ghost in my lungs

I want pastel hair!

2010-05-30T07:14:00.001-07:00

Outfit of the Day

2010-05-29T14:30:00.000-07:00

Top: Topshop
Skirt: American Apparel
Shrug: Primark
Shoes: Primark (same as first outfit of the day)
Ring: H&M

I'm hiding my face because I had no make-up on, I'm always in a rush in the morning! It is no longer hot in England :( I can't wait to go on holiday, I love the warm too much.

I tried to wear pastel colours today, because they're on trend and so are prints. I love this skirt so much, it makes my outfit so jazzy!

Topshops own temporary tattoos?

2010-05-28T09:07:00.000-07:00

Topshop have released their own temporary tattoos today. I really liked the idea of temporary tattoos after Chanel made their own, I thought they were beautiful and so elegant! However, these are far too tacky for my liking! Fair play for trying.

H&M: Fashion Against AIDS, Festival Collection

2010-05-28T08:26:00.000-07:00

My favourites from H&Ms festival collection. I love this time of year, the festival trend is one of my favourites. I've fell in love with the sandles, shorts and the nude fringed top! I need more nude in my life!

Outfit of the Day

2010-05-22T09:19:00.000-07:00

Dress: Crafted at Urban Outfitters
Belt: Primark
Shoes: Primark

I love this weather, I don't ever want it to end. My outfit from yesterday, I just had to pop in to college and do some work for an hour. My bedroom is a little tidier now but it wont last long!

Feel pretty, wear ban.do

2010-05-21T12:30:00.000-07:00

I fallen in love with ban.do ever since Alison Sudol (who is probably my favourite person in the whole world) modelled for the their black label. Ban.do mainly make hair pieces which come in three different collections. The black label, their most expensive and exclusive line, each piece is handmade with vintage and very hard to find materials and embellishments. ban.do, vintage inspired pieces, handmade and includes some of their original collection. Then there's heart by ban.do, their new and more affordable collection which are easy to wear everyday. They also make belts and corsages (coming soon), which are equally as pretty.

These are some of my favouries from the black label (yes, that is Alison Sudol, isn't she the most beautiful girl ever?) and they range from $250 to $350. I hope they ship to the UK! Check out their website here!

I love Miu Miu

2010-05-21T10:04:00.000-07:00

The title does not lie, I think Miu Miu is my favourite ever designer brand and all thanks to my obsession with Abbey Lee Kershaw! I love the colours, the prints, the embellishments and the long side plaits seen in their ss10 catwalk. Here are a few of my favourite shoes and bags, one day I will own something Miu Miu!

Thanks to Cutknees and Crushable who have inspired me to make a Miu Miu collar, I can't wait to get started! Thank you God for Miu Miu!

Outfit of the day

2010-05-20T11:49:00.000-07:00

Cardigan: New Look
Dress: Primark
Shoes: Primark
Belt: Topshop
Sunglasses: Betsey Johnson

Love these Primark shoes! They're such a lovely colour and they have little cute heels. It ended up being so boiling today that I had to take off my cardigan and tights, I love warm weather! Oh & please excuse my messy bedroom!

Wishlist

2010-05-19T07:30:00.000-07:00

Yep, I am a huge bag lady, I love them and I'm always wanting more. The first two are from Topshop, I love the leather vintage inspired cross body bag and I just love the rucksack full stop. Pleased with the Topshop make-up range has made me want more. The blue crayon 'Midnight' is a loooovely colour and the look that Topshop make with this is so beautiful! And after hearing really good reviews about the highlighter, especially from camiloveskiwi, I have been eager to get my hands on it. The last bag is from Accessorize. I love the patterns and the colours and Accessorize have loads of stuff based on a Mexicana trend. Love it, perfect for the summer!

In my bag...

2010-05-16T07:25:00.000-07:00

American Apparel bag, Blackberry Curve 8520, make-up bag, purse, pencil case, Film Studies note book, tram & train ticket, Betsey Johnson sunglasses and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

This is what has been in my bag pretty much all week. At college I've had hardly any lessons because I've finished art & photography until the bridging course. I had Maths and Film Studies twice a week and that's the only time I've been to college. On Wednesday I have my Film exam which I'm really not ready for, I guess I should start studying now?

Revlon Colourstay review

2010-05-16T03:55:00.000-07:00

I bought the Revlon Colourstay with pretty high expectations. After watching a few reviews on YouTube I thought this would be the foundation I'd been waiting for... light but fantastic coverage, amazing staying power, natural looking etc etc, unfortunately I don't think we were meant to be.

I got this in 150 Buff, which is the second lightest shade, usually I would have gone for the lightest but I thought as it's coming up to summer my skin might tan a little. This is actually a pretty good colour match for me right now and it's also for oily/combination skin, so that's a bonus.
When I first tried this on I was really happy with the coverage, it pretty much covered everything! The only thing is though that the liquid is really fast drying and is quite hard to blend. To make sure you blend properly you have to do a small part of your face at a time, say your cheeks then your nose, chin then forehead, or whatever. The consistency is really light, which is surprising because of the really high coverage, and it's quite runny so the bottle gets messy, but I'll get onto that in a second.
After you've applied it, your face feels like you have nothing on at all and it doesn't transfer onto your clothes or your hands. The staying power for this is longer than any other foundations I've owned. For me, this lasts about 10 hours, but subconsciously I re-apply loose powder through out the day.
The packaging is nice and simple, however it's heavy and could possibly break easily if dropped. The thing I hate about the packaging is that it has no pump. NO PUMP. It's so messy and gets all over the lid, all over the side of the bottle and there is no clean, non-messy way to get it on your hand/brush!

The next foundation I'm buying HAS to have a pump, it's starting to get on my nerves!
For this foundation I've used fingers and a 190 brush (because I'm poor and that's all I own) and I have to say neither are that good. With my fingers I don't get as much coverage, but with a brush the foundation seems to drag over my pores and my blemishes and makes them look patchy, especially on my nose. Now I'm not sure if this is the application or because I have bad skin (and I do), but I intend on trying sponges or a different brush when I get the money for one. I've heard a 187 and damp sponges are good so I shall experiment further.
It does seem like I should be pleased with this foundation, but even though it covers well, the fact that it makes my pores look huge and patchy is just off putting. I really want to love this foundation, but right now it's not happening :(

The pros:

Medium to high coverage
Light on the skin
Long lasting
Oil-free shine control
Transfer-resistant
SPF 6
Wide colour range
Drug store price -£10

The cons:

No bloody pump
Heavy packaging
Hard to blend/quick drying
For me, makes pores/blemishes patchy
Runny consistency

I'd probably buy this foundation again and give it a second chance, but for now I'm looking for another one to try. If you have any reccomendations please let me know!

A late introduction

2010-05-15T17:13:00.000-07:00

A little late for an introduction, I know, but I like to do things mixed up, after all I am a girl. okay so, this is me...

My full name is Hannah Louise Smart. I like it apart from my last name, it's a bit random. I'm 17, 18 in September and I'm 5"1 so I'm pretty small! At the moment I'm doing my A levels at a college in Nottingham. I'm studying applied art, photography and film studies. It's a lot of hard work but I don't tend to do much of it! And don't ask what I want to do afterwards because I really don't know! I have a boyfriend, called Kieran, who is very lovely. We've been together for 4 years, which is a long time I guess, but it really doesn't make me an expert! He makes me feel smaller than I already am because he's 6"3! He lives in Hull now because of university but I get to see him a lot so it's okay, I just despise Hull!

In no order:

My 5 favourite shops:
1. American Apparel
2. H&M
3. Zara
4. Topshop
5. Primark (Meh, it's cheap!)

My 5 favourite brands/designers:
1. Miu Miu
2. Alexander Wang
3. Alexander McQueen
4. Vivienne Westwood
5. Wildfox

My 5 favourite bands at the moment:
1. A Fine Frenzy (number 1 always)
2. Alexisonfire
3. Florence and the Machine
4. Passion Pit
5. Lykke Li

My 5 favourite films:
1. Into the Wild
2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
3. Garden State
4. Factory Girl
5. The Virgin Suicides

I don't know what else to talk about! Sorry if this was extremely boring, I'm quite a boring person, ahaha! If you have any questions ask them here: http://www.formspring.me/citybythesea

my other blogs etc are here:
http://acitybythesea.tumblr.com/
http://twitter.com/acitybythesea
http://www.youtube.com/user/acitybythesea

Electric twist

2010-05-13T11:09:00.001-07:00

Curved hem tee from Topshop & flag print shorts from Topshop

These shorts will definitley be coming with me to Leeds Festival, I can't wait!

When the sun goes down

2010-05-10T16:19:00.000-07:00

Oversized striped tunic dress from Topshop, Freja laced up zipped boots by Alexander Wang, Topshop multirow necklace, Mirrored lens aviavtor sunglasses by Rayban, L'Oreal Lineur liquid eyeliner, NARS lipstick, Mini orb bag from Vivienne Westwood.

I've been going Polyvore crazy since a made an account a few days ago, I love it! This look is slightly based on Taylor Momsen's style, which I love. Many items in this look I couldn't afford (though I wish I could) but you can easily find cheaper alternatives!

Topshop nail varnish review

2010-05-10T13:58:00.000-07:00

I never intended to buy this nail varnish as I had my eye on Sunset which is from the SS10 collection. As I went to pick up Sunset I saw a girl looking at Parma Violet and my mouth dropped. I needed this nail varnish and I needed it badly. I love the colour lilac & right now it's one of my favourites and very on trend!
So, on the Topshop website it says that their nail varnishes are fast drying, have extra long wear with a lasting glossy wet look finish and perfect coverage. I do pretty much agree with that, I've had it on now for about 4 days with no top coat and it's only just beginning to chip. Bearing in mind that I play guitar almost everyday and my nails chip so easily, this is pretty exceptional. The consistancy is pretty thin, so you do need two coats of this. One coat comes out patchy on your nails so the second coat will make the colour more brighter and will also give your nails more coverage.
This set me back £5 which is a little expensive seeing as Barry M nail varnishes are about £2-£3 & they are really good quality, but I think if you find a really nice, unique shade you like, go for it because they are great nail varnishes!

Summer time festival

2010-05-09T07:15:00.000-07:00

ghostinmylungs

Basic curved hem tee from Topshop, American flag print shorts from Topshop, Wayfarer sunglasses from Topshop, Eagle triple finger ring from Asos, original Hunter wellies and tassel satchel bag from Topshop.

I think this outfit is perfect for festivals in the summer, I'm going to Leeds festival in August and definitely need these shorts! If it's cold or raining add knee high socks and a mac and you're good to go!

Haul

2010-05-07T10:01:00.000-07:00

Topshop nail varnish in Parma Violet, Topshop lipstick in Desert (meant to buy Vamp but got the wrong one!), Topshop blush in Flush, Topshop kohl pencil in Coal, B blonde cream peroxide & Revlon colourstay in Buff.

I spent a long time in Topshop today deciding exactly what to buy making sure it was what I really wanted. I really liked the Vamp lipstick which looks brown but really it's a very deep red and it's gorgeous! For some reason though I ended up picking the wrong colour completely and it's not even a fairly nice one that I'd wear! Hopefully they'll let me return it as I haven't opened it. I also walked out of Topshop with some nice new black plimpsoles which I had no intention of buying but y'know! I'd like to just mention that the colour of the nail varnish is GORGEOUS! I'll do reviews on the make-up stuff soon, giving me a chance to use the products. I've had the Revlon colourstay foundation for a few days and so far it's pretty good and I'm using the peroxide to bleach the ends of my hair so I can dye them pink, if it works of course!

Topshop make-up launch

2010-05-05T13:25:00.000-07:00

What a great way to start my blog! Today is the launch of Topshop's first ever make-up line which goes on sale online and in stores. Topshop have teamed up with make-up artst Hannah Murray to create two ranges of make-up. The first, a trend collection which will change every few months, also a base collection which will include essential make-up items.

I went in to the Topshop in Nottingham to check out the range up close rather than looking at it online, the line looks pretty good, including nail varnishs, foundations, eye shadows, lipsticks etc prices ranging from £4 to £12. I've seen a few items that I really like and will be buying when I can, I'll also be doing some reviews on them for you!