Tuesday, 30 April 2013

Man of the Month: Mr April

Hey Everyone!

Since starting my blog nearly two years ago I've had an increasing amount of my male friends complain about having to read posts on primer and powder because I don't include boy content for them. Obviously as I write a beauty blog it's always going to be aimed mostly at the ladies, but I've decided to start being more inclusive and do some posts for the 'lads' as well (my guy friends like to be called lads even though we've all just done a production of FAME...) So here is my first 'Man of the month' post where I will focus on male fashion and grooming and hopefully you girls will enjoy it too. Meet my lovely housemate Nick, also known as Mr April.

T-shirt- Cloak at Ark
Hoody- Sheffield Uni
Denim Jacket- Vintage Levi
Jeans- Dr Denim at Urban Outfitters
Belt- Topman
Trainers- Nike

Style: This outfit pretty much sums up Nick's style as he loves to wear simple staple items he can mix up in lots of different ways. The denim jacket was a recent addition to his wardrobe as he felt it was something he just needed to own and I do love the way he's rocking a subtle double denim here to give it a bit of a retro 90's feel.  He also swears by skinny jeans and Nike trainers or high tops, as well as wearing mainly muted colours (although as his housemate I know he always wears the brightest coloured socks!). He doesn't have any style icons or follow trends that much (although I also know Proudlock comes up in conversation rather alot), but he does get inspiration from Svpply which is a website where you can browse products and stores and create your own profile of things you like. It's a really cool site, particularly for fashion-phobic guys and Nick's profile is here if you want to have a look. 
Grooming: Grooming wise I think it's all about the hair for Nick as he was even nicknamed 'Nick O'Quiff' in first year! The quiff has calmed down quite a bit since then, but he still likes his hair longer on top and uses V05 Matte Clay to structure it and keep it in place all day. He even said the matte clay could be his Holy Grail hair product which is great as it's in keeping with the Budget Boutique and won't damage the wallets of cash strapped students. And neither will his everyday skincare products which are the Nivea for men face wash and aftershave balm, which Nick uses alongside his Babyliss i-stubble. 
Lifestyle: To finish this little 'man of the month' section I asked Nick for a list of his favourite lifestyle things to give you an idea of his interests and things you might want to check out...TV- How I Met Your Mother, Wanted Down Under, Friends, Great British Menu Hobbies- football, cricket, cooking, musical theatre, photography, blogging, advertising Music- Dry the River, Bastille, alt-J, Ben Howard, Kings of Convenience, Two Door Cinema Club Films- Taken, Up, Inception

I hope you enjoyed my new man feature whether you're a female or male reader and thanks so much to Nick for being my first volunteer! I've had a very busy time the past few days finishing our run of FAME and starting the mountain of work that has been piling up on my desk. I had a lovely day of doing nothing but eating roast dinner in my pj's with about ten of my uni friends on Sunday though and tonight Nick is filming a 'my male friend does my make up' video with me so it's not all bad!

I hope you're all having a lovely week!
Love Meg
Thursday, 25 April 2013

Drugstore Makeup Haul

Hello Lovelies!

I'm sure if you're anything like me you will have noticed the rather exciting Boots and Superdrug offers that have been going on recently and thought it would be rude not to make the most of them! Well it was this way of thinking combined with the fact all my foundation seemed to be running out at once that has led me to acquire quite a bit of new make up over the past month or so. So much in fact that I thought I'd make a video and blog post telling you all about it...




I talk about all of these lovely products in my latest video, so if you want to know more about them then you can give that a watch (and subscribe to my youtube channel here if you like it), but for now I'll just say this haul consists of some trusty repurchases mixed in with lots of exciting new releases so you'll definitely find some make up worth trying out yourself. And of course let me know if you want reviews on anything in particular :)

What make up have you been buying lately?

I've had a very long and boring day at uni, but I've got a good night ahead as I'm going out for a meal to celebrate the opening night of FAME which was yesterday, so I really need to go and get in the shower and paint my nails now to be ready for that!

Have a lovely night ladies!
Love Meg
x
Wednesday, 24 April 2013

The Super Shot: TRESemme Platinum Strength 60 Second Treatment

Hello Girlies!

Firstly, I'm sorry about my absence from the world of blogging and youtube so far this week, I'm having a bit of a manic time with third year at uni and it's been hard to keep up with everything, but I've used today to plan lots of posts and film some videos so it should all be back to normal from now on :) But anyway onto today's post topic which is a new product from the TRESemme Platinum Strength range. The range has been causing quite a stir amongst beauty bloggers recently because of it's quick and noticeable results at budget prices and this little super shot is a great addition to it...


I picked this up on a whim from Superdrug last week because it was only £1.49 and I thought I'd try this before investing in the full size deep conditioner. I was a bit dubious though as I've used a few 'shot' hair treatments in the past like the VO5 hot oils and been disappointed as they didn't seem to make much difference to my hair or be any better than normal conditioner, but that is certainly not the case with this minute miracle  The product itself is thicker than usual TRESemme hair masques which instantly makes me feel as though it's going to really deeply condition my hair and you only have to leave it on for a minute opposed to the usual 4-5 minutes too, which saves any awkward prolonged shower standing (There's only so much time you can kill covering yourself in shower gel while you try not to get any water near your hair). The results are amazing considering its only at work for minute too, as it left my  hair feeling like silk in the shower and super soft once it had dried. I don't really know about prolonged care and repair, but you can get three uses out of one treatment if you have mid length hair like mine so it does make a nice bit of difference to it and I'd really recommend this if you're hair is misbehaving. Can't wait to get my hands on the big bottle of deep conditioner now...I'm such a sucker for giving into blogging hype.

Have you tried the TRESemme Platinum Strength range?

As I said at the start of the post, I've been super duper busy lately as I was in a performance festival last weekend and I'm in a production of FAME this week, which combined with looming third year deadlines and an unfinished dissertation, doesn't leave me with much time to talk about make up! I've still somehow made the time to go and buy the stuff though so you can expect a make up haul very soon.

I hope you're all having a lovely week!
Love Meg
Thursday, 18 April 2013

Look at me I'm Sandra dee: Bowling Outfit

Hello Lovelies!

Tonight I thought I'd show you a rather fun outfit that I wore bowling last week. If you're a fellow fashion and beauty lover then you'll know every occasion is an excuse to dress up, so when me and my friends decided to go on a bowling social I thought I'd take the opportunity to rock a retro 'just stepped out of Grease' look.
Bowling shoes, arcades and slush puppies just make me feel as though I'm back in the 50's!

Disco pants- American Apparel 
Crop top- Topshop
Varisty jacket- Uni shop
Ankle socks- Topshop
Sexy bowling shoes- Bowling alley
Sneakers- Converse
Lips- Revlon Kissable Balm Stain in 'Lovesick'
Nails- Max Factor Nailfinity in 'Disco Pink'

There was one item of clothing I absolutely had to wear bowling and that was my American Apparel disco pants as they make me feel as though I'm Sandy from the last scene of Grease (Whenever I wear them I can barely stop myself from singing 'You are the one I want, oo oo oooo'... my housemates are too lucky to live with me sometimes). I love pairing these with crop tops as the high waist creates such a figure flattering silhouette, but anyway now onto the very exciting new item of clothing you may have spotted, my American varsity jacket! Me and all my uni friends have these to promote our production of FAME on next week and I've literally lived in it since I got it as sports luxe is so in right now and it's so fun to dress up with things like dungarees and wedged trainers. Plus, Sheffield Uni just won Varsity so I look very supportive of that fact right now (Who knew I was so interested in sport!?). You can see I paired these clothes with frilly ankle socks and some incredibly sexy size three bowling shoes, but for when I wasn't busy scoring strikes/ knocking over a couple of pins, I wore the converse I've had since I was about 14 which you can see from the delightful photo of me on the bike below. As a beauty blogger I can't help but match my outfits with hair and make up so I finished the look with a very Sandy hair style complete with white ribbon, winged liner and bright pink nails and lips. My gorgeous housemate Rosie also rocked the retro look with her Levi shorts and pop of coral, she'll be doing a full outfit post on this soon so be sure to check that out along with all her other lovely posts here!
And finally here are some arcade photos which really prove just how cool I am...


These photos are really making me want to go on a silly night out as I've been so busy with deadlines and society stuff this week, it's the uni performance festival this weekend though so that should be really fun. The girl group I'm in even has it's own little show so I'll keep you updated with how that goes :)

I hope you've all had a lovely week!
Love Meg
x
Tuesday, 16 April 2013

The Two Month Holiday Health Kick

Hello Lovelies!

It's a bit of a different post from me today as I realised I hadn't done any lifestyle blogging in ages and after getting lots of lovely feedback from the other healthy living post I did which was 'The Lazy Girl Guide to Staying Slim without Trying', I thought I'd do a post on my 'Two Month Holiday Health Kick'! I'm going to be crazily busy in the next two months what with finishing my degree and the performing bits I have lined up so I didn't want to set myself any unrealistic missions, however I would like to tone up a bit and feel great for the week of bare faced and (mostly) bare bodied beauty on the beach I'll be having in Spain with my uni friends in two months time, so I've set myself five goals to achieve. I'm hoping that telling you about them will make me actually stick to them for a change...


1. Get shredded
I started The 30 day shred last summer and never actually got past level one so this time I'm determined to see it all the way till the end as it's a quick and easy way to get toning and cardio into your day. I started this yesterday and so far so good, although Jillian is already doing my head in with her classic lines such as 'You strong' and I also disgruntled my housemate by doing vigorous star jumps at half seven in the morning in the room above him. Needless to say I've now been instructed to do this in the living room instead.
2. Healthy balance it
I love eating healthily anyway so I don't really need to change much to achieve this goal of eating three healthy balanced meals every day, but recently I've got a little bit lax (me and Rosie have decided that our male housemate is to blame for bringing too much white pasta into the kitchen), so I'm going to try harder to plan my meals so I don't buy unhealthy food out, cut back on the carbs and portion size a bit and up the fruit, veg and protein.
3. Trick or treat myself
I've tried cutting out all bad treat food on health kicks before, but as I have such a sweet tooth this leads me to instantly give up as soon as I reach for the malteaser bunnies I have stashed away in my drawer. (note to self: stop buying malteaser bunnies and stashing them in a drawer, even if they are 4 for a pound) So this time I'm letting myself have a treat every day if I need it. Unfortunately a large McDonalds meal complete with strawberry milkshake counts as more than one treat though...
4. Banish the 'lazy cleanser'
I must admit I've been a bit of a self confessed 'lazy cleanser' in the past, but there is no time for lazy cleansing when your planning on being captured makeupless on camera as you sun bathe, so I want my skin to be looking good this summer. Of course my exercise and healthy eating should help the most with this, but I'm also going to make sure I don't fall asleep with my make up on and do lots of lovely face masks and nose strips.   
5. Be a super scrimper
I know this doesn't have anything to do with my beach body, but if I don't start scrimping and saving now I won't have any money to spend in Spain or be able to buy new bikinis, so I'm going to really think about my purchases and aim to have two or three days a week where I don't spend anything as this will stop me from frittering my pennies away on overpriced lattes and magazines. 

Do you have any holiday health kick plans?

I'm going a bit crazy today as I have an essay due on Thursday so have spent all day in the library with Sylvia Plath talking about Bumble bees, what a useful degree I do...going to have a bit of a break from it now though as I've got a rehearsals for the performance festival I'm in this weekend and the musical I'm in next weekend, ahhh busy busy, bring on June!

I hope you're all having a lovely week!
Love Meg
x
Saturday, 13 April 2013

Shopping the Stash #2

Hey Girls!

Recently I've been on a bit of a mission to sort out my make up collection, I think it's a mixture of booking a holiday with uni friends that I need to make some extra money for and the thought of fitting all my belongings back into my small room at home come July. On one hand I've found loads of stuff I haven't touched and don't really intend to for reasons such as 'that's definitely about three shades too dark for me' (expect a huge blog sale soon!), but I've also found some hidden gems I had totally forgotten about like the three lovely things below which have come back into my life in a big way this week... 

Max Factor Nailfinity in 'Disco Pink'
During the mammoth task of sorting out my nail varnish collection, I discovered I had about five bright pink colours so needed to get rid of some as no one needs that much pink in their lives (or do they?). This one made the cut though, as it's the most gorgeous neon pink perfect for brightening up a British Spring and Summer. It also has a lovely formula that glides on to the nails easily, dries quickly and lasts a good amount of time. Well done Max Factor. Oh, and it also looks great teamed with my favourite lip product of the moment, the Revlon Kissable Balm Stain in 'Lovesick', or as I one referred to it in a video, 'Lovesock'.
Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in 'Candy Coral'
Back in December I got bought a lot of American make up for my 21st birthday from my parents (haul here) who had been to Chicago the summer before armed with a list of all the things I'd been going on about wanting. One of the main things I went on about and was so happy to get given was this Dream Bouncy Blush as I'd heard so much about it from Youtubers across the pond, however because it's such a Spring colour I hadn't got round to using it till this week. I wish I'd used it sooner though as it's such a gorgeous blush, I apply it with my Real Techniques Stippling brush and it gives the prettiest natural peachy glow to my cheeks and because it's not overly pigmented you can't ever end up looking clown like, always a plus!
YSL Rouge Volupte Lipstick in 'Sensual Silk'
I posted about this lipstick back in January as I was so excited to own some YSL make up, however as it is quite a pale flesh toned nude it washed me out a bit with my winter skin so I popped it back in my drawer until the sun came out again. Well the sun hasn't really come out but my fake tan has, so I now think this colour looks really pretty and perfect paired with a dark smoky eye, which is how I wore it on a night out this week. The formula is also like no other lip product I've tried as it literally melts onto the lips and the packaging is so gorgeous it causes me to flash it around rather inappropriately when I'm in public. Oo la la...

What have you shopped in your Stash?

As I said at the start of the post I'm a rather happy bunny this week as me and eight of my best uni friends have just booked a holiday to Spain in June as a big 'yay, we just did a degree' type celebration. I'm literally so excited but need to get through quite a bit more work before then... that will have to wait till tomorrow though as tonight I'm off to see our uni production of 'Clockwork Orange'. I know, I'm just too cultured sometimes.

I hope you're all having a lovely weekend!
Love Meg
x
Friday, 12 April 2013

The Perfect Nude Lip: MAC Shy Girl

Hello Lovelies!

One of my main beauty missions in life has to be to find the perfect nude lipstick. That 'your lips but better' shade which you can either throw on when your running out the door without thinking to instantly perk you up or team with a dark smoky eye to ensure your make up look doesn't emulate 'drag queen'. On my quest I've had some chavy concealer lip disasters as well as some middle aged brown shade mishaps, but now I think I've found my holy grail natural nude lip. Meet my latest lipstick addition and addiction, MAC Shy Girl...     


This lipstick has been stuck on my wishlist for so long, but I finally caved in and bought it when I was in London because I just couldn't find my perfect nude in the drugstore. I didn't really have enough money to spend £14 on a lipstick, but it was one of the best 14 pounds I've ever spent as I've worn it non stop since! As you can see from the swatch it's a light nude pink shade with a strong true peach undertone (I'm such a sucker for any make up associated with the word 'peach') which gives just the right amount of subtle colour to your lips to really brighten the face opposed to making you look 'corpse like', we've all been there right....The formula is just as wearable as it has a cremesheen finish that just glides onto the lips and leaves them feeling super moisturised and comfortable whilst still providing a good amount of colour pay off and longevity. It also fades really evenly without gathering in creases or dry areas and you can apply it without a mirror too, making it a really great no fuss lippy for on the go type days. I also find this to be the most perfect shade for Spring and I can't get enough of it paired with a dewy base and subtle golden brown smoky eye at the moment. An absolute must have for any girl's make up bag.

What's your favourite nude lipstick?

 I've just had a day at the union trying (and largely failing) to get essay done, interspersed with coffee breaks and distracting friends, going to pack up work for the day now though and go get ready for a night of bowling. I'm literally awful at bowling (I once threw a bowling ball so pathetically that it didn't even make it to  the pins and a guy had to come and remove it, embarrassing or what), but I do have a new varsity jacket that I'm going to dress up for a 'sports luxe' outfit post so that's fun!

Have a lovely night girlies!
Love Meg
x    
Thursday, 11 April 2013

Products I've Used Up #3

Hey Girls!

When I was at home cleaning out my room during the Easter holidays I realised that I'm great at saving all my empty products to show you, but not so great at actually doing empties posts and videos which results in me having unnecessarily large stashes of empty cans and bottles under my bed which Mother Gunn doesn't exactly love! So here is the first 'Products I've used up' instalment of many (You don't even want to know how much stuff I have saved up in my uni room)...




I decided to do the main reviewy/ 'will I buy again' type chatter in a video so you can give that a watch if you want to know more about each product (and subscribe here if you like it of course), but for now I will say this empties stash includes my favourite drugstore concealer, powder, mascara, body moisturiser and Spring foundation so there are certainly some cracking products for you to try out in it!

What products have you used up lately?

It's a super early post from me today as I've got a very long day at uni so won't be able to blog later, dedication or what. Today is going to be a bit of a struggle though as I went out for my friend's 21st last night where we had a gorgeous meal then went to a bar where they had live swing music and served cocktails in tea pots, amazing!

Have a lovely day!
Love Meg
Sunday, 7 April 2013

The Sunday Shopping List: Repurchases

Hello Girlies!

I thought I'd try out a new feature today which is 'The Sunday Shopping List' because although I do a wishlist every month consisting of the things I'm lusting over, I don't always tell you what I'm actually going to buy. One thing that goes particularly unnoticed are those trusty products I'm always repurchasing so today I'm dedicating a whole post to the things I need to repurchase this week as it seems like all my beauty products have decided to run out at the same time, how helpful of them...


1. Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum
The perfect Spring foundation, this has a gel formula which feels light and looks dewy, whilst still providing a nice medium coverage. Oh and it smells like fresh fruit which is always nice for this time of year :)
2. TRESemme Curl Defining Mousse
This mousse appeared in my 2012 favourites video and with good reason as it's a great way to give your hair long lasting beach babe waves and curls without heat or making your hair feel heavy with product.
3. Soap and Glory Hand Food
I buy mini bottles of this as I like to carry it in my handbag which means I repurchase it quite a lot, but when it makes my hands smell of marshmallows who can blame me! It's only £2.50 too so doesn't break the bank.
4. Maybelline Gel Liner
A firm favourite of mine since my first year of uni, this has to be the most long lasting and easy to apply eyeliner I've tried to date. I'm quite tempted to purchase the brown version too for more natural looks.
5. La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo
It was only January when this little wonder product came into my life, but there's no way I'm letting it go anywhere as after putting it in my routine my skin is better than it ever has been (touching lots of wood here).

What's on your Sunday shopping list?

I'm back at uni now after seeing the amazing hotness that is One Direction last night at the O2! Needless to say my throat is sore from all the screaming, but I'm looking forward to recovering tonight during a nice chilled out evening with my house mates and a glass of Prosecco.

Have a lovely night ladies!
Love Meg
x  
Friday, 5 April 2013

Midi and Minnie: The Gunn Sisters London Outfits

Hello Lovelies!

Sorry I've been a bit absent on the blog this week, it somehow turned from a week with no plans to a bit of a manic one that left me with no nights to sit in my onesie and write blog posts. So to make up for that I'm giving you two outfits for the price of one today as I thought I'd show you what me and my sister wore for a girly day out in London last week...

Midi Dress- Boohoo
Leather jacket- Primark
Tartan Scarf- Edinburgh Woollen Shop
Studded Loafers- Primark
Bag- Zara Shopper Basket
Tights- M&S
Lips- MAC 'Odessy'
Nails- Barry M Gelly Paint in 'Papaya'

Blazer- Kardashian collection at Dorothy Perkins
Vest top- h&m
Jeans- New Look
Bag- Irregular Choice 
Lips- Rimmel Apocalips in 'Big 'Bang'
Nails- Barry M Gelly Paint in 'Watermelon'


You can see these outfits in action on the VLOG I made of our day out here, but for those of you that prefer reading about outfits I'm wearing one of my favourite items of the moment, my new grey Boohoo midi dress. I'd wanted a midi dress for ages so when my housemate offered to give me hers in return for some of my unloved make up I jumped at the chance. I've worn it so much since too as I find it can be styled up or down so easily for so many different occasions and is a super flattering classy length. I dressed it down a bit edgily here with my studded loafers and leather jacket and also added my trusty tartan scarf for a pop of colour. Nat went for a much more casual vintage look as she loves 1940's and 50's fashion and it matches her hair so well! I couldn't believe her cute dotty blazer was from the Kardashian range at Dorothy Perkins so I'd really recommend checking that out if you like cute and quirky pieces. Oh, and I do hope you got the title of this post (If you haven't it's called Midi and Minnie because I'm wearing a midi dress and my sister's blazer is channelling some Minnie Mouse chic), I was proud of that little title idea if you can't tell already...

After a day of work I'm off to my boyfriend's for our final night before I head back to uni now, boooo :(
It's not all bad though as tomorrow night I'm going to see ONE DIRECTION at the O2 Arena  I honestly could not be more excited about that fact...WOO WOO HARRY STYLES!

Have a lovely weekend!
Love Meg
x

Monday, 1 April 2013

My Easter in Pictures

Happy Easter Everyone!

I hope you've all had a wonderful Easter weekend eating your way through lots of eggs and enjoying chilled out time off. I've had a really lovely time so far seeing friends and family, eating more chocolate than is advisable and wearing more Spring like clothes than is probably advisable (the sun has been out so I couldn't help getting the crop top out too!). I wanted to do some sort of last Easter themed post today to finish off the weekend and start April blogging so thought I'd show you a few of my favourite seasonal snaps from the last couple of days...

My family church / Yummy cupcakes / Easter morning attire / My chocolate haul / Yesterday's cropped outfit / Bunny nail art / Sunny garden / Spring make up / Pretty dining room daffodils

What are your Easter weekend highlights? 

Love Meg
x
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