Beauty Favourites - Uni Student Style!

Looking at so many beauty blogs just got me thinking, there are always those products that you love and go back to time and time again. I have a few favourite products that I think from now on I'll always buy, as they work really well for me, and suit my student budget! I'm not lucky enough to own hundreds of designer beauty products (one day..) but these high street products are my best pick of the bunch.

1. St Moriz Tanning Mousse
With a little bit of natural tan left from my holiday and the heatwave, I'm not too pale naturally at the moment, but usually in winter I am a ghostly pale white which makes me look ill! I love having a bit of colour to your skin, I think it just makes you look so much healthier (and hides my freckly face!). I've been using St Moriz for about a year now, and at £2.99 a bottle it's the best tanning product I've used! I used to use St Tropez (when I had a full time job may I add!) and this works just as well, and hasn't got that strange greeny tint to it to stop you going orange I found with the more expensive stuff. This has always worked really well for me popping it on before bed, washing off the excess in the morning and the 'medium' tone leaves you with a lovely tanned glow that lasts a good few days. The only downside is that it does come off unevenly on some parts of your body, but it's not too noticeable. For under £3 this is my go-to tanning product!

2. Palmer's Cocoa Butter
I absolutley love this moisturiser and everything about it. I always try to stock on when it's on offer as it's usually about £4 for a bottle in some places. I'm sure everyone has used it at some point, and knows its very thick, creamy, smells amazing (chocolate..mm!) and leaves your skin silky soft. I think this will be a product I'll always buy, as it just makes my skin feel amazing.

3. Boss - Femme eu de parfum
This is one of my all time favourite perfume scents. I originally bought it after my mum had it for a while, so it always reminds me of her too! I've nearly run out of this (boo!) but I will definetly be making a repurchase when I have the money. It's not too pricey I don't think, around £30/£35, and it stays on your skin all day. I'm not great at describing smells, but it's very feminine. I would definetley reccomend it to any perfume lover!

4. Zara - Applejuice eau de toilette
I've only discovered zara perfumes in recent months but they've quickly become my favourite! This gorgeous perfume smells sweet and appley, but isn't too n your face that you smell like a cider factory if you get what I mean. My friend originally bought this, and after sitting next to her at uni every day I could smell it on her, I just had to buy it. The best part is that it's only £9.99, which makes it a perfect every day scent. Zara have a great range of really nice perfumes. If you don't want to break the bank I'd head over there and test a few. 

5. Blistex Relief Lip Cream 
For years I've always lost 1000 lip balms, does anyone else have this issue? They just run away.. I've tried so many aswell. I have a horrible habit of picking at my lips.. I know I shouldn't and I hate it, as it always leaves me with sore, dried out and chapped lips. I turned to this Relief cream in winter when my lips were awful, and I was shocked at how amazing this stuff is! It's not the nicest thing to smear onto your lips in public as it looks like some sort of medicinal cream, but it's nice and moisturising. Within a day my chapped lips were healed again, and were silky soft. I've bought it since time and time again, and it's great for when your lips need a little TLC. It's also only £2 or £3 and lasts a good few weeks, so well worth the money. 

6. Topshop Lipstick
These are my favourite lippys. Ever. I own them in a few shades now, my favourite shade 'Nevada' is a perfect daytime nude that I've bought several times over. It ticks all the boxes for me and is only just over a fiver. Perfecto!

7. Rimmel Eyebrow Pencil
This does the whole job for me. I don't take hours over my eyebrows as some girls do, but I find I don't really need to with this easy pencil. It's the perfect brown/black shade for my hairs, and with a quick few strokes it fills in my eyebrows and lasts all day. The only problem is that it needs sharpening quite often which means it runs out quicker then another product would, but for £2 a time it's a product I'll always buy.

8. Rimmel 25 Hour Lasting Foundation
I've tried a few foundations over the years, but this is one I've stuck to for a couple of years now. I'm not actually sure it does last a ridiculous 25 hours on your face, I don't think any product would! (Why 25 hours anyway?!) But with a primer it does usually last the majority of the day. It gives a really good coverage too which I really like, even though I have quite clear skin, it really evens it all out and covers any marks or spots.  I usually like to stock up on 3 for 2 offers, but usually it's around £6.99 a bottle. 

So there you have it, my top 8 student friendly priced items I'll always buy. Have you tried any of these? Do you love any of these products too?

"I have no clothes!"

..Is something I'm sure every girl says, either that or 'I have nothing to wear', but has a wardrobe bursting with clothes! This is something I often find myself saying some mornings, when I just seem to hate everything I have, and want to go out and buy some more. With 2 internships coming up, I know I'm going to have plenty of early rushed mornings getting ready, I also want to give the right impression and go for smart casual (but trendy) outfits that will still be comfortable for my long days. My style is mainly quite smart and girly anyway (You won't find any trainers, rucksacks or hoodies in my wardrobe!) but I'm starting to panic I don't have enough smart pieces for 6 weeks! 

I had the idea of rummaging through all my clothes and styling outfits I'd be happy to be seen in at Look Magazine (where my first work experience placement is - ahhh!). After an hour or so of throwing clothes, jewllery and handbags all over the place, I managed to easily get together 20 outfits (one for every day) with a smart casual look. I was really surprised actually, and this made me realize that with a little creativity I could probably get away without buying too many extras. 

Here are a few examples of what I came up with. It was surprisingly easy to just change a top, a necklace, and a bag, and come up with a totally different look. The coloured cami tops from Primark are perfect for this, and can be mixed and matched with so many bottoms in my wardrobe! I'm hoping the weather will still be warm(ish) , but any of these outfits would be great still with a leather jacket thrown over the top. I haven't included shoes as I like to do this last minute when I'm dressing! I haven't yet decided what I'm going to wear for my first day, but with these photos I've now got a scrapbook of outfits made from my own wardrobe, and if I'm ever stuck for ideas I can flick through and get ready in an instant.

If anyone finds themselves in this position (having plenty of clothes but never knowing what to wear!) , I would say this is a great thing to do, as it really shows you how many things you own and how differently you can wear them. 

Summer night outfit for under £35..?

I'm a huge primark lover.. I always seem to get a rush going in there and finding gems that look way more pricey then they are. Everyone knows they have some tacky rubbish in there that you wouldn't dream of wearing, but being a fashion student on a budget, my wardrobe is being heavily over taken by the (not so much anymore) cheap and cheerful clothing Primark as to offer.

 I've had a few bits which have broken in the first few weeks, but you get what you pay for I guess. However having said that, I've had some primark bits in my wardrobe for a good couple of years that have lasted and are quite good quality. I've found during the last couple of years they've really upped their game on trends, and picked up much quicker on certain items,prints and styles, which means to be on trend instead of heading to Topshop, I can pick up something similar for half the price in there. Yes it's very hot and messy in there, and yes finding your size is sometimes like a needle in a haystack, but I just love it.

 Some of my friends admit they are more 'snobs' with fashion, and wouldn't dream of having a rummage on the messy shop floor in there, but are always shocked when they ask when something I'm wearing is from, and I reply 'Oh, Primark!', and say I always manage to pick out the good pieces!

I recently bought a few items in there to incorporate into my wardrobe. With work experience at a fashion magazine coming up soon, I focused on buying smart casual pieces I could dress up or down depending on  the event. Last night me and some friends found ourselves all together in Southampton (a rare occasion during summer as we're all busy!), and decided to make the most of it and go out on the town. I wore some of my new Primark items, and realized that the total cost of my outfit (shoes, bag, jewellery, the lot) cost just £33. Fashion student bargain outfit I may say! Here's what I wore: 

Primark:

Cami £5

Skirt £8

Bag £3 (Sale)

Necklace £4

New Look:

Shoes - £13 (With 25% off)

With the warm nights I knew I'd not have to worry about feeling the cold, which is always a worry on a night out!

Sorry the photos are dodgy, I didn't actually get a photo of my whole outfit! I've already bought this cami top in 3 different colours, for £5 they're so easy to wear and are great for any occasion. This bright pink one just caught my eye, I had to have it! I've seen similar ones in Topshop for £18, which is just ridiculous if you ask me! I now have 4 different ones for just over that! :)

I'd seen quite a few people wearing these black maxi skirts with slits in and thought they looked really nice. I picked this one up for just £8. I wore it during the day, and it's really cool and looks quite sophisticated. I think it'll also be great for dressy nights out.

This bag I got a while ago for a mere £3, it's quite smart and does the job!

I forgot to do a blog post dedicated to these amazing shoes! I bought these in New Look a couple of weeks ago.. I'd been umming and ahhing over stillettoes for so long, I really wanted some but I literally could not walk in any of the ones I tried! Until.. I tried on these bad boys. The heel is slightly lower and a bit thicker, so I could actually walk/stand/dance in them! I was sold, and my wonderful friend Becky who works there got me 25% off them, so they were only about £13! :) They look so pretty on my feet and make me feel very girly, the pain in your feet the next morning is totally worth it!

We went to oceana and it was extremely hot and sweaty in there, but we  had a really fun night!

After my 21st birthday in a couple of weeks I am hoping I may be able to head further than Primark for some bits, but for now I'm quite happy in my budget clothing. Cheap clothing never has to look cheap if you dress if the right way I find!!

Are you a fan of Primark..? 

OOTD 16/07/13

Well it seems like the heat of summer is here to stay for a while. Whilst I love the fact I can wear all my summer clothes, when venturing out to town today I found it tricky to find something that would keep me cool whilst walking around! I opted for my polka dot denim cut out dress from Primark, which I've only worn once, as I found wearing a bra without being unseen is slightly tricky with this. I actually wore a halter neck bikini top underneath this - and it did the job, with no ugly bra to be seen on the side! I teamed it with my cute daisy necklace and curly hair for a girly look. This handbag is from New Look and I love it so much! Although the white colour is risky and it's slightly dirty already, it goes with pretty much anything, and is a perfect size to carry all your essentials. It's safe to say by the time I got home I was sweating like no other.. I think you get hot whatever you wear in this weather! :(

Dress - Primark

Necklace - Topshop

Bag - New Look

I did a very bad thing, and although I'm complaining about running out of money (my own fault most likely, the joys of being a fashion student) I did wonder into primark.. they had some amazing things in there which I HAD to buy.. I'm panicing as I'm going to need many smart casual outfits for my internships over the next couple of months. Post to follow :)

OOTD 15/07/13

I am loving the fact the sun is out and it's warm, as it gives you a good chance to wear all your summer pieces! Today I'm not really up to much, but here's what I'm wearing :) 

Necklace & Top - Topshop

Skirt - Primark

This crop top has popped up on my blog the last few posts, although I haven't actually worn it that much! It's such a summery top to pair with a skater skirt. This denim look one is exactly like the ones in Topshop and everywhere now, but it was half the price! I'm still wearing this daisy necklace, I really love it. Although a couple of the daisies had fallen off and I had to glue back on.. I don't mind as it's no longer available, but Topshop jewellery does disappoint me for the price.

Hope you are all enjoying the sun today! :)

I'm back!

Hello all! As you may (or may not!) have noticed I've been away from blogging for a while. I've recently moved student house and been mega busy, and with no internet blogging was put aside for a bit. We're finally settled into a wonderful new student house (with internet - yay!) and I can finally get back to it. Anyone who's moved house knows how manic and stressful it can be!

As I only work saturdays, I've been moving between my home in Somerset and Southampton the last few weeks making the most of my free time with my boyfriend/friends and family. Last week I did some overtime at work at next setting up the sale and working.. I'm absolutely knackered now and it was a nightmare in this hot weather, but I'm thinking about the money more than anything which is very much needed at this point of the year, when student loans in September seem so far away, boo! 

I'm loving the sunshine at the moment, and some sunbathing took place last week in our new garden as well as a BBQ, it's so great having a garden, as all of last year we had a tiny little flat with no outdoor space! I'm feeling like it's got a bit TOO hot these last few days, and now I'm slightly tanned I am keeping inside in the shade and keeping cool.. does anyone else wish it was just a LITTLE cooler?! 

I had a day trip to Brighton the other week for my friend's 21st. I was so excited to go there as I'd never been, and we spent the day looking round vintage shops and having a real fun time. We went out too that was really good, although the hot train hungover the next day did not go down well!

I'm starting to stress as it's now about a month until I start my work experience at Look magazine and living in London! I'm a real worrier, and I'm more nervous than anything. It's my 21st just before then in 3 weeks today and I haven't even got anything planned as I'm more worried about moving to London!

 I'm also waiting for my 2nd year results which I get on Friday,  but before I got them I recieved a very exciting email from my tutor. One of our project last term was on the brand Ted Baker. Now I never knew very much about the brand, but after designing my own range for them and writing a 50 page report on the brand, I came to love it, it's such an individual, quirky brand with great British quality pieces. My tutor told me because of the quality of my work, I had been chosen as one of 3 girls to do work experience with Ted Baker! After seeing my work they wanted me in their Womenswear Buying Department, I couldn't believe it and actually nearly cried with happiness! Opportunities like this don't come easy, and I'm dead excited to be part of Ted Baker HQ for a couple of weeks! It looks like I may be living in London for the rest of the summer, and I'm sure it's going be difficult, stressful and tiring, but at this point in my degree I cannot let any opportunity for fashion experience slip by... eeeeee! 

But anyway! Here are some piccies of my life recently! Enjoyyy! :)

Denim and daisies / Taking down the photos in my room and reminiscing about fresher's week! / Painting my toe nails.. and the boyfriend's / Me ready for our last night out at the flat / My new bedroom / Tropical fruit pastels...mmm! / My ever growing perfume collection / Facemask with the boyfriend / My friend Caroline in a vintage shop in Brighton / A vintage photobooth, so much fun! / I finally caved into buying some stilettos! / First BBQ at the house / New elle magazine / Tanned legs! / Me at home / My onesie I picked up at the Next sale