Bon Marche Blogger Swap Challenge

Hello Lovelies,

Recently I was asked if I'd like to take part in blogging fashion challenge with Bon Marche, the challenge was that 2 bloggers were paired up and had to choose an outfit for each other from the Bon Marche website based on their blog and social media content, I love fashion and thought it sounded like a fun idea so accepted the challenge.

I was paired with the lovely Rachel, we introduced ourselves via email and then I spent a while searching Rachel's social media and blog finding out her style and she did the same for me. When my parcel came I was really pleased and I could see Rachel had done her homework well.

My Outfit

The outfit Rachel chose for me was :

Denim Slim Leg Jeans* (size 18) £18.00 

Blue Striped Linen Blend Tailored Jacket* (size 18) £32.00 

White Basic Camisole* (size 18) £6.00

Ann Harvey Waterfall Crystal Necklace* £15.00 

Outfit Sizing & Fit

I am between sizes a lot of the time and can wear a 16 or 18 so when I was asked for my sizing I aired on the side of caution and went with a size 18. The jeans were too big for me but to give you an idea of my size, I have recently bought jeans from Topshop in a size 16 and some denim shorts from Next in a size 16 but in other stores I feel more comfortable in a size 18, it all depends on the store and fit etc so if you are like me I would say maybe order 2 sizes in those, the length was fine for me maybe a touch long, I usually wear a 30 leg and am 5 feet 5 inches tall. The blazer is a fitted style and darted all the way round, the size 18 was the perfect fit for me but bare in mind it is a tailored style so very fitted, the camisole top is I think a generous fit as it was a little big on me and as another example I order an 18 in the Next camisole vest tops, the necklace had an extension type chain on it so you can make it shorter/longer if you wish so would suit most peoples taste and I think it finished the outfit off nicely. 

Changing It Up Slightly

I like to push the sleeves up on blazers and cardigans so I tried that look too and I also tried the jeans rolled up a little, I think I prefer the outfit worn like that, what do you think? I paired the outfit with my white converse to give it a smart/casual look and I was pleased with the result, I do prefer my jeans to be more of a skinny fit but that was my only complaint. I love fashion jewellery and anything sparkly so the necklace was an instant winner for me too. 

Overall Thoughts On My Outfit

I am pleased with my outfit and think Rachel chose well, one of my go to spring/summer outfits is skinny jeans with a vest top and some sort of jacket for example a blazer, kimono or cardigan and a statement necklace and either converse, ballet pumps or sandals weather dependant, so this outfit was a great choice for me and my style. To be honest before I took part in the challenge I wouldn't ever have looked at the Bon Marche website so this challenge really took me out of my comfort zone and it was nice to be made aware of another option for on line shopping. 

It was lovely to be chosen to take part in the blogger challenge I really enjoyed it, it was something completely different and it was nice to 'meet' Rachel too. Thank you to Bon Marche for asking me to take part and to Rachel for choosing my lovely outfit. 

Do you always stick to the same on line shops when buying clothes? Or do you shop around and if so do you have any recommendations of places for me to shop on line? Please leave your comments below. 

Thank you for reading, much love as always,

Zoe x

NOTD - Nail Of The Day

Hello Lovelies, 

Today I have another NOTD post and today's NOTD is a Rimmel London polish in the shade Hot Tropicana, Hot Tropicana is a gorgeous coral colour and one that is perfect for the summer months, it is one of the Rimmel London 60 seconds super shine range and is the first polish in this range that I have tried. 

I adore this polish, the colour is amazing, I had a few lighting issues when taking the photographs (thanks weather!) but the above photograph is the most true to colour out of all the photographs. It's not only the colour I adore about this polish, the wear time was incredible, I wore this polish for 8 days, it chipped on day 8 but I could have worn the polish longer as the chip was tiny, I was so impressed with it, it's super shiny as the name would suggest, however I am wearing a top coat in the photographs. I used 2 coats to achieve the colour in the photographs and love the beautiful opaque coral colour, perfect for summer and also looks amazing on the toes. 

The brush is a nice wide brush which makes application a breeze, Rimmel claims 10 days wear time, chip resistant, anti fade, hi shine colour and I completely agree with them although I got 8 days and not 10 but I think that's incredible for a polish that cost me under £3, I am super impressed and will be picking up more in the range so watch this space for more NOTD featuring these beauties.

The top coat I used is the Orly Glosser top coat, this is my HG top coat, it gives my nails a fantastic shine and my nail polish lasts for days too, it is a fabulous product. 

If you would like to try Hot Tropicana you can find it on line at Boots and Superdrug for £2.99 and you can find the Orly Glosser top coat on line at Nail Polish Direct for £11.10 inc free delivery. 

Have you tried the Rimmel 60 second super shine polishes? Do you have any shade recommendations for me? Let me know in the comments. 

Thank you for reading, much love as always,

Zoe x

MAC Paint Pot In Painterly - A Review

Hello Lovelies,

I suffer with very dry skin but very oily eye lids, what a combination! So keeping my eye make up in place is a bit of a nightmare for me unless I use a base under my eye makeup. For years now I have used the Nars Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base (full review here) which I love but it is a powder eyeshadow base and I do love to use cream eye shadows and pencils too, so I recently re purchased an old favourite of mine and something I used religiously for many years as an eye shadow base, the MAC paint pot and the shade I love to use as a base is Painterly.

Painterly is a lovely pale nude shade, perfect to use as both as base for my powder eye shadow and cream eye shadows and also alone as a nice neutral eye colour for days when I want a natural make up look, I use the painterly with a slick of mascara and a neutral lip and it gives me a bit of something without applying a full face of make up, so a really handy and versatile product.

Depending on your skin tone, painterly can also be used to line your lips to stop a lipstick bleeding, if you don't have the correct shade of lip liner, take a lip brush if you have one or if not just a small brush and apply painterly around the edge of your lips and it will help to stop your lipstick bleeding.

When using painterly as a base for my eye products, I apply it with my ring finger and blend over my eye lid, I then apply whatever product I'm using whether it be a powder eye shadow or a cream eye shadow,  my eye make up stays in place all day, it doesn't crease or smudge at all.

Painterly is the perfect shade for me but if it is a little too pink toned for you you could choose soft ochre which has more of a yellow undertone, but there are 23 shades to choose from some more neutral like painterly and soft ochre and some coloured shades too. The mac paint pots are brilliant as either a base for an eye look or worn alone, they are a really handy product and you only need to use a tiny bit so a little really does go a long way.

The only negative I have regarding the paint pots is that they can dry out but if you screw the lid on super tight and store them upside down it helps to stop them drying out, I have some other shades which I've had for years and they are fine and haven't dried out at all but have always been stored upside down.

If you would like to try one of the MAC Paint Pots, you can find them on line at the MAC website, Debenhams, House Of Fraser and Selfridges for £15.50.

Have you tried a MAC Paint Pot? What shade is your favourite?

Thank you for reading, much love as always,

Zoe x

La Roche-Posay Make Up Remover Micellar Water Gel

Hello Lovelies, 

As you'll know if you're a regular reader of my blog, I am a huge skin care geek and I love finding new skin care products so I was super excited to try the La Roche-Posay Make Up Remover Micellar Water Gel. I love La Roche-Posay they have some amazing products and one of my holy grail skin care products is the Serozinc spray.  

About The Make Up Remover Micellar Water Gel

The La Roche-Posay Make-Up Remover Micellar Water Gel is a gentle cleansing gel which is suitable for normal/combination and sensitive skin, it is alcohol, colorant, soap and paraben free and contains hydrating and soothing active ingredients including the La Roche-Posay thermal spring water. 

La Roche-Posay Make-Up Remover Micellar Water Gel*

My Thoughts Including First Impressions

The first thing I noticed and was impressed with was the pump on the bottle, I like products that are easy to dispense, I also liked the scent of the product it has a lovely fresh scent to it with a subtle hint of rose, I was a little lost with the directions of how to use the product as on the back of the bottle it says "apply to wet face, no rinsing" which is a little strange but it didn't bother me too much. 

I decided to use the gel in the same way I use my cleansing balm, I dispensed one pump into my hands, rubbed my hands together and then smoothed the gel all over my face and neck and then removed with a face cloth which I'd had under hand hot water and wrung out. I did find that one pump of the gel wasn't enough to remove a full face of make up and I needed to repeat the process twice more to remove all my make up. 

I found the gel left my skin feeling really fresh and cool, it felt soft and not tight at all. I have also used the gel as my morning cleanse and my evening cleanse when I'm not wearing any make up and I really enjoyed using it like that especially as my morning cleanse because it leaves my skin feeling fresh and cool and it leaves me feeling awake so it is perfect for my morning cleanse. 

Overall Thoughts & Would I Re Purchase? 

I really liked the La Roche-Posay Make-Up Remover Micellar Water Gel, it is a completely different cleansing product than I am used to and have enjoyed using especially in the mornings. I wouldn't use the gel as my only make-up remover or cleanser as I feel it isn't as beneficial for my skin as a balm cleanser because I have extremely dry and dehydrated skin and I need something with a little more nourishment but I really enjoyed using the gel as my morning cleanser or my first cleanse/make up remover as part of my evening skin care routine. I think the La Roche-Posay Make-Up Remover Micellar Water Gel would be brilliant for someone with an oily skin as their morning and evening cleanser, but for me it works best as I said as my morning cleanse or my first cleanse in an evening  and I would purchase it for that purpose as I loved the way my skin felt after using it. 

If you would like to try the La Roche-Posay Make-Up Remover Micellar Water Gel you can find it on line on the Escentual website where it is currently on offer for £8.00 (rrp £12.00) 

Have you tried the La Roche-Posay Make-Up Remover Micellar Water Gel? Or like me do you love the brand and have any recommendations for me? Let me know in the comments. 

Thank you for reading, much love as always, 

Zoe