Monthly Favourites // May 2014

It's monthly favourites time again! I have some fashion and beauty bits, and a few extras at the end.

Fashion & Beauty
1. Playsuit // Choies
I have a full post dedicated to this playsuit in the works, so I won't go into too much detail here. Overall, it is gorgeous, with a pretty floral print perfect for this time of year. I love being able to put this on and have an entire outfit ready to go. And, it's the only playsuit I've ever had fit me properly, which I why I love it so much!

2. Denim jacket // New Look
Just your bog-standard denim jacket here, but it's probably the most worn item in this post! I really like wearing this light wash denim jacket to stay casual and brighten up an outfit.

3. Skirt // H&M
Featured in my Spring Lookbook, this mint skater skirt is the perfect pop of colour to add to an outfit. It's almost neon actually, but the colour means that it compliments a lot of different outfit combinations. Plus, I always get compliments when I wear it!

4. Bourjois Colour Boost Lip Crayons // Fuchsia Libre, Plum Russian, Red Sunrise
I know Plum Russian was included in my last monthly favourites, but I have included it and the other two crayons (that I own) here because they are seriously the only things I have been sporting on my lips recently. The formula is glossy without being sticky, moisturing, and they all wear very well without looking patchy. I honestly cannot fault them!

5. Rimmel Stay Blushed! Liquid Cheek Tints // Pop of Pink, Sunkissed Cherry
On a similar note, here are the two shades of this blusher that I own. I've been switching up between the two of these, as I love the formula. They are a little runnier that a cream blush but blend just as well and with fantastic lasting power. Again, something I cannot fault!

Other
1. Film // X-Men Series
As many of you probably know already, the newest X-Men film came out this month! I actually haven't seen it yet due to studying for exams, but here in the UK various TV channels have been showing the previous films in the series at nighttime. I loved being able to them watch all over again.

2. Music
I have to give a special mention to McBusted as I got to see them perform this month! I wrote up a full post on the night but in short they were outstanding, so definitely a monthly favourite of mine. Also, I always make a monthly playlist on my 8tracks account, featuring the eight songs I've listened to the most that month. This month it features McFly, Busted (duh), Ingrid Michaelson and more so go have a listen!

Outfits // Zig Zags

I've been searching for a kimono for a long time, but found that most of them were either 1. Pricey or 2. Floral. While I do love me some floral print, I wanted something different, you know? And then I found this monochrome zig-zagged beauty for just over £10!

What I'm Wearing:
Kimono // Forever 21
Dress // H&M
Shoes // Missguided
Socks // Topshop
Necklace // Accessorize
Bracelet // Market stall

I know this kimono will look lovely paired over a simple top and shorts combo, but I felt like trying it out with something a bit dressier. Still keeping it simple, I went for this black bodycon dress and glittery heels.. Although you can't tell unless up close, my socks also have a matching zig-zag pattern on them, which pleases me. I also added some pale pink accessories because... well, I just wanted to.

I really like how the kimono completely changes the dress. It adds a floaty, effortless style to the entire look, and is also a great way to cover up any insecurities without looking like you are trying to! I may end up investing in a floral one after all...

The Tidy Nail Polish Trick

While I'm sure many of you have heard of the Vaseline or olive oil trick when painting your nails (put these on your fingers around the nails and the messy nail polish can easily be wiped away) I haven't seen anyone mention this trick. I personally like to use this method, because I hate my hands feeling oily.

When painting your nails, don't paint your thumbs. Move straight onto your other fingers and apply your base coat, then your colour. If you colour out of the lines, so to speak, simply use your clean thumb nail to tidy up the edges. You can then wipe your thumb nail on a paper towel and continue on painting! This can be repeated with any additional coats, and then you just take some extra care when painting the two thumbs at the end. Finish with your top coat, and you're done!

It takes a little getting used to - I certainly always gravitated towards painting my thumb first and then had to wipe it off. The Vaseline trick works just as well, but this could be a great alternative if you're travelling, as you don't need any extra items. It's a very simple trick but one I haven't seen around, so I hope it comes in handy! Pun intended.

Throwback // Prom

Prom season is approaching, and so I thought it would be a fun idea to look back at photos of mine! I've also included a few group shots of my friends and I at the end, because why not? I finished high school last year, and prom was just a really great night. I personally did not think it lived up to the hype that the Americans tend to give it, but nonetheless I had loads of fun with my friends, and felt amazing all dressed up.

 My dress was from Vivien of Holloway, and was actually a last resort for me. Being petite but with a, ahem, full chest, well fitted structured dresses can be a pain to find. After searching through about every shop in town, I gave up and ordered this beauty online. It did need altering a little, the torso needed shortened, but my gran is a handy sewer so everything worked out fine. I adore the satin fabric, it's navy but in certain lights it shone purple, and it gave me a classy look, I felt. As a side note, these dresses can be worn with an underskirt to really shape the skirt outwards, but I chose to not to.

I kept the accessories fairly modern to contrast with the 50s style dress, and went for pinky nudes and rose gold, which I felt complimented the dress well. I was also the only one out of all the girls at my school that didn't have a floor length dress on, so it was nice to be different! Everyone's dresses were gorgeous, but it felt nice to stand out from the crowd for once.

I did my own makeup, and unfortunately can't remember exactly what products I used. I know that all of my eyeshadows were from Urban Decay's Naked 2 palette, though. I also borrowed my mum's lipstick, Mac's Sheen Supreme Lipstick in Bare Again as I didn't have a neutral colour of my own at the time. I can't believe how thin my eyebrows are there compared to now though. I got lots of compliments on my makeup which was great, as it was actually my first time doing a dramatic look (with practice before though, obviously).

And lastly, how gorgeous is my hair? I can say that, because I didn't do it myself, ha. My hairdresser (who is actually my cousin's boyfriend's sister, phew) adapted a Nina Dobrev updo on me. I wanted an updo that was still fairly loose and not-too-perfect, and I was so so happy with the result!

What I'm Wearing:
Dress // Vivien of Holloway
Shoes // New Look
Clutch // New Look
Necklace // New Look
Ring // Dorothy Perkins
Earrings // Market stall

I think this photo captures how miniature a person I am

It was really fun to look through all of these photos again. What did you wear to your prom, if you had one? And if you have a prom this year, what are you wearing? I would love to know!

Pink?

On Wednesdays we wear... Never mind. Anyone who knows me will know that I have never been a pink person. I could appreciate it, but never truly liked wearing it, whether that be through clothes or makeup. Blogging, however, appears to have changed that.

Rimmel Stay Blushed! Liquid Cheek Tint // Pop of Pink

Makeup Revolution Eyeshadow Palette// Iconic 3

Mac Eyeshadow // Gleam

Maybelline Colour Tattoo 24 Hour Gel Cream Eyeshadow // Pink Gold

Bourjois Colour Boost Lip Crayon // Red Sunrise

Bourjois Colour Boost Lip Crayon // Fuschia Libre

Sleek Face Form Palette // Fair

While I still do not own any (I'm pretty sure, at least!) pink clothing, I have invested in plenty pink makeup recently, from eyeshadow to lip products. I even wear pink 90% of the time on my nails now, but I thought I would save that for a later post. I don't know why I didn't enjoy this colour before, but pink hues go perfectly with my pale, pale skin and look lovely during this Springtime, and so I have truly been converted!

Spring Lookbook

This is something a little different, but I really wanted to create a Spring Lookbook. I considered making it into a video, but I honestly just don't have the time or experience to pull that off right now! So instead, here are copious amounts of photographs of outfits I have been loving to wear this Springtime.

Outfit One:
Dress // ASOS
Cardigan // Zara
Boots // Topshop
Necklace // H&M
Sunglasses // Primark

Outfit Two:
Top // Jack Wills
Disco pants // Topshop
Blazer // River Island
Boots // Romwe
Necklace // Kukee
Ring // Market stall
Sunglasses // Forever 21

Outfit Three:
Top // Urban Outfitters
Skirt // H&M
Jacket // Miss Selfridge
Boots // Romwe
Necklace // Kukee
Ring // Market stall
Sunglasses // Primark

Outfit Four:
Jumper // H&M
Shorts // Primark
Boots // Topshop
Necklace // New Look

Outfit Five:
Top // H&M
Skirt // Forever 21
Denim jacket // New Look
Boots // Romwe
Necklace // Kukee
Sunglasses // H&M

As you can see, I haven't gone into any descriptions of the outfits like I usually do, because there were so many. If you have any questions about any of the outfits though, do feel free to ask me in the comments or send me a tweet @emiloue_! You can also let me know what your favourite outfit is!