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In the past couple of weeks, I've placed 3 online orders at Miss Selfridge, 1 Evans, 1 Dorothy Perkins and 2 Topshop-that amounts to £28 in Arcadia shipping costs. As my Mum would say, I need to "ca' canny"! You see I keep spotting sale items that I have to buy and then in the next couple of days they get something else, then something else-but if I wait they'll sell out. Anyway I bought a ridiculous amount of (non sale) kitsch rings and sale fascinators (none wedding suitable unfortunately) last week from Topshop and I wanted this monkey ring too but it had disappeared from their site (i.e. sold out, probably never to return). However this morning I spotted it in the sale section, only one left, what to do? Place an order pronto! Last week I also spied this adorable necklace which I'm officially naming the cutest necklace ever! Is that real paper I see? I do hope so! Anyway I resisted last week, but thought it was silly to only order a ring today, so I hastily added the typewriter pendant to my basket too-naughty girl!
The more I look at the monkey though, the more it's starting to scare me. You know those monkeys with the clanging symbols that mysteriously begin clapping erratically in scary films? Eeeep, I'm shutting my eyes now!
I'm not so much late to the party on this one, it's more that the party has shut down, cleared out and we're ready for the next one! I own one pair of Jessica Simpson shoes and although the brand has been on my radar for years, there's never been a pair I've absolutely lusted after...until now. The Dany (below) obviously takes its inspiration from the Charles Anastase platforms (above), which if I'm totally honest (both) are pretty, ugly shoes. They're clumpy and something about the proportions of the gigantic wooden heel (5.8") and platform teamed with unsuspecting, flimsy looking and rather plain uppers, seems a little off. Yet I'm totally yearning for them and absolutely have to have them! I've even surprised myself by how much I need (or want) them; they're very 70's which isn't really a decade that inspires me, yet I'm already planning outfits around them (how hot would they look with thick coloured tights?). They've already proved so popular stateside that they sold out on pretty much every online store they appeared on. The Jessica Simpson website has just received more stock of the brown and black (they're also available in metallic pewter), but act fast because they're gonna sell out again.
Unfortunately they don't ship internationally and I'm yet to find an official JS stockist in the UK that has newer styles like this. Shout out if you know of anywhere please!
The other shoes getting me all worked up just now are the Lita ankle boot by Jeffrey Campbell, above (sorry if you own this image and would like credit, it's floating around the blogosphere yet I couldn't find the original source) which is due on Solestruck in July (they ship internationally-yipee). These are again spookily similar to the Anastase dungeon boot (below) which has been seen on Lady Gaga and Pixie Geldof. I reckon I slightly prefer the ankle boot to the t-bar shoe, there's something about them that seems to fit more than the shoe-although thinking about it I'd happily topple off either pair, so forget that! Note Office have started stocking Jeffrey Campbell in the UK, so hopefully we'll see this style there.
I've probably bought more jewellery in the past couple of months than the last few years-it's getting ridiculous. You know I tidied up my jewellery storage a few months ago and my rings especially looked all neat and tidy in their new home. Ever since then, I've been adding more and more to the collection and I'm fast running out of room (I'd wanted to keep all my rings together in one place). I think I mentioned at the time that I misplaced a ring. I still haven't found it, but found this image I took of it when I bought it-which re-sparked the mystery of where could it be?
As a Rimmel VIP, I was sent their latest mascara to review. I posted a brief review of my initial thoughts which you can click here to see. I like to take a decent amount of time before reviewing, which can seem frustrating for some people, but I like to know a product inside out and really give it a chance to work (or not work) before letting you know how I feel about it. For any of you who don't know about the 123 Looks mascara, it features a twisty tube, which can be set to level 1 (for 3x more volume), level 2 (for 5x) or level 3 for full impact (10x more volume). My first thought (well after thinking this 'level' nonsense was a load of bull) was "wouldn't everyone want it set permanently to level 3, because we all want bigger lashes?". Well, I've actually found myself most days using it on level 1, but I'll go on to explain each level in more detail.
I mentioned in my brief review about how different the brush looks on each level, so I've taken images of each to show that and I hope you can see the difference-although level 2 looks more sparse than level 1 here for some reason (click images for really large pics).
The brush in general is a fine size (I don't like my brushes too big or bushy), on level 1 there isn't as much mascara on it as the other levels, but still ample for application. If this is only 3 times more volume, it's fine by me. I really like this look, there's plenty of extra length, no clumping and it's black enough to make my lashes look more defined. Even with heavier eye makeup than shown here, it's still a great look mascara.
So on level 2, the brush has more mascara on it and you need less work to achieve the finish you want i.e. you don't feel the need to really work the mascara into your lashes with coat after coat. This level is probably the best if you don't have a long time to spend on your lashes, but still want some wow factor. I didn't think there was much difference in length compared to level 1, but my lashes were definitely thicker. I did need to brush through afterwards with a lash comb, whereas that wasn't required on level 1.
Now Level 3 is the big guns. The brush is saturated in mascara and that kinda scares me when there's more liquid than bristles. You really only need to carefully swipe lashes once with this, any more and it clumps lashes together. For me, this is too much, perhaps some people like this look, it certainly packs a punch, but it's too clumpy for my liking. I felt I had no control over the mascara and I also had to be careful not to get any around my eye (on the lids etc). I would much prefer building up using level 2, than one quick swipe of level 3-even if it takes longer. The mascara dries really quickly though, even on this level and it's generally what I'd consider to be quite a 'wet mascara', so that's good.
This mascara pretty much had me at "hello"! Although I felt over time my love for it lessened. Some days it proved to be a little unpredictable, not giving the great lashes it did the day before or clumping or generally playing up (hence the reason I like to use products for weeks before raving about them)-but then I'd use a different brand the next day and realise actually 123 Looks was pretty good. I love it's versatility, you really do get three different looks in one tube. It's certainly not a gimmick, it really does work-I just have to avoid level 3! Below are some freaky comparison images of me wearing level 2 on one eye and level 3 on the other. Rimmel 123 Looks is £7.99, currently on offer at Boots with £2 off!
*update* I found another couple of pictures of me wearing level 2 which I thought might be helpful. I had a few more images but had forgotten to label them, so can't be sure which level they were, so I've not included them.
Eagle eyes will notice this dress (below) is the same style as the mint green one from the previous collection, which I'm totally giddy about. I reckon this shade is going to clash with my pink hair though, no? Although it looks slightly different on Jaime Winstone. I really want it!
It's going to be a massive collection and there's more than just dresses, look at this beautiful playsuit!
Shot in such beautiful surroundings and model Daisy Lowe looks fabulous in these pics. I'll be sure to show you more when my order arrives-here's hoping I don't spend too much and want it all though!
