BYBECCI

New Year, New Hobby

2014-01-04T17:29:00.000-08:00

Well, long time no see/type/anything. After realising that it was nearly a year since I had done my last blogpost I was slightly horrified. It's been a busy but amazing 2013 for me.. a well needed year of figuring out lifeness. The blog took a bit of break for a while so I could concentrate on on finishing my degree, travelling for the summer, moving back home, geting a car and finding a job and I can happily say that I have been fortunate and lucky enough to do all of those things this year. Also now I'm not a student anymore and am in the scary working world I have money yayyy!! Anyway, intro aside, this Christmas after realising my family thinks I lead a dull and sedentary life style (despite my best efforts with the gym) they brought me a professional camera.. HOORAH!! A HOBBY!! With this in mind I thought it was the perfect time to kick start the new year and my new and improved blog. Long gone are the days of Instagram edited blog pictures and now are the days of decent quality and maybe even a sneaky YouTube video or two. With the dawn of my new photography obsession I thought I would share with you some of my recent snaps. Be kind, I'm a novice (I secretly think I'm pretty good)

...Oh, did I mention I live in, what is apparently, the most beautiful place ever!? No editing here folks.

B. x

eBay finds!

2013-02-24T12:53:00.000-08:00

I am an avid user of eBay. I think if I can find the most coveted high street pieces for half the price then why not. I know a lot of people who have had varying eBay experiences but I've only had one joker who decided to rip me off...who was swiftly dealt with haha. Anyway, the top (originally from Topshop) and the necklace were one off pieces that people were trying to get rid of but the rest of the sellers are linked here: Knock-Off Michael Kors, Knock-Off Casio and Knock-Off Jeffery Campbell Litas. The above knuckle ring have run out of stock but there are loads all over eBay.

Yes I'm aware most of this things are fake versions of more expensive brands but I'm neither here nor there on that front. Happy hunting.

What are some things you have found?

Kukee Above Knuckle Ring

2013-02-22T10:11:00.000-08:00

I have been very fortunate to get my hands...or fingers...on the gorgeous above the knuckle ring from Kukee. I first saw it advertised on their Instagram and knew I had to have it...luckily I whizzed over to their site and grabbed it before it was gone. Above the knuckle rings have been everywhere this year but have only just started to filter down to the high street so they're readily available. For me that's a bit of a pain because they seem to jack up the price. Kukee however was selling this baby for £1.50! It's simple and elegant but that 'double ring' look gives it a little edge on the standard rings out there. Personally I would wear this with no other rings because it's that classy statement with goes so well with so many different outfits. Well done Kukee, me and my new ring salut you.

Go and check out their website, linked above, to snap up some of their amazing pieces. Fashion forward at more than affordable prices.

My Spring/Summer '13 Essentials

2013-02-21T13:37:00.001-08:00

After avidly keeping an eye on London Fashion Week this year I have compiled a few of the upcoming trends for next season along with some of my own picks for what I think are some staples for Spring and Summer 2013.

Neons, printed tailored trousers, printed blouses and stripes were all straight out of the catwalks this past week at LFW. And according to beauty guru Anna from ViviannaDoesMakeup, dewy skin is not going to be disappearing any time soon, and for that I love my Liz Earle Skin Tint.

A few of my favourites for S/S are a good denim jacket, pastels, skater dresses, a light knit, bright lips and a good transition shoe. For that particular function I have chosen the good ol' creeper. Now these are not to everyone's taste but I love mine and they are always that shoe I head for when it may have been raining recently and it's not cold enough for a boot but sandles still wouldn't be appropriate. I love wearing mine with some kind of trouser rolled up to about ankle length.

MUA Lipstick Shade 1

2013-02-21T12:33:00.002-08:00

I have been hunting around probably all A/W 12 for a lipstick this colour and I finally find one when it's coming into S/S13...typical! I was scared about dark lipsticks but after purchasing Rimmel's Stary Eyed I caught the bug. However, it as just abit too purple for me i felt and I went back out searching high and low for a more wine coloured red. Now I would love to have gone to MAC but as this was something that was either going to be a hit or miss I couldn't justify spending the money. I finally found what I was looking for in MUA's (Make Up Academy) Shade 1...I hate it when lipsticks have boring names..boo. The best thing about this lipstick for me is the price tag of just £1! The formulation is so creamy, not at all drying, and after field testing it on a night out I can confirm it definitely has the staying power. As you can see from the pictures I bought a Lip Liner from Rimmel for £3.99 in the shade Pleasure Red..ohh la la. This is a must for dark lipstick because you don't want it sliding all over your face. Also I definitely think the colour of the lip liner under the lipstick makes it just that bit more of the colour I was going for.

2013-02-21T09:18:00.000-08:00

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Outfit wish list #9

2013-02-18T03:40:00.001-08:00

Outfit wish list #8

2013-02-16T12:38:00.001-08:00

Outfit wish list #7

2013-02-15T13:39:00.001-08:00

Outfit wish list #6

2013-02-15T08:13:00.001-08:00

What I would wear to LFW

Outfit Wish List #5

2013-02-11T19:17:00.001-08:00

Outfit Wish List #4

2013-02-11T17:52:00.001-08:00

Rose Gold

Outfit wish list #3

2013-02-10T04:02:00.001-08:00

Outfit wish list #2

2013-02-09T13:50:00.001-08:00

SS13-Monochrome

Outfit wish list

2013-02-08T16:37:00.001-08:00

Outfit Wish list

OMG a dress!!

2013-02-08T16:07:00.004-08:00

Dress. Topshop / Gold Studded Belt. Dorothy Perkins

Cozy Knit and Geometric Necklace

2013-02-08T16:05:00.001-08:00

Jeans. Topshop / Chelsea Boots. eBay / Knitted Jumper. Newlook / Leather Jacket. Primark / Fur Collar. H&M / Bag. H&M / Rose Gold Necklace. Topshop

Fur and Denim

2013-02-08T16:01:00.000-08:00

Leggings. Topshop / Creepers. eBay / Denim Shirt. Topshop / Leather Jacket. Primark / Fur Collar. H&M / Crystal Necklace. Dixi / Casio. eBay

New Year's Eve OOTN

2013-01-03T10:26:00.003-08:00

Happy New Year!! I hope everyone had a fab night! Despite having very last minute and unorganised plans this new years I braved the cold, wore some of my Boxing Day bargains and ventured out for the night/morning. I decided to go for a smart/casual look as I was only going to a pub (which felt more like some kind of cattle farm, people barging around bumping into people all drunk and confused) so i wore my Glamorous Disco pants (£39), my new lace top from Topshop (£15 in sale) and my new boots from River Island (£40 in sale) (I thought a dress would be too much for the likes of our local village pub...although the disco pants may have been too much to handle too). I finished all that off with a slick of Essie Head Master, one of my new festive reds, a silver choker and studded bag, curled my hair and did a smokey eye for a bit more glamour.

Autumn/Winter nail varnishes

2012-12-12T09:03:00.001-08:00

I have split this post into two parts. One for nail varnishes I tend to gravitate more towards in the Autumn/Winter months and another for the nail varnishes which I think are perfect for the season of Christmas and new years parties.

Autumn/Winter

1. Essie- Ballet Slippers
2. Essie- Angora Cardi
3. Topshop- Big Smoke
4. OPI- Over the Taupe
5. Topshop- Hunting
6. No. 7- Blackberry
7. OPI (don't know the name!)

Christmas/New years Parties!

1. Nails Inc (don't know the name)
2. Nails Inc (don't know the name)
3. Topshop- Poison Ivy
4. OPI- Malaga Wine
5. OPI- (Don't know the name)
6. OPI- (Don't know the name)

Sorry for those whose names I don't know! It's either because they were miniatures or the label has come off! As you can see most of those colours are either dark or glittery which I think it perfect (and the general trend year in year out) for nail colours to wear this time of year.

Rimmel Lipstick!

2012-12-09T09:56:00.000-08:00

In my attempt to embrace the current Autumn/Winter trends I thought I would go wild and try out this dark lip fad. Now, I am quiiiiiite pale and I already know that unless it has an orange undertone I can not pull off red so I thought I would go for more of a berry colour. Even still, with my skin tone a dark lip seemed very scary to me so I thought it was probably wise to go for a cheap and cheerful one rather than heading off down to MAC. I stumbled across Rimmel's 'Stary Eyed' and picked it up for £3.99. It was meant to be £4.99 but I had my handy Superdrug card on me. Anyway...here we go.

Even though my boyfriend refuses to kiss me and me friend thought I had eaten a Ribena Lolly (obviously he is male) I am very happy with this lipstick and plan on investing on some more high end equivalents. The formulation is really nice, really moisturising and it doesn't stick to any dry skin on my lips. However, I do feel i need to invest in a lip liner as it has a tendency to fade and look more pink around the edges of my mouth.

Bye for now! x

November Favourites

2012-12-06T12:38:00.001-08:00

This month I have been all about warmth and hydration. As it's getting towards the colder months it has been extremely important for me to keep my skin and hair protected from those horrible icy winds. This has meant getting extra use out of hydrating masks, lip balms and moisturisers so i don't flake away into a pile of dust. Not to mention I love Autumn fashion because it's an excuse to wrap up warm, be cozy, get out the Autumn/Winter nail varnishes and get out my fur collar (as much to the disappointment of my boyfriend who HATES my fur collar) Anyway without further delay...here's my November favourites.

1. Everybody loves a good candle in the colder months! Mine is the White Linen Yankee Candle. Not a very Christmassy scent but I'm yet to get my hands in Christmas Cookie. It will be mine.

2. My favourite perfume at the moment is Zara's texture perfumes. This one doesn't really have a name it's just the blue one (let me know if you know the name). I got this back in summer but it has such an eclectic scent that it is great to transition through to winter. It's not too floral and has a vanillary almost spicy smell to it.

3. For the past 3 months I have been wearing the new Liz Earle Skin Tint in 02 Beige. I'm all for the dewy, glowing skin and this is perfect. It make's you look fresh but not greasy and has a really natural, almost invisible flawless finish on the skin. Normally when it gets colder I tend to switch to something heavier but I really don't feel the need to this year. Paired with a real techniques buffing brush you can build up the coverage just fine.

4. This is my fav hand cream right now. It's the Neom complete bliss Moroccan Blush Rose cream. I got this in as a free-be in a magazine and it is amazing and a really good sample size of 50ml! It so moisturising and leaves your hands smooth and not sticky.

5. One of my go-to Autumn/Winter colours is OPI Malaga Wine (mmmm wine) and it is a very true wine colour indeed. OPI has some of the best formulations of nail varnish I have seen (other than Essie) and they leave an amazing opaque finish.

6. Next is another very festive nail varnish, great for the party season and it comes from Nails Inc. The name has rubbed off my bottle so I don't know what it's called but I'm sure you can find it on their website. This tries to a weird glittery texture so it doesn't just look glittery...i'm pretty sure it is just pure glitter.

7. Like I said before, moisture, moisture, moisture. This deep cleansing mask from Liz Earle has been my dry skin savior for the past 2 months and I will definitely be repurchasing when it runs out.

8. Nuxe Reve de Miel...well apart from being extremely luxurious, when you get 4 free samples from a website how can you say no!? This honey and sunflower shower and face cleansing gel is my new piece of decadence. The smell is incredible, it leaves your skin feeling fresh and hydrated and the best thing...it gets rid of all your eye makeup so easily!

9. HD brows have been abit of a love hate thing for me and i tend to use it more for eye shadow instead. I'm getting back into eye shadow again what with the warm autumnal shades coming back around and this has a really good variety for all your basic eye shadow needs.

10. The Bodyshop blush in 02. I have had this in my collection for aggggggggggges but i keep coming back to it. Now normally i'm not a massive fan of the bodyshop but this blush has such a lovely texture. It's a powder blush but on the skin, when used with a real techniques stippling brush, it almost looks like a cream. It's so sheer and easy to blend and leaves a nice glowy sheen on the skin. And this pale frosty pink colour is great for this time of year.

11. My DIY studded colour. Addressing a trend this season and saving my bank balance. I took an old sheer shirt and got some studs from eBay for £3. Jobs a goodun'. Looks great under think knitted jumpers.

12. Speaking of thick knitted jumpers...this is actually from the men's section of Primark but It was love at first sight. It's burgundy, it's speckled and it was £10. Oh and it has patches on the elbows. Jolly good show.

13. Ahhhh the fur collar. Not much needs to be said on this. It's from Primark as my local H&M never had the one I wanted but I still love this one. It's so warm and looks great styled with lots of different outfits.

13. A new addition to my ever growing scarf collection is the tartan scarf from Gretna Green. It's not as thick as I would like it to be so I wear it more of a fashion piece than an actual useful scarf that will keep me warm. I love the colours though.

14. And finally I have new Chelsea boots!! My other ones were worn within an inch of there life and in this time of year your need a good sturdy boot. Can't go wrong with a stylish black boot.

2012-11-04T03:41:00.002-08:00

-Chelsea Boots- eBay

-Baxter Jeans- Topshop

-Speckled grey top- Topshop

-Leather Jacket- Primark

-Scarf- Gretna Green

-Choker- H&M

-Watch- eBay

-Braclets- Kukee/eBay

-Above Knuckle Ring- Etsy

-Bag- eBay

Liz Earle Goodies From QVC

2012-07-11T10:03:00.001-07:00

Although it wasn't long since my skin care routine, I had gotten to the stage where your skin almost becomes immune to what you are using and everything just seems to stop working. My skin type is oily to combination with some dry patches on my nose. I had been getting a lot of breakouts recently for some unknown reason so I was in the mood for swapping everything out and getting all new stuff! I went over to the trusty QVC website and found the British Favourites Collection which was £36 but my mum had a £10 voucher so I got it for £26! I have looked on the website and I can't actually find it anymore :( keep an eye out though as they are always restocking.

1) Cleanse and Polish- The infamous Cleanse and Polish, I don't need to go into too much detail about this as it is raved about but I love it because it is so gentle and but removes makeup and really feels like it gives your skin a deep clean. I use this morning and night and leave a really fresh smooth feeling to the skin.

2) Deep Cleansing Mask- I use this product once a week and before this kit I had never heard about it before. It's a clay mask which goes on the skin as a liquid and then dries solid. I find that this is really effective but still gentle. It helps to get rid of the dry skin around my nose and I have found it's done a good job at minimizing the pores on my cheeks.

3) Gentle Face Exfoliator- I use this product in the morning by pumping a small amount and mixing it in with the cleanse and polish. Again, very gentle so it can be used everyday and it's effective without being abrasive. My skin doesn't feel tight after I use it and I love the little micro beads in it which gently dissolve as you massage it into the skin.

4) Eyebright- I normally only use this product in the morning once I have done everything else however if it's been a busy, stressful day I do like to use it at night as well. It's a cooling liquid which i put onto a small cotton pad and then wipe up my eyes. I can't say that I've noticed any long term benefits from it but it does a good job and waking you up and making you feel bright and ready to go!

5) The kit comes with 2 sponges which you use with the mask. You leave the mask to dry for 15 minutes and then buff it off with the sponges. I love that concept as you can feel all the dead skins cells being scrubbed off so you get left with a beautiful, radiant layer of skin.

6) The kit also comes with 2 muslin cloths to use with the cleanse and polish. If I use the cleanse and polish in the shower I don't use the muslin cloth however I definitely like to use it at night to help shift my makeup off. Having 2 is very handy as it means you always have one spare when one is in the wash.

7) Lastly the kit comes with a headband. Would it be bad to say this is my favourite thing?! I use it for everything not just for washing my face. If I'm doing my makeup...I use the headband. If I'm doing stuff round the house and my hair is in the way...I use the headband! And if I'm just lounging around and want my hair out of my face...I use the headband. It's such a necessity now I don't know how I lived without it. Simple but ingenious idea!

8) All together this kit really works for me and my skin tone. Everything is gentle enough to use daily and not abrasive so my skin doesn't feel stripped and then over compensates on the oil department! My skin has cleared up immensely in just a couple of days and my skin tone looks more even and my complexion is noticeably more radiant. I would recommend this to any woman of any age and skin type and it really is a bargain to be getting their best sellers for £36 in one kit.

June Favourites

2012-07-05T03:32:00.002-07:00

Ojon Restorative Hair Treatment . Decleor Baume de Nuit . Korres Lip Butter in Jasmine . Real Techniques Buffing Brush . Silk Oil of Morocco Conditioner . L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes Mascara . H&M Rose Gold Bangle . Topshop Cross Ear rings . Miss Selfridge Cross Necklace . Black Rubber Mini Casio . eBay Round Sunglasses . eBay Creepers . Glamorous UK Disco Pants . eBay Stripe Leggings . H&M Acid Wash Jeans . Topshop Cut-Out Back Floral Dress .