Céline New Audrey Sunglasses Review & Unboxing

While being a great admirer of fine things I have never bought anything from a designer brand in my life. When I was younger I'd buy t-shirts and polo shirts from Ralph Lauren or underwear from Calvin Klein but I've never spent a huge amount of money on one item. Designer goods are not for everyone, I know many people may be disgusted by the amount that I spent on these sunglasses but I worked hard for the money to buy them and saved up for a long time so that I could treat myself to something I've always wanted; a pair of designer sunglasses.

After much careful deliberation and research I finally decided upon the Céline New Audrey Sunglasses with the black frame and brown lenses. I was torn between the original Céline Audrey Sunglasses are the new version but after seeing Sammi from Samantha Maria (formally The Beauty Crush) wearing the new version I was sold on the slighty squarer frame. 

Aptly named after Audrey Hepburn, the Audrey range of sunglasses from Céline are inspired by the sunglasses Audrey's character (Holly Golightly) wore in the 1961 film of Breakfast at Tiffany's. These sunglasses are iconic, classic and suit the majority of face shapes. 

The Céline New Audrey Sunglasses are delicately embossed with the gold Céline logo on one arm and the iconic silver three pin design on both the arms and the front of the sunglasses. They also come with the classic suede Céline case and cloth both embossed with Céline Paris in silver. The attention to detail is exquisite although I do wish that they came with a hard case as they provide better protection.

I bought my sunglasses online from a website called Designer Glasses Boutique as neither Selfridges nor Sunglasses Hut stocked them with the black frame. While I was a bit skeptical at buying them online at first, after a bit of research and looking at a lot of reviews I decided to go ahead and purchase them. I ordered my sunglasses on Monday the 1st, they were dispatched on Wednesday the 10th and then delivered the next day. While the delivery was very quick, waiting for 7-10 days for them to be dispatched was unbearable. But apart from having to wait so long to get my sunglasses, I am very pleased with my sunglasses and they seem to be legit.

Céline New Audrey Sunglasses Black/Brown - £189 (rrp £229) 

What is your opinion on designer purchases? Have you ever bought any designer sunglasses?

Eleanor xx

Suit Up

Studying a business related degree means that I am occasionally required to wear formal attire, but how do you dress smart while still looking chic? Often dressing smart can go one of two ways: either frumpy or overly sexy. So when I had to dress smart for a presentation at uni a few weeks ago I thought long and hard about my outfit to try and avoid both of these eventualities. 

What I'm Wearing - Zara Skinny Scarf, New Look Blazer, H&M Jumpsuit, Missguided Heels

As you can see I went for this slim cut blazer from New Look on top of my effortless H&M jumpsuit. I accessorized with the blogger must have that is this skinny scarf from Zara and some simple strappy heels from Missguided. The slim cut of the blazer and jumpsuit still show my shape without wearing anything to clingy and the heels keep that feminine touch. 

What are your tips for dressing smart? 

Eleanor xx

Cute Ways To Use Polaroids + CHEERZ Review

With there being more mobile phones in the world than actual people and the majority of phones having a camera these days, it comes to no surprise that most people take photos on their phones. While I love being able to snap hundreds of photos on my phone whenever and where ever, I often end up with only digital copies of my photos that I forget about. But my photographs deserve more than that, they are my memories. That's why in recent years I've been trying to print off my favourite photos every once in a while. So when Cheerz contacted me and asked if I wanted to try some of their products I was thrilled with the opportunity to add to my collection.

Cheerz is an online photo printing service where you can upload your photos straight from your phone/computer, Instagram, Facebook, Dropbox and more and they will deliver them straight to your door. They offer a wide variety of products as well as just prints, such as the Cheerz Box* and the DIY Photo Book* that I will be reviewing today (as well as giving you a few ideas of how you could use your photos). They also have an app so you can order photos straight from your phone, handy eh?

Their signature Cheerz Box* is a great quality little box that comes with 30-45 Polaroid style photos of your choice, that you can edit by adding captions and changing the background colour to suit your personal style. The photos come on premium photo quality paper and are printed to a very high standard, at £13 I think this would make a lovely present for someone.

Not everyone likes their photos in black and white like I do, so I ordered some coloured photos to show how well they print. The colours were exactly the same in the printed copy as they were in the digital copy of the photo, and of course the coloured photos were to the same high standard of the black and white photos.

As for ways in which you could use these Polaroids, my first idea is to display them in a photo album. While this may be an obvious idea I think that photo albums are a great way to preserve your memories forever. You can keep adding to them as time goes on  or perhaps have a different album for different occasions.

This is where the DIY Photo Book* comes in as it allows you to create your own photo album. The product includes a black classic photo book and 20 Polaroids of your choice to put in the book. Each page in the photo book has a white adhesive square in the middle making it easy to securely attach your photos into the book.

While I do love the DIY Photo Book and how it provides everything you need to create your own photo album, I do wish there were more options to customize it as when you remove the duck egg blue sleeve you are left with a plain black book. While I like the simpleness of this, others may want something a little bit more exiting. 

That being said it is a great quality set for £17, with high attention to detail from Cheerz such as the cute message in the back and the little yellow envelope that your photos come in.

Another way to use your Polaroids is to create a cute wall display using them. This is a photo of my uni room where I've arranged my photos around my Coco Chanel mirror from Debenhams. The mirror acts as a focal point, and I like to think that the quote ("In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different") really compliments the photos.

My last idea on how to use your Polaroids is to hand them on either string or fairy lights, using paper clips or small little wooden pegs. If you want to know how to make this in more detail, I've written a post on it here.

I hope you've enjoyed this post and maybe got a few ideas of how you could use your photos. If you want to print some of your own photos, then you can use my code 'ELLIGT' to get £4 off your first order from Cheerz.

Do you ever print out your photos? I'd love to know some of your ideas on how you use them!

Eleanor xx

Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow Palette Review

With the recent release of more products to the Gwen Stefani Urban Decay Collection I thought I'd revisit and review the palette that started the initial hype: the limited edition Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow Palette. When I first heard of this release back in November, the thought of acid brights, vibrant reds and popping pinks immediately sprung to mind, but I was pleasantly surprised by the tasteful packaging and wearable colours that this palette provides. 

The palette itself is perfect packaging wise. Urban Decay have moved away from flimsy cardboard to this plastic and metal palette that is not only easy upon the eye but sturdy and solid. The palette opens with a strong magnet to reveal a beautiful array of matte and shimmer eyeshadows in a range of wearable colours, without consisting of only nudes and warm browns. 

Gwen Stefani worked with Urban Decay to create a palette full of shades that she wished she had in her own makeup collection and luckily for us we can now all enjoy them. Some of my favourite shades have to be Punk, Pop and Baby but I have to admit that I have a soft spot for Harajuku and Danger the two brightest shades in the palette.

As you'd expect with Urban Decay eyeshadows they are creamy, blendable and highly pigmented. At £40 for this palette it is great value for money with each eyeshadow working out at about £2.60 each, making it a great addition to any makeup collection.

Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow Palette £40

What do you think of this collaboration? Will you be trying anything from the collection?

Eleanor xx

Budgeting for Beginners

Budgeting can be such a bore and I suppose that's why many of us avoid it. We'll do a bit of mental budgeting, check our bank accounts regularly but we don't really know what we're spending. While I've always been a saver as apposed to a spender and often very conscientious with my money before I came to uni I never really had to budget. But since I've become an independent adult of sorts, basic budgeting is a skill that I've had to acquire.

Personally I find the easiest way to budget is to fill in this simple spread sheet everytime I buy something. To make this easier I try to keep all of my receipts so I don't forget what I've spent. I've created a spreadsheet that you can download below if you want a little help when it comes to budgeting. The spread sheet has a spaces to record spending Monday - Sunday for 52 weeks, so you can start whenever you like and have enough space for a whole year. I've input all of the formulas so that excel calculates the total weekly spend, the amount left of your budget for the week, the total yearly spend, total remaining budget for the year. All you need to do is decide how much you want to spend each week and insert that into the cell saying 'Weekly Budgeted Amount'.

Download Template Here

Keeping a record of everything I spend has also made it easier for me to save money as spending money seems more real. I also don't panic that I'm going to run out of money at the end of the term because I know how much I can spend each week. I know this wasn't the typical beauty or fashion post you were probably expecting to find on my blog today but I hope it has been useful to at least one of you out there. 

Eleanor xx

Magic Hour

Sometimes when the chance to take blog photos arises you've got to grab the opportunity with both hands, especially when it comes to natural lighting in the British winter. This was the case on an ordinary afternoon last week when I noticed the golden light from the late afternoon sun seep into my bedroom and I knew I had to take advantage of the magic hour quickly before the sun began to set. I grabbed my camera and my boyfriend (after I'd begged him to be my photographer) and these were the results.

What I'm Wearing - New Look Hat, Pull and Bear Jumper, H&M Skirt, TK Maxx Bag, Accessorize Bag Charm and Public Desire Boots

While the warm tones in the pictures may not reflect it, it was bitterly cold that day but luckily my cosy roll neck jumper and my knee high boots kept me warm while still remaining to look like a girl rather than the Michelin Man. The dark colour palette kept my outfit reasonably wintry thus contrasting with the short pleated skirt, a traditionally spring/summer item of clothing.

I'd love to know what you think of my last minute photo shoot, or perhaps your tips for keeping warm while looking good in the colder months.

Eleanor xx

10 Minute Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

One thing you may not know about me is that I love baking, I have done ever since I was a kid. My love of baking stems from my mum, who taught me to cook just as her mother taught her and so on throughout the generations. When I was younger my mum was always the go to women for charity cake sales and cooking lessons at Brownies, so it's only natural for me to share one of our favourite recipes with you.

I have no idea where this recipe originally came from but I've been using it for years because I am yet to come across a cookie recipe that beats it. Not only are these the tastiest double chocolate chip cookies ever, but they so quick and easy that even a beginner to baking could cook them. 

The Recipe

1 Packet of Betty Crocker's Devils Food Cake Mix

2 Eggs

1/2 a Cup of Vegetable Oil

1 Bag of Milk Chocolate Chips

Serves 24

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 175°C and either line a large baking tray with parchment paper or grease the tray with butter.

Step 2

Put all of the ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix them together with a wooden spoon. Keep mixing until the ingredients bind together to form a dough. For a twist on your typical double chocolate chip cookies swap the milk chocolate chips for small chunks of your favourite chocolate. 

Step 3

Form small balls of the cookie dough (about 3cm wide) and evenly spread them out on a baking tray. For rough looking cookie like pictured above try not to make the balls smooth. Also leave plenty of room between the balls as the mixture will spread, this may mean that you have to use 2 baking trays.

Step 4

Put the cookies in the oven to bake for 8-10 minutes. Then when they come out of the oven leave them to cool on the baking tray before trying to move them.

Step 5

Eat your cookies! Personally I think they're nicest when eaten warm with a delicious hot chocolate or a cold glass of milk.

I'd love to know what your favourite recipes are or if you try my recipe what you think.

Eleanor xx

L'Oreal Paris Telescopic Mascara Review

When it comes to the battle between high street vs high end makeup, one area where the high street excels is mascara. While I am willing to pay more for foundation or eyeshadows, 80% of the time I will choose the high street for my mascara because in my opinion they are just as good as the high end offerings but for a fraction of the price.

Though despite high street mascara's being of such a high quality I rarely see reviews of them, I think that is one of the reasons why my review of Max Factor's 2000 Calorie Waterproof Mascara is one of the most viewed posts on my blog. So when I ran out of my previous mascara I thought what better time to try something new and write a review of it.

The L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara is described as "High Precision Intensity for longer looking lashes. In the flash of a stroke up to 60% longer looking lashes and intensity lash by lash. The high precision multi comb is made of supple elastomer bristles that help give a precise application. The flat surfaces of the multi-comb stretch the formula over your lashes."

While I'm not sure I'd agree with the claims of up to 60% longer looking lashes, it does make my lashes look thick, defined and very black. As to be said for the "high precision multi comb" (or to your average person the mascara wand), it's very skinny allowing you to get right to the root of your lashes.The formula is very wet so gives you a lot of time to play with your lashes to achieve the desired look and despite the wet formula I have not found that it smudges or transfers unlike other mascaras I have tried in the past.

Overall I love the way this makes my lashes look thick and full, almost giving the appearance of false eyelashes. In my opinion this is more of a thickening and defining mascara rather than a lengthening mascara as it claims. My only fault with this product though as it's not a particularly great lower lash mascara as I find the brush has so much product on it swamps my delicate lower lashes. That being said it's not a major problem as I often use more than one mascara anyway. 

Have you tried the L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara? 

Eleanor xx

The Best Of The Lipstick, The Girl and Her Wardrobe 2015

With 2015 having ended, I think this is the perfect time for me to reflect on the year that has passed. In terms of my blog there has been quite a bit of change, some for the better while some for the worst. Over the course of the year, my posts have gradually been improving in terms of my photography and writing but unfortunately this has come a cost as the quantity of posts has rapidly decreased.

Balancing a blog, education, a job and a personal life has proven to be incredibly difficult so I admire those who posts regularly and frequently. I hope in the New Year to keep improving my blog, in every aspect not just in quality. But in the mean time here is a recap of 2015 on The Lipstick, The Girl and Her Wardrobe for you to catch up or reminisce with me.

What I Got For Christmas 2014
My first post of 2015 was a "What I Got For Christmas". While I haven't decided yet if I'm going to do a "What I Got For Christmas 2015" you can always have a nosy back at what I was lucky enough to receive last year.

Review - Nars Virtual Domination Palette
A beautiful palette that I still use to this day, featuring some of Nars' most loved blush shades and the famous Laguna bronzer. 

How I Take and Edit My Blog Photos
Not much has changed about the way I take and edit my photos since I wrote that post, the only difference is that I now use a 40mm lens. Still, an interesting read if you like to see what happens behind the scenes.

Outfit Post - If You Are What You Say You Are
A flashback to a time when my Adidas Superstars were still white, since then I have wrecked them through nights out and excessive wear *R.I.P Superstars, you were well loved*

Outfit Post - Leather and Pleats
My most popular outfit post of 2015, featuring photos photos taken in my home city of Bristol.

Outfit Post - Meet Steph
An insight into one of my closet friends style, a bit of a change to my usual posts where you get to learn a little bit more about my life.

My Mac Lipstick Collection... So Far
A look at some of my most prided possessions; my Mac lipsticks. This is also kind of a 'most worn lipsticks' post because my Mac lipsticks are practically all I wear.

Review - Benefit Erase Paste
I'm ashamed to say this is a product that I'd forgotten about until I was writing this post, especially as it's a great product. I may have to go and repurchase this one...

Mini Beauty Haul
Who doesn't love a beauty haul. Timeless and not only addictive to read but write.
Review - Inglot Freedom System Concealer Palette 
When I was looking to buy this product I really struggled to find any reviews of it online which made it incredibly difficult because I had to order the product online and I wanted to see some good swatches. So of course it only made sense to write my own review when I finally got to try the product myself.

My Tips for a Party Holiday
Its that time of year again when people are starting to book their summer holidays, so if you are going on a girls holiday this summer and want to know what to expect then this is a great read.

Outfit Post - The Rhine Valley
A little post about how I spent my summer in the beautiful Rhine Valley, featuring one of the many outfits I wore while I was there.

Outfit Post - My New Home
In September of last year I started university so it only seemed right for my first outfit post in this new city to be taken by one of the cities many beautiful landmarks.

This is of course just a few of the posts I wrote last year and I hope that there will be many more during 2016. Who knows what this year holds for us, but I know that if it is at least half as good as 2015 was, it will still be amazing.

Eleanor xx

Wrapped Up

 IT'S CHRISTMAS!!!... well nearly. As I write this we are just 16 days away from Christmas day and the majority of my Christmas shopping is complete. I've never been one of those people who leaves all their present buying until the last minute and I think the reason why is my love for decorative wrapping. 

While for some, wrapping presents can be a bit of a chore, I take great pleasure in picking out wrapping paper, ribbons and bows to make sure the recipient of my gifts feels extra special. Not to mention how pretty well wrapped presents look under the Christmas tree!

As you can see from the pictures above I have gone for quite a rustic style this year, with brown paper and red and white twine, but with a glamorous twist of the gold reindeer's and white ribbons.


Nice wrapping paper can often be expensive but after having a browse around I found this lovely brown patterned paper in The Works for only £2, I also got the red and white twine from there for only £1! Unfortunately I couldn't find the links for the exact items I bought so I've linked similar alternatives, but if you popped into your local store I'm sure they'd have it.

Wrapping Paper, White Ribbon and Red and White Bakers Twine

How will you be wrapping up your presents this year?

Eleanor xx