The Heroic City

..or as it is also called Cartagena de Indias. A city with an incredible history and a population that will open their arms to you and greet you with happiness.

I am currently nibbling away on a toast and some pineapple, about to get ready to head to the airport. After 4 days here I remember what made me love this place the first time I came here, almost two years ago. Instead of rambling on about historical details and how much I love the food and the people (but really, the food is incredible - especially at 'le Bistro', and the people are very nice) I figured the best way to share the love is with some pictures. So here you go.

If you're ever in the area... stop by Cartagena - It'll be worth it :)

Lots of love,

Em

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 PS: I can't promise that I'll blog for the next few days as I am going back to Bogotá today and then back to Norway tomorrow night, but we'll see, maybe I'll stop by.

The Event

I am finally starting to feel a bit better. Started taking antibiotics yesterday so I think they are starting to work already. Thank the lords. 

Anyways, on Thursday I struggled myself out of bed and went to my old school's graduation. I was supposed to graduate with them had it not been for the fact that well, I moved back to Norway and started a different school. Yesterday was prom but every inch of my body told me not to go so I figured I'd listen to it and stay in bed, which was a good decision I think. I just thought I would do a little post on my make-up + outfit for the night as it was a bit of an event.

I kept the eyes fairly simple and went for a grey/brown smokey eye based on the lovely shades in the Naked2 pallet by Urban Decay. I went for foxy all over the lids, taking it all the way up to the eyebrows with a large shader brush. Then, using a fluffy brush (something like MAC's 217 or Sigma's E25) I applied a mixture of suspect and verve on the outer 2/3's of the lid, leaving the inner corner free for some of the light and shimmery bootycall. Snakebite went in the outer corner as well as lightly through the crease taking it all the way in to the inner corner. To add a little bit of umhp to the look I took some of half baked and applied a teeny tiny bit of it to the centre of the eyelid. I traced snakebite along the lower lashline as well as lining my upper lashes with the pure black colour blackout. Last but not least, some mascara (Clinique High Impact Curling Mascara) and some false lashes. 

Then came the outfit. I opted for Black, White and Gold, with a Mint bag. The gold accessories were from BikBok and H&M, The mint bag also from H&M (and I am loving it), the dress from Silence + Noise via Urban Outfitters and the jacket from NafNaf. I ended up changing into my studded Zara leather jacket as I thought it made the outfit look more put - together, but other than that everything remained the same.

Let me know if you have any requests for posts you'd want me to do as I am always open to suggestions! And also, don't forget to enter my giveaway - you still have 3 days left to enter!
Click HERE to get to that post (it will open in a new tab)

I can reveal that some of the added goodies include MAC, Bioderma and Chinaglaze ;)

Lots of Love

Em

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Colombia & A Little Haul

Oh, hello there. Long time no see! So, I am currently in Colombia, where I am staying for a little over 2 weeks, just to see some of my friends again and have some fun! I will try my best to get a decent number of posts up whilst I am there although due to the time difference the posting hours will be a bit off for you Europeans :) Just a heads up.

And I apologise for the lack of posts lately, I have been spending time with friends, enjoying the nice weather, working, preparing (packing...) for this trip, and travelling, so blogging has been a bit neglected. Oh, and the very lovely Molly over at LyonsNotes has gotten me completely hooked on The Vampire Diaries so an embarrassingly large number of hours has gone to watching that...heh.

Anyways, I thought I would share a little haul with you guys, seeing as I have picked up a few pieces these past weeks. It is all H&M as I love, love, love the summery pieces they have now! I also bought a couple bikinis + a few extra bit but did not get the chance to take pictures of it all before I left.

Some random bits. A slightly cropped top with an awesome monkey print on it (love this). A super cute floral, Hawaiian inspired headband, the Essie nail polish in Fifth Avenue and a plastic make-up bag with pink pelicans and a zipper - perfect for travelling so that you can get away from those awful zip-lock bags...

Ahh, this is a beauty. The embellished body-con dress from the Beyoncé collection. I fell head over heels for this dress and the crazy part is the price. £20 for a very good quality, amazing looking dress that will now be worn very proudly to my prom.   

I said it was small, but I felt like I had to put something up on this little blog of mine, and I have missed writing too, so it's been good to come back to it. I would have done an OOTD or a FOTD but the thing is that I am very jet-lagged and I think a post like that would do no one any good. So I kept it safe, but stay tuned because I have had a look in the shops today and well to put it this way, the chance for a big-ass haul to show up soon, is very big.

My giveaway is still open, and I keep adding little things to it although they will remain a surprise to the 3 people who will win. ENTER IT HERE. And another little note, I expect that the beauty swap package that I sent to Molly will arrive sometime during this week so keep an eye out on her blog for when she opens it! Her blog is HERE.

Now, enough with the links and random ramble, I am off to have a much needed power nap.

Lots of Love,

Em

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On the Brighter Side of Lippies

Summer is here, well almost at least, which means the make-up is lighter and the lipsticks are brighter, but I find that it can be hard to choose a fresh colour for the warmer months as there are so many out there! Therefore, in order to help you choose yours, I am bringing you my 3 current favourite bright lipsticks.

First one to enter the spotlight is one of the well renowned Revlon Lip Butters, this one is in the bright pink colour called Sweet Tart. I absolutely adore the consistency of this lipstick! It is smooth like butter (duh...), moisturising like a lip balm and slightly glossy - just enough to make your lips look luscious and fresh! Although it is not completely opaque, it is pigmented enough to keep you from having to apply ten layers for it to be true to its colour.

Next up is from the peachy - coral spectre of the colour ring. Let me introduce you to my go-to summer lip, Costa Chic a frosted coral by none other than MAC. Compared to the Revlon lip butter, this little tube contains more than  enough pigmentation. A quick slide over the top and bottom lip and you are left with gorgeous, non glossy, but slightly frosty, coral lips. Although it is not a dry lip product, I do suggest applying a lip balm in advance just to avoid any flakes or dryness. 

Last up on stage is the most "out there" shade of the three as is is an amplified MAC lipstick called Watch Me Simmer. I mentioned this in my april favourites post but did not go into any debts about it. Well then, it is a very vibrant coral colour with a little bit of pink in it. Just imagine a watermelon/strawberry popsicle and you've got it. This little bad boy doesn't have any frost, sparkle, gloss or shimmer in it so it leaves a fairly matte but creamy finish. I do find that without a lip balm under it or a gloss over (which never happens in my "I am not a fan of lip gloss" state of mind) it tends to feel quite dry so do a bit of scrubbing and moisturising before you put it on. Once it is applied it won't go anywhere for a while though, so a top-up isn't needed until a good 3-4 hours or so, unless you eat a big-ass meal..then I'd keep it ready just in case.

Alright, that was my three little babies whom I have now let you meet. I hope this was of some sort of help or at least interest to you. If you have any favourite lip products for the summer months then let me know in the comments as I am always interested in finding new products to love! 

And just a quick note, I will be doing a giveaway during the next couple of weeks as I am about to write my 100th post and want to celebrate! Keep an eye out for that, and if you want to make sure you won't miss it, you can follow me on twitter  and I will announce it there as well :)

Lots of Love,

Em

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Beauty Gems From April

FT: MAC Watch Me Simmer, MAC Patisserie, MAC Over Indulgence Cremesheen Glass, Clinique High Impact Curling Mascara, Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Oil Free

FT (excluding lipsticks): MAC Soba Eyeshadow, Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzing Powder in Original Chocolate, Revlon Pinched Photoready Cream Blush

It is that time of the month again! No, not that time of the month, but the time when a new month is approaching and all beauty bloggers and vloggers freak because they have to remember their favourite products from the month that is ending. Luckily I have been good this month and kept a list of all the products I wanted to mention! *stop typing to tap my shoulder* I might do a "second half" of this post where I go off on about other beauty products I have been loving such as skincare and haircare if that is something you'd all like?

Anyway, let's dive into this jumble of loveliness! First off: Lip products! For once I have been wearing something on my lips more or less everyday for a long period of time (I used to always get bored of reapplying and carrying around a lipstick...) and wait for it; I have been wearing a lipgloss! Some of you may know that I am not a huge lipgloss fan but this month I have been loving the combo of MAC's Patisserie with Over Indulgence over the top. This neutral, earthy-pink combo (earthy-pink, really? oh well I am awful at describing colours) makes a perfect everyday, sophisticated lip colour and the best part is that it lasts for quite a few hours before it needs any topping up! My other lip favourite has been Watch Me Simmer also by MAC! Super bright, coral/pink-y in colour and perfect for spring and summer! Wearing this makes me happy, and although it is a product that requires precise application it is super long lasting (it is an amplified lipstick) and very pigmented so once again, no need for frequent re-applications. That makes me a happy bunny.

Over to eyes! Only two products made it in this month and those were Clinique's very famous High Impact Curling Mascara and MAC's Soba Eyeshadow! Both are super products, obviously they woulden't be mentioned here if the weren't, and I have been using them both more or less everyday. The mascara is maybe not the best at curling but a coat of it over my Telescopic Waterproof mascara and my lashes look superb with volume, thickness, length and definition! The eyeshadow has been mentioned here on the blog before and there's nothing to say but that this is the best eyeshadow for a quick, all over the lid, wash of colour. 

Face, face, face, face. I have been loving my recent foundation routine and it is down to mainly two products. Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer and Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzing Powder will give anyone who asks for it a glowy, soft, airbrushed-looking skin. The tinted moisturizer has the consistency of something super silky smooth and the powder has warm, but not orange undertones which can give even me the illusion of a tanned face. Believe me, that's not all that easy. Last but not least, the Revlon Pinched Cream Blush is natural yet fresh and glow-giving with its hint of shimmer and peach tones. I loves it very much.

That was all of my favourite beauty products for the month of April, but I would love to hear about yours so please leave them in the comments or link me to you blogpost/video if you have one of them :) I would love to check it out and discover a few new products!

Lots of love,

Em

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A Pop of The Apocalypse

Well not the Apocalypse, but the Apocalips. The fairly new Rimmel product is everything but a dissapointment. Pigmentation - Check, lasting power - Check, smooth consistency - Check, and the list goes on. This is a badboy one should not mess with! I am serious - don't put this on and think you will be able to wipe it off without it leaving a trace. Hahah it does stain your lips for the hours it stays on, so if you go for one of the more boom in your face colours in the range, then make sure you know you want to wear it. Ok, so it might not be that big of a deal, some makeup remover will take it off but you get my point!  It is good.

In the pictures above I am wearing the lovely colour Stellar. A bright red with slight fuchsia under tones. As I mentioned, the consistency, longevity and pigmentation all fit a High End product criteria in my eyes, its only just that this is not a high end product! You get great quality, good colours and subtle shine with a slightly odd fruity scent for £5.99! It doesn't get much better than that, does it? 

I know these pictures doesn't have the greatest lighting, therefore I will leave the link to FleurDeForce's post on the same product (featuring all the other colours in the range as well) right HERE so that those of you who want close ups of each colour can check them out there :)

Before I go I just want to say that I have been loving connecting with you guys on Twitter lately, so if you want to chat, then head over here and say hi! 

Lots of Love,

Em

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Blue Crop

Now a days I long for summer and the end of exams more than words can express. I therefore end up spending too musch time on planning blogposts, taking OOTD pictures, hang out on Twitter, Instagram, various blogs and YouTube...not good. Exams start next thursday which means I need to focus on studying, but it is just do boring! I really sympathise with all of you who are also preparing for or are in the middle of exams!

Anyways, despite the temperature still being quite low-ish (10 degrees isn't really anything to brag about in the middle of April..) I have whacked out my cropped tops and short skirts! Obviously still wearing them tights but you know, it still counts! Right?

The other day I was sporting a fairly new, blue cropped top by New Look together with a black pencil skirt in cotton from Monki and some bangles from around the world - literally. The top has a gorgeous texture/print in the fabric that reminds me a little of aztec pattern but it just gives the top more dimension and a little somethin' somethin'. I really think New Look  does have a few gems in stock this year and they have stepped it up a notch with their collections which gives them a humongous thumbs up from me at least!

What do you bring out from your closet to prepare for the warmer months?

Let me know in the comments! :)

Lots of Love,

Em

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Summer Style: The Festival Re-run

As the sun has left my dear old city for a little while (she's been here for over 2 consistent months, so can't complain) and given us grey skies and rain, I found my self longing even more for the long, hot summer days, wearing light summer clothes. So since I am already stuck in bed with my annual cold I figured I might as well go ahead and share a few outfits I cannot wait to sport this summer!

Whilst my mind was wandering my immune system shut down - apparently I use my energy for daydreaming rather than keep myself healthy - and this has led to me getting sick once again, I. Hurray for that, eh?

Back to the topic of summer fashion. As you may know I am going to "T in the park" which is a music festival in the south of Scotland, due to this a lot of the summer outfits I put together in my head are festival apt. Still I want to share some with you, and so I have decided to make a little series out of this and share one outfit a a week more or less for the next few months! Sounds good? 

Today I decided to go for a very traditional festival look. Distressed denim shorts (Levi's), Cropped T-shirt with fringes (H&M), mismatch of jewellery and of course; round, brown sunglasses (Urban Outfitters). I love this kind of casual, laid-back style for any occasion when the weather allows it, not only at festivals. 

Nail Polishes F.L: Sparkle and Fade (does not have a name, but it was bought at Urban Outfitters), L'oréal Colour Riche in Blue Reef, TopShop Nails in Jewel In The Crown

I hope you enjoyed this look and the way I presented it, if you did, then please let me know in the comments and be sure to look out for the next "Summer Style"post! 

Ps: I just joined "Independent Fashion Bloggers" so if you have an account there, feel free to add me as a friend! Other than that, I still have all my links listed below ;)

Lots of love,

Em

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Summer Edition

Spring and summer is slowly sneaking up on us and with it comes brighter, lighter and longer days which means that a change-up in the make-up and beauty bag might be about time. I have popped a few of my spring/summer beauty picks into my summery-blue H&M bag (much love for this baby) and thought I would share them with you. Included are 4 nail polishes in super bright, happy colours, a sunscreen, a body lotion, a lip butter and a BB cream! 

The body lotion is from a beauty store called Kicks who have their own beauty products including this Fruit Punch smelling treasure. It's light, non-sticky, moisturising, fresh smelling (fruity) and has a super cute packaging! What more can you ask for in a body lotion? Of course moisture is not the only thing our skin needs in the warmer months. As the sun appears more frequently we need protection against its evil twin (I'm looking at you UVA/UVB). I have a mini version of the Biotherm Lait Solaire SPF30 and I think I might go get a full size of it sooner rather than later because this is one heck of a good 'un. You know why? Because it does not go sticky and "oily" on your skin and face such as all other sun protectors. The scent is citrus-y and fresh and quite appropriate for summer :) As for face, I guess I am not the only one who prefer lighter bases during the summer months, and for now the L'oréal Nude Magique BB Cream is amongst the top competitors as my go-to light, dewy(but not shiny) summer base. It evens out the skin tone whilst providing a light coverage that leaves the skin looking healthy and glowing. I approve. Revlon Lip Butters have been under the spotlight ever since they arrived and I have selected the pink coloured Sweet Tart as my smooth, moisturising, summer lip colour. Then comes the nails. 4 were selected and they will stay close to my fingertips until the early autumn months. The lucky ones are Dior Acapulco, Essie She's Pampered, Essie Bahama Mama and Essie Mint Candy Apple (Featured in my March Favourites video). All are gorgeous in colour, opacity, longevity and consistency. Check, check, check and check!

Other than that I love loose and messy hair, laidback - slightly hippy/retro clothes, coral and peachy lip colours and converse shoes. They all go together so well in the summer months.

I would love to know what your summer/spring beauty picks are so let me know in the comments or maybe in a blogpost on your blog in you have one (just leave me the link if so). 

Lots of love,

Em

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Old Classic

Lately I have been loving a good winged liner with a little retro shadow to go with it. In other words "The Old Hollywood Glamour Classic". There are tons of tutorial and "how-to's" on how to create the perfect wing on your liner, but despite their different methods there is one thing they all have in common: PRACTICE!

I have tried, and tried again a hundred times to get my liner right, and finally I feel I know my eyes well enough to make the wing the right angle, length and width to suit them. A few week ago I went to a birthday party and did my make-up in a slight retro-inspired cut-crease with, of course, a winged eyeliner. Here is an overview of the products I used and how I did it all:

I stated by creating a base for my eyeshadow + liner by usind Urban Decay Primer Potion, then I packed on MAC Omega Eyeshadow all over the lid as well as in the crease using my Sigma E60  Large Shader Brush. Next I added MAC Espresso Eyeshadow with my Sigma E45 Small Tapered Blending Brush through the crease, making sure not to take it down towards the lashes in the outer corner but rather "flick" it out and upwards (very subtle "flick") to create more of that retro feel. I then blended any harsh lines with a Sigma E25 Blending Brush. Ok, eyeshadow done, now to the tricky part or as I like to call it the you-need-to-have-a-steady-hand-for-this part. The winged eyeliner. A tip to make this part less messy is to

1. Keep your hand steady by relaxing it against your face (in an appropriate angle that is) 

2. Start from the middle, make a thin line to the end of your eye, then do the inner half of the eyeliner. For this I used the L'oréal Super Liner Carbon Gloss. 3. Look straight ahead and put a dot where you want your wing to end, then connect the dot with the outer corner of your eyeliner. 4. Fill in your wing/ make the wing as thick as you want it and thicken up the eyeliner as well depending on what look you are going for. I kept mine quite thin. 5. Add mascara (I used 

L'oréal False Lash Telescopic Waterproof Mascara) and false lashes if you'd like (I used Eylure Pre-Glued Lashes #117) and voila!

That is how I do my classic, glamorous winged liner. If you try it yourself, let me know how it went, and if you have a blog/twitter/instagram and post a picture of it then share it with me as I would love to see your twist! Also if you have any other tips for applying liner, share them in the comments! :)

Lots of love,

- Em

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Leather and Levi

Wearing:

Levi's Shorts - Urban Outfitters

T-Shirt - Bershka

Leather Jacket - Zara

Sunglasses - Urban Outfitters

"Shiny" Thights - H&M

Converse Shoes

Love my new Levi's shorts. They are the perfect lenght, sits nicely on the hips and fit loosely around the thighs, just the way I like it! Can't wait to pair these with fresh summer tee's and tanks, and boy will they come with me to "T in the park" (music festival)!! Aah, summer cannot come soon enough.

Did you like this quick OOTD and is it something you would want to see more of? 

Lots of love, always

- Em

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Catching up

Some of my latest intagrammies. 

My Leather Jacket is back - aka. spring is close // New shoes! // Favourite natural lipstick - MAC Patisserie // Birthday party time! // make-up shot // FOTD wearing the makeup in the previous picture // My first proper portrait - Emeli Sandé // New profile picture! // Summer Plans are coming together - Music Festival in Scotland, here I come! // Go-to breakfast - vanilla yogurt, granola, rasberries and orange jucie // Cupcake making happens to be a kind of hobby of mine...

If you would like to see more pictures from my everyday life and get quite frequent updates then go ahead and follow me on my Instagram and Twitter :) And also - I just started using Keek! For those of you who don't know, it is sort of like twitter only in video form. You can upload quick videos that last up to 34 seconds and share them, like, comment, and  respond (with your own keek video)  to them! If you have a keek of your own or want to have a closer look at it and maybe follow me then go to keek's website or go to my profile emilygarns

Now I have to finish packing, then I am off to London, Manchester and Leeds for a week! I will try to put up a few posts while I am away, but in the mean time you can keep updated on what I get up to from the links below! Boy have I been repeating my links a ton of times in this post...oh well, I guess you can manage?

PS: You might also want to have a look at the two discount codes in the sidebar. One for Sigma Beauty (10% off) who have amazing make-up brushes, eyeshadows et.c. and the other one for iherb in case you are interested in vitamins, protein powders et.c. :)

- Em

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Cliché

Ok, prepare yourself because I am about to post a picture that is more cliché than any picture I have ever posted. I am a dreamer - an ambitious one too, and on top of that I am very determined and focused towards my dreams. Although many of my dreams are serious and "real" such as education, a job I love et.c. I have a fair few more silly ones as well. One of which is going to California and New York. Ugh, I feel like I am one of those 14-year-old girls with white hair and orange skin who plan on going to California to get a boob-job and become super-famous. But I promise, that is not at all my intention nor my dream. It's far from it actually.

I have always been facinated about the cultural diverstiy in Both New York and California, and as a music loving fashion geek, culture, style and inspiration will always intrigue me and therefore I want to someday go to these two places - to be inspired! And hopefully that someday will be next summer :D Yes, I am already thinking about next year's summer... That's just how I am

Anyway, after spending far too much time of my precious saturday drooling over pictures on weheartit I decided that I might as well make a little collage out of some of them: Enter the picture..

This is what I spend my time doing - No life you say? I know...

Bye,

-Em

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Did someone say Alexander Wang?

I'm afraid not, but these gorgeous heels do come quite close in appearance(except from the holes), although price wise they are far, far, far cheaper. In fact I didn't pay more than £10 (100NOK) for them in the January sale at H&M! The quality may not be nearly as good as a pair of Wang's (not that I would know, but I assume so - my budget certainly does not stretch far enough for owning a pair of Alexander's designs, even though I wish it did). Anyway, these cheap-ass pretties are quite a decent dupe (I know they aren't identical at all, but the style is rather similar I think) for those of us who want to pretend that we do indeed own designer  shoes whilst we don't ...at all :) Ok, enough about that, you can judge as to how far they look alike yourself, but regardless of the resemblance I still think they're pretty gorgeous, and they are actually comfortable - that is if you are a little used to heels, if not then well, they aren't exactly as comfortable as flats..duh. Ok, I'll let you have a look and judge yourself:

A teeny tiny similar at least? No? Ok...

I hope you enjoyed this post, and if you want more of these "cheap dupes of designer brands" posts, then let me know! It can be for Make-up, Clothes, Shoes, Accessories et.c it's up to you :) 

Have a nice day!

- Em

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