How to Style the Turtleneck.

Happy 2016 all! My first post of the year I have decided to dedicate to the wonderful turtleneck. 

Love them or loath them, there is no denying that turtlenecks are back on the fashion scene and are here to stay. Understandably they are not to everyone's taste, but personally I can't get enough of them. Easily dressed up or down, there is no better way to make a statement at any event with one. Like the little black dress, an investment in a turtleneck will effortlessly take you from season to season (depending on which part of the world you live in).

Whether it's a chunky knit you're after or thinner, more figure hugging material, it's so easy to experiment with them. I put together a few different ways I would wear turtlenecks, playing around with different textures, colour schemes and silhouettes. I tried to vary each look just to get across how versatile they can be. You can play it safe with a chunky knit on top and a feminine skirt on the bottom or experiment with less traditional feminine pieces and pair it with wide leg trousers, layered up with different lengths and colours, the possibilities are endless!

Are you a turtleneck convert or will you be giving the trend a miss?

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Adele x

The Review | Lush's 'Cosmetic Warrior' face mask.

Oh look, another Lush review, and this time in comes in the form of a yet again another face mask. 

Not so long ago I did a review of their 'Cupcake' face mask, which went down a treat. But this time after my visit to Lush I opted for a different mask to give a go. For oily to combination skin, Cosmetic Warrior claims to combat spots and smooth troubled skin. With it's antiseptic ingredients, garlic, tea tree, honey and deep cleansing kaolin, it's aim is to banish breakouts and even any redness. 

So does it do the job? Yes, being honest as with Cupcake it doesn't work miracles, no spots magically disappeared nor did I wake up looking like a supermodel after using it but it did the job it claims to do quite sufficiently. The smell when compared to the chocolaty goodness of Cupcake isn't the best, a combination of garlic and tea tree oil is pretty prominent, but it's nothing I couldn't deal with. 

This mask is perfect for the colder seasons, if like me, your skin takes a toll in the winter months it will add  moisture into some areas unlike Cupcake which is a lot more drying, ideal for summer. I found my skin was a lot softer after using it, any redness from spots or marks was reduced and the my overall complexion had a little glow.  

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What lush face masks do you use?

Adele x

November Nail Polish.

 L-R: Rimmel 'Little Bo Peep', Rimmel 'Ruby Crush', LA Colours 'Current', Rimmel 'Beige Babe'.

It's been far too long since I have made a post on nail varnish.. possibly a year actually. Why is it always around this time of year, when the weather takes an inevitable turn for the worst I shift my attention to nail colours? Anyway, as it's currently mid way between Autumn and Winter I thought I would put together a little post on some of the colours i'm feelin' this season.

I'm trying to steer clear of the classic gold, green and red colours for the minute, because I am a grinch that will not embrace the Christmas spirit until it is Decemeber. However, I couldn't not include the gorgeous glittery red and silver colour by Rimmel, I think it is something a little unusual and you don't have to go the whole festive hog and paint every nail with it, you could just paint your ring finger for a less full on effect.   The rest are quite muted colours such as grey and brown that are sleek and subtle that go perfectly with a matte overcoat and lastly the only colour not by Rimmel, 'Current' is the ideal transition colour that will see you through both Autumn and Winter. 

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What colours will you be wearing this season?

Adele x

The Outfit | Twenty One

Shirt: Forever21 (men)

Culottes: Forever21

Brogues: Pennys (Primark)

So it would appear Forever21 projectile vomited on me, this was not purposely planned.
Anyway, I feel awfully like a 'grown up' in this outfit. It may not be to everyone's taste, but I personally think androgynous looks can do no wrong. This can completely be made more feminine by pairing it with some heels and teaming the shirt with a bralette peaking through underneath. Buuut I decided to go full on boy, because I can.

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Adele x

The (kind of) Daily Face.

Alright so firstly I will address that fact that I am no make up artist, in any sense of the word, but I do quite regularly paint my face with pretty stuff in an attempt to convey some kind of life into my 'lecture at 9am' face. 

Rimmel exaggerate lip liner, Barry M Brow Wow, Natural collection liquid eyeliner, Sleek contour kit, Collection Lasting Perfection concealer, Bourjous Volume Clubbing (ultra black) mascara, Bourjois BB bronzing cream, Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker lipstick.

When I say this is my daily routine, I mean generally 3-4 days a week I will look like this and the rest I will look like gollum. 

In light of all this I have compiled together all of the products I use for this look (listed above) and surmised my morning routine into a glamorous time frame, talking you briefly through each step towards my look. I'm quite a firm believer in natural beauty and like to use make up to enhance features, opposed to concealing and changing them so I don't use a great amount of products. 

 7:12am: I like to keep things pretty simple and that starts with my base. I don't wear foundation, so I will begin by simply concealing my under-eyes and blemishes with my collection concealer, I then take my bourjois bronzing cream, which is amazing for a natural glow, and buff it into the standard contouring areas using a damp beauty blender. 

7:20am: I will then move onto eyes and create a subtle wing, I understand that not everyone has time for this but practice makes perfect and after many years I have this shit down and can do it in under five minutes, so don't give up! When this is done I will add some mascara and fill in my eyebrows using my barry m eyebrow pencil. 

7:30am Usually at this point I am in a mad scramble to get out the door and catch my train so I will throw some highlighter onto my cheekbones and over my eyebrow, quickly line my lips, and put on my lipstick en route to the train station. 

This post is a little different to pretty much all of my others, I thought I would step out of my comfort zone anyhoo and give it a go.. don't be afraid to leave your thoughts below!

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Adele x

The Outfit | Twenty

Top: Primark

Culottes: Forever21

Runners: Penny's/Primark

Alright so it's pretty much been forever since I've made an outfit post. I'm not going to bombard you with half arsed excuses but things have been pretty busy lately with starting a new job and college, however I can only hope that sparse outfit posts will soon be a thing of the past and I can manage to fit one or two in every week or so in between everything. 

I'll start off by pointing out the absolute obvious and say how f'ing perfect is this top?! If you're a Friends fanatic like me you'll appreciate the brilliance of this (#teamross). I picked it up in Liverpool over the summer for something ridiculous like £7. Thrown together with these culottes and runners, sure you couldn't go wrong! 

Until next time lovelies! 

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Adele x

Styling | Mom Jeans

Mom Jeans- noun informal 

'Women's jeans of a style regarded as unfashionable or unflattering' 

"Just because you're 40+, it doesn't mean you have to start walking around in mom jeans"

Alright, I think it's safe to say Mom Jeans have come full circle since the 80's. Particularly in the last year or so we've seen a total revival of the style of jean and in light of that I am dedicating a post to styling them from day to night showing just how versatile these little gems are and how useful it is to have a pair in your wardrobe.

I opted for a classic pair of light wash denim mom jeans from Topshop, however if you have the time and want to find a cheaper pair I would recommend looking in Vintage shops, it takes some dedication to find the perfect pair but they're a fraction of the price compared to places like Topshop and American Apparel and will last a lifetime!

As far as styling goes, I went with a simple layered daytime look, perfect for throwing on in the morning if you're heading off to college or doing errands, teamed with a pair of runners you're sure to be comfortable all day.
 The nighttime look is a lot more feminine, I personally am obsessed with the colour yellow, I understand that it isn't everyone's cup of tea but I think it contrasts perfectly with denim, dressing it up with a pair of heels and you're favourite clutch and you're good to go!

So to conclude, Mom Jeans are most definitely far from unflattering and unfashionable and in 2015 in my opinion are a must have basic wardrobe essential.

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Adele x

Bedroom Decor Inspo.

I know this post isn't necessarily fashion or beauty related, buuut, i've recently embarked on a journey of re decorating my room. Naturally with that comes endless hours wasted looking for 'inspiration' on pinterest.

Currently as we speak I am in my bed surrounded by all of my possessions on the floor, my walls half painted and generally everything in a well ordered heap. So, to keep me sane I thought I would share this little inspo post for other guys and gals that appreciate looking at gorgeous interior design like me.

I'm obsessed with white wood, old refurbished furniture and shabby chic decorations. Unfortunately my bedroom is in the attic and the 97% of it is made from wood so painting the whole thing white is a near impossible task that I am just not willing to take on.. so looking at these pictures will have to suffice for now. But I do plan to incorporate other bits of decorations into it.

I long for the day that I have my own apartment or home and can decorate the whole thing, but also dread the day I have to pay for rent and bills and food and all the other responsibilities of being an adult. For now i'm perfectly happy making my room a pretty little space for me to be in.

A new bedroom post is soon to follow this so don't go anywhere!

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Adele x

Malaga Photo Diary.

Roughly two weeks ago myself and the fella went on our holliers to Malaga in Spain. The last time I had been on a sun holiday was 6 years ago so I was more than excited to spend a few days getting an actual tan. 

Generally our six days were spent sunbathing, swimming, frantically applying factor 50 every 15 minutes and drinking mojitos. But we also managed to squeeze a dolphin boat trip, a waterpark and some water activities. We're home about a week and a half now and i'm currently suffering from what's known as post holiday blues, my tan is already fading and i'm seriously missing my biggest worry being which restaurant to eat in. 

I would definitely recommend the area to anyone considering it, it was a perfect mix between a tourist region while it still kept a lot of it's Spanish culture. Anyway enough of this holiday talk it's doing me no good at all, until next year! 

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Adele x

Summertime Lingerie

  What girl doesn't love dressing up in lingerie. In a relationship or completely single it's the best way to express your femininity bring out your inner sex god. If you'e like me and your inner sex god is dormant 365 days a year buying lingerie can be a daunting task. So when I came across American lingerie brand Adore Me's latest collection I decided to put together a little mood board based around my favourite set of their latest collection. 

I tend to steer away from classic red and black silk lingerie sets as I feel i'm not exactly 'sexy' enough to pull them off and generally they don't relate to my everyday style. I love cuter lingerie sets, the cut of a little bralette and pastel tones like dusty pink and pale blue. 

I chose this gorgeous yellow set from Adore Me's recent summer collection as I feel the colour and material is perfect for the summer season. I have paired them with a pair of red court shoes in contrast to the yellow colour. I would keep hair and make up simple with minimal eye make-up, a light foundation base, some highlighter to bring life to the face, a few coats of mascara and a pop of colour with red lipstick. Natural beachy waves, teal nail varnish and of course a spritz of your favourite perfume and you're good to go, completing your look and sending you on your way to becoming the goddess you so desire.

What makes you feel sexy?

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Adele x

That 70's Trend

Fashion is obsessed with all things 70's at the minute. Stemming from the catwalk last year, the trend has stood firm and has since worked it's way into the high street, making the trend affordable for us mere mortals. 

I recently included some pictures of a couple of 70's trend staples in my 'July Style Inspiration' post and touched on what I liked about it. However, I feel that this recent trend is so broad (and lovely) that it deserves it's own post. Firstly, i've included some street style and other bloggers' pictures which I feel perfectly combine the retro style while still giving it a modern twist. Pairing flares with light over sized shirts and button down skirts with chunky knits each one of these looks are completely wearable.

Now that the revival is here, everyday is pretty much a throwback to decades- old silhouettes with flares and maxis, detailing with fringing and embroidery, fabrics such as denim and suede and of course with the colours, brown, cream, yellow, orange and red. 

I've also put together two different looks on Polyvore showing how I would personally style and tackle the trend.

The trend is expected to span over two seasons, and if you're like me and will continue to wear clothes well after he trend has had it's day and come and gone, I feel that it is well worth the investment with a few pieces from fashions groovy past. 

What's your thoughts on this trend? 

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Adele x

Not Nineteen Forever.

A week ago I kissed goodbye to my teenage years and said hello to being a fully fledged 20 year old adult. This, I feel is not a good thing, I don't want to be a grown up and start having to opt for something healthier than chocolate for breakfast and have to start making my own doctors appointments. 

However, if Sex And The City has taught me anything it's that getting older isn't always necessarily a bad thing, and I am only 20, which in the grand scheme of things is pretty fresh out the womb. 

So, I thought that since I am now half way to 40 and a quarter of the way to 80 I would set some little goals and aspirations for myself to work towards in my twenties.. even if I don't achieve them. A wise person once said that setting goals is a powerful process for thinking about your ideal future and for motivating you to turn your visions into reality. So in light of that, here are the small things I would like to achieve within the next 10 years.

Travel

I haven't done much travelling my past twenty years on earth, so I would like to change that. I want to live in a different country even if it's just for a few months, experience different cultures and see everything this wonderful planet we live on has to offer and ideally I would like it to be while i'm still young, I have no plans set in stone yet but I hope to start saving towards an adventurous very near future. 

Grow

Not physically, I think my days of dreaming that I will one day be over 5'3 are over. But I want to grow as I person. I want to experience new things and better myself as a human. So this means I hope to go to college and work towards getting a degree and one day have a job I love. I even want to grow and expand my mind simply by reading books, there's so much you can do to better yourself by just incorporating small things into your daily routine. 

Learn to be self sufficient

I'm lucky enough to be 20, still living at home and have my mam do a lot for me. So unfortunately this means I can't cook, clean, use a washing machine or all the other womanly duties girls in the 50's were doing as toddlers. Although I don't plan on becoming a house wife who bakes cookies I still think it's important to be able to cook myself a well balanced dinner if necessary, this i'm working on. 

Attain a good skincare routine

I recently read an article that said looking after your skin in your 20s is vital. So, I wear sunscreen everyday regardless of the weather, which I have been doing for the past 3 or so years and I try my best to take off my make up effectively at night and moisturize. This will all ensure that my skin will be as wrinkle free as possible for as long as possible. I also plan on investing in an eye cream once I turn 25, I still got 5 years to be young and wild until then though.

That's all lovelies, i'll be sure to check in in 10 years time and see how much of this I have actually achieved!

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I hope you all had a lovely weekend! 

Adele x

Lush's 'Cupcake' Face Mask Review.

 It's no secret that i'm a big Lush fan. I find it really comforting knowing that when using their products i'm putting the most natural and fresh products onto my skin with the added bonus that my money is going to a good place with their views on animal testing etc.

So, for the purpose of this review I decided to put the product to the ultimate test and use it on my boyfriend, whose name he would like to keep anonymous for macho reasons. 

I feel that after so many years of using face masks my skin has somewhat become immune to seeing huge differences when I use a new product so using it on my boyfriends face I would see maximum results. 

The mask caters for oily/teenage skin. It claims to help absorb excess oil which in turn leads to less breakouts and softens skin.

For me, whenever I use the mask my skin is noticeably softer and any extra oil I have, particularly on my t-zone is gone. My boyfriend has a similar skin type to me which is combination, an oily t-zone and normal/dry skin on the cheeks. The results of the mask on him was quite similar, his skin was very noticeably softer, with less oil and also less dry skin on the parts that needed a little moisture. As far as the odd spot or two go, they didn't magically disappear but there was a visible reduction of redness and evening of his skin tone.

All in all I think this product does what it claims to and I would definitely recommend it for anyone with an oily or combination skin tone type looking for slight results, it also smells like chocolate so what's not to love?! 

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Adele x

July Style Inspiration.

Dungarees, camis, button down and A line skirts, everything that's been catching my eye as of recent. I'm quite intrigued by the 70s trend that is currently happening, not just the button down skirts and suede material but the whole autumnal colour palette too.. I feel that browns, reds and oranges are colours that suit almost everyone, which could be part of the reason why it's so huge at the minute. 

What trends have you been loving lately?

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Adele x

The Outfit | Nineteen

Top/dress: Missguided

Jeans: American Apparel

Boots: New Look

I picked up these American Apparel jeans when I was in Liverpool a couple weeks ago and oh my god.. they are the comfiest jeans I own by far, I feel the charcoal colour is perfect as it's a lot less harsh than black but and can also be easily paired with other colours. For 50% off also at 39 pound.. what else is a girl to do but buy them! 

The 'top' i'm wearing is actually a dress from Missguided I wore on New Years just gone, it's so pretty that I wanted to find a way to incorporate it into my everyday wardrobe instead of just wearing it on occasions. 

That's all anyway! 

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Adele x