Review! Illamasqua Matte Lip Liquid!

Hello!

It’s been ages and ages since I have done a beauty review, and that’s mainly because it’s been ages since I’ve been properly updating the blog (when will I ever stop apologising for that? probably never!)

Looking back at my last review I have noticed how my makeup technique has changed. Thanks to my wonderful make-up artist friend Charli XO, I picked up some tips and tricks and have come on leaps and bounds with my eyebrows especially, but that is a post for another day!

Today I will be focusing on the Illamasqua Matte Lip Liquid I got recently when I painted nails at an Illamasqua shopping event (more on that later! and yes, it was super exciting!).

 

The colour I opted for is called ‘Forbidden’ and you can see (and buy) it on the Illamasqua website here.

I have always had great trouble finding lipstick that stays on my lips, and doesn’t just go all over these goofy teeth of mine, or come off my lips all together! I decided to give this lip liquid a try after I popped a swatch on my hand, and after leaving it to dry, noticed it didn’t budge at all! If i’m honest, I never expected it to work wonders, because lipsticks very rarely stay on me for very long, but boy was I surprised!

I applied this at around 9am, whilst getting ready for work, it took two coats to get the super solid look in the picture above. My first coat was quite light, and I rubbed my lips together a little, and my second coat was to really pile on the colour and define the lip shape.

The application brush is PERFECT! I found it really easy to get a super flattering cupids bow, with other lipsticks, glosses and pencils, I have always found I end up looking like I have wonky lips! And can we talk for a second about the packaging? That super cute crystal clear tube makes the product seem candy-like and looks simply delicious!

Within minutes of applying, I noticed the lip liquid had dried to matte. This was a strange sensation at first, i’ll admit, simply because I have never tried matte lip colours before, but once I got used to it, I felt super confident that this colour wasn’t going anywhere for a while, and especially, NOT on my teeth (you guys, that is such a huge deal for me!)

I will say though, I think next time I wear this, I will moisturise my lips a little first, but that is simply because my lips are so dry anyway, it didn’t help to make the lip liquid look as good as it could have done. I didn’t really feel that the product itself had any kind of drying affect on my lips at all.

I ate breakfast (a banana) at around 10.15am, and didn’t have to re-apply after this. I then lasted until 1pm without thinking about my lip situation at all, because I felt so comfortable that I still had such a solid look. After my lunch, I re-applied once, at around 1.30pm, and then really didn’t have to think about it again until I went to see my boyfriend at 6pm, when I just added a quick coat to brighten up the colour. If I hadn’t been going anywhere after work, that would have been the day over for my lip liquid at 6pm, and I would have only had to re-apply once!

I would say that this is, without a doubt, the perfect lip product for me. I am so in love with the vibrancy of the colour, as that reflects my character so well, and the staying power is a big plus point from me. It’s ideal if you work in a kind of job where you can’t be nipping off to re-apply make up all the time, and you want to know you look awesome, without having to constantly check for smudges! I just really want them to make this in every colour imaginable now, especially slime green!!

An all-round wonder product, if you ask me!

I know other matte and velvet lip products exist out there, does anyone have any recommendations? what are your favourite trusty, stay-put lip essentials?

That’s all for now!

Kate xx

 

I Wore This! 25/06/14

Hello!

Today I’m bringing you a super cool outfit post from Wednesday!

I’ve been toying with the idea of doing outfit posts again, part of me always feels something of a phony, as I don’t really see myself as all that stylish, but I do enjoy putting fun little looks together, and it was always nice to document those looks previously!

Here is what I wore on Wednesday!

 

You may all notice that I now have a fringe, and that the rest of my hair is ridiculously long, oh and that the ends are green… basically it’s super different, but I love it like this more than any other hairstyle I have had! It was done by the amazing Rachel at the Leeds branch of Philips Hair Academy, and I can’t recommend her enough!

Onto the outfit! I love this one as it makes me feel like a super cute slime princess!

My dungaree dress and scrunchie were both from the shop I manage in Leeds, Pop Boutique. The dress was £18 and the scrunchie was £3.50, both absolute bargains!

My T-Shirt was from a Topshop sale, about a year ago, but you could always opt for something like this from Etsy seller Killer Condo, and use any of the hundreds of ombre clothing dye tutorials on Youtube for the desired effect! The gist of it is, mix up a tub of dye, dip your garment in from the bottom, and hold it in the dye in sections, moving up the shirt. This will mean the dye is more concentrated at the bottom, as that section will have been in the longest. (okay, so I totally didn’t explain that very well!)

My leggings are trusty H&M. I did used to opt for Primark leggings, as they are dirt cheap. But with a reduced price comes reduced quality. quite often the Primark leggings just looked semi transparent, and that really isn’t the look I am going for.

I must admit, however, that my shoes and socks are from Primark. The shoes were £8, which is a good job because they are the stupidest purchase I have ever made. I don’t know when I ever thought I would be able to keep white canvas shoes clean.

Finally, my jewellery is just stuff that I have had forever. The collar has been around since I was about 15! I know for a fact that these collars can be bought in any good heavy metal/goth type shops for about a fiver. My long necklace just has a simple fake gem on it (which I’ve just realised you can’t see!), and I found this similar one from Etsy seller Hanging By A Thread, for just over £16!

Thanks for checking out my outfit post! I’ll post more from now on, and if you have any questions for me, feel free to ask in the comments below!

Kate xx

 

Style Swoon! Spotted Shopping – Zophie and Emmy

So my Summer blogging didn’t happen as frequently as I had hoped, and it seems we are already in Autumn. Boohoo! 

I did, however, take some snaps of some very stylish individuals to share with you lovely lot! 

First up is the wonderful Zophie! 

 

Such a perfectly put together outfit! 

Zophie came into Pop in the Summer and I instantly fell in love with her kawaii Japanese inspired style. I asked her to pose for me and soon discovered she has an equally adorable personality to boot! 

Some key pieces from Zophie’s outfit that I would like to pick up on are her handbag and her shoes!

I am a huge fan of a see-through bag, I find there’s something that takes me back to the 90’s with clear coloured plastic that get’s me all nostalgic. I looked on Etsy and found a couple of examples, sport one of these and be in plastic paradise! (click pictures for more details!!)

 

Zophie’s shoes are Adidas x Jeremy Scott… I don’t know much about trainers, and I won’t pretend to know, but I do know I love every single one of the designs by Jeremy Scott for Adidas. They’re a tad on the pricey side for my budget, but one day I would love to own a pair.. For now though, here are some sneakers that give off that same kawaii vibe..

 

All these sneakers are from Schuh, and are just as bold a statement as those amazing Adidas beauties!

I loved Zophie’s style so much I have recently asked her to answer some interview questions and send us some style snaps.. Here’s hoping she says yes! 

 

Next up is the gorgeous Emmy…

 

Such a beauty! 

Emmy has been shopping in Pop for a while now, and we always have a lovely little chat every time she visits. She works for Topshop, specialising in denim, and is incredibly good fun! Just check out her 90’s inspired unicorn outfit here!

My favourite item is of course, that amazing jumper, which Emmy told me she found in a charity shop! I don’t know where these magical awesome charity shops are, but I am yet to find something THAT cool!

To continue the shoe theme, I took a close up of Emmy’s gorgeous black and white creepers, which finish off her outfit perfectly and look simple and stylish with micro fishnets. Here are some similar picks..

 

Both styles available from T.U.K

 

 

That’s all for now folks! Be sure to check back more regularly from now on as I have lot’s of exciting posts up my sleeve! 

Once again, don’t forget.. if you have any suggestions or requests for me please don’t hesitate to email me: katykamikaze@gmail.com and I will address your questions/ suggestions/ abuse on the blog! 

Kate x

Style Swoon! Neon Tie-dye dream

Yet again, working in an amazing vintage shop is paying off! So much style passing through on a daily basis!

Here’s my first Style Swoon snap of the Summer, meet Martha!

Martha was shopping and kindly took two minutes of her time to pose for me!

In hindsight, I should have taken the photo outside to show how amazingly bright this outfit was! Just check out those wedge sandals, so perfectly on the 90’s trend! And  her bright orange backpack looked to be made of scuba suit material!

Martha’s shoes reminded me of some I had seen online previously, so I dug out the link for you… Feast your eyes on these beauties! ‘Ego and Greed’s platform ‘She Cray Remixed’ in Lime Green… Click HERE to buy!

Let’s take a minute to marvel at Martha’s beautiful locks too! Pastel hair is all the rage right now, check out dye brands ‘Crazy Colour‘ or ‘Directions‘ (available in hair shops worldwide!) for the perfect shade for you, and always be careful when bleaching your hair!

Stay tuned for more of my Dream Summer Wardrobe, news on my clothing brand and more style and beauty posts!

Kate xx

 

My Super Stylish Birthday Blowout!

Hey all,

I know I haven’t posted anything for a while, but I was mega busy and also had a few technical hitches which (hopefully) should be sorted out now!

So… On with today’s update!

IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY ON SATURDAAAYY!

The celebrations started on Friday when I went out for food with my best friend Samantha, the boyfriend, my brother, my dad and mys stepmum. We had amazing Japanese food and talked far too much!

Saturday morning saw me and Samantha up early to watch some Aquabats and get ready for a busy day organising my party! We went for food at Primo’s hotdog joint in the Corn Exchange in Leeds (a wonderful shopping spot, containing some real independent gems such as Candy Candy, Mad Elizabeth and much more!) This particular Saturday, The Corn Exchange was playing host to one of Leeds’ main vintage shopping fairs, Judy’s Affordable Vintage Fair. We had a browse and I bought myself a super kitsch glow in the dark retro toy!

The rest of the day was spent shopping for things for my fancy dress party! We buzzed around town, found a costume for Samantha, bought far too much kids party food and even found time to go home and drink some tea and do our makeup! I tried my hand at some green makeup on Samantha to go with her crocodile costume!

I used Illamasqua eyeshadows to create both the eye look and lip look, I didn’t really have a plan and just got creative! I’m super pleased with how it came out!

The party was held at Mrs Athas and everyone made a real effort with their costumes! It was so lovely to see everyone there to celebrate with me! I dressed as my favourite film character, Enid, from Ghost World! Here are some highlights..

 

The next morning, me and the boyfriend headed to London for a couple of days!! I decided to have myself a Disney outfit weekend and started with this little number…

My playsuit is vintage and from Pop Boutique, I have had the shirt for years and years (It was bought in Disneyland Florida when I was 6!!!), the vampire necklace was a Primark find and my docs are vintage too! Most of my makeup is Illamasqua, as usual!

We checked into The Hoxton Hotel to discover we had been given the Cabin room!!! The Hoxton has designer rooms on it’s top floor which are all styled and themed differently. I had always wanted to stay in the cabin room! It has a giant bed, a shower in the middle of the room and lots of lovely details in the soft furnishings! They provide design books for you to browse and you even get a free Pret breakfast in the morning! Check out their website for more information!

After this we headed to Somerset House to check out ‘Pick Me Up‘, a graphic design exhibition. We were lucky to catch it as it was the last day! We wandered around gazing at some beautiful work, my favourite was Rob Flowers’ Japanese inspired monsters and prints! I also bought a cute eyeball brooch and an eyeball print! (which I will show you all once I get a frame for it!)

The next day was spent SHOPPING MY SOCKS OFF!!!! I had already planned to stop off at Lazy Oaf and Johnny Cupcakes but we also hit up Uniqlo and Topshop! I wore my second Disney themed outfit of the trip too! Just take a look!

The dress was on sale at Topshop! I wore a vintage Mickey crew neck over the top which I customised myself and turned into a crop top, I also wore my new necklace by Sugar and Vice that my wonderful friend Charli got me for my birthday!

Check out my shopping haul!!

I bought: the Lazy Oaf slime tee I had been lusting after, a little Lazy Oaf skeleton pin, some banana print leggings from Topshop, a Johnny Cupcakes breakfast tee (in the box!), a book about Nintendo, Lulu Guinness cat face tee, Leopard jeans and My Melody tee from Uniqlo and also pictured are the badge and (rolled up) print i bought at Pick Me Up!

Overall it was a super busy and fun weekend! Over the next few days you’ll probably see me uploading outfit posts of all my new things!!

Does anyone have recommendations on where to go in London next time I take a trip down there?

Kate xx

Etsy Cute 01/04/13 – Sugar Rush

I’m guessing you’re all full of chocolate eggs and Easter sweets? Well i’ve been a sweetie fan from the second I could talk, and todays Etsy Cute is all about sweet things, candy, sugar and confections!

Sweet Insults!

Plz Die

I’ve had my eye on this for a while… there are some things I find on Etsy and don’t post straight away because I feel like I want them all to myself, but this sweater is perfect for the sweet theme we’ve got going on.

Created by fASHLIN, this super cool sweater is adorable at first but look closer, it’s covered with insults! It appeals to my juvenile brat perfectly and is definitely on my birthday wishlist!

Their products are totally 90’s influenced, with Daria T-shirts, head jewellery and slime effect everything! Check them out and re-live the days of Goosebumps, bindis and The Craft!

Cosmic Lollipops!

I wanna lick Uranus.. teehee! 

Much like the sweater, I had seen these amazing space-pops a while ago on Tumblr, and since found the creator ‘Vintage Confections’ on Etsy.

Being a huge science and space fanatic, I desperately want to shove them all in my mouth in one go… but I think i’ll wait and save them for a special treat purchase one day! My favourite planet is Saturn, but my favourite of these lollies is the Sun, I think the ones that take up the whole lolly and look globe-like are amazing! Guys… It’s a planet, in sugar form, ON A STICK! *drool*.

Vintage Confections sell other amazing candy too! Loads of designs and flavours! You can even order flavour samples, in case you’re not sure which to go for. This is true gourmet candy at it’s finest, expertly made and unique!

Jelly Beanie Bow!

Sweet hair bow, bro!

I can never get enough of bows, I do worry I’m getting a bit old to rock them now without looking ridiculous, but then I remember that I DON’T CARE!

The pastel dreaminess mixed with sugary perfection of this little treat have me practically thrusting at my computer screen. Made by the aptly named Super Kawaii Bows, it’s also a total steal at only £3.40 (not including shipping).

They have a TONNE of amazing bows in their store, including ‘starter packs’ of 11 solid coloured bows and multipacks of different metallics! Perfect to bulk out your bow collection!

Crotchet Cupcake!

Swirly cupcake confection perfection!

Yes I know it’s Twinkie Chan again!! WOOOH! (love that girl so hard!). I’m also loving this swirly cute cupcake slouch hat currently for sale on her Etsy! It’s a custom listing, so the colours can be changed and as with all her masterpieces, it’s really reasonably priced at just over £30.. remember guys, that’s all crocheted by hand!

You’ve probably heard (read?) me bang on about Twinkie Chan before.. but just in case you haven’t.. she’s a wonderfully inspiring crafter based in San Francisco! She learnt to crochet from a friends Grandma and now runs a food themed crochet empire!

Check her out, it’s pretty amazing stuff!

Just four for today.. Unfortunately I am a human and my head is killing me! What I would give to be a sexy android robo-babe who never gets ill… 

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you have an Etsy Cute theme to suggest!

Kate xx

Lookbook: Lazy Oaf x Kickers

So hey guys, I know the only other lookbook i’ve ever posted was Lazy Oaf too but you know, they’re amazing okay?

This one is for the Lazy Oaf x Kickers collaboration! Kickers.. you know, those super 90’s shoes and boots?

Here’s a few of my favourite images from the set..

For the full lookbook click HERE.

I love them and want them all, sadly I probably won’t be able to get any though, but if I had to choose one pair it’d probably be the black glitter ones, as I could justify them as ‘sensible’ shoes that ‘go with everything’ to the boyfriend!

What do you think of the collaboration? Which are your favourites?

Kate xx

Style Swoon! Spotted Shopping – Ben

Ben is a regular at Pop Boutique (the vintage store I manage), he puts up posters and always sticks around for a chat and entertains us all!

He’s a comedian and runs ‘Shits ‘n’ Giggles’ comedy club every first Wednesday of the month at Hirst’s Yard in Leeds. We’re all going along on the 3rd to check it out!

Aside from all that though, he is a stylish individual with a love of bright and fun clothing.. just take a look!

What I would give to own that hoody!!

Thanks for posing for igetdressedinthemorning Ben!

Kate x

An Opinion – The Problem With Shiny Shopping Centres

There is a new shopping centre just opened in Leeds, where I live, called the Trinity Centre. It has been in progress for a very long time. One of it’s entrances is on Briggate, which until now has been Leeds’ main and perfectly adequate High Street. In this blog post I am going to air my views on this new shopping centre and also our habits on spending our money on the High Street, elaborating on a brief ranty Facebook status I posted earlier today..

So I went to visit the Trinity Centre yesterday, and all I can say is that it’s pretty soulless, clinical, and not very groundbreaking.

From what I could see, there were only a handful of independent shops, maybe four, tops.. and some of them were ‘pop-ups’. Independent businesses are what make each town or city different and they inject personality to town centres and high streets. Because of this they are very important to the identity of a place. It is disappointing to see that developers of these huge shopping centres cannot see this simple fact. Apparently smaller businesses were offered rent free periods to encourage them to take up spaces in the Trinity Centre, which is a great idea in principle.. but what happens when the rent free period runs out and they can’t afford the astronomical rent like Primark and Next can because these shopping centres with huge chains encourage people to think that they should only be spending their money on brands, and huge corporations?

I am sick and tired of seeing shop after shop of the same thing. I am not against High Street shops, I sometimes buy basics from H&M, food from Yo Sushi, etc.. but does Leeds really need two Primarks, two H&Ms, two large cinemas and a tonne of empty units on the street where brands have moved into the shiny new shopping centre? I think not. I believe shoppers are perfectly able to walk a few extra metres to get to the original Primark. If we are not careful, we will create a town centre with what I call the ‘Starbucks’ problem.. multiple carbon copies of stores along each street!

I understand these stores create much needed jobs (but with a majority of the stores just moving from the high street I have to wonder just how many jobs it has actually ‘created’) and I am glad that people who were looking for work now have steady incomes, but I have to wonder how many of these people would prefer to work for themselves, or in a different line of work entirely? Offering jobs doesn’t mean they’ve sorted peoples lives out, it’ll probably mean they will work themselves to misery in a huge chain store where their individual needs and personalities don’t really matter, maybe for decades.

It’s up to shoppers and normal everyday people to change the way the High Street works, and i’m disappointed that the general population are veering towards these big shiny stores because they think it’s progress. It is not progress… Progression would be realising the brainwashing abilities of these big brands and instead choosing to support businesses run by families, individuals, craftspeople.. vote with your feet people! If spending our money on products and services from independent traders becomes normal, we may encourage those who are longing to start a business, create a product or offer a service to do just that! It is hard to see the positives in starting your own business when you have to constantly and rather dishearteningly observe a society who will gladly ignore the little businesses.

Why is it the ‘norm’ to pay pennies for something we know will fall apart after we’ve washed it a few times, or eat food we know has arrived pre prepared in a truck from who-knows-where? It strikes me as far more ‘normal’ to pay a decent price for something that will last me forever, or eat food prepared fresh and pay a fair price for it, all the while knowing my money is going directly to the people that have actually earned it and not to a boardroom of decision makers with no connection to the average shopper, or you know.. that PERSON, whose hard earned money is being spent, which by the way, is YOU.. 

In conclusion, I don’t hate Trinity… I hate the way it’s been done, and I hate the way people have glorified it.. but most of all I hate what places like Trinity are doing to hard-working, independent businesses. 

A lot of people will disagree with me, and that’s okay.. I might be wrong about some things, but these are my opinions right now.

Kate x

I Wore This! Mellow Monday 18/03/13

I’m on a 90’s hype at the moment! Just look at this pink wash denim, so bad it’s good

These leggings are my new favourite thing, they are from Lazy Oaf and are £45, the plain black skater dress is from H&M and the shirt and scarf are vintage from Pop Boutique. My necklace is by the wonderful Tatty Devine and my boots are steel toe capped Doc Martens.

I found some look-a-likes for you guys (click pictures to go buy)..

Here’s a nice pink denim shirt for sale on Etsy!

The best boots in the world thanks to Dr Martens (it’s all about the steel toe cap!)..

And finally, a cute check headscarf from Lulu in the Sky on Etsy to complete the look..

 You can follow me on Instagram if you like my style and my blog, my name on there is ‘igetdressedinthemorning’. I also have a facebook fan page under the same name, so please go ahead and give that a ‘like’ too!

Kate xx