Jessica Ennis' Stunning Wedding Glamour

Showcasing chic and understated glamour, Jessica Ennis married her childhood sweetheart on Saturday 18th May in the picture-perfect Derbyshire countryside.

The 27-year-old Olympic gold-medallist tied the knot to Andy Hill wearing an ivory sleeveless gown complete with a ruffle tulle skirt and exceptionally classic hair and make-up. 

Having been together for over eight years, the couple chose the charming village of Hathersage in Derbyshire where members of the public burst into applause as they caught a glimpse of the bride and groom.

Choosing such a classy look suits Jess down to the ground! Proving that less can be so much more, everything about the bride is pulled off with utter perfection; to the point where I had to stop and stare at the photos for a good few moments: From the French mani to her trademark statement brows every simple detail is professionally polished.

Wearing her winning smile as her most dazzling accessory, Jess looked like the happiest girl in the world on Saturday! Congrats to the happy couple!

Top 10 Bargain Beauty Buys

When I'm reading other people's blogs I always get so jealous that they are reviewing or recommending products from MAC, Benefit or Clinique! These babies are not only wonderful but they also come with a price tag that I just can't condone splurging that much on such a small item! So, until I'm healthy-wealthy I will stick to spending less than £3 on each of my make-up bag items; I have all I need for all eventualities and all for under £30! Here are my Top 10 bargain beauty buys that I just can't live without:

 

Natural Collection Shine Away Foundation - £1.99 - Boots

Natural Collection Pressed Powder - £1.99 - Boots

Natural Collection Eye Liner - Not Available Online (Otherwise I use Rimmel Jet Black Soft Kohl Kajal Eye Pencil - £2.99 - Boots)

Africa by W7 Bronzer - I got for £2 on a market stall in Watford but also available online at Amazon for £3.41

E.L.F Duo Eyeshadow Cream in Blueberry - £1.50 - E.L.F Cosmetics

Disney Eyeshadow Palette - £2.99 - H&M (Not now available but other palettes are - CLICK HERE)

Natural Collection Lash Build Mascara - £1.99 - Boots

True Colour Lipstick in Liqueur - £4.99 - Sleek Make-Up

Rimmel London Professional Eyebrow Pencil - £2.99 - Boots

Natural Collection Cover-Up Stick - £1.99 - Boots

 

Although cheap and cheerful this collection is all I need for everyday make-up, nights out, lunches with the girls, dinner with the boyf, everything!

50% of it is from Natural Collection - Boots' own range of cosmetics. I find that not only are the products excellent value for money they also rival their dearer competitors: I tried out the Maybelline Great Lash Mascara last month and found that not only did I pay over double for it but it lasted half as long as the Natural Collection mascara! It dried out in less than 2 weeks whereas NC Lash Build lasts me well over a month at a time.

 

NC Eyeliner does smudge throughout the day which is annoying. I'm considering trying out the Studio Makeup Mist & Set from E.L.F (£3.75) to see if it holds it in place!

Has anyone used this or have any other tips for smudgy eyeliner?!

 

The bronzer from W7 is one of my greatest ever beauty discoveries! Casually browsing a beauty stand in the Harlequin Centre in Watford I found this for about £2. It was one of those spur of the moment, 30-second purchases which I've grown to love! It's so much darker than all my other face shades which really accentuates my cheek bones and because of the multi-coloured blush and thick brush that comes with it, you get a pinky-tanned glisten perfectly wearable in the day and evening times.

 

The most expensive item in the collection is the Sleek lipstick. Luckily for me this was a Christmas gift but it has definitely got me hooked on the brand! Sleek is also available in Superdrug which is handy if you're out and about on the high-street. I have it in 'Liqueur' but am hoping to try something bolder next time like 'Loved Up' or 'Exxxagerate'.

 

For £25 I have basically stocked my make-up bag for at east 1-2 months with products that are reliable, cheap and look great! Who said being on a budget meant we had to suffer?!

 

What's in your make-up bag?? Tweet me @sheldan2207 or comment below

 

xoxo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Thrifty Thursday - DIY Eyebrows: E.L.F Brow Kit Review

Afternoon everyone!

This week my Eyebrow Collection from E.L.F Cosmetics arrived prompting me to test the kit ASAP!

 

Ever since the likes of TOWIE, Desperate Scousewives and Keeping Up With The Kardashians hit our screens the Power Brow seems to have hit the faces of everyone worth noticing; from Rita Ora to Cara Delevigne to Camilla Belle:

 

 

 

Having never taken much notice of my little caterpillars before, the thought of them being the centre of attention is a little daunting. Usually, I'd prefer to wear a casual smokey eye during the day NOT huge eyebrows accentuating my every emotion; but I'll give it a go anyway.

 

So this is the kit:

 

 

 

£6 from E.L.F Cosmetics it is a wonderful bargain considering it costs me £6 a week/fortnight to get my eyebrows waxed. The kit comes complete with 4 stencils (which are a little bit flimsy so take care when taking them apart from each other), tweezers, eyebrow brush, setting mascara, eyebrow gel and powder.

 

If, like me, you're a D.I.Y-brow-virgin do not fear! The instructions on the back are pretty simple. The only other extra thing I'd suggest is having an eyebrow pencil which is the right shade for your skin tone as the gel and powder in the kit are extremely light. If you want the power brow I would suggest something much darker.

 

So what do you think? This is my attempt at at the very thick 'Full Arch' (excuse the duck face - it's a natural reaction when a camera appears):

 

 

 

It was Ok but didn't seem to suit my face. I have naturally large eyes which were automatically shrunk by the thickness of the Full Arch. So I tried again - this time with the 'Soft Arch':

 

 

 

Seemed a nicer shape but still a little too thick. So then I started improvising and reduced the size by a fraction to come up with my finished shape. To finalise the look I used the gel and powder to make sure the colour was slightly more natural than just black:

 

 

 

Altogether my eyebrow efforts took approxiamtely 45 minutes! Not very efficient if you're in a rush to get to work but seems Ok if you're getting ready to party - a LOT of wine can be consumed in 45 minutes!

Overall, though, the kit was the perfect first step to doing your own eyebrows. The stencils, like I said, are rather flimsy but there is an arch to suit most faces. The gel isn't dark enough for my colouring but the powder is the perfect shade and texture to make them look natural after using a dark pencil. Very pleased that I am now on the Brow-Wagon and it won't cost me an absolute fortune!

 

What do you think? Anyone got any brow tips for me?

 

@sheldan2207 or comment below

 

xoxox