What's in my make-up bag today

I absolutely adore this Longchampcase le pliage, which I use as a make up bag you can fit everything in, great for travelling or for everyday.

So let’s have a peek what’s inside, haven’t got that much in here today as I am wearing very light make-up. I went for a very soft natural dewy look which is great if you want the natural effortless look.

I started off with bronzing my face all over as a base. I used Guerlain’s Terracotta 4 seasons bronzing powder in “Natural 02”. When I apply this powder I keep building it up until I get the colour I want.

I then added definition to my eyebrows using Estee lauders “automatic brow duo” in soft brown. I find this brow pencil gives off a very natural look as I find some pencils give off a very harsh look. If you wanted a stronger looked you can just build it up and I like to add a bit of water to my eye brows.

For my lashes I went for Estee Lauder’s “sumptuous extreme” mascara. I have miniscule lashes so this mascara gives me extra length and volume without clumps.

On my cheeks I dusted them with Mac’s “mineralize blush” in “warm soul”, it has a shimmery effect which I find helps give the dewy look. 

I applied it with my angled conture brush by mac, to help enhance my cheek bones.

Lastly I finished off with No7 high shine lip crayon in “daydreamer”.

Review: No7 High Shine Lip Crayon

So my beauty lovers!! I’ve discovered a new lippy, from a brand that I never really looked at No.7 in boots. 

No.7 Lip Crayon in Daydreamer

 Now whenever I do a shop in boots I often get a £5 voucher to spend on the No 7 range, but I always end up chucking it away. However I was running low on my nude lipstick and thought I would use my voucher to purchase a new lippy. Recently I was introduced to lip crayons and was eyeing up either the Nars or Clinque range, but because I was eager to use my voucher I decided to try No.7’s own lip crayon range. After rummaging through the colours I managed to find a natural/nude colour called “daydreamer” for my skin complexion, which is what I was looking for. 

This particular lip crayon is “High Shine” and gives a nice glossy look. I’m pretty chuffed with my bargain as I only paid £4 with my £5 off(originally £9), ladies hunt through your bags for your No.7 voucher and grab yourself a bargain also.

My beauty wish list!

Hello my beauty lovers!! Here are a few things that I am dying to get my hands on, they are all #lush.

First up is this  Laura Mercier Crème de Pistache Body Butter. I first was introduced to this by a friend who offered me some of the hand cream and OMG the scent is absolutely DIVINE. The smell is like having good quality Italian Pistachio ice cream all over your body, it's absolutely yummy without the calories.

This is Shu Uemura's "classic" cleansing oil which is perfect  for all  skin types. Now some of you might be a bit sceptical about washing your face with oil, but I was exactly the same because being Asian I have oily skin and am prone to break outs. I managed to grab a sample out of my friends one and tested it out for a number of weeks and I found that it leaves your face so smooth and looking radiant. I can't wait until my current cleanser runs out so that I can purchase this baby.

Now beauts, how beautiful are these nail lacquers? I recently went into Selfridges and came across the "Pierre Hardy for Nars" collection, I must say all the nail lacquers of this collection are so nice, I particularly liked the Sharplines colours (pictured). I think there's something for everyone, but not too sure about the blushers though a bit too bright for me.

Now this Chanel blusher is right up my street, as always the package is exquisite and I love how the design of the actual blush is made to look like the classic Chanel tweed jacket. This colour goes on beautifully and gives a nice tan colour with a twist of coral to highlight those cheeks.

Wish list

Celine TrapezeMulticolour Handbag in calfskin deepsea and beige

Zara nude sandal

• Celine TrapezeMulticolour Handbag in calfskin deepsea and beige
• ZARA LEATHER NUDE SANDAL
• TOPSHOP MULTIROW NECKLACE
• ZARA EMBROIDERED SKIRT
• ZARA LOW CUT SHIRT WITH POCKETS

Designer dreaming or High-street steals for the season of summer festivals?

Now to all my festival goers!! What handbag is most appropriate when attending a jammed packed fun loving festival this summer eh? Now-a-days when attending one of these festivals it’s almost like walking down a grass infested runway out in the open air, with all the fashion-istas in full swing. So here are my favourite handbag picks that will enhance your “oh-so” casual but stylish festival look.



Alexander Wang Vs Topshop

Alexander Wang “Diego bucket bag”

Designer treat at £711

This bag is definitely a treat with its supple pebbled leather, great for those summer festivals as the soft leather will mold and move with your body (nothing worse than a ridged bag). The bag has a draw string for security, a long strap for the option for the cross body comfort. And there is also an additional hand strap. The bright splash of Orange is just on trend.  

Topshop  “Small suede pouch”
High-street steal at £28

What a steal with its similar shape to the “Diego” bag, comes in various bright suede colours again to add a shade of pop colour to your outfit. As well as loving the bag the price is also handsome at only £28. With it being suede the bag won’t feel stiff, the bag has a long strap to go across your body and a hand strap.

Dr Lipp Vs Elizabeth Arden

Now here we have two products both promising to banish and hydrate dry skin. In one corner we have Elizabeth Arden’s all time classic the “8 hours cream” that promises to soothe, restore, calm and help relieve chapped, cracked, dry skin. In the other corner we have Dr Lipp’s “original nipple balm for lips” that is ultra-hydrating for any dry skin areas.

Elizabeth Arden Vs Dr Lipp

Dr Lipp – Original nipple balm for lips
(from £11.50 from SpaceNK http://uk.spacenk.com/WOMEN/SPUK101,en_GB,sc.html)

Mark: 6/10

I was introduced to this product through a friend, who said it was amazing for very dry cracked lips (not sure if she was hinting something to me). When I first tried this product I wasn’t too sure about it for many reasons, firstly not too sure about the whole nipple thing, it doesn’t have a scent to it and the texture of the balm feels very thick and almost sticky. When you first put it on because it’s so thick and sticky it kind of feels a little heavy on the lips. However I would still definitely recommend this to people who have severely cracked lips as it really repairs the damage.  But, as an everyday lip balm, not so good.

Elizabeth Arden – 8 hour cream

(from £25 fromm all good departement stores http://www.houseoffraser.co.uk/Elizabeth+Arden+Eight+Hour%C2%AE+Cream+Skin+Protectant+50ml/807001144,default,pd.html)

Mark: 9/10

I was given this product as a gift and since that day it's been one of my staples. I am prone to dry lips unfortunately, and find it hard to find a lip balm that hydrates my crusty lips without weighing it down. However I swear by this product as it glides on the lips beautifully without the sticky sensation. This lip balm has a very subtle but moreish scent with a hint of lavender. Depending on the temperature determines the thickness of the balm, for instance in cold weather conditions the balm comes out quite thick but as soon as it hits your lips it instantly melts and forms a subtle gloss. I would definitely recommend this product as an everyday lip balm and it also repair cracked lips so for me this is the winning product.

Hummingbird heaven

Unfortunately for me I work near a Hummingbird bakery, which means diet ruined!! It’s Monday and my colleague and I decided to bring our Friday treat day forward. As a pick-me-up for the week we decided to get the yummiest cupcakes in the world. I went for the well-known “Red Velvet” which consists of a red vanilla cake with a slight taste of chocolate, topped with the yummiest cream cheese frosting.  

Humming Bird Cupcakes from £2.00

Red Velvet & Black bottom cupcake

My colleague decided on the “Black bottom cupcake” which consists of a decadent, dark and dense chocolate sponge, baked with a mouthwatering cheesecake centre  and topped with cream cheese frosting (blank out the calories ladies).  These little cupcakes taste divine - that first bite when the icing grazes your nose and the sponge just crumbles and melts in your mouth is unbelievable.

For those of you that have yet to taste these little drops from heaven it is a CRIME!! In London Hummingbird have quite a few bakeries dotted around so you should definitely check out the website to visit you nearest bakery asap!!!....the diet can always start next week or never.

Review: Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer

I’ve been on the lookout for an amazing tinted moisturizer, so after months and months of research I thought I finally found it. I decided to go with the Laura Mercier brand as the range seemed to have raving reviews.

Laura Mercier "Oil-free" &"Illuminatin" SPF20 Tinted moisturizer £33 each

I started my relationship off with the “Tinted moisturizer SPF20” in Bisque, I loved the texture, feel and of course the look. Unfortunately I discovered that I was matched to the wrong colour and I should’ve gone for the shade darker.  So with the determination to make this relationship work I returned to the Laura Mercier counter to purchase another tinted moisturizer this time the “Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20” in Golden radiance. I fell in love with this instantly because it has a beautiful subtle shimmer, which gave me the glowing/dewy look that I love, perfect to enhance your holiday tan or a pick me up in the dull winter days.

bare faced

with the "Illuminating SPF 20" tinted moisturizer in Golden  radiance

When I was using this product I started to notice I was getting a lot of sore and very red spots on my face especially on my forehead, I blamed everything else but my beloved tinted moisturizer. I even changed my moisturizing cream, face wash and washed my make-up brushes more frequently. You name it, I did it. In the end I stopped using the tinted moisturizer and my face cleared.

 As I have oily skin I thought I would go back and now purchase the oil free version as well as a primer in the hope that this would solve my problem. Unfortunately as much as I would love to keep using this product my skin just does not agree with it. However, I would definitely recommend this to anybody that doesn’t have sensitive skin like mine because it is a beautiful product.

So the search continues to find the perfect tinted moisturizer!!!

you can find Laura Mercier at all good department stores and Space NK from £33

Reva Pump -Tory Burch

For all my shoe lovers!! These shoes are my ultimate faves. They are the best pumps you will find, so comfy, stylish and most of all they last. 

Don’t know about you but whenever I buy pumps, ballerinas or any type of flat shoes I find that the sole gets worn down quite fast and at times holes can appear which instantly means death for pumps. Not with these Tory Burch beauties as the sole is rubber which means it will take longer to wear them down (you can walk for miles ladies). 

I myself have three pairs of the “Reva” pumps because I love how soft the leather is, therefore they don’t cut into your skin. Also as they age like all leather they mold to your feet but still keeping its shape and looking Fabulous on those tootsies. The Reva pump comes is loads of different and exciting colours so there’s no excuse for not purchasing a pair, these are a much needed purchase if you are a lady that loves flats.

                                 

Tory Burch "Reva Pumps" available at Tory Burch stores, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and Harrods 

Maybelline's Express Remover

So beauties!! How excited am I about Maybelline’s “Express Remover” nail polish remover it’s a god send. I’ve been looking for ages for one of these pots as I can be lazy when it comes to removing my nail polish and I end up peeling the nail polish off (horror) just because I can’t be bothered to take it off with a cotton pad. Well this little gem does what it says on the label, you literally dip your finger maybe give it a little twist and off pops the colour. It’s really good when you are doing your manicure and muck up that one finger as all you need to do is pop your finger in and you can start again rather than getting cotton wool onto your other finger tips when you are trying to correct the problem.

The only flaw about the products is when you’ve used it a number of times it starts to become a little bit more difficult to take off your polish and the sponge becomes coated in different polish that maybe mark those tips. Other than that this product is a must in every girl’s beauty box.

Maybelline Polka dot launch

So the other weeks Maybelline was hosting an event to celebrate the launch of their “Polka dot” color show collection. This is perfect for adding art work to those lifeless fingertips or for just jazzing up your fabulous manicure.

Color Show collection at Boots & Superdrug from £2.99

On that particular night I discovered the Maybelline color show collection. Now when it comes to nail polishes I tend to stick to my fave brands which tend to be pricey because unfortunately I’m one of those people who believe the more you pay the better quality the product is (which isn’t always the case). This is why I’ve never paid other brands any attention.  However I must say this particular collection is great for those looking for luscious nails at an affordable price. The color show collection has some really vibrant and exciting colours with some great names to match.

I’ve already fallen for the “Winter baby” colour which is a white nail lacquer, now I was a bit apprehensive about white polishes in general and always find that the texture is very thin and you have to keep adding layers (which means longer drying time and gooey texture) to get the full colour. With “winter baby” I did 3 layers and I would keep it to a maximum of 4 and you end up with a colour as white as snow which is dead on trend at the moment.  If you want to add a different look to your polish you can add a coat of the polka dot range to either a single nail or your to your whole manicure.

Winter Baby and Chalk dust

White lacquer with a touch of chalk dust

Winter baby

 I would say the only flaw of the Polka dot collection is when it comes to removing it the dots themselves can be tricky to get rid of but other than that you must this nail lacquer is a must try!!!



Orly event!!!

Ello my lovelies!! Well I was a lucky lady last night to be invited to view the upcoming collections by Orly. Must be honest I have never tried the Orly brand myself but have always known and seen them dotted around town. So I was eager to go and see if this brand could sweep me off my feet, and I was surprisingly impressed. They had a range of collections to cater for different nail lovers, whether you’re a gel queen or an au natural kinda gal that likes a splash of colour on those fingers.
Launching their “Mash up” collection in time to catch the summer rays, this collection offers a mixture of glitter, neon, and girly pastel shades. Now I’m feeling the pastel vibe at the moment and loved the warm lilac/grey shade which was right up my street.

Out with the old in with the new, as Orly have just gone through a revamp and the new collection comes in a black rubber capped bottle, that has a nice grip to it. Which is a much smarter look compared to the rather dull packaging of their past collections.