Friday Favourites

This week's Friday Favourites is all about versatility, and features an eyeshadow, some nail polish, and a dress that all look good whatever the occasion.




MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Vintage Selection

MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Vintage Selection is It's my go-to nude eyeshadow at the moment. It's great for in-between seasons and days when I don't really know what to put on my face. It's described as a frosted dirty peach, but I think it's more of a soft, golden, tawny pink, flecked with silver shimmer. It reminds me of beautiful beaded vintage gowns from the 1920's. The name 'Vintage Selection' is spot on. The light, highly-pigmented cream formula glides on quickly and easily. It's perfect for when I'm in a rush because it's a such a neutral colour on me I can bung it on in a flash and not worry about it fading or creasing. Like all the MAC paint pots, this has serious staying power and doesn't budge until I want it to. This on its own, blended in with other shades, or dabbed on top of the lid and round the tear duct as a highlight.

£15.50; available from MAC stores, Selfrigdes, some branches of Debenhams, and online.



Essie Greige Collection

Left: Chinchilly; Right: Master Plan

Essie's greige collection doesn't include any new shades, it's just a nice little capsule of six of Essie's grey-beige shades. They range from a light beige (Sand Tropez) to a deep smoky mulberry (Smokin' Hot). They're all really beautiful, understated shades which suit everybody. I have Master Plan (a soft mink grey) and Chinchilly (a slightly darker purple-y grey). I wear them when I want to feel particularly put-together and important. (Particularly Master Plan - there's something about the name that makes me want to Get Stuff Done). These greige shades are really versatile because each shade contains a mix of grey, beige and purple tones. This means that while they might look quite bland in the bottle, once they look vibrant, if vibrant is a word that can be used to describe grey.

Index and ring fingers: Chinchilly; middle and pinky fingers: Master Plan

£7.99 each; available at Boots, Superdrug, and online



M&S swing shift dress

I don't usually feature clothes on here, but this is the first thing (and best thing) I've bought in a while and I wanted to share it.

You know those days where you feel like nothing you put on fits? Or whatever you put on looks awful and you wonder what on earth you were thinking when you bought it? To try and avoid that feeling I buy clothes with a bit of stretch in that aren't dependent on me having a 'thin day'. But nice, smart, comfortable clothes can be difficult to find. Quite often I try a beautiful dress only to discover that it's made of a thick, inflexible fabric that will leave me feeling like a Gigantic Blob as soon as I've eaten dinner. That's why I'm so enamoured with this dress - it's comfortable and flattering, but smart enough to wear out to dinner. 

It's a simple black swing dress, fitted at the top and gently flared towards the bottom, with a round neckline and straight sleeves which end above my elbow. There's no waistband, which makes a sleeker shape. Instead there's a central seam running down the front and back. The flared swing style means it gently skims over the parts of me that I'm less fond of, too.

The light fabric (94% viscose, 6% elastane - plenty of stretch) is a little thin, so I prefer to wear a top underneath it. The standard fit comes in sizes 8 to 22; the petite comes in sizes 8 to 18. My usual size 16 (in the standard fit) fits perfectly and ends just above my knees. I think this dress would would look lovely on anyone, no matter their size, shape, and style.

£19.50; M&S stores and online (get the standard fit here and the petite fit here.)



Happy Friday! 

Thanks for reading!