Ruby Woo vs Russian Red

Right, so I'm aware that this post won't appeal to a lot of you, but this is for those mac lipstick and red lipstick lovers out there. I actually came across this predicament myself when deciding on a red mac lipstick, so I'm going to do an in depth review of both and weigh up the pro's and con's of each.

Right: Ruby Woo
Left: Russian Red

Firstly I'll start with Ruby Woo. It has a retro matte finish, which makes it look very 50's. However, this means it can be very drying on the lips and although initially after application it doesn't look or feel dry, after a few hours it starts to crack on my lips, which isn't very appealing. But thats nothing a re-application or lip moisturiser can't solve! On the plus side, this formula means that it's very long lasting and I find I can get about 6 hours wear out of this without the colour fading. Another positive is that mattes don't transfer (retro mattes in particular) and so it doesn't go onto your bottle tops or food.

As for the colour of Ruby Woo, it is said to have a blue undertone and these blue undertones make your teeth appear whiter. However, it is very faint in Ruby Woo, unlike Russian Red. I wouldn't recommend buying Ruby Woo if you're looking for a blue under toned lipstick, as I could hardly tell myself. But, with saying that this is only my opinion and if you have cooler toned skin then the blue undertones are more likely to show through. Personally, I don't think Ruby Woo is as much of a true red than Russian Red, but thats down to my skin colour and tone. I think this lipstick would really suit cooler skin tones with more yellow in them than pink. It also looks gorgeous on tanned and dark skin especially with that yellow undertone as it brings out the complexion.

Without flash
Right: Cherry lip liner
Centre: Russian Red
Left: Ruby Woo

With flash
Same as above 

Then there is Russian Red, which is a matte formula, so has that long lasting effect but also is easier at applying. I don't find that Russian Red makes my lips dry at all, even after a good days wear. Unfortunately it is more transferrable that Ruby Woo, but after a few hours of drying it doesn't seem to transfer.

The colour of Russian Red is more suited to a lot of skin tones and colours. It has a strong blue undertone so makes your teeth look very white! I believe this is the perfect true red as it has the right balance of colours and reminds me of a traditional, deep, intense red shade. Honestly, I think this colour suits every skin colour so you really cannot go wrong. The only preference I'd make with this lipstick is that its more suited to warmer undertones, but thats not to say it doesn't suit yellow/cooler skin tones. When I wear this lipstick I find that it makes me look paler than I am and with me being NC15 I'm fairly pale but I just have to embrace it. However, in comparison Ruby Woo makes me appear slightly more tanned, but the difference is only minute.

As for the scents of both of these lipsticks, Ruby Woo has a very faint sweet smell, whilst Russian Red has a scent that I can only really refer to as smelling like play dough. I'm aware scent isn't a priority but its always useful to know.

Top: Russian Red
Bottom: Ruby Woo 

In conclusion, both lipsticks are great and I would recommend both! They're both mac and so far I've never had any problems with mac lipsticks, Ruby Woo was actually my first mac lipstick! If you aren't the risky type then Russian Red is your safest bet, but I cannot deny that Ruby Woo looks stunning on a lot of people! If you're looking for a more casual red then I would recommend Ruby Woo, and Russian Red for a more glamorous, formal red.

Another recommendation that I'll make is macs Cherry lip liner, which I wear with both of these, as it helps to fill in gaps in my lips and gives them a fuller look. Its also almost identical to Ruby Woo. For the purposes of the photo's, I haven't used the lip liner.

Mac Cherry lip liner

All of this was just my opinion and some people may disagree, but nonetheless I hoped this help. I hope you find the right red lipstick for you!

Gina x

Autumn Haul

Progressing on from my previous post, I have decided to include an Autumn haul. So, over the past few weeks/months I have been browsing the shops and have purchased a few things for the colder months, and although this is an Autumn haul most of these clothes will last me through winter. I have used a bit of inspiration from my mood boards, however some of these are just random buys.

Firstly there are these two high neck crop tops. I don't usually wear high neck tops as I find them uncomfortable, but the fabric on these two was so soft and stretchy that they didn't clench too tight at my neck. Both of these colours too are perfect for Autumn and can be paired with pretty much anything as they're simple and plain.

Burgandy high neck crop top - Topshop £10
Green high neck crop top - Topshop £10

Here we have another high neck crop top. I found that these colours although are quite bright and summery are good transition colours from summer to autumn as it includes orange and warmer tones. I also find that these tops are flattering around the shoulder area. The other tops and cami's are basics, as I never know when I'm going to need plain colours in an outfit. I also find that they're good for comfort. As i've mentioned before stripes are a must have all year round.

Blue and orange crop top - River Island £12
White cami top - Topshop £6
Stripy cami top - Primark £2

Grey t-shirt - Primark £3
White long sleeved t-shirt - Primark £3

This yellow cami really stood out for me as yellow is one of my favourite colours and this yellow in particular was more of a warmer yellow that I thought would fit right into A/W. The blouse was a much needed piece that can go with almost anything to be dressed up or down as mentioned in my last post. This navy skirt was a random buy but I know I will get a lot of wear out of it as I find navy is a colour that suits me and midi skirts are also really flattering. The green shift dress was possibly one of my favourite purchases. The bottle green colour is definitely my favourite this autumn (and you've probably heard that enough times already), again because its plain it can just be thrown on on a lazy day or decorated with a scarf, belt and some jewellery when going out. Not only that, but it was such a bargain at £5!

Yellow cami - New look £9.99
White Blouse - Primark £9

Navy Skirt - Primark £8
Green shift dress - Primark £5

I decided to get myself a pair of ripped jeans as it gives me a bit more variety rather than wearing my black skinny jeans all the time. They also give off a more casual look. The tartan skirt really stood out for me and I think it will go great with the yellow cami. The scarf looked really 'autumny' to me and I thought it would be nice to add to a boring, plain outfit. The wool cardigan was really warm and cosy and so I thought it would be perfect in the colder months!

Aztec print scarf- Primark £4
Black wool cardigan- Primark £12

MOTO ripped stone wash jamie jeans- Topshop £42
Yellow tartan skirt - New look £14.99

       



























Onto accessories! I got myself a floppy hat which I'm so glad about! I was debating getting it for about half an hour until a woman came over to me and told me it suited me and that I should go for it seeing as I'm young. I thought that was really cute and was what tipped me over to buying it. These scrunchies were too cheap and cute for me to resist and I tried to go with an autumn colour theme. I'm so happy with my bag and purse and they were such a great offer! As I've said before I love black bags and although the purse isn't matching its close enough!

Floppy hat- Primark £7
Arrangement of scrunchies- Luvyababes £1 each

Bag- TXMax £32.99
Purse- TXMax £7.99

So, this is some of the jewellery that I've bought over the past few months. The pandora ring was actually a present in April, so I've kind of cheated it into this autumn haul, but I wear it so often it managed to sneak it's way in! In autumn I find that I wear a lot of black so this triangle earring set appealed to me. The 5 rings came as a set and were so cheap I couldn't resist. I love ring sets too, I think it's really pretty to wear an assortment of rings on your fingers. The last set of earrings are abit more glamorous, but I really liked the combination of navy and gold.

Pandora December ring- Pandora £40
Black triangle earrings- Primark £3
Silver ring set- Primark £2.50
Navy and gold earrings- Primark £3

I've been needing a statement necklace that goes with everything and is quite simple and plain for a while now! I wanted something that was really variable so it would work on a glamorous night out but would also look good with a plain t-shirt and jeans. I decided that silver was the best colour for this and it suits my complexion better. I thought this did the job at a cheap price as well!

Silver necklace- Primark £4

Finally, these are the two coats that I bought for A/W this year. The first is either a love or hate piece, but I fell in love with it! Lilac is one of my favourite colours and quilts are really coming into trend this season. The only issue with this coat is that it makes a lot of noise whenever I move and it sounds like I'm wearing paper! But nonetheless, its waterproof as well as a great fit. This next coat is amazing and such a bargain! It's exactly what I've been looking for a while now and its so warm but can become itchy if you have it on against skin, so I make sure I'm wearing something long sleeved underneath.

Lilac quilted mac- Topshop £55

Grey A-line coat- TXMax £45

And that's all for my Autumn haul! I hope that this gave you a few idea's or if not then I hope you find some nice buys for A/W. Thank you for reading!

Gina x

A/W moodboards

Autumn is well under way now and although Autumn to me usually brings connotations of Halloween, bonfires, orange leaves, conkers and starting a new school year it also means a whole new wardrobe! Personally, I find that I need a massive wardrobe update between summer and autumn and winter and spring and I think thats because of the huge difference in the two seasons. Although I do love summer I think I'm definitely ready for Autumn and so I thought it would be a good idea to create a few moodboards of the upcoming trends. I always tend to think hard about clothing pieces before I buy them to make sure they would fit accordingly in my wardrobe and are on top of the trends. These are only my idea's and are based on clothes I'd wear, so some of these may not appeal to you, but I thought it would be nice to give you an insight on what clothes I'm eyeing up this Autumn. 

 Firstly, I created a moodboard based on tops, jumpers and shirts. I really love these colours for autumn and for me I think the bottle greens and burgandys are going to be my most worn. I think the colours look warm but still are colourful enough to stand out and not make an outfit look 'dull.' The white blouse this season is going to be a staple! It can be dressed down aswell as up and fits perfectly for day and night looks. Not only this but I think it subtly adds a lot of class to an outfit! Band t-shirts are always a nice piece to wear on a more casual day with jeans and maybe some old converse. Stripes are always easy to pull off and are a wardrobe must have, as they can be worn all season round! I have to say I do love the yellow checks this season. To me, the yellow represents the colour of autumn leaves and it gives a bit more edge to the usual green or red checked colours. As for the plain colours like grey and black they're definitely colours I stock up with in my wardrobe as I'm always needing the plain colours to pull my outfit together. 

Next up is coats. Its always good to have a nice coat that is not only comfortable but stylish and easy to pull off. The first one I picked out was a boyfriend style grey coat. I always find grey is a good colour as its a great alternative to black without looking too dark and mysterious. The boyfriend style coats are always in fashion and are very comfy. This season leather jackets with fur are becoming popular and I can see why. Leather jackets honestly go with so many different outfits and last such a good time if you get a good quality one. I've had mine for about 3 years and I still don't hesitate to put it on over a basic outfit. The fur also gives it a nice touch in the colder months. As for the lilac quilted mac, its either a love or a hate. The pastel colour may be a bit deceiving seeing as we are in Autumn now, but trust me to sneak a bit of pastel in and lilac especially is such a pretty colour I cant help but not want to wear it for every season! Quilts too are another popular trend, and if the mac isn't for you then maybe invest in a quilted bomber jacket? Finally the wool cardigan. Cosy and cuddly. The comfort from this cardigan is unreal and its just so easy to throw over a t-shirt, shirt, crop top; anything really!

Now for bottom wear. Ripped jeans are trendy, casual and comfy and again can be worn with so many different outfits (I practically live in mine.) Tartan again is a huge love of mine, and tartan trousers were created to give attention to your legs. As for the three skirts, I found that this A line shape is so flattering as it tucks in at the waist but slightly goes out towards the hips (and bum) making them look bigger. The tartan skirt is so pretty and although tartan was big last year I dont see why it cant be as big this year! The white skirt adds elegance to an outfit and white seems to be becoming the new black! Its so easy to pull off as it goes with almost every colour but also makes you seem more tanned, which means holding onto that fading summer tan! One of my favourite colour combinations at the moment is purple and white, or blue and white. The final skirt had an interesting pattern to it that I hadnt seen before so I felt like I had to put it on this moodboard. I thought I would include shorts as it seems we are to have a hot autumn and even as it gets colder, they'll always look nice with tights!

Floppy hats! They make any outfit look classy and I find that they make my hair seem longer, which to me is a great thing! The statement silver necklace can be thrown on with pretty much anything to glam it up, and in Autumn I tend to prefer silver jewellery, I think its because its more of a cooler colour than gold. I know bandana's have been a huge craze this summer, but I really like wearing them, especially with my hair crammed up on a bad hair day, so I just had to include it. Beanies are always going to stay in fashion, and I feel like its only ever acceptable to wear a beanie in the colder months, so I may aswell take advantage of that! I also love the colour, again it reminds me of Autumn leaves. The cat tights are so cute and girly, and I know in autumn it can be hard to look girly whilst wearing wooly jumpers and jeans, so I thought these would look gorgeous with a jumper tucked into a tartan skirt. I love rings, and I either wear about 10 or none at all. I find they just make my nails and hands much more appealing and its a nice way to add colour to a boring outfit. I fell in love with this silver set from Topshop.

SHOES, SHOES, SHOES, SHOES! First up, the chunky Chelsea boots. I always turn to these, they're like my comfort shoe. They can make a boring every day look seem so effortlessly casual! The pointed flat shoes are quite dainty and feminine, which is always nice to stay in touch with in Autumn. These too are very comfortable and so you wont have the problem of aching feet in these. Converse again are an all time love. The amount of times I turn to these is unreal. I definitley wear these more in Autumn and Winter. The only problem is that they take forever to take on and off, I would not recommend wearing these in a rush! The cut out boots are still in for me, I know they've been around for quite a while but I can't see myself getting bored of them! As for these beautiful pair of Dr Martens they literally scream Autumn to me and are so crazily gorgeous it makes me sad that I dont have them. The burgandy colour goes so well with the yellow seams too and I think they would be perfect in Autumn!

Finally for bags and scarves. Black bags are a staple all year round really. I'm especially loving the handbag style bags as they look so classy and remind me of the show 'Made in Chelsea.' I always think its great to have a matching bag and purse, it just makes me happy! (In this case the bag and purse aren't matching, but lets just pretend.) Fringe bags remind me of festivals and although festival season is over, I still think you could get away with wearing this bag up to Spring. Finally for scarves. I love wearing scarves as I tend to wear plain tops a lot of the time and a scarf can make it seem more colourful or interesting without much effort at all. I also love to be cosy and warm around my neck, I find when my neck is cold that my whole body is too, is that just me? Anyway, I chose an aztec orangey, browny colour which I think would strangly go well with the bottle green colour. The other purple scarf is really beautiful and I love deep purple and plum shades in the winter, I find they bring out my hair colour and the purple colour itself is so rich and warm. 

So, I know that may have seemed very long winded and if you didn't read all of it then I hope you managed to get some idea's from this for your Autumn/Winter wardrobe. Unfortunately I don't know where these clothes are from, I just used them for basic idea's as clothes I'd like to get or similar clothes I already have but I'm sure all will be easy to find, or easy to find look a likes at least! 

Thank you for reading and good luck with your Autumn/Winter wardrobe!

Gina x

Little Introduction & 25 Facts About Me

So, hey guys!

I've been wanting to start a blog for a long time now, but I just haven't been very successful with creating it and I've been pre-occupied with GCSE's and other various hobbies. But, I'm taking this opportunity, what with the summer holidays being almost over and using the very little free time i have to start a blog.

I am going on to study A levels at Bilborough College, so hopefully the stress won't take over and i'll be able to maintain this blog.

My blog is going to be heavily based around fashion and beauty, however I may include one or two posts every now and then based on my lifestyle or of certain day trips, just to add a little more fun and so there is a variety and something for everyone.

I have a few idea's already which include: Hauls, favourites, day to night looks, latest trends, OOTD's, tutorials, tags and hopefully much more!

Right now lets get to it!

Here are 25 facts about me, so you can get to know a little bit about me really quickly:

1. My full name is Georgina Rose Trace
2. My birthday is 14th of December
3. I live in Derbyshire
4. I am the youngest sibling, I have a brother who is 14 years older than me, and a sister who is 12 years older than me
5. Some people call me 'Malfoy' or 'Malf' due to my obsession with Draco Malfoy from around the age of 4
6. I play the drums
7. I am studying A levels in English literature, French, Drama and Theatre Studies and Philosophy
8. I've been blonde all my life
9. I've been in and out of dancing since around the age of 4/5
10. I've been doing hammer throwing for about 2/3 years and have achieved a world record for Under 15 Girls Hammer Decathlon in September 2012
11. I have a lipstick obsession!
12. I make references to Alice in Wonderland quite a lot because I love it so much!
13. I don't have a favourite colour, because there are too many to choose from
14. My favourite films include: The Great Gatsby, all of the Harry Potters, The Hunger Games, The Host and Inception
15. I'd love to learn as many languages as I can, including sign language
16. I am a qualified scuba diver
17. I take waaaay too many photos and am such a photo hoarder
18. Some of my favourite bands are: Arctic Monkeys, Foster the people, Imagine Dragons, London Grammar, The Beatles and Bombay Bicycle Club
19. My all time favourite celebrity is Taylor Swift
20. I'm that friend that is late for everything
21. Winter is my favourite season

22. I love fancy dress parties!
23. I would love to travel the world or live in a big city like New York, Paris or London
24. Damon is my favourite Salvatore brother by miles!
25. I'm wearing a strawberry onesie right now

So there you go, thats just a quick introduction about me and about my blog! I really hope you continue reading and I will try and regularly post (hopefully once a week.)

Gina x