My Night Out Essentials

I'm a sucker for a night out. There, I said it. As much as I love a good night in complete with takeaway curry and a good film or two, as soon as I get that "you coming out?" text, I'm straight in the shower and throwing back a rum and coke. Whether it's a case of FOMO or just being a weak ass bitch, I just can't resist getting dolled up, having a good old dance and doing one two many shots of vodka. And since moving from my tiny little hometown with one nightclub to Manchester, I've loved going out and trying out all the different clubs and bars, as well as really switching up my look. It's almost as if I have an alter ego some nights. Seriously, last weekend I was 26 year old Isla from London who'd been married for 6 years. Don't ask. So why not share with you some of my recent night out essentials...

In terms of makeup, nights out are where I really like to experiment with my look. Whether that's brightening up my lip colour or smoking up my eyes, you really can go wild with colours, glitter and highlight. I'm all about the highlight. Generally I also have a lot more time to mess around with my makeup without fear of being late for work or a train, so you can afford to re-do things if they don't quite work out the way you wanted. My basic staples however, generally remain the same. Makeup Forever Ultra HD Foundation in the shade Y315 is my holy grail. Seriously, this is my third bottle of the stuff. This foundation provides amazing buildable coverage in one coat while still looking natural, like your skin only better. They have an amazing shade range available from light to dark across warm and cool undertones. Paired with the Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray, this is one base combination that won't budge, no matter how many shots miss my mouth or how many hours I spend dancing. Ever since a dark purple mishap a few months ago, I've tended to stick to nude shades on my lips just for ease of topping up and less worry about bright red teeth. For the ultimate nude combo I've combined Mac Whirl lipliner, that ever so popular Kylie Jenner brown with The Balm's Meet Matte Hughes in Committed. For a lip look that lasts, a liquid lipstick is probably your best option. Though generally more drying than other options, these will last through eating, drinking and even kissing and The Balm's option provide all over opaque colour in one swipe along with a nice minty scent.

Another essential has to be dry shampoo, my favourite is the cherry scent from Batiste. As a rule I like to go out when my hair has't been washed in a day or two, just so that it has a little more texture to work with and is much easier to add volume too. If I've washed it that morning though, dry shampoo helps add a little extra texture for styling, as well as making it smell great. White nails are also a chic and simple option that really make a tan pop, my polish of choice is probably Blanc by Essie. A great formula that only needs two coats max as opposed to others that I find never build up to an opaque colour, no matter how many layers you painstakingly apply. Lashes these days are nearly always Red Cherry. Having been a die hard Eyelure fan for years now, I have officially been converted. Red Cherry are 100% human hair lashes (sounds gross but really, it's no different to me than wearing hair extensions). Because of this I find they look far more real, or as real as false lashes can look. They're also incredibly reasonably priced and have a huge range available.

And finally, the finishing touches. A very recent addition to my night out look have been coloured contact lenses. Specially the Sterling Grey lenses by Air Optix. You can order these in loads of different colours and in your own prescription from Vision Direct, great for those of us who struggle to see anything at all without glasses or regular contact lenses. Before ordering these I watched a lot of reviews and read a lot of posts about them, I wanted to be sure they were right for me and I wouldn't be doing anything that could put my eyes at risk (because you do here some horror stories) but I've found them to be very comfortable as well as looking pretty damn awesome. The grey work really well on brown eyes but you can always try out other colours on the Air Optix website using your own photo, sort of like a try before you buy. Chokers have been a huge fashion favourite for me recently, they're a little bit sexy and can make any outfit just that little bit edgier. The one I've featured above is from Boohoo but you can literally buy these at most fashion shops these days in all different fabrics and sizes. My scent of choice for a night out has to be Black Opium by YSL. It's the perfect feminine yet sexy and sensual scent with hints of vanilla, black coffee and white floral.

What are your night out essentials?