L'Occitane & Glamour Mag

The travel-sized answer to dehydration is on front of glamour magazine this month!

Collect your 3-step L'Occitane Angelica Skincare routine : Gel Cleanser, Toner & Hydration Cream - great for refreshing tired or tight skin lacking hydration, including oily, combination skin types.

OPI Nail Laquer | Dim Sum Plum

MyNailChallenge #14

Dim Dum Plum in daylight

MAC Nail Laquer | Rebel

MyNailChallenge #13

In daylight

Quickest Drying Ever - Essie Good to Go

I picked up a mini 5ml Essie Good to Go Fastest Drying Top Coat from the Professional Beauty show this year.

Nailed it!

This post is a bit late, but I had my nails done as part of the LCBT (London College of Beauty Therapy') 'Help us Nail It Again...' Guinness World Record event for the most filed and varnished nails in 8 hours.

Love me some Aldo Jewellery

Went slightly mad in Aldo for some jewellery to match an outfit...

Why not, it was 2 for 1 after all!

MUA Lip Boom: Vibe & It's A Situation

On launch day, my beauty chum and I hot stepped it to the Superdrug Beauty Professional store on Oxford Street, after work hoping that there would be some Lip Booms left. We were just in time.

There was a small selection, not all 8 shades though. There were no testers, so after much deliberation, I choose to purchase just 2. Using the colour pots on the bottom as a guide I chose
(left) It's A Situation which looks from the packaging like a deep plum and (right) Vibe, which looked like a natural brown.

Left: It's A Situation
Right: Vibe

Lip Stick Swatches

With Flash
Left: Lipstick in It's A Situation
Right: Lipstick in Vibe

With Flash
Left: Lipstick in It's A Situation
Right: Lipstick in Vibe

Natural light
Left: Lipstick in It's A Situation
Right: Lipstick in Vibe

Lip Gloss Swatches

With Flash
Left: Lip Gloss with Vibe
Right: Lip Gloss with It's A Situation

Natural light
Left: Lip Gloss with Vibe
Right: Lip Gloss with It's A Situation

And on the Lips...

There are 4 ways to use Lip Boom!
1. Lipstick alone for a matte look
2. Lipstick with highlighter applied just to the centre of your lips to create a full volume illusion
3. Lipstick with highlighter all over for a super-glossy look
4. Highlighter alone for a sheer pearl finish

It's A Situation

 I love the lipstick alone. The Lip Gloss in the middle of the lips, as promised gives the illusion of volume and with the gloss all over, I was ready to party! I wasn't too keen on the Lip Gloss alone however. It really bitty and hard to remove neatly.

It's a Situation Gloss alone

It's A Situation matte

It's a Situation + Gloss in middle of lips

It's a Situation + Gloss all over

Vibe

I tried this colour first and I was really unimpressed initially as it wasn't the colour I was hoping for (I perked up after trying It's a Situation). The Lip Stick alone is really pale against my skin tone.

I prefer Vibe with gloss all over, it made the colour much warmer.

Vibe Gloss alone

Vibe matte

Vibe + gloss in middle of lips

Vibe + Gloss all over

So here are some reasons to buy:

• Multi-purpose application and packaging. Carry 1 product to transform your look from day to evening. Light on the make up bag!
• They are £3 each, good value for money
• The lip sticks have great pigment and are long lasting
• Both the lipstick and the lip gloss smell of delicious caramel so be careful not to lick them off the lips!

Here are some to things you should know before buying:

• The glitter in the lip gloss is really bitty, its not very comfortable initially and its quite messy to remove
• The Lip Stick seems to falls between the cracks of the lips, rather than coat them
• The great pigment means that the dark colours stain a little
• Don't go by the colour on the bottom of the lipstick, try it directly on your skin if you can!
• The Gloss doesn't come out of the tube that well, I felt like I was digging in the wand too much
• Not uncommon in many cheaper lip products, but they contain a heavy dose of petroleum

Overall, based on the cost, I think they are a good buy.

I am going to purchase some more of the richer colours.

OPI Nail Laquer | Espresso Your Style

MyNailChallenge#12

OPI Nail Laquer | Ski Teal We Drop

MyNailChallenge#11

GlossyBox

I've just signed up to Glossy Box!

For £10 a month plus p+p, you are sent a selection of 5 miniture samples to test and review from some of the latest trends and brands in beauty.  

I might be a sucker, but I love surprises and trying new products so decided to give it a go!

Getting a discount on my first box from Stylist magazine made it all the more appealing! 

To join click Glossybox Invitation

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters

In my previous post for the Revlon Lip Butter colour in Macaroon, I said that I wasn't really convinced about the colours. In fact, it took me ages to select a colour because I can be indecisive about these things and I didn't really know which ones would look good against my skin tone.

After a hand full of colour comparisons, I purchased Macaroon and I was happy with my choice.

I wore Macaroon during the week, then found myself back in Superdrug with hand-full of colours again, and I brought 3 more colours!

Erykah Badu - I Want You (Rancido's Deepersoul Edit)

I love this deeper version!

Another favourite of mine remixed from the original from Erykah's Worldwide Underground Album.

Rosewood Tribal Necklace

I love this peice!

£148 by The Branch

Available at accessoriesdirect.com

My Make-up Bag

Can you believe I get this much into my make up bag... !

May 2012 Pride Magazine

A little late but It's finally arrived!

Monica looks great on the cover, about to get stuck in!

Jill Scott – Crown Royal (Record Breakin’ & Sun Circle Re-Edit)

This track is one of my favourites, on Jill's album The Real Thing - Words & Sounds Vol 3.

It's been extended and remains smooth, mellow, beats and lyrics.

Jessica Nail Colour | Dangerously Dark

MyNailChallenge#10

I have so much catching up to do with my nail challenge but I don't want the posts to appear all at once, so I have to be patient.
Then I go and try another colour, and I am blown away but how glossy it is so it has jump the queue!

My solution to tangled jewellery

I'm on the hunt for nicer looking nails to hang them with, but I can't believe I didnt think of this before. Now I can hang a selection of my longer peices which means no more tangled, might break as untangling, jewellery!

Revlon Macaroon 096 Colorburst Lip Butter

If you like sheerness mixed with creamy colour, then these lip butters are for you...

When they first launched, I wasn't that impressed if I am honest as I was unsure which colour to buy as I couldn't try them in the store. After reading review, after review I really wanted to see what all the fuss was about so I was determined to sample on the lips before choosing a colour.

I went with Macaroon. After trying to find the colour on the website, I realised Macaroon 096 is a specific UK exclusive. Here in the UK, we have 14 of the 20 colours available.

M.A.C Fashion Set - Rebel

So before they all sell out, I thought I would make a start by purchasing Rebel, one of my favourite colours from the collection. I already have Rebel lipstick, so I opted for the Lip Glass and Nail Varnish to match.

M.A.C Fashion Sets

O.M.G... heart palpitations!

MAC have chosen 7 of best Lipstick shades loved by MAC fans around the world and have launched Tinted Lip Glass and Nail Lacquer, in the same colour!

There are 7 Fashion Sets in total. Currently they are available online in:

Myth, Spice, Saint Germain, Russian Red, Morange, Impassioned & Rebel.