H&M FALL IN LOVE: WEARING CONFIDENCE

In celebration of the new Fall Fashion collection for H&M, today I�m styling up a couple of bits from the 70s glam inspired range. The campaign, #HMFallinLove, aims to inspire you by the fall love story � what really makes you fall in love with Fall. For me, alongside cosy evenings, layering up in knits and carving pumpkins, it�s also that I find fall is a great time to build on confidence, especially in terms of style. With summer pressures for a beach bod and legs that look amazing in short shorts out the window, I feel much more at ease heading into A/W dressing. With that, I�m sharing a few of my favourite ways to fall in love with fall through wearing confidence. 

Take baby steps.

Yeah, sometimes �out there� fashion choices can work great but if you really need to up your confidence then a look completely out of your comfort zone may be a step too far. For the look above I went for short lace up boots, but eventually I�ll brave some thigh highs. I find building it up from styles that I�m used to a lot easier than jumping in with something too flamboyant.  

Find your fall statement.

This is my favourite. I love to find something to rock over A/W that becomes my �thing� � in the past it�s been an extra fluffy fur collar and the beanie hat. This time round it�s going to be this oversized coat, a real winter warmer I can wrap up in.

Get inspired.

Fall is a great time for a cosy evening, flicking through Pinterest. I like to have a board featuring my style icons, so I can have a look through and get inspired. No, I�m not Alexa Chung, but I could maybe wear that bold print in a similar way to her.  

Treat confidence as your best accessory.

And I�m not just talking in terms of style. Confidence is a secret weapon, it�s the thing that carries you through everything from strutting down the street in heels to that boring presentation at work in front of the bigwigs. Confidence can make a huge difference to an outfit, just like an outfit can have an effect on your confidence. This fall I�ll be working on making sure confidence is as much a part of my outfit as the shoes and handbag.  

So there we go.. What I�m living by for confident dressing this season. I�ve also got a chance for you to win a �50 voucher thanks to H&M by sharing your own #HMFallInLove story on Twitter or Instagram. All you have to do is use the hashtag and tag either @HMUnitedKingdom (Twitter) or @HM (Instagram). It�s a really nice way to share what you love about fall.. I can�t wait to have a flick through the entries and pick out a winner!

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VIDEO | MY MORNING ROUTINE

Sunday video time. This week we've got my morning routine.. Although this is my typical schedule only on days off. I've got zero time for faffing about with liquid liner on a work day. It just isn't happening. On weekends and free days I do tend to go to town with getting ready - I just really enjoy that extra bit of 'me' time.

Oh, it may also be worth a watch to see Ava the actress. I could have dedicated a full three minutes footage to her to be honest. A new level of kittybob obsessed has been reached in the past few weeks, but she's freaking fabulous and cute and fluffy and I dunno but she's my fur covered baby. Anyway.. Find all my morning rituals in the video!

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LFW: LONDON GOINGS ON

Underwear Set - c/o Ann Summers

Can I go back to this way more glamorous existence please? Okay, there were a few not so glam parts - struggling with all my luggage at the train station whilst trying to eat an M&S sarnie was one of them, but on the whole it was a pretty glam weekend. LFW does make everything feel a lot more fabulous.
These were just a few shots from over the weekend that I wanted to share with you. Ann Summers set up some lovely bits & bobs for us to get up to which was larrrrvely - not having to deal with all the organisation-faffy part makes life so much easier! I stayed at the Mondrian London which was crazy beautiful and made me feel like a real fancy pants. Waking up after a good night's sleep in a hotel bed before heading to shows = yes to that. Saturday I was straight off to Asli Polat (where I fell in love with some uhhhmazing pastel looks) before some wandering around London with Monica.. How beautiful is that Covent Garden installation?! I didn't think I'd get to see it but I'm so glad I did.
After an hour or so back at the hotel gorming out (I needed respite/a phone charger after a full day of London), I set off to Zeynep Kartal to check out some super beautiful dresses.. The silhouettes were the kind I love. It took a dash across to Mayfair, but I finally finished the day with some yummy food at Hush. They had a LFW menu on which was perfect - nothing too stodgy ready for the next day of shows, but suitably scrummy too.
Big thank you to Ann Summers for putting together a lovely LFW!
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LFW LOOK: 70S VIBES

Jumper - Topshop, Trousers - Topshop, Boots - Forever 21, Bag - New Look

So after numerous seasons of moaning about never making it to LFW, I finally got round to going. Something had always got in the way previously - work, lack of funds, you know the sort of thing. This time round I was determined to at least pop down to London while it was on, so when the lovely guys from Ann Summers got in touch about being a brand ambassador for this week I got a bit giddy. I was only there for the weekend but it was so lovely.. And also an excuse to buy a couple of outfits.

I didn't really intend to go for this 70s sort of look, it more just happened by accident after I decided I loved these trousers. They're super smart and a gorgeous colour for Autumn (I'm loving finally being able to wear new season stuff..). I didn't mind treating myself as I know I'll be able to wear these for work as a change from my usual skinny jeans and shirt combo. I was really tempted to just go for my favourite black turtle neck with these, but I'm actually glad I opted for this cream knit. I feel like it's slightly more feminine.. I really need to venture out of the black clothing comfort zone more often.

I've got a few more snaps to share with you from the shows that I'll either post during the week or over on Instagram. The lovely Monica took these after I met up with her during the day.. It was so nice to have someone to chat blogger stuff with all day! To be honest, other than bits & bobs I try to explain to my ma and pa, I don't really have that many people to talk about the whole blogging thing with.. I forgot how good it is to have a good natter with likeminded folk!

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NEW IN: C�LINE AUDREY SUNGLASSES

Introducing somes 'gigs goodness. After initially deliberating, I'm a bit in love with my new purchase - the C�line Audrey Sunglasses. I've been fancying a pair for about a year and after a whole lot of Pinterest stalking of glamorous folk wearing them, I finally got myself a pair. I think they are quite popular, but the shape to me feels like such a classic that I'll get plenty of wear out of. They're the original, slightly larger size which I really like too.. I feel like I've been lacking on the sunglasses-to-hide-behind-on-minging-days front. 

I actually got these after Depop kindly sent me a bit of spends. I guess purchasing second hand could be a bit dodgy (you do have to be careful with a lot of fake stuff floating around), but I looked into it a lot before I purchased them. You can find some really good bargains on Depop, especially when it comes to this sort of thing. I think as long as you don't rush into anything and properly check everything out you should be okay - asking plenty of questions isn't a bad thing at all. When I'm selling stuff, I'd rather make sure people were certain about what they were buying anyway. I've spoke about Depop on here before, but it does remain one of my favourite apps.. I'm always recommending it as an eBay alternative where you can actually make more than 99p profit. Lol. 

Oh, and a heads up. I'm probably going to be wearing these a whole lot over on Instagram. Actually, I'm not sure if I'll ever bother with eye makeup again. 

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SMOKEY EYES TUTORIAL WITH NEW LOOK

A couple of weekends ago I headed off to London to meet up with the New Look team and film some makeup looks ready for the season to come. I always find switching up your makeup for A/W can be a little tricky (it�s bit of a turn around from that bronzed look everyone�s been after over the summer..), so trying out some key trends was a great way to get back into it. Once I�ve got back to those vampy styles I remember just how much I love them. 

This 'Grunge' look is now up on the New Look YouTube channel so you can check out how we created it here. The look is that real smokey eye that doesn�t look too put together. It�s got that rebellious sort of vibe without being too try hard � the kind of look you can quickly smudge on for a party. I used the New Look Pure Colour products, layering up those smokey metallic shades across the eyelid before adding a whole load of eyeliner. The Pure Colour Baked Eyeshadows are a dream to use for this sort of look, definitely one of my favourites. I This look is all about the eyes, but I like to finish everything off with a simple, nude lip.

There'll be some more makeup tutorials coming up on New Look TV soon so keep an eye out for those.. I can't wait for you guys to see them!

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BASE MAKEUP: THE FAVOURITES

If I could only have one beauty item (oh the horror) it would definitely be under the base makeup heading. Scrap fluttery lashes and rosey lips, I need a good base before I can think about anything else. To me it's like giving yourself a good canvas to work on. These are my current favourites for smoothing out all the face stuffs.

MAC Face & Body Foundation
My current foundation after switching from Estee Lauder Double Wear. I'll probably head back to DW for more coverage over winter, but I do think it's a tad heavy for all year round. Face & Body on the other hand feels like you're hardly wearing makeup, with a really light coverage that you can gradually build up. I love it for something more natural.

Bobbi Brown Sheer Finish Pressed Powder
I don't know if this actually counts as a 'base' product, but it's the one I go for for setting all the other stuff. It's got a good colour payoff to it without the yellow tones you can get with some powders. My only problem is I get through it way too quick. Shiny t-zone problems.

MAC Strobe Cream
Because everyone's mad for strobing right now. This one I've rediscovered after repurchasing from years ago. I love it under foundation and even over, dabbed along cheeks to add that dewy look in.

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer
I think this one is a winner with a lot of folk. It does have a really nice coverage (I mainly use it on dark under eye areas) but I think it's the colour I like the most. The salmon-y pink shade I use is just really nice for brightening up yellow undertones.

Make Up For Ever Camouflage Creme Palette
I mostly use this for touch ups and as part of my contour routine. The mix of colours are really handy for that sort of thing. The darker shade I use for blending out concealer, while the lighter shades are good for sharpening up brows and really defining highlights. 

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SHIRT DRESS & LACE UP BOOTIES

Shirt Dress - New Look, Sandals - c/o Public Desire, Bag - c/o ZARA

Bare leg posts will soon be a thing of the past. BOO. I already feel like I'm getting to the 'cold ankles' stage.. Y'know when your cropped skinny jeans and flats just aren't cutting it on the cosy factor? I don't want to be a Negative Nancy about Autumn though, there are parts of it that I'm looking forward to. Cosy evenings, Halloween, faux fur.. Yes please. Dark mornings, fighting a battle with your hair on windy days and considering tights under trousers on extra chilly ones.. Not so much. 

Annnd that's completely unrelated to this outfit. We did have some September sunshine over the weekend so I went for this shirt dress, a lurker in my wardrobe for a while now. It's a good one for work (I wear it over trousers.. not quite so brave) or I can go for it on a casual day out like this. I basically just wanted something to go with these new sandals from Public Desire. I'm a bit late to the Public Desire party, but when the lovely Robyn got in touch I couldn't resist going for the Anya booties. They're just right for in-between dressy and casual.. A bit of a heel without being too ambitious. I ain't sassy in stilettos unfortunately. 

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VIDEO: THREE WAYS TO WEAR A BODYCON DRESS

Video day, and this time round it's three ways with a bodycon. To be honest, I don't really wear clingy clothing that often. I love everything baggy so I can get as chubby as possible without even noticing. Lol. I'm mostly kidding, the main reason is I'm a comfort over everything girl. Having said that, I do like having the odd body skimming item in my wardrobe.. Y'know, a bit of a go-to when you've no idea what the fudge to wear on a night out. Who hasn't overdone the bodycon at unaaay after all?! 

The outfits I've gone for are the usual casual, night out and somewhere in-between sort of outfits. The dress is one I picked up over the weekend, it wasn't expensive and I thought it was quite cute with the collar. Anyhoo.. Time to go enjoy a lazy Sunday evening. All product details are below!

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MY FAVOURITE MAC LIP LINERS

I always think lip liners are a bit underrated. Yeah, they're the sort of thing you can go totally crazy with and end up looking like a bit of a plonka (I have..), but I also think they're really useful to have in your makeup stash. I wear lip liner a lot more than I wear lipstick, which probably isn't how they're designed to be used but for me I just prefer a more precise application. At 6am when I'm getting ready I am a klutz. After my post on my fave MAC nudes I thought I'd do a round up on the lip liners I really love. I know I've had a few MAC posts recently but I do find they do some of the best colour ranges, particularly for lips.

Vino

A good one for heading into A/W. It's a really rich colour that acts as a nice base for darker lipsticks. If I want to go all out for a bold lip that'll stay on my lips without going smushy then this is the one I go for.

Stripdown

Favourite ever. It's a 'proper' nude - natural, without making you look dead. It's almost an ashy undertone, which I love for a really simple lip. I wear this most days and I find its the easiest to use for braving a bit of over lining. 

Whirl

Even after confirmation this wasn't the answer to Kylie's mega plumped up lips I still think this is a good one. It's a pinky-nude, slightly more feminine than Stripdown. 

Hover

My newest purchase and most worn over the last couple of weeks. It's described as a rich caramel brown, but I think it's way more wearable than a brown lip sounds. I think it's the warmth to it that helps out. I love it with a bit of Whirl lipstick over the top for an extra bit of pink.

Plum

To me, this is in-between a dark lip shade (I'm thinking Vino) and a nude. It's the sort of thing I go for over colder months.. When I'm not quite ready to brave statement lips during the daytime. This I find a safer option - darker than usual without being too 'yo look at my mouth it's all gothic and fabulous'. 

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