The Storm Is Breaking Or So It Seems

I received this beautiful Nina Paisley dress from Ingenue London before Christmas and as soon as I tried it on I knew that I wanted to style it with some seventies inspired accessories and make up. I saw American Hustle just after Christmas and I took some inspiration from Amy Adam's character and added a Mac, Faux Fur and some big gold earrings. I definitely think this is something her character could have worn in the film, although she probably wouldn't have worn a bra with it! 

Photos by Donnacha

Dress- c/o Ingenue London

Mac- Dunnes

Faux Fur Collar- Chicwish

Bag- Zara

Boots- Monsoon

Beret- eBay

Gloves, Ring and Earrings- Accessorize

Lips- BM Cosmetics Nude Lip Gloss

Nails- No7 Disco Nights Nail Polish

I kept my make up a little more subdued wearing Mugshot from the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette blended out with some gel eye liner and added a nude lip gloss. I got this gorgeous BM Cosmetics one in my December Glossybox and I've been wearing it so much since which is unusual for me because as you probably know I'm rather partial to lipstick and bright lip colours but I just love the shade and the texture. I will do a full review of it soon.

This dress is also a little out of my comfort zone, I wasn't sure how it was going to look on me because it's not a style I would usually go for but I actually really liked it and felt really good in it.

Do you like to try things that are out of your comfort zone?

Emma x

2013 in Nails

I didn't photograph nearly as many nail shades as I would have liked to last year considering how often I paint my nails. This is but a tiny selection of my hefty collection (rhyming unintentional).




1. Lavendairy
2. Me! Me! Me!
3. Blanc
4. You're Such A Budapest
5. Beauty And The Beach 2
6. Amande Défilé
7. Hot Lava
8. Soft Peach
9. Evening Opulence
10. Velvet Voyeur
11. Rock N Roll Red

There were a few new nail discoveries for me this year. The Lime Crime nail polish really impressed me and I want to add more shades to my collection for Spring/Summer because they're all such pretty pastel shades. I also got into trying new base and top coats and my favourites were Seche Vite and CND Stickey Base Coat. Both I found worked really well together and made the polish last for days and days without chipping. My most worn nail brand was definitely No7, I think they are one of the best "drug store" nail brands. My most worn shades were No7 Hot Lava during the Summer and Essie Velvet Voyeur since the beginning of Autumn.

I have lots of nail shades that I want to share with you in 2014. What was your favourite polish of 2013?

Emma x

2013 in Make Up

The second of my year in review posts looks back on all of the make up looks I photographed during 2013. .





1. Sin
2. Smoked Peach
3. Violet Crush
4. Theodora
5. Beauty And The Beach 2
6. Mary-Lou Manizer
7. Rouge Buzz
8. Dior Poudre Shimmer- Rose Diamond
9. Soft Peach
10. Icon
11. & 12. Evening Opulence
13. Bourjois Volume Glamour Ultra Curl
14. Plum Bronze
15. Kiko Smart Lipstick In 914
16. Naked 3- First Impressions

I experimented a lot more with make up this year and had a lot of fun with different lip and eye combinations, strong brows and tried more shades of blush. I spent the majority of the hot Summer months wearing very little make up, mostly mascara and a bright lipstick. I also tried out lots of softer looks with pinks and peachy shades. My most worn products of the year were Estée Lauder Double Wear Light foundation, Bourjois Volume Glamour Ultra Curl Mascara which was my only mascara repurchase this year. NARS Sin blush which I've been wearing almost non stop since the beginning of Autumn and Bourjois Cream Blush in Nude Velvet which was my Summer blush.

My most worn lip products of the year were MAC Russian Red and Plumful, Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in Apricot Shimmer, Revlon Smoked Peach and Peach Parfait and Rimmel Kate Moss 107.  For eyeshadows I mainly stuck to the Naked 2 palette when I wanted to wear something on my eyes, my most worn shades were Tease, Snakebite and YDK. I also used my No7 Stay Perfect single eyeshadow in Innocence almost every day as it's the perfect ivory shade for when you don't want to do anything fancy with eyeshadow.

Some of my other most worn items included Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin, theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer highlighting powder, L'Oréal Gel Intenza Eyeliner in Pure Black, Shu Uemura Eyelash Curlers, Collection Clear Mascara (for brows), Revlon Rich Sable Matte Eyeshadow (for brows), Zeba Brush on Brow in Ash, Bobbi Brown Creamy Corrector in Porcelain Bisque and Estée Lauder Double Wear Concealer.

What were your most used/favourite make up products of 2013?

Emma x

2013 in Outfits

Happy New Year readers and friends!

I had no intention of doing any year in review posts but then I saw everyone else's and I enjoyed reading through them so much that I decided it would be fun to do my own. So over the coming week I have three posts for you with an overview of my Outfits, Make Up and Nails of 2013. Hope you enjoy the first of the three. Let me know if you have a favourite. 

1. I'm Subtle Like A Lion's Cage

2. We've Got Eyes On The Back Of Our Heads

3. Will You Put My Hands Away?

4. Let The Sun Wrap It's Arms Around Me

5. This Place Is So Quiet Sensing That Storm

6. It's Still That Same Old Movie That's Haunting Me

7- 11. Five Outfits

12. Dreams Unwind Love's A State Of Mind

13. I'm The Moron Who Dances

It was actually really fun to look back at what I've worn this past year. Obviously this is only really a glimpse of what I've worn this past year and because I wear my work "uniform" all week it means I like to try out new things at the weekend. I feel like my style has changed somewhat this year and I had a lot of fun experimenting with styles I never would have dared to wear before. It also seemed to be the year of the hat for me as I'm wearing a hat in seven of these photos. I really got into berets buying several on eBay this time last year and I've worn them so much in the cold weather. I hope you enjoyed looking at 2013 in outfits as much as I did.

Keep an eye out for 2013 in Make Up over the weekend. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year!

Emma x