Lush V-Day Treats!

 Lush Heart Throb, Bubble Bar

 Clockwise: Heart Throb, Bubble Bar; Cupid's Love, Soap; Floating Flower, Bath Bomb; 

and Unicorn Horn, Bubble Bar

Hey Beauty Lovers! It's that time of the year again when love should be embraced. Lush has mixed a few potions together and created lots of lovely treats for the V-Day, whether you are loved-up or enjoying the single-hood there is something for everyone. When it comes to Lush I love displaying a few soaps and bath bombs in a platter on my windowsill in the bathroom, it fills the room with beautiful sweet and floral aromas. 

Heart Throb Bubble Bar turns your bath water a bright red for a romantic mood setting. Frangipani and Vanilla create a beautifully floral and comforting sweet scent, while Geranium Oil helps to tone and balance the skin. 

Cupid's Love Soap has Bergamot and Rosewood for an uplifting atmosphere and fresh figs, passion fruit juice with soya yoghurt help to nourish and soften the skin.

Floating Flower Bath Bomb is great for a sensual evening, Jasmine and Ylang Ylang create a sweet and floral scent concoction, while Cypress Oil has calming and toning properties.

And finally, Unicorn Horn Bubble Bar is perfect for brightening up your day and bringing a little rainbow into the premises of your bathroom. Uplifting and toning Neroli is paired up with balancing and calming Lavender and sweet and floral Ylang Ylang.

LOVE

Gift Guide: L'Occitane Arlesienne Collection!

Hey Beauty Lovers! This Christmas L'Occitane has launched a new collection for those who like all things feminine, available from 1st November 2014. Arlesienne is a gorgeously scented line that was inspired by a mythical woman from the town of Arles in South France. She was the essence of beauty and was captured in Van Gough, Picasso and Bizet's paintings. This scent is distinctly feminine with its combination of three precious flowers: a fiery saffron flower, a majestic rose, and playful violet. I would describe the scent as floral, sexy and fresh with a hint of comforting warmth. 

LOVE

Mother's Day Gift Idea: Deborah Lippmann Two of Hearts Set!

 Deborah Lippmann Shape Of My Heart [mini]

 Deborah Lippmann Candy Shop [mini]

Hey Beauty Lovers! How cute is this mini Deborah Lippmann nailpolish duet?!! Candy Shop is a multi colour glitter nailpolish with a sheer pink base. In the picture I'm wearing three coats of Candy Shop, the more you layer it the more it looks like a jelly polish, creating a dimension effect making the glitters look like they are set under the layers of a jelly nailpolish. So it's a bit of a different look and I think it looks super pretty for the spring! And obviously it came in the matching tiny zip bag that you can use for all sorts of things, even lipsticks. The other mini is the Shape Of My Heart, which is a sheer pastel pink with a cream finish. It's pretty and subtle, also wearing three coats of it! Apart from being cute and practical Deborah Lippmann Two Of Hearts set also makes an affordable Mother's Day gift!

LOVE

Gift Guide 2012: Karl Lagerfeld for Shu Uemura Holiday 2012 Collection!

Shu Uemura Holiday 2012 Collection...

Karl Lagerfeld for Shu Uemura Premium False Eyelashes

Karl Lagerfeld for Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Lipstick in Luxe Burgundy

Karl Lagerfeld for Shu Uemura Nail Color in Karl Black

Ever since I heard about Karl Lagerfeld creating a make-up Holiday 2012 Collection for Shu Uemura I knew it would be something very special! This collection is based around Japanese pop culture... Here are my picks from the entire collection... Black being the iconic colour of the Fashion Godfather, Karl created a nail polish to die for! I love black nail polishes with a twist, Karl Black has predominantly gold glitter and also multicoloured fine glitter mixed in... It's quite punky and dramatic, I love it! Oh and the nail polish comes with nail stickers for some extra fun...

From all the lipstick shades in this collection I felt Luxe Burgundy was most unique... It's a beautiful burgundy shade with warm shimmer... It may not look like much in the bullet but as soon as I applied it I felt like Kate Moss in her party days - that kind of rough punk look again...  If you are not quite sure what the hell I am talking about do not worry, you will be able to see the look I created wearing this lipstick in the next blog post!

Now, the lashes! Karl Lagerfeld for Shu Uemura Premium False Eyelashes are quite something! To start of with they are a real collector's item... I can see someone like Lisa Eldridge owning a pair to keep them in her amazing make-up collection for posterity... They are pretty cool even just to look at, and I think if you have a friend who is a make-up artist or someone who loves to indulge in eclectic items they would seriously love these lashes... They are not for everyone as they are quite out there, very Tokyo and Karl Lagerfeld mixed in one cocktail... Or if you have a special dress-up party to attend and you are brave enough you could try wearing them too...

These eyelashes are not cheap either, but you pay £50 for something that could potentially leave its mark on the make-up history... Things we look back at and admire the beauty of, things like Biba make-up, it was crazy and amazing at the same time... These eyelashes are handmade, and the detail that you see is double sided, so you get exactly the same pattern on both sides of the lashes... And they come in beautiful box as well... It is Karl Lagerfeld after all, of course he would come up with something exclusive and fabulous!

LOVE

Gift Guide 2012: Voluminous Hair Style with Umberto Giannini Party Glamour Mini Kit!

Lately I had absolutely no time for creating a glam party up-do, so I thought to show you what I do with my hair when I want something voluminous in no time... This is a simple side pony-tail, to make it look modern all it needs is some jujjing up by creating big volume and texture... For that I first used Umberto Giannini Glam Hair Morning After Dry Shampoo to create some texture at the roots, and then I sprayed his Glam Hair Backcomb In A Bottle in places where I wanted lots and lots of volume... Few sprays and you are ready to go! Oh and also I was quite surprised but the Painted Lady Feliner that comes in this mini kit and I am also wearing, is pretty good actually... In the kit you also get the Rock N' Roll Extreme Hairspray, which I haven't tried yet... All of the four Umberto Giannini products come in a trendy studded black make-up bag!

LOVE

Gift Guide 2012: Baylis & Harding Sweet Mandarin & Grapefruit Gift Set!

Baylis & Harding do the most affordable beauty gift sets that come in these very pretty and presentable boxes... This Sweet Mandarin & Grapefruit set has four items, Balancing Body Wash, Luxury Shower Crème, Indulgent Moisturising Hand & Body Lotion, and a wash cloth... The Shower Crème lathers up much better than the Body Wash, and becomes very foamy, personally I prefer foamy shower gels as they feel a lot more moisturising especially in winter when skin can feel a little sensitive and dry... The smell is very mild and light, for my nose it becomes almost undetectable after a minute or two, so it would be great for someone who doesn't like strong scented bodycare... Another bonus point are the mini size bottles that are great for travelling!

LOVE

Gift Guide 2012: Sultry Smoky Eye Look with bareMinerals!

bareMinerals Size The Day 5 Round The Clock Waterproof Eyeliners + Pencil Sharpener!

From Top to Bottom: 

10am - shimmery olive green; Noon - matte dark blue; 1pm - matte teal;

3pm - shimmery bronze; 5pm - matte dark plum  [full size]

I decided to create this look just using bareMinerals products as I have a soft spot for them, some of the things I already had and some are new Limited Edition pieces from the Christmas Collection! First of all I do fancy a sultry evening make-up and I think if you will be celebrating New Years Eve with someone special you may want to look quite sexy and chic... So here we go... As the eyeshadow primer I used the bareMinerals Prime Time Primer Shadow in Sundance, it's a gorgeous shimmery warm goldy peach shade... On top I applied Euphoria shade from The Happy Place Ready Eyeshadow 4.0 palette, which is a shimmery dark plum... I also smoked it out under the lower lash line, taking it slightly lower than usual... 

For extra definition and sultriness I applied the beautiful bareMinerals Round The Clock Waterproof Eyeliner in 5pm, which is a matte deep plum, almost black... Sometimes I find dark plums or browns are more flattering than black, they accentuate the eyes and make them look rather fa-bu-lous! 5pm is the full size eyeliner from the bareMinerals Seize The Day gift set, which has another four mini Round The Clock eyeliners, all in wearable and of course beautiful shades... This set is Limited Edition - I would imagine these would fly, they are a fantastic stocking filler so defo check it out!

Because the eye make-up is quite dark I like to keep the under eye area looking rested, for which I really love the new bareMinerals Well-Rested Face & Eye Brightener in Clear... I also highlight my brow bone with it as well as going over the top of my cheek bones... It doesn't have a colour to it, just a very pretty light pearlescent sheen, which is great to make you look rested yet still natural - as I cannot stand those artificial and odd looking Kim Kardashian white circles... I find over-highlighted under eye area very unflattering and ageing, which is the opposite you want to achieve...

Speaking of... I quite like to highlight the top of my cheek bones taking it slightly up to the temples in a C-shape, for day wear I leave it at the Well-Rested stage but for evening I like to take it even further to achieve this luscious glow, which is very pretty and flattering during winter! And for that I have used the bareMinerals Ready Luminizer in The Love Affair, which is a peachy shade, very beautiful indeed! I applied it with the bareMinerals Flawless Face Brush, which covers perfectly the area I want to highlight... The Luminizer comes in two shades and is beautifully presented in Christmasy snow white packaging, but don't worry it's plastic so won't go dirty... As it is also Limited Edition snap it up before it goes!

FYI tomorrow is the last day of the John Frieda give away I am doing, so check it out 
and make sure you are a follower of my blog and leave an answer to win!

For your chance to win CLICK HERE, good luck!

LOVE

Gift Guide 2012: Soap & Glory Small Wonders Gift Set!

Being a huge Soap & Glory fan I couldn't not include their gift set! The box alone looks pretty cool, I am definitely keeping it as storage for bits and bobs... Inside you get 5 products! Four of their classic products in a mini version, the Clean on Me Shower Gel [which is lovely btw, I went through two full size bottles], The Righteous Butter Body Butter [yet to try but smth tells me I'll love it too], The Scrub of your Life Body Scrub [I tried couple of their scrubs and sofar Flake Away is one of my all time favourite body scrubs(!), so I'm really looking forward to try this one as well], and Hand Food Hand Cream [currently I have a full size tube and absolutely adore it(!) this mini will be great when on the go] - all four scented with their Original Pink fragrance, which is absolutely lovely and super addictive + you get the Shower Puff! 

Such a  cute little gift, I don't know a single person that wouldn't say OMG(!) after smelling their Original Pink scented products... There's really something about it that makes you feel good, really good and puts that satisfied smile on your face! The great thing is Soap & Glory doesn't have an age limitation, anyone seems to love it from teens to grown up ladies like myself...

LOVE

Gift Guide 2012: Champneys Relaxing Spa Treatment Gift Set!

Christmas is the time of year when you can finally relax and do absolutely nothing, apart from eating turkey, mince pies and watch old films wearing your favourite pyjamas and thick socks! Perfect time to fully unwind and have a spa treatment at home... That's what I love doing when it's freezing outside, running a hot relaxing bath before going to bed... I chose this Champneys Relaxing Spa Treatment  gift set as you can easily pick it up at Boots for yourself or someone else who you think deserves some proper me-time! 

It's quite a chunky and heavy box filled with full-size relaxing goodies to help you switch off and just relax... You get the Relaxing Dream Bath and Relaxing Pillow Mist both beautifully scented with lavender & patchouli... Also the Relaxing Body Butter with lavender & sweet almond oil, which is quite thick and really moisturising - I love the relaxing and sexy scent it leaves on your skin... And of course the pretty satin eye-mask... You basically get everything you need to help you relax neatly packed in one box! 

LOVE

Gift Guide 2012: Chic Festive Sparkly-Plum Look...

I wanted to create a fresh face look with a touch of colour swept over the eyes and lips in plummy shades as they are really flattering and seasonal... To start off with I applied MAC Paint Pot in Idyllic [a beautiful metallic plum] lightly over the lid and under the lower lashes... Then I took Lancome  Les Paillettes aux Yeux, Glittering Eye Powder in 10 A la Belle Etoile [a super sparkly peachy champagne], which is from the current Christmas Collection... A la Belle Etoile is a beautiful intense glitter pigment, it's very shimmery and smooth but it doesn't have any chunky glitter particles, neither does it have a fall out! I particularly love it over a dark base... 

As I kept the eyes quite chic and light I wanted to bring some element of festive glamour yet still keep it natural... Lancome Hypnôse Waterproof Custom Volume Mascara in 01 Noir is super voluminous and you can control the thickness by building it up... But what I love about it is that although it is incredibly volumising it does not clump your eyelashes, but it actually separates them, giving you a glam eyelash look without the need of wearing fake lashes... I also love the very creamy consistency and the fact that it is waterproof and will stay on no matter what! To add a little definition to the eyes I applied the bareMinerals Round The Clock Waterproof Eyeliner in 7pm [an incredibly flattering dark chocolate] - also dotting it along the lower lashline without smudging it, gives an impression of fuller lower lashes...

And on the lips to stay within the plummy shimmery colour scheme I lightly applied Rouge Pur Couture Vernis À Lèvres Vintage, Long Lasting Stain Formula and Glossy Shine in 1 Violet Edition... You can build it up to a very intense and dark shade if you layer it applying straight from the applicator [to see the intense dark lip look I previously created with YSL Violet Edition click here], or you can leave it quite sheer and natural looking by gently applying it with a finger... These glossy stains are pretty great for party season as they are long lasting... Over the top to add the shimmer I applied YSL Golden Gloss in 54 Golden Sand [limited edition]... Et voilà!

 

LOVE

Gift Guide 2012: Roger & Gallet Bois D'Orange Gift Set!

We all face sometimes an impossible mission when it comes to finding a gift for someone you don't know very well... And this is the reason I chose this Roger & Gallet Bois D'Orange gift set as the scent and the packaging is unisex... It could go either way, be a gift for a man or a woman... The orange scent is quite strong and cologne like... It would be a great gift for someone older, or someone you may not be very close to in terms of not knowing what would please them and because of the unisex scent if they don't like it their partner may well do... Of course the golden box looks very festive, the packaging is classic and would look good in any bathroom... You get Fresh fragrant water spray, Refreshing fragrant bath and shower gel and Moisturizing refreshing fragrant body lotion all in the festive Bois D'Orange scent...

LOVE