I love Models Own nail polishes, there range is large with so many great shades. I also love how Models Own will be in Boots from the beginning of May - September, with there lovely nail polishes and also there makeup range. This is more than exciting if you purchase from them already online.
So here is a preview of the new range that will be on there website soon. First up is Neon Orange - Lip & Face Paint and the Fuchsia-ful Lip Balm. I took one look at the colour and texture of the Neon Orange and my eyes widened, this is not a colour I would of normally chosen. The idea behind the little pot is that you can use this on your eyes, cheeks and lips and I suppose with the latex texture of it you could literally paint your face with it - if you so wished!
Now I really wish I had taken photos of the different application I tried out. I firstly tried it on my eyes over a primer with the smallest amount I blended this over my lid and just past the crease. Surprisingly this didn't have an tackiness too it once blended out and was alot more subtle than the Neon Orange in the pot. Ofcourse this is still a bold orange but just not as scary neon orange. Very wearable for summer with lashings of mascara.
Next I tried the face paint on my apples of cheeks which I was certain wasn't going to work, again I was quite surprised, but I think this was down to applying the smallest amount and really working it in. The end result was a subtle tanned orange glow against my pale-ish skin. I know this is where I will be mostly using this product.
Last but not least I tried this on my lips and to be honest it just didn't work, it was just too drying and accentuated the dry skin on my bottom lip as texture of the lip/face paint clung to the dry skin and was bolder in colour in that area.
So here is a preview of the new range that will be on there website soon. First up is Neon Orange - Lip & Face Paint and the Fuchsia-ful Lip Balm. I took one look at the colour and texture of the Neon Orange and my eyes widened, this is not a colour I would of normally chosen. The idea behind the little pot is that you can use this on your eyes, cheeks and lips and I suppose with the latex texture of it you could literally paint your face with it - if you so wished!
Now I really wish I had taken photos of the different application I tried out. I firstly tried it on my eyes over a primer with the smallest amount I blended this over my lid and just past the crease. Surprisingly this didn't have an tackiness too it once blended out and was alot more subtle than the Neon Orange in the pot. Ofcourse this is still a bold orange but just not as scary neon orange. Very wearable for summer with lashings of mascara.
Next I tried the face paint on my apples of cheeks which I was certain wasn't going to work, again I was quite surprised, but I think this was down to applying the smallest amount and really working it in. The end result was a subtle tanned orange glow against my pale-ish skin. I know this is where I will be mostly using this product.
Last but not least I tried this on my lips and to be honest it just didn't work, it was just too drying and accentuated the dry skin on my bottom lip as texture of the lip/face paint clung to the dry skin and was bolder in colour in that area.
The other little pot is the Fuchsia-full Lip Balm which has a lovely berry scent to it. I really cannot fault this. It is so pigmented and moisturizing and applies perfectly. I really can't say anymore on this as for £5 it is more than worth it . I am really excited to see the other colours in this range.
Next up is the new Duo Eyeshadow in - Pretty Baby. Which in the little palette does look quite pretty and shimmery. However the texture just isn't there, these are very powdery and almost crumbly which is a shame as both colours are quite nice (maybe a little TOO shimmery though).
Overall if I was new to makeup I may be saying these are nice eyeshadows and worth the £5 price tag. However I am not and I know a good eyeshadow when I see one. I do feel though these would be best suited to someone in there mid-teens that wants something so shimmery that isn't overly pigmented.
The last product is abit of a gem - Scarlett is just one of the lipsticks in the new range and if they are all like this then I am definitely impressed.
The consistency is really moisturizing and applies so well even directly from the bullet. As for the colour it is a bolder version of the classic red lip with a blue undertone to it, so it does make your teeth appear whiter which is always a bonus. As for the stay on power it faired quite well and did stay on through eating and drinking till the mid afternoon which is pretty good for a £5 lipstick.
Overall the new makeup range didn't fail to impress ( maybe a slight fail in the eyeshadow area though) with it's really pigmented products. The new range will also include false eye lashes, mascara, blusher, bronzer and even brushes! Of course there will also be afew new additions to the ever growing collection of nail polishes.
I have my eye on Jade Stone already.
(Niki from Papery & Cakery with her lovely dog)
Papery & Cakery has been one of the blogs that I always without a doubt return too over the past few months. I can spend easily an hour looking through past 'Cakery Friday' posts at Ali's amazing baking. However I am awful cook if the recipe includes eggs, flour, butter or sugar...I was just not cut out for baking, well so I thought until I tried afew of the easier recipes on the Papery & Cakery blog.
My ultimate favourite/success has to be the...
Apples and Honey Tart looks quite hard to make, right? (The photo is from Papery & Cakery, before you go thinking that it is my handy work!) It soooo isn't it's only three ingredients and 10 minutes cooking then Voila! I will always love this blog for introducing me too this.
The other part of the blog is the papery side which is Niki who runs a marvelous stationary studio in Florida (who I had the joy of asking a few beauty questions). I am a sucker for typography from my college days and so I love her blog posts which showcase wonderful custom made invitations. They are just beautiful.
Anyways I shall stop rambling so that you can read Niki's beauty answers!
I swear by lip balm and lip gloss along with bronzer (although I prefer a little bit of real color). I am not a big makeup person at all and have little patience for putting it on. Lip balm and bronzer are my basics and I take it from there....
What beauty products do you keep in your bag/purse?
I never go anywhere without my Jo Malone lip balm with Vitamin E. I keep tubes of it in each of my purses and next to my bed and in my car. I swear its the greatest. See--not a big makeup person at all!
Which skincare products do you swear by?
I like the Neova skincare products and lumiere under eye cream. I am obsessive about making sure that I don't sleep with any makeup on my face, especially mascara, and I love the Neova remover and their hydrating moisturizer. At night I use neova's smoothing gel to keep from breaking out. I also use a daily sunscreen called Ti-Silc with SPF 45. I love Jo Malone's lotions, especially the grapefruit and lime basil and mandarin. I'm a total citrus person. I also love the bliss lemon products, especially the exfoliator and body butter. My sister recently bought another great body butter in grapefruit from the Body Shop and I am pretty obsessed!
What is your signature fragrance?
Jo Malone lime basil and mandarin is above and beyond my absolute favorite fragrance. Also love Anik Gutal's signature fragrance.
How do you pamper yourself?
A few months before I was married, I was studying for the Florida Bar Exam. I was a lawyer before I launched Papery & Cakery. The stress of the exam and the wedding really took a toll on my skin so I started having facials once a month. I never quit the habit and treat myself to a facial every four to six weeks still. I now incorporate treatments like a Copper Glow or a peel, whenever my incredible aesthetician, Laurie, thinks I need them. I don't think I'll ever quit. The facial is a lot more medicinal than "spa-like" but I absolutely love getting them and my skin appreciates it even more.
What are the most re-purchased items in your makeup bag/collection?
Definitely Bobby Brown bronzer in medium, Jo Malone lip balm. Armani concealer and Armani eye palettes (I have a weakness for these). Also like Maybelline mascara's as well as Dior Show at night (although I really hate waterproof mascara). I love Armani eye pencils and Chanel palettes too.
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I don't know about you but I just love abit of snooping especially when it comes to someones makeup bag - so I am hoping you are all liking these series of posts. If you missed my first blogger interview with Carlinn from Superficial Girls you can find it here.
I am not sure which blogger I am featuring next however I have some really lovely interesting interviews done and dusted with model Ruth Crilly, the amazingly stylish Nil Erturk and beauty blogger wonder woman Charlotte from Lipglossiping.
I am not sure which blogger I am featuring next however I have some really lovely interesting interviews done and dusted with model Ruth Crilly, the amazingly stylish Nil Erturk and beauty blogger wonder woman Charlotte from Lipglossiping.
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I love beautiful packaging - there is nothing better than purchasing a book with an aesthetically pleasing cover like the beautiful Goddess Guides by Gisele Scanlon or 'My Favourite Wife' by Tony Parsons. Something that is on a par with this is receiving/purchasing a beautiful bottle of perfume...ok and makeup ofcourse!
So when looking at the FiFi Awards nominations I by-passed most of the categories to the Best Packaging section.
The nominations for Best Fragrance Packaging are...Dum Dum Dummm
Essence by Narciso Rodriguez
L’Eau Ambrée by Prada
Life Threads Collection: Silver, Gold, Platinum by La Prairie
A Scent by Issey Miyake
Lola by Marc Jacobs.
My main favourites out of the nominations are Essence and L’Eau Ambré. If you have seen Essence by Narciso Rodriguez in the flesh I am sure you will know what I mean when I say it is more like an ornament than a perfume bottle. The bottle has a mirrored film then a layer of glass which give it a very simplistic look. As for the Prada Fragrance it is just so chic with the ombre bottle and old fashioned atomizer. I also love the gold plate ontop of the bottle. If the fragrance smelt nice it would be a bonus as this bottle would look beautiful nestled in my handbag!
A Scent by Issey Miyake and the Life Threads Collection by La Prairie I am still on the fence about really. I don't hate them but nor do I love them. A Scent is simple and kind of blocky which makes it look masculine and heavy. It almost looks like it has been carved out of ice. As for the Life Threads Collection it is quite clearly aimed at the more mature woman - I am sure my mum would love to receive Life Threads Gold. It does look quite expensive but there is just something about it that I don't like. I would of much preferred to see La Prairie's Midnight Rain nominated. Much more striking and beautiful.
Last and least liked fragrance has to be Lola by Marc Jacob, Marc's inspiration for this was a explosion of flowers which I guess he has succeed in doing. However the flower is made out of this thick rubber which reminds me of the jelly sandals I use to wear as a child. It feels cheap and umm the perfume is far from cheap. Also have to seen the size of the flower it's huge and very impractical. Marc has gone down hill since his lovely Daisy perfume bottle days.
As I am not too keen on afew of the nominations I thought I would show you which perfume should of been in this category! Well in my opinion though I would love to know which perfume bottles you think are the fairest of them all.
First up I would of included the new(ish) Balenciaga Paris fragrance. The bottle almost remind me of a glass cloche or bell jar. As for the ivory top it looks like it has just been placed ontop of the bottle and ofcourse the cracked effect top either reminds me of marble or a cracked stone piece of structure in Paris. Really, just a wonderful yet simple bottle.
So there is roughly 19 days left to vote and there are alot of different catogories to vote in, the main 'important' one though would be the Woman's Luxe catogory.
To have a look at the finalists just click here.
I would love to know which perfume you would vote for in the packaging category from the ones above and your favourite perfume of 2009/2010.
As the Boots Advantage Card is officially the most generous loyalty card in the UK there isn't much of a contest. However I did want to show the advantages and disadvantages of both card so I didn't seem like I was being totally negative.
I was 'inspired' to write this post after receiving an email from Debenhams titled - Important, your Beauty Club Reward Card expires soon. It is self explanatory really, but I shall quote what the email said.
"We love that you’re a Beauty Club cardholder, but we’ve noticed you haven’t used your Beauty Club Reward Card recently - if you don’t use it over a 12 month period it will expire".
They also provided a link so that I could remind myself of the benefits of being a Beauty Club Member, which I did.
So here are the advantages and disadvantages of the Debenhams Beauty Club Reward Card.
Debenham's Reward Card
Pros
Also it would be nice to receive a balance statement and newsletter through the post every 3-4 months or so.
- Anything is better than nothing - At least they have a 'points' card, right?
- You can use your points as part purchase.
- You can collect points when paying using the points you have saved up.
- You receive a £5 reward if you receive 500 points in one transaction.*
- Points or any £ value loaded onto the card will expire 6 months after issue.
- Your balance may only be checked online or via email updates.
- If you don't use your card within 12 months the card expires.
- If you forget your card you cannot place the points on your card at a later date from your receipt.
- To receive a £5 reward you would have to spend at least £166.*
- When you sign up for a card instore you then have to activate it online later.
- There 'Exclusive' gift,offers & samples because your a member doesn't exist.
- There point system is slightly confusing - 1 point per £1 when you spend upto £25, 3 points per £1 when you spend £25 or more, 500 points = £5, 1000 points = £10.
- There are no special offers sent via email so that you can receive more points.
- There 'Beauty Store Events' are just events that are running at the time and are open to everyone.
Also it would be nice to receive a balance statement and newsletter through the post every 3-4 months or so.
Boots Reward Card
Pros
- You can sign up instore or you can sign up by phone.
- You earn point on everything you buy (except for prescriptions and infant milks) - even emergency plasters when your shoes are rubbing!
- You can check your balance at the Boots kiosk instore or online.
- Collect 4 points per £1 you spend.
- You can pick up points you've collected online at the kiosk as well as printing out money-off coupons and special points offers.
- You can pick up the health & beauty magazine 6 times a year for free.
- They send out balance statement with special offers and extra points coupons through the post (I received a double points voucher that could be used twice just afew weeks ago).
- There are always promotions on different brands where you can earn 200 extra points.
- Your points can be saved up or not! Then can be spent on mostly* everything instore.
- Your point cannot be spent at Boot Opticians or online.*
- You cannot make a part payment of points towards a product. You must of collected the full amount of points required for the product you want.
So there obviously is a clear winner but then again there always was! I really feel that Boots are giving something back to there customers while encouraging you to spend. However with Debenhams it just seems a money making ploy and if you don't spend there that often then they don't want you.
Without there loyalty cards Boots would win hands down for me for the sheer fact of there £5 vouchers for No7 or Ruby & Millie that appears instore quite often.
I would love to know your views on both cards and if you have either of them or not.
I thought it would be nice to do afew interviews with some of my favourite bloggers. So to start off the series I asked the lovely Carlinn from Superficial Girls afew beauty related questions.
What are you essential cosmetics?
Essentials for me is bronzer, blusher, mascara and lip conditioner. If nothing else I would use those!
What beauty products do you keep in your bag/purse?
I always have lipstick or gloss in my bag but I sometimes add powder and a mirror especially in summer :) (also those little blotting sheets! they are fab :)
Which skincare products do you swear by?
Hmmm this is a tough one as I change it up all the time but one of my all time favorites is St Ives apricot scrub. It's inexpensive but really works!
What is your signature fragrance?
This would have to be Gucci Rush for night time and Mediterranean by Elizabeth Arden for daytime. Those two scents are really exotic and sexy. Love them!
This would have to be Gucci Rush for night time and Mediterranean by Elizabeth Arden for daytime. Those two scents are really exotic and sexy. Love them!
How do you pamper yourself?
I usually pamper myself by pouring a glass of red wine and then doing a facial and manicure. This usually only happens when my boyfriend is working late or away for work! :)
Which women inspire you?
Woman that make something out of nothing inspire me. I love reading success stories, they motivate me to be my best everyday!
What are the most re-purchased items in your makeup bag/collection?
My most repurchased items would have to be black gel eyeliner, models prefer concealer and plum dressing eyeshadow from MAC.
Hope you have enjoyed reading this little interview as much as I have. Really love Carlinn's answer to which women she finds inspirational. If you haven't already make sure you have a look at Carlinn's blog it has everything from Fashion to Beauty and afew posts on Interior Design & Food thrown in there.
Hopefully this will be a weekly series so next week my interview will be with Niki from Papery & Cakery who makes amazing cakes and lovely stationary and also blogs about it!
Of course I stopped using the shampoo and switched to an anti-dandruff shampoo which I thought would calm it down. It however didn't do all that much but I realised as it was a product to combat dandruff it wasn't the best solution anyway.
So I decided to look in to more natural shampoos that would be more calming to my scalp. I also felt my hair was in quite dry condition and really needed a good quality shampoo. Whilst on my quest for a more natural shampoo I came across 'co-washing' and to be honest even though I knew it worked for some people I couldn't help but think it was a pretty crazy idea, as it does create a build up of the product on the scalp a lot of the time. Eradicating shampoo from my routine just didn't seem like a good option for me. However I found the reason behind co-washing very interesting!
Some people co-wash to avoid a certain ingredient found in most shampoos - this being Sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate. Which is what makes shampoos foam up, but it also can irritate the scalp, dry out the hair and just be damaging overall.
Not only is SLS used in clinical studies to cause skin irritation so that it can be used to identify the properties in other chemicals but it also has oestrogen mimicking properties which have been linked to PMS, also giving massive potential to cause cancer. *I would like to stress that there hasn't been a large amount of research done on this but the most recent studies do state there is a cause for a concern when it comes to this ingredient, but to what level it isn't too clear. If you are interested them I suggest doing a few Google searches on it*.
After reading all of this I took myself to Boots and read the backs of about 30 shampoos which all sadly contained Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. Except for two! There was a strange looking shampoo that had an image of a ship on it for £9.50! Or there was a totally SLS free shampoo by Naked from the Naked Detox range called Naked Detox Deep Cleanse Shampoo for £3.99. Update - Boots, Tesco, Superdrug etc now stock the L'Oreal Ever Sleek Sulphate Free range.
They sadly don't advertise this on their bottles that it is SLS free however looking at the ingredients I could definitely see it was - as is the whole range by Naked. I probably would of gone for the Naked Care Sensitive Shampoo however there was only the Naked Detox range on the shelf! If you have a look on their website you can see the range of hair care products is huge.
So finally I was one step closer to achieving all round better hair and for once a normal scalp. Without sounds over the top the results were instant - the reason for this was while washing my hair with the shampoo not a single hair came out of my head! I can't remember not having to remove all the hair entwined around my fingers and not to mention the hair trapped in the plughole! I had previously put the hair loss in the shower down to me having long hair that was quite dry. Obviously this wasn't the case, again without seeming too over the top, I was literally amazed at this!
As for my scalp within a few uses it really calmed down and right now it has been back to normal for months. As for the condition of my hair - I still need to get my split ends trimmed, but other than that my hair is definitely stronger & less frizzy and now I actually air dry it afew times a week as I don't end up looking like a frizz ball.
This has really been a bit of a hair savior for me.
Update - I have now being using strictly SLS-free shampoos for 3 years, plus avoid this ingredient in shower gels, facial washes and even toothpaste!
Fee xo.
I just had to write a post on these dry nail polish strips as I just love the concept - applying 100% dry nail polish that could last upto fourteen days for only £6.00 from Asos. This sounds perfect for taking on holiday and also perfect for trying out as a treat.
I am also in love with the chic packaging above ( it reminds me of Pantone paint swatch cards) however for some strange reason this packaging is only available in Spain....if you live in the UK or US this is most likely what you would receive.
Not that pretty, hey. Maybe Incoco think that we need very informative packaging so we know what we are actually buying. I really don't think this would stand out from the rows of false nails & nail art sets if it was placed in the likes of Boots or Superdrug. Having said that I am still...
..very impressed with the colour range and quality of these, here is a little picture of Bling Bling and 24 Karats. They look amazing don't they. Sadly they aren't available on the ASOS website.
But here are the ranges that are available -
Fashion Collection - Ocsar Night
Black Diamonds
Midnight
Chocolate
Pink Collection - Lush BlushBlack Diamonds
Midnight
Chocolate
Juicy Peach
Sweet Kiss
Red Collection - Passion
SunsetRed Velvet
French Manicure - Fair Dust
In the set you do get quite alot - there are 16 colour strips (perfect for if you mess up!) a cuticle stick, a mini file to neaten off the edges and a special polish pad remover to remove them all.
So have I tempted you? I am very tempted to try Oscar Night and Lush Blush (a lovely coral shade). Ofcourse if I do cave in and purchase them you will all be the first to see my dry polish nails!
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