NOTD: Rimmel Salon Pro Kate Moss Polish in 'Punk Rock'

I am pretty sure you’ve all heard the buzz around the Rimmel London Salon Pro, Kate Moss polishes, but here’s a short review of how I got along with the shade ‘Punk Rock’. As you can see in the image, this a purple toned dark grey with a high shine finish. This polish has Saina written all over it – I pretty much wear dark colours all year round with the exception of nudes and pastels. At one point in my life I wore only black nails for a whole year!

When I saw the polish stand in Boots I almost instantly gravitated towards this bottle knowing it was my favourite out of the range. What I love the most about this range is the brush size, a wider brush allows easier and quicker application, with smaller nails being painted in one swipe. The range also boasts a long lasting, chip resistant finish that should last up to 10 days – however having worn another shade from this range (post coming soon) for the past 5 days I found the edges to peel off due to its somewhat thick, gel like consistency and a few chips here and there. So I’ve decided to give this one a go and see how much wear I can get out of it before needing to switch things up.

xo

Back To Reality: Disneyland Paris Travel Post

As you may have gathered from my last post, I disappeared off for a while into the magical world of Disneyland Paris. I’m back now and going through a definite post holiday blues and feeling a lack of motivation towards all communication and social networking sites. All I seem to want to do is lounge around in some sort of Disney print pj’s and watch Disney films! 

With that being said, the experience was amazing, being around people with similar interests and a love for all things Disney, although I must admit sometimes the children were a tad too much to handle. We had access to both parks and with our hotel being located inside the park; we pretty much spent all day and night inside the park watching animated/live shows, or on rides. When we weren’t being dropped from high tower rides, and doing 360 turns on rock ‘n’ roll rollercoasters, we spent our time inside the Disney Village, which had all our meal time needs – McDonald’s, Starbuck’s, Planet Hollywood, Rainforest Café, Steak House, French bars, you name it.

If like me, you were deprived of visiting Disneyland, I would definitely recommend a short visit. It’s a world of history, and ageless, magical fantasies.

xo

My Travel Makeup Bag:

So my sister and me are going to spending the next 5 days in Disneyland Paris, and this is the content of my makeup bag that I will be taking on our travels. I tried (emphasis on tried) to keep my products to a minimum, as our luggage weight allowance is quite low. 

For foundation, I took two products – the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua for a rather light feel and coverage, and it also has SPF15, which my skin will need during the day. But I have also packed my Estee Lauder Double Wear incase I want a more heavy-duty foundation during the evenings. To ensure my foundation is kept in place during our long hours in the park and with the addition of water rides, I’ve also packed my Benefit Porefessional primer. I have packed two concealers, bareMinerals correcting concealer for under eye areas, and my Collection Lasting Perfection for any blemishes.

  For a natural bronze glow, I’m taking my Dior Amber Bronze, and as for highlighter the Topshop cream blush in Butterscotch. Mac’s Pearlmatte powder, ‘Sunday Afternoon’ is the only cheek colour I’m taking as it has 3 different shades, which I can alternate, or use swirled together throughout my stay. 

Sleek’s Nude collection eyeshaddow palatte should be all I require for my stay; the palatte has 12 neutral shades, some shimmery and some matte. I will also be taking two cream shadows – MAC’s ‘Bare Study’, which is a gorgeous champagne frost, and Stila’s smudge pot in ‘Bronze’, which is a metallic bronze with slight shimmer. These products will work well either on their own, or can be used underneath my powder eyeshaddow to ensure longer lasting results.  I will be taking two eyeliners with me, Collection’s Extreme Felt liner (my favourite liquid liner) which I know will keep my winged liner put for the whole day, and Rimmel’s Scandal Eyes Liner in Nude to brighten my eyes. Two eyebrow products will be traveling with me - Sephora's Waterproof pencil, and my usual Stila eyebrow set in 'dark'. As for mascara, L’oreal’s Telescopic has earned a trip to Paris – this mascara creates long, separated and curled lashes in just two coats. 

I am going to keep things rather minimal when it comes to lip colours, with one bright lip – MAC’s ‘Fusion Pink’, one nude lip - MAC’s Myth, and as an added extra I will be taking L’oreal’s Rouge Caresse in ‘Fashionista Pink’ which is milky baby pink.

The only makeup tools I am taking are the Eco Tools Travel set that includes four brushes for foundation buffing, concealer application, brozer and blusher. These brushes are super soft, dense and apply makeup like a dream! I'm taking one shaddow brush that I've managed to fit inside my sleek palatte. I will also be taking my Eco Tools angled brush (for eyebrows), a spoolie and eyelash curlers.

Let's just hope I haven't missed anything! 

xo

NOTD – Essie - Power Clutch:

So after a few days of wearing Essie’s loud and proud orange, ‘Fear & Desire’ I was eager to get back to my neutral nails. Today, I applied Essie’s Power Clutch onto my nails, which is a deep, green toned grey with a cream finish - this shade is part of Essie’s Autumn 2011 ‘Carry On’ collection. After applying two coats, I find that the green is definitely cancelled out and the colour edges towards a dark, charcoal grey.  Despite being a big fan of Essie polishes, I must admit this colour does not have great lasting power but this does not stop it from being one of my favourite shades. With my usual application of Seche Vite topcoat, I can go about 2 days without any chips. I wish I could wear this colour longer without having to worry about colour chipping away, but I still love the shade!

xo

Finding The Right Foundation:

If only this was the lot!

Choosing the right foundation can be a long, dreaded process of colour mishaps, skin reactions and breakouts, and if that’s not bad enough we end up wasting money on products that we’ll never end up using. Personally, the process of foundation hunting took me a couple of year’s worth of trial and errors, however if I were more aware of what I wanted then this could have been a shortened process. Today, I am going to give you some helpful (I hope) tips in regards to finding the right makeup base your skin type requires.

Firstly, ask yourself what you want from a foundation, whether that be a light or full coverage base, a matte or dewy finish or perhaps you want to add more colour to your complexion? Do you have sensitive or acne prone skin? Are there product ingredients you should steer away from? Would you rather a liquid or powder base product?  If you have oily skin, you may want to consider a powder base to mattify excessive shine. On the other hand, cream and liquid foundations may be considered for dry skin requiring moisture. Overwhelming, I know! But once you have decided, look up reviews of say ‘light, dewy foundations’. I personally find reading reviews more helpful then talking to someone at a makeup counter because the answers are honest and are not in favor of any brand or product.

 

Would you buy a pair of jeans without trying them? 

Often finding a colour match at a high-street store can be difficult, and unfortunately all I can suggest is trying the product from your lower cheek down to your jaw/neckline and leaving the store to see it in natural light. One way to narrow down the process, is to know your skin tone, pale, medium or dark? Then try and judge by the shade names/swatches. However, if you’re considering a high-end brand at a department store you can be guided further in finding the right shade – remember, you can always ask for a sample so you can test it at the comfort of your own home and see how your skin reacts to the product. Do not be hesitant in asking for a sample because you’re the one that’s going to be paying around £30 for a bottle – the beauty consultants are there to help, not to intimidate you!

Remember, your skin needs may be different for your desired day and night looks. A light foundation with SPF may be ideal for during the day at work or school, but for evening occasions you may want something heavier that does not make you appear significantly paler in flash photography. Furthermore, your skin type is bound to change over time or through the change of weather/climate/season. So, do not be surprised if your mattifying, powder foundation, that worked oh-so-perfectly during the warmer months starts to cling to dry skin patches during winter. This is your skin reacting to climate change, the product remains the same.

Hope this helps!

xo

OOTD - Sunny Start To The Week

Despite being a winter baby with the warmer seasons being my least favourite, I woke up this morning feeling rather happy to see the sun. Who doesn’t like to start the week off with a bit of sunshine eh? Here’s a quick outfit I threw together to go run some errands, and as usual, to get my daily fix of Starbucks. 

These hareem style trousers are a sale purchase I made from Topshop a couple of months ago. They are so lightweight and perfect for this season. The trousers have a very small, black and white checkered meets dogtooth detailing making it easy to pair with a variety of bold coloured t-shirts – I just wore my oversized basic, black vest from Zara; but it would work with almost any colour, be that electric blue, neon yellow, fuchsia pink etc. 

My shoes are just basic pink ballet pumps from Topshop which I’ve worn one too many times and are in need of replacing – big time! As for accessories, I wore my long Hamsa chain from Topman, my usual miscellaneous bracelets, along with my classic Ray-Ban aviators. And finally, the skull-studded chain bag featured in this outfit is an old purchase from ASOS.

Hope you’re enjoying the weather!

xo

What's Inside My Makeup Bag:

When I was younger I used to fill my makeup bag with unnecessary products, believing that any makeup product used on that day had to be in my bag ‘incase of an emergency’. I’ve now learnt the best way is to only keep ‘touch up’ products and some essentials inside your bag. Here’s a little insight into what I carry with me almost everyday. My makeup bag is from Kurt Geiger (last year) and it fits the perfect amount of products inside. Due to its canvas material it does get dirty quite easily, but nothing a quick washing machine rinse cannot fix. 

A few necessities in there are my Cuticura Hand Sanitizer – this is my favourite hand gel as it avoids that harsh alcohol scent. The passionflower and mango is a light tropical scent that does not linger on for more than a few minutes. Secondly, is hand cream, this one’s from Superdrug (from a Christmas set), and it pretty much does the job. I also keep my Bach’s Rescue Remedy purely for the fact that I’m prone to small anxiety attacks throughout the day, and this helps keep them at bay. I keep The Body Shop’s Vanilla body mist with me just to spritz all over whenever I need that extra oomph. The spray is quite strongly scented, and I find the smell to stay on for a couple of hours – love this product, and I cannot wait to try the coconut one next. A good lip balm is an absolute must for me, as I seem to have dry lips all year round! My favourite lip balm is this Nuxe Reve de Miel as it has a matte finish and makes lipstick application easy after being used. 

As for makeup products, I try and keep the content to a minimum. Mac’s Mineralize Skin Finish is kept as a touch up powder, but I also like to keep a sample size of Nars Sheer Glow incase I need extra coverage. I also keep a couple of concealers in my bag (which I never really reach for..oops). These are Collection’s Lasting Perfection and Illuminating Touch concealer. As the bronzer junkie that I am, I keep Jemma Kidd’s Perfect Tan Bronzing Trio in my bag – this product is great for adding colour to your skin, and due to its light shimmer particles, it creates a natural looking glow. To apply these two products, I keep two brushes – Eco Tools travel size buffing and brozng brush. Not only are these super soft and easy to use, but they are the perfect size!

I tend to keep two lip products, one nude and one brighter shade just incase the day takes an unexpected turn and I want to snazz up my makeup. At the moment I’ve got MAC’s ‘Creme Cup’, which is a perfect pinky-nude shade, and Chanel’s ‘Insolente’ – a bright, blue toned, medium pink with slight shimmer.

Finally, I keep a small tube of one of my favourite mascaras, ‘Diorshow Extase’ for days where I am out for longer hours and my lashes lose their curl/volume.

xo

Essie Fear & Desire

I will admit I’m not one for venturing out with bright colours, I tend to keep in my comfort zone of nude nails, pastel colours and dark colours nearing black. In an effort to add a hint of colour and accessorize my style I purchased this true orange shade from my favourite polish brand – Essie. Fear & Desire is part of Essie’s Summer 2012 ‘Bikini So Teeny’ collection. This is a bright orange that requires up to three coats to produce an opaque, streak-free finish. Applying this polish is easy, and it’s pretty true to the colour you see in the bottle. This is an all round nice orange cream colour, and creates a vibrant pop of colour to an all black/white outfit.

xo

June 2013 Fashion Wish List:

 

• I've lost count of how many blazers I own, but they seem to be all I wear in the warmer months! Oversized off white blazer here
• I basically live in jeans whether that be high waisted, boyfriend, ripped, skin tight.. I already own a pair of Topshop Joni jeans and I wear them to death so I'm pretty desperate for a new pair. here
• If you know me, you know I basically wear my Chelsea boots everyday and these cut out boots would make a good alternative to that. These would be a super cute way to toughen up an outfit, and add an edge to dresses and skirts. here
• Crop tops are my weakness. I'm pretty sure I already have about 5 black crop tops, but this is different.. it has a mesh panel..right? here  

xo

May Beauty Favourites:

This month my skin has witnessed a makeup intervention - a more brush-free makeup routine. I’ve been using the Cosmopolitan Beauty Sponge, and I absolutely love this thing. I achieve such quick and easy natural results, leaving the skin looking rather airbrushed and smooth, without looking like I’ve caked any product on at all. I use this in conjunction with my Chanel Vita Lumiere Aqua, and it leaves a dewy finish with a slight glow, so if you prefer a matte finish, use a powder after to set the foundation. 

Chanel’s Vitalumiere Aqua is my go-to foundation during the warmer months, mainly because it feels really light on the skin. Despite its sheen finish, I find this has buildable coverage – depending on much product you layer on, you can cover almost all blemishes on those bad skin days. The foundation also has SPF 15 (which you can really smell, but I quite like the scent) and that’s an added bonus for those who like myself, are too lazy to apply an SPF. 

The BareMinerals Correcting Concealer has worked amazingly in conjunction with my foundation, covering imperfections and dark circles. I use my fingers to apply this under the eyes, around the nose and onto blemishes. There is no caking or drying out of the skin with this concealer.

This Dior mascara is a new discovery of mine. If you like big, volumized lashes whilst maintaining length and avoiding any product clumping, give ‘Diorshow Extase’ a go! I honestly feel like I’m wearing false lashes when I wear this. 

Stila Convertible Colour in ‘Petunia’ – following the brush-free theme, this cream blusher has earned a well-deserved spot in my favourites this month. I apply this onto my cheekbone using my thumb. It’s definitely a buildable colour, and it leaves a dewy (not oily) finish on the cheeks. 

OCC Lip Tar – I’m someone who wears bright colours on her lips all year round, a self-confessed lipstick junkie! And having recently discovered the OCC Lip Tars, I find that in the warmer months they are so much easier to wear – with all that Frappuccino sippin’ and all. They dry to a matte finish and I don’t have to worry about the colour budging for hours (literally, hours!). This shade ‘Radiate’ is perfect for adding colour to any look, it’s a vibrant orange toned red. 

Seche Vite & Essie polishes - As an attempt to add more colour in my life, I’ve been switching up my nail polish more often than usual. And I only have my Seche Vite to thank for that, this topcoat dries my nail polish in less than a few minutes, and it leaves a shiny, perfected finish. Some nail colours that I’ve loved recently are Essie’s ‘Fear & Desire’ and ‘Fifth Avenue’. 

xo