Sunday 13 February 2011

My Funny Valentine



Even though I'm in a nice, happy, committed relationship (please don't throw things at me), I'm somewhat ambivalent about Valentine's Day. My only specification is: Don't buy me a teddy bear holding a heart... So one ex-boyfriend got me a 2-year subscription to Vogue (amazing gift! Even if it did last longer than the relationship...) and another -due to the February weather - had a picnic on my bedroom floor with a blanket, a basket and all red and pink heart-shaped foods.

So, my point is that even though I'm a romantic (completely and utterly), and I love certain Valentine's hallmarks - like I have a huge thing for plain red heart-shaped balloons (pass the message on to my boyfriend!) - I don't really buy into Valentine's day. But I do like buying things.

So here's a little selection of items to show your appreciation for the L-word without being a total Hallmarkist.


I love... Jewellery




Find them here:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23


I love... Slogan Tees




Find them here:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9


I love... Home Decor


Find them here:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

So show love some love!

Ciao for now,
Charlotte

Friday 11 February 2011

The Greatest Thing You'll Ever Learn

...is just to love and be loved in return. (Moulin Rouge, of course.)


And with Valentine's still looming on the horizon, this seems to be the theme of ASOS' latest competition. Visit their Facebook page here, and every hour until Friday 18th February they will give lucky winners their one hearts desire from ASOS. They call it 'ASOS Love'. I love ASOS Love.

You can enter every hour. So far I've entered once, having chosen this item after a quick scan of the site (not an easy task, their amount of stock is huuuge and there are many more items I'm coveting too - I'm just a black hole of want, it seems).

Here is my item, it's such a pretty Halston-inspired dress:

Image 1 of ASOS Pleated Skinny Strap Dress
ASOS Pleated Skinny Strap Dress
£35
Image from www.asos.com



I've already got a bit of an ASOS shortlist though, and seeing as you can enter once per hour until midday on the 18th, I'm thinking I might change it up a bit and bid for others - the only limitation is that your item cannot cost more than £150! Having said that, I may have my heart somewhat set on this dress now.

Best of luck!
Enjoy knowing that ASOS loves you as much as you love ASOS!

Ciao for now,
Charlotte

Thursday 10 February 2011

Like a Jewel in the Sun


View of Barcelona from a cable car over the bay.

Hello, travel post. Being cooped up in Leeds, I'm getting a bit nostalgic for the rest of the big, wide world - so here's a post about somewhere less windy, less cold, less Yorkshire.

One of the places I've been unbelievably fortunate to visit several times in the last couple of years is the beautiful city of Barcelona, Spain. So I thought I'd share a few of my favourite photos of the Catalan capital, home and playground of the famous Modernista architect Gaudi, with you.

And you don't have to, but I'd recommend playing this song as an accompaniment to the pictures because it's so appropriate and so Barcelona-ish (not a word but ought to be).

Please note: All of these pictures are my own. You're welcome to use them but please link back to this blog (http://anyonelivedin.blogspot.com). Thanks!

Out and About.


Streetlamps.

Paving Stones.

A Barcelona Back Street

Monument.

Street View.

Balconies.

Balconies.

Bikes & graffiti.

Blue sky!


Park Güell
Park Güell.

Gaudi's House in Park Güell

Building in Park Güell

Busy Park Güell.

Skyline from Park Güell.

At Park Güell.

Park Güell.

La Boqueria (St Josep)


Entrance to La Boqueria.

The world-famous Boqueria Market.

Chocolates at La Boqueria.

Dried fruit at la Boqueria.

Fresh Fruit at la Boqueria.

Public Fountains

Public Fountain.

Public taps.

The View

The sky from our hotel room.

Another hotel view.

La Pedrera/La Casa Mila

Casa Mila at Night.

The inside of the Casa Mila (La Pedrera)

La Sagrada Familia


La Sagrada Familia 

La Sagrada Familia.

Tapas

Piscolabis - a great tapas chain.

Sangria at Piscolabis.

Tapas at Piscolabis.

Tapas at Piscolabis.

Las Ramblas

La Rambla - Barcelona's answer to the Champs-Élysées

Las Ramblas at night. 

My beautiful friend Cristina.
The Seaside


Near the seafront.

Beach.




Adeu for now,
Charlotte

Sunday 6 February 2011

Read My Lipsy

Lipsy dresses aren't really my usual style, probably because I don't have much occasion to wear them these days. But I was having a sneaky peak at their sale the other day and was pleasantly surprised by the amount of variety on offer, and the great value of these sale items, so thought I'd share.


Lipsy Double Bow Bandeau Dress  Ringspun Sequin Embroidered Dress

1. Lipsy Double Bow Bandeau Dress£65 £32.50


Jewelled Pocket Dress  Asymmetric Frill Maxi Dress

3. Jewelled Pocket Dress£65 £30


Lipsy Drape Embelished Back Tunic  Rose Tea Dress

6. Rose Tea Dress, £45 £22.50


These are all great, youthful occasion dresses so if you have a special event coming up I'd definitely recommend checking out the Lipsy sale here. Not all of their dresses are to my personal taste, but given half an opportunity (and a spare £32.50) I would snap up that Double Bow Bandeau Dress in a heartbeat, I think it's stunning.

Dress to impress!

Ciao for now,
Charlotte

Saturday 5 February 2011

The Highlight of my Day


Image from www.the-cosmetics-campus.com

Good make-up is about contouring. I don't know very much about make-up but I know that. Gold star for me.

As you can see from the slightly scary, but ever-so-helpful demonstrative illustration above, contouring does exactly what you should want your make-up to do - enhance your natural beauty, not hide or alter your looks.

And what better way to let your natural beauty shine through than highlighter? Not the kind you use to annotate your books. Neon yellow face-paint = only acceptable at raves and Thai full-moon parties.

So here are a few of my favourite highlighters (expect to see a lot of Benefit in here, they're my ultimate make-up crush).

high beammoon beam

High Beam luminescent complexion enhancer
Moon Beam iridescent complexion enhancer
Both £18.50
Images from benefitcosmetics.co.uk

I think your preference between these is likely to depend on your colouring and your style, but I personally love and own them both. They both look great on any skin tone, and can be used to highlight brow bones and cheek bones, though I also sometimes use them on my cupid's bow and around my eyes (carefully!) I use high beam when I'm going for a paler, pinky look and moon beam for more of a warm, healthy glow.
They are applied with a small brush, and then I dab with fingers. They also last a long, long time as you only need a small amount, so here's to value for money.



Benefit Miss Popularity Highlighter
For some reason I can't find this on the Benefit website any more but I estimate the price at about £15-£20.
Image from www.marieclaire.com

This highlighter is a pale, shimmery dust applied with a dabber. It's pretty subtle and I use it in the arches of my brows and down my nose, which makes it appear narrower. A very clever little trick, even if I do say so myself. It's very subtle, I promise.

Wakeup Makeup Palette by jelly pong pong

If you're not acquainted with Jelly Pong Pong yet, seriously, it's a friend you want to make. Soft, creamy make-up in gorgeous shades designed for convenience and comfort. And Gwen Stefani's a fan. And she's hot. I got this palette in a gift bag at The Clothes Show Live in Birmingham, but it's also available on their website. So this palette is amazing because it means I don't have to take my primer and my highlighters around with me. Wakeup Makeup is the truth; it features an eye brightener, a face brightener and a selection of eyebrow powders with applicators. Use on cheekbones, brow bones, and even the cupid's bow and down the nose for all your contouring needs in one portable compact. Amazing.

Another trick to open up eyes is to line the bottom with white eyeliner, as this makes them appear larger, see? You can also do this with any eye-safe highlighter as they tend to be more subtle but as long as you blend your eyeliner, you're good to go. For this I recommend the original, the best, the dream: Chanel.

LE CRAYON KHÔL - INTENSE EYE PENCIL
Chanel Le Crayon Khôl Eye Pencil
$28, Buy here.
Image from chanel.com

If you liked this post, and would like more info on make-up to make you look your brightest and highlight-est, follow this link.

Shine your brightest!

Ciao for now,
Charlotte