Fashion News - Newlook's fab collab

I am looking forward to the release of the fantastic range of shoes designed by six students from the London College of Fashion. New Look has collaborated with LCF holding a competition for the lucky students on the Cordwainers MA course to design a shoe to be sold to the public in May.

The amazing Jimmy Choo also studied there so standard is huge!

See the other designers shoes at Vogue.co.uk

A Liberated look

I started collecting MAC face charts a couple of years back and love looking through them once in a while.
As I will be making them a frequent guest on my channel I thought I'd start with a smokey eye with a bit of a difference. I love this look, it makes the eyes seem larger which is great because typically a smokey eye can make eyes often appear smaller. Its pretty simple to do and easily adaptable for those who have different eye shapes

#TIP- If you have close set eyes try missing out so much depth on the inner corner and your eyes will appear wider

Or if your eyes are wide set place depth on the inner corners and keep it softer on the outer edge for a more close set look.

Products used

Eyes

• MAC Purple shower es
• MAC Scene es
• MAC Typographic es
• Bourjois pen liner
• Ardell lashes

Lips

• OCC Memento liptar

Face

• MAC Face and Body N3 foundation
• MAC Beauty powder in Peaceful
• Jemma Kidd iVogue 5th Avenue blush

Watch the tutorial

Would you wear this?

Review - Jemma Kidd brushes

Being thoroughly impressed with the Pro brush range by Jemma Kidd I thought it was time to show you guys which brushes I rate from the collection and what I have been using them for. As silly as that may seem sometimes I find alternative ways of using products and tools other than what they are intended for.

Below is the selection of brushes I have, they have all been tested and used for over two months so you can rest assured I gave these a fair trial.

'This innovative pointed foundation brush imitates a finger tip making it perfect for all over blending of foundation. Amazing softness achieved with a carefully selected blend of hair. Sweeps around facial 3-dimensions to create the right amount of pressure for the perfect foundation product payoff. Blends product effortlessly. Pointed synthetic head fits ideally around the orbital cavity of the eye and applies perfect pressure to help minimise imperfections.'

Originally I started using this just for creamy products but it works quite well with liquid foundation too, I mainly use it as a contouring brush.

 'Use this flat polishing brush with mineral make-up and setting powder. Flat hair bundle creates a polished effect when brush is swept in mini circular motions. Synthetic hair bundle allows artist to stipple and press product to the skin. Blends product effortlessly and ensures even application. Applies perfect pressure to help minimise imperfections.'

This is probably my most used brush, applies my highlighter and cream blush like a dream

 'Use for adding eye colour and for detailing certain areas. For example, highlighting the inner tear duct will widen the eye.'

I mainly use this to place colour on to large areas like the lid

 'Use this blurring brush to diffuse product across the eye lid and blur edges.'

This brush is like a MAC 217 and 224 it blends brilliantly!

 

 'Use this detail and depth brush underneath the eye and hard to reach corners and creases. By applying colour to the crease of the eye this will add depth.'

I love creating a smokey eye with this brush, it's a brilliant tool for depositing shadow on the lower lashline for the  'Mary - Kate and Ashley Olsen' look.

 'Use this fine liner brush to create depth along the lash line. By applying a thin line along the root of the eyelashes it will give the appearance of more volume & open up the eye.'

Great alternative to the Benefit 'Get Bent Brush'

 'Use this sharp and define brush to line and fill your eyes, lips and brows.'

Great for creating straights lines

 'Use this detailing brush to highlight and detail small areas with precision.'

I use this as a lip brush as it gives amazing control .

My Opinion 

These brushes have been a part of my daily routine since I acquired them. I found they hardly shed at all and worked as well if not BETTER than my expensive M.A.C brushes. 

My Must Haves

This would me much easier if I just listed the one I wouldn't include as an essential which is the Medium Shader brush. The rest I must say are either muti - purpose or essentials for that smokey eye and defined line looks or creating gorgeous skin.

Shop

http://jemmakidd.com/categories.php

Note - These brushes were sent for review purposes. All opinions and photographs are my own.

Watch the video

Have any of you tried Jemma Kidd brushes?

Get bronze Lauren's Way

The Only Way Is Essex star Lauren Goodger has recently launched a Gorgeous new tanning range aptly named Laurens Way.

The range comprises of two products, a Self-Tanning Mousse (RRP £17.95) and a Self-Tanning Lotion (RRP 15.95) You can also get these as a Duo for £33.90.

It is said both formulas guarantee a flawless golden finish with no streaking or patchiness and moisturise your skin to leave it healthy and hydrated.

I'm glad that celebrities and those in the public eye are encouraging a safe way of tanning especially the impressionable youth of today. Lauren obviously feels the same - "I feel very passionate about my new venture. Everyone wants the perfect holiday glow and I feel my products help to achieve the Summer glow look in a safe way"

Lauren's Way Original Self - Tan Lotion has an inspired formula which is specially created to give you the richest, deepest tan. Infused with a silky moisturiser and long lasting colour, simply smooth on to deliver an ultra-even tan, whatever your skin type. It’s easy to use and if you desire a darker tan, Lauren's Way Original Self-Tan Lotion can be reapplied over consecutive days delivering the ultimate tan.

Available athttp://laurengoodgerofficial.co.uk/ and on http://facebook.com/laurengoodgerofficial 

I look forward to using this product as I'm in search of a self tan that is moisturising and golden in colour so hopefully I have found my match :)

 

A little insight into my life

Your support always means alot to me, I am trying to make my site a little more original and exciting for you guys as I know there's so many of us bloggers out there that it's inevitable we end up looking similar. I feel at the moment I'm not entirely settled. None of my accounts are linked so I have to post on twitter and facebook manually which takes up extra time I don't really have. I spend on average around 40+ hours a week on my blog and YouTube and I'm not earning a salary so it shows how dedicated I am.

At the moment I can't work until my son is allocated more hours at nursery, he goes 2 days a week which is great for him as he has really came on leaps and bounds but unfortunately they cant offer me any more days right now and for some reason nursery's up here have big waiting lists. I refuse to put him in private nursery so I waited on a list for 3 months just for those 2 days, madness!

I'm lucky to have an understanding partner who really pushed me into all of this and doesn't mind taking a back seat while I sit for hours typing away.

Since the age of 16 I have always had a job, at one stage 3 at once. I come from a working class background with a strong sense of work ethic ,even when I was at college studying I worked. So when I moved to Scotland and had my child it was so frustrating unemployed. I spent some months working at Miss Sixty when I was pregnant but the store went into admission (or something like that) and no one would employ me being pregnant.

It was hard being a first time mum and having no family or friends around me up in Scotland (I did make 2 lovely friends) but some how I just got on with it and boredom led me to YouTube then Blogging. I admire those like Lauren Luke and Kandee Johnson as they were the first girls that really took off on the small screen. They have done so well for themselves and both with children in tow. Go on Girls!!

I hope that I can make my son proud of me and feel like I contributed towards the good things in life for him. I sometimes feel I'm in the shadow of my partner as he plays football professionally and has career that our son can get excited about when he's a little older Although he's not super famous or rich like these premiership players he still has that 'cool' job that makes me feel the need to achieve too.

Getting the column in FACEON magazine elevated me into a new place of happiness and gave me motivation to succeed and progress. My aim is to be happy and successful in my passion which is what I'm doing right now, oh and some print and runway make-up.

This post is way longer than what I thought in my head but I'm having a Carrie moment and just typing as though I'm actually talking to you which is weird.

Thank you for all your support so far and I hope you keep enjoying my work and spread the word to people you think might also like it so that I can reach my goal :)

I have a Bloglovin' button so if you love please give it a push.



Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Peace, love and happiness xx

Daily Fashion - Circus Shirt

Love taking pictures of flowers and foliage.

As the weather is getting warmer I am have been covering up with shirts instead of coats. It's less bulk and if I want to take it off I can fold it away in my bag.

My heart is a shade of coral

Credit

My obsession with coral continues with this super charged shade by Rimmel London.

Although it's classed as a new range by Rimmel I have had it a few months. It was a hasty purchase as most of my make-up buys seem to be but this time I'm actually pleased with my spontaneous act in Boots.

My favourite combination for Summer is some natural looking false lashes, dewy skin and bright lips. I could wear this forever as it always looks so fresh and playful.

 

In the bullet it looks rather red but on the lips the orange shows through.

The formula is very moisturising and highly pigmented, both excellent plus points but it can mean one bad thing - The dreaded lipstick teeth!

When it is creamy and pigmented it spreads fairly easily so rubbing the lips together can cause lipstick from just inside the lip to get on the teeth.

The TRICK - Simply blot on a tissue or use your finger to remove excess.

Price - Around £6.99

Application - Very smooth and creamy may need a brush for more precise lines.

Colour payoff - Very pigmented. 

Scent - Very light fruity scent. 

Shade -140 Kiss Me

Packaging - Pretty pink mirrored casing.

Overall - Great lipstick, good choice for those with dry lips as it provides moisture to keep them looking more hydrated.

Hands up if your a coral lover!

Bit GAGA and Bazaar to say the least

Just thought I'd share some usual Gaga madness with her new cover for Harpers Bazaar for May 2011. I have no words really other than she's an artist in every form. Warning these pictures are rather barmey.

 Not feeling the udder look

 Love!

 Smallest heels I've ever seen, she could of made an effort ha. She's a gymnast. Got to be!

Like I said a little nuts but I can appreciate the boundaries she pushes. Not for everyone but maybe that's why she is successful, who wants to be like every one else?

Look angelic in an LLD

What is Summer fashion without a little white dress? even pale girls can wear stark white this time of year as it looks great on everyone.

I have seen these lace or crochet dresses everywhere, although they all look very similar they come in different styles and materials making them perfect for evening wear or casual dressing.

French Connection have a beautiful laser cut leather shift dress at a wopping £300. As it is leather I would chose this particular garment for an evening with some sky high heels.

For Daytime go for lighter more floaty fabrics making them cooler in the sun and perfect for travelling to that holiday destination. Wedges or brogues look great paired with them especially in the toffee and tan hues.

Take a look in H&M for some affordable version or check out Isabella Oliver and French Connection
for some seriously amazing dresses. These are just some of the ones I've seen so far that caught my eye.

Accessorise to win

This is a launch with a difference, Nivea and ASOS are giving you the chance to win an entire capsule collection by accessorising 4 dresses at ASOS.com

To celebrate the launch of Nivea Invisible for Black and White deodorant, Nivea have joined ASOS in creating an exclusive four piece monochrome collection of dresses (seen above).

Every week there's 50 lucky winners who each win all four dresses by simply entering the competition HERE and accessorising each dress.

The competition starts 18th April and ends 31st May 2011.


The clever formula in the new Invisible for Black and White range means whites stay white and blacks keep black for longer thus meaning less stains and marks.

Nivea has six products in the range available for both men and women in either spray or roll on.

It was fun to think about accessorising according to the occasion, you get to chose from 4 items per dress then get entered for a chance of winning. I'm keeping my fingers crosses as I love the black dress (pictured bottom)
 
ENTER THE COMPETITON HEREor go to ASOS.com

Disclaimer - This is a sponsored post on behalf of ASOS and Nivea for the new Invisible for Black and White range. 

Good Luck to you guys, make sure you let me know if you win!

Gwen Stefani is my hero

As you may have gathered from the title I'm rather partial to a bit Gwen Stefani, the main reason is that even though she is ridiculously stunning she keeps her own sense of style and made urban dressing cool. I have mentioned in previous posts about my lack of enthusiasm for dresses and skirts as a teenager even into early twenties.

I loved the whole 90's look which was low rise jeans and combats with cropped vests, picture the late Aaliyah. Gwen embodied this look and made tomboy look sexy by simply adding glossy hair and a red lip.

As an absolute trendsetter, it was no surprise to find Gwen was the cover for UK Elle April 2011. To kick off my series of Cover Looks I began with this beautiful image as it's superbly elegant and simple to achieve. I used a slightly deeper shade on the lips, in the cover shot Gwen's lips are more of a purple shade but I wanted to use my Chaos pencil by NYX as it's amazing.

Breaking down the look

This is a dark lip light eye combination, with shades of champagne and bronze on the lids and berry on the lips. A definite glamazon look, this wouldn't be complete with out gentle contouring and dewy skin.

Watch the tutorial on this here 

Products Used

Eyes

MAC Phloof
Myface cosmetics eyeliner brown
Sleek Makeup palette Original bronze shade
Lashes Salon System no 50

Lips

NYX Lip pencil in Coffee
NYX Lip pencil in Chaos
NYX Lip lacquer in Love in Paris

Face

Clarins Skin Illusions Foundation in Wheat
Jemma Kidd Blush in South Beach
Jemma Kidd Dewy Radiance Creme in Iced Gold

Pump up the volume

Sleek Makeup have re-launched the True Colour Lipstick collection, with an impressive 20 shades to choose from and two finishes there's plenty of choice.

In my column for FACEON magazine I scribed my interest for uber bright lipsticks trend and listed a few of my top picks.

I hadn't seen Sleek Makeup's range by then but I can tell you that at £3.99 its a much cheaper option and the colours are equally as pigmented as the top make-up brands.

I swatched three from the collection, the coral and pink shades are bang on trend and look amazing with thick black eyeliner. Take a look at them on;

As it says this is a sheen finish, it feels creamy and moisturising. It looks very pretty with bronzed skin and golds. These finishes work well on those with more mature skin as it appears more youthful.

I personally find matte finish lipsticks hard to wear especially MAC myth, they can look chalky and make lips appear very dry. Sleek Makeup have created a clever formula with this one as it has the matte finish but feels very creamy on the lips. Because of this it doesn't settle into any lines or highlight cracks. I am actually wearing this today with thick winged eyeliner for a girlie rock chick look.

This is not a typical Summer shade however it is a gorgeous colour. I wore a colour similar to this last night. It was a little lighter but still had a deep cheery tone to it. Being a sheen finish gives this a slightly glossy look which makes lips look fuller. I wear shades like this with  barely any eye makeup, I generally let the lips do the talking.


For those who like softer less vibrant shades try Naked or Barely there which are on the nude side or go for BabyDoll and Bare All for soft pinks. With 20 shades to you shouldn't be stuck for decisions. Theres colours for all skin tones!

Available in Superdrug stores Nation wide and at www.sleekmakeup.com

Disclaimer - I was sent these lipsticks for reviewing purposes, all opinions expressed and photographs shown are my own.