Oh what big eyebrows you have!

Long gone are the days I reduced  my eyebrows to nothing more than a mere thread line above my eyes; looking back at pictures from my high school days makes me wonder how in the world did I ever think that looked good?! I have quite a round face so thin eyebrows should have been a definate no-no for me. The art of sculpturing eyebrows to match and compliment a face is easy once you take into account the shape of a face, especially the cheeks; for example a longer face would look much better with a set of thinner eyebrows and a childlike or fuller face would in turn look better with a set of thicker ones.

My eyebrows have never been as thick or full as Audrey Hepburn but due to the constant tweezing and threading to a anorexic brow, I'm pretty sure I can see some balding - shock horror I know! I decided I wanted mine to be thicker, more face defining so once I realised even at full growth my brows don't really grow to much, I turned to filling them in. Now I attempted to make a start with a pencil but the result for me seems way too harsh and unnatural; instead I've been using this eyebrow kit from e.l.f. it comes with a gel to fill in with and a setting powder, there's a double sided brush included which isn't too bad either but I prefer using one of my own to apply the gel with.



Left to Right: In the darkest shade; Gel - Powder - Together

I have to say this kit is my saviour, and at £3.50 it's a lot more affordable than most other brands out there without skimping on the quality.

Love & Bisous xx

Take It Off!

There is nothing more hideous than going to wash your face at night and smearing mascara and eyeliner from your forehead to your chin. I simply can't live without an eye make-up remover, but finding one that didn't irritate the skin around my eyes was harder than I thought. For the last few months I've been a good girl and not gone to sleep with a full face of make-up - there have been 2 main benefits for me due to this; 1. My skin seems to be breaking out much less and 2. I wake up to a clean pillow! 

Now I don't like hard work when I'm ready for bed so this Nars eye make-up remover is perfect for me - no longer do I have to scrub or spend 10 minutes wiping off my mascara because 3 or 4 wipes with this is all I need for naked eyes. It doesn't leave behind a greasy trail either which is definately a bonus but best of all I can actually notice just how gentle and moisturising it is for the delicate skin around the eyes. This product doesn't come cheap (but of course you knew that - it's Nars!) but at £18 I've only reached the halfway point after using it day in, day out for about 7 weeks.

I got this tester of Nars' new Make up cleansing oil. The absolute BEST I have ever tried, my make up comes off with such ease. It removed any trace of make up from my pores and despite what you'd think with it being an oil cleanser - it left behind no greasy residue. My skin felt soft and moisturised afterwards, no dryness whatsoever! It's £29.50 for a 200ml bottle. I haven't purchased just yet but next payday it WILL be mine...

Their prices might be scary but Nars' cleansing and skin care products seem to last the best, so really to me they actually work out to be more cost effective. What are your favourite cleansers?

Love and Bisous xx

Maybelline; Forever Strong Professional Nail Varnish

After 5 months of keeping my nails short, tidy and bare I finally snapped back to the former me - grew my nails (just enough to do some damage, bug not too much that would have them rivalling the Pendle witches) and splashed on some polish!

I adore nude nails whatever season we're in, so you can imagine how excited I was when I passed the 'nude nails' display for Maybelline. There were 5 colours and honestly I could have bagged them all but at £4.09 each I kept myself inline. It was however 3 for 2 so I dove right on them like a tramp on chips; attractive - I know! :P

'Rose Poudre' it looks slightly more pink here but it really is the perfect pink-toned nude.

'Nude Rose'  a lovely beige-nude, this shade is absolutely gorgeous. All the nude range get a big thumbs up from me, they just have such an elegant look about them I couldn't help but fall in love!

'Extreme Blackcurrant' now I know this is far from nude but with autumn having sneaked up on us so fast I thought this was the perfect shade. I don't normally wear such deep, dark colours on my nails but for this I can make an exception. All in all Maybelline's forever strong nail polish range is a definate yes for me. They are the easiest to apply adpnd dry pretty quickly and not onlu that but it really does last longer than the average nail colour; I wasn't expecting anywhere near the full 7 days but because my nails usually tend to chip after a single day, the 3 days that these last is incredible.

Lots of Love & Bisous! xx

The Hairy Truth

Hair is one of the greatest and most important means women have of presenting themselves. The fact that it is a part of our bodies which we are able to manipulate with the most ease means it can either be our mane of glory or the bane of our existence.

Long, thick hair is generally viewed as a sign of aesthetic beauty and youth, but I'm sure we all agree growing hair can be pretty damn difficult and tiresome. We all may want silky, smooth and healthy locks, but the sad truth is hair only grows around half an inch each month, so to get it to those lengths in that condition is a lot of hard work, love and dedication to each strand on your head. We're busy ladies, and if any of you are as impatient as me clip-in hair extensions really are a godsend!

I bought these from a market stall, which I recommend because it's easier to select the right colour and get the best quality.

BEFORE

AFTER

I love how easily you can just clip these in and instantly transform yourself. They are real human hair so that means curl or straighten them as you wish, just as you would your self grown hair. I use mine more for the fullness and amazing body it gives me, than for the length - though they do give me about an inch and a half extra. There's nothing that looks as unattractive to me as obvious extensions, so I wouldn't go more than 3 inches longer than your actual hair or you might risk being found out!

I've worn them for just over a week now and so far they have gone undetected so shhhh... ;)

Love, Love & Bisous xx

'In a world of ordinary mortals, you are a Wonder Woman'

Diving head first into my bag, thrashing around like a drowning puppy... I couldn't find it. No. It had to be somewhere in that ridiculously huge bag, but it wasn't - my MAC angel was gone :(. So it only made sense for me to jump online onto ebay and try and find me a bargain, and lo and behold if it is a bargain you seek than it is a bargain you shall receive! 

Part of the limited edition from the Wonder Woman collection, I snapped up this beauty in 'photo' for £5.20. A week later and i'm already addicted!

It's a lustre lipstick so it feels very moisturising on the lips. The shade looks different to what I expected when on my lips, it's almost like a brighter version of a milky pink, with slight purple undertones. J'adore!!

Love, Hugs & Bisous xx

'O' is for Oh Wow!

I got these amazing hair rollers for my birthday a few months ago and realised I haven't yet done a post on them and given them their deserved glory. Introducing 'The O' by Cloud Nine;

I've always hated what the typical heated rollers did to my hair; crispy, frizzy curls with that wierd 'crimp' at the end of my strands - eughh the memories are enough to make me cry. Now these badboys are like no other rollers I've seen before, they work in a completely different way to the conventional ones. Though it all comes at a price, I got the gift set which at £199 came with;

- the pod,

- a carry case,

- 4 x 30mm rollers,

- 4 x 40mm rollers,

- 4 x 50mm rollers,

- an amplify spray,

- a sectioning comb,

- 12 x clips

Very quick and easy to use, you just switch on thee pod and place the rollers inside one by one. They take literally about 4 seconds to heat up and because they heat from the core there's no chance of burning your fingertips while rolling them into place - they heat in the hair not in the hands. This is mega exciting if you're accident prone like me who burns everything and anything around me (including my own chin :P).   

Once the rollers reach their max temperature of 130° they begin to cool quickly, leaving me with gorgeous volume and plenty of body and movement. So I do my makeup while they get to that stage which is usually about 20 minutes.

Oh yes. Oh wow. That's my hair!

Big love xx

Its Grease lightening!!

I know this isn't really beauty related but I really MUST share! On monday night I met up with a couple of my girls for a greatly needed catch up... Drama drama! So when we went to watch the theatre production of Grease at the Grand Palace Theatre in Manchester, believe me when I say it was just what we needed.

The show was brilliant! Whether you're already a fan of Grease or if like my friends you're part of the deprived minority who have never watched the classic with John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John (shocking I know!); it was the perfect feel good pick-me-up (I'm needing all I can get at the moment *sad face*). I honestly can't recommend enough for you to go watch it.

Love, Love & Bizous xx

My Little Pick Me Up

Have you ever woken up from a self-induced fantasy to find yourself in complete anguish over something you thought you'd worked past? Thought you'd resolved your feelings towards that situation up until the point it trespassed its way into your subconcious ...only it's not really your subconcious anymore... Well I had one of those days yesterday and could not stop the overwhelming urge I had to cry myself numb. I must be building up a wall of resistance because for once I didn't go down the route of severe dehydration due to the sorrowful tears I would have usually succumbed to, but decided to treat myself to this gorgeous Limited edition GHD; Pink Orchid. (£10 of the price goes towards breast cancer so It also counted as my good deed of the day :D).

It's part of the Gold series so it's much smoother than the original. I love the fact that the shape of the actual straightener is more rounded because that means better curls - oh yay!

Keep smiling,
Bizous xx

Bare Nekked Lips

My lipstick collection is forever growing but right now I'm really into the 'barely there' nude lips. I ordered natural nymph from E.LF, now on the website it looks gorgeous but in reality it gave me that hideous concealer-lips look, yes that is a definite no-no my friends. But at £3.50 I'm not too fussed because it still works well as a muter i.e tones down brighter/darker colours. 



From right to left; E.L.F - natural nymph; MAC - Impassioned; both together.

The perfect nude shade is not as easy to find as it may seem, it depends entirely on the shade of your skin. Sister number 4 wore a true nude lip from nars. Pure matte lipstick in tashkent, which is described as a nude beige.. So super excited i borrowed it the next day but it just made me look washed out, i was sad but me and her have totally different skin tones so it was no wonder it looked the total opposite on me (sad face). 

Sonnet from illamasquas range is a real beauty, its perfect and a little goes a long way. The formula is almost creamy on application and lasts a solid 4 hours before a touch up is needed, for me that's damn good because lipsticks don't like to stay on my lips for too long.

I normally apply Nars lip lacquer in' chelsea girl' over it, but it's quite pricey at £17 for such a tiny little thing. I found a similar thing from E.L.Fs studio line; it's not as pigmented or as thick as Nars but is more of a sheer slick of a nude shade and at £3 it's a bargain and definitely worth having. 



Kiss, Kiss & Bizous xx

They Say Your Eyes Are The Window To Your Soul...

Maybe that's why we get so wierded out when a stranger stares straight into them!

My oh my, it's been a while so let's not waste any more time and get down to business. As you will have guessed todays post is all about eyes. Long eyelashes are considered to be a sign of femininity and beauty in many cultures so it's no wonder that we have become obsessed with ways of lengthening them, making them appear fuller or more curled. There is nothing more alluring or striking than a full set of beautiful lashes fluttering the hypnotic way a butterfly flutters then glides over and above your head. The enchanting, irresistible effect the lashes have when they are ready to sweep into action is second to none. There are of course many ways we can achieve this, but the easiest and most inexpensive way? MASCARA :) 

When it comes to mascara I remain loyal to L'Oreal brands, any others I feel just don't do the feathers of my eyes any justice. I made the mistake of delving into the unknown once before and never again. I picked up a tube of Maybelline's 'falsies' to carry me through until pay day; boy what a mess, it clumped my lashes into 3 fat hideous spikes; and it wasn't just me because sister number 2 had the exact same experience - damn Maybelline and their sly advertising tactics! I worked out it must be the crappy brush because in a desperate attempt to fix my eyes I ended up switching the brush tops with my dried-up 'extra volume collagen' which resulted in an O.K set of lashes. Let me tell you something O.K will never be enough for my eyes. 

Keep reading ladies because this story has a happy ending, yes I have found the ultimate mascara; L'Oreal's lash Architect 4D in noir black is my new baby.

The shape of the tube puts me off a bit, it just doesn't sit right in my hand. But no one can argue that it isn't an impressive looking thing.

It has a long bristle-brush which tapers toward the end, and is at a slight angle making it easier to reach the inner/outer corners. I know everyone says less is more but when it comes to my application of mascara 1 or 2 coats simply don't do it for me, I coat them again and again; wiggling the wand at the base, stroking the lashes from root to tip until fully satisfied with the fullness and curl - which this (hand on heart) truly does deliver. It does however have a small tendency to clump but that can be controlled and minimised through application. It lasts well throughout the day and doesn't smudge once it's set. Though note, it takes a few minutes to completely dry, so please for the love of all that is pretty - do not sneeze! 

So there it is, good & bad; right & wrong; to buy or not to buy. Everything is negotiable, we all have our opinions and this my lovelies is mine. I heart 4D mascara :)

Love Love & Bizous xx

Foam, Foam baby!

John Frieda's Precision Foam Hair Colour = the best home dye ever! I have an extremely bad addiction to hair abuse - I can only pray I grow out of it. I can't help but dye my hair only to dye over it again because I get bored way too easily...oh I'm so fickle! But this really is by far the best dye I've used, I usually dye my hair in my parents bathroom - I have no idea why because it really isn't the best place for it, and I always seem to end up getting dye on my poor mammys toothbrush (I know I'm awful). Foam dye is definately 'less mess' it's not drippy in the slightest and I actually didn't get dye on anywhere besides myself - result! Even better is the fact that it doesn't have the strong chemical smell that most other brands have.

I bought the Deep Cherry Brown - my intention was to have a slight tinge of red.

The first squeeze of the foam colour and I was instantly thinking I should have picked up another 2 boxes of colour because I thought for sure such a small looking bottle could not cover my entire head. But loe and behold it truly did! And to top it all off I didn't even find random patches of un-dyed hair once I had washed and dried , as it happens I don't think that's never happened for me before :D

I definatley recommend trying a foam dye, it's so much easier to apply and kind of fun the first time!

Love, Love & Bizous xx

Illamasqua - Eyeliner cake in 'Mislead'

I was so excited when this finally came through the post; this is definately the new generation of eyeliners. Previous to this I swore by Bobbi Brown's gel liner, which applies beautifully but the annoying thing about it is that the pot always dries up when there is still one fifth of the product still left. Wasted make-up makes me sad :( But fear not because there is no chance of that happening with this product. I bought the sealing gel with it as I was told it would last much better than if i used water. So basically the cake is a super pigmented colour (almost like a palette of eyeshadow) which when mixed with the sealing gel becomes the greatest eyeliner known to makeup lovers everywhere! My bit of advice would be to practice, practice and practice, because you really need to get the consistency of the liner perfect in order to get the results expected.

After I managed to whip up the pefect paste, I applied to my top lash with an angled brush - much harder than I originally anticipated (and believe you me this is not as easy as gel liner to wipe away) so i ended up switching to a a finer pencil brush. The colour and finish was truly amazing, I still need to perfect my hand at this, I already love it and now applying make up will truly be painting my face ;)

So this was how awesome the liner looked after 10 hours of wear... really should have taken a close up (duhh)!

One Twelfth Of The Year Down…Already??

The sands of time are screaming through the hour glass of life freakishly fast. January has departed, been ripped off the calendar. 2011 is officially in procession, scared? Don’t be …its FABuary!

This is the point I really begin to grieve over the hair I so easily hacked off a few months earlier. A good 10 inches shorter, I really miss it (sob sob). My sister says I live my life through others i.e. I can’t eat gluten so on Sunday night I’ll cook spicy bean burritos or pasta for the whole house (minus me) to enjoy. It’s the same with hair; too many times I try something new to my hair only to regret it deeply. You would think I would have finally learnt not to act on impulse when it comes to my hair, but oh no I think it’s an ugly addiction that really will be the end of me. I came across this picture and fell in lust with the hair...

...so sleek, so shiny, so sharp. I wanted it to be mine but then I remembered I’m trying to GROW my hair and I get really quickly bored of full fringes on myself so like a good girl I set the picture down and stepped away. A little catch-up with the girls on Saturday, left me feeling happy because what did I do? Yes I got one of the minions to go for the cut. She has a very cute petite face and was the only one I could see carrying this off with style.

How hot does that look? The cut isn’t as sharp but that’s because she’s trying to grow out her bob, so this fringe was the perfect solution to the boring growing out stage our hair likes to torture us with.

Sending Love...Bizous!

Counter Me In or Counter Me Out?

Row upon row of beauty products, lipsticks stacked in every conceivable shade; fiery reds, tickled pinks, teals and neon oranges. Something for everyone, but do women run towards or run away from make-up counters?

The truth is the make-up counter for most women is not in fact a visit they find as alluring as you would expect. No, instead most find it especially daunting and feel intimidated when approaching the counters. It’s as though you know you’ve just placed yourself perfectly in the line of attack.

You’re drawn in by a counter you’ve not explored up until now, or you’re simply scanning over the latest products added to your favourite line, when you feel the inevitable presence of one of the make-up artists…Looming in the corner she ensnares you before you were able to recoil to a display where you could just look, reach out and touch all the pretty colours. I have witnessed two extremes, firstly the artist with the most immaculate hair and flawless make-up. You would expect this would attract you to them, after all, someone who looks like that has got to have the necessary know-how to help you achieve whatever you wish by way of products. If only it was that simple, we are after all women, we are incredibly complex and multifaceted beings – rather than feel comfort at the fact we may well be in capable hands we become intimidated by this seemingly perfect woman stood in front of us. The other extreme is the artist with the wild hair and unflattering caked-on look. When you see this type of artist you drop whatever you were grasping and try to politely flash a smile  that says ‘I was just looking, I’m walking by, I don’t need any help’. To which the outcome is always the same, ‘Hi there, can I help you?’ Whatever you reply you remain more often than not unable to escape. The desperation to get away this time stems from the fact that you do NOT want to leave the counter and have to parade around looking like an entrant to ‘Drag Idol’.

It sounds like a lose-lose situation, but perhaps some of us simply need to be conscious of the fact it is a sales environment and we WILL be approached.

My ultimate experience at the counter was one not too long ago, where I was not dragged to it but rather drawn to the unique display and animated nature of the sales team. The artist that approached me did so in a completely unthreatening manner, but I was open to interaction. I did not  feel that I was just another sale, but felt well looked after and almost as though I had been talking beauty with one of my girlfriends. It was the Illamasqua counter in Selfridges (Manchester's Trafford Centre), I definately recommend giving it a visit the next time you're there.

Think about the many products you have bought of your own accord, online or in-store - no trial, no assistance, and inevitably in the end you buying that particular shade or finish makes no sense! It’s a chance to ‘try before you buy’ so why should we forsake such an opportunity on account of a seemingly irrational fear? There’s a saying that ‘happy faces attract happy people’ so don’t shy away from counters as they have the potential to be our saviours.

Alas, it doesn’t seem likely that we won’t run into those who work at the counters who pounce on you for a quick sale. They would undoubtedly yield far better results if they could appreciate how much of an affect it actually has on a customer when they take the time to build rapport, understand your needs and wants. Not only does it put you both at ease it also instils a sense of loyalty to that particular brand.

In this case it definitely ‘takes two to make a thing go right’ changing the outlook you have when visiting the makeup counter may well be all the change you need.

Stay beautiful...Bizous!

Weapon of Mass Volumisation !!

I have found the greatest hair tool of all time, the ultimate backcombing brush...



hehe excuse my fish pout but the comb demands ATTITUDE

  

I know i'm kind of late to the party but I can't believe I've lived without this all my life, I almost feel cheated. Not only does it take half the time and effort to to oomphhh up my hair, but gives it a totally different feel of funk. There's no rigid bunches of backcombed mess - the lumps of which would peek through should my hair move out of place, a-no-no-no just a head full of sexed up hair ;)

I'm sure these are pretty easy to get ahold of, I picked up mine at a local salon for £6 - in the words of the french 'C'etait une affaire' (bargain!)

Sending Love

Bizous xx

Hydrate Your Smoochers

Softly, silently, it floats down from the sky, the snow flakes gently sit on our hair which will sure enough begin to 'frizzer-fy' within seconds (ok ok i know that's not a real word but it sounds just right!) I could probably handle it if that was the only issue but these blistering cold winds are at war against my lips; they hardly stood a chance going out bare...boy did i pay the price for that mistake. I always seem to neglect hydrating my lips when they need it most.  Now I've been back and forth with lipcare products; burts bees, lipsyl, carmex, nivea lip repair, but I always find myself right back where I started...

Yes ladies I'm sure you'll all agree that vaseline pots really are a handbag essential & now they have it in 'cocoa butter'. It smells sooo good, I'm constantly reapplying just so I can draw in the tasty scent.

Two weeks of no proper care and my lips were practically dessicated. Two days of applying vaseline and my lips have been restored!

Beat the JANUARY BLUES..

Week one, and only my second day back to the mind-numbing monotony that is'the job' already I find myself counting down the days to my next week off...oh the holiday season was barely here before it was gone - don't you just hate that? :( so I decided I needed a NEW colour for the NEW year to beat the blues. I scurried off like a fool on a mission to my new favourite for nail colour - Barry M...

I bought a similar shade at Sephora (which sadly I left behind on my last trip to Paris - to the exasperating glee of my sister as it now resides in her bag)! But to be honest I think I prefer Barry M's version of the lilac, it's more of a pastel shade whereas Sephora was a tad too bright and barbie doll-like.

The colour came out shockingly rubbish in this!

My little p.s.

take a look at what I scored for a couple of £'s today...

I love how it's a funkier/less bulky version of a typical 'knuckleduster-ring'.  
Even my mum thinks it's pretty awesome!

Sending love
Bizous xx