au naturel

earrings - primark
lipstick - mac victorian
curls - all natural baby


It is true that you always want what you haven't got. When I was little, I use to envy my friends with poker straight hair, so tame and shiny, whilst I was stuck with an awkward mane of unruly curls. I went to all costs to rid myself of the curls, avoiding the crusts on my sandwiches for fear they would make my hair grow even curlier and attempting to suppress my ringlets under a sea of kirby grips and scrunchies. Needless to say, the discovery of hair straighteners in my early teens was the start of a spiral of endless straightening and reliance on my trusty GHDs. It is sad but it isn't until recently I have started to embrace my natural waves and accept I am never going to have super straight hair.
It is now my pledge to wean myself off the straighteners and wear my hair au naturel. I am off to Egypt next week so this will be the perfect time to start. I certainly do not fancy singeing my hair whilst I fry in 40 degree heat! To enhance and define my curls I use Trevor Sorbie's beautiful curl cream on wet hair. It is really good and doesn't leave your hair crunchy or sticky, just bouncy and moisturised. I gently twist random sections of my hair and then let it all dry naturally. And that is all, no mousse or hair spray. Now my hair literally takes half the time to style as i use to; as I previously slaved over the straighteners for a good hour. Madness!
My hair certainly feels a lot healthier and happier and I have surprisingly become quite captivated by my curls.

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he-shi, me-love

My estimations of fake tan are forever changing and every new brand I try, I think I have found the perfect one. In my early years of fake tanning I believed St Tropez mousse held all the answers, but than was before I discovered St Moriz. Following that I fell in love with Xen Tan and this was held in high esteem before Lauren's Way, my latest favourite, rocked onto the fake tan scene.
Now I think all these previous favourites have met their match with this latest product I was sent to try. He-Shi Express Liquid Tan (for him and her!) is just brilliant and I am in love. It can be used on the face and body and gives an instant colour to the skin on contact and then develops into a darker tan over the next few hours. The smell is inoffensive, yet also quite indescribable...maybe slightly floral, but definitely not overly sweet or biscuity!

This tan is liquid, and I mean really loose, runny liquid! At first I made the mistake of just applying it straight onto my skin from the bottle which resulted in the tan just running off and dripping down my leg. My second attempt was a lot more triumphant as I used the He-Shi Tanning Mitt to apply the tan with and this really is invaluable. I think the success of this product comes from the smooth, flawless application you get from the soft mitt and the liquid formula. The tan really does just glide on and a small amount covers a large area of skin. It didn't leave any steaks or patchy areas at all and you can see exactly where you are applying it. This tan does dry quite quickly but does leave you a little bit sticky whilst waiting for it to completely dry. 

I wore my He-Shi tan to V festival last week and it gave my a long lasting, bronzed glow all weekend. In comparison to other fake tanners, such as Lauren's Way and Xen Tan, I would say that the He-Shi Express Liquid Tan isn't quite as dark on first application, but it holds it colour for longer which in my opinion is better. My tan lasted a good 4-5 day before it started becoming patchy. The only downside, like any other fake tanner, is that it is a nightmare to remove. I felt the He-Shi fake tan was the most stubborn of all to scrub off and did require some vigorous exfoliation! But this is a small price to pay for a great fake tan that is so quick and easy to apply and gives really lovely results.


He-Shi Express Liquid Tan retails at £21.00 and is available online here, along with many of their other fake tanning products.
Have you tried anything from the He-Shi range?


ps: Don't forget to enter my giveaway if you haven't already; it ends tonight at midnight.

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bare minimum, barely there

Sleek Makeup are set to launch another, yes another, new collection and this range is all about the nudes and au naturel beauty. With their signature eyeshadow palette offering a selection of shades from your earthy browns and tans to your pearly oyster and champagne shimmers, it is perfect for those wishing to achieve a natural, subtle eye look. 
The accompanying blush in Suede is ok, nothing really to rave about but offers a nice, matte flush of dirtied peachy-brown which I think would be best for contouring the cheeks.
However, being a quite a lover of a nude lip, it was no surprise that I was most excited by their new pout polish in Bare Minimum (£4.29). Just like all their preceding pout polishes, it smells lovely, fruity and sweet, and is ultra conditioning enriched with Jojoba, Avocado and Sweet Almond Oil. It also has SPF 15 which is always a bonus. In the tin this product looks really promising, but unfortunately Bare Minimum pout polish would be more aptly named Barely There as the pigmentation is quite disappointing. It really is more of a clear lipgloss and you need to apply a lot to achieve any sort of colour pay-off on your lips. Its sheerness is a shame considering the amazing pigmented colours I have previously experienced with Sleek's pout polishes.

Bar the lack of pigmentation, this pout polish is good for conditioning and offers a gorgeous sheen to the lips. For me it is too bland to wear alone but worn over another lipstick (for example MAC's Fleshpot as above) it does work really well. 
If you are after a very sheer, barely there lipgloss to just give you a subtle sheen then this product is for you, but if you were hoping for a rich, glossy, nude finish, think Creme d'nude, you will be duly disappointed.


This collection is a permanent addition to Sleek Makeup's range and is available online and from Superdrug stores from 31st August 2011.
Does this nude collection delight you?

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lose yourself in the music

I have returned safe and well, albeit a little weary, croaky voiced and beer soaked, from another amazing weekend at the V festival in Chelmsford. I have to say this year was definitely the best I have been to - some awesome acts and some great friends to enjoy them with. Our spirits weren't even dampened by the dismal downpour on Saturday; nothing a quick visit to Pincho Ponchos didn't sort out! Bruno Mars soon made the sun shine again and my absolute highlight was Eminem last night, with appearances from Rihanna and D12. Just wow.
Anyway, I thought I would share with you my outfits over the two days.

tee - H&M
denim shorts - H&M (shortened by me)
scarf - vintage
oversized gothic cross necklace - This Charming Girl

dress - H&M
oversized gothic cross necklace - This Charming Girl

Both days I wore my gothic cross necklace which I received from This Charming Girl a few days before V festival. I instantly knew it would be perfect to wear over the weekend and I really love the length and detail of the piece.  
This Charming Girl is home to some lovely vintage and contemporary jewellery and for a limited time they are offering my readers a 15% discount on any purchases. Simply use the code PEARLSANDPOODLES at the checkout.


I hope you all had rocking weekends!

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leopard print nails

I know I am about a year too late to the leopard print nail party and the boat has well and truly set sail, but I have arrived, fashionably late, with this, my first ever attempt. I don't really know why I haven't indulged in leopard print nail art before now but already I'm hooked and am conjuring up my next colour combo! I purchased the Models Own nail art pen on a whim during a frenzied lunchtime splurge along with Sleek's Rose Gold blusher (such a beautiful colour) and some false lashes. 

The nail art pen is really easy to use, and the fine nib means you can really go to town with some precise and intricate nail art. At the other end is a long thin brush, ideal for making loose sweeping lines across your nail and perfect for creating a zebra-stripe type design, for example. Hands up if you can guess what my next nail art creation will be?!

For this leopard print mani I used:
Barry M Mint Green 304
Barry M Pale Purple 308


I painted my nails half and half with these two colours just to make the background a little bit more fancy that just using one colour. Then I took Essie's Aerie Fairy and made different sized spots randomly all over my nails. Once the spots were completely dried, I took the nail art pen and disjointedly lined around the spots and made some other marks in the gaps wherever I felt necessary. To achieve the most effective finish the idea is not to be meticulous when applying the spots and using the pen, but to be quite loose and random with the pattern. It is a perfect nail art design if you haven't got the steadiest of hands as any mistakes made really don't show up that much.





Have you tried this design? 
Do you like to sport some spots?

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i can see a rainbow

Rainbow nails; clouds achieved by lightly dabbing No.7 Snowflake polish over the Barry M's Cyan Blue with a makeup sponge.


You know you sometimes have certain days you look forward to for absolutely ages and you think they will never come around. The next few days are those types of days. 
Today I am taking my boyfriend Rob to London for a series of surprises to celebrate his 30th birthday on 21st August. I wanted to do something special for him today as we won't be able to celebrate his birthday properly on Sunday as we will be at V festival. I obviously cannot say what we are up to as he will probably read this but let's just say I had a bit of a Monika-moment and have written multiple lists and have an detailed itinerary for the day! I just hope he likes it all.


And then on Saturday and Sunday I am at V festival with Rob and a group of friends. It is a mere hop, skip and a jump away from us so it would be rude not to go and I have to say I am so excited about the line up this year; Eminem and Rihanna being the highlights! It will be a fun weekend and one I have been looking forward to for ages now. I just really hope the weather holds out and the sun shines for us.
However, you can't see a rainbow without a little rain. :)


I hope you all have great weekends too.

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the skinnies

Skinny jeans - H&M £9.99
You know that awkward moment when you like an item of clothing so much, you buy it in every single colour. Well that's just what I did with these skinny jeans from H&M. Every colour bar the black pair that is, just because I never wear black.
I surprised myself that I even tried these on; I think I own one other pair of trousers and happily live in skirts and dresses. Trousers just don't feature in my wardrobe or in my head when piecing together an outfit. However, what I love about these trousers and made me purchase them (times three) is the fact they fit so well and flatter my shape. They are high waisted, flat-fronted with a tiny zip at the side. Good for little waists but wider hips. They are stretchier than your conventional jeans and thinner material making them less rigid. The only downside to them is the fact they seemed to be crafted for very tall people; meaning I have to turn them up a good few inches at the bottom. I think I might sweet talk the mother who is a whizz on the sewing machine to shorten them for me :) 
I'm just going to will H&M to make a pastel coloured pair now, mint green perhaps, that would be perfect!


Please tell me you too have bought the an item you've loved in every colour available??

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