FOTD Experiment

Here is my face today, I could of just done a video and it may of took a lot less time and hassle but I’m not quite ready for the editing of a video –I barely know how to take a timed photo. Lots of pictures, not much gabble from myself today. If you would like a video or just more information on the products I’ve used just gimme a buzz. Each product I used today I have linked to the shop where I most likely buy them from. Oh and a massive hello to my new followers, love you all!

Also, I know that my right eye may appear dodgy in some photos, I’m not sure whether it is the lighting or whether my eyes are still a little swollen from whatever reaction I’ve been having recently. It is more apparent when I don’t have eye make up on. Thank goodness for eye liner eh?

Clinique Even Better Foundation (Alabaster) applied with the Real Techniques stippling brush.

Loreal  Touche Magique concealer applied to the under eye area and around nose. Benefit Brow-zings (Dark) used for brows.

Clinique Blended Loose Powder applied to shiney bits (Transparent) and Topshop Bronzer (Holidaze) applied al cheeks, forehead, chin and neck – I do not contour and never have, I use a big fat bronzing brush and apply to bits where the sun gets me; true Geordie, bronzing to the max.

Bourjois eyeshadow pot (No. 08) used a base –no primer- Mac Wedge (lighter one of the two) and Carbonized layered into the crease before sweeping Mac Pigment (Naked) over the entire lid.

Boots eye shadow brush for base layer / Mac 239 for patting on pigment / Mac 217 for crease / No. 7. Blend and Contour brush for blending out edges (actually bought from a blog sale)

Mabelline Volum’ Express mascara and Collection 2000 Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner on eyes –I never go a day without liquid liner; after trying all types of liner, I will forever stick with Collection 2000 liquid and felt tip liners.

NARS Orgasm Blusher on my cheeks –It has smashed so I couldn’t show you- and Bourjois  Illuminating touch along the bridge of nose, cupids bow and under brows –applied with Boots eye shadow brush.

At this point my battery died and there was no way I was waiting 6 hours for it to charge to do two more photos. I used Topshop Coy on my lips with a little balm over the top as it is very drying –I got this balm as a gift for Christmas but I think it is from Accessorize.

Finally, I used Tangle Teezer to brush my hair and straightened out the ends with GHDs from the Scarlet collection – I actually won these from the fabulous Jen over at A Little Bird Told Me; I was chuffed to bits and have already been playing around with different styles and looks so more to come on these bad boys.

So this is my daily routine pretty much every day in terms of make up and hair; nothing special really, but I love seeing what people rely on every day so hopefully you will find this an interesting post –especially my face with no liner on, I look so weird!

My Beauty Boxes February 2012!

I always get too excited when I get my beauty boxes through the door, and tend to forget to take lovely photos to show you all –sorry about that- but here are my three most recent boxes; Feel Unique did announce that this box was indeed their last ever one, which is such a shame as they often included some great products. February has been a good month for beauty boxes –in my opinion- I’ve been quite happy with the products I’ve been sent, and the Valentines special by GlossyBox was fab!? What more could we want!?

Overall, I’m very impressed with the Glossyboxes* and the goodies that are inside them. I’ve only been involved in beauty boxes since just before Christmas, but I am so impressed and I love the excitement of an adult lady goody bag arriving especially for me every month!

GlossyBox February 2012 goodies:

• DuWop Venom Gloss 5ml – Buttercup. A beautiful tingling gloss which tastes divine!
• Impress Press-On Manicure – 24 nail covers for instant glam.
• Awapuhi by Paul Mitchell Wild Ginger Treatment Oil 25ml – smells gorgeous and has a lovely texture!
• BM Beauty Pure Mineral Eeyshadow 1g –Dusty Road. A beautiful bronze shimmery pigment.
• Como Shambhala Invigorate Shower Gel 50ml – Smells a bit overpowering but am yet to use it and see results.

GlossyBox Valentines Special January 2012 goodies:

• Eyeko Skinny Eyeliner – Emerald green liner.
• Orly Nail Lacquer – Gorgeous deep red shade. Two coats and it’s done!
• Weleda One Step Cleanser & Toner 10ml – A very small sample.
• FAB Gentle Body Wash – I have this in my shower and it doesn’t seem to have much scent!
• Murad Hybrids Skin Perfecting primer –Dewy Finish. I’ve used this quite a lot and still have some left!

Feel Unique February 2012 (Last box) goodies:

• Leighton Denny High Perfomance Colour 4.6ml – Diamond Rose. I love this shade, it looks gorgeous over a nude base!
• Decleor Phytopeel Face Peel Cream15ml – Quite a shimmer thick substance which has a light shimmer to it.
• Phillip Kingsley Elasticizer 40ml – a pre-shampoo moisture hair treatment which is meant to be amazing. Still yet to try!
• Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Multi-Usage Dry oil 10ml – A gorgeous multi purpose dry oil. I use this on my hair roots and on my body for extra shimmer on an evening.
• Elemis Lime and Ginger Hand and Body Wash 100ml – a huge sample of a gorgeous fresh smelly wash. I use this as a body wash rather than hand wash!

Unfortunately I did have to keep this brief and due to university stresses I have not actually tried a lot of the products as of yet. If you like the look/sound of anything that I got I can do separate reviews if they will help! I like receiving requests and suggestions for posts as it is nice to know what you guys like to see here on Inordinately Plush!

Side Note: Keep an eye out for the March GlossyBox as they have something exciting planned for us all! GlossyBox are creating a Mystery Box –ooooerrr- and are keeping it under wraps until tomorrow, Friday February 24th! To find out more visit this link, and if you are struggling to decide which beauty box to subscribe to, take the plunge and treat yourself to a GlossyBox this month!

 

*PR sample. I do get sent the Glossyboxes, but all my opinions and comments are 100% mine. Had I not been impressed with the GlossyBox service I simply would not review them (I did pay for my Feel Unique subscription however until they stopped).

Keepsake now @ UNESTABLISH.com

Not too long ago  on Inordinately Plush  I posted about UNESTABLISH.com, a fashion website which stocks a range of current, on trend brands; and today I got a lovely e-mail about the newest label being added to the online store. I am extremely impressed with these gorgeous dresses, they are something I can definitely see myself wearing this Spring/Summer!

The Australian label Keepsake takes ‘inspiration from couture with a focus on wear-ability, bringing luxe designs into your everyday lives and closets. With a flirtatious and feminine flavour, the outfits reflect that fun, sophisticated style which is being embodied by so many fashion forward young women right now. Keepsake provides accessible, glamorous, edgy pieces that are bound to make a statement.’'

Celebs such as Nicole Richie and Demi Lovato –click to see stars wearing Keepsake- have been spotted sporting the luxurious Keepsake pieces; with their flattering necklines and subtle cut outs UNESTABLISH.com recommend fabulous chunky jewellery, and for this spring I recommend popping on a pair of chunky wedges. You can view some more of Keepsake’s dresses by clicking here.

Bring on spring 2012 ladies, let’s get our dresses on!

LOOKBOOK.nu

As my lovely friend Tereza (Cityscape Bliss) pointed out yesterday, I am a seemingly excellent procrastinator at the minute. Anything to avoid doing my Ecology assignment on aquatic organisms, or my dissertation on tiny tiny bugs. I’ve spent my days playing with my webcam, looking after some virtual monsters on my iPhone and even watching UFO videos on YouTube; all of which do actually make me feel like a waste of space. LOOKBOOK.nu however, well, is just genius. It’s procrastination at it’s best. I thought I’d show you some looks that I’ve hyped over the week and give you an idea of the style I would have if I had a job and could afford nice things!

Ashley M.

Laura V.

Taylor G.

Lucy D.

Lydia M.

A little something from each of their wardrobes and I would be Mighty. Fine. Do you take inspiration from sites like LOOKBOOK? If not, what inspires your style?

Welcome to my World

Found a mint website today, sat taking photos of my face for about half an hour. For some reason I cannot find my webcam on my laptop anywhere and the only way I can use it is if I am Skyping or through sites like this. Anyway I love it.

I know a lot of bloggers go to university, as do I, but I wonder, does everyone get sick of it in third year? Or is that just me? I’ve made a huge bloomer in the sense that I never want to study Geography, or work in the Geography field ever again. Never in my life do I want to poke around some soil, inhaling all those nasty things that comes out of it –I am yet to know how to define soil in one sentence, and I’ve studied it for three years. I’m in my third year, my dissertation is due in in two months and I have been to about 5 lectures since Christmas.

I used to love Geography, but during my three years studying it, I’ve grew up and realised that in fact, I just don’t love it anymore. I have no passion to research anything else, I know enough of this world. I know enough to know that I don’t really care. I don’t mean to be disrespectful at all, honestly I don’t, I think I’m just a little bit annoyed. Annoyed at myself really. I knew I should of dropped out in first year, I so almost did, why didn’t I do it?

I know a degree is a degree, and it will be –hopefully- a great help when trying to find a job, but, I’d of much rather just waited. Waited to find out who I am, or what my potential is. University just isn’t for me. I hate the competition, I hate results day, I hate field trips, I hate students, I hate that I feel self conscious at university!? I feel like they take one look at me and think ‘She’s never getting higher than a 2:2’. Granted, I don’t very often get a 2:1 but that’s because my heart isn’t in it. Should of done fashion you know. I strut to my lectures in my little heeled booties and leopard print coat, have you ever met a geographer like it!?

And the fashion students get to use Apple Mac computers..!?!? Envious.

£1.50 Necklace and Painful flatforms

              

Jumper Topshop / Skirt H&M / Necklace Topshop SALE / Flatforms ASOS

I signed up to LOOKBOOK.nu this week and I’ve become obsessed. I’m stuck in this style rut and have no inspiration to change it whatsoever. And even if I did, it wouldn’t matter because I have to cover up with a big chunky coat and scarf anyway. It’s not nice living up here I tell you that. Luckily I did find these fleecy lined tights from Primark so it means I can wear my skirts and shorts again without freezing to death –bonus. This is what I wore today to meet one of my girlfriends; we met up purely for tea and a LUSH trip –I bought the lemon cuticle balm, it’s a beaut. I wore my ASOS flatforms for the first time to try and wear them in, but bloody hell they’re painful! Was one step ahead of them though and had brought my comfy loafers with me in my bag in case the inevitable new shoe blister arrived on my tootsies. My night tonight has consisted of me massaging the edges of them so that they soften a bit –how romantic – and I gave myself a gorgeous foot and hand massage with the best combination of LUSH products EVER – check out my Instagram to find out what I used, username is ‘inordinateplush’.

Oh check out my Twitter to see some looks I’ve hyped on LOOKBOOK –or, just look on my LOOKBOOK?-, maybe suggest some people to fan if your on there too? Or maybe I could become I fan of you? –hey I’m a poet.

The ‘If I had a boyfriend…’ Valentine’s Wishlist

A/B/C/D/E/F/G

However, if I did have a boyfriend, the chances are he would not like anything that I have included here. Why are some boys weird about girls’ fashion? Some boys –not all obviously- just expect us to dress ‘like a girl’ all the time and never branch out; did anyone read the article in the Feb issue of Company? ‘I love it, he hates it..’ was what it was called, and was basically 4 fashion bloggers who’s boyfriends didn’t like certain pieces they wore. It was fab to see the bloggers just sort of laugh it off and not let it stop them from being who they are though. I’ve been in relationships where my other half didn’t like certain things I wore but I just thought ‘naff off’ no way am I turning in my well thought out clothes for a pitiful Hollister hoody and a pair of plain leggings to show off my backside – needless to say he was a complete Geordie Shore style knob. 

So, back to the matter in hand: I love trying new styles and pieces when I can afford it, sometimes I get it wrong, sometimes I get it right, but with it being so cold lately I seem to be layering up for practical reasons with very little thought into what I am actually putting on. I feel like I have lost myself, and in turn I have found a fleeced and woollen very frail lady in return. Where am I? Where have I gone?

I am creating a somewhat sort of collage of magazine cut outs and images that inspire me, as I am in dire need of fashionable slap in the face right now. I ordered these creepers (B.) from Linzi’s shoes earlier in the week, unfortunately I had ordered them in blue instead of black, but the size fitted perfect and they are so comfy. I am awaiting the black ones currently after sending the blue ones back, and I am sure I will acquire another pair in the coming months as they are perfect for throwing on with skinnies.

I seen these Motel jeans (C.) on a few bloggers and they look fab; I always thought they were old and I had missed the boat but I found them on Topshop for fifty two pounds..!?! Before finding them on their proper home on motelrocks.com for only £48 –phew. The backpack (D.) is a practical yet stylish alternative to my massive leather bag I often haul around with me at uni.

In terms of make up there aren’t many things I want to try as I am pretty happy with my look; I do intend to buy the Real Techniques stippling brush (E.) on the 15th Feb when they are launched into Boots stores as I think it will work really well with the Clinique Even Better foundation (F.) that I am going to repurchase next week too. The Topshop cream blush in Flush (G.) just looks beautiful and the stippling brush can help me with this one now, having never been a pro at applying cream blushes.

What are we all wanting this month? The weather is making it so difficult to shop sensibly!

A Sexy Little ‘Combo’

Sexy Mother Pucker – about £7 at Boots / Shy Girl – bought with 6 empties at Mac

I’ve had this photo stored for quite a while; it’s not my best but they are two products that I am pretty certain you are all familiar with. As you may notice, I didn’t really venture far away from my all time favourite Hue but all the same, it’s a little too different for me. So paired with my spiffing Sexy Mother Pucker, it makes my lips appear less brown and a little more pink. My face definitely does not suit browns, browny reds or even browny beiges –no. Not that we buy brown lipsticks, but there are a few out there with slight darker, browny undertones –dislike. Shy Girl looks absolutely lush on slightly more tanned skins I think, and even slightly paler skins, but for some reason it doesn’t blend well on it’s own for me - Good job I’m a gloss fan then eh?

Quick note: it appears that my little sister and her cronies have discovered Inordinately Plush, during a GCSE English lesson I may add –naughty. When I first started IP I was dubious about introducing it to my family, but they all love my small space of world wide web. So shout out to the girls and my gorgeous sister – yerr – and hopefully one day I can use you as my personal photographer slash blog assistant? Will pay in the form of unwanted beauty box items –haha.

Goo-shnight.

1 Part Bicarbonate of Soda

Yesterday I tried out my first beauty DIY; I realise that this may make it a little too early to review but my first experience with the technique says quite a lot I think. Yes, the results of a beauty regime are what matters to most of us most, but I find that the process and application is important too; quite frankly, applying this to my face wasn’t all that fun.

 

You will need:

• 1 part bicarbonate of soda – you can get this from ASDA for around 80p, or from your local Food Weighhouse for literally pennies.
• 1 part pH balanced liquid soap – Sebamed Face and Body wash around £4; Dr Bonner Organic liquid soap around £4; I used Clinique Liquid Soap in Mild as it was all I had. I am pretty certain that a good hunt around your local market or supermarket and you can get hold of a basic soap for pennies.

Methods:

1. Mix one part soda with one part soap into the palm of your hand. It definitely does not look nice and fancy or very appealing to slap on your face first thing but give it a go.
2. Massage into damp skin in circular motions as you would when using a face exfoliator.
3. Dampen your fingers with some water and continue massaging into the skin.
4. Wash off gently before damping your face dry with a clean towel.

On application, a little does not go a long way as you might find with a more expensive product. I definitely did not have enough for a comfortable application in the picture above. Adding water to your fingers when massaging helps to spread the soap a little further and dilute it however.

My first thought about this –and the reason why I am not too keen on trying it again- is that it is super scratchy on my skin. It is basically a home made exfoliator, but quite harsh on the skin; my skin is sensitive and I’ve had no reaction to the concoction but it didn’t feel too nice rubbing it into my skin. No matter how gentle I was, it was still rough.

I’ve tried several exfoliators before, including the LUSH Ocean Salt scrub and the Origins Modern Friction, and they made such a dramatic impact on my skin immediately after rinsing, and I feel like this technique just doesn’t quite live up to my expensive products. I am a little bit disappointed as I had high hopes for this but it just seems like too much bother for an uncomfortable scrub.

Final thoughts:

• Very cheap but need to find a cheaper liquid soap alternative
• Scratchy, rough on the skin
• Still prefer my expensive products in terms of a face scrub

 

I’d like to say thank you to everyone who commented on my last post and tweeted me regarding this project. I’m so glad you all like the idea and hopefully I will find some good DIY tricks that you will be tempted to try out for yourself. Unfortunately, I’ve had a bit of a poopy start but at least now you can stick to your beautiful, perfumed scrubs without the hassle I endured. Couple of ideas coming up next including an at-home hand treatment and a hair mask with a difference courtesy of one lovely blogger!

Old Beauty Recipe Project

 

Image taken from 40sclassic Tumblr

Last night whilst on the metro home, I had a crazy crazy thought. Crazy in the sense that, I never ever seem to be inspired at the minute; I have to force myself to think of something to write or photograph, and although I never post anything just for the sake of it I feel like my blog hasn’t been up to scratch recently. There is a lack of order to Inordinately Plush, a lack of regular features and interesting posts. I knew this, but I couldn’t seem to do anything about it. It’s hard having to force yourself to become inspired and creative, so I just leave it until it finds me. I do believe this is the best thing to do, I find that you cannot force creativity, whether your an artist, a writer, a singer or even a teacher!

So why inspiration decided to hit me whilst on an afternoon ride home on the metro from Newcastle city centre, I do not know, but I am quite excited about it. My dearest Aunty is the queen of home remedies and herbal alternatives to medicines or lotions; she always seems to be trying something new from Holland & Barrett or recommending an old-school beauty tip to me. The most recent being quite a well known technique, but one that I am pretty sure us modern women are too afraid to try out. We seem to trust the ladies in John Lewis a little more than our own ancestors; they must have used something to cleanse their skin before Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish was remedied? What was used before Lush created the fabulous Ocean Salt scrub? Surely women back in the day were even a little beauty conscious?

I’m sure you’ve all heard of bicarbonate and soda being able to work wonders on your skin? Mixed with your average pH balanced liquid soap it can leave your skin feeling glowing. After so many of my family having mentioned this beauty remedy to me, why has it taken me until now to try it? Has anyone else tried it? What about soaking vinegar into your hair for shiny locks? No? Well, my own mother and grandmother swear by it, and I am not biased in saying they have fabulous hair.

So, for the next few months, I want to try out these at-home beauty tricks; it could end in disaster, or it could be wonderful and save me hundreds of pounds. Who knows, but I am very intrigued by these tips and tricks and to whether or not they actually work. My first post, will be based on the bicarbonate and soda technique, and I will let you guys know how it went; how it applied, was it easy, how did it feel and did it work most importantly.

My family do hold quite a few beauty secrets which I am excited to try out, but I would love to hear your own old-school beauty tips and tricks. You can email me, tweet me or even comment on this post with some tips and I will be sure to take a note of them, do some research and then hopefully try them out. I’m so excited for this and I also have a few beauty recipes stored from the recent episode of Superscrimpers – love it!

My New Favourite Brush!?

Denman Brush – around £11 at Boots

I’m not sure about anyone else, but to me, a brush is a brush. I mean, it gets rid of tangles, it partings my hair; it is a basic tool made for the hair on our heads. My go-to brush for quite a while now was a Babyliss blow-dry brush –pretty basic then-, until a dear friend of mine persuaded me to spend £11 on this bad boy –when I say persuaded, what I really mean is she bought one I wanted one too.  It claimed to rid of fizziness and give your hair a nice bounce. Bounce you say hmm, Denman? Bounce?

My hair is in ridiculously bad condition at the minute and is due a good cut, so I’m not even sure why I bought the brush to be honest, as I assumed it would do naff all to my wiry locks. Anyway, I blow dried my hair section at a time, curling the ends as I went and what a result! I have no pictures to show you, but usually after a good blow drying sesh my bonce is the size of one of those pom-pom balloons on elastic bands that you get from The Hoppings Fair –they’re huge. My hair had a lovely shine to it, and obviously there was still some post-hair drying frizz present, but nothing a little Luxe oil couldn’t sort. The ends of my hair were just the way I like, curling in one direction then the other, and I even got complimented on it that evening –buzzing!

I would recommend this brush to anyone with long thick hair, but I’m sure that there are much cheaper alternatives in Boots and Superdrug. It did take me a good ten minutes longer than my usual flip my head forward and blast the hairdryer all over my hair technique but it is worth it and I am happy that 11 quid hasn’t gone to waste.

Has anyone else been silly enough to spend obscene amounts of money on a hair brush? Do you have a brush that is special or does any old brush do the trick?