The Yummy Mummy's Beauty Blog

The knotted plait

2012-02-09T22:00:00.002Z

Every time I get my hair done I always leave the hairdressers with that beautiful but painfully boring 'salon done' hair. You know, the big, bouncy, shiny style that you could never in a million years recreate at home.

After years of this and probably due to the fact that I have to sit in those swivel chairs every seven or so weeks, I'm now deadly against the high maintenance blow dry. It's gorgeous but slightly dull, almost too perfect in a way!

So today I asked for something different. Poker straight wasn't an option, neither were curls so my stylist came up with this and I love it, hence the random and somewhat impromptu post.

I've been going to this stylist for the past six months and for the first time in a long time I really feel that my hairdresser gets me and what I want from my hair. As well as working in a salon she also works for GHD on their creative team so always knows the latest looks and techniques.

The look she did on me was one she came up with over the weekend with GHD, a new kind of plait. It has no official name, but I'm going to call it the Knotted Plait, because if you look closely she actually tied/knotted parts of my hair in loops.

I wish I could share with you how she did this but I'm not entirely sure tbh, I will try to recreate it tomorrow and let you know how I get on. Alternatively, those of you with a flair for hair please share if you can work out how to do it from the pictures above :).

Ohh and doesn't my skin look nice if I don't say so myself, I have discovered a new foundation that I truly think is THE ONE, more on this soon.
xxx

An impulsive buy - Chanel Le Vernis in June

2012-02-08T16:40:00.005Z

My buying habits have changed a lot over the years of being a beauty blogger and I'm much more restrained than I used to be.

It isn't often that I make an impulsive purchase nowadays, however, the occasional slip up does occur and funnily enough it seems to always be when I'm in too close a proximity to the pricier cosmetics counters.

One such slip up happened last week when I experienced a sudden and slightly overwhelming urge to splurge whilst passing Chanel's new Spring collection.

Two things caught my eye, the seriously gorgeous but unnecessary Blush Horizon De Chanel and this polish.

Number 539, June.

I can pinpoint a peach within seconds (talented, hey?) and under the harsh department store lights this did look very peach, almost like a lux version of Barry M's Peach Melba which btw I love.
Frustratingly, those lights can be incredibly misleading. I should have known better and done my research first, because when I got this home it was clear that this was no peach but in fact an orange! A polish imposter!

Swatch on nails

I'm not denying that it's a beautiful shade, it is, in fact it's stunning but just not one that agrees with my skin tone unfortunately. Flattering peaches on me need a little more pink to them, I'm far to pale to pull of a shade this fruity.

I'm gutted, I had hoped this would be my 'go to' spring varnish much like Paradoxal is for me in the winter months. Oh well, but I guess this is what happens when you impulse buy.

For those of you blessed with a great tan or darker skin tone then this would look amazing on your nails, it screams summer. There are also two other shades in this collection, April, a gorgeous garnet and May, a pretty soft pink.

Have you experienced the urge to splurge recently? What did you buy?
xxx

IMATS 2012

2012-02-03T13:07:00.001Z

If your make-up crazy then I've no doubt you will have heard all about IMATS, the International Make-up Artist Trade Show, which takes place this weekend in London.

It's heaven for the make-up obsessed, a shopaholics dream. Alexandra Palace will be packed full of more lipsticks and brushes than you can ever imagine, but aside from the shopping there are also professional talks and demonstrations from industry experts throughout the day so you can learn a thing or two.

I'll be going this Sunday and it will be my third time attending IMATS. I first went in 2008 when it was a civilised affair, it wasn't packed, there was no pushing and oh, it was a third of the price.

Now it's a little different, I don't know if blogging is to thank for that but the last few times I've been it was manic and absolutely heaving with make-up mad women!

Although I'm not looking forward to the crowds I still can't wait to go this year. I was lucky enough to be given a press pass, I'm not sure my budget would have stretched to the hefty £60 on the door ticket price otherwise!! Eeeek!

If you are going and happen to spot me please come and say hi :)!
xxx

An injection of colour

2012-02-02T13:40:00.000Z

It's not often I do a style related post as, a) I don't have a boyfriend/photographer, b) there aren't any edgy locations I could use as a backdrop near me, c) I'm no model, nor am I particularly photogenic either and d) my outfits aren't exactly what I'd call inspiring.

I pretty much live in jeans. Day or night, smart or casual. So you see OOTD's wouldn't be the most interesting to read, however, a recent purchase prompted me to blog today about clothes rather than cosmetics.

For the past week I've shunned my many, many pairs of 'play it safe' denim and embraced jeans of the emerald variety, my very first pair of coloured jeans.

This, I presume is no biggie for most of you fashion savvy women, but for me it's a big step as I've always stuck to safe shades and traditional blue jeans in the past.

To be honest I'm not quite sure what prompted me to pick these up in Zara last week, but as soon as I tried them on I just had to have them. The fit wasn't perfect and I didn't expect it to be for £25 but just that slight injection of colour into my wardrobe excited me.

Here's what I wore:

Clothes
Jeans - Zara Basic, skinny leg with a slight stretch and gold zipper detailing at the ankle.
Vest top - H&M
Tunic - Zara
Shoes - Vivienne Westwood for Melissa Anglomania pumps- Link

Accessories
Watch - Micheal Kors- Link
Bangle- Accessorize sale - Link
Necklace - Accessorize
Ring - Isharya Filigree ring - Link
Nails - Barry M Bright Purple
Hair - conical wanded using Babyliss Pro - Link

I know I mentioned the fit wasn't the best, but it isn't bad either and for the price these Zara jeans are really, very nice.

They come in about five colours but non of the others grabbed me like the green did. I am after a cobalt blue pair though so if you know anywhere that does some let me know below :)!
xxx

Carmine's January Box

2012-01-26T12:15:00.002Z

There's nothing better than receiving a parcel, especially when it's contents are a complete surprise and I suspect, this is the very reason that some of you subscribe to beauty boxes.

Content wise, they can be hit and miss from month to month but the risk and suspense of something unexpected being delivered to your door is somehow addictive.

A surprise Special Delivery popped through my post at the weekend in the form of Carmine's January box and I thought I'd share it with you as there are a few products in this months box from brands that I've never used before and have been loving all week.

What's included?

Korres Wild Rose 24hr moisturiser - A 10ml deluxe sized sample of their intense brightening and hydrating day cream. A bit too thick and creamy for my skin but would be great for those with dryer complexions.

Eldora false eyelashes - The set of these handmade lashes I received is amazing, super dramatic but natural. I'm so glad these were included in the box otherwise I'd never have found their website, seriously it's a lash addicts heaven! They do great Shu Uemura lookalike lashes for a fifth of the price. RRP £3.90.

Balance Me Radiance Face Oil - Although the deluxe, 5ml sample looks small a little goes a long way with this. Use pre-moisturiser day and night to get your skin glowing!

Eyeko Fat Eye Stick - You know I love my UD 24/7 Shadow Pencils so I was super excited to see this included in the box. I've used it all week and I love it. Eyeko's Fat Stick is super creamy, versatile and long lasting on the lids. RRP £10.

Westlab Himalayan Pink Salt - You'll get one good baths use out of this sample which claims to give you detoxifying results of a 3-day fast in just 30 minutes!

As you can tell it's the make-up items which interested and impressed me the most. I love that I'd never have tried either of the above had they not come in my little black box.

I've already spotted some other shades of Eyeko's stick that I'm after over on ASOS and will be ordering some Shu dupes at Eldora later using the 50% off code that came in the box. (If you spend £15 you can get half off using eldoracarmine2012 at the checkout!)

Talking of discount codes, the box not only comes with great products to try but cash saving offers to use too if you like anything you receive.

Although this months offering isn't quite as exciting as previous months (November and December's were corkers) it is still a jolly nice box.

Carmine's beauty box costs £10 plus £2.75 postage a month and can be cancelled at any time so no contracts! If you are interested check out their website here!

Are you addicted to these monthly surprise boxes or not yet swayed by them?
xxx

Chanel Perfection Lumiere -an initial review!

2012-01-22T17:18:00.004Z

When Chanel announced they were discontinuing two of their best selling foundations, Pro and Mat (my HG) Lumiere, to replace them with one super, do it all, base I was mortified. Mat Lumiere, you see is my 'go to' foundation and one I always go back to.

My skin is hard to please and there haven't been many over the years that have worked quite so well on it, but the news of an improved version softened the blow a little.

The minute it hit counters last week I snapped it up and for the past week it's all I've worn. Although one week isn't quite enough to warrant a full review, it is however just enough to give an initial impression.

I would love to say I'm blown away by Perfection Lumiere but unfortunately this isn't the case. I like it so far but I don't LOVE it yet. I'm hoping it's a grower.

colour wise the selection is good, Chanel have produced 23 shades with multiple undertones so there should be one to match most.
smooth and easy to apply but very fast drying, blending needed immediately.
the scent is AMAZING! Fruitier and fresher than the usual Chanel smell.
coverage is good, it is mid-heavy.
I have oily skin and it is drying even on me! Those with DRY skin should stay well away.
The finish is NOT the most natural or undetectable, it is quite powdery. Keep it away from the eye area!
although advertised as luminous it is NOT, Pro lovers I feel will not get on with it's very matte finish.
Lasting power is average, I get oily very quickly and this lasts about 5 hrs without the need to blot/powder but if you have normal skin it would last well.

You know I love my lengthy and in depth reviews so I'll update you on this one in a few weeks for sure. Did you rush out and pick up Perfection Lumiere too? What do you think?xxx

Dream cream - YSL's Eyeliner Effet Faux Cils Long-wearing Cream liner

2012-01-12T14:42:00.004Z

I had thought using gel eyeliner was a thing of the past for me after I lost interest in them years ago when all my pots of Fluidline and BB Long-Wear Gel dried up and became hard to use.

As soon as this happened I swiftly moved on to liquid liner and never really looked back, that is, up until recently when a few shiny pots popped through the postbox as if to remind me just what I'd been missing out on.

And remind me they did. I'd long forgotten just how good gel liners were. Easier to apply than a liquid and more precise than a pencil. The perfect solution if you like a fuss free defined look that lasts!

I do, although I don't look like I do in this picture! Cue, slightly stern expression.

Anyway, back to the shiny pot that's helped change my mind, said pot is one of YSL's new Eyeliner Effet Faux Cils Long-wearing Cream Liners (what a mouthful) and I just love it!

Like all things YSL the quality is of course impeccable, it's by far the best gel liner or cream liner as they like to call it that I've ever used.

Want to know why?

Not only is the formula quite possibly the silkiest thing that's ever glided across my lids (no dragging here), it also offers intense pigmentation that lasts and I mean really lasts.

I have watery eyes and usually everything rubs off on me eventually, but it seems YSL's liner really is waterproof as this stuff just doesn't budge, not even on the bottom waterline.

p.s on this note it is smudgeable if you like your look a little softer but you have to do it immediately after application because this sets in seconds!

So we've established that the formula rocks, how about the application?

Well, the only downside to using gel/cream liner is that you need a brush to apply it. If you have one great, if not you'll need to buy one.

I've had a few over time and tried all shapes from slanted to flat and pointed but personally I find using a thin pointed brush the easiest and most versatile. Whether you want subtle or bold, straight or flicked a pointed brush allows you to create the look you like easily.

I used to love my Mac 210 until I lost it and since then my Louise Young LY24 has been the perfect replacement.

There are six shades available all in variations of black which I love because I never wear black, black as I find it too intense against my pale skin and blonde hair.

The almost black shade I've been wearing daily for the past few months is #2, Ashy Black, a deep graphite grey with subtle silver shimmer.

Although there are definite flecks of glitter in the pot, when applied they aren't obvious but help to create a slight metallic finish on the lids.

Yet again YSL have created another makeup bag must have for me in this dream cream and it's one I definitely recommend you checking out if you love gel eyeliners or are looking to try one, you won't regret it.

Do you use gel/cream liners? Which one's do you rate? I'd love to know as I'm going through a bit of a phase with them at the moment!
xxx

Festivities

2012-01-02T14:12:00.000Z

I had meant to do separate Christmas and New Years posts but you know how it goes around this time of the year; there's little time for anything other than eating and being merry!

Some gifts

My Christmas look

Face - YSL Teint Resist (foundation), Estee Lauder Maximum Cover (concealer), Mac Harmony blush (contour), Benefit Hoola (bronzer) and Tom Ford Frantic Pink (blusher).

Eyes - Urban Decay Naked 2 palette neutrals with Mac's Paint Pot in Let's Skate patted on the top for festive sparkle. YSL Eyeliner Effet Faux Cils in Ashy Black (gel liner), review to come. Benefit's They're Real (mascara).

Lips - Tom Ford Nude Vanille (lipstick) worn alone.

Hair - Babyliss Pro Conical wand - Review here.

Lily with her new skates!

New Years Eve'11!

Face - same as above apart from the blush, I used my all time fave Nars Sin.

Lips - Tom Ford Nude Vanille with Mac's Glamour For All gloss.

Eyes - Chanel Illusion d'Ombre in Illusoire (review) all over and underneath with Urban Decay's Tease in the crease. YSL gel liner in Ashy Black.

Lashes - Benefit's They're Real (mascara). Shu Uemura Jeweled Love set (falsies).

I hope you all had a fantastic festive holiday and wish you all a healthy and happy 2012!

p.s link me up to any of your holiday snaps, love looking at there kinds of posts!
xxx

When Santa got stuck down the chimney

2011-12-25T10:36:00.000Z

Wishing you all a very, Merry Christmas!

Have a fabulous day x x x

Naughty naughty

2011-12-24T12:24:00.001Z

Yesterday I was a little naughty and may have opened a Christmas present a few days early, the BFF came over for a few cheeky Christmas cocktails and we swapped gifts.

Instead of putting hers under the tree along with all of the other parcels, I couldn't resist and had to open it. You see, I don't get many surprises; apparently I'm impossible to buy for so I usually end up with lots of cheques, great for the bank but boring for me.

The only person that ever really takes a risk and buys me a gift I haven't had to physically pick out myself is Helen, she always gets it right and this year is no exception.

Take a look!

I literally squealed with delight as soon as I ripped open the wrapping and saw the Tom Ford embossed boxes. His new line of cosmetics is a make-up lovers dream and just about as luxurious as it gets.

I'm a very lucky girl!

I've been using the lip colour in Nude Vanille and blusher in Frantic Pink over the past few days and it's love already; they even make me want to chuck away the rest of my collection and start over again being faithful only to Mr.Ford!

Intense I know but I'm all heart and no head when it comes to love, I've no doubt a full review will be popping up in your sub box soon.

Have a great Christmas xxxx

Festive fingertips

2011-12-15T18:00:00.006Z

Monday seemed like an appropriate day to start getting into the festive spirit; I decorated my tree, nicely displayed the Christmas cards, wrapped all of the presents and urghh painted my nails.

Not an essential step for everyone I'm sure, but for me if my talons don't go with the times no season or holiday feels quite so complete.

This year a shot of scarlet and a stripe of obnoxiously sparkly glitter is my Christmas nail of choice.

This look is extremely simple yet effective; I've had so many compliments on my festive fingertips over the last few days, yay!

All you'll need is a red, preferably one reminiscent of Santa's suit, a glitter polish and some french polish guides.

I used Ciate's Paint Pot in the shade Mistress, a true cherry red and applied two coats. Before moving on to the tips it's really important that your base colour is 100% dry otherwise the sticky guides will lift the colour off and smudge.

If you have a steady hand or are more talented at nail art than moi then forget this part but for those of you who aren't so precise then Nailene's Perfect Tips are a great way to get an even finish.

Stick one lightly on the nail in your preferred position then simply slap on the sparkles in the space above the strip.

You can use any glitter polish or loose glitter you like to get this look but I had to use OPI's Rainbow Connection from their recent Christmas collection. It's my favourite polish at the moment, I just can't get enough of it's multicoloured magnificence.

I'm loving my Christmassy creation so much that I can't imagine taking it off anytime soon and swapping it for anything else, it makes me feel very merry!

Do you have a festive nail polish or combination this year? What is it?
xxx

The perfect shoes

2011-12-07T21:21:00.002Z

If I could design myself the perfect pair of heels then they pretty much would look like this.

Shoeboot style - tick
Studded - tick
Black and gold combo - tick
4 1/2 inch heel - tick
Exposed zip - tick
Oh and made from leather (some brands have started cutting quality and not prices, Kurt Geiger/Carvela I'm talking to you) - tick.

I spotted them last week while Christmas shopping in Bicester Village Outlet and just had to have them.

An early Christmas gift to myself!

Not only are they beautiful but they are super comfy too; I wore them for the first time to the Clothes Show last week and if you've ever been you'll know how much walking is involved, surprisingly my feet survived.

This may partly be down to the fact they are quite big, I'm a 6 (39) in most shoe shops but these come up big. They had no smaller size and I purchased them anyway, better to be bigger than small I think!

If you've fallen in love at first sight with these studded shoes like I did then you'll be happy to hear they aren't Louboutin's or Choo's but Ted Baker.

They were reduced from £185 to £90 and the style is called Xylia if your interested.

Have you ever found your perfect pair? What would they look like?
xxx

Urban Decay NAKED 2 palette swatches/review!

2011-12-06T11:58:00.007Z

It's been almost two years since Urban Decay first released their original Naked palette, an instant hit with make-up addicts all around the world and a coveted 'must have' for neutral lovers including myself.

So when I was first told the news about the launch of their sequel palette, NAKED 2, I was ecstatic; had I not signed a waiver (?!) I would have told anyone who'd have listened, you guys first of course!

But at last I can now break my vow of silence after one long month of holding it in and share my thoughts with you about UD's latest addition to their palette family.

Looks wise the sturdy 'greige' tin is a massive improvement on the original velvet casing; cardboard and fur may look plush but over time just aren't practical and tend to wear badly as you can see from my well loved palette above.

Surely if your going to use a palette daily and take it travelling etc then it needs to be strong and hard wearing, Naked 2 is much more robust in design and on the whole better thought out.

Talking of design, inside there is a full sized mirror spanning the whole length and width of the palette which can be fixed to stand alone, handy hey?

The gap just below the shadows houses the double ended brush which comes in the palette, usually I'd chuck away any free brushes but this one is actually pretty good.

One end features their Good Karma Shadow brush (right) which is a synthetic flat precision brush, great for a dense colour application and the other (left) is their Good Karma Crease brush, a fluffier, more rounded brush for creating definition in the socket.

Both do the job well and considering each has the RRP of £14 they are a fab and of course a functional addition to the palette.

Right, I'll stop nattering about all things practical or superficial and move on to the most important feature of NAKED 2, it's eyeshadows.

Top - NAKED 2 Bottom - NAKED

At first glance you'd be right in thinking there isn't a huge difference between the two and yes they are very similar which I presume will disappoint a fair few.

Personally, it doesn't bother me, I love these kind of shades and for me the more shades of neutral in my collection the better; at the end of the day how different can they really be?

Although having said that I do think one palette outshines the other for me but more on that later, let's talk swatches.

Foxy is a pale beige matte shade with a hint of yellow to it that's quickly become my new fave base colours. The yellow evens out any uneven skin tone on my eyelids and gets rid of all redness I may have.

Half Baked, a copper with golden shimmer disappointingly was in the last NAKED palette which in my opinion was a little lazy of UD but nonetheless it's still a gorgeous shade.

Bootycall is another new fave of mine and a gorgeous highlight shade, the frosty off white with peachy tones looks great on the inner eye or brow bone.

Chopper an orangey copper is pretty shimmery and for that reason one I don't use much, glitter fall out is not a good look.

Tease is a gorgeous matte brown with purple undertones to it, although not as pigmented as the others it is great for how I like to do my eyes. I go for more subtle definition in the crease and I really enjoy using and building this shade, less is more.

Snakebite is a really deep bronze packed with tiny golden shimmer which gives a gorgeous sheen.

Suspect, a lovely soft golden bronze is really pretty on the lid and I like to take it under the eyes for a subtle but pretty look.

Pistol, a really unique shade, is a murky grey brown with a slight sheen to it.

Verve is beautiful on and again unique, the silvery champagne with a tinge of pink looks amazing all over the lids.

YDK is frosty deep pink and copper mix that's very well pigmented.

Busted, a deep brown with purple undertones and golden shimmer.

Blackout is a simple black that's very, very intense in colour with a matte finish. I don't wear black so not for me but an essential for most I imagine.

Rather randomly Urban Decay also include a mini lipgloss in the set, in the shade Naked; it's quite cute I guess but a tiny primer potion would have been more fitting, don't you think?

Back to the palette and what I really think of NAKED 2.

Personally, I love it, even more so than the original if that's at all possible. The shades are just more 'me', more wearable and cooler in tone.

I find that they suit my lighter skin tone much more than the darker, warmer and pinkier toned shades that were included in the previous palette.

Don't get me wrong I still wouldn't be without the first version but I think NAKED 2 just slightly out shadows the original for me and I find myself reaching for the sequel over it every time.

Would I recommend you buy it?

Yes, it's a great collection of natural, everyday eyeshadows to have especially if you have a lighter skintone as I think the combinations in this version are more wearable.

Do you need both?

No, I wouldn't say you need both but if you have the original and didn't find the shades were as easy to wear as you'd hoped then it's worth checking out for sure and for those of you that are going to buy it regardless (neutral lovers/addicts) you won't be disappointed.

NAKED 2 is available on Urban Decay for USA readers right now but those in the UK will have to wait a little longer as it won't be out here till January.

It will cost £36 and be exclusively in Debenhams, Jan 2012 and everywhere else Feb 2012.

Ooh and check me out in UD's Naked Around the World FB campaign - HERE :)!

Will you be rushing out to get your new NAKED fix or are you happy with the original?
xxx

Urban Decay NAKED Palette 2 !!!!

2011-12-01T10:14:00.003Z

I'm not good at keeping secrets but this I have to say has been my best kept secret for the past month.

You have no idea how much restraint it has taken not to tell you all about it; I've wanted to scream about it since I first was sworn to secrecy but today I am officially allowed to share with you possibly the most exciting beauty product launch since, well, ever!!!

Peekaboo!!

Yes, OMG, OMG!! There is a Naked Palette 2!!!!!

And it is beautiful, stunning, gorgeous, amazing; a nude lovers dream!

Encased in a champagne tin, a massive improvement to the velvet exterior of the original in my opinion.

Double ended brush included!

Swoon!

Don't worry swatches and a full review is to come but I just thought I'd give you all a cheeky, sneak peak to kick start your December morning, better than an advent choc, hey?

The Naked Palette 2 has launched today on Urban Decay.com

More info to follow! What do you think? First impressions?
xxx

Easy Pin Up look!

2011-11-29T14:31:00.004Z

I am not experimental with my make-up at all as you know; generally I know what suits me and I tend to stick to that both day and night.

It usually goes a little like this - bold brows, flicked out brown liner, major contouring, neutral eyes and a nude (ish) lip.

Just the thought of stepping outside my comfort zone makes me anxious but on Friday I faced my fear of the unknown and experimented (a little).

Ok, so I didn't do anything too dramatic but even wearing a red lip in public for me is a big deal!

I attended a fabulously vintage event where I was obliged to let out my inner Dita Von Teese, luckily for me and my lack of makeup skills the pin up look is pretty straight forward to do.

Here's what I did and used to create this classic look:

- I embraced my natural paleness and opted for a light shade (52 btw) in Bourjois's Healthy Mix foundation. Hollywood Starlets always had flawless skin that was quite matte so this foundation was perfect. Great coverage, long lasting with a semi-matte finish.

- No contouring or bronzing!

- Pink blush was a must for that english rose, natural flushed look and my shade of choice was one of my faves, Illamasqua's Tremble powder blusher.

- One of the most important features to the look is the brow, the bigger the better and well groomed. Although I forgot to include it above I used my beloved Suqqu Liquid Eyebrow Pen to fill in and perfect.

- On my lids I just applied a sweep of Mac's Grain, a gorgeous neutral beige, basically the colour of my skin.

- You can't have a pin up look without a black flick so to create mine I used my new liner love, YSL's Eyeliner Effet Faux Cils in 2 Ashy Black. Love everything about this liner, creamy, smudge proof and a gorgeous deep grey, black!

- Macarawise I opted for a firm favourite of mine, Clarins Wonder Perfect Mascara, a fab mascara for creating long, volumous and curled lashes.

- Just on the outer corner of my lashes to add a little definition I applied my new Shu Uemura Jeweled Love falsies.

- On the lips there was no question of shade, scarlet is a must! As I don't wear red I had to nip to Boots to pick up a matching liner and chose MaxFactors Colour Elixir liner in Red Rush (10), a super creamy and intense bright cherry red.

- Over the top of the liner I applied a classic red using New CID's i-pout lipstick in Scarlet which was included in this months Carmine box.

Simples!!

All in all doing the retro make-up was a breeze to do as was the hair which I'll get onto now.

I know it's not quite the real deal, but my 'do' was just a nod towards the hairstyles of that era and I think it turned out pretty well.

The tool I used did all of the hard work, making this style fuss free and super simple to achieve in no time at all.

Said tool was Enrapture's Jumbo Waver, a titanium plated contraption that creates instant boho/beachy waves and as you can see tonnes of volume. Needless to say I love it!

I wanted a looseish wave so clamped my hair all over on half heat and then took a hair grip (bobby pin) to clip back a front section for more of a retro effect.

Voila! That's my easy pin up look done.

From now on I have a feeling I'll be keeping the nudes and browns for the daytime and making this vintage vamp look my new signature night out style.

Have you ever tried a vintage inspired look? As I'm into red now I bet you guys have some great lipstick suggestions, I'd love to add one to my xmas list?
xxx

Feathers, fur and fortunes

2011-11-27T16:35:00.003Z

Last Friday night I attempted to get pin up perfect and inject some good old Hollywood glamour into my life, after luckily receiving a last minute invite to a burlesque ball.

Needless to say I didn't have any feathers, fans or flapper dresses hanging around in my wardrobe, so my outfit for the night was a little more 60's than 20's.

The dress/tunic btw is gorgeous and was a spur of the moment purchase from New Look, you can find this slightly festive, floaty number here if it tickles your fancy.

Thankfully, the dress code at The Blue Ball wasn't to wear an obligatory corset but to merely adorn myself in an item of blue.

I don't own much blue but luckily two of my favourite accessories are navy, the heels are Carvela and the handbag is vintage Chanel circa 50's/60's I believe; my mums in antiques and it's her best find to date!

Whilst sipping champers myself and fashionista, Anne, perused the vintage stalls and of course the cupcake stands.

Anne from the SatiricalStylist.

Sadly I refrained from purchasing a pair of nipple tassels; I've only just accomplished the red lip so I don't think I'm quite ready for the pasties just yet!

What vintage night would be complete without getting your fortune told, right?

Things are on the up btw :)!

The gorgeous, Georgian venue was perfect for the event, vintage lux at its best.

A woman who's certainly perfected the pin up look is vintage vamp, Talulah Blue, the organiser of this fabulous shindig.

Her makeup was just flawless, bold brows, huge lashes and a scarlet pout; I love this look.

It put my attempt to shame, and talking of my attempt I will post my fotn (face of the night) tomorrow if your interested?

Anyway on to the fun stuff, I suggest you look away now if you adverse to a bit of nudity, although this is tasteful I can assure you!

Talulah Blue

Having never been to a burlesque show before I had no idea what to expect, I thought there may have been a few 'look away' moments but thankfully there were none; in fact I couldn't take my eyes off the girls!

There were five dancers and each one's routine was beautifully executed, slightly cheeky but at the same time effortlessly charming.

Beau Rocks

Emmanuelle Claire

If Beau Rocks (above) can rock retro roots then I can surely? Hurrah!!

Backstage was like being in a different era completely, it was clear to see these girls lived and breathed burlesque glamour even in their time off, super inspiring.

Millie Dollar having a cheeky cigarette, she even makes smoking look classy!

'OMG how white do my teeth look?'

Hope you enjoyed this post, I couldn't wait to share some of the 200 (yes, that many) photos I took from the night.

I loved embracing my inner Marilyn for the night and will update you on my look soon, hope you all had a fab weekend! xxx

Giveaway Win a Clarisonic Plus!

2011-11-22T17:01:00.004Z

It has been a pretty gloomy and dreary Tuesday so far and the first day this season that I've actually worn my proper winter coat and (faux) fur scarf to keep warm.

Although the weather may be chilly, hopefully this may just brighten up your day a bit.

As you know I went to QVC for a Clarisonic event a few weeks ago and they kindly sent me away with one of their Clarisonic PLUS cleansing systems! Wowee but as I already own the very same model I'm giving one of you lovely readers the chance to WIN this one!!

Worth a whopping £179 this set comes complete with the PLUS model which can be used on both the face and the body, a universal charger, body brush head and 60ml skin polish.

All you have to do to enter:

1. Be a follower of my blog, it's free!

2. Comment below and tell me your favourite skincare tip, that way you get a chance to win and I get a chance to learn! :)

3. Leave your e-mail with your comment so I can easily contact you if you win.

Thats it!!!

This giveaway is open to anyone, anywhere and will end on the 30th November 2011, so you have just over a week to enter. ONLY ONE COMMENT PER PERSON!

The winner will be drawn randomly, good luck xxx

Clarisonic and QVC - A perfect combo

2011-11-21T14:36:00.002Z

It's rare I attend events despite the many generous and tempting offers I receive; I'm not a Londoner which means it quite often costs me triple figures to attend and that's even with my Young Persons Railcard (expiry is looming, ahhh)!

But a few weeks ago I grabbed the early train down to the big city and headed over to QVC's headquarters for a small event hosted by the TV station and Clarisonic.

This was one opportunity I didn't want to miss out on, when else was I going to get the chance to go behind the scenes of QVC and even have a test shoot myself?

Unlike most events this was an intimate affair with just myself (obviously), Ambarina from Beauty Passionista and Rowena from Cosmetic Candy.

Here we are below with QVC presenter, Julian Ballantyne.

We were given a backstage tour of the studios, watched a live show and then had a spot of lunch with make-up artist and Clarisonic brand ambassador, Daniel Sandler.

One of the reasons I wanted to attend this event was because it was for the Clarisonic, a product I already own, use and love everyday.

Anyway, we then got to take part in a 7 minute test shoot/mock interview each with the presenter which was filmed and recorded.

I can't tell you how nervous I was but it was great fun and because I knew already all about the Clarisonic my answers were surprisingly coherent.

I would show you the video but I'm somewhat of a technophobe and have no idea how to copy from DVD on to my computer!

I've been meaning to review the Clarisonic for yonks, I've used it for almost a year now so I think it's about time don't you?

Anyway I will get around to that but I just wanted to share some snaps with you from my day and tell you about a very exciting giveaway I'm holding tomorrow (this post may be a clue)!
xxx

Almost all gone!

2011-11-18T14:18:00.002Z

As I try more make-up and beauty products than I can every realistically get through it's rare that I finish anything.

Although, having said that there are some stand out products that I do use up and often re-purchase.

I will do a blog post on some of my favourite products that I've 'hit pan' on soon but in the meantime I thought I'd share a video I filmed yesterday with you.

I'd love to know what your hitting pan on right now as I think as much as I love finding out peoples current loves it's probably more valuable to find out the items that actually get finished!

Let me know below :)
xxx

This is what I got....

2011-11-16T18:00:00.002Z

I can never resist a wander around a good beauty hall, and as far as beauty halls go, Harvey Nic's have one of the best.

It's a real haven for the makeup obsessed; packed full of a diverse range of the known, lesser known and virtually unknown beauty brands on the market.

This makes shopping there mega exciting for me, so when I popped up to Leeds this weekend it was my first port of call and...

This is what I got.

I bypassed all the usual cosmetic counters, the ones I can get anytime, anywhere and sought out the unusual and hard to find.

Louise Young brushes.

Having heard so many amazing things about Louise Young's super foundation brush, the LY34, when I saw her little stand placed conveniently next to the till I just had to grab it!

As you know I'm fanatical about foundation and am always on the pursuit for perfection when it comes to achieving a flawless face, this brush I've heard can help me do just that.

I'm not going to say too much now as I will do a full review soon but what I will say is, ladies put this on your Christmas list; my foundation has never looked so good.

The other brush I purchased from her range was the, LY24, a fine, sable eyeliner brush. I lost my beloved Mac 210 a few weeks ago and thought I'd give this one a go for a change.

I used it yesterday and it's great; goes perfectly with my new gel liner love, YSL's Eyeliner Effet Faux Cils (more on that later).

LY34 - £24.50 and LY24- £11.50

Macadamia Natural Oil.

After receiving a sample of this pricey product in a Boudoir Prive box not long ago I fell instantly in love with the nourishing oil.

I'm a little hair oil crazy at the moment and have three different kinds on the go, this one though is the most intense and luxurious of the bunch, great for my over processed and heat damaged locks.

It's a fab multi use product; I use it on wet hair to detangle, on dry to add shine or to get rid of frizz and then also overnight as a moisture treatment.

£13.75 for 30ml.

Shu Uemura false lashes.

Mini Indigo £14 and Jeweled Love £18.

I don't often wear falsies but when I do I wear Shu!

There is no other lash brand quite like Shu Uemura, their quality and design are impeccable and a worthy investment.

Each pair is hand-made and will last you many a night out if you look after them; my favourite pair, the Mini Khaki, lasted me for at least 15 booze ups before I painfully had to chuck them.

I always go for corner lashes as they best suit my eye shape, I love the winged out effect they give without being too OTT.

Talking of OTT the pair I wore out this weekend were a little mad but I had to have them.

WKW for Shu Uemura, Jeweled Love set.

Part of their Christmas collection these feather and diamante lashes look so much better on and because I only wear them on the outer corner of my eye they will last me forever.

I think Jeweled Love are perfect for the party season!

A little less dramatic and daring the other pair I purchased were the Mini Indigo's, a fluttery and winged out corner lash set.

No more beauty hall hauling for me now until after Christmas, unless for pressies of course! Which beauty hall is your favourite to browse and buy at?
xxx

Win £120 worth of Caudalie skincare

2011-11-14T20:35:00.000Z

I don't usually blog about giveaways or offers but I thought this one was too good for you to miss if your looking for some new skincare this winter.

Caudalie are giving away 15 sets of their Vinosource range worth over £120, all you have to do is head over to Carmine and follow the three simple steps for a chance to win.

ENTER HERE!

Each gift pack will contain all five full sized products from the range including their Quenching Sorbet Creme, Nourishing Concentrate, Anti-Wrinkle Nourishing Creme, Anti-Wrinkle Ultra Nourishing Creme and Creme Mask.

I've been using the daily moisturiser (Sorbet Creme) for the past few weeks and my skin is loving it so far; although not targeted at my skin type (oily) it's surprisingly light and non greasy.

Read my article on the range HERE is your interested.

Good luck if you enter!!
xxx

Mac's Glitter and Ice collection purchases

2011-11-07T16:24:00.004Z

Just like surfing the obligatory crimson wave, Mac hauls used to be a regular monthly occurrence in my life, but lately their (many, many) collections have been slightly overwhelming and in my view disappointing which has led me to skip the periodical purchasing of them.

However, this month I seem to be back on track with Mac after falling in love with their newest collection, Glitter and Ice, which hit counters last Thursday.

What was meant to be a quick peek at their holiday offerings led of course to a few purchases; the ice princess in me just couldn't resist!

I'm a complete sucker for packaging, especially when Mac changes theirs, so the slightly clinical, Apple-esque look grabbed my attention instantly.

I have heard some describe it as being cheap looking but personally I think the patent white is winter perfect and adds some snowy sophistication to my mostly black collection!

L-R - Let's Skate Paint Pot, Morning Frost Paint Pot and Double Spin lipstick.

I've tried many a cream shadow but I always seem to go back to Mac's paint pots for their durability and capability to resist creasing on the lids, so when I saw these two shades they had to be mine.

Let's Skate is a stunning milky pink crammed with hot pink and soft gold glitter throughout; texture wise it isn't as smooth as normal paint pots but still easy to use and highly blendable.

Generally, I would use paint pots as a base but this shade isn't one for layering, it looks amazing built up on its own; it almost looks like your lids have had a sprinkling of sparkling snow on them, subtle but stunning and I think unique.

L-R - Morning Frost and Let's Skate paint pots applied lightly.

Gorgeously metallic and creamy, Morning Frost, is the most wearable of the bunch and perfect for a neutral lover like myself. Although it is shimmery there are no glitter particles in it like in Let's Skate so it's much smoother and good worn alone or as a base.

This mid-tone brown with a hint of taupe has been my 'go to' eyeshadow the last few days and I love it applied simply on its own. It can be worn sheer or layered for a more intense look, use fingers for the best application.

Note: If you do own Benefit's Creaseless Cream Shadow in Birthday Suit it is very similar!

Swatches

T-B - Morning Frost, Let's Skate and Double Spin.

Last but not least and possibly my favourite purchase from Glitter and Ice is Double Spin lipstick, a cremesheen formulation that I'm now addicted to.

This shade will not be for everyone but for serious nude addicts this colour is a must have; it's a milky pink with unusually mauve undertones.

It is very pale but because of the cremesheen texture and tone it's creamy on the lips and not at all cakey like most nudes.

Personally, I love Double Spin worn alone (below) but I also think it makes a great base for coloured lipgloss to sit upon in order to get the true glosses colour. I also wore it over Snob yesterday to tone it down a little which looked pretty.

All in all I'm very impressed with my recent acquisitions from Glitter and Ice and glad to be on friendlier terms with Mac, oh how I've missed those monthly collection splurges!

The collection is available at counters and online at Mac, Selfridges and Debenhams.

Ohh and I also did a more in depth YT vid on the collection HERE.

Have you seen Glitter and Ice? What did you think? Anything I missed that I'd love?
xxx

Stila Dream In Full Color palette - Swatches/Review

2011-11-03T16:07:00.002Z

A few weeks ago while innocently browsing ASOS I created a fantasy shopping basket, like I do on most online shopping sites and filled it with 'lust haves'.

It's almost like window shopping but better, just clicking the 'add to bag' button makes me happy even if I don't always follow it up with the 'pay now' click. Don't tell me I'm the only one that does this?

Anyway, this time I was in the mood to shop seriously and completed the process which resulted in a nice little parcel at my door the next day.

In it was this.

Stila's Christmas collection treat the Dream in Full Color palette.

I ordered this :

A. Because there is no denying it is gorgeous looking despite slightly resembling a child's make-up palette from Argos.

B. Having never tried anything by Stila before it was a great way to try some of their range.

C. It was amazing value, you just wait until you hear the price.

So despite not needing another eyeshadow for the rest of my life as I already have 453,000 others I purchased it.

Unlike most palettes I already own this one not only contains 29 eyeshadow shades but there are 7 blushers too and a full sized eyeliner with it.

That's a whopping amount of make-up for one palette to hold but then again this is one whopping palette; size wise it's bigger than my face!

Proof!

Like I said before this palette may not be in the most attractive packaging but what this palette lacks in superficial beauty it more than makes up for with what's inside.

All 29 shades are gorgeously pigmented, there hasn't been one that I've had to work hard with; finish wise there are 4 matte and 4 glitter colours. The rest of the shades have a metallic finish similar to many Urban Decay or Mac's Satin/Veluxe Pearl/Velvet shadows.

There are five matte blushers and two that contain a hint of shimmer to them, all have good colour payoff but can be a little fiddly to use. While the eye shadows are relatively large and easy to get to with a brush the blushers aren't so well designed.

I use a fan brush mostly so don't have much of a problem but if you do use a bigger brush there is a bit of clever maneuvering and swirling needed to get the right amount of product on the brush.

Ok, now for the tricky bit.

Swatches.

L-R,T-B - shades 1-6, 7-11, 12-16 and 17-21.

1. Kitten 2.Inspire 3.Stargaze 4.Sky Blue 5.Twilight 6.Tickle 7.Ebony 8. Espresso
9. Infinite 10. Fable 11.Bud 12.Delight 13.Muse 14.Lottery 15. Imagine 16. Fairy
17.Mystical 18. Peace 19.Dream 20.Oasis 21.Sizzle

L-R - 22-26, 27-31 and 32-36.

22.Surreal 23.Twig 24.Copper 25. Mirage 26. Coral 27. Vision 28. Whimsy 29. Reverie
30. Rosie 31. Cozy 32. Cassis 33.Supernatural 34. Wisteria 35. Dreamcatcher 36. Raspberry

Phew! So I know it's a little complicated with all the numbers and that but there's just so many colours in this thing.

You also get a full sized Smudge Stick Waterproof eyeliner in Stingray with this kit which I have to say I'm loving. It's super creamy and easy to apply, the colour is a very rich black but with a slight hint of indigo to it, gorgeous.

Alone this stay put stick costs £13 which makes the whole set great value when you know the price which leads me nicely on to the cost.

The Dream in Full Color palette with eyeliner and lookbook retails at just £25!!!!

For the quality and quantity I think this is one beauty bargain not to miss if you wanted to add a good colour range to your collection, try Stila cosmetics or are looking for a great gift this Christmas.

I purchased mine from ASOS.

Will you be dreaming in full colour? What do you think of my latest beauty bargain?
xxx

Don't be a muppet and miss OPI's Christmas Collection 2011

2011-10-25T13:14:00.002+01:00

I quite literally squealed with excitment when I first saw the promo images months back for OPI's Christmas collection, The Muppets; I frickin loved Kermit and Miss Piggy as a kid so the combination of childhood nostalgia and nails for me was a definite winner and one worthy of purchases!

Originally, I had only planned on buying the mini collection of four polishes, or lacquers as OPI like to call them but when I saw the bottle of glitteryness (on the left) I had to grab that one too.

I don't own many glitter or shimmer polishes in my collection as usually they aren't really my thing but this collection is so festive and sparkalicious that I couldn't resist, my tacky side is loving it!

Mini Nail Lacquer Collection

Wocka Wocka!, Excuse Moi!, Designer...de Better! and Warm and Fozzie.

When OPI says mini boy do they mean mini; these baby sized bottles are teeny weeney, each one contains just 3.75ml which is almost a fifth of a full sized OPI.

Now, I know that it's not a lot and I do reckon that if you liked a shade you'd go through it like no ones business but in my opinion they're still a great way to try shades out without splashing the cash.

The collection is made up of four shades, three shimmers and one glitter.

Swatches!
R-L: Wocka Wocka!, Excuse Moi!, Designer... de Better!, Warm & Fozzie and Rainbow Connection (more on that later).

Wocka Wocka! and Excuse Moi!

Wocka Wocka! is a deep raspberry red, a true Christmas colour. It is described as a shimmer shade but visually there are no shimmer particles in it, although when applied it does have a slight metallic dimension to it.

Excuse Moi! is the only glitter in the mini collection and a gorgeous one at that; it's a hot pink glitter with larger multicoloured glitter particles in it, very girly!

Designer...de Better! and Warm & Fozzie.

Designer... de Better! is quite possibly one of my favourite from the entire collection and one I didn't think I'd like at first. It's a stunning spaceage silver that's littered with tonnes of hot pink glitter, super pretty on.

Warm & Fozzie is very autumnal, it's a metallic copper shot through with tonnes of green and red glitter, gorgeously unique.

The set costs £12.75 which I don't think is a bad price considering I love all four shades but I'm already halfway through Designer... de Better!, on the plus side these pint sized polishes may mean I might actually finish a bottle or two?

Rainbow Connection

'Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection, the lovers, the dreamers and me'

I had to have this polish, the magpie in me had to buy this; just looking at the bottle makes me happy.

Rainbow Connection is a clear polish absolutely jam packed with glitter of all shades, shapes and sizes.

Have you ever seen anything so pretty?

Swatch!

Applied on top of black and alone on my ring finger.

It's no problem to apply and looks great alone or on top of plain polish, it can be worn lightly or layered for the ultimate glitter nail.

Looking at it you'd think that it would be a b**ch to get off but surprisingly because it's quite chunky it's easily removed, not that you'd want to remove it once it's on, I'm addicted; it's a Muppet must have for sure.

I think it's safe to say that if your not a fan of glitter or shimmer and won't be swayed like me then I'd avoid The Muppets collection but if you do like the look of it there are 6 full sized glitters and 6 shimmers altogether plus the minis.

So for all you magpies out there don't be a muppet and miss the chance to grab your glitter fix before it goes, a few online stockists are HQ Hair and Asos .

Have you gone Muppet mad too? Or not for you?
xxx

Half Term Holiday

2011-10-17T10:31:00.002+01:00

I'm off on a mini holiday today, nowhere warm or exotic but a holiday all the same.

I'll be chilling with Lily and some friends in a chalet deep in Sherwood Forest, maybe I'll bump into Robin Hood and his merry men!

I won't be able to blog while I'm there as I'm on a techonlogy ban to be at one with the nature but if you do want to read some beauty updates I've written recently, pop over to Carmine's blog where you can find out all about HD Brows and my pursuit for browfection or read my interview with Balance Me's co-founder, Rebecca Hopkins.

Link HERE and HERE.

Oh and I have a video to watch to on the make-up I'll be taking into the woods!

Hope you have a good week and I'll speak to you in just less than a weeks time.
xxx