The Cost of Beauty

I've seen a few ladies, like the lovely Jennie and Alyse, do these "how much is your face worth?" posts lately and I found the idea really interesting. I often don't really pay close attention to how much my makeup costs as I view it as a kind of "necessity" that I have to buy. Obviously I buy cheaper brands if I'm short on pennies, and I will moan if I have to fork out £20+ for a single item, but I will still buy it without hesitation and without properly considering the fact that I don't actually need it. Anyway, here's how much my average daily makeup costs me...

L'Oreal Studio Secrets Resurfacing Primer: £14.29
Benefit Boi-ing: £16.50
Benefit Erase Paste: £19.50
Total = £50.29

Estee Lauder Double Wear Light Foundation: £25.50
Lily Lolo Flawless Matte Finishing Powder: £12.49
Total = £37.99

Rimmel Glam'Eyes Liquid Eyeliner: £5.29
Urban Decay 24/7 Eye Pencil: £13
Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara: £10.99
No7 Stay Perfect Trio Eyeshadow: £10 (not pictured)
Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil: £2.99
Total = £42.27

Benefit Dallas: £23.50
Models Own Lip & Cheek Tint: £6
Chapstick: £1.29
Total = £30.79

Grand Total = £161.34

£161.34 does sound like a lot, but if you think about how many times you would use each product (most of these would last me for over 6 months) it probably works out at only a pound or two per day. Most of my makeup is middle-range in both price and quality but once I'm no longer a student I would like to invest in more high-end products as they are much better quality and usually last longer.

How much do you spend on makeup?

Gillian x

Outfit: Calling All Skeletons

Dress: ASOS
Shoes: New Look
Necklace: Topshop

A couple of weeks ago I ordered some things from ASOS and this dress was one of the things I got. I haven't actually worn it out yet as I'm not sure if I really like it, but here's a potential outfit I've put together. That's the main thing I hate about online shopping, things never look quite how you expected them to once you see them in the flesh. So I need some advice - how would you wear this dress?

I would normally wear black tights with a dress this length but I wasn't sure whether black tights with a white dress would look a bit too much like I was in some kind of fancy dress. Likewise with a belt - I generally don't like going belt-less but I didn't want to go for a black one, maybe a brown belt would look better?

White and gold are always a good combination, so I've gone for some summery gladiator sandal style heels from New Look. They look dangerously high (and they are) but are surprisingly quite comfy to wear because of the big platform and lots of buckles to keep your feet strapped in. I originally bought these shoes to wear on a toga party themed night out, but I've actually worn them quite a lot since as they look great with skinny jeans.

My favourite part of this outfit is definitely the skeleton necklace. I quite often walk round Topshop and find nothing I particularly want to buy in the clothes section, but there's always some jewellery I love! This necklace is great addition to a plain outfit to jazz it up a bit. I like the fact that it's a bit of a statement piece, but it's still delicate and not too in-your-face.

I wanted to branch out from my usual colour palette and try something lighter for the summer, but now I'm not sure. How do you wear white dresses? Is it better to keep it plain or do you like to accessorise with bold colours?

Gillian x

Outfit: Pink & Polka Dots

Dress: Vivien of Holloway
Cardigan: Dorothy Perkins
Belt: New Look
Wedges: New Look

I'm sure many of you will have already heard of the fabulous Vivien of Holloway but if you haven't, make sure to have a browse through the website for lots of wonderful vintage inspired dresses. I bought my first Vivien of Holloway dress back in 2007 to wear to my 5th Year school prom. Most of the other girls were wearing floor length dresses with layers and layers of tulle and silk, which is really not my style. I was much happier prancing about in a 1950s style halterneck swing dress! Sadly that one (a pink and black spotty number) doesn't fit me anyomore, but a year or two ago I bought this dress to replace it.

I haven't actually had the chance to wear this dress all that much, as I feel it's quite dressy for day-time and a little bit too fancy to wear on an average VK-fuelled night out. But as midi-length skirts are very much "in" at the moment, I'm going to bite the bullet and just start wearing it all the time this summer for picnics in the park and strolls around town. (This would also be the perfect opportunity for any eligible young gentlemen reading this to invite me to a fancy soirée so I can wear this dress whilst drinking champagne cocktails...)

I love how this dress sits and it's perfect for spinning round in circles! I tried to take a motion-shot but got dizzy from twirling around too much and walked into the table - fun fact. I think the dress looks great on its own for a day-time look, but once I've got some more pennies I would love to invest in a petticoat to make it all floofy and big for potential night-time wear.

If I had endless funds I would probably buy all of the Vivien of Holloway dresses (I've got my eyes on these ones especially - Rose Garden Blue, Sweet Hearts Pink, & Black Satin Stars). Vivien of Holloway also do some lovely pencil dress and sarong-style dresses which I'd love to try one day too!

Gillian x

River Island Shop-In Wishlist

As I'm sure many of you already know, this week River Island are holding student shop-in events at stores across the country. I'm off to Edinburgh's River Island store tonight to grab myself a bargain as everything is 20% off. In preparation, I've had a look through their website and chosen my favourite items that I will be on the look-out for tonight.

1. Green Grecian Shift Dress 2. Turqouise Feather Thong Necklace 3. Cream Long Sleeve Shirt 4. Cream 3/4 Sleeve Jumper 5. Chelsea Girl Print Skinny Jeans 6. Pink Strappy Sandals 7. Black Bandeau Shirred Prom Dress 8. Gold Aviator Sunglasses

I will probably end up coming home with something completely different, but nevermind! What have you got your eye on from River Island at the moment? Are you planning to go to one of the shop-ins?

Gillian x

Outfit: Miss Scarlett

Dress: Vero Moda @ ASOS
Belt: Dorothy Perkins
Wedges: New Look

I recently ordered a few things from ASOS and this bright red shirt dress by Vero Moda is one of the things I purchased. I only really bought it because I needed something to bring the total up a bit so I could get free delivery, but I think it's actually my favourite thing from the whole order! The colour is a gorgeous bright reddish-orange which is perfect for the summer (please excuse the excessive boobage in the last photo - it showed the colour really well!).

The only downside to this dress is the fact that it's made of a silky fabric which seems to be really staticky, so the skirt ends up sticking to my legs instead of sitting properly. Any tips on how to stop clothes from being static?! Think I might have to buy an old lady underskirt or something!

I love this belt and wear it quite a lot, but I'm not sure if it's a bit too tough and chunky for this dress. What do you think? I almost always wear belts so I felt I needed something, but next time I wear it I might swap this one for a skinner belt. I'm going out for a meal and some cocktails for my friend's birthday on Saturday and I am planning to wear this outfit, so I will experiment then!

I bought these wedges last summer but as much as I love them, I haven't actually worn them very much. Definitely going to change that though and get as much wear out of them as possible over the next few months.

Gillian x