The Autumn Wardrobe Lust List

1.| 2.| 3.| 4.| 5.| 6.| 7.| 8.| 9. 

1. I for one never need an excuse to buy new shoes. I saw the Zara Suede Platform Sandal on their website and obviously, I need them. Obviously. Although I can see myself wearing heeled shoe boots this Autumn, I think these may be a sweet little alternative for an evening out. I especially adore the ankle strap detail.

2.The Zara Leather City Bag has a sort of Celine vibe to it. Not as beautiful of course, but the colour is what drew me in. I can see myself wearing alot of purple/oxblood/burgundy over the coming months, and this bag is just delish. 

3. Every Autumn I go for a new jacket/coat, something a little bit lighter than a full on Winter wool coat. The Topshop Soft Black Trench would fit very snugly into my Autumn wardrobe, and I can see myself wearing this alot. I wear black quite a bit already, but this would go with everything.

4. I usually leave white coloured ensembles and accessories at the door when we transition into Autumn, but these Miu Miu Hexagonal Acetate Sunglasses just called to me when I saw them. I love the shape too, and they would add a bit of interest and freshness to an otherwise dreary coloured Autumn outfit. 

5. Everyone and their mother seem to be jumping on the cut out boot bandwagon. And I love them. The New Look Black Cross Strap Cut Out Boots are the nicest ones I've seen so far, and one of the more pocket friendly pairs too. 

6. In my fantasy 'capsule' Autumn wardrobe, these Topshop Burgundy Tailored Turn Up Trouser would be a definite addition. I love the tailored and modern detail of these, they look quite polished and perfect. 

 7. Continuing with the burgundy accessories theme, the River Island Purple Contrast Fedora also tops the list. I've tried this on numerous times trying to convince myself that the Fedora style does in fact suit me, it's so feminine and pretty. 

8. This Topshop Horus Crop top by Sister Jane isn't exactly Autumn inspired, but I adore the little jewels and Egyptian inspired details on it. 

9. I have lusted after a faux fur collar for ages, and never really found one that ticked all the boxes. This Ted Baker Faux Fur Collar however, ticks all the boxes. In reality it's actually quite large, which means cosy and snug. It comes in a nudey beige too, but I think the black would look better with my hair. :)

What are you lusting after this Autumn?

x

The Pretty Pink Lip and Blush Combo

MAC Lipstick in Creme Cup - €17.50/£15 | Illamasqua Powder Blush in Katie - €23/£18 

I don't usually do 'matchy matchy' with my lips and cheeks, but a soft pink on both can look gentle, subtle and effortless. MAC's Creme Cup is a soft cremesheen pink, a very wearable and feminine pink. I love the cremesheen finish on MAC lipsticks, and although I have a multitude of soft candy pinks in my collection, I tend to reach for this alot. I find it is similar to Hue and Patisserie in colour but has a bit more pigment due to it's finish, and seems more substantial on the lips as a result.

I pair this with MAC blushes Dainty and Mocha quite regularly, but I love it with Katie, a soft powder blush by Illamasqua. I adore Illamasqua blushes. They are so pigmented and quite large in the pan, so they most definitely last a long time. Katie is a soft candy baby pink, but comes across more candy like in the pan, and more of a flushed pink colour once applied to the cheek.

Combined, it is quite an effortless and minimal look, providing a bit of colour without going overboard. 

Are there any combinations of products you reach for regularly?

x

The Topshop Printed Trouser.

Trousers - Topshop

Cami - Topshop

My bottom half is definitely not one of my best features. My short stature adds a bit of a hindrance in deciding what to wear from time to time. Skirts and dresses alike need to be the precise length in order to accentuate and emphasise. 

Printed trousers, are usually, for me anyway, a definite no-no. I never really saw the appeal. However, like many Geminis, the decisiveness got the better of me, and I saw these trousers in Topshop and immediately decided that they were for me. 

Incidentally, the pictures do them no justice really, as my bended leg fails to deliver the flattery these trousers actually give. (For a a better-postured picture, have a look on my Instagram here.)

I wore these, very bravely and apprehensively might I add, to a Michelin starred dinner. Dressing for a fine dining meal is daunting enough on it's own, without debuting a new ensemble for the first time in the process. It may not have been the classiest choice, as I felt the teeniest bit of self-consciousness at the fact that this outfit may be a bit 'young'. I bought these for a trip away, and figured that if I didn't wear them, it would have been a complete waste. So I slapped them on and headed to my dinner. 

They are high waisted, but they aren't entirely fitted; they droop a bit on the bum, thigh and hip area, and provide a more bootleg style than skinny style on the leg hem. In other words, they're a bit on the loose side. Now this isn't because I bought a size too big, because they're a perfect fit on the waist, but it may be because of my awkward leg shape as previously mentioned.

I had to wear these with heels because flats would have a) made it casual and not very appropriate and b) abbreviated the length of my leg further. The pattern of these trousers is more summery that Autumn, but the monochrome detail adds a darker factor.

Overall I quite like the simplicity of these trousers, but at the same time they exhibit a somewhat intricate and more ornate characteristic. I would definitely try to dress these up more than down, limiting my wear of them to nights out.

In other news, I got my hair 'done', which basically meant a full head of highlights for me, but my roots are still slightly visible in the right  wrong light. I also braved it and opted for a middle parting, which on some days makes me look like a Hanson brother, but looks semi-ok when I whip out the Babyliss Big Hair Styler to try and achieve a more polished look. But I'm getting used to it. :)

What do you think of the printed trouser?

x

The Little White Dress.

Dress - Love Clothing via Asos

Shoes - H&M

Necklace - Second Female

In the summer it's all about little dresses for me. Light, floaty and bright, it's safe to say I pretty have a dress in nearly every colour. And when it's hot, I adore wearing white. 

This little Asos number has seen it's fair share of wear the past few weeks with all the warm weather we've been having, it's one of those staples that I always come back to, and that I love wearing. It's fabric makes it so light and wearable in warm weather, and the colour is just so clean and fresh. It's the simplicity of this dress that I love. No faffing with pattern or embellishment, it is what it is. 

 It's main negative characteristic is that the neckline fabric droops a bit too much for my liking so it either has to be pinned or belted to avoid exposing oneself. That minor detail aside, the only other qualm I have with this dress is that it creases like a bitch. A bit of last minute ironing never killed anyone, but when I'm rumbling for something to wear, alot of the time this staple white dress comes to mind and I tend to groan with displeasure because I know it most probably has to be ironed a la minute. And then it will probably crease again five minutes later. But it's ok. My love for this dress cancels out nearly all unfavourable attributes I associate with it.

It's a staple. Simple, clean cut, fresh. I'm sold. I feel very dainty and feminine in it's floaty conformation.

I recently wore this on a meander up the mountains, (yes! I practically live in the mountains!), and despite it's light weight, when we strolled down at sunset I didn't feel a chill whatsoever. The fact that it's not strappy around the neckline makes it a more substantial dress, and feels more appropriate in chillier times of day. 

Unfortunately I can't see myself wearing tights with this dress in the Summer to Autumn transition, it's brightness just makes me feel like summer and I don't want to decimate it's summery nostalgia by incorporating it into my Winter wardrobe. Even though I love these types of dresses, I am getting very excited about the prospect of cosy nights in, woolly hats, leather boots and big furry Winter coats. :) 

 Hope you are all well!
 :)

The Sunday Face.

Sundays for most people involves relaxation and minimal effort. Makeup wise on sundays the opposite is true for me. It is pretty much the only day for me that I can go all out with liner and blush, because for every other day of the week, I can't really sport a full face. Shock.

Due to the environment I work in, it's both impractical and unrealistic to wear makeup, as well as a bit unhygienic. I'm a chef for those of you wondering. So for this reason my days off allow me to play around with and also rediscover makeup loves hidden away in my slightly neglected collection.

Ironically, yesterday was infact a relaxation and minimal effort kind of day. Park for a stroll in the market and a small family gathering. So I tended to keep it light and neutral colour wise and opting to wear nude hues on my lids and lips.

001. Illamasqua Powder Eyeshadow in Lestat - I paired this with the MUFE eye seal to create a thick, jet black liner and it stayed put all day. On it's own it's a deep matte charcoal shadow, very pigmented, and very long-lasting.

002. Make Up For Ever Eye Seal - A lovely little multipurpose product. I have a full review here.

003. Illamasqua Powder Blush in Tremble - A soft matte candy pink, highly pigmented so you only use a teeny amount.

004. Chanel Vitalumiere Powder Foundation - A relatively new addition to my collection, it's really starting to grow on me! It is light and provides relatively good coverage, recently reviewed here.

005. L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara in Carbon Black - A very pigmented black mascara, provides very good length, volume and curve.

006. MAC Strobe Cream - The perfect highlighting product. Used on the cheekbone, and sometimes even a tiny bit blended with moisturiser to give a subtle glow.

007. MAC Lipstick in Creme d'Nude - One of my favourite lipsticks, ever. Cremesheen finish, perfect nude hue.

008. NARS Bronzer in Laguna - The perfect bronzer for my skin tone.

009. Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer - My go-to concealer. I use two colours; #1. Light for under eye, and #2. Fair for blemishes.

010. Soap & Glory Archery Brow Tint and Pencil - My new staple brow product. Tint on one end, precision pencil on the other. Love.

Hope you all had nice weekend!

:) x

Chanel Vitalumiere Liquid and Powder Foundation

I had been meaning to purchase the Vitalumiere Aqua foundation for a while, I had heard marvelous things about the beautiful light consistency and dewy finish, and I eventually got around to using up my Smashbox 15Hour foundation and thought it was time for a new addition to the makeup family. I had a long and lengthy chat with the manager of the Chanel counter and found myself veering towards the original Vitalumiere foundation, turned off by the Aqua version's sheer lightness, as I favour a fuller coverage. She explained that the Aqua is pretty much a step up from a tinted moisturiser, and while I relish a 'barely there' face in the summer months, I figured if I was splashing nearly €50 for a foundation, I might as well go the whole hog. I have been let down by tinted moisturisers in the past, controversially, the Laura Mercier number being one of them, and when she mentioned it was not too dissimilar, I had my mind made up.

The foundation itself, which Chanel describes as having extracts to boosts cell energy to enhance radiance, and light-reflecting pigments to smooth away imperfections, is lighter is consistency that some foundations I've tried. It doesn't provide as much of a glowy finish as I would've liked, and it's longevity is mediocre. On the plus side, it blends very well, and it delivers on coverage. I was advised to wear the Vitalumiere Powder Foundation along with the liquid version, although I have found that the combination of liquid foundation and powder foundation is quite excessive and cakey. For me, its either or, and not together.

The powder foundation, is light and gives a soft matte finish to the skin, which unfortunately I am not really a fan of. Its consistency is sheer and natural on the skin and provides light coverage when used with the powder brush, and medium coverage when used with the sponge. It's also quite the handy little compact to carry around for touch ups. 

So for days where I want a fuller coverage, I'll opt for the liquid, with a swish of powder on the top, and for days when I'm not particularly bothered about a full face, I'll swipe on a light dusting of the powder foundation.

Overall, I will always choose a liquid foundation over it's powder counterpart, I can't help it. There is something about liquid that I love and will always come back to. I do like this foundation, although I am quite fussy when it comes to each component and aspect of a foundation, and this one ticks half the boxes.

Have you tried this foundation?

x

The LBZD - Little Black Zara Dress

There is something about summer sunshine that makes me want to get the legs out and throw on a light little number, and when I spotted this baby in Zara last week, I'll have to admit I was a bit skeptical at first. It was hidden beneath an assemblage of floaty tops and other bits that were dreary and non-appealing, but it's halter neckline is what drew me to it, even though at first glance it reminded me of the 90's. 

It is simple and delicate and light, and I figured it would be a perfect dress for a summer's day or evening. Hung loose and non belted, it swallows me, and although this look works for some, it made me feel frumpy and shapeless, and so I opted for a tan belt. 

The back is split and kind of unusual, and I like this little detail. The only downside is that you have to brave it and go bra-less, or wear one of those bras with the clear back strap. A halter bra with a clear back strap may I add. How complicated. So I braved it.

It is quite short, although it hangs a teeny bit lower at the back, almost in a drapy tunic like fashion. I can see myself breaking this out quite alot over the next few months!

Dress - Zara 

Belt - Therapy for HoF 

Necklace - Topshop

Earrings - H&M 

In other news, I am attempting to grow out my hair and embrace the middle parting look everyone seems to be hopping on. I've been using the L'Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil and I really have noticed a difference to the general health and feel of my hair.

I also purchased some new Chanel Vitalumiere goodies that I tried out for the first time today and so far I am loving the glowy light look and feel on my skin.  

I hope everyone has been enjoying the sunshine! Hopefully you've had some sun where you are :)

 Follow me on Instagram if you want to see more regular updates @noonabean. 

 :) x