Vacation...

So, my internet has been down for around a month, and I feel like I've fully neglected this blog just as I've got it up and running! I apologise for my absence, but I'm back now... for the foreseeable future, as we're actually moving house next week!

To make up for my absence I'm going to be doing an interview of sorts with the wonderful Belle Jorden make up artist, who has recently begun her journey into the wonderful world of professional make up artistry, and is already phenomenal at what she does... so keep your eyes peeled here to see more of that!

I'll also be doing a few spotlights on products I adore, new discoveries as well as old favourites, and things I've got my eye on purchasing but haven't yet had the chance to. I've had a month packed full of shopping and lusting after products I can't afford, so my next few posts should be chock full of products!

Wishlist: Birthday

I'm really loving Polyvore at the moment for getting inspiration for things to wear, and as it's my birthday coming up at the end of the month I'm trying to plan what to wear out. I already own these amazing boots, which were only £30 from BlackFive.com - and the best bargain I've had in a while, as they're really comfortable. I'm loving chunky boots at the moment, as I tend to struggle in more stiletto type heels. I've also paired this slightly pricey, but gorgeous necklace which is £33 from French Connection, with an adorable little floaty chiffon baby blue dress, which is £23 from Nelly.com - a site which I've only just discovered, but will definitely be investigating further if they have these types of things on offer. The reason I've paired these is, due to my own style, I wouldn't feel comfortable wearing more feminine heels and accessories with this type of dress, and I think the darker, chunky accessories really set the dress off! What would you pair it with, post your Polyvore links in the comments below.

I'll also be trying out this nail style at some point this week and posting my results so wish me luck! I'm not particularly seasoned with nail art so hopefully it won't be too much of a catastrophe.

Old Favourites: Urban Decay's Brow Box

It's no secret that I'm a fan of Urban Decay; a lot of my make-up collection seems to be branded with those beautiful UD initials. But at the beginning of the year I discovered a product which I have fallen in love with more and more with each use. The formula is absolutely perfect. Urban Decay do their Brow Box in two shades; Honey Pot and Brown Sugar. I bought the Brown Sugar shade, as it's a little darker and I like my eyebrows to look a little more defined.

This is just a photo I found on the lovely Abigal of Shrinking Wallet's blog, as I seem to have misplaced my camera battery charger, which is annoying as I also can't use any photos of just how good this looks on my eyebrows, or any swatches. I promise to get a replacement charger soon though!

I think I love this set because there's just everything you need, right there in one two tiered perfect little brow box. This one in the photo is actually slightly different to mine as it's the older version. The revamped version has the eyebrow wax, and both powders on the top level, with a brush for the powders, a brush for the wax, and a teeny little set of tweezers in the bottom level, which also features a magnifying mirror on one level and a normal mirror on the other. Perfect!

I'm still yet to try out the more striking, crisp eyebrows you'd get if you just used pencils, but this softer, more casual yet still very defined look I achieve with the Urban Decay Brow Box works fine with me. I've found it particularly useful for filling in any parts you may have too eagerly tweezed away.

Urban Decay have many stockists, but I bought my set from BeautyBay.com for £19

Winter Wishlist #1

Winter is creeping up slowly, we're a third of the way through September already and as it gets ever colder in the north east, my wardrobe is crying out for more warm, fluffy, stylish yet comfortable things to inhabit it. River Island is a store I always, always turn to in colder weather, as their jumpers and boots are flattering, comfortable and stylish, and not too expensive either which is important when you have to do fashion on a severely tight budget like I do!

All of the items above are from River Island, and I am absolutely in love with all of them. I already own the jeans and the jumper, which were complete steals at £12 each, but I'll definitely be adding the boots (£70), necklace (£10) and bracelets (15) to my collection in the very near future.

I'd wear this outfit with my hair down and loosely wavy, with a light smokey eye and nude lips. Nice and casual, yet still stylish enough to put on and go out to lunch, and could be made even more casual with a nice pair of flat shoes.

In other news this is my very first blog post to Illuminoire, and I'll be doing many more in the coming days - everything from fashion to events, beauty to insights to my daily life. Right now though, I'm going to log off the internet for the first time today, kick back with a nice drink and watch a film with my lovely boyfriend and some friends. Bliss!