I should have gone to Specsavers ...

Not Primark!

Look at me, posing like a loon!

When I was a child I always used to lie to the optician in the hope he would prescribe me glasses. Back then I wanted a pair of plastic rimmed, oval, rainbow coloured specs ... geek-chic even back then, obviously I was a fashionista in the making!?

These days I envy the Chanel framed eyes of my friends. I have never needed glasses but I have always lusted after that sexy secretary image, the sophisticated intellect or the geeky goddess.

I'm sure i'm not the only one, there is something so intriguing about someone who wears glasses, you want to know about the person behind them. They give a chameleon affect where the wearer can change their image just by switching to a new pair of spectacles depending on their mood.

When Myleene Klass appeared in the papers this week wearing a pair of oh-so-trendy geek glasses, I finally bit the bullet and nipped to Primark for my £1 plastic copycats but you see, they are not enough. I want gorgeous glasses that frame my face and are the envy of my Chanel clad friends.And while we're on the subject, remember Colin Firth in A Single Man ... how sexy did he look in those black rimmed glasses? Phwoooar ... tell me I'm not the only one?!

So, is it any wonder that Specsavers are trying to find the 'Spectacle Wearer of the Year 2010' .... Do you think I'm in with a chance??????



Aherm, no, I didn't think so either. But you could be... if you think you are a stylish spectacle wearer, why not enter. You can do so by clicking on here or here.



Oh and before I leave you, heres a top tip for us girls from celebrity make up artist Armand Beasley ... 'If you wear specs or contact lenses it can be hard to know how to make the most of your eyes. Spec wearers should always opt for an under eye concealer which contains light-reflecting particles. If you suffer from under eye puffiness go for one in a slightly darker shade to your skin tone and apply on top of the puffy area to give the illusion of "bag receding". Remember light enhances and dark recedes.'



Thanks Armand :)



Good Luck to all you stylish spectacle wearers!



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You can enter the Specsavers Spectacle Wearer of the Year Awards here

And you can find out more and watch YouTube footage about the Competition here





(This is a sponsored post through Handpicked Media.)

Topshop gets a new look ...

I was doing a bit of online window shopping last night and was delighted to find that Topshop have revamped their website.

I love Topshop but I hated using their site for browsing as it was just a little bit messy before. It's new chic and minimalist approach makes it much easier to search through the proverbial rails.

This cleaner, uncluttered design is much more user friendly ... maybe not so friendly on my bank balance though!

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Smokey but Subtle FOTD

As mentioned in my previous post I attended a Christening at the weekend. Being a religious and special event I still wanted to look glamorous but a little more toned down in keeping with the tone of the day.

I decided on an understated smokey eye using the following 3 eyeshadows from Estee Lauder:

From left to right: Twilight Rose; Sizzling Copper; Hot Cinammon

These shadows are positively lush. They come in matte, shimmer and metallic, all apply beautifully and are incredibly pigmented. All 3 colours I used are available at Estee Lauder counters now except for Twilight Rose which will be available in the Blue Dahlia collection which is available in August priced at £15.00.
FACE
Estee Lauder Double Wear (shade Al Fresco)
Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer (shade Warm Ivory)

EYES
Estee Lauder Twilight Rose all over the lid
Estee Lauder Hot Cinammon in outer v and under eye
Estee Lauder Sizzling Copper blended into the crease and under eye
MAC Shroom to highlight
Bobbi Brown gel liner in Caviar
Clarins Mascara

CHEEKS
Nars Laguna
Bobbi Brown Apricot blush

LIPS
MAC Angel

The end result was soft and subtle, perfect for daytime but could easily be transformed into an evening look by adding a little more definition using Hot Cinammon.

My standout products from this look are the eyeshadows in Hot Cinammon and Sizzling Copper as well as my fail safe MAC Angel lipstick which is such a versatile colour. I manage to go through at least 1 every few months!

What are your stand out products of the moment? Anything you can't get enough of?
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My weekend in pictures ...

Well, my weekend was quite quiet but very lovely. My husband was Godfather to gorgeous baby Noah so we spent the weekend in Dunoon for the Christening ...
Garrath exploring the beach at Dunoon ...
Gorgeous baby Noah ...

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Clinique Longlast Glosswear SPF15

In my last couple of 'Cheek of the Week' posts I have been wearing a gorgeous lip colour thanks to Clinique.

I was sent a handful of products from Clinique, mostly suncare I may add, which I will test drive in Barcelona next month, however a couple of lovely cosmetics were thrown in as a little treat. One of them was the above mentioned, Clinique Longlast Glosswear SPF15 in shade Fireberry.

Now I looked at this and thought ... 'Naah, not for me'... the colour seemed a bit too autumnal at first. I thought it would age me and look a little old fashioned. Ooh, how wrong was I?

You know what they say, never judge a book by it's cover? Well, apply the same to lipgloss.
I may not like it on first appearance in the tube but on the lips it's lush. A lovely fire pink (hence the name) with subtle gold flecks. On it's own it gives a sheer but pigmented and longlasting glossy finish but also works well over your favourite lippie. My favourite combo's so far is to wear it over Rimmel Pink Pout, MAC Angel and Revlon Cappuccino.
I barely need to re-apply even after drinks and snacks. Maybe 2 touch up's at the most in a day which I think is terrific. It is suitably gloopy but not too sticky.

This gloss is £13.50 and available at clinique counters now. I definitely think this is worth the money, I have been using every day for past couple of weeks and still have loads left, if this where a MAC gloss, it would be all gone by now.

Added bonus is the SPF15. Did I ever tell you about the time I burned my lips in the sun? No? Well, it wasn't clever and it certainly wasn't pretty!! 'nuff said.

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Cheek of the Week! - Illamasqua Tweak

I will be honest, sometimes I quite like the Aunt Sally look.

This week I went for that look full throttle. A messy application of blush with little blending to create a ruddy, just been fooling around in a haystack kind of look ... not everyones idea of pretty I do agree but what the hay?! Geddit?!

I turn to Illamasqua Tweak for this look ... it's a really hot pink with elements of both red and coral in it. I imagine this is gorgeous on tanned and darker skins especially but it is pretty versatile and colour can be applied as lightly as you require. Although, it is very pigmented so you have to be careful if you are heavy handed.

The rest of my make up was kept very simple, mainly for the fact I was at work but if you have dramatic cheeks you need to tone everything else down for it to work.

This is a gorgeous colour, great for summer but equally as good for winter months as it gives a lovely rosey finish. It's probably not everyones cup of tea applied as heavily as this but I quite like it every once in a while. I have convinced myself it looks 'youthful'.

Also, a few people have asked what colour I am wearing on my lips from previous posts and it's the same colour I have on here ... It's a lipgloss by clinique but stay tuned for more info in a future blogpost.

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NOTD - Rain Polish

Eyeko's latest offering of nail polish comes in the form of a limited edition.

Rain polish is a cute duck egg blue that only requires 2 coats for full opaqueness but heck, you could probably get away with just one.

I find it a more mature option on the blue front. I sometimes feel a little child like with blue on my nails but this is a sophistcated alternative.

I have to say after one day it has chipped lightly but not enough to merit a re-paint.

I believe this polish is available to buy online now.

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