New Estee Lauder Pure Colour Nail Lacquer shades

I was kindly asked by Estee Lauder if I wanted to try out their new shades of Pure Colour Nail Lacquer shades, so I selected two light, pastel shades Pink Thrill and Nude Attitude. Both shades are absolutely gorgeous and so silky when you apply to your nails. I have played three games of netball this week and they still haven’t chipped or smudged. I would show you a photo but I have broken one of my fingers so it’s not very attractive!

These pastel shades are perfect for spring and on-trend for SS11 fashion!

You can buy the new shades in store now for £14 – well worth the money for a decent, long lasting nail varnish!

♥ 

Gorgeous new spring products from Clarins

I am in love with Clarins new spring collection products and have been trying them out for the past few weeks so feel I can write a thorough review now. The gorgeous bright pink and purple shades have been brightening up my early mornings and I can't wait for summer now to properly wear them!

Neo Pastels Eye Colour and Liner Palette £30

I love how silky and long lasting the colours are in this palette and can't wait to try the purples out with some bright summer outfits! The six shades are Golden Brown, Pearl, Dusky Rose, Pink, Violet and Lilac and contain a black powder eye liner as well. As palettes go, six high quality and usable shades is not bad value for £30.  

Blush Prodige Illuminating Cheek Colour. Shade no1 Lovely Rose (£24)

This  beautiful cheek colour contains 2 complementary shades of pink cheek colour; a matte shade which scuplts and an iridescent shade which highlights. This ensures that it looks much more natural on your skin, rather than shimmer overload and is really silky when appplied. I love this! The photos (sorry iPhone quality) make it look really pink, but don't worry the colour is very sheer and is not bright pink!

 I ♥ Joli Rouge Brilliant Perfect Shine Sheer Lipstick (£15.82)

My photo does not do this gorgeous lipstick justice! It looks really dark but doesn't come out dark at all on your lips, just a gorgeous sheer purple tint with shimmer in.. And it also tastes and smells of blackcurrant (even though the shade is called grape) and has lipcare ingredients that leave your lips so smooth like a lip balm does. I have honestly never tried a lipstick that does this, as most lipsticks end up drying my lips even ones that claim to be moisturising! If you buy one lipstick this month buy this one!!!

Keratin Complex Smoothing Therapy 4 months on!

I thought I would post a few photos of my hair which I have taken recently to show you how well the Keratin Complex Smoothing Therapy treatment I had done has lasted! I had the treatment at Haringtons in Southampton at the end of September so it’s been over 4 months. My hair is still much smoother and blow-dries straight and smooth very easily. It literally has changed my life (this sounds very dramatic I know!) but I can go out in the rain and not worry about thick, fluffy hair, I can wash my hair at the gym and not get stressed as my doesn’t hair goes wild and frizzy anymore! I do still straighten my hair if I have slept on it awkwardly and have kinks, or if I tie it up and then want to wear it down but generally I haven’t used the straighteners so my hair is in better condition!

The best situation was when I went to Spain in October last year and was the first ready out of my five girlfriends, as my hair didn’t need to be styled! Normally I’d be the last, getting hot and stressed in the heat trying to tame my hair and battle the humidity! I had longer to relax on the balcony with my sleek hair drinking sangria ha ha!

Hopefully it will carry on and last as long as possible, but I would be interested to see if after another treatment, it lasts longer. Like waxing – the more you have it done, the longer the hair takes to grow back! I have run out of the Keratin conditioner that came with my treatment and need to repurchase it but it’s a bit expensive at £20 a bottle!!

So what do you think of my hair now, has it persuaded you to try the treatment? I definitely recommend it if you have thick, fluffy, dry, frizzy , wavy hair like mine! I must also add there has been some confusion around the different types of treatment – Brazilian Blow-dries etc but this one was the Keratin Complex Smoothing Therapy treatment so I can only vouch for the quality of this particular brand as there are many out there being offered by salons, that last different lengths of time and contain different ingredients!

♥ 

London Fashion Weekend is back!

I’m really excited that Vodafone London Fashion Weekend is returning soon at Somerset House, from 24-27 February 2011! Last time I had a great day out with my two friends and ending up spending way too much money!  It’s the ideal event for anyone wanting to catch a piece of the Fashion Week action – with the added luxury of discount designer shopping. You can shop from over 100 designers selling their collections at amazingly discounted prices, Olivia Rubin, Twenty8Twelve and Juicy Couture (to name just a few!), get beauty tips and tricks from the experts and much more! I particularly loved last time buying some gorgeous jewellery from designers that I wouldn’t normally get a chance to buy from. 

If you are in London that weekend that I definitely recommend going along as it’s a great day out. The goodie bags are also fab – for £8 last time we had bottles of Juicy Couture perfume in ours! Downside was carrying them around London all day – ha ha!

For more event info and to book tickets visit www.londonfashionweekend.co.uk 

See you there!

♥ 

Aveda All Sensitive Moisturiser

I've been reviewing the new Aveda All Sensitive Moisturiser for a couple of months now over the harsh winter period and am happy that I can write a proper review now! This moisturiser is great for the winter and for dry, and very sensitive skin. My boyfriend has really sensitive skin and loves using this now as it's so soothing on his skin and great for an extra boost in this cold weather. It's a shame that it doesn't contain SPF15 so it can be used all year round, but I have been using it as a night cream as well to provide deep moisturising overnight :-) 

It also smells lovely too, but not too strong so perfect for sensitive skin thanks to extracts of caffeine, oats, rosemary leaves, lavender and soothing chamomile.  It’s fairly pricey at £33 but worth it if you suffer from sensitive skin and want a decent moisturiser that is smooth and silky, not thick and clumpy! Plus it’s a large sized bottle so will last for ages! 


♥ 

Photos from Liverpool and iPhone camera apps

I’ve just got back from a lovely weekend up north in Liverpool with my boyfriend and thought I would share some of my photos I took on my iPhone using the Camera+ app.  I am by no means a photography expert but downloaded a few apps including Instagram and Hipstamatic and thought I’d trial them out over the weekend (geek!) What do you think?

We had a great time visiting the famous sites of Liverpool and I managed to do quite a bit of shopping! I am so jealous of all the shops Liverpool lasses have to choose from and they are all within walking distance of each other, no getting tired and trekking around for ages like London! I wasn’t that impressed with Cricket after hearing so many good things about it through the media. All the bags on sale were just dumped on stands near the floor with sale tags on, even though they still cost £600 instead of over £1000! All the dresses were just stacked by block colour on boring rails. So I’m sorry to say I don’t get what all the fuss is about!!!

Anyway let me know what you think of the photos below!

♥     

Me and the boyfriend

 Cricket

Outside The Cavern Club

The Echo Arena and The Liverpool Wheel

Albert Dock

Liverpool One

China Town

New launch from Biotherm - SKIN.ERGETIC

I am lucky enough to be working with Biotherm at the moment on the exciting new launch of their first anti-fatigue concentrate SKIN.ERGETIC. I am a sucker for radiance products and can't wait to try this out to see if it really works and my skin has a 'glow' to it! Late nights and dull weather in winter are certainly not helping my skin this time of year, so any help will be greatly appreciated!


Basically the serum is unique as it is activated once you open it and blends ultra-concentrated broccoli extract with anti-fatigue ingredients in a formulation that is 99% natural; paraben, mineral oil and artificial colour free. It's quite pricey at £35 for 50ml but is on offer at Boots.com at the moment - save £10 when you buy two Biotherm products.


Hopefully I'll get a chance to try this out and test in full so I can write a detailed review with photos of the bottle. But for now here is an image from Biotherm so you can see the full range of accompanying products which include an anti-fatigue day cream and night cream. I also love the bright purple colour packaging of the night cream :)


Thoughts? Who has tried Biotherm products in the past and will be trying this range out? 

Christmas and New Year plus new make-up including Nivea!

(Boyfriend in the snow at Christmas)

Happy New Year everyone! Sorry for the total lack posts, I spent Christmas at my parents’ house which was lovely but I didn’t take my laptop and new year in Frankfurt, Germany with the boyf! Hope you all had a good festive break! I am missing the afternoon naps and lie-ins and not loving the 7am alarm clock argghh!

I was an extremely lucky girl and got lots of Christmas presents, too many to mention! My parents got me a gorgeous All Saints dress, plus lots of goodies for my flat including a new cutlery set! ha ha! I thought I write a mini review on the lovely make-up products the boyf bought me - the limited edition Bobbi Brown bright eyes palette (£41) and Nivea Stay Real Powder which I think isn't available in the UK. I love the Bobbi Brown palette, even if the eye shadows are teeny tiny but as with all BB eyeshadows a little bit goes a long way! 

Here is a full list of the shades in the palette

1 x Bubble Gum

1 x Gum Drop

1 x Electric Pink

1 x Samba

1 x Day Glow

1 x Jade

1 x Ivy

1 x Pacific

1 x Blue Denim

1 x Blue Iris

1 x Pink Pearl Metallic

1 x Golden Peach Metallic

1 x Navajo Metallic

1 x Iced Blue Metallic

1 x Midnight Metallic

1 x Lavender Metallic

1 x Mint Metallic

1 x Copper Penny Shimmer Wash

1 x Ultra Violet

1 x Black Plum Shimmer Wash

Close up of the shades - I love the Lavender metallic shade on the top right.

I haven't featured Nivea make-up on my blog before as I haven't ever tried it out, but first impressions of the Stay Real powder are really good. It was only 4 Euros in the sale in DM (Superdrug equivalent in Germany) and the powder matches your skintone for sheer coverage that isn't heavy at all. Next time I'm back in Germany I'll definitely pick out some more products to try! 

Has anyone else tried Nivea make-up and what do you think? Is it available in the UK?

New Neutrogena Multi-Defence Range

I am really conscious that my skincare protects my skin from all the damaging effects of the environment, not just sun damage, so was very excited to test out the new Multi-Defence range from Neutrogena which seems to be MADE for my skin :-D.  This brand new range is the first daily moisturising range from Neutrogena and uses an innovative fusion of effective ingredients including Moringa seed, Yerba Maté (Brazilian green tea), and antioxidants vitamins C and E which help to enhance the skin’s natural defences. It includes three daily moisturisers which go beyond hydration to help address the needs of different skin types, a Gentle Purifying Scrub, Gentle Purifying Wipes and the Multi-Defence Night Moisturiser.

Here’s a little background on the range and a few key facts that we should all be considering when choosing skincare products: The environment can affect the skin in many ways. UV exposure has always been classed as the primary cause of skin damage; however recent research shows that UV is not the only culprit. Our skin is in fact exposed to a number of different environmental aggressors on a daily basis. The five key environmental aggressors that damage our skin are: sun, pollution, cold, heat and wind. Research shows that up to 80% of skin ageing and damage can be caused by these aggressors and that when these aggressors are combined the damage to skin is increased.

So far I have been using the products for a few weeks and really like the moisturisers. Although they have quite a thick texture, they feel like they are really protecting my skin and contain SPF 25! If you are looking for a new mid-range, protecting skincare regime then I definitely recommend trying this out as it does everything and you can get products for all types of skin. Prices range from £3.79 from Boots.

Trip to the Clothes Show Live

 I had a great day at the Clothes Show Live on Saturday and as usual, returned with a very full trolley full of goodies! I definitely found this year much less stressful, as I would guess the bad weather kept a lot of people away so it was not as hectic. 

I didn't get all my Christmas presents but managed to pick up quite a few items of jewellery from several gorgeous jewellery stands. I bought some gorgeous customised necklaces for my mum and sister from London designer Leonie Saliba who normally sells her products at Portobello and Spitalfield Markets. 

 For £12 she beautifully customised necklaces for my mum and sister, letting them choose the charms they liked. I would post photos of their individual necklaces but they are all wrapped up ready for Christmas!

This year the Clothes Show also boasted it's very own Stitch and Bitch knitting session! My work colleagues are all into knitting and this is something we often host at lunchtimes!

If you get a chance, make sure you visit tomorrow as it's the last day! The best bargains of the day were the Jelly Pong Pong goodie bags - two for £12! The items inside included this gorgeous Shadow Taffy worth £15!

Let me know if you visited the Clothes Show and what bargains you got!

Snow attire in Southampton!

I am sure everyone is getting bored of the snow updates, but let’s face it in this weather there’s not a lot else to talk about/do! As you can see from my beautiful photography, Southampton has been hit by a lot of snow making my walk to work pretty icy the past few days! So I went out and purchased some lovely snow boots from Sports Direct after work for £15 to make my walk home a bit easier! They are not as comfy as my trusty UGGs, but have a much better grip which is good so hopefully I won’t fall over. 

What have you been wearing to combat the cold weather and snow?

It's Clothes Show Live time again!

I'm really looking forward to going to the Clothes Show Live again on Saturday for the seventh year running! If you haven’t been before, then you must go it’s amazing and has everything you can need under one roof, especially getting bargains for Christmas presents. Plus this year they are introducing an all new craft area, Sknitch, and The Dance Show! It is very busy and always hectic so if you can, go on a weekday but if you work Monday-Friday like me then Sunday is definitely a better day (sadly I can’t get there on a Sunday).

I’ve put together a few tips from my years of visiting the Clothes Show if this is your first time!

1) Wear comfy clothes and shoes as you will be walking A LOT! Particularly if you park in the car park and have to walk to the entrance! The show is also massive so you will be walking around all day!

2) Bring a suitable bag to carry your purchases in. The best thing I ever did was buy a granny trolley and pull it around! It saves my neck from crippling with all the bags, especially when it’s busy and you are trying to buy things!! Saves a lot of stress and pain!

3) Bring lots of cash with you. There are always huge queues for cashpoints and they charge you for withdrawing cash. Unlike the Excel Arena where the London Show is hosted, which has lots of cashpoints and don’t charge, NEC isn’t as modern and convenient sadly! 

4) Allow enough time for queuing. Stands like Juicy Couture always have a massive queue and you can waste an hour just stood in the queue – how frustrating! There are also sometimes large queues for the toilets as well.

5) When you start shopping in the morning, head for the opposite end of the show which will be less busy! If you can get there as early as possible, then again there will be less people.

6) Take food and water with you, as the food is expensive in the show and outside the show only offers places like Subway. Plus you waste precious shopping time walking around for food! 

Tickets purchased between the 3-5 December for Clothes Show Live and The Dance Show include entrance to both shows and include a dedicated seat in the Fashion Theatre. Tickets are on sale now. Call 0844 581 1256 or visit www.clothesshowlive.com for more information on Clothes Show Live. 

Let me know if you are going and if you have any more tips I have missed out! I might be running a competition tomorrow so keep your eyes peeled! 

No7 Limited Edition MirrorBall Highlighter Compact

 I am big fan of No7’s limited edition highlighters and religiously use my Natural Radiance Highlighter which is the best. Fact. However No7 have bought out a new highlighter for Christmas – the Mirror Ball Highlighter Compact (£13.50) which is a lot more sparkly for the festive season and gives cheeks and shoulders a gorgeous shimmer! 

The packaging is also a lot nice than the Natural Radiance Highlighter & the size is perfect for slipping into your bag when you go out. It's also not too expensive at £13 and as No7 do loads of great deals at Christmas I am sure you can get it cheaper! Enjoy!

♥ Clinique’s new Limited Edition Strawberry Fudge range! ♥

I was very lucky to receive some of the goodies from Clinique’s new Limited Edition Strawberry Fudge range and thought I’d show off my favourite from the range the Strawberry Fudge Holiday Compact (£25). I love the design of the compact and have fallen in love with the gorgeous pinky/brown eyeshadows and pink blush in New Clover. As expected with Clinique eyeshadows, they are shimmery, silky smooth and last all day. Definitely a must-have from me from the new collection. Thanks Clinique!

You can check out the whole Holiday collection here. What will you be purchasing from the range?

♥

bare Escentuals bareMinerals Illuminating Mineral Veil review

My sister is an avid bareMinerals fan and loves the Illuminating Mineral Veil so much I thought I would share her review.

Here is a little more background info about the product:

  "Designed to wear over bareMinerals SPF 15 Foundation, the Bare Escentuals bareMinerals Illuminating Mineral Veil is your final step to achieving bare skin beauty. The light-refracting pearls float over the skin giving a radiant, airbrushed look.

Bare Escentuals bareMinerals Illuminating Mineral Veil works on all skin types and can be used on its own or over your bareMinerals foundation to prolong wear. Completely translucent, it feels light on your skin and doesn't give a caked look. Absorbing oil and minimising your pores and fine lines, it gives a flawless finish."

According to my sister, this product is brilliant! It does exactly what it says on the label; it gives your skin an illuminating glow perfect for nights out or just to give yourself that extra boost if you’re feeling a bit grey. The actual powder is very glittery in the pot but it is the light refracting pigments which catch the light and give you a radiant glow. You only have to use a small amount (you can always build it up)and use it over the top of your bareMinerals foundation. Make sure you really work it into the brush and buff well onto the face otherwise you will end up looking quite glittery!! Please don’t be scared to use this product because I promise you the results are worth it, the ultimate finish.

So what do you think - is this product worth the hype? It retails at £19 from QVC. 

My favourite liquid eyeliners

I’ve been looking for a new liquid eyeliner recently (it's a make-up must have for me) and after several recommendations from fellow beauty bloggers I have found my top two. Illamasqua Art Of Darkness Precision Ink (£16.50) and a cheaper option Liquid Eyeliner in Rook from Topshop (£6.50). Illamasqua’s Precision Ink lets you create an amazingly accurate application, with relative ease as well unlike other liquid liners which can be tricky! It’s also extremely long-lasting and waterproof it's perfect for use anywhere on the face and body to bring out your bold side! Not sure if I would use it all over my body, but it does a good job for my eyes! I did find that it does smudge if you don’t let it completely dry but apart from that it’s fantastic.

I haven’t really tried out Topshop’s new make-up range but love the liquid liner which isn’t as fancy as the Illamasqua one, but for £6.50 it’s a bargain. It also lasts all day without smudging and has proven to be long-lasting so thumbs up from me!

What are your favourite liquid eyeliners? 

Vaseline Lip Therapy with Cocoa Butter

Although the weather hasn't got that cold yet, I am already taking precautions with Vaseline's Lip Therapy with Cocoa Butter (£1.89). I don't like normal Vaseline as I find it too greasy and don't like the strange taste, but have fallen in love with the cocoa butter balm! It is packed full of antioxidant-rich cocoa butter, and has a light, chocolate scent that will have you licking your lips all day long. Definitely worth checking out if you are a cocoa butter fan - and it is a bargain too under £2!


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