Mini Jewellery Haul

All items c/o MissCinderella

I've definitely become more of a magpie over the last couple of years. I was never really a jewellery girl before I came to university but now I always spend forever and day carefully select my necklaces, rings etc. to match my outfits each day, which can't be a bad thing, right?!
My lovely friend Hope kindly allowed me to select a few little pretty pieces from her new jewellery store MissCinderella, so in usual Grace style, the first thing I went for was a statement necklace. This pretty multicoloured gem necklace will look so nice under a blouse collar or over a plain black or white top in the day or at night. I also chose a Hamsa necklace, I'm not sure what they actually represent at all, which is probably a bit lazy of me, but I liked the neutral cream-coloured stones in this one which will match with lots of outfits. The evil-eye bracelet is probably the piece I have worn most, I just put it on with a watch and a few gold band rings and I'm good to go! I had to choose an animal themed piece (of course!) so this owl ring found it's way onto my finger. I love it! It's adjustable too so you're not limited to which finger you can wear it on :)!
Finally, I jazzed my phone up in the only way I know how.....PINK AND SPARKLES. I love the effect this case has, it reminds me of a mermaid with it's iridescent shine. 

I would recommend you definitely check out MissCinderella soon, there's so many more pretty items on there and a lot more to come v. soon! 

Growing Up..

1/2/3/4/5/6

(clickable links)

You might have noticed a distinct lack of activity on my blog of late which I'm so sorry for! I've been caught up in dissertation and finals revision woes and finally my dissertation is complete. Taking it to be printed and bound tomorrow woohooo! Anybody who's in/has been in this situation will know how relieving this feels! Just 5 exams to go now & that's my university life over forever (so sad :'(!!), which leads me onto this post.

I feel that although my style has changed considerably over the past five years or so, I need to dress more smartly. Going out into the world looking for a job is going to need a lot of maturity and an equally mature dress sense. I'm not saying I'm going to start dressing boringly, I sort of want the Kate Middleton effect (who doesn't!). She dresses amazingly smart yet still on-trend which is something I want to channel now I'm 22. At the moment, I'm a sucker for animal printed clothes which I think needs to stop! As does wearing really short skirts (unless I'm on a night out!). First impressions count way too much to put a foot wrong!

I've chosen these few pieces as a start. Blouses can look really smart with trousers or skinny black jeans, and I think these two are perfect. I'm trying to move away from my classic button up blouses, and these two are light, pastel-y and chiffon-y (so many -ys!) perfect for Spring. I chose an equally pastel coloured nail polish to complement them in Essie Fiji, which will look amazing against a tan. Also with regards to make-up, I think it's about time I bought some decent make-up brushes! Everyone raves about the Real Techniques brushes and I found these so I may make a naughty little purchase later! Accessories wise, this Reiss credit card holder is the most gorgeous shade of pink and will look fab in anybody's handbag and this dainty feather necklace from Warehouse will set off any outfit without looking too OTT.

I hope you liked my picks in this post. I may be spending a little of my last ever student loan quite soon I think ;)

Products I Love ♥

I don't normally do posts like this, as I tend to wear the same make up each day and prefer to spend the majority of my money on clothes and accessories. I thought this post would make a nice change and give you a little insight into my favourite products around at the mo!

Trevor Sorbie Beautiful Curls Constructing Spray 

I love this little bottle of miracles! Recently, because I don't have any layers in my hair at the moment and my hair is SO thick and heavy and naturally frizzy, I've found curling my hair a problem! As soon as I went outside after curling, the curls would drop leaving me with horrible wavy kinks at the ends of my hair, despite using a lot of hairspray! So I decided, curl prep was required, and so I found this in my local Boots. You spray it on each section of hair before you curl, wait for the hair to dry, and curl as normal. Now my curls stay in pretty well even if it's a bit windy, hooray for Trev!

MUA Pro Brow Eyebrow Kit 

I used to fill my eyebrows with an eyebrow pencil but I found the colour didn't really last very long and sometimes I'd be a bit heavy handed and have to wipe off excess colour a lot (I'm not a great fan of the Scouse Brow look!). I picked up this MUA kit which has 3 brown shades, a light, medium and dark and the medium is perfect for my eyebrows for everyday. The powder lasts me all day, however if I go out in the evening I would definitely have to reapply. The wax is also pretty good, but I find that it runs out a long time before the powders do, which is a shame!

The Body Shop Seaweed Mattifying Day Cream

I have very oily skin, which makes wearing moisturiser, primer and then foundation a nightmare, especially in the summer. I detest moisturisers that make my skin even more greasy than it already is, so this mattifying day cream is perfect. It gives me a nice oil-free base to apply primer and foundation on to, although I have to apply powder continuously throughout the day to keep the shine at bay! Hopefully it'll work as well when the sun hopefully puts his hat on!

MUA Lipsticks in Shade 7 and Shade 14 
My favourite lipstick ever is the MAC Costa Chic Lustre lipstick which I find incredibly hard to find anywhere! It's a much softer shade than the Frost Costa Chic that's being sold currently, so I've been trying so hard to find a dupe for it. I heard that MUA sold lippies for ONE WHOLE ENGLISH POUND, so I had to investigate, and this is where I found Shade 7. It's very very similar to my coveted Costa Chic Lustre and for a pound I couldn't resist. I find these lipsticks do dry my lips a little, so I normally apply Vaseline over the top so the colour looks a lot more smooth.

L'Oreal Lumi Magique Base Primer

I don't actually use this primer as a primer, I tend to use it to highlight my cheekbones and the bridge of my nose. It gives a beautiful dewy finish to the skin and looks very fresh and natural, unlike the horrible glittery highlighters which I cannot stand. A classic understated look is much softer and nicer, and this primer ticks all the boxes in my opinion.

Hope you enjoyed my little(-ish!) ramble about these products! Are there any bargain products you're loving that I should look out for?

A-Line Mini

Top - H&M; Skirt - Miss Selfridge; Hat - Missguided; Bag - Zara; Necklace - Zara; Bracelets - H&M and gifts

Here's another of my typical university outfits - except I'm scared to wear the bowler hat out, I also have a fat head so it pings off after a certain amount of time wearing it! This skirt is one of my faves, it's jersey with an a-line shape but it is super short! I think it was from the Petite section at Miss Selfridge, and I'm 5ft 4, so taller girls may struggle with the length of it. I wear it with really thick tights all the time anyway, just in case! I normally just wear this with a simple black top, but sometimes I wear a sleeveless white button up blouse and silky scarf instead - a little schoolgirly but hey, why not ;) My grandma bought me this Zara bag in October and I had to wait til Christmas to get my mitts on it, but it's finally in use, though I'm scared to overuse it because I love it so much! Thank you Grandma! :) It's the perfect size for every day and looks way more expensive with the gold hardware.

China Print Peplum

 Top - Primark; Jeans - Topshop; Necklace - H&M; Shoes - Next

This lovely top was a steal from Primark. I came home from uni in the snow last week and found it sitting at the back of one of the rails on its own and I thought I'd cheer myself up weather-wise and keep it as a little something to wear when the sun comes out! I love the print on it, I've been wanting something 'china' print for a while, but didn't want yet another button up blouse, so this was perfect! And at £7 who's going to complain! I layered a H&M white and diamonte statement necklace on top, paired it with the pale blue Joni jeans (which are definitely bigger than my black pair despite the labels showing the same size, which is annoying - definitely try them first if you're buying a pair in a different colour!) and these beautiful shoes from Next that my parents bought me for my birthday. So excited to wear these in the real spring! Not sure where I'm looking in the first pic, maybe trying to do the 'dreamy, head in the clouds' sort of pose, while the reality is more 'head in my dissertation' - sigh.

Jewels, Cats & Ankle Straps

Blouse - Zara; Jeans - Topshop; Shoes - New Look; Rings - H&M (part of a set); Watch - Ever Ours

This is one of my favourite blouses EVER. I did feature it in a Weekly Want a while ago, and of course, I had to buy it! It's such a lovely silky soft material and has pretty but not in-your-face gold pyramid detailing on the shoulders. I've worn it out for dinner a few times and I think this outfit is perfect for that sort of occasion. The Joni jeans are so comfy on the waist (no need to undo your top button when you've got a bit of a food baby!). I've rolled mine up here so the ankle straps of my New Look shoes are visible. These are very similar to the Zara pair that everyone went crazy for just before Christmas, and they are a little uncomfortable if worn for long periods of time. They wouldn't be my go-to pair for a night out, but for a meal out or event where you don't have to be on your feet all night they're fab. I've just kept my jewellery quite minimal as well, a couple of gold band rings from H&M and my gorgeous cat watch from Ever Ours!