What I'm loving right now : Pride and Prejudice 200th anniversary

Hello !

This article will not be beauty or fashion related, but these are not the only things I love - and I want to share all my interests on here. So today I'll be talking about Jane Austen !

I'm a very big fan of the 19th century British literature and its adaptations on TV and movies.  And I particularly love Jane Austen.

This year, as you may know already, is the 200th anniversary of Pride and Prejudice, the masterpiece of that fantastic lady. It was published for the first time in January 1813 - anonymously, under the name "the author of Sense and Sensibility" (which was itself published in 1811, by "A Lady").

By this anniversary, we can see how Austen's work has lived through the centuries, and is still very much loved today. Her society was so different than ours regarding many aspects of it (not to speak about civilities and the relationship between men and women, which still amazes me - in a bad way ! - sometimes), but was also in some ways very similar : we all know someone who looks like one of her characters ! a Lydia Bennet, a Catherine Morland or a funny Mr Bennet. 

These books are still very famous and read today, because we can all relate to it in a way.

Pride and Prejudice must be my favourite book by Austen - no surprise ! I like it mainly because of Elizabeth. She is the most interesting of all the characters Austen wrote. She is definitely not perfect, but she is smart and witty, and mocks the society she lives in and how it works. I love her personality, and I wish I looked like her a little more. If I can tell you a secret... well : I like Lizzy so much that if I have a baby girl one day, I wish to call her Elizabeth. Now you can call me crazy, but I'm stuck to this idea and I will make it happen ! hehe.

But this book is not about Elizabeth only, and all the characters are so unique that it is their whole that makes this little society very attaching. And of course the love story between Lizzy and Darcy is so precious : Austen managed to describe the evolution of Elizabeth's feelings step by step in a very natural and realistic way. And that makes things even more beautiful and likely to be true ! As if Elizabeth, Darcy and all their little world and story happened for real. We cannot really believe that love at first sight as described in some romantic novels does happen every day in the real world, can we ?

Anyways, I could speak about this book forever so maybe I should just stop my personal appreciation now. The other thing I wanted to speak about and which is related to this anniversary is... The Pride and Prejudice new stamps ! they are amazing.

There is one stamp for each of Jane Austen's novel. My favourite are the Pride and Prejudice and the Northanger Abbey ones. I would - almost - kill to get this set ! People of Britain, if you read me... you are so lucky.

The drawings were made by Angela Barrett. They are very lovely !

I think this is a great tribute to the work of Miss Austen, whose legacy is definitely going to celebrate a lot more anniversaries in the future !

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 Julia xx

Collective Haul

Hello there !

So I was supposed to do a haul last week, but I had issues with my camera so I couldn't take pictures... but everything is solved and my haul is here !

Unfortunately I don't have the price tags anymore, as it's been quite a few weeks since I've done my shopping, sorry for that !

It is quite a big haul because I bought these things during several shopping trips, from the beginning of January until last week.

First I went to New Look, where I bought a few items :

I found this little high-waisted blue skirt, perfect for every day and that you can wear with absolutely everything. It is in a very soft material and the colour looks like light denim, even though it's not. It is very flowy and nice, it will be perfect when the spring comes.

I also got this very pretty shirt. I had been looking for one of these (aka animal-printed) for months ! and when I saw this one there were only two left... and luckily one in my size ! I was so happy. 

It is a very sheer shirt (you definitely have to wear something under it) with little purple owls all over it... how cute ! I'm not a massive fan of the gold buttons but I won't complain, perfection is hard to find, uh ?

 

And here are the little owls :

 

And finally from New Look I got two necklaces, both very simple. The first one is a cross necklace, and the best thing about it is that it is cut in the middle, and the two sides of the cross are in different colours : one is silver and the other is a sort of old bronze gold. 

The other necklace is very very cute ! it is a little rocking horse. It is white and has gold details on it.

Then I went to a French shop called C&A - I don't know if there are shops of this brand in other countries. From there I just got two things. The first is a peach jumper. It has three-quarter length sleeves, and it is very thick - but not warm. I wear it with something underneath, just so that my skin isn't showing through the wholes of the knitting. I love this peach colour, and this item will be great for spring - it's not warm as a winter jumper, but thick enough for when the weather is still a little cold.

And I bought a pair of earrings. I think they are very classy ; light pink with little gems around it. 

The colour isn't really showing on this picture, sorry for that ! 

Next shop : Forever 21 !

You have to know that in France, we only have two F21 shops. That sucks. So last week was the first time that I shopped in there ! It was almost as exciting as going to Disneyland for the first time, haha. But hopefully some shops will be opening soon, and maybe in Paris so that it's easier for me to go... Let's pray !

One of my first items is this little shirt/blouse top. It is sleeveless, white and has amazing lace detail on it. When I saw it, I immediately fell in love. This is exactly my style !

I love everything that looks like old clothing from the early decades - and early centuries too, but clothes from the 19th century aren't much available anymore, are they ?

This shirt has a very vintage look. I'll be wearing it all the time, for sure !

Look closely at the collar... A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

Then, in a totally different style, I got a top that I thought would be perfect for this summer (yes we're not even close to spring yet but...) with a pair of denim shorts and little sandals.

Usually, this is not my type of clothes ("American" looking stuff like this one with the eagle, you know what I'm talking about) but I really liked that one... so I got it. 

Just before going to pay, I saw wonderful Disney sweaters... As a huge Disney fan, I had to get one. There were Aladdin sweaters, Snow White sweaters... And Lion King sweaters. Yeah. I took the Lion King one, because it was the best - but I'm still disappointed that they didn't make a Little Mermaid design !

The picture with Simba is great, and again I'll be wearing it with everything - shorts and tights, a skirt and tights, leggings... 

The last top I bought is this grey sleeveless one, with leopards on it - wild, isn't it ?

Animal printed things are my favourite.

And in the jewellery section I only took a set of earrings. They are really cute and related to sailing. 

My next shop is Pull and Bear, where I got only one thing. It is a beige lacy dress, not wearable everyday but that I will wear on evening outs and parties. Again it looks quite "old" and antique (even though the picture does not really show that very well) so it is very me.

Close up picture :

And finally, my last items ! they are beauty products.

The first one is a Mac lipstick - my first Mac lipstick ! it is Dark Side.

I've been wanting a dark lipstick for so long, but couldn't find the right colour. And I saw this one in FayeWonderland's channel (she is an amazing Youtuber, check out her videos !) and it suited her well so I thought I should buy it myself !

And I'm glad I did. The colour is stunning and it stays on the lips for hours and hours.

My last item... or items, because they are the Naked nail polishes by Urban Decay. I have the Naked Palette 1, and love neutral colours like that, on the eyes as much as on the nails. I was so happy to get it ! I'll post an article with swatches when I try all the colours so that you can see them better.

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So that is my haul done ! As I said it is a big one and I usually don't buy so many things, but it stands for almost two months of shopping so I guess it makes me an excuse, ha !

Thank you for passing by !

Julia xx

The Beauty Tag

Today I thought it might be good for me to do a tag, to get to know me better.

And it was also fun to answer to these questions !

So here it is...

1/ What's your favourite makeup look ?

It has to be a very simple and everyday look : a flawless face, eyeliner and a beautiful lipstick (either bright during the summer or darker in the winter). I think you can't go wrong with this look, you can make it look simple for a normal day, or twist it with red lipstick for a night out. Easy !

2/ Do you have a beauty vice ?

My beauty vice is to change my nail polish very often, and take hours to choose the one I want to wear. I sometimes put one on and then take it off one hour later, because I don't feel like wearing it after all. So much time wasted, but I can't control this, unfortunately.

3/ What part of your body do you love ?

I love my waist area, I think it's a very feminine part of the body. And I quite like my hands too, and I take care of them a lot (I feel terrible when I cut one of my fingers or when I get burnt !).

4/ Who is your beauty icon ?

I don't really have a beauty icon, but I would say every girl who can keep it simple all the time. Right now, I'm thinking of Natalie Portman and Emma Watson. Particularly Emma, she is very classy, all the time, and can definitely be a true role model.

 I think she's stunning !

5/ What beauty product makes you feel instantly sexy ?

Eyeliner definitely makes anybody's eyes look gorgeous and feminine, I think it's the sexiest kind of makeup style, classy and timeless.

 

6/ How do you look after your skin ?

I use facial cleansers (I like trying new ones all the time) in the morning, sometimes after taking off my makeup and then just before going to bed. It may make my skin drier but I can't stand the idea of a dirty face so I do it all the time... and my skin is naturally oily so it helps a lot, it would be more awful if I had dry skin.

In the morning I'm currently using « Aqua Marina » by Lush, then I put my Bioderma moisturising and matifying cream for oily skin. To take off my makeup when I come back home, I use the Bioderma Eau Miscellaire for oily skin. Bioderma is a very good brand, and they have products for every skintype and all seem to be pretty effective !

 

7/ What is your signature scent ?

I don't have a very defined signature scent (I often try new perfumes), but I always come back to my two favourites : Brit by Burberry and Flower by Kenzo. But my real signature scent must be my hair products' !

 

8/ What are your hair secrets ?

I have been quite torturing my hair lately (bleach for an ombre + colour on top), and as it's also naturally dry and curly, I moisturise it a lot : olive oil masks twice a week (luckily it doesn't make it oily), and a two-minute mask for dry hair (always trying new ones, currently using a l'Oréal Elsève one) after my shampoo (for coloured hair). When it's dry, for my hair routine, I put some Huile Prodigieuse by Nuxe on the ends, to nourish it a little more. And when I have to do my hair in the morning, I use some mousse to define my curls.

9/ How do you pamper yourself ?

When I want to take care of myself, I run a bath and put a Lush ballistic in it (I absolutely adore those things !). That makes me feel better and more relaxed !

And sometimes I wear lipstick for no reason, just because I feel like doing it. It strikes my mother a lot, she doesn't understand why I'm putting red lipstick on just to stay at home all day long. I don't understand it either ! It's just my thing.

 

10/ What is your beauty pet peeve ?

No surprise, but my beauty pet peeve is when a girl wears a foundation that is way darker than her skin. I really don't understand, it is not flattering at all and really obvious, they couldn't even pretend they can't see that it's not matching their skintone. These girls may have excuses, but nothing they would say could make me change my mind about this !

11/ Do you have a beauty philosophy ?

My beauty philosophy would be « do whatever you want, as long as you do it well ». You want to wear a smokey eye to go to university/work ? Go for it ! You feel like wearing red lips today but you're only going to the grocery store ? Put that lipstick on and don't forget to smile !

Beauty is just about feeling good with yourself and having fun.

So that's it, I answered all questions !

I may come back at the end of the week with a collective haul to show you, I've been buying quite a few things lately and it would be nice to do that - my first haul ever ! :D

Bye !

Julia xx

Review : Rêve de Miel lipbalm, by Nuxe

Today I thought I would do a review of my favourite lipbalm, as this product is so useful at that time of the year ! And the one I'll be talking about is the Nuxe Rêve de Miel (« Honey Dream ») lipbalm.

Nuxe is a French brand, mainly known for its famous oil, l'Huile Prodigieuse (I may do a review about this too since it's very good.). Nuxe products, for face, body or hair are considered very good quality by most of the people who tried them.

 (Sorry for the picture, it's not mine but that's because I already finished my lipbalm so the jar is empty. See I've loved it so much that I used it completely !)

The Reve de Miel lipbalm is really the best I've ever tried. It is in a little jar of 15g, and it can last for months. The texture is very thick and unique (I've never seen any other lipbalm with this kind of texture), it protects the lips and moisturises it well. Another good thing is that the balm stays on your lips for a while : sometimes I put it on my lips before going to bed, and I still could feel some balm the next day !

I also love the smell of it, not too strong, not too artificial (and nothing very sweet, despite the honey used in it). 

If your lips are very dry, you can use the lipbalm to have them moisturised and healthy again. It will make your lips feel and look better after only a few times using it !

And if you want perfect lips, the best thing to do (which I tried and definitely recommend) is to put a thick layer of the lipbalm on your lips and leave it all night... the next day your lips will be smooth, ready for makeup and for the cold when you go outside.

One thing that I don't really like about this lipbalm is the packaging : you have to use your finger to take some product, and it isn't the most hygienic thing, of course. But if you don't like this packaging, you can find the same product in a stick. But unfortunately the texture is not the same, it doesn't moisturise as much as the jar one. I've tried both, and I must say I'm a little disappointed by the stick... it is good when your lips aren't that bad, but if they are very dry or chapped the jar lipbalm remains the best to use.

Anyway this Nuxe lipstick is the best I've ever had, I would definitely recommend it to survive through winter temperatures !

Julia xx