Pin It Forward UK!

You may have noticed a new little button in my sidebar the past few weeks and I'm really excited to be taking part in the Pin It Forward UK campaign. I've been using Pinterest for over a year now but just recently started getting back in to it. Pinterest is basically a way to create an online scrapbook of photos that inspire you by 'pinning' pictures from the web on to a series of boards.

The board I have chosen to feature is my 'Neon' one. I've pinned some inspirational pictures from some of my favourite fashion blogs and websites featuring the neon trend for Spring/Summer 2013. This is definitely one of my favourite trends this season and I love looking at this board when I'm struggling to put an outfit together. There's also a couple of pieces I've actually purchased and I've pinned some photos of myself wearing them as well. Pinterest is a great way to get inspired by Fashion and help you to discover your own style. You can click here to view my board on the website.

As well as my Neon board I also have ones such as My Style Crush and Pretty Little Obsessions which features some of my blog photos. I remember when I was at college and university studying Makeup and Fashion and I'd sit for hours ripping out pages of magazines to stick into scrap books, if only I'd known about Pinterest then! I'm also wanting to redecorate my room so I think this is going to help me a lot.

If you fancy joining this gorgeous site then you can do so by clicking this registration link.

Also it's my pleasure to introduce the lovely Rosie Tapping from A Rosie Outlook who will be posting tomorrow - her pins are gorgeous!

Rodial Brazilian Tan: Light

If you don't already know I'm a huge tan lover, whether it be real or out of a bottle. I wear fake tan all year round and there will very rarely be a day where I don't have it on. The only time I don't wear it is when I've been on holiday and have a real tan from the sun. My skin tans really well and my natural skin tone (before picture) isn't that light so fake tan takes to my skin well and I'm always looking for the darkest one. I've tired a lot of tans during the years and my motto is 'the darker, the better' so I was a bit skeptical to try the Rodial Brazilian Tan in Light*.

Rodial's Brazilian Tan range has been re-formulated to leave the skin glowing and glossy and is enriched with pomegranate ellagic ingredients that help tone the skin every time it's applied. It comes in different ranges including dark, light, daily and facial tanning. The 'Light' tan is designed for lighter skin tones to provide a natural glow all year round. The formula is a light-weight, tinted gel that promises not to block pores and keep the skin hydrated for a longer lasting tan. It gives an instant caramel tint when applied and then develops in to a natural tan in 4 hours. It also smells like caramel which I love - no horrible fake tan smell!

I found this really easy to apply as it was tinted and it dried quite quickly without leaving me feeling sticky. From the photos above you can see that it has given me a really subtle tan. However, every time I purchase a fake tan I always go for the 'dark' option (or when it comes to the one I'm using right now, 'Darker Than Dark') as light doesn't usually make much of a difference to my skin. To be honest this tan just doesn't make enough of a difference to me and personally I prefer my tan to be much deeper and darker. I know some people might think I'm crazy and be like, what?! but it's just my own personal preference.

If you are naturally really pale and are looking for something to give you a really subtle glow then this is the tan for you, however if you already have quite dark skin or prefer a deep tan then I wouldn't recommend it. I was going out the next night and quickly applied a darker tan over the top which I felt more comfortable with. It also comes in Dark though so maybe that would be better for me. The Brazilian Tan Light retails at £35* and can be purchased online here.

Have you tried the Rodial Brazilian tan range or is this something you'd be interesting in trying?

OOTN: Cobalt Blue Trousers

Crop Top: Topshop

Trousers: Forever 21

Shoes: Primark (old)

Necklace: Zara

Nails: Essie Sand Tropez

Tan: Lauren's Way Darker Than Dark*

I haven't done an outfit post in a while so I thought I'd take some quick photos before I went out. Last night I went to my friends 21st Birthday party and wanted to wear something that wasn't a dress or a skirt for a change. I tried on loads of trousers in Topshop but fell in love with the colour of these ones from Forever 21. I also picked up this plain black crop top from Topshop for just £8. I'm loving the crop top trend at the moment, especially with high waisted trousers and pencil skirts. I seen a few lovely patterned pencil skirts recently that I think will look gorgeous in the Summer. I also wore a Zara statement necklace and the comfiest Primark shoes ever that I've had for a couple of years.

Ever since I got my hair dyed and stopped wearing my extensions I've been feeling like my hair has been looking really fine and flat so last night I got out my hairdressing scissor and chopped my extensions so that they were the same length as my hair. They are slightly lighter than my hair now but once they were in they actually blended quite well and made my hair look a lot thicker and added some volume to it. For my makeup I just did a simple black smoky eye (as usual) and added a pair of Eylure lashes and a nude lip. I've also been trying out a sample of the Lauren's Way Darker Than Dark tan and I absolutely love it. I've got fairly dark skin anyway so a lot of fake tans don't make much of a difference but this is definitely the darkest tan I've used - I wouldn't recommend it if you're quite pale though! This is the second Lauren's Way tan I've tried out and they both get a thumbs up from me, I'll definitely repurchase. 

Hope everyone has a great weekend, unfortunately it's not a bank holiday for me and I'm working tomorrow!

My Favourite Affordable Concealer Duo

Concealer is one of the products that I don't tend to splurge on, although I am lusting after Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage. I usually buy drugstore concealers and have now found the perfect two for me; Rimmel Wake Me Up for under my eyes and Collection Lasting Perfection for spots and blemishes. I use both of these products over my foundation every day and love how affordable they are, I definitely don't think you need to break the bank to find a good concealer.

I've been using the Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer for a few months now and loved it so much that I bought the foundation a couple of weeks ago (I'm the shade Soft Beige in both). I use this for the dark circles under my eyes as it has pink undertones which help brighten them. According to Rimmel it has an anti-fatigue effect and illuminates your under eye area which I definitely agree with, it's amazing for those early morning starts. I don't use this on my spots and blemishes because I think the illuminating qualities would highlight them more and my skin and foundations have yellow undertones so it wouldn't blend well.

I've been use Collection Lasting Perfection on my spots and blemishes for about 8 months now and it's a really close match to my foundation which means it blends in seamlessly (I use shade 3 medium). The coverage is amazing for such a cheap product and I can go a whole working day without having to reapply it. I's also great for the redness I get on my cheeks that my foundation sometimes doesn't cover. The only thing that annoys me about this product is the packaging, all the writing rubs off really quickly. Despite that, it is definitely a product that I'll continue to repurchase.

At under a tenner for both of them (£5.49 for Wake Me Up and £4.19 for Lasting Perfection), I think they're definitely worth purchasing. Have you tried any of these concealers?

Topshop Glow Highlighter: Gleam

My highlighter collection is slowly but surely growing, I've got powders and liquids but the only thing missing was a cream based one and I decided I needed one (or two) in my life. As you know I've been totally converted to cream blushers at the moment so thought a cream highlighter would be the perfect addition to my makeup collection. Last week on Twitter, I asked you all for some recommendations and a few people mentioned MAC and Illamasqua (thanks everyone) but since I'm pretty skint right now I'm waiting until I get paid to go investigate these. Luckily, when I was in Topshop a few days ago I stumbled upon this little beauty for just £9 (£8.10 with a student card) and just couldn't resist.

I've always been a fan of the Topshop lipsticks and nail polish and really wanted to buy some more of their products so when I spotted the Glow highlighter I was eager to try it. Glow comes in two shades; Gleam and Polished. Polished is a pink based highlighter (the website calls it white though) and Gleam is more gold based which is what I usually go for (Dior Amber Diamond, NARS Albatross) but I wanted to try something different and go for Polished. Sadly, every pot of Polished had a horrible, dirty finger mark in it - why can't people just use the tester?! So I ended up settling for Gleam which I'm kind of glad about as it suits my skin tone.

Anyway, on to what I think of the product...The cream/mousse formula is so easy to apply, I just use my finger tips to dab it on to my cheekbones and brow bones. I find this much easier to blend that my liquid highlighters, it blends really seamlessly for a lovely natural glow. I've been wearing this every day since I got it and it lasts on my skin for a full shift, maybe even longer. I also love the little screw-lid pot it comes in, it's really cute and the perfect size for my makeup bag. The only downside to Topshop's packaging is that it gets really dirty.

I think this is a perfect Summer highlighter and would look especially gorgeous with a tan. I've been loving pairing it with my Chanel Tan De Soleil and my Kevyn Aucoin cream blush for a dewy makeup look. I think the next time I'll definitely purchase Polished and also I'll be taking a look at some of the cream highlighters you guys recommended. Overall, Topshop Glow is definitely a winner - it's so reasonably priced as well! What's your favourite highlighter for Summer? I need more!!