Black Eyebrows!!!

Some of you may have seen me mention on twitter yesterday that I was going to try out black eyebrows ... well, I did it!

Obviously, I am a redhead - my eyebrows are VERY fair so already I pencil them in slightly darker - a mid brown shade. Eyebrows are so important for adding definition to the face and can even change the whole shape or look of your face depending how you groom them.

In the past, I've admired blonde celebrities with dark eyebrows and yes, I know to some this is a major faux pas but there is just something about it I love. I almost find it looks a little dangerous but completely sassy, I love it! With my colouring I didn't dare try it until I was watching Paloma Faith on You Tube and realised that despite her red hair she has black eyebrows - really big black eyebrows!! Ok, so Paloma isn't a natural redhead and she is half Spanish but still, she had planted a seed ......I whipped out the black eyeliner and a little Mac Carbon and groomed my eyebrows from the above to the below:
And Voila!
It's a shame the photo does not quite show up how dark I made my eyebrows but so far I quite like it. I feel it adds a whole new dimension to my features - regardless of the eyebrows being dark and out of place with my red hair, I almost feel more feminine with them!! I have been walking around for the past 2 evenings with black brows and my husband still hasn't noticed so I can't really tell if this is a good sign or not.

Here are some other gorgeous celebrities I took inspiration from when contrasting lighter hair with darker brows:
So, honest opinions please, what do you think of my new brows? Do you think I could get away with this outdoors? Does it actually look good or is it plain ridiculous?

I'll let you be the judge :)

*special thanks to Caroline who helped me with my images - i'm still learning but i'm getting there ... slowly ;) x

x

My heart sank .........

.... when i stumbled upon this sign in my local Semi Chem!!! St MORITZ TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCK!!!!! *faints*

I am down to my last bottle of St Moritz - and it's not even a full one!! Happily I sauntered to the shops to re-stock - oh what horror to be faced with! It wouldn't be so bad but this is the 3rd branch of Semi Chem I have tried and all of them are sold out of St Moritz!

As I stood there, lifeless, mourning the whereabouts of my next St Moritz, I noticed a full shelf of these ...

St Ives Healthy Brilliance - Renew and Glow retailing for £2.99. It's a gradual tanning product that contains anti-oxidants. It's not quite the same as my beloved St Mo but seeing as we are entering cold weather a gradual tanner may be a good idea instead of a full on false tan. Time will tell if I can cope without it ....

This product promises to 'gradually give your skin a healthy looking "sun-touched glow". Formulated with age-defying anti-oxidant complex, with grape seed, pomegranate and green tea extracts that fight the signs of ageing, for younger, visibly healthy looking skin'.

Interesting. So it moisturises, it tans, it helps protect the skin and it fights the signs of ageing!! This all sounds too good to be true but being ever the optimist - I will give it a go :) Hopefully it will turn me into Giselle - not too much to ask is it? ;p

Has anyone else tried this? What do you think of it?

x

FOTD - Sundown Glow

Last night I was asked to join an evening out with my husband and work colleagues but I literally had about half an hour or so to get ready!

I knew I had to do a quick make up look and also wanted something that was simple enough so I could cart the make up with me wherever I went. So on I donned the new Christopher Kane dress, teamed with opaque tights, platforms and a blazer and as for make up here is the rundown ...
Face:
Mac SFF mixed with Lustre Drops sunrush
Mac Select cover up concealer
Nars Laguna bronzer with dusting of Prestige Glam Tan over the top
Nars Orgasm blush

Lips:
Barry M Peachy Pink and a clear plumping gloss on top

Eyes:
The Body Shop Eye Trio in Sundown Glow
Mac Carbon to define
Bobbi Brown Gel liner in Caviar
Jemma Kidd Corrector pencil on lower lash line
Cover Girl Lash Blast Mascara

I chose to use the Body Shop eye trio as I could take all 3 eyeshadows in one little compact container instead of bulking my bag with individual eyeshadows or a bigger palette. I really like this little trio and the quality and longevity of the shadow is great. I have recently been using sleek palettes and my final conclusion is that although they are great value for money, I personally hate the quality of them and the colours and textures don't sit well with my skin. I think when i tried the body shop trio I did expect it to be the same kind of quality but I was pleasantly surprised! It's a great product to reach for when you are in a hurry and think I may add it to my work make up bag which I do try and keep as minimal as possible.

In the end my night out actually got cancelled so I was all dressed up with nowhere to go :( Oh well!

x

Holiday make up & FOTD

I have just had my final (i think) holiday of the year and when packing this time around I attempted to downsize my make up.

I usually take a lot of cosmetics with me thinking I will create an adventurous new look every night of my holiday. In reality this rarely happens apart from Ibiza where the falsies and sparkle were on display most days and evening! Other than that I usually stick to the same quick routine most days. For my latest holiday, which was just a chilled out week in the sun - this is the stash that accompanied me.
The aim was to have everything fit into one make up pouch instead of a vanity case or a number of different bags which is normally the route I go down. To some this may still look like a huge amount but this is a bit of an achievement for me. We have the following:

Strobe Cream - as a primer and for illuminating skin (shoulders, legs etc) so double purpose!!
Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick and colour corrector
Mac Select Cover Up and Studio Fix pressed powder
Nars Laguna and also Prestige Glam Tan (simply because it was a new purchase)
2 blushes - Nars Orgasm and Bobbi Brown apricot (I always take a peachy and a pinky blush)
Mac MSF in Refined
2 Mascaras - Covergirl Lash Blast (love this!) and No7 Waterproof Mascara (for the pool, waterproof is a must for me on holiday)
Mac Fluidline in Blacktrack
4 Lipsticks - Mac Lady Danger, Mac Vegas Volt, Maybelline Ambre Rose and Barry M Peachy Pink
2 Lipglosses - Mac Cremesheen in Partial to Pink and Mac Ample Pink
An eyebrow pencil, jodie kidd corrector pencil, a black kohl liner and finally,
Urban Decay Book of Shadows Vol II - again this was a new purchase and thought it was a much easier way of carrying lots of different colours with me and trying out my new goody at the same time!

So did we have a win or a fail? Hmm, a bit of both - the book of shadows was fantastic for holiday as it gave me lots of options for eyecolour however I don't think I needed the 4 lipsticks and 2 glosses so next time I would be more realistic about this. I should also mention that I made some duty free make up purchases which I ended up using whilst neglecting some of my stash! Naughty Naughty!

I am not the type of person to go without make up on holiday not even during they day - it really isn't a pretty sight otherwise! I do keep it as simple as possible though - some concealer, sometimes a very light application of foundation, nude lipgloss, some blush and lashings of mascara and ta-da ....


A simple look but enough to define the areas that need a helping hand! Maybe I should go for a simpler look more often and stop hiding behind a mask?!

What is your make up routine? Or are you lucky enough to just rely on your tan?

x

Christopher Kane for Topshop

Our High Street favourite came up trumps again last week when it unveiled it's collection by Christopher Kane.

I get a bit patriotic when it comes to Christopher Kane, being a fellow Scot I love that he is a young, fresh, exciting fashion designer who is increasing in popularity and reputation and an amazing rate! Naturally, when this collection hit the hight street, I was right there!

The collection was quite varied consisting of shoes, bags, dresses, tops, leggings and even hoodies! Some of the pieces would never suit my figure, especially the mesh leggings! There was also a gorgeous lace dress but sad to say my size had sold out before I got to it. In the end I opted for an embellished t-shirt dress which retailed at £75.
I really liked how the little beads hung down from the hem of the sleeves and skirt. Because of the jersey material I can wear this as a day to night dress. It's also the perfect dress to wear over leggings or skinny jeans. I am hoping this dress sees me right through to Winter and can imagine wearing it with dark tights and boots and a winter coat for a glammed up cosy look.
I love the black on black embellishment - it's statement but subtle at the same time so avoids being tacky. In all honesty, I would not normally spend this much on this style of dress but after all, it is Christopher Kane and I am a ... Sucker!!!

x

Popping my Urban Decay Cherry

A couple of weeks ago I picked up the new Urban Decay Book of Shadows Volume II. I have to admit I have only ever used a few Urban Decay products but have never tried any of their shadows. After reading plenty of good reviews on their shadows and especially the first volume of book of shadows, I decided for £27 I couldn't go wrong with this!

It contains 16 shadows ranging from neutrals to jewel tones, 2 24/7 eyeliners and a cute baby sized primer potion. All of this housed in a lovely little box, the shadows slide out of a drawer and the top of the box has a mirror with a little booklet of looks inside.
I love the gorgeous peacock detailing and yes, that's my reflection in the mirror - wearing my favourite Hello Kitty PJ's lol!!
The value for money in this product is amazing and it has actually encouraged me to be more adventurous with colours I may not normally choose. I didn't want to buy this product and throw it to the back of my eyeshadow drawer so I have made a conscious effort to only use these shadows. I guess this is in an effort to prove to myself I do use what I buy. I have spent so much money on products that just lie in a drawer I didn't want this to fall victim to the same treatment.
Here is an example of a green eye that i created with this palette. This was at the end of the night whilst on holiday and I do believe the quality of the shadow is very good, long lasting and can survive through very warm conditions. Obviously it was more vibrant at the start of the evening but it still stood up well to the conditions!

Has anyone else found any value for money gems recently?

x

Scent of a .... Fairy!

Like most things I adore .... shoes, bags, make up, clothes, sunglasses ...... perfume features highly on the list and it's something I have a lot of.

If I leave the house without spraying perfume I actually feel uncomfortable and i guess, naked in a sense! Usually if this happens I head to the nearest perfume counter and shower myself in something expensive. Over the past few weeks I have been rotating between 3 perfumes and have rarely touched anything else in my collection.
Here are my top 3 of the moment:

Marc Jacobs Pear - Love love love this perfume, I guess it's my all time favourite (I do change my mind a lot about this though). It is such a lovely scent and is always guaranteed to make me feel good, it's just so fresh and clean. I find it a really versatile perfume to wear, suitable for so many different occasions or just for casual days too.

Marc Jacobs Lola - this is fairly new to my collection and has quite a distinctive musky floral smell. I usually stick with this for evenings as it lasts well and is quite a heavy fragrance. The bottle is like a work of art with its vinyl/rubber sculpted flower on top!

Gucci Flora - Another relatively new perfume for me. This is quite a light floral scent and I love wearing it to work ... it makes me feel girly but still with a bit of an edge.

Who else likes these? What scent are you mostly wearing at the moment?

x