Dress to Impress: How to Beat the 'Blue Monday' Blues

Blue Monday is fast approaching and at the beginning of the week we'll all be (supposedly) waking up to the most depressing day of the year. Mental Health Research UK is urging people to dress bright and colourful on Monday to highlight the plight of those who suffer from depression and seasonal affective disorder as part of their 'Blooming Monday' event. I instantly fell in love with this idea and so collected together my Blooming Monday outfit.

I paired a white shirt with a hot pink jumper to celebrate Blooming Monday. The jumper is from River Island for £20. 

Starting with B. Prepared Makeup Primer, dab a pea-sized amount onto your finger and massage evenly over your whole face, not forgetting the eyelids. 

If, like me, you're prone to breakouts on your skin, lipstick concealer should be next. I don't use any fancy or expensive lipstick concealer, as after trying a few, I believe they all have similar coverage of my breakouts. I use 2True Cover n Conceal as it won't break the bank and lasts a while before running out. 








Next up is Bobbi Brown's Creamy Concealer Kit. I absolutely love this concealer and think it's well worth the money I've spent on it as the coverage you get with this concealer kit is just unbelievable. I have very dark circles under my eyes and the difference Bobbi Brown's concealer makes with this problem is incredible. Not only does it balance out the darkness under my eyes but it also brightens the area. It also somehow makes the skin seem tighter and more energised as well. As this is a concealer kit, the product also comes with a powder that matches your skin colour that will set the concealer so it won't move all day and you look like you have naturally bright and revived skin.

 Next up is B. 16hr Foundation. Recently, I love the B. range as it doesn't feel heavy on my skin but yet gives a full coverage and makes me feel confident in my skin. I use a foundation brush to apply the foundation as it gives a more even coverage. If I need to, I will then go in with my fingertips to blend out any bits the brush can't reach. 









For my last and final concealer, I will use MUA Cover and Conceal Wand. I use this more of a highlighter as I will dab a bit over my under eyes, top of my nose and high points of my cheek bones.












I will then use Collection's Pressed Powder to set the foundation. I like to pat the powder from the brush onto my face. This patting motion means that you won't move any of the foundation you just applied so it is all set in the right place. 

Next I will use bronzer to bring out my cheekbones. I also like to run a tiny bit of bronzer down each side of my nose. This make your nose look slimmer and more of a cute button nose shape. After the bronzer, I will take a natural pink blush colour and brush it lightly over the apple of my cheeks to get subtle rosy cheeks.

I use Lancome's eyeliner to create a winged effect as it will elongate you eyes and make them look bigger. 








As a big fan of Lancome, I also use their Hypnose mascara as it extends the length of my eyelashes in just a few strokes and also makes them thicker and darker. The mascara truely makes a sexy but elegant eyelashes look.
http://www.lancome.co.uk









Last but not least, to finish off this Blooming Monday's look I will be using Revlon Colour Stay 005 Muse. This hot pink colour will match perfectly with the jumper I will wear whilst also making a statement. I love this lipstick as it's bright pigment really stands out and does exactly what it says on the tin - the colour actually stays! This of course means you have to be a little careful while applying the lipstick as if you slip, the colour will stay where you made the mistake but once the lipstick is on, the colour is beautiful and means you don't have to worry about re-applying every half hour!

Here is the finished look. Gorgeous, bright, fashionable and perfect for beating the Blue Monday blues!

Summer Favourites

Summer has finally arrived in London! Well it had arrived, but it seems to have been washed away in the last few days of stormy rain clouds - along with every Londoner's pitiful hope of a sunny summer. However, in true British style, we're all sticking it out, sucking it up and acting like it's still 30 degrees! So without further ado, here are a few of my 2013 summer favourites:

5. Sleek Eye-shadow Palette 

I bought this eye-shadow palette from Superdrug in June for my school's prom. I used a combination of the first and fourth eye-shadows on the top line of the palette for sweeping over my eye-lids and the first colour on the second line down of the palette for just the outer thirds of my eye-lids and also for brushing along the crease of the eyelid. 

I loved how this turned out because the lighter shades gave my eyes a shimmering and elegant look while the darker bronze colour gave my eyes depth and a sexy smokey eye that is perfect for an occasion like prom! 

4. Lancome Hypnose Mascara 

I was bought this mascara for my 18th birthday in March and I think it's amazing! In just a few strokes of this mascara, length is added to my eyelashes which I've never managed to achieve with any other mascara! Hypnose gives you the effect of naturally long eyelashes - I would say they give similar lengths as false eyelashes but without the obvious 'fake-ness'. A perfect addition to your summer make-up to keep you look fresh-faced and naturally beautiful!

3. MUA 'Kiss-proof' Pink Lipstain

It was initially difficult for me to stray away from my beloved rep lipsticks but I needed a lighter and more summery colour this year to compliment my shimmering gold eye-shadow. This MUA lipstain was only £3 from Superdrug and it really does stay in tact for hours! Throughout a full day of wearing this lipstain, I only re-applied once - and that was me just being a little bit picky with my makeup having to be perfect! The bright pink colour gives a bold addition to a plain outfit and compliments my green eyes nicely! 

2. New Look White Lace Shoes

I got these shoes in the New Look sale with an extra 10% off because they already had some dirt on the toes when I brought them to the till - bargain! For only £7, these shoes have done me well as I have hardly taken them off since I bought them! As they are white, they'll go with nearly everything I wear and the lace sides add an extra feminine touch to the shoes as well as a pretty, summer look to my outfit.

1. New Look Yellow Floral Dress

My number 1 summer favourite is also from New Look. This pretty summer dress is perfect for walks in the park, barbecues with friends or shopping days up London in the sun! 

The stunning contrast of the soft purple flowers against the diluted yellow background make the dress seem understated yet still very girly and pretty. The gorgeous white crochet around the centre of the dress adds to that summer feel while also ending the annoying need for a tight belt, which can sometimes feel a bit too uncomfortable while out in the sweltering summer sun. 

Paired with some beautiful rose bobby pins (the rose is dyed cardboard, about an inch in height and width and attached to the end of each pin) completes this fresh, natural and summer look for me with the final outfit feeling comfortable and pretty!