Makeup Revolution Haul & Swatches II

Sunday 28 February 2016

My name is Kitty and I am addicted to Makeup Revolution. Third was my third order, and it certainly won't be my last! This time I had a very specific item I wanted to order in basically every colour option I could, the velvet matte lip lacquer. It has very quickly become my favourite lip product ever and I can't resist them.


I maybe kind of ordered a few.... I ordered a variety of different colours including some that were quite 'out there' for me.

L-R
A Love Like That
Depravity
I Fall in Love
No Ordinary Love
What I Believe
All That I Have Inside
Barely There
More Than I Could Give

I just love the names!


The swatch left to right matches the order of the photos above. So the first thing to note is that I'm kind of an idiot. I assumed that all the products called a lip lacquer were matte, they are not! The velvet ones are matte, and the intense ones are a gloss. So I ordered these expecting all matte and they aren't, totally my own fault! Most of the shades actually come in both a velvet and intense finish, so do pay more attention that I did when I placed this order. A Love Like That, All That I Have Inside, More Than I Could Give are both actually the gloss versions, which is why they swatch totally differently to the others. I also resolve to do much bigger swatches in the inevitable next Makeup Revolution haul I do!


This is I Fall in Love, super bright pink and awesome staying power.

 


Depravity! I think this might be a good dupe for Jeffree Star's Blow Pony. So different and fun. I wore this look on just a regular day, because why not! I basically plan on treating the lip lacquers like Pokemon and will collect them all! For £3 each I can't resist.


I ordered a couple of others bits too, including the Awesome Metals Eye Foils in Rose Gold. 


These are a really unusual product. They come with a little silver dish that you mix the foil in with the liquid and it applies so brightly and stay so well.

L-R
Pro E103 Eyeshadow Blending Brush
Pro F103 Stippling Brush
Pro E101 Eyeshadow Brush


Cruelty free, fur free brushes can be hard to come by, and these are really soft.


I've wanted to try a stripping brush for foundation for a while, I don't wear it often but I'm trying to be better at makeup and good brushes seemed like a good place to start.

What are your favourite Makeup Revolution products?

Much love,
Kitty
xxxxxx

Makeup Revolution Haul & Swatches II

Sunday 28 February 2016

My name is Kitty and I am addicted to Makeup Revolution. Third was my third order, and it certainly won't be my last! This time I had a very specific item I wanted to order in basically every colour option I could, the velvet matte lip lacquer. It has very quickly become my favourite lip product ever and I can't resist them.


I maybe kind of ordered a few.... I ordered a variety of different colours including some that were quite 'out there' for me.

L-R
A Love Like That
Depravity
I Fall in Love
No Ordinary Love
What I Believe
All That I Have Inside
Barely There
More Than I Could Give

I just love the names!


The swatch left to right matches the order of the photos above. So the first thing to note is that I'm kind of an idiot. I assumed that all the products called a lip lacquer were matte, they are not! The velvet ones are matte, and the intense ones are a gloss. So I ordered these expecting all matte and they aren't, totally my own fault! Most of the shades actually come in both a velvet and intense finish, so do pay more attention that I did when I placed this order. A Love Like That, All That I Have Inside, More Than I Could Give are both actually the gloss versions, which is why they swatch totally differently to the others. I also resolve to do much bigger swatches in the inevitable next Makeup Revolution haul I do!


This is I Fall in Love, super bright pink and awesome staying power.

 


Depravity! I think this might be a good dupe for Jeffree Star's Blow Pony. So different and fun. I wore this look on just a regular day, because why not! I basically plan on treating the lip lacquers like Pokemon and will collect them all! For £3 each I can't resist.


I ordered a couple of others bits too, including the Awesome Metals Eye Foils in Rose Gold. 


These are a really unusual product. They come with a little silver dish that you mix the foil in with the liquid and it applies so brightly and stay so well.

L-R
Pro E103 Eyeshadow Blending Brush
Pro F103 Stippling Brush
Pro E101 Eyeshadow Brush


Cruelty free, fur free brushes can be hard to come by, and these are really soft.


I've wanted to try a stripping brush for foundation for a while, I don't wear it often but I'm trying to be better at makeup and good brushes seemed like a good place to start.

What are your favourite Makeup Revolution products?

Much love,
Kitty
xxxxxx

A Morris-Wood Wedding : DIY Coffee Filter Roses

Thursday 25 February 2016

With the wedding less than 4 months away, my Mum and I have become a regular production line for our DIY projects! I wanted to share some with you so you can make them too. First up, DIY coffee filter roses. Yes, coffee filter roses! I would never have thought to use them, but after much googling apparently they were the way to go.

First up, you want some paint, and bleached cone coffee filters. We used Windsor & Newton paint, but any acrylic paint will do. To be able to get whatever colour roses you want, you need the bleached white filters, and for these roses, the cone shaped ones work best. You also need floral tape and wire, paintbrushes, 6 containers, a piece of card, a chopstick, a paint tray, and plastic bowls.



Next, mark up some containers with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5/6 and 7/8. You then need to cut out some templates to make your life much easier. The shapes below are what you need. Cut them out of the card.



Next, grab your floral tape, wire and piece 1.


Slide the wire through piece 1, and make a small loop at the top of the wire so it can't slide all the way through. Roll it around the wire tightly.


Now you need to get to grips with floral tape. You can use regular tape throughout and cover it with floral tape at the end, but it looks prettier with floral tape. It is tricky to use. It comes feeling kind of waxy, and when you gently stretch the tape it becomes sticky. Pull too hard and it will snap!



You can kind of see the difference in these. The little lines are where it is sticky now.


Tightly wrap the floral tape around the base of the coffee filter piece and onto the wire so that it is secure.


Next take piece two, and again pierce the wire through it and slide it to the top. You'll need to gentle tear the cone section of the coffee filter so that it is separated.


You then fold the extra petals backwards over the others.


You then need to sort of smush the bottom of the rose together so that you can tape it again.


You are then going to keep wrapping the next pieces around the base bit by bit. Next up is piece 3, which again needs tearing along the cone filter.


Next is piece 4 which is much bigger, tear the bottom again and wrap it around. Try to keep the petals spaced well so that they are regular and there aren't any gaps.


Pieces 5/6 and 7/8 are individual petals. Using 3 at a time, overlap them and tape to the base of the flower. How many of these you use depends on how full you want the rose to be. We decided 4 lots of each (so 12 of the individual pieces) created the fullness we liked.


This gives the general rose shape.


Ensure you wrap the floral tape tightly, and probably slightly higher than you think you need to keep it totally secure.



Next is the dying! Mixing about a tablespoon's worth of paint with water. How much water depends on what colour you want the roses to be. We wanted them to be more pastel toned, so used quite a lot of water. We used plastic food bowls that were easy to wash in case of staining.


Then... dunk!


Make sure the rose is totally soaked, then you can really squeeze it to ring out any excess water.


Then leave to dry! This method takes quite a long time to dry, so we left them over night on the radiator. You can also hand paint the roses with watered down acrylic paint if you want them to dry more quickly.

Then the final decoration is up to you!

One of our favourite looks was a slightly ombre look. To achieve this is super easy! I popped some of the undiluted paint into a paint tray, and painted just the tips of the roses.


We've made pink, purple and grey roses so far.


You can also add glitter for extra sparkle. We used a really cheap kids paint from Sainsbury's and randomly painted some of the edges of the flower. I love how this looked!


The final step requires the rose to be totally dry. As you can see in these, the petals are quite straight and point upwards. Fix this using the chopstick, tuck it under the outside of the petal at the top edge, and roll it downwards. You only need to do the very top edges of the frames, and for the more pointed petals do two rolls, in a triangle shape. Easy to do, and it finished them off nicely.


Ta Da! Don't they look so cool? These could be used to make bouquets or button holes, table decorations, or even to have in a vase without having to worry about them dying like regular flowers.

These can be a little fiddly, but with practice they get much easier. I'm so looking forward to using these in our wedding and being able to tell everyone that we made them! These sell on Etsy for a good £8 a rose and upwards, but these cost pennies per rose with us making them in bulk.

If you give this tutorial a go, please do let me know.

Much love,
Kitty xxx





A Morris-Wood Wedding : DIY Coffee Filter Roses

Thursday 25 February 2016

With the wedding less than 4 months away, my Mum and I have become a regular production line for our DIY projects! I wanted to share some with you so you can make them too. First up, DIY coffee filter roses. Yes, coffee filter roses! I would never have thought to use them, but after much googling apparently they were the way to go.

First up, you want some paint, and bleached cone coffee filters. We used Windsor & Newton paint, but any acrylic paint will do. To be able to get whatever colour roses you want, you need the bleached white filters, and for these roses, the cone shaped ones work best. You also need floral tape and wire, paintbrushes, 6 containers, a piece of card, a chopstick, a paint tray, and plastic bowls.



Next, mark up some containers with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5/6 and 7/8. You then need to cut out some templates to make your life much easier. The shapes below are what you need. Cut them out of the card.



Next, grab your floral tape, wire and piece 1.


Slide the wire through piece 1, and make a small loop at the top of the wire so it can't slide all the way through. Roll it around the wire tightly.


Now you need to get to grips with floral tape. You can use regular tape throughout and cover it with floral tape at the end, but it looks prettier with floral tape. It is tricky to use. It comes feeling kind of waxy, and when you gently stretch the tape it becomes sticky. Pull too hard and it will snap!



You can kind of see the difference in these. The little lines are where it is sticky now.


Tightly wrap the floral tape around the base of the coffee filter piece and onto the wire so that it is secure.


Next take piece two, and again pierce the wire through it and slide it to the top. You'll need to gentle tear the cone section of the coffee filter so that it is separated.


You then fold the extra petals backwards over the others.


You then need to sort of smush the bottom of the rose together so that you can tape it again.


You are then going to keep wrapping the next pieces around the base bit by bit. Next up is piece 3, which again needs tearing along the cone filter.


Next is piece 4 which is much bigger, tear the bottom again and wrap it around. Try to keep the petals spaced well so that they are regular and there aren't any gaps.


Pieces 5/6 and 7/8 are individual petals. Using 3 at a time, overlap them and tape to the base of the flower. How many of these you use depends on how full you want the rose to be. We decided 4 lots of each (so 12 of the individual pieces) created the fullness we liked.


This gives the general rose shape.


Ensure you wrap the floral tape tightly, and probably slightly higher than you think you need to keep it totally secure.



Next is the dying! Mixing about a tablespoon's worth of paint with water. How much water depends on what colour you want the roses to be. We wanted them to be more pastel toned, so used quite a lot of water. We used plastic food bowls that were easy to wash in case of staining.


Then... dunk!


Make sure the rose is totally soaked, then you can really squeeze it to ring out any excess water.


Then leave to dry! This method takes quite a long time to dry, so we left them over night on the radiator. You can also hand paint the roses with watered down acrylic paint if you want them to dry more quickly.

Then the final decoration is up to you!

One of our favourite looks was a slightly ombre look. To achieve this is super easy! I popped some of the undiluted paint into a paint tray, and painted just the tips of the roses.


We've made pink, purple and grey roses so far.


You can also add glitter for extra sparkle. We used a really cheap kids paint from Sainsbury's and randomly painted some of the edges of the flower. I love how this looked!


The final step requires the rose to be totally dry. As you can see in these, the petals are quite straight and point upwards. Fix this using the chopstick, tuck it under the outside of the petal at the top edge, and roll it downwards. You only need to do the very top edges of the frames, and for the more pointed petals do two rolls, in a triangle shape. Easy to do, and it finished them off nicely.


Ta Da! Don't they look so cool? These could be used to make bouquets or button holes, table decorations, or even to have in a vase without having to worry about them dying like regular flowers.

These can be a little fiddly, but with practice they get much easier. I'm so looking forward to using these in our wedding and being able to tell everyone that we made them! These sell on Etsy for a good £8 a rose and upwards, but these cost pennies per rose with us making them in bulk.

If you give this tutorial a go, please do let me know.

Much love,
Kitty xxx





My Fear Colour : With the Tutu Factory

Tuesday 23 February 2016

Everyone has favourite colours they love to wear. I love black, red and purple,  black is generally the basis for most of my outfits! But I have a total fear colour, that I am just so scared to wear... Blue.  I never wear blue! I worry about how it looks on me, I don't even look at anything that is blue, and never, ever wear it. In fact, I bought a pair of blue jeans just before Christmas, my first pair in about 12 years. I don't know why I get so anxious about how I look in blue, but I do.

So when I received an amazing package of goodies from Tutu Factory, I was honestly thrilled to see it had blue in it! I have been wanting to get a blue outfit for a while to blog about. One of my aims for 2016 is to push myself and break those fears!

Chop to Crop Top* - SimplyBe
Denim jacket - New Look (last year's summer wardrobe)
Royal blue tutu* - Tutu Factory
Leggings - New Look
Boots - Demonia
Flower crown* - Tutu Factory

I was so tempted to put my black pleather jacket with this, but that wouldn't have meant I was really pushing myself! Instead I teamed the tutu with a tied up vest top and a blue denim jacket. I'd never actually worn this jacket before because I've been collecting pins for it, but it worked as is for now! 


I really enjoyed the contrast of the royal blue with the black. I actually really ended up loving this outfit, so I am so glad I was able to challenge myself to wear a colour that usually makes me so uncomfortable. I think the blue kinda worked for me, and I love how full that tutu is. It was so windy when I took these photos but the lining of the tutu meant I didn't have to worry about flashing my pants. They have an elasticated waist which meant it was really comfy, and they will custom make any size or length tutu, as well as having a huge plus size range as standard in sizes up to a 32. I absolutely adore a good tutu, but the UK seems to be lacking in them, so to see an indy company making them in sizes up to a 32, and even doing a kids range, is so so cool.


So now I am really curious, because I can't be the only person with a colour they are too scared to wear! So I want to see you guys wear those colours that make you nervous, and share them with me. I was convinced I didn't suit blue, but I did, and I know you could rock those colours that you avoid too.

Big thanks to the Tutu Factory for challenging me without even realising it!

Much love,
Kitty xxxx

*these items were gifted to me for review purposes. In no way does this impact upon my opinions of them, which are entirely my own.

Want to see the rest of the goodies I got from the Tutu Factory? Check out my YouTube haul.



My Fear Colour : With the Tutu Factory

Tuesday 23 February 2016

Everyone has favourite colours they love to wear. I love black, red and purple,  black is generally the basis for most of my outfits! But I have a total fear colour, that I am just so scared to wear... Blue.  I never wear blue! I worry about how it looks on me, I don't even look at anything that is blue, and never, ever wear it. In fact, I bought a pair of blue jeans just before Christmas, my first pair in about 12 years. I don't know why I get so anxious about how I look in blue, but I do.

So when I received an amazing package of goodies from Tutu Factory, I was honestly thrilled to see it had blue in it! I have been wanting to get a blue outfit for a while to blog about. One of my aims for 2016 is to push myself and break those fears!

Chop to Crop Top* - SimplyBe
Denim jacket - New Look (last year's summer wardrobe)
Royal blue tutu* - Tutu Factory
Leggings - New Look
Boots - Demonia
Flower crown* - Tutu Factory

I was so tempted to put my black pleather jacket with this, but that wouldn't have meant I was really pushing myself! Instead I teamed the tutu with a tied up vest top and a blue denim jacket. I'd never actually worn this jacket before because I've been collecting pins for it, but it worked as is for now! 


I really enjoyed the contrast of the royal blue with the black. I actually really ended up loving this outfit, so I am so glad I was able to challenge myself to wear a colour that usually makes me so uncomfortable. I think the blue kinda worked for me, and I love how full that tutu is. It was so windy when I took these photos but the lining of the tutu meant I didn't have to worry about flashing my pants. They have an elasticated waist which meant it was really comfy, and they will custom make any size or length tutu, as well as having a huge plus size range as standard in sizes up to a 32. I absolutely adore a good tutu, but the UK seems to be lacking in them, so to see an indy company making them in sizes up to a 32, and even doing a kids range, is so so cool.


So now I am really curious, because I can't be the only person with a colour they are too scared to wear! So I want to see you guys wear those colours that make you nervous, and share them with me. I was convinced I didn't suit blue, but I did, and I know you could rock those colours that you avoid too.

Big thanks to the Tutu Factory for challenging me without even realising it!

Much love,
Kitty xxxx

*these items were gifted to me for review purposes. In no way does this impact upon my opinions of them, which are entirely my own.

Want to see the rest of the goodies I got from the Tutu Factory? Check out my YouTube haul.



Crown & Glory Glitterati Haul

Sunday 21 February 2016

For the last few months I've been showing off what I recieved in my Crown & Glory Glitterati subscription box in unboxing videos on my YouTube channel. However, in early February I didn't have the internet and I was far too impatient to wait to see what I got on camera, and decided to share it on here instead!


The first thing I spotted and was ridiculously excited about was this true love headband! It's available as a fascinator for £25. It is all kinds of True Romance and I just love it.


Because of the positioning of the writing, you can wear this on either side of your head and it still be right which is a great touch.

The box came in two different styles, pink or black. The pink was the true love version, and the black was love sucks. I must admit, I was pleased to get the pink with the impending wedding!


Next up is the lipstick print chiffon headscarf at £15. This is adorable rockabilly perfection.


The chiffon is pre-tied around a headband so it keeps perfect shape which is fantastic. I love a rockabilly headscarf but I struggle to tie them well, so this is ace!


Gosh I'm cute.


This is the oversized velvet rose clip at £6. You can also get these in red and a burgundy which is lush.


With Crown & Glory their hair clips tend to also have the badge option which I so love. Twice the options for wearing them!


Not available on their website, this is a classic rockabilly cherry and bow combo.


And finally, the cupid's arrow barrette at £5. How sweet is this? The triangle shape is so lovely. I can see this pinned into a half up style or just in the side of my hair while it is down. It comes in gold or silver, I don't wear gold so yay for getting the silver!

If you'd like to see previous unboxings check them out at my YouTube channel here.

Are you a member of the Glitterati? Which is your favourite piece?

Much love,
Kitty xxxx









Crown & Glory Glitterati Haul

Sunday 21 February 2016

For the last few months I've been showing off what I recieved in my Crown & Glory Glitterati subscription box in unboxing videos on my YouTube channel. However, in early February I didn't have the internet and I was far too impatient to wait to see what I got on camera, and decided to share it on here instead!


The first thing I spotted and was ridiculously excited about was this true love headband! It's available as a fascinator for £25. It is all kinds of True Romance and I just love it.


Because of the positioning of the writing, you can wear this on either side of your head and it still be right which is a great touch.

The box came in two different styles, pink or black. The pink was the true love version, and the black was love sucks. I must admit, I was pleased to get the pink with the impending wedding!


Next up is the lipstick print chiffon headscarf at £15. This is adorable rockabilly perfection.


The chiffon is pre-tied around a headband so it keeps perfect shape which is fantastic. I love a rockabilly headscarf but I struggle to tie them well, so this is ace!


Gosh I'm cute.


This is the oversized velvet rose clip at £6. You can also get these in red and a burgundy which is lush.


With Crown & Glory their hair clips tend to also have the badge option which I so love. Twice the options for wearing them!


Not available on their website, this is a classic rockabilly cherry and bow combo.


And finally, the cupid's arrow barrette at £5. How sweet is this? The triangle shape is so lovely. I can see this pinned into a half up style or just in the side of my hair while it is down. It comes in gold or silver, I don't wear gold so yay for getting the silver!

If you'd like to see previous unboxings check them out at my YouTube channel here.

Are you a member of the Glitterati? Which is your favourite piece?

Much love,
Kitty xxxx









Meeting Dom and Melly-Em!

Tuesday 16 February 2016

One of the amazing things about plus size blogging, is the wonderful people it has introduced me to.  Dom Clark and Melly-Em are two of those people, who just so happen to live in Lincoln which is super close to me, and make an epic body positive, feminist power couple! I was so excited when I realised they were close by and we immediately organised a day out together. I drove over to Lincoln and met them!


Seriously, what babes! I love Melly-Em's hair and Dom's curly 'tashe and bleached stripe. We had so much fun, nattering away for hours and popping in the odd shop on Lincoln high street. I went to uni in Lincoln so it's always a bit of nostalgia for me. I didn't buy anything, but Dom did grab some fab bits from the women's section in Primark. I often shop in the men's section myself, so it was fun to see Dom does the same. Don't limit yourself to societies gender norms!



Both Dom and Melly-Em are talented artists in their rights, so I'm now totally going to share their work and gush about them.



Dom is an incredibly talented photographer who specialises in weddings, you can check out his work here, but here are some sneaky photos I pinched from his website. All credit for these goes to Dom!


How amazing is this location? He really turned something industrial and ugly into something awesome.


Love that shallow depth of field.


And what a catch! The wind, the lens flare, a perfect moment.

Melly-Em is a totally different kind of artist, an illustrator! I'd actually seen her work on tumblr long before I knew who she was. Her work is available to buy here.

Self Love Will Keep You Warm Print £10+

Body positivity is a theme in Melly-Em's illustrations that I just love.

Fierce Print £10+

I absolutely love this! What an adorable little skully babe. I want this for my wall.

Vera Tatt-Ooh Print £10+

You can never go wrong with tattooed babes.

You seriously need to check out both of their blogs and their art work. So talented and such lovely people too! I suffer with social anxiety, and get really nervous about meeting new people, but I was so at ease right away and we just chatted about all sorts for hours.


There are so many other bloggers I would love to meet, hopefully many more to come in 2016!

Much love,
Kitty xxxxx

ps. Want to see what I got for my birthday last week? Check out my newest YouTube video!



Meeting Dom and Melly-Em!

Tuesday 16 February 2016

One of the amazing things about plus size blogging, is the wonderful people it has introduced me to.  Dom Clark and Melly-Em are two of those people, who just so happen to live in Lincoln which is super close to me, and make an epic body positive, feminist power couple! I was so excited when I realised they were close by and we immediately organised a day out together. I drove over to Lincoln and met them!


Seriously, what babes! I love Melly-Em's hair and Dom's curly 'tashe and bleached stripe. We had so much fun, nattering away for hours and popping in the odd shop on Lincoln high street. I went to uni in Lincoln so it's always a bit of nostalgia for me. I didn't buy anything, but Dom did grab some fab bits from the women's section in Primark. I often shop in the men's section myself, so it was fun to see Dom does the same. Don't limit yourself to societies gender norms!



Both Dom and Melly-Em are talented artists in their rights, so I'm now totally going to share their work and gush about them.



Dom is an incredibly talented photographer who specialises in weddings, you can check out his work here, but here are some sneaky photos I pinched from his website. All credit for these goes to Dom!


How amazing is this location? He really turned something industrial and ugly into something awesome.


Love that shallow depth of field.


And what a catch! The wind, the lens flare, a perfect moment.

Melly-Em is a totally different kind of artist, an illustrator! I'd actually seen her work on tumblr long before I knew who she was. Her work is available to buy here.

Self Love Will Keep You Warm Print £10+

Body positivity is a theme in Melly-Em's illustrations that I just love.

Fierce Print £10+

I absolutely love this! What an adorable little skully babe. I want this for my wall.

Vera Tatt-Ooh Print £10+

You can never go wrong with tattooed babes.

You seriously need to check out both of their blogs and their art work. So talented and such lovely people too! I suffer with social anxiety, and get really nervous about meeting new people, but I was so at ease right away and we just chatted about all sorts for hours.


There are so many other bloggers I would love to meet, hopefully many more to come in 2016!

Much love,
Kitty xxxxx

ps. Want to see what I got for my birthday last week? Check out my newest YouTube video!