Illamasqua's Art of Darkness competition!

While I was away on holiday a few weeks ago, I missed out on the Illamasqua Art of Darkness Blogger Event which looked fantastic after seeing all the photos! Alex @ Illamasqua sent me some products to review, one of which is this lovely deep blue Disciple Lipstick. It's not really my colour (the bravest I am is a slightly deeper pink lipstick!!) so I am going to give it away to one lucky person! Just leave a comment saying 'enter me' and I will pick a winner at random next Thursday 30th September!

Here is a bit more info on the gorgeous new Art of Darkness range! 

Good luck! 

x

Deep in an enchanted forest, the scene is set for a sumptuous feast. The chosen have arrived. Where this night will end no one knows. Not even death is inevitable. 

Lured by the promise of immortality, a host of fantastical beings try their hand at creating the ever-elusive Elixir of Life. The resulting potions dazzle the eye and ensnare the senses, a beautiful array of jewel-like substances. They may not deny mortality, but they do make the theatre of life a more colourful stage on which to play.

It’s a melting pot of individuals, where ideas are exchanged, and new ones created. A surreal gathering from which the guests might never awake. Which is why this night can never end, and the game must be played for eternity.

So take your place at the table and let the banquet begin.

This is Art of Darkness.

Keratin Complex Smoothing Therapy - an essay!

I am sure you all know how long I have spent trying to find the perfect hair care products for my fluffy, wavy hair. Despite this, as soon as my hair gets subjected to wet/humid/windy conditions it all goes out of the window and my hair is a mess again! People tell me I have lovely hair anyway, which I am lucky to have as my hair is healthy and can be managed, however it’s down to my dedication/vanity that it looked half decent! Anyway, a few weeks ago after tweeting asking about keratin treatments, the lovely people at Haringtons got in touch and asked if I would like to try one out. YES PLEASE was the answer, after receiving positive tweets back from followers about how good it actually is.

Here is a little bit more info about the Keratin Complex Smoothing Therapy by COPPOLA, which is the treatment I had. I understand there are various treatments on the market but this is the best on the market according to Haringtons expert Heather. The revolutionary smoothing system infuses Keratin deep into the hair cuticle, eliminating up to ninety-five percent of frizz and curl, leaving the hair smooth, shiny and luxurious. Results typically last 3 to 5 months depending on hair type. It rejuvenates and revitalises the hair, giving it a softer, silkier feel that everyone raves about. Unlike other salon services, the more you treat your hair, the healthier it becomes. With each treatment, the build-up of Keratin makes the hair smoother and silkier, straighter and shinier, easier and faster to blow-dry and close to being “maintenance-free". Keratin Complex Smoothing Therapy encases the hair follicle with a keratinous bond to promote healing (which my hair needed after years of straightening!) block the effects of humidity (the bane of my life in summer and on holiday!!) and prevent environmental toxins from entering the hair.

The most important aspect for me when researching keratin treatments was seeing real-life photos, not photos of adverts or models which I struggled to find. Especially photos from the UK, where people have the treatment done in the UK. So here we go - a complete step-by-step guide to my treatment in photos!

1. This is a photo of my hair before the treatment. It's a mess as I couldn't be bothered to straighten it too much as I knew I was going to the hairdressers the next day! Once I got to the salon, they washed my hair to cleanse the hair of all products and then applied the keratin treatment to my hair. I then had to wait for 40 minutes for the treatment to settle in my hair, before my lovely stylist Heather painstakingly blowdryed every section of my hair! She then had to straighten every section five times with special Keratin Complex straighteners that heat up hotter than normal straighteners. This stings your eyes a lot and made my eyes water, as the fumes are quite strong apparently! Here is the final result 3 and a half hours later - poor Heather!

2. As you can see my hair was now very straight! It also felt a little bit processed from all the heat, but still felt very smooth and straight. The worse part of the treatment was to come - I was told I had to wait 72 hours until I could wash my hair!! So no sweating, no tying your hair up, no putting your hair behind your ears! If you are a sporty person like me you will find this very difficult or if you have greasy hair but it is worth it as the longer you leave it the better the results will be. I'm lucky my hair is fairly dry so it didn't look too bad but by Tuesday afternoon it was starting to itch and I was desperate for a hair wash and boy didn't everyone around me and at work know it! After going back to Haringtons yesterday for a wash using the recommended Keratin Colour Care shampoo and conditioner (which are included in the price) and a quick blow dry, my hair now looks like this!

3. Here is the final result! No straighteners, no blowdrying, no serum, no leave in conditioner, no shine spray! This is going to save me so much time when washing my hair and also styling it! Plus a fortune on hair products. 

I had my treatment at the gorgeous Haringtons salon, Southampton (02380 237414) which was fantastic. The stylist Heather was really lovely and very reassuring and informative. I recommend going to a reputable salon like Haringtons as you are spending a lot of money (my treatment costs around £150-£250 depending on hair type) so you want it to be done properly. 

Obviously I have just had the treatment done, so I can't comment on how long it will last or if there are any side effects, but I will give you all an update in a few months to see how I found it! So far I am loving it and am amazed how soft and sleek my hair is and no longer dread the whole hair washing process! Thanks to Haringtons for giving me the chance to try this out. Two of my friends are already planning to have treatments done with Heather!


Who else has tried the Keratin treatment and what do you think?


x

Vodafone London Fashion Weekend

If you want a slice of the action at London Fashion Week, but don't get invited like me then London Fashion Weekend is for you! Get ready to clear your closets for some essential designer shopping from this Thursday 23rd - Sunday 26th September at Somerset House (near Waterloo station).

You can shop from over 100 designers all selling their collections at incredible discounts of up to 70% off RRP. Some of the labels include Ducie, Sass & Bide, Mawi, DKNY Jeans, Beatrix Ong, Pauric Sweeney, Juicy Couture (oh dear credit card at the ready!), Angel Jackson, Twenty8Twelve, Olivia Rubin, House of Harlow 1960, French Sole and Donna Ida. 

You will also be able to pamper yourself with beauty and haircare treatments from Elizabeth Arden, Toni&Guy, Glow, Superdrug and Bourjois or simply sit back and take in the stunning surroundings with a champagne and Chambord cocktail in hand! (sounds perfect to me!)

Visit www.londonfashionweekend.co.uk for ticket information and follow the event on Twitter @LFWEnd!I have never attended London Fashion Weekend before so am really excited to see what it's like and if it's worth the hype. What do you think? Is it better than the Clothes Show? Let me know your thoughts!

x

September Ins and Outs!

I have just got back from (another!)holiday in Spain and already have post-holiday blues! It's freezing here compared to Spain and feels like I have gone from Summer to Winter overnight! So after reading Amy Antoinette's post on her holiday, I thought I would write a similar one to cheer myself up! 

Ins

* Having a tan! 10 days in Spain has left me with a lovely golden glow which I am desperate to maintain for as long as possible! I think I will be slapping on the tan maintainer, as there's not much chance of topping up my tan in the UK now! My hair has also nicely re-highlighted itself thanks to the sun!

(Lovely view from my apartment balcony in Spain)

* Nails Inc Coveted collection nail polish from Very.co.uk. I love the bright colours in the collection and have fallen in love with Brook Street, which is a hot coral shade. 

* I am having a Keratin treatment at Haringtons in Southampton on Saturday! My wavy, thick mop of hair is the bane of my life so I am very intrigued and excited to try this treatment. Only downside is I can't wash my hair for 72 hours... I don't know how I am quite going to manage that!!

* Before holiday I also won an Aussie Rescue from the Aussie Hunks! Ok it was a bit cheesy and the Hunks weren't really my cup of tea (they turned up late and changed in the car park opposite my office - doh!) but it provided some entertainment in the office for a Friday afternoon!

Outs

* The end of summer! Packing away my bikinis and summer clothes was v depressing this week. I am not looking forward to the cold weather and hate wearing jumpers :-( I also miss the long summer evenings and swimming in the sea on holiday. The salt water does wonders for my skin.

* The cost of clothes on the high street will rise by as much as 8% next year because of a cotton shortage and a planned VAT hike :( Not good for. the bank balance and a tragedy for the people of Pakistan whose lives have been destroyed by the floods.

* The poor performance of Southampton FC! Ok so not beauty or fashion related, and most of you won't even care but we have managed to lose four games in a row after being pre-season favourites to win the league.... enough said!

Hope you are all enjoying September - let me know if you have had a keratin treatment!

x

Love Label pick-up slub vest from Very.co.uk

I was asked to review the website very.co.uk and although the website itself isn't as good as sites like boohoo and asos, I managed to pick out this lovely vest for £8. 

This Love Label pick-up slub vest looks great with leggings and is extremely flattering, so great if you are going out for dinner ;-). The delivery of the item was extremely quick and I was impressed with the return policy if needed to return an item. I was disappointed with the range of clothes on offer and struggled to navigate myself around the site. Where as asos is clean, fresh and easy to search for items under trends, very seemed very 'catalogue-like'and I struggled to gain any inspiration for my look.

However, they do offer unique brands such as Love Label and Vila, as well as Fearne Cotton's range so there are gems available that are of high quality (unlike some of asos's own brand items).

Who else has used very.co.uk and what do you think? Would you shop from there?

♥

August Favourites!

Ok I know it's not technically the end of August yet, but it's a bit late for July favourites! I've been trying out a lot of new products since I got back from my holiday last month and thought I would write about my top five.

1) Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish (£13)– I don’t need to say much on this as I have explained in my last post how much I love this!

2) Piz Buin allergy range – the boyfriend summers from eczema, so this range is perfect for his skin, as it has been specially developed with dermatologists to protect sun sensitive skin. It combines advanced UVA/UVB sun filters and Calmanelle, unique shield complex, proven to help strengthen your skin's resilience. It is available in a wide range of SPFs and formats for various skin types and situations.

3) Clinique Colour Surge Butter Shine Lipstick - in Raspberry Rush (£14.50). I love this lipstick, as it is so creamy and rich and feels gorgeous on your lips. The revolutionary gel formula delivers the shine of a gloss, but with the comfort of a lipstick. If you suffer from dry lips and hate the drying feeling of lipsticks then you must try this range. I love the Raspberry Rush shade, which is a gorgeous violety colour. 

4) Nivea Hydro Care lip balm quickly absorbs and leaves a sensationally soft feeling on your lips. It's enriched with pure water and jojoba oil it supports the natural moisturisation process of your lips. I love the softness of the lipbalm when you first apply it, yummy!

5) Avon Lotus Shield (£5) is formulated with Lotus Shield Technology, to help for a protctive lightweight barrier that holds up even in humid weather. Lightweight, leave-in serum, instantly helps smooth and tame, then lasts through two washes. This is a must-have if you have frizz-prone hair, mine is a nightmare especially in humid weather or if it rains a little! 

x

Liz Earle 15th Anniversary event

Last Thursday I was lucky enough to visit the lovely Liz Earle Biskra Beach House in Ryde on the Isle of Wight for a celebration of Liz Earle’s 15th Anniversary.

There were over 100 customers as well who enjoyed an evening of champagne and an opportunity to meet Liz herself, who was also promoting her new book Skin Secrets. I must say Liz looked absolutely fantastic and was really lovely when I met her, I couldn’t believe she had a young baby! She was also a really good public speaker and explained about the brand’s story which was very interesting. Liz and her partner Kim decided to develop a product range that really worked, was pampering yet affordable, simple to use and for everyone - no matter what their age or skin type. They were determined to use the best possible naturally active ingredients, which inspired the name Naturally Active Skincare. They also set down clear principles from the outset that included a genuine commitment to quality and service for customers. From the integrity of the ingredients and the friendly voice on the phone, to the way each individual product is beautifully hand tissue-wrapped and the in-depth advice the customer care team provide.

(Gorgeous Biskra Beach House, Ryde)

I have been trying out the Energise range, which so far I love but thought I would share my thoughts on my favourite product which I swear by and have been using ever since I tried it (this never happens!) -  The Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser. The original, multi award-winning, concentrated cleanser is unique as it is used with the pure muslin cloth which helps to quickly remove everyday grime and make-up, including stubborn mascara, to leave all skin types soft and smooth. It contains cocoa butter to moisturise, eucalyptus oil to purify and chamomile to soothe the skin and leaves your skin baby soft instantly (most cleansers dry my skin out). I love the smell of the eucalyptus oil which reminds me of the smell of the steam room at my gym! They also have a male version (same product, different packaging) that my boyfriend has also fallen in love with thanks to the chamomile helping his eczema. It's worth every penny and you must try it!

Thank you to Hayley and the other lovely PR girls who I met, you were extremely hospitable and very helpful and organised in ensuring I actually could make the event. To all of you who haven’t tried Liz Earle products, then you must as they arrive beautifully when you order online (I have already ordered my best friend some Cleanse and Polish for her birthday!). 

Oh yes and you can follow Liz Earle on Facebook and Twitter now!

(The lovely Liz Earle)

Miners Tin o' Tinted lip balms

I am a huge lip balm lover, I have hundreds! However most of mine are either clear or pink, I don’t own any nude shades. So I was really excited to discover new Miners Tin o' Tint lip balms, which have three flavours in the range – cherry, watermelon and vanilla, which is a nude shade! Created with a delicious Vanilla fragrance and an added moisturising formulation, you lips feel soft and smooth with a hint of gorgeous nude brown colour that looks really natural. I also happen to love vanilla –flavoured products so love the taste. I am not so keen on cherry and watermelon flavours so will give those a miss, but for only £2.99 you can afford to try them all out! The packaging is also gorgeous as well :-)

Has anyone else tried these out?

x

My latest obsession..... Retail Therapy!

Ok I have been indulging in a different type of retail therapy over the weekend, in the form of new virtual Facebook game Retail Therapy! The insanely addictive new game from PopSugar enables you to mix and match your favourite brands (including Diane von Furstenberg, Gap, Topshop, Barneys New York, Banana Republic, Juicy Couture, and Tory Burch), play with your friends, and feel the experience of running your very own high-end fashion boutique! You can create and dress up your own avatar, hire your friends (we have all hired each other!) and decorate your store as it grows. 

The user selects items to sell from a catalogue of virtual goods which are actually replicas of real life, in-season products from the retail partners (I actually owns several of the items from Topshop!). Players can buy any of the items in real-life by clicking a link that redirects to the designers' e-commerce sites. Sugar says that the catalogue of items to choose from will be refreshed frequently to reflect any real world changes such as new product launches. With each new level— there are currently more than 45— you unlock new products for purchase. However, until you hit the higher levels the choice of items to sell can get a bit boring as there is not much variety on each level.

The game has pretty much taken over my life as timing is key! For example, when you order stock for your store you must make sure you can log-on to unpack the items otherwise they will get eaten by moths!

In order to maximise the game’s potential, I think it would be more exciting if PopSugar could expand the offering from just fashion items. For example, beauty products could be sold alongside fashion items to make the game more appealing to users who might not be interested solely in fashion. It would also be better if you could buy products to sell in your store from other stores, so you can make a profit at your neighbours’ expense! Finally in order to maximise social media, a Twitter account solely for Retail Therapy alongside the Facebook page would ensure fans are updated regularly with news and special time-sensitive offers. For example, a 

Twitter update giving users the chance to buy a limited-edition item to sell in your shop would help ensure excitement levels are maintained and people are following you religiously! Unless you are obsessed like us, users may lose interest as it can take a while to jump through the levels and you are not incentivised to keep playing by PopSugar to stay ahead of the fashion pack.


Who has played Retail Therapy? Why not have a go yourself and become my neighbour! I might even employ you to work in my shop!

bareMinerals Refillable buffing brush for portable perfection

 My little sister is a huge bareMinerals fan and has written a review for me of her favourite new product to share with you. She has totally different skin from mine, oily, so it's nice to have another alternative on a skin product.

The new bareMinerals Refillable buffing brush (£16.75 from QVC) is perfect for people who love using bareMinerals products but hate carrying them around all day, just for that little touch up. This buffing brush provides a brilliant solution, simply fill up the container at the end with your own shade of bareMinerals twist and buff away. You can use it just as a top up or as a fresh start after coming out of the gym, it gives an even but slightly lighter finish that you can top up later with other bareMineral products such as the Mineral Veil, the illuminating Mineral veil is also a new product to look out for.   

Let me know what you think, have you tried this product?

Favourite new hair products

When I go on holiday I always struggle to decide which hair products to take with me because of the stupid weight allowances. I have just spent two weeks in Germany and Turkey and took with me several of of my newest hair products to trial out, two of which I loved.

After I wash my hair I always use a smoothing treatment or spray of some sort to protect my hair against heat damage and straighteners. I usually always stick to my favourite brand TIGI but tried out a new leave-in smoothing treatment called Senscience Moisture Lock (£12.95). It is infused with Vitalock-6 Complex to nourish your hair without weighing it down and has been developed to treat your hair whilst styling too. What I love about the treatment is the silkiness, which reminds me a bit of a runnier TIGI Afterparty (another one of my favourites!). It promises to leave your hair three times shiner, seven and a half times more resistant to breakage and protected against damaging UV rays which is crucial for me when choosing which hair products for holiday.  I was really impressed with the treatment and will definitely carry on using it after holiday, it is perfect for thick, knotty hair like mine which needs serious moisture!!

I also love the latest range from TIGI (surprise!) called Love Peace & The Planet. The products are a unique range of hair care products that are rich with renewable, organic and bio-degradable ingredients with no artificial colours or fragrances. My favourite product from the range is the Totally Beachin’ Body & Waves Styling Mist (£11.95) which contains no chemicals, is 82% organic and its innovative natural blend will give texture and add body to your hair. It also contains coconut water and sea kelp to help nourish hair, as well as pineapple and sea salt for adding texture and body to your hair which smells gorgeous. Plus it is all packed within a tube made from 50% recycled material so you are doing your bit for the planet too.

Let me know if you have tried any of these new products!

On holiday again.....Istanbul!

Today I am off to the gorgeous Istanbul for ten days of shopping, sightseeing, food, sun, culture and sea! I love Istanbul and the people there, they are so friendly and welcoming. The customer service and pride from the people who work there is also unbelievable, it puts the attitude of English restaurant and retail staff to shame.

My favourite place to go shopping is a place called Kadıköy, which has an unbelievable market with much lower prices and better products than the more famous Grand Bazaar and Spice Bazaar on the European 'Touristy' side of Istanbul. They also have loads of outlet shopping shops (heaven) like Mango. So if you ever visit Istanbul don't miss out on a trip to the Asian side it's better!

Lovely new liglosses from Estee Lauder

How annoying is the heat and humidity right now for make-up? Sorry for the lack of inspiring posts, I simply have been wearing minimalist make-up to make sure it doesn’t sweat all down my face – lovely! However that doesn't affect my obsession with lipglosses and I am loving Estee Lauder’s newest glosses, the Pure Colour Gloss collection which is available now! It is a collection of 34 shades in 3 finishes as well as a custom collection by world-renowned makeup artist and Estée Lauder Creative Makeup Director Tom Pecheux. The collection features the exclusive True Vision™ Technology that wraps pigments in a crystal-like coating to provide intense, brilliant colour and shine.

My favourite shade so far is the lovely neutral Peach Sizzle, which is shimmery but not too shiny and is perfect for wearing during the day to brighten up your look without looking too obvious! I also love the gorgeous gold packaging as well, which looks great with my cream/gold Marc Jacobs handbag J They are also fairly reasonable at £15. Who else has tried the new range from Estee Lauder? 

** I will update the posts when I get home tonight - forgot my camera with the photos on our the lipglosses - duh! **