NOTD: Eyeko Hot! Hot! Hot! Red nail polish

I bought this nail polish aagggeees ago and only got round to trying it out a couple of weeks ago.

I am actually really surprised by this polish as I think it only cost me a couple of quid ... cheap as chips! The texture was so smooth and the consistency was lovely and thick so only 2 coats were needed but still looked okay with just one!

The colour is lush, it's like a blood red with that 50's pin up vibe. I have to say the lasting power is pretty good... It got me through a weekend of moving house and plenty of broken nails ... obviously it did chip but not as much as I thought it would.

I think I will definitely try some more eyeko polishes.

Anyone else tried them, what did you think?

x

Cheek of the Week!

Getting the time to blog this week has been hard! I have been moving flat this weekend, which has been a complete nightmare ... I really don't recommend it guys! Too much stress and disorganisation!


Anyway, my cheek of the week didn't happen last week so lets pick it up again from here. This weeks cheek belongs to Bobbi Brown and it just happens to be my all time favourite blush. I even wore it on my wedding day.

(apologies for the terrible photos - i am restricted to my iphone at the moment)

It's Bobbi Brown Apricot. This is it in the old style BB packaging, I believe it now comes in a square package - man, i'm so out of date. Anyway, the shade is not quite the peachy apricot tone you may expect, it is a lot more pinky but a lovely warm pink with definite hints to it's apricot name.



This is the type of blush you can really over-do on the cheeks and come out looking like a trendy Aunt Sally ... if you can imagine such a thing?! Or you can just go for a subtle flush across the cheeks.

When all else fails this is the blush I am most likely to go to.

Things might be quiet on the blog front for the next week or so but my broadband will be installed by the end of the week so normal service will resume :)

x

Life in the country ...

Last night I attended a dinner party held in a beautiful little cottage in the country. The cottage has recently been renovated and was absolutely gorgeous. I guess you could say the interior was a little shabby chic but it was certainly more chic than shabby.

It was filled with antique furniture and vintage shop finds. There were exposed beams and an uneven brick internal wall and even a log fire, so romantic! Lovely Lucy, who the cottage belongs to, took me on a grand tour where i came across so many beautiful things, including a paraffin lamp that belonged to her Great Grandmother, her childhood white cast iron bed, a stunningly adorned vintage dresser, clay wings above the rolltop bath and even a cute black and white kitty called Pokey, awww! Everywhere you looked, my breath was taken away by something!

I have never considered life in the country never mind living in a cottage but it gave me a real taste for it and I have realised it is probably something i should not rule out in my house hunting quest. The cottage felt relaxed, homely, comfortable and suitably distanced from the hecticness of the city.

So with that in mind, I've started looking for a little inspiration just in case i do look a little further afield ...Lucy's bathroom was 10 times nicer than either of these - wish I had photos to share with you!
None of these images really compare to the beauty of Lucy's cottage but if I do decide to move to the Country you can bet your bottom dollar I will be roping Lucy in to help me decorate ;D

x

French Connection wishlist ...

I popped into French Connection last week to have a look at their new collection and picked out about 20 lust after items. Unfortunately for me, I am moving house this week so I couldn't splurge but give it a few weeks and I will be hotfooting it back to the store .... i've made up some polyvore sets of what I would love and how I would wear them ...

Nude seems to be the trend for spring ... usually I shy away from colours that are too pale/light but this is a trend I am really loving. Aside nude lipstick (which I have never been entirely sold on), I find that nude always looks so chic.

Nude FC by saskiathesalsafairy featuring French Connection

The sequinned dress really makes me think 'Studio 54' and instead of being quite an 'in your face' sequins, the nude tones really make it stand out as a little bit classier than your usual blingy attire. The other dress really reminds me of a Lanvin dress, I would love to wear this for a family wedding I have coming up. I would team both with smokey eyes and coral lips ... another spring/summer trend ... but when is coral never on trend for Summer?

Billy Boy

I adore this little skirt with bow belt. It is such a soft material, it can be worn dressed up or down. I am also in love with the bag and the gladiator sandals in the middle ... not sure I can justify another bag or pair of gladiators though .... but watch this space!

Jumpsuit - FC by <

I love love love jumpsuits and the Bella jumpsuit above is no exception! I think it would look gorgeous with the shoe boots and the trouser leg slightly tucked in. The floral bag girlies it up a bit. I think it would look great with smokey eyes and this time a nude lip (shock horror).
The sequinned top again has that 70's disco look, and if you don't already know, I love me a bit of d.i.s.c.o! I think it would look really cool with the harem like cropped trousers and dark berry lips!

That's just some of my picks from French Connection. I have also found a lot of lovely pieces in Zara and H&M recently too ... hopefully I can get a 'haul' in soon!

What shops are you loving at the moment?

x

CHEEK OF THE WEEK!

Most Monday mornings, I pick out some make up for the day ahead and more often or not this is what I stick to for the whole week. I rise so early for work (usually 5.30am) so I need to have a routine that will take 10 minutes and products that are ready and waiting for me.

My blush is the main product that will never change through the working week - I pick a colour and stick to it. However, I never wear the same shade the following week - I like to switch it up ... it just makes work make up more interesting for me (and puts my stash to good use). So that's how I came up for the idea of 'Cheek of the Week'. Every week I will showcase what colour I have been wearing why I am using it and what I think of the product.

Cheek of the Week: MAC Hello Kitty Fun & GamesYesterday marked the beginning of March ... this means we are about to hit Spring, Yay! I have been sans fake tan throughout Winter but I am preparing for it's Springtime return, so to phase it in, I have bronzed my face a little.

MAC Fun&Games from the Hello Kitty collection was a lovely and subtle choice to go with this not quite tanned but subtly sunkissed look. Its a pale peach shade that provides a sheer coverage but is easy to build up colour if you so wish. (above teamed with Nars Laguna bronzer).

It has the slightest golden shimmer through it that helps give the skin a springtime glow. This blush is really nice for pale skins and redheads but equally as gorgeous as a subtle hint of a tint of peach on darker skintones.

Wonder what I will wear for next weeks Cheek of the Week - any suggestions?

x

Barry M Lip Lacquer Crayons

Barry M's latest addition to their ever growing cosmetics line are Lip Lacquer Crayons.

These chubby colourful pencils come in 5 different shades: Scarlet red, Cherry red, Mandarin, Party pink and Ballet pink. When I was offered the chance to review these, I jumped at the chance to try out Cherry red as thought this would be best suited to my colouring.

I have been using quite a few different lip pencil glosses recently so I thought it would be good to see how these compare to the other brands with similar products. These pencils, or crayons as Barry M like to call them are supposed to create a high shine lacquered and glamorous finish.


The packaging of these pencils look similar to kids crayons, in other words crayola ... but a more sophisticated version. Barry M are slated a lot for their packaging but these pencils are pretty cute and I love the little swirly design at the bottom end of the crayon.

As for the colour and quality ... well, I love it! If any of you follow me on twitter you may have seen my tweet about loving the new lip colour so much I couldn't stop looking in the mirror!! Like Barry M promised, the colour glides on smoothly and with great colour intensity. The pigmentation really is lovely and long lasting. I spent the day wearing this on Saturday. I managed to eat breakfast, go for coffee and drinks before lunch before I noticed this needed a full re-touch. Pretty good.
It is difficult to see in the photos as the colour is coming out much more pink but the Cherry red is definitely in the red family and not pink. The shade is just gorgeous and doesn't look as 'in your face' as other reds, so I felt safe to wear this throughout the day. There is an element of glittery shimmer too, something I don't normally like. In this case though, I would describe it as Disco Shimmer. As much as it can be worn through the day, this would look wicked dressed up for a night out! :)
The best thing about this product as with all Barry M products is the price. £4.95. The colour is gorgeous and the texture is smooth. As well as being long lasting it doesn't feel at all drying. It's the perfect bold statement lips without being too overpowering. Simply amazing value for money!

Mandarin lip lacquer crayon is next on my hitlist - It looks like a fantastic shade for Summer!

Have any of you tried the lip lacquer crayons yet? What was your verdict? Are you a fan too?


Disclaimer: This product was sent to me for review however the opinion stated in this post is entirely my own, honest thoughts on the product and it's value for money.

French Connection Spring/Summer 2010

Regular readers of my blog may have noticed I love French Connection. It's my absolute favourite brand for any occasion ... so as you can imagine I was excited to see their spring/summer 2010 offerings.

For the coming season they not only have another fantastic collection that will leave me beg, borrowing and stealing but the new ad campaign to accompany it looks set to be as iconic as the legendary FCUK campaign from a few years back.

The uber cool new ad campaign is thought provoking with a tongue-in-cheek analysis of 'the man' and 'the woman'. Handing out advice through witty slogans written in 'Franglais' shall we say, while models showcase the spring/summer collection. The visuals are simple yet provocative and the message humorous yet keeps the collection as the focus. These are the kind of images I would frame and put on my wall - thats how much I love them!

The MAN


The WOMAN


Campaigns like this really bring out the geek in me (I studied Advertising at Uni) and i'm looking forward to hearing what everyone else thinks of it .... and the collection itself. I am already lusting after the Bella Jumpsuit, the Mister Magic Jacket and not to mention FC's infamous strapless Wizard Dress in yellow! Love.

What do you think of the new campaign, love or hate? And what are you lusting after from the Collection?

x