Find Your Perfect Summer Red Lip

Red lipstick is a staple product that every makeup lover should have in their makeup bags, it can transform a day look into a glamorous evening look. In this post I'm going to show you some of my favourite red lip shades and also give you a brief overview of which types of red lipstick are most likely to suit you.

What toned red lipstick should I go for?
Pink/Cool toned skin - go for the classic reds or a pinky red.
Warm/Caramel toned skin - go for a burnt orange/red.
Dark toned skin - go for the richer red shades.
Really there is no right or wrong way when it comes to red lipstick, so if you feel like it, go for whatever shade you like!

Some of my favourite Summer reds

Mac Lipstick in Ruby Woo £15.50 and Mac Lip Pencil in Cherry £12.50
Ruby Woo is the classic red lip, with its blue undertone and matte finish. This colour works beautifully against cooler skin tones, just like Taylor Swift.

Rimmel Lasting Finish Matte Lipstick by Kate Moss in 111 Kiss of Life - £5.49
This lipstick has a mix of orange and blue undertones meaning it should suit a variety of skin tones. It claims to have a matte finish but I would call it more of a satin when you look at it compared to Ruby Woo.

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Harlot - £14
If you prefer a lip colour to be more glossy the OCC lip tars are great. They have a really strong staying power as they do slightly stain your lips. Harlot is a more pinky red and is more likely to suit cooler toned skin.

Mac Lipstick in So Chaud - £15.50
If you have a warmer skin tone this lipstick is a stunner! It really warms up the skin with it's orange undertone, whilst also having a beautiful matte finish. I love to pair burnt orange/red shades with the Mac Pro Longwear Lip pencil in High Energy.

Mac Lipstick in Lady Danger - £15.50
Lady Danger is another staple lipstick, it's such a vibrant burnt orange without being too garish and neon. Again I pair this with the Mac Pro Longwear Lip pencil in High Energy to really get the full potential of the lip colour.

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Soft Summer Glow Makeup Tutorial

Some of you may or may not know that I have a YouTube channel, I started it quite a long time ago now but I had a little break away from it, I felt like I needed to have more experience and training before advising and showing people how to do things. Also, I was quite young when I started it and I don't think many people would listen to a 15 year old telling them how to do makeup.
Recently I decided to get back into my YouTube channel, I loved creating makeup tutorials and just the whole process of making videos.

I asked you guys on twitter what you would like to see and most voted for a summer glow tutorial, so here it is! I hope you enjoy and please subscribe to my channel and leave any requests or questions in the comments below!

Shop The Trend: Palm Leaves Print

I have recently fallen in the love with the palm leaves print trend, it's the perfect summer staple this year. I've already bought a few products in this print which I will show you all styled up when I go on holiday in a couple of weeks time.
If you aren't into small and busy floral prints, this is the perfect alternative as they tend to come in quite big prints that aren't quite as flouncy. It also comes in such a range of colours and styles you can really incorporate the trend into your own style and wardrobe.
Almost every shop I go into at the moment have featured this print in their summer collections but I've picked out a few items that have stood out to me ranging from high-street to high-end to save you from hours of browsing!

Product links in order from left to right 
Missguided | Tropical Print Halterneck Backless Crop Top £15 and Tropical Print Jersey Culottes £25
ASOS | Mix & Match Multi Leaf Print Bikini £10-£18
Roberto Cavalli | Tropical Print Lace Insert Jersey Dress £670
New Look | Khaki Leaf Print Twist Front Underwired Racer Back Bikini Top £17.99 and Khaki Leaf Print Strappy Side High Waisted Bikini Bottoms £11.99
New Look | Orange Palm Leaf Jacquard Zip Back Skirt £19.99
Warehouse | Tropical Palm Culotte £36

How To: Pretty Little Rose Nails

Even though summer is almost over I still think this nail art design can work in any season, all you have to do is switch around some of the shades. Maybe you could make it more autumnal by using more red or orange shades or make it more summery by going a bit brighter. 

What is great about this nail art design is that it doesn't have to look perfect! It's almost a watercolour effect so it's a lot easier to do than you may think. 

Click image to enlarge 

Step One | Start off with a nude coloured polish all over. I'm using shade Instyle Nude by Nails Inc.
Step Two | Using a small brush and a few light pretty colours, apply rough circles randomly. I'm using Yellow by Barry M and Rose Libertine by Rimmel London.

Click image to enlarge 

Step Three | With a small brush create 'C' shapes randomly on the rough circles to create a rose looking shape with slightly darker shades than before. I'm using Haute in the Heat by Essie and Mango by Barry M.
Step Four | Create little leaves around the flowers with a small brush. I'm using Spring Green by Barry M.

Click image to enlarge 

Step Five | Using a dotting tool fill in any little gaps with some other shades to make little flowers. I'm using Lilacism by Essie and a random white polish I have.
Step Six | Apply a top coat to seal in the design so it will last much longer. I'm using the Ciaté Speed Coat.

I love doing a bit of nail art and I hope you liked this tutorial. If you'd like to see more nail tutorials, please leave any ideas you would like to see in the comments below.

Trend: Schiaparelli Pink

On the hight street this summer bright pink is one of the must have colours in your wardrobe, wether it be an accessory or an item of clothing. It can easily been worn with a mix of white and black to make it really pop or with greys and creams to cool it down a bit. You could be extra daring and mix it up with bright orange which is also in this summer.

Not only is it a fashion trend but all over Pinterest I've seen it in beauty and homeware. People have been adding this colour to their homes and offices either as an accent with upholstery and decor whilst others with entire pieces of furniture or even painting their walls the colour.
If you haven't quite got that much money to spend then why not follow the trend in the beauty world and just get a bright pink lipstick or nail polish to finish your look, I'd recommend MAC Candy Yum-Yum for the lipstick and Essie Bottle Service for the polish, they're both the perfect match for this trend.

I'm loving this pink on white so I've created an outfit featuring this trend in a classy evening style. This look could easily be altered to be more suitable for the day by changing the Lulu Guinness bag to a Cambridge Satchel and the heels to flats. I've been head over heels for the Lulu Guinness neon pink perspex lip clutch bag, I've even posted about it before. One day I will have one!

Bright Pink Trend by alexhowe1995

I've seen some rumours that this trend is going to stay for next summer too, so maybe a purchase of a few of these items will be worth while.
What are your views on this trend and how are you wearing, styling or featuring it in your life?

Currently Loving: Lulu Guinness Perspex Lip Clutches

Lulu Guinness recently launched her new Spring/Summer 2014 collection which is inspired by candy which of course means bright bold colours and cute prints!  

Out of it all these perspex lip clutches stood out to me, they look just like the gummy sweet lips, I have to have one! 

The classic Lulu lip clutch is bang on trend with the clear perspex aspect to them, they're such a quirky piece to own and come in 3 different colours, neon pink, neon green and neon red.

These clutches would be the perfect accessory for a party, they would stand out best dressed head to toe in black or white and then you'd have the big pop of colour in the accessories. 

I only wish for the day I could afford one, at £245 and as a student I sadly have to miss out. 

With Valentines day coming up, if you're still looking for a gift for your girl, have the money to spend and they love cute accessories, one of these would be a winner. 

What do you think of Lulu's new collection? I've definitely fallen for it.

Casual Bright Summer Jewels

I'm heading off to my boyfriends today but before I leave I thought I'd show you my outfit. It's a pretty simple casual summer outfit, the cutouts on the shoulders are great to keep you cool as it is still quite hot here in the UK to the usual.

I plaited my hair the night before to make my hair wavy and just pinned the top layers back and then for my makeup I kept it quite neutral with black eyeshadow for eyeliner. 

Top - Missguided

Shorts - N/A

Necklace - Primark

Sandals - Oasis at Asos

I hope you liked my outfit and let me know if you would like to see more of these! 

I'm off on holiday next week to Italy so I'm sure I'll have the chance to do lots of nice new OOTD's.

I hope you are all well and enjoying the summer.

Trend: Pinafores

I remember wearing them to primary school, but they are back!

I've seen a lot of people wearing pinafores with crop tops which I think is such a cute way to wear them, it'll also keep you cool if the weather heats up (if that'll ever happen here in the UK).

Most blouses, T-shirts and long sleeved tops look good with these too, you can really mix and match with plain or patterned because most pinafores are a plain style.

I found some pinafores which are all pretty affordable from the high street, each slightly different.

1. Miss Selfridge £40 Buy Here

2. Missguided £24.99 Buy Here

3. Topshop £36 Buy Here

Tweet me your pictures of you wearing this trend @Alexandraahowe

 I'd love to see how you style this trend!