fancy tips

I am no nail art expert and rarely stretch to anything fancy on my fingers; I am a paint 'n go kinda gal, but following the No.7 nail art event I attended a few months ago, I decided to become a bit more experimental. These tips may look fancy but they were ridiculously quick and easy to execute, and almost 100% fool-proof.

GOLDEN PYRAMIDS

Base coat - Eyeko Pastel Polish

Tips - No.7 Hot to Trot

COSMIC CURVES

Base coat - Eyeko Pastel Polish

Tips - GOSH Holographic

I used the below manicure guide stickers to achieve the above looks. We received these at the event but unfortunately I am not sure exactly where they came from. However, I have investigated and if you search for 'nail guide stickers' on eBay, there are hundreds of different styles that pop up.

Simply paint your nails with your chosen base colour. Now the important part is to wait until they are completely dry before applying the stickers. If the varnish is even slightly tacky, it will come off as you remove the sticker. Equally, once you have positioned your stickers and painted the tips, ensure this layer of polish is completely dry also before peeling the sticker away, otherwise the line won't be sharp.

Providing you make sure the varnish is totally dry at both these stages - this technique is really easy, very effective and opens up endless possibilities. I am already mentally creating my next colour combination.


What do you think?
Is this something you would try?

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mac haute & naughty lash

There is a multitude of mascaras on the market nowadays all promises to lengthen, thicken, curl and define our lashes to colossal proportions. So much so that it appears two wands are now necessary to satiate all these vows and achieve those lovely long lashes we all lust after.

MAC's Haute & Naughty Lash mascara is no exception, deceivingly offering two separate wands - which is, in fact, one wand, but two sets of brushes, one inside the other. Previously I have tried, and loved, one MAC mascara (Zoom Fast Black Lash) so was looking forward to trying this product out and seeing how it compared.





The mascara has two caps; the pink "haute" one revealing the daytime wand - a skinnier wand and a less dense applicator. And then there is the sparkly "naughty" one - the evening wand, offering a thicker wand and a heavier applicator.





You can see the evening wand is double-brush applicator which gives you a lot of mascara, hence a wetter application, and thicker bristles. It is designed to give you a more bold, dramatic look with maximum volume and length.  





The daytime wand is a single brush which emerges from the tube a lot cleaner than the other wand. It is still a relatively large mascara but has more defined bristles which in turn separates and curls your individual lashes really well, achieving a softer, more natural finish.

For my top lashes I used the evening wand applicator, giving me a more dramatic finish. However, I did feel it clumped a little so I took the daytime wand and combed through my lashes to help separate them. The thicker brush reminded me of Benefit's Bad Gal which I personally really dislike and find too heavy and 'gloopy' on application. It was still effective and definitely added volume and blackness to my lashes, but without the other wand, they would have been left quite clumpy.

For my bottom lashes I solely used the daytime wand for a softer finish. I absolutely love this wand as it defines, lengthens and separates my lashes without being too wet or heavy. Regrettably, the only thing it doesn't do is thicken. The formula of this mascara is very nice and my lashes held up well during the day - no flaking, smudging or crispiness!

I wouldn't say this is a must-have mascara; I do think there are much better products out there for achieving luscious long lashes, but I do highly rate the daytime wand and the pink sparkly packaging is an added bonus!

I'd love to hear your thoughts if you have tried this product.

Which is your must-have mascara?

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a splash of claret

Tee - H&M
Scarf - McQueen
Maxi skirt - H&M


I have recently been loving basics. And where else from than H&M. I have accumulated tonnes of tees over the last few weeks, in all colours and levels of slouchiness. I particularly love this one which has a little breast pocket, sadly concealed by my scarf, and a V-neckline. So simple to wear and lends itself well to be tucked into high waisted skirts and such. And the claret colour is a shade braver than I would usually choose but I really like it, even if it does clash with my hair somewhat...
x

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a red warning

Oh yes, red hair is all fun and games when it is freshly-coloured, vibrant and not tainted by roots or washed-out ends. However, once the fade kicks in, the demise of your once colourful coiffure is an unstoppable force and will leave you with a battered barnet and a tricky dilemma.


Let me introduce you to Exhibit A, the shameful state that is my hair.
You will observe a good 12 weeks worth of roots, faded ends and some lovely random blonde streaks. I particularly love how the colour of my top knot doesn't even match the rest of my hair.

I am faced with three options if I wish to rid myself of this atrocity...keep up the red, go darker or, the word that instills dread amongst hairdressers and myself alike, 'cleanse' the hair. 
I have had this done before and I refuse to put my tresses through this again. From what I have experienced, it is a process of stripping the hair completely of all its colour, which will leave you resembling Krusty the Clown, and then dying it an all over base colour and taking it from there. My hair really suffered when I had this done and I therefore am avoiding this option at all costs. I equally don't want to stay red and I know I ultimately don't want to go darker! This leaves me in quite a conundrum...


Ideally I would very much like to be this colour again...
le sigh....





So what am I going to do?
Absolutely nothing. I plan to just embrace the mismatch mane and work on the condition and length of my hair as I am assuming it will fade a lot more over the two weeks I am away in Egypt. I will then return, get a good trim and ponder my next move. There are some really great colour-protecting hair products about which have worked wonders with my hair but inevitably, red hair will always fade and my flirtation with the fiery side is over.
x

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Estée Lauder fuchsia velvet

On Wednesday, I had the great pleasure of trotting along to the Estée Lauder HQ in London to take a gander at their new Autumn 2011 releases. The Pure Color Modern Mercury collection has been created by international makeup artist, and Lauder's creative director, Tom Pecheux and offers a range of earthy tones and metallic textures contrasting with bold lips and matte finishes.

I want to share with you several products from the new range but understandably, first and foremost, my eyes were navigated to this gorgeous lipstick from the new collection. Fuchsia Velvet is a Pure Color lipstick offering a semi-matte finish without being drying or chalky. Enriched with apricot kernel and Shea butter, it feels lovely and creamy on your lips and is highly pigmented giving a real punch of colour.  It is simply divine with a sweet, fruity fragrance. Be warned however, this is definitely a lipstick to be applied with a lip brush.

I would describe the shade as a bright magenta with blue undertones. It is one of those lipsticks that can make your teeth look super white! I like matte lipsticks so this was always going to be a winner for me, but I love that it still has a subtle glossy sheen to the finish. I was trying to think of which MAC lipstick it best compares to...and I decided it is similar to Girl about Town but is definitely a lot more vibrant.

Pure Color Modern Mercury is coming soon online and in stores. You can always be notified by email once the products have been released if you so wish.

What are you thoughts on this lipstick?

Will you be checking out this new collection from Estée Lauder?

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up , up and away

The holiday is booked.
5 weeks, 3 days and an inconsequential number of hours and we shall be jetting off to seek warmth and relaxation, and maybe  few ice creams, under the Egyptian sun! I am so so so very excited. :) I love going on holiday in the later summer months; as everyone else goes and returns, you have that smug feeling knowing your holiday is still to come.


However this late summer excursion means I am fraught with the challenge of tracking down some bikinis for my two weeks away. It feels like I'm swimming against the current with the shops currently tossing all their summer clothes aside to line the floors of their sales section. I became excited, momentarily, when I seized a perfect pair of bikini bottoms, only to be left on my hands and knees scouring for the accompanying top half. I think ASOS and La Senza will be my salvation as they both have a huge range of gorgeous, frilly and colourful bikinis. Which leads me to the immortal question; how many is too many bikinis for a summer holiday??


Have you been to Egypt? And, more importantly, have you seen any decent bikinis out and about in the shops?

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YSL beauty challenge

To celebrate the close collaboration between John Lewis and Yves Saint Laurent in their latest, upcoming fashion campaign, I was recently asked if I wanted to take part in the YSL beauty challenge. I was given the chance to recreate an inspired look from a YSL catwalk, using a few products from their makeup collection. 

Images courtesy of MPDClick.com

I was a little hesitant at first - I am no makeup artist, but thought I would give it a go and studied the catwalk imagery to see which photos inspired me most. I chose the above two pictures from the Ready to Wear AW 2010 Paris fashion show because I loved the peach eyeshadow, bravely taken up high to the brow bone, the contoured cheeks and the berry-pink lips.
I received three items from the YSL collection to help me recreate this look.

I knew I wanted to emphasis the peachy shade used around the eyes, so I chose this eyeshadow duo in No.23 Pearly Peach/Mink Brown. The peach shadow wasn't quite as rich and intense as I had hoped, but was still a very pretty colour. I used this all over my lids, taking the colour quite far up towards my brow bone. I also ran the colour under my eyes as well. I then used the mink brown shade to lightly line my upper and lower lash lines. I noticed the rest of the eye was left quite bare, so simply added some mascara (MAC Zoom Fast mascara) and refrained from any eye liner.

I also received the YSL Touche Eclat Complexion Highlighter which I chose in shade 02 which was perfect for my NC25-30 skin shade.  Described as quite the 'cult' product, I hadn't actually tried this wonder wand before as I don't really suffer from dark circles. However, it transpires it can be used for more than disguising tired eyes, using it as a handy highlighter for all areas of your face.






The consistency is lovely and light; and so easy and creamy to blend. I used it under my eyes and in the corners, through my brow bone, down my nose and on my cheeks to add some luminosity to my face. It wasn't at all cakey and really lightened up the area around my eyes and gave my skin a fresh radiance.





Finally the lips. My favourite stage of any makeup look. The images lend themselves to a berry-pink lip so I opted for Candy Volupte Lipstick in No. 4 Succulent Pomegranate. It honestly smells amazing - like sweet watermelon, and glides on wonderfully, leaving a burst of colour and a glossy finish. It is a perfect lip colour that can be applied without any lipliner and keeps your lips feeling soft and hydrated, with a balm-like texture.

Below are the final photos of my inspired look.
Other products used:
Estee Lauder Double Wear (tawny)
MAC MSF Natural (medium plus)
MAC eyebrow pencil (spiked)
Bourjois Délice de Soleil bronzing powder

I had fun taking on this challenge and trying out some new products and recreating a certain look.
All these Yves Saint Laurent products and many other items can be purchased from John Lewis' makeup and skincare ranges online.


What are your thoughts? Is this a look you would try?

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