All Things Frivolous

Classic Bridal/Neutral Shimmery Eye EOTD

2013-04-06T20:37:00.000+01:00

Hi Cherubs!

Another Eye of the Day look I did using one of my all time favourite eyeshadows by Barry M - Dazzle Dust Number 39 - Tan. I adore this colour as it is just beautiful, classic, warm like a pinky bronze/skin colour.

Its just so gorgeous when placed on the eyelid and a dark warm brown is used to blend the colour out. I particularly love using this shade on brides as it creates the perfect classic slightly shimmery neutral eye.

Products Used:

Eyes

Urban Decay Primer Potion to prime the eyelid
MAC Ricepaper Eyeshadow to highlight under the brow
Barry M No 39 Tan Eyeshadow on the eyelid
Stila Matt Red/Brown Eyeshadow used to blend the outer corner of the eye out for depth
Stila Matt Black eyeshadow in the outer corner to deepen the colour
L'Oreal Super Liner in black thinly across the upper eyelid
Eyelure Girls Aloud Cheryl Lashes cut in half
Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara

xoxo Angel5ace xoxo

Purple Glitter Smokey Eye EOTD

2013-03-29T20:25:00.000+00:00

My Cherubs!

Here is a purple glitter Eye of the Day I did recently. For a closer look, simply click on the pictures below:

Products Used:

Eyes

Urbay Decay Primer Potion to prime the eyelids
MAC Eyeshadow Nocturnelle all over eyelids and underneath and blended out
MAC Ricepaper eyeshadow inner corner of eye and browbone
Collection 2000 glitter liner all over lid up to but not into the crease area
MAC Smolder Eye kohl on waterline
Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara
L'Oreal Super Liner Black eyeliner along upper lid
Corner false lashes (sorry I cant remember the brand!)

Hope you like it!

xoxo Angel5ace xoxo

Ombre Hair! Review of L'Oreal Wild Ombres

2013-03-25T20:16:00.002+00:00

Hi Cherubs!

Its been a while to say the least!

I was getting frustrated with my hair as I had cut it into a "sensible" shoulder length cut fairly recently and gone back to my natural hair colour.

So in one fell swoop I decided to take the plunge and go straight for a hair trend and undo all my sensible efforts with L'Oreal Wild Ombre in Number 1!

As you can see there are 3 options, for dark, medium and light hair.

The kit comes with an instruction pamphlet, applicator brush, plastic gloves, 3 lotions and 1 conditioning shampoo.

I have to say the instructions were decent but found that their online video was the most helpful to really get a clear idea of what I needed to do before I started. Also before I started I looked at various pics online and decided where I wanted to start applying the mixture - in my case between the ear lobe and the chin as my hair is just below shoulder length. The written pamphlet guide was fairly helpful in this regard too.

The applicator brush was handy to apply the mixture but they could have advised a bit more how to use it more precisely i.e. that you apply less pressure for the gradual effect and then more pressure where you wanted the most concentration of colour. I decided to start with light pressure higher up then more pressure through to the ends with an extra layer just on the tips to really get that graduated effect.

The timings for leaving the mixture on were pretty accurate, as it said 25-45 mins but as I had dyed my hair for years I knew my hair took colour pretty quickly so 30 mins was more than enough.

The colour washed out really quickly and the shampoo helped with that but I have to say that it was nowhere near conditioning enough. I dont know why L'Oreal decided not to give an actual intense conditioner as they do with their normal hair dyes. My hair felt very dry as I was washing the colour out so I put a deep conditioning treatment on it (Its A Ten intensive treatment in case you were wondering - I have reviewed it here http://frivolousbyangel5ace.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/top-ten-best-beauty-items-of-moment.html).

I also applied a few drops of L'Oreal Extraordinary Oil for coloured hair before drying and smoothed a teeny bit more into the ends when drying. My hair felt nicely conditioned after drying so I dread to think what my hair would have felt like if I hadn't taken all those steps.

So anyway here is the end result!

I think I will end up dying it back to my normal colour in a few weeks but for now I am pretty chuffed with my trendy hair!

xoxo Angel5ace xoxo

French / Paris Pharmacy Beauty Products and Paris Sephora Haul!!

2012-11-09T14:26:00.000+00:00

Hi Cherubs!

My husband decided to surprise me on my birthday a few weeks ago with a romantic weekend to Paris! I was absolutely over the moon (not to mention shocked as this kind of thing happens very rarely these days!)

My first thought was what foods I wanted to try and my second thought went to all the amazing French Pharmacie products that I have been desperate to try.

I did my research and decided to visit City Pharma on Rue Four in St Germain du Pres as I had heard it was the best place for a huge variety of products and good value. St Germain du Pres is very pretty and also just a couple of Metro stops from where we were so it was not at all out of the way. At first when I walked in I was so overwhelmed with the amount of products and the number of people crammed in a relatively small store. But I soon got to work locating the products I had decided I wanted before-hand, and then moving on to some slightly panicked, impromptu buys. There are lots of staff on hand who speak several European languages to help you choose and who are very informative and professional. It really was an interesting experience. I could have spent days in there, not to mention hundreds of Euro but I was pretty selective and think I made some good choices. I came away with a huge bag of products which would have easily cost 3 times as much in the

This is what I ended up getting:

Ducray Keracnyl Foaming Gel Wash

I bought this in my mad panic phase at City Pharma as it was on offer. I had always meant to pick something up that I could use on my body for any occasionally breakouts. Having been using this for the last 2 weeks on my back which had suffered recently with a couple of spots I have noticed an immediate difference in that they reduced in size immediately and overall the skin felt much cleaner and fresher. I absolutely love this for delivering exactly what is promised and for being kind to sensitive skin.

La Roche Posay Effaclar AI

I had heard so much about this brand and spent many a time gazing at the (almost) identical blue and white packaging in Boots, feeling ever so confused as to what to purchase. I finally took the plunge and, having consulted with the super efficient sales woman in City Pharma bought this for my oily T Zone. I mostly use this on my forehead which always breaks out every few weeks. This was a definite success! I applied this at night after cleansing my skin and the next morning my husband said he noticed my skin looked much clearer! It doesn’t dry my skin out at all.

La Roche Posay Cicaplaste Baum B5

This was bought on a bit of a whim since it seems to be one of those all purpose, wonder creams that you get lured into buying then never actually use, however, I have to say it is brilliant! It is described as a balm which always makes me think of something really rich and gummy, like Vaseline or something, but in fact it’s a white cream of average consistency. It disappears into my skin immediately with no residue and I use it only on areas of skin which are dry, tight and/or sore/irritated. I apply it at night and the next morning wake up with soothed and plumped, hydrated skin. Another great success!

Bioderma Crealine H20 Solution

I first discovered this when I lived in Dubai and absolutely adored it as a makeup cleanser. Since it ran out I didn’t re-stock as couldn’t find it in the

. I therefore took full advantage of a double offer at City Pharma. What can I say about this? Well it has the consistency and soothing qualities of pure H2O, whilst being tough enough to completely remove even waterproof makeup. Best thing is it’s especially for sensitive skin so no irritation is experienced at all! I have to say is this is the best makeup remover I have ever used. Try it, you won’t regret it.

Bioderma Eye Contour Cream

I picked this up because I have been looking for a trustworthy, sensitive skin eye cream which doesn’t cost the earth. Bioderma to the rescue! I am never quite sure what to expect from an eye cream, I suppose all I personally want is to be able to moisturise the under eye area without any kind of irritation or reaction. It’s going well so far!

Bioderma Moisturising Lotion for Oily Weakened Skin

Wow. I was seriously impressed when I spotted this. Now I wish I had grabbed two or three of these. It is a daily moisturising cream which is especially for oily, sensitive skin which suffers from breakouts. Simple enough but what it also claims to do is re-hydrate and strengthen oily yet dehydrated skin. I love the simplicity of a cream that I know will help with breakouts but not dry out my skin yet still keeps it soft and hydrated.

Caudalie Beauty Elixir

This was a bit of a splurge because, truly, I am not sure it does anything better than a water mist or setting spray. But it comes in beautiful packaging, has top quality essential oils blended to a soothing symphony of smells and just feels luxurious when misted onto the skin. This will be coming with me on every flight so I can freshen up, protect my skin, lightly moisturise it and (more importantly for those economy flights!) scent the air with relaxing, aromatherapy!

Embryolisse Eau de Beaute Rosamelis

Ok. So I bought another hydrating, freshening, essential oil scented facial mist. This time by Embryolisse (who make awesome luscious moisturisers). This one has a gentle floral scent which is not at all sickening, it literally smells like fresh cut flowers! I bought it because it was so cheap (I believe it was 5 Euros) and I loved the smell, and just because I wanted it! So sue me..

Nuxe Baume Reve de Miel

Apparently one of these is sold every few seconds around the world. I wanted to see what all the hype is, especially as I already have found my Kiehls holy grail lip balm. I have to say it tastes yummy, feels luscious on the lips and lasts. But Kiehls already does this for me, so the reason I actually think it could be a contender is that it is matte, rather than shiny! I don’t always want slippery, shiny lipbalm, especially if I am applying it in preparation for a boldly coloured lip, so it is pretty awesome to get a matte finish. It’s fairly rare in lipbalms too. One definite downside is the packaging – very pretty but soooo impractical and unhygienic as it comes in a glass jar with screw top lid.

La Roche Posay Hydraphase Intense Mask

I actually haven’t tried this yet, but definitely want to test it out and compare to my also recently purchased NARS aqua gel hydrator. As usual from La Roche Posay I am expecting something fairly miraculous. A face mask that is plumping, hydrating, soothing and doesn’t irritate my skin or break me out. Not too much to ask, is it??

NARS Aqua Gel Hydrator

I adore NARS and, in my humble opinion, simply don’t own enough of their products (mostly because they are super pricey!). I was introduced to their skin care line by my wedding day makeup artist. The first thing I loved was the hydrating freshening lotion – I don’t think they make this anymore but I just love how clean and revitalised my skin feels, not to mention it totally eliminates dry patches! Anyway I am not here to review that! I tried this mask as I was looking for something nourishing that I could leave on my skin but also that was invisible and that I didn’t have to wash off. I applied it exactly as I was told to by the sales assistant. So you basically take a dollop of it, and massage into the face. At first it turns slippery, then once the initial slipperiness disappears it has sunk into the skin and is “activated”. It is not to be worn as a moisturiser but only as an overnight mask. So I did the honours and the next morning was pleasantly surprised to find this simple looking, white cream/gel which disappeared into my skin had a completely rejuvenating effect! My skin in the morning seemed plumper, fresher and very hydrated. I would love to use this every day but was warned not to by the sales assistant, and anyway, its way too expensive to do that!

Avene Cleanance Gel Wash

I had discovered this a couple of years ago in Boots and again, absolutely loved it. It is just a simple foaming face wash. It magically erases all traces of makeup (even waterproof mascara) and leaves my skin with that really clean feeling and best of all, it rinses properly away so you have no residue left. Just clean skin. I also don’t feel that my skin feels super dry or tight like with most cleansers. Of course as it is Avene it is great for sensitive skin too.

Bioderma Sebium Exfoliating Gel

I got this simply because I wanted the full set so to speak! So far, so scrubby! Does what it says on the tin. Given the La Roche Posay Effaclar AI, I don’t use this more than once a week and then only on my T Zone.

Sephora

I also popped into the vast Sephora on the Champs Elysses and picked up just 3, yes 3! items which were all very inexpensive – the Sephora lash amplifier tool, the Sephora French manicure stickers and a travel size Frederik Fekkai glossing cream. I haven’t tried any of these products yet but I am looking forward to it!

In conclusion, French Pharmacies are heads and shoulders above

pharmacies (with the possible exception of large Boots stores) in terms of variety, customer service and sheer quality of average priced products. The vast majority of the above items were substantially cheaper that buying the same items online here in the

. For those that have access to the popular French products like Avene, La Roche Posay, vichy etc do try them as I think you will be very pleasantly surprised at the quality. Boots currently have a 3 for 2 offer on Avene, Vichy and La Roche so have a root around.

On a side note I absolutely LOVED Paris! I had the most amazing time, it is a place that can be seriously underrated in the

, but if you do your research and follow the French rules for etiquette and, most importantly, at least attempt to speak French, you will experience true hospitality and kindness, and some of the best food in the world!

How to Wake Up Beautiful!! 8 Amazing Tips!!

2012-07-07T18:18:00.000+01:00

Hey my Cherubs!

I feel like I am always apologising for not spending enough time on this blog! So I am not going to this time, except to say that I missed you all! I got the idea of this post when a few weekends ago, a couple of my girl friends came over for dinner, drinks, movies and just a fun girlie weekend. They found my time consuming night time beauty regime completely hilarious but when I explained more they were really intrigued.

This is a guide to some great tips on what you can use before bed to ensure you wake up looking great, which may come in particularly handy for those of you who may be planning on waking up to someone special for the first time and dread that person seeing them first thing in the morning..

1. Overnight Beauty Moisture Balm for Hair by Umberto Giannini

I discovered this around 3 years ago. It is a "first of its kind night cream for the hair" according to the label! I love this cream which smells luscious and is really light weight as it works by adding and retaining moisture in the hair so you wake up with a smooth, glossy, non-greasy mane. I hate waking up with big, frazzled hair and this is an excellent way of keeping the ends tame and healthy looking through till morning.

2. Asda Little Angels Liquid Talc

This is a bit random, but really works! At night, in bed people naturally perspire, so sometimes putting moisturising products into the skin on the body just adds to that greasy feeling in the morning. This product is basically a liquid talc, i.e. liquid baby powder! So what it does is sink into the skin leaving it smooth and moisturised, but dries to an imperceptible powder finish onto the skin! It is beautifully scented of that clean fresh talc smell, leaves no traces on the bed clothes and leaves your skin feeling extra smooth to the touch, but not greasy! Best of all it controls any perspiration through the night so your body looks and feels fresh and smooth, not clammy the next day!

3. Silk Pillow Case

A good friend told me about an organic silk pillow case which apparently prevents wrinkles! Sounds too good to be true? Well it kind of is a myth as it doesn't prevent wrinkles, but what it DOES do, is stop you from waking up with those bed clothes creases on your face from cotton pressed against your face or cheeks all night. In addition, it causes much less friction with your skin and hair, preventing frizzy hair and rough skin, AND doesn't soak up any moisturisers you may have put on your skin or hair, which regular cotton pillow cases do, allowing you to fully benefit from the products! Now you must buy real silk, this will NOT work with satin or polyester! You can buy organic silk pillow cases online from just £20 and they also look and feel really luxurious!

4. Neosporin Lip Health Overnight Renewal Therapy

To wake up with soft, kissable lips, you can just keep regular lip balm by your bedside and slick on a bit, simples! OR you can try an overnight lip treatment, basically an extra strength lip balm which sinks in over night leaving your lips naturally hydrated by the next morning! Also simples! Try this Neosporin one which is available online for just a couple of pounds and is really, very effective!

5. Origins Eye Doctor

There are tonnes of night eye creams on the market all claiming to do lots of things. You should find one you like and use it every night, the benefit of using eye cream is obvious, it's a very delicate area of skin under the eye that is prone to over drying and sensitivity. Night is the perfect time to slather a luxurious eye cream to really allow it good time to soak in and activate. I personally love Origins products and Eye Doctor is one of my faves!

6. Origins Peace of Mind

Another Origins product which is a real life saver for me! Since a friend introduced me to it around 5 years ago it hasn't left my bedside table. Ok this isnt actually a beauty product per se, but what it does do is allow me to enjoy good quality sleep, in turn I wake up feeling rested and fresh, which of course has a knock on effect on how I look! I personally don't tend to sleep that well generally, but this is a menthol balm packed full of other natural essential oils and potions which just seems to lift any thoughts or troubles from my mind and lull me into a natural sleep. I rub a very small amount onto the centre of the back of my neck, ear lobes and temples and breathe deep.. Ahhhhhh!

7. H20 Plus lemon

The most embarrassing thing to wake up with? Morning breath, yuck! Good dental care is a must. Make sure even after any, ahem, tiring activities you make the time to floss, brush (teeth and tongue) and gargle before bed. Take a big glass of water with a couple drops of lemon juice to bed and when you wake up in the morning, take a big sip of the water and it will shake the cobwebs off and refresh your breath before you get a chance to brush your teeth again.

8. Sexy voluminous waves created while you sleep!

I mentioned above that big, frazzled hair in the morning isnt my idea of pretty, but what if you could wake up to a controlled yet sexy hairdo? No really? It is possible, And the best thing is you don't need to use any heat or products and it "develops" overnight so you wake up with fantastic hair! All you need to do is tie your hair into a high-ish pony, split the ponytail into four pieces and using two fingers, wrap each piece around your two fingers as if to create a loose pin curl and simply use a bobby pin to pin to the base of the pony. You end up with a cute bun so you still look good going to bed. When you wake up in the morning, just unpin your hair, take out the ponytail and loosen the curls with your fingers and you end up with soft, sexy waves! Voila! If you are not sure what to do watch this fantastic video by Lilith Moon (thats her in the pic above with the hairstyle results!)! You can thank me later!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho03t3OAAag&feature=youtube_gdata_player

I hope you all learnt something, what are your top tips to wake up looking gorgeous??

Xoxo Angel5ace xoxo

Get Your Summer Glow On - On a Budget!! - The best drugstore products for the sun kissed look

2012-05-07T16:12:00.000+01:00

Cherubs!

I am going to share some top secret beauty tips with you all today! Summer is coming and it is time to get your glow on!

Whatever your shade of skin, when the sunlight hits, you want to enhance the natural glow it gives you. A heavy, matt makeup look is not going to acheive this, instead luminous, highlighted skin that catches the light just so, soft natural gold and bronze tones that sparkle subtley.. thats what I go for anyway!

However what you dont need to do is spend a fortune to achieve this. I have hand picked and tested some really high-performing products that won't cost you the earth.

1. Sugar and Olive Oil Body Scrub

You may be showing a little more flesh when the weather is hot, so you need to make sure it is in tip top condition. Start by using a body scrub which is nourishing yet effective at sloughing off any patches of dry, dull skin. The best and cheapest body scrub is this simple sugar and olive oil homemade scrub. Simply mix equal quantities of olive oil and granulated sugar. Add a good squeeze of honey and a dash of rose water. Keep it in a plastic screw top tub in your bathroom. Simples!

2. NSpa Indulgent Toffee Shimmer Body Oil

So now your skin is soft and smooth, now you need to lock in the moisture to get a head start on that subtle, bronzed sun kissed effect. This product is a non-greasy body oil which smells exactly like sweet toffee! It is pigmented with a bronze, pearlescent effect. Spray and gently buff into legs, arms, collar bones, shoulders and it makes your skin feel so silky and soft. Best thing is it makes you smell good enough to eat! This little bottle of liquid sunset costs just £1 from Asda!

3. H and M Eyeshadow Duo in Hot Sands

I picked up this eyeshadow duo on an absolute whim for just 99 pence and really wasn't expecting an awful lot but boy was I surprised! This eyeshadow has a fantastic, buttery soft texture and is really, really pigmented. The colours give the most perfect burnished coppery gold smokey eyes and you can even use the lighter shade as a highlighter on the tops of your cheekbones. All you need to do is take a fluffy blending brush and buff the copper colour all over the eyelid and into the socket too. Use the lighter shade on the area under the browbone and in the inner tear duct. Sweep the copper shade under the eye too and smudge black kohl on your waterline and voila! You have the perfect sexy, golden goddess look down. Love this!

4. UNE Sheer Lips Balm

To keep with the hydrated, youthful, beach babe vibe, the lips need to be kept simple (especially if you opted for the sexy copper smokey eye look detailed above). Lipgloss seems like it would be the obvious choice but gloss can be sticky, yet, ultimately drying on the lips, not to mention not always as natural-looking as you may want. Instead try these gorgeous UNE sheer lips balms. They are so moisturising and they are kind of lip perfectors, as they make your lips look like the best version of your own lips - if you see what I mean! The colours are so natural and, well, lip coloured. Just perfect! It is a little more expensive at £6 or £7 however, the high quality, not to mention the sheer genius in being able to produce shades that mirror actual lip shades make it worth it.

5. Osmo Matt Sea Spray

The best thing about hot weather for me, is being able to really relax in terms of hair. I can just wash it, towel dry it and while its still damp, spray one product and leave it to set in the sun into perfect, beachy waves. The wonder product I use is Osmo's Matt Sea Spray. You can get this at those little hair product stands that sell all the Tigi products in the mall, or at Sallys Beauty Supplies or online for around £4!! I love that it gives a matt finish, because for me, beach hair is not greasy looking, but tousled, wavy and textured, as if you just spent the morning surfing!

6. Rimmel Instant Tan Makeup

Now, my skin tone is around a MAC shade NC42 and I go up to NC44 with a tan, however, I still love to enhance the tan to give it that subtle bronze glow. The toffee shimmer oil mentioned above doesnt deepen the skintone really, so if you want to create a more tanned effect, without splashing out on expensive and time consuming spray tanning, nor spend hours exfoliating and buffing in the fake tan only to get an orange glow, try this little miracle instead! I use the medium shade which looks pretty scary as it is a deep deep dark copper colour, but it really sheers out. For the face, the best way to use this is to mix a pea sized amount with your foundation or tinted moisturiser and using a brush, buff into your skin. It does contain shimmer so if you prefer shimmer to be restricted, just buff over your cheekbones, sides of the temples, across the bridge of the nose. Trust me on this, the effect on darker skins is absolutely gorgeous. For the body, if your arms and legs have been deprived of sun and you need a little pick me up - get some gloves on and smooth into your skin. The best thing, besides the price (just £6 for a bottle that will last years) is that it washes off!

7. Collection 2000 Shimmer Shades in Way to Glow

If the thought of using instant tan makeup is too much, I have found the perfect glow-maker for you! It is very long lasting and in a range of peachy, rather than golden, tones which very cleverly brighten the skin and give the perfect amount of luminosity for just £4. Think Jennifer Lopez. Collection 2000 is one of my favourite drugstore brands! Between Collection 2000 and Sleek you can get top of the range makeup quality for teeny prices. This 4 shade peach blusher can be swirled together to create that gorgeous flush of colour, or individually to contour and highlight. I use this every single day as, regardless of weather, when I put this on in the morning I look fresh, revitalised and glowy. I honestly will go and stock up on like 3 of these as I never want to run out, I love it THAT much. I just can't fathom how it doesnt streak throughout the day, it just really stays put. It is so unique - please go and try it! The pic below does it no justice at all, go try it next time you are in Superdrug or Boots, trust me.

What products do you use to get your glow on? Have you got any budget friendly wonder products you can recommend??

xoxo Angel5ace xoxo

Indian Bridal Style Soft Cut Crease Peach Pink and Green Gold Makeup - Client Portfolio

2012-05-06T19:40:00.001+01:00

Hi Cherubs!

I wanted to share the makeup looks I did for some lovely clients on Saturday!

Apologies the lighting in the hotel room was poor hence the slightly washed out tones : (

The focus was to enhance her natural features and to complement the beautiful saree she wore.

The makeup look was natural glowy skin, glossy natural hued rose lips, soft cut crease pink and peach eye slightly smoked out with deep brown in the outer v and gold glitter in the inner corners of the eyes. Finally the look was made slightly dramatic by applying lots of mascara (no false lashes) and a double wing eyeliner.

I also did the makeup for her glamorous mother too! She was wearing a deep green and gold saree which she wanted to match her makeup to. Like most mature women, her eyes were hooded so I kept the lid a warm indian gold shade and blended a metallic forest green (one of the MAC's Mega Metal colours from the Peacocky collection) into the outer corner but faded this into a matt brown towards the inner corners of the eyes. Shimmery colours all across the socket area are not very flattering on hooded eyes. For the lips, I used a burnished wine shade in MAC's Supreme Sheen formula called "Can't Resist".

I really enjoyed the assignment, and hope they did too! A big thank you to both of them for allowing me to share their pictures with you all.

xoxo Angel5ace xoxo

Insanity Workout Review by a UK Woman!

2012-04-16T20:58:00.001+01:00

Hey Cherubs!

I have been trying lots of ways to lose weight and tone up for some time but honestly my will power is none existant! Consequently I haven't managed to lose anything and keep it off consistently! Eek! My job is very sedentary as it is office based, this coupled with generally getting older (in my early thirties if you want to know!) I have noticed some small effects on my health - IBS, feeling tired all the time, bloatedness, skin issues...

Sooooo I decided to kick start my fitness with the Insanity Workout! Yes it is kind of extreme but simply going to the gym wasnt cutting the mustard. So I roped in my husband as a daily support system and workout buddy and dived in.

OK so firstly what is Insanity? Well it is a tough, cardio and resistance circuit training workout that focuses on max interval training. MAX Interval Training replaces your standard moderate intensity exercise with maximum-intensity exercise, and your short intervals of intensity with short periods of rest. Adding high-intensity exercise, during which your heart rate is raised to 80 percent or more of its maximum capacity, forces your body to use fast-twitch muscle fibers not normally engaged in cardio exercise. These fast-twitch fibers continue burning extra fuel even during lower-intensity exercise.

It is a 60 day program via dvds. You dont need any equipment, just the dvds and the workout calendar. You workout 6 days a week with one day of rest. Each workout dvd is around 40 minutes.

The first day is a fit test, so you can track your fitness levels. Let me tell you, the fit test was super hard! But that was NOTHING compared to the workouts themselves. Insanity is not even an exageration! It is sooo tough! Its so painful I couldn't walk for like the first 3 days of workouts. Literally I was hobbling at work as my muscles were in so much pain.

I am now on the 3rd day of my second week and I am noticing some slight changes - for instance, I am not in as much agony the day after a workout, my muscles and joints are already getting stronger.

Secondly, and this is kind of gross but if you suffer from bloatedness, IBS and constipation (as I know many women do!) this really gets your body detoxing - I mean really! LOL! Sorry just had to share as it is such a relief to get things moving again properly!

I would love to say that I have actually lost some weight too in just over one week but although my official weigh in day is Wednesday I had a sneaky check of the scales and have lost nothing so far (well actually 0.3 of a kilo but that type of fluctuation can happen anyway). One point to note though is that I have not changed my diet at all. In fact due to lots of social stuff we have even been eating out a lot too so I have made no real effort to change my diet. However starting this week, I am going to do so.

In terms of enjoyment, the workouts are in a weird torturous kind of way, fun! Shaun T the trainer is really hot (which helps! lol!) and he pushes you yet encourages at the same time, and his on-camera students are really motivating too, even when they are lying on the floor crying in pain (yes, really!!). BUT the workouts are flippin hard as nails and you really have to "dig deeper" and force yourself to push yourself. You too will be dripping in sweat, collapsing on the floor in agony and screaming, shouting and grunting your way through - if you are doing it properly that is!

If you want to literally kick your butt into gear, get a partner who won't flake on you, commit to 60 days, shut those curtains, check your shame and pain threshold at the door and DO IT!!!

I will keep you updated on my progress, please keep your fingers crossed for me!

Check out the infomercial for a taster!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6J1fJv-S3BY

And check Youtube for some unbelievable yet authentic before and after shots of ordinary people who have completed the programme.

Have you tried Insanity? Would you? Let me know!!

xoxo Angel5ace xoxo

Top Ten Best Beauty Items Of the Moment!!

2012-04-06T23:27:00.000+01:00

Hey Cherubs!

There have been a fair few beauty items that I have been using consistently recently, simply because they really work well and deliver every time. So I thought I would share ten of my favourites with you!

1. It's a Ten Miracle Hair Mask

Now I have tried a variety of deep conditioning treatments, and none of them have given me the results I was seeking, which is silky, nourished hair from root to tip. I have even tried the famous Moroccan Oil but honestly it didn't do anything for me! Now, just to explain I have very fine, wavy hair, but lots of it! It tangles so easily it's ridiculous. It's a Ten however gave me a fantastic surprise as it truly does what it says on the tin! It has ten USPs which I won't list here but suffice to say it conditions and detangles like crazy. Rough looking ends are transformed. You can buy this at Sally's Beauty or online at Amazon. It is more readily available in the US.

2. Babyliss Pro Curling Wand

Staying with the hair theme, I am loving the results of my Babyliss curling wand! I bought the larger barrelled wand and it's fantastic in that it takes just seconds to heat up, gets extremely hot and stays hot, it's ionic so gives a great shine and best of all it holds the curl all day. Really. Plus, it takes me 7 minutes to get gorgeous waves all over my head. The only downside is it takes a little getting used to.

3. Lancôme Hypnose Drama Mascara

Wow. Now this is a true false lash replacement! Simply the best mascara I have ever tried. Very carbon black, perfect formula and a curved wand which cups the lashes. However there is a rather large downside to this product - it is frikking expensive! However if you are fed up with lack lustre performance of drugstore mascaras, spend the extra and you will not be disappointed!

4. Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentre

I bought this at IMATS this year as it is raved about all over the net. I now see what the hype is about - it's just THE perfect moisturiser for normal to dry skin. It feels so rich but sinks in almost without a trace leaving your skin feeling very naturally hydrated. Again this product is only available online unless you happen to be in France or Canada!

5. ELF HD Powder

I bought this like 3 years ago but that same pot is still going strong. It is the perfect setting powder for the under eye area. It sets cream concealers really well and stops creasing of concealer, it blurs fine lines, and it keeps the area looking bright as it is translucent, rather than skin coloured. Best thing is its only £6!!!

6. Garner BB Cream

I blogged about this a while back, and I still adore it. I use it every day for work as it is the perfect all in one product, SPF, moisturiser, touch of coverup, and generally brightens my skin. An awesome product. I am, however, every eagerly waiting to try the NARS tinted moisturiser which should be out about now, but at around £7 a tube I don't thinks the Garnier can be beaten!

7. China Glaze Nail Polish in Oxygen

I am still loving this milky nude colour! I know brighter pastels are all the rage at the moment, but there is just the simple freshness of this creamy snow shade that makes me feel sophisticated and on-trend every time. I've almost used up a whole bottle already!

8. Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

Speaking of nail polish, I still don't enjoy sitting around waiting for it to dry. Luckily Seche Vite has massively helped with that as it is the fastest drying top coat EVER! It's NOT just a clear nail polish, it's very unique in that it actually permeates all the layers of polish to transform the consistency, enabling it to set like stone very fast. And it makes the polish even more glossy so you get a glass like shine. Highly, highly recommend this product. Again I got this from Sallys but I am sure most good nail salons will stock this.

9. Bobbi Brown Long Wear Gel Liner in Black

Although I love MACs fluid line, the Bobbi Brown gel liner just pushes past the winning line. I think it's the longevity and the intensity of colour I prefer. Also, a little trick is to dip your kohl pencil into this and use it on your waterline for the longest lasting eye kohl. I would love to get some of the other shades..

10. Lancôme Teint Miracle Foundation

A very new discovery, this foundation is giving my absolute all time favourite NARS Sheer Glow a run for its money! It's very similar to the NARS but is a little more dewy and natural, and it's cheaper! So far I only have some very generous testers but I am ready to buy it now! I will do a full review once I purchase.

What are your favourite products at the moment??

xoxo A xoxo

Oscars 2012 Make Up .. and earrings!

2012-02-29T15:04:00.001+00:00

Hi Cherubs!

As always I settled down to watch the Oscars, both red carpet and awards ceremony and as usual was just astonished by the beautiful gowns! The makeup was a little less astonishing with endless variations on traditional looks such as smokey eyes and pale lips, bold red/orange lips and delicate shimmering eyes with flicked out liner. Here are a collection of my favourites. Added bonus, you get to check out some bling earrings too! In my opinion, I would award the Oscar to Jennifer Lopez for her bold, cut crease gold and silver eye look, take a look..

Classic Red Lip Brigade

Shimmery Golds

Blues and Grey Smokey Eyes

Cat Flick Eyeliner

Golden Globes and Grammys! Awards Seasons Favourites So Far

2012-02-13T21:36:00.001+00:00

As you all know I ADORE the awards season! Its a veritable fashion, hair, makeup, beauty, celebrity all-you-can-eat buffet!

Here are a few of my favourites so far, YUM!

because I love him..!

IMATS 2012 London - Haul!!!

2012-02-13T20:57:00.000+00:00

Hello my long lost but not forgotten Cherubs!

Yes I have neglected you, me, my makeup obsession for so long now. Many excuses for this but I am firmly committed to continue with this blog. And I also still dream of having a proper website and have gone so far as to design the logo, layout, concept and find a great web designer BUT time, energy and finances are slowing me down a little.

Anyway, on to the good stuff!

As usual I was really looking forward to IMATS but I have to say the vibe felt different this year. Perhaps the severe weather warning impacted upon the turnout, but it really felt like there were a lot less people there. Also, the atmospehere felt somewhat subdued, but that was just my humble observation! Anyway freezing weather aside, I had a lovely shopping spree there and met some cool people!

On to the pics!

Make Up For Ever

MUFE HD Foundation in shade 170

I have been hankering after this foundation since Kim Kardashian told the world it was her favourite one. Her skin is always immaculate looking and it is HD so should create a perfect canvas. The shades are limited, I decided to go darker rather than lighter so I could tone it down by mixing it with a lighter, more pink hued foundation. I will provide a full review soon.

MUFE Mist and Fix Spray

I tend to make my own special recipe fixing spray but wanted to try a "designer" spray to compare the difference. I will let you know how it performs.

Inglot

Advanced Makeup Component Liquid Blush in 88

The quality of this non-shimmer gel/liquid blush is fantastic. Super long lasting and natural finish. Some of the colours seemed a bit light hence going for this warm toned ginger shade.

Gel Liner Matte in numbers 74 (deep mauve) and 73 (pastel violet)

Good quality matte gel liners in various shades are hard to find at good prices. These are fantastically creamy, true to colour and set to an absolute budge proof finish. I was desperate for great quality purples to use as bases as well as liners. Some cool FOTDs coming soon using these - exciting!

Laboratoire Embryolisse

Lait Creme Concentre 75ml and 30ml

Another absolutely sought after holy grail product that serious makeup artists cannot stop raving over. I simply couldnt resist jumping onto the bandwagon. This balm is perfect for dry/combination skin and creates a nourished, smooth base for makeup. I will be using this ALOT!

Sleek Cosmetics

Lipsticks:

Matte - Heartbreaker (raspberry)

Sheen - Candy Cane (cherry red)

Sheen - Coral Reef (coral)

Matte - Bare All (peach nude)

Matte - Papaya Punch (deep watermelon)

Lately I have been transfixed by bright lipsticks. From watermelon pinks to fiery oranges. The problem is there are just so many that I want and although I love MAC's range, at £13 odd per lipstick it just seems too frivolous, even for me! Sleek has answered my prayers however as their lipsticks are unbelievable quality. Perfect, smooth, pigmented, on-trend shades in sophisticated packaging and in various finishes. Good quality matte finishes are just so hard to find in the lower end of the market, but Sleek just continue to up their game. Their range is probably one of the best and the prices are shocking - in a goooooood way! Stay tuned for some interesting ways to wear bright lip colours.

LA Splash

Glitter Eyeliner:

Golden Abalone (fine true gold glitter)

Kahlua (fine bronze glitter)

Eyeshadow Sealer/Base

I have been hearing about this brand for some time now, particularly their glitter products. Now I am really not a glitter, disco shiny kind of a gal, but there is something to be said for some perfectly placed subtle shimmer/glimmer. I grabbed the true gold and the sumptuous burnt toffee liners, so versatile and universally flattering.

The eyshadow sealer/base is another one of those absolutely raved products that once the bug gets you, you just have to try it. Essentially it is not just a standard eyeshadow primer, it acts like glue for glitter and loose pigments. I haven't played with this yet, but when I do I will report my findings to you.

Miss Adoro Lashes

Human Hair Lashes:

Full lashes WSP

Half Lashes 307

Lash Flares - Medium Black

I actually hadn't heard of Miss Adoro before, but I was impressed massively by the styles, quality and most of all the price! I have shown 3 sets of lashes here, but I bought FOUR of each for just £20. These are human hair lashes and they have the most discreet and flexible bands too so basically the most genuine way to fake it! My all time favourites are of course the half lashes but I have recently gotten into the individual lash flares too for a very natural way to enhance your own lashes.

Royal and Langnickel Brushes Silk Pro

Black kabuki brush

Contour Shadow Brush C265

Flat Top Kabuki Foundation C141

Dome Powder C130

Angle Eye Blender C460

There were so many brush stalls to choose from I was literally spoilt for choice. As I agonised over Bdellium, Real Techniques, Crown, Hakudoku and various others, I just kept coming back to Royal and Langnickel. The sheer range and quality is phenomenal and they had some awesome offers on. Although I was very tempted to go for a full set, given I already have a fair few brushes (ok, alot) I went for a more targeted strategy. As you can see from my selection, I felt I was lacking in the face brush department rather than the eye brush department, so I went for some choice cuts from the Silk Pro range and came away with:

the fluffiest, densest kabuki

delicate, kitten-paw soft tapered face brush

velvety flat top foundation brush to get that airbrushed look

Angled, flat topped shader brush to really get into the crease

puppies tail (ok, ok im sure you get it by now these are SUPER soft) highlighter brush

PHEW! Thats it. Just a few little treats!

Did any of you make it down to IMATS?

xoxo Angel5ace xoxo

Silver and Black Defined Eye Look

2011-09-13T22:14:00.001+01:00

Hi Cherubs!

I did a very impromptu silver and black defined eye look which I only managed to capture on my phone camera but I hope you get the idea. I will do a formal photo shoot on this look soon!

PRODUCTS USED

Ben Nye Monster Wheel - white shade as base
White shimmer shade from Coastal Scents 88 palette
Sleek Molten Metal platinum shade lightly patted over blend area to blend silvery white to black
Matte black shade from Coastal Scents 88 palette
Matte white shade from Coastal Scents 88 palette as highlight
MAC Smolder pencil
Eyelure lashes

xoxo Angel5ace xoxo

NOTD - China Glaze Nail Polish in Oxygen

2011-09-12T21:26:00.003+01:00

Hi Cherubs

I recently picked up a new China Glaze nail polish in Oxygen. This is a milky, non shimmery opaque colour. One coat gives you that natural french manicure look, two coats gives you a gorgeous milk nude polish that looks simple and sophisticated and not at all like Tipex in case you were wondering!

China Glaze nail polishes (in case you havent heard of them) are VERY big in the States and are fantastic quality - certainly up there with OPI and Essie.

I used Elegant Touch Rapid Dry for Nails with Vitamin E spray which didnt quite take 60 seconds to dry, more like 3 minutes, but dried to a perfect solid yet glossy finish. I would highly recommend using a spray like this if you don't have the time or patience to wait for nail polish to dry.

Enjoy the pics xoxo

Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector Universal BB Cream - Review!!

2011-09-08T18:25:00.007+01:00

Hey my Cherubs!

So I wanted to jump on the bandwagon of the most recent craze in the beauty world, or, more accurately, the Western beauty world – BB Creams.

BB (Blemish Balm) Cream is a “wonder” cream which originated from Germany as a medically produced cream which was intended to be used post facial plastic surgery. It’s uses were to generally improve skin condition with healing properties, give protection by containing high SPFs, reduce the appearance of redness and even out skin tone amongst other things.

It recently transpired in the Korean version of Hollywood (Kollywood?), that actresses were using medicinal BB Creams to get flawless looking skin. Once this revelation hit, beauty product manufacturers realised the earning potential and released a massive variety of BB Creams in Korea and other parts of the East. BB Creams are BIG out there and have been around for a while now.

And now, the Western world has cottoned on, with MAC, Bobbi Brown and other leading beauty corporations releasing their version of the BB Cream in the UK and other western markets.

Those clever people at Garnier (always quick to spot a trend) have very recently released their version of the famous BB Cream, called Miracle Skin Perfector Daily All In One BB Cream. So, what does a BB Cream actually do? Well, in the East, its main features are to even out skin tone, heal the skin, reduce the appearance of wrinkles, protect from the sun with very high SPF, balance out yellow tones in the skin by “whitening” the skin. Whether these creams actually do all of the above, I have no idea, although the Eastern market swears by them.

Here, as I understand it, BB Creams have the main job of 1. Evening out the skin tone, 2. creating 24 hour hydration, 3. acting as a primer by creating a smooth appearance to the skin and 4. protecting the skin from the sun. In plain English – a universal tinted moisturiser!

I am going to focus on the Garnier BB Cream as I just bought it from Superdrug to test out.

It comes in 2 colours – light and medium and claims to do the following:

Evens skintone and boosts glow

Blurs imperfections

Smoothes fine lines

24 hr hydration

SPF 15 UV Protection

The colour choice isn’t great, but as it is supposed to have light reflecting properties, unless you are either end of the spectrum i.e. really pale or darker than say, Mac NC44, you should be ok trying this out.

So, does it work?

SPF – Well it says SPF 15 which is quite low compared to Eastern BB Creams, but I think this is acceptable for normal day to day use where you are not expecting to stay out in direct sunlight. As I usually wear a SPF moisturiser or sometimes a moisturiser and then sun protection lotion, it was really handy to use just one product to protect and moisturise.

Hydration – The product is VERY moisturising, which for my dry/combination skin, is actually ideal. It gives a dewy finish, so if you like a matte finish or have oily skin you probably wont like this. I wore it to work and it maintained the dewy natural appearance all day, with no caking or dry, flaky spots.

Healing Properties – Hmm no idea yet. I will let you know. However, it does contain anti oxidants although unless these are in very high quantities I doubt this will have much effect on your skin. I will monitor and let you know. The pigment is due to mineral powders so this should prevent pores getting clogged and allow your skin to breathe.

Coverage – As already stated, the colour choice isn’t fantastic, but I have to say the medium was perfect for me and gave a very natural finish – basically “my skin but better”. It certainly did not cover any blemishes, but it did make my pores much less noticeable and covered redness around the chin and nose, and as I applied an additional layer onto my undereye area, it helped to reduce the appearance of dark circles. As it leaned towards the more warm tones, I think this is what helped with making my dull, sometimes sallow looking skin appear more bright.

Texture – I probably used a pea sized amount in total on my whole face. It comes out looking and feeling like a thickish foundation, but spreads really quickly and thinly and blends like magic. Once it was blended, my skin felt so smooth and silky, soft – similar in feel to a light primer such as MAC Prep and Prime.

Price – I got this at £7.99 from Superdrug as they had a special offer on. The RRP is £9.99 but you get 50ml of product which is a fair amount.

Overall – I tried to take pictures, but it was hard to pick up the difference on camera. However, here is a swatch against my hand (to the left, unblended, to the right blended in - you can see how shiny and bright it looks).

In person, I saw that my skin looked brighter, cleaner, fresher, more even and really well hydrated. I have to say I really love this product! I have been looking for a tinted moisturiser for some time, but wanted something really natural looking which would not cause my pores to be clogged. I am so pleased that the product eliminates certain steps out of my daily routine and gives me a natural look without having to apply foundation, concealer etc. I have read a lot of reviews and people seem disappointed. As long as you aren’t expecting a skin transplant by using the product, I think you will be pleasantly surprised to use a universal moisturiser that protects and evens out your skin tone and lasts all day. I especially love that I can jump out of bed in the morning and slap one product on my face on those “lazy” days and know I will look fresher and brighter WITHOUT having to wear makeup, and still get SPF protection all day.

5/5 Angel Wings for this one!

Modern Indian Bridal Look 2 - Hot Pink Arabic Inspired Double Winged Liner

2011-08-07T21:20:00.008+01:00

For the second modern Indian bridal look, I decided to take inspiration from the amazing Arabic makeup style by using a double winged liner with a splash of hot pink!

FACE

Lanacane Anti Chafing Gel as primer

NARS Sheer Glow foundation in Syracuse

INGLOT concealer palette

YSL Touche Eclat

ELF HD Powder

MAC Strobe Cream

CHEEKS

NARS Laguna as contour

Famous by Sue Moxley Ingrid Copper blusher

Barry M Dazzle Dust in Ice Pink as highlighter

EYES

MAC Painterley Paint Pot as primer

Barry M Dazzle Dust in Ice Pink as highlight

Barry M Dazzle Dust in Pink Gold

MAC Amber Lights eyeshadow

Hot pink shade from Coastal Scents 88 palette and pale pink matt shade from same palette for blending

Sleek Gel liner in Dominatrix and set with matte black eyeshadow

White kohl pencil to mark space between double wings

LIPS

Rimmel Moisture Renew lipstick in a bright pink colour although I cant remember the name sorry! You could substitute MAC's Girl About Town or Show Orchid for a similar look

Hope you like it!

xoxo Angel5ace xoxo

Modern Indian Bridal Look 1 - Blue Smokey

2011-08-07T17:48:00.009+01:00

Traditional Indian bridal outfits tend to include gold and red as the main colours. Nowadays, outfits have become modernised by adding accents in blues, greens, turquoises, even hot pinks!

A close friend who is getting married soon asked me to create some looks using modern bright colours so I put together this blue smokey eye, which was inspired by the front cover of Asian Bride magazine (Spring issue) and a bright pink Arabic inspired look too, which will follow soon.

Here is a breakdown of the products used:

FACE

Lanacane anti chafing gel as primer

NARS Sheer Glow in Syracuse

INGLOT concealer palette

ELF HD Powder

YSL Touche Eclat

MAC Strobe Cream as highlight base

EYES

MAC Painterley Paint Pot as base

Blue shade from Sleek Primer Palette

MAC Deep Truth eyeshadow

MAC Steamy to blend out the blue

Barry M Dazzle Dust Ice Pink as highlight

Collection 2000 Glitter Liner turquoise colour

MAC Contrast eyeshadow

Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Zero

Matt black eyeshadow to blend out the liner

CHEEKS

NARS Laguna to contour

MAC DollyPink blush

Barry M Dazzle Dust Ice Pink as highlight

LIPS

Sleek Lip Liner in Pink Rose all over lips

MAC Dazzle Cream in Gone Romancin (limited edition but you can substitute with any bubblegum pink iridescent lipgloss such as L'Oreal Juicy Rose Glow Glamshine lipgloss)

JEWELLRY

The headpiece is just a necklace which I fixed to my hair using bobby pins. This necklace is from Chohans on Stratford Road, Birmingham, UK

MAC 109 Brush Review

2011-07-31T15:17:00.000+01:00

Hello Cherubs!

I have been lusting after the MAC 109 brush for so long now! I recently managed to get it at a duty free price so I really wanted to share my review of it with you all.

I think I got this at around 18 pounds, but the usual price is a little more at 22 in stores.

This is a very hard working brush. It is like a mini, dense, super soft and hard wearing kabuki on the end of a regular long handle. The fibres are natural according to MAC's website although I dont know exactly what they are made of. It has a soft domed tip which is actually laser cut so it is rather perfectly rounded at the top.

At first glance it kind of looks like a brush that you would pass over because it doesnt appear to serve a specific purpose. Its a little small as a blush brush and as a powder brush, its a bit too rounded for a blush brush too and perhaps it more easily lends itself to a small contour brush, in which case you are probably best getting the MAC 168 contour brush instead, right? WRONG!!

This brush is AWESOME for contouring as it really gets into the hollows of the cheeks and as it is so small it ensures you dont get too much matt bronzer on your face so you can easily avoid that muddy face effect.

It is PERFECT for blush as you can get really precise, the bristles are really dense so you can concentrate colour where you want it. It is super soft and gentle too and then you can finish by gently buffing the blush into your cheeks in circular motions.

It is EXCELLENT for applying face powder as again it is soft and the domed tip helps to really get into the tricky areas of the face like around the nose and chin and then you can really buff the powder in to your skin also.

It is AMAZING for applying liquid foundation. Yep, LIQUID foundation. It creates this flawless airbrush like effect if you just lightly tap the brush into some liquid foundation pumped onto the back fo your hand and then either tap and swirl or just swirl onto your face.

This is my new FAVOURITE brush of all time. I just adore it and wish I had bought it earlier. I actually do use it for foundie, powder, contour and blush all in one go in the mornings and it really speeds up my makeup application. I just make sure I wipe the products off between each application. I have washed it a few times and it has barely shed any bristles and goes back to its original shape very quickly.

Which are your favourite brushes??

xoxo Angel5ace xoxo

Collection 2000 Extreme 24 Hour Liner in Black and Blue Review

2011-07-22T22:00:00.000+01:00

Hi my Cherubs!

I recently perused my local Collection 2000 stand at Superdrug and was rather intrigued by their extremely low priced felt tip eye liner pens which were marketed as 24 hour long lasting. They had 3 shades, black, blue and purple all of which seemed very vibrant when tested so I decided to purchase the black and the blue ones. The nibs are really fine and the colours are bright and the consistency is not too watery or too thick. They set pretty quickly too. The black is a nice intense black, it could be a bit more carbon but for 3 pounds I cannot complain! They are so so easy to use it takes me a second or two to create the perfect winged eye liner and as the nib ends in a really fine point you can get really precise.

Now, as for the claim of lasting 24 hours, they are very long lasting and do not smudge once set, HOWEVER they are NOT waterproof. So if you are caught in the rain, cry or have particularly oily lids, they can smudge. The blue is a really gorgeous navy shade and is my favourite out of the two. I wear these almost every day to work and they really do last all day. I actually prefer that they wash off really easily at night. To get them to last that bit longer, I pat a matte black or blue eyeshadow on top.

I would highly recommend these for a really good budget buy. I give them 5 Angel Wings out of 5 and will definately buy them again!

xoxo Angel5ace xoxo

NAKED Cosmetics Review!!

2011-07-19T11:09:00.000+01:00

Hey Cherubs!

I was so pleased when I went to the Beauty for Colours and Naked Cosmetics stand at IMATS, as the lovely Joanna Ida Jutkiewicz at Colours for Beauty took her time to demonstrate how the Naked Cosmetics pigments work and I was super impressed, and then even more so when I was kindly gifted a few samples of the Naked Cosmetics pigments and mixes! The pigments are pure, mica based mineral cosmetics which are really finely milled.

I was given 2 pigments, one in a beautiful berry shade and the other in a pale nude gold shade - both are really versatile colours. I was also given the matte eye base:and the glossy lip mix too:

Now these pigments are truly MAGIC!! You can use them as they are, wet with water when they transform to an almost liquid metal like consistency, mixed with the matte eye base to really mute down and mattify the colours or mixed with the lip gloss which produces a beautiful lip gloss shade which is very long lasting on the lips. You can mix them with body oils to make shimmery oil based bronzers, an you can even mix them with clear nail varnish to create nail colours too! WOW!!! And no they dont just look like bits of glitter mixed in with these different bases, they actually melt and pigment each base to really blend. It really is rather magical to watch LOL!!

The Pale Gold Shade - Naturally Nude Collection - NN-01

From Top to Bottom:

Label on the little plastic jar the pigment comes in

The pigment itself

Comparison of the mattified version of the pigment (i.e. mixed with the matt eye base) and the pigment mixed with water

Mixed with water

On its own

As a lip gloss (i.e. mixed with the glossy lip mix)

On the lips

The Berry Shade - Naturally Nude Collection - NN-05

From Top to Bottm

Pigment itself in the jar

The jar label

On its own

As a lip gloss mixed with the glossy lip mix

Wet with water as a comparison next to the mattified version

On the lips as a gloss

Mattified version

I believe the pigments are sold as a set, so for example the naturally nude collection would not be sold separately and there are 6 shades in each collection. I think the price at IMATS was around 40 pounds but you get the mixes with them too. It seems like a large price but the colour collections are amazing and as they are multi-tasking products they are actually excellent value for money. My favourite way of using them is mixed with water plain and simple as they just kind of melt into this lusious liquid metal consistency - just gorgeous!

You can purchase Naked Cosmetics from www.coloursforbeauty.com

Special thanks go to Joanna Ida Jutkiewicz for kindly gifting the above reviewed products!

xoxo Angel5ace xoxo

Kim Kardashian Smokey Purple Mermaid Video Tutorial

2011-07-14T20:59:00.003+01:00

MY darling Ceherubs!

Finally I have gotten around to editing the video tutorial I have been promising for so long.

All you need to click on the link which will take you to my Youtube Channel

www.youtube.com/user/makeupbyangel5ace?feature=mhee

Let me know what you think!

xoxo Angel5ace xoxo

Coming Soon!! Kim Kardashian Purple Mermaid Smokey Purple Eye Video Tutorial

2011-05-08T16:55:00.004+01:00

Hello Cherubs!

How have you all been? I know I haven't posted in a while, however, as always, I have lots of posts in the pipeline!

Coming soon is a much awaited Kim Kardashian video tutorial featuring some make up she wore in a mermaid themed promo for her show. It is a beautiful and very dramatic smokey purple eye with really huge lashes. I have decided to show you how to re-create her look in a new video tutorial! The video is in the process of being edited so here is a sneak preview of one of the pictures of the finished look!

Enjoy and stay tuned for the full tutorial!

xoxo Angel5ace xoxo

Deal Alert!! Discounted MAC Cosmetics Available in the UK!!

2011-04-26T20:15:00.004+01:00

Hey my Cherubs!!

I really needed to share with you this awesome deal that I stumbled across the other day! As some of you may know, MAC cosmetics are NEVER discounted, MAC never have sales and so the only way to find permanent MAC items at a discount is if you are very lucky on Ebay or at a CCO or other discount outlet, and in the UK these are very, very few and far between!

Well, I was stunned to see that Debenhams online are selling a few MAC items, including BRUSHES!!! at a slightly discounted price!! OMG! I REALLY want to pick up a few things but cannot afford to at the moment, but please let me live through your purchases vicariously and go and check out the range. Just go to www.debenhams.com/beauty and click on MAC.

To top it all off, guess what?? Free shipping (within the UK) for a limited time only!! WOOHOO!! Go crazy guys and share your haul with me!

xoxo Angel5ace xoxo

Primers versus Bases - Get the Most out of your Eyeshadows!

2011-04-19T18:28:00.008+01:00

Hi Cherubs!

I was recently asked a question about what the difference is between eye primers and eyeshadow bases, particularly as I personally tend to use both under my eyeshadows.

If you have read my article "Beginners Guide to Primers" (here is the link if you havn't) www.frivolousbyangel5ace.blogspot.com/2010/11/beginners-guide-to-primers.html you may know a little about the role of primers for the eye. For me, personally, the main reason for uing a primer is staying power. I HATE creases in my eye make up and I hate it when eyeshadows fade and/or smudge. Primers can also really bring out the colours of the eyeshadows, HOWEVER, I do find that the best primers for staying power such as Too Faced Shadow Insurance or Urban Decay Primer Potion, tend to dry fairly clear. This can be a good thing in terms of ensuring the colour of the primer doesnt interfere with the colour of the eyeshadows I am putting on top, but if I want a shade of eyeshadow to really POP and show true to colour with no skintone showing through, I use an eyeshadow base.

The key properties of an eyeshadow base are that, firstly, it is opaque (i.e. once on you can't see the skin underneath it), secondly it is a cream or gel base (i.e. not a powder or a liquid). Bases are either neutral coloured, or, if you are using a particularly vibrant shade of eyeshadow, you can use a base in a colour matching the colour of your eyeshadow.

One of the easiest ways to obtain a base for your eyeshadows is just to get a coloured khol pencil, or even just a plain old black kohl pencil and rub that over the eyelids, blend and then pat your eyeshadow over it. You may have seen me use my black kohl pencil as a base for dark eyeshadow colours, particularly for smokey eye looks. If, for example, you were to use a purple eyeshadow you can just pick up any old cheap purple shade of kohl pencil and use that in the same way. NYX do some AWESOME jumbo eye pencils which are very very good as bases as they are creamy and well pigmented and come in every shade you can imagine. Barry M also do some similar jumbo eye pencils.

Of course, various cosmetic companies do make specific products to be used as eye shadow bases. MAC make Paint Pots which come in various colours. One of my favourite paint pots is Painterley. This is just a neutral cream base, however it contains silicone so it smooths out the eyelid and also sets dry. It is the perfect neutral base for all eyeshadow colours. On its own, it doesn't have the best staying power, but when used over Urban Decay Primer Potion, the combination is amazing. Benefit also do smudgeproof cream shadow bases in lots of lovely colours.

If you really can't afford to get a separate base, just apply your primer and then put a thin wash of any thick concealer you own. This will have a similar effect.

For me personally, I find that as I am Asian and have NC42 skin, eyeshadows, especially the lighter shades, don't show up that well or you can see my skin showing through. Painterley Paint Pot is a light skin tone shade which really helps to show the colours I like to use and as it sets to dry quite quickly it helps my makeup last that much longer. It is a dream product to me and well worth paying that bit extra for a top quality product.

Hope that was useful, if you have any questions, please let me know!

xoxo Angel5ace xoxo

Video Tutorial! Smokey Cat Eye Using the Sleek Storm Palette

2011-04-15T22:41:00.004+01:00

Hi Cherubs!

As promised, here is the next video tutorial detailing how you can create a smokey cat eye using the very affordable and very high quality Sleek Storm palette! As you all know, I LOVE the Sleek makeup line as a fantastic, purse-friendly cosmetic option. Their eyeshadow palettes are legendary and I can totally see why - great pigmentation, durable, blendable, soft, beautiful wearable colours and all for a bargainous £6-£7 at your local Superdrug or online.

The smokey cat eye is a look that combines a sexy, feline inspired eye shape with the smokey blending techniques. It is fairly easy to do and hopefully my video will help you to acheive the look. You do not, of course, have to use the gunmetal shade from the Sleek palette as the main colour, try it with a matt grey shade, black, blue or even purple - whatever you prefer!

I accidentally deleted the part of the video showing how I finished the look, but feel free to complete the look however you like as this is a very neutral eye look, albeit slightly dramatic. My preference, would be a muted pink cheek with any nude lipstick or gloss.

Blogger is awful for uploading videos so instead please click the link to my Youtube channel to access the video:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=smM3xVi_KY8

Products Used:

FACE

NARS Firming Foundation in Syracuse

Benefit Erase Paste No 3

MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer in NC42

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Dark

EYES

Painterly Paintpot as eyeshadow base

NYX Jumbo Black Bean pencil

Sleek Storm Palette - gunmetal shade, skintone matt shade, brown matt shade, black matt shade, champagne shade

L'Oreal Lineur Intense Eye Liner in Carbon Black

L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black mascara

MAC Spiked Eyebrow pencil

Stila No 15 double ended brush

MAC 217 blending brush

Stila No 2 brush

Manicare Foundation brush

xoxo Angel5ace xoxo