My Foundation Collection

Hello! So today I am going to give you a little peek into my foundation collection, I do have quite a few, and there's a reason for this!! I only really got into wearing foundations about a year ago, before then I didn't wear them! But then I realised that my skin could only look so good, and to get the gorgeous glowing skin that I wanted, I had to find the right foundation! So basically I went hunting for loads of different foundations to try out so that I could find the perfect one, and here they all are!!

 garnier miracle skin perfector bb cream in 02 light, l'oreal lumi magique in c1 rose pearl, rimmel stay matte foundation in 100 ivory, rimmel wake me up foundation in 100 ivory, maxfactor second skin foundation in 040 creamy ivory, revlon colourstay in normal/drry skin 110 ivory, revlon photoready foundation in 002 vanilla, bourjois healthy mix foundation in 51 vanille clair, bourjois bio detox foundation in 51 vanille clair, bourjois healthy mix serum in 51 vanille clair, bourjois 10 hour sleep effect foundation in 71 abricote clair, bobbi brown natural finish long lasting foundation in sand 2, une skin-glow foundation in G02, stila illuminating liquid foundation in 10 watts.

Shamefully, most of these haven't ever been used! I know, I'm terrible!! I like to give things a really good try before I make my mind up on them, and use them in different ways so I know how they work best etc, and I just carried on using the same few every day and never got around to using the others! So with that, I would like to bring a new series to Porcelain Eleanor: The Foundation Files! To motivate me into using all of these (because it really is a crime that they're all sitting unused) I'm going to be testing them all out for the series to review them, and let you know what I think and which one I like best! That way I'll be using up my stash so that my money isn't being wasted, and I can hopefully help you guys out with the reviews as well! I actually find that reviewing things for Porcelain Eleanor really makes me think carefully about the product and what it's doing for me, whether I can see the effects etc, and it actually helps me to decide whether or not I think it's any good, because I have to pay attention to it for the review!

Do you have lots of foundations? Which are your favourites? (I like excuses to buy more makeup!!) Do let me know in the comments which ones you'd like me to review and I'll try to make those a priority!
Eleanor x

Shoes on a Shoestring #1 Tan Military Brogues

Hello! So I am FINALLY getting around to writing my first Shoes on a Shoestring post! I announced that I would be starting this series ages ago (around Christmas!!) and I had such a positive response - see the post explaining what I'm talking about here - unfortunately I've only just got around to starting it, because uni seems to be very good at getting in the way of everything!! Anyway, without further ado, here is my first feature:

 Primark £15

So these are brogue style military boots in tan (Primark shoes don't come with descriptions or names, booo!! So I've had to come up with something myself... sorry!) You can find them in Primark for £15, which isn't too bad! Their true colour is showing up best in the last picture, camera flash does strange things to tan and turns it orange! They're good for the cold season at the moment, we all know it's not getting any warmer in the UK for a good couple of months, and good for protecting your feet from the British rain! I thought these were a really cute take on the military boot as well, there's something slightly girlie about the brogue-style patterning on them, and I love the tartan patterned insides, which although you can't see when you're wearing them, it's still nice to know that the insides of your shoes are on trend.. ;)

top and skirt topshop, blazer zara, tights m&s, shoes primark.

Here is an outfit that I wore these with a few weeks ago, and I'd just like to point out for my own peace of mind, that I HAVE had my hair cut since these pictures were taken, as you can see, it had got waay too long! But I think these shoes are quite versatile, I like them best with skirts, but they look nice with more flowy dresses and shorts, and probably leggings too! And I'm sorry for the poor quality pictures, it was night when I took them and I didn't have very much room either, my sister was crouched on the floor pushed up against the wall taking them for me... thanks Rach!!

What do you think of these shoes? How would you wear them?
Eleanor x

Shop Dixi Jewellery Haul

Hello!! So, absolutely ages ago, I saw a haul done by ilestbecca on youtube (please come back soon!!) and she had loads of things from this website called shop Dixi, I loved everything she had and went and liked them on facebook, they're always updating on my feed with new products and offers, so seeing some of these offers I decided to make an order the other week, Here's what I got!

 Maya stone cross necklace in 05 £2 (sale)

 set of 2 textured band above knuckle rings £3

 individual Mimi stacking ring in silver colour 50p (sale)

 set of 2 Dejana simple band above knuckle rings (silver colour) £3

 set of 2 hammered stacking rings in gold colour £5

 set of 2 wishbone and plain above knuckle rings (gold colour) £10

I went a little bit crazy on the above the knuckle rings, but they're not something you tend to come across on the highstreet, and I thought their prices were really quite reasonable! I'm also just a bit of a ring maniac/hoarder in general, so I don't tend to be able to stop myself! If anyone is interested in my ashamedly large ring collection then let me know and I'll see what I can do!

I'd definitely recommend having a look on the Dixi site, they're a really cool indie/hipster sort of brand, and definitely check out their facebook for some of their offers, it might well convince you to put in an order too!
What is your favourite thing that I got? Have you ever got anything from Dixi?
Eleanor x

Empties #1 Hair

Hello! So I've never done an empties post before, mainly because I've been waiting to save up enough to do a post on it, but also because I seem to get through all of my products very very slowly haha! Anyway, here are the things that I've used up!

Aussie Luscious Long Shampoo and Conditioner
I always but Aussie shampoo when it's on 3for2 in boots and get 2 shampoos with one conditioner because I get through my shampoo twice as fast as my conditioner, I do quite like this one, it smells nice (I feel like it's almost a bit of a bubblegummy smell? Not too sweet at all though, I think it's the eucalyptus..) and helps keep my hair shiny and works well enough for keeping my long hair healthy, which is a tough job! However I have been using another Aussie shampoo recently that I really like... watch this space...
Body Shop Rainforest Moisture Shampoo for Dry Hair
This was actually a sample I got for free with one of my bodyshop online orders a while ago, I really liked that they let you choose which shampoo you wanted a sample of too! This smelled so nice, and Matt even commented on liking the smell!! It is like a mix of coconut and banana, very tropical and lovely! The shampoo is nice enough, but again, nothing to get too excited about, and I did find that it didn't lather too well, I think this might be because it's silicone, sulphate and paraben free. That is something that I prefer in shampoos, because it mean there aren't any chemical nasties in there, but for me, it should still lather well, otherwise I have to use way more than usual!
Naked Smooth Marshmallow & Aloe Silky Shampoo
This was another shampoo without sulphates or parabens, and as far as I can see no silicones (but I'm not an expert) I really liked the unusual ingredients in this, like the marshmallow! I was hoping it would smell like marshmallow because I thought that's be pretty unique! It didn't, BUT it smelled like mandarin oranges, it was absolutely gorgeous! I'm still using the jojoba conditioner that goes with this, it's lasting forever! I did like both of these, nothing amazing, but not really any complaints either!

So those are the haircare products I've finished up! I probably get through these the quickest because I use them so often, and so much of them. I find it so hard to use up makeup, probably because I'm always flitting between different products! I do think they take longer in general to use though, I suppose that's a good thing money-wise!

What have you been using up recently?
Eleanor x

E.L.F Haul

Hello! So, I've been a bit naughty. That's right, I've been doing some MORE shopping, it never seems to end! I'm definitely going to try and curb my spending addiction in the coming months... But for now, I'll show you what I've got!

So E.L.F have had a couple of offers on recently, there was a 3for2 a few weeks ago, and a 48% off code last week, what with that and all their new releases I had to put in a few orders!
I need to apologise for the pictures in advance, I've been trying to take as many in natural light as I can, but usually I get home from uni only after it gets dark, so it's been a bit tricky recently and my camera isn't great with unnatural lighting as you'll be able to tell!

 studio eye enhancing eyeshadow in blue eyes 1, brown eyes 1 and hazel eyes 2, essentials jumbo eyeshadow stick in little miss thing, french lace, feeling lucky and forest nymph, studio hd blush in showstopper and superstar, studio maxiumum coverage concealer in porcelain, studio bronzer in golden, studio contouring blush and bronzing cream in st. lucia.

toiletries bag - primark

So those are all the things I got! I thought I'd include this little makeup/toiletries bag at the end, that I bought from Primark on Monday, I think it's so cute!! It's actually pretty big and you can probably fit quite a bit of stuff in there, and for only £3 is was a steal! I'm really looking forward to trying everything out, as they've all just been released they're completely new products to me! Watch this space for reviews on everything...

Have you got any of e.l.f's new collection? What do you think of it?

Eleanor x

Barry M Black Red

Hello! So quite a while ago now, I did a blog post about my favourite Autumn nail polish colours. And I thought that it was about time that I did a NOTD featuring one! Now my NOTDs don't tend to be too adventurous, I definitely don't have time to experiment with nail art, what between going to uni, all the uni work I have to do, working 2 jobs AND blogging! So when I'm lucky enough to have enough spare time to paint my nails in, I tend to only have enough time for a plain block colour. But I quite like just plain painted nails, so I don't mind!
Anyway! Enough of that! Barry M's Black Red is absolutely hands down my favourite colour polish (with their navy polish coming in a close second), it's the perfect colour for the colder months, being a burgundy tone. And this sort of shade really does it for me, I'm not a huge fan of the brighter bolder berry colours that so many others favour, and I prefer my berry tones more on the dark side, with an almost vampy and gothic element to them, they just feel so much deeper and more interesting to me.. Not to mention I think they look SO cool, and add a bit more grunge (which I really like) than the brighter berry colours.

So this is what the polish looks like after just one coat (sorry about the quality, these ones weren't taken on a proper camera)

And then I would normally go in with another coat after that, ending up with this! I can't say it enough how much I love this colour! Like I said, it's perfect and so "in" around this time of year, but I really like to wear this in the summer too, because I feel like it adds something more than a typical black to the sort of grunge vibe I often tend to go for. But I think this can work with so many styles, wear it with an evening dress and it can look really expensive and classy. It's such a chameleon when it comes to being styled, and I would highly , highly recommend it!

I wore this with the Sally Hansen Diamond Shine and my nails were suuuuper shiny and they didn't chip for quite a few days! I love the fact that you can get the sort of effect with this polish where it's a smooth colour but there's an almost transparent quality to it, or you can build it up in a coat or two to be completely opaque. As you can tell, I can't rave enough about this, it's definitely my most used colour (when I get the time to paint my nails haha) and I would buy it again and again. I'd definitely recommend anyone to go out and buy this shade, Barry M nail polishes are super cheap at only £2.99 and are currently on 3for2 offer in boots.

What do you think of this colour? Let me know if there are any of the other Autumn Polishes you would like to see in a NOTD/review like this!

Eleanor x