"I wasn't actually in love, but I felt a sort of tender curiosity."

With the release of the Great Gatsby film recently, the 'Gatsby' (1920s style) has made an explosion into fashion in a shower of embellished goods. It's a very beautiful trend and perfect for this time of year when you're getting dressed up for parties and going out. These are some of my picks from this trend!

1. New Look Cameo Rose Black Sparkle Strappy Swing Dress £14.992. New Look Shell Pink Embellished Mini Skirt £29.993. New Look Shell Pink Geo Opaque Drop Earrings £2.004. H&M Embroidered Dress £29.995. Miss Selfridge Embellished Back Playsuit £45.00

So those are my picks of the Gatsby trend! Hope you enjoyed and have a merry christmas!

Beth xxx

Collection 2000 Lasting Colour Gel Eyeliner in Black

This product surprised me, I didn't expect it to be as good as it is! I picked it up from Superdrug a few months ago on a 3 for 2 offer and as soon as I left the shop I thought "What have I just done? Why didn't I spend a pound extra and get the Maybelline Gel liner?" but I'm ridiculously glad I didn't!

Pros:

- It's very black, not a dark grey. It's a black.

- The lasting power genuinely surprised me. I can put this on at 9 in the morning, go to work, come home at 7 and it's still there.

- Easy to use and easily correctable if you make a mistake.

- Comes with a brush.

- Very smooth, creamy texture.

- Comes in a variety of shades, such as gold and brown.

- You get a fair amount for your money.

- Nice, simple monochromatic packaging.

- Only £4.99!

Cons:

- The brush is very small and it isn't the easiest thing in the world to use. I use one of my own brushes.

- The pot is quite small, even if it will last a while.

- Does smudge a little bit onto the lower inner third of my eye after about 4 hours.

I personally love this, it's staying power is really great and it's a strong colour. Would recommend!

I know it's an absolute sin to use before photographing but I had to use it!!

With flash

So, that's my review of the Collection Lasting Colour Gel Eyeliner in Black. It's available in Boots and Superdrug for £4.99 and I recommend it!

Beth xxx

#AOTW Kodaline

Okay, so no doubt you've heard of Kodaline however I found this beautiful rendition of their song 'Brand New Day' on YouTube the other day and I genuinely prefer it to the original!

Another song that I've included is their version of their song 'All I Want' for Sounds from 10 months ago, I don't know why it took me so long to find this as it's absolutely stunning. I love the minimalist feel to it, it's just their voices and bodies and a guitar.

Enjoy!

Beth xxx

#OOTD Interview Nerves

This is the counterpart to my #WIWOMF post that I posted the other day, this is the outfit that I wore to the interview. I'm in love with the shirt, it's such a beautiful colour. Don't worry, I pulled it up a lot when I went for the interview. The skirt is knee length, which is perfect for interviews as it covers a lot but doesn't swamp me. I also now wear this to the temp job that I got. I wore a low dernier pair of tights as I prefer them as they add a little definition to my legs. The shoes I wore were a pair of simple black flats as I thought that heels would be too much and heels and stairs don't mix well. I wore my Primark Satchel (review here) and my black thick coat from H&M. As you can see, I went a little mental and wore pretty much all H&M but I think that they really bring it when it comes to office wear!
I've genuinely never as been as nervous in my life for an interview, but luckily I got the job which was great!

Shirt: H&M £14.99

Skirt: H&M £12.99 (no longer on website)

Coat: H&M £32 (no longer on website)

Bag: Primark £9

Beth xxx

The Christmas Tag

I haven't even put my Christmas tree up yet, how awful is that? With work and everything my blog has taken a real back seat recently and I apologise for that deeply! I should be able to get things back on track in the next fortnight! 

I was tagged by the lovely Pretty Peach from http://aprettypeach.blogspot.co.uk to do this tag so I thought that I would give it a shot!

I'm sad to say that we have a fake Christmas tree, we live in a tiny house and so it's not possible to fit a real Christmas tree in my living room. It's absolutely heartbreaking as I love the smell of real Christmas trees.

I'm a big fan of coffee with a shot of whiskey in, inside I'm actually an old man.

I really like reds are deep berry colours at this time of year. Reminds me of food for some reason... However, I also really the silvery colours as I just love snow. I hate the problems it causes for transport and such, but I love it as it's so pretty.

Both! I love the feeling of finding the perfect present for someone, however I also really like being given something that's the perfect present for me.

I hate mince pies, I think they taste awful and the pastry is always really stale and awful. Plus the filling is just weird, what's the crack with the lumps of fruit in the sickly sauce? Why would anyone love that?

We tend to have Christmas dinner on a different day because my mum often works Christmas Day so we try to do it on a day when she isn't working. So, on Christmas day we'll just have some form of roast, a chicken or beef or something weird. For the remainder of the day I eat my own weight in chocolate whilst watching films.

Pajamas or sweats. We aren't really the type of family to get dressed up and sometimes it's just me and my dad. However, on some years I have been known to actually get dressed and wear a pair of comfy jeans with a top it's okay to get food all over (I eat like a toddler.)

Favourite Christmas song and film?

My favourite Christmas song, without a doubt is The Pogues - Fairytale of New York. As for Christmas film I think it's probably The Holiday because I'm crap and like Romcoms. Unless Bridget Jones counts? It kinda counts, right?

So that's my Christmas tag! I tag all of you to do this tag!

Thanks again to http://aprettypeach.blogspot.co.uk for tagging me!!

Beth xxx

#AOTW3 Röyksopp ft. Susanne Sundfør

Just a quick post this week with one song, this is an absolutely beautiful song, I love it too much. So chilled and such a beautiful voice!

Röyksopp ft. Susanne Sundfør - Running To The Sea

Hope you enjoyed it! Leave any music suggestions in the comment section below!

Beth xxx

TMI Tag

1: What are you wearing? My school leaving hoodie, grey skinny jeans and my comfy blue t-shirt.


2: Ever been in love? I've really liked people, but no I don't think that I have.


3: Ever had a terrible breakup? Yes.


4: How tall are you? 5"3,although my friend is 5"3 and I'm smaller than her so I'm not so sure.


5: How much do you weigh? 100lbs.


6: Any tattoos? No, hopefully yes after next week!



7: Any piercings? Just my ears, considering getting more in my ears and maybe a nose piercing. However the idea of having a cold with a nose piercing is awful.


8: OTP? Romione (Ron and Hermione)


9: Favorite Show? How I Met Your Mother.


10: Favorite bands? alt-J, Lorde and Bon Iver.


11: Something you miss? My friends who are at uni :(



12: Favorite song? Dissolve Me by Alt-J


13: How old are you? 18 years old


14: Zodiac sign? Leo


15: Quality you look for in a partner? Excellent sense of humour, warm (sounds weird, but warm people are so nice to have around, they're like portable radiators) and kind.


16: Favorite Quote? "The wolf, I knew, would lead me deep into the woods,
away from home, to a dark tangled thorny place
lit by the eyes of owls." From Carol Ann Duffy's 'Little Red Cap'


17: Favorite actor? James McAvoy.


18: Favorite color? Red.


19: Loud music or soft? Both!


20: Where do you go when you’re sad? Bed, I like to just curl up.


21: How long does it take you to shower? About 20 minutes, it takes me a long time to wash my hair.


22: How long does it take you to get ready in the morning? About 30/40 minutes, it takes me a while :P


23: Ever been in a physical fight? No, but nearly once when a girl went mental at me for no reason, but I ran away.


24: Turn on? If they can make me laugh.


25: Turn off? Arrogance.


26: The reason I joined Blogger? I'd been reading blogs for a about year, but never really had the balls or the time to start one until recently.

27: Fears? I'm shit scared of deep water. I'm fine waist deep, but deeper than that I freak out.


28: Last thing that made you cry? I was freaking because it was only my third day of work but all my trains were cancelled because of the storm.


29: Last time you said you loved someone? Hmm, August?


30: Meaning behind your Blog Name? My name is Beth, but I thought 'Beth's Secret' sounded cool.


31: Last book you read? The Catcher in The Rye by JD Salinger, it's a classic that I've never read before so I thought that I would give it a shot.... Holden Caulfield is a dick, isn't he?


32: The book you’re currently reading? Skagboys by Irvine Welsh.


33: Last show you watched? How I Met Your Mother ten minutes ago.


34: Last person you talked to? Saying bye to the guys at work when we were all leaving for the evening.


35: The relationship between you and the person you last texted? Best friend ♥


36: Favorite food? Oooh, difficult question, so many good foods! Erm, chewits. Do they count as a food?


37: Place you want to visit? Tokyo for the food! 


38: Last place you were? My local train station coming home from work.


39: Do you have a crush? Yep, even if it's a ridiculous one.


40: Last time you kissed someone? September.


41: Last time you were insulted? A customer called me feeble the other day because I couldn't lift her boxset of all five of the Game of Thrones books and put them into a bag for her...


42: Favourite flavour of sweet? Berry!


43: What instruments do you play? Violin, a little piano and a little guitar. I would love to learn the uke and the harmonica because I'm a little indie kid.


44: Favourite piece of jewellery? Probably my battered, cloth festival wristbands from last summer.


45: Last sport you played? Does running count? 


46: Last song you sang? The Smiths - Please Please Please


47: Favourite chat up line? "I'd stick my toffee in your pudding..."


48: Have you ever used it? Oh dear, no.


49: Last time you hung out with anyone? Yesterday! And today kind of. 


50: Who should answer these questions next? I tag all of you reading this!!

Beth xxx

What I Wore On My Face #2 Interview Nerves

A short post today: I recently had a job interview and thought to practice my makeup for the interview. This is what I went with! It's still a little natural, but just... enhanced?

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in Ivory 103 £8.99

MUA Undress Me Too Palette £4.00

Avon Ultra Colour Rich Mega Impact Lipstick in Really Rosy £8

Avon SuperExtend Extreme Mascara £10

MUA Blush in Lolly £1

MUA Undress Your Skin Highlighting Powder £3.00

Collection Lasting Colour Gel Eyeliner in Black £4

Maybelline Color Tattoo Eyeshadow in Metallic Pomegranate £4.99

MUA Pressed Powder in Shade 2 £1.00

Bourjois Kohl and Contour in Ultra Black £4.99

Hope you liked the look!

Beth xxx

#AOTW2 Woodkid

His music has been used in adverts and game trailers, he sings beautifully and he's French. That's all you need to know.

Yoann Lemoine or 'Woodkid' has directed music videos for Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Lana del Rey and the list goes on. However, in 2011 Woodkid released his own EP entitled 'Iron' and this is when I first discovered him. With over 42 million views on his YouTube channel he's grown in popularity over the past two years, however if you haven't already heard of him here's a taster of his music:

Woodkid - I Love You (Quintet Version)

Woodkid - Brooklyn

If you have any artist suggestions, leave them in a comment below!

Beth xxx

Primark Satchel

Okay, so my mum bought me this Primark Satchel as an early Christmas present and I have to say I absolutely love it. 

Pros:

- It was only £9 compared to the Cambridge Satchels which are over £100.

- There are a fair amount of colours available, such as black and striped.

- Big enough to easily fit something A4 sized in.

- Has a large front pocket, as well as bits in the main part of the bag to store your phone and purse in and things.

- The main body of the bag is quite sturdy.

- Waterproof.

Cons:

- The strap is almost like a belt and I do worry that it will break easily.

-The little magnetic clasps are quite hard to undo on the move and I don't want to pull at them too hard in case I break the bag.

All in all, I love this bag, it's well worth the £9! If you're looking for a satchel I recommend this one :) 

P.S. An outfit of the day popping up with this bag soon!

Beth xxx

Collection Gothic Glam Lipstick in Revenge

I recently went a bit mental of the Collection section of Superdrug as it was 3 for 2 and picked up quite a lot of Collection products, this being one of them. It's the Collection Gothic Glam Lipstick in Shade 3 Revenge,, I really liked the nail polish from this range in deadly so I thought I would try out this product! I was also interested in this as it seemed like almost a dupe for the Rimmel Kate Moss lipstick in 107 that everyone has so I wanted to pick it up and try it out. 

Pros: 

- This is a really lovely, deep red colour with a glossy finish.

- For £2.99 it's quite a cheap lipstick compared to the Rimmel lipsticks which are £5.79.

- The packaging is nice, simple and classy. It reminds me of the Avon lipsticks in terms of shape and colour.

- Available in Superdrug and Boots, easy to find.

Cons:

- It's smudgy as hell. I found this really difficult to apply as it was messy. But go around your mouth with a cotton bud and you should be fine.

- As you can see, it clings to any dry patches which is a real problem for me as I tend to have quite dry lips in the winter.

- It's likeable but not loveable. If I was to spend the money on a lipstick of this colour, I would probably go for something reliable like Sleek's lipstick in a similar shade as I know they're good quality.

- You do need to reapply every few hours which I find annoying. I like staying power.

In conclusion: I would not repurchase this, but it is a nice lipstick if you disregard the smudginess. It's cheap and a lovely colour.

Beth xxx

The Liebster Award

This is my first ever blog award! I would like to say a massive thankyou to Abbey from  http:/www.dippyblue.blogspot.co.uk go and check out her blog! To qualify for this award you have to be nominated by someone and also have less than 200 followers. You then create a blogpost whereby you do the following things:

1. State 11 facts about yourself.

2. Answer the 11 questions that the person who nominated you gave you.

3. Nominate 11 bloggers.

4. And finally, create 11 questions for the people who you have nominated to answer.

So here are my eleven facts!

- My mum is Filipino so I'm half Filipino in her side..

- I'm Grade 8 on the violin and have played for 7 years.

- I was born in Scotland and lived there until I was six years old, I currently live in England.

- I'm really really impatient.

- My favourite ever song is either Re:Stacks by Bon Iver or Dissolve Me by alt-J.

- My favourite colour is either red or royal blue. 

- My favourite TV show is How I Met Your Mother (sad that it's coming to an end :( )

- I'm actually a bit of a nerd, I play a lot of video games and it's something that really interests me. 

- I can't drive....yet.

- When I was younger I wanted to be a writer.

- My favourite scent is vanilla.

My questions from Abbey

1. What is your favourite place to be and why?

My favourite place is cheesy as hell. It's this rock which overlooks this lake near where I live and it's absolutely beautiful. I like it there because it's really peaceful and reminds me of summer.

2. What is your beauty essential and why?

My beauty essential has to be a good concealer. I think that concealer is an absolute staple if you're like me and have a lot of imperfections and dark circles.

3. If you had to choose one colour to wear this season what would it be and why?
Dark blue, I think it suits my hair colour and skin tone really well plus it can be casual or dressed up for things like Christmas parties.

4. If you could visit any place in the world where and why?

I really really want to go to America, either Los Angeles or New York. I just think that it looks like an incredible place and I hope to go one day!

5. What are a few items on your christmas list this year?

Sadly, my Sennheiser headphones died after 3 years of use in the summer so I'm hoping for a new pair for Christmas.

6. What is your favourite thing you own and why?

My camera. It's the most expensive thing I own (apart from my laptop and violin) and I really make sure to look after it because it is very precious to me. I use it almost every day and it goes pretty much everywhere with me.

7. Where would you like to end up in 10 years time?

In ten years I will be 28, so I would love to have a stable job that I love and perhaps be thinking about starting a family.

8. What made you start blogging and why?
My friends were getting sick of me talking about fashion and makeup all the time so I started up a blog as somewhere to talk about things that interest me :)

9. What's the craziest thing you've ever done?
Craziest thing I've ever done....hmmm. I've done some downright stupid things which border on craziness such as accepting a lift to the train station when I was lost in another town once (do not ever do that, things turned out fine for me but it's the stupidest thing I've ever done and I'm very lucky that nothing happened to me.) I'm not very exciting really, I did go to a music festival very last minute when my friend got two free tickets. And I mean last minute, it was half past 5 on the Sunday but it was good fun!

10. Summer or Winter and why?
Winter! I always overheat too much in Summer but I like getting wrapped up with a scarf and a cute pair of gloves. Plus I love waking up on a frosty morning as everything is so pretty.

11. What your favourite item in your wardrobe?

A petrol blue shirt I bought from H&M as it's such a beautiful bright colour (outfit post coming soon!)

Now for the 11 bloggers that I nominate:

1. http://whatalicewore.blogspot.co.uk/

2. http://www.lolaslittlewonders.blogspot.co.uk/

3. http://daisydelcherie.blogspot.co.uk/

4. http://theblondegalaxy.blogspot.co.uk/

5. http://bloomingbeautyy.blogspot.co.uk/

6. http://b-onnefoi.blogspot.co.uk/

7. http://beautyandkatie.blogspot.co.uk/

8. http://beauty-in-things.blogspot.co.uk/

9. http://abeautyquark.blogspot.co.uk/

10. http://scottishstefsnails.blogspot.co.uk/

11. http://beautyfashionlifestyleaffordable.blogspot.co.uk/

1. What would you tell your 13 year old self?

2. What is your dream job?

3. Biggest makeup mistake?

4. Most embarrassing moment?

5. If you could dye your hair and it wouldn't be damaged , what colour would you dye it?

6. Favourite ever book?

7. What celebrity do you most look like?

8. What's one thing you really want to do before you die?

9. What is your favourite animal?

10. Favourite food?

11. If you could meet one person, who would it be?

So that's my post on the Liebster award! Thankyou again to Abbey for nominating me!

Beth xxx

#ArtistOfTheWeek 1 Orla Gartland

I found this artist through a friend last summer and her work is absolutely incredibly. Yeah, she makes some funny faces when she sings but it adds to her character. Orla Gartland is an Irish singer, aged 18 who has just released her first EP for only £1.79 (available here) and it's fully worth the small amount of money. She's built up her career through YouTube, really showing how powerful the network is. She both sings covers of songs as well her own music which she has written. Here are some of my favourite songs that she's performed:

Orla Gartland - Empty Man

Orla Gartland - Human

Orla Gartland - A Case of You (Joni Mitchell Cover)

Hope you enjoyed! If you have any music suggestions leave them in the comment section below :)

Beth xxx

The Mallzee App Review

I signed up to The Blogger Programme a few weeks ago and was excited to find a message in my inbox earlier today!

The message was from Mallzee asking if I would like to have a look at their app and tell them what I think, so here's my run down!

Pros:

- Firstly, it's free. It doesn't cost a penny which is great!

- Very simple and pretty design. Mainly white, black and a pale green which go perfectly together.

- It doesn't make you sign into Facebook. With apps like Candy crush forcing you to sign into Facebook to progress, it's nice to see an app which doesn't force you into sharing.

- Brief tutorial at the beginning. Explains the simple controls such as double tapping to save, pinching to minimize and share by holding down. The simple controls are also a pro!

- Picks the brands you want to see. Offers high street companies such as Miss Selfridge, ASOS and Accessorize as well as smaller brands such as ikrush and Pull&Bear (who had an advert in this month's ASOS mag).

- Gives you the ability to hunt by item and colour. Highly useful if you want a specific item in a specific colour, such as a red dress.

- Easy to browse through items. Just pull down to scroll down the page.

- Easy to purchase. Just tap the items, tap buy, it takes you to the clothing site and you go from there as normal!

- Puts everything in one place. It makes it easier to compare between items by using the save feature which is useful as you can essentially bookmark the items you like.

Cons:

- Bit slow at first. When I first started using the app it could be a bit slow to load up the search and save features, however this does improve the more you use it. 

- Some of the items either didn't load or took a long time. One example of this is a pair of Cath Kidston pajamas, it kept saying "The page you have requested is loading - redirecting" however it never loaded.

Summary:

It's a free app and it's quite a small download file (8.6mb). Worth downloading to see what shops have in stock and useful for hunting down items. Easy to use, but a little slow at first.

Find them on the appstore or through their website: http://mallzee.com/

Beth xxx

disclaimer: all opinions are my own, I was not paid for this post.
pictures courtesy of Mallzee.

#BritishBloggerSelection Week 4 - Favourite Makeup Brand

So this week for the #BritishBloggerSelection the theme is our favourite makeup brand. I have to say that my favourite brand, by far, is Rimmel. I think that they really bring it when it comes to makeup products. These are some of my picks from the brand.

Rimmel Lasting Finish Nail Polish in Double Decker £2.99
I love this nail polish, it's a vibrant red that really stands out. The lasting power on it is excellent.

Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation in True Ivory 103 £7.99
At first I hated this foundation, but then I tried using it with my Real Techiques Expert Face Brush and I absolutely fell in love with it. It leaves an airbrushed finish with a medium to high coverage. It doesn't cling to dry patches if you don't lay a powder over the top and it does last all day. Perf.

Rimmel Scandaleyes Shadow Paint in Golden Bronze £4.99This is such a beautiful colour and the staying power is fantastic. I know that Lily from http://www.lilypebbles.co.uk/ is a massive fan of this eyeshadow paint. It can be applied straight onto the lid and left for a thicker finish, but if you want a more sheer finish or to use it as a base you can use a brush to blend it out. I once used this on my lips actually for a fancy dress party and it gave my lips a kind of gold foil effect. 

Rimmel Apocolips Lip Lacquer in Big Band £5.99
Everyone raves about this and a few months ago I decided to jump on the bandwagon and pick one up to see what all the fuss was about. And I have to say that all the hype about this is just. It's a lovely colour, it's not too matte and not too glossy. The staying power is decent and it's not vastly expensive. It comes in a wide selection of colours but I picked up the bright red as it's the colour I turn to most. I love this product and I recommend that you pick it up!

So those are my picks from the Rimmel brand! Hope you enjoyed this post :) if you have any product suggestions leave them in the comments below!

Beth xxx