A beauty junkie in London

I heart Mulberry

noreply@blogger.com (Beautyjunkielondon) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 08:00:00 +0000

I can't believe I didn't blog about this sooner... back in November/December time I went along for the 'experience' that is the Mulberry Sample Sale. As a pretty devoted Mulberry fan, this is the sort of experience that's on a par with the excitement you see on those kids faces in the 'We're going to Disney World' adverts, but for girls with a bit of a shallow, fashion obsessed side (that would be me).

The line ahead of me...

The line behind me.... yep, snaking around the corner...

So along I went, first thing in the morning (yes, I took the morning off work so I could go) thinking I'd get these just before the opening time of 10, wander in, pick up what I wanted, pay (suffer from a dose of buyers remorse) and head back to the office.

But in reality, I arrived half an hour before opening to be greeted by a line that was already snaking around the block and continued to grow behind me... word of advice, if you go to the sample sale, and want to brave the first day - get there early.

Mulberry East-West Bayswater in 'Olive'

I made it inside after not too long a wait, and was greeted by the sort of chaotic shopping scene that I expect to see in a rom com or something. It was madness. So I surveyed the room, and established that the general approach was to grab anything you see that you remotely like and lug it around with you until you decide what to purchase. This caused a bit of an adrenaline rush whenever you saw someone put something down that you liked the look of - the sort of scene you expect to see go into slow motion with women dramatically reaching out shouting 'Nooooo!'

Anyway, my overactive imagination aside - it was pretty mad. I'm glad I took the morning off work, as the line to pay was long and took around 40mins to work my way through.

Describing the morning aside, what did I buy - I went in there with a budget in my head, and came home with two bags that I love very much. One was the sensible bag - the East-West Bayswater in 'Olive' (above) a nice neutral shade that looks smart and classic.

The other bag is not quite as sensible, but that's why I love it. This is the Sparkle Tweed Tillie with Rose Gold hardware. This is the bag that caused such a frenzy in the sample sale at one point that a woman was carted out by security.

Yes, really.

As much as I love Mulberry, I would not get hysterical or physical with other shoppers over a handbag.

Mulberry Tillie in 'Sparkle Tweed' with Rose Gold hard wear

Tillie in Sparkle Tweed

I was actually lucky enough that one of the lovely sales assistants (bless their patience with slightly crazed women going mad for reduced priced handbags for three days straight) was kind enough to sneak this and another sparkle tweed (the Tillie Hobo) my way.

Moral of the story - have manners and be patient.

Mulberry Tillie in Sparkle Tweed

Once I had the bags in my hand the other women were like vultures - asking if I was keeping them both (I wasn't, I can't live off fresh air) and asking if they could have them when I decided - then loitering around me until I decided.

I decided on the Tillie satchel rather than the hobo as it was a little less expensive and I like the long strap.

I do love both of these bags - I have a Mulberry problem!

What did I think of the sample sale overall? Madness. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat (I'm already saving for next year to soften the blow).

Bought by me. My credit card is still smouldering from the damage.

Charles Worthington Straight and Smooth Hair Straightening Kit: Guest Review

noreply@blogger.com (Beautyjunkielondon) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:44:00 +0000

In Autumn last year, Charles Worthington launched an at-home straightening kit, promising results comparable to the in-salon Brazilian blow dry. I went along to the launch to find out more about it, but when it came to testing the product, as someone with flat, straight hair...it wasn't really for me. So I passed my sample of to my lovely friend LW to test for me - and here are her thoughts.... (I should probably add here that LW has hair I'm very jealous of - I want volume and those beachy waves when my hair dries naturally!)

When my all time favourite beauty junkie, Jen, asked me to try out the ‘Charles Worthington Straight and Smooth Hair Straightening Kit’, I jumped at the chance. It is my lifelong quest to achieve straighter, healthier looking hair without having to spend hours blow drying and straightening.

My hair has seen its fair share of colour treatments (from blonde to brown to red and anywhere in between) and the fact that the kit is ‘for coloured hair’ was particularly appealing to me (I knew there would be no hair ‘side effects’ like turning green or falling out). This is my hair before the treatment, dried naturally:

The kit is available at boots only, for £19.99. It comes with the straightening treatment, a conditioner which activates the treatment, an after care conditioner, gloves and a comb. The instructions are so straightforward it would be impossible not to understand how to do this.

The most difficult part of the process was actually the fact that the product has to be applied to wet, shampooed but not conditioned hair. Using the comb I eventually worked out the tangles from my unconditioned hair (which, trust me, is not an easy task) and was ready to apply the treatment.

The treatment is easy to apply (from the roots to the ends of the hair) but is probably best done in the bathroom if you aren’t the most careful of people (like me), as it can be a bit drippy.

The instructions warn that the product will have a ‘particular’ smell which indicates that it is working. This concerned me somewhat. The ‘particular’ smell seemed familiar to me but took me a while to identify.

Eventually, I realised it reminded me of the smell of wee after eating lots of asparagus ... I then understood the use of the euphemism ‘particular’ on the box. The smell is fairly mild and wouldn’t put me off using the product again, but it’s definitely there.

After leaving the treatment on for 20 minutes (and removing the peg from my nose) I rinsed and applied the conditioner for 5 minutes. Couldn’t be easier!

As instructed, I blow dried my hair after using the treatment (I just used a large paddle brush) and it looked like this:

It didn't look particularly different from when I would blow dry it before the treatment (I’m not sure exactly what I was expecting?!) but I stuck to the instructions and used the aftercare conditioner for the next 2-3 washes. The next time I washed my hair I left it to dry naturally (on a nice warm day) and it dried much straighter than it would have done prior to the treatment. Check it out:

A month after using the treatment my hair, dried naturally, looked like this:

Since using the treatment (now 3 months ago), I have rarely felt the need to get the hair straighteners out for more than a quick finishing job and I have often let me hair dry naturally and been very happy with the result.

I'm now starting to feel like it may be worth repeating the treatment, but overall I’m really impressed with how long the effects have lasted (almost as well as the Brazilian blow dry - which I have tried before).

This treatment has saved me so much time on blow drying and straightening my hair and I would definitely go out and buy it again, especially as, compared to a salon Brazilian blow dry treatment, it’s an absolute bargain.

Thanks Jen for introducing me to this great product!

Product was a PR sample.

I need your ideas!

noreply@blogger.com (Beautyjunkielondon) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:18:00 +0000

If you follow me on twitter, then you probably already know this... but it's not long until I go away to New York. The trip was a bit of a spark of extreme generosity (not that I'm not generous normally... but this was a whole another level of generous) for my boyfriend as a Christmas/birthday present. Of course, whilst it's a present for him, it's still something I'm going to enjoy and I might even be lucky enough to hit the shops once or twice...

Image source

So that's where I need your ideas! What brands/products do you have on your America wish list? I need more inspiration... I have some Sephora OPI colours and some Maybelline products that aren't currently available in the UK - but I want more ideas! Any ideas are welcome, small or large!

Comment on this blog to let me know what you think I should check out over there (if you have other NYC related ideas too then let me know!) and I might just bear them in mind for an upcoming readers giveaway I'm planning...

Nip + Fab Clean Fix Cleansing Oil

noreply@blogger.com (Beautyjunkielondon) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:00:00 +0000

I love a cleansing oil, I used to be a die-hard foam cleanser fan. Nothing else felt like it made my skin clean enough, but then I tried my first oil cleanser (the one from DHC) and it changed it all. Since then I've tried a few different ones, including Shu Uemura, MAC and Dermalogica and now this one from NIP and FAB.

The first thing I noticed about the oil is that the scent is really lovely - it's light and a little bit citrussy. Feels really refreshing but I haven't found that it irritates my skin at all. When I say it feels light, it's a bit hard to describe - but I feel like it has a lighter texture than the other brands I have tried.

I also find that it rinses of really easily - it emulsifies in both cool and warm water and does a decent job of easing off eye make-up, although I usually add some eye make-up remover too get the rest of it off.

Packaging wise, I love the look of it and the style but my major bug bear that really, really annoys me is that this bottle leaks - and when I say leaks, I mean really bad. If you look at the close up of the pump shot above all that glossiness? That's not just shiny plastic, that's oil that comes out whenever I use the pump.

There's a chance that this is just a one of fault of course, and I really hope it is as the leaking issue really spoils an otherwise lovely product. I'd love to take this away when I travel, but I can't because of the leaking situation! But fingers crossed it's just a one off fault...

Final thing I wanted to say is if you haven't tried an oil cleanser, I really suggest you do - whatever your skin type is, I really haven't found a faster way to thoroughly remove a face of make-up (and London grime).

Nip+Fab is available from Boots and the cleansing oil (£10.16)

PR sample.

Winter tanning

noreply@blogger.com (Beautyjunkielondon) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:15:00 +0000

Earlier in the month I picked up a couple of sale bargains, including Estee Lauder Sensuous Nude fragrance as I already blogged about... plus I bought not one, but two sets of this St Tropez Gradual Tanning set - including Body and Face Moisturiser in Light Medium.

Generally I find gradual tanning the easiest way to get a bit of colour, although I am so pale a 'proper' tan is probably better for me. Plus it doesn't stink of fake tan at all, I can happily apply in the morning and not be bothered by the scent.

I've been using both of these since early Jan and really like them for ease of use. They are light and absorb easily - they don't stain hands or cuticles so far and the body one definitely delivers a subtle body colour. I'm not 100% on the face one as haven't really noticed a difference, but it is meant to be gradual...

Best part of this duo? It was £10. What a bargain, considering the body moisturiser is about £14 full price... I do love a bargain, hence why I picked up two!

Bought by moi!

Estee Lauder Spring 2012 Topaz Collection

noreply@blogger.com (Beautyjunkielondon) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:09:00 +0000

This is the new Spring Collection from Estee Lauder called 'Topaz' and I love the combination of gold and turquoise shades. I first spotted this over on Vex and the City's blog and a couple of the pieces caught my eye.

Standout products that I love the look of are the nail varnish, the nail colour is called 'Teal Topaz' (£14) and I'm not sure if this is possible for someone who is more than a little obsessed with turquoise, but I don't think I have anything in this sort of rich blue/teal/turquoise looking mixture and I love the look of it.

Then how can I not mention the Gelee Powder highlighter in 'Topaz Chameleon' (£28 and LE). I imagine this to be a highlighter equivalent of the Cyber Eyes shadows, which are amazing in texture and the shade looks very pretty - a sort of soft champagne gold with a light bit of bronze. They released something similar to this last year and I'm still kicking myself for not picking one up.

The collection also includes a yellowy/gold lip gloss, an earthy/desert shade eyeshadow compact called 'Topaz Mosaic', some orange/rich brown shades of lip colour (shades such as Sultry Caramel, Sensuous Nude and Sublime Nectar). But for me the winners are definitely the highlighter and the nail colour - love them.

So what do you think of the collection shots? Anything catch your eye? On a side note, I love the colour of the models hair...that's the shade I want to try...

Flat hair loves...

noreply@blogger.com (Beautyjunkielondon) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 08:30:00 +0000

Hair styling wise, there are a couple of products I have been really loving recently, one from Pantene (which FYI has been repackaged recently, more on that in a mo) and one from Phil Smith 'Xtreme Style'. Both products have been an absolute God-send to me, as someone with fine, flat hair.

Starting with the Phil Smith - this product smells of holidays and Summer, which is no bad thing in bleak January. When I say holidays and Summer, I mean it's scented of coconut - the ultimate summer scent. It's gorgeous. The texture of this is a cream, I usually use around the size of a walnut and use my hands to apply through my hair whilst it's still wet. I find it really helps boost my hair all over, and keeps it full and looking healthy - without turning it crispy as some volumising products can do.

In combination with that I use Pantene Mousse for Volume & Body. I have been loving this and using it daily for a month or two. I use this to volumes at the root and find the combination of the two really delivers decent volume, that lasts longer than my bus ride to work...

I mentioned that Pantene has recently undergone a bit of a change - the brand has essentially repackaged all of it's different hair care sub-brands, such as Aqua Light (which I have professed my love for before) so now the whole range can be selected based on your hair type and needs - so you can pick something that protects your colour, plus conditions thick hair all at the same time. Or volume for fine hair... all sorts of options, but the idea is that it's easier to navigate the brand and find what works for you.

Just in case you haven't spotted the new packaging, here's a little look at the new Pantene post make-over.

Also, interestingly - much of the range has a new scent... so say goodbye to that familiar Pantene smell. Some love this, others miss the old smell - where do you sit?

Overall, this is my styling combination of choice - without them I would be stuck with a head full of flat, lifeless blonde hair!

PR samples.

Discovering Leonor Greyl

noreply@blogger.com (Beautyjunkielondon) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 09:00:00 +0000

One of the best things about blogging can be discovering new products that if I wasn't quite as obsessed with beauty I would be far less likely to stumbled across. One of my most recent discoveries is the hair care loveliness of Leonor Greyl.

Leonor Greyl is not a new range, it's been around in France since the late 60's but it isn't something that's easily available in salons across the UK. It is however, the product of choice for amazing hair stylist and lovely guy, Johnnie Sapong (quite possibly the most chilled out hair stylist I've ever met) in his Studio. I had the pleasure of visiting The Studio at the end of last year and it was quite an experience - and I wasn't even there for a hair session! I enjoyed a wonderful meal (with dishes inspired by the ingredients in the Leonor Greyl products) surrounded by some amazing and surreal artworks...(by Banksy, amongst others) whilst being introduced to Johnnie and his team and the Leonor Greyl range and what it can do for hair.

Having now had a chance to give the products a try I can share some of my thoughts. First up, I don't love it all - a couple of the products are scented with Jasmine which is loved by some, but not a fragrance I love. But two of the products are a real standouts for me.

The oil solidifies when above a certain temp.
But is easy to liquify again, I usually just run hot water over the bottle for a while.

Firstly, the Hair Oil or 'Huile De Palme', is an amazing oil for a pre wash treatment. I've taken to applying a few drops to the end of my hair and leaving it over night to absorb before washing in the morning. This product is one my boyfriend loves actually - every time I apply it he comments on how good it smells. Which is rare... the majority of things used overnight seems to smell pretty potent. But this is lovely.

I have also been using the oil to massage into my scalp as an overnight treatment too. This isn't necessarily one of the uses that was demonstrated to me, but I've been finding it quite soothing for my sensitive scalp (which has been acting on the crazy side recently) so this is a bonus.

Leonor Greyl Shampooing Reviviscence

Secondly, I have really enjoyed using the shampoo. Again, like the oil it smells really good and not overly 'Jasmine' for my tastes. The 'Shampooing Revivisence' is designed specifically for dry and brittle hair. Like the oil, I've found it works well for my sensitive scalp - not as a perfect cure, but it doesn't seem to irritate it further and my hair feels really clean after washing which I like. Plus it feels light, which is rare shampoo designed for dry hair - usually these feel quite heavy.

Third up is the deep conditioner, which I like in terms of how it makes my hair feel but as I mentioned before - the scent isn't to my taste. The big tub comes with a spatula to dispense, despite this I'm more of a scoop with my hand kinda girl... This is another one that leaves my hair feeling really good. Conditioned, soft but not weighed down. If it smelt as good as the oil I'd be in deep-conditioner-heaven.

Overall, I've really enjoyed discovering something new - as someone who has a tendency to try thing that I see in adverts (yes, I'm a sucker for advertising) or from brands I know, it's been really good to try something that's a bit more 'off the beaten path' for me.

Is Leonor Greyl a brand you have heard of before?

PR samples.

Accessorize Metallic Nails: NOTD x2

noreply@blogger.com (Beautyjunkielondon) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:30:00 +0000

Here are two of my recent 'NOTD' looks with the new metallic shades from the Accessorize range of make-up. The dark blue is 'Sapphire' and the pale metallic pink is called 'Greige' (although it's really not at all greige...)

Accessorize Sapphire: Natural Light

Accessorize Greige: Natural Light

These nail polishes absolutely blew me away in terms of quality of pigmentation. The blue in particular is stunning, a gorgeous colour and one shade and it was perfect coverage. It's rare for a polish to promise one coat and genuinely deliver.

Accessorize Sapphire: Flash

Accessorize Greige: Flash

Of the two, the blue was the biggest winner for me. Not only did it apply like a dream & dry pretty quickly. But it lasted really well, around 3 days before it chipped.

The paler colour didn't fair quite as well - it chipped on day one. But on the other fronts, it fared well (one coat, dried quickly).

For the price of £4 a bottle, I am really impressed with these nail polishes and very tempted to pick up more. There's a very pretty looking metallic turquoise that's on my list!

PR samples.

Friday treat: Sequin Jumper

noreply@blogger.com (Beautyjunkielondon) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 21:58:00 +0000

Bit of a late post on this week's Friday treat, had a fairly busy Saturday and a lazy Sunday where blogging motivation has only just kicked in!

Again, this week's treat is something different - an item of clothing. I popped into Dorothy Perkins (the one near Tottenham Court Road station FYI) to have a quick lunch time browse and spotted this little jumper in the sale section. I liked the look of the little transparent sequins as detail on the shoulders and elbows - combined with the nice neutral beige colour and decided this would be the Friday treat this week.

You can just about see the shoulder sequin detail here.

The sequin detail on the elbows.

The jumper was £22, reduced from £32 and I bought it a couple of size up as I wanted to wear it quite slouchy rather than fitted.

You can buy this jumper online from Dorothy Perkins

I also told myself that I have to have a cheaper Friday treat next week as I'm meant to be saving for New York.... Which is a shame, because whilst I was looking for the link to the jumper I bought on the Dorothy Perkins website I spotted a couple of things I want! Such as... (all around £25 each)

Heart Jumper

Striped Jumper

Blush Jumper

I love the red striped jumper, really, really tempted to buy... but trying to talk myself out of it. The other two, I'm really loving peachy/Spring colours at the moment, and slouchy jumpers... so put these together and these two jumpers are officially on my 'want' list.

Now just to talk myself out of purchasing. WHY DOES EVERYTHING LOOK SO GOOD WHEN I'M NOT ALLOWED TO BUY?!

Sequin jumper bought by me.

£5 off Benefit with Diet Coke

noreply@blogger.com (Beautyjunkielondon) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 08:30:00 +0000

Last week I popped along to the lovely Benefit store in Spitalfields market to find out about Diet Coke's latest partnership with the brand. Diet Coke are becoming pretty well known for their partnerships with beauty brands, from exclusive Nails Inc collections (the London shade is still one of my favourite nail colours - one of very few I have a back-up of) to Models Own lip gloss... now they have teamed up with Benefit to offer £5 off any online purchases over £20. Not a discount to sniff at!

As part of the link-up, Lisa Potter-Dixon - Head Make-Up Artist for Benefit has created three looks as featured on three of the Diet Coke dolls that star in the brand's ads, each that matches up with the gorgeous Diet Coke can designs and can be recreated with Benefit products.

There's a Rock Chic look, a Fashionista look and a Romantic look. With my personal fave being the Romantic look. Although I do love the Rock Chic look too - the dark blue and turquoise shades look amazing.

Under each of the pictures for each look below I have listed the key Benefit products used to create the look:

Rock Chick

Base = Porefessional

Foundation = Hello Flawless

Concealer = Boi-ing

Cheeks = Sugarbomb

Highlight = Highbeam

Eyeshadow = Smokin'Eyes

Liner = Bad Gal Waterproof

Lashes = They're Real

Lips = Cha Cha Tint

Gloss = Spiked Punch

Fashionista

Base = Porefessional

Highlight = Watt's Up

Cheeks = Benetint

Eyeshadow = Stiletto cream shadow

Liner = Magic Inc

Lashes = They're Real

Under eyes = Erase Paste

Brows = Brow Zings

Lips = Benetint & Flirt Alert lippie

Romantic

Base = Porefessional & That Gal

Foundation = You Rebel

Concealer = Boi-ing

Cheeks = Bella Bamba

Eyeshadow = Leggy Velvet

Liner = Bad Gal Waterproof

Lashes = They're Real

Lips = Posie Tint

Gloss = Dancing Queen

Here's a bit of a closer look at the Romantic look - I love the combination of gold shadow, black liner and perky pink cheeks and lips. Definitely a look I want to recreate myself!

Another thing I learnt at the event... I want to always have sparkly things on a straw when I drink Diet Coke.

All images from PR event (where some goodies were provided - not all listed of course, but more on those later).

MAC Naturally Collection

noreply@blogger.com (Beautyjunkielondon) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:42:00 +0000

I feel a little like MAC had fallen off my radar recently, but the soon to be launched Naturally collection has jumped right back on. It's everything I love about make-up, neutral shades that make you look like you're glowing and healthy.

Top products I have my eye on are the Blonde and Redhead MSF products - I missed these out on the first time around so really want to pick them up. At the moment I can't decide between the two shades, I like the blonde one because I'm blonde... and like the shade of the redhead one. So I should probably go for the colour I love rather than the name... but will see.

MAC MSF 'Redhead'

MAC MSF 'Blonde'

The blushers looks pretty gorgeous too, and again the names are part of the appeal for me. They just sound so darn fresh and wholesome! FYI - for swatches check out Temptalia.

Subtle Breeze

Early Morning

Fresh Honey

The collection does include more than cheek products of course, but I chose to just highlight the ones that caught my eye!

The collection is on counters on Thursday 2nd Feb.

Physicians Formula Happy Booster Blush

noreply@blogger.com (Beautyjunkielondon) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Last time I was in America I picked up this pretty little blusher from Physicians Formula. Apparently it's a 'Happy Booster' that's meant to actually boost mood... not sure about that but I do know that it's up there with some of the cutest products that I've seen, especially for the price. I think this was around $12.

I guess you can tell it's a drugstore product rather than high end when you look at the colours and the imprints, they don't exactly match up - but still, that's just a niggly detail really. Colour wise, these blend together into a gorgeous pink, with a hint of peach sort of shade.

The little compact pops open so under the product there's a brush and a small mirror, which is a nice touch but generally I don't tend to use whatever the brushes are that come with the product. Plus the separate compartment for this does make it a little bit on the chunky side, packaging wise.

Here's the obligatory shot of me wearing the blusher...

My general thoughts are that colour wise, it's lovely - although the largest heard does have a few little chunks of glitter in a it which isn't ideal, but overall they don't show up too badly.

My main reason for loving this blusher though is how pretty it looks... I can't really vouch for the product itself doing much for my mood but if pretty products cheer you up then this is one you need in your life.

Here's another closer look at the prettiness..

Physicians Formula is one of the brands I am keen to try a couple more products from next time I go to the US. So if you have any recommendations from the brand please leave a comment and let me know! Plus any other US-only products that are worth checking out of course!

Bought by me.

Gielly Green: Before and After

noreply@blogger.com (Beautyjunkielondon) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 08:01:00 +0000

I don't know why, but sometimes it find it so hard to book a hair appointment, I find there's this magic moment where I hate my hair it's a mess and I need it cut and then I just get used to it and almost grow to like it again and I put off getting it cut. Silly, I know.

But this time I think I was going for a record, I'm pretty sure it's been close to 6 months since I last had it cut. Ridiculous, bad beauty blogger.

So here are the 'Before' pictures...

My hair got so long, and whilst I love the length - hair is too fine, it can't take the length and ends up flat and a bit 'blah'. So as much as I'd like to keep it as long, some of the weight had to go.

So off I went to a lovely salon a couple of streets behind Selfridges called Gielly Green. I was lucky enough to be booked in with Shai Greenburg - the co-founder and Creative Director. Shai is lovely, friendly but not in your face - I like it when I'm in a hair salon and I'm left to reading magazines rather than talking about where I'm going on holiday this year. I'm quite happy to sit there and quietly absorb the trash and fashion from a couple of glossies.

What I liked about the appointment, was that I felt immediately comfortable to say I don't really know what I want other than to keep the overall length. Normally I'm far more of a control freak and want the stylist to show me exactly what they want to do, but I felt relaxed and like I was in good hands.

One thing I have to mention (ahem, rave) about is the wash/head massage part. By far my favourite part of any hair appointment.

Firstly, the seat not only reclined so I was resting my head in the bowl, but actually raised up so I was horizontal for the head-wash/massage part. Then the massage was divine! The sink had a soft padded head rest so I wasn't using my neck to hold my head all the time. The head massage was thorough, slow and so relaxing - covering every part of my head, behind the ears... so good (on a side point, I can never decide between keeping my eyes open or closed, I feel awkward with them open and with them closed I feel like I look like I'm enjoing it too much... anyway, might just be me!)

So lovely head massage and skilled, quick sissor work from Shah Greenburg and here are the 'afters'... (please excuse the bad lighting, downside of winter is not enough natural light, but you get the idea)

I'm really happy with my slightly shorter, but much healthier hair. Ideally I'd like to keep growing it longer, but to do so I need to keep it healthy or it just looks flat - so this year I am going to try very hard to ensure I get it cut every 6-8 weeks, although likely to just be a trim.

Thank you to Shai and the Geilly Green salon for having me. You can find out more about the salon via the Gielly Green website.

I was a guest of Gielly Green Salon.

Stylist Pick: My Experience

noreply@blogger.com (Beautyjunkielondon) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 08:01:00 +0000

I love shoes, I may have mentioned this before. A few months ago, when Stylist Pick launched I took the style quiz thing to find out what my style would be decided as and what items would be 'picked' for me. My results contained some hits and some misses. Nothing that wowed me quite enough to purchase. Plus I wasn't keen on signing up for the £39.95 a month 'membership'.

A couple of months later I spotted a pair of boots I did love, a shouchy ankle boot pair, called 'Lucinda' (I can't find a picture of them on the site now) with a little bit of a chunky heel and very 'me' - I liked them, and was going to buy, but they didn't have my size in stock in the colour I wanted. So I left it.

Then over Christmas I received an email where I could order any pair of shoes for £15, so I had a browse, nothing wowed me - until I realised they had the boots I'd previously loved in stock, in black. So I ordered, and went for the free delivery option (3-5 days delivery).

I knew there might be a bit of a delay over Christmas - but it got to the 9th and nothing had arrived - I tried to contact them via email (granted, they do say they try to reply within three days but I didn't want to just wait) so I tried to call them - within opening hours, I was on hold for a couple of minutes then a message came on saying we can't take your call right now, leave a message and someone will get back to you. This was kinda annoying.

So the next day I didn't receive a call or reply to the email, so I tweeted them. I did get a reply then. Turns out, the item I ordered was out of stock...

Nice of them to let me know, don't you think?

I wasn't very happy that it took me chasing them to find this out, since the money had already been taken out of my account. But that was how things stood, they offered me the same pair in a size 5 ("Would that be ok?" Er, no... that would be the wrong size) and offered me a 50% discount on another pair.

In the end I changed the style of boot I had ordered to a black wedge and requested next day delivery be added. They arrived the next day and they are ok - I'm happy enough to have paid £15 for them, had I paid the full price of £39.95 I would not be happy as they definitely aren't that high quality. There are glue marks around the edges of the shoe and they generally feel fairly cheap. Which is ok with me, because for me they were.

Picture from Stylist Pick.

On the positive side, I have to say that when my shoes did arrive - the packaging was really nice. It came in a bag, so easy to carry home after being delivered to work and the shoe box was wrapped up in a ribbon. They also threw in a little pearl bracelet. So it wasn't all horrid...

Handy bag, inside the box the shoes are delivered in...

Pretty packaging

The Boots...

I wanted to blog about this to give readers a bit of a heads up of my experience with Stylist Pick. Overall, I haven't been impressed and don't plan to order from them again. I should add that when I have spoken to a couple of people of twitter about this they have said they had much better experiences than I have, with quick delivery and being pleased with their products - so there is every chance that my experience is a one off, but still hoped it might be useful to share.

The boots were bought by me.

Marie Claire Blog Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Beautyjunkielondon) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

I wasn't sure if I should post on this as I know some people don't like being bombarded with posts about blog awards. But I decided to go with my gut instinct and my gut told me I was delighted to hear that I was on the nominated list for the Marie Claire blogger awards and in the running for the shortlist!

So I figured a little post to say thank you, and a little mention that if you have a moment to vote for me, I'd really appreciate it! You can click on the image above, or the link here to head over to the voting page - my blog is listed under 'Beauty Blog'.

Thank you so much!

Urban Decay Naked 2: Five Days of Naked (2)

noreply@blogger.com (Beautyjunkielondon) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:30:00 +0000

As a neutral lover, I have been really excited for the launch of the second palette of safe and natural eye shadows. After the slightly over-hyped Internet buzz on the night of the launch I had decided that I didn't want to just do a general review of the palette as blog-land is going to be flooded with them.

So I decided to do '5 days of Naked (2)'... which is basically 5 days of wearing the Naked 2 palette, in different combinations. Of course, being me and using neutral shadows - this all seemed like a great idea...until most days look remarkably similar. But still, you can get the idea. Then, after five days of wear I could share my thoughts on the palette overall.

Here are the new shades that feature in Naked 2:

L-R: Foxy, Half Baked, Bootycall, Chopper

L-R: Tease, Snakebite, Suspect, Pistol

L-R: Verve, YDK, Busted, Blackout

Day 1: Monday

Who knows how, but Monday was one of the days I made the most effort this week... I think largely due to being excited to use the new Naked 2 palette!

To beat the Monday blues I went for... the pale, shimmery, Bootycall all over the lid with a touch of Suspect (pale bronze shimmer) and a bit of Snakebite (darker bronze shimmer). I also used a bit of MAC Teddy eyeliner to line the lower lash line. It looks greyer in the pictures than it was in real life, probably because I took these in early morning light...

Day 2: Tuesday

Check me out making a little moving gif thingy...

Tuesdays look of choice was a simple combo of Bootycall (again) and Pistol for a bit of a smoky-ish look, rather than just bronze shades. I did this along the lower lash line too, rather than just on the lid.

At this point I think Pistol is in the lead for favourite shade of choice....

TUESDAYS LOOK

Day 3: Wednesday

Running a bit late, so just a sweep of YDK across the lid for today. Plus another smudge of Teddy eyeliner all around the eyes (current favourite eyeliner).

Day 4: Thursday

Bit of a golden look for today - love a bit of gold ever since I learnt it works amazingly with blue eyes. I teamed some Half Baked all over the lid, with a bit of Illamasqua gold eyeliner in 'Alchemy', along the upper lash line and a little bit along the lower lash line too.

How rubbish and smudged does my eyeshadow look!? I swear it didn't look that bad until I took the photo with flash...

Day 5: Friday

Friday I went for Bootycall, all over the lid then with some Busted close to the lash line and in the crease to add a bit of definition. Busted is my favourite of the darker shades, this was my version of a work friendly smokey eye...

So after a week of Naked 2, I have the following thoughts:

1. The packaging is a win for me. The original palette looks nice and I love the colours, but packaging wise, Naked 2 is a clear winner. It's compact, snaps shut and because it's metal it's much more travel friendly - firstly it withstands damage, and secondly it's much easier to keep clean. So big thumbs up for the palette from me.

2. If you already have the original Naked palette, you don't *need* the new palette. Being totally realistic that is. But I do love the new Naked 2 palette, so if you're a neutral lovely like me and wear nothing but - then you can justify this. If I owned neither palette and had to choose one, I'd choose Naked 2 (mostly due to the packaging as much as the shades)

3. Shade-wise, I find it hard to compare the two palettes as there are some pretty similar shades in there. But in Naked 2 my favourite shades are: Bootycall (a nice pale, goes with everything highlight shade), Pistol (a pale silver-grey colour, with a hint of warm 'pewter-y' shade to it) and YDK (a champagne-bronze easy to do a one-colour look with). My one negative with the shades in Naked 2 is that there are a couple of matte shades I just can't see myself using - Foxy (it would just vanish on me) and Blackout (it's a gorgeously pigmented black but I just doubt I'll use it to be really honest).

4. Not Naked-palette related as such, but I need to take more time in the morning with eyeshadow...

Urban Decay Naked Palette 2 is available now exclusively from Debenhams for £36.

PR sample.

Beauty box stand-out products: December 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Beautyjunkielondon) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Before I launch into this post, I'd like to ask your views on something... beauty boxes. Obviously there are a load of them on the market now, but I wanted to ask what you think of how I am thinking of writing about them. I'm keen not to do just a post on 'What's in my...' each month, but rather wait a bit, use the products and then pick my stand out ones for the month.

This is what I'm doing here, the products are from a couple of boxes (Glossy Box December and Jolie Box December) and will include pictures of what's in the box, but I don't really just want to list what was in them, I want to highlight my favourites - after I've had a bit of time to actually play with the products and see what I really think.

Let me know what you think on this approach, if you just want to see what's in the box then I can still do that, but figured that if you read more than just this blog you're likely to have seen a few similar posts by the time mine goes up! For this review there will be the pictures of what's in each of the boxes, but I won't be going into detail about each product. For potential future posts, I might just focus on my favourite product?

Anyway, comment below and let me know what you think! And back to my picks of the December boxes...

Jolie Box:

First up, my pick from the December Jolie Box (previously Boudoir Prive) has to be the full sized OPI shatter polish in Gold.

I normally really don't like shatter polishes - but something about the gold really appealed. So I tried applying it on it's own rather than as a top coat, and a few coats later I had lovely sparkly gold nails, without a crack or shatter in sight. Throw on a top coat and it's fabulous! The gold does dry to a bit of a matte finish, so needs a top coat. But overall, I have a gorgeous gold (full sized) OPI. Happy days.

I should mention that on first impression, opening my Jolie Box, I liked the New CID lip gloss as my stand-out product. But when I used it I realised the wand/brush bristles were all frayed and sticking out all over, so it made it a bit of a mess to apply. So whilst the colour is lovely, I prefer the sponge style wands for lip gloss application. So that made my decision for me, my standout is the OPI (but as an all over colour rather than shatter top coat).

Glossy Box

Onto the next box, the December Glossy Box - my pick from the box has to be the Rituals Yogi Flow Shower Mousse. I was going to go with the Deborah Lipman, but I can't always choose nail varnish!

I do have to slightly caveat this stand out product... there were also some lovely Blinc and Go make-up palettes in some people's December Glossy Boxes. I got to try these because I spent an afternoon filming a video with Glossy Box and loved them, there's a gorgeous neutrals/shimmering metallic palette that's absolutely lovely. But I can't technically include it as my pick as it wasn't in my box!

So based on those decision making factors, my favourite is the shower mousse, I tried another of the Rituals mousses a month or so ago and loved it, and this one smells just as amazing - so I was very happy to find a lovely full sized one in my Glossy Box.

So there we have it... my stand out products of December 2011 beauty boxes:

Jolie Box December: OPI Gold Shatter Polish
Glossy Box December: Rituals Yogi Flow Shower Foam

Along with the products I loved, I should very quickly mention the ones I'd skip... for Jolie Box it has to be the tea, I'm just not a tea-drinker and for Glossy Box it would be the shimmery Cargo lip gloss, just because I don't really like glitter in lip gloss. But as with any of these sample-delivery box things, there will always be ones you love and ones you are a bit 'meh' about!

Overall though, I was really impressed with the contents for both boxes this month... as always, curious to see what they include next! The surprise of opening them has to be the most exciting part of a beauty box delivery!

Both boxes were PR samples.

Friday Treat: Superdrug random bits

noreply@blogger.com (Beautyjunkielondon) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 22:32:00 +0000

So it's week two of my Friday treat series that I decided to start (as of last Friday). This week's treats aren't exactly as exciting as last week's nail varnish treats, but still - some of the weeks will be more exciting than others!

I decided to head to Superdrug for a browse, to see what caught my eye. First thing that did was the new foundation from Maybelline, their new mousse/foam foundation. I had a bit of a play with the testers to see which shade I'd be, and I really just don't get it - of the shades I tried most of them seemed pretty much nothing. Just foam, and not even tinted foam. I tried one of the darker shades, just to see if that was any difference and it was slightly tinted but from rubbing into the back of my hand there was absolutely zero coverage.... I don't really get it. Of course, this is just having a play with a couple of the testers in the shop, but I'll definitely be waiting to read some proper reviews before I consider picking this one up.

The glamorous life I lead...

So after that I browsed the make-up a bit and nothing really jumped out at me, so headed to the other bits. Eventually I decided I needed a new shower puff thingy and a shower cap for the days where I don't want to wash my hair (I'm trying to break my current addiction to washing my hair daily).... see, told you it wasn't exactly thrilling!

Then I also picked up the new hand cream version of the Garnier 7 Day Moisturiser. I love a good hand cream and have them stashed all over, so this one is to go on my desk at work as my previous one had pretty much run out. I've obviously only just tried it, but it feels good, rubs in easily, not greasy, smells nice... will see how I get on and if it's worth a review after a couple of weeks.

Nom nom nom.

I also treated myself to a cheeky little packet of Starburst... see, not all just beauty treats!

Bought by me.

Topshop Parma Violet: NOTD

noreply@blogger.com (Beautyjunkielondon) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 08:01:00 +0000

My first NOTD of 2012 wasn't exactly a traditional winter colour, but it is an absolutely one of my favourites. This is the lovely 'Parma Violet' from Topshop - a lovely little pale lilac.

I've said this before, but I love the Topshop packaging - cute but not in your face girly.

I've also included the two other nail products I am loving at the moment - the No7 Base Coat does a great job of smoothing before application and staying. The other one I was using (think it was just a generic Boots one) was pretty rubbish and kept peeling. But this one works really well and is great value (especially if bought with the £5 vouchers).

The other one is Nailene Acrylic Strong Top Coat - creates a gorgeously glossy top coat that really lasts, staying glossy and keeps its fab (the green tinge doesn't seem to make any difference to the colour).

I was thinking about nail care stuff, I have quite a selection of products to try and keep my nails healthy as I've always suffered from dry hands and cuticles - so maybe I should do a post on what I've used, liked and what's not worked for me.

Natural Light

If you have any recommendations for nail or cuticle care products please let me know, it's a bit of an obsession for me!

All bought by me.

The art of Fotoshop...

noreply@blogger.com (Beautyjunkielondon) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:03:00 +0000

I just saw this video, I think it's doing the rounds on line so you may have already seen it...but I wanted to share anyway. It's well worth a watch!

Not that the use of editing software is a new thing at all, in a world where beauty is kinda a big deal it's nice to have a little reminder that perfection isn't realistic...

Fotoshop by Adobé from Jesse Rosten on Vimeo.

Look Kimono: NOTD

noreply@blogger.com (Beautyjunkielondon) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 08:01:00 +0000

I need to stop calling these NOTD's as this one if from about mid December, I just forgot to upload the pictures until now. Doh. But never mind, it's still one that's definitely worth sharing as it's a stunner.

This is Kimono, from the Look Beauty range and it's a gorgeous green/bronze/gold duo chrome shade that magically manages to change between all colours in different lighting. I've included a load of photos as it looks so different in each of them!

The green/gold duo chrome shows up best in natural light.

Bronzey/gold shades show under the flash - I love this shade!

The bronze shade shows more in artificial light - I love how it looks in artificial light!

This is more the greeny/yellow shades that show, also in natural light.

Another one showing the duo chrome shades. Isn't it pretty?!

I love the multi-coloured-ness of this nail colour, it's apparently a bit of a Chanel dupe too... It's definitely a shade to wear to get noticed, I had loads of comments and compliments from people although gold/green nails aren't exactly for everyone!

For £5, I think this is a good colour to add to the collection - it's definitely unlike any other shade I already own! It's one I also want to try with a matte top coat, to see how that alters the shade in different lighting!

PR sample.

Currently loving: Pinterest

noreply@blogger.com (Beautyjunkielondon) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 08:01:00 +0000

Only tentatively beauty related - but I wanted to share my latest obsession with you...Pinterest. Just in case you haven't heard of it, Pinterest is a fab little website/kinda social network thing where you can collect any images from the Internet or photos you take and group them into boards.

I've been using it to collect images mainly of home decor inspiration as I'm pretty much obsessed with decorating at the moment. I live in a new build flat, so it's fairly neutral/generic so I'm really keen to give it some personality so love collecting images that give me ideas and pictures of bits of furniture I want to buy.

I also like to 'pin' pictures of gorgeous beauty looks or fashion inspiration plus a few of general things and places I love or have on my lust list. Chances are I'll also start pinning pictures of clothes or accessories I spot when shopping and want to buy - I already have a tendency to take pictures of stuff I want to buy, so might as well add them to my boards! Oh yeah, and I should also mention there's an iPhone app that makes it even more addictive than it already is.

If you want to join Pinterest and want me to send you an invite let me know in the comments below (leave your email address there) and I'll send you one asap!

Also, if you want to follow me on Pinterest, my user name is beautyjunkieldn

A little bit random, but wanted to share!

Pretty things

noreply@blogger.com (Beautyjunkielondon) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 08:01:00 +0000

The back to work after Christmas holidays blues were brightened this week when this lovely little treat landed on my doorstep:

It was a lovely little surprise, I do love a pretty book and this is about as pretty and girly as they get. This is a book of fun fantasy fairy tales from Viktor and Rolf, the guys behind the amazing Flowerbomb perfume.

The book of fairy tales is obviously a little far removed from their usual talent of fashion, but it's very cute and packed with adorable quotes and lovely illustrations. Very much a girly-girls book! I've picked out a couple of the quotes I liked to share...

They are the sort of lovely little quotes that I'd like to get framed and hang around the house...

Fairy Tales by Viktor and Rolf rrp £12.99 (currently £11.16 on Amazon)

PR sample.

Friday treat: Topshop nail polishes

noreply@blogger.com (Beautyjunkielondon) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 08:01:00 +0000

This is the first in what could become a series. All about, you guessed it- nice little Friday treats. When I say *could* become, what I mean is that I'd like it too, but it might not be every Friday. My criteria for something being classed as a Friday treat are the following:

1. It can't be a big, anticipated purchase - it has to be small and impulsive (not that I'm encouraging impulsive spending or anything).
2. It has to be bought on a Friday.

So pretty simple really. I should probably add that it doesn't always have to be a beauty treat, but it most likely will be.

This weeks Friday treat are these two little beauties from Topshop's make up range. My first NOTD of 2012 has been Topshop Parma Violet (I love a purple/lilac nail polish) it's lasted so well that it just made me want more from the Topshop range.

I adore the packaging and the colour range is always as on trend as is possible. I loved their recent metallic collection too, so decided to add a couple to my own.

I planned to just get one as my Friday treat, but I was in a hurry and can't make decisions so ended up with two. Oops.

They are:

Moonshine: A warm metallic that's partly a pinky rose-gold, partly a pale bronze with a silvery shimmer running through it.

Mercury Miasma: A metallic blue with silvery shimmer. The shimmer is a bit chunky than in moonshine, so more like a fine glitter than a shimmer really. I don't have anything like this in my collection already, so excited to try it out.

What do you think of Topshop nail colours? Any recommendations??

Bought by me.