Scrabble anyone?

I love a good game of Scrabble; there's nothing quite like a good war of words around an open fire with a giant cup of tea, although to be honest the only Scrabble I've been playing recently is the Junior version with Lily.

She's pretty damn good at it too!

Anyway I'm veering off topic here a little, a few weeks ago while checking my latest blog updates I spotted a lovely blogger selling some unique jewellery.

Sinead over at DaintyDollyMix made these quirky Scrabble necklaces.

I ordered four in the end, one for a friend, one for Lily and two pour moi!

The chains are gold plated and come in two lengths, 18" at £4 and 24" at £5, she also does a similar one with a tiny gold heart for an extra 50p.

Delivery was a tiny £1 and they all came beautifully packaged in these pink net bags full of sparkles and fairies within 48 hours.

I love these cute necklaces and like supporting other bloggers and their talents so please check out Sinead's blog for more handmade and affordable jewellery designs.

xx

Carry on nominating

The first week of Help: a Heart, Nominate your Hero was a sweeping success with many of you entering the unsung heroes in your lives.

Last weeks winner was @SooperSandy who nominated her WW2 veteran neighbour via Twitter with the statement:

'My 86 year old WW2 veteran neighbour (is my hero). He bought a wheelchair to take his 'old boy' pals (the 90 year olds) to Burma Star events! Can't relate how fab my hero is in one tweet, he's amazing; he gardens the no-man's-land in our road and bought a bike last year.'

If there is someone extraordinarily kind or special in your life nominate them to be next weeks winner by:

- Leaving a comment on the campaign blog HERE

- E-mailing HelpaHeart@workswithwater.co.uk

- Tweeting at www.twitter.com/HelpaHeart using the hash tag HelpaHeart in the tweet

- Writing on the Facebook wall www.facebook.com/HelpaHeart

xxx

Guerlain Blush G Serie Noire

After seeing all the promo images for the latest Spring/Summer 2011 cosmetic collections one product caught my eye, it screamed 'you must buy me' and ' Holly you need me in your life'.

That one product was Guerlain's new Blush G!

You know that when a product comes in a velvet pouch its going to be pricey and boy was this pricey, at 41 pounds I think its the single most extravagant make-up purchase I've ever made.

But then again it's also the most beautiful product I've ever laid eyes on and I had to have it no matter what the price tag was.

The packaging is stunningly simple and sophisticated made from a gorgeous glossy black metal feel plastic.

Can you see now why I fell in love with the Blush G??

Simple beautiful isn't it.

The blush is made up of four separate shades, a bright coral followed by a fuchsia, pale rose and a soft pink.

All have a soft gold sheen to them similar to Nars blushes, so if you like that subtle glow on your cheeks you'll love the Blush G!

The compact is two tiered with a large built in mirror and a section for the bright pink brush that comes with it.

Although the brush is beautifully soft I doubt I'll ever use it due to the flat shape, no stripey blush for me!

Beautifully bright in the pan whats great about the Blush G is that it looks amazing sheer or can be easily built up for a more intense colour depending on how you feel.

The different colours can also be used alone, in pairs or all together to create different shades making it overall a very versatile blush to have in y0ur collection.

Swatched strongly and not blended in. Left to Right, coral, fuchsia, rose and soft pink which is the only shade that doesn't have the best colour payoff more of just a highlight really.

Blended in! Left to Right, coral, fuchsia, rose and soft pink.

All shades apart from the soft pink are finely milled and have pretty good pigmentation depending on which brush you use to apply them.

I've been wearing the bottom two more subtle shades most days for a nice pink glow but yesterday I swirled them all together which created a bright but gorge0us corally pink.

All shades swirled together.

The Blush G is fabulous, beautiful to look at and versatile to use, a truly extravagant treat for yourself.

Have you been tempted by Guerlain's summer collection?The Blush G caught your eye?

xxx

Help: a Heart, Nominate a Hero campaign

Feeling the love today I decided to put on my new monochrome heart jumper this morning in honour of Works with Water Nutraceuticals latest campaign to celebrate the unsung heroes in our lives.

I'm the first to admit that sometimes with a busy lifestyle I often forget to appreciate the people that really mean the most to me. The people I rely upon to get me through tough times, the people that are always there and go out of their way to help me in some way and I'm sure your no different.

So when I was approached to become an ambassador for the campaign I jumped at the chance to spread the love and to help you to say a special thank you to the unsung hero in your life.


Every week for four weeks you can nominate your everyday hero in various ways by stating who that person is and why they mean so much to you.

The most compelling entry each week will win an exclusive breakfast-in-bed Healthy Heart Warming Hamper which will be delivered to your hero with a personalised note.

Nominate by:

- Leaving a comment on the campaign blog HERE

- E-mailing to HelpaHeart@workswithwater.co.uk

- Tweeting at www.twitter.com/HealpaHeart using the #HelpaHeart in the tweet

- Or writing on the Facebook wall at www.facebook.com/HelpaHeart

The first winner will be announced on the 21st January and subsequent winners every Friday after ending 11th February.

The campaign is part of Works with Water's larger campaign to raise awareness of heart health and throughout the four weeks they will be offering 35% off both of it's natural healthy heart supplements help: cholesterol and help: heart online.

15% of the profits during the month will be donated to Tiny Tickers a charity to help babies with heart disease.

If you'd like to say a special thank you to someone you maybe take for granted or that really deserves a treat for all their kindness then please take part in the campaign.

xxx

Make your heart throb

Not being loved up this year (no awww's please) meant that Valentines Day hadn't even crossed my mind until this gorgeous package slipped through my letterbox yesterday.

A far cry from the usual cheese you see around February, Illamasqua's latest mini collection shows a sultry side to Valentines.

The promo images for Throb are simply beautiful, I love the bold brows, Precision Ink flick and sculpted red lip.

There are three nail polishes in the collecti0n, Throb (classic red), Load (white) and Scorn ( black).

I am addicted to 'Old Hollywood' nails at the moment and wear a lot of red polish so I was so happy to see I had been kindly sent Throb to try.

Throb is a gorgeous cherry red, classic and fail safe.

The consistency is good and thick enough to cover my white tipped acrylics in one coat.


I was also sent the Intense Lipgloss in Succubus, a stunning scarlet which looks amazing in the tube but to be quite honest I was a little scared of.

I have NEVER EVER worn a red lip before.

I've been easing my way towards one though, towards some colour. I got into corals last summer and plums in the winter so it's about time I gave it a go really.

So here it is applied sheerly ( a starting point).

Lightly applied.

The colour payoff is amazing, intense indeed, giving more of a lipstick coverage but with an ultra shiny gloss finish.

The formula is not madly sticky but just sticky enough to make the colour last on the lips which was a good few hours on me.

As the colour was so strong it was no easy feat getting it on right but I really found the unique, plastic applicator much better then the usual doe foot or brush wands for allowing precision.

Full on.

Please excuse the terrible picture but I had just got back from the Dentist so was still all numbed up and too lazy to re-apply make-up or hair!

But I couldn't wait to try on Succubus so here it is full on, true to colour.

Overall I really like Illamasqua's edgy yet essentially classic take on Valentines, whether your loved up or not Throb is a collection worth looking at. Subtly hint to a loved one or treat yourself this VD.

Available at counters at the end of January and online.

Will you be hinting to your heart throb??
xxx

The key to a flawless face

I've been on the mission for flawless skin for years now; a firm believer that the base is the most important part of a make-up routine hence my subsequent obsession with primers, foundations, concealers and setting sprays.

One great base = a flawless face in my opinion.

Now, before you all think I've discovered the perfect foundation or some kind of miracle skin cream I haven't.

But what I have found is a tool to help you achieve a great looking base no matter what foundation you use.

Dry sponges: Yellow - Sephora precision sponge, Top - Beauty Blender and Right - Cosmopolitan Blend Perfection

By introducing a beauty blending sponge into your routine it will change your life, well not literally but you get the gist.

I have come to rely on these egg shaped beauties every day for the past six months to help me get skin perfection and I honestly can't see myself ever being without one.

What do you do and how does it work?

The key to using a beauty blending sponge is to bounce, bounce, bounce and bounce some more.

Most people advise wetting the sponge before use and squeezing it until it is a little damp to get the best finish but personally I prefer using mine dry.

Wet sponges, L-R : Cosmopolitan, Beauty Blender, Sephora.

I apply my foundation as normal using a Mac 189 foundation brush all over the face, I then blend with my fingers to ensure there are no visible lines.

I will then apply a concealer where its needed and to ensure I get the best finish possible for my base I would take a blending sponge (dry) and bounce it over areas that tend to get cakey.

Mainly between my eyebrows, eye area, sides of the nose and the chin.To see how check out my Foundation Routine video here.

The sponge picks up any excess foundation and helps to blend the products into your skin seamlessly, leaving it looking more natural and giving an airbrushed appearance.

As you can see I currently have three but the one I use the most is the least expensive of the bunch and in my opinion miles better.

I shun using the original BeautyBlender (14.50pounds) which after several washes goes a little nasty and the Sephora Precision sponge (9pounds) which is 'rock hard' and opt for Cosmopolitan's amazing Blend Perfection Sponge instead.

This sponge is great quality, washes well, super soft, a great shape for getting into contoured spaces and of course a great price!

At just under a fiver (from Superdrug) it's well worth the money.

I absolutely love blending sponges since using them I waved bye bye to cakiness and welcomed a flawless base daily.

Have you ever given sponges a go? Tempted?

xxx

Mac Cham Pale

If you're a neutral lover who's partial to a bit of sparkle then Mac's latest collection, Cham Pale will be right up your street.

Judging by my tiny haul you've probably guessed it's not up mine.

Neutrals yes, shimmer, no.

None the less I still was interested enough to check the collection out at my local counter and walked away with two things.

I'm a huge Fix+ fan and loved the rose infused version from the Rose Romance collection last summer so I had to get the new Lavender version.

Before I purchased I'd read a few disappointed reviews regarding the scent, many said it didn't smell like lavender but unless my sense of smell is going, it does.

If you're a fan of the herbal/botanical scent of many of Liz Earle's products then you'll probably like the smell of this like I do.

Fix+ is a daily essential in my foundation routine and if you want a flawless, dewy finish which I'm sure many of you do then its really worth investing in a setting spray.

It has multiple uses and if you were wondering what they were check out my 5 ways to use Fix+, below.



I dismissed all of the lipsticks and ligelees immediately due to their frosty finishes but did almost consider buying the quad as it was gorgeous.

It contained Brule (Permanent), Retrospeck (Permanent) which I already own, Et tu Bouquet (Re-promote) and Caviar Dreams (LE) but amazingly resisted due to the eyeshadow overload I currently have.

For me, the paint pots were the stand out product from the whole collection which came in four gorgeous and very wearable shades.

Admittedly I did go with the intention of buying three but when swatched the other two I wanted were much sheerer with more shimmer than the one I purchased.

Vintage Selection is much more opaque in it's finish compared to Chilled on Ice (soft gold), Let Me Pop (peach copper) and Dangerous Cuvee (cool grey).

I've been wearing Vintage Selection all over the lid alone for the past few days and I love it, it is silky soft to apply, doesn't budge when dry and the colour is beautiful.

It's a mid tone taupe with a hint of peach and almost identical to Urban Decay's Sin Primer potion and Sin eyeshadow which came in the Naked palette.

If you were considering the Sin UDPP then this paint pot is a great alternative or visa versa if you have Sin UDPP already then maybe this isn't an essential for you ( I now have both though!).

Left - Vintage Selection Right - UD Sin eyeshadow

Overall I love my two purchases from Cham Pale, the paint pots are worth looking at and if you missed out on Stereo Rose MSF then the new Special Reserve highlight powder in Rose Ole is a paler version when swatched.

Cham Pale is now available online and in stores.

Have you hauled Cham Pale? What did you get?
xx