Wait & Braid | Dutch Braid Pigtails

What I'm Wearing: BLACK TOP, Forever 21 | BURGUNDY TOP, Primark | BEST BITCHES NECKLACE, Shop Moon Child | PENTAGRAM CHOKER, Shop Moon Child | LIPSTICK, MAC Verve.

Hey friends! Me and Leah have been on a short blogging break because all our motivation was gone... sad but true. But breaks do us all some good and now we're backing with a braiding post! You might think that these pictures where taken of Leah but it's actually me! Yes, I'm back blonde again. I thought it would never happen after dying my hair black seven months ago. I feel like me and Leah look like twins again, haha.

Leah braided my hair into two ducth pigtails. She always pancakes the braids so they look really thick and big. I love this style as it's great for when you want your hair off your face and if your hair needs washing. My hair feels a lot thicker now as I've been eating a lot of protein. I've also been treating my hair to regular hair masks to keep my hair in good condition. My hair looks brassy but that's because my hair was only dyed on Saturday. You will never understand how happy I am to be a blonde again :) I am kinda missing my pink hair though!

Do you like wearing Dutch Braid Pigtails? What is your favourite hairstyle right now?

Love Rachel, x x x

Dreamy Topshop Outfit Wish List

Left to Right: Metallic Crop Top | Feather Heels | Cropped Lace Fringe Kimono | Necklace | Earrings | Fishnet Tights | Black Denim Skirt | Black Frilly Ankle Socks | Metallic Backpack.

It feels like I haven't done a wish list for agesss! I was on the Topshop website and managed to find my dream outfit. The weather in Liverpool is quite sunny which is a change (que rain for tomorrow ha) so I'm looking for new bits and pieces for my spring/summer wardrobe. I think fishnet tights are just perfect for warmer weather. I love wearing all of my fashion tights right now! I love pairing fishnets with boots but how cute are the feather heels?! I need these heels in my life. I think the have a clueless vibe to them. I also think the black denim skirt has a clueless feel to it too. I love denim, especially black denim so this skirt is a must-have for me. The metallic backpack is so cute and what I love about backpacks is that it feels like you're not carrying a bag, haha. The metallic crop top goes perfectly. One of my favourite pieces for spring/summer is kimonos! This short black kimono is just gorgeous. Lace + fringing = heaven.

The accessories just make this outfit. I'm obsessed with moons and anything mystic really so when I saw these earrings I just fell in love with them. I'm also obsessed with frilly black ankle socks. They're just the cutest things and the look gorgeous with boots. I needed to include the star necklace as I bought this necklace a few weeks back and I haven't stopped wearing it since! I know I wear a lot of black and as summer is getting nearer I do want to start wearing more colour but for now, I think I'll just stick to my trusty black clothes. Adding metallic is a start though right?

Have you thought of your spring/summer wardrobe yet? Are you dreaming after anything from Topshop at the moment? 

Love Rachel, x

Make up Revolution | Iconic Elements Eyeshadow Palette.

Makeup Revolution are fast becoming one of my favourite brands, especially for eyeshadow palettes. I was kindly sent Makeup Revolution's Iconic Elements palatte*. At first, I wasn't too excited to try out this palette purely because the colours aren't what I usually go for. All of the shadows are lighter shades and are a matte finish (there is only one shimmer). I usually opt of darker colours and I love shimmery eyeshadows so I thought I wasn't going to get along with this particular palette! But then I tried it. Yes, I took back all my worries because I must say, I am so impressed!

This palette creates a beautiful more subtle eye look. I think these eyeshadows look perfect with a red or dark lipstick- I'm wearing my new favourite, MAC Dark Side ;) . I absolutely love the white eyeshadows as they create the perfect highlighters for the brow arch and inner eye. My favourite shades out of the palette are the brown ones as look amazing. It does take a few times to build up the shades to make them pigmented though which is the only downfall of this palette.If you want a simple yet stunning smokey eye that is perfect for daytime, this is the palette for you! 

I can't say that this palette from Makeup Revolution has converted me into a matte eyeshadow lover as I am a true glitter junkie. It's certainly worth having in your collection though as the shades are the most beautiful, wearable colours.  And for just £4 (!), where can you go wrong? Makeup Revolution are definitely an amazing brand and SO affordable too!

Do you love Matte or Shimmer shadows?

Leah, x

Lifestyle | Reasons Why We Love Eating Clean!

I couldn't find a picture so I just took this from our instagram.

''Eating Clean'' is something I NEVER thought I'd get into. I was never one for baking and to be honest, I didn't really think healthy food could actually taste nice. Whenever I'd read about someone eating fruit, eating 'clean' and drinking smoothies all day and actually enjoying it, I thought it was madness! But to be honest, I always felt disgusting and guilty after eating food out of packets, even if they claimed to be healthy foods.

Then one day we discovered an amazing healthy eating blog called Chocolate Covered Katie. Her blog is mainly a healthy dessert blog but she has recipes for gorgeous smoothies, pancakes recipes, oatmeal ideas and even healthy side dishes. I wanted to try something new so I couldn't wait to start baking! Chocolate Covered Katie has the most amazing recipes and they are so easy to follow! The first recipe we baked was Chocolate Peanut Butter Bites! Oh my god, they taste like snickers but better!

Here are some reasons why we love clean eating:
♥ We now make every meal and snacks so now we know exactly what goes into our food.
♥ Everything we make leaves us feeling full which is unbelievable. I was almost always hungry before clean eating.
♥ Smoothies our are new favourite drinks! They taste like heaven in a cup! My favourite one right now is peanut butter, avocado and banana, mmm. 
♥ There are so many amazing recipes to make! They are all full of favour too.
♥ Because everything we bake is low in calories we can eat all day, ahah.
♥ We can all all of our favourite foods but they're healthy. They actually taste better.
♥ I feel a lot more comfortable in my own skin now :)
♥ Eating more healthy is really helping my low mood. I feel more happy within myself.
♥ My hair, skin and nails are feeling and looking better. 
♥ It's so fun to bake! 

The benefits to clean eating are endless! Here are some of my favourite recipe blogs so you can start baking and eating clean!
♥ Chocolate Covered Katie - Katie's blog was the first blog that we discovered and I think it will always be my favourite. I click on her blog atleast 1000 times a day to try out all of her amazing recipes!
♥ Fit Foodie Finds - There are so many amazing recipes, especially the over night oats!
♥ The Big Man's World - I love the rice pudding recipes and no bake bars.
♥ Laurenda Marie - I love the honey cinnamon overnight oats and there are even face mask ideas!

There are so many amazing blogs out there but the ones above are my favourites. They have so many recipes and I honestly cannot wait to try them all out! We have both found a new found love in baking! The five foods I'd take to heaven would be peanut butter, bananas, oats, smoothies and curry flavoured sweet potato wedges! Honestly, I'm in love with peanut butter (obsessed)!! This has changed my whole life for the better.

Would you ever eat clean? Are you going to try out some healthy recipes?

Love Rachel & Leah, x

OOTD & Wait & Braid | Galaxy Tie Dye Dress and 90s/Grungy Side Pony

What I'm Wearing: DRESS, Urban Outfitters | DENIM JACKET, ASOS | BEST BITCHES BEST FRIENDS NECKLACE, Shop Moon Child | LIPSTICK, MAC Diva.

Is anyone else obsessed with the 90's style? because I know I am! Recently, I have been trying out more hairstyles and I had to look for some inspiration. Youtube is always amazing for hair tutorials and I found some really gorgeous and unique 90's hair styles. Some of them are classic 90's (think little cute buns and half up-half down hairstyles) but other hair styles are a little more modern. This hairstyle that I'm wearing in this post is the perfect balance of mordern and 90's. It's an easy but impressive side pony! Because it's not just a side pony, I've done two little plaits in the pony tail. I think the braids really thicken the ponytail up and it looks so grungy and messy. This hair style that is definitely going to become a favourite. Look how cute it is too!

I think this dress is nineties too. It's velvet and tye dye. I'm wearing my all time favourite jacket too. Denim jackets are always a winner! I literally haven't been able to take this jacket off since buying it!

Do you love the 90's style?

Rachel, x

MAC Viva Glam VI & Verve Lipstick | Review & Swatches.

Whenever I find myself walking past a MAC shop, I need to go inside. What girl can resist MAC makeup? Especially when you want to treat yourself. So, I thought why not? I'm obsessed with lipsticks and I have so many dark shades (Diva is my favourite) so I decided I could do with a nude shade. Well, a kind of nude shade. I didn't want too much of a nude shade because I think they look awful on me but I knew trusty old MAC would have the right lipstick in there for me. Both Rachel and I decided to choose a lipstick each because again, why the Hell not?! Life is for living and living is buying as many lipsticks as possible, right?!

First up, we have one of MAC's Viva Glam lipsticks. I've never actually owned a Viva Glam before and I really love the slight twist on the iconic packaging. Doesn't the red look so nice on the lipstick case? Viva Glam VI is described on the MAC website as a ''terracota-plum with pearl''. The liptick is in a lustre finish. To be honest, lustre finishes just do not stay on long. Viva Glam VI is unfortunately a huge disappointment. It has absolutely NO staying power and it isn't pigmented at all. I bought this shade because I thought the colour was so beautiful and it sure is beautiful at first. But then it rubs off like two minutes later. I do think many girls would like this lipstick but for a bold-loving lipstick lover like me Viva Glam IV sadly just doesn't do it for me. It's got to be my least favourite MAC lipstick to date. I might have to go and buy ''Dark Side'' lipstick to cheer me up! I'll probably be giving Viva VI to my mum as she'll love this lipstick.

After being left unimpressed with Viva Glam IV, I was blown away by Verve. Oh my God. It's everything I've been looking for in a 'nude' lipstick. Okay, some of you might not think this is a nude shade but for me it is because I'm usually wearing reds. Verve has made it into my top lipsticks as it ticks every single box. It's in a Satin finish and is extremely comfortable to wear and stays put for absolute hours. It is so pigmented too!  I love the dark, nude shade and I think it suits me quite nicely. I also really love the fact it hasn't got any pink in the colour. I was weary of getting a lighter shade of lipstick in case I didn't like it but Verve is honesly amazing and I wouldn't change anything about it! MAC describes the shade as a ''muted brownish-plum''. It's such a 90's shade. Being a girl that love dark shades, Verve has definitely made a lasting impression on me. I find myself reaching for this lipstick all the time - especially when I want to do darker eye makeup.

I think you can guess that Verve has completely won both me and Rachel over. Viva Glam VI - not so much.

What's your favourite MAC purchase? Have you ever bought something you didn't like from MAC?

Leah and Rachel, x

Grunge Gal At Heart

What I'm Wearing: DRESS & SLIP, Missguided | BOOTS, River Island | COSMIC CHOKER, Shop Moon Child | BEST BITCHES BEST FRIENDS NECKLACE, Shop Moon Child | LIPSTICK, MAC Diva.

Introducing the newest addition to my Summer wardrobe, the cutest floral dress from Missguided! I think this is going to be one of my most worn items of clothing in Summer because it's so light and comfortable to wear. Another reason I really love this dress is because I can really style it up with fishnets, black boots and loads of necklaces. Little dresses like these are perfect for the grunge style. I used to be obsessed with grunge music! I used to listen to Hole - Courtney Love's band - and used to dream of owning all the babydoll dresses in the world. Complete with boots, red lipstick and messy hair of course! I'm not into listening to Hole anymore and more into Slipknot, Alice in Chains (my fave), Korn and all that stuff. However, a girl can't forget her roots can she? Oh, that's another thing I have perfected for this style; my roots are really long now and I hate them but I suppose I can embrace my dark hair roots for this grunge style! I can't wait to get my hair dyed soon though.

My two of my necklaces are from the AMAZING Shop Moon Child. We've already done a review on their shop, which you can read here (x) . Me and Rachel recently bought the Best Bitches best friend necklaces! Oh my God, amazing. Rachel obviously has the other necklace because we're the bestest of friends. You know friendship is real when you have Best Bitches necklaces.

Do you love the Grunge style?

Leah, x

Here's The Moon Asking To Stay | First Tattoo!

 Introducing my first ever tattoo, the cutest little smiling moon man on my left wrist. I had this done a couple of weeks ago but could only put a post up now as it's only just fully healed. I absolutely love it! Obviously, getting a tattoo is a daunting thing as it's going to be etched on your skin forever but I knew I needed some sort of moon tattooed on me. I've always been obsessed with the outer-space theme! My moon tattoo is better than I expected! I couldn't of asked for a cuter little face on my moon tattoo. I love the detail, the shading and the slightly bumpy lines so the moon looks vintage. I look at him whenever I feel alone or upset.

It didn't take long at all, probably around 30 minutes if that! and I didn't know what to expect when it came to the tattoo pain but I deal with needles and pain quite well, haha! I actually didn't find this painful at all, rather a hot scratch. Either way, I am SO pleased with my tattoo and I definitely want more already!

Have you got any tattoos?

Leah,x

Yves Rocher | The Perfect Smokey Eye.

Yves Rocher is fast becoming one of our favourite brands. If you are a regular on our blog, you will have seen that we we're absolutely blown away by Yves Rocher's new Serum Vegetal day and night creams (read our review here!) so you can imagine our excitement when we we're kindly sent Yves Rocher's make up to review for our blog!  We recieved the Quad Eyeshadow Sumptuous Color in Red Hot Brown*, the Fixing Eyelid Primer*, the newly released Creamy Kohl* and the Mascara Volume Vertige*. Seeing as we had only tried the skincare range, we we're so excited to try the makeup. Every girl can't resist new makeup, can they? Especially when it's from Yves Rocher, botanical beauty masters.

First up we have the Quad Eyeshadow Sumptuous Color in Red Hot Brown* and the Fixing Eyelid Primer*. We we're both super excited about trying out the eyeshadows - we are self-confessed eyeshadow junkies! Having not used  an eyeshadow primer before, I was also looking forward to testing that out too. I found the primer super comfortable to wear on my eyes and it's really did make a difference to my eyeshadow's staying power! The primer is none greasy and keeps the eyeshadow in place all day with creasing. I was definitely pleasantly surprised by this product. It's a must-have for any girl that wants a dramatic eye look that stays put all day. The eyeshadow quad is just beautiful. It's as simple as that! I really love the way the two lighter shades in the quad are super shimmery. They work great as highlighters and really open up the eye. The two brown shades are just as gorgeous. My favourite shade in the whole palette is the dark brown. It's really matte and adds so much depth to my eye. I love blending it in my crease.

As you can see in one of the photographs above, Yves Rocher also include an easy step-by-step guide on how to achieve the perfect smokey eye using the quad of eyeshadows, making this the perfect quad for a either a beginner or an expert! I can create many looks using this palette, whether I want a simple eye, classic brown eye or a glamourous smokey eye, this is the most versitile quad in my collection. I love the packaging too. The big mirror makes it so easy to touch up your look on the go! I just love the shiny case it's in too.

The eyeliner arrived just in time for us as we we're both in need of a new kohl liner! I prefer using kohl pencil to liquid liners but I always hate sharpening them! But with this beauty, sharpening is a thing of the past! This one simply twists up and is ready to apply. I just love it! I love how thick the stick is but I still find I can apply a thin line of black on my eyes. The colour is ultra black, my absolutely favourite of course! The ONLY issue I have with this liner is that it smudges. A LOT! I don't advise using this liner in your waterline as it does cause quite a bit of mess.The mascara is just amazing and curls my lashes to perfection. I love the shape of the brush as it just combs through my eyelashes and leaves no clumps. It's really black and the thing I absolutely love about this mascara is that it dries so quick. So when I blink after doing my mascara, I don't end up with half it underneath my eyes! Obviously, I'm in love.

Well, There you have it! Yves Rocher are complete masterminds when it comes to both skincare and makeup cosmetics! I know I will definitely be looking into more from the brand. Will you be checking it out too?

Leah and Rachel, x

MAC Cranberry Eyeshadow Pot Review and Swatches.

MAC is renouned for it's amazing lipsticks but today I wanted to share a little love with their incredible eyeshadows! The one I'm talking about in particular is the eyeshadow pot in the shade Cranberry. It's not your usual colour and caught my eye immediately. It's an absolutely stunning reddish, pinky purple shade. The MAC website describes Cranberry as ''red plum with pink shimmer''. I've never really experimented much with eyeshadows colours and usually stick with browns so I thought I'd get Cranberry for my eighteenth birthday to add in my collection.

Packaged in MAC's famous little black pot, it is small and easy to keep in your make up bag. The finish of this is frost so when you apply this eyeshadow it looks shimmery on your eye lid. It's not over the top at all and just adds to the overall beauty of the shade. I absolutely love this eyeshadow. It's everything I wanted and more! I was worried in case I wouldn't be able to pull off such a bold colour but Cranberry is now a firm favourite. It's so much more wearable than what I thought it was going to be.

The MAC eyeshadows blend beautifully and apply evenly. They are so pigmented too and don't fade or crease through out the day. Cranberry is definitely the most vibrant shade I have. I think the red/pink colour with suit all eye colours and make your eyes 'pop'! If you want an eyeshadow that makes an impact, this is for you!

Cranberry might look a little scary in the pot with it being such an unusual colour but on the eyes it's everything you want in an eyeshadow! I don't think I've saw any other brand do a shade as beautiful as this little pink/red number! I love wearing Cranberry with brown shades and  a little bit of highlighter in the inner corner of my eye. It creates such a nice smokey eye with a twist.

At £13, it may be expensive but a little certainly goes a long way! Will you be buying Cranberry?

Leah, x

1000 Followers | Facts About Us!

As we reached 1000 followers on bloglovin! we wanted our followers to know more about the bloggers behind Beyond The Velvet! Thank you to everyone that follows and reads our blog, it means so much to us as this blog means a lot to us. We've always wanted to blog but it wasn't until August last year that we finally started to blog. Since then we have fallen in love with blogging and couldn't imagine not having a blog! Thank you for following and all of your lovely comments mean everything to us!

Here are some facts about us! 

• We're identical twins.
• Rachel was born 10 minutes before Leah.
• Leah is taller even though she is the youngest.
• We're best friends and we hardly ever fight or argue :)
• We have an older sister called Caroline.
• We love listening to Rock music and heavy metal!
• If we had to choose, Alice In Chains, Korn, Slipknot and Pantera are our favourite bands but is so many great bands out there that we're obsessed with!
• Jonathan Davis (singer from Korn) actually liked our picture (of us!!) on instagram. I literally died. I love you so much Jon! I can't believe he's saw our faces and knows we exist ahaha.
• We play guitar, drums and bass guitar. 
• We were homeschooled since the age of 15 because we were bullied in school. 
• We're both very shy and suffer with social anxiety.
• We smoke the odd cigarette, haha.
• We're aiming to dye our hair every colour of the rainbow (semi-permanent of course!)
• We love the sun and summer.
• We're addicted to Coffee!
• We like to think our style is differnet to the norm. We love anything lace, velvet, vintage, goth and grunge.
• The Walking Dead is just the best show ever! I love The Following too!
• We love accessories and everything with a pentagram on it is just dreamy.
• Leah has a tattoo and we're planning on getting some more soon.
• My favourite lipstick right now is 'Diva' lipstick from MAC.
• We've saw Korn and Slipknot in concert and we're seeing Korn again in July this year! To say we're excited is an understatment!
• Our favourite films is 'Some Like It Hot' 
• Marilyn Monroe is one of our idols.
• Putting makeup on is such a chore but I can never have a day off!
• We want very long hair, so long that we can sit on it!
• I love my little furbaby more than life itself! My little Heidi is just the cutest and I love her so much. My sister's dog Megan is also so cute and loving. I really don't know what I'd do without my dogs in my life. 
• We love, love, love drawing. Art is just so fun and relaxing but it is very frustrating at times.
• I have too much makeup.
• We're both addicted to buying lipstick.
• We're the biggest fan girls you'll ever meet, haha. 

Well, hope that wasn't too boring haha. Thanks for reading and I hope your all having a great Easter Sunday if you are celebrating.

Got any facts about yourself that you'd want to share? We'd love to know :)

Love Rachel & Leah, x x x

March 2015 Favourites & Life Lately

Yay, our blog reached 1000 followers yesterday! Thank you everyone that reads our little blog. Creating Beyond The Velvet has been one of the best things we have done in a long time and we love writing it. Thank you everyone for following our blog, it means so much to us!
March was a good month for spending our money on things that we didn't really need but every girl needs to treat herself once in a while, haha. Let's have a look at our favourites for last month!

We bought our mum Makeup Revolution's Ultra Blush Palette - £6 (full review here) for Mother's day and she let us share it with her. Neither of us have owned a blush palette before but all of the colours are so pretty in this palette and perfect for spring and summer. I especially love the highlighting shades and this palette has some darker blushes for all the contouring junkies out there! We're also loving Shop Moon Child! Shop Moon Child sell gorgeous jewellery with a mystic gothy vibe and I couldn't help but buy the Cosmic Chain Choker - £4.99 (full review here). This choker is so unique and I love the different coloured stones.

We bought Maybelline's Lash Sensational Lash Multiplying Mascara - £7.99 a few weeks ago after hearing so many good things about it and it has definitely lived up to the hype! This mascara is just like Benefit's Roller Lash mascara which is double the price of Lash Sensational mascara. After being sent Yves Rocher products we have fallen in love with the brand, especially the Serum Vegetal Night Cream - £21* (full review here). I have really noticed a difference in my skin since using this night cream as my skin looks hydrated, moisterised and so much clearer! As a complete lipstick junkie, I need to added L'Oréal Paris Color Riche Lipstick - 703 Oud Obsession which is a true 90's inspired lipstick!

This colour is my dream nail polish. I'm a fan of Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Nail Colours - £6.99. Red Zin is the perfect red shade. I've been wearing this polish for a few days and it's hardly chipped. The colour is so intense and pigmented. I love the look of this polish too as it looks so glossy and almost gel like.

My new favourite eyeshadow palette is Yves Rocher Quad Eyeshadow Sumptuous Colour - £12.50 in Red-hot brown. The shadows are so easy to apply and are really pigmented. There is also no drop out during the day and they are so long lasting without creasing.These eyeshadows create the perfect smokey eye look. I will do a full review later on this month :) Yves Rocher are such an amazing brand!

☾ Life: Leah got here first ever tattoo! It's a small half moon on her wrist and she's so in love with it. It's so perfect and will definitely do a post on it soon but you can see it on our instagram :) We're both going to get 'twin' tattoos and we can't wait! Life had been pretty boring lately other than feeling super shit and down about things haha sorry to be depressing!

☾ Music: My love for Alice In Chains is stronger than ever and I'm constantly listening to 'Dirt'. That album is just perfection.

☾ Watching: The Following is finally back on again and I'm obsessed, especially as Joe has came back in it again. We've both started watching The Walking Dead and as you can probably tell, we're both obsessed. We're now watching season 3 and oh my god Daryl is just amazing. I'm so inlove with him ❤ We're also watching Bates Motel which is just amazing!!

☾ Reading: I'm so tired I can barely keep my eyes open to read before I go to sleep but I'm reading the 'Fallen' series. I'm still undecided about these books but I just need to know what the hell happens at the end, haha, x

What are your favourites from last month?

Love Rachel & Leah, x

Hello April

WHAT I'M WEARING: Blouse, Forever 21 | SKIRT, Boohoo | SHOES, River Island | CHOKER, River Island | BRACELET, Shop Moon Child.

I've kind of missed ootd posts on our blog. It's been so hard to take pictures as the weather is awful right now but I just love this outfit and had to do a post on it despite the rain. I'm wearing one of my favourite blouses from Forever 21. It's my favourite colour and so different to everything else that I own. It's nice to start wearing a bit more colour as the summer is coming up. I decided to treat myself to some boots and found these beauties in the River Island sale along with the thick black choker. These boots are honestly the best boots ever and look so perfect with all of my outfits. River Island do the best sales ever as my boots and the choker only cost £18, can you believe it?! 

I tried to take some pictures of my hair as it's purple right now. It's kind of washed out but I'm still loving putting bright colours through my hair. I'm also obsessed wearing my hair in 90's inspired styles so stay tuned for some posts on them!

Love Leah, x