Make-Up Review - Collection Uncovered Eyes : Nude Grey Palette

I know these palettes are old news but I never rated Collection as a brand so I never bought one. They also retailed for just over £5 which I thought was actually pretty steep considering I thought the shadows would be chalky with no pigment. But, they were recently reduced to £2.44 in my local Superdrug so I thought why not. 

I went for the Nude Grey palette because it was the most unique palette of them all, all the others were very basic and I'm sure that I already have dupes for every colour but the greys seemed a little different and beautifully wearable. 

The packaging is made from cardboard with a flimsy plastic insert with embossed text and a magnetic closing. It looks and feels cheap but not tacky which is as much as you can hope for when paying so little, it does feel like it would protect the shadows quite well though should you travel with it. 

L: Parchment   Rubble   Under the Moon   Drift Wood   In a Nutshell   Eclipse :R

The palette contains 6 shades ranging from a light nude to a deep black. I wish palettes would stop including the black shades, every bloody palette has one which means that I now own hundreds. It like a palette ideal that every company aspire to include and it really needs to stop, I kind of feel the same about the light nude swell. How many of the same shade does one girl need?!

The palette boast long rectangle pans with a generous amount of product, they are the perfect size to swipe you finger or a standard eyeshadow brush. It does include an eyeshadow brush but I don't know why they bothered because like any included brush, its rubbish. I can see how it would be helpful to makeup beginners who don't own brushes but honestly, your finger is always your best tool in that case. 

These are the first three shades from left to right, I will talk you through the shades one by one.

Parchment

This is a light yellow toned nude. It is soft and buttery in texture, easy to blend and the wear time is pretty good but its boring. I have so many other shadows much the same which I prefer to this one. It is helpful to have a light colour to blend with though.

Rubble

Im not sure why this shade is in this palette because it contains no hints of grey at all. It is a very warm toned dusky bronze with shimmer, it works really well as an all over lid colour and works well with Parchment to blend. 

Under the Moon

I really love this colour, I have been wearing it a lot as an all over the lid everyday shadow. I like a bold eye and this is light enough to be worn everyday but bold enough to still feel like me. It is a silvery shimmery grey with some warm tones. 

Drift Wood

Drift Wood is a shimmery dark grey with dusky metallic elements. I like this shadow a lot, it is a wearable shade and it works really well as a smokey eye with other colours from the palette.

In a Nut Shell

This is a complex colour, on the lid it looks like a bronze, chocolate brown shimmer but in the pan it has a purple tone. It is a gorgeous shadow that has intense pigmentation but I don't understand why it is present in a grey palette.

Eclipse

This is a matte black shade. It is fully blackest black with no other elements, it is great that the pigmentation is so good but I havent used it and I doubt I will. Black is a harsh colour and can be extremely hard to wear. 

All the colours are extremely buttery and pigmented. They are wearable, blendable and genuinely really nice. I am shocked at how cheap they are, how fantastic the quality is and how ridiculously long it took me to buy it! They are not the best palettes on the market but they are perfect for beginners or for people like me who like to try out new things, they won't break the bank and they certainly won't disappoint. 

Go get one and let me know your thoughts!

Buy Here

KIKO Cosmetics Haul / Review

KIKO is a beauty brand I knew nothing about until a shopping trip to Westfield Shopping Centre in London. I wandered in expecting it to be super expensive because everything looked expensive and was pleasantly surprised by how affordable it all was! I was also surprised by how gorgeous everything was, I bought a couple of nail polishes, loved them but ultimately, I forgot all about it.

Until, a store opened up at my local shopping centre, Bluewater. Memories of bargain prices and gorgeous packaging came flooding back and suddenly my feet were running through the stores doors. 

The whole brand really reminds me of MAC, the packaging is super similar, the colours, the way the store is arranged, even the products themselves. I have never been a MAC fan as I feel it is so expensive for items that are so boring, not that the products are bad but they don't excite me and the stores/counters are always a mess with teenagers swarming the testers and putting grubby little finger prints everywhere. I think the way the MAC stores are run is just unacceptable for such a big brand. 

KIKO is very different in that respect, I have only been in two stores but both have been completely spotless, well organised and the staff have been really knowledgeable. This and the bargain prices make KIKO incredible attractive. 

I bought two eyeshadows, both in light everyday shades. You can never have enough good quality everyday eyeshadows and these two are a little different to your typical nudes. One is a shimmery peach and the other a shimmery pink/grey, I really love them both. They are both super quick to apply, have great pigment and just generally great quality. 

The peach is in KIKO's single eyeshadow packaging and the grey is in the a pan with a plastic lid, KIKO have a clic system which enables you to create a custom palette (much like MAC) and these shadows are intended for those palettes but what is great about this is that they have a lid so that even if you don't have the custom palette you can still keep them as perfect little singles. I actually prefer the clic packaging, I will definitely be buying a palette to keep them in but on there own, they are so tiny and great for storage.

The lipsticks come in a variety of different beautiful packaging and in a variety of types. Matte, sheer, shimmer, cream and so many others. The colour selection is even more incredible.

I chose a cream lipstick in a your lips but better peach. It is really lovely for everyday wear and it is super low maintenance which is something I really love in a product. This packaging is super simple but sturdy and expensive feeling/looking. They also had some lipsticks in a gorgeous rose gold packing which I almost bought just for this reason. 

They also smell like sweet vanilla (like MAC) and vanilla is one of my favourite scents so this is just the best thing ever. 

I don't buy nail polishes much anymore, I have been an art student my whole life and for a long time I have also been a waitress so nail polish is just permanently chipped. But I saw this colour and I thought it would be perfect because it is the kind of shade that doesn't show chips badly. Ive had this on for days and it is chipped but you can't tell without looking closely. 

It is a complex colour, a sort of rose gold but with flecks of bronze and grey as well. I really really really super really love it. 

All in all, I am so crazy in love with KIKO as a brand and I have made it my mission to buy everything in the whole store. A little ambitious but I'm sure going to try. I am so impressed with how expensive looking and how great the quality is. The best part... I only spend £10.60

Fall Edition: Relax and Unwind

It is super important to find time to relax, unwind and have some me time all year round but fall is my favourite time to do so because you can do it all while wrapped in a blanket. I am going to talk you through the things I liked to do to Relax and Unwind, I hope you find some inspiration to help you get some cosy me time this fall! 

1. Take a nap

The most amazing thing in the world is the feeling being curled up in a toasty warm bed, covered in blankets and a pile of pillows and taking a long afternoon nap. I personally like to have the window open so I can enjoy the outside sounds and have a cold crisp breeze on my face.

2. Read a book

Once you have woken from your nap, grab a book and read away a few more hours. I like either an easy read book such as Tanya Burr's Love Tanya or a romantic, tear jerker such as All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven. 

3. Watch Vlogs

I find it so cosy and relaxing to watch vlogs on youtube, I especially like to watch "couple" vloggers. It's so nice to watch couples do homely couple type things like just cooking dinner and walking the dogs. My favourites are Zalfie and Aspyn & Parker, I love watching Zalfie play with their little pug and Aspyn & Parker plan their wedding.

Watch Zalfie Here

Watch Aspyn & Parker Here

4. Netflix!

Pile your sofa high with cushions, grab your boyfriend, best friend or pet and watch Netflix all night long. My boyfriend and I have been loving watching Arrested Development recently.

5. Turn off all social media and phones

You can't relax while you are looking at and reading about everyone elses lives and you certainly don't want your quiet time ruined by constant texts and emails. Turn everything off and just enjoy the peace, quiet and being alone.

6. Halloween!

Fall is all about halloween for me, it is one of my favourite holidays. Take some time out to do some DIY decorations, spend time with the children in your life, take them out pumpkin picking and trick or treating and watch some halloween films! I have so many favs...

For the kids

. Hotel Transylvania

. Caroline

. A Nightmare Before Christmas

. Hocus Pocus

. Halloween Town

Even a little Harry Potter and Twilight

For the adults

. Halloween series

. Nightmare On Elms Street series

. Friday the 13th series

. Evil Dead

. Wrong Turn series

. Scream series

. Final Destination series

I honestly could list films all day but you get the picture!

There you go! These are the ways I like to relax and unwind during the fall time. Leave me a comment if you have any great relaxation ideas you think I would enjoy!

Bedroom Transformation

When we moved into this house the bedroom was very old lady looking, it has light rose pink walls with a flowered boarder around the middle of the walls (which wasn't even straight), loads of holes in the walls and the whole room was a general botch job. It was hideous.

We wanted to decorate the room but we didn't have much to spend and so we had to find ways of transforming the room on a budget. We kept the same furniture and bedcovers then we worked with the colour themes we already had. We painted the walls a crisp white to match the white wardrobes and make up table, we wanted to keep the grey bedcovers so we incorporated the colour into the room with a new rug and silver shelves then we added copper accents to make everything feel warmer and more on trend. 

When you are on a budget it is important to utilise the items you already have and do a bit of DIY decor. We painted existing items such as my make up table mirror with copper paint and we vamped up some cheap photo frames with the same copper paint and put printed movie quotes inside them. 

The only new things we bought are.... (Click to purchase)

. Lampshade

. Rug

. White Storage Boxes

. Copper Acrylic Paint (Copper only available in store)

. Silver Shelves

. Frames

. Washing Baskets

We also saved money by using a large tub of white paint that we already had but white paint is very cheap anyway and can be bought from any DIY store and most home stores. 

All together we only spent: £59.45

"And then it's the easiest goddamned thing in the world" Paper Towns

"You are all the colours at once at full brightness" All The Bright Places

"I fell in love the way you fall asleep; slowly, then all at once" The Fault In Our Stars

And something for the boyfriend, a quote he likes from Guardians Of The Galaxy

"Oh, she has no idea. If I had a blacklight, this would look like a Jackson Pollock painting"

I am really happy with how it turned out and I am thrilled we managed to do it for such little money. I think that the copper adds some much needed warmth and the quote frames add a good amount of personality into the space. Before, the room was a dumping ground for junk, we slept there and closed the door when we had guests so people wouldn't see how horrible it was. Now, it is a room that we like to spend time in and we can have the door open all the time. 

I hope you guys love it as much as I do and can get some ideas for your own budget transformations!

Make-Up Review: MUA Single Eyeshadows

I really do like MUA as a brand, I have always found that the products are fantastic quality for the price and the palettes I have tried before have been reasonably good. I find single eyeshadows bulky, hard to store and I find that they get ignored and never used but when I noticed these pearl effect single shadows on sale, I thought for £1 each, I just had to try a few. 

I picked up 4 of the pearl effect shadows... (Top finger to bottom)

. Bronze

. Copper

. Golden

. Champagne

And 1 matte shade... (Below photo)

. Slate 

Let's start with the pearl shadows which are by far the stand outs. As you can see by the swatches above, these shadows have crazy amazing pigmentation. They really are gorgeous. Copper is the stand out for me, not because it is better quality than the others but because the shade is really unique and on trend; I can see myself getting a huge amount of use out of this one. Bronze and Golden are incredible colours that I am sure to get a lot of wear out of and Champagne is a beautiful highlight shade that works amazingly for the inner corner and can even be a multi purpose product to be used as a cheek bone highlight. 

The texture of the shadows is actually quite unique also, they are very soft and buttery, the kind of texture that lends really well to being applied with your fingers. They can be applied with a brush but to get the full intense colour, a finger works best. You can also add a little water to your brush to intensify the colour even further. They are great for a multitude of looks, brushes for lighter delicate colour and finger or water for a more intense look.

The packaging is simple and sophisticated, it doesn't look necessarily cheap but it doesn't look high end either. They can be hard to store due to the bubbled unstackable shape but the clear front is great for distinguishing the shadows from one another and the packaging is sturdy and protective.

The matte shadows didn't stand out to me, they looked basic and like I didn't need them, like I already had other similar colours but this grey slate colour seemed like something I didn't already have, so I thought id give it a go. It is not good. The colour pay off is very pale and looks slightly blue toned on the skin despite this not being present in the pan, it is not a bad shade but it is nothing special at all. 

Overall, I am very impressed with the pearl effect shadows and couldn't recommend them enough. They are truly beautiful and I will definitely be buying all the other shades. The mattes however, I doubt ill buy again.

Movie Review: Maze Runner - The Scorch Trials 7/10

Scorch Trials is the second instalment in the Maze Runner series, I really loved the first film and I loved the book series the films are adapted from. I had high hopes for this film and overall I was somewhat impressed but also ever so slightly let down. 

I had typical second book/film syndrome. You must know what I mean, it feel into the New Moon, Catching Fire trap of a severely boring story building instalment. While Scorch Trials was no where near as boring as those examples, it still feel into the trap.

Maze Runner ends with the group breaking out of the maze and being "rescued" and taken to a sort of safe place. It is explained to them that there is a virus called the Flare which is turning people into zombie like creatures and for some reason a large percentage of the young are immune to this illness. WCKD is the organisation who trapped the teens in the maze in order to study their brain activity and find out why the young are immune to the virus. 

Early on in Scorch Trials, the teens discover they are actually still under WCKD's control so they break out of the "safe place" and embark on a journey to find the Right Arm. The Right Arm are an organisation fighting against WCKD and trying to find an alternative cure to the Flare which doesn't involve the teens. All the while, the infected "cranks" are running riot and infecting people.

Basically, through out the whole film the teens are travelling through the scorch to find the Right Arm, sounds complicated right? Well, it is.

So much is going on in the film that the character development unfortunately takes a back seat. The first film, is very much about developing the characters and the relationships but the Scorch Trials seems to forget all this development in favour of a whole lot of action. 

I know this review sounds like I hated it but I didn't. I feel like it does a really good job of bringing the book to life, the scenery and the cranks look exactly as I had imagined them, the truth is that the Scorch Trials book was a boring one compared to the others. In the adaptation to film so much has been changed presumably to make the film less boring than the book but unfortunately in doing so the film has been overloaded with action and lost the small details.

However, these reasons are why the film slightly let me down but the film did have redeeming qualities. It looked great, there was some really well played out emotional moments and I was super relieved to see that rather than keeping it tame for the young audiences, they pushed the boundaries and made the film more adult and intense. I am certain this will be the worst film in the franchise but it will lead on well to the third film and provided essential build up needed for the third instalment.

It would have been the safer option to follow the book more closely and the changes were definitely a risk. It wasn't a complete success but it wasn't a failure either.

Let me know your thoughts!

Pinterest: Wall Quotes

My boyfriend and I have the hugest dvd/bluray collection in the whole world. Well, that might be a little bit of an exaggeration but it is pretty big. It consists of two huge bookcases and takes up the whole side wall of our living room. We also have unlimited cards which are memberships to our local cinema that enables us to see as many movies as we want.

Basically, we love movies. 

We quote them in conversations, we ever quote them to other people who have no idea what we are saying so just think we are crazy. These quotes have become a huge part of our vocabulary. 

I have been searching the shops and the web for wall art, canvas and general decoration for a while but nothing has felt right, I want our bedroom to be personal and showcase what we like and our personalities. What better way to do that than with our favourite quotes from our favourite movies.

Not only favourite movies but books and music too. 

I have taken to pinterest to find ideas on how to make this idea a reality...

The quote we chose will be different from those shown, these are just layout/theme ideas.

I'll update you on the final look and final quotes when its all done and on the walls! 

Music Review: Selena Gomez - Same Old Love 9/10

"Same Old Love" is the second single from Selena's upcoming album, Revival. I am the hugest Selena Gomez fan and probably always will be because despite how critical people are of her, I feel like she can do no wrong. I honestly don't understand why she is so criticised in regards to her music, Revival will be her fifth studio album and I have loved almost every song from every album. 

She is often criticised for her vocals also and as someone who has seen her live, I can honestly say that she sounds great live. She's no Mariah Carey but she has a beautiful, unique tone that no other artist at the moment has and her vocals are improving with every album. 

All this being said, I don't feel that this offering is quite as good as the first single, Good For You. "Good For You" felt super unique and felt definitively Selena, it showcased a complete new direction for her as an artist while still feeling like her. It is important to pick out criticism along with the compliments in order to fully review a song and this offering does come with a few criticisms, first being that it doesn't completely sound like her. Both in vocals and in the feel of the song. 

Charli XCX provides backing vocals and she also contributed to the writing and development of the track. You can tell without even knowing this fact. Selena's vocals are beautiful but they have been heavily layered with Charli's backing vocals to the point that it sounds like it's Charli's song. With this fact and the fact that the whole sound of the song sounds like it could have being on a Charli XCX album is a real let down, I do really like Charli XCX so I do still love the song but I wanted a Selena song. Im not saying that it had to be typical Selena but I wanted to hear her vocal and her style not someone elses.

The piano and clapping instrumental back beat is inspired, it is truly unique and refreshing. My other criticism is that this great instrumental is ruined a little by the fact that it is literally repeated through the whole song and can feel a little repetitive. 

All this being said, "Same Old Love" is far from a let down. I think it is a great song and it really has got me even more excited for the album. I own every one of her albums and I've played them on repeat in my car for years so this album will undoubtably be no different.

The lyrics on the past two singles has been a lot deeper than her previous offerings also, which I'm really enjoying. It is nice to see Selena show us a little more of herself. So to finish i'll leave you with some lyrics to fall in love with...

Take away all your things and go

You can't take back what you said, I know

I've heard it all before, at least a million times

I'm not one to forget, you know

I don't believe, I don't believe it

You left in peace, left me in pieces

Too hard to breathe, I'm on my knees

Right now, 'ow

I'm so sick of that same old love, that shit, it tears me up

I’m so sick of that same old love, my body's had enough

I’m so sick of that same old love, feels like I've blown apart

I’m so sick of that same old love, the kind that breaks your heart

Pre-Order Revival Here

Listen to song Here

Wishlist: Copper Lamps

One      Two      Three     Four

As I have mentioned, my boyfriend and I are currently in the process of decorating our bedroom. We actually don't even have a lamp shade at the moment so it is a must to buy the most awesome one we can find and it obviously has to be copper. We are painting the room white and our furniture is white/will be white so we want a copper lamp shade and possibly some lamps to add a little more light and warmth to the cold white. 

I never noticed this before but lamps are expensive! It has taken me so long to track down a collection of gorgeous light fixtures that don't cost an arm and a leg, all of these options are less than £35.00

I am really being draw towards option four because it is so unique and trendy but options one and two would look great together and they are both from IKEA so I could get them both in one shopping trip/online order. But then option three is so shiny and pretty, would it just collect dust horribly though?

Let me know your thought in the comments!

Smokey Gold Eyes Tutorial

Some would say this is an evening look but for me, it's a Monday. 

I think you can rock a smokey eye anytime, my go to is usually a burnt orange or a brown but the other day I realised I had never used the shade "Brokedown" from my Urban Decay Vice 3 palette. It is a complex mix of gold and bronze with a slight green undertone, the pigment is incredibly intense and the metallic shimmer is amazing. I can't believe I have waited so long to use it!

The colour also complements my hazel eyes perfectly which is a bonus! This look would also look lovely with green eyes. 

Step By Step

1. First, do your eyebrows because they will provide a frame for your eyes and help you get the right smoky eyeshadow shape later. I used the Urban Decay Brow Box in Brown Sugar, a strong brow works best for this look so use an angled shadow brush to fill in your brows. You want your brows to be full but you also want them to look natural so make sure you use a lighter hand on the inner points. 

2. . Start the eyes by priming the eye lids all the way up to the brow bone, I used Urban Decay Primer Potion but any primer should do the trick.

3. Next, I used Nude Delight from Tanya Burr Cosmetics all over the lid. Nude Delight is a buttery nude shade, you can use any light skin tone nude shadow you have to hand. This provides a base to blend into. You can use for fingers or a brush for this.

4. Then the fun part! Start packing on "Brokedown" using the eyeshadow brush to pat the colour up to the crease of your eye. Add a little more colour to your brush and lightly blend the colour into the crease until it is smoked out and it blends over the crease. The shape of the shadow is dependent on your own eye shape so do what feel right for your face.

5. Dip back into your nude shadow with your cleaned makeup brush and continue to blend the "Brokedown" shade upwards. You should now have a gorgeous golden smokey eye.

6. If you need to clean up shadow fallout, do that now using a clean fluffy brush. To complete the look you'll need a little inner eye brightening, I used Urban Decay "Bobby Dazzle" and used my finger to press the shimmer into my inner duct. 

7. No smokey eye is complete without long, fluttering black lashes. Use a black mascara of your choice and add multiple thin layers until your lashes are looking fabulous. 

"Brokedown" has become my new favourite shadow! If you would like to see more looks using this shade, comment below! 

NYC Haul / Review

NYC is a well known makeup brand with tiny price tags. I make it my mission to try every budget brand I can get my hands on but for some reason, I haven't really tried many NYC products. But recently, while browsing through Superdrug, my hands went crazy and threw multiple products into my basket. It wasn't my fault, my hands have minds of their own. 

I bought a good variety of things, lips, eyes and face. I think this will be a great way to get a feel for the brand and know what I like and don't like for future purchases. Which I can already tell, there will be a lot of. 

NYC Big Bold Volume By The Lash Mascara

I have a love / hate relationship with this one. It is super lengthening and thickening, it looks really nice and has good staying power. It is an impressive mascara but my god is hard to apply, it is a very wet formula that often ends up smudged on my eyelids. The texture is almost watery, you need to be extremely careful when applying but it does look good. For this reason, I will definitely use up the tube but I'm not certain I would buy it again. But I would try another mascara from the brand to see if the others are any better. And hopefully thicker.

NYC Smooch Proof Liquid Lip Stain

I bought two of these, one dark shade and one light. They don't seem to have colour names which is the worst but the dark is a berry toned fuchsia and the light is a pink toned peach. I am a hoarder of lip stains because I am super lazy, I don't like to have to reapply lip products and I don't like colour transfer. So I jumped at the chance to try some bargain lip stains. 

The fuchsia is not good. It looks streaky and wears off on the inner lip after no time at all, I have only used it once and I don't think I will use it again unfortunately. The peach is a whole other story however, it looks very sheer on the lips which is the complete opposite to the fuchsia but the staying power is amazing. It is the perfect everyday shade that will look good with almost anything. 

NYC HD Color Quattro Eyeshadow

Let me start by saying that this little quad is only £2.50 and it is the quality of something a lot more expensive. I bought this because I wanted a dark khaki green shadow, the green is a shimmer though which is beautiful but I'm still searching for the perfect matte khaki shade. Despite this fact, I am still extremely happy with this purchase. The gold is a great all over lid shade, the champagne shimmer is a lovely inner corner highlight, the green requires a lot of building but is beautiful and I am yet to try the dark green brown.

NYC Smooth Skin Perfecting Primer

Call me crazy but I've never actually used a primer, as I've said before, I don't really look after my skin. The idea of having my makeup last longer did intrigue me so I decided to give a bargain version a go. Ill be honest, this stuff has a lovely texture and is moistorising but it smells pretty horrible and I'm not sure it works. I do for some reason like it though so I will definitely keep using it and ill let you know if I does start to work!

Overall, I am happy with this little haul! I've found a gem in the peachy lip stain and I am impressed enough that I will most certainly be buying more from the brand. I have worn the lip stain everyday for the past week!

Thanks For Reading!!!

Urban Decay Holiday 2015

Christmas time is of course prime time for amazing new releases and as usual it's Urban Decay that has me excited!

I have had a severe palette addiction for quite sometime and in the past few years, Urban Decay has been my drug of choice. Last christmas my lovely boyfriend got me the Vice 3 palette and almost a year later, I am still unbelievably in love with it! I could use the palette every single day, never run out of possibilities and never get bored. This christmas I will definitely be buying myself at least one thing from the holiday collection or asking for it as a gift. 

Urban Decay have truly spoiled us this year with not one but two new releases! Vice 4 was the obvious one, our fourth year in a row with a Vice release. Vice 4 includes 20 never before seen shadows which are inspired by the colours in an oil slick. I am really attracted to the orange shades and the khaki green shade, the whole palette looks amazing but I might get it just for those gorgeous shades!

Spectrum is the other release, as far as I can tell, these are mostly not new shades, they are taken from the previous Vice palettes and various other palettes. I do not have any of the palettes these shades are taken from so to me they are all new! Even so, I am not all that excited about it. I think the packaging is incredible and elegant, so understated and this alone makes me what it but I feel that there is nothing special about it. The shades don't feel unique, I don't think they are very wearable but none the less, it is a tempting release. 

Then another temptation on the market is the Naked Smoky..

This little beauty has been available for a while now but I still haven't bought it. Not because I don't love it but because I'm not convinced that I need it. As I've said before, i'm a saver not a spender. I love a dark smokey eye but how often do I wear it? Not very. Some of the lighter colours could be worn daily but they aren't as exciting as the dark colours. The greys are lovely though, its a hard one! I might have to get it anyway and just rock the panda eyes at completely inappropriate times just to justify the purchase.

I'm leaning toward the Vice 4, I think it will have to go on my christmas list this year! What palette catches your eye? Id love to hear your thoughts! 

Oliver Bonas Wishlist / Shelving Decoration

A few weeks ago I went to Ikea and I saw this really simple silver metal shelving unit and I feel in love with it, I felt like the possibilities were endless and that the silver would look great with the copper accessories I've been lusting after. However, at the time I just couldn't think of where I could put it so I begrudgingly left it behind.

For a while I've been thinking about how to decorate mine and my boyfriends bedroom, currently its a dumping ground full of piles of washing and general junk. We tend to just close the door and forget about it but it gets me down because I want every room to be beautiful. In the next couple of weeks we are going to commence in painting the walls in a crisp white and painting all our furniture to match, most of our furniture is already white so I am thinking that I would like it all to match and then add silver and copper accents to make it all look a little more sophisticated. 

This is the shelving unit...

Buy Here

It is a really simple unit but it is super slim which is perfect for our limited space and the silver colour in person is super metallic and lovely. I think it is the perfect basic piece of furniture that can be dressed up with decorative pieces to add a little glamour to a room. 

To decorate the shelves I am mostly looking to use items I already have but that aren't displayed to the best of their potential. Such as...

. Decorative Books

. Crystal Trinket Bowls

. Candles 

. Personal Photos

. Jewellery Tree

. Decorative Eyeshadow Palettes

I have a lot of things that just seem too pretty to be hidden away and would be great as display pieces, in order to fill the shelves I will need some new things too so I have been lusting after the decorative copper items from Oliver Bonas. Oliver Bonas is quite pricey but these 6 items are all reasonably priced and fantastically pretty and perfect to add a little bit of character to our boring bedroom.

One      Two      Three      Four      Five

How bloody amazing are these things?! I know copper is such an old trend but I just love how warm it feels and when your whole room is white, you need some warmth. 

Candle Holder, pretty self explanatory, I'm want to but a candle in it but I'll probably never light it so that I can keep it looking perfect. Duh.

A is my initial and L is my boyfriend Liam's, we both love initial stuff so these are so perfect for us. We love initial pillows, mugs, glasses, just everything. These would look awesome on the top of the unit I'm thinking?

The mirror would look great hanging on the wall in between the third shelf and the top of the unit, hanging slightly off centred with maybe the candle underneath? It is such a cute little mirror and being hung on the wall will give a bit more depth to the whole display.

The pot is actually meant for utensils but I'm thinking it would look good with some fake flowers sprayed silver inside it. Im not a fan of real flowers so this is a nice alternative. It would look awesome with a tall cactus in it but it wouldn't work when it came to watering the plant as the water would ruin the bamboo. 

Decorating our bedroom will be a long, painful and probably expensive process but I will keep you updated ever step of the way! Another element I would like to include is animals, we currently have a white and silver duvet set with little animal silhouettes which I love and want to keep so I will also be searching for some animals theme canvas for the walls. Wishlist coming soon!

Notes

Oliver Bonas can be rather expensive so as a cheap alternative, Sainsburys have some amazing copper homewares that are well worth a look!

Oliver Bonas have recently become the first high street chain to start paying employees working wage rather than the unrealistic minimum wage that other high street employers pay. As someone working for minimum wage, I think this is a fantastic and really admirable thing. You can read about it here.

August Favourites

August has felt like the longest month, I've been endlessly bored while being endlessly stressed and annoyed. I am so happy to say goodbye to this month, saying this though, I have managed to find some amazing favourites! 

Since it has been such a crappy month, I have mostly (actually all) comfort favourites and by that I mean favourites for lazy people who need cheering up. 

Movie: Kingsman - The Secret Service

Kingman was released on DVD this month and I just had to buy it since I loved it so much when I saw it in the cinema when it was first released. I never thought I would like this film because it looked quite boyish and I'm not a fan of secret agent/spy type films but it is from the makers of Kick Ass (which I love) so I watched it and was so pleasantly surprised! I will be re-watching this for a while! Great addition to my film collection.

TV Show: Gossip Girl

I seem to have watched everything on the whole of Netflix so I started watching Gossip Girl...again. I  was addicted to Gossip Girl when it was first aired but I missed the last few seasons so I thought why not just watch it all again. Im loving it even more the second time and I think I missed more than I released so I am so glad I decided to re-watch it. I have a major girl crush on Jenny Humphrey (Taylor Momsen)

Food: Cadburys Marvellous Creations Ice Cream

Too many times this month, my boyfriend and I have found ourselves sharing a huge tub of ice cream. These bad boys have been half price in our local shop so I obviously had to try every flavour, the popping candy flavour is literally incredible. These ice creams are so full of sweets, chocolate and marshmallows with toppings in every bite. I would go as far as to say that they are better than Ben and Jerrys.

Book: All The Bright Places

This is quite possibly the most incredibly beautiful book I have ever read and I loved every second of it. I posted a review of this just a few posts ago so have a look back on that for more information!

Youtuber/Blogger: Jim Chapman

I have seen Jim in so many other youtubers videos, mainly in his fiancé Tanya Burrs videos. But recently I have been watching Jims own vlogs and they are so cute! His new puppy Martha, is the main attraction in his recent videos and she is just the most adorable little thing. Jim is super funny and relatable, if you don't already watch him, you should. Like now.

Music: Melanie Martinez - Cry Baby

My main august addiction has been this album. It is the best thing I have heard in such a long time. I have posted countless posts on Melanie recently including an album review of this album so please, please, please look back over them so that you can also fall madly in love with her just like I have.

Random Favourite! Pym!

Last month our beloved hamster Bane passed away, he died of old age and he lived life pampered and loved. He did however, leave a hamster shaped hole in our hearts so welcome, Pym! This photo is not of Pym because he will not stay still long enough to take one but this little guy looks very similar. He is a Roborovski Hamster, he is unbelievably tiny, fast and playful. He loves to dig, throw his food everywhere and run in his wheel until he flips out of it. He is a little monster which we love because he reminds us so much of Bane with his cheeky nature, he will never be able to replace Bane but he is such a little cutie and already feels like part of the family! 

And thats everything for the month of August! It has been a hard month and I'm not sure September will be much better but he's hoping! I hope you all have had a great month, see you in September!