Take Care, Garnier

Last Thursday I attended the Garnier event in Hammersmith along with many of my fellow lovely bloggers. We were told all about their new product launches, such as the Pure Active skin care range with 2% salicylic acid, and learned about their existing lines. I will not bore you all with too many details as many people have blogged about this already, but be prepared for honest reviews of many of the products we were given in our generous goodie bags, as well as others I have been using in the past months :).
Pandadoesmakeup and I :).

As we arrived we were treated to a lovely buffet and some much needed cold drinks as it was boiling outside!Sorry these photos are so rubbish, but I was quite busy chatting and scoffing.. teehee.

We then sat down to a presentation about Garnier's aims, ethos, and of course products. Their main philosophy, as we often hear in their adverts, is to take care of yourself, others and the world around you. To do this they say they harness the power of science to extract the most effective ingredients in nature. I actually really liked this statement, perhaps because I did predominantly biological sciences at university and nature vs. science is close to my heart, and it is great that they can be combined effectively. For example, instead of extracting ingredients from rare orchids they have isolated the key ingredient and have developed a way to synthesise the same ingredient in the lab, thereby still providing us with natural ingredients, but not impacting the environment by chopping down fields of flowers.After the presentation we were let loose on all the goodies and had the opportunity to try out many of Garnier's range as well as ask questions and mingle.

Here is a photo of all the girlies together :).
Afterwards, many filtered off to catch trains and such, but a few of us made our way to Pizza Express for a lovely supper.

I had such a brilliant day and just want to say a massive thank you to the Garnier team for hosting this event and being so generous as well as all the girls for being so friendly, and the gorgeous Nathalie for all her help and advice!

xxx

20 questions..

Playsuit?

I can't believe it is 28oC in London! It is so hot and sunny, that in true English style everyone has stripped off to the bare essentials, and who am I to question it? Although I am really not a fan of over sharing ie. flabby men walking around with their tops off (why oh why must they subject us to the sight of their beer bellies?) this is the one time I would agree that girls can get away with showing legs and a bit of decolletage during the day while still looking cute.

Today I am off to the park to catch some sun, with my trusty garnier SPF30 in hand, as no amount of tan is worth risking sun damage. Since playsuits are such a hot trend this summer, and perfect for running around in this weather, I wanted to customise this trend and make it my own. I chose this playsuit (from ASOS) for its feminine floral design, that really lends itself to a skirt or dress. I also like the fitted bra top, which has a 50's feel to it with its curved stitching. It is 97% cotton, with 3% elastane so keeps you cool, while having a bit of stretch for comfort. The back is also ruffled which helps it fit in all the right places and not feel too stiff, as can often happen with all-in-ones as it is difficult to create a flattering shape that will fit everyone.
What do you guys think of playsuits? Will you be wearing one this summer?

My Top 10 MAC Eyeshdows

vapour/ vanilla
crystal avalanche
wedge
quarry
print
satin taupe/ twinks
humid
stars'n'rockets
freshwater
deep truth

limited: mood ring, aquavert

I would love to know what your favourites are :)!!
xxx

Delicious shoes...

I'm not too sure if they taste good, but judging by their name (they really are called delicious) and appearance I would not be surprised if they did ;). They are from Carvela, and can be found here on their website.
I spotted these babies yesterday in Harrods on sale from £75.00 down to £39.00 and had to have them. I have needed a new pair of black shoes for a while as my former go-to heels are hideously battered after too many nights out.

My pictures really do not do them justice as on the foot they are truly adorable. The bow detail and the cut out on the side make them a perfect pair of smart, yet girly black evening heels, without any tackiness or too much bling.

I haven't been this excited about a pair of shoes for a while, perhaps it is because I know I will wear them frequently as they go with so many of my dresses. Many shoes that I buy on sale are an impulse purchase and after the initial thrill they are lovingly tucked away in my wardrobe never to be seen again. I have them all lined up in rows like brave little soldiers, waiting for their first battle with my feet. Though far too often I feel that wearing them will ruin them (usually true) or I just can't face the wearing in process, which usually results in feet so sore and blistered that I can't walk properly for a week (yup, the shoes win).

These, I tell myself, shall be different!

I may have mentioned before that KG, along with Carvela are my favourite high street-ish shoe designers. They are having a massive sale at the moment and their website features all the latest deals.... there is 51 pages of sale and I have been drooling over many of them for a while! It is deffinitely worth a look, and although I do not recommend ordering them from the website, as shoes are definitely something you need to try on, at least you can have an idea in mind of what you are looking for on your next shopping trip. I find those racks of sale shoes really confusing (mostly because I want them all), so it is always great to plan ahead :).

Good luck girls!
xxx

Summer florals

Another look inspired by my dress :).



I used:

UDPP
Bodyshop eyeshadows- no. 44, 08, 43.
Pure luxe mineral e/s lemon
L'ancome liner design
Covergirl lashblast mascara

E.L.F. mineral blush joy
MAC perfect topping MSF

GOSH 30 barbie lipstick
I hope you are all enjoying this beautiful weather!! I love summer!! :)
xxx

Magdalene May Ball

I mentioned in my last video that I was going to a ball in Cambridge on Wednesday. As you can imagine I was excited and wanted to look my best. However, getting ready in my boyfriend's tiny little room with a hand held mirror and poor lighting was a struggle and my hair and makeup didn't quite turn out as I wanted :(. Oh well, I am generally very picky, especially when it comes to my own looks, and was determined not to stress out about it!
We started queuing at about 6.30pm, and it was a long wait, but I had fun checking out everyone's dresses.. hehe. We finally left at 7.30am so it was a very long night in my heals and I was truly frazzled when the survivours photo had been taken.

Here is a little selection of photos from the night :).

In the queue:
The program had a very snazzy wax seal with the college crest and a purple ribbon (this is the college colour), which I thought was a lovely touch!After many many glasses of champagne we were getting quite rosey at dinner ;).We even made a rose tower out of all our champagne glasses... and no it didn't fall ;O.
After dinner we went to see the comedy tent and after being thoroughly insulted ;) my boyfriend begged me to watch the burlesque dancer, what a surprise! The performance was actually pretty tame, so I was relieved. We then stopped off for a dance at the silent disco and filled up on some thai green curry, hog roast, jelly beans, ice-cream and cocktails.. yummmm! We listened to some of the acts performing, which included the likes of scratch perverts and then hung out at the floating casino with some martinis. The sun started to come up and I managed to capture this beautiful image:

As the sun was rising we braved the massive queue for breakfast and I was happy to rest my very tired feet before we had our last dance. With far too many blisters, muddy dress and frizzy hair we lined up for the surivours photo along the riverbank.

It was a fantastic night, but in the morning all I really wanted was to crawl into bed and sleep till the late afternoon, or indeed forever! I shall leave you now with a not so glamorous photo of me looking a hot, hungover mess in my bf's shoes and white tie.. shmexy!! :)

It's Britney Biatch... ;)

As some of you following me on twitter may remember last Sunday I went to see Britney at the O2 arena. Ciara and the Big Appple circus were supporting and it really was an amazing show!

I know a lot of people were disappointed as she did not sing live, but to be honest, the whole spectacle made up for it in my opinion. She wasn't just standing still and mouthing along, she was dancing and running up and down that stage like a Duracell bunny. I don't think many of us would have the stamina or the will to do that for two hours with no breaks and wearing huge heals ;). I was out of breath just watching her!

I thought I would share with you the makeup I wore on the night and also some pics of the show. (I stole these off the net as I forgot to take my camera- DUH!- and my friends have not emailed me their pics yet).

This is my favourite outfit of the night. She looked so beautiful! We love you Britney :).
xxx

Summer Smokey Blue and Purple- Dress Inspired

I was inspired by this dress to create a fun summer smokey eye look using predominantly BarryM dazzledusts :).



Products used:
UDPP
NYX jumbo pencil- lavender
BarryM dazzledusts- V.I.P., No 34, No98,
MAC sculpt and shape- bone beige/ emphasize
NYX jumbo pencil- baby blue
Barry M dazzledust No 20
MUFE No.100 double ended cream liner
Urban Decay Electric 24/7 liner
L'ancome black liner design
Covergirl lashblast mascara
Teehee.. Maxie was being tortured by my camera flash... he looks so eeeeeeviiiilll!!

Hope you are all enjoying these beautiful summer days :)
xxx

Soft daytime look using elf cosmetics :).

Animal Instinct contest

I have wanted to enter this contest for a while as I love animals and thought that this was a great theme. Thank you Panda Does Makeup aka Rebecca!!

My inspiration was a giraffe as it is my favourite animal. I think they are beautiful, gentle and serene creatures :).
This is a giraffe I met in Moscow zoo.. I think he took quite a liking to me ;).

I took inspiration from his rusty colour, angular pattern and of course those adorable long eyelashes and round eyes to create this mask.
Products used:

Face:
Revlon colourstay foundation
Bobbi Brown concealer

eyes and mask:
UDPP
Rimmel soft khol pencil in brown
MAC- vanilla, wedge, espresso, gesso e/s
Inglot dark brown e/s
ELF duo cream eyeshadow in butter pecan (the dark brown side)
MAC painterly paint pot (to clean up edges of shapes, I used this as pretty much a concealer)
Covergirl lashblast mascara
Red cherry lashes

Lips:
Rimmel soft khol pencil in brown
BarryM 101
MAC Vanilla e/s



My bf thought this was hot, but weird... with more accent on the weird ;) hehe.

Hope you guys like it anyhow!!
xxx

FOTD

Hello my lovelies,

Just thought I would do a quick little post to share with you my makeup on Sunday.
It is quite smokey, but was very fast and easy to do.

I simply used two Barry M dazzle dusts. No. 39 went all over the lid, and I have to confess that this has been my favourite all-over lid colour for a few years now. It is a beautiful shimmery yet neutral shade, which goes on like a dream and really makes my eyes look green and vibrant. I then added no. 97 in the outer V with a pencil brush to make my eyes appear more deep set and blended it with a fluffy brush to make it smokey.

On my lips I used BarryM 101, but as this can sometimes be a bit too stark as well as drying on the lips so I mixed it with GOSH Darling lipstick to get a more creamy consistency and a more flesh toned nude colour.

Hope you all had a great weekend my lovelies
xxx

NOTD

Just a quick post to show you guys my nails of the day :).
I used China Glaze sangria, a beautiful, shimmery bright pink with a white konad transfer on top.
I think this may be one of my favourite colours, it is just so pretty and multi-dimensional on the nails. The photo really doesn't do it justice.

What do you guys think?
xx

Saturday night da-da-da-dadee-da-da-da

On Saturday I went out for drinks and a little dance in Amika. It was a fun night, though we left quite early as my friend has Law School exams starting today so she had to be well rested. Also, our table was right on the dance floor and it was getting far too hot and crowded. Especially now that it is warmer I really wish someone would catch on and open a club with a sizable outside area (holiday style)!! I am thinking large, white seating area, Moroccan lamps, exotic cocktails... Perhaps i should pitch this idea to someone as there is nothing worse than being couped up in a hot basement on these rare, but lovely warm nights.

Anyway ramble over, I thought I would share with you my outfit for the night as I personally love to see OOTD posts (Gosh, I am a bit of a stalker huh?).I straightened my hair and braided the front. I kept my makeup pretty simple (well, for me) as this dress is a statement colour (more coral than orange in real life). I paired neutral eyes with a bright coral lip to compliment the dress.

Unfortunately my hair is covering it here but the detail at the front of this Warehouse dress is really lovely. The lighter fabric is folded and it creates a great contrast with the smooth skirt of the dress. At the back there is also a black bow, which adds a girly twist to the structured front.

My bag is from FCUK and shoes are from Zara a couple of seasons ago.

Oh and the faux glow is courtesy of Dove moisturiser with a hint of sunless tan. Perfect for those of us with ghostly complexions as it is very subtle, and can be built up over a couple of days to prevent any patches or streaking hazards :).

I wonder how many of you will get the song I am referring to in my title hehe ;).
xxx

A Femme Noir Saga

A quick smokey green look I wore out on Thursday :).


Products used:
UDPP
MAC- Verdigris Metal-X
Moi Minerals- Saga
Luxe minerals- green aura
MAC- Femme noir e/s
MAC- Vapour e/s
MUFE- 100 double ended pencil
Revlon colourstay black liquid liner
L'ancome Hypnose and Covergirl Lash blast mascaras.

Cheeks: NARS Angelika

Lips: Boots NO7 nude no.20 lipliner
Barry M lipstick 147 peachy-pink
Benefit- her glossiness in didn't hear it from me.