Denim, waves, & floral print.

I find myself going through phases of liking my hair a certain way, or wearing a certain color or pattern excessively (such as black...ahem), etc. and i'm going through one of these phases at the mo!  I've really been loving denim jackets, beachy/wavy hair, and floral prints (in case you didn't catch the hint from the title of this post ;).  All three of these current faves are orientated around spring/summer, so i think these will be loves of mine for a while...

1. Denim jackets: The jacket i'm wearing in the photos in this post is from the beloved Primark.  It's crazy how many outfits you can put this over - dresses, dressier tops, more casual tops, the list goes onnnnnn.  It makes me feel a bit more put together and i don't know about you, but i just feel a bit 'cooler' wearing a jean jacket... maybe i'm just a dork. ;)  Many people may say you shouldn't wear denim-on-denim, but i think as long as you're not trying to match the washes of the denim, it's fine (as i display below with the jacket in question and some dark-wash skinny jeans).

Denim jackets are perfect for the spring and summer since they're light, but still provide a bit of warmth and coverage, and are versatile. :)

2. Beachy/wavy hair: I believe this current love of mine was sparked by the purchasing of Charles Worthington's Front Row Rough & Tough Salt Spray, which i got in Boots whilst in London.  It helps add a bit of texture to your hair and helps to bring out my natural waves.  My hair routine as of late has been as follows: shower at night, brush hair out with Tangle Teezer (that bright pink thing in the photo below), fishtail braid my hair, spritz it with hairspray and let it dry a bit overnight.  The next morning, i then take the braid out and it's still a bit damp, so i ruffle it a bit & scrunch it with my hands as well.  I spray the Salt Spray all over and with a diffuser, i blow dry my hair, scrunching more with my hands as i go.  Once it's dry, i hairspray it and if i want, i'll use my straightener to curl a few pieces of my hair.  I then finish off with a bit of Umberto Giannini's Backcomb in a Bottle. :)

Since i don't wash my hair everyday, i simply brush out my hair again with the Tangle Teezer before i go to bed (my hair still maintains a bit of the waves) and put my hair back in the fishtail braid to sleep.  Sometimes i add a bit more of the Salt Spray in the following morning and scrunch it, if not i just hairspray it and put more Backcomb in a Bottle in.

3. Floral print: I don't think i'll never not like myself a bit of floral print to be honest.  It makes me feel so girly and there are so many different ways to wear it... speaking of, i am really craving some floral shorts and floral sneakers at the moment, they would be so perfect for the summer!  The top i'm wearing in the photo above is another piece i got from London and it's from New Look.  It's so flowy, sheer, and gorgeous.  I'm obsessed.

What are you currently loving?

♥

Prom Night

I remember in the fifth grade i counted down the years until i could go to prom.  It made me feel so old at the time - i remember thinking "just six more years and we'll all be high schoolers and go to prom".  Now that the event has come and gone (it was on Saturday night-Sunday morning), it seems time just went by way too quickly.  It's funny how prom seemed like the biggest deal back in the day, and now that i'm actually at the age where i can go to things like prom and such, it's not that big of a deal anymore.  It seems overrated even.  That might just be my take on it, since a ton of people from school were sharing how super duper excited they were about the night on Facebook.  Maybe i'm just a party pooper?

We all met up at my house to put on our dresses and take pictures before the dance, where the limo driver met us as well.  Yes we hired a limo driver to haul us around for the night!  Are we cool or what?  Four people in a ten-person-capacity limousine.  It was quite the squeeze (that was sarcasm, obv haha).  We decided to go with a smaller group (sans dates) because we all just find it more fun, and with more people comes more drama in our opinion.

With my lovely mother ♥

I went with a fairly simple dress in a bolder color.  It was actually the first one i tried on and was so relieved that it was long enough (maybe too long as everyone, including me, was stepping on it!).  For my hair, i tried to compliment the dress as much as possible, but keeping it casual as well, so i just did a messy side bun on the opposite side of where the asymmetrical strap was, with little twists on both sides of my part.

For my makeup, i tried to do a bit of an Adele-inspired look.  She always looks so flawless and classic with her makeup - it's simple, but a bit dramatic at the same time, which i think is perfect for prom (or everyday if you're like me) and went really well with the dress and hair.  So for the look, i did some contouring & highlight of the cheeks, dark black liquid winged eyeliner, a shimmery lid with a defined crease, false lashes, white eyeliner on the waterline, and a nudey-pink lip.

Everyone usually gets their hair, makeup, and nails done professionally, but i don't trust other people with trying to make me look good for events like prom!  I'm also a bit skint atm haha.

Ooh la la!  Inside the limo.

Didn't take any pictures at the actual venue where our prom was held, but we went to this really classy Roman-inspired place, ate some delicious steak with prom king & queen, and tried to dance without looking like slags and without sweating too much.  Lovely image, no?  Wish people would actually dance and not ahem... do whatever you want to call how the kids are 'expressing themselves' these days.  I have to say the icing on the cake was when they played Friday by Rebecca Black - some hardcore dance moves and stellar singing ensued.

After prom, the prom committee every year organizes a 'post-prom' at the Y, which is basically a lock in that goes on from 12:30-3:30 AM, where everyone still has their makeup & hair done, but changes into sweats.  There's a ton of food, inflatable obstacle course, and fun times to be had.  The best part was the hypnotist though!  Can't even begin to describe that... People were genuinely hypnotized and it was the strangest, yet most hilarious thing i have ever seen.  Maybe next year i'll be able to actually be hypnotized, my brain wouldn't shut off & let me fall into the trance...

Another photo in the limo / A picture of the airbrush tattoos my friends and me got at post-prom!  Mine is the ace of spades card.

After post-prom, my friends and i came back to my house, where we stayed in the hot tub until the sun started to rise and then we passed out in the basement for a little bit.

Overall, it was quite a fun night!  Wish i could've let go a bit more and gotten into the whole 'prom experience'.

♥

Jewelry storage bits & bobs.

Working at my local thrift store has it's perks: getting a 50% discount on already super cheap stuff and being constantly surrounded by clothes, accessories, and stuff for around the house.  We were having a really slow night last night so i decided to look around for some bits & pieces i could use to help organize my jewelry better.  I've been having countless problems with the way i store my jewelry lately, it's so unorganized, everything gets tangled or lost, it's hard to look for something you want, etc.  Although i haven't completely solved this problem, i purchased two things to help sort it out a bit.

The first thing i found was this shallow, little box.  It has a grippy sort of bottom to it, which really helps the earrings stay in place.  It is a bit small to fit all of my earrings, but it fits a majority of the studs and is actually really handy when i'm in a hurry in the morning.  I believe this was only about 99c, but as i mentioned before i get a 50% off discount, so this was definitely an absolute bargain!

The second and last thing i bought was this dainty, little dish that i use as a ring-tray-sorta-thing.  I like to display my jewelry, not just because it makes my room a bit prettier, but because it is soo much easier than having to go through drawers & such to pick out what you want to wear for the day.  It goes with my room as well, so yeah. :)

How do you ladies store your jewelry?  Any tips would be much appreciated. <3

♥

Bagology

I've seen a few posts on this already, but i thought i would share with you all my own 'bagology' reading.

I'd never heard of such a thing before Hayden from Sudocrem emailed me a couple weeks ago.  Bagology is the process of understanding someone's personality & character traits simply by the contents of his or her bag.  I've always loved watching and reading the "what's in my bag?" videos and blog posts, so reading some of the analyses of some lovely ladies' bags has been intriguing!  Obviously i was quite interested in hearing an analysis of my own bag, so i posted a photo of my bag & its contents on their Facebook page and awaited my reading. :)

Bag: H&M

Contents, top to bottom, left to right: wallet, Clinique pressed powder

Forever 21 sunglasses, hand sanitizer, pen, water bottle, Victoria's Secret "Kissing in Paris" in a travel size bottle

Lolita (current read :), iPod, phone, eyelash curlers

Kleenex, Barry M Lip Gloss Wand in Strawberry Milkshake, MAC lipstick in Creme Cup

-

"Good evening Laura - I had to read your bag tonight as I love your bag and just wish I could identify the brand!  Into your reading... For you at the moment I sense that planning is key!  You seem to be logical, organised and someone who enjoys having a level of control in life.  It feels like you are someone who loves to set goals, or life plans.  You seem to be kind and tactful as a person.  You also have a quiet power in your nature.  Maybe this lies in your pragmatic 'no nonsense' 'fix it' attitude?  Or maybe you simply enjoy being 'hands on' when you see you can be useful.  I think it is good for you to spend time hanging out with people who have similar interests, hobbies, values or outlook.  I think you are someone who is a 'self starter' and can 'pick yourself up' and refresh when you need to.  Finally, the words courage and beauty spring from your bag.  These seem to be important aspects of life for you.  I imagine you enjoy lovely landscapes, outdoor walks or furniture!  Finally, I think it is important for you to have loyal friends and supporters around you and to be able to feel that the loyalty is real, almost something to touch.  I have found your bag quite unusual and the reading is a little different from others I've done.  Thank you!  It was a pleasure for me.  Debbie@handbagtherapy.com"

Overall, i thought this was actually quite accurate!  Especially the bit about enjoying lovely landscapes, outdoor walks, and furniture and the part about the need to have loyal friends & supporters around me and that it needs to be shown.  I hate to admit, but the 'no nonsense' attitude is kind of something i have...i try not to be so snappy/bitchy about it though!  About setting goals & being organized, i love doing things like making to-do lists and such (yes, i'm a dork) and i at least attempt to be organized, so that's pretty accurate as well.

If you're interested in having your own 'bagology' reading done, i definitely recommend it!  All you have to do is 'like' SudocremTube on Facebook (link here), snap a photo of your bag & its contents and post it on their wall, then await your reading.  Simples.  They're holding this little bagology reading until the end of the month so you still have a bit of time.

Thanks so much Hayden for letting me know about this and Debbie for doing all the readings!  You're both lovely. :)

♥

Gosh & Sleek Loving.

Haven't done one of these 'face of the day' type of posts in a while, i'm sure you can see why. ;)  I feel a bit vain posting pictures of my mug up for the people of the internet to see to be honest, haha.  I figured i'd do one anyway to show some of the products i got from my trip actually put to use.

I've absolutely been loving the Gosh eyeliner and Sleek Contour Kit, they are both new staples in my collection.  The Gosh liner totally tops Urban Decay's famous 24/7 one in Zero like it's nobody's business.  If you can get your hands on it, definitely try it out!  And the contour kit was a total bargain, don't think i'll be able to live without it from now on!  Makes the skin look gaaaaaawgeous and hasn't broken me out, which many drugstore products seem to do *knocks on wood*.

The Two Faced 'Illuminating' Shadow Insurance in Candlelight is totally new to me, i hadn't heard of it until my sister gave it to me (i think she got it as a 500 point perk at Sephora).  I really do quite like it though!  It's not as opaque as the Urban Decay primers are (ie. Sin), which i actually prefer.  It's just as good as the original staying-power-wise and it does brighten up the eye area to help make it look like you actually got your 8+ hours of beauty sleep - hence the 'illuminating' bit - without making it look like you have packed a ton of product on your eyes (like i have below haha ;).  Mac's Shroom looks amazing over it btw. :)

Hope you're not too offended by this little 'mug face of the day'!

Said Sleek Contour Kit & Gosh Eyeliner

Eyes

Too Faced Shadow Insurance in Candlelight

Mac Shroom e/s all over lid and inner corner & brow bone highlight

Mac Satin Taupe e/s in crease

Barry M Dazzle Dust in Chocolate in the outer corner

L'Oreal Linear Intense in Black - winged out with a bit of Urban Decay's Oilslick e/s on top to set

Gosh Velvet Touch Eyeliner in Blank Ink

Clinique High Impact mascara

Face

Benefit Erase Paste under eyes

Mac Studio Finish concealer on blemishes

Bare Minerals Original Foundation

Sleek Contour Kit in Light

Clinique Pressed Powder blush in New Clover

Bare Minerals Mineral Veil to set

Lips

Carmex :)

Hair & outfit

Will do a little post on the hair at some point. :)

top - New Look, earrings - Primark

♥