Engaged... Now what?

You've just gotten engaged and you want to scream it from the rooftop, but once you have texted/skyped/facebooked/etc everyone you know what comes next?

If people you know are anything like the people we know then most likely the first question you hear is "so when is the wedding?"

There are plenty of women out there who have thought long and hard about their wedding day, and there are plenty who haven't, but I'm sure most people haven't really thought long and hard about where they want to start.

I don't think there really is any hard or fast rule when it comes to step one of planning a wedding. There are people who think the venue is most important or others might think the dress or food, but really it comes down to what you think is the most important. Obviously there are going to be a couple of things that need to be decided upon fairly early on in the planning process - such as the venue, in case it becomes unavailable, but really if the first thing you want to do is rush out and buy your dream dress go right ahead!

All that said though, probably the most important thing you and your partner can talk about in the early stages of planning your wedding is the budget. Some of you may find that family or friends are wanting to contribute, others may be covering the cost themselves. Whichever scenario you find yourselves in, it is really important to discuss how much you are willing and able to spend and try to stick to that amount. You only have to watch any wedding-centric program to see that it's very easy to overspend on things. So it is definitely worth sitting down with your partner, and anyone else that is wanting to contribute, and draw up a budget. You can always go back to your budget and make any changes if you need to, but if you have something written down and something you can go back and refer to, it may make it a lot easier to keep track of how much you're spending.

Lastly, one thing I have heard a lot of people say is "enjoy being engaged", and I wholeheartedly agree. Enjoy it! Enjoy calling your partner your fiance, enjoy telling people you're engaged, enjoy admiring your gorgeous ring.. Enjoy this happy and exciting time in your life!

Wedding Magazine Obsession

So for my first new post I thought I would talk to you about wedding magazines. It's fair to say that I am magazine obsessed at the best of times, so imagine my crazy spending spree once I got engaged!

Yep, bought most of these in the first 2 weeks!

I don't think it's unreasonable to say that most brides will buy at least one wedding/bridal magazine before the big day, so are they vital in the planning process?

The most honest answer I can give to that question, really, is no. However, before you put your hard earned money away here's a few things to consider...

As I said earlier, I am magazine obsessed and always have been. There has always been something I have found incredibly alluring about flicking through pretty much anything with glossy pages. So for me that really is appeal number one! ha ha ha

There are magazines specific to where you are planning to get married

Now there are some great online resources out there, and I will definitely go into that another day, but you don't feel as though you are hunting for information in a magazine. You can simply flick and easily pick and choose the parts that you find interesting or relevant to you and your partner's ideas.

Most magazines come with extra themed "mini-mags" 

Like any fashion magazine there are a lot of beauty tips and reviews, along with style guides for bridesmaids, mothers of the bride, grooms and any other member of your bridal party. Plus there are some amazing honeymoon recommendations!

For any of you that are thinking of creating a wedding scrapbook,
magazines are the prefect way to cut and paste any inspirational pictures you find plus all the great recommendations for venues/caterers/florists/etc.

Usually you get a pull out wedding planner!

Ultimately it does come down to personal taste, but if you are a soon to be bride, whilst the internet has just about anything and everything you could ever think of, magazines are a nice way of escaping and fantasising about your dream day whatever your budget may be!

Changes to my blog

Hi guys, it has been forever since I have last posted anything on here, and for that I am truly sorry!
I guess a large part of it is because I never really knew what I wanted to do with this page. I created it thinking it would be a spinoff of my YouTube channel, but it never fully came into fruition.

So, I decided then that because I had this page that was essentially laying dormant, and given my recent engagement, I figured why not turn this into my wedding blog. I have been wanting to do something wedding related for quite some time now, but could never really think whether I wanted to create an extension of my YT channel (which I may still do) or something purely in the written form. So for now here we are.

Also, if you aren't aware I am living in the UK, but my hometown is Australia, which is where I am wanting to get married. I have spent quite a bit of time trying to locate some sort of blog/website/info about planning a wedding from abroad, but all I can really come across are articles talking about destination weddings; whereby you go there for your wedding and honeymoon and all guests have to travel. My situation is a little different to that, so I kind of wanted to create this for anybody else that might be in the same boat.

So if you've got any suggestions for me please let me know, I would love to hear from all of you!!

I promise it won't be so long until we speak again   :D

xx


(Sorry for the big ramble! ha ha ha)

Meet Arry the Harrods Bear

Hey guys, thought I would do a quick little post.. There are 2 reasons why.. The first one is because I wanted to try out Blogger on the IPod touch, and most importantly I wanted to introduce you to Arry..

I got Arry while I was down in London, but didn't haul him in my clothing haul.. Because he's so cute I thought he deserved his own shout-out :)

And he has the Harrods signature on one of his paws..






























He's SO soft and cuddly.. AND only cost £10..

Do any of you still have any soft toys? Let me know in the comments section. :)

xx


Just as a quick little add on - not too sure about Blogger so far.. Easy to use, but a little tricky in terms of layout   ^_^

FOTD: Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette

Sorry this picture is a little blurry  :)

Hey, thought I would share a quick FOTD with you! Finally got around to trying out my Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette and came up with a neutral, but still glam, kind of look.

Face:

• Skin 79 Super Plus Beblish Balm
• Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer - Shade 040 Soft Beige
• Revlon ColourStay Pressed Powder - Shade Medium
• Sleek Face Contour Kit - Shade Medium
• Rimmel London Powder Blush - Shade 021 Summer Fever

Eyes:

• HD Brows - Shade Carbon
• Two Faced Shadow Insurance
• Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette - Shade Foxy
• Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette - Shade Half Baked
• Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette - Shade Suspect
• Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette - Shade Busted
• Bobbi Brown Gel Liner - Shade 1 Black Ink
• Bobbi Brown Waterproof and Lengthening Mascara - Shade Black

Lips:

• Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Lip Colour - Shade 010 Premium Pink
• MUA Lip Gloss - Shade 3

So far am loving the Naked 2 Palette!! I was going for a more pink lip, but the photos are coming up slightly more coral - sorry  ^_^

Thank you so much for checking out my very first FOTD.. Hopefully with a bit more practice my photos will get a bit better (he he he)

xx

Sleek Makeup Face Contour Kit

Hey guys, so welcome to my first Blog Post!!

I said in my London Makeup Haul Video that I would review the Sleek Highlight Kit, and I thought for something different I would do a review on my blog..

Sleek Face Contour Kit in Shade Medium

There are three shades - light, medium, dark, and I opted for shade Medium (for reference I am between an NC25 and NC30).

The Kit comes with an instruction booklet inside, which is really helpful, especially if you are new to contouring.

Instruction booklet that comes inside the box

Other Sleek products available

The outside of the instruction booklet

The inside of the instruction booklet

As you can see from the picture the top section gives instructions for contouring the cheeks and the bottom for contouring the nose.

Contouring the cheekbones 

Contouring the nose

I am really impressed that Sleek went with a full colour information booklet. I know that sounds like a silly thing to say, but rather than going for what probably would have been the cheaper option - black and white, they have gone with full colour so that it properly illustrates where to use the contour shade and where to use the highlight shade - so super helpful!

The packaging of the Face Contour Kit

As usual with Sleek products the packaging is gorgeous and "sleek" (he he) with a very sturdy plastic casing.

Very decent sized mirror. Sorry for the sideways picture!

The inside of Sleek's Face Contour Kit (contour shade on the left and highlight shade on the right)

So you get a lot more of the contour shade than you do the highlight shade, which I am still yet to decide whether I think is a great idea or not.

Swatches of the contour and highlight shade from the 'Medium' Face Highlight Kit

Swatches in more natural light

In the swatches you can see that there is a lot of pigmentation in both colours, however when applied on the face there definitely isn't as much colour that shows. I have found the highlight shade barely applies any actual colour onto the face, but it does give a gorgeous glow without being particularly shimmery. The contour shade, whilst appearing very dark in the swatches, does need a little bit more work when applied to the face, especially if you are wanting a more defined contour.

The 2 shades blended out

Overall I am so thrilled with this kit. The contour shade is completely matte, which I think is important in any contour powder. The highlight shade also isn't shimmery, but more on the pearl side. Whilst the contour shade does need a little more work than the highlight shade, it is handy when just starting out with contouring and means you can be a little heavy handed with it and not look like you have dirt on your face! 

The Sleek Makeup Face Contour Kit is available from Superdrug stores, however unfortunately not available online through Superdrug. But, you can purchase the kit online from the Sleek site - http://www.sleekmakeup.com and costs just £6.50.

If you are new to contouring, or just wanting something simple, compact and affordable I definitely recommend you give this a go. 

Have you tried this kit, or what are you currently using as your contour and highlight? Let me know in the comment section!

xx