Whittle and Fluff Keyring

A couple of days ago, I popped along to a vintage and craft fair being held where the bus station used to be at Freshney Place. There was around 20 stalls, a vintage style ice cream truck and a puppet show for the kids. I wasn't planning on buying anything (like usual) but the keyrings at the Whittle and Fluff stall caught my eye.

They cost just £4 and are all handmade. If you regularly read my blog, you'll know that many things are often destroyed by the bag monster (it's victims up to now include many key rings, pens, a Stay Matte powder, S&G Kickass Concealer and Body Shop powder.) Because of this, I'm cautious as to what I buy.

The key ring is made from wood and metal, a bit different to the usual cheapy plastic ones I buy. I chose a cat charm as an ode to my four kitties. Hopefully this one will survive my clumsy fingers, and even if it doesn't, the worse that could happen is a charm could snap off, which would be easily fixed.

If you like the look of this key ring, Whittle and Fluff have a website and a Facebook Page. They also sell other stuff such as cards and giftware.

End of Year Ball

I've already posted about my preparation for the ball and the makeup I wore, so now I thought I'd actually talk about the event itself. Although the university holds balls each year, this was the first one I actually attended. I just felt it would be a nice ending to my whole university experience.


As I don't live in Hull, my boyfriend booked us a hotel in the city center- The Ibis. I think it only cost about £30 for the night, and was a nice little room, close to everything. I didn't take any photos of the room as it was pretty basic, but it did the job and was just as nice, plus cheaper, than the Travelodge.

Me and my boyfriend changed then got a taxi to the university. Everyone was dressed up, but I think most people's eyes were on my boyfriend! I had previously dyed his hair a bright pink two days before and he had it up in a mohawk. I lost count on the number of strangers who asked him for a photo.

Before got drinks, we decided to go on some of the rides, a spinny one and the dodgems. Luckily my false eyelashes stayed on! I couldn't believe how amazing everything looked. The theme was carnival, so there were people on stilts and men walking around with crystal balls. There were loads of food stall, selling everything from hogroast buns to candyfloss. And the student union looked absolutely amazing with illusion mirrors, drapes, and a big '2014' sign on the entrance.

A highlight of the night was definitely meeting up with some of the Hull bloggers from the meet and Hull fashion week. Once I had drunk my fourth double vodka and coke, I tweeted everyone demanding we all meet up for a photo haha.

Here's a full photo of what me and my boyfriend wore.

Dress// House of Fraser
Shoes// New Look
Bag// Gift from Sister
Earrings// Primark
Necklace// Vivienne Westwood
Bracelet// Pandora

Boyfriends outfit

Jacket// TK Maxx
Shirt// TK Maxx
Bow Tie// River Island
Trousers// New Look
Shoes// Primark

He also used Live hair dye to get his hair that pink.

Overall, I had an amazing time at the ball. I did some things that I'm ashamed on (such as using a portaloo and taking my shoes off in Asylum- I considered soaking my feet in bleach after) but I also managed to spend the majority of the night in heels, not fall over once, and completely avoid a nip slip (surprising easy considering the dress haha.) Here's some photos from the night, some have been stolen from Charley and Courtney.

Ignore the weird angle of my arm!

                                            
I hoped you enjoyed reading this and check out Courtney's, Charley's and Hannah's blogs :)

End of Year Ball-- Makeup!

Like promised, here's a full blog post dedicated to the makeup I wore to my End of Year Ball. When taking photos of all the products, I realized how much makeup I actually wear. Ooops. On to the makeup.

First of all is the base. I always put on my Soap & Glory BB cream as I feel it just moisturizes my skin and primes it. It also has spf25 in it. Next I used Benefit's Porefessional as it apparently smooths my skin out and make my makeup last longer. My Lacome Miracle Teint is my only high end foundation and is very light and dewy, exactly what you want in the summer.

I used three different concealers as concealing is my favourite part of my makeup. My Collection Lasting Perfection concealer is a blogger favourite so I won't go on about it. I used this mainly for redness around my nose and blemishes. I then used Benefit Erase Paste as it's very brightening. I have a small sample of Benefit's Fake Up so I put that on as well. There's no way I needed all of this on, but it was a special occasion so why not?

To set my makeup I used my Physician Formula colour correcting powder as apparently it covers redness. My ELF HD powder just makes my skin look really nice and smooths it out. I took my Stay Matte Powder and applied it just before I left and it just makes my skin less oily.

I used my Nars blush in the shade 'orgasm' as it's a nice pinky colour with a little shimmer. My Benefit High Beam gave me the glowy skin looked I wanted. I contoured my skin slightly with my Maybelline Dream Touch Concealer and my Benefit Hoola bronzer.

I filled my brows in with my HD Brow Palette in 'Foxy.' I wanted a nude eye so just used my Naked Basics palette from Urban Decay. I created a cat eye flick using an Eyeko felt liner free with this months Glamour Magazine.

I stuck fake lashes on from Primark and then slicked my Benefit They're Real Mascara on over them.

Lastly was my lips. I filled them in first with No7 lip liner, and then went over them with my favourite Collection Lipstick in the shade Queen of Hearts.

This was the final result :)

Do you wear as much makeup as me for special occasions or do I go completely overboard haha?

Preparing for the Ball!

If you follow me on twitter, you'd know that I've mention my End of Year Ball a few times. I've actually finished university for good now, but this is the first ball I've actually decided to go to. I just thought I'd regret it if I didn't go to at least one.

I've already done the most important thing which is getting my dress and shoes. I wasn't sure whether I was going to wear a dress that I already own or buy a new one. I was looking at vintage inspired dresses from a lady who I've bought from before, but the dress I wanted was £44 and needed a £22 petticoat to look right. Not to mention the shoes! Over £70 for one night? No thanks.

I had lost hope by then and was mentally going through my wardrobe to find something suitable when I got a text from House of Fraser informing me of upto 40% over the weekend. Luckily, I found a gorgeous dress for just over £30. I also bought some nude heels from New Look for £13 with student discount (oh, how I shall miss you student discount.)

I'm not posting photos yet but I will say my dress is very Jessica Rabbit like and requires Primark's best tummy control knickers.

Onto the beauty prep!
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I've bought some fake eyelashes and already practised with them so hopefully they'll stay on all night.

Last night I used my Percy & Reed hair mask which I got in a magazine ages ago. It's worth £20 so I just use it for special occasions. Whilst the mask was on, I also used Soap and Glory's No Clogs Allowed mask. I used to use this once a week but it went missing when my dad decorated the bathroom. Now I've discovered it again, it's time to bring it back into my weekly routine.

Once I did the masks, I took a long bubble bath, shaving my legs and washing my hair. I don't want to wash my hair today as I want to put my hair in an updo and they work best on day old hair.

I stuck hair mousse in my hair and leave it to dry naturally as it gets less frizzy like this and also some of this volumizing spray which I'm not sure even works, but hey, let's sling it on anyway.

I've painted my nails a dark red; I used 'Naughty' from Orly which I also got in a magazine. My dress is white/gold, but I want to rock  a bold red lip so I want my nails to match.

I've decided what makeup I want to wear on tonight to create the dewy, glowy skin look, with bold lip and nude eyes. I will post a seperate blog post talking about my makeup choices.

That's all the prep I can do until I actually reach the hotel and put my makeup on. I hope you enjoyed reading this post. I'm so looking forward to Saturday night and hopefully bumping into some of the #hullbloggermeet bloggers :) How to you prepare for a special occasion?

'Oh, you're getting married?'

Something I haven't really spoken about in great detail on my blog is the fact I'm getting married next year. I just think there is enough wedding blogs/sites/magazines telling brides how they should behave, how they should feel, and how they should look, and to be honest I think it's a load of crap. There's enough stress placed on couples with shows like 'Four Weddings' and 'Don't Tell The Bride' brainwashing them into believing their wedding has to be perfect or it's a massive failure. Because of this, I've decided to write a kind of alternative wedding post- The worst things about getting married (in my opinion anyway.)

1) 'How old are you?'

This one probably won't apply to all engaged couples, but it is something that frequently annoys me. I got engaged on my 19th birthday. You won't believe the amount of snide comments aimed at me, talking about how I was stupid, how it wouldn't last, how they've been together 5 years, and we've only been together 1 so why should I get engaged before them? The last time I checked, two people deciding to get married wasn't anyone's business but their own. Luckily for me and my boyfriend, our whole family approved of us getting engaged (as long as it was a long engagement haha) so the rude comments didn't bother me so much. I just hate how people look down on us because we're young. I would get strangers seeing my engagement ring and the first thing they would ask was my age. My parents were married by the age of twenty and are celebrating their 25th this year. I think you only have to watch an episode of Jeremy Kyle to realize age doesn't necessarily equal emotional maturity. Yes, we may one day get a divorce, but so could a couple in their 50's.

2) 'She managed to catch you then?'

Or something along those lines. I'm sure most brides would have experienced this irritating comment at some point before they're married. No, I did not 'catch' him, 'hook' him, 'trick' him. We made a decision as adults to get married. I don't know why women are always perceived as sneaky, wedding obsessed individuals who will do anything to get a ring on their fingers. Sometimes  it is the man who suggests marriage first, you know.

3) 'When are you having children?'

Again, another personal, and quite rude question. First of all, assuming because I'm a woman that I must want children. Second of all, the question never really being aimed at my fiance, because he's a man and obviously focused on his career. It's not so much this question that annoys than the response to my 'we're not sure if we want kids yet.' 'What do you mean, of course you want children. You'll change your mind when you're a bit older.' Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize you knew me better than I know myself.

4) 'How much was your ring?'

I hate this question so much. I don't mind people asking to look at my engagement ring, but when they follow up with that question, I just think it's so rude. I've not even asked how much my ring is. I honestly don't care how much it is; as long as the stones don't fall out every two minutes and it doesn't turn my finger green, I'm quite happy. Again, it's the pressure of the wedding industry telling us that our boyfriends must spend a months wages, or whatever it is, on a bit of jewelry. There's an element of competition between brides which makes us feel embarrassed if our rings are anything less than £2,000.

5) 'You have to take your husbands name?'

Sorry? Just a little reminder that we are now in the twenty first century. The question of whose name to take when I get married is one that has me thinking quite deeply. I often spend hours on the Offbeat Bride site as they often discuss matters such as these. Will taking my husbands name contradict the fact I identify as a feminist? But then, feminism exists so that woman have the freedom to make a choice, whether that choice is to take your husbands name or not. This is going quite deep into this argument, and there is also the simple fact that I actually quite like my last name, and if both me and my sister choose to change our names when and if we marry, there will be no more 'Webbs' in the family. I haven't made my choice yet, and I still have a year to decide, but there is an important word in this sentence and that is 'choice' so I don't appreciate people telling me that I HAVE to do something.

Despite my complaing blog post, It's not all negative stuff when you get engaged. For example, an engagement ring seems to scare away away creeps that loiter near in bars. I also have something to point at when Beyonce's Single Ladies comes on. And instead of arguing about whose turn it is to do the washing, me and my boyfriend now argue about what our first dance song  will be. Plus, there's endless supplies of cake samples at wedding fairs. 

I hope you enjoyed reading this. Let me know if you want me to write anymore 'alternative' wedding posts. I have a Wedding Fair survival guide in my head  at the minute.

April/ May favourites

Due to having 4 essays due last month, I neglected my blog a bit, which meant I completely missed my favourites out. This was a shame because there was loads of products I discovered in April which I loved. So I decided to do a combined favourite and talk about 10 products I loved instead of the usual 5.

April.

1. PS Love Nails
The first thing on my April favourites is the PS Love nails from Primark. I'm not going to go too in depth as I've reviewed them here, but a complete bargain at £1.

2. PS Love Felt Liner 
The next thing on my list is the felt liner again from Primark's PS Love Range. I love felt liners as I think they're the easiest liner to work with, but I've always bought ones that are about £8. I find that as I apply them on top of eye shadow, the powder dries it out quickly. The Primark liner does the same job and was only £1.50!

3. E.L.F High Definition Powder
 I made my first e.l.f order in April (which I still need to blog about) and in that order was the HD Powder. The packaging is a little bulky, and I think it smells a bit funny but that could be the powder puff rather than the product, but I love the way this makes my skin look. I bought this when they had the 50% off sale so I think it was only about £4, but I've already decided to repurchase this when it runs out..

4. MUA Undress Me Highlighter.

I bought this a few months ago, but never really got into the swing of using it, but lately I've been reaching for this instead of my Benefit High Beam. It cost just £3, so if you're a bit unsure about highlighters, this is perfect to dip your toes into. I've used it so much and it hasn't even made a dint in the product.

5. Tangle Teezer
 The last thing in my April favourites is my Tangle Teezer. A little pricey at about £11, and I'm always loosing it in my bedroom, but I've noticed it doesn't pull as much hair out as my other brushes.

May.

1. Topshop Lipstick - Macaroon
 I finally treated myself to a couple of Topshop lipsticks. Considering they're from a highstreet shop and not a makeup brand, they're surprisingly expensive at £8. Although I love the packaging, they were something I just used to walk past as I assumed they wouldn't be very good. Then I watched Zoella constantly talk about how her favourite lipstick is a Topshop one and the quality can be compared to Mac, and I knew I had to have one. I bought both Infrared (because that's Zoella's favourite shade) and Macaroon. As first I wasn't impressed, as the lipstick sunk into the cracks on my lips, but then I started applying balm beforehand and it made such a difference. I wore Macaroon three days in a row which I never usually do, I love it that much.

2. Sleek - Vintage Romance
I blogged a few weeks ago talking about my Bristol haul and the Sleek Palettes I picked up. I originally wanted the Garden of Eden Palette, and the Matte Brights one, and I eventually chose the Vintage Romance one as my 'freebie'. I didn't for one minute think it would end up being my favourite. Like all Sleek palettes, the colours are so pigmented and I just love the names of the shades.

3. Real Techniques Buffing Brush.

I hate talking about something everyone else seems to love, just because if a product is blogged about enough times, everyone gets bored of it. But I picked up the RT Core collection in TK Maxx, used the buffing blush for my foundation like everyone recommends, and now I'm never looking back. It goes on so flawlessly and evenly, and doesn't feeling like it's too thick on the skin like some foundation brushes do.

4. Makeup Revolution- Rebel With Cause Lipstick.

I recently talked about my Makeup Revolution haul, and out of the whole 9 lipsticks I bought, this is definitely my favourite shade. It looks like a really dark red but once on, it has some pink and purple tones in it, which I think suit my skin tone perfectly. I think darker lipsticks look better on me, which is bad luck as we're in the Summer season where it's all about brights. But nevermind, I've never been one to follow the fashion trends, why start now?

5. Lasting Perfection Concealer - Collection.

Another product I bought a few months ago and at first I wasn't really sure on it, but now I reach for it everyday without fail. The packaging is a bit rubbish and I end up with black fingers from the writing, but the product inside is genius. Again, a product every blogger loves so I won't go on too much about it.

I hoped you enjoyed reading my favourites and I'm really enjoying getting back into the blogging world again. Remember to follow me on bloglovin' if you like my posts :)

Vintage and Craft Fair Haul

I've just this minute got back from a local Vintage and Craft fair and got some lovely bargains. Considering I wasn't planning on buying anything, I just wanted to 'look', I came back with quite a bit.

The only clothing I bought was this jumper. It cost a fiver and I was immediately drawn to the print of it. I did remember that it is now June and supposedly summer, but then I remembered I lived in England. The jumper is quite thin so it would be nice to wear on an evening or a slightly cooler day. Its a couple of sizes too big for me but I love baggy jumpers.

The next things I bought were from a stall selling handmade cleansers, toners, bathbombs etc. I love Lush, like most people, but do consider it a bit pricey. I don't normally wear toner but got given a sample of the tea tree one in Lush a while ago. Seeing this one for just £3.50 convinced me to buy it to see if it did make a difference to my skin. I also picked up this Diamond Nail oil as my friend convinced me it was good and it cost just a pound.

I think it's pretty obvious I love makeup, and when I spotted this bright pink packaging, I thought how good it would look on my dressing table. Inside there is a powder puff and an unopened block of powder. The smell isn't really to my taste, in fact I think it smells a bit like cat wee, but I love that it's old and a quite unique decoration. The woman said it was from the 50's and I'm not sure how true that it, but after a quick google, I've found it was very popular about 30-40 years ago. The lady let me have this for £2.50.

I next picked up this little broach for 50p. I don't normally wear broaches but I was just drawn to this and I loved that it has been made with a shell from cleethorpes.

I picked up this flower made from a record for £1.50 and I just think it's something unique for my bedroom. The stall had some amazing cake stands made from records but sadly, I'd have nowhere to store them until me and my boyfriend get our own place together.

Lastly, I picked up these felt flowers. I was drawn to them, as I'm getting married next year and I'm constantly on the look out for unique bouquet ideas. This cost me £3 which is a complete bargain considering some wedding places charge up to £80! I'm going to put this in my shisha pipe as a pretty decoration.

So there's my haul. Have you picked up any bargains from vintage/craft fairs before?