High Street v High End: Bronzer

 This month I'm comparing bronzers - I know it seems like a silly month to compare bronzers with them being so associated with summer, but I'm so pale I really need bronzer all year round to prevent me from blending into white walls.

High Street: Bourjois Delice De Poudre Bronzing Powder - RRP £7.99

So I'm not going to lie - I totally bought this for the smell. If you don't already know, this bronzer smells like chocolate - oooh yeah. Aside from that bonus, I really like this bronzer because it's not shimmery and it's fairly low key (which is pretty much how I like everything!). It gives me a nice wash of colour without standing out too much against my pale skin and it's really easy to blend out if I use it to contour. The only downside to this product is that it is quite orange toned, meaning that I do have to be quite careful how much I apply for fear of looking tangoed (does anyone still use that expression?!) The packaging is fine, although it gets a bit battered quite quickly with it being cardboard. 

High End: Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess Powder Bronzer - RRP £33

This is actually a pretty similar bronzer to the Bourjois offering, the main difference being that this one is much more pigmented - literally one sweep and you're good to go. It also has the bonus of just feeling so much nicer to use because of the packaging and the fact it's a proper compact with a mirror. You do get a little more product in this, but in terms of colour and finish there's not actually that much difference. I also have to admit that I got this product for £23 rather than £33 from an outlet shop and although I was happy to pay £23 (and actually Nick paid for it anyway) I'm not sure I would stretch to £33 (but then I am pretty stingy!).

Winner: Bourjois Delice De Poudre Bronzing Powder. I love the Estée Lauder one because it feels so luxurious, but realistically I'd rather pay the Bourjois price for a product that's almost the same!

Have you tried either of these bronzers? What did you think?

Amy x

10 Thoughts You Have Working in Live TV

Hello and happy Sunday! I've been wanting to write a post about my work for quite a while as I'm lucky to have quite an exciting job as a technical operator in news. Hopefully this post will give you a little insight about some of the thoughts that flash through my brain on a weekly basis...

 1 - Are we live or is this just the rehearsal? Genuinely cannot remember. I hope it's the rehearsal.  

2 - Oh, so this is broken. Wait, let me turn it off and on again. I fixed it! Practically an engineer. 

3 - Am I the only one who doesn't know what's coming next? Oh no, nobody knows. How reassuring...

4 - I wonder what everyone would do if I fainted right now, like would they prioritise the programme or my health? OK now I feel faint because I've been thinking about it. Don't faint Amy. 

5 - I wonder what this big button here does. Probably shouldn't press it. I should definitely leave it alone. OK I pressed it and it doesn't even do anything.

6 - I know I'm a Technical Operator, but please don't ask me to record something on the Sky box because I just don't know how...

7 - Don't sneeze until the presenter's mic is down. Don't sneeze until the presenter's mic is down. Don't sneeze until the presenter's mic is down. 

8 - What if one of the lights falls down on my head? That would hurt. I'd probably die. 

9 - This is a busy programme, but it's fine, what's the worst that could happen? Oh right, the top story isn't going to make, the guest hasn't arrived and we can't get the live connected...anything else?

10 - Don't mess this up Amy. If you do though don't worry, nobody will die, it's only TV.

Hope you enjoyed this post!

Amy x

Makeup Brushes from Tmart | Review

I was recently kindly sent this Bamboo Handle Makeup Brush Set* by Tmart. If I'm honest when they first got in touch with me I was a little hesitant because it's not really the type of website I would usually go to for beauty (they sell literally everything!) but these makeup brushes looked really nice so I was curious to try them out, plus retailing at only £10.86 for 11 brushes I was eager to discover if they were good value for money or if they were just cheap!

First Impressions | When I first opened these brushes my thoughts were fairly mediocre. They looked very synthetic and they kind of reminded me of paint brushes! I do like the wood effect handles though and I think that makes them look more expensive than they are. They felt very soft and I was especially looking forward to trying some of the smaller detailing brushes as they looked really good. 

Application | I definitely didn't struggle to find a brush for everything when applying a full face of makeup - there is plenty of choice and something I do like is that the brushes aren't labelled for anything in particular so you can choose whichever brush you like for different products (a plus if like me you always end up using brushes not for what they're intended!) I was pleasantly surprised at how well these applied my makeup - particularly the brush I used for foundation which I hadn't had high hopes for! Some of the brushes are definitely better than others - I would say I'll carry on using about half of them. They are very soft and none of the bristles fell out, which I would usually expect from cheaper brushes. They washed fine and easily and none of the bristles fell out while washing either.

Overall | Overall you get a lot of brushes for your money! I would recommend these to someone who is maybe just starting out with makeup and wants to build up a brush collection fast or to someone who is on a budget, but if you've already tried a variety of different brushes or are willing to spend a little more there are much better brushes out there!

Have you ever tried anything from this website? What are your favourite makeup brushes to use?

Amy x

An Easy Everyday Eye Makeup Look

I'm usually one for a fairly nude eye unless I'm going out, but recently I've found myself experimenting a little more (emphasis on the word little) and have found an eye makeup look that I love and have been wearing nearly everyday.

I start by using the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Pomegranate all over my eyelid and then blend it out using an Autograph eyeshadow brush. I then apply the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Pink Gold just in the inner corner. I finish off with a super thin line of eyeliner using the L'Oreal Super Liner and Benefit Roller Lash on my lashes. Done!

Will you be trying this look?

Amy x

Mercury Fur by Middle Child | Theatre Review

I don't know if I've ever mentioned on this blog before that I have a degree in Theatre so when I was very kindly invited to the preview of Mercury Fur reworked by Middle Child I was very excited. Going to the theatre is something I really don't do often enough for an ex-theatre student - life gets in the way I guess! So when I do make the time to go I don't like to be disapponted. I didn't need to worry on this occasion!

Photo courtesy of Jerome Whittingham (@Photomoments)

Photo courtesy of Jerome Whittingham (@Photomoments)

Photo courtesy of Jerome Whittingham (@Photomoments)

"The hope is that you will leave the show shocked, appalled and disgusted, yes, but more at the world this play is born from rather than the play itself."

I can't describe how I felt about the play more accurately than the quote above from Paul Smith, the artistic director. This is certainly not a play for the faint hearted, set in a futuristic and dystopian Hull where butterflies are dealt as drugs and the main characters are preparing for a 'party' at which they will attempt to fulfill a client's fantasy. 

From the very beginning I was captivated. The play is over two hours long with no interval, time which flew by as I was so fascinated by the performance. The set design was fantastic - from the moment I walked in the building and started up the stairs to the top where it was performed I felt like I was in a block of flats and the intimate performance area means that you truly feel a part of the action. The lighting was fantastic at creating atmosphere - the appearance of daylight changing throughout the day into evening looked incredibly real. 

Of course you can't have a good play with bad actors and these actors were seriously amazing. They brought their world to life and part of the reason the play was so effective was because you really believed that the characters were real. Stand outs for me were Laurie Jamieson as Darren and Madeleine MacMahon as The Duchess.

This was such a refreshing piece of theatre that made me feel uncomfortable, shocked yet also amused at the same time. I would highly recommend seeing this if you live in the Hull area if you fancy something thought-provoking that will make you question the world and human nature. Hull definitely needs more theatre like this.

Let me know if you do go and see this or if you've already been! Do you go to the theatre often?

Amy x

#PartyPolished Competition

A little bit of nail art today! Fashion website Bonprix have teamed up with Barry M to run a competition that is right up my street - a nail art competition! All you have to do is create a nail design inspired by one of six dresses. If you fancy entering yourselves the rules are here. 

The dress I chose was the Alice Tea Dress in Ivory - this is definitely a dress I would wear as I love the shape and I knew that the simple design of the dress would give me free reign when it came to my nails! When I saw the name of this dress I instantly thought of Alice in Wonderland and immediately knew I wanted to create a design based on that!

This is a really fun but still quite sophisticated design that I think would look so cute with this dress! I used Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine in Huckleberry and Coconut for the base colours and then Barry M Nail Art Pens and a Rio Nail Art Pen for the detail. This was such a fun challenge and has definitely made me want to match my nails to my clothes more often!

What do you think of this design?

Amy x

Empties #5

The Body Shop Strawberry Body Butter | I think I've mentioned before that the strawberry scent is one of my favourites from The Body Shop and their body butters are my ultimate favourite body butters so I'm pretty sad this is finished! I've got too many other moisturisers to use up to justify buying another one yet but fingers crossed I'll get some for Christmas anyway (yes I just said the C word).

Clean & Clear Deep Action Cream Wash | So I featured this in my skincare routine way back here and I used it pretty faithfully for a long time, but I guess my skin maybe just got used to it and I've moved on to something else now. I would repurchase in the future, but not right now. 

Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation | I will definitely be repurchasing this pretty soon as it's a staple for the colder months for me. It hides a multitude of sins and makes my skin look a lot better than it really is!

Natural Collection Nail Polish in Champagne | I'm so gutted that this has all gone, but I'm not surprised seeing as it's been my most worn colour since I got it last year. It is such a gorgeous colour and I will probably end up repurchasing it even though I really can't justify buying more nail varnish!

Boots Tea Tree & Witch Hazel Exfoliating Pads | I actually really liked these and used them after I'd taken my make up off to really make sure it had all gone! I haven't repurchased them as I have switched around my skincare routine, but I wouldn't rule out repurchasing them in the future. 

Have you tried any of these products? What did you think?

Amy x

What I Wore This Week #4 | Video

I love doing 'What I Wore This Week' posts so I thought hey, why not do a video along the same lines? Unfortunately the lighting wasn't my friend this week - it's been dull in Hull! But here are my outfits from this week:

Let me know which is your favourite!

Amy x

Autumn Nail Art

It's been ages since I did a nail art post so I wanted to share my favourite designs to do during autumn!

Fox

I love having this design on just one nail - the base is Essie's Roarrrrange and I drew the little fox using Barry M Nail Art Pens. 

Gold Tips

If you usually rock a french manicure why not mix it up in autumn with gold tips instead of white? I think it adds a lovely seasonal twist. Here I used clear nail varnish for the main bulk of my nails and Technic gold nail varnish for the tips. 

Owl

Another design that I like having on just one nail - the base is Barry M Matte Nail Paint in Mocha and I drew the owl with Barry M Nail Art Pens.

Leaves 

OK so probably the most obvious design you could do this season, but I love it nonetheless! The base is again Barry M Matte Nail Paint in Mocha (a staple colour for autumn I think!) and the leaves are drawn with both Barry M and Rio nail art pens.

Do you enjoy doing nail art? Let me know if you try any of these designs! Which is your favourite?

Amy x

The Perfect Autumn Cover Up

I've always thought of denim jackets as a spring staple - something a bit lighter that still keeps you warm in the evenings, but after finding this bargain of a jacket on Asos I've realised it's perfect for autumn and I haven't stopped wearing it! It goes with so many things, but I love it with stripes because it's such a classic look. This striped top is my favourite from Boden - it's so flattering and such good quality. I kept the rest of my outfit fairly simple - my trusty black trousers from H&M and my dreamy Asos wedges. I think I've found my ideal in between seasons outfit!

Jacket - Noisy May via Asos (link)

Top - Boden (old)

Trousers - H&M (link)

Shoes - Asos (link)

Bag - Primark (old)

Necklace - Happiness Boutique* (link)

Do you like denim jackets for autumn?

Amy x

Favourite Instagram Accounts

Hellooo - so I loved writing my favourite bloggers post (here) because it always feels nice to give a little love so I thought I'd dedicate this post to my favourite Instagram accounts - you know those ones where you like pretty much every picture they post to the point where you worry they might think you're a weird stalker? Yeah those ones!

@queenofcarbs | So Jessica's Instagram page will make you want to 1) buy a whole new wardrobe, 2) live by the seaside and 3) spend hours painstakingly trying to make your hair look as nice as hers! Her pictures are always so nice and bright, she gives me serious hair envy and she always looks amazing. Definitely my favourite blogger that I follow on Instagram!

@deliciouslyella | I'm sure most of you have heard of Ella Woodward - her recipes are so yummy and seeing them pop up on Instagram everyday really inspires me to try and stay healthy. Plus she has the cutest dog who features quite a lot too!

@ellenextdoor | Ellie's photos are beautiful and I get serious style goals from her page! She always looks flawless and the composition of her pictures is amazing - it's a skill I'm still waiting to get! She also manages to inject a bit of personality into her page and she's so refreshingly down to earth.

@soiesm | Sophie's Instagram feed is so bright and exactly how I'd love mine to look! The best words I can think of to describe her page are happy and uplifting - plus her hair is amazing!

Do you have any favourite Instagram accounts? Feel free to leave your links below as I love finding new people to follow! And if you're interested in snooping at my mediocre Instagram page it's @eadeyamy. 

Amy x

Wardrobe Staples | 3 Ways to Wear a Denim Shirt

This month for my wardrobe staples series I'm styling one of my favourite items to wear ever - a denim shirt. They're so easy to wear, comfortable and go with just about anything. Here's three ways I wear mine:

Outfit 1

Shirt - H&M (similar)

Leggings - Asos (link)

Shoes - Primark (old)

Outfit 2

Shirt - H&M (similar)

Dress - Topshop (old)

Tights - M&S

Boots - Topshop (link)

Outfit 3

Shirt - H&M (similar)

Trousers - H&M (link)

Shoes - Tesco (old)

Do you like denim shirts? How do you wear yours?

Amy x