OK so don’t judge me but I have never bought anything from PrettyLittleThing.com before so I thought; well I run a fashion blog so I really should. I always see the adverts when I’m watching MTV and they are a very similar style to Boohoo to be honest. However; this one dress really stood out for me as I LOVE a high neck and I love anything mesh.

It did take me a while to find this dress on there so the search process could be a bit easier but eventually I found it. Obviously it is a bit revealing for the winter and is more of a festival outfit but I have most of my festival tickets already so for me the preparation starts now 🙂

The only thing that annoys me about these kind of dresses is that the labels are always white. Note to the makers; if you are making a black see-through dress, please make the label black too. Obviously I can cut it out but it still leaves a little bit of white showing…grrr!

For a festival dress this is very comfortable and stretchy but also very thin so take a jacket for if it’s gets chilly in the eve (yes I sound like your mum lol)

You can buy the dress yourself here 

So Topshop and I have always had an up and down relationship; but the Petite section of the store in Oxford street never fails to disappoint. There is so much more choice there than other stores and the customer service is great.

Being a blogger does have it’s perks and sometimes they will offer you the stylist suite with extra big changing rooms.

For this particular look I chose some wet look/leather look skin tight trousers which they had lots of different styles of. This particular pair are elasticated round the waist and they also have a zip so although they are tight they do a have a bit of give for my little pot belly. You can grab yours here

The built in choker top is also from Topshop Petite and is slightly cropped which I love as it shows off the trousers. It is a tiny bit low cut for me but if you have the cleavage to show it off then you go girl/guy!

I teamed the look with a high top pair of converse in limited edition white denim Converse and a pom-pom head band from Primark. Sunglasses are from Ebay as I like to have something from different than what’s in the shops

Follow my Instagram for more petite fashion @thepetiteavenue 🙂

As part of our trip to Vegas we drove from the Vegas strip to the Grand Canyon which took around 4 hours and was roughly 270 miles. It was quite a long journey but the view when we arrived was so worth it. I have never seen anything so incredible in my life.

The Grand canyon is in Arizona, America and is one of the seven wonders of the world. Not even Geologists are 100% sure about how the Canyon was formed but erosion from the Colorado River is what seems to have had the most impact. You can read more about the geology of the Canyon here

For a real sky-walk experience you can book tickets for the viewing platform which allows you to walk directly into and above the Canyon. I personally had images of the platform toppling in so I chose not to do that but if risk taking is your thing you can find out more about the sky walk here

If you suffer from Vertigo I wouldn’t recommend going to close to the edge as it is extremely high; you can however get a helicopter ride into the Canyon for a cost and it takes you further down into the depths of the rocks.

10,500 years ago, the first evidence of human presence in the area was found. Native Americans have inhabited the Canyon area and the National Park for at least the last 4,000 of those years. You will see evidence of this in the form of Tipis and huts built by them at the top of the rocks.

There is also a cafe and some restrooms around the the tourist area of the Canyon as remember it is in the Arizonian desert so you will need a drink. Especially if you decide to start swinging around like an overexcited child (me 24/7)

Just look at that view…

The fear of being up so high was quite exhilarating; I think I got a bit too over confident at times though and scared a few tourists by hanging off the edge..whoops.

Being in the surroundings of one of the seven wonders of the world was an amazing experience and one I would definitely recommend.

As you know I love animals and could never eat one; so it is a passion of mine to find meals that are moorish, tantalizing and tasty without harming anyone in the process. I actually used to eat meat as a teenager so the I first became vegetarian it was hard for me to give up the things I love, mainly KFC. But then I found out the chickens are only a few days old and are pumped full of steroids so I didn’t want to put that kind of thing into my body anymore; no wonder I had tummy aches :s

Lot’s of people say “how can you be veggy” but if you just do a bit of research you will realise that being vegetarian doesn’t mean you eat dinners any differently to anyone else. I still have spag bol, I still have hot dogs and believe it or not I still have KFC (see my vegetarian KFC blog post here). One thing I do love is a burger; especially on a BBQ so I thought I would share with you some of my faves.

The first one will surprise you; this is a pulled pork burger which surprisingly has a similar texture to actual pulled pork. Linda has done well here; these 1/4lb burgers are made with textured soya and wheat protein coated with a smoky flavour barbecue sauce and they are sooo juicy.

You do only get two in a box but I only have them every now and then as a treat when I fancy something different. They are quite cheap at around £2 a box and sometimes they come as a deal at Tesco where you can buy 3 selected Linda products for £5…bargain!

The texture is so soft and juicy and the great thing about them is that they are not dry like some veggie burgers out there, they actually have a nice slightly greasy feel. Another way of eating these burgers is to cook them and pull them apart and add them to a home made Chinese dish with some sweet and sour sauce. Who says you can’t have sweet and sour pork just because you are veggie?

The other day I chose to have mine with cooked mushrooms on top and cucumber on the side, it was delicious. These burgers have loads of protein too so they are great for a post gym workout meal.

My favourite sauce to have on top of the burger is a mixture of sweet chilli and mayonnaise; trust me it tastes amazing and really compliments the BBQ flavours. If you prefer you can have a sticky BBQ sauce with it too which goes really well when it is char-grilled.

Now if meat tasting/looking burgers are not your style, Linda McCartney also make a burger which is equally as juicy which is not a replica.

The mushroom and spinach burgers taste like exactly what it says on the box but they are nice and thick and still have that burger feel to them. They retail at around the same price and also come in a pack of two. These are definitely best when they are barbecued but for the colder nights try sprinkling on some seasoning and popping them under the grill instead.

Spinach is  really high in iron and protein so you are getting lots of goodness from these burgers as well as an amazing taste. I chose to have mine with lightly fried asparagus and Halloumi chicken nuggets. If you are not a fan of batter simply lightly fry some Halloumi on it’s own and pop it on top of your burger.

In my opinion a dollop of mayonnaise goes really well with this burger but obviously you could melt some mozzarella or cheddar cheese on top to give it some extra flavour.

To make my halloumi chicken nuggets (which btw you must try) I simply bought a cheap pack of batter mix and added one egg with some water. I then coated the Cypriot cheese in batter and deep fried them till they were golden brown; heaven!

I really hope you enjoy trying out some of these dishes and have fun with your own way of eating them 🙂

Sorry it’s been a little while since my last post but since Christmas it has been a bit mental. I completed my Bridal Makeup Course and have been practicing non stop since. This look however has nothing to do with bridal makeup but I just had to share it as the effect and the finish of this product is to die for and I was really proud of how it came out.

So this is my beautiful client Sarah who wanted a glam look with a smokey eye but with silver tones. I had a look around and there just weren’t any eye-shadows that were doing it for me. Until I stumbled accross a YouTube video of this product and it really caught my eye. It is the Makeup Revolution Awesome Eye Foil in Pure Platinum which you can buy online here. Makeup Revolution who are really stepping up their game lately and they have definitely made a winner in this eye-shadow; which may I add also comes in Rose gold. 

So everything you need comes in the box and how it works is really simple. You scrape a bit of the silver metallic eyeshadow (which has a gel consistency) onto the metal mixing plate and squeeze a few drops of the liquid onto it. You mix it together until you get the right texture you want and then apply it to the eye either using a brush or your finger. Always pat it on don’t swipe as it won’t be as neat or as opaque.

This was before I had done her eyebrows but as you can the finish is incredible and really reflects in the light. The brightness of the silver on this part of the eyelid really makes the eyes pop and look more awake.

Before I applied the silver foil colour to the inner and middle of the eyelid I used a primer to prep the eye which I set with a loose powder. I then used a bone colour from my Soap and Glory Tricks of the Shade palette followed by a grey shimmer colour called Street Style from my Cargo Cosmetics Shanghai Nights palette on the crease line and accross most of the lid. Lastly I used a black shadow from my M & S palette to give that smokey eye effect and to line under the lower lashes.

I primed Sarah’s face with Smashbox Photo Finish clear oil free primer and used Revlon Colourstay foundation in the shade Early Tan. This foundation has no SPF or silica so produces no flashback when using flash photography. I used the blusher from my Soap and Glory Tricks of the Shade set and Sleek’s tingling lip crayon in Notorious Nude.

For the brows I used my favourite pomade which is by Freedom in the colour Dark Brown. I used my benefit brow brush to lightly shape her already lovely eyebrows and then used a concealer to define them underneath.

With all make-up it is very important if you are going out to test your products with flash photography first before you go out so as not to get any nasty surprises later on.

Having the hair back and off the face will always enhance your make-up just that little bit more as you can see the full picture but if you choose to wear your hair down try not to have it touching your face too much as it can rub off your make-up throughout the night.

The great thing about silver is that it makes any eye colour pop so as you can see Sarah’s eye’s are really emphasized in these photos and contrast nicely to the silver above the eye.

As you can see I have used a subtle silvery style highlighter on the cheeks, cupids bow and the brow bone just to compliment the colours and pick up her beautiful cheekbones.

Overall Sarah and I were so pleased with this look and would definitely recommend it for a night out if you want to add that extra bit of sparkle and glamour to your look.

Remember to check out my Facebook page for Makeup Artist Bookings.