Prom Attire // OOTN

Hi everyone, like i said in my previous posts, i've been really busy lately and last Friday was my Yr 13 prom, so I thought i'd share with you my outfit and some pictures of the night. 

Dress: Topshop (January Sales) £20 
Necklace: Dorothy Perkins (sale) £2
Belt: Internacionale £3.99
Clutch: New Look (around £10)
Bracelet: New Look (around £5)
Shoes: Internacionale £17.99 
It was a lovely evening at Grittleton house where we had a formal sit down meal, drinks, fireworks and music. I actually really enjoyed myself despite not enjoying the previous prom. I actually really loved my dress too, It looked really plain and boring when i bought it, but my mum kindly customised the hem making it dipped which is obviously very on trend at the moment! I'm actually quite pleased that I managed to put together this outfit for such a good price. In total I spent about £60 on everything which I think is a total bargain. I opted for pretty gold accessories and Grace kindly helped me with my hair. For the hair we curled it using a curling wand, then plaited the sides and pulled them around to the back. My make up was also gold (matching my accessories) I just used the Urban Decay "half baked" and the false eyelashes from my She Said beauty box. 
I think i really enjoyed spending the evening with my friends to be honest. A lot of people feel pressure to have a date for the prom, but having the freedom to talk to my friends and dance with whoever I wanted made me feel a lot more laid back and relaxed. Obviously having a couple of drinks made the evening a lot more interesting too!
Have you been to prom recently? I'd love to see your pictures! What do you think of my evening look?

Introducing: 3BrokeGirls

Just a quickie today, this week is manic for me, I literally have a jam-packed schedule from appointments, exams, prom and birthdays so blogging will have to take a back seat. I'll be back on Saturday. For now it would mean the world to me if you checked out my first ever venture into Youtube land with my 2 besties, Grace and Alley.

I've been wanting to start up a Youtube account for a little while now, but have been too nervous and also i don't have a good enough camera! I also thought my video's might be too boring? I don't know. So when we came up with the idea to create a collaborative channel, 3BrokeGirls. I was so excited because it would appeal to people with a wide range of interests. You've got Alley with her musical showbiz and GAY WEDNESDAYS! and Grace who's got an extensive interest in video games, books and films etc and of course myself who will be coming at you with more fashion and beauty related videos. 


I'm really excited to start this up because not only is it a lot of fun for us and you guys, but also because the three of us are going our separate ways this year with university and all, so this is going to be such a great way to stay in touch and interact with each other! So far we only have the one video up, our little intro if you will.. But new video's will be coming out really soon. Please hop on over, take a look, like, subscribe, comment! And just have fun really. 
Do you have a youtube channel? Leave your links below!

Instagram: 004 Fishtail Plaits

1. Cute Dixi package 2. Face of the day 3. Lifeguard dress up for work 4. Pretty sunset

5. Sneaky Toby cat 6. New motel dress 7. June She Said box 8. Me and Emma

9. Graze Box 10. Last day of school 11. Melvita package 12. Glamour goodies

13. Bristol Jubilee crowds 14. With Charlotte 15. Yummy cake I baked 16. Fairy wings 
17. I was in love with this ring, but have already lost it! 18. Coconut yoghurt 19. Snuggly kitty 20.Starbucks break 21. Haul 22. AMAZING SHOES i bought for prom 23. Fishtail braids 24.Buying LOTS of champagne ready for KLB Fashion Show


What have you been up to recently?
Don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY! Ends Monday.

Melvita

After receiving a few products from the Melvita range to try, I realised that my mum would probably enjoy trying these so I got her to answer these questions regarding her thoughts on the range.

Q1: Which was your favourite product from the range and why? I liked using all of the products but the Shea butter was soft, smooth and creamy so it's probably my favourite. It feels really nice and silky when you apply it and smells pleasantly mildly fruity and floral. I also really like the body milk because it's so rich and creamy and sinks into the skin really easily. It also feels so nice when you apply it, and smells faintly like honey. I don't normally like fruity, sweet fragrances but these are lovely because they're not heavy, they are mild and subtle.

Q2: What do you like about the range? They have a feel of luxury to them and are so skin friendly. My skin seems to really "drink" it up! But without that drying feeling, more plump and hydrated.
Q3: What didn't you like about the range or what could be improved? The argon roller ball oil wasn't terribly easy to use, maybe it would be better in a droplet syringe or in a squeezable bottle. It would also be useful to know more about the products on the packaging, like is the Shea butter suitable for nails or eyelids or eczema etc..

Q4: Would you recommend these products to a friend? And who do you think these products are aimed for? I would recommend them to a friend and i think they're aimed at people who enjoy using skin care products. I think they're also aimed at people who use natural ingredients which should be promoted and how the ingredients act on the skin. They are probably best suited to the 30+ market because of their anti ageing properties so they'd make a good gift for mums, aunts, grandma's and so on.




Q5: Would you repurchase the products? If i knew where to by them i would, i'd definitely get the Shea butter.
Q6: Anything else you'd like to add? I'd like to know about any other products they've got. Also, just to mention the rose water which can be used as a toner. I enjoyed using this product because it has a thicker consistency than most toners and it has a mild rose fragrance which is very refreshing. It's also very gentle and doesn't sting like other toners I've used before, i just think it's really refreshing!

One product i have personally really enjoyed using was the eye make up remover simply because of how gentle it is. I thought it was strange that it's in two parts, you have to shake it to blend the two, but it just works so well. Everyone has raved about the Bioderma, i haven't tried it myself, but this is what i'd guess it feels like. It's got a water-like consistency but it's oil based. Anyway, i'd totally recommend it, it would be nice if these products were more readily available!
So overall, I'd definitely recommend the eye make up remover and mum is a big promoter of the Shea butter. Melvita has been lovely to try though and it's nice to know we are using organic ingredients rather than something that has been artificially modified. Also, a big thank you to my mum for answering the questions! Hope you enjoyed her input :)




Have you heard of Melvita? What's your favourite product?
PS - Don't forget to enter my "The Accessory Stand" giveaway here ending Monday!

The Accessory Stand: GIVEAWAY

Hey Everyone, I'm super excited today to bring you another giveaway! In case you missed my recent collaboration with Delilah Dust, I have now teamed up with The Accessory Stand to bring you some stunning prizes that I actually picked out myself, thinking it was something you'd like. The Accessory Stand have been really generous and let me give away two beautiful rings pictured below.

Don't you just love the cat ears ring? I want it for myself it's so adorable! As always, there are a few rules and options for extra entries.

• First off, you must be a follower of sleep.wake.hope on GFC and comment below. Don't forget to include a contact email in your comments.
• You also must follow TAS on twitter.

If you'd like extra entries (pfft who wouldn't?) there are a couple of things you could do:

• Follow sleep.wake.hope on hellocotton  (let me know you've done this in your comment)
• Tweet about the giveaway (include @accessorystand and @katiefhowell in your tweets and leave a link below)
• AND/OR you can like TAS on facebook. (also, let me know you've does this in the comments.)

So that's a total of 4 possible entries, i wish you all the best of luck!

This giveaway will end on Monday 18th June at 9pm GMT

June She Said Beauty Box

It's that time again, another peek into my She Said beauty box for June! Where is the time going? You may have already seen what's inside this box, and I'm not going to apologise that it's "late" because i actually like to try the products before blogging about them, to give you guys my honest opinion. One think i always find with she said, is the products you get are such a good size, and you almost always get a bonus product too so it's really worth your money. Also, i find they are products you would actually use on a day to day basis, rather than getting anti ageing cream that i pass on to mum.

The first product that caught my attention was the Elemis Spa home Tranquil touch indulgent bath elixir. I haven't tried Elemis before, despite my mum owning pretty much their entire range and i did enjoy using this. It made bath time feel a little bit more special and relaxing with the bubbles it creates. It's meant to be skin conditioning too, but i can't say i noticed the effect of that too much. I wouldn't pay £19 for a full sized product, but it was quite nice to use. This would probably be a nice gift for mums, aunts, grandmas etc. 

Next up is the Balance Me super moisturising hand cream, which was a full sized 30ml product. This has really been a Godsend for me this month, i love hand creams at the best of times, but this has really cleared up my dry skin and horrible scabs on the palms of my hands. I get real problems where my hands get quite itchy and pussy, but this has really helped! I would probably buy this size again, it's absolutely perfect to chuck in the handbag. It really is a lovely rich consistency with a pleasant floral scent. If you're interested, it also is the winner of the beauty insiders choice.

The next full sized product we received were the "Let's Go" lashes in "flirt." Now, i am a little bit disappointed to get yet more false eyelashes, but these are different to any that i've tried before because they're varied thickness, almost looking a bit stripy is the only way i can describe it! Anyway, i haven't tried these out yet because i still have so many other's to get through! But at least these come with glue which is always a bonus. Let me know if you've tried these and what you think of them, they retail at £8.95 (bit pricey?).














The Ginvera green tea nude cover BB cream was the bonus product this month coming in a small sachet for one use. It's supposed to contain antioxidants that fight against radical damage and prevent fine lines. When i used this, I didn't notice these effects probably because it was just the one use, but it was pleasant to apply. The consistency was a bit strange because it's quite runny! But i really liked the sheer coverage it gave me, and I love that it has SPF 30 so it's perfect for the summer to wear under a light foundation. A full sized product of this retails at £20.00.

This perfume sample was sent as a sort of celebration for the Diamond Jubilee, which is nice that She Said recognised that. It's the Yardley London Royal Diamond Eau de Toilette. It's supposedly a sparkling, sweet and floral fragrance. Unfortunately i've really struggled to get the lid off.. (resorted to using my teeth and it went in my mouth. One word: icky.) Of what i have managed to sample, it definitely has notes of pear, it reminds me a lot of the smell of wine. I think it's quite a sophisticated scent, and very affordable retailing at £9.99.

Finally, one of my favourite samples in the box was the St. Tropez gradual tan everyday moisturiser. I have to say, I am a little bit disappointed to receive this in Medium/Dark when i'm clearly paler than Snow White! But I really love the St Tropez products and this is actually quite a decent sized sample. I've been applying this after i come out of the bath, hoping to give myself a bit of colour for the summer and slowly I am noticing a difference. However, this summer i will definitely be sticking to fake spray tans, i swear i am addicted to them! I will continue to use this product until it runs out because it is extremely moisturising on the skin, but if i were to repurchase i'd buy the lighter version. A full sized 200ml retails for £14.30.








What do you think of this month's She Said box? Did you receive a beauty box this month?
P.S *For all those who missed out with the Delilah Dust giveaway, I will be holding another exciting giveaway featuring The Accessory Stand launching this Monday!*

This is not where the story ends, Just the start of our new life..

Last Friday I finally left Sixth Form, meaning I've finished school FOR GOOD! I've just got 2 exams later this month which i should be revising for, rather than blogging (whoops!) Anyway, the tradition in our school is that on the second to last day, we all wear our old school uniform, and on the very last day, it's fancy dress. Can you guess who we are? 10 points to the cleverclogs who can tell me the character Grace dressed as (all in pink!).

A big thank you to all of you guys who helped me decide what to dress up as! And for all of your make up tips and ideas as well! Although i thoroughly hated sixth form, I have to say I am going to miss seeing some special faces everyday. And, if you've just finished school and you're reading this, i wish you every success for the future.
On another note, do you mind these lifestyle posts? I enjoy making them and think they add a bit of personality to my blog, let me know your thoughts!
What was your favourite costume?

#brisjubilee

Not my usual type of post, but i have to show you guys what i got up to over the weekend! Do you like a bit of lifestyle on my blog? I feel like it gives me the chance to show my personality a bit more. Over the weekend, i was excited to be a part of the Bristol Jubilee concert at the Mall Cribbs Causeway where Young Kato and Mischa B played, followed by the beautiful Pixie Lott headlining. I thought it would be nice to share some pictures of the event with you guys.

As an official jubilee blogger, i was tweeting and taking photo's of the day, including pictures of the crowds! I love some of the fashionable styles in Bristol, i've included some of my favourite outfit pictures above. I especially love the pastel leggings and American flagged jeans!
Also, don't you just love the hippo's around the mall? They were so much fun! I've also included a picture of me with the lovely Charlotte, go and check out her beautiful photography blog! It was lovely to spend the day with her, getting to know another blogger, that's why i love these events. Finally i've included a picture of one of the bands, Young Kato. I couldn't get good quality pictures of Pixie or Mischa although we bumped into both of them around the mall! It was so strange because they are literally just normal people, you'd miss them if you weren't looking for them!
Sorry about the lack of content lately, my life is a mad rush! I hope you enjoyed the jubilee weekend, you can follow up more from the jubilee concert through #brisjubilee 
What did you get up to over the Jubilee weekend?