Recent Purchases | Fashion, Beauty 'and everything in between' Haul

Work has been super-duper busy this last month, so regretfully I haven't had the time to blog or think up any exciting ideas *insert cry face.* BUT I feel like I need to get my butt in gear and start actually putting in some time into my lil blog here, so I promise I will be posting more regularly from now on.
 
I just want to quickly add in that I didn't purchase all of these products at once, these are items that I have purchased over the last month that I thought I would just put all together in one longer post.
 
 
Beauty:
 
 

(From left to right: Myth, Russian Red & Crème D'Nude)
 
 
I am a HUGE Mac lipstick fan (really who isn't?) and for a while now I have been in search of nice subtle colour to just wear when I'm wearing a more dramatic eye day, but don't necessarily want to wear nothing or another vibrant colour on the lips. Myth, from what I have heard, is one of Mac's most popular lip colours butttttt I can't honestly see the hype. Now I know this is all on my part, but I did a swatch exactly like the one above on my hand in their store, loved it so much, took it home and applied it on my lips and then nothing. I really really really wanted to love this like everyone else, but I'm just not feeling it. It kind of made the rest of my makeup look paler all of a sudden and I just felt I looked a bit...tired looking. I've seen tonnes of girls wearing this exact colour and it looks amazing on them, but I just feel it doesn't suit my complexion that well, which sucks so bad. So next time I know to actually stand in a different light and look at the swatch because it definitely looks completely different when applied to your actual lips.
 
Russian Red is a very vibrant and 'out there' colour, which also gives my lips a nice soft and sheen look to them, which I was in absolute need of so badly! I previously purchased a red lipstick from Mac a while ago ('Dangerous' I believe) and found that it made my lips feel quite dry after a while, so I was in search of one to basically replace it. I first saw this one online and then searched for it in their store, and I think it was love at first sight. It's very bright, so if you aren't brave, I wouldn't recommend this one to you as you will be catching a lot of attention with those lips! In my opinion I think every girl needs a red lippy in their lives, so I would recommend trying this one out for yourself!
 
Lastly is Crème D'Nude; much like Myth, this one is a very subtle colour but out of the two I prefer this one. It is somewhat lighter than Myth, but I feel it has this more orange tone within it, that I just thought suited my complexion straight away. As it's a crème sheen finish, it's extremely soft when applied which I love as it gives a nice soft look to your lips and just feel better when you're applying it. This one also looks gorgeous when you apply a clear gloss over the top, which I have been doing recently. I think it makes the hidden tones come out more and just gives a lovely finish to the lippy itself.
(All of these lipsticks are £15.50 in MAC)
 
(From left to right: Redd & Etcetera lip pencils)
 
Both of these were presents for my birthday, so I was so excited to see how they would match up with my lipsticks once I saw them.
I think you can probably already guess that 'Redd' was purchased to match with my lipstick 'Russian Red' and they do indeed match perfectly. I've worn this combo I few times already and just love them both together. Bold colours can be a pain to apply sometimes, and can smudge outwards once applied, so I was hugely thankful when I saw this lip pencil because it was my saviour from that fate! This pencil is slightly lighter than my lipstick, but don't mind since they work so well together anyway. I'm pretty much a newbie to lip pencils so I'm not the best person at explaining the difference they make to your lips but its so strange the difference they do actually make! Like I said, bold colours can be a pain, but applying this with my lipstick really gives my lips a nice shape and makes the edges a lot neater and less smudgy-looking (bonus!).
 
'Etcetera' I think has become one of my favourite lip pencils at the moment (even though I only have a few haha). Its a nice brown/beige colour which literally goes with so many of my lipsticks, since I have mostly warm tones, so as soon as I saw it I knew it was going to be a keeper. It's a pro longwear lip pencil but in all honesty I feel like they all last a long time anyway, so I didn't see any major difference between this and a normal one, but that didn't really bother me. It is softer to apply as it isn't a proper pencil, it has a soft end instead, so I did prefer that because sometimes it can feel like the pencil is almost scratching your lips when you apply it.
 
('Redd' is £12.50 and 'Etcetera' is £15.00 in MAC)
 
 
 
I think we have all heard the rumours, all seen the posters, seen the TV adds about this one and finally I gave in to them and purchased it. The Benefit 'They're Real' Mascara is a fairly costly mascara (selling for £19.50) but in my honest opinion I think it's worth it. Now this mascara does advertise the fact that it will give you unbelievably long, luscious and 'real' eyelashes that everyone will just go crazy over. I don't think this mascara quite hits the hype that is has circling around it, but I was pleasantly impressed by it nonetheless.
I usually wouldn't go for the brush with such short bristles, since I think the bigger bristles just push my lashes more, but I couldn't be more wrong in this case. I noticed a difference immediately in comparison to my old mascara; they didn't look false or anything like that, but they did add volume and length to them.
 
I have also gotten a couple of compliments on my lashes, so they must be doing something right! It pushes your lashes up easily and gives them this thickness and length, which mine usually don't really have, so I was very pleased.I got this product for slightly cheaper as I purchased it from Debenhams in mega week and with my work discount (30% off) so I think it was worth it, but I think I would've had a harder time parting with my money if I would've paid full price. However, I do think it is worth the extra bit of money you're spending, so I would go for it and try it yourself! After all, you are paying that bit more for a mascara which actually does what it says on the packet for once.
 
 
Fashion:
 
 




(From the top: Forever 21 dress, Zara kimono and Topshop boots)
 
These were all purchased at the same time when I had my first ever visit to Westfield Stratford in London (it has to be the BIGGEST shopping centre I have ever been to my life!)
 

The dress was purchased from Forever 21, a shop in which I have a sort of love-hate relationship with. I don't know whether anyone feels the same way, but I always feel too 'old' to be shopping there sometimes. I just walk in and stuff that I would've worn when I was younger hits me, but hidden away deep in the store you can find some little goodies like this dress. The thing that drew my to it straight away was the mesh/lace bottom; I thought it added this whole new vibe to the dress and really gave it this boho kind of look which I'm liking at the moment. I got this for only £23.00 which I thought was a steal since I looked at one on the Topshop site which was £45.00 and was basically the same thing!
I teamed it with the kimono I purchased, but I think it would look nicer with a brighter kimono, so it adds a pop of colour to the overall look.
Its very comfortable and sits lovely, so I didn't need to worry about it being tighter on the stomach or anything which was a plus. I think even though the hotter weather is leaving us in the UK, I don't see why you still can find this little cute dresses and just layer them up in the winter with a pair of tights and boots to add to the grunge/boho-chic look.
 
 
I got the kimono from Zara and I just adore it already. Not only did it only cost me £16.00 as I exchanged it, it also looks amazing. It is normally £45.00, which is a bit pricey but I think is worth it if you want something that is a good material and looks good. These types of items literally go with anything you put them with, and with the colouring of this one, you can always add something a bit more vibrant underneath and not worry that the colours will clash.
I tried to show off the tassels on the sleeves and along the bottom as they are my favourite part of kimono itself. It really has this boho-chic feel about it, which I am loving, and yet can be worn with a more dressier outfit and look smart as an extra look.
 
I don't know if anyone else is loving this style of boot at the minute as much as me, but I was so excited when I finally saw these hanging in Topshop. I got these at £45.00 but to be honest with how much I will wear these through the winter, I think they're totally worth it. I like the fact that they don't have a heel (well a teenie tiny one) which I like since you don't always want to wear a heel, especially when you see snow outside.
They are super comfortable as well and so far they don't seem like they will give me any blisters (fingers crossed!).



Books:




I have been wanting this bad boy for SO long now, so when my lovely mother got it for me for my birthday, I think being excited doesn't even describe how I was feeling properly. The Bobbie Brown Makeup Manual is literally what it says on the cover; a makeup manual. It has everything from how to find and apply the perfect concealer for you to giving you the history of makeup itself. I'm still only a beginner when it comes to applying makeup properly, but I have a feeling this will give me the tips of the trade in no time. It gives you everything in a step-by-step way, so its easy enough to follow and try out at the same time.
I've already read a lot within it, but I can't wait to actually be able to do all of the things perfectly and to the same level as they're in the book (its getting me all excited thinking about it haha!)
I searched and saw this on Amazon for only £17.00, so its a complete steal at the minute! For any person interested in makeup, or anyone who just wants to fine-tune their skills, this is definitely the book for you!
 
 
 
Anyone who knows me knows I am a massive 'The Fault in our Stars' fan, so after I finished reading that, I then began the hunt to find John Green's other books and read them all too.
 
 
Looking for Alaska -
'Miles Halter's whole life has been one big non-event, until he meets Alaska Young.
Gorgeous, clever and undoubtedly screwed up, Alaska draws Miles into her reckless world and irrevocably steals his heart. For Miles, nothing can ever be the same again.'
(synopsis from back of book)
 
I can't really tell you much about this story, since I haven't finished it yet nor even read it half-way, but so far I am really liking it. Usually, I don't know whether this is because I am a girl, I don't like reading from the perspective of a boy. I don't know why, but I just don't like it that much, but with this one I am enjoying it. Although I do find myself disliking the female character 'Alaska' instead, which is ironic, but I have a feeling I'll end up growing to her eventually.
 
An Abundance of Katherines -
 
'When it comes to relationships, everyone has a type. Colin Singleton’s type is girls named Katherine. He has dated–and been dumped by–19 Katherines. In the wake of The K-19 Debacle, Colin–an anagram-obsessed washed-up child prodigy–heads out on a road trip with his overweight, Judge Judy- loving friend Hassan. With 10,000 dollars in his pocket and a feral hog on his trail, Colin is on a mission to prove a mathematical theorem he hopes will predict the future of any relationship (and conceivably win the girl).'
 
(I got this synopsis from here  as I haven't read this book yet, and it also has synopsises from all of John Green's other books, so check it out if you are a fan too!)
 
 
I hope you enjoyed the post, and even saw some little goodies for yourself too!
 
Thanks for reading,
Paige
xx


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