Instagram // Lately

a selection of some of my recent IG photos.

Recommended follows:

@abeautifuldelight
@hautesofabulous

@rightupmystreet

@sophiameola 

@indiarobyn

Beauty // ELF Twinkle Pink Blush

If you haven't already discovered online (in the UK) makeup brand ELF, then get yourself over to their website pronto!

I have been buying budget makeup essentials from ELF for a few years now - ever since makeup goddess Lisa Eldridge first recommended them, and despite their incredibly low cost and occasional awful product - they're definitely a great option for bulking up your makeup collection.

This blush is one from their studio line - the 'pricier' line from their collection, but as this comes in at £3.75 you can see it's still a bargain! I've got a couple of the colours from this blush line and I've recently been loving one called Twinkle Pink - as you can see from the swatch on my finger, its a soft pink with gold shimmer in it, which twinkles in the light and gives a really lovely glow to the skin!

I first bought this blush in the summer, and hated how it looked in bright sunshine, however I'm finding its the perfect dull skin pick me up for this autumn weather.

I personally think it's a great alternative to NARS Orgasm - even in terms of packaging it's quite similar, and a fraction of the price!

Have you tried any great products from ELF? Let me know in the comments below! Xx

Fashion // AW Sparkle

It's that magical time of year (thats right, it's still October and I'm already mentioning the C-word) fast approaching, which means festivities and parties are going to be happening all around us! & so with that in mind I decided to do a fashion post with a little-summin-extra for you all...

(unfortunately only a few lucky souls out there will actually be able to purchase these lavish items... time to start writing your Christmas list ladies!)

Oscar de la Renta // £635

Diane von Furstenberg // £504

Oscar de la Renta // £2,595

Red Valentino // £1,270

ISSA // £935

Valentino // £1485

Ahh heavenly! I love to wear monochrome and black, and these items with a touch of sparkle really inspire me! Particularly both Oscar de la Renta pieces and the ISSA dress! Gorgeous.

What are your thoughts on festive sparkles?

Toodles xx

Fashion // Autumn update #1

Autumn (or Fall for you fellows across the pond) is my fashion favourite season! It's probably my overall favourite season as well with the lead up to Christmas, and the cosy weather!

I've decided this autumn, to do fashion posts on what autumnal pieces I'm absolutely loving, hopefully this series will be enjoyable for the both of us!

Instagram @KittWills

Here is autumn edit no.1 the jewel-collared jumper!

I picked this up from M&S a few weeks a go, and I wonder if it was an in-store exclusive as I never saw it on the website and can't find it now! :( The collar is made up of beautiful gems and studs which sparkle and just look so pretty. The main body of the jumper has a cute dark grey and black pattern, whilst the arms are plain black. 

I've actually been quite impressed with the M&S stock this season, although some of their items are exceptionally over priced considering where they're from. Let me know if you've had any great autumn finds from M&S or other high street faves xox

Fashion // Arm Candy #1

Image from Instagram @KittWills

• Pandora Charm Bracelet with 5 Charms 
• Tiffany & Co. - Return to Tiffany bead bracelet 
• 'J' pendant bracelet

This is my typical set of accessories for my right wrist, which I wear almost every day! I love all of them, but as my Pandora bracelet is collecting more charms (and more dangly ones..!!) it's getting in the way and a bit heavier so I might start saving that for occasions.

Leave a comment below with your blog if you have one, I love exploring new blogs and having a good old nose around! Lots of love xoxox

Beauty // Ciaté Caviar Nails

In this months Marie Claire magazine I got this gorgeous nail set from Ciaté with it! I've never tried Ciaté before, or any other caviar manicure so I jumped at the chance - and lets be honest thats why I picked Marie Claire over Vogue or Elle... - and wow I love it!

When you buy the real set it comes with a little tray and a funnel to make application as effortless and tidy as possible, but with this set I just got the mini polish and a mini bottle of the caviar pearls. I painted my nails with the polish and let it dry, but the nail I wanted the caviar pearls in, before the polish dried I sprinkled the little gold and silver beads onto the tacky nail polish (I did this over a dish as these cute little pearls have a tendency of going everywhere) and then gently pushed them into the polish. Once they dried on they felt pretty secure and lasted a full day and a half before I got the urge to pick them off. I'm pretty bad and if I get bored I do tend to pick at my nail varnish so they probably would have lasted a day or so longer without my intervention.

All in all I think this is a really cute and pretty way of jazzing up your nails. I love the colours (shooting star and cookies and cream) and will probably get a lot of use out of this cute set!

Have you tried caviar nails? What do you think?

Lots of love xoxoxox

Fashion // Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence
Style Icon

I feel as though I could post literally a million pictures of this girl, she is so gorgeous. I love her style, understated glamour, and natural beauty. Also, have you seen interviews with her? She's hilarious! (Seriously, if you havent already...check out interviews with her on YouTube...Hilarious)

I'm really pleased she won the Oscar for Best Actress at the 85th Academy Awards. Being a (then) Film Student I paid a lot of attention to Oscar noms. and I really enjoyed the Silver Linings Playbook (David O Russel, 2012.). A girl on my course did a presentation about the representation of female mental illness in this film which was really interesting. Also the dress Jen wore to the Oscars was literally stunning!

I also loved her as Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games (Garry Ross, 2012.) and after watching the film I read all the books and felt like she suited the role perfectly.

Anyway, just wanted to share a little post with some of my favourite red carpet looks of hers. 

Hope you enjoyed!

Kitty xoxox

Beauty // MAC neutrals quad

MAC QUAD
neutral shades

1. Shroom     

2. All that glitters

3. Wedge

4. Espresso

For my 21st birthday, my incredibly generous boyfriend got me a MAC giftcard so I could add to my (at the time only 1 piece) collection. The first thing I got is this gorgeous quad of 4 eyeshadow shades in neutral colours. I'm very much a neutral person when it comes to eyeshadows so I went for subtle, earthy tones.

1. Shroom - this is a soft, shimmery white colour thats great as a highlighter for your lid, brow bone, and I even use it down the centre of my nose sometimes too. It's a touch on the frosty side but still a gorgeous colour.

2. All that glitters - this is a beautiful soft gold colour, gives life to the eye without being too bold or yellow. Perfect for subtle glamour.

3. Wedge - this is my favourite out of all the colours I got for an every day wear. I like to wear this in the crease of my eye to give subtle definition and shape. So pretty, and perfectly subtle and natural looking.

4. Espresso - Ideal for when I want a more bold contour on my crease, or to wear close to the lashline as subtle eyeliner. Also a great colour for brows.

Overall, I do adore this palette and I will definitely get great use out of it. However, I already owned the Naked 2 palette and these colours are so, so similar to some of the colours in that palette. Shroom is similar to Urban Decay's Bootycall (I actually prefered bootycall but hit pan pretty early on!), All that glitters is very similar to UD's Half Baked (Which also features in the original Naked palette) and Wedge is fairly similar to UD's Tease (Wedge is actually more natural looking, slightly warmer as Tease is quite grey or ashy). 

What do you think about MAC? Too expensive or worth the money? I'd love to hear your comments

Kitty xoxox

Beauty // HG skincare

SUPERFACIALIST BY UNA BRENNAN
Neroli Firming Face Serum

I have absolutely massive love for this product. It's changed my life. Well, it's changed my skincare routine anyway! I'd never been a serum person until one day I got a sample of the Wei Jujube Age Control Serum in one of my monthly beauty boxes (I should really start keeping track of what sample came from what box...oops!) and I fell in love with that produce. It was a miniature sample that lasted me around a week and the produce was incredible... it basically gave me new skin and completely irradiated all redness and pigmentation on my skin (holy grail product? uh yeah!!) However... as incredible as this product was, it costs £60 here in the UK and for a student, that's a lot on the pricey side for skincare. 

So I was on the hunt for a really amazing serum to replace this, and Zoe Sugg (Zoella) mentioned on her youtube channel that she'd bought this one in a haul from Boots, so the drugstore lover in me decided that I must also purchase this. And I'm so glad I did! So a massive thanks to Zoe for influencing me to purchase it! I never heard her mention it again, so maybe she didn't like it :(

I on the other hand, have adored it. I'm on my 4th (???) bottle of it now and I will continually repurchase. It isn't labelled specifically as an anti-ageing serum, but it has that oh-so-wonderful hyaluronic acid which has been linked to youthful skin. It basically helps your skin to retain its moisture and also has healing properties too and has made a noticeable (and rapid) reduction on redness, blemishes and pore sizing. An all around perfect addition to my skin care routine and is definitely a holy grail for me. 

I've get to try anything else from this brand but I believe this serum at £14.99 in Boots, is one of the more pricey products from them. Being the savvy shopper that I like to think I am, I always look out for deals on in Boots and try to grab this when skincares on three-for-two or half price! 

Do you have any recommendations for skincare or from this brand? I'd love to know.

Lots of Love, 

Kitty xxx

Beauty // Essie Sand Tropez

Essie Sand Tropez; Image from my instagram @KittWills

Ciao Bella,

I'm a huge lover of neutral nail colours for everyday very wearable nails so I have a plethora of beige/nude/peachy-pinky colours! This is one that I'm loving at the moment from Essie.

I adore the cute names that Essie give all their colours, it makes it so much more exciting when picking a new one at the counter or selecting one to use from your collection. They've called this one Sand Tropez which is quite fitting as it's a sand-stone colour neutral. It's a little bit more grey than I usually go for with neutrals but it's such a pretty colour I've been reaching for this one a lot lately! It also looks great with Essie's Matte About You matte top coat on it! 

Do you have a favourite Essie colour or name? Let me know :)

Lots of love

Kitty xoxox

Beauty // Sleek Face Form Palette

Sleek Makeup
Face Form Contouring and Blush Palette in Light 373

Ciao Bella, 

I really love this simple face contouring kit from Sleek. It's one of the few powder highlighters I can find on the highstreet (have you found any others/are they any good? I'd love to know!) It also comes with an excellent matte bronzer which is perfect for contouring, and a shimmery blush - the colour of the blush is a little to vibrant for me, but someone more brave than me might love it!

The palette I went for was 'Light' as my skin is quite fair. Another reason I chose this palette was after looking at them in the store I decided that the bronzer looked very similar to my lovely (but far pricier) Benefit Hoola bronzer, which I've always thought looks very similar to Nars Laguna - IMO this is a great dupe for both products! 

The palette retails at £9.99 - what a bargain for three makeup essentials! - and can be found online here or at Superdrug! It comes in four shades; fair, light, medium and dark - although in my opinion fair and light look virtually identical! 

I have swatched the colours on my hand above, as you can see they appear vibrant with good pigmentation! The blush is verging on frosty and the colour is a touch too orange for me (I like a cool pink toned blush) but the highlight and contour are perfect! 

Here I have blende the colours lightly using a fluffy face brush, I went a little heavy with the very pigmented contour as you can see it didn't blend out all too well! Important to remember to use a light hand when using this contour, as it is easy too apply too much and get that much dreaded muddy look. 

I have comparison swatches of Benefit Hoola next to the bronzer from the Sleek palette and I think you can agree that they're very similar in colour, however the sleek one is noticeably more pigmented! I love both of these bronzers and they're makeup essentials for me so both will be repurchased. I tend to go for the Benefit bronzer during the day or for a more subtle look, and the bolder sleek contour for a night time look!

Have you tried this palette? What do you think of it? I'd love to know!

Lots of love

Kitty xoxox

Life // Update

End of University!

Ciao Bella,

Today I have some very exciting news for you all; I have finished my undergraduate degree! 

I've been reading Film and Screen Studies at the University of Brighton for the last three years and I've absolutely loved every second of it.

I've met some incredible people whilst living in Brighton, most importantly my boyfriend - it's also our two year anniversary coming up, another exciting moment! 

I cannot believe how quickly these three years have flown by, it's been one hell of an experience and even though I've decided not to go in to the film industry I wouldn't change anything that I've done. 

So what next?

Well, if all goes well and I get the right grade to meet my conditional offer from Kingston University then I'll be going there to study a masters in Real Estate! This is a gateway into the property industry for me, and will allow me to, at a later stage, become a chartered surveyor. 

You can look forward to more blog updates from me now that the hectic assessment period is all over and done with! (yay!) 

Let me know if there are any exciting things going on in your life at the moment!

Lots of love

Kitty xxx

Fashion // Cheryl Cole

Cheryl at Cannes 2012; image from my instagram @KittWills

Ciao Bella,

Ever since Cheryl was a judge on X-Factor UK, I have been a massive fan not only of her, but of her style. She's a stunning woman and always dresses to impress, and her appearance at Cannes this year was no exception!

In a Zuhair Murad dress reminiscent of Elie Saab she looked dazzling on the red carpet. 

Her hair and make up always looks flawless, and well, she's probably my absolute modern icon in terms of beauty and style! Well done Cheryl & L'Oreal.

Don't forget to comment & subscribe!

Lots of love

xoxox

Fashion // Michael Kors Rose Gold watch

Ciao bella,

These rose gold beauties have been all the rage for a little while now, so I thought I should add a little blog post about my beloved watch...

MK Rose Gold Watch; image from my instagram @KittWills

It was a thoughtful Christmas '12 present from my delightful other half, and is literally my favourite accessory.

Before this, 99% of my jewellery was silver or white gold, and now I've ventured into more exciting accessories, with gold, rose gold and mixed metals...all sorts of outrageous stuff!!

The watch is really durable, and looks great with any outfit, the sizing is a little awkward on me... I wear it too lose because having any more links out would make it too small, but I don't really mind it being too lose, it doesn't bother me.

What do you think about rose gold? Yey or ney?

Don't forget to subscribe and comment!

Lots of love xoxoxox

Beauty // Matte About You

Essie Matte Top Coat

In a recent Boots haul I purchased the Essie 'Matte About You' matte top coat. I love the matte trend, I think it gives a really chic look to an outfit and can re-ignite your love of a colour you've gotten a little bored of. 

The Essie top coat does the job, it makes the nails matte with just one coat, however it is a little tricky and temperamental. I'm the type of nail-painter who doesn't like to hang around for colours to dry, so that is a huge downside for me with this colour - it takes ages to dry! & even after I feel like it must be dry, I still get smudges.

Matte About You; image from my instagram @KittWills 

I find if you put a thin layer on, it dries much quicker and still gives the matte effect, so definitely start with thin layers and make sure your existing nail varnish is completely dry before applying this.

The above picture features 'Matte About You' on top of Essies 'Geranium' 

At £8 a bottle I'm sure there must be cheaper drug-store alternatives, but I'm still pleased with my purchase...

Don't forget to comment and subscribe!
Lots of love xoxoxox

Fashion // Graduation outfit ideas

I'm graduating from University in July, so I'm already thinking about the perfect dress to wear under my gown. My university colours are blue, so that helps a little - but I'm not sure what shade!
Here are a few choices I spotted on the selfridges website - I LOVE the Pucci dress, (but hate the pricetag)

From my Instagram - @KittWills

These dresses are so sweet, and I'd be likely to wear them again but the Pucci and Victoria Beckham dress are far too pricey! I spotted this rather lovely dress on the Reiss website that is similar to the Pucci one. Of course, I'll have to try it on but this could be a winner!

I'll do a graduation OOTD post nearer to the time! Let me know if you see anything graduation-appopriate! 

xox

Fashion // OOTD

Here's an outfit I wore recently, for an evening out in Richmond.

I wanted to feel a little more summery even though the weather is still being so temperamental!

Jacket - H&M last year, it's a cute beige blazer that's cropped at the back and a little longer at the front.

Top - Abercrombie and Fitch - I got this top in New York about 3 years ago, love the floral pattern!

Jeans - Abercrombie and Fitch - These are the perfect super-soft and thick jeggings. So comfy

Bracelets - Pandora & Tiffany

Fashion // OOTD

Here's a cheeky IG shot of today's outfit.
Jeans - Jack Wills - had them ages, classic tight skinnies
Shoes - Marks and Spencer - got these recently, love them!
Top - Oasis - Has a beautiful crochete neckline detail
Jacket - H&M - Cute wax jacket in Barbour style from H&M - perfect for this awful weather
Bag - Louis Vuitton - Classic and handy, every girls must have designer bag


Don't forget to follow my instagram @KittWills

xox

Beauty // Tanya Burr date makeup

A while back, the wonderful Tanya Burr did a gorgeous date make up tutorial.
I recreated her look and hash-tagged it with #tanyadatemakeup on instragram, here's the photo of my look;

It was such a gorgeous look, and Tanya even 'liked' my photo, how exciting! Go and check out her tutorial on YouTube! Enjoy xox