4 Nude Lipsticks I Wear On The Daily

Nudes nudes nudes. I'm all about those nudes, lipsticks of course... you raunchy readers. These are the ones I reach for the most.

Charlotte Tilbury's 'Bitch Perfect'. I can't express how much I love this lipstick, you know when you find the 'one'... well this is it! It's the most gorgeous peachy-nude shade and it applies so smoothly on the lips. If you're fair or have ginger locks, definitely give this a go, you will not be disappointed.

Chanel's Rouge Coco '402 Adrienne' will always have a special place in my heart as it was my wedding lipstick. Since my wedding day, I have been wearing this non-stop. It's the most gorgeous nude with a teeny bit of shimmer, which gives your lips dimension.

MAC's 'Brave'. I have to admit I haven't been wearing my MAC lipsticks as much as I used to these days, however, one that I do always reach for is 'Brave'. A lovely medium-dark pink nude with a tinge of brown.

If I want more of a matte finish, Charlotte Tilbury's iconic 'Pillow Talk' lipstick is the one I'd go for. It's a gorgeous pinky-nude with a teeny bit of brown.
I adore the formula of Charlotte Tilbury's matte finishes as they glide on effortlessly and makes your lips look incredible.

What's your favourite nude? Let me know in the comments below.

Follow me on Instagram: @zoeyoliviablog to see what I get up to daily. You can also reach me on twitter: @zoeyoliviablog. Or, if you like Bloglovin', I'm kind of new to it but follow me on there. I also have Pinterest, I'm often procrastinating and pinning my life away... So do get in touch :).

The Beauty Products I’d Repurchase Time & Time Again...

Over the years I have experimented with hundreds of different beauty products, yet there are only a handful of products that I always go back to and would re-purchase in a heartbeat. I suppose you could say when something works perfectly for you why try anything else?

Now don't get me wrong, I love trying new beauty products. There is something incredibly satisfying and exciting trying something new, however, these five products are my absolute staples, the ones that will be forever in my make-up bag.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation. OK, if you've been following me for a long time, you're probably bloody sick of me talking about my love for this foundation... For me, it's perfection in a bottle, it's medium to full coverage and gives you the most gorgeous finish. It also lasts all day without any touch-ups.  

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer. I've lost count on how many times I've re-purchased this little miracle worker. It pairs beautifully with the Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation, giving you the most flawless base.

I don't think I'll ever find another concealer as good as this one and that's a pretty bold statement coming from me.

Jo Malone's Wood Sage and Sea Salt Cologne, my holy grail. If there's one scent that's always in my hand bag, it's definitely this one. It has such a unique refreshing scent - it smells like the seaside and that's why I love it so much. 

Charlotte Tilbury's Bitch Perfect Lipstick. You know when you find your one true love in lipstick form? Well Bitch Perfect is the one for me. I've re-purchased this three times already and I will continue to buy it time and time again as it's the most perfect peachy every-day shade. 

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water. If you have never tried Garnier's Micellar Cleansing Water, where have you been? This little magical micellar water is incredible at removing make-up! It's also so gentle on the skin and is really affordable.

Do you have any favourites you always repurchase?

Follow me on Instagram: @zoeyoliviablog to see what I get up to daily. You can also reach me on twitter: @zoeyoliviablog. Or, if you like Bloglovin', I'm kind of new to it but follow me on there. I also have Pinterest, I'm often procrastinating and pinning my life away.

Less is more: Let's talk Minimalism

About six months ago I watched a documentary on Netflix called 'Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things'. It really makes you think twice about the 'things' that actually make you happy. I like the concept that owning less 'stuff' and not being sucked in by consumerism can improve your own wellbeing, inner calm and generally make you a happier person.

I find the guys behind 'The Minimalists' and minimalists in general really really inspiring. I find it fascinating how some people can live with only 15 items, or have these incredible quirky small houses but utilising their space incredibly well. Really mind-blowing stuff. Anyway, I'd highly recommend watching it.

After being inspired, I immediately started de-cluttering and took ten bin bags, yes ten, down to my local charity shop. It felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders and I felt so much better for doing so.
I wouldn't go to the extreme and say 'I'm a hardcore minimalist' by any means, however, I would say I have cut down severely on my spending habits and removed so many unwanted and unused things from my home.
It's true what they say, less is more, and de-cluttering definitely soothes the soul.

I'm not saying that I never get sucked into consumerism though. I do have the urge to spice up my wardrobe every now and again with a big old' ASOS order. Or you'll often find me being sucked in to buying yet another Charlotte Tilbury lipstick... damn you pretty packaging and perfect shades.
But when I do feel myself getting sucked in, I try to remind myself to only buy things that add value to my life. Do I really need five slight variations of white off the shoulder tops or do I really another nude-pink lipstick when I have 59357 already? (throwing lipsticks away is a weakness of mine, sorry Minimalists).

If I do find myself over-spending and buying impulsively, I like to reel it back in by listening to a podcast or doing a bit of inspirational reading. Here's a few great reads, podcasts, projects you may enjoy too.

Podcasts:

It goes without saying, 'The Minimalists' are definitely worth listening to! Each episode is about an hour long, so if you fancy doing something a little different on your lunch break or fancy listening to something motivating while you're at the gym, stick on one of these and feel inspired. They discuss a range of topics from de-cluttering, travel, stress, friends and much much more.

Books:

If you don't know where to start with de-cluttering and tidying and want a beautiful minimal space, give Marie Kondo's 'the life changing magic of tidying' a read. It's really helped me discover what's actually important and what doesn't spark joy anymore. Goodbye clutter forever.
If you like Marie Kondo's approach, she has another book called 'Spark Joy' which follows on from 'the life changing magic of tidying' however is more of an illustrated guide to de-cluttering and organising.

Projects: 
If you're liking the whole idea of a minimalistic lifestyle, Project 333 might be something for you to try. Project 333 is a minimalist fashion challenge that invites you to dress with 33 items or less for 3 months.

The Minimalists also have a project called the 30-day Minimalism Challenge. Find a friend or family member and each of you must get rid of one thing on the first day, two things on the second, three items of the time and so on. Whoever can keep going the longest wins!

As always you can reach me on social media. I have Instagram: @zoeyoliviablog, and twitter: @zoeyoliviablog

Wedding Planning #7 | How I styled my wedding dress

When I was into serious wedding planning mode I was searching for inspiration on how other brides had styled their wedding dress. 

I honestly spent hours upon hours trying to find a bride who had styled the beautiful Eliza Jane Howell Clarissa dress but no luck. So I thought this post would be really helpful for someone who is considering purchasing the same dress, designer or a similar style and has no idea what shoes to match and what accessories to wear!

The dress.  I wore a beautiful Eliza Jane Howell gown, 'Clarissa' was it's name (it's now sadly sitting in a duster bag in my wardrobe). A beautiful classic 1920's design with the most gorgeous detailed beading. It had a the most flattening v neckline, soft fluted sleeves and a fairly small train. It was so lovely to wear and I knew it was 'the one' instantly.

The shoes. I knew I wanted a pair of inspired 1920's heels to match but with a bit of sparkle. I was browsing Pinterest and my eyes lit up when I came across Rachel Simpson's 'Charlotte' heels. How unbelievably beautiful are these babies and they were really affordable for wedding shoes! 

The undergarments. With a super hugger figure fitting dress, I needed a pair of spanx, not the sexiest choice of underwear I know, but boy were these amazing. I had never owed a pair before but I really do think they helped accentuate my figure.  I also wore a strapless wonderbra, my boobs looked great (if I do say so myself ha).

And of course I wore a garter, I spotted this gorgeous hand-made design on notonthehighstreet. It was a one-off design so unfortunately I don't think you can get your hands on this exact one but there are so many that are similar on notonthehighstreet and etsy. 

The veil. I ordered my veil from Morgan Davies Bridal shop in Hitchin where I purchased my bridal gown from. It was the most stunning delicate long veil, it paired so beautifully with my gown. 

The bag. Accessorize have some really beautiful wedding bags. I was so lucky to find my ideal one - a gorgeous embellished number which matched my shoes so perfectly. 

The jewellery. As the dress was heavily embellished, I wanted to keep it simple with the jewellery. I kept my neck bare and wore these stunning antique pearl earrings made by the designer, Katharine Swaine. 

The hair. Luckily with this particular style of dress you can wear your hair up or down, I decided to have my hair down.

I almost immediately knew what hair-style I wanted, soft 1920's curls. I printed off some hair-styles I found on Pinterest, took them to my bridal hair tutorial and wall-lah, Denise from D&D Make-up created exactly what I wanted.

The makeup. I did my own make-up on the day as I'm a fuss pot and know what I like best. I went for a soft natural glowy look. You can read more about what I used on my face here.  

The flowers. I opted for a wild bouquet with burgundy, soft pinks, white and lots of foliage. I thought these colours were gorgeous for the winter season and looked amazing in photos.

I hope this post was somewhat helpful to any brides-to-be. If you have any questions or any other wedding styled blog posts you'd like me to talk about then please leave them in the comments below.

If you're interested in reading more about my wedding experiences, I blogged about mine and Joe's initial ideas here. As well as my initial hair and make-up ideas here. The stressful period with eight weeks to go, which you can read here. I talked about choosing your wedding make-up here. And last but not least, designing your own wedding stationary (travel theme inspired) blog here.

As always you can reach me on social media. I have Instagram: @zoeyoliviablog, and twitter: @zoeyoliviablog

How to spend: 24 hours in Leeds

Four hours and thirty minutes from London and we arrived at our destination. We only spent a short amount of time in Leeds, but it was really exciting exploring somewhere new and seeing what the city had to offer.

Leeds is pretty similar to London, it's very hip and has a buzzing atmosphere. Theres tons of amazing options for food, the night life is great and it's perfect for some good old' retail therapy. One thing that really differentiates Leeds from London is that everyone is SO friendly, from the hotel staff, shop assistants and even strangers on the street. It's a breath of fresh air for someone you don't know to say hello or even smile as you casually walk by sipping your chai latte...

Where to stay: The Village Hotel.

I haven't come across 'The Village' hotels before, but there are quite a few dotted around the UK. Joe and I loved our stay here, the rooms are super stylish and modern. We had the comfiest bed in the world and I had the best night's sleep I've had in months. Also, the rainfall shower was a delight to use in the morning. (I desperately want one in my future home!)

There were also many perks to our stay, we got to use the gym, swimming pool and sauna free of charge. AND we got a complimentary fry up the following morning. As well as this, there was a little Starbucks inside our hotel. I'm more of a Costa girl myself, but it's super convenient for all the Starbucks lovers out there.

Where to eat: Friends of Ham

Ok I have to admit the name of this restaurant drew me in... Hell yes, I'm friends with Ham. This quirky little place serves a variety of interesting beers and has a wide selection of charcuterie and cheeses.

Joe and I shared a heavenly meaty platter. We had an assortment of different types of ham, Culaccia di Parma, Serrano Gran Reserva, Carne Salata Beef which came with baby gherkins (adorable), and Old Winchester cheese paired with these interesting looking crackers.

We had a lovely time here, food was delicious and the staff were so helpful and lovely.

If you're not in to charcuterie and cheeses, another option would be to visit Trinity Kitchen for incredible street food - they have food trucks who sell Vietnamese, Italian, Indian, BBQ and more.

Where to go for coffee: Opposite - the hidden gem of caffeine goodness. Tucked away near Leeds University, this coffee shop is the bomb dot com. My chai latte was perfect, honestly one of the most deliciously creamy chai latte's I've had in a long time. Joe had a cappuccino and he was super impressed too! Highly recommend stopping by.

Things to do: Shop until your credit card statement makes you want to cry...

I've been on a bit of a spending ban recently, well since I got into the whole 'minimalism thing' a few months ago - which I'm sure I'll talk about in another post at some point. But sometimes, you just need a bit of a splurge to spice up your wardrobe every now and again.

Trinity is a great shopping centre with all my (and possibly yours) favourite high street brands, they have TOPSHOP, PRIMARK, New Look, H&M, Mango, River Island and much more. I treated myself to some really pretty midi and maxi dresses, two pairs of wide legged culottes (big fan of these), the most gorgeous polka-dot jumpsuit, a pair of tanned sandals and a few more basic tops.

Also, visit the beautiful Roundhay Park, it's utterly stunning and is said to be one of the biggest city parks in Europe. You could catch some rays and enjoy a picnic here if the weather is nice (damn you unpredictable UK weather).

So there we have it - a mini guide on what to do in Leeds in 24 hours! Hope this was somewhat helpful to anyone interested in visiting the hip city. If anyone has any recommendations on other restaurants and things to do please leave them in the comments section below.

Follow me @zoeyoliviablog to see what I get up to daily. You can also reach me on twitter: @zoeyoliviablog. Or, if you like Bloglovin', I'm kind of new to it but follow me on there. I also have Pinterest, I'm often procrastinating and pinning my life away... So do get in touch :).