Ahoy There.

I was a little naughty last week and purchased the Oasis Anchor Print Shirt... and I'm so glad I did.

You might remember I'm a smidge obsessed with the nautical trend... I have a thing for stripes, embossed buttons and anchor print... you could say I go a little overboard with it... geddit?!

No? Okay...

Anyway, I first spotted this shirt on Mollie King and was pretty quick to decide that it had to be mine.

It comes in at £38.00, which (personally) I think is a little pricey for what it is... although it can be worn both casually and in a professional environment. That's how I justified it anyway, feel free to use that one.
Alternatively you can dress it up with accessories to create a chic little outfit for a night on the tiles... which is what I did, and I paired it with Mango white skinny jeans, a statement necklace and ridiculous heels (standard).

I'm looking forward to wearing this little number in the summer with a pair of denim cut-offs and platform wedges... it's such a good piece to have in your wardrobe, so I suggest you set sail for Oasis pronto.

Sorry, couldn't resist...

Jones Bootmaker Greet Ballet Pumps.

As you may already know, when I'm not writing on here, I'm actually a medical student, and spend most of the working week in hospital...

Hours on my feet and running up and down stairs means I go through flat shoes like there is no tomorrow... and within a couple of months of purchase, they get thrown away and replaced by another price-friendly pair.

My mum decided enough was enough, and it was time to get me a sensible pair of shoes... her argument being that spending a little more in the short-term on a pair of well-made shoes would be better in the long run, as I wouldn't be binning them and replacing them with another pair. Naturally, I was happy to oblige.

Our first (and last) port-of-call on the sensible shoe hunt: Jones Bootmaker.

I spotted the Greet Ballet Pumps straight away, and it was love at first sight... to the point where I walked out of the shop with them in my hand ten minutes later.

These gorgeous black suede pumps are so unbelievably chic... I like to think they're something Blair Waldorf would wear thanks to the gold-trimmed bow detailing. They're incredibly sturdy and well-made, and, best of all, are currently half-price in the sale.

I was given a plaque for my birthday a few years ago which reads , "If the shoe fits, buy them in every colour." so, obviously, I've now got my eyes on the green pair... which my mum ended up buying - shame we're not the same shoe size...

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Date Night Makeup.

Date makeup is one of those things it is oh so easy to get wrong.

It's one of those times a girl will suddenly decide it's a great opportunity to try out something completely different with their makeup, but my philosophy is to play it safe and stick to what you know looks good on you... after all, you're wanting to look your absolute best on a date!

... so I thought I'd share what I think is a perfect date night makeup look... with dewy, fresh skin, shimmery golden eye (complete with feline flick, naturally) and a pop of sheer pink lipstick.

I've specifically created this look to require no thought once it's been put on ... dates are nerve-wracking as it is, and the last thing you should be wondering about is what your makeup is doing!

First up is skin.

Make sure you prepare your skin properly and apply a good amount of moisturiser, leaving it to sink in for five or ten minutes before moving onto your foundation... speaking of which...

You want your skin to look like skin, not like skin covered in foundation. 

I opted for the lovely Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation and applied it using the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush to really buff the product into my skin. This foundation has medium coverage, so if (like me) you still have a few little flaws you need to hide, touch them up with a light bit of concealing - I love the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer.

It's worth taking your time over your base to make sure you've concealed everything you need to, and also to double check it's all been blended in properly. Bad blending is an easy giveaway to all your hard work (and yes, even a clueless boy will probably notice it) so make sure you take time over your foundation and concealer!

I then dusted my very well-loved NARS Casino Bronzing Powder over my temples, nose and jawline - I didn't contour my face in any way, as I think it can look a little harsh... date makeup should be kept soft and pretty, so I'd think twice before aiming for Kim Kardashian's razor sharp cheekbones on this occasion...

I then moved onto another very well-loved product  - the Daniel Sandler Watercolour Blush in the shade Spicey (a beautiful shimmery peach-pink) which I applied with a Real Techniques Stippling Brush over the apples of my cheeks... if you'd like to see exactly how I put it on, watch my Everyday Makeup Tutorial.

To finish off the dewy skin, I added a dusting of the Soap & Glory Glow All Out Luminizing Radiance Face Powder over the high points of my face.

Next up, a sultry, shimmery feline eye...

I prepped my eyelids with the NARS Pro Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base and then used The Body Shop Shimmer Cubes in 06 Warm. I took the copper-gold colour (bottom row, left) and pressed it onto the lids with my ring finger for a more intense 'pop' of shimmer, followed by the lightest pink-gold shade (bottom row, right) which I applied to the inner corner.

I lined my waterline with L'Oréal Paris Infallible Eyeliner in Chocolate Addiction for some subtle definition - I would steer clear of black eyeliner in the waterline as it's far too heavy for this look! Instead opt for a brown shade for a soft but defined eye.

I traced on some winged liner with the L'Oréal Paris Perfect Slim Super Liner in Intense Black* - this is my new favourite liquid liner, with an ultra fine nib to make it super easy to draw a precise, neat feline flick... the formula is also really pigmented and lasts all day long.

If you're not too confident with applying liquid liner, you can use a black gel liner at the base of the upper lashes instead... don't worry about applying it too neatly, as you can smudge the line out a little with a cotton bud for a soft, smudgy look.

I then curled my lashes and applied several coats of L'Oréal Paris Volume Million Lashes Excess Mascara in Black - if you like false lashes, feel free to add those in at this point... I would probably opt for individual lashes like these if I weren't completely useless at applying them.
If you are similarly cack-handed, just apply lots and lots of lengthening mascara for full, fluttery lashes.

My brows were lightly filled with a matte dark brown powder, followed by a quick comb-through with Maybelline Brow Drama to set and define my brows.

Last up: lips.

Boys don't really tend to like the whole brightly-coloured lip thang us girls love so much... plus lots of lip colour = lots of having to run to the bathroom retouch it... your date might start to think you're a bit strange.

... so it's probably safer to just opt for a sheer wash of colour rather than something loud and overpowering.

The L'Oréal Paris Rouge Caresse Lipsticks are a lovely hybrid of lipstick, 'gloss and balm, and I love the shade Rock 'N Mauve for a fresh-looking pink lip.

And hey presto, you're all set for date night! 

And when it comes to the actual date don't forget to accessorize all that beautiful makeup with a big ol' smile...

*PR Sample

The NARS Repurchases.

From the super pigmented blushes, to the bevvy of beautiful bases, NARS always packs a punch in the beauty blogger world.... without a doubt, it's my favourite makeup brand, and I'm yet to have tried a product from their range that has failed to deliver.

There are a couple of NARS products that I've repurchased on numerous occasions, so today I thought I'd share them with you. If you're yet to try out a product from the brand, these would be a great place to start...

NARS Orgasm Blush (£22.50) was the first product I purchased from the brand over two and a half years ago.... I own a couple of other blushes and bronzers from the range, but this one remains my favourite, and for good reason. This is a peachy-pink blush with fine flecks of golden shimmer running through it... this shimmer isn't chunky in the slightest, and creates a golden 'sheen' to the cheeks leaving a beautiful, radiant finish. I can completely understand why this is such a popular blush, as I've seen it suit so many different skin tones, with celebrity fans including Kim Kardashian, Beyoncé and Zooey Deschanel... hopefully this illustrates the versatility of this gorgeous blusher!

 The NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer (£22.00) is a very recent repurchase... in fact, my second tube had just dropped through the postbox when I took the photos for this post! You may remember I posted a review back in September of last year where I declared my love for this wonderful product. It blends to a skin-like finish, can be layered up easily to cover the most offensive of blemishes and has (quite possibly) the most extensive shade range I've ever seen for a concealer (for reference, my shade is Medium 2, Ginger). A dream product... no concealer has ever come close to this one.

NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer (£29.00) was one of the first product reviews I ever posted on this blog (click here if you'd like a reminder: pre-warning, it is a cringey read), and 18 months on, it's still rattling around in my makeup bag. I use this as an daily base in the summer, and you can see how I use it in My Everyday Makeup Tutorial. Much like the Pure Radiant Concealer, it has a great shade range (my shade is Cuba) and surprisingly good coverage for a tinted moisturiser.

My final product pick is the NARS Pro Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base (£19.50)... a product I first mentioned in my July 2013 Favourites. I was a little sceptical about using a primer on my 'lids until I tried this and realised how much of a difference it has made to the longevity of my eye makeup. If you wear eyeshadows on a daily basis, try this.... you won't regret it.

Heck, you won't regret trying any of these NARS products out.

No7 Beautiful Skin Melting Gel Cleanser.

Confession time: my new cleansing love, the No7 Beautiful Skin Melting Gel Cleanser, was actually a bit of an accidental discovery.

I ran out of my usual Nivea Refreshing Facial Wash Gel when I went home for a post-exam break a couple of weeks ago... which led to me having a rifle through my mother's skincare stash. At the time I wasn't particularly fussed what I used on my face, as long as it got my warpaint makeup off and left my skin clean...

I squeezed a bit of product out of the tube... and the rest was history. The Beautiful Skin Melting Gel Cleanser is, hands down, one of the best bits of skincare I've used in a very long time...

In my opinion, it's basically the Emma Hardie Amazing Face Moringa Cleansing Balm in a tube ... and minus that ridonkulous price-tag too, might I add. Priced at a purse-friendly £9.50, it's not going to bankrupt you... and seeing as there's usually an offer of some sort on at No7, be it a £5 off voucher or 3-for-2, you're winning.

The product is a rather lovely hybrid of a gel and balm, and is applied directly to the made-up, dry face. The warmth from the fingers transforms it into a luxurious, sweet-smelling oil, which quite literally melts makeup off the skin. After a little facial massage, remove with a damp muslin cloth and you'll be left with baby-soft, cleansed skin. The formula contains natural rosehip and almond oils, which mean your skin is moisturised rather than tight and dry, and it does this without leaving a tacky, sticky residue.

Although this is targeted at Normal-Dry skin,  I've found it to work an absolute treat on my oily complexion... and all without causing me to break out. From personal experience, I know the temptation with oily and combination is to "dry it out," but I've worked out over the years that incorporating balms and gels (much like this one) as well as pure, natural oils (I'm lookin' at you here, Trilogy Rosehip Oil) into an oily skincare routine can work wonders for this skin type... and actually work to balance out unruly skin rather than aggravate it.

I can't rely convey just how much I recommend this cleanser... and if my review doesn't convince you, how about telling you that a fellow fan of this product is Nicole Scherzinger... yeah, thought that might sway a couple of ya.

No7 Beautiful Skin Melting Gel Cleanser is priced at £9.50 and available at Boots.