London Fashion Week Favourites

London Fashion Week is truly one of the most exciting times of the year for those with a love for the industry, myself definitely being included. I love watching live runways, following the hashtags on social media and being as involved as I can from the comfort of my own home.
This fashion week has definitely been one of my favourites, solely because it is much more inclusive and representative than in recent years. The runways seem to be a lot more diverse, which for me, makes the whole experience a lot more fun and engaging. I love seeing influential industries represent their audiences and society overall (it’s about time, quite frankly) and I feel that inclusivity is something that has been done well this year.
I love the trends that I've seen and the mix of materials and patterns this year, so I wanted to collate all of my favourite looks from London Fashion Week together in a blog post for you all.

Ashish

Ashish Gupta is definitely one of my favourite designers and his shows are something I look forward to every single fashion week. They are always fun and quirky; whether he has models skateboarding down the catwalk or partaking in a 70s inspired disco theme for this show, they never fail to entertain and this season was no different. I really loved the street market vibe, made up with Persian rugs and plastic bags; it looked really authentic and was something pleasantly different. In regards to the clothing, my favourite for this season was this glittered rainbow two-piece; it’s very in-line with his usual colourful collections, but something somewhat more wearable yet still fun.
Side note: Ashish’s shows were incredibly inclusive and diverse before it became a trend; his Indian culture is not something he shys away from along with representing minorities. He recently said in an interview for the BBC “when you get on a train you don't just see 6ft tall white girls. You see mixes of all people” and that statement alone is so poignant and just reflects why I’m such a huge fan of this designer.

Erdem

My next favourites were those by Erdem Moralıoğlu; his collection for this season were as beautiful as ever and I adore his use of floral patterns, ruffles and classic silhouettes. I couldn’t pick just one favourite from his show at London Fashion Week, so I had to include three! Each one has something really unique about it, whether it’s the soft playfulness of the pink, the vamp feel of the burgundy and lace or the class and confidence of the statement blazer. Everything about these three looks is stunning and each item truly emulates timeless grace and class.

Bora Aksu

This dress from Bora Aksu’s fashion week show really caught my eye as, again, the materials, ruffles and monochromatic colours make a really classy and on trend look. I like how it’s flamboyant yet somewhat understated at the same time which is a difficult combination to create, and overall, this is a beautiful dress from an equally beautiful collection by Bora.

Alice Archer

Staying on trend with the delicate florals, this two-piece is so effortless and something I could even see myself wearing. It’s giving me Japanese or kimono style vibes, whilst still looking business like and put together, particularly in regards to the blazer. The purple and blue toned colour palette is very pleasing too.

ON | OFF

It’s a sis! I really do love seeing my sisters doing so well and being represented on big platforms like Fashion Week, it warms my soul. Lee Lapthorne's brand, names On|Off, isn’t one that I’d heard of previously but I really like what I saw from this collection and I love how this show really showcased diversity with its models. On to the clothing, this casual look is also really effortless and honestly looks really comfy, and the gold colour of this jumper and jogging bottoms is to die for.

Isa Arfen

These. Jeans. I picked this look as one of my favourites as it’s something simple and wearable, it’s somewhat similar to my personal style and I like how each item contrasts with the other. In particular, the bow-style belt is adorable and again, the jeans have won me over completely. Serafina Sama, the founder of Isa Arfen, said on her website that “To me fashion is about desire, beauty and fun. It’s not about dressing up in a costume. Isa Arfen is about a real woman dressing for her real life and really enjoying it”, and this is idea is easy to see in this easy look.

Teatum Jones

This entire collection was one of my favourites from Fashion Week, with every single item on this runway following trend yet looking timeless and wearable. This look is definitely something that I will be copying (on a much lower budget, unfortunately) as it’s modest, fun and a perfect combination for inbetween seasons. According to fashionweekonline.com, these looks from the final section of the show were meant to symbolise hope due to the light colour palette, and I think that concept is very sweet and worth the quick mention!

House of Holland

This sporty look by Henry Holland was right up my street as I love the current trend of wearable sportswear and this look, in particular, was made even better through the use of accessories like the statement clutch and bold earrings. Henry Holland is another designer that I’ve always followed and enjoyed, and I fondly remember buying the House of Holland press on nails from Boots when I was younger and feeling so cool.

Burberry

Last but not least, I had to mention Burberry as it is such an iconic brand and the colourful spin to its collections this Fashion Week is something that was pleasantly surprising. This dress in particular, ties in my favourite floral trend, plus, I like the smart collar and use of mesh, too.

So, those were my Fashion Week Favourites! I really do hope and pray that one day, I get to attend these shows and be a part of London Fashion Week for real, but here’s to dreaming! I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I did and I pray that you’re all having a great week!

(All images were from London Fashion Week on Google / IMAXTREE.com )

My favourite lippies

Hello all! I hope you’re all doing well and are having a lovely week so far.
Today, I wanted to tell you all about my favourite lip products that I’ve been wearing non-stop over the past few months. I do love my lippies, as all my friends know, so I thought I’d collate all my must-haves into a little blog post for you all.

Mac Lipstick in ‘Kinda Sexy’ - £17.50

This Mac lipstick is such a gorgeous, peachy colour that I love to wear when I have more of a fresh faced look going on or if I want something a little bit different to my regular, skin toned nude. Again, it’s a lovely peachy pink that I find really flattering on me and it’s a more of creamier, sheeny finish which is a nice change from my usual mattes but does make it a little less long-wearing.

MUA Matte Lipstick in ‘Fawn Fancy’ - £1

This lipstick is definitely one of my all-time favourites. It’s got such a nice, soft matte finish and the colour is something along the lines of a warm browney nude (if that makes any sense!). The fact that it’s only £1 too pleases me a lot, BUTTTTTT when I went into Superdrug to pick this up again recently, I couldn’t find it and one of the employees said that they’re discontinuing this shade. I’m not sure how I’m going to recover from this loss, to be quite honest, but I’m just planning on making the most of the time that we have left together.

NYX Butter Gloss in ‘Madeline’ - £6

This is another one of my ride of die lippies that I’ve been wearing pretty much every time I wear makeup. It’s a gorgeous warm muted pink colour that is great for everyday and the formula of this gloss is so good. It’s really moisturising and non-sticky, very comparable to the Kylie Jenner’s glosses that I’ve tried, and it gives such a high shine/wet look finish that everyone is obsessed with at the moment, including me. Oh, and it smells like vanilla too!

Revlon Colorstay Ultra HD Matte Lip Colour in 'Forever' - £6.99

This shade is a gorgeous 'your lips but better' colour that I bought to wear as a natural, every day liquid lipstick. It's a really moisturising formula and it applies well, but my only hang up with this liquid lipstick is that it doesn't completely dry down and isn't very long lasting which defeats the purpose of a matte lipstick for me. However, it has an absolutely divine scent, something along the lines of cupcake or sweets, and it is a really gorgeous and natural looking colour on me. Plus, it's on sale from £8.99 at the moment on the Superdrug website!

Make Up Forever Aqua Lip Liner in 5C - £14

This liner is a little more pricey and was definitely an impulse purchase that I questioned myself about later, but, it’s a lovely long-wearing darker brown colour that I wear really frequently. It lasts really well and the shade is great for when I want something a little bit darker and bolder. I really like pairing it with the NYX gloss, too; I line my lips then blend the liner out then apply the gloss on top. It gives me cool 90s vibes and I was definitely inspired by Alice T on who wears a similar look a lot on her Instagram.

MUA Lip Liner in ‘Red Drama’ - £1

Another MUA lippie that I cannot get enough of is this true red liner. I bought it as the one I was already wearing that day was way too pink and smudgy so this liner was a great alternative. Liners are a great option for longer lasting colour and a truly matte finish that doesn’t budge. This one is my go-to red at the moment as it’s really vibrant and classic looking, it lasts so so well and I feel really confident any time I wear it. And again, £1?! 

Finally, I thought I'd mention my favourite lip balm too which is this vanilla and macadamia lip butter from Nivea. It’s super thick and moisturising, and I wear it day and night to help keep my lips super soft. Before I start my makeup, I gently exfoliate my lips with a towel or washcloth then apply this lip butter on top so my lips are smooth and ready for whatever colour I’m wearing that day. It’s a great product and it smells divine too!

I hope you liked this post, please let me know what else you’d like to see from me and I hope you all have a great day!

The Ordinary Coverage Foundation Review

Hello all!

I hope you're all doing amazingly and welcome back to my blog, today I'm going to be writing a review on The Ordinary's Coverage Foundation. A lot of people have been raving about this product, with one of the main selling points being the affordable price of £5.95! I bloody love a bargain myself, so I felt the need to get my hands on it and long story short; I have a lot of feelings about this foundation, so I thought I'd share them all with you in a long overdue blog post.

So, just for reference, I have a combination skin type as I get quite oily throughout the day but I'm also prone to dry patches, I struggle with a fair bit of acne and acne scarring so I like to have that covered up as much as I can and I have a light to medium skin tone, so roughly an NC35 in Mac. This is why I felt that this foundation might be a good one for me as it's supposed to be full coverage, it's made by a skincare brand which I assumed means it won't badly affect my skin and they have a pretty decent shade range too. I picked up shade 2.0YG, which is defined as a light medium with yellow-gold undertones and again, I had high hopes for the shade, but I do feel like it's a little off. When I first apply it, it looks like a good match apart from it being somewhat light for me but when it dries down, I feel like it becomes a lot more neutral toned which results in ash city for me.

Excuse my fluffy cheetah pjyamas, he he

Unblended, more yellow

Blended, much more neutral

In regards to the finish, I'd say it's skin-like, semi matte and a medium coverage. It is definitely buildable but it can tend to become a bit cakey when I do so, so I definitely have to use concealer and powder when I wear this foundation. It also clinfgs to my drier areas around mouth and any spots I've got straightaway, which ain't a good look because I hate attention being drawn to those areas.

Prepped skin - one layer - two layers

The way this foundation wears throughout the day is the main problem I have with it. On most of my face, it actually wears quite nicely (not anything to write home about, though) but around my mouth, it separates and cakes up significantly along with clinging to dry patches I've got. This becomes especially noticeable when I wear it for around 6 hours, which I feel is an average time to be wearing a foundation in reality, and the finish became so messed up that even other people began to notice..... I know.
I'll still wear it because I don't terribly mind the foundation and I do want to use it up, but not for more than a couple of hours, but prior to this it is a nice foundation. And before you ask, I've tried to bake and set this and it still ends up separating. It's just strange as I've never had a foundation do that before, you may not be able to notice what I mean as well on the picture I've taken but overall, it just ain't a great look for me especially because I have problematic skin anyway.

So overall, this foundation is nice for a few hours wear as it has a skin-like finish and decent coverage but I feel that it would probably work well for those with skin in better condition than mine. So at the moment, it's a no from me. 6/10. Try again next time.

Thank you for reading, I hope you liked this review or found it somewhat helpful and have an amazing February!