Quest for a dip-hem skirt

I have had a LOT of random outbursts of shopping recently. I literally don't seem to be able to control myself - as soon as I log on to my laptop, I suddenly find myself browsing through ASOS without even realising! My latest obsession is dip-hem skirts. These skirts seem to be everywhere right now, and I think they're really flattering for all shapes and sizes. The longer back allows you to dabble in midi/maxi skirts without fully committing as it's still a mini at the front - I think this is ideal for shorter girls like myself who fear looking like they're drowning in fabric when wearing a maxi! They mostly come in chiffon, which means they can easily be dressed up, but there are some more casual jersey options around as well. My quest for the perfect dip-hem skirt started on eBay, always a good place to start for the cash-strapped student. 

This colourful quartet can be purchased for just £7.99 each and come in Black, Cerise, Turquoise and Coral. The skirts are made out of jersey, with an elasticated waistband that makes them look pretty damn comfy. For this price, I don't see how you can go wrong - however, I was looking for a lighter colour, so decided to carry on looking. 

 

This beauty comes from Bank (£25) and you know what that means - student discount! I love this salmon pink colour and the wavy hem. Very very tempted to purchase this. 

 

Perfect for tapping into the underwater trend that is so hot right now, this deep sea green version comes from Dorothy Perkins and is a very purse-friendly £15. 

 

This pleated version is from Topshop - I adore the ice-cream lilac shade and the pleats mix things up a little. I can see this being paired with brogues and a peter pan collar shirt for school-girl chic. 

 

This version from Republic has to be one of my favourites. The hemline is just so unique and interesting - I can see this being a gorgeous skirt for a night out, but it might be just a little bit too glam for day wear. 

So this is my round-up of my favourite dip-hem skirts - I'll be sure to let you know as soon as I make my mind up as to which one I'll actually purchase! Anyone want to vote for their fav and help me out? 

♥ Beleza Baby

Product Reviews: Self-tan

Hey there Beleza Babies! 


Today's post is going to be all about self-tan. Now, I don't know about you guys, but I always feel 100% more confident when I have a bit of colour. On the other hand, smelly, orange & streaky skin is never a good look, so it's important to find a self-tanner that is easy to apply and leaves a smooth, golden finish. These two products are my personal favourites; they're both purse-friendly and have great results. 


#1: Garnier Summer Body: Deep sunkissed look (currently on offer for around £4 in Sainsburys!)
 
This product is a gradual self-tanner rather than an instant fake tan, which means you need to build up a few layers to get the colour you like. However, I feel like this leaves me with so much more control - one layer applied before bed will leave you looking gently sunkissed in the morning, while adding a couple more layers will give a deeper tanned look. This means you can build up your tan gradually to the colour you prefer, without suddenly turning brown overnight! I personally purchase this product in the 'deep sunkissed look' because I feel like it's much more effective. The lighter look barely makes any difference to your skin colour, and I'm practically an albino so paler girls you can definitely pull the 'deep' colour off! The scent is pretty good although there are admittedly undertones of fake-tan in there, but the apricot smell is much better than 99% of other products for this price. It also doubles as a moisturiser, leaving your skin silky soft. 


#2: Rimmel Sun Shimmer: Medium Matte (£3)


 
Another great product, this can be applied for instant colour. The colour is natural and not at all orangey, and the smell is quite subtle. It also leaves skin feeling really smooth and soft, which is an added bonus as this isn't marketed as containing any moisturising properties. The only downside to this product is that it washes off - however, it doesn't rub off at all and lasts for a good 24 hours as promised, so you don't have to worry about it getting all over your clothes. This product is ideal when you're in a rush and about to go on a night out and feel just too pasty to wear that killer skirt - it only takes a couple of minutes to rub this into bare legs (use a mitt to avoid oompa loompa hands!) and your legs instantly look naturally tanned. Got to love the £3 price tag as well. 


How about you guys? What are your fav tanning products? 


♥ Beleza Baby

We heart short shorts

Hey Beleza Babies!

So recently I have become ever so slightly distressed with denim shorts. Pastel shorts, blue denim shorts, studded shorts, ombre shorts, distressed shorts, the whole lot! I don't know if it's a reaction to the frankly depressing weather we've been having in England recently, but I am definitely ready to be rocking a few short shorts for the perfect summer festival look. I recently bought these beauties from Topshop: 

 

Moto High Waisted Hotpants in Bleach Stone, Topshop, £32 

You can just about tell from this picture that they have a cute pale pink tie-dye detail to the sides, and come with distressed patches. They're a really good fit, although I wouldn't describe them as high waisted as oddly they sit on my hips perfectly. They are on the other hand very short - at the moment I'm wearing them with my trusty black leggings and slouchy biker boots, but I will have to invest in some serious fake tan if I'm gonna bear my legs in these this summer. I'm considering studding these babies up with studs that you can buy on Ebay, but I think I'll look into this more when I'm not in the middle of finals (priorities, must remember priorities!) 

I absolutely love the look of these shorts from www.shopkaleidoscopeeyes.com: 

However, with a $70 price tag (around £43) with an added $17.50 on top for shipping, I'll have to abstain for the time being :( 

Ragged Priest (www.theraggedpriest.com and also stocked in the Oxford Street branch of Topshop) also do a cool range of customised vintage Levis.  

 

These bad boys could do some serious damage, while the below are perfect for a summertime rave: 

 

However, with prices ranging from £40 - £65, again these are a little out of my reach. Would you be prepared to customise your own denim shorts with studs and home dyes? I think it would be worth saving that little bit extra, but I'm not sure how I would go about creating a tie-dyed look without absolutely obliterating my face/hands/clothes/entire house with dye O_O 

If I do decide to take the plunge and get to work on an old pair of shorts, I'll be sure to let you know! 

♥ Beleza Baby 

Nails: Animal print with a spring/summer twist

Hey Beleza Babies! 

So for my first nail post, I thought I'd post an image of a spring/summer inspired look I recently tried out on my nails. I've always been a big fan of animal print nails, but found the usual gold & black colour combination was getting a little bit tired, and dare I say it, a tad tacky. For a cute spring/summer look, I decided to try a pretty pink peach colour with white spot detail. 

 

Rawr! Cute right? These are a little bit messy (I hadn't gotten round to cleaning up when I took this pic, and excuse the camera phone quality) but I loved the overall effect. Plus, it was actually super easy to do. I used two coats of Barry M Nail Paint in Peach Melba (£2.99 from Boots) as a base layer, and then blobbed on random circles of my Boots Natural Collection Nail Tip Whitener (around £2 from Boots). There's really no need to worry about the size or placement of the white blobs, just dot them on randomly. To create the leopard print effect, I used a black liquid eyeliner (any black liquid eyeliner will do, although ones with a fine point will come in particularly handy). This is probably the trickiest part, as it requires a bit of a steady hand, but it only took me a few goes to get it right. Just draw on three or two black lines surrounding the white blobs. Once you're sure the eyeliner has dried, finish with a layer of clear top-coat. I used the Barry M Nail Paint Base & Top Coat Nail Hardener. As you can see, I'm a big fan of Barry M nail polishes - they're super inexpensive and deliver a consistent, thick colour. The top coat is particularly effective, as the product promises to harden nails and encourage growth, and I can honestly say I noticed a real difference in my nails. They didn't chip or break off anywhere near as fast as with a regular top coat. 

Once you've perfected the technique, you can literally use any colour combination you like! Here are a few of my favs: 

  

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Disclaimer: Images available on the public domain. To claim credit, contact the blog owner 

With the pastel trend a huge hit for spring/summer fashion this year, I can foresee combinations of pastel pink, lilac and mint green animal print becoming somewhat of a regular appearance on my nails! 

♥ Beleza Baby

❤ Welcome ❤ 


Hi, and welcome to Beleza Baby! I've always loved reading fashion and beauty blogs, and recently thought I'd have a go at making one myself. You can expect from this blog beauty and fashion inspiration, product reviews, nail and makeup tutorials and hopefully much more! 


About the blogger 
I'm a 20 year old, soon-to-no-longer-be student. That's right, I'm in my final year of university, and my last days are swiftly creeping up on me! Although this is admittedly an extremely scary thought, I figure it can only mean good things for my makeup collection and wardrobe. Living off a student budget and maintaining the kind of lifestyle I'd like to lead has been a challenge to say the least, but hopefully I'll be able to get some kind of job and then afford all the amazing products and fashion I've been lusting over for the last three years ;) On the plus side, student life has definitely taught me to be careful with my money, so you'll notice a lot of the fashion and beauty I feature on this blog is purse-friendly.  


About the name 
You might be wondering about the name 'Beleza Baby' and where it came from; if you are an exotic Portuguese lady, then this will be no problem. However, for all us other girls, 'beleza' is simply Portuguese for 'beauty'. No, I do not have an ounce of Portuguese blood in me (unfortunately, I'd love to work that tanned brunette look!) as I am English through-and-through (minus a teensy bit of Welsh, which let's face it, isn't quite as exotic). However, I just thought it was a great alternative to 'beauty' and has a certain je ne sais quoi, no? -- check me out, all multilingual! 


Anyway, keep checking back soon as this baby blog takes its first steps :)


❤  Beleza Baby