Tip of the Day: Avoiding dark circles from lower lash mascara

With my ethnicity, I'm beyond prone to pesky dark circles below my eyes. You can eat as healthy as you like, get as much sleep as you need, use potions and lotions and ice cubes and everything else in the entire world aimed at solving the problem. But unfortunately, some people will never be rid of them completely. (Spackle has been rather tempting on very bad days.)
However they can go far in lessening the problem, and I find in an absolute bind, applying a cold compress can go far after a night of poor sleep or after having a right old sooky cry.
But enough about that.
One trick I have picked up after years of being too afraid to wear mascara on my lower lashes -and you may kick yourself for not thinking of it- is to use waterproof mascara on your lower lashes. I find using the Mascara Guard endlessly useful for this too, as the entire problem comes about when your mascara smudges onto your skin during the day, creating a nasty shade under your eyes that can make you look tired. Waterproof mascara also generally gives a more subtle effect then your usual mascara which again is a win for lower lashes, if you use a really oomphy-super-turbo-fat-ass-lash-creating mascara it can come back to bite you.

What tricks do you use to avoid shadows under your eyes?

Priceline Haul: July 2012

It's always those times that I never intend to buy anything that I come away with a stack of beauty booty, anyone else have this problem? It's never when I go on the mission of finding a new foundation or when I'm after this particular shade of nail polish, those times I normally come away with nothing.
So, the goodies!

Birdette's Dictionary: Scalloped

Scalloped (Pronounced Skol-lop-d) is a detail you will find on the hem of many cute and sweet clothing pieces. Instead of the usual flat hem, or scooped -another trend that has been in use lately- the hem comprises of numerous and identical dips that come back into the garment with points... sort of hard to describe, so here's a pic!

The most notable debut of the trend can be attributed to a certain Chloe Suit a few years ago that Chloe Sevigny wore a few times, and quite well considering her usually uh, interesting wardrobe. It has come back with a bang for the upcoming Spring/Summer range and I think it's going to be huge, it's too damn easy to incorporate into your wardrobe, and anyone can wear it. It's not an item that you can be too *insert anything negative* to wear!

There's a stack of very cute ways of adding this detail to your wardrobe, here are a few of my favourites.

This top by portmans evokes a real classic take, with tucks around the neck and a gorgeous shape that will work with pants and a top, I have one of these myself (as used for my example of scalloping above) and I love the way it looks with a pair of tailored trousers, as well as pencil skirts. Awesome.

Another different take of the trend is this shirt by ASOS. showing that scalloping doesn't just belong on hems. This subtle feature used on the collar immediately draws the eye up to your face. Pair it with a necklace over the top for even more oomph, and another look that's hot this season.

How would you wear this trend? Do you have any scalloped detail already in your wardrobe?

Guest Post! Laura Clarke on behalf of ASOS talks Feminine Prints

Printing is everywhere this season so there is bound to be a style for you out there. Whether it is Aztec, animal, baroque or floral prints there is surely a style that will suit you perfectly.

A patterned dress, like this one from ASOS is a great way to liven up your winter wardrobe, and this Aztec print lovely will be perfect either on its own or for colder days a pair of tights will keep the chill off your pins. For a casual look leather ankle boots work well. To add personality into your outfit, be sure to accessorise with plenty of jewellery and a leather jacket will add a real rock chick edge.

For all out girly glam there is no better print than floral. It can literally be found in any form of clothing you want from dresses to pants to shoes. For winter a great pair of jeans is always an essential, but that doesn’t mean they have to be the tried and tested black variety. For a quirky look that exudes femininity a pair of floral print jeans will be a perfect choice.

Baroque prints have been seen on all the biggest stars and will be a classy choice for a casually chic look for a day of shopping or a lunch date with your girlfriends.

If printed clothing isn’t really your thing then perhaps accessories will be more to your taste. Animal printing rarely ever goes out of fashion so accessories in this print will last a lot longer than one season, which is always a plus. Ankle boots are always a great investment as they will last all year round from wrapping up warm with jumpers and jeans in the winter to looking hot with your favourite summer dress when the weather heats up.

So for a winter wardrobe that is far from dull, why not try out some print perfection this season? 

This has been a sponsored post

Bought! Pastel Mint Skinnies from Jay Jays

So after hunting high and low for the last few months for yet another pair of jeans (that makes three different varieties this winter... oh dear.) I finally found a pair that suited my pastel, skinny and flattering requirements.
Imagine my joy when I flipped the price tag and saw that I would get change from a $50!

Pastel Green Skinny Jeans by Jay Jays

The jeans are a good cut for my hippy frame, though I still need a belt. They're cute to cuff and show off my shoes, the hems do look a little odd in the picture above but they're straight and don't get skinnier at the hem as they appear to. You can go all out with the pastel trend and wear them with a white belt, and a darling sleeveless pale blouse, or use them to jazz up older items in your wardrobe. The colour pops with so many items this season.
I do quite like to browse Jay Jays, not just for myself but I can pick up some items for my strangely picky-yet-unstylish boyfriend. They're great for cheap denim, if not slightly small in their run of sizes.
Another thing I like to get from there are Sunnies. I'll be honest and say I don't see the point in dropping a fortnight's rent on a pair, I'm notoriously careless with mine and don't want to wave goodbye to a large amount of hard earned cash when I accidentally sit on something. I also nabbed a pair of faux classic raybans for $5 (!!) Ah, bargains.

What's your favourite place to go when you want bargain streetwear? I'd love to know so I can check it out!