Just an ickle haul!

I was in desperate need of some new make up bits and bobs so tonight I headed into town after work for some late night shopping.

I started off at Lush. Ok, ok, I've been shopping in Lush for years, i'm not a super fan but I mostly use it when buying gifts for others and occasionally get myself some smellies for bath time. I have never tried any of their skincare and i have to say it was the power of YT that sucked me into this purchase! Dressjunkie's recommendation of Baby Face cleanser encouraged me to buy it this evening. Recently, I have been all over the place with cleansers so I'm hoping this works well with my skin. I also picked up Sweet Japanese Girl, which is an exfoliating facial massage bar which contains tea trea, apparantly great for blackheads.I then headed to Mac where the girls where just so rude and dismissive that I walked straight back out again! ..... and off to Boots I went where I picked up a 3 for 2 offer on make up range Pure. I haven't tried Pure yet, it all seems a bit overpriced in my opinion but I thought I would give the Kajals a go ... they are £11ish each so even on 3 for 2 it was hardly a bargain but I am looking forward to trying these out. I picked up Black, Sophisticated Brown and Midnight Blue.
I was really excited about the black and blue but after I swatched them I could see how pretty the brown is, more like a bronze. Finally I headed to Space NK to replenish my Nars Laguna which hit pan ages ago. I managed to get a hold of Laguna fine but the lipgloss and blush I wanted where sold out - typical Space NK! Instead I bought a new Balanced Foundation in shade Fiji ... which is a favourite of mine for Summer and I also picked up a Shu Uemura lipstick. My final stop was the newsagent where I picked up a copy of Marie Claire which was giving away a free James Brown Intensive Hair Mask ... favoured by Kate Moss no less! I would be a little more excited by my freebie if Kate Moss' hair ever looked nice but it never does!!

Anyway, this lot should keep me amused until the next shopping trip!

Has anyone else tried the lush products or kajals - any tips?

x

Big shiny balls!

.....in the form of my new(ish) necklace and bracelet from Mango! Mango has been my most frequented store in recent weeks.... with purchases of clothing, bags and jewellery. I have always loved Mango, it's almost like a younger version of Zara and the prices are pretty reasonable.

Anyway, I was in buying a few things last week and came across this set in the sale. The necklace is pewter coloured beads/balls and is quite weighty. It is quite a statement piece and will transform any outfit.
As you can see there are big shiny balls placed at the side of the necklace like a big knot of balls .... sorry I can't think what else to call them, beads don't seem to do them justice!
The bracelet that goes along with it is attached to 3 rope like bands. Normally I would not wear matching costume jewellery - i like a bit of mix and match. I find the 'matchy matchy' look can be a bit bland however, I find although unusual these pieces have a simplicity that make them perfect match.
I did buy these in the sale, I think I bought the necklace for around £25 and possible £10 for the bracelet. They also had them in a gorgeous gold which looked so glamorous but after long deliberation I went with this colour.

So what are your thoughts on my big shiny balls??? ;)

x

Lily for Chanel

I'm sorry, I realise this must be getting boring seeing a pic of Lily pop up every few posts but this time I don't know if it's my obsession with Lily or my obsession with Chanel that has prompted the post! Probably both.

Lily was modelling the new Cocoon collection for Chanel. Apparantly Karl Lagerfield snapped these photos himself ... anyway, the padded bag in any form is one of my favourite styles. I don't have a Chanel yet but I do have a Marc Jacobs and Balenciaga Matelasse bags so I am getting there - slowly but surely.... one day, one day!
This image screams Audrey in Breakfast at Tiffany's - one of my favourite films! I'd love this bag but I can imagine the horrendous copies we are going to see on the high street already!

As per usual Lily looks fabulous!

x

FOTD - Liquid Metals

Here is a quick face of the day/night. I realise I look like an extra from Fame in these photos and I make no apology for it.... don't laugh, ok?! ;p
Looking back at past FOTD they all seem to turn out similar to this ... i am not sure why as it really isn't a look I do all that often. My everyday look is very plain with winged liner and big lashes so it's a bit of a treat to use eyeshadow or any colour on my eyes these days.Products used:
FACE
ME ME ME Liquid Mineral Foundation mixed with Mac Lustre drops
Mac Select cover up in NW20
Barry M Natural Dazzle to contour and Nars Laguna to Bronze
Mac MSF Redhead to highlight
Nars Orgasm
EYES
Sleek Storm Palette - Champagne shade all up to brow bone as highlight; golden bronze on lid and rich bronze brown to contour
Illamasqua liquid metal solstice on inner corner of eye and Enrapture on outer corner blended out
Chanel Exceptionelle Mascara
LIPS
Mac Oak Lipliner
Barry M 136 Lip paint
Barry M nude gloss (don't have shade to hand - think it is No.3)Posey Poserson Alert!! A bit of vacant gazing never goes amiss on a beauty blog ;P!

So what do you think of this look? Is it just too similar to my usual looks?

x

I carried a watermelon?!!

Just for a change I thought I would show you some quick snaps of a mini crafty project I did for my friends hen night.

A few weeks ago I attended my friend Lisa's hen night! It was a Dirty Dancing themed affair so there was lots of 'Nobody puts 'Lisa' in a corner!' comments and swishing around the dancefloor to Hungry Eyes!! Her little sisters even copied the final dance and danced it to perfection!

Anyway, I was helping with arranging favours for the evening and I came up with this ...
I would love to say I made these on my own but I didn't - I paid someone else to! How gorgeous are they? They even had edible sparkle on them! Most Dirty Dancing fans will understand the watermelon reference from the famous line in the movie.

On to the part that I did do myself. Nothing over the top, I simply presented them in clear boxes with ribbon and tags that I hand wrote with the name of the bride and date of the hen night. I loved doing this, I am quite into my arts and crafts but I never have enough time to devote to it but working on things like this really motivates me.

These photos do not do them justice but this was the finished product:
I am happy to say the bride and hens loved their favours! As well as the cakes I had also made up bags of watermelon sweeties with ribbons and tags attached, however I don't want to bombard you with photos of sweets and cake!!

Needless to say, they tasted wonderful!! :)

x

Outfit of the day ...

Things have been pretty busy this weekend, it's my husbands birthday today so we have had a few days of festivities!

Today, we were nursing the hangovers and decided to go for a trip to the shops. I opted for a comfy but colourful outfit so thought I would show you all. I am not sure how interesting or inspiring anyone finds posts like this but thought I'd give my first official outfit of the day post a go. You can let me know what you think ....
Catalogue posing at its best ;P. Please excuse my peely wally (pale) legs ... they had been st moriz'd but my legs never take too well to any tan.
What i wore:
Pink multicoloured kaftan dress from Mango. I bought this in the sale last week for around £15-£20.
'Vintage' French Connection denim jacket (I bought this about 10 years ago ... does this constitute as vintage?? ... i think so ;) )
Matalan Multicoloured gladiators ... these are a great copy of the much pricier Aldo versions. I'm sure these only cost around £12.
My hobbit feet do not look their best here and my nails are very badly painted, I was in a rush when i did them!

I also wore these Topshop beads I picked up in the sale for about £10. It is actually one necklace with reams and reams of beads. I love it!
Finally I teamed with a vintage belt that cost me around £3 from a vintage store.
So what do you think of this colourful, casual combo?

x

Dupe Alert! Jemma Kidd Pro I-Perfecter v Miss Sporty Mini Me concealer

.... well ... almost a dupe, one half of a dupe!

I posted yesterday about my make up and fashion swap with Natalia and one of the items she sent was the Miss Sporty Mini me concealer. She suggested I wear on the inner corner of my eye or on the waterline to brighten. So far I have been using it as suggested and loving it. However, before I had tried the Miss Sporty pencil, I had already been using a product for the exact same thing.

.... It was the Jemma Kidd Pro I-perfector prep & prime duo.

Now, when I say this is just one half of a dupe it's because the i-perfector is in fact dual ended. One end acts a base/primer on the lids and the other is the brightening flesh toned liner. However, Miss Sporty may not be dual ended but this doesn't stop you using it as a primer for the lids as well as an eye brightener. Both products come in 2 shades - light or medium. I have light in both products.
As you can see there is hardly anything in it between the 2 products, shade wise. (i-perfector on the right, Miss sporty on the left). Miss Sporty seems to be a little softer to apply so is more comfortable to use on the waterline whereas the i-perfector has an advantage on the inner corner of the eye as the consistency is a little firmer therefore more control when applying.

In my opinion, both products perform on a par with each other. The Miss Sporty liner has become a permanent fixture in my daily make up bag as it is small and easy to carry around - great for touch ups on the go. I have tried using it as a concealer but as I am used to industrial strength cover up, it didn't do the trick for me. It really is amazing the difference this can make to tired eyes, a little highlight in the corner and a freshen of the waterline really opens up the eye.

The biggest difference in this product is the price. Jemma Kidd's I-perfector was between £17-£18 from Space NK whereas Miss Sporty comes in at between £2-£4.

I know which one I will be re-purchasing!! It's a no brainer! :)

Has anyone else tried either of these products? What do you think of them?

x