The Day I Bought A Hat

So, if you read my holiday wish list you'll know that I was a teensy bit (okay a lot) obsessed by a big black floppy hat from Topshop. Well, er, I bought it.

Hat - Topshop, Shirt - Topshop (old)

If possible, I now love it even more. The only problem with it is that it's actually slightly too big for my head (and I thought I had a massive head) so when it's windy there is the whole literally hold on to your hat situation. Either way I love it and I actually think it looks nicer now I've re-ombred my hair! I know that this is going to be my summer staple that will be coming with me everywhere I go.

Budget Holiday Wishlist!

So this morning me and my boyfriend finally - FINALLY - managed to book our holiday for July! I could not be more excited and despite promises to myself to not go mental buying a holiday wardrobe there are obviously a few bits and pieces I should pick up.. right?! I've been trawling the web to find some bargains and I thought I'd share them with you.

Holiday wish list by erinjainex

1. Missguided White Cover Up Mini Dress, £5.99

I literally cannot believe this is only £5.99! Perfect little cover up dress for throwing on at the beach or on a daytime walk. Yes, it's probably a tiny bit see through but what you need it for I don't think it really matters - and for £5.99 you wouldn't expect it to be much else. Style it like above or with flip-flops, a big tote beach bag and a long simple necklace.

2. ASOS Caged Moulded Bikini Top, £18

I absolutely love these kind of bikini tops, I think they look so amazing! The best bit about buying a black or white version about this is that you can team it with any normal bottoms - the bottoms on ASOS to match were £12 but they'd look equally as good with a normal pair of black bottoms. The only obvious thing that slightly worries me is tan lines?! Ah well, I'll figure it out.

3. Dorothy Perkins Yellow Strap Sandals, £9

Another bargain here. Just very basic leather look strap sandals that you can stick into your bag and go with pretty much every outfit. These are available in almost every colour as well - I definitely love this yellow pair but I'll probably be sensible and get white or black!

4. ASOS Matte Retro Sunglasses, £12

Although the high street everywhere has new fancy styles of sunglasses, I'm a classic girl. I love this kind of 'retro' shape where the frame doesn't actually go all the way around! I have relented to this style being a bit more modern with the coloured lenses - they've got a reflected metallic coating on them which apart from looking awesome, apparently give off minimal glare. (But they look good which is the main nice thing). 

5. Topshop Black Floppy Hat, £28

This is the one piece that I know isn't really budget - almost £30 on a hat is a bit extreme. But I seriously love this hat so much that I'm a bit concerned about myself. Large floppy hats are always popular in summer anyway but to be honest, have always been favoured by elderly women. The floppy straw hat has been given a modern felt/wool update, which works with both normal and beach outfits.

I know that I'll probably be picking all of these up for my holiday - have you found any great holiday buys lately? 

L'oreal Infallible Stay Fresh 24hr Foundation Review

When I picked this up in Boots the other day, my boyfriend groaned and said 'you have SO MANY OF THESE!'. Which is kind of true. I have random bottles here and there that have ended up disappointing me or changed shade or I just got bored of. But I did genuinely just finish my Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation and thought it was about time to try something new.

The bottle claims that you get 24 hours of a 'just applied' finish, flawless complexion with no transfer, no shine, no dry out, and lots of other no-somethings. I personally never understand why makeup claims to last 24 hours as I really don't need it to last that long at all! Saying that, I have to disagree that it's a super long lasting foundation. I love the finish you get but definitely around the 6 hour mark you can tell it's not quite the same.

The foundation itself is quite a thick texture so you don't need very much. It doesn't actually say anywhere  on the bottle but I would class this as medium to high coverage which is exactly what I love in a foundation! I still use my MAC Studio Fix Powder over the top to set it as I like a really matte finish but thankfully this foundation isn't shiny at all on the skin by itself so if you prefer not to powder then you could definitely get away with it. 

I also really like the packaging for this - it looks very simple and clean which I prefer from drug store brands. The only slight complaint with it is that the pump seems a bit weird - it's like a square pump so if you're not careful about how you're holding the bottle then you get the annoying squirt of foundation that just goes all down the side of the pump! 

So far I really like this foundation and I'm hoping that it will be better for the (supposed) warmer months coming up! 

Depop Beauty and Clothing Sale!

Hi guys -

Just a quick post to say that I'm selling loads of stuff on the app 'Depop' in the next few days - that includes MAC, Estee Lauder, Elizabeth Arden, and also clothing from Topshop, Dorothy Perkins, and more! Selling all super cheap as I'm having a clear out in my house and trying to get a few spending pennies for my holiday. Please check it out if you have the app, I'm also open to offers so get yourself a bargain! My username is @erinjaine :)

Revlon Colourstay Concealer Review

(Before anyone thinks it, color is the silly American way of spelling it on the tube. My title is right!)

So Boots managed to lure me in with the 3 for 2 offer the other day. I did actually need some new foundation and mascara so I had the luxury of picking my free item guilt free! I am a dedicated user of the Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer (if you haven't seen bloggers everywhere rave about it then where have you been?!) - but I just honestly, don't love it that much. It's good, don't get me wrong but I don't think it lives up to the great reputation it's gathered.

Then I found this. At £6.99 it's a bit more expensive than my old concealer, but I will happily now pay this every time. I think of it like Collection 2000's older sister of concealer. Same kind of consistency, same kind of packaging and promises - but this just performs that bit better. I prefer a fuller coverage concealer and this just hit's the nail on the head. When I blend it in I can still actually see that I've used concealer and it's had a brightening effect, which is a miracle within itself compared to others I've tried.

I went with the shade 'light' which is the second lightest in the colour range and it's a great match for me - blends in well enough with my skin to cover imperfections but equally gives a bit of a brightening effect for my horrible dark eye circles! 

I fully recommend this - it's definitely my new favourite go to.

Daisy By Marc Jacobs Eau So Fresh Review

Daisy Eau So Fresh 75ml, £51.50

This is one those purchases, where every time I use it I feel super smug about the absolute amazing price I paid for it. I bought it from the amazing Boots sale at Christmas - it was actually early January when most of the great things have gone but there's still one or two knocking around on a shelf. I found the Daisy by Marc Jacobs gift set (75ml bottle, body wash and gift box) which full price was around £55 - with the set actually being worth £75. I bought it for a bargain £27! I mainly bought this with the idea of now without sounding silly: Daisy is a lovely fresh summery scent that definitely isn't suited to Christmas weather! So I knew that I'd want something light and delicate for summer - without paying the huge price tag.

The bottle is beautiful - Marc Jacobs bottles always are! The top is actually a bit smaller than some of his other perfumes - my old favourite, Oh! Lola - is the one with the absolutely giant flower on top. I remember opening the box to that one and feeling very disappointed at the size of the bottle compared to box as the lid just took up so much room!! So this one is much nicer and overall feels lighter and prettier. 

The scent itself is hard to describe. It has top notes of grapefruit, green notes, raspberry and pear; middle notes of jasmine, rose, violet, litchi and apple blossom; base notes of musk, virginia cedar and plum - which is a hell of a lot to fit into one fragrance! It definitely has more of a fruity than floral vibe, but once the top notes are out of the way you do start to pick up on the 'deeper' scent. I personally love it and every time I spray it, it genuinely makes me feel so summery!

Have you picked up a new scent for summer yet?

MAC Lady Danger Lipstick Review

As you saw in my last post I treated myself to a new powder, this was the purchase that went along side it! On a recent night out I lost my beloved Russian Red (it still hurts) and so I thought I'd buy a new red that felt a bit more 'summer'. Enter Lady Danger. It's described as a 'vivid bright coral-red', and when they say vivid bright - they bloody mean it. I hadn't actually realised how much the orange/coral comes out when you wear it - it definitely verges on not really being red! 

It's a matte finish so you definitely need to have prepped lips for this to sit well. A lot of people complain about MAC matte finishes 'bobbling' or drying out but it really is all in the prep work. Lip balm, scrubs, the works - and then it will look beautiful. At the minute I'm wearing it with winged eyeliner but I think in summer when it's hot (haha, hopefully) it will look great with just lashings of mascara. 

Shockingly bad iPhone quality of Lady Danger on the lips!

MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation Review

MAC Studio Fix in NC25, £21.50

Since moving to the city I've had to tighten the purse strings a bit, and sadly that meant not splurging on my favourite MAC powder. However after a particularly pleasant pay packet (lame alliteration, I regret nothing) I decided to have a little MAC treat.

It's described as a powder plus foundation, and I'd say that's only half right. I couldn't use this by itself unless I was having the most amazing skin day so I wouldn't use it as 'foundation'. However when you do use the powder over your normal foundation, it just works. And it works well. I love how my skin looks after using this - it gives off a matte texture whilst not ever being dry, and gives your skin this velvety look and finish. It's just very, very good. 

I would say you can get away going a few shades lighter/darker with this, so not to worry too much if you can't get matched up properly. Especially for the summer it wouldn't be a bad idea to get one a shade or so darker so it matches as you tan. 

If you have the money, buy this. If you don't have the money, buy this. It's amazing. You need it. Yep.