Everyday eye makeup routine

Eyes:

MAC paint pot in Nubile (dupe: Painterly)

MAC e/s in Naked Lunch

MAC e/s in Satin Taupe

MAC e/s in Kid

Clinique eyeshadow in Daybreak

Avon Supershock Gel Eyeliner Pencil in Black

Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Perversion

LO'real Telescopic Mascara

Garnier anti-puff eye roll on

Face (not in picture):

Garnier BB Cream in Medium

Benefit "the POREfessional" Primer

MAC Blot Powder

NARS Laguna bronzer

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Just a quick simple post, I hope you like :)

Have a great day.

Suzanna

XOXO

Ps: I've just ordered the Gold series classic GHD straighteners - when they arrive I'll be sure to do a review and comparison with other straighteners! Yay!

OPI Barefoot In Barcelona

The title is very fitting for several reasons. Firstly, several people from school left to go to Barcelona for the Spanish and graphics trip today. *Jealous*

And secondly, it's the name of my current favourite nail polish.

It's by OPI (what a surprise)... and I absolutely love it! <3

Barefoot in Barcelona first caught my eye when I saw Ingrid (or MissGlamorazzi as she is known on YouTube) do a modern french manicure tutorial using this exact polish. After watching the video, I knew I had to get it. Plus, I needed a new polish that wasn't purple, blue or pink as they are the colours I tend to normally use.


Please note: the colour of the polish changes depending on lighting etc. This is why some of the pictures look completely different to each other :)

Above: without flash (outside)

Below: with flash (inside)

Get this polish here: click meh!

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Few other things I want to talk about:

I've just finished editing mine and my media groups silent film competition entry. I would love for you to watch it and tell me what you think in the comments. We spent so long on it; I'm talking two whole days filming and eight hours editing! Watch below or if it's not loading, go HERE to watch on YouTube.

I'm thinking about doing a MAC collection post as I've seen these a quite popular. Tell me in the comments if you'd like this as I don't want to waste my time.

Thank you for reading and have a great day!

Suzanna

XOXO

Recent purchases

For the third day in a row, the weather has been seriously amazing in London! I literally wore shorts non-stop which, for regular March weather, is rather impressive. A main reason why I love the summer is photography! Especially for blogging purposes, pictures always look nicer when they're taken outside.

Today, I wanted to share with you my recent purchases!

Products shown:

- Japonesque angled eyeliner brush get it here

- Tweezerman petite tweezers with case get it here

- Real Techniques powder brush get it here

So yesterday I went into Boots as I wanted some new tweezers. As I've been told numerous times, Tweezerman are the best brand of tweezers yet I hesitated to spend over £20 on a piece of metal. Due to an awesome 3 for 2 deal going on, I decided to give it a try and, so far, I absolute love it. It's so much easier than your average tweezers, ah I love it. 

Whilst I was in the accessory/non-make up section, I came across the brush section where I saw the Real Techniques brushes, created by Samantha Chapman - one of the Pixiwoo sisters - (a make-up artist on YouTube), that are constantly raved about on blogs and YouTube. I was tempted to buy one of the sets they offer, either the face or eye kit, when I knew I wouldn't get full use out of them so I decided to stick with the promising powder brush. I desperately needed a new one anyway as I hate using a kabuki. As soon as I got home I tested it out, and already I love it. The bristles are SO soft, it's hard to believe that it's synthetic. The quality of this brush is comparable to all MAC brushes (especially the 150) and it collects the perfect amount of product on the brush. I might do a full review on more of the brushes when I get my hands on them (which I will).

That left me with two items and I needed three in order to save some money. I saw the Japonesque section and I wanted to try out their angled eyeliner brush. First of all I have never tried a single Japonesque product before and the only person I've heard talk about it is Vivianna (from Viviana Does Makeup) so I was most intrigued to try one out. I really love eyeliner so I thought it was a safe bet.

I wore a freaking awesome baggy t-shirt with the face of a white tiger printed on the front as well as light blue washed denim shorts. The best part of my outfit? My bright purple Vans.

Here is a random picture of my hair. Seriously, I don't know whats wrong with it at the moment. It's two colours! The roots are dark brown and fade into a light brown/weird ginger colour. And the weird thing is, is that I have never dyed my hair. Ever. I asked my mum and she said it's because of the sun. Hardly believable considering we've had sun for two days! Any-who, I'm getting it cut on half term, so I'll show you what it looks like after I get it styled. Yay!

It wasn't just me who enjoyed the sun...

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Thank you for reading!

I've recently added my own personalised banner - I really like it. It's much better than just plain writing, don't you think?!

Suzanna

XOXO

Fascinating Eye Kohl by MAC

On those days where I feel wearing black or brown eyeliner is too harsh or I just want the effortless "no make-up look", I always opt for a flesh-toned colour such as the MAC choreographic pencils. Unfortunately, those are limited edition and I couldn't find it anywhere.

I wanted to try a different colour so I picked up MAC's eye kohl in Fascinating. Described as an "intense matte white", it seems like a scary colour to wear on the eye. I wanted it for waterline purposes and, at first I was sceptical to buy it. Then I found out it was the eyeliner Kate Middleton used on her herself on her wedding day. That itself pretty much concluded my decision.

I'm wearing: MAC's eye kohl in Fascinating on the waterline with Clinique waterproof mascara and MAC's paint pot in Morning Frost (limited edition, sorry).

I really like this eyeliner! It's not too intense like the website says, for me it's more of an off white rather than an opaque white. However, I think that's why I like it! If it was too white then it would make me look dead! It's really creamy on the waterline and you don't have to press hard to get a decent amount of colour. For £14, it's definitely worth it. I do have to mention that if you have some black or brown eyeliner from the previous day left on the waterline, when you put Fascinating over the top, it will make it look muddy. So make sure you take every scrap of make-up off before hand.

Hope this helped some of you.

Suzanna xoxo

Mary Katrantzou for Topshop and Longchamp

Spring has just started (well, two days ago but still)! This means that it's time to put your coats, scarfs and gloves away and break out your favourite spring attire. For me, I couldn't be more happy about spring. The weather is instantly improving and I'm so glad to be rid of wearing a thick coat everyday! Spring, for me, is a mix of winter and summer; it still can be chilly yet it always seems to be sunny. After summer, spring is definitely my favourite season. Today, I'm going to talk about my new favourite designer collaboration which screams excitement and is perfect for spring.

Designer collaborations with popular high street shops are always exciting. H&M have always been a favourite of mine in producing the best collections with world-famous designers. In the space of just two years they have teamed up with Marni, Versace, Jimmy Choo, Tom Ford, Lavin, Sonia Rykiel and Givenchy - and I'm pretty sure there are many more to add, and many more to come in the future.

This time, however, it's high street giant Topshop who are collaborating with the designers. Previous designer collaborations have been with Christopher Kane and Kate Moss with both proven to be highly successful. Topshop's newest teaming is with designer Mary Katrantzou...

Mary Katrantzou is a greek designer who's works include busy floral prints, splashes of colour and avant garde structured items. Her collection with Topshop is just that. Previously, she has designed two small lines for the store both inspired by English country gardens, florals and ornaments.

Yet this time, her collection is bigger and, for me, better!

The exclusive nine-piece range is available now from Topshop online and stores nationwide.

In addition to Topshop, Mary is also teaming up with designer brand Longchamp to two exclusive bags bearing exclusive new prints!










These bags are available at many department stores such as Selfridges and Harvey Nichols and prices range between £94 and £345. Pretty steep, but just look how awesome they look!

I believe that they are limited edition so grab them while you can.

Anyway thats all I wanted to talk about! My original plan was to do a list of spring fashion essentials so when I was researching some items, I came across this collection and knew I needed to talk about this instead. I can't believe I've never heard of Mary Katrantzou before - I love her designs.

I hope you enjoyed this, and I'll talk to you soon!

Suzanna
XOXO

PS. I just found out that Julie Andrews (actress from Sound of Music and Mary Poppins) went to my high-school. Seriously, how awesome is that?! And the bassist from one of my favourite bands You Me At Six went their as well!

Arsenal won the football last night so I'm pretty happy :)

OOTD: Saturday, 17th March

Hola/bonjour/ciao! How are you all today? :)

I didn't know what to talk about on today's post so I thought I'd so a short outfit of the day, including a "face of the day" if that makes sense! My outfit today was simple and casual as all I did today was shop - I bought a card for Mothers Day. I've already got her present but I forgot the card, ha-ha. I got her this beautiful silver necklace from Tiffany & Co - I really hope she likes it!

Anyway, let's get started...

An overview. Omg, that is the most awkward pose EVER. I didn't know whether it took the picture so I was just about to get off the bed - yes I'm standing on bed - to check and...it went off. Oh well. 

Today I'm wearing some dark blue jeans from Gap, silver pumps from New Look, a baggy grey sweater from Gap, a gold necklace from Ernest Jones, a long chained silver necklace with a heart on from Accessorise and a white DNKY watch which isn't visible.

More pictures for your viewing pleasure:

Face of the day!

- Garnier BB Cream in Medium

- Benefit The Porefessional primer

- Random brown shadow for brows

- MAC kohl eyeliner in Smolder

- Rimmel London eyeliner in Black

- NARS bronzer in Laguna

- Vanilla EOS lip balm

- MAC lipglass in Underage

- Benefit "High Beam" highlighter

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Sorry that it's a short (and boring) post - I haven't had much time to prepare. There won't be a post tomorrow so, I'll see you mid-week. Have a great day!

Suzanna

XOXO

A quick and simple, step by step guide on how to get rid of image borders and shadow on Blogger (with pictures)

This post is off topic however I think this will be useful to many people out there.

Literally, 10 minutes ago I discovered how to get rid of those annoying, grey borders which are around images on blogger. I searched the internet, looking at what others thought when I decided just to try it out myself. Everyone makes it SO complicated when really, all you need is one small code.

So I thought I'd show you how to do it! I'm also going to use screen images just to make it more easier to understand. No-one else - that I've come across - has done this.

Firstly, go to a blog post of yours and click on the HTML button. Normally, you write your blog posts on the Compose layout so I recommend writing the post first and then clicking on the HTML button.






Then, you'll see a load of gibberish like this:

Ignoring all the writing (the stuff you wrote on the Compose setting), focus on the codes.
Here is a close up of the first code you see in the image above:

To get rid of the border, simply add: class="noshadow"

But make sure you add it between height="480" and src=(your photo url)

This is what that section should look like after adding the code:

See it? Then, after doing this for all the images you want, click on Publish and the borders should be gone!

Before:

After:

Easy as pie. I really hope this helped some of you who were finding it difficult. It's easy once you know how to do it. My only issue with it is that it takes a long time - especially if you have loads of images. Blogger needs an option that says: Do you want a border? Yes or no. That would be much easier, don't you think?!

Anyway, I'll talk to you soon.

Suzanna
XOXO

How to maintain healthy looking nails and a review on the American Apparel nail polish range

Extra long post today! I'm going to talk about how I maintain healthy looking nails, do a review with swatches of American Apparel's new nail polish and show my Lil Wayne drawing! Exciting stuff.

For school I'm not allowed to wear any nail polish which sucks because I have so many that I want to use! Applying it on Friday and then having to take it on Sunday evening sucks and becomes a hassle so, normally I don't wear any nail polish. However, when you don't wear nail polish people are able to see your nails so it means I have to look after them carefully.

At school I'm constantly writing and using my hands (obviously) so my nails are prone to breaking. To prevent this I always carry a nail file and scissors with me. Yes, it's a bit weird considering but it's better than the nail ripping even more! I also put on clear nail polish nearly everyday as it forms a protective barrier against my nails - it also makes them 10 times more stronger than without.

I'm going to go through the stages that I do every night in order to keep my nails strong, clean and healthy looking! I hope some of you find this helpful :)

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Step 1) Using a nail polish remover get rid of any nail varnish that may be left on your nails. Nothing is worse than little specks of old varnish! I use acetone free remover as it's much gentler on your skin - but any nail polish remover is fine.

Soak quite a fair bit onto a piece of tissue - I use tissue as I find it absorbs much more product than using a cotton ball for instance. Place the tissue onto the nail for ten seconds and remove.

Step 2) Clean your hands - make sure that there is no dirt stuck under your nails and remember to scrub hard so you get all the polish remover off! I should have taken my watch off, oops.

Step 3) File your nails! Make sure you file them in the same direction to prevent breakage.

Step 4) Using a tool like this, push back your cuticles to form whatever shape you'd like and then use it to make the shape of your nails. Do this by pushing back the skin under the nails (if that makes sense!) This step is optional - you don't have too.

Step 5) Moisturise your hands using your favourite hand cream. I used the Soap and Glory Hand Food one as I absolutely LOVE the smell of it. Hmm marshmallows. I'm not sure what I'm doing with my hands in this picture but you get the gist.

Step 6) After using the hand cream, I apply some Avon Nail Experts cuticle balm. I really like this stuff and it was so inexpensive! If you can, definitely check out the brand Avon via a local representative or online. Most of the products I use for nail and hair are from Avon. Even though it's cheap, it works just as well as the most expensive brand you can find.

Step 7) DONE! After this your nails should look clean and healthy looking! Obviously my nails aren't perfect and I have a lot of work to do, but the point of this blog post was to show how to maintain them. I rarely come across anyone with perfect looking nails - if they are perfect, 99.9% of the time they are fake!

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In my last blog post - which was a haul - I talked about a nail polish I bought from American Apparel. Today, after taking these pictures above, I tested it out.

Here's what it looked like:

First impressions: love the colour! But applying this is a pain in the freaking ass. The amount of times it dripped (ONCE APPLIED!) onto my tights was uncountable. Yes, the colour is pretty but the consistency is awful and making it look "nice" was proven to be a struggle. It was so hard, that I didn't even do the second hand...and I removed it straight away!

American Apparel should just stick to clothing. Most definitely.

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Also, in my last post I said that I've started drawing! So, I was on Twitter and stumbled across Lil Wayne's page (and no, I don't follow him - I'm not a rap fan). Anyway, I saw his picture and absolutely loved it. I loved all the tattoos he had on show (maybe because I'm a sucker for someone with tats?) but I immediately knew I wanted to draw it.

This is the original, my inspiration...

...and this is my version!

It's rubbish. I only spent 20 mins on it, so what do you expect? Hehe.

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OMG. SO MANY THINGS TO TALK ABOUT IN THIS POST! MUST. STOP.

So I think I've done enough today. I'll see you later in the week! :)

Suzanna

XOXO

London's Westfield shopping haul

Hello everyone!

I literally just got back from Westfield shopping centre in London and I thought I'd show you what I picked up as, most of it, is interesting. I got some make-up items, art supplies, magazines and clothes :)

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American Apparel opened up in the mall so I went in their first. I'm not a fan of their clothing per say but I did love their nail polishes. They were £7 each (ok, compared to OPI and Butter London) and some of the colours were really unique. I picked up this one in "Smoke Dazzle" as it remind me of a cheaper alternative to the Chanel Quartz polish.

Magazines were on my list of things-to-get. I picked up the latest InStyle with Drew Barrymore on the cover along with Company with Florence (and the Machine) on the front! I limited myself to only two as these magazines can be expensive - especially if you buy loads in one go like me!

Just before leaving I saw the MAC shop and had to go in. I didn't pick up anything from their Shop MAC, Cook MAC collection as I didn't want to spent too much money. Instead I picked up the things I needed. I got a new eyeliner sharpener (only £3!) and two new eyeliners. I picked up Fascinating Eye Kohl and Stubborn Brown Penultimate Eyeliner. I've tried Fascinating before and loved it, but I've never tried - or heard of - Stubborn Brown. I can't wait to try it!

Even though I didn't take art as a GCSE option, I'm really getting into sketching so I bought a small sketching pad and some pencils! If I like any of my drawings, I'll definitely show you guys!

The main reason why I went to Westfield in the first place was to get some new jeans! Whilst painting my dad's garage a few weeks back, I destroyed my dark blue Forever 21 jeans. I wasn't that fussed, they were only cheap and I was in need of a new pair anyway! I went into Levi's but didn't like any colours and also went into True Religion, and yet again didn't like any that I didn't have. So, I went into Gap and found these. They are dark, dark blue and are very stretchy. They are described as Jean Leggings and I can totally see why. I absolutely love them. As an added bonus, they were a quite reasonable price!

Also from Gap I picked up a t-shirt but I forgot to take pics!

Anyway, that was all I purchased. Me and my mum also went into the Apple store and preordered the new iPad for my Dad's birthday next month which was exciting. I have also just ordered a present for my mum for Mothers Day next Sunday - I hope she likes it!

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I hope you're all having a great day.

Suzanna
XOXO

February Favourites!

Hello again! I'm sorry for the lack of posts, like I said in my last post I had a lot of exams and coursework this week. Luckily, I done my last three exams today which means I can make loads more blog posts! <3

Today I am going to do a "favourites" type post (like the ones popular on YouTube) including all of my favourite products/items from the past month. Expect lots of photos!

Oh and I'm sorry it's late!

*Websites of where to purchase the items shown will be linked below, as always*

1) Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Clear Blemish Gel

This stuff is awesome and I found myself applying it much more in February than I have ever before. It does what it says, however I do find it can be very drying on the skin. Make sure you use a moisturiser before applying to prevent flaky skin (ew). Get it there!


2) Carmex moisturising lip balm

I've been using my EOS lip balm in Vanilla for quite some time now, so I decided to try Camex which is much talked about. After my first use, I absolutely love it! I use it every night religiously and it definitely replaces my EOS lip balm, for sure! Get it here, UK only


3) MAC Pressed Blot Power in Medium

This is my all time favourite face-powder. It doesn't give any coverage but it perfectly sets any make-up I may be wearing that day, and is perfect for touching up during the day. I use this with my MAC 182 kabuki brush for awesome results. Get the Kabuki here and the Blot Powder here!


4) Percy & Reed Hair Finishing Polish

I recently received this as a gift and was surprised to find out it actually works. After washing my hair I apply a pea-size amount (as instructed) and run it through my hair. It leaves it soft and shiny looking. My only problem with it is the horrible fragrance. Purchase here.


5) Sudocrem





























This stuff is freaking amazing. I've recently done a full blog post dedicated to this, so check that out *here*.


6) MAC Eye Kohl in Smolder

This is one of all time favourite eyeliner for the waterline. Even though it doesn't last long, I love the colour and consistency so much that I don't care. My favourite shade is Smolder.

...and on top the non-beauty favourites...

7) Loads and loads of magazines

Magazines! I know, it's a weird favourite. But this month I've been obsessed with fashion magazines in particular: Marie Clare, ELLE, InStyle and Glamour (UK versions, obvs)! The base of my wardrobe is filled with piles upon piles of magazines. I'm literally obsessed. I can't exactly link you to buy these magazines, so just check your local newsagents!


8) Wildfox "LOVE" Baggy Beach Jumper

This sweater is my favourite sweater. I wished I had more of these bad boys, but yes they are extremely expensive (for what they are). This one was about £100 and at the time it was on sale! But, if you ever get the chance to pick up one of these, definitely do it. They are so comfortable and soft - it's unreal.  I always wear a white long sleeved top underneath as I find it can be a bit chilly, especially in the winter. Nevertheless, Wildfox are an amazing brand. I can't find this exact one, but here is a link to the website!

9) My favourite songs of the month

My stupid laptop won't let me print screen my iTunes page so instead I'll have to write my favourite, and most played, songs of the month:

• Where The Streets Have No Name - U2
• Like We Did - The Maine
• I'm A Bore, Mostly - Deaf Havana
• Learn My Lesson - Young Guns
• Good Life - One Republic

Btw, please check out my previous blog post, which convientently I wrote in February ;) about a song which is designed to target human trafficking. Link here - thank you.

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Well, I hoped you liked this post! It definitely takes long than my normal posts to do, but I hope it's worth it. If you like these videos, please leave a comment. Now, please excuse me while I was 90210 and drink my tea. Bye!

Suzanna

XOXO