Feline Flick

Hello! I have always been a fan of the felt tip liners which allow you to draw on a flick without the pully-ness of a pencil eyeliner or the faff of liquid or gel. For me, it's just easier in the morning and it looks just as good as all the others in half the time (once you get the hang of it!)

In the past I've used the Eyeko liner that Alexa Chung always raves about but I found over eye shadow it really dried it out and made it unusable. I've also used ones from various brands in the past such as MUA but found they just weren't as pigmented as they could be so I've used Rimmel's Exaggerate liquid liner a lot in the past although I find it just a little bit watery and harder to control. 

Soap & Glory's Supercat liner has the really easy-to-use felt tip which I love that isn't dried out by using it over eye shadow or powders. It's really black and the nib is hard enough that you can get a really thin and defined line which I really love at the very ends of mine, even if I thicken them up in the middle. It is wet enough to get through that and if you wanted you could smudge it out a little on application if you're quick. After that it does set and stays in place all day but it is by no means a waterproof formula and when I tried this on the back of my hand it smudged right off when I washed them the first time. Unless you have really watery eyes or wipe your eyes a lot you'll be okay though and it does stay in place all day. 

If you are searching for a new liner or just getting into it then this is a really brilliant one to try. If you're starting out with it then this one gives you the most control and is more like a pencil but it flows more easily across the lid - I wouldn't jump in with gel or liquid when you're practicing!

Let me know what your favourite eyeliner is to do a feline flick with!

MAGAZINES

Hello! I don't know about you, but I feel like Company Magazine made a mistake going digital. Every month I desperately looked forward to going into the shops and picking up a new copy and I miss having a physical magazine to read, or one at all as I don't buy the digital version. I've been an avid reader of Company since I can remember and when I was moving house back in February I threw away years worth of issues, including ones before they redesigned. To fill the void that is now left I have been looking at magazines which could be a replacement and perhaps a little more specific to my current interests.

1. i-D. I first heard of i-D when I went to a university open day and they had it in their little shop on campus so I jotted it down and looked it up when I got home and I've been searching for it in a shop ever since. i-D has built itself a reputation for reinventing and inspiring fashion for all those involved in fashion culture and has included people from many creative backgrounds such as Tom Ford, Madonna and Kate Moss - all giving a cheeky wink. A years subscription includes 6 issues at about £27 which is incredibly good value and extremely tempting... 

2. LOVE. Love magazine is a twice-a-year magazine that aims to inspire designers, artists and just anyone looking for visual inspiration in fashion or design. Kendall Jenner, Cara Delevigne and Miley Cyrus have all been featured within the magazine and they look to feature up and coming music developments, art and fashion. A mystic ball for the creative world if you like.

3. The Creative Review. The Creative Review is just like any other 'Review' - it displays the latest projects, people and inspiration for a specific field. In this case, it's all things creative (as the title would suggest) but if you take a look and are particularly interested in Economics, English or any other subject then there is a review for almost anything. It's actually a great way to read further in your subjects if you're at school and lots of departments at my school are subscribed so that you can read essays and just broaden your knowledge. Great for your personal statement if you're thinking about applying to university this year (eek!) or next year or just for your exams. Or even just personal interest!

4. boat. A travel and culture publication. Boat magazine presents its reader with a new city each issue, showing you how inspiring a city can be and really getting right into the cracks of the city. London, Los Angeles, Athens and Lima have all been focused on so far. Great if you're an avid traveler looking for some iinspirationon where to go next. It contains pictures, interviews, personal profiles and artwork from each place, giving you an honest and bare view on a city every issue. Even the covers are inspiring. 

5. Violet. A publication focusing on leaders, authors, entrepreneurs and all-round inspiring and amazing women including Alexa Chung and Brit Marling. Alyson Swan, creator of Violet, aims to inspire and motivate women to create their own career and success through her inspiring interviews and editorials so that women can get to know women who can inspire them. 

6. In Bloom. A publication for youths with curious and creative minds. It captures fresh talents in music, fashion, literature, art and photography while also giving an industry insight to all. 

I hope that some of these catch your eye and maybe you might pick up a copy if you spot one in a shop next. You can order single issues from a couple of magazine websites which make it easy for you to find smaller and more independent magazines. I hope I've given you a little bit of reading-inspo. Happy reading! 

Let me know if you've read any of these magazines before or if you have any other suggestions along the same lines!

La Roche Posay: Serozinc*

Hello! The launch that many beauty bloggers have been waiting for... Serozinc has landed in the UK and I've had my hands on it for the past month since the launch. That's enough time to really be able to tell if something makes a difference to me and well... it has made a difference.

Some of you may know this product from many bloggers and YouTubers raving about them in their favourites once they've crossed the channel and cleaned out the pharmacie. It's pretty recognizable in it's bright blue bottle and it's spray bottle so if you hadn't heard of it before... well you have now.

Serozinc is effectively a toner that aims to purify your skin to help banish blemishes with the help of zinc sulphate. Serozinc works using just 3 ingredients: zinc sulphate, sodium chloride and their famous thermal spring water which they incorporate into many of their products. These products all aim to keep your skin clear of both marks and blemishes and keep oil at bay throughout the day. I would expect that it would normally be used between cleansing and moisturizing but I like to apply this after I've finished my base (foundation and concealer), particularly in the center of my face. If I need to vamp-up my make up in the afternoon once I have got home from school I also tend to give my face a spritz to freshen up and ensure that my skin gets TLC through my make up, as well as before and after. 

So, my thoughts: I think this is fabulous. To me, it's not worth the trip over the channel and to a little pharmacie to get skincare kicks but I do see the hype around the stuff. Claiming to control shine and oilyness is one of the most accurate claims as while it definitely does control the appearance of my oilyness and get rid of what I don't need but it definitely doesn't dry out any of my dry patches so I don't necessarily need to cover them up when I'm using it. It leaves my skin feeling soothed and looked after, rather than how some toners make your skin feel a little tight and in desperate need of some moisture and using it over my make up it a great way to freshen up at any time of the day. I feel that adding this on top of my make up definitely helps to make sure my skin doesn't break out if I'm wearing my make up for prolonged periods of time (or overnight...) which I have been doing throughout the party season more often than I would at other points in the year. I think this is why my skin has stayed relatively blemish free this Christmas and New Year so if you're struggling a little with little breakouts then you should probably grab yourself a bottle of this and test it out for yourself!

You can order Serozinc here right now!

Brow Archery Version 2.0

Hello! A while a go I bought Soap & Glory's Brow Archery which had a felt-tip like brush to fill in sparse gaps and a wind up pencil on the end (review here). I was in love with it and although I didn't use the felt tip end much I was absolutely in love with the pencil end. For me, the pen end wasn't necessary and what I really wanted was a little spoolie on the end to blend my brows after I've used the pencil and brush my hairs into place... Ah Soap & Glory, you got it spot on.

Soap & Glory have bought out version 2.0 of their Brow Archery that is better in almost every way. The spoolie is so helpful and I love that it can help blend your brows a bit to make them less harsh and help you brush your hairs into place. Also, as you can see from the picture, they have made the new wind up pencil much thinner than before, meaning that you can draw the hairs in more naturally than you could with the thicker one, although with the other one you could use the pen in to draw in hairs if you wanted. The colour is also not red-toned at all, which is the best thing I could ask for. However, I do think the other one was a better match as the colour was lighter and I find that the new version is much darker and that is it's only downfall. It needs a shade between the blonde one (Blondshell) and the brunette one which I have (Hot Chocolate) and then it would be my perfect brow product. For now though, it is close enough!

Styling: Nike Air Force 1s

Hello! For Christmas I got white Nike Air Force 1s which have featured in many of my wish lists over 2014. I have never been one to wear trainers so I have been thinking of ways to style them and I thought I would share my thoughts with you all.

First of all, pairing a big coat or a leather jacket with any outfit really brings it together, but to make your outfit a bit more smart-casual pair it with NAF1s. A stripe top or a grey jumper sticks with the lovely monochrome theme that I am in love with at the moment. These are so easy to make your outfit fresh an  bright, especially if it's black-heavy (although I would never  object to a black outfit from head to toe!) If it's a bit warmer then this scallop-edged skirt is another  lovely contrast to NAF1S. If you want something a bit softer in colour and lightweight, then this tshirt dress would be a great way to achieve an effortless but seemingly-put-together look. Finally the trousers more appropriate for the freezing cold weather in England recently! I recently bought these mom jeans from topshop and I love them with my NAF1s as it makes for a great outfit to throw on but you can still dress it up a little with a white shirt. Finally, I bought some leather-look biker leggings from Bershka which I love and these look so great with them. Add a big coat and NAF1s and you're away!

So this is how I will be styling my Nike Air Force 1s, but is there a way that you would style them differently?