Saturday 30 July 2011

BEAUTY - Online haul Part 2 - eBay & Boots - Plus my new Xbox!

Sorry it's taken so long to do this, just had so much going on with organising my uni accommodation and then going on holiday last week so been rather busy. Also I got my own Xbox 360 a couple of weeks ago (£45 eBay, Bargain!) so I confess I've been on that a lot too! I always used to go on my brothers when he wasn't playing it, but now I have my own! I've still been playing his games of course! :) Assassin's Creed 2 (couldn't put this down as it was so amazing!), AC Brotherhood, Viva Pinata and Narnia Prince Caspian. Plan to start playing the Halo games and maybe Bioshock and Red Dead too.

And so on to the second part of my haul.

From Boots I bought my Multivitamins as I always do. I get these because they are lifesavers. They really do reduce the amount of illnesses you get as they give you all the vitamins and nutrients your body needs to defend it better. I used to get two really bad colds a year. One would be in the early/mid part of the year and would be a mixture of really bad cold and chesty cough. The second would be in the late part of the year (winter) where my cold would be as awful as before and my cough would get so bad I would lose my voice and this would happen every year! I remember having to go to college when I lost my voice and I could hardly say anything properly to anyone. I would try to talk but only a hoarse whisper would emerge and occasionally a normal word or two. It really was awful, but since taking the Boots multivitamins every day (well almost every day as my memory is so bad I forget to take them sometimes) I have only had mild coughs and colds. Woohoo!! I know it is definitely the vitamins that work as when I was taking them every day I went almost a year with no illnesses, however once, I took so long getting another bottle that I ran out and didn't take any for quite a while. Then came the awful cough and cold just as I had had before. So proof that they really do work! I get the Boots Pharmaceuticals General Health A-Z Teen tablets as I absolutely cannot take proper tablets or capsules so I have to have chewable ones! :)
The second thing I got from there was the Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer. I wasn't disappointed with this at all! It really is as good as they say and does what it says on the tin. It gives amazing coverage and a little goes a long way. The lightest shade (Fair) is perfect for me and you can use it wherever you need it (undereyes, spots, redness etc). And the best part is that it was only £4.19! Bargain for the perfect concealer. The only problem I have with it is the packaging as the printed writing on the outside just slides off and marks your fingers, so if you decide to get it yourself, I suggest you remove the writing with a wipe as soon as you get it to avoid getting black marks everywhere.
From eBay I got the Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit genuine for £12 which is pretty much half the price! The concealer is beautiful but hardly has any coverage, however it brightens wonderfully and the powder that comes with it is fab! I think this would work perfectly with the creamy corrector.
Another bargain I got was the Bourjois Volume Fast and Perfect Rotating Mascara. When I saw this in the shops I just thought it was another unnecessary gimick, however when I decided to buy and try it from eBay I was really surprised at how good this was. The rotation curves and lengthens the lashes great and if you put on enough they really can look as great as false lashes especially if when you get to the ends of your lashes you hold it for a few seconds so it rotates on the ends focusing on lengthening them. Love this and will purchase again. It was only £5.25 whereas the Boots price is £11.99 so less than half price.
I also got Benefit's High Beam illuminator which is gorgeous, easy to apply and really brings out your cheekbones. When I'm doing a full face of make-up, I apply it in a C shape on my cheek bones up onto my brow bone, then down the centre of my nose avoiding the tip of it and on my cupids bow. I got a 4ml tube for £4.99 which is a good price considering you don't need to use a lot.
The final thing I purchased from eBay was the Real Techniques by Sam Chapman Starter Set. This brush set is amazing! Their application is brilliant and they are so soft. They are synthetic brushes made from taklon bristles which means they are 100% animal cruelty free and can also be used with all different types of make-up.
They are also extremely diverse as they are cut so well, for instance, I sometimes use the base shadow brush for concealer and occasionally the brow brush for eyeliner. They really are the best brushes I've come across. They're also a reasonable price too. They don't sell them on their website yet so I looked around elsewhere for them as I didn't like the site they mentioned to get them from. So I found them on eBay for £17.99 with only £1.75 P&P.
It is worth looking at products on eBay but you really do have to be careful as there are A LOT of fakes out there. Keep in mind that I did a lot of research while buying off eBay and tried my best to make sure I was buying genuines, however you can't always be totally sure.
There are a few ways to try and find out if what your buying is genuine and if the seller is any good.
  • Firstly, check the sellers feedback. If they have 100% positive then great but look anyway to see what some of the feedback is like and see if there is any feedback from the people that bought the same item you are looking at. If it is less than 100% try and stay within the high 90's and check what their negative and neutral feedback is like. If the negative is unjustified with the seller giving a rational explanation then they are probably okay. This can sometimes happen with the big sellers with 10's of thousands of feedback with people trying to scam the sellers. If something bad did happen then see how the seller dealt with it. For example a neg/neut comment may say that the item was never delivered or took a long time to dispatch, check if the seller replied to this either saying something like item was sent or have discussed with seller and refund will be issued
  • If they are a Top-Rated Seller then they are most probably genuine
  • Do they do returns/refunds? You might not want to risk it if they don't do either of these.
  • Look for something that says genuine or original in the title/description
  • You can always try looking for a home seller who has bought it, tried it and it didn't suit them or something
  • Finally, make sure the postage is reasonable. A lot of the good big people do free postage which is a great help.
There are more things you can do to make sure what your buying is genuine like comparing the sellers item picture to a picture of the item on it's official website or somewhere else trustworthy, but these are just the basic ones.

Last but certainly not least, I decided to get the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser as I have heard such good things about it and I also ran out of my Pond's Cold Cream. I got the 50ml pump starter kit as I didn't know how my skin would react. I must say that my skin hasn't improved much since I started using it, but it feels lovely on it and smells so clean and fresh. There is a bit of a fuss with the cloth it comes with as it gets dirty so quick, so it has to be machine washed every few days which is ridiculous. I now use cleansing wipes to take it off as that is what I used to do with my Pond's cleanser. I may try taking it off with water and cotton buds to see if it makes it any better. It may just be the fact that I am still getting used to cream cleansers as I only discovered them a couple of months ago when I wanted an alternative to annoying wash cleansers. The thing I loved most when the parcel arrived is that the way they package the item is absolutely gorgeous. I've never seen anything like it. They put so much effort into it all you can see that they really care. My cleanser came in a lovely little handy Liz Earle wash bag, I recieved a mini sample of the same product with another muslin cloth which I gave to my brother for his skin. They put in a booklet containing all the information on ALL their products with a price list inside and there was an envelope too containing a letter and then a note signed off by the person who packaged the item. Along with all this, the product is wrapped in the most beautiful tissue paper just to finish off the presentation. It made me feel very special and a bit like a VIP customer!
So that's all the beauty things I've been buying at the moment, hope you guys liked it and found it useful.
x

p.s. You HAVE to check out this song and video. It's so creepy but so great! I've been hoping Skylar would bring out some solo music since I heard her vocals in I Need A Doctor by Eminem and I was not let down! It's amazing stuff and not only does she have a great voice, she's a real role model too - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rwvSW4ljU0

Tuesday 5 July 2011

NEW BLOG BACKGROUND!!

For a while now I have been wanting to personalise my blog background for a more proffesional look that is my own and lately I just decided to go for it. I looked for appropriate pictures to put in the foreground and thought a sketchy-like background would look great in the back. With a few twists and tweaks of the text and colours of my general blog, I think It's turned out really well and I love it as it's all made by me and sort of defines me, my style and what I do.

All the illustrations are my own work and from a project I did a while back at university. They are just 4 pieces out of the collection I designed and were inspired by the theme of royalty.

The sketchy transparent grey/white behind was something I did on photoshop to give a bit of texture to the background.

The whole thing took me about 2 evenings and a day to complete as I had to clean up each drawing on photoshop to make them look neat and defined.

So what does everyone think???? I'd love to know your opinions on it!

x x x

Here's a few more pics from the collection




FASHION - Online Haul Part 1 - Asos

I have hated all of my clothes for so long now as I have way too many but when ever I decide to have a clear out I can only bring myself to get rid of a few things! So instead of trying this again I decided to start building a capsule wardrobe Gok Wan style so that everything goes with everything and can be styled differently for all types of occasions and seasons. Then when I had an email from Asos saying that I could have have access to their summer sale early, I jumped at the chance and looked through each section of clothing picking out one or two of each essential. After picking a lot of things I liked and wanted I whittled my basket down to only the things that I needed and that all went together. I ended up with a dress, a top/dress, two jersey tops, a blouse, trousers, shorts, a midi skirt, a brown belt and an oversized bag for travelling. Of course I also treated myself to a few things too that I didn't necessarily need but loved all the same and had to have, so I ordered the most beautiful shoulder bag and a cool wicker trilby hat too.


Firstly, I chose this dress as it's really lovely and light, it's casual and can be styled up or down with the option to layer things over the top too. It's fairly transparent so you have to decide what to wear underneath it carefully. It also comes with a small brown braided leather-look belt as well as the fabric one shown in the picture.
It's a Vera Moda Check Maxi Dress in the colour Chrome Grey
£40  £24


The next is this cool, colourful, sailor-like dress/top by Mango. It's great for summer but could also look great with a long sleeve top underneath, skinny jeans, over the knee socks or long fingerless gloves for winter.
It has pockets which I love and a rope drawstring around the waist which adds to the whole nautical theme.
Mango Stripe Dress With Rope Belt in the colour Coral
£29.90  £17


I bought this top as it's a simple casual t-shirt that has a sort of batwing effect and will go with everything. The colour is beautiful too.
It's an ASOS Square T-shirt in the colour Blue
£15  £9


This is another top that I absolutely love as the colour is a brilliant bright mustard yellow. I picked these great primary colours for my t-shirts as they will go great with my skirt, shorts and trousers as well as the jeans I already own. The fact that this tee is cropped means it is fab for layering or can just worn alone in the summer.
ASOS 'Classic' Crop in the colour Yellow
£10  £6


In contrast to my other bright tops I went for this beautiful neutral blouse by River Island. It's military style which is a trend that comes back in quite often so it will be a useful staple shirt.
River Island Long Sleeved Blouse With Front Pockets in the colour Mink
£34.99  £20


I was so happy when I saw these as I've wanted a pair of palazzo pants since I saw the trend in an Elle magazine. I then saw some gorgeous ones with print on them in Next but they were a bit expensive so decided not to get them. These Asos ones are so great for me though, as they don't make me look wide like a lot of wide leg trousers do. They are flattering and are made from a beautiful Viscose fabric, however I actually thought they were Georgette (chiffon-like fabric) at first so they are quite a luxurious pair of trousers. They are really long too as all the maxi skirts/dresses/trousers I get are always that little bit too short for me. With these trousers I can wear them with exceptionally high heels and they don't look odd!
ASOS Palazzo Pants in the colour Withered Rose
£40  £24
Now £20 since I got them


I looooooooove these shorts. They are so beautiful and the colour is a gorgeous bright, popping orange. They are high waisted which is great for making people look taller and for accentuating the waist as well. They are a longer length which means you don't have to keep pulling them down and they also have a lovely paperbag pleated effect on the waistband. These will look great with black leggings, any tights, or just on there own with either a simple or complex top.
ASOS Longer Length Tailored Belted Shorts in the colour Cherry Tomato
£28  £18


I have been after this skirt since it first arrived on Asos but after deciding it was too much money I forgot about it and I was sooooo happy when I saw it in the sale. It's a beautiful vintage looking midi skirt and it's not floppy because the lace is quite stiff which gives it a lovely shape. Again this can be used with a simple or more complex top/shirt/vest or you can wear it with other vintage pieces to make a really retro look. You could even get this item in a bright blue which is a wicked colour but not in the sale :(
ASOS Lace Hem Midi Skirt in the colour Brown
£35  £17



Then I picked out some essential accessories like a brown belt (I chose a half roped one to fit in with the rest of the clothes) and then the bag which I instantly fell in love with as the size is great as a weekender bag or to carry my drawing/painting things for uni.  Also...'E' for Emily. Bonus!!

The belt is the ASOS Roped Boyfriend Belt With Leather Look Trim in natural - £12  £6
and the bag is the ASOS Letter Shopper Bag in the colour Orange with the letter 'E' - £25  £12.50


The hat I bought was this wicker trilby one which I thought would go great with the other things I got, plus the only other hat I have is a black trilby so this is a version for the summer.
Catarzi Buckle Band Straw Trilby
£26  £18


The gorgeous bag I got was this leather engraved one and when I saw it I just HAD to have it. It is the most beautiful color and pattern and isn't too small either. Great for parties, special occasions or when you don't need to carry a lot with you. You can also get this bag in a bright yellow or an Orangey/red colour. This bag is stunning, however the front tends to shed a little so if you get it prepare to find lots of little green bits of leather everywhere. Even though it does this it doesn't change the appearance of the bag as I think it's just the loose excess bits that come off. After I discovered that it did this, I wiped the front down gently with a cleansing wipe just to try and get rid of this excess, but I was careful to do so as it was taking off the colour as well.
ASOS Leather Bright Tooled Satchel
£65  £35.50

So this is the start of my capsule wardrobe. The thing I love most about what I managed to do here, is that all of these pieces of clothing go with each other. I'm confident that all the tops will go with any of the bottoms as well as the accessories which means less hassle for me trying to figure out an outfit.
Next I will be looking to get some staple/classic cardigans and jackets that will go with these.

This is the first part of my haul (the fashion part) the next part will be all the beauty products I have purchased recently and then after that I may do an update on my dollhouse if I have done any more on it.

Thankyou for reading and please feel free to comment and follow :)

Plus, big news for emilyclairefashions: 50 FOLLOWERS. WOW!! NEVER DID I THINK THAT THIS MANY PEOPLE  WOULD BE INTERESTED IN MY RAMBLINGS SO THANKYOU VERY MUCH EVERYONE FOR TAKING THE TIME TO FOLLOW MY BLOG AND READ MY POSTS!!
I'M THINKING OF DOING A GIVEAWAY TO CELEBRATE SO KEEP CHECKING BACK TO SEE WHAT I DECIDE TO DO!

X X X X

Monday 4 July 2011

BEAUTY - High End and High Street foundation

Being a newly high-end make-up convert has meant that I have been spending (and will be spending :( ) more money recently than I would have been say a couple of months ago. I have had such bad luck with high street/drugstore make-up that I have now decided to change to premium brands and so far am LOVING it! It inevitably means you spent more but then you are getting a lot more in return. And you can trust these brands more too as I believe a lot of high street brands tell a few white lies. However, I will not be converting completely as drugstore brands still have some good, fun and quality products to sell.


So this change of heart all started with foundations. I could never, ever find a perfect colour match with drugstore foundations. Everything was too dark and even Ivory would make me look orange. I have bought the lightest shade of Maybelline 'Superstay', Max Factor 'Miracle Touch', Rimmel 'Stay Matte' and have tested many more but none have been right for me.

Then recently I found that premium brands offer a lot more shades, tones and colours. So I decided to try Clinique. About a month ago I purchased (with my Boots points so practically free!) Clinique anti-blemish solutions foundation. I loved it at first but now am starting to doubt the colour (Alabaster: lightest shade). Once on my face my skin becomes a pale orange with pink undertones in contrast to my neck which is a yellowy blue. This is because my skin is fairly transparent and rather white so it's difficult to find a foundation when there are so many colours in my skin. So Alabaster is not exactly right for me but still better than anything I have found on the high street and the product itself is quite nice with light to medium coverage (but not buildable) and helps to get rid of breakouts too (Multi-tasker!). The reason for it being good for spots/acne is that it contains an ingredient called Salicylic Acid (look at me getting all technical!) which is the one ingredient that can actually get deep into the follicles to really clean out those pores. So if you have breakout trouble look for a product with this ingredient in it.
I think with my skin though I will need to get some pore strips to clean around my nose more intensely as thats where most of my pore trouble is and the foundation won't get rid of this problem alone.

Another problem with this foundation is that it doesn't quite last all day on my skin even when using it with a primer and setting it with a powder. And it was horrible during the hot weather too. I wore it at a recent family reunion and I could feel it slowly melting off my face throughout the day. Not nice.

So the search still goes on for my perfect foundation! Next I will try Estee Lauder's Double Wear as I think I need more coverage for my red cheeks, nose and forehead and also it is Oil-free which is great for my oily/combo skin. Let's hope that one works better. If push comes to shove I will have to invest in a Chanel foundation as they are said to be the best!



A few other premium things I have ordered and can't wait to arrive: Origins A perfect World Eye Cream, Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser.
A few more premium products I am hoping to be able to get: Mac Paint Pot - Painterly, Urban Decay Naked Palette, Mac 217 brush, Laura Mercier Loose Powder, a Mac/Nars blush, and eventually build up a Mac eyeshadow collection. There's probably a few there that I've forgotten too knowing me!

Thankyou for reading and see you on Tuesday for my haul.
Please feel free to comment and follow my blog. It makes me very happy :) x

Tip of the Day:

If you are new to make-up or just want some great tips, tricks and advice then I suggest watching youtube beauty guru videos. I have subscribed to a lot of their channels recently and have learnt TONS from their old and new videos.
I would say the crucial people to look at are:

I would love to set up my own youtube beauty/fashion channel as the people mentioned above (as well as many others I watch) are so inspiring and who knows, maybe I will one day if I get the confidence, but for now blogging is my thing.