Cocktails at Turtle Bay

Last weekend I was going out for leaving drinks with my best girlfriend as she’s off to America until Christmas (sob) and we decided to head to the new Turtle Bay in the centre of Bristol for some delicious Caribbean cocktails. We weren’t disappointed; the Koko Colada and Reggae Rum Punch were both (dangerously) yummy - it’s fair to say that my head was pounding just a little when I drafted this blog post the next day - but it was so worth it and the perfect way to send her off to the states in style! Which brings me onto why we’re really here – what I wore.

I had a very specific idea of the kind of outfit I wanted to wear – something grey or black (not very summery but I wanted to work quite a dark smoky eye – something of a tradition when we go out) and a little dressy while still quite casual – and I found exactly what I was looking for in this black cut-out jersey dress I picked up in the H&M sale while in Leicester for only £5. The fit is super-flattering and the perfect length for a night out (short but not too short) and just so easy and comfortable to wear. Feeling pretty chuffed with my find, I teamed it with (self) tanned legs, my favourite black Miss Selfridge ankle boots and the leopard print cardi (from Warehouse) that I wear with everything.

I’d washed my hair that morning but for some reason (blame the humidity) it was looking less than the usual smooth and sleek I aim for, so rather than fight it I decided to embrace the undone, unkempt look and dug out my Umberto Giannini Grunge Glamour Tousled salt spray and got to work on the lengths and ends. The result – nicely textured hair, with bags of volume and a natural wave. Next came the best bit. After smoothing on some Urban Decay eyeshadow primer potion, I pulled out my Soap & Glory Lid Stuff palette in Smoky Doky and used the shade 'Chine' (a beautiful frosted silver lilac) to apply a base all over the eye socket and up to the brown bone, before blending the matte grey shade 'Black Gold' into the crease and outer eye socket. I then lined the top and bottom lashline with Barry M Kohl in Black (strictly reserved for evenings out), blended with an eyeshadow brush and finished with a generous coating of the Soap & Glory Thick & Fast HD mascara for super-volumised, super-black lashes.

Smoky eye perfected, I kept everything else really simple as I hate the look of heavy, caked on makeup, and with dramatic eye makeup you really don’t need a lot else. For my base I opted for a natural glow, smoothing on a thin layer of the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum foundation with my fingertips, while brows got a quick seeing to with the Anastasia tinted brow gel in Espresso, and to finish off a slick of Revlon’s Juicy Papaya lip butter on the lips to match the Essie Sunday Funday on my nails - a gorgeous pop of coral to lift an all-black outfit is one of my all-time favourite looks.

What's your go-to look for an evening out?

Chandra

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