17 Tattoo Me Eyeliner: an endurance test.

17 "Tattoo Me" semi-permanent liquid eyeliner: £4.99, Boots.

Don't worry - I'm not about to foray into the realms of beauty blogging permanently! I couldn't tell you the difference between brushes, or even how to put foundation on (I don't use it due to it taking too long, and I don't "do" high maintenance). But what I do know is liquid eyeliners. Forever wishing I was a teen in the sixties like babes Bardot and Birkin, I wear winged eyeliner daily. I don't have a loyalty to a particular brand, instead experimenting with whatever happens to be on offer or receiving good reviews at the time. I thought the best way to put the eyeliner through its paces would be to see how long it would last on a slightly longer than normal night.

House parties are well known for how little sleep you get, so the promise of a "tattoo" style eyeliner seemed like the perfect solution to any smudge based disasters. Being the guest of honour (I refuse to be called anything else, I now live with the hostess), I ended up going on a trip to various supermarkets to find plastic shot glasses from 2pm. I put on the eyeliner at about 5pm, as you can see in the fourth photo. A night of out-of-tune singing (for which I take full credit), vodka jelly, and "rassing", ended in sleeping on a sofa for a couple of hours circa 6am, and an horrific car journey back that afternoon. As you can see in the fifth and sixth photos, the eyeliner is pretty much still in place, having only smudged slightly onto the upper lid, which I'm quite happy with considering it'd been on for nearly 24 hours. On a "normal" day, it doesn't smudge, unless I put it on too soon after moisturising. It's quite difficult to get off compared to others I've tried, and, now it's nearing the end of the tube, the product has started to get quite "gloopy" (technical language), but it still works just as well. I like the brush, opposed to some others which use nibs or felt-tip style points. Overall, I'd say it's pretty good at what it promises to do, and I'd definitely use it again. And it's a fiver, which is a bonus.

Are there any eyeliners that you'd recommend? I'm on the hunt for my next favourite!

xxx

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He walked down a busy street staring solely at his feet clutching pictures of past lovers at his side.

Ghost jumper: £56, J.W. Anderson x Topshop. Silky collar tee: £18, American Apparel. Leather skirt: £8, Oxfam. Two-tone flats: 50p, Russell and Bromley, via ebay. Brown frame bag: £3, vintage. Ghost ring: Greggs!

Remember when I said I wouldn't buy anything using the extra student discounts in town? Surprise surprise, it didn't happen. The J. W. Anderson for Topshop collection launched a while ago and, for those who aren't aware, this is deemed by the fashion industry to be a Pretty Big Deal. Based around basics, the capsule collection promotes high fashion for those with smaller budgets. In my opinion, £70 for a jumper isn't cheap, but with 20% off I convinced myself that it would be just about acceptable to add this little number to my jumper collection. And it has a bloody ghost on it - who could resist? It's nearing the end of October, which signals my favourite holiday - hallowe'en. Among other reasons (which I will, inevitably,  arrange in a bullet-point list at some point), I look forward to this autumnal event due to Greggs pulling out all the stops and making fairy cakes with free rings. I may not be their intended audience, but I ensure I get at least one every year; please tell me I'm not the only one who does this?

Ignoring baked goods, however painful it may be, life has been b u s y. But the best part, without doubt, is seeing my little blog featured on The Tab's frontpage! Speaking to Rachel (my interviewer) is what convinced me to get involved, but I'd love it if you clicked the image below and read what I have to say about scouse style and student shopping

xxx

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Wintertime winds blow cold the season, fallen in love, I'm hoping to be.

 

 

Ralph 5132 Sunglasses: c/o Sunglasses Shop. Fuchsia silk top: 75p, East via charity shop. Floral print trousers: £13, H+M. Two-tone black flats: 50p, Russell and Bromley via ebay. Multi-coloured bag: gift, Marks and Spencer. Denim jacket: £63, NW3 by Hobbs.

Liverpool doesn't seem to understand seasons; one minute you're wearing a cardigan, tights, and some unintentionally nineties inspired grunge hair (i.e. slicked down with the rain), then you wake up the next morning to discover weather like this. You don't need to take an Open University course in Understanding the Weather (I know someone who has) to realise that the jumpers can stay inside for a day or two more, and head for something a little more summery instead. I, personally, am not one to spend a lot of money on sunglasses, feeling that I spend more than enough on contact lenses and my "seeing specs" to make up for it, and instead choose to raid charity shops until I find ones that my friends roll their eyes at. However, when Sunglasses Shop - the designer sunglasses retailer based just down the A127 from me - got in contact, I thought that maybe it was about time I looked after my peepers a little bit more than I had done previously. In all honesty, I cannot fault them: they fit my face (however silly it sounds, it's quite difficult to find a pair that don't make me look like an insect), are a flattering colour, and I like the subtle cat-eye shape. They also earn bonus points for turning up really quickly, which is handy for those who are rather impatient.

I'm still library blogging (sigh), between readingreadingreading for my dissertation, going to the gym (!), and undertaking a fair amount of projects in the hope that I may end up doing something productive when I graduate next summer. One thing that I'm rather happy to say is I'm now officially the fashion co-editor of The Tab Liverpool, so expect to hear plenty from me over there for the next few months.

Third year: come at me.

xxx

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