The Royal Wedding

What a wonderful day! I have cried more than a tear or two, drunk more than my fair share of champagne, the bf and I posed as the newlyweds and...

We even saw them drive past! Very Exciting!!!

How did you celebrate today? xxx

Dinner Date

 Last weekend the bf and I indulged in a lovely meal at one of our favourite London restaurants - Cafe des Amis in Covent Garden. They have a great deal on OpenTable, so if you are a foodie it's definitely worth checking it out!

I wore a dress from Karen Millen and shoes from Carvella.

I rarely take the time to blow dry my hair as there's so much of it, but since this was a special occasion I took my time in styling it with the Babyliss Big Hair. It's so much easier to use than a regular brush and a hairdryer, and is fantastic for adding volume and movement.

Makeup wise I kept it pretty neutral since my dress was such a vibrant sapphire. For foundation I chose the NARS sheer glow topped off with MAC well dressed blush and NARS laguna bronzer. I used a gold BarryM dazzle dust all over the lid and smudged Urban Decay's 24/7 liner in zero to create a smokey cat eye. I finished the look off with false lashes from buyeyelashes.co.uk.

What are your favourite restaurants in London? I'm always on the look out for new places to visit!

Take Me Baby.. Or Leave Me

With the gorgeous sunshine we have been blessed with this bank holiday weekend a few drives around the countryside with the latest Glee album on repeat were a must. I haven't even seen the musical Rent, but while humming along to the lyrics this morning.. "a tiger in a cage can never see the sun, this diva needs her stage, baby lets have fun" I decided that it was time my inner leopard was set free ;).

The jumpsuit and belt are both from H&M, and were purchased in anticipation of Spring a few months ago. As I'm tall I always struggle to find jumpsuits that are long enough in the legs, but this one was easy to customise as it is already quite loose fitting. I decided to pull it up a little (baggy bottoms are never flattering!) to create a 3/4 length trouser and wear the top off the shoulder.

Tan leather shoes are from my beloved Kurt Geiger.

This gorgeous nude patent Barbarella leather bag from Aspinal of London was a very recent purchase. I decided to treat myself after finishing my exams and thought this would make a perfect splurge for the Summer!

Accessories were kept pretty simple. I wore sunglasses from Dior, a bangle from Disney Couture with the inscription "Think of a wonderful thought" and a cream leather and gold cuff sent to me by the lovely Elizabeth from Lash Royalty.

For makeup I stuck to natural peachy tones. I used MUFE HD foundation, NARS laguna bronzer, MAC Ripe Peach blush, Estee Lauder Pure Pops Creme Eyeshadow (sadly no name or number on the tube, but it's their only warm gold colour), Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Whiskey,  L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes mascara (waterproof) and Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfecter in No.2.

As the title of this post suggests, leopard print jumpsuits will not be for everyone! I spent most of my teenage years dressing like my friends and was never without my jeans. Now I just wear whatever makes me feel happy. I think if you feel confident and comfortable, no matter how outlandish or simple your outfit, you can carry it off with style!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend my lovelies! xxx

29/04/2011

With the Easter Sun and the convenient string of bank holidays the mood over London has definitely lifted. It has been a long Winter and most of us have been yearning for that much needed shot of Vitamin D ;).

Are you all excited for the big day? Although of course it is Catherine's big day and not mine (unfortunately), I am very much looking forward to the wedding. Every girl dreams of being a princess, but far from our Disney fuelled fantasies next week Miss Middleton's will be a reality!

I have loved walking past all the gorgeous themed window displays as of late. Do you have any favourites?

I think Kate enjoys seeing them too! ;)

Happy Easter my lovelies! I hope you are all having a wonderfully relaxing weekend! What are your plans for the Royal Wedding? I shall be sipping champagne overlooking Trafalgar Square and perhaps having a few strawberries in Hyde Park with all the revelers :). xxx

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Lip Protectant Stick

Many of you will be aware of my love for Elizabeth Arden’s Eight Hour Cream. I first discovered it at the age of 12 (in my LFW goodie bag!) and since then have been using it almost daily. Who knows how many tubes I have worked my way through, but my nightstand is never without it! It’s perfect left on over night to moisturise lips, cuticles and any dry areas - even scars and eczema.

Already being a fan of the brand I was excited to try the EA Eight Hour Cream Lip Protectant Stick Sheer Tint SPF 15 (RRP £19.00). As much as I love wearing lipsticks they can often be very drying, so this product is a great solution – lipstick, with all the added benefits including emollients, protective sunscreen and vitamin E!

I was sent the colour Blush, which appears quite bright and striking in the bullet, but gives a perfectly wearable sheer tint of pink to the lips, making them look full and glossy without being sticky or heavy.

This lipstick has now migrated to my handbag, especially as the colour is buildable so it can be applied lightly while on the go or layered for a more striking evening look. As the formulation is so light the bullet is a little softer than traditional lipsticks, so you do have to be more careful as I imagine it may be prone to bending, especially in this hot weather!

Have you tried any products from the EA Eight Hour Cream range? If you suffer from dry, chapped lips it is a must have product! xxx

Poppy King No. 7 lipstick and lipgloss

No7 has collaborated with lipstick legend Poppy King to create an exclusive range of lipstiks and lipglosses to change womens’ views of lip colour forever. The collection encompasses seven colours - ranging from the deep wine of 'Seduction' to the barely there nude warm glow of 'Confidence'. The colours are inspired by eras throughout history re-interpreted to be extremely wearable.

I was lucky enough to be sent two products to try out. The first is 'Glamour' - inspired by the 1950s this is a fun, flirty and feminine pink lipstick. 

 Power on the left, Glamour on the right.

Glamour is quite sheer on the lips, giving a lovely glossy, natural finish which is wearable enough for the day.

 Power is inspired by the 1930s - a deeper berry shade that works great as a more subtle alternative to a traditional red. The gloss is smooth and not at all sticky. It can be applied softly for a sheer wash of colour, or built up (as below) for more impact.

This collection can be found on the Boots website retailing at £12 for the lipsticks and £11 for the glosses. Check out the video below for more information on the different colours in the range!


Have you tried the new Poppy King range? What are your favourite colours? xxx

*This is a sponsored post. All views and opinions expressed are my own as usual.*

Witch Giveaway Winners!!

Apologies my lovelies for the delay in bringing you the winners of my Witch Giveaway. There are 20 of you, so it took me quite some time to go through all the entries, pick the winners and allocate 4 sets of prizes. Those of you who left your e-mail addresses in your entries are ahead of the game and would have already received an e-mail from me ;).

Congratulations to all the winners! For me to get your prizes out ASAP please can you e-mail me your postal addresses (filthygorgeousmakeup@gmail.com).
Those marked with a * - I am still waiting on adresses from you. Thank you to the rest of you for being so efficient and speedy!

I really hope you all enjoy your prizes!!

1.  DebDobDoorNob (1)
2. Melissa* (1)
3. Aimee (1)
4. Lisa (1)
5. 10thingsaboutagirl (1)
6. MidnightDraven* (2)
7. xxShivvyxx (2)
8. Dutchess Roz (2)
9. sweet_diosa* (2)
10. TheAngelWears (2)
11. Alice* (3)
12. One More Lipstick (3)
13. Michelle* (3)
14. =*[Sammie]*= (3)
15. Jo (3)
16. Matthew* (4)
17. nayika* (4)
18. twannywun* (4)
19. Louise (4)
20. ♥ Jaynee ♥ * (4)

The numbers next to your names correspond to the prizes you have won.
1. Primer and exfoliating wash
2. Tinted moisturiser and wipes
3. Powder and anti blemish stick
4. Primer and wipes


Thank you so much to everyone who took part and entered, if you didn't win this time, do not worry, there will be plenty more chances in the future as I will be holding another competition very soon ;).
 
Congratulations to all the winners, please send me your adresses so your prizes can make their way to you sooooon.
 
Natalya xxx

Poppy King Lipgloss ECLIPSE

Don't these look gorgeous? So natural and wearable - I would wear them any day, even to work! Just click on the video below to see all the colours.



Though if I had to pick one.. just one.. it would have to be Glamour! You can find the full range here.

What's your favourite colour? xxx

Beautiful Up-Dos in Minutes with Andrew Collinge

Andrew Collinge is a hairdressing icon with an international reputation, renowned for his ability to dress long hair. Being lucky enough to have met him in person last year I can also add that he is a truly warm and friendly man! So I was excited to hear that Andrew has recently launched the Two Minute Up-Do app, sharing his tips and tricks for beautiful styles for longer hair.

The Two Minute Up-Do app, which is free to download now, introduces four easy to follow step by step videos each lasting two minutes. The videos showcase beautiful Andrew Collinge up-dos from twisted chignons to stylish pleats, all of which are secured in place with just one pin. I am keen to learn the art of the chignon as my hair is long and layered, so it often ends up looking messy. Andrew's styles are always so beautifully polished, I need to practice!

The Two Minute Up-Do app is available free for download now from the Apple App Store. To download the free app simply go the App Store and search for 'Andrew Collinge'. You can then order the videos individually, or altogether, from within the application. Each video will cost £1.19 and all proceeds of the app will go directly to the Design For Life campaign in association with SelfUnlimted.

For more information and a sneak peek of the styles featured just click here. 

Will you be purchasing this app? I'm always keen to learn new styles, so why not do so while supporting a great charity? xxx

Chelsea Girl OOTD

This week River Island re-launches it's Chelsea Girl collection, a capsule collection of 40 vintage inspired pieces for Spring/ Summer stemming from River Island's heritage. With the lower price point of most items in this collection Chelsea Girl is River Island's little sister, and a sub-brand for younger customers.

I was lucky enough to be sent a gorgeous blouse from the collection, which I just had to feature in a quick OOTD.

This delicate, cropped blouse features a beautiful muted pattern that really lends itself to Spring. 

Making use of my trusty little tripod I wanted to capture just how beautifully this blouse flows.. Swish. I absolutely adore the shape and the full sleeves. I don't have anything similar in my wardrobe and this will be a welcome addition. I am excited about seeing other pieces in the collection!

I paired the blouse with a plain white tank top from Zara and black leggings for a casual outfit, but I think it would also look really cute with a cropped top and high waisted shorts - channeling the boho vibe ;).

To celebrate the launch of the Chelsea Girl Collection River Island is offering its Facebook community the chance to be a stylist for cosmopolitan.co.uk and riverisland.com on an all expenses paid trip to London! Each week for a month, starting April 1st, you can build an outfit using the Chelsea Girl Item of the Week. The creator of the most individual outfit of the week will win £200 in RI vouchers. The overall winner will then get to style a fashion shoot in London that will appear on both websites. Being lucky enough to live in the Royal Borough of Ken and Chelsea, and being a Chelsea girl myself, I will definitely be trying my hand at being a stylist!

Have you seen the Chelsea Girl collection and will you be entering this competition? xxx

Superhero Hair - Live Color XXL Cool Scarlet

Feeling more than a little lacklustre last week I decided to freshen up my hair colour. While browsing through the isles it hit me that I had tried all too many dyes and often had the same result. This time I wanted something more bold and striking so I chose Live Color XXL in the shade Cool Scarlet.

Perhaps the girl in the promo image swayed me, but I just think this colour is absolutely gorgeous. Honestly, if I could get away with Rihanna red in the office I would go for it, but I have to stay sensible. Of course I knew my hair would never match the shade above, and I made sure it wouldn't be too bright by only keeping it on for 20 minutes (versus the 30 mins recommended time).

So here it is - my super hero hair! 

It's pretty red isn't it! I used two boxes of dye, and still managed to miss a few areas, so I have to warn you that this isn't the easiest dye to work with, and it is very drying. However, I love the colour!

It's 'just' dark enough to sit on the right side of wearable, but still very full and vibrant. I know it won't stay like this for long since every time I wash it the colour runs atrociously and makes the water a rather frightening shade of dark pink.

So for now I will just have to make the most of being a red head! Look out Miss Amy Childs ;) hahaha.

Are you tempted to join the red brigade? Have you ever tried Live Color XXL? xxx