Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess summer collection

Hope you all had a lovely Easter break! I had a great time visiting the beach, sunbathing, BBQs and lots of chocolate and managed to get a nice tan thanks to 25 degrees in Southampton every day! I also tried out my lovely new products from the Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess summer collection to enhance my natural tan after a hard day at the beach sunbathing!

Here is a brief intro from Estee Lauder about the collection. It’s written beautifully so I won’t bother trying to say it in my own words!

This summer, let Estée Lauder transport you to the Mediterranean with the latest seductive Bronze Goddess collection of makeup. Inspired by the hues and atmosphere of luxurious resorts on the Riviera, the collection invites you to sit poolside and take in the cool waters, warm sand beaches and sun’s luminous rays. Experience the casual luxury and seductive spirit of a goddess with shades that sparkle, shimmer and shine for eyes, lips and nails, while face and décolletage are transformed into golden, glowing perfection.

I thought I would write about my favourite two products from the collection, which are a must have if you are looking to update your summer make-up collection. Inspired by hues from the surf and sand, the NEW Limited Edition Bronze Goddess Island Oasis EyeShadow Palette (£31) of six irresistibly wearable shades brightens and defines eyes by day and transforms them by night. The eyeshadows’ delicate iridescent pigments allure with radiance and luminosity in warm sand shades of copper, bronze, gold and coral balanced by cool surf hues of turquoise, seashell pink, silver and seaweed. The pigment quality as you would expect from an Estee Lauder eyeshadow is excellent and lasts a long time plus you only need to apply a small amount so this palette will last ages. It’s also a great palette to take on holiday as you have a variety of colours to match many outfits throughout the holiday!

Inspired by long walks on the beach and treasured mementos from the sea, NEW Limited Edition Bronze Goddess Sea Star Bronzing Blush (£29) is a beautifully-crafted, feather-light illuminating blush that enhances any skin’s bronzed complexion with a perfectly warm sun-kissed glow. Featuring an artful starfish resting on a shimmering sand-inspired background, the silky, soft powder bronzing blush gives skin a naturally radiant, smooth, sun-kissed finish. Colour-true and with buildable coverage, this unique bronzing blush enhances your natural cheek colour with an added touch more summer radiance with every stroke.

This has been really popular amongst other bloggers and it doesn’t fail to disappoint. My favourite bronzer ever is the Soft Shimmer bronzer from last year’s collection, so I have worn the Bronzing Blush on top to give an extra shimmer/blush to my cheeks. The blush is quite intense so you don’t need to go overboard when applying, otherwise you will look very rosy! So if you have pale skin then I’d say this might be too heavy for you.

The products will be available in stores from 2^nd May and I think they will be a real winner like all of Estee Lauders’ previous summer collections. Let me know what you think!

Clinique Chubby Stick Moisturising lip colour balm review!

How lovely has the sunny weather been recently? It’s definitely made me feel very summery, especially with my make-up choices! One of my favourite new summer products is from Clinique – their Chubby Stick Moisturising lip colour balm (£14) It consists of a highly moisturising formula combining a special blend of decadent butters, oils and antioxidants to help protect and pamper lips with immediate and lasting moisturisation. Infused with Shea Butter, Mango Seed Butter and Jojoba Seed Oil, it delivers a surge of moisture in a sleek stick leaving lips soft, supple and soothed. I love shade 7 – Super Strawberry, it tastes delicious and feels so smooth when you apply to your lips. It also gives your lips a lovely tint , so I have been using a lot thoughtout the day as it’s much lighter than lipstick. 

They are available to buy at Clinique counters very soon, from 15^th April. If you buy one new lip product this summer then you must try this one.

Clinique also have teamed up with Selfridges Oxford Street to offer customers the chance to create their very own ‘Chubby Kiss’ in the exclusive Clinique ‘Chubby Photo Booth.’ Stationed at the Clinique counter, Selfridges Oxford Street the ‘Chubby Booth' will be available to every customer who takes advantage of a complimentary Clinique lip consultation on the 16th & 17th of April. Customers will be treated to a custom-fit consultation using the chubby stick of their choice before entering the ‘Chubby Photo Booth’ to pucker up and pout for the camera. The 4 passport sized photos develop in a matter of minutes and can be taken home on the day, encased in an exclusive Clinique picture wallet.

The fun continues following the event when each set of photos will be uploaded to the Clinique UK Facebook page and participants can log on to www.facebook.com/cliniqueuk to tag themselves in their very own Chubby picture.

Please come to Southampton one day – not all of us live in London! 

DKNY fragrances for summer

How nice has the summery weather been this week? I don't think it will last that long thought which is a shame but I have been enjoying it while it's like this! I have been using two summery DKNY fragrances the past few weeks so thought I would share my opinions on them in case you are considering buying a summer perfume!

More than a fragrance. pure DKNY fragrance strives to be responsible, conscious and environmentally aware. a drop of vanilla in water is sourced from vanilla bean farmers in Africa. through this signature ingredient, and their partnership with CARE, a leading humanitarian organization, pure DKNY supports local communities by taking small steps to help make a difference pure and simple. This is a really nice touch and it's great to see brands supporting local communities abroad. 

Sensuous and tender, pure DKNY is characterised by a drop of vanilla in water as its signature note. It also includes a dew-drop petal accord, lotus flower, Bulgarian rose, jasmine, freesia, orchid, white amber and sandalwood. It's a really nice light fragrance that doesn't knock you out when you spray it and definitely a must-have this summer!

The new DKNY Women Energizing Eau de Toilette is the essence of the original fragrance, with a fresh exuberant twist - so its lighter than the original (I have used the original for the past few years and love it!) The top notes are a refreshing blend of citruses, chilled vodka and tomato leaves; the heart is a wet blend of water lilies, green coral orchids and yellow daffodils.

To distinguish it from the original, the new DKNY Women Energizing Eau de Toilette comes in a clear crystal bottle and white carton while still maintaining the iconic skyscraper bottle. It's also really good value at £24 for 30ml :) You can enter a fab competition on the DKNY website by entering your classic kiss! Pucker up!

Let me know if you love DKNY perfumes for summer!

♥

Magical Innocent Tree!

I was lucky enough to be sent this gorgeous orange tree from the lovely Kelly, all in celebration of Innocent's new orange juice! Look how nice it looks on my desk at work! If you haven't tried it yet, you must do as it's really nice. I love the orange juice with bits... yummy. Perfect for leisurely breakfasts at the weekend!

I'm looking forward to one day eating my home-grown oranges! For the meantime though check out the lovely new site which Innocent have created www.juice.innocentdrinks.co.uk and have a go at shaking the magical innocent tree. Everyone wins something - it could be £1,000 to pimp up your kitchen, it could be money off your next carafe of juice (I only won £1 off juice boooo!) 

Anyway just thought I'd share the lovely tree with you & fingers crossed to me actually managing to keep it alive!

♥

The River Island Jean Swap

Last week River Island hit the streets of Liverpool for their charity Jean Swap, challenging the people of Liverpool to swap their old jeans for a brand new pair from the new spring collection. The only catch? They had to strip down to their underwear in front of the camera crew, and all the other shoppers on Church Street! 

Over 150 locals were willing to drop their old jeans or trousers in the street and walked away wearing a fantastic, brand new pair of River Island jeans, with the stunt organised to celebrate River Island’s Denim Week which launches 11th March. Those who took part in the swap were encouraged to donate their old jeans to Fashion Targets Breast Cancer, and over 112 items were collected for the charity on the day.

Hopefully River Island might fancy visiting a city down south like Southampton!

Pantene Colour Protect & Smooth range review!

I was in-between haircare products a few weeks ago & thought I’d try out the new Pantene Colour Protect & Smooth range until I can afford some more Keratin Therapy conditioner! I’ve always been a bit sceptical of Pantene products after several hairdressers have told me in the past that their products aren’t good for your hair (why is that actually?!) but their new range intrigued me as it’s perfect for my coloured hair! Obviously I have had a Keratin treatment on my hair, so it is much smoother now than it was pre-treatment, but I do recognise now when I use good products as my hair feels silkier for longer.

 

After using for a few weeks I can say I am impressed with the new range and particularly love the Colour Protect Instant Nourishing Spray for an instant shine boost to your hair. This leave-in spray helps protect coloured hair from daily styling damage, giving it an instant hit of shine and vibrancy and smells lovely too. Used alongside the conditioner it makes your hair feel really sleek and is easier to comb through your hair when it’s wet. Even better news as it also protects coloured hair and helps colour last longer – double result!  You can buy the products from the bargain prize of £2.50 at the usual places, so I definitely recommend trying out even if you haven’t used Pantene in years like me!

You can also follow Pantene on Twitter for the latest hair tips!

 ♥ 

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?