LIFESTYLE | Sibling's graduation & WIWT

Those who know me will know that my sister is my world. And yesterday was her graduation. Like myself, she too attends (attended) the University of Lincoln and ever since I found out that she'd be graduating back in June, I've been extremely excited. I've had my dressed picked out for what seems like forever and known down to point how I'd be doing my make up. The wonderful thing about graduating from Lincoln is the fact that the ceremony is held in the wonderful cathedral. It's a truly stunning setting and adds to the atmosphere like no other.

My dress is the lovely Chi Chi Callie Dress which I won in a Facebook competition earlier this year. It's beautiful and seeing as the Lincoln colours are yellow and blue, I thought it fitted the occasion perfectly. It's nicely made and holds you in in all the right places. The thing I loved the most about this dress is the fact that it has a padded bust which is essentially an inbuilt bra. I'm quite busty and whenever clothing items usually say that they come with "built in support" it's a complete waste of time. However, this dress was perfect for supporting the erm, boobage and allowed the cut out in the back to shine without nasty bra straps poking through. 

I won't go into too much detail about the ceremony as it is a personal thing but it was truly lovely. Even hearing "woos" and "yeahhh" from other people's family members in the audience as their loved ones went up and graduated was really nice. Afterwards, we took lots of photos and then went out for a meal. It was a wonderful day because the majority of my family attended - dad, mum, stepmum, stepdad, grandparents and my sister's best friend was there too. So yes, I just wanted to show you my dress and a few photos from the day. Oh and my shoes are from New Look in case you were wondering. They're pretty much the only heels I own!

Have you been to a graduation before? What do you think of the Chi Chi dress?

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MAKE UP | KIKO Dark Heroine Limited Edition Collection

Clockwise L-R Loud Night Bronzer in Supple Satin Honey, Latex Like Lipstick in Plastic Red, Colour Impact Eyeshadow Palette in Lounge Warm Tones, Twinkle Eye Pencil in Matita Occhi

Clockwise L-R Loud Night Bronzer in Supple Satin Honey, Latex Like Lipstick in Plastic Red, Colour Impact Eyeshadow Palette in Lounge Warm Tones, Twinkle Eye Pencil in Matita Occhi

Loud Night Bronzer in Supple Satin Honey

Colour Impact Eyeshadow Palette in Lounge Warm Tones

Latex Like Lipstick in Plastic Red

Twinkle Eye Pencil in Matita Occhi

Using the Colour Impact Eyeshadow Palette in Lounge Warm Tones and the Twinkle Eye Pencil in Matita Occhi 

Latex Like Lipstick in Plastic Red

Smoky eyes, red lips, contoured skin - Autumn make up really makes me happy and the new limited edition collection from KIKO is no exception. If you haven't realised it yet, I'm a massive fan of the brand. The affordable yet high quality products that rival more expensive brands makes it impossible not to fall in love with KIKO. And if you haven't managed to get your mitts on any of the other products that the brand offer, I highly recommend having a look at this collection which is a great introduction to the wonderful world of KIKO.

Loud Night Bronzer in Supple Satin Honey* - £14.90

This bronzer is everything that a bronzer should be. Housed in beautiful packaging with a huge mirror, it was love at first sight. I struggle with bronzer - I tend to end up looking more Oompa Loompa than Kim Kardashian when I apply it but this honey toned, natural looking bronzer is everything that I've been looking for. Nicely pigmented it blends into the skin like a dream and leaves it looking glowing and sunkissed. As it's semi-matte (it has a tiny bit of shimmer in the pink and cream raised areas) it can be used to contour the skin to give it a more defined look - lovely for evenings. The colour is perfect, the formula is perfect, the packaging is perfect and it's allowed me to fall in love with bronzing. The only problem is, it's limited edition. Gah. 

Colour Impact Eyeshadow Palette in Lounge Warm Tones* - £16.90

I love myself a good eyeshadow palette. It's rare that I find one that I love as much as my Urban Decay ones but this one definitely comes close. Cased in further beautiful packaging with a big mirror is three matte shades and three shimmery shades. The shimmery shades are stunning, easily blendable and pigmented but sadly, I do experience a lot of fall out when applying them. However due to the fact that they're gorgeous, I can live with that. The matte shades are the winners in the palette. Buttery soft to the touch these aren't like your typical matte shades as they're not chalky in the slightest. The colours in the palette are stunning and allow you to create the perfect smoky eye in numerous different ways. If you wet your brush before using these shadows, you get a more intense pigment too. The swatches above show the shadows when they're used dry.

Latex Like Lipstick in Plastic Red* - £7.50

If you read my blog often then you'll know that when it comes to lipstick, I'm a bit iffy. Recently, I've been embracing the lip crayon trend. Those nicely pigmented, smooth and gliding sticks of joy are without a doubt my faves and the majority of my lipsticks have been thrown aside. Except for this one. I'm a sucker for a red lip and as you can tell from the swatch, this isn't half a red lipstick! The swatch above shows the pigment in just one swipe - it's glossy, beautiful and doesn't bleed which is a big must when it comes to red lippy. This is divine and a pleasure to use. I'll be donning it tomorrow for my sister's graduation - eek! However after looking back at my shoddy application, I'll most definitely be using a lip brush. Damn my shaky hands!

Twinkle Eye Pencil in Matita Occhi* - £6.90

I've always been a black eyeliner addict. Ever since I can remember I've been smudging and drawing black lines around my eyes so much that I quickly dismissed this pencil. On first look, I saw that it was a browny, purpley, taupey colour and it wasn't something that I was interested in. But as soon as I applied this to my waterline I was converted. It's less harsh than black liner and looks gorgeous during the day. It defines the eyes nicely but in a subtle and beautiful way. The liner is the perfect mix of soft and hard and lasts a good five or six hours on the waterline before it starts to wear off. In the look above, I used this to add a bit of definition to my upper lash line and because the formula is so incredible, it looks lovely when I do that too. A good versatile pencil that's a stunning colour and a great price.

As you can probably tell by this post, I love this collection a lot. It's what I would call a perfect Autumn make up collection and if you're new or loyal to the brand, it's one I suggest you take a look at. You can view the rest of the collection here which includes eyeshadow pencils, a serum, highlighters and stick blushers. I reviewed the Laser Nail Lacquer from the collection here and next week, I'll be featuring the incredible Dark Heroine Face Brush from the collection which you may have seen me raving about on Twitter.

Have you tried anything from KIKO before? What do you think of this collection?
*PR Sample

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Treacle Moon The Candy Jar collection

You have no idea how excited I am to be writing this blog post. I've expressed my love for Treacle Moon shower gels countless times before and I almost nearly died when I saw their latest collection. Inspired by our sweet shop favourites, Treacle Moon have created four memory evoking scented bath and shower gels. I mean, can this collection get any more perfect?

The Candy Jar collection comes in four different scents: Marshmallow Hearts*, Sweet Lime Sherbet*, Original Toffee Bon Bon* and one that isn't pictured, Ice Cream Soda. I mentioned Treacle Moon shower gels in my superior shower gels post but in case you haven't seen that, I'll just say how perfect the formula is. They lather up beautifully, leave the skin feeling silky smooth and the scent lingers on the skin once washed off. I don't even think I need to begin to explain how gorgeous these smell. They've been passed around the family and we're all addicted to them. They smell exactly like they're described as smelling and the Page family firm favourite is... Marshmallow Hearts. It's sweet, girly and extremely delicious.

I also believe that Sweet Lime Sherbet is a dupe for the Soap & Glory Sugar Crush body wash and Original Toffee Bon Bon is a dupe for the Philosophy Christmas Cookie Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath. Not bad, ey?

The bath and shower gels are exclusive to Tesco and they retail for just £2.99 each. I'd definitely recommend having a sniff next time you're shopping in Tesco. If you do pick one up, pop one in the bath and let the sweet scented bubbles wash over you. Perfection.

Which scent appeals to you the most? Have you had a sniff of these yet?
*PR Sample

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Dermaflage Dermal Filler Starter Kit + Giveaway

It's no secret that I'm covered in acne scars. Some of them aren't that bad - tiny pigmentation marks that are easy to cover up - but others go deeper and end up making my skin look uneven and bumpy. No amount of concealer can cover these and it goes without saying that they make me feel exceptionally insecure. On a day to day basis I can deal with them but for more special occasions, I hate them and I've never managed to find a way to cover them up. Up until now (wow, doesn't that sound like a snazzy advert)! The Dermaflage Dermal Filler Starter Kit is a facial scar treatment that has been specially designed to cover up many skin imperfections including scars, wrinkles and cuts.

Dermaflage uses a patented blend of medical grade silicones, cosmetic pigments and tiny coloured rayon fibres which blend together to form a silicone mask that looks like your own skin. In fact, it's pretty scary how natural and real it ends up looking once set. Think of Dermaflage like a revamped, kick-ass concealer. At first, I struggled using this but now, I find it quick and simple to use. It took a bit of getting used to because it's unlike anything I've ever tried before. You pop it on top of your make up using three easy steps: prime, apply and texture and you're good to go for a full day.

The kit comes in six colour varieties: Golden, Fair, Rosy, Bronze, Tan and Dark and you view the different colours here. When you order from JD Harris, the kit comes with satisfaction guaranteed so if you order the wrong version you can simply return it and they'll swap it for you. The kit contains: two tubes of Dermaflage dermal filler in two different skin tones, extended wear primer brush-on, mixing stick, precision application tool, spatula, texture pad and instructions. I however, didn't follow the instructions and instead followed this YouTube video which shows you how incredible the product is.

I was worried that the silicones would react with my skin and cause me to break out however, they haven't done so yet and I doubt that they will. This product, like I've mentioned above, is a bit fiddly so I don't use it every single day - just for those special occasions (like my sister's graduation next Wednesday - eeek). It makes my skin look more even and comes my acne scarring better than any concealer I've ever tried. It is pricey, yes but after suffering with scarring for 5 years, it's definitely worth the price and it's a kit that I'll always have in my collection for those special moments.

To be in with a chance of winning your very own Dermaflage kit, you must be a UK resident and you must fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can buy Dermaflage here where it's currently on offer for £31.95 instead of £43.95 - you also get a 90 day money back guarantee so if you don't get on with the product, you can send it back for a refund. 

Have you ever tried Dermaflage? What are your thoughts on it?
*One kit provided for reviewing reasons, the other for me to giveaway

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NAILS | Models Own Velvet Goth Collection

L-R Sardonyx, Absinthe, Obsidian

L-R Sardonyx, Absinthe, Obsidian

Sardonyx

Absinthe

Obsidian

L-R Sardonyx, Absinthe, Obsidian

The Models Own collections are coming in thick and fast and after falling in love with Fireworks collection, I found myself loving the Velvet Goth collection even more. The first noticeable difference with these nail polishes is the beautiful bottles - with limited edition, colour-matched velvet caps they stand out from the rest of the Models Own polishes in my collection and gives them an instant luxe feel.

The polishes themselves are without a doubt stunning. Dark and mysterious these polishes leave a gorgeous 2D finish that's matte and sparkly at the same time. When they're first applied, they appear glossy but they dry down to a beautiful matte finish that emphasises the glitter inside of them. If you do prefer a glossy finish though you can easily add a top coat to these versatile polishes - I can't decide which finish I prefer.

As you can probably tell, I had a lot of issues photographing the polish. I tried in every lighting condition, different positions, different days - everything but nope, the photos never did the polish justice. So instead, I recommend checking out Fee's post here as her swatches are beautiful and true to colour. There's no doubting how stunning, original and perfect for autumn these bottles of joy are.

The collection boasts five different shades including: Valerian (a rich bottle blue), Sardonyx* (a blood scarlet red), Amethyst (a royal purple), Absinthe* (a burst of deep emerald green) and Obsidian* (a deep charcoal grey). Out of the three polishes I have my favourite has to be Obsidian - the most beautiful black I've ever seen that has fine glitter and bigger sequins inside of it - truly mesmerising. 

The polishes retail for £5.00 each and are available now from the Models Own Bottleshop, the Models Own website from 2nd September, Boots stores from 4th September and Superdrug stores from the 25th September.

And that's the end of nail week. I hope you've enjoyed it! Do let me know which collection out of the bunch is your favourite.

What are your thoughts on this collection? Which shade is your favourite?
*PR Sample

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Do you have a few spare pennies? Check out my Blog Sale here
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