The Perfect Red Lip

Whoever said diamonds were a girl’s best friend clearly didn’t own a red lipstick. One thing that can transform you from day to night, casual to glam and simple to exciting in one swipe is a red lip.

When it comes to a red lip there’s a few things that are an absolute necessity: it needs to be moisturising, it needs to have good lasting power, it mustn’t bleed and more importantly – it must be bold.

It’s a bold statement to make when wearing a red lip and luckily, Bourjois have nailed it to a T.

The Rouge Edition lipstick* is a must have lipstick of every girl’s make up bag and with 18 shades to choose from, there’s something for everyone.

I have shade 13 and the staying power is amazing. They claim it leaves the lips with a glossy finish and feeling smooth and hydrated for up to 10 hours – I can’t vouch for 10 hours but I certainly got a good five or six hours worth of wear before I needed a top up. Personally, I think that’s amazing and I didn’t even need to apply a balm or liner underneath.

The packaging is stylish and sleek and I love the colour is shown in the clear casing at the bottom – I hate those colour dot stickers as they’re not accurate enough when it comes to seeing the colour.

At £8.99 from Boots you can’t go wrong really and I’ll definitely be picking up a few more colours to add to my collection!

What’s your go-to red lip colour?

Winter Wishlist: Knee High Boots

It's almost time for uni again and we all know what that means: Student Lock-Ins!

Basically, lots of discounts for us students to spend all of our loans on before the term even starts.
With almost 100 days to go until my first New York trip I'm desperate for some boots that will see me through. Heading to New York for Christmas is an absolute dream but for my tootsies, they're going to get quite cold. With temperatures dipping below zero degrees and an expected amount of snow and rain I need a pair of boots that will not only be comfortable and durable for lots of walking but waterproof and cosy too!

Boots, especially a decent pair can start getting quite expensive which is why I've decided to find a good pair around when the student discounts are high in the hope I can snag a bargain!

I usually stick to ankle boots, perhaps with a few studs and buckles to give a toughened up biker-chic look but this year I fancy pushing the boat out and choosing an knee high pair. Perfect whether worn over jeans or with a dress and cosy tights, my legs could do with the extra warmth from having a boot around them I'm sure!

After having a browse online, I've picked out six of my favourites that I'll definitely be trying on! I'm torn between all six but I think the first pair could be the top of my list. Which is your favourite?

L-R: River Island, Dorothy Perkins, River Island, Office, New Look, Office

Benefit They're Real Trio

I first heard about Benefit's new release on Instagram long before it was announced what it actually was, but I was already excited! With promises to revolutionise the way you do you make up I couldn't wait to find it what it was and how long go before I could get my hands on it.

Released to stores in June, I patiently (not) waited but after begrudging paying almost £20 for an eyeliner I waited to grab a bargain in the beloved duty free.

Last month when I went on holiday, there it was in the stand waiting for me! I'm not sure if this is an airport exclusive as it was labelled as a 'travel set' but for £28.50 you could get both the infamous They're Real Mascara and the hyped They're Real Push Up Liner. Also, for an extra £12 or something there was the They're Real Remover that was dubbed as a 'must' for when it comes to removing to stubborn liner and mascara.

I've been trying this duo out for a good six weeks now and I have to say, unlike every other review you've read, it's not the most positive.

First we'll start with the eyeliner. The eyeliner itself is amazing: it's solid black and it doesn't budge. What more could you want?

When the campaign was announced the Benefit professionals said you could apply this with one hand, on public transport no matter how bumpy it is and I even heard that it could be applied while doing a one-handed push up - I'm definitely not believing that final one.

Perhaps I don't have the knack to it but I've tried countless ways and I can't seem to get the line as perfect as it was hyped up to be. It seems to drag along the lash line and it's quite difficult to get it smooth so I've been using a stamping sort-of technique!

Although I'll continue to use it, I don't think I'll be purchasing another one when it's finished. After the years put into producing the perfect accuflex tip and a liquid-gel formula, I regret to say that I'm not as impressed as everyone else.

That's not to mention that I didn't love the other products though. I've previously used Benefit's Bad Gal Lash Mascara, it's good with a VERY fat brush, perhaps too fat so I was hoping I'd prefer this one and I have to say, I love it. I'm a fully They're Real convert when it comes to mascara now!

I have nothing else to say other than the fact it is absolutely amazing, it grips the lash from root to tip and leaves you with solid black, full lashes. Also, even after a month and a half, the mascara is still very 'wet', do you know what I mean? I have loads of trouble with mascaras drying out after a couple of weeks, but with this one it's all go go go!

Finally of the Benefit trio is the They're Real Remover. Released alongside the Push Up Liner, Benefit realised that their mascara was too good and it just wasn't budging with any ordinary make up remover!

Although I slated the eyeliner, I have to admit that one day at work I was changing a barrel of Fosters (I work on a bar if you hadn't guessed!) and it popped in my face leaving me soaked in beer. My make up was a gonner and my hair was left smelling erm, lovely (questionable!) - apart from my eye make up! Even after a good soaking, the mascara and eyeliner was still fully intact!

I suppose that's one good thing: if you job means you might get a little wet sometimes then I'd recommend They're Real for some staying power when it comes to your make up!

What do you think of the They're Real collection?

Ebay Wish List #2

Here is the second eBay post and it's focussing all on holidays! I've been on a couple of holidays this year and a kimono was definitely at the top of my shopping list. Whether I wore it over a bikini, over a top and shorts during the day or over a dress for the night time it came in handy every day. What's even better is, it double up as a blanket for the airplane, they can always get a bit chilly! What did I ever do without one?

You know the rules for these eBay posts - everything must be under £20 and I've stuck to it! Which one of the three is your favourite? I love those heels and they even come in a selection of colours! You can never have too many shoes, no matter what anybody says!

Kimono | Playsuit | Heels

What Zoe Did #4

After a long and both relaxing and busy month, my blogging mojo is well and truly back and we'll ease this in with a round up of the previous month via Instagram.

If you're not already following me, but would love to see my updates of food, kittens and cocktails then check my profile out at @zoeskerrett!

I'll not ramble on to much but the past month I've either been having fun on holiday, eating out, drinking cocktails or working - some of which I love, and some not so much. You can tell which is which by looking at the majority of the pictures - I'll leave that for you to decide.

Also I've got a few ideas lined up for What Zoe Says in the up and coming weeks and months, plenty of duty free beauty reviews, the one and only eBay post with some absolute steals and perhaps some advertising slots for you to get your blog known! If you'd be interested in this, give me an email using the link in the sidebar and I'll give you some more information!

Manchester with the girls | The MSS girlies | First try of Japanese soup

Princess the cat | 6am on the beach in Magaluf | Boat partying

My favourite Mojito bar | My two best pals | Typical holiday picture

Palma from the sea | Big hot dogs (I couldn't finish it) | Late night walk to Penshaw

Alfie the cat | Summer BBQ'in | Finishing the month with some cocktails!

What Zoe Did #3

Can you believe we are nearly half way into July? No, me neither! Here's a little Instagram collage of what I've been up to in the month of June. As you can see it includes plenty of food and cocktails - as it should do!

What did you get up to last month?

The pool in Portugal | Portugal's finest beer | Yet again, the pool

A hanging kebab. Amazing | My new fave cocktail - Lazy Red Cheeks | An egg on a pizza

My two best friends | Eggy bread and bacon stack | Formby beach

A lovely view in Formby | My new tattoo | Happy Birthday Steph