Spring Style

So today I bring you my spring style, a few Instagram snaps I've shared this past month of my outfits for the day! I love Instagram its my holy grail for all my fashion inspiration, so whenever I piece together a cute outfit, its straight on there! It's difficult with the weather being up and down nowadays to know how to dress for the day ahead, hopefully I can give you a bit of inspiration! Remember, follow me on Instagram: louiseylouise94!

Foundation Review: Clinique Anti Blemish Foundation

Another review for you today, as an acne sufferer we have to be very careful picking and choosing our foundations. This stuff is going to sit on our face for a long time, and this can lead to ridiculous break outs if we choose the wrong foundation. So I wanted to bring you a review of my staple foundation. I have used no other foundation, and have been addicted to this one for well over a year now. (I should have it on repeat!) 

Clinique Anti Blemish Foundation

Like I said before my foundation has to prevent break outs, and this has never broke me out. The acne I get is hormonal, don't get me wrong it does not clear up your acne this foundation is not a miracle! However this foundation isn't the cause of my acne!

This is a liquid foundation and it has amazing coverage, to but it simply I don't really bother with concealer and I have a lot of acne scarring. It does a fab job of evening out your skin tone and toning down dark marks, if you want more coverage I often layer up the product on my areas that most need it. 

Its a pricey foundation at around £23 from Debenhams and Boots. However it lasts such a long time, and a little goes a long way (The phrase we love to hear!). If you suffer from acne and are sick of heaping tonnes of foundation, concealer and powder on to try and cover it, please try this out it doesn't disappoint.

The only down side to this foundation is, that it doesn't last all day you probably get a good 7 hours out of it before you need to add some powder to your face or use blotting sheets however my skin is oily so it could just be me? If you have dry skin I would probably say it'd last a bit longer.

- Louise Elizabeth Harrop x

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Review

So today to brighten up your tiresome Monday mornings I bring you a beauty review! So for a while now I've been on the search for a new cleanser, basically I'd got bored of my other cleanser that I used before (Garnier Pure Active Deep Clean Cream Face Wash). There was nothing wrong with it to be honest, just fancied a change. So! I did my research as us bloggers do, and found this ultimate gem of a cleanser.

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish, Hot Cloth Cleanser

So to give you a some quick info about the product. This cleanser is a cream, you basically use one pump of the product (it lasts very long) and massage it onto a dry face. Afterwards you use the Muslin Cloth (you get two provided in the starter kit) run it under hand hot water and squeeze out until its damp and then begin to polish the cleanser off your face with circular motions!

This may sound silly but if you have a small sink in your bathroom, this product is fab as you aren't having to splash water over your face. With a small sink at home whenever I use a face wash, I am drenched. Also, this cleanser really gives you a deep clean, all the make up you have worn throughout the day is brought out of your skin and you see the results on your cloth afterwards. I tend to wash my cloths after two uses (recommended three) its entirely down to you! 

I highly recommend this product for making sure your skin is really clean, it doesn't dry or add excessive oils to your skin (hallelujah as i'm a acne, oily, combo skin sufferer) and the bottle lasts a good amount of time. I'm onto my second bottle now, and at around £13 you really can't fault this product. (Useful tip, if you order of Liz Earle you get a free sample of the cleanser which is perfect for travel use)

- Louise Elizabeth Harrop 

Guest Blog Post

Today I bring you a guest blog post from my fellow fashion student friend Emily Audsley, this little insight into her wild thoughts will leave you questioning your styling techniques! Be warned!

The Titanic of ALL Mannequins

'So Topshop is shutting, and with nowhere else to go I tag along with my mum to Debenhams. After my mum pulls out a dress resembling a confused, dairy farm milkmaid, she redeems herself by presenting an ‘alrightish’ playsuit to me. In utter disbelief that this ‘alrightish’ garment was from quiz, I go over to look at the product in the wall. That was the very moment I lost all faith in fashion retail!  Like literally had heart palpitations.

‘Cue montage of Debenhams and play scary music as we zoom in on the god-awful concession-QUIZ’

As a previous sales advisor in the retail industry and a current fashion student I have the right and responsibility to confirm that this mannequin is horrendous. The playsuit, it’s dull but on trend, even if the blue is the same colour as my High School school jumper. The eye-gauging problem is the blind, cretinous creature that paired it with a silver necklace and diamond, dangly earrings. 

So what is wrong with this I hear you ask, well. 

1. If you having a Peter Pan collar on a playsuit in what universe do you need a necklace and dangly earrings? Not studs (which would be perfectly acceptable). Dangly earrings.

2. The playsuit is smart casual, the jewellery is prom/wedding-its like putting a tiara on a tramp!

3. Also! The playsuit is dull. Whereas the jewellery is bright enough to attract a magpie who will hopefully eat the wretched presentation of this ‘alrightish’ playsuit. 

A mannequin is supposed to sell the garment and needless to say I didn’t buy the playsuit. But hey, it’s Wakefield, it rains, were all wet, and we just spent a fortune parking in trinity walk. '

Back to blogging!

I have really neglected my blog over the past few months! But i've been so busy with uni deadlines, a busy christmas and work. So now i'm back on full form and back to blogging (yay!)

To kick of my new year blog posts I wanted to give you a quick sum up of the spring/summer 2014 trends that us bloggers are getting our hands on early! So the trends I think are most important for your wardrobes are Fondant Fancies, Art School, Freaky Florals and Gap Yeah!


Fondant Fancies: Is a fresh approach to last years pastels, a bolder look that mixes all textures. The likes of Burberry have approached this trend with lace and embellishment. Its a ice cream pallet full of powder blues, lemon, lime, and baby pink with a bolder edge.

Art School: Is your 90's freak kind of trend, mixing monochrome and bold primary colours with slogan tee's and heavy pattern. This trend is really how you style it, contrast not compliment! So dig through your old wardrobes and see what hidden gems you can find!

Freaky Florals: This has to be one of my fav's! This spring summer its about contrasting and its certainly no exception with this trend. Think matching floral with floral. Its really easy to pull of, every girl has a secret floral obsession so mix it all up!

Gap Yeah: Think global traveller, african prints, fluro colours, embroidered edges and of course fringing! This trend is always around but this spring summer it will flourish. Separates work well with this trend, especially your bralet and short combo.

Tartan Crazy...

The tartan trend is all over this autumn winter season, not only is tartan for your typical skirt but now you’ll find it in anything from hair scrunchies to cocoon coat and scarfs to printed trousers. Dare I say it, I think we’ve gone tartan crazy! But my main purchase has to be my tartan scarf, many bloggers will have the seen the lusted over Zara tartan scarf, thick and cosy yet bang on trend but unable to fork out the cash for that pricey piece I scouted the hughstreet and found this one!

Priced at a mere £5 from the one and only Primark, I must say I was very pleased. I’ve worn it almost every day (tartan crazy over here!) with my green parka for winter casual days and dressed up with a white shirt and leather pants! It’s definitely a statement piece for the winter! So grab your tartan girls! 

- Louise Elizabeth Harrop x

Daisy by Marc Jacobs & Just Pink by Next, The Review

Afternoon! So today I thought I'd do a little perfume review, buying perfume is always a gamble and you can spend forever sniffing samples til your nose explodes! Prices can also sway your choices, so i've chosen my favourite high end and high street perfume and I thought i'd tell you a little about why I love them so much...

Daisy by Marc Jacobs

This perfume is loved by a lot of people, its such a popular perfume and I genuinely think its down to a) the bottle, look at it! its so cute, flowery and matches the scent perfectly which brings me onto b) the scent, its a beautiful floral smell thats not too overpowering like some on the market its sweet and fresh which makes it appeal to a lot of ladies! It can retail at around £60 for a larger bottle like mine so it's a little bit of a splurge but an early Christmas present wouldn't go a miss?!

Just Pink by Next

I've always bought this perfume, the shape of the bottle has changed over the years and now this cute shaped heart is simple which mimics the scent very well. The scent is fresh but simple its not overloading and very similar to the Daisy perfume scent wise, however with Just Pink you won't get as much wear out of it as it's not as long lasting as Daisy. However if your anything like me, who piles on the perfume til I stink out the house, then you'll do just fine! It retails at £12 which is an utter bargain for perfume!

I tend to wear the Just Pink by Next as an everyday use, its fresh and you'll get your moneys worth. Daisy by Marc Jacobs is my go to when I'm going out on a night out, for a meal or to a fancy occasion, because with a price tag like that I can't afford to be spraying willy nilly! But with the Marc Jacobs you don't need to spray half as much as the Next perfume so they work well together.

Let me know if you've tried these perfumes! 

- Louise Elizabeth Harrop

Looking Forward

Raspberry Sublime!

Yesterday I visited Manchester, I've actually never been into the city centre before, visited the airport many times (haha), but never the city centre. The reason for my visit was to go see Manchester Met University as I hope to do my final year of my degree there, Manchester is such a thriving city and many people are calling it the new London. So there are so many opportunities hiding in that huge city centre for me, especially as I'm doing a fashion degree!

The university was great, all brand new buildings that looked more like museums than uni buildings it really gave off a creative feel! The tutor we met on the day opened my eyes into the depths fashion can take us, she was so inspirational and it gave me loads of things to think about!

Having tea!

Later in the day, me and my friends did a little shopping! Well, we couldn't have left the city without sampling their highstreet which to my amazement was huge! We got lost several times, and wandered around looking puzzled but after lots of shopping we had to rest our withered feet. (I say that literally our feet ached so much after our trek around Manchester!) So we had tea at TGI Fridays.

I loved Manchester, the hustle and bustle of a city centre put me off at first but after exploring further I warmed to it, and decided I'd love to take myself out of my comfort zone and experience new things for my final year! So wish me luck, better get on with my personal statement hadn't I!

- Louise Elizabeth Harrop

English Heritage Photoshoot

So this weekend I did my very first location photo shoot! I've done photo shoots in studios before, but this was the first that I shot out on location. There is so many factors you have to consider when shooting on location, including the weather! Typical british weather it was raining, dull, windy and cold. So I had a bit of a delayed start however me and my model took a big brolly and braved the weather! My model was amazing, I sourced her myself and she worked so professionally, never complained about the weather or whatever awkward pose I made her stand in! The day was very successful we spent a few breaks stood under a brolly but during the times we could shoot it went perfectly! Below are some of the photos taken straight from the camera, so they're unedited but even before I've edited them they look great! The theme was 'English Heritage', a reflection on my style!

- Louise Elizabeth Harrop

Love a good slogan tee!

So today I'm going to do my favourite purchase of the week! 

This week I got my hands on one of the t-shirts that have pun's on high end designer logos. I've seen these all over the fashion blogger network and I just think they're great! They sort of prove a point that you don't have to spend hundreds to bag a top with a designer logo splatted on the front. Anyway I decided to get the Hermés - Homies Tee, I personally think they're fab and also so easy to style! I wore mine with a burgundy mid length circle skirt and black strappy boots, really edges up the outfit whilst being comfortable and practical! 

- Louise Elizabeth Harrop

Mask of Magnaminty

A few weeks ago now I visited my local lush store, now to be brutally honest I thought lush was all about smelly bath bombs! I was proved wrong, I was prompted to visit due to a review of lush products by one of my all time favourite bloggers and youtube sensation Cassandra Bankson! (http://www.youtube.com/user/DiamondsAndHeels14) I love her and I have done a blog post once before about her (http://louiseelizabethharrop.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/one-word-inspiring.html) please check it out as she's such an inspirational young woman. Anyways back to my review so I went to lush, searching for the ever so desired miracle acne treatment. I did my research before, which trust me I recommend saves you a heap of cash!

And decided to try Lush Mask of Magnaminty £5.25 (Small Pot, 125g)

'This peppermint mask does everything it can to fight eruptions and outbreaks and return your skin to tip top condition'

Now I have used this product loads, I'm almost at the end of the pot. It smells great, like mint choc-chip ice cream, but its not always about how good it smells ha! Truthfully, this product has not given me amazing results, however I can say that it did help to diminish my angry spots but this did take several uses of the mask to get rid of one spot. Which to be honest isn't great, I was hoping to see at least some improvement after one use at least, this didn't happen.

When I used the product I left it on for various amounts of time, ranging from the recommended 15 mins to 45 mins, this was to experiment with what results I got when I left it on longer. Honestly, it made no difference, not to totally slate the product but I personally would not buy this again as it didn't do anything amazing. If you only used this product once a week you would not see any improvement, I only saw improvement when I used it for several nights in a row.

Its fair to say that spots are different for everyone, dependant on what types of spots you get and how frequent you get them. Now if its down to hormones (it is for me) then its just a case of battling them and doing your best to keep them at bay. This product may work for you and if it has I'd be happy to hear your thoughts on it, so please comment below! But for now, I will keep trying to find a product that works well, and when I do of course I will review. But for now fellow bloggers my mission is still ongoing!

- Louise Elizabeth Harrop

L'oréal Collection Privée Review

Wearing lipstick is really one of the easiest thing a girl can put on to interject a pop of colour into her face. I love trying out new lipsticks, but I have a tendency to purchase cheaper brands as honestly, I'd rather spend the money on clothes! (Typical me) Anyway, my favourite lipstick had run out so I decided to invest in a slightly pricier lipstick. My mum loves lipstick so I bought this one in a 3 for 2 offer they were doing at Superdrug.

I bought, L'ORÉAL Collection Privée Lipstick in Colour Riche, Juliannes Nude. (RRP-£8.19)

This colour is gorgeous, really its such a good balance between a blushed pink and nude its a great colour to wear everyday which is what I was after. The colour lasts a long time on your lips until you have your lunch! But its not a hard colour to apply, so reapplying isn't an issue if your in a hurry. The lipstick doesn't smell or taste horrific either, it does have a lipstick smell (if you catch my drift) but its not too much like some cheaper brands. Also, I must mention I suffer from really chapped lips and this lipstick is great as it doesn't sit in the cracks and make your lips look ridiculous. I would definitely recommend this lipstick, and I know the other colours are rich and beautiful as well. 

As always, leave your comments below and if you've already tried this lipstick or similar let me know what you thought! 

- Louise Elizabeth Harrop

University Haul

Ever since I started at high school a few weeks before we started back for the new school year, I would search every shop to find the new 'school bag'! When wearing a uniform the same as everyone else, the only thing to set you apart from others was your choice of bag, and I thought these purchases through very carefully! 

Nine years on and I'm still the same! So this week I searched and searched round every shop online and in store to find the perfect uni bag, that would fit my sketchbooks in but not be too big, it wouldn't be too thin it had to be thick and durable and of course it had to last me up til next year! So with these specifics to keep to it was a hard find, but I settled on this one!

Warehouse Belted Faux Ostrich Shopper £40.00

Now to some students that may be a little pricey, but lets not forget I do work for Warehouse so I got my cheeky discount off! Making the bag a little over £20.00... BARGAIN! Great sized bag, fits in all my sketchbooks, has phone holder and zip up pocket inside and isn't ridiculously big! Also the colour is so rich, I love the berry colour and the gold finishes, very autumnal and perfect for the A/W 13 season!

Oh, and of course you can't buy a new uni bag without buying some multipurpose uni/work shoes! Well, I (didn't) did need them! What girl can resist shoes!

River Island Loafers in Tan £28.00

But with my cheeky student discount on ASOS, I managed to get these beauties for just over £22! 

(River Island is now stocked on ASOS, so pick up some discount all you student lovers!)

Loving my new purchases for the week! As always let me know what you think!

- Louise Elizabeth Harrop

Blog Lovin

I am now on BlogLovin, a great site where you can easily follow and read your favourite blogs everyday! Its great and all your bloggers will be already loving it, I'm a little late catching on haha!

So, please follow this link, www.bloglovin.com/blog/8451519/loustyle
or
Please search my URL: www.louiseelizabethharrop.blogspot.com and get following!

As always, let me know your views, comments and any advice you have for my blog!

- Louise Elizabeth Harrop

English Heritage

Never heard of Polyvore.com til this week at uni and I must say its one of the best inventions ever for a fashion student. I've been on it all day! Mixing and matching different outfits together, and of course a little shopping at the same time! (Never miss an opportunity us girls)
So this was one of my final sets, I call this English Hertiage, a walk through the countryside. I will be using this little inspiration for a photoshoot I have to do for one of my modules soon at uni, of course I'll upload the images as soon as they're fully edited! Very exciting things to come, so If your a little bored sign up to www.polyvore.com and get your stylist head on, its great for finding future cheeky purchases

- Louise Elizabeth Harrop

English Heritage by louisbrill featuring highwaist pants

Equipment blouse
modaoperandi.com

Coat
$390 - glam-net.com

Dolce & Gabbana highwaist pants
matchesfashion.com

Office penny loafer
$80 - office.co.uk

Mulberry purple purse
mulberry.com

BKE necklace
buckle.com

H M brown belt
$21 - hm.com

winter sandal boots...

Decided to invest in some new heels, I've been looking for a pair of black chunky strappy boot heels to edge up outfits I wear when I go out on an evening! I saw these and they just fit the bill perfectly! Exactly what I wanted, they edge up this high low dress I wore to the theatre, and they are a great heel as well comfortable and easy to walk in. A standard pair of black boot heels for A/W 13 is just what you need to get you through the season, choose your style and get those outfits looking funkier in no time!

-Louise Elizabeth Harrop

handmade aprons

I have recently begun a little business, oh yes! I love to hand sew, machine sew I can deal with in small doses but wow does it cause me stress! Anyways, I love handcrafting, embroidery and hand decorating things I make. I have made my mum several aprons which she wears every day. When I posted them on social media I got a lot of interest and I've made  quite a few now! I love doing them and they are so original, every person I've given them to so far are so grateful! It's a great little hobby of mine and each one I make is original and perfectly personalised, and thankfully there isn't a huge amount of machine sewing! So my stress levels remain low!

- Louise Elizabeth Harrop

Coralicous

Loving my new shellac colour, beautiful coral orange with glitter shimmer!

my skincare routine...

If you are similar to me the one thing that really gets on my nerves is finding the perfect make up and skin care. As of this year I have put in a bit more effort into finding the ideal beauty regime that works best for my skin, so in this blog post I want to share with you some of the success and failures I've had trying to find the best products and trust me! I wasted so much money and time going with what adverts tell me instead of listening to the real advice from reviews and opinions online!

So firstly, my skincare routine. A lady I have once blogged about before called Cassandra Banks on youtube is such an inspirational women, her youtube videos showing how girls with acne can get through any obstacle relating to their skin are amazing. So for my daily skin care routine I have to give a little bit of credit to her. Granted nowadays we sometimes feel the need to pay more so that we get more out of a product but here is where I can prove you wrong. My whole skin care routine comes to a total of just under £20. And its amazing, today I'll talk to you about my face wash...

On a morning I use Garnier Pure Active Deep Clean Cream
Wash, this comes in at around £3.80 from Superdrug. This face wash has so many advantages to it, for one it doesn't leave your skin red raw after you use it! Which if your like me and already have red cheeks you do not want this enhancing when you wash your face! It doesn't smell funny, I recently tried the Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Face Wash and let me tell you now if you do not like fragranced products on your face DON'T go for this! I used it once and it went straight in the bin, so the Garnier face wash is great for not having an overpowering fruity smell. And finally it works with your skin to fight spots, although I use other medically prescribed products to treat my acne I feel this face wash is ideal for working harmoniously with my other products as it fights oily skin and the over production of oil during the day which leads to angry spots! Oh and let me just point out the price again, its £3.80 which is so cheaaaaap! It lasts me about three months and for this price I will continue to buy it until they stop making it!
(http://www.superdrug.com/garnier-pure-cream-wash-150ml/invt/88358&bklist=)

-loustyle94

ways to keep in touch...

I love social media and I'm pretty sure all you bloggers and readers do as well! Please follow or add me on the following social media sites:

Instagram: louiseylouise94

Twitter: louiseylouise94

Facebook: Louise Elizabeth Harrop

Any advice, questions or messages to me are welcomed on both my blog and social media sites!

Much love, 

-loustyle94