FRANCINE MCMAHON

Tuesday, 17 February 2015

Recent Purchases

Hiya!

Recently I've got quite a few new beauty/style bits that I've been wanting (so you may recognise some from my recent wishlist) so I thought I'd share them with you. I've found that since Christmas my style has really been evolving - particularly on reading books such as The Little Black Book of Style and the first few sections of How to be Parisian Wherever You Are - and that's probably quite evident from the things I've been buying... a lot of greys here, possibly inspired by the current British weather?

Zara Reversible Contrast Shopper, £29.99-
I wrote about why I wanted this bag in my last post so I won't repeat it all, but on receiving it I'm not at all disappointed and am really looking forward to wearing it with neutral outfits or in the spring for something a bit brighter than my usual black bag/clutch.

SheLikes.com Long Sleeve Grey Bodysuit, £6.99-

If this isn't the first time on my blog you'll have seen that I wanted the American Apparel Grey Bodysuit but as it was quite expensive I went on the hunt for a cheaper version and voila - under £7 for something similar and just as lovely! It's so useful and such good quality for the price, I'm so impressed and couldn't rave about bodysuits/this particular one enough!

Kevyn Aucoin Expert Lip Colour Lipstick in Blood Roses, £28-

The perfect red!!!!!!! As you can probably tell this has really excited me because I have been looking for this exact colour for ages and it is exactly how I wanted it. I have an abundance of red lipsticks but they are either a vampy burgundy, a bright pink red or an orange red so what I really wanted was a sophisticated deep red - nothing to bold and bright or too dark. In person it's a lot more red than it looks in the photo but the overall tones are clear.

Mango Dark Grey High-Waisted Jeans, £39.99-

Again, those of you who have read my last post will recognise these as I had wanted the American Apparel Easy Jeans in grey but at £66 they were a little unjustifiable so I went searching for an alternative cheaper pair. After days of online browsing I finally found these Mango jeans that have the solid colour that I wanted (I'm not a fan of the worn grey personally) were a dark enough grey (all other pairs had been pale grey) and were high waisted. Also Mango has the added bonus of free delivery so I saved over £20 by getting these.

Loreal Colour Riche Lipstick in Taffeta (no. 233), £6.99-

For this kind of 'your lips but better' shade I thought I'd stay on the cheaper end, particularly after getting the very expensive Kevyn Aucoin red. This colour is a pale rose with shimmer so it's very natural but has the perfect glowing, lifting look that I was looking for in a nude like this. I already have a very skin toned nude which can be flattering and I love with really dark eyes, but I really wanted something with a bit more life and colour to wear with more minimal glowy makeup everyday.

Essie Nail Varnish in Master Plan, £7.99-

In person this nail varnish has more grey in it than the photo shows, but it's the perfect beigey-grey that's classy and will go with anything. The nail varnish itself is wonderful quality with a good wide brush that makes for easy application. Overall a really pretty, simple shade.

Benefit Boi-ing Concealer, £17.50-

Technically a repurchase, but so good I'll keep talking about it forever. It's just a really good concealer - the colour matches me perfectly, it conceals everything perfectly without looking cakey and stays on all day. That's all I really have to say but all I really need to, it does everything a good concealer should.

❀Have a lovely day❀

Saturday, 31 January 2015

February Wishlist

Hiya!

So it's been a while...

With Christmas, New Year, trying to get healthy and getting back into school I've been so busy that I haven't had a chance to post in over a month now (sorry!) so I'm going to get back into regular posts now, starting with this wishlist for next month.

Zara Reversible Contrast Shopper, £29.99-

There isn't really that much to explain in terms of why I want this bag - it's simple, big and practical (unlike many of my bags). The colour is the only thing that might confuse you as the black version probably seems more versatile, but I do already have a big black Zara bag so I think it would be nice to mix things up a bit. Also I think this taupe has quite a classy look about it which is something I'm very much into.

Urban Outfitters Free People Seamless Shredded Crop Top, £24-

I'll admit I'm not quite sure how I feel about this top... I do really like it... I think? It's the kind of top I'd need to have a few weeks think about before buying it, but if I did I like how it's casual but also detailed so I could wear it with black jeans without looking super plain or I could dress it up a little more with an a-line skirt. It's a good transitional top because although there isn't much to it it it can be layered for a/w or worn casually with shorts or a skirt in the summer.

Urban Outfitters UNIF Ritual Pentagram Dress, £110-

This is where the 'wish' in 'wishlist' really becomes essential - this dress is completely out of my budget but also completely gorgeous. I love the straps across the back and the detailing at the bottom. This dress would be so beautiful in the summer particularly, but as it's black it can be worn with tights in winter. I really love pretty dresses with open backs like this so I may try to find a cheaper version.

American Apparel Easy Jean in Slate, £66-

I've been wanting some grey skinny jeans for a while now since the only trousers I wear are black jeans and sometimes I want something a bit lighter with the added bonus of grey being very flatting on your legs/bum. I'm a big fan of the Topshop Joni jeans but they don't have any grey ones that aren't ripped online and I have read so many good things about these American Apparel jeans that they must be worth the £20 or so more than the Topshop ones. Also this grey is particularly nice - usually grey jeans aren't one solid colour and that's what I've been hunting for.

American Apparel Cotton Spandex Jersey Double U-Neck Long Sleeve Bodysuit in Slate, £30 (£15 in current sale)-

Recently bodysuits have really appealed to me because they look phenomenal on and they are so versatile. As I already have a black long sleeved tight crop top I thought this slate grey colour would be nice as it's still wearable and simple but not similar. Also I can imagine this looking really nice with a simple white skirt in the summer without the harsh contrast of black and white or another bold colour. If - like me - you don't feel comfortable going without a bra you'd have to find a good backless bra for this as it has a low back (which I completely love!).

Ponte Mini Skirt in Heather Grey, £32-

Can you tell I'm really loving grey at the moment? This skirt is really nice and simple and as the colour isn't too bold I can wear it casually, but also dress it up. I love wearing bodycon skirts as they work well with my figure so one that I can wear frequently like this is my dream skirt! I was also particularly drawn to this as all pale grey outfits have been something I've wanted to try and I have a grey Bardot top and also a grey jumper that would both work really well with this.

Motel Meadow Slip Dress in Museum Floral Midnight, £35-

This isn't the type of item I would usually go to because of the bold colours and pattern but this somehow drew me in. Sometimes it's nice to wear something a bit brighter, especially for parties or events to stand out a bit more and that's the wonderful thing about this dress - it can be worn casually or dressy. For an everyday look converse and simple dainty jewellery would look very chilled but I think this dress would also look so beautiful with a bigger gold necklace and heels like the ones the model is wearing.

Thanks for sticking with me here! I will be back within the next two weeks with another post... stay tuned.

❀Have a lovely day❀

Sunday, 30 November 2014

Top 5 A/W Nail Varnishes

Hi!

I am a self-confessed nail varnish addict, so I thought I'd share this obsession with you all with a post on my top five autumn/winter nail varnishes (in no particular order).

#1 Topshop Bomber
A super dark brown-toned plum that can look almost black. I rarely have complaints about Topshop nail varnishes as the colours and formulas are everything I look for.

#2 Rimmel Black Cab

Black is a staple colour that goes with almost every outfit, especially for autumn/winter as it's the darkest you can get. This one (as it's part of the Lasting Finish range stays on really well which is essential for me as I hate chipped nails more than anything!).

#3 American Apparel Hunter

Believe it or not my dad chose this colour for me when on a business trip (I know?!), and I think that it's a perfect colour for this time of year. It takes a bit of consideration to work out what colours to wear with this forest green, but when it works it really works.

#4 Topshop Rainy Day

This lavender grey is perfect all year round, but I feel like it's particularly good for these seasons as it fits nicely with the monochrome outfits and dark colours I am wearing a lot currently. It is also a nice sophisticated, lighter alternative to the darker colours I've featured in this post.

#5 Rimmel Celebrity Bash

I always feel powerful in red nail varnish, so it's an absolute essential for my collection. This colour is the perfect classy red for autumn/winter as it's more on the burgundy side, opposed to some other brighter reds that I save for the warmer months. An added bonus of this one is the brush which is extra wide so it applies the colour very evenly and easily.

❀Have a lovely day❀

Sunday, 16 November 2014

December/Christmas Wishlist

Hi!

It's that time of the month again! Except this time it is a festive edition as it is my Christmas wishlist. It's very long - although I'm sure I'll add to it over the next few weeks - so I won't go into detail about all the items. As per usual all photos are from the shops' websites.

Topshop Underwear - Bras £18, Pants £8