Just a quick post but I felt I had to share these artists and songs before some new great tunes start playing (on repeat) in my constantly singing mind. Here are my top songs at the moment, each by very individual artists all of whom I really enjoy listening to. Do check out their other songs as well if you're in the mood for some good music. I have featured a couple of these songs in other posts before but here are the links to the Youtube videos:

John Newman - Out Of My Head 
Paloma Faith - Only Love Can Hurt Like This (not the official video as it hasn't been released yet)
Sam Smith - Money On My Mind (clever lyric video)
Kodaline - One Day
Avicii - Addicted To You

Special mention to Let It Go (from Frozen) performed by Idina Menzel.
A gorgeous song from an even more gorgeous film (you really can't beat Disney) and it most definitely deserved the Oscar. Just had to add that one to the end of the list because I literally can't stop singing it!

Paloma proves that she's not only capable hitting the high notes
with her new track "Only Love Can Hurt Like This"
but also with her edgy style proven here at London Fashion Week.

Gold Rush

I was never one for wearing gold jewellery until very recently when I picked up a few gorgeous, more urban, gold pieces. The chunky gold chain in particular has been frequently exhibited on the necks of many famous stars including singers Rita Ora and Rihanna. Statement jewellery is certainly growing on me and I like to pair my pieces with simple, clean cut tops, turn back sleeve t shirts and blazers. Below are two of my favourite gold necklaces. The chunky chain was purchased in Penneys at a very reasonable price and I bought the stud necklace during the sale at Accessorize, so it is definitely possible to buy lovely jewellery on a budget.

Also featured in my photographs is a beautifully soft and fluffy, pink snood and the latest issue of Company magazine (with my absolute favourite Youtuber, Zoella, on the cover!) which I have recently started reading. I love finding new magazines like Company, as they feature less generic artists, designers and personalities but have a substantial amount of street style/high street content and very interesting articles. Take a look at the magazine's take on the best street style looks from London Fashion Week here: http://www.company.co.uk/fashion/street/london-fashion-week-lfw-street-style-AW14?page=1

February Favourites

February is almost over and I haven't had a monthly favourites post in a while so here were my highlights this month in the worlds of beauty, fashion and music.

Beauty: My lips were in dire need of a bit of hydration this month with the dropping temperatures; there was even a bit of snow! In February! So I bought a new Maybelline Baby Lips in Mint Fresh as Cherry Me was a bit bright for everyday wear. I have to say I really prefer Mint Fresh. I've been applying it several times a day and it seems to be more moisturising than Cherry Me. It has a delicious minty fragrance and, because of its sheer appearance, can be worn under lipstick. Not as moisturising as the likes of Carmex but a great budget lip balm with cute packaging.

Fashion: With Anna Wintour, Bradley Cooper and Harry Styles in the front row and Cara Delevingne taking the limelight on the runway, the Burberry Prorsum Autumn/Winter 2014 show was a tasteful, colourful and artistic success. An earthy toned collection of floaty materials, high waisted coats and beautiful hand painted floral bags graced the runway at London Fashion Week. Layering was prevalent with long flimsy scarves and large blanket ponchos in nature inspired motifs. As a Paloma Faith fan myself, her powerful rendition of 'Only Love Can Hurt Like This' added the perfect accompaniment, I feel, to the rustic and autumnal collection.

Music: One word. Kodaline. When the Dublin-based band released 'All I Want' and 'High Hopes' a year ago, I definitely took a shining to their music. Since I started listening to 'One Day' about a week ago however, I've been hooked. Like all good songs, it sounded both new and familiar at the same time. Touching and truthful, listening to this tune is a must.

Monthly Tumblr Favourites

I recently jumped on the Tumblr bandwagon so follow me at lifebeautyblogger.tumblr.com if you would like to see the fashion and beauty looks that I love. At the moment I'm reblogging a lot of gorgeous street style images. My blog is full of spring colours, skater skirts, citrus shades and eye catching prints which I absolutely adore. Here is a collage of some of my favourite looks from my tumblr blog this month.

Enjoy!

Simple Spring Nail Art Tutorial

Many people, understandably, shy away from complicated nail art. Precise designs and minuscule details can frighten even the most adventurous of nail artists. Fear not, though, because I am here to show you a very simple but vibrant and fun nail art design. Spring is here so why not give this bright manicure a go! 

You will need: 

• Cotton wool
• Cotton buds 
• Nail polish remover
• Clear nail polish
• Two contrasting nail colours (I used "NYC In a Minute Quickdry Nail Polish" in Raindrop and "Nail Polish by H&M" in Check Me Out)
• A black polish with a thin brush or a nail art pen (I used "NYC Showtime Nail Art" in Black Ink)

Step 1: Remove any trace of your previous manicure using nail polish remover and cotton wool.

Step 2: Apply clear nail polish as a basecoat to your nails and allow to dry.

Step 3: Paint one half of your nails with one of your chosen colours. Experiment with different colour combinations here as the possibilities are endless.

Step 4: Paint the remaining half of your nails with the other colour. 

Step 5: When your nails are completely dry (this will take a few minutes), using your black nail art pen/brush, draw a thin, straight line in the centre of each nail dividing the contrasting colours. The thinner your brush the easier it will be to keep the line straight. Make sure there isn't too much polish on the brush. Allow at least 5 minutes for your nails to dry.

Step 6: The difficult part is over, phew! All that's left to do now is to apply a topcoat of clear polish and correct any errors using a cotton bud dipped in nail polish remover.

And that's it! It wasn't too hard  was it? You now have a gorgeous spring nail art look that can be renewed regularly by using different shades of polish or even flipping the design on its side and painting the lines horizontally. Feel free to try out whatever you want and leave a comment below with your ideas.

Spring 2014 Couture

Not that I'm a very well educated follower of designer fashion or anything but there seems to have been a bit of a buzz surrounding Elie Saab's work at the Spring 2014 Haute Couture week in Paris, so I decided to take a look at the collection. 

What I found was a stunning and intricately adorned selection of luxurious pieces. Elegant doesn't even partially describe the classic dresses seen in champagne pink and iris blue among others. 

Here are a few of my favourite pieces from the collection:

Revlon Lip Butters

I'll admit I was a bit late catching onto the much sought after Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butters that were released in Spring 2012. When I finally got my hands on two of the lip butters (marketed as something in between a lipstick and a lip balm) during the summer, I was very pleasantly surprised indeed.

Peach Parfait and Berry Smoothie (which can be seen above and below) are both beautifully soft in texture and easy to build. One swatch of Peach Parfait gives a natural sheer finish similar to a lip balm, while a couple more coats gives the effect of a light pink/ peach lipstick. Berry Smoothie, a fun raspberry shade, on the other hand is much more pigmented when swatched numerous times but, like Peach Parfait, is quite light at first. These lip butters are pretty moisturising and give lips a subtle burst of colour perfect for both day and night. Although they can be fairly pricey depending on where you purchase them, I would highly recommend trying one out to see for yourself how lovely these lip butters are. The only downside I have come across with this lip product is that because they are quite soft, the lip butters themselves melt easily and the tube packaging (which is pretty cute by the way) can get a little messy.

All in all though, I have fallen in love with the Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butters, especially Peach Parfait, and I can't wait to buy a few more shades.

Peach Parfait on the left and Berry Smoothie on the right.