Great Gatsby Style Wishlist Featuring Avenue 32 and L'agence

The Great Gatsby is somewhat of a trend right now, so I thought I would put together a wishlist style post taking inspiration from the 1920's and Great Gatsby Film.

Heavily embellished and decadent the Great Gatsby Style goes hand in hand with retailed Avenue 32 self described as your 'online shopping neighbourhood' its eclectic mix of international and British luxury designers make looking for items inspired by a film dripping in opulence easy.

If the Great Gatsby isn't your style and you prefer a more stripped back look I would cast my eye over L'agence that mixes simple pastel pieces with beautiful tailoring.

Featured in my wishlist:

Bionda Castana :105mm Monochrome Raffia Lucinda Pumps £455
Aperlai :Bordeaux Velvet Geisha Doll Heels £435
L'agence :Gold Raglan Jumper £260
Michaela Buerger :White Crochet Chiffon Jane Collar £340
Armenta :Midnight Round Sugelite Drop Earrings £2,095
Armenta :Midnight Emerald Cut Lapis Earrings £4,525
Bex Rox :Gold Art Deco Collar £350
Littledoe :Birdwing Tapestry Headpiece £310
Wunderkind :Multi Floral Cotton Dress £710

 

Revlon Top Speed Nail Enamel - 602 Cloud

This nail varnish leans somewhere between a very soft pastel lilac and a light grey colour, very pretty and unusual its a little different from a pure white nail and gives a very sweet summery feel to my nails.

I don't personally lean towards bright summer colours on my nails, corals and pinks are not really my favourite (though I'm trying to branch out) so this is a nice summer colour for me.

What kind of nail varnish are you wearing this summer?

Monday Cheap and Chic - Collection blush - 'Bashful'

Collection blush - 'Bashful'

I really like collection (2000) and their products are cheap cheerful and usually pretty decent, with blogger favourites like their lasting perfection concealer being raved about I thought id discuss another one of my favourite products from them - their blushers.

Collection's (previously Collection 2000) blushers come in a wide variety, from the small round pans such as this one to shimmery bricks they even have a highlighter/cream blush duo I have yet to try. The colours are always pigmented and with the small individual pans being £2.99 from Boots having a collection (no pun intened) of great blusher colours is purse friendly.

I picked up the shade bashful, even though I'm fair skinned I really like very vibrant blushers and often those packed with shimmer (which many of the Collection blushers are) so this was no different. I tend to stick to powder formulaes and have yet to try any of the Collection cream blushers or bricks but these little pans suit me just fine. Easy to apply and giving good colour pay off these last me ages too.

Real Techniques Core Collection

(from left to right : Buffing Brush, Contour Brush, Pointed Foundation Brush and the Detailer Brush)

Real Techniques Core Collection  £21.99 Boots

A beauty blogger favourite I finally got my hands on the Real Techniques Core Collection for my birthday in January and having given them a proper try out I think now I can blog them properly.

I've always used a bit of a mish-mash of brushes, I've had ones from Topshop, H&M and Bare Escenctuals  and these have lasted me just fine, I still have some of my Bare Escenctuals brushes that I got in a 'starter kit' when I was in my teens and they are only now starting to look a little worn. 

The Real Techniques core collection includes four brushes all designed to help you create a flawless base. It includes a: Pointed Foundation Brush, Buffing Brush, Contour Brush and detailer brush. 

Pointed Foundation Brush: This brush is small and has a tapered finish towards the tip, personally I haven't found this lends itself to being suitable for applying foundation all over the skin but its really great for blending out liquid under eye concealer or applying small amount of extra coverage in places you need it. Perfect for smartening up and covering blemishes and dark areas.

Detailer Brush: A really diverse brush that can be used from anything to eyeliner, lip liner or adding other fine details this brush is small and soft, the handle is very slim which matches the width of the fibers which can make it a little difficult to get the hang of using to begin with but allows great control when applying things like lipliner or eyeliner. I like to use this to blend the lines between a pencil lipliner and a lipstick and for smudging my eyeliner if I want too.

Contour Brush: Although tipped specifically for contouring this brush is again really diverse, its really nice for adding power highlighters to the face as its got quite a small head size. I also like to use this to add small amounts of powder to any shine on my face because I think it works really well at giving you product where you need and keeping the rest of the area around free from product, this lends itself really well to powders as I think an over matte face isn't very summery I've been using this more and more.

Buffing Brush: My favourite brush of the collection it has a medium/large head thats soft but sturdy with a flat finish on the top. This brush works really well with liquid or cream products and I love using this to apply my foundation as this helps me blend out anything really well. This can also be used to blend out powered products or to expel lines and literally 'buff' the product into a natural finish. I usually use this in a slight stippling motion and then buff my foundation in with quick circular strokes. 

All of these brushes are very nice, its my first Real Techniques brush collection and I'm eager to expand them more. They clean really easily and because they have a lighter end to the fibre you can see when your brushes are not clean, they also come in a really nice and handy carry case which is great for travelling.