Hot Denim for this Winter

This is part one of a series of Three, Please check out my post on gorgeous skinny styles for this season too!

Jeans for most girls are the essential wardrobe staple. The ultimate go anywhere, do anything piece of clothing that can make you look fab in seconds. It can be a hard slog finding the right pair but by god when you've found them, you'll wonder what life was ever like without them.
This upcoming season as always there are a plethora of varieties out there and I'm always grateful for this, as it means that there should be something gorgeous for every body type. Here are my picks for the season.

For a few years I've been cuffing the legs of my old faithfuls and they've been cute in their own right, but they just lack the cool slouchy feel that come with the right cut and style. These are really quite flattering to all kinds of body types, even though they sit low on the hip which can be a little confronting after these years of high waisted styles. If in doubt (and they're sliding down your butt) remember that they are supposed to be loose, buy a size bigger because this style will shrink a little in the wash and wear them with a leather low slung belt. I love the look of heels with this style as the cuffs draw attention to anything on your feet, pull out your best statement shoes!

A - Jay Jays Ripped Boyfriend Jeans

B - ASOS Brand Boyfriend Jeans

C - Uniqlo Women's Slim Boyfriend Jeans

Dungarees (or Overalls as we call them here in Australia) are a little dubious to me but there's no use denying that they're everywhere right now. They're at that critical tipping point where you can't open a magazine without seeing a pair because Alexa Chung and the cool girls are embracing them but I am still yet to see them on the streets here in Brisbane. Heck, I can still remember the last time they were cool. I was 10! To style them it's best to stick to the modern slimline styles otherwise you'll look like you belong on a Dexy's Midnight Runner's Videoclip. Cuff them like boyfriends and follow the same shoe rule as above, (so hot and elongating with heels!) otherwise wear a shorts style with tights. Cute loosely slung tops and singlets are best, anything too tight and babydoll tees are way too much of a throwback.

A- Topshop Moto Bleach Denim Dungarees

B- ASOS Vintage Wash Dungarees

C- Boohoo Lexie Twill Denim Dungarees

What styles are you looking to add to your wardrobe this year? I personally can't wait to get my hands on my ASOS Boyfriends as featured above!

100,000 Pageviews? Whaaaaaaat!!

After reaching this monster of a milestone yesterday I just wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you to all of my awesome readers and sponsors. Without your kind words and support this blog simply couldn't happen and I am very grateful that you take the time to give me some love!

If you haven't already, please take this opportunity to like, follow and share Bought by Birdette so that we can spread the word and make it greater then ever. Like I've mentioned previously, without support this blog can only go so far!

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Until next time, Love always!

Aveeno Skin Relief

As I've previously mentioned, my mother wasn't someone who I learnt a lick of my beauty routine or knowledge from, while my grandmother's on the other hand have occasionally given me great pearls of wisdom over the years. For instance, one of my grandmothers believed in oatmeal baths for itchy sensitive skin to calm it right down. We didn't know the science behind it but by goodness they worked a treat.

The goodies from Aveeno

Aveeno have taken the science behind this phenomenon and rolled it into their amazing Skin Relief moisturising range of skincare products.They were kind enough to send me both their Skin Relief Body Wash and Skin Relief Moisturising Lotion to try out and I couldn't wait to get my mits on them. They have been on the scene since 1945 and the world famous Mayo Clinic was their first customer! Aveeno have got to be doing something right!

I'm not great at keeping up the routine of applying moisturizer after every shower I take but I promised myself to make a good effort to try out the wash and moisturizer every time I got my body wet, and my skin is singing with joy that I did! Left to its own devices my skin can get really awful, to the point of scaly even. But normally it itches up such a storm that I have to take action before then. While using Aveeno, the wash was a very gentle clean with a light lingering softness, while the moisturiser replenishes the moisture that showers and baths can unfortunately sap. My skin after over a fortnight of use is softer, more even toned and it even has a nice glisten from being so damn happy!

One of the really good things to note about Aveeno and their ranges is that their products are also backed up with science and testing, a lot of companies out there make outrageous claims about what their products can do with barely a step into the laboratory. Like so:

"Alright folks can it moisturise?"
"Well it moisturizes until the high alcohol content content dries it up ..."
"Good enough! Lets label it quick drying and be done with it."

You always have to look for the asterix in the claims people. Aveeno spend a lot of time making sure their products do a really top job of what they say they're going to do and because of this standard of quality they have been recommended by dermatologists for more then 60 years.

What I didn't like about the moisturiser was the smell, there is a subtle lanolin kind of smell to it, and while it is very subtle it still reminds me of the sheep on my mother's farm. Lucky there's fragrance free varieties too then!

I would definitely recommend both products to those with sensitive skin, they are incredibly gentle products that soothe and smooth skin that normally like to riot. but even if your skin isn't sensitive I would say they are a good choice for fuss free and thrifty body care products.

The right way to use a Hairpin; Discuss

I came across this Meme the other day and admittedly I had a giggle, but it also made me stop and think, it's a good point, have we been doing this wrong the whole time?

I have asked a few of my friends who work in hair and beauty and heard a myriad of opinions. Some of them had the same reaction as me (What is this witchcraft!) While some others had heard of it and tipped me off as to why this method is useful.

Apparently by using the hairpin (hair grips, kirby grips, whatever) with the grooves towards your head makes the pin fit your head better, as well as ensuring a better grip on the hair it's holding.

But why do pins normally curve to fit your head on the straight side? Why do they have pretty things glued to the side that kicks out too?

I tell you what, I am puzzled. It seems that manufacturers believe they should be used one way, but hairdressers and other frequent users of the product have developed new ideas.

So perhaps we look for hairpins that don't curve along the straight side and use them in this new way?

What do you think of this new information? Will you be changing the way you use hair pins from now on?

L'Oreal Lumi Magique Highlighter

Beautiful, glowy complexions are always in fashion. I have done a comparison post on two very effective Illuminating Concealers in the past but I thought I would try something new when my last one ran out, enter L'Oreal Lumi Magqiue Highlighting Pen.

L'Oreal Paris have created the Lumi Magique range (also including a Primer and foundation collection) to help give tired and fatigued complexions a nice bit of pep to look alive and awake, and really, who wouldn't want this? Even the best of us are often tired! By using something called 'liquid light technology' and the lovely and soft brush applicator you have a very potent weapon to bring some alert to your look.

Lumi Magique Pen Swatches in Medium

The product itself does a fantastic job of concealing in a highlighting manner. Great to use for concealing under eye bags and for application around the nose and above the cupids bow to add a three dimensional effect to your complexion, and battle any shadows on your face. The formula is creamy and dries with enough time to blend properly, with the ability to layer for those really pesky blemishes..
The pen like packaging is sleek and perfect for taking on the god, taking up very little room in your makeup case, ideal for touch ups through the day and tiny enough for any overnight bag.
While using Lumi Magique I found only one real negative, the amount of clicks to get enough product to use varies greatly from use to use, and I'd find myself getting frustrated too easily and ending up with too much product. Despite this, I felt the brush really was beautifully soft and ideal for applying the product (with some patting with my ring finger afterwards to blend).
One thing I did find interesting as well was that I ended up buying the medium shade, finding it suited my light complexion more then the light shade did, so make sure you do some testing in sunlight before you buy.

Have you tried any of the Lumi Magique range? Tell me what you thought in the comments!