Archive for 2012

Holiday Favourites!

1) Flower Ring: Accessorize - 2) Blue Gem Ring: Pandora - 3) Chandelier Earrings - River Island - 4) Coco Chanel Mademoiselle
5) Bobbi Brown High Shimmer Lip Gloss (in Hot 6) - 6) Kiko Precision Lipliner (in 308 Bordeaux) - 7) Chapstick (limited edition)
8) Vanilla Birthday Cake Shower Gel by Philosophy - 9) "Exotic Liras" Nail Polish by Essie - 10) Bioderma Sensibio H2O
11) Aussie Miracle Hair Insurance - 12) Hand Food by Soap and Glory - 13) Necklace: Missguided

Lucky 13, odd number I know but these were the products and pieces of jewellery that have really stood out to me and I’ve found myself going back to time and time again this December. I’m going to do a super short review of each, but if anybody would like to hear more about any of them please just let me know and I’d be more than happy to oblige :)
Let’s get started then lovelies!


1&2 (the rings) - I got the first ring (the gold one) a few months ago and I tend to wear it on my little finger with another ring on my other hand. I only got this beautiful blue Pandora ring a few days ago for Christmas (thanks Phil!), and even though it doesn’t match the gold of the other ring I haven’t taken this combo off yet, plus they’re simple enough to layer up with other rings too. I think they look gorgeous together!

3 (the earrings) - I originally bought these with the intention of wearing them on New Years Eve to go for a chic, elegant look. They really aren’t like any other earrings I own and I ended up wearing them on Christmas Day which really showed how they can dress up a simple outfit. Although I don’t often have the occasion to wear such lovely earrings, I’m sure I’ll be making an extra special effort for these!

4 (the perfume) - This is a perfume I’ve been coming back to for over four years now and I still love it. I’ve only ever owned the travel size bottle but hey ho, it smells the same! In fact, when I sprayed this on just before I started my shift on Thursday I had four compliments within the first hour :)

5&6 (the lip products) - I’ll start with Bobbi Brown: woooowww! I got this a couple of weeks ago and even wore it in my pajamas later the same day I love it that much. The shimmer makes me so so happy, I think it’s the perfect festive lipgloss. You can layer it up too, as much as I’ve been loving the Kiko lip pencil (super staying power and super affordable) by itself for a matte pinkish-red lip for parties, when partnered with the Bobbi Brown gloss it really does make an amazing lip that would be the perfect main feature of any winter party look. 7 (the lip balm) - We all have our favourite lip balms and this is mine. Moisturising, yet not too heavy to wear under lipstick. I also love the cute packaging! Unfortunately I’m not sure if this exact Chapstick is available any more, but there is always a wide range of flavours of Chapstick available from most drug stores year round which all work just as well.

8 (the shower gel) - This is a product that needs a review all of its own (note to self). I now own three, but this is the one that I’ve reached out for when I need a little pick me up. Not only are these products a shower gel, but they also work as a bubble bath and shampoo! I’ve had this for nearly two months and it’s lasting a treat. Really. I cannot praise this enough. Makes my skin (and hair) silky smooth and smell almost good enough to eat. Almost. But not quite.

9 (the nail polish) - I’ve always been a bit scared of red nails, especially being so pale I feel like they look really harsh on me, but this shade is perfect. I think it will be great for any season as in some lights it looks like a red, and at others it is a true dark pink. In addition, it’s Essie which is a really popular brand with a formula that lasts a little longer that your standard polish, yet is a bit more affordable than OPI. A great twist on the classic red nail with a glossy finish that I know I will be coming back to again and again.

10 (the makeup remover) - Another product which I really must review. If you take one thing away from this post then it should be to TRY THIS. Formulated for sensitive skin and recommended by professional makeup artists such as Lisa Eldridge this removes all your makeup (including eye makeup) in literally a couple of minutes. It is by far the best makeup remover that I have ever used, and although it is a little pricey, I wouldn’t go back to makeup wipes now. I just follow it with my normal skin routine and it’s as if I haven’t been wearing makeup all day, even after a night out.

11 (the conditioner) - In short, this has saved my hair this month. On those in between days when you don’t have time to wash your hair but it’s looking a little frizzy or dry, just spritz this in the ends, comb through and you’re good to go. This works miracles for my fine hair and quite often I’ll also spritz this in my hair after I’ve washed it too to make sure it’s silky smooth.

12 (the hand cream) - To be honest, most hand moisturisers will probably work just as well but I do enjoy this one! Cute packaging and a nice little drink for my poorly hands when it’s especially cold out :)

13 (the necklace) - Not much to say about this other than how gorgeous it is! I’ve been wanting a collar-style necklace for a while, and although this isn’t quite the same, it really suits my style. Although the turquoise colour really reminds me of summer I find it compliments loads of outfits really well, I’ve even worn it with a green dress. A magical necklace that I promise to love forever <3

If you have stayed with me until the end of this post then well done, you deserve a medal.
If you have any questions about any of the products then feel free to leave a comment and I will answer.
What products/items have you guys been enjoying this month?


Happy Holidays!

Emily x

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Boxing Day OOTD

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Today I had to get up at a reasonable time (ugh). My plan was to do a wee bit of shopping - which after my previous post you will be very pleased to hear was not too busy at all - before heading off to an annual rugby game.
SOOOO I thought that I would quickly share with you what I wore today with some quick pics I took on my iPhone:


Vest top - Crew Clothing
Leigh Jeans - Topshop
Belt - Topshop
Leather Jacket - Topshop
Coat - Topshop
Snood - Topshop
Studded Bag - Topshop


We don't really tend to do much as a family on boxing day, but it changes year to year.
In the end a lot of my day was actually spent on this sofa!
Do you have any boxing day traditions?
Emily x

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Why I Don't Like Pre-Christmas Sales


I’ve never really enjoyed sales. Especially clothes sales. My least favourite has to be by far the pre-Christmas sales. Now I’m no Scrooge but I know I’m not alone in this.

Let’s encourage people to buy all of their Christmas presents early and then put them all on sale the day before you give them to your friends...

No silly corporate western world, no!
Not only is this disappointing as I realise that if I wasn’t so darn organised I could have saved a lot of money, but it’s also a reminder that these are the things that are no longer in trend. And that just makes me feel like a bit of a twit when I’ve spent time choosing these gifts.

“Well then Emily, why don’t you just not go to the pre-Christmas sales and instead surround yourself with festive joy?” I hear you say...
Oh blogosphere, if only it were that simple. I work in one of these shops that strive to stress me out just before Crimbo.
Luckily, my shift this Christmas Eve was only four hours and despite having had to walk round the sale section in a circle numerous times, picking up clothes from the same spots I had tidied not ten minutes earlier, the Ghoul of Christmas Sales had not beaten me yet! However, after a few minutes browsing the sales myself my fears were realised:

  • The mess is *always* stressful. Not just when you’re the one tidying it.
  • Christmas Eve shopping turns normal people into nutters. You have to get in there quick or you could be having a classic crazy lady handbag fight over... well... a handbag
  • If you buy anything that is full price you feel like a bad person because apparently there are some great finds in the sale. (But that crazy lady with the handbag she’s using to bat other shoppers out of her way will probably find them before you.)
  • All of the Christmassy items are already reduced - IT’S NOT EVEN CHRISTMAS DAY YET!
  • Icing on the cake: The top I had bought as uniform at work the day before was already reduced to £10.


I do of course understand that Christmas Eve sales really do help some people out, and truth be told, that’s actually fine by me.
Just please spare a thought for us lowly sales assistants this year while you’re “enjoying” the Christmas sales ;)

But for those of you who were brave enough to face them this year, I take my sparkly christmas hat off to you.
Do you guys have any tips for surviving sale season?

love
Emily x

How I Store My Makeup Brushes. Revolving Makeup Brush Holder (Tool Turn About) Reviews


 

When you have so many brushes it does become difficult to store them. The first idea that comes into mind is a cup or a pencil holder to store the brushes. But as my brush collection increased I found it hard to store them as most of the space on my vanity table was taken up by different cups and holder for my brushes.



But finally I have found the most perfect and feasible way to store my brushes. Its the Revolving Makeup Brush Holder (tool turn about). What could have been better than this? It has different sized section/wells which is great for storing different sized brushes.






The section in the middle is best for the brushes with very long handles.  Its diameter is also the exact size for the MAC brush cleaner bottle. So if you want to keep your brush cleaner close and handy you can place it in the middle.




The sections on the outer most part are a bit shallow then the rest so it make it easy for me to store my smaller sized brushes.



I loved this tool turn about for my makeup brushes so much that I got another one of these just for my larger face brushes. There is enough space that the bristles of the brushes are not squeezed together and the brushes retain their shape.

You can get these from Vogue n Diva Shop They have really fast shipping and are a UK based shop.

Over all I love this product as all my brushes are now sorted according to their type and size and they are easily accessible. There is a lot less mess on my vanity. I can just place these in one corner and as they revolve around I can access all of my brushes. Now I know which compartment has which type of brushes so I don't need to fuss around looking for the brush I need. 




If I am not wrong this product was initially meant for kitchen tools, but I think it works remarkably well as a makeup brush holder. It is a very useful device and can be used to store makeup pencils, lipgloss, stationary, paint brushes and kitchen tools etc. The diameter of this holder is 23cm and the extended base spins freely and can hold up to 4.5 kg of tools. I think I might even get one for my kitchen to tidy it up a little. Overall I will give this product 10/10. Worth every penny.

Rose Water & Its Miracles ( Uses & Benefits)

Rose water is a miracle product brought to us by nature. It has lots of naturally good things like the Vitamin A and C and it has antioxidants that help in reviving tired skin and giving it a glowing complexion.  Rose is a natural astringent with anti-inflammatory qualities, as well as being excellent for hydrating and rejuvenating the skin.

1. Use It As A Setting Spray ( Kick Out MAC Fix Plus ;) ):
  Rose water works amazingly as a makeup setting spray. These days you can get rose water in a spray bottle. Keep it on your vanity table and spritz a little bit after you have finished doing your makeup and it will set it into place. It is the best thing to use if you feel that your foundation is a bit powdery or too matte, it will give you a very nice healthy and dewy finish.

2. Use it to remove your makeup:
  Pour a littel on a a cotton ball and gently rub in a circular motion on the face and around the eyes yo remove makeup.

3. Use As A Cleanser: 
It can be used as a gentle facial cleanser.  Make your own by mixing one cup of rose water, 2 teaspoons of glycerin and 10 drops of rose essential oil.  The essential oil will add to the cleansing properties of this rose water cleanser as well as help preserve it.

4.  Use As A Toner:
It can be used as a natural facial toner because rose water helps to absorb excess oil from the skin without leaving a drying effect.  Make your own by combining 1 1/4 cups of rose water, eight drops of glycerin and 3/4 cup of witch hazel in a dark glass bottle (this is important because you do not want light to affect the mixture).  Shake the bottle well before use, and apply daily with cotton balls or swabs.  Rose water toner is perfect to combat acne.

5. Use As An Anti-Wrinkle Agent:
  Apply rose water to your face to tighten pores and prevent wrinkles.  Acting as an astringent with anti-inflammatory agents, the rose water will help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

6. Use For Irritated Eyes:
Using makeup and eyeshadows regularly can make your eyes feel dry and irritated. Rose water is very effective for irritation, redness and inflammation of eye. Put 2-3 drops in the eye 2-3 times a day.

7. Get Rid Of Excessively Dry or Oily Skin:
  Rose water helps to balance the pH of the skin, helping to control both dry and oily skin and can soothe many types of dermatitis.

8. Get rid of Acne & Black Heades:
Rose water is also used to treat pimples and to get rid of blackheads. The rose petals have antibacaterial properties and are soothing to the skin. Mix rose water with lemon juice and applying to the skin twice a week . Another way to use rose water is to boil petals in water and steam the face for ten minutes.

9. Get Rid Of Itchy Scalp & Induce Hair Growth:
As  rose water is anti-inflammatory and reduces dryness it it really good for dry itchy scalp. Rinse your head with rosewater mixed in water. It also nourishes the hair and induces hair growth by increasing the blood flow.

10. Use To Relieve Headaches:
  Use a little bit of rose water on a cotton ball and apply around the eyes, forehead and temples to soothe headaches.

There are many other uses for rose water as it in rich in vitamin and has anti-inflammatory properties. It can be used to treat sun-bruns, inflammed gums...can also be used as a hair conditioner etc. So all in all we can say that rose water is a magic ingredient which can be used for so many different things. And it is always good to have a bottle of rose water in your cupboard.



Disclaimer: Some tips were researched over the internet.

Sleek Makeup New Blush By 3 Blush Palettes Pumpkin, Pink Sprint, Flame & Sugar




As everyone knows that Sleek Makeup blushes are my all time favourite drug store blushes but I was more than excited when I found out about the latest products to be released from Sleek Makeup and these are their two new blush palettes called "Pink Sprint" and "Pumpkin". These have not yet been released. But hopefully will see them in the market soon.
If I could, I would be doing cartwheels because I am so excited. These palettes are absolutely gorgeous. Each palette has 3 blushes in it. The size of the blush pans is slightly smaller than the usual Sleek blushes but they have the same great quality and have extremely high pigmentation.
These palettes have been formulated with intense pigment, yet the shades can be layered, in ordered to achieve the required intensity.

The "PINK SPRINT" palette consists of 3 fully pigmented matte blushers called "Pink Parfait" , "Pink Ice" & "Pinkini"


 The "Pinkini" shade is deep plumy pink shade. "Pink Ice" is a brighter pink very similar to the "Santorini" Blush which was limited edition with the Monaco Eyeshadow Palette but its a little lighter. "Pink Parfait" is deep mauve pink which I thought would be similar to "Flushed" blush by Sleek but it turns out its a completly different colour. In the picture below are the shades of Sleek blushes which I though would be similar which include Flushed, Santorini, Pomegranate. I was excited to know that all the shades are different.



The "PUMPKIN" palette consists of shimmer, satin and matte blushers called "P Pie (Shimmer)" , "Squash (Satin)" & "Lantern (Matte)"


"P Pie" is a golden orange blush with fine gold shimmer. "Squash" is a beautiful honeysuckle shade perfect for summer and high in trend. "Lantern" is a vibrant orange shade which is quite similar to the "Aruba" Blush which was a limited edition blush with the Sleek Curacao Eyeshadow Palette.
In the picture below I placed the sleek blushes that I thought would be the most similar which include the Limited edition Blush Pan Tao (Peach Collection), Life's a Peach, Aruba and Rose Gold.



I love these shades as they are a vibrant and bright addition to my Sleek blush collection. The packaging is great and the pigmentation is brilliant as always.


There are two more Sleek Makeup Blush By 3 blush palettes in "SUGAR"(Rust Brown Tones) and "FLAME" (Red tones)

                        
 These palettes have matte and shimmer finish blushes.

I know for sure that those of you who are obsessed with makeup will go crazy after these just like me. Hopefully they will be released soon.
To get these palettes before they release in shops check them out on this VOGUE-n-DIVA Shop


Asian Pakistani Bridal Eye Makeup Made Easy In 10 Simple Steps


There is a difference in Pakistani, Indian, Bangladeshi and Arabic bridal makeup. So today I am going to talk about the most common style of bridal makeup in Pakistan. And will simplify the eye makeup into 10 steps.
    


The Paksitani bridal makeup colours are selected according to the colours in the bridal dress. The eye makeup could consist of 3 or more colours but mainly there are:
  • The main eyeshadow colour which we will call "X"
  • The contrasting contouring eyeshadow colour which we will call "Y"
  • The highlight eyeshadow colour which we will call "Z"
  • The "Black" eyeshadow to intensify the look.




The eyes are very simple to create if you get the gist of the look. When you fill in your eyebrows, is just up to you but I prefer to fill them before I start applying eye-makeup as they act as a guideline for mapping out the shape of the eyeshadow. The 10 easy step for the eye-makeup are as following:

  1. Apply the main colour "X" on to the center of the lid. Apply few good layers to get the desired colour payoff.
  2. Apply contrasting colour "Y" in the crease. The colour could be darker or lighter than "X" but according to the colours present in the dress. Blend well. Leave space under the brow for Highlighter "Z"
  3. Apply highlighting shade "Z" in the inner corner of the eyes and under the brow. Blend well.
  4. Apply black eyeshadow on the outer 3rd part of the eye to intensify the outer corner. Take little product at a time. Blend well.
  5. On lower lashline apply "X" in the inner corner close to the lash line.
  6. The a little bit of contrasting shade "Y" in the middle of the lower lashline.
  7. Intensify the outer corner with the black eyeshadow and join lower lash line with upper lash line.
  8. Apply black khol pencil in water-line.
  9. Apply gel/cake eyeliner on the upper lash line; creating a fine point in the inner corner and a small flick on the outer corner.
  10. Apply mascara and thick false lashes.
And you are done with the eye-makeup. Apply your blusher, highlighter, and lipstick and you are ready to go!

This is just the most common style of Pakistani makeup. There might be more sophisticated and more creative looks aswell. It is not compulsory to use only 3-4 colours, once you know what you are doing you can play around with colours and incoorporate more shades.



 



DISCLAIMER: THESE PICTURES HAVE BEEN TAKEN FROM THE INTERNET FOR REFFERRENCE ONLY.

How To Get Rid of Dull, Sensitive, Ance Prone Skin And Get A Clear Glowing Skin.

This is the most regularly asked questions and thought that I will give my opinions on it one more time.When you resort to medicines and ointments the skin gets more weak and sensitive as ointments have strong steroids in them which can seriously damage the skin cells and hamper the regeneration process. So it is better to avoid excessive use of steroids or medicines.

There is no such magic that could fix a sensitive acne prone dull skin in a flash. For healthy skin you have to be very consistant on certain things and avoid unnatural things.

  • Eat healthy, drink atleast 8-10 glasses of water to get rid of excess oils and impurities on the skin. Exercise also help in clearing the skin as it regulates the blood supply and the sweat cleans out the pores from impurities and sebum (oil).
  • A long brisk walk is really healthy in many ways but believe it or not it also helps in clear skin...it  regulates the blood circulation, which means fresh blood pumping through out the body. Cells get fresh blood which means more oxygen, which mean faster chemical reactions, faster regeneration of cell, which leads to new and clean skin cells. Simplzz! :)
  • Cleanse your face with a mild cleansing facewash every night before bed. Keep the skin moisturized as too oily skin can cause acne as well as too dry skin as it can get irritated and also bacteria can get stuck in flaky skin.
  • If you are sensitive to cleansers then wash your face with Chicpea powder paste as it acts as a natural scrub plus toner. It will scrubs away dead skin and also controll oil.
  • Avoid too much chocolate and nuts....anything which has a very warm effect will cause acne and spots.
  • Last but not the least take a multivitamin tablet + Cod liver oil Capsule every morning with your breakfast and believe me you will see the difference soon not only wth your skin but also your hair.

After every few days I have been asked this question by some one "I have have sensitive, acne prone dull skin. How do I get rid of it??"  The only thing I have to tell is that there is no magic wand which can immediately repair your skin. You need to be patient and very consistant. If you need a clean, clear glowing skin then you have to follow all these step religiously everyday for atleast 3 months and soon you will see the difference. If you need a clear skin so badly, then you will stick to the plan and give time to your skin cells to cleanse themselves and start regenerating healhty cells. Slow and steady wins the race, so be patient but be steady in your regime. 


And STOP putting chemicals on you face!!! Let it breath!

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