Changes to my blog

As you can see, I've decided to make a few changes to my blog. I've been feeling like my blog is impersonal, like I'm copying some idea of a beauty blog without really knowing why I'm doing it. And I feel stuck. I love beauty blogs. I love beauty. I love writing about beauty. But right now I want to expand OTFOI to include writing, photography, artwork - a more personalised creative project rather than a run-of-the-mill beauty blog. I started this blog as a creative outlet and I feel it's become less and less of one. I'll still write about beauty, of course.

Seaside makeup: 2014 vs. 2015

 

It's been a year since my last 'seaside makeup' post, so I thought I'd have a bit of fun and compare the two. If you haven't seen it here's the 2015 edition of seaside makeup and here's the 2014 edition.

Seaside makeup, 2015 edition

Another year, another trip to the charming town of Southwold. And another opportunity to test my makeup against blustery sea winds!

The perfect fast, natural base: MAC Studio Sculpt Defining Powder

An all-in-one base that stays put, doesn't cake, and looks like real skin? Sign me up.

My current everyday makeup menu

I have a quick, fresh-faced makeup look going on at the moment that's perfect for a Monday morning!

An action plan for dehydrated skin

My skin:
Since coming back from France my skin's been feeling and looking a bit a bit crap. It feels irritated, flaky, and my foundation keeps going patchy and settling into my pores. My skin looks less plump and my lips feel irritated and unprotected. But my skin doesn't feel dry - in fact, it looks more oily than usual. Diagnosis? My skin's dehydrated.

Friday Favourites

Three favourite autumn makeup products.

Three hand creams for any situation

While the rest of me gets covered with tights and jumpers, hands and face remain uncovered. Moisturising my face is second nature, but I easily forget that my hands need the same amount of love.

OTFOI is one year old today!

Break out the champagne because OTFOI turns 1 today! What a proud blog-mummy I am. When I started OTFOI I was accutely aware it may not last more than a couple of weeks - so congratulations to myself for blogging for a whole year. Thanks to all the bloggers and Instagrammers out there who keep me inspired! And, last but certainly not least, thank you to all my readers.

Here's to the next year!

You can read my first blog post here!

Makeup and skincare for short trips

I thought 'makeup and skin for travel' might be a misleading title - this is more about what I bring when I pop home to Surrey for the weekend or for a week's holiday. I don't have to contend with dehydrated aeroplane skin and hot, humid conditions, thank goodness. 

Friday Favourites

A couple of lovely bits...

My Week in Brittany

I've had an absolutely lovely week in Brittany with my mum and dad. We've roamed the Finistère region, admired its beautiful coastlines, and wandered its cobbled streets.

Friday Favourites

I was in Brittany last week with mum and dad (a full round-up of that to follow, once I get to editing my photos!) Here are a few makeup-y bits I enjoyed using while I was away.

An old favourite eyeliner

I've tried a fair few liquid liners, but I always go budget - I'm loathe to spend more than £10 on them because 1) I don't wear them every day and 2) like mascara, they cover such  a small area of my face. Pretty much the only thing I'll spend a good chunk of cash on is foundation - I wear it most days, over my whole face, and I've found the shades and formulas of the cheaper versions can't compare to the likes of Nars and Bobbi Brown. Oh, and I like fancy lipstick. MAC, Chanel, Nars... but the less said about that the better, or I'll be itching for another. 

But I digress.

Rimmel Glam'Eyes Professional Liquid Liner (£5.29)

Friday Favourites

A brush and a brush cleanser, both cruelty-free.

Friday Favourites

A couple of products I've been loving lately.

A classic Autumn look on a budget

Autumn makeup, how I love you. Autumn is my favourite season, September my favourite month, and with their arrival comes a desire, no, a need, to add new shades to my makeup collection. 

But my goodness it costs a lot! I've been drooling over the Chanel and Nars Fall Collections and sadly realising that I can't afford to stock up on my favourites and still afford food, hot water and an internet connection.

So that's where this post started - how can I get the same lovely autumnal shades without breaking the bank? After a good hunt around online and in the makeup stands of Boots and Superdrug, I found budget products to recreate the same lovely looks at a fraction of the price.

My most loved products of summer 2015

I am so glad it's autumn. I love the colours, the weather, being finally able to wear scarves and jumpers and tights and boots again. I love the new makeup collections with their dark plums and browns. 
But before I fully embrace autumn I want to acknowledge the products that have seen me through summer.

Autumn Edit: Topshop

I head to Topshop at the end of summer because I love their autumn knitwear. They always have wonderful jumpers in beautiful tan, ochre and rust shades. I love that Topshop caters to a wide range of styles - I can always find something I like. (Equally I'll usually find something I wouldn't be caught dead in!) Despite being a fashion-forward brand, I find their clothes have a very long life span. I have skirts, tops, jumpers and cardigans that I've had for several years and still wear all the time. I'm wearing a rust-coloured boxy v-neck top from their Boutique range at the moment, and my burgundy cardigan, which is at least five years old, rests on the arm of the sofa, ready to be shrugged on if it turns cold. 

The jumpers of course caught my eye immediately (who doesn't love a good snuggly jumper?) as well as the beautiful midi dresses and smart brown ankle boots. 

A tip on buying: I find Topshop knitwear is often deliberately oversized - I typically buy 2 sizes smaller to avoid looking drowned.

Crochet midi dress, £70

Woodland Floral Print Shirt, £39

Dandelion Print Midi Dress, £55

Contrast Space Dye Roll Neck Jumper, £42

Longline Fine Ribbed Jumper, £36

Lulu Stitch Cardigan, £42

Ribbed Side Split Jumper, £36

Side Split Top, £30

Dark Floral Print Plunge Cami, £24

V-Neck Belted Midi Dress, £42

Super-Soft Scarf, Grey Marl, £16

Angelo Jodhpur Ankle Boots, Tan, £62

Bardot Heeled Ankle Boots, Burgundy, £45

Happy shopping!

Thanks for reading! x

Autumn Edit: M&S

Oh M&S I do love you. 

I'm wearing one of your dresses as I write this, a black trapeze-style long sleeved dress that hides last night's spaghetti dinner bloat and only cost £19.50 (find it here). Your pants have graced my bum for as long as I remember. Your tights cosset my legs, black 40 deniers protecting me from autumnal chills and nude ones imparting an evenly toned golden tan onto my pasty pale skin in summer. You offer such a range of styles - my mum and I, whose tastes differ, can both shop happily in you. My boyfriend wears your reasonably priced v-neck jumpers constantly. 

This year's autumn offerings are particularly good, full of burgundy and tan and grey with hints of 70's styling. 

Pure Cashmere Round Neck Perforated Jumper, £119

Floral Statement Blouse, £35

Floral Midi Shift Dress, £45

Cosy Tube Bodycon Dress, £25

Roll Sleeve Sheer Longline Shirt, £29.50

V-Neck Pleated Waist Bodycon Dress, £45

Wool Blend Double Breasted Overcoat with Cashmere, £120

Double Face Unstructured Coat with Wool, £69

Oversized Checked Blanket Scarf, £18

Mock Croc Boxy Shoulder Bag, £39.50

Crepe Sole Chelsea Ankle Boots, £45

Faux Suede Zipped Ankle Boots, £39.50

I hope this has inspired you!

Thanks for reading! x

My favourites from Autumn's new makeup collections

Chanel, Nars, YSL, Bobbi Brown, Charlotte Tilbury... just a bit of a drool-fest, really.

A new favourite mascara

Remember my odyssey to find a primer? I picked up two other gems on Boots' 3 for 2 offer that I've been wanting to share.

First up:

Rimmel Wonder'full waterproof mascara with argan oil (£7.99) 

Friday Favourites

Rimmel Fix and Perfect Pro Primer review

Taking advantage of the offers in Boots...

An Autumn Look

Happy September, everyone! It's my favourite month of the year. Here's a little makeup look I tried last week. It's soft and coppery and pinky and all round lovely and flattering and seasonal. 

My foundation is Nars Radiant Tinted Moisturiser in Finland. It's become my go-to summer base - it feels, smells and looks wonderful, it blends so easily, and as a bonus it contains SPF 30. I've used Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in Vanilla under my eyes and a little on my nose and chin to minimise redness.

I've used Bourjois Colorband crayon in Brun Dadaiste with Rimmel Exaggerate Liner in Rich Brown for a soft smoky eye, topped off with Rimmel Wonder'full black waterproof mascara. I love the colour of the Bourjois crayon but I find it could benefit from a primer underneath. The eyeliner is excellent and performs well above its budget price - everyone should have one! I particularly like the Rich Brown because it's exactly what it says - rich, dense colour that doesn't fade. The mascara is simply my usual mascara at the moment and it's really good for those of us who have sensitive eyes but find non-waterproof mascara smudges too much.

Cheeks are Guipre from Sleek's excellent Blush By 3 palette in Lace. It's a fantastic palette for summer and, although this is a budget palette, the blushes blend beautifully and don't irritate my sensitive skin. Guipre is a warm pink with gold shimmer to rival the best Nars blushes. The shimmer gives a lovely warm glow to the skin. I've used l'Oreal Glam Bronze bronzer in Sun Bronze on the high points of the face and under my cheekbones for a little more warmth, although this step is optional because the highlight from the blush adds contour to the face. 

Lips are my favourite shade - Nars Sheer Lipstick in Mayflower. It's a gorgeous shimmery peachy pink that lives permanently in my bag because it's my 'my lips but better' shade. 

Brows are Rimmel Professional Brow Pencil in Black Brown. This is the only brow product I've used for a while because it's incredibly long lasting and it's a nice soft ashy dark brown.

Hmm what else? I topped everything off with a swoosh of Bobbi Brown Sheer Finish Powder in Pale Yellow. This powder has lasted an incredibly long time and as you can see from it's been well loved!

Thanks for reading!

The Weekly Update

part of the Walled Garden at Polesden Lacey

Sorry for my absence over the last couple of months. Life got busy, I was doing more travelling than usual, and I fell out of a routine of blogging. I'd been meaning to write something much sooner, but without my regular routine my weekly columns fell by the wayside, and it took me until last Thursday evening to actually sit down and write something. I drafted eight posts that night - clearly I needed my old creative outlet!

Me-wise, things are well - I'm volunteering, which is really wonderful.

I've spent a lot of time in Surrey looking after the animals while my parents are on holiday. Strawberry is his usual self, waking me up at half seven demanding cuddles by clawing me to death. The hens are wonderful and I could sit outside watching them pecking about for hours. Strawberry has made friends with next door's tabby kitten, who is absolutely adorable and besotted with Strawbs. So I hadn't seen much of Strawberry. We did fit in a couple of games of Explorers (basically hide and seek, with a cat, where the cat shows off by climbing up trees and wriggling into bushes so I can't catch him, before getting the cat gets bored and disappears off somewhere.) I won one round, he won one round - although neither of us is particularly clear on the rules.

I went to Polesden Lacey, which I hadn't been to in years and years. We had a wander round the gardens, and they're absolutely beautiful in summer. I'll probably sound like a walking, talking, blogging advert, but if you have a spare weekend, Surrey is less than an hour away from London and large parts are a natural paradise. Box Hill and Denbies Vinyard are a stone's throw from the train station.

I have some posts scheduled but currently don't have wifi. I'm using one of those little dongle (haha) things and I'm not sure it can deal with editing all the photos I've taken!


Thanks for reading!

Going ultra-bright with Sleek's Ultra Mattes palette

If you're thinking of experimenting with bright colours (and I hope you do) get your hands on the Sleek Ultra Mattes V1 palette. 

The 3-Product Glam Look

The inspiration behind this look was simply, 'how can I transform my face using the minimum number of products?'