the style post | staple dress

dress - only@bank | shirt - h&m | necklace - primark

this dress has become a staple in my wardrobe since i bought it a couple of months ago. it's a simple grey marl skater dress with cap sleeves and an elastic pull-in on the waist. it's one of those pieces of clothes that you can do literally everything with!

over the winter, i've been wearing it with tights and jumpers over the top, and over summer i can't wait to wear it with my legs out and converse - it's so versatile!

at the minute in this awkward weather we're having i decided to put my lightweight denim shirt over the top. i got this a couple of years ago and think it's a great cover-up for dresses and playsuits and i'll be wearing it to death over summer. the only niggle i have to that it really rubs against my inner arm at my elbow when i roll the sleeves up, but hey ho fashion is pain!!

the lifestyle post | instagram catch-up

ootd | my hilarious usb stick | night out with sporty spice hair | pizza hut!!!

best pizza in existence | brand new cute egg cup | nude nails | thanks shakespeare for the nail counter

instagram: laurapratt_

the style post | summer days

joni high waisted jeans - topshop | lace crop top - h&m | gold necklace - h&m

so these are the items i bought when i went shopping at the trafford centre on sunday.
i only realised when i got home that i'd bought pretty much a whole outfit and it actually looks pretty damn nice together, what are the chances!
i've wanted a pair of the lighter joni jeans from topshop for ages - i have a pair of black ones which i wore to death over winter! these are perfect for spring/summer as they are much stretchier and are made of a lighter material than the black ones, so it couldn't have worked out any better!
the only thing i would say is that lighter jeans aren't as flattering as darker ones and i can really tell in these pictures that my hips look huge haha! embrace the pear laura, embrace it!
the top is so lovely - i usually hate crop tops and getting my belly out but think it works really well with the high waisted jeans as only a little belly is peeking out! it has a keyhole back and will be a staple in my summer wardrobe. i think it will also look really lovely with my pom-pom shorts on nights out!

the beauty post | MUA Undress Me Too palette

MUA Undress Me Too - £4

today i'm reviewing the MUA 'undress me too' eyeshadow palette. i've heard a lot of people saying that it's a dupe for the naked palettes by urban decay, but for a fraction of the price.

now i'll be honest - i've never tried out the naked palettes, i've always wanted to but can never justify spending more than £30 on some eyeshadow - i love makeup but not that much! so when i heard about the dupe story, i thought it was definitely worth trying out the MUA palette. 

it has 12 shades in, all with names that remind me of those in the naked palettes and all of the same colours. there are 4 matte shades and 8 shimmered, which i personally prefer as the colour of a shimmery eyeshadow is generally more intense. 

there's a wide range of nude/metal colours ranging from copper, silver, gunmetal and gold.

as you can see from the swatches below they do have a really good colour pay-off to say the whole palette only costs £4. however, i would say you need to use a primer underneath as they are cheaper so don't last as long or are as pigmented. 

but for £4 you really can't go wrong with this palette and i would definitely recommend it - i use it pretty much every day now!

here i just showed my usual daytime look.

i applied naked all over the lid with a bit of lavish in the crease. i then went over it with fiery to add a bit of shimmer and then used shy on the browbone and tear duct to highlight. 

definitely my go-to daytime eyewear!

here is a night-time look i created as well - i applied reveal all over the lid as a base, and then heavily applied devotion to the inside of the eye, and fiery to the outside and then blended them together. i then brought it under the eye as well under the lower lashes. i applied a tiny bit of obsessed to the outside 'v' to for definition and there you go!

finally, here's a sneak peek of a few new things i bought when i went shopping at the weekend - there will hopefully be an ootd post up on friday including them all so keep an eye out!

the style post | no frills

shirt - asos | pom pom shorts - asos | necklace  - primark | lips: rimmel apocolips - luna

just showing my most recent purchases from asos! i went on looking in the sale, but found myself buying two things that weren't even in the sale! typical! when i put this on, it does remind me slightly of the clothes i wore to college but i really love all the extra detailing that both the shirt and shorts have.
the shirt isn't overly-sheer (thank god - pet hate!) and is loose fitting, so looks lovely tucked in to shirts/skirts/jeans/literally everything. the website says it has 'bubble-hem' sleeves, which i don't think is really the case, as you can tell from the pictures that the sleeves aren't huge or poking out - they just have double material on them that doesn't really offer any extra effects and was pretty pointless in my opinion. but anyway! i have wanted just a plain white shirt for aaages, i have thousands of them in my wardrobe but shockingly, not a white one. this is slightly cream in colour, but i'm not too fussed.
the shorts are so lovely! sadly, my crappy camera skills don't show them off enough so definitely go check them out on the website to do them justice. they have little pom poms all the way around the bottom of the shorts, and i think that little detail will look so nice when i wear them without shorts (damn you cold weather!). i'm not really a shorts kinda girl (camel toe anyone?! didn't think so!) but these definitely made the cut for me!
the necklace is just something to make the outfit that bit more exciting and not as school-like, and was a bargain at £4 from primark.
hope you like!

the lifestyle post | instagram catch-up

watching harry potter 7 | fudgey robbing my spot! | wavy fringe | new primark bedding

bling accessorising | love-in with the cat | summer raf ball | coffee o'clock

i absolutely love instagram - hello flawless skin etc.! - so have decided to make this a regular thing on my blog, just a catch up and way to remind me what i did with my week! i also have dry spells when i don't use instagram at all so doing this will urge me to use it more often.
on another note i went out last night in a spur of the moment thing with a few friends. i had a lovely time but ohmygosh am i feeling it now! i started work at half 7 this morning and i'm just sat here drinking my body weight in water!
definitely burning the candle at both ends, as they say!
hope you enjoy having a peek into my life every now and again! :-)
instagram: laurapratt_

the style post | floral dress

floral dress - love label@very // blazer - primark // black and gold belt - primark

floral socks - topshop // boots - new look

wearing such short dresses make my legs look so long!
i wore this outfit the other week to work, it's an outfit that i turn to in times of need - dress and blazer, boots and go! it's one of those outfits that you don't even have to think about, so effortless and yet put together which you can't complain about.
i got the dress a couple of years ago from my label obsession (and best kept secret) love label. you can order it online from either littlewoods or very and i am addicted to their clothes - all completely stylish but i can guarantee you never see anyone in the same piece of clothing as you!
the blazer is just lovely, a nice old peach colour from the stunning primark, great quality - lined, warm, cosy - and all for £7 - yep you read that right SEVEN ENGLISH POUNDS! it said £15 on the pricetag but the till never lies.. primark do that a lot with pricing, always being cheaper when you buy it, not that we're complaining.
the boots are so old and knackered that i really do need to throw them away and replace them but i haven't found any that i love yet! if anyone know where you can get a lovely pair of brown boots please let me know, desperate for some new ones! i had to pop on these socks from topshop as the boots have holes in so my tootsies get all cold, so needed an extra layer.

i seriously hate this wallpaper and carpet set-up i've got on my photos at the minute, but can't do anything until we get new doors in at home and then i can be back in my own room with a nice background! sorry for the tackiness of my photos, i can't apologise enough!

hope you're well,

the beauty post | everyday make up

clockwise from left | barry m liquid eyeliner - black | benefit primpcess kit | collection lasting perfection concealer - light | bare minerals all-over face colour - rose radiance | body shop extra virgin minerals powder - golden vanilla | max factor clump defy mascara - black | maybelline dream fresh bb cream - light | kate moss for rimmel lipstick - 107 | nivea express hydration primer | urban decay 24/7 eyeliner - zero

jumper - topshop | pinafore playsuit - topshop | necklace - primark

hi guys!

decided to do an everyday make up post on what i wear day to day. i sometimes mix it up by changing the lip colour or adding some eyeshadow but the base and eyeliner never changes for me! here we go..

1) i begin by applying a light base of the nivea express hydration primer, which is amazing on my skin! it doesn't clog my pores, or make my skin feel greasy but just settles into the skin in a couple of seconds to smooth the skin and make any make up i apply last longer throughout the day. 

2) i then take my maybelline dream fresh bb cream (if i need extra coverage - sometimes i skip this step) and apply a light layer all over my face using my fingers. i used to use a brush to do this but i couldn't be bothered having to constantly clean it and my fingers don't do a bad job anyway so why not! this bb cream is pretty good, its nothing to write home about and does it's job, but is not the favourite bb cream i have ever used. it's pretty sheer and can sometimes end up feeling cakey by the end of the day but i'm just trying to use it up before i open a new one!

3) next is concealer - collection lasting perfection concealer is a blogosphere must-have and i have fallen for the hype - it offers a heavy coverage which is great for those pesky under-eye bags! i've even heard a few people say that they think it is better than higher-end concealers like bobbi brown, so it must be pretty good. the only niggle i have is that mine is pretty orange in tone even though it is the second lightest colour - i might have to try out the other one instead as i HATE being orange! 

4) i then grab my body shop loose mineral powder and dust a light layer over my face with a bare minerals flawless face brush. i also take a fluffy eyeshadow brush (mac 227) and take the powder up under my eyes to stop the concealer from moving and creasing during the day. i've used this power for years and love the buildable coverage you can get from it - when i'm on holiday i just dust this on and am done for the day so it's definitely my go-to product!

5) next, i sort my brows out. in the benefit primpcess kit there is a dark brown shade which i run through my brows with an angled brush. my eyebrows are pretty sparse towards the end so i sometimes put a little eyeshadow primer through them so the eyeshadow can cling better and last longer. i usually use the primer on nights out or when i want bolder brows.

6) i then do my eyes - i hate doing my eyes as it's so fiddly and i always do it wrong! i grab my barry m liquid eyeliner and draw a line along my top lashes. the thickness of this line depends on how badly my hand shakes - if i'm shaky it can become pretty thick! i always love when people flick their eyeliner out but after years of trying i have come to accept that i cannot do this at all! sob!

7) i then take the urban decay 24/7 kohl eyeliner and use this along my top water line to make sure there is no skin poking out between the liquid liner and kohl, as this always annoys me! this eyeliner is so amazing, when i take my make up off at night it always sticks on and is so long lasting and doesn't move around during the day. as you can see from the picture it's pretty darn used up and running out fast!

8) i then use my max factor clump defy mascara on my top lashes, using a couple of coats. this mascara isn't bad, i only got it because it was on offer and cheaper than my usual mascara. it does what it says on the tin - i have no clumps and it lengthens my lashes incredibly but offers no volume. i understand this as it doesn't promise to do it - but on nights out it means i use a volumizing mascara as well as this one. i can't complain about this mascara though, it is pretty good!

9) if i can be bothered i dust on some of the bare minerals all-over face colour which is in rose radiance, and is a shimmery pink blusher. i use it on the apples of my cheeks if i do use it which is not often. i can never be bothered to blush or bronze my face as i feel it is unnecessary in day-to-day life but have recently been wanting to use bronzer on nights out. i really want to start contouring as youtubers and bloggers alike always look much better put together when they do this extra step. i might have to invest in the sleek contour duo kit at some point in the near future!

10) finally, i do my lips. i usually just put a slick of lipbalm on if i have a busy day so i don't have to constantly worry about my lipstick and if its still in place etc. however, today i decided to put on the kate moss for rimmel matte lipstick in 107 which is a lovely berry shade. i just dotted it on for a slight hint of colour rather than going straight from the bullet and making the shade extremely dark, just so it was more wearable for during the day.

and that's my usual make up routine! sometimes i skip steps or add steps in but the layout above is my general routine. 

hope you enjoyed reading and looking at my awfully large pictures of my surly face!

the generic awkward first post

hello there blogosphere!
first post on my brand-spanking-new blog, i could almost shed a tear..
i actually almost did seen as i have spent the bext part of an hour or two sorting out my blog layout and header - it's not the best but i'm sure it will do for now.
i decided to start writing a blog to fill out the cliche of literally almost every blogger - the teenage/20-something student studying journalism and wanting somewhere to write her own stuff without being marked or controlled!

so basically, this is just a platform for me to write about anything i want - mostly fashion, beauty and lifestyle hopefully (the cliches keep coming thick and fast!) with reviews, hauls and all that shizzle.

a bit about me.. i'm 19 (nearly 20!) and studying journalism and english literature. i have two cats who will definitely probably crop up on here every now and again (if you went near my facebook or instagram you'd recognise pretty quickly how much of a cat lady i am) and am living up in the north west of england where the weather is shit making me live in tights and trousers 99% of the time!

if you fancy please leave your blogs below so i can go follow you lovely people and all that jazz, i look forward to meeting/chatting/socialising with you all!