Friday 31 January 2014

On-Trend: Duo-Chrome Nails with Butter London!



 Butter London Union Jack Black [two coats]


 Butter London Petrol [one overcoat]




L to R: Butter London Petrol [overcoat] + Union Jack Black


Hey Beauty Lovers! Here is another Butter London combo that I really enjoyed wearing and had so many compliments. Union Jack Black is a cream black that looks perfect with two coats and it's a shade from the core collection. Petrol is a new stunning duo-chrome overcoat going from green turquoise to purple, just one coat looks beautiful over black base. It is always hard to capture the true beauty of shimmer, glitter, and duo-chrome nailpolishes on camera but do take my word for it, Petrol over black looks ah-mazing!



LOVE

Thursday 30 January 2014

Quick Smokey Eye with Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleon!



 Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleon, colour-morphing eyeshadow pencil in Amber Haze
& Charlotte Tilbury Rock 'N' Kohl, iconic liquid eye pencil in Bedroom Black
+ Charlotte Tilbury Pencil Sharpener




Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleon in Amber Haze


Hey Beauty Lovers! Slowly expanding my Charlotte Tilbury beauty collection I have made a new purchase, and this is my latest addition. Colour Chameleon eyeshadow pencil comes in eight shades to suit every eye-colour. The shade I picked up Amber Haze is actually recommended for brown eyes, but obviously bronze shades look stunning on blue eyes, making them pop, so experiment a little and don't feel like you have to stick to certain colours! Colour Chameleons can be worn without a base, applied straight to the lid, and blended with a finger in the back of a cab, that's how easy they are to use. But under normal circumstances I prefer to apply them over a neutral base as I find them a little sticky feeling on my eyelids without the base. Once you apply them, they stay put - super long-lasting with or without base, they are also very smooth and blend beautifully.

I have been wearing this exact smokey eye for the last four days in a row, that says a lot. This smokey eye is super effortless, very quick to create for those who are in a hurry and looks beautiful. So when I have practically no time for make-up, and have to be out in 10 minutes looking presentable I go for this smokey eye which involves just two products: Colour Chameleon [in Amber Haze] + Rock 'N' Kohl [in Bedroom Black]. The actual smokey eye takes no more than five minutes, which is amazing as it looks like you spent a lot more time.

So to create this look, after I prep my eyelids I then quickly apply the Amber Haze eyeshadow straight from the pencil onto the lid and under the lower lashes. Taking Sonia Kashuk blending brush I quickly blend the hard edges and apply the Bedroom Black eyeliner winging it slightly and also taking it under the lower lash-line connecting the ends for that feline flick. I make sure to blend the Bedroom Black with Amber Haze for a softer look, using the Sigma pencil brush. And that is literally it!


LOVE

Wednesday 29 January 2014

On-Trend: Butter London Union Jack Black + Stratford Honey!

 Wearing Joubi Kosey [red feline ears] 18-karat gold plated ring.
Available at www.joubi.com


 Butter London Union Jack Black [two coats]


 Butter London Stratford Honey [one coat]


 L to R: Butter London Stratford Honey + Union Jack Black


FYI: Joubi Kosey ring is a great V-Day gift idea!!


Hey Beauty Lovers! I have been obsessed with Butter London nailpolishes lately, as you probably can tell... I quite like the idea of wearing black nailpolish with an overcoat, be it a shimmer, glitter or duo-chrome it gives the black tips that modern edge and takes the classic black to the next level. Butter London Union Jack Black is a cream black nailpolish, it's on a sheer side with one coat, but with two coats it's beautifully opaque, super smooth and application is great. 

Over the top I'm wearing Butter London Stratford Honey, which is a gorgeous gold glitter overcoat. The glitters are small mixed with super fine glitter particles on a clear base, and it's not a glitter over-kill so you can still see the base colour. For a sheer effect wear one overcoat or for more glitters layer a couple more coats. And on a side-note if you also love the Joubi Kosey ring, for more info and pics check out my full review by clicking here!


LOVE

Tuesday 28 January 2014

Updated Review: La Roche-Posay Redermic [R]!



Hey Beauty Lovers! Three weeks ago I have written a review on La Roche-Posay Redermic [R], which is a Retinol treatment. To read the full review where I also explain how Retinol works click here! So at this stage I have been using Retinol for just over two months. Just before Christmas I started using Redermic [R], soon after my skin started to have a light breakout, here and there a small spot would appear. Then about two weeks ago it got even worse, my faced was covered in spots in most random places. But I didn't want to stop using Retinol as it is a common side-effect especially on oily skin which tends to have blocked pores. Retinol kind of pulls all the impurities to the surface, so you have to be patient to get through this "breakout" stage and just hang in there it will get better!

And about a week ago the breakouts have finally stopped! Now even when I have a facial which has mud base in it that always used to break me out as it also pulls impurities out, my skin stays clear next day. This must be the sign that Retinol has got rid of the deep sitting blocked pores. After 8-9 weeks of using Redermic [R] my skin is super smooth and radiant looking. All of my skincare serums and moisturisers and facials seem to work much better now that my skin is nice and clear. Also my pigment mark which is sun damage that I mentioned in the previous review has faded slightly. I'm now using it every other day alternating it with my Avene Cleanance K Cream-gel, which keeps my acne under control.

I would highly recommend to have a Retinol treatment as it works on a deeper level and makes all the other skincare a lot more effective! Although Redermic [R] is super powerful it is also very gentle, designed to be suitable for all skin types, even for those that are sensitive!



LOVE

Monday 27 January 2014

On-Trend: Matte Nails with Chic Vintage Cameo Nail Art!



 BarryM Matte in Vanilla


 Essie in Licorice


 BarryM Matte in Vanilla + Essie in Licorice


 MoYou London Stamping Nail Art Plate 07 from the Tourist Collection




Hey Beauty Lovers! I have been considering getting the nail art stamping plates for a while and finally jumped on the bandwagon. There are a few great brands out there that are favoured by nail artists, however when I found the MoYou London nail art stamping plates I immediately decided to get them because the design and the look of a product is always significant to me, and I just love the concept of these plates. Classically the nail art stamping plates come in round disks, but I prefer these rectangular plates as you get more designs on them and I find them more convenient to work with and more practical. Also the metal plates have a plastic back which prevents you from cutting yourself on the metal edges which often happens with the round plates. And every plate comes in an individual cute vintage paper envelope. 

So to create this chic vintage cameo nail art look, firstly I painted my nails in BarryM Matte Vanilla [2 coats], it's an incredibly flattering pinkish nude, these are my favourite matte nailpolishes, the formula is amazing! Then I tried to stamp my accent nail also using a matte black nailpolish but it didn't work at all, so you have to give it a go and see which nailpolishes stamp best. From my trials it seems the more opaque a nailpolish is the better it stamps. So I changed to Essie Licorice which is a super pigmented cream black and it worked beautifully.

To stamp a design you will need a stamper and a scraper which you can ordered separately. I have ordered two MoYou London plates from Amazon and five from MoYou website directly, and they were delivered in a couple of days. Then you choose which design you want to stamp, paint a nailpolish colour of your choice over the design thickly and quickly, then scrape the excess off holding the scraper at 45 degrees angle and quickly press the stamper over the design and stamp it onto the nail. It will take some practice but it's actually very easy once you get the hang of it. This black cameo vintage silhouette looks particularly chic over matte nude nails!

LOVE

Saturday 25 January 2014

Charlotte Tilbury Luxury Palette in The Rock Chick!



 Charlotte Tilbury Luxury Palette in The Rock Chick


Chanel Rouge Allure in 217 Radieuse


Hey Beauty Lovers! Last week I went to Selfridges to check out Charlotte Tilbury counter and to get one of her legendary Colour Chameleon, Colour Morphing Eye Shadow Pencils. And while I was there I also got a few samples of the Light Wonder Youth Boosting Perfect Skin Foundation in shades 3Fair and 4Fair, which I was colour-matched to, so I'm excited to try them out.  Also I had another look at The Rock Chick palette that I was considering getting for a while and finally got it. And I'm so happy I did! I already have The Dolce Vita  palette and absolutely love it! Although her eyeshadow palettes are quite pricey [£38] they are worth every penny.

To create this chic Rock Chick smokey eye I applied MAC Paints in Sublime Nature as a primer, then all over the lid I blended the 2Enhance shade also taking it under the lower lash line. To add dimension I applied the 3Smoke shade into the outer v and under the lower lashes. Charlotte Tilbury Rock 'N' Kohl Iconic Liquid Eye Pencil in Bedroom Black is the perfect match for this look, I always blend it with the eyeshadows for a softer look. 

Next step is optional depending on the occasion, but for some extra decadence I put my finger into the 4Pop shade as Charlotte suggests and then gently pushed it into the middle of the lid. To finish I applied a touch of the 1Prime shade onto my brow-bone as a highlighter. When I wear greys on my eyes I prefer to team it up with a nude pink lip, this combo tends to look super chic. I'm wearing Chanel Rouge Allure in 217 Radieuse.


LOVE

Friday 24 January 2014

V-Day Nails: Butter London Red with Gold Glitter Ombre!



Butter London Pillar Box Red


Butter London Stratford Honey




Butter London Pillar Box Red [one coat]


Butter London Stratford Honey [two coats]




Hey Beauty Lover! Here is another V-Day inspired nail look, I decided to go for classic red and add a little bit of seasonal glamour by combining it with gold glitter ombre effect. To create this look I painted my nails in Butter London Pillar Box Red, it's a beautiful classic cream red. The formula is amazing it's super pigmented and smooth, you can totally get away with just one coat. I believe this shade is from their core collection. Then for the ombre effect, I applied Butter London Stratford Honey, which is a small and medium glitter particles overcoat, the glitters are on a sheer side [not too many of them] so you will need a few coats to build up the glitter count. It came out with the Illusionist Holiday 2013 Collection and it's a new overcoat.

LOVE

Thursday 23 January 2014

ModelsOwn Artstix Duo Polish in Utopia Ocean!

ModelsOwn Utopia [two coats] + ModelsOwn Indian Ocean [one coat]

ModelsOwn Utopia [two coats]




Hey Beauty Lovers! First of all, I have changed my nail shape to the oh-so trendy almond. I thought that the pointy ends would perhaps be uncomfortable to wear, but not all. Almond shape looks even better on longer nails, and a lot more modern than a rounded long nail. The last time I stopped by at the ModelsOwn Bottleshop I decided to try one of these double ended nailpolishes. Both colours come in a full size. ModelsOwn Utopia is a super flattering nude, it's one of those shades that is hard to describe but I'll go with pastel greyish lilac. The formula is great, super smooth and perfectly opaque with two coats. ModelsOwn Indian Ocean is also a pretty overcoat and looks beautiful over any other nailpolish. The only negative would be that it didn't last long on me, chipped right the next day. But it might be because of too many coats. 

LOVE

Wednesday 22 January 2014

La Roche-Posay New Effaclar Duo [+] Launch!

Available at Boots nationwide and boots.com and laroche-posay.co.uk


Hey Beauty Lovers! This year La Roche-Posay is launching Effaclar Duo [+], which is the new reformulated original Effaclar Duo. It does exactly what the original formula did, which is targeting blemish prone skin by clearing out clogged pores and regulating oiliness but now it also takes care of skin marks caused by blemishes. Effaclar Duo [+] corrects and prevents pigmentation scaring left after acne/blemishes. I'm super excited about this product as I really enjoyed the original formula, and now with the additional bonus of the innovative Procerad which is the powerful active ingredient it looks like a skincare miracle for blemish prone skin. 

It's a lovely light-weight instantly absorbed moisturiser for those of us with combo/oily skin that is also blemish/acne prone and a great make-up base, it can be used every morning and/or evening. Effaclar Duo [+] promises to show visible improvement of red marks in just 24 hours. Some severe pigmentation marks and acne scaring can take up to three years to fade naturally, but Effaclar Duo [+] improves the skin appearance and evens out the skin tone taking care of the pigmentation marks in eight weeks. I will do a full review after I use this product for a few weeks to let you know how it goes.


LOVE

Tuesday 21 January 2014

V-Day Gift Idea: Joubi Kosey Ring!







Joubi Kosey Ring available for £65 at www.joubi.com


Hey Beauty Lovers! I'm absolutely obsessed with this Joubi Kosey ring, it's 18-karat yellow gold plated sterling silver. The red enamel feline ears are super adorable, and the textured detailing at the back is also pretty cool. I'm wearing the size medium as a knuckle ring just because I like the look, but you can wear it as a regular ring of course, would look very cute on the pinky. I believe this ring also comes in seven other on-trend colours, and the black enamel feline ears come in platinum plated sterling silver, and 18-karat rose gold plated sterling silver. As far as I'm concerned it makes the perfect V-Day gift!


LOVE

Monday 20 January 2014

DHC Olive Body Butter Review!







Hey Beauty Lovers! This DHC Olive Body Butter was launched a couple of weeks ago, so it's pretty new! DHC is a Japanese brand, and for me Japanese skincare in any shape and form is right on top of the list. Aside the super cute packaging I absolutely love this body butter. It's super rich but lightweight at the same time, once it sinks into the skin it doesn't leave a greasy coat as so many rich body butters can do. DHC Olive Body Butter beautifully hydrates dry-feeling skin and leaves it velvety smooth. Apart from the obvious olive oil there is also argan and avocado oil and cocoa and shea butter. And I am totally addicted to its gentle scent of green apple and rose, absolutely divine!



LOVE

Sunday 19 January 2014

V-Day Inspired Nail Art: Hot Pink Kisses!



 Essie Blanc


 Essie A Cut Above




From L to R:
Essie Tour de Finance, Essie On A Silver Plater, Essie A Cut Above


Hey Beauty Lovers! Here is a cute nail art look for the upcoming V-Day. I really enjoyed wearing this look because the hot pink kisses look crisp on the white base with a touch of bling. So here it goes... To create this look I painted my nails with Essie Blanc, which is a super pigmented true white, one coat is a bit streaky but two coats look perfect. Once the white nailpolish has dried I then created these super sexy hot pink lips by using a medium sized dotting tool, gently dotting the rough shape of the lips leaving a tiny gap in the middle so that they look more like lips. For the hot pink I used Essie Tour de Finance, which is a cool toned hot pink with a blue sheen. 

For some extra glamour I decided to add a bit of bling by using two types of glitter, this also creates more depth. Also with the dotting tool I randomly applied Essie On A Silver Plater, which is a very interesting intricate glitter overcoat, it has a super fine gold glitter with small and large holographic glitter particles. Over the top I applied Essie Luxeffects A Cut Above, which is a super cute [clear base] rose gold pink glitter with small and large particles. And that's it!

LOVE

Saturday 18 January 2014

RealTechniques Miracle Complexion Sponge Review!









Hey Beauty Lovers! I have featured the RealTechniques Miracle Complexion Sponge in my Gift Guide last year. And now after having fallen in love with it I decided to write an actual review and share the love. This is my first experience when it comes to any make-up application sponges and beauty blenders. Previously I have only used either my fingers or brushes when applying liquid foundation. For some reason I always though a sponge would apply a liquid foundation quiet thickly, but it's exactly the opposite! I have now gone back to using MAC Matchmaster foundation, there is a big difference in application. Make-up brushes seemed to have made MAC Matchmaster look almost cakey on me.

I also love how the Miracle Complexion Sponge is shaped, the rounded sides are great for applying foundation all over the face and neck, btw I have never been able to achieve such a flawless application on my neck in seconds, even the kabuki brushes were not able to seamlessly blend even the lightest foundation on the neck. The flat side is great for under the eye area, and the pointed bit is perfect for around the nose or for pinpoint concealing. This sponge can also be used with concealers, cream blushes, and even powders! So yeh, I'm pretty hooked on this sponge right now, it creates a super flawless beautifully airbrushed finish! For more coverage use the sponge by tapping foundation onto the skin with the rounded side, and for a sheer coverage use the wiping strokes.


LOVE