SPACE NK: Make Up Brushes

Hasn't it been an age since I last blogged?

Moving house was hectic and renovations even more so.  I am living with only a livingroom and bedroom and teeny en-suite at the moment so taking any blogworthy photos has been a little difficult as well as having little to no time to sit down with the laptop.

Anyway, I have wanted to blog about these make up brushes for a LONG time so with a spare 10 minutes this evening, here goes ....

I got to try out some Space NK brushes, which led to me purchasing some Space NK brushes.  Their quality is comparable to high end make up brands and unfortunately so is their price.

I have the blush brush (RRP £28 - my own purchase), the eyeshadow brush (RRP £18 - PR item for review), and the foundation brush (RRP £25 - PR item for review).

The blush brush is large, dense and squared off in shape.  It is actually quite different from blush brushes I have used in the past which have been softer, fluffier and rounder but I have to say this is working well for me.  It gives good placement of the blush and covers a larger area of the cheek, which dependant on the overall finish you want may not always be a good thing.  It has made it into my everyday make up bag so it is a thumbs up purchase.  It's biggest flaw is its price ... for £28 I would rather buy from a major brand ... however, I managed to purchase in the January sales but would never repurchase at full price i'm afraid.

A closer look 

As far as the eyeshadow brush goes, it is great for placement of shadow on the lid, I also use to blend as the brush is quite fluffy despite being densely packed. Again, the price tag lets me down but this is probably because I expect cheaper as it isn't branded MAC, Space NK, Bobbi Brown etc.

Space NK brush on left, MAC 190 on left 

The foundation brush is my favourite of the 3 with it being comparable to the MAC 190 but with only £1 price difference I would personally go for the MAC brush everytime.

Space NK left, MAC right

Although the Space NK foundation brush is a little bit wider, it makes little difference to make up application and these 2 brushes are near enough like for like.

As much as I really really like Space NK brushes, I wouldn't purchase them over branded make up brushes like MAC unless I picked them up for half the price on sale.  With so many similarities to their more popular competition and very little in the way of price comparison, I can't see these brushes standing out in the market place.

Have you tried Space NK brushes? What are your thoughts on quality and price?

x

Swing, Sing and Shine with Swarovski

The Swarovski lookbook landed on my doorstep this week and for a magpie like me, turning each page was met with 'ahhhs', 'oohs' and 'want that one!'.

Swarovski's spring/summer 2012 collection "Swing, Sing and Shine' is a tribute to vintage styling and an ode to the lights, camera and action of the entertainment world.  Creative Director Nathalie Colin uses the collection to tell the story of a young woman as she evolves from a student to that of a starlet becoming accustomed to fame and the limelight.  The collection takes us through themes using pastel colours and shapes associated with the swinging 'sweet sixties' and the glamour of 'in the spotlight'.

I adore the the mix of colour, texture and material used in this collection from the bright gems of the Rainbow Earrings, the pearl and fabric mix of the Ribbon Necklace and the masculinity of the Motaigne chain necklace.

Rainbow Earrings

Ribbon Necklace

Monochrome: Montaigne Necklace (Want this!!)

Monochrome: Remix Bracelet

Vintage Glamour: Reception Bracelet - perfect for a Bride!

 So many stunning item.  I feel like this collection is bigger and better than ever before.  There is something to suit all tastes, whether you are preparing for a school prom, your perfect wedding day or simply looking for some gorgeous statement pieces for everyday wear.

What I also didn't realise is that Swarovski also have Hello Kitty and Disney collections.  I know how many of you love a little bit of kitsch in your life so thought I would includes some examples of the fun yet glamorous and chic offering from Swarovski.

Hello Kitty Chic Earrings

Hello Kitty Glamour Necklace 

Disney Thorn Rose Ring

Asides the stunning jewellery and sparkly bits and bobs, I was quite taken by the imagery used in the 'Swing, Sing and Shine' in particular the make up (naturally).  Graphic Fluoro pink liner accentuated the shape of the models eye on an otherwise neutral lips and cheek.

Front cover of lookbook

Does anything take your fancy then?  I love a good old browse round a Swarovski store in all it's sparkling glory.  Think I will go in and take a look at some of these items in the flesh,  after all my birthday is only a few months away ;)

x

Interiors Inspiration: Handira

While I was in Morocco, I scoured the souks for potential interior inspiration.  I love to fill my home with stories which usually means subtle pieces and sometimes statement pieces come home with me from my travels to fill my abode with pretty things.

In Marrakech I stumbled across and cheeky chap selling some of the most wonderful rugs I had ever seen.  Loomed from sheeps wool and covered in sequin, one of them caught my eye and after a half hour of haggling, I got my price and bagged my rug :)

It was only after returning home that I learned more about my purchase.  It turns out my new rug is traditionally a Moroccan Wedding Blanket or Handira.   Apparently, Brides and their relatives painstakingly create these blankets in time for the big day where the Bride wears it on her journey to her groom.  It is said to have talismanic power and protects its wearer from evil.

Nowadays, they have become a bit of a showpiece in peoples homes as rugs, beadspreads, wall hangings and more.

I plan on using mine on my bed.  Here is my inspiration ...

This is exactly like mine

Those of you with an eagle eye might have spotted a Handira in that ghastly Sex and the City 2 movie.  After being such a fan of the show, I cannot tell you how much I hated this film!! 

I think they are beautiful works of craft and I can't wait to use it in my new home.  I think it will make a real statement in my room should I decide to use it on my bed.

What statement pieces do you love in your home?

x

Royal Raspberry

I've had an emotional rollercoaster of a week, I've experienced death, births and new beginnings ... a poignant week in my life that won't be forgotten for a long time but thankfully for all the right reasons.  

One constant in my week which has been my lipstick. Sad but true.  I found a stash of Barry M lipsticks hidden away in a drawer which meant I was able to reacquaint myself with some old favourites.

Barry M's lip paint in 141 Royal Raspberry is a gorgeous deep raspberry shade erring on the gothic side of blackened red.  It has a slight shimmer to it, almost appearing metallic in its tube.  I have worn every day this week and haven't found it drying at all.  It's pigment is lovely and quite long lasting.  When it does begin to fade their is still enough stain on the lips to maintain colour but I still love to reapply to make sure I keep that shade of deep glistening raspberry.

Barry M Lip Paints are £4.49 from Superdrug or online at the Barry M website.

It was a long time coming but yesterday I eventually got round to sorting out my barnet.  I had it re-dyed and trimmed which really gave it a little boost of shine and bounce again (no, I didn't go for multicolour unfortunately :( ).  Instead of my usual blow dry finish, Stacie, my hair fairy, tried out a conical wand on my hair to give me some voluminous waves.

The result had a bit of a 70's feel to it which I loved.  Stacie used the Diva Conical Wand from Sally's.  It has quite a thick barrel which is perfect for big waves.  It's priced at around the £40 unless you have a Sally's membership which will get you a bit of a discount.

So far I've never invested in my own conical wand but after seeing my hair like this, I think I might buy one for myself.

Are conical wands still making an impact on you?  Share your wavy hair tips?

x

Hairspiraton: Mermaid Hair

You may remember, although it was ages ago, I blogged about my fascination over dip dye hair.

At the time I was looking to find a good spray colour for the ends of my hair as there is no chance my work would let me through the door with anything less than 'normal' hair.  Lucky for me I was kindly sent a whole 7 cans worth of different colour sprays from Colour Extreme Hair Art.

I never got round to trying out dip dye even though I was dying to try out these colours.  That's until I read Claire's post here which then directed me to the talented Lou Clavé blog who created the amazing looks.

As you can imagine, dip dye just wasn't enough anymore, I wanted a full head of turquoise, purple, pink - basically full on rainbow mermaid hair!  So out came the Colour Extreme Hair Art sprays which had lay unloved for far too long.

I had 7 colours to experiment with: white; black; purple; blue; green; orange and pink.

I started off slowly and gently with a recreation of dip dye using the blue spray.  The blue worked quite well on my auburn hair making a noticeable difference.

I then began to layer some colour and moved onto the purple spray.  The purple spray looked fantastic on my hair which surprised me as I wasn't sure if it would show up.  When layered with the blue it created a lighter pink shade which gave a great effect of graduated colour.

I then applied the pink spray to some naked hair but it didn't really show up.  It would have been lovely if it had as a really vibrant pink would have been wicked thrown into the mix.  I then tried some of the green which apparently has a UV glow to it but again this didn't show at all.

I decided to try some orange at the top and fringe of my hair, this did show up but for a redhead like me, orange isn't really a colour I want my hair to be! ;)  I then decided to try some white, mostly for the layering purposes.  If I applied white to naked hair, I hoped that blue or pink layered on top would create some pastel shades.  The white was very obvious when applied and rightly so, pastel shades appeared when I layered the more vibrant colours with it.

with flash

The only colour I didn't try was the black, only because I was going for a full on rainbow fusion of colour.  

Once the spray dries on your hair, you can touch it without any colour transfer so no need to worry about getting it on your skin and hopefully this translates the same with clothes, it certainly didn't cause any problems with what I was wearing although I would probably steer clear of white tops.

Because I used so many colours, layer over layer, my hair ended up quite hard to touch but I am sure had I applied a normal amount, i.e, enough to create the coloured look you desire rather than an experimental session, then this wouldn't be the case. 

However, I can guarantee this will dry your hair out so be sure to give your locks a nice treatment afterwards for a bit of TLC.  

It washes off easily, although I recommend shampoo-ing twice to be sure you are rid of all colour. 

I can't tell you how much I loved having coloured hair and will be using these sprays again for a night out.  This time I will stick to the white, blue and purple to create graduated colour and pastel shades all over my hair.  

You can buy Colour Extreme Hair Art Sprays from Boots for around £4.

What do you think of rainbow hair?  Do you dare?

x

Deborah Lippmann: The Stripper to go ...

... for go go girls apparently.

I received this little sample in the Christmas Glossybox and to be honest, I didn't really notice it until yesterday until it came time for me to sort my tootsies out for a party I was going to.

This ingenious little finger mit is doused in lavender nail polish remover and is a quick alternative to removing nail polish with cotton pads and remover, relieving you of the mess and awkward bits of fluff that gets left behind on nails.   Each mit is supposed to remove polish from all 10 nails.

Before

In all honesty, I thought this was a bit gimmicky until it did everything it said it would and at super speed time too.

Now I really put it to the test as I used a glitter Deborah Lippmann polish on my nails over Christmas and this is what I was getting rid of.  We all know what a chore it is to remove glitter polish!

Well, this little mit managed to remove a whole foot worth of glitter in under a minute!  It was so quick.  With my normal routine of cotton pad and remover it takes a good bit of scrubbing before my nail is clean of lacquer.  Don't get me wrong, it still needed a good rub with the mit but once it was gone, it was gone.

I apologise profusely!!!! 

This is definitely a product for girls on the go, it's quick, easy and mess free.  With no fluffy bits of cottons stuck to the nail afterwards it means you can go right ahead painting a new colour on.  I think these are especially beneficial if you do a lot of travelling but otherwise it may not be a worthwhile
investment.

After

Six of these mits are available for £14 from House of Fraser or even better,  £6.17 from Amazon

Has anyone else tried these mits?

x

Doing it like Dot ...

I didn't end up going for the Biba beauty I posted about in my nod to Dot Cottons sartorial efforts, instead I found a cheaper alternative with a little bit of a twist to it.

Instead of the subtle, 'goes with everything' camel shade I had originally admired, I found this colourful option in New Look.  Similar in shape and style to Dot's coat, it differed in its bright jade/turquoise glory.  I love bright furs but I hadn't found very many in the shops so this was a pleasant find for me.  It also came in a gorgeous maroon shade but sadly they didn't have my size.

I managed to get this coat in the sale for around £25, believe me if the other colour had been available I would have bought both!

I think this satiates my desire for Dot's coat despite the fact it's a completely different colour.  I have already moved on to my next challenge, finding the perfect trench.

Any recommendations, let me know!

x