PORTFOLIO SHOOTS\\ last week i created a few shots for my portfolio, i wanted to feature a bit of styling and some movement. one of the products i used to create the look included MAC strobe cream and both the blazer and cuff are from H&M. heres my two chosen images, let me know what you think?

 PARIS\\ this time last week i was in the city of Paris fine dining and soaking up the french atmosphere (i would say sun, but that most certainly wasn't the case). i actually enjoyed the cold weather because it gave me plenty of excuses to buy more clothes and pass them off as 'layers'. as a week has now gone by since we set off i thought i should really share just a few snaps of my week in Paris. the quality is not the best as i only took my little digital camera with me, note to self.. don't do that again. enjoy :)

IM BACK\\ i have been so caught up with university work, christmas, birthdays and Paris recently (i should say attempting uni work, but getting slightly distracted by anything and everything). but im back to fill my blog with lots of lovely posts. to start with i thought i would share just a smidgen of my recent work from third year, ive just included a few of my sketchbook pages. to give you a feel of my theme i was looking at trends in london throughout the summer of 2011 and where i predict the trends will fall in spring/summer of 2013. 

SHADE PARADE\\ i havent posted in such a long time, mainly because i have a big deadline looming at uni, but i had to post this. i'll be sure post something more exciting soon :)

UNIVERSITY\\ i came across some university work from my two previous years so thought i'd share a small selection on here (anything to avoid current work). everything you see is my own work from the make-up and styling to the photography.

SHOPPING\\ i thought i'd share my most recent wardrobe additions (although i won't be wearing the panda highlighters). i got them all at great prices i even got the red top for only £2.40.

PALETTES\\ i haven't posted in so long (clearly managing my times is an issue for me). its been my first week back to uni and back to reality after a lovely long summer although it has meant catching up with friends and spending plenty of time around the shops. i study a make-up design course so i thought i'd top up my make-up kit and prepare myself for the fast paced year ahead. i added a splash of colour with mua's pop tastic palette, i was instantly attracted to these colours as soon as i saw them and couldn't bring myself to put them back on the shelf. as you can see from the swatches i made(i apolagise for the terrible angles) they are well pigmented and didn't take much application for a strong look. the deep midnight blue shade (the one on the end) is my absolute favourite and can't wait to use this one in my classes. you get a selection of 12 eyeshadows and for only £4 its a really great price. i think its safe to say i've spent far too much money recently but ill definitely be buying some more palettes at a later date. there was another palette that i couldn't put back on the shelf when i saw either. Sleek's storm palette also has a selection of 12 eyeshadows and costs roughly £6.50 which for these versatile shades are truley a great price. again my swatch photographs aren't the best but hopefully you can see what they look like clearly. they give a smokey, stormy effect and compliment each other really well. i thought they'd be perfect for nights out or if i'm after something to give a galmourous look.

BRISTOL FASHION WEEK\\ so last friday i ventured to bristol for it's fashion week. this was my very first fashion week (yay) i loved every minute of it and would highly recommend going if you haven't ever been. Unfortunately i wasn't able to take pictures during the catwalk and i couldn't even take a few sneaky ones because my loud indiscreet camera makes too much noise, however i have a few snaps from before and after the show and of course the goody bag. the models all looked amazing walking down the catwalk in the latest affordable highstreet fashions. it was so refreshing to see the models were not size 0 they were real women of all ages, this gave me a much better idea of what the clothes would actually look like. in between each high-street section were two lovely presenters tv fashion stylist Mark heyes and celebrity hairdresser andrew barton and i have to say they worked so well together really adding great personality to the event. they both shared some great fashion tips, latest trends and even linked the london fashion week catwalks with the high-street trends which i will be sure to blog about soon. the ticket cost only £8.95 for a standard ticket and £13.95 for a platinum ticket (which guaranteed you a seat on the front row) and with so many vouchers, discounts, cupcakes, bucks fizz and samples on top of the already great catwalk its safe to say you most definitely get your moneys worth.

MUA\\ after hearing so much about this brand and its fantastically priced makeup i decided to give it a try and i'm so glad i did. with all these items below selling at £1 you really can't go wrong. the eyeshadows colours are very intense and don't take much application to create a strong look. i decided on a rasberry coloured nail polish as i don't have a colour like it (shade 3) and a clear polish (shade 17) as you just can't go wrong with clear, i haven't used these yet but i'll be sure to post about that at a later date. i like all the pink tones of lipsticks so i've gone for one with a hint of coral, i saw that the bottom of the lipstick comes off and doubles up as a lipgloss, unfortunately after a million attempts i still can't seem to prize the bottom off which is a shame, despite this i still can't wait to buy some more.

i quickly tested them on the skin firstly at the top is the lipstick (shade 7) its a very vibrant pink colour with a touch of coral, a perfect shade to brighten up any look. the middle swatch is the darker of the two eyeshadows (shade 11) which is a warm brown that has a pearl effect, i love wearing brown shades for the eyes as i find it looks great on everyone and really highlights the eyes. finally we have a light creamy pearl eyeshadow (shade 1) this is great for highlighting as well as blending with other shades.

LIPS\\ as i was scouting through videos and images from london fashion week i came across this.. the body shop aren't a makeup brand i would classically go to when filling my makeup bag, despite normally seeking some skincare essentials from them. i have to admit my opinion has slightly changed after watching this video from London Fashion Week. the coloured lip looked great with a dewy and fresh complexion and added a modern and futuristic twist to the look. this makeup was to accompany Leutton Postle's collection, and accompany it, it did. i had a very (very very) quick go at this look myself using a variety of different colours (using anything i could find).