L's Pick #3 - Naked 3 palette

Naked 3 palette by lamey on Polyvore

Naked 3 Palette - Urban Decay, £37

This palette is the most recent addition to the naked palette family, but it stands out from the previous two with its pink and rose toned colours. I thought that the previous two palettes were very similar, as both had mainly gold-toned shades, so I was excited when I saw that this one is different. I also find that pink tones suit me more, which was what made me really happy about this palette.

I love the range of colours, as it means that you could create a wide variety of looks, all from one palette, making it perfect for traveling. I mainly wear lighter eyeshadow looks, with a medium toned colour in the crease and a dark colour along the lash line, so the colours would be perfect for me.

I also think that it's great that there are a mixture of shimmery and matte colours, as again it allows you to create a wide variety of looks. I also don't have many good quality matte eyeshadows, so think that this palette would be a good investment. As I said before, pink tones suit me more, as I have a pink undertone in my skin, and as only one of the colours is very dark (the black), they also wouldn't be too harsh as I am very pale.

Overall, I love this palette, and the only downfall is it's price! However, I may ask for it for my birthday in April. I haven't tried any of the other Naked palettes, so if you had I would love to hear your opinions of them in the comments!

- L x

Lilac Love

Lilac Love by lamey 

Nars Eyeshadow in D Gorgeous ~ £18

Topshop Lipstick in Petal ~ £16

Topshop Nail Varnish in Parma Violet ~ £5

OCC Lip Tar in Digitalis ~ £11.95

Trish McEvoy Eyeshadow in Lilac ~ £12

Illamasqua Nail Varnish in Jomina ~ £14.50

BH Cosmetics Blush in Lilac ~ £3.60

This spring/summer, make-up is going girly, and one of the main colours that seems to be popping up is lilac. Pastels will always be big for spring, but lilac is the chosen one this year, and shades are ranging from cool lavenders to more pinker, warmer tones.  

Some people will love wearing this trend, but, for some, a bold pastel purple lip can be too much! Fortunately, there are more subtle ways that this trend can be worn, such as on your nails, or by using a lilac eyeliner under your eyes for that pop of colour. If you're not much of a girly girl, but still want to follow this trend, keep your outfit dark to contrast with the cutesy feel that this colour could create. 

Wearing lilac eyeshadow is another popular way to wear this trend. To tone it down slightly, wash a lilac colour of your choice over your lid. Then apply your bronzer or any brown colour through the crease of the eye. This will help to add depth and dimension to the look, as well as adding in more natural, earthy tones that will make the lilac less intense. Then, highlight your inner corner with a frosty colour, and apply eyeliner and smudge it slightly to soften the line. Then, add a few coats of mascara. This will create a really pretty daytime look. To add some drama add black winged eyeliner and a darker purple tone in the outer corner.

I personally love this trend, and can't wait to add a bit of colour to my daily make-up routine this spring! 

- L x

Christmas Gift Guide - £20 and Under

£20 and under Christmas Gift Guide! by lamey 

Lush 'Shooting Stars' Gift set - £15.95

I love lush, and at Christmas their gift sets make an excellent present for anyone who loves having long, relaxing baths, or just things that smell good! In this particular bauble shaped gift, you get a 'Shoot for the Stars' bath bomb, a 'Star light Star bright' bath melt, and some Gold fun, which is a new-ish item in Lush. You can use it for many different things, and mold it into different shapes. I think this would make a great gift, and it's pre-wrapped, which can't be a bad thing. As it is bauble shaped and has a string attached to it, you could even hang it from your Christmas tree!

Benefit 'Love at first Shine' Lip gloss set - £19.50

Benefit is another brand that I love - all of the products that I have tried from them have never failed to impress, and although it's quite pricey for a set of lip glosses, it would make a great gift! Anyone who loves makeup will definitely appreciate this, as it isn't something you would buy for yourself. You could even buy this and then divide the lip glosses up between your friends, if you wanted to give them a few little gifts!

Urban Decay Naked Basics Pallet - £20
The Urban decay Naked pallets are beautiful, but also very expensive, do a slightly cheaper alternative is the basics pallet. I would love to receive this as a gift, as it is so versatile, and could be used everyday, and even for a night time look. The majority of the colours are matte, which is a benefit, as it can be hard to find good quality matte eye shadows. This would be the perfect gift for any make-up loving girl, as it's such a talked about product, and everyone knows that Urban Decay products are great!

Topshop Fairisle Snood - £16
It's getting much colder now, and its a great time to buy someone something cozy - in this case, a snood! For me, snoods are so much better than scarfs, as they're so easy to just throw on, and will always look good and effortless. They will also keep you really warm and snug, and are great for on they go. I love this particular one, as the pattern and colours are so cute and the fact that the majority of it is an oatmeal-cream colour means it will go with pretty much anything, but the pink adds a pop of colour that is sometimes needed in a winter look.

Topshop Red Mittens - £14
Another way too keep warm is gloves, and I often find that my hands are what gets the coldest in the winter months. You can never go wrong with gloves, and they always seem to be getting lost, so a new pair can do no harm! The bright red colour of these adorable mittens really makes them stand out, and I love the chunky knit style, as it makes them seem so cozy! If you're not sure what to get someone, or it seems like they have everything, I would definitely recommend gloves.

Paperchase Portable Charger - £12.75
We all know someone who is constantly on their phone, but a lot of the time phones run out of charge; so why not get them a portable charger! This particular one goes with the iPhone 3, 4 and 4s, but I'm sure there are loads out there for all the other phones. For example, if you know that someone is getting the new iPhone for Christmas, you could get one of these for them as a little extra gift. This would be great for someone who's always on the go, as we all forget to charge our phones sometimes, which can be a disaster! I especially like this one as it has a little fox on the front, which is just an added bonus.

Lush 'Candy Box' Gift Set - £19.95
This Lush box looks a bit more like the conventional ones than the other, as its in a pretty box and tied with ribbon, so if that's what you were looking for, I would recommend this one! It includes 'Snow fairy' shower gel, 'Candy mountain' bubble bar, 'Rock star' soap and 'Popcorn' lip scrub. I have smelt all of these products and love them all - all have a very sweet, girly smell, like marshmallows, apart form 'Popcorn', which, of course, smells like popcorn. This is another great gift set, which anyone who likes sweet scents will love!

'Ghost' Perfume set - £19.20
Perfume is something that is very specific to a persons taste, but if you know which one they like, then something like this set is great. My sister loves this particular scent, and it does smell amazing! Perfume is something that gets used up, so buying them one that they have previously owned and loved is great. This one comes with a body lotion too, which means they can match their scents.

Soap and Glory 'Bubble Barreled' Set - £18
This is another bath set, but if lush isn't for you then Soap and Glory is the way forward. The scents are a bit less full on than the ones of lush, and you get a lot for your money in this set. You get lots of minis of popular items, which is good as it means you can try them before you buy a full size. This would make a fantastic gift as it gives them the opportunity to try lots of different products before committing to a full size. Also, if you know they love soap and glory products, then this would also suit them! You could also split the items in this up, like with the lip gloss set.

Urban Decay 'All Nighter' Setting spray - £19.50
The final idea is the famous urban decay setting spray. There are going to be lots of Christmas and New years parties coming up, and no one wants their make-up to slide off their face! I have personally never had the pleasure of trying this, but all reviews I've read have been amazing and positive, and as it is on the pricier side this would make a great gift, as it can seem like a bit of a splurge to buy for yourself!

Sorry this was so long, but I hope it was helpful! <3

- L x

Autumn Hair Trends 2013

Autumn Hair Trends 2013 by lamey featuring Dolce & Gabbana

As you may have guessed from the title, here are some autumn hair trends to feast your eyes on! So if you fancy a change in hairstyle this autumn, here is some inspiration!

Slicked Back - One style that has been very popular in magazines and such this autumn is to have your hair slicked back. On the catwalk the model's hair always looks full of product and very greasy, which I personally dislike, however you can recreate this look without the 'greasy effect'. To do this, start with slightly damp hair. Using a comb, sweep back your hair from your the top of your head right down to the ends. If you like the 'wet look' secure with a wet-look gel by using the palms of your hands and placing on the sides and front of your head. Leave the ends of your hair to fall into place. If you don't want the wet-look you could use a hairspray instead. Celebrities that are well-known for sporting this look are Kim Kardashian with long hair, Carey Mulligan with her short hair and Emma Watson has been known to sport this look. 

Relaxed Low Pony - Another look you can go for this autumn is the low ponytail. This looks good with medium to long hair lengths. Gather your hair at the back of you head and secure it with a hair band. Leaving a few strands of hair out to frame your face is optional. Also, gathering hair to one side, making it into a side ponytail, would look equally as good. Celebrities such as Adele, Victoria Beckham and Gwyneth Paltrow have been seen wearing the trend.

Different Partings - This autumn a deep side parting and a middle parting have both seemed on trend. Why not try them both out and see which suits you best? 

The Mini Beehive - The trend can be seen from the pictures above, where hair is swept into a 1960s styled beehive. Except this beehive is slightly lower, with a center parting at the front. To recreate this look, start with dry hair and comb it through. Create a middle parting. To get the 'pouf' you will need to backcomb. Gather a section of hair from the crown of your head and tease it with the comb. Repeat this until to have a small beehive. If you're unsure of how to create this volume check out this video by Tess Christine on Youtube. Separate the backcombed hair, which should be most of the front of the hair, and pin it with bobby pins at the back of your head. You can leave some front layers out to give the beehive a more relaxed feel. In the pictures, the rest of the hair is pinned up however leaving it down could look nice. Obviously Amy Winehouse was the queen of all beehives and Audrey Hepburn often went for a beehive.

Crimped Hair - Crimping your hair can look really good, especially on shorter hair. If it goes wrong, try putting your hair up in a ponytail or bun, have fun with it!

Fringes - A look that has increased its popularity this year, especially this autumn, is to have a fringe. When getting a fringe make sure it's right for your face shape as there are many different types. You could get a blunt fringe, a feathered fringe or a side fringe - it's best to ask your hairdresser what style would suit you. Nichole Richie is known for her fairly blunt fringe that frames her face perfectly while Emma Stone has a side swept fringe that suits her face shape perfectly. Zooey Deschanel also sports a blunt fringe and is the face of Pantene's Beautiful Lengths Campaign. Millie Mackintosh has recently got a feathered fringe which has caused some controversy.

What do you think about Millie's fringe? Comment Below! 

-A x