft nude pink shade. A best seller for the brand and dubbed the lip cheat, the lure of creating the perfect shape and ensuring your lip colour stays in place from dawn till dusk had me curious. So curious indeed, it hasn't moved out from my make-up bag since purchasing. Whether softly used to improve my cupids bow or as a sheer wash of nude all over, it really is a make-up artist's secret weapon. Not your regular beauty must-have to be used everyday, but when the occasion calls to feel fancy or polished, Pillow Talk will now be a permanent fixture in my collection. Without going Kylie Jenner all over your pout.

Gravitating towards the rest of the lip line-up, I couldn't resist swatching the perfectly hued nudes and retro lipsticks. With the temperature finally beginning to heat up, I settled my fancy on the Portobello Girl gloss. Perhaps the most luscious pink slash coral shade I have spent months coveting. Super high in gloss without the dreaded stickiness, it adds a hint of colour again without the fear of migrating around your face. Incredibly balmy on the lips, it feels hydrating and moisturising - not an easy feat to pull off where gloss is concerned. Complete with the rose gold sleek packaging, it's an effortless addition that I plan to use religiously.

Tell me, what are your Charlotte Tilbury must-haves?

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Sunday Style | City Break Essentials

Before we begin I want take a moment to apologise in advance for the endless holiday countdown updates I will unashamedly and enviably post. I am that person. Just for the record it's 67 days. After much scrimping and saving, I cannot wait to jet off to the city that never sleeps and spot the bright lights of NYC. Whilst planning my five day trip (mostly around burgers), my thoughts have already turned to the essentials: packing for a city break.

Khaki Skirt - M&S  ∙ T-shirt - Gap  ∙ Jacket - Topshop  ∙ Bag - Mulberry  ∙ Suede Lace Sandals - Courtesy of M&S 

Unlike most beach holidays, where essentially a gazillion bikinis and summer dressers are haphazardly thrown in my suitcase. A city break calls for a more refined approach. A capsule wardrobe of looks that can be effortlessly be mixed and matched. Which naturally of course, leave me with masses of room to bring back American treasures (I'm looking at you J.Crew).

First on my agenda were a pair of Chloe inspired lace-up sandals. Perfect for stylishly stomping the concrete jungles of Manhattan, they needed to be high in comfort but pair perfectly with all the outfits I have planned. Say hello to the M&S Suede Cuff Lace Up Sandals. For true bohemian seventies luxe, these have fast become my ultimate must-have for summer.

With a discreet zip, a neat little heel and adjustable laces, these babies offered casual cool comfort from the get-go. Available in a soft blush hue or a rusty tanned shade, it was the softer pastel colour that I knew that would team well with almost any outfit. Whether with jeans and trusty t-shirt for city exploring or paired with a dress and clutch come roof top drinks in the evening.

Taking in the warm weather on the Kings Road earlier this week, I stopped by the Saatchi gallery to get snap happy. Teaming my new wardrobe sandals essentials with another M&S beauty of buy, the silky khaki green midi skirt that has quickly become another new found love. And a few forgotten favourites from last summer, my trusty Topshop striped jacket and my ultimate grey tee from Gap.

Tell me - what are your city break essentials? 

The kind folk at M&S also kindly whizzed over their beauty essentials for summer, I couldn't resist painting my nails with the Leighton Denny polishes! 

5 Thoughts: Saving For A Home

After pledging to finally buckle on down and succumb to saving for a house this year, its been nearly six months in and I came to realise - I've totally got this down. There's no denying it hasn't been easy and there are have been hiccups along the way but lets be honest, such is life. Understanding a few learning curves, here's my take on saving for a home in your twenties.

1. Set a budget, a realistic one.

Before I stashed away a good chunk of my earnings each month, I set about creating an honest spreadsheet of all my in-comings and out-goings. All the usual important nonsense such as rent, travel, gym memberships... you name it. Then I worked out what had to give and the changes that had to be made. These included swapping in home made lunches for work, waving farewell to indulgent coffee shop dates and promptly removing my card details from my Topshop account.

Next, I took a reasonable figure of what I wanted to save each month and worked out a weekly budget of what was left. Filling my mind with utter dread, it was a challenge I took on whole heartedly - I'm still in shock I stuck with it - however tempting it was just to jack it all in and splurge the cash.

2. Have no regrets.

Being in my mid-twenties, as I look back on the last five years, I feel a bittersweet pang of regret for not getting my arse into gear and starting saving that tad bit earlier. But then I realise, that my early twenties were about celebrating the fact I had a real job for the first time and generally letting my hair down. Least not forgetting those rather expensive handbags in my wardrobe I'll never be able to justify buying again.

3. Treat your self.

I can only imagine the disgust my frivolous younger self would feel if she knew the instant guilt that rained down on me the other day when I treated oneself to a bottle of nail varnish. It had been so long since I splurged on a beauty item, I decided that life was way to short to beat yourself up on a nail varnish. Make sure to treat yourself now and again, don't get weighed down with the nitty gritty. For the record the polish was Essie Fiji, a stunner of a shade.

4. Have your own goals.

With my excel spreadsheets at the ready, I obviously have a rough estimate of what will be in the bank come the end of the year. (Spoiler alert: I live in Surrey so I sure as heck won't be moving out anytime soon.) But that doesn't mean to say I'm going to beat myself up if I haven't hit X number by a certain date. Life as we know it is pretty capable of sending anything (shitty) your way. Paying out for unexpected costs is frustrating, but don't get hung up if you need to dip into your savings.

Saving for a house certainly hasn't put a dampner on saving for my holiday later in the year, I've just had to be extra savvy.

5. Ignore everyone, including your friends.

They mean well with their tried and tested advice, but honestly friends, family and even strangers simply instil me with sheer panic.

Why don't you rent? How much have you got saved? Don't forget about those pesky fees! What will you buy? We had this X amount saved! Why are you going on holiday? Your bank will never lend you X. It only took us X amount of months to save. 

Ignore them all. And don't even think about getting into a saving 'race' with other people in your friendship group. It's not worth it. However, when the time comes be sure to ask around for advice on brokers and explaining the legal bits, you'll need it.

Sound familiar? I would love to know any thoughts you have on saving for your first home.

Sunday Style | Candy Shop

First and foremost, apologies for the radio silence over the past few weeks. Life well and truly took over - in a really exciting way! I waved farewell to my old job and I'm now about to embark on a new social role at a super big American company. With plenty of new challenges and fun stuff on the way, I was lucky enough to score some time off in between to recoup and chill.

With the realisation that I hadn't actually had a week off since last September - the joy of saving holiday allowance for interviews, you feel me - I intended to thoroughly make the most of it. Starting with an afternoon spent in town catching up with my blogger pal Corrie (spoiler alert: she's a babe). After schmoozing around Selfridges, a little visit to the Charlotte Tilbury counter in-between, a delicious and outrageously good burger at Patty & Bun (see here), we snuck off to St Christopher's Place to get snap happy. 

Cream Jacket - Zara ∙ T-shirt - Gap ∙ Skirt - Topshop ∙ Lily - Mulberry ∙ Flats - Topshop

Making the most of warmer weather, I raided my summer wardrobe and came across this brand new Zara jacket that I snapped up in the sale last year. After I hung my head in shame for all of five minutes for forgetting such a beauty, I paired it with a new wardrobe addition - the Topshop striped scalloped skirt. Which is essentially myself in clothes form. What's not to love? It fulfils my love of grey (check), scalloped detailing (check, check) and it's elasticated (now, we're onto a winner). These burgers aren't going to eat themselves are they? It's also a bit of a snip at £28 - here.

Perhaps one of the best and worst kept secrets just off Oxford Street (apart from Dirty Martini of course) St Christopher's Place is a little side street full of treasures. I personally like to slip through the hidden entrance off Oxford Street and amuse myself at confused tourists.

Jam-packed with bars and restaurants, a really good Whistles store and the tiniest Mulberry you've come across, it's also home to Mrs Kibble's Sweet Shop. With shelves stacked full of old fashioned sweets, who can resist the sweet temptation of sugar mice and bon bons? Hand's up if this is how you envision Honey Dukes. No? Just me then.

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