B. Smokey Eye Palette - Review & Swatch

Hello all

Recently my beautiful friend Lara treated me to this B. Smokey Eye Palette from Superdrug, available here. I have been on the look out for a really good grey smokey eye palette for a while, reading lots of reviews to see which would be best for me.

Unlike most beauty bloggers, I do not own the Naked or Naked 2 palettes. Shock horror! The reason for this is that I am not really a fan of brown based smokey eyes, or metallic/shimmery eyeshadows, both of which are present in the Naked palettes. I am aware that Naked Basics are all matte shades, however they too are brown based. 

I was toying with the Bourjois smokey eye palette, available here, as it is incredibly similar to the Chanel 'Les 4 Ombres' Smokey Eye palette due to the fact that Chanel & Bourjois are made in the same factory. 

However, I sent Shelley of 'The Shelley Diaries' this smokey eye palette from B. in Superdrug & thought it was really good. Having two matte shades & two shimmery shades, & at a really reasonable price, I thought it ticked all my boxes. Added to this, all B. products are not tested on animals.

 

 

 Swatches under flash

Swatches without flash

I was really pleased with the swatches. The shades are pigmented enough, with build-ability to create a softer or more dramatic look. I am impressed with the matte white as it even shows up on my pale skin! The silver shadow has just about the amount of shimmer I can handle, & is very pigmented. There is only a subtle difference between the darker shades, but it is noticeable. All in all, this palette is the perfect mix of four shades to create a grey toned smokey eye, as I did in the pictures below!

 

 

 All products used: MAC Haute & Naughty Mascara | B. Smokey Eye Palette | Seventeen High Drama Liquid Eyeliner

I created quite a soft smokey eye with this palette and the shades really blended well together. I used the matte white all over the lid, matte grey on the outer two thirds of the eye & dark grey shimmer shadow on the outer corner & slightly through the crease. I really loved this palette & will definitely be using it for more dramatic smokey eyes in the future!

I also hope to try more B. products, especially the Micellar Water. I'd also like to thank Lara for kindly buying this for me :)

Bleeding Double C, Ripped Denim & Studs

Hello all

Today's post will be my first post dedicated wholly to an outfit. That's right, my very first OOTD!

Until now, any outfit related posts had been of outfits organised, hopefully artistically, on my bed, or pictures from an event that I wore that outfit too. Thus far, I haven't been confident enough to pose for a 'proper' ootd, & today is no different. Although I am pictured in the clothes, I have again artistically, with the help of Instagram, created a collage of elements of my outfit. If you follow me on Instagram (jadorejadex) you will have seen this on Wednesday. You cannot see my face, but you can see my outfit. It's a start!

Bleeding Double C logo vest- Camden Market | Ripped Jeans- Topshop (old) | Studded pumps- New Look

 This is quite a simple outfit with not many elements to, however I loved it. Since buying the Chanel inspired vest in Camden market, along with one with an illustrated Chanel perfume bottle, I had paired it with fairly classy pieces, such as blazers, skirts, overall giving it quite an elegant & tailored look. However this week I was in a 'grungy' mood so thought I would mix this vest with some severely ripped jeans and studded pumps. I'm not very good at casual wear on the whole, so trying to be more relaxed was hard, but it most definitely paid off. I loved this outfit! I felt so good in it, hence why I decided to photograph it and create an ootd post! Also, the bleeding effect of the C's, I feel leans it more towards edgy fashion so I feel this outfit worked.

The jeans are so old, in fact I got them on my sixteenth birthday (I'm twenty this year!). Yet they're back in fashion and they still fit so why not! I am a hoarder of clothes. I find it so hard to throw away items, even if they are years old.

This has definitely encouraged me to not be afraid of being more casual & also that doing OOTD's doesn't mean standing against a wall & posing generically. I really liked focusing on elements of the outfit & not showing my face as well as whole body!

Film Fashion Inspiration: Clueless

Hello all

Welcome to the second 'Film Fashion Inspiration'. For this feature I thought I would connect it to my previous post on Vamps, which you can read here, and feature another film directed by Amy Heckerling, with costuming again by Mona May. This week, nineties iconic film 'Clueless' is my source of 'Film Fashion Inspiration'.

 My Mum introduced me to this film when I was quite young & I have ever since wanted Cher's, played by Alicia Silverstone, interactive wardrobe! The costuming, especially Cher's, is so iconic & a continual inspiration for designers and fashionistas alike. I particularly love the tartan accents, which is going to be huge this AW, backing up my previous point about 'Clueless' being a source of inspiration always & the fashion being relevant, & also ahead of it's time. 

I feel that Cher nails how to channel grunge in a classy way! Her wealth & status is made obvious in her fashion choices, yet it is always fashion forward & often daring, or incredibly unique. She takes the edginess of grunge, yet puts a high fashion twist on it.

 

Below I have created some 'Clueless' inspired outfits, I hope you enjoy!

left look: knee high socks-Topshop | tartan dress with built in top- Miss Selfridge | Mary Jane shoes- New Look

right look: white shirt-Topshop | black mesh skirt- Topshop | tartan crop top- Miss Selfridge

 left to right: sheer black peplum shirt- Miss Selfridge | grey tartan skirt- Miss Selfridge | cross necklace - Topshop | white vest - Topshop

Although I do love a bit of tartan, to channel my inner punk / grunge kid, I prefer the more grunge Cher as seen in the bottom collage. This is definitely something that I would wear, in fact I am tempted to buy the sheer shirt & I think the grey, black & white tartan is a nice way to incorporate the trend if the red, green and yellow 'traditional' tartan is too garish for you.

As I mentioned, tartan is going to be huge over the next few months. We are in that awkward, transitional period in shops at the moment. It's still SS13 (for a little bit at least!), yet stores are beginning to put AW13 stock online & on the shop floors. I went into Dorothy Perkins recently, a shop that admittedly I had never really paid too much attention too, feeling that it was the mothers equivalent to Topshop. However , I could have spent a fortune in there! I think I liked almost every item of the new collection. With tartan, studs and leather accents, it was definitely my style! Similarly, all high street shops are embracing AW13, so expect to see tartan aplenty! I know I will certainly be investing in some tartan soon!

I hope you liked this edition of 'Film Fashion Inspiration', let me know what films inspires your fashion choices, or any that you think I should check out!

Manicure Monday: Chanel Dragon

Hello all

This week I decided to stay with red nails as I loved my Essie 'Rock the Croc' manicure from Adamina Spa, that you can read about here. I've had Chanel's 'Dragon' polish for about 2 years, and due to its high price tag, I use it pretty sparingly. However, I decided this week to use it! 

A few weeks ago I also had a Chanel manicure, which you can read about here (this was for work, I don't tend to get manicures often. In fact, before the Adamina Spa manicure I hadn't paid for a manicure before!) At this manicure, I was kindly given a gift bag that included a Chanel base coat & high shine top coat. So as I was using Chanel colour, I thought I would try out a complete Chanel manicure!

 

L-R Chanel Base Coat, Dragon, Extreme Shine Top Coat

I am usually a fan of drug store nail polishes, especially Barry M & I've never had the urge to spend more than £10 on nail polish. I will say that the colour is very pigmented, and the polish is very thick; you could probably get away with only one coat as it's that thick and pigmented. However, it's still a lot for a nail polish. The base coat is nice, I generally use the Barry M 'Top coat, base coat and nail hardener' & I have to say this Chanel one was probably better as it was thicker & easier to apply. Similarly, the Chanel top coat is, as it states, extremely high shine & makes the polish look thick & almost gel like. 

It's very easy to achieve a professional looking manicure with the Chanel polishes, & I'm really happy with the results. Hopefully they last a long time without chipping. 

I was feeling in a very 'Chanel' mood after this, so had a look for a Chanel inspired iPhone case as I still haven't bought a case for my phone (as you've probably read, I recently got an iPhone 4S which I love) and came across this amazing one on Amazon

Although I've never tried the shade 'Fire', this case is so fabulous. I've very tempted to get it, as it's very cheap & very me!

My YouTube debut &how I fell back in love with London!

Hello all

This Saturday I made my YouTube debut! Last week, Millie of She Hearts The High Street & I went on a holiday haul shopping trip and as she already frequents YouTube, we decided that it was the perfect opportunity for me to take the plunge into vlogging!

I hope you enjoy!

As you can see, I didn't buy as much as Millie did! But the top I bought was so 'me' & so cheap that I couldn't say no. I love collars on shirts & monochrome is my basic colour scheme.

The kirby clips & hair bands were £1 each. I have found them to be as good as any other clips or bands, so don't see the point of spending more on basics. 

I'd also like to share with you the lovely night I had in London this Friday. Although I've lived in Greater London my whole life, it's only when someone who's out of town comes to London that I actually explore the city really. So on Friday, after a lovely dinner in Covent Garden, we went to 'Vista', a rooftop bar overlooking Trafalgar Square above 'The Trafalgar' hotel. Seeing the London skyline at night made me fall in love with the city all over again. I love living in London, there is such eclecticism and opportunities & it made me realise I need to make the most of this beautiful city.

 Me & my two loves; the boyfriend & London city (spot the Primark shirt from my YouTube video)

 I spy the Eye

 Even the lift was cool

 How beautiful is this view?!

Trafalgar Square with red fountains (of course I waited for the red light!)

Honestly, I had such a lovely night and the views were beautiful! It's definitely made me want to explore and appreciate the city a lot more. I underestimated how lucky I am living in London.

Look out for my YouTube channel & first solo video, its a project I am working for this week.

If you have any advice for me, I would very much appreciate it. Also please check out Millie's other videos here, she's a pro!

Film Fashion Inspiration: Vamps

Hello all

I've always been an early bird. As soon as there is light in my room, I wake up. Unfortunately, my boyfriend loves sleeping in. This means I usually have a few hours to kill on a Saturday and Sunday morning. Sometimes I blog, but more often then not I watch a film. This Saturday just gone I discovered the film 'Vamps', directed by Amy Heckerling & starring Alicia Silverstone & Krysten Ritter. 

Amy Heckerling also directed iconic film 'Clueless' which also starred Alicia Silverstone & 'Vamps' certainly lived up to my expectations of a funny chick flick with amazing styling! 

I love the idea of vampires, I've watched a lot of vampire films & TV series & have read several vampire books/ series. So this modern take on female vampires really interested me. The description stated it was 'Stakes & The City', & in some ways I agree. 

I won't be doing a movie review, although I do encourage you to watch this film as I thought it was brilliant. I will be focusing on the styling of Goody (Alicia Silverstone) & Stacy (Krysten Ritter). Both are amazing, funny actresses, but the styling & costumes, by Mona May (who, again, also did the costumes of 'Clueless') is amazing.

 

 

First off, Goody. Goody became a vampire in the 1800s and evidence from her lengthy after-life is obvious in her costuming. Combining elements of several different decades, the style Mona created for her is beautiful. I would say it is very romantic gothic & classic and I really like it.

In contrast, Stacy is more of a 'traditional' vampire in her styling. Her style is sexy, lots of black and more modern than Goody. Stacy was 'turned' in the eighties, but her style is very fashion forward.

Together, the two main characters aesthetically look incredible next to each other and compliment each others styling, while still having strong individual style.

 Below I have styles a day and a night outfit for Goody and Stacy:

 All MissSelfridge

All New Look except clutch bag (Topshop) and studded heels (Dr Martens)

I think MissSelfridge epitomizes Goody's vintage style, one that I like myself. However I loved styling Stacy's look. I recently saw these super high (can I say stripper?) heels in New Look and while they are incredibly impractical, for a film costume and dramatic look I think they would really work! Also, the studded, cut-out Dr Martens are beautiful. Overall, I think I like Stacy's style more, but can appreciate the delicacy of Goody's style too!

I hope you enjoyed my first 'Film Fashion Inspiration', I'm hoping to make it a regular feature!

J'adore...Vivienne Westwood Shoes

Hello all

I've been doing a lot of online 'window' shopping lately, and making an incredibly early birthday wishlist. I somehow ended up on the Vivienne Westwood website and had a look at the shoes section and oh my! I fell in love with so many of the styles on offer.

I was already aware of the beauty of Vivienne Westwood shoes. I believe they are a collaboration with Mel, who designs the rubber, scented shoes. The Vivienne Westwood shoes are rubber, sweet scented and have a padded section where the ball of the foot is, making them fabulous and, fairly, comfortable.

There were three styles of shoe that I liked, and three colours of each that I liked, totaling 9 Vivienne Westwood shoes on my wishlist. Oops! Of course I won't ever get them all but they are very much in my imaginary walk-in wardrobe!

 The 'Divided Ballerina'

 The 'Elevated with Bows'

The 'Lady Danger'

Very much in my colour scheme and very much my style, these shoes are so lovely.

My favourite 3 (one of each) are:

-Nude 'Divided Ballerina' because the Vivienne Westwood orb logo is in a lovely rose gold, a bit subtler than gold.

-Red 'Elevated with Bows' because I do love a pair of red heels to make a statement and the bows look the most 'solid' in this colour.

-Black 'Lady Danger' because the combination of red on black looks great!

Overall, if I had to choose just on, it would have to be the black 'Lady Danger's as I adore wearing red lipstick, as you can see from my instagram and my signing off logo on here, so the red lips are so 'me'!

Let the saving towards these and the blatant  hinting nearer my birthday commence!