My Shu Uemura lash loves

Every so often us women need a little artificial help.

Now I'm not talking anything drastic like Botox or surgery but it is amazing what a pair of false lashes will do in both enhancing appearance and confidence.

I don't know why but I feel like a whole new women wearing falsies, especially when I'm wearing my Shu Uemura's.

Yes, there are loads of great false eyelashes on the market for under a fiver, Ardell and Eylure's Girls Aloud sets being some of the best but nothing seems to beat my Shu's and I always end up reaching for them when getting ready for a night out.

At around £12-£20 they may seem pricey but trust me they are well worth it. Shu has an amazing range of unique and beautiful lashes which not only look amazing can be used over and over again, making them well worth every penny.

Here are my faves:

Personally I prefer corner lashes, if you have almond shaped eyes like I do I find these look the best and really enhance my eye shape. I do like the look of full lashes but I've never really found a pair that looks right on me so I end up cutting them to leave the outer corner.

The lashes above are my absolute favourite ever, they are the Mini Khaki and create the most amazing, fluttery, girly lashes.

They are a mix of black lashes with a light green which sounds odd I know but they look amazing on. I must have worn these at least 15 times since I purchased them last year for a New Years Eve party.

In the photo above and below I'm wearing my beloved Mini Khakis, hopefully you can see how they create such a gorgeous shape to the eye and really enhance the almond shape without looking too dramatic.

Me and Hele last New Years!

Now I'm not the kind of girl that does bling, crystals are not usually my thing but I couldn't resist these Madonnaesque corner lashes.

I've had these for quite a while but was a bit unsure to wear them as they aren't the most natural falsies but this New Year's I thought to hell with natural and dug them out.

Lily and I before we went to a New Years party so you can see what they look like with my eyes open. They add a subtle amount of length and flick when looking straight on, it isn't until I look down or close my eyes that you see the bling.

I have been converted. I love the crystals, they add just a little something to a somewhat otherwise pretty boring eye look.

They were a little fiddly to apply as the diamantes mean the part of the lash you stick to your eyelid is more rigid but I eventually got them on OK.

If I was to wear a full lash then these are my favourites, they aren't your usual full falsies, the V shape really makes them stand out and create a gorgeous effect with your own lashes.

Unfortunately I don't have a picture of me wearing the Black V lashes but they really are pretty on and unique in shape.

Apart from their amazing range of gorgeous falsies Shu Uemura also do the best lash glue I've ever used, no matter which brand of lashes I wear I always use this glue. It comes in a cute little white tube containing 7g of product for £12. I've had mine over a year and it's still 3/4 full.

It keeps lashes glued all night, is easy to apply and although looks white on first appearance turns clear when it dries making any mistakes invisible.

I have 5 pairs in total and I love them, there are so many to choose from, full, corner, individual, natural, dramatic, feathered, lace and all different colours. If you love your false eyelashes and are looking for something a bit different its definitely worth a trip to your nearest Shu lash bar.

I've always purchased mine from Harvey Nichols but they also stock them in other department stores and online at Space NK here.

What are your favourite false lashes? Tempted to try Shu Uemura's range?
xxx

A nail polish with my name on it...

Quite literally.

I'd like to say this was named after me but if I'm honest I don't think it was. Wouldn't it be great to inspire a nail polish colour and have your name on it.

I like to think of it as my polish anyway!

It is made by the all natural nail care company, Butter London, so not only is the colour to die for it's good for you too, no nasty chemicals here.

They have a great range of colours in their 3 Free range (NO Formaldehyde, NO Toluene and NO DBP (Phthales) ) and they are great quality.

Yummy Mummy applies evenly, the formulation is creamy and lasts a reasonably long time especially when a top coat such as Seche Vite is applied.

Yummy Mummy is the most gorgeous neutral shade, in some lights and depending on the number of coats you apply it is a beautiful dove grey colour and in others a beige shade with a hint of lilac.

It is described on their website as being their 'Magic' lacquer, they say that Yummy Mummy suits all skin tones and is the colour to choose if you can't decide and I totally agree.

This colour is beautiful in real life and is the perfect everyday neutral which would suit fair to dark skin colours perfectly.

As you can see it is 'magic', it so strange I've never had a polish like it, it changes colours constantly.

In the top picture it is a pretty beige shade and in the lighting of the photo where it is applied to my nails it looks a gorgeous grey.

If your looking to invest in Butter London polishes they sell for £12 on their website but I actually purchased mine via Zuneta for a little bit cheaper at £9.79, every little helps!

Oh and BTW in my latest YT video I'm having a New Years Giveaway and I'm giving one lucky winner a Butter London gift set as part of the prize so if you'd like a chance of winning check my video out - here.

If you are a Yummy Mummy or have a weakness for natural coloured nail polishes this is definitely one to try.

Has anyone else tried Butter London?Any good shades to buy?I need more!
xx

I must have been a good girl!

I know it's a bit late to still keep talking about Christmas after all it's long gone now ( sad but true). As of yesterday life is back to normal, festive celebrations are over and I can get back to doing what I love doing best, blogging!

One of my new years resolutions is to blog more often, every other day to be precise and make at least two videos a week. 2010 is the first year I've made any resolutions so we'll see how it goes.

Anyway onto the good stuff, what Santa bought me this year. I must have been really good this year as I was spoilt rotten. Here are a few things I got apart from the usual gift vouchers and socks.

Introducing my new love, the Vitello Lux by Miu Miu, a gorgeous reddy brown shoulder bag. I searched high and low for this handbag, I went to every city and surfed every website to find this baby.

I finally found what I was looking for the weekend before Christmas in Leeds and it was love at first sight.
I love the battered leather effect it has which I think will help it to age well and the gorgeous bow details on each side. I haven't used any other bag since I got this one, it is perfect, just the right size and can be casual or smart =LOVE.

Another non-makeup item I got this year which I love and mean a lot to me are these cute earrings.

When I graduated this year my parents gave me a lovely Monica Vinader gold ring with square tigers eye stone set in it which I treasure and wear every day. I was so happy when I opened this box as my wonderful grandma had bought me the matching earrings!!

Onto the good stuff -

Christmas Makeup!

Nothing makes me happier than makeup, again sad but true and the sight of a few black and white Space NK bags under the tree had me desperate to rip them open.

Firstly your probably wondering whats in the big yellow box, well my naughty grandma also got me this lovely gift set as well as the earrings!

Nina Ricci's L'Air du Temps, I have never seen or tried this before but on first impressions it is not what I would personally go for but it is pleasant. I love the bottle though, gorgeous dressing table ornament, it has glass love birds on the lid.

Onto eyeshadows, I received two duos this year, both are lovely and have colours I don't already have in my collection.

This is Nars's Eurydice duo from their winter collection, a lovely deep plum with blue glitter running through it, really unusual and beautiful. It is paired with a dark grey with silver reflects, perfect for a smokey eye which I'm really getting into at the moment.

I also was kindly sent this Hourglass duo as a Christmas present from a great website for hard to find, high end cosmetics, Zuneta, it is the net-a-porter of makeup.

This Visionaire duo in Prism is gorgeous and again consists of colours I would never have chosen but am so glad I have. The pigmentation on these are fab and so soft.

Swatches of both

Nars Eurydice above and Hourglass Prism below

The next item probably has to be my favourite gift this year, I remember seeing the Sonia Kashuk Faubourg Saint Honore set in Space NK a few months ago and falling in love. The quality is amazing and there were a few brushes that I had to have but the 120 pounds price tag put me off.

Luckily Hel, who bought it for me was able to get it just before Christmas in the winter sale for half price. The leather case is a lovely lilac, perfect for travelling and the brushes are amazing, especially the mini foundation brush and fluffy eyeshadow brush.

Personally I think Sonia Kashuk's brushes are great quality and would use them over my Mac any day so if you are interested in trying some Space NK is having a great winter sale with her brushes starting at just four pounds, bargain, click here to see.

Another item from Space NK I was desperate to try was their By Terry special edition Or de Rose which is basically the same as Baume de Rose but with a gorgeous addition.

I was so surprised when I found this in my stocking, what a fabulous gift. As you can see above it is the same milky pinky white formula as the infamous Baume de Rose but with luxurious 24carat rose gold particles running through it.

Nothing says glamour like a spot of gold, I knew By Terry was a high-end brand but putting real gold in lip balm is amazing while at the same time a little ridiculous but hey I'm not complaining.

The particles create a lovely subtle shimmer to the lips which looks amazing when applied over a pale nude or pink lipstick.

Here it is alone on the lips.

Illamasqua was feeling particularly festive this year and kindly sent me some products for Christmas. I was so excited opening this parcel, I really like a lot of their products but don't buy as much as I'd like to as I don't live near a store that sells them.

Sonnet lipstick - a gorgeous pale peach matte lipstick, not at all moisturising so best applied with Vaseline underneath and looks gorgeous with Mac's Florabundance or Feelin' Dreamy lipgloss.

Unrequited powder blusher - a really pretty bright barbie pink blush, looks lovely alone blended well or with a lilac toned blush on top such as Smashbox Flush, the combo is gorgeous.

Snap nail polish - a colour I would have never chosen but I actually love and looked perfect around Christmas/New Year time. A deep grey with subtle shimmer.

Lewd volume mascara - not the best mascara to be honest, didn't do much for my eyelashes but I found that applied alone to the lower lashes it really bought out my blue eyes as it's a deep blue colour. Using a lighter shade other than black, say brown or blue underneath always makes eyes appear bigger, just a little tip.

Swatches

Sonnet lipstick, Unrequinted and YSL 142.

Lily knows how much I love my YSL lippies and gave this to me on Christmas morning. It is the Rouge Pur in number 142, a lovely natural peach. It isn't as nude as I usually go for but actually looks really natural and pretty on the lips.

Last but not least is this gorgeous nail polish I got given by Hele.

Not the best photo but this polish is lovely, the perfect bright barbie pink and I love the name, Hot Pants. I've always wanted a Rococo polish but I've never really been a big spender on polishes so I'm so grateful I got given one to try.

They are from Space NK and are great for gifts, they come in this gorgeous box and have some lovely colours.

Sorry for the long post but I didn't want to do it in parts. Well done if you got all the way through.

Hope you all had a fab Christmas/New year and got everything you wanted from Santa!

xxx