Sunday 28 February 2010

Candyfloss Hair

Just a quick photo today of my finished hair! I'll give you more details and photos next week, plus how I feel about it. Let's just say it's taking some getting used to. It's actually come out slightly brighter in the the pics, it's candyfloss coloured in real life.
Also LAST CHANCE TO ENTER MY GIVEAWAY, you can win a full size bottle of Shielding Lotion from Skin MD Natural and all you have to do is follow my blog (click to the right>>>) and visit the SkinMD site and comment on something/anything you've learned about the product. Simple (squeak).

Saturday 27 February 2010

Another Hair Update

Another update on my hair. Photos are taken without make-up, so excuse the mess! First one is of course with the bleach on and the other is taken this morning. I've deliberately not properly shown you the haircut, because I want you to see it when it's finished. My hair is currently white, pale lemon and baby pink-actually not as pink as it looks in the photo. It's really strange to be blonde again, it's been years since I've had hair this light. I think I'm putting on the pink today, just hope I get the shade right and that it works!

Friday 26 February 2010

The 'Before' Pics

Thought I would share with you, my embarrassing 'before' pics! I haven't coloured it for 2 months, so the roots are really dark and there is a slight yellowish tinge. My hair hasn't been cut for a long while and in these pics (taken yesterday) it's completely unstyled-it was just to give you an idea. I'll be so pleased when I can actually show my hair off again, instead of hiding under a hat, like I have been since Christmas. I'm currently sitting here with a much shorter, shaped style and the bleach is doing it's thing at the mo. I'm actually really excited about it now. Probably going to do the pink tomorrow, thinking a nice pastel shade. If it's a disaster, it'll grow back!

Wednesday 24 February 2010

I Want This...

I thought the ASOS Curve collection was a little 'blah' in the beginning, but they certainly got it right with this little number. It's the type of dress us curvy girls have always wanted to wear, but never can find in our size. The nipped in waist and full, floaty skirt is a winner. There's also an all black version, but I really liked the nude coloured rosebud trim on this. Totally gorgeous. £38, sizes 20-26 Asos.com
Don't forget, there is still time to enter our fabulous giveaway of Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion, just click the image on the right for details of how to enter >>>>>

Lancome Boots GWP

I know I've been heavy with the beauty posts lately, I certainly seem to go through phases of beauty or fashion, but here's another one anyway. There's a great Lancome GWP starting tomorrow in Boots, so I'm going to snap it up! When you spend £29, you get the free gift, but if you buy 3 things (one to be skincare) you also get 1000 advantage card points. Now I don't know why I'm so excited by this, because I have more money on my advantage card than in my bank, so it's hardly like I need the points, but 1000 points is £10, so who can pass that up?
I think I'm going to get the Baume Eclat cleanser that I love so much and check out the O My Rose! spring makeup collection.
I'm also going to look at the new 17 Candy Collection, I'm particularly drawn to the unusual pastel nail shades even although I suit darker or brighter colours!

Swatches: Bourjois Docteur Glamour Lipstick

The concept behind these lipsticks is really cute. Named 'Docteur Glamour' they contain mango and shea butters for intensive moisturising treatment and are packaged like a little bit of medicine for the lips! Boxed, which is unusual for Bourjois or any drugstore brand, the lids are the same colour as the lipstick (sooo handy, thank you Bourjois), with a little silver ball on the top like an old medicine bottle. The tapered silver casing looks very clinical, like a syringe or something. Personally I expected these to lack colour and feel more like a lip balm in stick form. However, I wouldn't give up wearing lip balm for this, as I haven't found them to be overly moisturising when my lips have been needing it. I wanted a thicker cream like consistency. Some colours are actually very pigmented, while others have slight shimmer and are more sheer.
18 Blouse Blanche is the lightest shade and looks a very pale ivory in the tube, it comes out a white iridescent shimmer which I definitely wouldn't wear alone.
10 Beige Fievreux is a pale beigey nude which looks perfect in the tube, but could do with more pigmentation on the lips, as it's quite sheer.

17 Rose Requinque is a peachy, coralish pink, again quite sheer and comes out a warm pink shade.
15 Fuchsia O Bobo is a dark fuchsia pink, slight frost finish, much more pigmented than the others.
19 Brique Secouriste contains no shimmer and is a brick red-brown, satin finish and very pigmented.
16 Lilas Ausculte a sheer lilac pink.

Tuesday 23 February 2010

Swatches: NYX Round Lipgloss

These NYX Round Lipgloss are completely different to the Goddess of The Night gloss that I swatched earlier. They are much thinner, much glossier and I find the colours more appealing. The downside is that they aren't very long-wearing and they do have an odd lemon scent that reminds me of those wipes you get on planes or in restaurants! It's not a lingering smell and doesn't totally bother me, I can definitely live with it on my lips. They are completely non sticky and very smooth on the lips. Some of the shade names are rather misleading for example Pinky Natural is actually very bright not natural and Real Nude is mauve not nude. Slightly different finishes to some, but I'll explain more below.
RLG08 Doll Pink: a pinky/blue purple, very bright shade. Comes out more pink whereas looks more purpley in tube.
RLG26 Pinky Natural: Medium reddish pink. Not what I was expecting, too bright and dark for me. Comes out slightly darker than looks in tube.
RLG34 Real Nude: A neutralish, browny pink mauve.
RLG10 Sand Dune: A taupe brown with beige cast, contains shimmer.
RLG24 Cafe Latte: Goldy beige, contains shimmer.
RLG28 Whipped: Nude peach, really pretty, although quite sheer on lips.

Coming soon: Bourjois Docteur Glamour and No7 lipsticks!

Kurt Geiger Eloise - I Love You!

Just had to snap this pic the moment they arrived-although no image can do them justice. I feel like the luckiest girl on the planet, absolute princess shoes, I'm just stroking them! I promise more pics later in the week. Kurt Geiger 'Eloise' pink satin court shoes.

Monday 22 February 2010

Swatches: NYX Round Lipstick

A mammoth task taking photos of all of these lipsticks and swatching them, it's actually quite difficult to capture 20+ tubes and get them all in focus and the colour of each one spot-on. I can't say I've totally mastered it, but you definitely get the idea! I've swatched in 3 batches otherwise you would only get a teeny sample of colour. I've tried to group together by colour, but please note the order from the still images to the swatch images are different-so check the colour numbers written on them. NYX are some of my favourite lipsticks, bargain price, fantastic quality and great range of colours. In the UK we do have to pay slightly more for them, but they are still cheaper than most d/s brands. I think NYX do heavy nude, beige brown shades best-as you can see I've picked up quite a few! There are lots of different finishes, some have shimmer, some are metallic, sometimes the two are combined. There's also satin (has sheen but no shimmer, usually slightly sheer) or cream (thickish colour with no shimmer). They are highly pigmented and usually the colour in the tube is pretty much the colour that will apply to your lips (as with their glosses). The packaging come with a handy clear bottom containing the lip colour inside, so if like me, you have plenty you can easily store them upside down and choose the correct shade. The only downside is the shade name is only printed on the lid (nowhere on the actual tube) and I was worried when swatching that I'd mix them up by mistake. I've only had one (512 Ares) which broke after the first application-but perhaps it was slightly warm and melted upon applying? All images enlarge when clicked. Enjoy!
Swatches, Group 1 (top row)
576 Frosted Flakes pale beige nude with silver shimmer, slight metallic finish, comes out more golden beige.
556 Iced Honey True pinked copper with metallic finish and sparkle in tube although it doesn't show in swatch.
501 Iris Orange shimmer, comes out much paler in the swatch than it looks in the tube, a very pale orangey gold. Metallic finish, very fine shimmer, lightest shade in this batch.
588 Orange Soda Orange nude, cream finish-no shimmer, does swatch quite orangey but subtle nude colour still.
(bottom row)
546 Ceto Dark copper brown, shimmer and metallic finish, practically identical in swatch to 556 (Iced Honey)
578 Earth Angel is another similar shade, bronze copper. Metallic, shimmer finish, comes out more metallic than shimmer. Difference between this and l/s above is it's more bronzey.
617 Summer Love pinky beige, very, very fine shimmer, doesn't have metallic finish, looks like a cream in the tube.
517 Hades Medium brown, same finish as above, perhaps slightly metallic though.

Group 2 below (top row)
532 Rea Neutralish brown, cream finish, comes out darker neutral brown with slight pink tone.
552 Creamy Beige Neutral but dirty brown, thick cream consistency.
522 Circe Orangey pinky beige nude (yep!), has light undertones. Comes out a medium nude, satin finish.
above (bottom row)
590 Honey Suits the honey name, a yellowish beige, great nude, satin finish.
510 Echo Camel, tan shade, I'd say satin rather than cream, a slightly darker nude.
603 Tea Terracotta brown, I think a satin finish, medium shade.

Group 3 below (top row)
503 Medusa By far the darkest of all swatches, a dark plummy purple, blackcurrant shade. With shimmer.
505 Orpheus Silvery, taupe, grey, metallic finish and shimmer. Comes out more grey (than taupe or silver).
571 Iced Lavender More lilacey than above, but has similar greyish, purpley tone. Metallic and fine shimmer finish, the shimmer is almost like an ultraviolet sheen.
512 Ares Beige taupe with metallic finish and shimmer.
(bottom row) 632 Frappucino Surprisngly bright brick red, terracotta colour, clean satin finish.
529 Thalia Love this! Thicker cream finish, neutral tone, dirty mauvey pink colour.
629 Power Mauvey lilac, like Lavender Whip or Fashion Mews from MAC. Satin finish.
595 Strawberry Milk Bright clean milkshake pink, electro 80's type colour, satin finish.

Coming soon: NYX Round Lipgloss Swatches

Sunday 21 February 2010

Swatches: NYX Goddess Of The Night Lipgloss

I believe I swatched these glosses for you some months back, however I've bought a couple more recently along with lots more NYX lipsticks and also a bundle of the round lipgloss, so thought I'd update with (maybe) better pics. These glosses have changed their packaging lately and the flat sponge applicator is slightly better shaped. I found it much too large before. All of the lipglosses contain some amount of glitter, apart from 122 Natural. I'll explain in more detail the finishes below. They are very pigmented as far as glosses go and aren't really what I'd call high-shine, glossy gloss, it's more about colour than shine, so I'm a little puzzled by the description of "lipgloss with megashine".
Please note, I took the swatch photos a different day from the product photos and so the order changes slightly, so refer to the colours written in the image above and on the swatch pics.
101A Sugar Pie is infused with fine shimmer, quite sheer in comparison to the other shades and more glossy, a pale almost milky nude. Comes out pinkier than it looks in the tube. My newest and favourite.
104 Sweet Heart is my only frost finish. A pale, sweety, frosty pink. A little too 80's for my liking.
112 Frosteed Beige is a light gold with shimmer, could perhaps look nude-depends what it's paired with. Comes out with a slightly metallic finish as well as the shimmer.
121 Vanilla is a darker goldy shade than above. Again it has a metallic and shimmer finish. A true-gold.
117 Chestnut this is copper with shimmer and a metallic finish.
125 Iced Latte is a terracotta, reddish brown with shimmer and metallic finish.
122 Natural is a dirty neutral pink, similar to Thalia lipstick. This contains no glitter, so has more of a glossy sheen to it than the others.
106 Dream is similar to Orpheus lipstick, it's a taupe shade with strong grey cast. A shimmer and slight metallic finish.
110 Cosmo is a dark purple, very gothic shade with a grey tone. Again it has shimmer and a slight metallic finish and is similar in colour to Iced Lavender lipstick.

UK girls can buy their NYX at Cocktail Cosmetics and Love-Makeup. Coming soon, I'll be swatching my massive collection of NYX Round Lipsticks. Click the images to enlarge.

Saturday 20 February 2010

My New Fragrances

I'm totally procrastinating today and being a pain in the ass, so I'm trying a more cheerful post. I recently treated myself to a couple of fragrances; a back-up of 'L' by Gwen Stefani (love this) and for the first time Boudoir by Vivienne Westwood. I was lucky enough to attend the Vivienne Westwood show she put on in Glasgow a few years back. I was a very poor student at the time and the ticket and travel cost me a months budget, but I was determined to go because she's always been my idol. It was amazing and well worth eating stale bread for! We mingled with the male models afterwards and I honestly couldn't breathe because they were soooo gorgeous-my friends thought I was going to pass out, it was hilarious. Then we literally bumped into Viv and she was her totally fabulous self.
Anyway, at that time she was launching her first fragrance (Boudoir) and we were all given a little vial which I treasured. I loved the scent and although it is heavier than I usually go for, I've always wanted to own it. So I'm very pleased with my little orb lid, chunky bottle! It's taking pride of place on my dresser (note how I've managed to keep it tidy?).