Monday 25 May 2015

CHANEL ROUGE COCO SHINE LIPSTICKS // SECRET AND CANDEUR

Hi lovelies! In a recent post, I said I'd do a full post on my Chanel lipstick collection and while I only have five at the moment, I figured that if I was going to do it properly, then that post would be super picture heavy and probably very, very long! So, I figured I'd separate it into a few posts, one for each formulation, so I can buy more in the meantime, to keep each post short(ish) and sweet! So, today I'm starting with two from the 'Rouge Coco Shine' range, which have a sheer, hydrating formulation, with the shine of a gloss, moisturising feel of a balm and lasting power of a lipstick. The two I have certainly live up to this description.




The first of the two Rouge Coco Shine Lippies I have is 'Secret', which is a soft, warm toned nude pink. Despite being semi sheer, this does actually apply slightly more opaque than you might expect, giving a gorgeous, even colour to the lips. The natural colour of your own lips will slightly alter the way the shade looks on you, but as my natural lips are fairly light and quite pink toned, this colour applies almost exactly as it looks in the bullet. The formulation definitely has a lip balm feel to it when applied and as you can see, it's definitely got a lot of shine to it, but it doesn't wear away nearly as quickly as lipsticks from other brands with a similar formula. I'd say I probably get around 5-6 hours wear out of this before it completely fades. Obviously if you're eating and drinking in this time, the amount of time this lasts will be reduced. What I really like about this shade in particular, is that throughout the day, the shine fades, but the colour lasts, leaving you with a pretty, light pink tint all day long. I think this shade would suit a lot of people, but particularly those with fair to medium skin-tones and if you like a more warm toned, pinky nude. 




The second shade I have is 'Candeur'. This is a bit of a funny one as I don't think it looks much like the colour in the bullet at all once applied. This is a bit of a shame as the colour in the tube is absolutely stunning! Despite this, I do actually really like this shade, particularly if I fancy something really cute and girlie. Swatched, this is a very sheer but buildable light neutral pink shade. This one has even more of a balmy texture than Secret and is slightly glossier too. I'd say this applies and feels more like a gloss and it wears like one too, with slightly less lasting power than Secret. This probably lasts around 3-4 hours on me without eating and drinking, with just a hint of light pink left after that. Despite being a very light, pretty colour, this definitely isn't the most foolproof lipstick to apply. The colour isn't always very even on the first swipe and does tend to look slightly patchy without careful application. When applied with care though and built up in the right places, this does make a very pretty, everyday lipstick.

What do you think? Have you tried any Chanel lippies? Which is your favourite shade?
Let me know which ones I need to try!

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Thursday 21 May 2015

TED BAKER GOODIES





Hi lovelies! I don't know about you guys, but one thing (I'm lying, there is definitely more than one thing) I always buy, regardless of how many I have stocked up in my bathroom, is bodycare, shower gels, body sprays, perfumes, shower gels etc.. if they smell good, have pretty packaging and a special offer, I'm literally definitely going to buy them. So, when I spotted Ted Baker's new range in Boots, I could almost hear the sigh coming from my purse. 

As these were on a 3 for 2 offer (and still are as far as  know), there were so many gorgeous things to choose from (more of which will no doubt be added to this pretty little collection very soon), but I did actually need a new shower gel, as I've run out of Victoria's Secret ones and have the Soap & Glory Sugar Crush one currently, which I've completely gone off of! So, the beautifully scented, prettily packaged Body Wash was a no brainer. I absolutely adore the light pink colour and the pretty flowers and rose gold accents mean it looks absolutely gorgeous sitting in my shower, definitely better than a generic brand shower gel sitting in the corner of the bathroom! Not only is the packaging gorgeous, the product itself is too, it cleans your skin perfectly with drying it out in the slightest and fills the room with it's stunning fragrance. I'm not brilliant at describing scents, but the Boots website says 'Sparkling fruity grapefruit, mandarin and mango are teamed with subtle floral notes of neroli and jasmine, while the base of patchouli, sandalwood and musk completes the scent', I'd describe this as a light, slightly sweet floral scent, very pretty and feminine and definitely not too overbearing. I'd say the scent is a people pleaser, as there's nothing really to dislike about it. 

As I loved the scent so much, I decided to pick up the body spray too. At £7.00, it was slightly cheaper than the shower gel (which was £8.00) and comes in a very generous 150ml spray bottle. The bottle itself is pink tinted with a stunning white and rose gold square lid., so it looks absolutely beautiful with all my other perfumes on my shelf. The scent is exactly the same as the shower gel, which is perfect as the scent is so beautiful. As it's such an easy to wear scent, it's perfect to wear for everyday as it can be used alone or to top up the scent of whatever perfume you're wearing throughout the day. I tend to use fruity floral fragrances and this blends so well with all of them, making it a perfect, cheaper alternative to actually spraying more perfume every few hours! They actually also offer a 50ml size for £2.50, which I actually might go back and get for my handbag, rather than carrying the bigger bottle around all day. I actually keep this one behind the reception desk in my salon, as I've sprayed it around the rooms a few times and have actually had clients comment on how gorgeous it smells! The scent lasts a surprisingly long time considering it's just a body spray too, particularly on your clothes, so that's great if you're wearing this in place of perfume.

Finally, for £10.00, I got this gorgeous little lip balm trio. I absolutely, 100% do not need any more lip balms, but the super adorable pastel shades and gorgeous box (which I'll definitely be reusing after these are finished!) had me sold on these. Each of these is scented differently and comes in a gorgeous little square glass pot with a plastic pastel coloured lid. The balms themselves are completely colourless and go on super smoothly and actually do an amazing job of moisturising dry lips, which I really suffer with. I keep one of these in my handbag, one on my bedside table and one in my make up bag so I can have access all the time and keep my lips soft at all times! The three scents are Vanilla, Berry and Blackberry and all smell beautiful, without being so perfumed that they're too overwhelming, or drying your lips out (does anyone else find this with perfumed balms?!), they also make a perfect base for lipstick too, making it go on much smoother and hiding any pesky dry patches!

So, with the 3 for 2 offer, I got all three of these for £18, which I think is actually a pretty good deal. What do you think of this range? Will you be picking anything up?
Let me know if you've tried any other items from this line and if there's anything you recommend!

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Tuesday 19 May 2015

MATCHING YOUR LIGHTS TO YOUR LIVING ROOM DESIGN *

Your living room is one of the most important rooms in your house. It's where you relax after a long day at work, laugh with friends and watch endless hours of Netflix, so it has to be functional and look good. As well as the way you decorate, the lighting is important, too. Good lighting can make your living room feel warm, cosy and inviting. So here are some lighting ideas to match your living room design.
Shabby Chic, Romantic and Girly
This type of living room is cute, quirky and full of personality. Featuring pale pinks, adorable floral patterns, and a vintage feel, a shabby chic living room is romantic, soft and relaxing. The lighting here is really important, as the wrong style can throw the whole room out of balance. An ultra modern lighting here is a definite no-no! Instead, choose a chandelier with romantic floral touches, fairy lights for an extra feminine touch, and vintage style floor lights with embroidered shades. Choose lighting in rose gold, silver, or copper to bring the theme together.
50 Shades of Magnolia
If you live in a rented property, then unless you have an amazing landlord, you're probably prohibited from painting walls and redecorating. So what can you do with your living room when the walls are in boring shades of cream? Create a feature wall by making art gallery, poster or mirror wall, add colour with cushions, rugs and accessories and then go crazy with your lights! In a cream room you have endless choices, so let your creative side shine through with lava lamps, neon signs, or even novelty lights in the shape of flowers and dogs.
Bold and Beautiful
If you love colour, then your living room is a great place to express it. While everyone else is choosing sofas in neutral shades, you've chosen a bright patterned fabric, painted a bold feature wall and accessorised with a colourful rug – go you! If your living room is an eclectic mix of design and colour, your lighting can pull it all together. Choose a bold retro ceiling light in your main colour and add rope lights around mirrors or cornices for an extra statement.
Modern and Minimal

For some people, too many accessories just means clutter. If you're one of these people, you have probably decorated your living room in a minimal style, with carefully placed pops of colour, clean lines or a monochrome pallet. For this design, think of a square leather sofa, a plush faux fur rug and gloss finish furniture. In such a stylish space, the lighting has to be subtle but stylish. Choose a contemporary ceiling light such as a modern chandelier or steel pendant and finish with matching table lamps.

Sunday 17 May 2015

LOVING LATELY

Chanel lipstick is becoming a bit of a dangerous new obsession for me, I bought my first one, a gorgeous bright red, on my birthday (which was only a little over a week ago) and I already now have five. Whoops. They're so worth the price though as they go on beautifully and last a long time on the lips. This one in particular, which is in the shade Catherine is my absolutely favourite. It's from the Rouge Allure line and is a gorgeous peachy pink shade, it's a medium/ light colour and is bright enough to give a pop of colour, but muted enough to be perfect for everyday. I may do a full review of all my Chanel lip pies with swatches soon, so let me know if you'd like to see that. 

This is a random one for me as I'm not a One Direction girl at all (sorry), but I actually got given this a gift and despite the fact that it is a celeb perfume, it's actually really beautiful. It's a definite fruity floral, not too complex, but it certainly doesn't smell like a typical celeb fragrance either. If you don't like very girl scents, then steer clear as this is defintiely very feminine, however it's not as juvenile as I'd expected and defintiely smells a lot more expensive than it likely is. I highly doubt the 1D boys actually had much to do with what went into this scent, but whoever did did a fab job! Definitely worth a look if you're in the market for a new fragrance!

I couldn't believe my luck when I spotted these beauties in the New Look sale, both for just £8 each and both available in my size! Despite the fact that I defintiely didn't need any more shoes, how can you say not for that price? I love the gorgeous pastel colours and think the fact that the buckles match is a beautiful touch. These will be absolutely perfect for spring/ summer outfits, I'm already thinking of what I can pair them with! The mid height blocky heels are one of my favourite styles as they're so easy to wear as they're super comfy and easy to walk in, but they still look a little more interesting than throwing on a pair of flats.

Look. How. Beautiful. I finally upgraded my ancient old iPhone 4 for a gorgeous shiny new gold iPhone 6. I thought the size would be a bit of an issue for me but it's absolutely perfect, the camera (which I used to take every other photo in this post, not including the above, obviously!!) is incredible and I can't get over how fast it is as I was so used to my much older phone. Despite being a little bigger than other iPhone models, it's very thin and light, so the difference is really in the screen size, which I actually really love. I do think the 6 plus would have been too big for me, but if you're at all unsure on whether to get this due to the bigger size, then I'd say go for it!












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Wednesday 13 May 2015

MICHAEL KORS TOP ZIP JET SET SAFFIANO LEATHER TOTE REVIEW


Hi lovelies! It's a bit unusual of me to do a review of anything other than a hair or beauty product, but as you can see, this is something that I have a lot of love for, so I thought I'd review my favourite ever handbag(s) the Michael Kors Top Zip Jet Set Tote. As you can probably tell, it's definitely my favourite style of handbag as I have in three colours (so far!). I've got one other Michael Kors bag, which is a Jet Set Travel tote and while that is absolutely perfect for going anywhere where you need to carry a little extra (and it's baby pink, so it's super pretty!), these are the perfect size for every day.

First things first, Michael Kors is my absolutely favourite brand for handbags for a number of reasons, first, the obvious, they're beautiful. I love that they have such a huge range of colours and styles but are all very classic and elegant, nothing too crazy, which brings me onto my next point, they're timeless. Despite having some fun colours, the actual style of MK bags is generally very simple and chic, meaning they never go out of style. I personally believe that accessories such as jewellery, watches and handbags are a better investment than designer clothes. Clothes tend to go out of style quickly, but bags and jewellery are timeless when you get them right, give me a MK bag and a pair of Topshop skinny jeans over a cheap bag and Burberry coat any day! 

Obviously they aren't the cheapest handbags out there (the Jet Set Zip Top retails at £220 in the UK), as designer bags go, they're certainly not the most expensive either, making them a fab investment piece when you don't want to part with too much of your hard earned cash! The quality is incredible aswell, with a lot of bags, people will often say 'it looks better as it wears' but I disagree, I like my handbags to look shiny and new and to stay that way, which these bags definitely do. Obviously, you have to take care of it as with anything, but if you do, these stay gorgeous and keep their shape for a long time.

As for why I love this model in particular, as I said, it's such a great size for everyday. For me, small bags are not an option for everyday. I carry a full makeup bag, hairbrush, purse, keys, phone, iPad, umbrella and various other bits and bobs and this fits all of that really well. I find it fits everything I absolutely need perfectly, but doesn't leave so much room that I end up filling my bag up with other rubbish that I don't need in there. It has a zip pocket inside as well as four other little pockets, fab for hold your phone and keys and whatever other small things that you don't want floating freely around your handbag. One thing I absolutely always look for in a handbag is a zip across the top, I cannot deal with bags that don't zip up, purely because I carry so much stuff around that I'd be terrified of things falling out! I'm also not keen on passers by, people on the train or any other nosey randomer being able to have a nose into my bag! Another great thing for me is the strap, it's long enough that it can be comfortably worn on your shoulder, but short enough that it can be carried in the crook of your arm without looking odd. I don't generally do cross body bags and while I do generally carry my bag on my arm, I like to have the option of putting it on my shoulder too if necessary. 

Overall, if you're on the hunt for a handbag that's big enough for all your daily essentials, but not too big and if you love a timeless, classic handbag that keeps its colour and shape, then this is absolutely for you. As I've said, I do think designer bags are worth the investment, as cheaper bags (at least I. My experience) do always eventually lose their shape or fade in colour or just literally fall apart (is there anything more annoying than a ripped inside pocket on a handbag?), so if you're on the lookout, the Michael Kors Zip Top Jet Set Tote is definitely worth checking out.


What do you think? What's your favourite style of handbag?

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Sunday 10 May 2015

BOBBI BROWN LUMINOUS MOISTURIZING FOUNDATION REVIEW





Hi lovelies! I don't know about you guys, but in the summer, I cannot stand thick, heavy foundations, but I always want a medium to full coverage, as while I don't by any means have bad skin, it's just very slightly uneven at times, i.e. red nose due to occasional hayfever (the joys) and dark undereyes due to lack of sleep. So, as you can imagine, when the warmer weather rolls around, my usual go to MAC Studio Fix just isn't going to cut it, as no one wants heavy foundation in the heat! So, on my mission to find a nice light, decent coverage foundation, I decided to try Bobbi Brown's Luminous Moisturizing Foundation.

As I have combination skin, I find some foundations can cling to the drier patches of my skin, generally around my nose, so this is a particularly unattractive look as I'm sure you can imagine. Because of this, the 'moisturizing' claim that came with this foundation hugely appealed to me. Despite being totally non-oily, this definitely delivers on it's claims. On first application, the smooth, light moisturising texture was the first thing I noticed, it almost felt like a tinted moisturiser on my skin rather than a foundation, definitely a plus point! The finish was very even and very dewy, more dewy than I actually like, but once powdered over, I really liked the finish it gave. I got this in the shade 'Natural', which is perfect for my skin in the summer (aka fake tanned) but would be way too dark if I didn't have tan on (which is never, so not really a problem). There is a huge range of shades, but I'd recommend trying them out in store, as online swatches aren't great.

As for how long this lasts on the skin, I'd say you'll probably get a good 6 hours without too much need to touch up, unless you have very oily skin. Drier skin types may get slightly longer, but this definitely isn't a long wearing foundation. It won't completely wear away after the 6 hours, but there is definite fading, which for me isn't a problem, as I quite happily touch up my foundation several times a day anyway (running a beauty salon means it's quite an easy and appropriate place for makeup touch ups!).

As much as I do love this, I have recently tried another foundation at a similar price point that I much prefer, if you follow me on twitter and are super observant, you'll know what one that is, but that'll be in a post to come soon! So, I would definitely recommend this to those of you who like a light, dewy finish foundation with a buildable amount of coverage and particularly if you have any fine lines, as while I don't have this problem myself, I have used this on my Mum and it doesn't settle into fine lines at all, so that's something to keep in mind if this is an issue for you. So for those who like a dewy finish, medium coverage and possibly have fine lines, go for it!


This costs £31 in Debenhams, which is where I got mine, however I think they have actually chaned the packaging slightly on newer bottles to include a pump. I've heard that the formula is the same, however the shades are now slightly off, so that's worth knowing if you've had Bobbi Brown Foundations in the past!


What do you think? Does this sound like the sort of foundation you'd like? What's your favourite foundation?

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Sunday 3 May 2015

BOLD IS BEAUTIFUL


Hi lovelies! Something a little different today as I wanted to bring this amazing project to your attention. Many of you will have seen Benefit's 'Brow Arch March' campaign on lots of blogs, including my own, last year. This year, Benefit are at it again, making your brows bold and beautiful for an incredible cause.  this time supporting two very important women’s charities, Look Good Feel Better (who help women and teenagers combat the visible side effects of cancer treatment) and Refuge (who support women and children escaping domestic violence.)

This year 100% of profits from Benefit’s brow wax service in May will be donated to the two worthy causes. Incredibly, anyone who purchases a brow wax service during the month of May will receive a complimentary full size Gimme Brow (worth £18.50). How amazing is that?! Helping two very worthy causes and leaving with fab brows and an amazing brow product (one of my personal faves!)

In addition to this, Sarah-Jane Crawford is the campaign ambassador this year and she will be leading a fun 3.7 mile march in London on Sunday 10th May which comprises of beauty touch-ups from Benebabes, and freebie products throughout! Unfortunately, as it's my Birthday this Wednesday, I've got things to do, places to go and people to see next weekend, but I'd absolutely love to be able to go and I'm sure it'll be amazing for anybody that does fancy going along! The March starts and finishes in Cavendish Square, you can find more details and sign up here if you're interested.

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