The Oscars 2011

 Award ceremony time again and this time it is the turn of the 83rd Oscars

Hera are my pick of the Oscar beauties and my favourite dresses.

I think Michelle Williams looks stunning with her elfin crop, flawless face,  nude lips and pretty eyes.

Cate Blanchett also chose to play it down and show off her natural beauty 

I love the simplicity of Reese Witherspoon's choice of dress and overall look with up do and once again a pale lipstick

Sandra Bullock makes for a beautiful lady in red 

Jennifer Hudson looks sensational in her choice of dress, show stopping

Natalie Portman once again excels at doing glamour in pregnancy with this purple dress, wavy hair and soft make up

And I leave you with this gorgeous couple - Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves

All images ©A.M.P.A.S

Batiste Dry Shampoo - Blush

I love Batiste Dry Shampoo and Blush is another variety from the range.

It works in exactly the same way as the others..hold can 30cm from hair, spray at roots, massage with fingertips, wait a couple of minutes and brush out - easy!

Blush is fab, it smells lightly floral and so feminine. The scent is created from the following floral notes - Red Hibiscus, Freesia, Tuberose, Orange Blossom, Peony and Lily. I love its scent and it leaves my hair smelling very nice indeed, shiny and clean looking. Ideal for those times when I need to leave the house in a hurry.

Batiste Blush is available in 150ml and 50ml (handbag size) from your usual Batiste stockists.

Witch Skincare Bloggers Event

On Saturday afternoon I was invited to an event held by Witch Skincare. It was an opportunity to try out their new anti-blemish cosmetics range, get a bit more acquainted with the existing skincare range, meet the team and other bloggers.

I had a thoroughly enjoyable time, there were many things to do and I met some lovely friendly bloggers - Palm/Tarot readings, Reiki, massages, makeovers and manicures. On the naughty side were lessons in playing poker, Wii games, A history of Burlesque and a mini lesson. Plenty of food and drink was provided, chocolate foundations, smoothies, pizza, wraps, cookies, popcorn, sweets pick and mix , endless Champagne, Corona, soft drinks and lots, lots more!

The afternoon kicked up with an introduction to the new cosmetics range and a makeover on one of the Witch team. Available now are a tinted moisturiser, a redness relief moisturiser, skin clearing primer and a pressed powder. First impression from the range are good, they smell nice and feel moisturising. I am lucky to have been given samples of these to try out,  so look out for a future review post on the range including the skincare products.

I then opted for my palm to be read - the lady who read my palm got my character spot on, mentioned the past pretty accurately and told me a few things that are to come. It was a very enjoyable session.

A blogger in the palmistry corner

Learning to perfect our poker faces

I have never had a Reiki session and I was treated to a mini introduction to it, I felt an intense heat from the hands of the lady who was giving it and at the end of the session I felt like I had floated away and a real sense of calm.... Unfortunately yesterday I had what is called a 'healing crisis' which made me feel extremely ill! However this can be remedied by plenty of water and rest. I believe that when this passes I will feel great.

After all the various activites, eating and chatting we ended the day with some Burlesque tips... Fun was had by all and I headed home. I think my husband was surprised when I would just randomly strike a pose!

I ate my yummy cake the next day

I am lucky to have been given samples of these products to try out,  so look out for a future review post on the range including the skincare products.

Product Trial - Bliss Fat Girl Slim

I am not wholly taken by the name of this Bliss product - Fat Girl Slim BUT  I must admit with these claims I found it hard to resist!!

The lean, mean skin firming, dimple diminshing cream - fatgirlslim!

This advanced-technology adipose antagonist (which, in layman's terms, means it visibly diminishes those dastardly dimples) features QuSome-encapsulated caffeine molecules for quick and targeted delivery of the skin-slimming stuff of choice of supermodels, spokespeople and other celebs.

clinical studies show:*
• 87% saw a firming effect
• 85% felt a slimming effect
• 73% noticed a reduction in the appearance of cellulite

So I am going to put this to the test for 28 days starting from tomorrow  - applying twice a day!

Would you like to see weekly updates ?

Wish me luck!

Naked - Up Tone Girl Gentle Toner

I rarely venture from my beloved Boots Traditional Glycerin and Rosewater Toner but as I was very kindly sent this to try along with the Naked Thirst Aid 12 Hour Moisturiser I was willing to give it a go.

Naked Up Tone Girl Toner is suitable for sensitive skin, is fragrance and alcohol free. Main ingredients are Witch Hazel (wasn't that the stuff they used when you grazed your skin at Primary School ?) and Glycerin. Also contains Calendula extract (a flower) which is known for treating some skin conditions in a cream form..

I also love that the toner is 97% natural - free of SLS and Parabens.

My first impressions were that the packaging was a bit dull and industrial looking but of course if the product works, it doesn't matter too much!

The second impression was that I loved the scent, now it says that it is fragrance free which I now know means that there may be a scent from the natural ingredients used. That has baffled me in the past...The scent is lovely, actually reminds me of Persian sweets provided at weddings!

Easy to use bottle that means you can squeeze the right amount out

Using this toner leaves me feeling refreshed, clean and my skin soft, very nice indeed.

All in all, I recommend this toner and I will definitely be purchasing it. I am looking forward to trying other products in the range, especially the bath products.

Unfortunately the moisturiser was too rich for me :-( Which is a real shame as it has the same gorgeous scent that the toner has. I have given it to my sister to try so she will be doing a guest post on it shortly..

Naked Up Tone Girl Toner costs £4.49 for 200ml and is available from Boots stores.

Have you tried any products from the Naked range ?

Poppy King Collaboration With No7

On Tuesday I was at The Dorchester's Spatisserie for the unveiling and launch of Poppy King's first exclusive collaboration with Boots No7.

Whilst we nibbled on gorgeous finger food of sandwiches and mini scones and sipped tea we were treated to Poppy King chatting about the range that has been devised.

It is extremely hard not to get excited by this range from Poppy King, the lipstick legend and No7. Meeting and chatting to the lady herself she just exudes enthusiasm, passion and a real belief in the range and concept.

Poppy King really understands women and want they want and this is expressed in the collection that will be available from March 2011.  My favourite quote from Poppy is ' to invite women back to the joys of lip colour and encourage them to introduce some wearable glamour into their life'. Who doesn't want glamour in their life!

The concept is simple - Poppy identified the top seven reasons why women love wearing lip colour and has designed a shade to match each reason.  7 lipsticks with matching/complementing lip glosses. Poppy also researched shades from the No7 archives and colours key to No7's brand and mixed these with her own enthusiasm for retro Bakelite Jewellery.

The lipsticks look rich and full and yet when applied they are soft and sheer like a tint - so much less scarier than they appear.. The glosses are fab too, they have great colour and glide on, pretty much non sticky and can be worn on their own or over the matching lipsticks. I really feel like there is something in the range that will suit everyone.

The 7 shades of lipsticks and glosses are

1. History  (red)
2. Power (rose)
3. Glamour (pink)
4. Seduction (blackberry)

And 3 nudes, I really want all of these!

5. Intrigue (pink nude)
6. Confidence (nude)
7. Allure (peach)

They come in appealing and cute vintage style spotty packaging, inspired by Marilyn Monroe's beauty spot and Man Ray's Lip motifs. Adorable!

Look out for my Face Of  The Day soon where I will be wearing Seduction ....

The lipsticks cost £12 and the glosses cost £11 - available at Boots from 23rd March 2011

Flawless You Forever Giveaway Winner Revealed!

Thank you for all your entries and to the lovely people at Flawless You Forever for providing this fantastic prize..

Random.org has picked a winner

And the winner is ....

Stephanie C from Very Random Rambles Blog

Congratulations Stephanie !!

My Makeup Organiser

I have to admit that my makeup and skincare has taken over my room a bit, if not quite a bit of the house. I have it in 2 wardrobes, a drawer, cupboard downstairs, not to mention in various bags on my chest of drawers. Just before Christmas I had a bit of a clear out of my older products but it really wasn't enough.

I decided it was time I did some organising, not least to know what I have got and to get my hands on the items easily. I have been keeping my eyes open for something suitable for some time now. As soon as I picked it up I thought this would be useful and so I have now embarked on the beginning of makeup organisation...

Click for a closer look

This has 6 decent sized compartments, comes with a lid and has handles (the handles hold the lid in place).

Now I admit this organizer doesn't have space for my vast collection of lipsticks and glosses (the majority of which are currently in a fab Zuneta box) So, I am still on the look out for something suitable. If you have any ideas I would welcome seeing them

I haven't begun to organise my skincare products just yet.. I think I would need boxes with some depth to enable them to be stood upright ?

This is a start but I am really happy with the way things are going and discovering the products I once bought and have long forgotten about!

I also have loads of space on top of my drawers and keep my everyday products in a makeup bag on the top - it looks so tidy and spacious now, instead of the unsightly clutter it used to be.

My makeup organiser was bought at HobbyCraft for £9.99 and is this beauty bloggers ideal :-)

What do you think, What do you store your makeup in ?

Another FAB product from 17 - Wild Curl Mascara

I won this in a twitter giveaway contest, of course I was delighted. I love putting mascaras to the test....

17 Wild Curl Mascara promises to give 6x more volume, and to keep that curl held for up to 10 hours!

The mascara comes in an eye catching animal print tube, black and mirrored gold. The actual wand isn't huge (excellent for small eyes) and is different in that if you look at the picture you can see that the brush is 'wild'. The bristles are soft and of uneven lengths, this really does enable you to reach the roots of your lashes easily and lift them.

Wild Curl Mascara is available in a choice of 3 shades - Wildest Black, Black and Brown

I was sent Wildest Black

So the before and after pics...

I really LOVE this mascara, no clumping, no flaking and it picked up pretty much all of my lashes. Plus the curl held for hours!

Excellent mascara at a great price.

17 Wild Curl Mascara (9ml) costs £6.29 from Boots Stores.

What do you think ?
Have you tried this mascara?

EOTD - Eyes of The Day - a bit of colour!

Those who know me well know that I tend to favour neutrals for make up these days. It wasn't always this way though! I used to love shades of purples, greens, greys as those tended to bring out my green eyes.

As bright 'POP' colours are back this Spring/Summer I thought I would have a little play with a purple and have a little fun....

With flash

Without flash

And I leave you with some inadvertent Pop Art ...

I used

Benefit Stay Don't Stray Primer
L'Oreal Paris Chrome Intensity in Purple Obsession
Revlon ColourStay Liquid Eye Pen in Blackest Black
Avon SuperShock Mascara in Black
Revlon ColourBurst Lipstick in Raspberry

Would love to know your thoughts on this look

New - Revlon PhotoReady Compact Makeup - Review

I love trying out foundations and Revlon's PhotoReady Liquid Foundation is something that I have been longing to try but have just never got round to it. When I saw that Revlon were bringing out a compact version I was excited and couldn't wait to try it.

I have only ever had 2 compact foundations and both were from Max Factor. This was many years ago though and ever since I have stuck to liquid foundations. 

Revlon PhotoReady Compact Makeup - £12.99

The compact comes in 4 shades. I am using Vanilla which I think is slightly too pale for me.

This is described as having all the benefits of the liquid foundation but in a compact. Notably,  the scientific sounding Photochromatic pigments that bend and reflect light to help erase every flaw.

It is a powder that turns into a liquid as it passes through a nylon screen (apparently this is a foundation first!) and then dries to a soft powder finish. The foundation has SPF20 as well which I like. Inside, a handy mirror and soft sponge for application are included.

I have to say I have mixed feelings about this foundation. I love how quickly it even outs my tone and 'gets me ready'. I recently had a hormonal break out and I found it hard to conceal with this foundation, which I am used to with my usual preferred foundations without having to use a separate concealer. I would say that this gives light-medium coverage.

It does brighten the skin and I love that it is light enough to carry around with me to retouch (which I have had to do). I would use this for my more forgiving days.

I also listen to the feedback I get from others .. one person said I looked flawless and radiant - probably half an hour after I had applied it. Another said after 4 hours wear - it is not as good as your usual foundation. Now I admit it doesn't make up any claims about being long lasting.

I am wearing the foundation in The Valentine's Day Makeup Post 

Some pictures of me wearing it when I was complimented

Let me know what you think?
Have you tried this foundation yet ?

I think I will definitely look into more compacts as I like how easy and quick they are to apply.

Revlon PhotoReady Compact Makeup is available to buy now 

FYF - Flawless You Forever Makeup - Review

I first came across the Flawless You Forever brand when I saw a review on a blog. The picture was of a gorgeous blusher that was called Floral Blush,  a blusher that is shaped like a flower...

I was sent 3 products to review from the range - Mineral Loose Powder, Powder Blush and Lipgloss - Mint.

I like the outer packaging

The loose mineral powder foundation and powder blush

Impeccable Mineral Loose Powder - $28 for 14gm. I am using the shade Nude.

Readers of the blog will know that personally I am not a huge fan of mineral loose foundation. I just seem to prefer the coverage and quickness of application of a liquid foundation. Powder seems to sit and accentuate the pores in a way that liquid doesn't.

However, I applied this with a Kabuki brush from ' Green People' and I can see the attraction people have of powder foundations. It blended in very easily and evenly. For me the testimony was from people who commented on how well I looked without knowing that I was using this foundation. I don't think I am totally converted just yet to loose powder but if you like mineral foundations then this is a foundation definitely worth considering.

Nude is for light pink toned complexions (I am usually light with yellow tones) but this worked well for me.
There are 2 other shades in the range Medium- For light to medium skin with medium undertones
Sand- For medium skin with yellow undertone.

It is talc free and comes in a sifter jar.

Cheeky Blush $17 for 3gm. Shade - Country Fresh 

This is by far and away my favourite product out of the three that I was sent. It is a gorgeous fresh pinky toned blush that provides a beautifully natural flush to my cheeks. It is a matte blusher so perfect for everyday use. It is so easy to blend and build-able. I would definitely purchase this as I absolutely love it.

Cheeky Blush comes in 5 shades.

These pictures are with flash (excuse the mugshot style photo)

And without flash and on a different day...

Lipgloss - Mint Glow $18 - Shade Minty Star

Click for a closer look!

The packaging is attractive and the black handle is slightly cushioned.

Minty Star is a purple/brown tinged colour

This smells so minty, like those blue Spearmint Sweets or toothpaste. I really love the scent of it. It tingles on application  for a few minutes which I am not a fan of as you know from previous reviews but it also has a wonderfully cooling effect from the mint extract. This gloss is wonderfully pigmented, glides on smoothly and evenly with the applicator and has an almost frosted appearance under the light.

Unfortunately this shade does absolutely nothing for me, it is just too dark and makes me look severe,  but I can see that it would look great on darker skin tones and really does enhance the lips. As it comes in 5 shades I am personally drawn to Minty Bubbles a cute pink shade.

All items are available to purchase from www.flawlessyouforever.com. They offer free delivery worldwide.

WIN FYF MAKEUP 

**** I have teamed up with FYF to offer one lucky reader 3 fabulous items from the range. For entry details click here  ***  Giveaway closes Midnight 23rd February 2011