What I'm wearing

Hey dollies,

I thought I would share with you the make up that I wore to the #zomgbloggersbash last night, celebrating the fabulous Zoe's Rockalily Lipstick ZOMG . It was a fabulous evening and I'll be sure to post a few photos that I took throughout the night.

The make up I wore:

MAC Studio Fix Fluid NC35

MAC Prep & Prime Translucent Powder

Nars Laguna

FashionistA Juicy Apricot

MAC Hue

HD Brow Palette Rich Brown

New CID Cosmetics i-flutter

New CID Cosmetics i-gel

Naked Palette Buck

My hair colour has finally decided to stay rather than fade which I'm really happy about.

At the moment I'm putting a little more effort into doing my hair, rather than my usual wake up and go look. I've been using a few new volumising products and sleep-in rollers at night. I'm really loving them all and will do a post on it all very soon, so keep your eyes peeled!

I hope you're all very well

xx

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Violent Lips

Hey sweets,

I was recently sent some a couple of packets of Violent Lips and was pretty intrigued by the whole concept. They are absolutely huge in LA, and so that automatically made me want to try them.

I had seen these in Boots a few times before but hadn't really put how much thought into how they would work.

They are quite simply like the temporary transfer tattoos that after spending our entire childhoods covered in, are  now becoming popular again.

You get three sets of Violent lips per pack, all being the same design and a little set of instructions.

It's pretty straightforward- but never the less, you need a bit of patience with them.

I tried two from another pack which is a Pink Glitter set and they both failed hugely, so I am saving the third for when I am an expert. 

On the application sheets, there are line guides for you to measure your lips against to cut to size. You have to do this for both top and bottom.

Once you have the correct size, you peel the shiny layer off, place against your lips and use a cotton pad to apply water to the paper side.

As easy as that sounds, I found it pretty tricky. 

I'm not sure whether it's because my lips are really thin but each time I was left with quite a few creases.

I managed to smooth them out as best I could but I really wish they had come out super smooth.

When applied properly, Violent Lips can last between 4-8 hours depending on the skin type and care. 

They remove really easily, on the instructions it says to use oil and then a minute or so after to use a textured wipe to wipe it off, but I just used a make up wipe and it came away quite easily.

Violent Lips come in so many different shades and patterns which can be viewed online here.

Videos and tips can be found on there YouTube channel here, which I would recommend watching before applying for the first time!

I think for a super fancy look, dress up or a fun photo these are perfect little product. I would quite like to try the Leopard Print ones which look amazing here on the model on asos. 

As I said before, these are available now in Boots and cost £7.99

What do you think of these? Will you be transforming your lips with Violent Lips?

xx

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Enrapture Heated Rollers Bargain

Hey sweets,

Just a super quick post.

Tonight I mentioned on twitter that on the Debenhams website, the Enrapture Extremity Heated Rollers (and the other Enrapture products) that I blogged about here are now in the sale for £65 from £75. A few of you seemed interested so I thought that I would share it with you all. 

It's a really good price and on the Debenhams site there is also a 10% off discount code which would take them down to £58.50!

They're definitely my favourite hair styler and I am using them more and more often.

I hope you don't mind this quick little post, I just know so many of you were interested in buying them.

The link is here and I hope it helps!

xx

-I have not been paid to say this, I just really wanted to save those of you that have asked me about them recently some pennies!

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Nars Laguna

Hey sweets,

At Christmas I finally got my hands on Nars Laguna. It's been on my list for absolutely ages, but after swapping my Benefit Hoola for Boujous Delice de Poudre which costs just £6.99 in Boots and Superdrug and fulfilled all of my bronzing needs I couldn't really justify spending £24 on Laguna when I wasn't sure whether I would like.

I was incredibly happy when I opened this on Christmas day and now, cannot believe I hadn't purchased it myself, before.

It doesn't hugely differ from any other bronzer in my opinion, being that all the ones I have tried are a similar colour. However, I really love how it looks on my skin. It has the smallest amount of Shimmer which you may know, terrifies me, but in this case I can't get enough of it. 

Theres no glitter ball about it, so if you're like me and the thought of a bronzer with a shimmer sounds like your worst nightmare, honestly theres no need to worry with this one!

I apply this to my cheekbones, my jaw line and my temples and it really adds a lovely touch to my make up. Day or night.

The golden shimmer throughout the true brown base really adds a different dimension especially on the cheekbones.

Bronzer is one product I always wear, my make up isn't complete without it and I can honestly say all of my other bronzers have been pushed to the back of the drawer like an old toy! Who knew a bronzer with shimmer would win my heart?

There really isn't much not to love about this product, it has the simple sleek Nars Black mirrored packaging which is just a dream to pull out of your make up bag and the colour is beautiful.

Nars Laguna costs £24 and can be found online here

I know it's available here on asos too, which is pretty handy if you get a discount code!

Have you tried Nars Laguna? Whats your favourite bronzer?

xx

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New CID Cosmetics i-flutter Double Brush Lengthening Mascara

As you may be aware, I recently went to the New CID Cosmetics event and this was one of the products that I was very luckily given to try.

Out of all of the products, this is the one I just had to share with you as I am completely and utterly in love with it.

With my eyebrows very nearly at the shape I want them, I find a more natural looking lash looks a lot better and flattering. With that in mind, I have been thinking about making a change with my mascara choice.

I usually go for a mascara that provides my lashes with huge amount of volume, but now I have found the perfect in-between.

New CID Cosmetics i-flutter in Black.

 i-flutter is a double brushed lengthening mascara.

It's an incredibly lightweight mascara and even when it's built up with a few layers, you can hardly feel any weight to your lashes which is fantastic.

 Initially, this mascara lengthens your lashes so much but with being so lightweight, you can also build it up to increase your lashes to a huge amount of volume if thats the look that you want.


"i-flutter double brush mascara boosts the volume, length and separation of the eyelashes. The two brushes on one wand deliver superior separation, volumising ingredients help plump up lashes and flexible polymers keep every single lash lengthened"

I have been using it quite lightly, purely for lengthening purposes, with maybe two coats like in the second picture below. I like that it looks quite natural with no clumps. 

It really works so nicely on my barely existent lashes and I have received a couple of compliments that my lashes look so long which makes me a very happy girl! 

I really like the packaging for this product, it's super shiny and sleek and looks a dream in my make up bag.

One thing that I'm not so keen on with this product is the smell, it has that scent that some mascaras have and these smells tend to give me a headache which I worry about.

It's not overbearing and so far so good, I've been headache free! 

This mascara costs £18.50 for 8ml and so is a little more on the pricey side if you're like me and tend to go for more drugstore mascaras, but if you do want to spend a few more pounds then it's definitely worth a try.

You can find this product as well as the rest of New CID Cosmetics online here

What do you think? Will your lashes be fluttering with New CID? 

xx 

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What I'm wearing

Yesterday I coloured my hair for the second time this week, for some reason the colours just not taking and it's starting to really annoy me.

This colour is Warm Dark Brown and I'm kind of happy with it, I would have preferred it to be a little bit darker but never mind.

I'm absolutely loving these slouchy Topshop tops at the moment, they're super comfortable and really easy to wear. They come in quite a few colours and can be found here. At £26 I think they're quite a bargain.

The lovely Kelly sold me her Topshop lipstick in Coy which I'm really loving. It's slightly drying but with a little balm it works fab- thanks Kelly!

The make up I'm wearing today is-

MAC Studio Fix Fluid NC35

Estee Lauder Double Wear Maximum Cover in Creamy Tan- Used as a concealer

Nars Laguna

FashionistA Rose Shine

New CID i-Flutter Mascara in Black

HD Brows Vamp Palette- Dark Brown

Topshop Lipstick in Coy

I hope you're all very well. 

xx

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Xen Tan Spray Tan at Saks Hair & Beauty

Hey sweets,

Last Saturday I was very kindly given the chance to go for a Xen Tan Spray Tan at a Saks Salon nearby.

Being such a big fan of Xen Tan I'm sure you can imagine how excited I was. 

With quite short notice and never one to be untanned, I had to have a very last minute exfoliating session- just within the recommended 24 hour slot.

Hair, make up and deodorant free I took a little drive to the Saks Salon in Cheam, which is located inside a David Lloyd gym to go and get sprayed.

The Beauty Therapist was really lovely. After taking me to the treatment room, she asked me whether I had used Xen Tan before and what colour tan I wanted to achieve. I insisted that for me, the darker the better.

I stripped down to my paper thong (lovely) and applied my sticky feet and was ready to glow.

The lady applied a small amount of oil free moisturiser onto my elbows, knees and ankles to ensure that I had an even tan with no horrible patches and started to spray.

The spray itself was definitely one of the more pleasant smelling spray tans, it was incredibly sweet and in fact was very similar to the Xen Tan Dark Lotion Absolute Luxe.

After the spray, which lasted just a few minutes, I was patted down with a tanning mitt slightly on my hands and feet and left to dry for a couple of minutes.

Thankfully, I brought my regular loose fake tan clothes because anything else could have possibly ruined the effect.

The initial tan colour wasn't as dark and overbearing as I know some spray tans are and wasn't orange either. It was the perfect colour, I popped into the shop after and didn't get too many strange looks which is always a good sign.

As far as spray tans go, it wasn't too sticky. I was definitely aware throughout the day that I had it on, but it wasn't uncomfortable in the slightest.

Here's a little photo I took with my phone when I got into the car a few minutes after the treatment. 

I showered the initial spray off after eight hours, which is about the recommended time frame.

I was a little bit sad when the glow I had come to get used to over the day was washed away, but very pleased especially the next day when my tan had completely developed into such a nice shade.

Xen Tan is known for its Olive tan shade rather than the typical fake tan Orange, which is definitely what you're looking for in the search for the perfect tan.

Seven days later, my tan is just now starting to go a little dry and patchy. For me, seven days is amazing. I usually tan every few days, so to have a tan stay fabulous for that length of time on me is great.

The treatment is actually advertised as lasting up to ten days, wow.

Here's a picture of me six days after having my spray tan.

You can see that my fingers are slightly pale now, probably due to washing my hair a few times throughout the week and where I wear my watch has worn off slightly- but I find thats normal for me with any tan.

I'm really pleased with the results of my Xen Tan Spray Tan and would really recommend it, just as I always do with the Xen Tan products.

They give a really nice colour, feel nice on the skin, smell fantastic and have great staying power.

Saks Salons have only recently started Xen Tan Spray Tans, it's a really great service and if you have one close by I can't recommend it enough.

To find your nearest Saks Hair & Beauty Salon, have a little look online here

and to have a look at Xen Tans Little Book of Tanning Tips have a little look here

Have you had a Xen Tan experience and do you love it as much as I do?

xx

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bare Minerals- Pretty Amazing Moxie

Hey sweets,

All week I have been so excited to share this product with you. I absolutely am in love with it. 

Whilst at the Bare Escentuals offices on Tuesday, I was very spoilt and given a bag of goodies to try out. I surprisingly have never tried anything from Bare Escentuals so I was terribly excited to give everything a go.

This was one of the products I had my eye on and I was so thrilled when I saw it in my goodie bag.

It's the most delightful colour, described as a Bright petal Pink. It kind of reminds me of the Make Up stores lipstick 'Pretty Baby', but not so bright and in a much nicer, moisturising formula. 

It is really so pigmented and literally glides on to your lips so perfectly.

On the lips it feels so much like a creamy lipstick. There's no stickiness to the product at all, which is something I always worry about with a gloss like formula.

It also has amazing staying power, I wore it yesterday and through a horrible train and tube journey, nibbles and champagne it was still there looking fabulous!

It is quite tiny 4ml but cute and a handy size to keep in your bag. 

This product is quite literally what it is called- pretty amazing. 

This product comes in 12 different shades and costs £15. You can find Moxie and the other shades on the Bare Escentuals website here

Have you tried any Pretty Amazing products?

xx

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New CID Cosmetics

This evening I popped along to the New CID Cosmetics Studios along with some fabulous bloggers to sneak a peek at there new products and I must say, I am incredibly impressed.

The whole evening was absolutely lovely, the team were all extremely kind welcoming us with tasty nibbles and champagne as well as offering to do our make up and nails which went down a treat with us girls, as I'm sure you can imagine!

I'm not new to New CID Cosmetics, I have posted before on there i-Glow and i-Volumise and they are both products that since, I have really enjoyed using.

 With this in mind, I was really excited to see some other products from the brand and I can assure you I was not disappointed in the slightest. 

A product that New CID are very excited about is there i-Perfection Colour Adjust Foundation which is to be launched in Spring time.

It's pictured below in some seriously sleek packaging and on the skin feels like a dream. 

It's not the coverage that I would necessarily go for- being light to medium but it feels so lightweight and silky smooth.

Available in nine shades (three new CID shades), with the colour adjusting formula it really works to warm up or cool down any skin tone which is pretty amazing.

When Mikey, the make up artist was applying it to the girls he used the matching Kabuki brush and it looked so flawless, if I wore a lighter coverage foundation then I would definitely invest in this product.

If you have heard about New CID Cosmetics before, then I'm sure you would have heard of there famous i-Pout lipsticks and glosses that feature a built in light and a mirror on them. If not, I bet you're intrigued now? 

There's 12 shades in the lipstick collection, Coral Kiss being my favourite. It was very popular amongst us all and I'm sure you'll be seeing it quite often from here on.

I was quite excited to see a shade called Belle which no doubt will end up in my collection shortly.

They are super creamy lipsticks which is a feature I like and very pigmented so a lot really goes a long way.

The light and mirror are really nice bonuses, so popular that they now even have added them on to there new i-Polish range which consists of 24 shades including some really nice appealing nude shades.

I have written about my favourite things I saw tonight, but other products to keep your eyes peeled for are the i-Open concealer, i-Gel eye liner and very, very pigmented mousse eyeshadows. Other girls at the event were really excited by them but not being much of an eyeshadow or eyeliner girl, I spent more time adoring the lipsticks and bronzers.

New CID Cosmetics very kindly gave us a few products to take with us to try, and I'll share them with you very soon.

Stocklists include Debenhams and QVC but full stocklists and more information can be found on New CID Cosmetics website here. 

 Have you tried any of New CID Cosmetics or do any of these appeal to you?

I hope you're well

xx

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Katy Perry Lashes by Eylure

Hi dolls,

As you may very well be aware from previous posts I am a huge fan of lashes and I know that many of you are too, so when I found out about these I just had to get some pictures and information to share with you all.

Introducing...

Katy Perry lashes!

What immediately excites me about these is that they have been made by Eylure, the eyelashes of eyelashes. I can't wear all styles of lashes but I find that Eylure sit best on my lash line, are most comfortable and are great quality.

Four more Eylure lashes to add to the collection, brought to you by the fabulous Katy Perry. Amazing.

What secondly, and more obviously excites me is the packaging and names. How cute are they!? I'm literally marketing and advertisings ideal customer, because every single time I fall for it. I literally will buy these because the boxes are amazing. 

Cool Kitty (RRP: £5.95) “One of my favourite lashes! A perfect evening-wear lash with manicured tips. It can add the ideal finishing touch for a smoky look that will make people purr as you pass.”- Katy Perry

 Oh, Honey (RRP: £5.95) “I love that vintage flick at the corners that this lash gives me. Full, fun and great for day or evening.”- Katy Perry 

Oh, My! (RRP: £6.95) “I love Eylure Double Lashes, and I just had to have one for my range of lashes. This style is full of texture, but lightweight and very wearable. The perfect accessory for your eyes.”- Katy Perry 

 Sweetie Pie (RRP: £5.95) “This is a great lash for anyone who wants to try false lashes for the first time. It's sweet and subtle, but adds just the right amount of length and volume.”- Katy Perry

Sweetie Pie are definitely the ones I would personally go for, because the others are all a little more dramatic which I find doesn't suit my eye shape. My favourite pair however is Cool Kitty, I wish I could wear a lash with a little more fun.

These will be available in Superdrug and Boots along with the rest of Eylures collections in February. 

What do you think of them?

xx

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I'm Laura, and I'm a force of beauty.

Every single day, us girls and boys alike are forced upon beauty and fashion campaigns that 99% of the time are  modelled with the "perfect" beauty or the "perfect" look. The airbrushed, stereotypically beautiful girl. The girl that has perfect hair and flawless skin and the girl that no matter how beautiful we are- we will always compare ourselves to "I wish I was that beautiful".

It's always refreshing when a brand or a company deliver a concept with a different message; something that makes us feel stronger rather than make us feel like we should be like that girl.

That's exactly what Bare Escentuals have done.

Yesterday, I was lucky enough to be invited over to the amazing Bare Escentuals offices in London to take a look at the new campaign for myself and I'm super excited to share it with you all.

Bare Escentuals have never had a face for their brand, until now. They set out to find five of the worlds most beautiful girls to be the face of their products, but through a casting with a twist. A blind casting. Whats that? It's exactly what you probably thought it was, a casting process- without ever seeing these ladies faces.

"Finding the beauty, in a sea of pretty"

They sent out the same survey to a huge amount of models and actresses; 271 of them responded.  

Every single one of them had a story- but no photograph. 

Some companies- most companies, would be terrified of a process like this. But I feel like theres something so powerful and real about a brand that can do that with such confidence.

Stories included that of women that were animal activists, entrepreneurs, charity workers, women with degrees, women with children- women from all walks of life.

From that stage of the process, 78 interviews were held. Blind interviews. Interviews that took place, with a wall in between. 

For three days, the clients and the agency listened to the beauty in the girls voices, in their stories, in their attitude to life and the way they came across in general. 26 ladies were called back for the last part of the process and three days later, the Bare Escentuals were ready to meet five of the worlds most beautiful women- five forces of beauty. The new faces of Bare Minerals. Andrea, Lauren, Darlene, Keri and Melanie. You can watch their videos and their stories on the Bare Escentuals website here.

Shot by Rankin, which is amazing in itself, throughout the whole campaign including the ads, magazine shots and billboards above the counters- these ladies will be staying there real selfs. Minimally edited, the features of these ladies that in most campaigns shots would usually taken away, are staying. The bits that tell the story- the laughter lines, the freckles and the "wrinkles".

I think "Be a force of beauty" is such a strong, empowering message. Having this message standing out over beauty counters could help so many girls and give them the confidence to stand up say "I'm a force of beauty" too.

From this whole campaign, what I'm going to hold onto is that beauty isn't skin deep, pretty is. Beauty shows in all shapes and sizes and comes from within and shows through your confidence, your depth and determination, the way you talk and the way you care. Beauty changes the world. Confidence counts.

To celebrate the new "Force of beauty" campaign, Bare Escentuals want to get you involved. 

They want you to try the products that are worn all around the world, by people of all ages, for all occasions. Products that are said to be so pure, you can sleep in them.

Launching on the 1st February, for the whole month you can go and get a free "make under" and free sample of the famous foundation at any of the Bare Minerals counters or boutiques in the UK.

To find the one nearest to you visit the website here.

How do you feel about the new campaign? Does it make you feel all strong like it does me?

I would love to hear from you all.

I hope you're well

xx

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Mavala Show Time Top Coats

Hi dollies,

You all know that I do love a little bit of glitter and so you can imagine how thrilled I was when I was offered these beautiful products.

Mavala nail varnishes never fail to impress me, I'm not one to get through a whole bottle of "normal" size nail varnish so I love the delicate size of these bottles as well as the quality and fantastic shades.

These top coats are all apart of the Show Time range;

Sparkling Silver

Sparkling Gold

Sparkling Violet

These are primarily top coats to be used on top of a base nail varnish to transform your nail colour into a stardust dazzling effect, however, I have used these on there own on top of my falsies to show you how you can in actual fact build them up into quite a solid glitter shade too, as well as showing you there true colours. 

In the top right photo you, you can see the effect with just one coat using Sparkling Violet, whereas in the others I have built the colour up with further coats.

Whether its a simple sparkly look you're after or if you want to add a two tone holographic glitter effect to your nail varnish, you can achieve it with these top coats.

The range consists of Sparkling Silver, Sparkling Bronze, Sparkling Gold, Sparkling Red, Sparkling Violet and Sparkling Blue and they cost just £4.30 which I think personally is a pretty spectacular price.

Does a little bit of glitter make you sparkle?

xx

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