Summer Essential: Topshop Glow Highlighter Review

Hiii,

The summer is fast approaching and I don't think there is a person in sight who is not anxiously waiting on the sun to finally make it's appearance. Personally, I'm not a fan of long, hot summer days as I absolutely hate lathering on greasy sun cream and feeling sticky, but sun protection is important especially for paler skin tones, like myself, and I can't deny that the sun makes me feel more positive.

Anyway, just because make up on a hot day tends to wear off pretty quickly, doesn't mean we shouldn't bother and I think I may have found my favourite product that will surely be on my cheeks every day of summer. 

Topshop's Glow Highlighter in Polished.

I've had this highlighter for quite some time now and I still adore it just as much as I did when I first bought it. I believe its current retail price is £9 and you can find it in any Topshop store or on their online website.

When I bought this highlighter I was new to the whole contouring and highlighting scene and by chance just picked it up in store one day and thought I'd give it a go.  It is in cream form and you only need the tiniest bit because the saying 'a little goes a long way' is very relevant for this product. 

As you can see I've not even started to reach the bottom of the tub yet and I'd say I've been using this product for about 6 months now. The highlighter is a pearl white colour with tones of purple and pink and looks amazing just above the cheekbone and on the brow bone. I've swatched it along my hand just so you can see how reflective of the sunlight it is. Perfect for summer!

I have tried other forms of highlighter since purchasing this product and I just can't seem to find anything that matches it's quality for the same price. Sometimes I even wear this highlighter alone just on my cheeks and I have had so many compliments about how radiant and healthy looking my skin appears. 

If you give this product a go or already have it, please tell me what you think. I for sure have this product as a makeup bag staple now and will definitely be repurchasing once I run out.

I hope you have found this post useful if you are looking for a little summer pick me up.

For now,

Chanel

xx

How can I organise my life?

Crikey!- It has been a while hasn't it?!

Hi everyone, sorry it's been such a long time since I've been on here but my life has went from doing absolutely nothing in the summer to full on studying and just being very active in general. Although being busy is a great thing and you can really get cracking, I've been having trouble just get myself in order.

I don't know if this is the typical 'student lifestyle' we've all heard so much about, but honestly I cannot for the life of me stop procrastinating. Assignment due in next week? No problem, I'll just watch another four episodes of Gossip Girl.

So, I'm calling for help to give myself a good 'ole kick up the bum and start organising my life. Does anyone else get like this? How do you motivate yourself? 

I'd love to hear and maybe try a few of your techniques out myself.

Thanks for reading my word vomit,

Much love,

Chanel

xx

Book Review: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Hello,

Something a bit different for you today. Aside from my love of fashion and beauty another keen interest of mine is reading. Usually when I find an author I like, I read every book that particular author has written, a major example is John Green, I adore that man. Anyway, I had heard alot about thriller books and really wanted to try reading one as I usually read teen/love novels. The most popular thriller book by far at the moment is Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. 

I downloaded Gone Girl on my Kobo reader and to start with I was not exactly "gripped" by the storyline, infact I was a little confused and unsure if I wanted to read more. However, the beginning of the novel starts in a curious way and after deliberating I decided to read on to find out what happens. 

With spoilers in mind I will give you a quick run over of the plot without spoiling anything. Basically the novel starts from a man called Nick Dunne's POV and his wife Amy has gone missing. The book then follows the tale of Nick and his dealing with the case of a missing person and perhaps a suspected murder. However there is a twist in the plot as we also hear from Amy's POV through a diary written before her disappearance.

Although the book has a slow start I was plunged well into the plot about a quarter of the book through and began to try and solve the mystery in my head. After reading Gone Girl, I highly recommend you give it a read as not only will it have you shocked by the plot twists but also jumping from who's side of the story to believe. But just to warn you, the ending may be a little bit of a disappointment.

Also, another reason to read Gone Girl is because the movie version is due for release in cinemas in October 2014 and stars the very gorgeous Ben Affleck. Here is the trailer, but do NOT watch it if you are trying to avoid spoilers.

Do you have any reading recommendations for me, I'd love to hear them in the comments.

For now,

Chanel

xx

London Fashion Week Favourites- Julien MacDonald + Vivienne Westwood

Hi,

I am finally at the end of my London Fashion Week Favourites with two amazing designers Julien MacDonald, who's artistic work I admire and frequently buy from in Debenhams, and also the one and only Vivienne Westwood. Since this could potentially be a long post I'll get to the good stuff...

Julien MacDonald

I actually struggled massively with narrowing my favourites from the Julien MacDonald collection as every design is just so beautiful and formal and gives me major heart eyes. This dress is just gorgeous, white is the perfect summer colour and the cherry red almost oriental design across the chest and up the thigh makes all the difference. This is the type of dress that could be worn over and over and still have the same wow effect.

This second dress has pretty much the same kind of style with the dipped mesh front but I can't get enough of the material of this dress, it looks so glamorous and red carpet ready, I absolutely adore the blue small pattern and front opening of the dress, another amazing design and overall collection for Julien MacDonald.

Vivienne Westwood Red Label 

Vivienne Westwood will forever be the designer that brings creativity to it's full potential on the runway and the SS 2015 collection takes avant garde to new heights. One of my favourite designs is the one above as it combine simplicity with radical, and i adore the stripped trousers, definitely a must for next spring.

Finally, a darker piece from Westwood, I love the lace detailing and I think it's both gothic and glamorous at the same time, I could see this on red carpets all over the globe for leading ladies who are daring and don't mind dressing a little dark.

And that concludes my LFW SS 2015 Favourites, I really enjoyed making this little series and hopefully you have too. If you are too a keen fashion junkie like me then please let me know which designer really stands out for you.

For now,

Chanel 

xx

London Fashion Week Favourites- Topshop Unique

Hello again,

If you hadn't already guessed by the title of this post, I am adding another designer to my LFW SS 2015 Favourites, and this time it's Topshop Unique. I have been a huge fan of Topshop for a while now, all starting with their high street collections and then progressing into their couture collection after watching previous shows at London Fashion Week. I think Topshop always deliver fresh fashion with bold patterns and statement pieces, ready to wear for those who enjoy high fashion.

Once again, here is some of my favourite looks from this years SS 2015 collection...

This look reminds me of Sandy from Grease, it's very 50's rock and roll and of course the colours red and black bring out a real authentic and classic style. I think the way the designer has matched high waisted black pants with a cropped midi jacket is very flattering and I love the way the sleeves have an unusual shape, definitely one of my absolute favourite looks from this years LFW.

I think this look is super girly and chic, I love any top that is off the shoulder I just think they're really classic and bring an almost old fashioned look to the outfit.This look is very playful and the ruffling on the top looks great with the thick leather band at the bottom of the skirt, super cute. 

Now when I first seen this look I turned my nose up at it to be completely truthful, I didn't like the ruffling of the skirt and thought the shoes were not up to much. However, looking over the collection again, I have completely changed my mind and think this look is perfect for a city-goer in Spring.

Last but almost certainly not least is the gorgeous Cara Delevingne who opened and closed the Topshop Unique show this year. I am a huge fan of Cara and admire the way she can suit any look from grunge to elegant. This dress is floaty and embellished and I couldn't think of anything more suited for hot summer nights, I think the mauve/nude colour of the dress gives it a very girly flare with a reminder of 1920's fashion. 

London Fashion Week Favourites- Burberry Prorsum SS 2015

Hiiii,

I'm back with another addition to my "London Fashion Week Favourites SS 2015" with one of my all time favourite British designers who have created classic looks since 1856, alongside the iconic tartan identity. At London Fashion Week it is no secret that Burberry put on a showstopping catwalk to preview their collection not only to the most prestigious names in the Fashion world but also to an ongoing list of famous faces. This year show brought out it's newest Spring/Summer 2015 collection including a heck load of denim, sheer materials and a mass amount of bows, what more could a girl want, i hear you say?

Here are a few of my favourites from the collection...

I really love the texture of the materials used in this look, making it look clean and classy. The use of really basic nude and white shades make the outfit very fresh and perfect for hot summer nights, I am absolutely obsessed with the collar design and the sheer material on the skirt. 

When I was looking through the collection, this dress was what reminded me of summer the most. I think the ombre colour scheme allows the dress to have an almost floral look to it like lavender or violets. I love how the designer has incorporated blue with the purple, I need this in my wardrobe pronto.

Aren't the colours of this look gorgeous? I love the bright yellow pieced with a sheer black, both elegant and daring. The plunge line and cut around the pelvic area is definitely for those who don't mind flashing a bit of skin, but can be pulled of delicately with the jacket used by the designer. I ♥.

Finally, I found this dress really different from any of the others on the collection and think the modern art approach to this look is to die for. Modern art prints are very in season for next year and just look beautiful with pastel shades like in this look. The bag is a gorgeous and really brings the whole look together with the blue straps matching the sandals, very flattering.

.

London Fashion Week Favourites- House of Holland

Hello,

As London Fashion Week SS 2015 comes to an end and the catwalks are packed away, I decided to look back on some of my favourite looks from international and British designers in the next few blog posts. Although I usually watch the shows live from the catwalk, this year I have been unable as this week has been chaotic with moving home, so looking through websites and social media has been the only options. However, I still really enjoy looking at the new season's patterns and trends for inspiration on outfits and styles. Here is one of my all time favourite designers, and will be followed by a series of LFW posts.

House of Holland

I absolutely adore Henry Holland's creative input into the world of fashion, with bright colours and daring patterns to brighten up any designer wardrobe, Holland adds the essence of summer and excitement into his clothes.

I ADORE this look, it's super 60's with statement pattern.

I can actually see myself dreaming about this outfit, I love the colour and design clash, it's very unusual and not something you'd see on the highstreet.

This dress is perfect for casual wear, I love the almost shirt divide between the dress and think this would look super cute with either black boots or wedges

This may be my favourite look from the House of Holland collection, I can't get enough of the floral look Holland has aimed for and this top, matched with the silk skirt is to die for.

Once again, Henry Holland has stolen the show with his funky and trendy collection for SS 2015.