The Body Shop Christmas VIP Experience!

Last week I was contacted to ask if I'd like to head along to the Body Shop for a bit of a pampering session.  Of course I said yes, I can't think of a more appropriate time of year for a bit of pampering, what with all the stress of Christmas and the horrible cold weather!.  So today my lovely mum and I headed into Edinburgh, had breakfast then got to the store, where I was greeted by Nova (what a lovely name!).  She sat me down and made sure I was comfortable, before talking through my skin concerns,  whipping off my make-up and treating me to a make-over using some of their festive make-up goodies!

Unfortunately, I didn't get a breakdown of exactly what she used, but from memory the products included: Extra Virgin Minerals Liquid Foundation (link), Smoky Eye Palette in Moonstone (link), Metallic Eye Definer Pencil (link) and Colourglide Shine Lip Colour (link).  In particular I love the eye definers, which were buttery smooth eye pencils which could be smudged into the eye.  She used a light champagne colour (Moonstone I think) on the tear duct and it had such a lovely effect.  The lipstick she used on me was also beautiful, I can't recall the name, but it was a muted cherry/berry red, super glossy and comfortable to wear!

Next up my mum and I were treated to a lovely hand massage, using the Africa Honey & Beeswax Hand and Foot Butter which is almost solid in texture, but smooths onto the skin as a rich cream.  Nova explained that this could be used with their cotton gloves and worn overnight.  I'm a fan of this idea, as i'm too lazy to keep applying hand cream throughout the day and as a result my poor hands get a bit neglected in the old moisturisation department!

I took a look round the store and was amazed at the range of Christmas gifts they have!  There is seriously something for everyone in there!  Click below to see the larger picture.  I personally loved all the little stocking fillers they had, such perfect little extra treats!

 I had a quick look on their website, and they have a discount code currently where you get £20 off when you spend £40! Wowzers!  The code you need is: HALVE.  It's a 2 day deal, so get your skates on!!

The staff in the Princess Street store in Edinburgh were lovely!  They were so smiley and friendly, and the store had a lovely atmosphere.  Nova was very knowledgeable about the products, and she really made me feel at ease as I sat there...with no make-up on...in the busy shop! That's no mean feat!

They kindly gave me a bag of goodies, but by the time I got home it was dark (pesky winter time!) so I'll get some pictures up tomorrow hopefully!

Heather x

Festive Party Look! Green Goddess!

Christmas and New Year are definitely my favourite time of year when it comes to make-up, you can pretty much douse yourself in glitter and bright colours and get away with it under the pretence that it is 'festive'!  Or not...

I wanted to do a festive look using green with a bit of a bronzey orange thrown in for good measure, and this is what I came up with!

Products Used

Clinique Even Better Foundation

Benefit Erase Paste

Chanel Solieil Tan de Chanel

Benefit Hoola

Sleek Rose Gold Blush

Illamasqua Lover Blush

MAC Painterly Pain Pot

Inglot Shadows (Colours TBC)

17 Midnight Eyeshadow

Loreal Perfect Slim Superliner

Famous by Sue Moxley Eyeliner

NYC Show Off Mascara

elf Eyebrow Kit in Medium

17 Lipstick in Belle

MAC Dazzleglass in Baby Sparks

Here is the video!  I hope the lighting isn't too bad, I've rigged up this cheap 'n' cheerful lighting configuration and crossing my fingers that it'll do and I won't have to fork out on proper studio lighting!  Let me know your thoughts?

Take care!

Heather x

Sleek Respect Palette Tutorial

I know, I know...more Sleek MakeUp!  I clearly have a problem!  So when I saw that they'd released not one, but 2 new palettes I was hopeless to resist!
I took these on holiday and absolutely loved them both so I thought that while they were still in stores I would post up a look using the Respect Palette.  It's an unusual mix of bright oranges, reds and pinks mixed with creamy neutrals and autumnal plums!  A complete mixed bag of colours and textures!
Products Used
AVON Ideal Flawless Foundation - Golden
Illamasqua Concealer
MAC Mineralise Blush - Dainty
MAC Paint Pot - Painterly
Sleek Respect Platte, James Brown, Shalamar, Roberta Black, Cameo Cream
MAC Fluidline - Blacktrack
Revlon Fabulash Mascara
NYX Eye-shadow - Suede (for brows)
Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss - Nude Peach
Here is a link to the tutorial

Trilogy Certified Organic Rosehip Oil

I don't very often post about skincare on my blog.  I think it's because i'm not normally wow'd by such products.  So after using this little gem for over 3 months and still loving it I thought it was worthy of a blog post all of it's own.

I first heard about this product on YouTube.  The girl had suffered from acne and was left with scarring, and this was the product she swore by.  That's all the persuasion I needed so I hot-footed it to Holland and Barrett, which is one of many stockists of this product.  Here is a link.  I paid £16.55.

20ml of product doesn't seem much, but when you consider that you need only 2-3 drops per use, it really does go a long way!  I have slotted this into my night-time routine...I say slotted like it's a lengthy and complicated routine..but it isn't!  I basically cleanse as normal and while my skin is still slightly damp I apply 2 or 3 drops of the oil and massage it in for around a minute.  My reasoning behind the massage is that it'll increase my circulation and well...it feel's nice!

One thing to be aware of is the smell.  Since this is pure, rosehippy oily goodness it doesn't have any added fragrance.  It therefore smells, to me, like vegetable oil.  At first this really bothered me, but somehow it's less noticeable now.  Just something to be aware of if you have a sensitive nose!

So what has this done for my skin?  Well after my first use I woke up to plumped up, super-soft and hydrated skin.  I honestly couldn't stop touching it!  I suffer from the odd spot or breakout, and found that this helped to fade those ugly red-brown scars more quickly.  I also fried my back a little on holiday and mixed this in with my moisturiser and it really helped to calm the skin and hydrate it.

I'm sure as we descend into Winter this product will help regulate my skin and prevent that dry, flakiness that seems to occur.

I'm very impressed with this product and i'm keen to explore the Trilogy brand further.

Spain Haul - Essence, Catrice and more..

Hello lovelies!

I've come back down to reality with a bump..last week I was sunning it up on a beach in Spain, this week i'm back in rainy, grey Scotland and it's freezing!  My poor body doesn't know what's going on!

Whilst out in Spain, I treated myself to some new make-up and nail goodies!  They have 2 great budget brands called Essence and Catrice which unfortunately we don't get here in the UK so when I spied them I hyperventilated with excitement calmly perused the stands for some goodies!

Here are the things I picked!

As you can see I went a bit nail polish crazy!

Top left to right we have..

Clinique Even Better Eyes - I have dark circles which make the undead look well-rested so I thought i'd give this ago.  It is specifically for targetting dark circles whilst providing hydration.  I particularly enjoy the metal applicator as it's lovely and cooling.

Catrice Welcome to Las Vegas - This pretty dark metallic blue meets gunmetal colour just stood out to me, I think it will be perfect for the colder months.

Catrice Raspberry Fields Forever - Love the name first of all but thought this would be great for holiday toes although, as it turned out, I was too busy enjoying myself to get round to painting them!

Catrice Meet me at Coral Island - When I first spotted this, I thought it may be a dupe for China Glaze's Flip Flop Fantasy which i'm been lemming.  I don't have it to compare to, but it's similar and has a slight neon hue to it.

And bottom left to right...

Essence Oh My Glitter! - From afar this looks like a flat blurple ( I actually don't like that word...it makes me think of the noise you make when you are sick for some reason...euuugghhh!) but when I looked more closely it has a pretty pink glass fleck/small glitter running through it.

Essence Gel Look Top Coat - This was actually Darren's pick, god only knows why!  He actually quite enjoys picking out nail polish colours as he used to spray paint cars so I think it harks back to that!  However he suggested this might make them extra glossy, so who was I to argue with him?

Catrice Limited Edition Multi-Colour Blush in Gone with the Wind - Gotta love that name, it's worth buying on that alone!  But seriously this is such a pretty autumn/winter blush.  It's a difficult colour to describe, it's a terracotta-pinky-brown...kinda!

Essence Crazy Good Times in Confeterria - Oh Emm Geee!  I remember when this was first released seeing this little beauty on nihrida and instantly wanting it!  And now I have it! *squeals*

I was actually very restrained!  I could literally have filled my suitcase with make up goodies!  It totally sucks that we can't get either Essence or Catrice in the UK, they appears to sell in mainland Spain and in the US.  I mean, the cargo plane is literally flying over Britain!  Sort it out!!

Any other Essence or Catrice picks for me to lust over??

Models Own Haul

I'm weak for a good glitter polish!  So when I decided I wanted to do full-on gold glitter nails recently, I remembered that Models Own collaborated with Hed Kandi and one of the polishes was a super-sparkly gold glitter.  Off I trotted to Boots and when I got to the stand, they had a deal where if you bought 2 nail polishes, you got a nail art pen for free!  So here are the polishes I picked up!

 Disco Heaven is a clear base with mainly gold glitter and a smattering of blue glitter.  It is super pretty!  It would need a good 3+ coats to become opaque, so it's best to use over a base colour (I used Chin Glaze Champagne Bubbles)  

 The other polish I picked up was Disco Heaven (blimey, i'm all about the disco!!) which again is a clear base jam-packed with purple and turqoise glitter.  I can't tell you how many times I have admired this colour in-store, so I figured i'd pawed at it enough and should just buy it!

The freebie I picked up was this black nail art pen.  I've been admiring so much pretty nail art on Instagram so I am planning on trying my hand (do you see what I did there?!) at some very soon!  This has a pull-off cap with a dotting tool on it and a screw off cap containing a long, thin brush.

I'm already thinking I should do a post on my complete Models Own nail polish collection...what do you think?

Review: Soleil Tan de Chanel

Hello beautiful people!

Today I would like to give you a little review on this much talked-about item from Chanel...

Previously known, I think, as Bronze Universal..but for today now it's called Soleil Tan de Chanel.  It is basically a cream bronzer.  I have always had this on my 'to-buy' list, but always hesitated splashing the cash as I wasn't sure it would work with my oily skin type.

So imagine my delight when my lovely mum picked this up for me in duty free!

The first thing that struck me was the texture of the product, I think I expected a mousse consistency (think Maybelline Dream Mousse), however it's more of a cream-gel.  It has quite a lot of 'slip' when swatched but at the same time doesn't feel greasy, hurrah!  It is also quite firm to the touch, which is good because when I first opened the packaging it seemed quite shallow and I had visions of me using this up very quickly.  However you can give this a good old swirl with your brush and it hardly seems to dent it at all!

In terms of colour, I would liken it to a light milk chocolate mousse colour (I'm currently on a fasting diet so please forgive the food references!!).  It's quite a neutral bronze and isn't overly pink or yellow based.    I was concerned that this colour wouldn't show up too well, as I had been using Hoola by Benefit which is a fair bit darker.  Once I applied it though, it was love!  It created this very natural, skin-like finish and the colour was a perfect sun-kissed bronze.  Here is a little swatch, left is applied and right is blended...

If you are on the look out for a new bronzer, I'd definitely suggest getting yourself along to a Chanel counter and trying it out.  Yes, it is pricey, but I honestly think this will last a long time, even with daily usage.

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain

And the winner for the longest-and-most-unnecessary-product-name goes to...Revlon!

I picked this up a few weeks ago now and wanted to give it a good old road test before I did a review on it! I picked up the colour Rendezvous, which is basically a bright, warm orange colour.  I was hoping the beautiful peachy colour would have made it's way over the pond from the USA but unfortunately it hasn't!  I always wonder why brands do that, especially when they know that us British girlies are lemming over these colours on US blogs! Sort it out! ...please?!

Anywhooo, first up I must say how much I love the packaging of this.  I like that the packing is the same colour as the product itself, makes it handy to grab the right colour during the morning rush!  It also chunky and feels substantial in my hand.  Err..that sounds a bit rude but you know what I mean, right? Right?!!

One thing I wasn't overly keen on was the minty scent of this product.  There is something a little overpowering about it however thankfully it doesn't linger long enough to put me off wearing this.

In terms of longevity of wear, I did find that this rubbed off my lips within the first couple of hours, leaving a quite unflattering ring of colour round the outside of my lips.  It did cling a bit to the dry areas on my lips, but i'm sure applying a balm on top of this would alleviate that.  For all that I dislike the unneccesarily long name, I can see what they mean by a balm stain, although I kinda feel it's sitting on the fence, as it's not hydrating enough to be a balm or stain-ey (yup..made up a word coz that's how I roll!) enough to be a stain.

The colour is a far cry from my safe colour spectrum of nude/light pink/light peach, however I think both pale skinned and tanned girls  could pull off this colour with ease.

So overall I do like this, it's not my favourite lip product, but it's definitely a welcome additional to my collection!  I think i'd also like to try out a couple of the other shades too!

Available at Superdrug and Boots :)

Monday Manicure!

Hello!
Sorry for my absence, I have been rather obsessed with the Olympic Games and have spent a huge chunk of my free time immersing myself in London 2012 fever!
Today's mani is using a new polish I picked up from eBay. It all started with me googling 'rose gold glitter nail polish' and this little gem popped up in the image results! It's Sephora by OPI in Traffic Stopper Copper, which is a clear base packed with rose gold/copper large and small glitter particles. It is, in a word, beautiful! I suppose if you had the time, you could layer this polish until it was opaque, however my preferred way of wearing it is over another colour. I love the effect of doing this, it's like adding jewellery to your nails!
Without further ado, here are some pictures!




Do any of you have this? What colours to you wear it over? I want to experiment!! :)
Heather x

Giveaway Winner Announcement!

Firstly thank you to everyone who entered the giveaweay!  It was really fun to do and I have already got another in the pipeline so stick around for that very shortly!

So, the winner of the Best of British Giveaway is...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations!!!  Please email me with your address details! :)

Sleek Glory Palette Review

Glory is the latest offering from Sleek Cosmetics!

I love the theming of this product!  I'm totally obsessed with anything vaguely Olympics-themed so this is right up my street!  Let's have a look inside...

And here are some close-up's...

Now, when I first saw the quite random selection of colours I thought it was poorly thought out.  However, I think that they have tried to appeal to a wide range of people with this; want a bright look? Check.  Want a bronzey daytime look? Check.  Want a smokey eye? Check.  They really seem to have covered all bases with this palette.  It's also a mixture of metallic and matte textures, although the majority of shades have a metallic finish.

Here are some swatches, over bare skin with no base or primer...

Pretty, ain't they?!

Most of the colours are smooth and pigmented.  The grey and the red, which incidentally are the matte shades, are drier in texture, however they can't be built up over a base if you have the patience.

I decided to do a video review of this product, and I have also filmed a simple tutorial...

 

Here are a couple of quick snaps of the look!

So, do you have this palette? What do you think?

And, most importantly...are you looking forward to The Olympics?? :)

Best of British Giveaway!

Hello!

I decided that a giveaway was long overdue on my blog, and with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee just gone and the Olympic Games about to start, I thought I would pick out some of the best make up bits that the UK has to offer!

One lucky winner will win the following loot!
MAX Factor Mini Nail Polish - Fantasy Fire
MUA Professional Eyeshadow Palette - Heaven and Earth
Vivo Pearl Eyeshadow - Espresso
beautyuk Glam Nails - Soft Lilac
MUA Love Hearts Lip Balm - Sugar Lips

I also intend to pick up a Sleek palette of the winners choice (subject to availability)

It is easy peasy to enter, simply use the form below.

Importantly, this is an international giveaway!  
Also, you MUST follow this blog to enter!
Giveaway closes Sunday 29th July

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck! :)

Monday Manicure...errr on a Wednesday!

I know, I know...but Wednesday manicure doesn't quite have the same ring to it!

I've been getting well and truly sick of this damp, grey weather so I've been consoling myself by painting my nails in summery and sparkly colours! I must say it does lift my spirits a wee bit every time I look at them!

I applied Peach Satin by Barbara Daly (available in Tesco), which is a pretty peach...funnily enough! It's a cream finish and is pretty much opaque in 2 coats. Not content with that, I then applied the Saffron chunky gold glitter over the top. I picked this up at a market recently for a bargainous £1 however it's for sale on eBay here



What do you think? I think there is something quite sophisticated about the colour combination. All day at work the girls were asking me what I had on my nails!

Take care

Heather x

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Sleek Tutorial - Circus Brights!

Hello!

My quest to make use of all of my Sleek palettes continues!  This time, I'm using the Circus palette.  To see my last tutorial, using the Curacao palette, click here for blog post and here for YouTube tutorial

Not exactly an everyday look!! Haha

Products Used
Face
Benefit Porefessional Primer
Illamasqua Skin Base No9
Illamasqua Concealer
Benefit Hoola Bronzer
MAC Mineralise Blush in Warm Soul
No7 Vital Enlightening Highlight Powder

Eyes
elf Eyelid Primer
NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk
Sleek Circus Palette
Make Up Forever Aqua Eyes Black Liner
MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack
Max Factor False Lash Effect Fusion Mascara

Lips
NYX Round Lipstick in Paris

Loved doing this bright look on such a cloudy grey day!

Sleek Tutorial: Curacao Blues

Hello lovelies!

I have quite a large collection of Sleek palettes now...I simply cannot resist picking up the latest palette!  However, they tend to languish around in the back of my drawer and when I do reach for them, I never know which colours to use!  So, I have tasked myself to try and use them all, and to come up with a look for each!

I am starting with the Curacao Palette from the Carribean Collection from Summer 2011 (I think?).  It is a lovely mix of bright colours with a mix of both matte and shimmer finishes.

Here's what I came up with...

Products Used
Face:
Bourjois Healthy Mix in 53 Light Beige & Illamasqua Skin Base in No 9 mixed
MUFE Full Cover Concealer
Benefit Hoola Bronzer
Illamasqua Lover Blush
No7 Vital Enilightening Highlighting Powder

Eyes:
MAC Piant Pot in Painterly
MAC Paint Pot in Delpht
Sleek Curacao Palette
Inglot Matte
Fashionista Gel Liner (no name?)
MUFE Aqua Eyes in 10
Collection Big Fake Mascara
Rimmel Brow Pencil

Lips:
Rimmel Vinyl Gloss in Take a Chance
Natural Collection Gloss in Fondant

Please check out the video and let me know what you think?

I got me some Inglot!!!

I must be becoming a proper beauty blogger, because I refused to use these eyeshadows until I had taken pictures of them all! Which, by the way, has taken almost a week because every time I went to take pictures it was cloudy or dark!
So, last weekend I persuaded Darren to go to Aberdeen! What I said: "let's go on a road trip! We can have a mooch round the shops". What I meant: "I would like to go to Aberdeen so I can go to Inglot!"
Anyway, enough of my babbling! Let's take a look at what I picked up, shall we?




The large, round eyeshadows along the top were on sale at £2 each and the square pans were £4.50 each! I didn't bother getting a palette as I have a Z Palette to store them in.
And now, the swatches...




I made a slight swatch faux-pas as I swatched the purples in the wrong order! So, the round pans are, top to bottom: 377M, 379M, 426P, 385M




Left to right: 338M and 388M




Left to right: 433P, 395M, AMC10




Left to right: 352M, 399P, 440P
Jeez! It would be so much easier if the shadows had names instead of numbers!!
I am loving them so far! I had a play with some colours last night and here's what I can up with!








So pretty! Some of those colours are insanely pigmented! They are also super smooth. I'm looking forward to using them some more to see how they wear then I'll probably put up a review on them. If there are any of the colours you'd like to see individual reviews on please leave a comment below!
Have you tried Inglot? Any recommendations?
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