Outfit of the Week: Lunch Date

Yesterday the weather was fairly reasonable in my little part of the UK and so my boyfriend and I decided to make the most of the unusual sunshine and go for a casual lunch date in the town centre. Since getting my puppy (see him here), I've felt as if I've just been living in leggings and trousers as they are easier to wear when taking him for walks, but as my mum kindly took him off my hands for an hour or two I seized the opportunity to squeeze myself back into a dress! 

★ Dress: River Island ★ Waist belt: Ebay ★ Gladiator sandals: Topshop ★

It has also been rare for me to get the chance to wear make up lately as I've been getting up at what seems like the crack of dawn to take Jasper for his morning walk. As soon as I was home alone I reached straight for my make up bag and hair products!

   

Make up products used: 

Face: Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream in shade 'light' (get one shade lighter than you normally would to make it match your skin tone - I would normally purchase 'medium'!).
Blush: Revlon Matte Powder Blush in shade '002: Blushing Berry'.
Eyebrows: E.L.F. eyebrow lifter and filler in shade 'Ivory/Dark', E.L.F. eyebrow kit (brow gel and powder) in shade 'Dark' - applied with Nars eyebrow brush No. 5.
Eyeshadow: Maybelline 24 Hour Colour Tattoo in shade '35: On and On Bronze'.
Eyeliner: L'Oreal Gel Intenza Eyeliner in shade '02: Golden Black'.
Mascara: one coat of Benefit Bad Gal Lash, one coat of L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes in shade 'Extra-Black'.

What are you wearing now the weather is heating up? Let me know! ☺

NOTD: MAC Inspiration

Although I didn't want it to happen, the hint of a chip in my galaxy nails meant that it was time for a new design. The only one I have left on my to-do list is marble effect nails, but I wanted a relatively quick design so chose to put that off until I could do it properly.

If you have been at all active in the blogging world you'll be able to recognise this design instantly, and if you don't - time to catch up!  This was a simple design to execute, and just needed the use of a fine nail art brush as well as the regular brushes that came with the polishes I used.

Here is what I took inspiration from - the adverts for MAC's Ruffian Collection; a collaboration with two designers (Brian Wolk and Claude Morais) from Ruffian design house. 

And here is my attempt to replicate. My favourite nails are actually the black with the added gold but I felt that I couldn't recreate that look without using gold foils which I sadly don't own, so I went for my second favourite!

★ Base colour: No. 7 Stay Perfect Nail Colour in shade '98: Pillar Box' ★ White crescents: Barry M Nail Paint in shade '66: Matt White' ★ Black tips: MUA Nail Varnish in shade '2' ★

I definitely prefer the ones by MAC, but these will do as a free replica! What do you think? What are your latest nail designs or inspirations? ☺

Going against The Grain: Why I Don't Like Batiste Dry Shampoo

I don't want to be carving a name out for myself as 'the one who only writes bad reviews', but here we are again! I've had this product sitting on my dresser for such a long time, and didn't even realise it was such a big hit amongst bloggers! 

★ Batiste Dry Shampoo in scent 'Tropical' ★

I don't have any issues with the product performance; it claims to banish oily roots, add body and texture, and leave hair feeling fresh and clean - and that's exactly what it does. That bit I am happy with. My problem lies in the fact that the product itself is a off-white/grey colour, which wreaks havoc on my brunette hair!

Warning: the following pictures show me on my hair wash day! Expect a little grease - this is a dry shampoo post after all!

★ My hair before the dry shampoo (I din't notice the fluff in my hair 'til after taking the pictures!) ★

As instructed by the bottle, I then sprayed it approximately 30cm (I did around 3/4 of an arms length) away from my head and in the direction of my roots. I lifted up a few layers to make sure all angles were covered. Also, excuse the roots - I'm trying to refrain from dying again!

★ My hair straight after applying the dry shampoo - I'm going grey! ★

As you can see, the colour of the product does not match brunette hair at all, giving me a lovely aged look whilst I'm still in my ripe old 20's! Of course, this isn't the finished look - it's not that bad don't worry!

★ My hair after rubbing in the dry shampoo for around 2 minutes ★

The product has had a lovely effect on my hair, the biggest comparison can be seen in the bottom-left picture, that shine definitely wasn't there before! My only issue is this grey-ish tinge that has covered my roots and just will not budge! The camera hasn't picked up the extent of it, but when comparing it to the first picture you can see that my hair has suddenly become a lot lighter.

I love the actual effect that this dry shampoo has, I just wish that instead of releasing all these various different scents that Batiste seems to be coming out with, they would bring out dry shampoo tailored to a wider variety of hair colours. I know that they do a brunette dry shampoo, but by the looks of their reviews, that product even gives this greying effect so I'm reluctant to buy another Batiste product! I was recommended this product by my blonde friend, and have seen many rave reviews on it from blonde bloggers, it just doesn't agree with me! 

Do any of you fellow brunettes have the same issue? Or am I applying it wrong? Please let me know, I really want this product to work for me!

NOTD: Galaxy Nails!

Carrying on the theme of trying out new nail art techniques, once my lovely newspaper nails chipped I took that as a sign to move onto the next one - galaxy nails! I first saw this technique on Spellbound Nails'  blog (you can see that post here), where she had a Dr Who themed Dalek accent finger, with the rest of the nails painted in galaxy design. I instantly fell in love with it and it's been on my to do list for weeks!

As an absolute novice to galaxy nails, I watched a YouTube tutorial to get me started. If in doubt, head to YouTube!

Here are all the polishes I used, don't be put off by the vast number of them, each one only serves a minor job! 

★ From left to right: Topshop Nails in 'Gypsy Night' ★ GOSH Nail Lacquer in 'Rose' ★ Barry M Nail Paint in 'Gold' ★ E.L.F. Nail Polish in 'Twinkle' ★ Barry M Nail Paint in 'Matt White' ★ Collection 200 Maxiflex Polish in 'Electric Punk' ★ M.U.A. Nail Varnish in 'shade 04' ★            

I also used a fine nail art brush, but took the picture before I started using it - I used it to do the small and large stars that you'll see in the next pictures. This look did take just under an hour to complete, but if you have enough patience the final effect is so worth it, I can't stop looking at my nails!

Here is the finished product...

I haven't done a tutorial on it as I followed someone elses tutorial myself! The link is at the top if you want to give it a go. Link me your nails if you decide to try it out, I'd love to see what everyone elses look like! ☺

Moving back home: Room Tour!

As a university student, I move around a *lot*. I'm back at my mum's house for the summer break - and back in my old bedroom! Moving back in and getting the house ready for the puppy (meet him in this post) forced me to finally act my age and get my room good and tidied! As a result of this, I thought my room to be (semi) acceptable looking for a room tour! We all build relationships on here with our fellow bloggers based on similar interests in beauty/hair etc. so I thought why not get better acquainted ☺.

Ok, so why not start with a panoramic view of the room without a panoramic effect? (Just me standing in a corner taking a picture).

I know.. I am *such* the stereotypical girl with my white and pastel pink themed room, but I will gladly throw my hands up and say I don't care - I think those colours are pretty! This colour scheme was a joint effort from myself and a few friends, so the old bedroom colour is still visible from patches of various 'graffiti' (not really, but what else to call it?) that I wanted to keep - hot pink!

If you pan around a bit more to the right you can see the bed, where I'm not sure about magic - but the blogging definitely happens there! 

Yes, I am a 20 year old who still sleeps in a single bed, sometimes even with my boyfriend - I am counting down the days 'til my double bed upgrade! I am in love with this bedspread, it was from TK Maxx, and I never want to take it off! The top picture is what I have hanging above my bed. I'm a memory box kinda gal, and so the centre picture is a hand-made card I received for my 19th birthday along-side some of Chloe Buttonhearts photography pictures - she did have a Facebook page but she's deleted it now, so looks like these are one of a kind at the moment! To the left are a couple of t-shirts I made for a few nights out at university, the top one dons the 'Barbie' logo for last years Halloween - zombie Barbie!

This is my miscellaneous cabinet that sits next to the tv. I put anything in there that I can't find a home for elsewhere, books, games, moisturisers, make up etc. The list could go on forever! As you can see it's a bit all over the place at the moment, and even this picture was taken after a *lot* of organising! Up the top sits a jewellery box, photographs and my favourite pair of shoes that I just can't bear to see tucked away in my wardrobe along with the others!

On my tv stand sits various goodies, the tv of course (circa 1999 - it's lasted well!) and my freeview box, Playstation 2 (also lasted well, who needs these fancy Nintendo Wii's and XBox Kinect when you still have your Playstation EyeToy from 2003?!) and dun dun dun... VHS player! This picture just shows what I'm currently watching, I have my DVD collection in a box under my bed, but ones that I'm watching now get to have pride of place on the tv stand. Here we have Despicable Me, Seasons 1-5 of Gilmore Girls (I didn't think much of the 6th season), High School Musical 3, Two Weeks Notice and Bring it On. Are we still friends after you've seen what I like to watch? I promise I won't blog about them again!

And finally, me in my room! The top did start out being tucked into the high-waisted jeans but after a day of running around after a small puppy, there's only so many times I could be bothered to tuck it back in!

So those are all the semi-interesting things that I surround myself with in my room! Let's see if this can start a trend where we all get to know each other a little better through doing room tours - nothing too personal, just  being able to put a personality to a blog ☺.

PS. I had to distract Jasper with one of my old toys so I could write this, and even then he got bored and started chewing his own leg instead! Silly puppy.

Face of the Day: Are You Feeling Brave?

Apologies again in the erratic posting routine, I have got my hands full at the moment with a new addition to the family... My very first puppy! I bought Jasper home on the 21st, and although he's as good as gold, he's so young so relies on me for everything, but he's having a nice long nap at the moment so I thought I'd sneak in a little post! ...Cue tonnes of pictures of Jasper!

★ He's a face licker! ★

Isn't he handsome?! He's an 11 week old Dalmatian puppy, and such a scaredy-cat! Now that brief introduction is out the way - onto the post!

I turned 20 this year and all of a sudden I seem to have had a mid-life crisis (in which I also bought a dog!). This impromptu crisis saw me heading straight to The Body Shop and stocking up on as much anti-ageing products I could find. I bought a cleanser, toner and day cream, all from their natrulift range which claims to keep the skin young and plump! I had recently spotted some deeper lines on my forehead and nose, so when I saw a 3 for 2 offer I jumped at the chance!

★ The Body Shop Natrulift softening cream cleanser: £9 ★ The Body Shop Natrulift softening toner: £9 ★ The Body Shop Natrulift firming day cream: £16 ★

Before, my facial routine simply consisted of taking my make up off, washing my face with water, and going to bed, but now I'm in a solid routine of cleanser, toner, day cream (in the mornings) and my usual take make up off and wash face routine in the evenings. I can't say much about the day cream just yet as I don't expect to see any results so soon, but the combination of cleanser and toner is so good! The toner completely cleans down into my pores, and seems to remove dirt from my face that I couldn't even see - it also tightens my face ready for the day cream, so hopefully its anti-ageing properties are working well!

As I said, I'd never used these products before, and so these results may just be a given of any cleanser and toner, but to me these are miracle workers! The Body Shop is always doing deals, and so you never have to pay full price - if you're in the market for new skin products, look there!

As a final act of bravery, I thought I'd take a picture of my face just after doing this routine, and nothing else (I didn't even dry my hair!). 

Cheesy, right? How can you make a picture look good when you know you're going to look bad either way?! As you can see the day cream sits on the skin a little, leaving a shine but this absorbs in the next 10 minutes. It is quite thick - almost serum-y but not quite, which gives me the impression that something that dense must be doing something right! The smell is a bit odd, very 'produced', it certainly doesn't smell natural, but if you can get past that definitely go and get it!

Now my challenge to all of you is to join me in doing a make-up less post about your current skin routine. Who's feeling brave? ☺

NOTD: First Shot at Newspaper Nails

Sorry for my brief absence from Secrets of a Wannabe Charlotte! I've moved back home from university so I was a bit busy manically trying to fit my life into a car and get back home, but now that I'm *somewhat* organised, the blogs are back on track again! I was also alerted to the fact that my Hellocotton button has been mistakenly directing people to BlogLovin' instead, but everything is fixed and all works fine now!

My first attempt at gradient nails managed to last 5 whole days with no chips, but waking up this morning with a little crack in the polish was all the sign I needed to take it off and take a shot at my next nail art! In my pastel gradient nails post I mentioned that I was itching to try out newspaper nails, and that's exactly what I've done ☺. 

Here is everything I used for this technique  (plus a glass of water but it wouldn't balance on my bed!). For those of you who have been put off this technique by the need for rubbing alcohol, just use nail polish remover instead, it works a treat!

★ Newspaper ★ Cotton pad(s) ★ Base colour: Nicole by OPI 'It's All About The Glam' ★ Top coat: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip top coat ★ Nail polish remover ★

Although I am an avid nail art fan, and love to experiment with different techniques, this was my first try at newspaper nails - and just let me say: anyone who wants to get into nail art but doesn't know where to start, start with this! If you're not that confident in your nail art skills and want something easy to start you off then definitely do this one first. This technique doesn't require steady hands, it doesn't require any fine detailing - I believe anyone could tackle this and have it turn out amazing ☺.

Here is what my nails and workspace (bed) looked like mid-process...

I felt like I was back in primary school art class! One thing I will say is to not copy my idea and do this in bed! A full glass of water and bottle of nail varnish remover precariously balancing on an ever-moving mattress around wet nails is not the best combination! Next time I will definitely do this at a table, or at least with a flat surface somewhere near.

And here is the finished product...

As I was a complete newbie to this technique, I watched a YouTube tutorial before attempting it. Here is the video I watched, it's so easy, and you don't need to follow it as you do your nails - just watch it once and it's easy enough to memorise and then practice on yourself!

So what do you guys think? Let me know if you try it, I'd love to see all your guys' nails! ☺

Outfit of the Day: One Dress Three Ways.

As my previous Outfit of the Day posts seem to be the most popular out of all my posts I decided to bring you three in one! I'll be using one basic dress from Primark, and styling it three ways for different occasions and weather in our ever-changing British climate. I bought this dress last Summer, and with Primark's stock turnover rate it most probably isn't being sold any more, but it is a pretty staple piece that Primark brings out every year in different variations and prints so not to worry! If you're after this dress chances are Primark have brought out a better looking version of it this year!

Spring... 

★ Denim jacket: Primark ★ Dress: Primark ★ Necklace: Primark ★ Waist belt: Ebay ★ Heeled sandals: River Island ★

Team this dress with a light jacket to give some warmth against the mild Spring winds, and sandals to bring a touch of Summer to your look. This outfit is perfect for casual social events - lunch dates, BBQ's, lounging around with friends etc. 

Summer...

★ Dress: Primark ★ Necklace: Primark ★ Waist belt: Ebay ★ Heeled sandals: River Island ★ 

For Summer, strip this look down to its skeleton parts - what the essentials are to this look. Ditching the denim jacket gives more emphasis to the finer detailing of the waist belt and necklace. Having the shoulders on show steps this look up to something a lot more free, instantly increasing its Summer feel.

★ Necklace: Primark ★ Waist belt: Ebay ★

Autumn/Winter...

★ Jumper: Primark ★ Dress: Primark ★ Heeled boots: River Island ★ 

Add a jumper, tights and warmer shoes to protect your skin from the harsh Autumn/Winter weather. By taking away the accessories used in the first two looks, attention instead is then drawn to the jumper, highlighting this look as one for the colder months. All focus is pulled straight to the jumper, and no one will notice that you've been wearing the same dress all summer!

Do you have any staple pieces that you wear regardless of the season? How do you wear them?

NOTD: Pastel Gradient Nails

Since starting blogging I have been exposed to so many different nail techniques - and I just want to try them all! On my to do list so far there is marble nails, striped nails, nail stamps and newspaper nails. One technique I can tick off my list though is gradient nails! After much deliberation over what colours to go with, this creation actually came from a mistake that I made. I intended on going from dark pastels to white, transitioning green to blue, and then blue to white - but I somehow subconsciously found myself painting my base blue, and thus these nails were born!

Both colours are incredibly pastel, and so the gradient is very subtle - but it is there! What do you think of my first try? I didn't watch any tutorial, I just guessed at the technique from seeing other pictures and reading the word 'sponge' a lot! This picture was taken straight after painting so you can see there is very little clean up to be done.

I began with a base colour of Blue Moon by Barry M, just painting the nail as normal, and then used an unwanted foundation sponge to start sponging Mint Cream by ELF onto the bottom of the nail upwards. After the green was successfully sponged onto the nail, I went over the blue/green border with Blue Moon again - this time using a second sponge, just to blur out the border a bit. Sally Hansen's Insta Dri top coat just sealed the deal ☺.

What's your verdict? Is the gradient too subtle? Keep checking back for updates on me trying out other nail art techniques! Or do you have any techniques that I didn't mention and think people should give a go?

Gel Liner on a Budget: My Vendetta Against Rimmel Continues...

First of all... I changed up my banner - no more London skyline! What do you think? 


Last week I wrote a post pitting the high street brand Topshop's red lipstick against the classic Chanel Coco Rouge red lipstick. Today I'm doing the same, but with two gel liners of around the same pricing - just to prove what you can get on a budget if you buy the right brands. 


Since secondary school, throughout my various friendship groups I have been known to actively try to dissuade people from using Rimmel products. Now in my ripe old 20's, this hasn't changed. I had sworn off Rimmel products at around the age of 14 due to their clumpy mascaras, favouring L'Oreal as my favourite high street make up brand. Yes, Rimmel may seem like the attractive option due to their cheap prices and Kate Moss-infused advertising, but don't be fooled! 


6 years after my decision to not use Rimmel products I was in Superdrug and browsing for a cheap gel liner. I decided to go against my better judgement and buy the Rimmel London Waterproof Gel Liner in shade 001: Black. It was an impulse buy as I'd have had to have gone back to Boots to get the product I wanted - L'Oreal's Superliner Gel. I have since bought L'Oreal's version of the same product and am writing this to show you the comparison... Let the pictures speak for themselves!

★ Rimmel London Waterproof Gel Liner (shade 001: Black): RRP - £6.49 ★ 

Here is a swatch of the Rimmel London Waterproof Gel Liner in shade 001: Black. I have also included pictures of the gel on a closed lid and open lid. All pictures were achieved by using the brush included when buying the liner. 

As you can see the product doesn't look too bad, a tad wet and a bit translucent but all in all a satisfying gel liner... Right? For full effect I decided to line the opposite eye with L'Oreal's Superliner Gel in shade 02: Golden Black. 

★ L'Oreal Superliner Gel (shade 02: Golden Black): RRP - £6.99 ★ 

I repeated the previous swatch, this time using L'Oreal's Superliner Gel in shade 02: Golden Black. Again, both an open and closed lid are lined using the product, applied with the brush that is included.

Again, there isn't that much of a difference between the 2 products, is there? After these pictures were taken I then waited 5 minutes, going about usual tasks and then took a picture of both eyes together.

Disclaimer: I did not attempt to use one eye more than the other in order to create this effect.

★ Left eye is lined with Rimmel London Waterproof Gel Liner (shade 001: Black): RRP - £6.49 ★ Right eye is lined with L'Oreal Superliner Gel (shade 02: Golden Black): RRP - £6.99 ★

As you can see there is now a clear difference between these 2 products, with a price difference of only 50p! The wetness of the Rimmel liner means that it is stubborn to dry, incredibly susceptible to transfer  and shows noticeable fading after only 5 minutes. The L'Oreal liner on the other hand has stayed exactly how it was when I applied it. Other differences include the brushes. The brush provided in the L'Oreal purchase is much longer than the Rimmel brush, adding dexterity and making it easier to use than the short Rimmel brush. The consistency of these 2 products is also completely different. The Rimmel gel is a constantly wet formula, easy to smudge and alter within the pot. The L'Oreal gel however is a solid, compact substance, turning to a creamy substance when touched with the brush.

So if Rimmel is your go-to brand on a budget, skip it if you're looking for a decent gel liner. For 50p extra you can avoid the smudges, transfer and fading and head over to the L'Oreal counter! Do you have any brands that you avoid? Let me know ☺!

Outfit of the Week: 1940's Army wife

Last week I wrote a post saying that I would do an Outfit of the Week post once a week if interesting events in my life permitted - well, week 2 and I've managed to stick to my word! I didn't have a big event to go to, but I had recently gotten back into Karmin - an *amazing* YouTube band. Amy Heidemann (the lead singer of Karmin) also does the odd hair tutorial, and so I decided to create a look based on her tutorial for the suicide roll. 

★ Amy Heidemann recreating the suicide roll ★ 

★ Rachel McAdams playing 'Allie' in The Notebook', with a suicide roll/pin curl look ★ 

Warning for anyone who wants to try this style out: it is *hard*. It took a lot of commitment and a lot more back-combing. As someone who never back-combs, the amount required made me fear for my poor hair - but I think I somewhat managed to get the look down. 

★ 1940's suicide roll inspired outfit of the day ★ Dress: ASOS ★ Cardigan: H&M ★ Waist belt: Ebay ★ Boots: New Look ★ 

★ My attempt at the suicide roll (forgive the phone quality!) ★ 

As the suicide roll is most commonly associated with the land girls of World War 2, I decided to create a 'WW2 army wife' look (or as best I could with my wardrobe choices). WW2 is easily my favourite era for women's fashion, closely followed by the flappers of the 1920's! I've linked the hair tutorial up the top for anyone brave enough to tackle this! 

Hair tip: have *lots* of hairspray ready, and make sure you do this on a day where you can spend lots of time conditioning your hair after you take it out. 

What do you think of the 1940's look? What's your favourite fashion era?