Infashionlove

New Launch: RealTechniques Duo-Fiber Collection, Limited Edition!

2013-05-16T23:52:00.000+01:00

Hello Beauties! Although I it is quite late and I am pretty tiered I couldn't have possibly gone to bed with the idea of not sharing with you the excitement for these awesome brushes!! If you are into beauty you will know [or will soon discover] that even the most expensive make-up just won't look the same if applied with wrong or bad tools, that's a fact. And good make-up brushes tend to be astronomically expensive, just one brush will often cost the price of a beautiful eye-palette. I usually don't like mentioning prices of the products I review, but I will make an exception this time! This set of three brushes is just £23.99, which is the price of just one middle range brush!! I can honestly tell you I'd much rather spend my money on a stunning eyeshadow palette than on a super expensive brush!

And this is why I really love RealTechniques brushes in general, they are fantastic quality and really affordable!! Sam [Samantha Chapman] did an amazing job once again, creating this Duo-Fiber Collection. This collection will be available at UK Boots stores on May 20th and it's Limited Edition so I assume it will sell out pretty fast! The good news is, it will be available for a year, so you'll still have time to get it!

But here is why I am so excited about this collection, today I tried the Duo-Fiber Face Brush when applying a bronzer and OMG(!) - the brush is so smooth, just like a kittens paw. It picked up the product beautifully, making it go on very light and sheer, which means it gives you the most natural flawless finish, of course you can quickly build up the pigmentation if you wish. This collection also featured the Duo-Fiber Contour Brush [awesome for blush, highlighter or contour] and Duo-Fiber Eye Brush [great for under the eye area, to blend eyeshadow, or highlighting the brow-bone]. A clear case of Love!

LOVE

SK-II Facial Treatment Essence!

2013-05-15T23:48:00.000+01:00

This is something I wanted to try for ages, all the trusted beauty bloggers and Youtube beauty gurus always refer to this product as holy water, literally! SK-II Facial Treatment Essence contains over 90% of pure Pitera that helps to restore skin's vitality. Pitera is a magical ingredient that is found in all SK-II skincare products, but it is especially concentrated in this essence! Pitera is a blend of vitamins, amino acids, minerals and organic acids, which helps to promote the natural 28 day skin cell renewal process. Hence why not a drop of this holy essence should be wasted, I shake about half a teaspoon of this precious liquid into my palm as recommended and then massage it straight into cleansed skin, the goodness of this essence is absorbed instantly. I find it makes my skin look a lot clearer and smoother. The essence should be used daily to keep skin moisturised and radiant.

LOVE

A Smokey Fiery Copper and Black Eye Make-Up Look!

2013-05-15T22:52:00.000+01:00

This palette reminds me so much of a stunning summer's sunset! Shiseido Luminizing Satin Eye Color Trio in OR 302 is not new and also isn't limited edition, this palette is part of the permanent line, I have looked at it a few times before but thought that the silver and black shade is a little too daring even for me. But this palette should definitely be in your collection! In the look that I am wearing I used the black and the copper orange shades. Although I am a huge fan of copper eyeshadows, and have quite a few I don't have anything like this beautiful fiery orange satin shade. Also to find a good black eyeshadow isn't that easy hence why so often we get put off or scared by black eyeshadow shades. This black shade is equally beautiful, it goes on very smooth and no fall out, it also has the satin finish, so it's very bendable and a joy to apply.

For this look I applied the black eyeshadow just on the lid looking straight ahead and only what's left on the brush [a sheer wash of colour] onto the crease line, with the fiery copper shade I went over the crease line. Also mixing the two shades I applied them under the lower-lashline, taking an intense black eye kohl into the waterline and over the upper lashes, smudging it slightly and blending with the black eyeshadow for a softer look. This palette would look beautiful on all eyes, but if you have blue or grey eyes it's a must have!

LOVE

OPI Japanese Rose Garden!

2013-05-14T23:33:00.000+01:00

This nailpolish is so hard to photograph, it's one of those shades that look completely different with flash! But I love it so much I decided to go ahead anyway and use these pics. To see it in daylight [mostly in the bottle] check out my Instagram: alyonainfashionlove. Ages ago I set eyes on OPI Japanese Rose Garden, but somehow drifted away from it. And last week I came across someone on Instgragram wearing this nailpolish and I thought 'That's it, I got to have it!' In the pics here it looks quite bright, but in reality it's a very chic tawny pink with a pretty sheen!

LOVE

Rodial Dragon's Blood Hyaluronic Mask - Great Fix for Dehydrated Skin!

2013-05-14T22:04:00.000+01:00

I recommended this Rodial Dragon's Blood Hyaluronic Mask to my aunt who's got very dry skin type, we got it together when we went on a fun beauty/skincare shopping trip to Harrods. As a disclaimer I will mention that she is not into skincare or make-up in general so her skin tends to react to a lot of things, even mascaras... I couldn't repeat enough how important skincare is, and that you should start looking after your skin in mid to late 20s - skincare should be treated as a preventative rather than a magical cure! Her skin is very sensitive as it is not used to any active ingredients, so she ended up having a reaction [burning sensation] even from this product which actually is very soothing, so she gave it to me.

I finally came around to try it last weekend! Last Friday I went to a family birthday dinner and had a few glasses of wine, approaching my 30s I find that my skin reacts quickly to dehydration, so next morning I woke up looking like my skin needed some extra love and care! I had absolutely no reaction towards this facial, in fact I found it incredibly soothing. It's a cooling gel like texture that you apply thinly on cleansed face, and either leave it for 10 minutes as a quick fix or leave it over night for a deep treatment. I have a combo and acne prone skin type which I am in control of now, but my skin started to get dehydrated on occasions. Acne prone skin is also sensitive to a lot of ingredients and can break out easily, but my skin reacted very well to this product, no breakouts at all!

Hyaluronic acid is fantastic for dehydrated skin as it plumps and injects moisture smoothing fine wrinkles and lines. This facial is also fantastic for a long flight, as the skin always gets so dehydrated. Dragon's Blood reduces redness with anti-oxidant benefits whilst Gransil smoothes imperfections for a firmer and flawless complexion. Dragon's Blood complex is a unique and potent Tree Sap extract which, when combined with Rodial's potent formulas, offer unrivalled benefits for anti-oxidant, soothing and anti-irritation properties.

A Tip for extremely dehydrated and sensitive skin types: If your skin is super dehydrated and you are someone who somehow never indulged into great skincare before, then chances are that your skin will be very fragile and react to a lot of things. I started getting into skincare few years ago, and in the beginning I found a light irritation or burning sensation from a lot of serums and gentle creams, but then I started taking great care of my skin, having a regular skincare routine etc. So if you are new to exfoliators or any types of acids, start slowly, and in a way try to train your skin, apply the product for a few minutes and then gradually leave it on for longer. Also prior anything start moisturising, daily, day and night, use deep hydrating serums and moisturisers on top to intensify the result and only then advance to exfoliators and acids.

LOVE

A Chic Spring Pink Chanel Evening Lip Look!

2013-05-12T22:59:00.000+01:00

To create this voluptuous chic pink lip I used Chanel Precision Lip Definer in 58 Rubellite and Chanel Rouge Allure Pure Shine Intense Colour Long Wear Lip Gloss in 69 Merveille, both are from the current Spring 2013 Collection! Rubellite is a very adorable fresh pink shade and looks beautiful on its own, for this look I filled in the lips making sure to get the colour right into the lips, which makes a lip look last a very long time! I like wearing Rubellite without anything on top as a chic matte pink day lip just over lightly moisturised lips, lip liners should be treated as a lipstick, they aren't there just to be worn on the edge of the lip or to be matched with the lipstick shade.

To turn it into an evening look all you need is a lipgloss of your choice. I love Merveille over Rubellite, it's such a gorgeous combo! Merveille is a very shimmery tawny pinky shade, which makes lips look really plump and luscious. Check Rubellite and Merveille out at the counter, they won't be available for very long as they are limited edition!

LOVE

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips in Glitz Blitz!

2013-05-11T23:47:00.000+01:00

This is quite a bling bling nail look for me, something I wouldn't usually go for, but I had fun wearing it! Glitz Blitz shade is perfect for festivals, summer parties or any parties... I wore this nail look to go with my summery golden beauty look in the previous blog post if you haven't seen it yet. These nail polish strips are fantastic for occasions when you don't have time to do your nails and need to turn up to an important event and look presentable. I always make sure to have a pack available at all times, just in case! They are super easy to use, very-very quick, and they come in a variety of pretty nail art shades. In every pack you get a tiny file and an orange stick to get a perfect looking mani. I previously did my nails at the back of a cab while on my way to the event, awesome!

LOVE

A Summery Golden Beauty Look with Smashbox!

2013-05-11T23:12:00.000+01:00

Nails: Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips in 260 Glitz Blitz

Here is another look I have created with the Smashbox Studio Pop Eye Palette that I have really enjoyed lately. Like I said in my previous blogpost featuring this palette I find these eyeshadows work best with a flat blush. With other brushes you may find there will be a lot of fall out and not as much pigmentation, but the flat brush does the trick and the eyeshadows have a fantastic pay-off and no fall out at all! To see a chic 70s on-trend emerald green eye make-up look I created with this palette click here! And for more pictures of this palette and a smokey plummy look check out my full review by clicking here!

For this golden eye make-up look I used 24K [a true gold shade] all over the lid and Nutmeg [an antique gold] just in the outer v creating just a touch of dimension, and then right in the middle of the lid I applied the 24K again, just to lift the whole look and make it look really golden and lustrous! To really fade out the golden edges I blended the shade Vanilla [a matte cream] onto the brow-bone. A nice thick black eyeliner and a few individual lashes applied just on the corners for extra lengthening finishes off a beautiful summery golden beauty look!

LOVE

Zoya Jacqueline - Peter Som Custom Colour for NYFW SS13

2013-05-08T10:53:00.005+01:00

Zoya Jacqueline is a pretty magnolia pastel nude, it's a nice balance of cold and warm tones. It has a white-ish/silver-ish sheen that my camera couldn't pick up. This shade is also one of those nudes that are really flattering because of the pigment. Jacqueline is quite streaky, so prepare for a good three coats, which will turn it into an opaque full-coverage beauty! Jacqueline along with other two on-trend shades, the signature orange and cool grey, was created as a custom NYFW SS13 runway shade for Peter Som.

LOVE

On Trend: 70s Metallic Emerald Eye Make-Up Look with Smashbox!

2013-05-07T15:05:00.002+01:00

I have featured this Smashbox Studio Pop Eye Palette over the festive season before Christmas, but I have recently rediscovered it! I realised these eyeshadows work even better when applied with a flat brush, the same way as you'd apply loose pigments, laying them over the eyelid instead of a blending it with a fluffy brush. This way the fall out is completely eliminated and the pigmentation becomes even stronger! The variety of shades in this eye palette like I said before is pretty good it has some really beautiful shades, matte, metallic and a couple with fine glitter. To see the look I created with this palette first time click here!

A few of the shades remind me of some of my fave MAC eyeshadows! Nutmeg reminds me a lot of Woodwinked, Vanilla is a very pigmented version of MAC Brule, Cinder is a lighter MAC Satin Taupe, Nude is very much like MAC Soft Brown [between Cork and Wedge]. There are also a few very pretty springy shades like Flamingo [a shimmery peach] and Amethist [a lilac with gold fine glitter]. Sofar every shade I tried I really liked, my favourites are Nude, 24K [a true gold], Nutmeg, and Vanilla! I'm looking forward to try more of the shades from this palette, awesome quality and this look lasted the whole day looking untouched and perfect! This palette also comes with four shades of cream eyeliner, I tried one back then but I don't remember loving it, I think it might have been too dry or smth like that, but next time I'll give it another go, and will let you know.

And of course THE trend shade of SS13 Emerald grabbed my attention as the most daring colour in this palette. It's not too crazy looking however, it's just that I am not used to wear colours on my eyes. But I decided to be brave and give it a go! I wore this look on Saturday when we had beautiful summer weather in London, so it really felt fitting to go for a fun 70s eye make-up look and the 60s beehive messy pony hair-trend as seen at Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs. Truth be told I really enjoyed wearing this look! My camera doesn't make it justice, it looked so much better in real life.

Emerald eyeshadows can look very chic and fresh if you concentrate the eyeshadow just over the lid, looking straight ahead into the mirror and bringing the eyeshadow just about two millimetres [precision!] peeping out. What you are after is just a colour-tease, when your eyes are open it should be barely noticeable, but when you look down bam(!) pop of Emerald! I also used the shade Champagne from this palette to blend the Emerald with it, so that there is no edge visible, it has to be very subtle graduation. Please share what your favourite on-trend emerald green eyeshadow shades are, I'd love to know!

LOVE

Clarins Instant Eye Make-Up Remover!

2013-05-07T12:32:00.000+01:00

As I really got into wearing fake eyelashes lately, I found I needed something a little stronger that would easily get off even the sticky lash glue sitting above my lashes or sometimes even in between, which can be tricky to get off with a regular eye make-up remover unless you don't mind loosing a few of your own lashes. This one is really greasy and oily which makes it glide over all water resistant eye products with such a great ease, taking off every bit of everything without damaging your eyelashes or the gentle eye area! As it is oil based it does leave a lot of residue, so I just go over it with a regular make-up remover. I wouldn't use it every day as it is so oily, but on occasions when I need a little more help with removing heavy eye make-up this one does a fantastic job!

LOVE

Nomad Jewellery The Silver Skinny Knuckle Rings!

2013-05-06T23:12:00.000+01:00

If you follow my Instagram, chances are you saw me wearing these knuckle rings almost on a daily basis, I'm obsessed with them! They are by Nomad, an awesome jewellery brand that makes handmade and also one of a kind custom made jewellery, including pretty quirky vintage necklaces.

To see Nomad jewellery pieces check out the blog: www.nomadjewellery.blogspot.com

The rings I'm wearing are The Silver Skinny Knuckle Rings [£15 each] - they are very simple and can be stacked or worn on different fingers, or mixed with other knuckle rings. There is something about these Nomad Skinny Knuckle Rings that makes them sit very comfortably on the finger. After giving my finger measurements it only took a few days, and the package arrived promptly, super quick! There are a couple more knuckle ring designs that are really trendy looking, so I might have to start expanding my Nomad jewellery collection!

UPDATE: Nomad has moved to MDG Jewellery!

The new blog name is: www.mdgjewellery.blogspot.com

and also new email: mdgjewellery@gmail.com

LOVE

Butter London Fruit Machine from the Sweetie Shop Collection!

2013-05-04T22:28:00.000+01:00

Butter London Fruit Machine is a super pretty pink shade. I don't wear pink nails very often but this one totally converted me! It's a cool-tone lilacy pink, with a cream finish. Fruit Machine is very flattering, there is something about this pink that is different to most of the pinks I have, it's fresh, springy and really fun to wear. I had so many compliments wearing this shade, even from people who aren't into pinks! This shade looked perfect on me after three coats, and it lasted such a long time without chipping! Fruit Machine is from the Sweetie Shop Collection Spring 2013, I have also reviewed Cuppa [the most flattering pastel nude!] from this collection, click here for info and swatches.

LOVE

Chanel Jeux de Regards Collection - Springy Plum Smokey Eye Look!

2013-05-03T21:45:00.000+01:00

Les 4 Ombre palette in 42 Seduction

Le Volume de Chanel Mascara in 20 Bleu

Hallelujah it is weekend! It's been a very long week, had one of those days yesterday when everything goes wrong, and today Lisa Eldridge made my day by liking my look on Instagram, which was inspired by her latest vid on Modern Baby Bardot look! Click here to see Lisa's video, and to see my created version check out my Instagram: alyonainfashionlove, and I also uploaded a mini vid of this look on Vine: Alyona Infashionlove. Btw I am also wearing this Chanel palette in the Modern Baby Bardot look, you'll find all the details in the description.

Speaking of which, here are a few of the new Chanel beauty products I played with and created this springy plummy smokey eye. Some of the products I have already featured, I will link them at the end and two of them are new, which I am super excited to share with you in case you want to treat yourself and go get them over the weekend! Chanel Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eye Shadow palette in 42 Seduction and Le Volume Mascara in 20 Bleu are from the Chanel Jeux de Regards Collection that launched today! This collection is all about eyes, which also features new shades of Ilusion D'Ombre, and Stylo Yeux Waterproof.

On the eyes I applied the plummy shade from the 42 Seduction palette all over the lid also taking it on the lower lash-line, and the lightest shade I used as a highlighter just over the brow bone. 42 Seduction is a beautiful palette with neutral warm shades, it's perfect for that fresh springy smokey eye. Then I used a brown eyeliner for extra dimension yet keeping it still looking soft. I also used the Le Volume Mascara in 20 Bleu, which the camera didn't pick up on very well but I really like this shade. It's a toned down greyish blue, quite sophisticated and chic. I quite like the brush, it's one of those silicone flexible brushes with a rounded point which is great for lower lashes.

On the lips I used Rouge Coco in 51 Ce Soir, very flattering beige plum shade, I lightly dabbed it on the lips with a finger for a pretty wash of colour, equally you can build it up for more intensity. Et Voilà!

Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour in 581 Cinema -

from Avant-Premiere Collection, click here for pics and full review!

Chanel Rouge Coco in 51 Ce Soir -

also from the Avant-Premiere Collection, to see another look with this lipstick click here!

LOVE

New Launch! Estee Lauder Batik Sun Palette - Bronze Goddess 2013!

2013-05-01T22:10:00.000+01:00

Arm swag: Michael Kors bling gold watch; Oliver Bonas hot pink studded arm wrap; Nomad custom made silver knuckle stacking rings [middle finger], and Accessorize silver ring [index finger]

...because of the flash being so close, the emerald green looks turquoise here...

Hey beauties, for anyone who is Russian, Ukrainian or anyone else celebrating the 1st of May hope you had a lovely day! I'm super excited to share this stunning Estee Lauder Batik Sun palette with you... This palette is absolutely gorj. First of all it's right on trend with that beautiful emerald green eyeshadow shade. Batik Sun is from the Bronze Goddess 2013 Collection that launched today! Batik Sun has five absolutely beautiful eyeshadow shades: the satin terracotta; metallic light gold; satin emerald green; sparkly champagne gold; and satin taupe. Every single shade is super flattering. I will create a separate look with the emerald green shade to show you how you can wear this on-trend shade, keeping it chic!

The look I'm wearing today is inspired by this Bronze Goddess collection, it just gives you that sunny glow you usually get when you return from a holiday, so this look is very flattering and beautifying. I used all four shades apart from the emerald green. Firstly I applied the gold shade all over, then I blended through the taupe in the crease and outer corner for extra dimension. Next to create that bronzy warmth I blended in the terracotta shade right over the edge of the taupe, taking it slightly higher then usually! And finally I used the lightest shade right under the brow to highlight the brow bone. Et Voilà!

Many of my Instagram followers asked if I have a YouTube channel, which I don't, and said they'd love to see my beauty looks tutorials, so I started making mini tutorial vids on Vine, so check it out if you want to see how I created this chic bronze goddess look!

Vine: Alyona Infashionlove

LOVE

Stila Skincare Light Source Review!

2013-04-30T23:48:00.000+01:00

This Stila Skincare Light Source serum was from my goodie bag when I went to the Stila Summer 2013 event, if you want to read more about that and see some really exciting new products from the Stila Summer 2013 Collection click here! I always associated Stila purely with make-up so to me it was a great revelation to discover that Stila Skincare is as awesome as the make-up!! The Light Source is a spot correcting and brightening serum. It helps to even out skin tone, working on dark spots, hyperpigmentation, and acne scars - sounds like heaven to me! I'm really impressed with this one. As you can see on the last pic it's a gel like texture, very light, fast absorbing, leaving your skin feeling super smooth. And it smells of lavender, a very calming and clean scent, makes it a joy to use!

It has an impressive list of ingredients [straight form the box]:

alpine rose stem cell technology closely mimics the function of human stem cells responsible for renewing, repairing & defending healthy skin
encapsulated brightplex peptide technology targets & treats existing dark spots to help fade them while breaking up the melanin clusters responsible for causing hyperpigmentation
antioxidant rich, stabilized vitamins A, C & E help reduce the appearance of fine lines & wrinkles, restore elasticity & protect skin from free radical damage
red algae helps inhibit melanin production
made with love & without synthetic fragrance, mineral oil, sulfates, parabens or phthalates
ideal for sensitive skin

Use it morning and/or evening on cleansed skin, half a pump is enough for me, a little goes a long way with this serum, it will last for ages. Light Source is a god-given skin goodness!

LOVE

Butter London Cuppa - Sweetie Shop Collection Spring 2013!

2013-04-30T23:16:00.000+01:00

When I first saw Butter London Cuppa in the bottle I thought it might end up making my hands look like mannequin, in the bottle it kind of looks like a greyish nude but actually it's a warm-tone creamy nude! OMG(!) I'm so happy I tried it on, it is the most flattering and sexy nude I have ever come across, hands down it's my all time favourite pastel nude! It's super opaque, and I had absolutely no troubles applying it, two coats looked perfect. Cuppa is from the Sweetie Shop Collection, which has five other pretty pastel shades perfect for spring! Best way to describe this shade: think - English Tea! It looks exactly like black tea with milk, hence the name I guess.

LOVE

New John Frieda Luxurious Volume Range Review!

2013-04-29T23:12:00.000+01:00

I'm excited to share the new haircare range from John Frieda, which was very nice of them to send me so that I could try the products and let you know what my thoughts are! First of all any hair product that promises lightweight volume gets my attention. As I have mentioned many times I love volume and texture in my hair, but at the same time I like my hair to be soft and look healthy. After having tried these products I can say they have ticked all the boxes. This range also has a Volume Building Mousse and All-Day Hold Hairspray.

Usually a volumising shampoo tends to tangle my hair a lot, which causes breakage and frizz - I have super long hair so for me it's important to use hair products that will be good to my hair. I was really positively surprised that the Luxurious Volume Shampoo was practically the least tangling shampoo I have experienced in a very long time. Generally I always need a conditioner to get the tangles out and get the hair really smooth, but before I even got to the Luxurious Volume Conditioner the shampoo washed out leaving my hair feeling silky so that I could easily run my fingers through.

In terms of the styling Luxurious Volume hair products I also loved how it didn't give my hair that crispy texture that often a volumising product can do. The Luxurious Volume Blow Dry Lotion is a great root booster, you need to spray it on towel-dried hair [little goes a long way, you don't want to put a ton of products into freshly washed hair] and then just blow dry as usual. This product is great if you like to lift the roots for crown volume, especially great for those with fine limp hair as it thickens strands.

Then there is also the Luxurious Volume Blow-Out Spray, it's great for fine to full hair and can be used on the entire length as well as the roots, then style and blow dry as usual. The Luxurious Volume Dry Shampoo is gentle, not too powdery and a great way to freshen up your hair during the day or in-between washes as it absorbs oil, this is to be sprayed into the roots only by lifting up sections of hair and spraying underneath [always shake the bottle in-between sprays]. This range gave my hair a nice voluminous lift, without weighting it down, and still looking natural! I would recommend this range to anyone from fine to full hair.

LOVE

OPI Original Nail Envy, Maximum Strenght Formula, Nail Strenghthener!

2013-04-29T20:22:00.000+01:00

As I mentioned yesterday I have started using the OPI Nail Envy in the Original Formula. I have long nails and pretty happy with them, but although they are growing quite quickly the nail on my index and sometimes the middle finger too keep braking almost right at the base. So I decided to try and get them to grow stronger. OPI Nail Envy has fantastic reviews, and it's meant to be amazing if you have short nails that won't even grow, or are brittle or weak. I've been using it for over a week, and my nails feel a lot harder and stronger. I also noticed that it seems to make my nailpolishes last a lot longer, literally preventing them from chipping. Pretty amazing!

The way you meant to use it is on a weekly rotation: applying two coat to clean nails as a base and then adding one coat every other day, and then after a week take it all off and start again. I apply two coats as a base, then two coats of a nailpolish and finally one coat of Nail Envy again to finish off, if I want a fast drying topcoat I then seal the whole deal with my Sally Hansen Insta Dri Top Coat and then add another coat of Nail Envy every other day.

LOVE

New Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balm!

2013-04-28T22:45:00.000+01:00

Wearing: Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balm in 06 Crystal Mandarin

The shade I'm wearing: 06 Crystal Mandarin

The beautiful shimmer/sheen in the 08 shade came out beautifully,

all of the four shades have a beautiful sheen, but most predominant in 08 and 09.

05 Crystal Rose - pink with fuchsia sheen; 06 Crystal Mandarin - orange with gold/red sheen;

07 Crystal Gold Plum - plum with gold/bronze sheen; 08 Crystal Berry - berry with purple sheen

In the same order as pictured above...

The 06 and o7 shades are warm-toned and 05 and 08 cool-toned.

I'm super excited to share these, what must be the most beautiful lip balms in existence, I'm not even exaggerating! I know it's a major statement coming from someone who loves all things beauty related, but I'm really obsessed with the new lip balms, Clarins packaging is a class of it's own, even their lip balms look like something from a bondette vanity. Love it! I also love the coloured bottoms, if you are a beauty collector this will be great for storing them upside down!

But the best part of course are the lip balms themselves, as you can see they don't look very ordinary. Basically it's a lipbalm and lipstick in one. In the middle of the clear balm bullet is the colour, so when applied the two mix creating that soothing lipbalm with great pigmentation! They look and feel beautiful, and like a try lipbalm you just want to keep reapplying it throughout the day. And they smell so good, literally a strawberry heaven.

The Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balm comes in these four beautiful shades. They all have shimmer and sheen in them to give you that perfect full lip! Sofar I wore the 05 and 06 shades and they are really flattering and feel super moisturising. I know I will be wearing these throughout the summer, they are just very easy, super pretty, and just gorj!

LOVE

SS13 Nail Trend: Ombre Nails - Graduated Colour Effect!

2013-04-28T16:39:00.000+01:00

From L to R - the order in which I am wearing the nailpolishes:

Essie Mint Candy Apple; Nails Inc. Royal Botanical Gardens; Essie Where's My Chauffeur?;

Zoya Wednesday; Nails Inc. Queen Victoria Street

Essie Candy Mint Apple

Nails Inc. Royal Botanical Gardens

Essie Where's My Chauffeur?

Zoya Wednesday

Nails Inc. Queen Victoria Street

Hey beauties, hope you are having a lovely weekend! I had a super busy week as well as daddy was in town visiting, so all the free time I had I spent with my fam and ended up not having any time for blogging at all... But I have lots of great beauty products to share with you so I probably will be writing two blogposts a day until the end of the month!

So lets kick off of a fun spring/summer nail-look I've been wearing for five days straight! I usually paint my nails every other day, but because I have been so busy I was very happy that this nail-look remained looking perfect and chip-free for the entire five days. I suspect that the OPI Nail Envy has something to do with it, as no matter how hard I usually try nailpolish tends to chip on me Day 3 - I do lots with my hands that makes it impossible for a nailpolish to last beyond Day 2. But I will be reviewing the OPI Nail Envy in full very soon!

Ombre nails have been an obsession of mine this year, I had a whole phase of glitter ombre. Ombre nail-look can be a little tricky if you are sort of new to the whole nail painting business... This graduated colour ombre is super easy to create, you just need five similar shades of nailpolish and paint each nail separately either starting from the lightest going darker or from the darkest going lighter.

LOVE

Tom Ford Grey Vetiver - Unisex Fragrance!

2013-04-24T23:59:00.000+01:00

This is another review I wanted to write for a while. I will start by saying that to me all of Tom Ford fragrances are unisex. I happily wear his fragrances for women as well as for men! Without going to deep I am just going to say that there is something about this fragrance that makes me feel very happy. It's comforting in a way. Like when a scent puts you in a happy place, somewhere you went, something you saw or felt with someone very special, a memory is usually what a fragrance evokes. But this fragrance puts me in a very happy place without reminding me of any specific time in my life or a specific person, which is really unusual when it comes to a fragrance. It may sound very strange but instead of the past, this fragrance puts me in a very happy future. Even on my toughest day, after I inhale the intoxicating fumes of Grey Vetiver I somehow know everything will be good.

When I went to purchase Grey Vetiver, the sales assistant was very confused [you know one of those that are rather off-putting than helpful, the common type] - she literally was trying to drag me away from this fragrance saying that it's for men... To me there is no such concept when it comes to a fragrance, fragrance doesn't have a sex, it has a feeling. And really it depends on how you wear the fragrance. I have tested on various occasions and no man detected a "masculine" fragrance, yet they really loved the Grey Vetiver on me. The dominant fresh vetiver [which is Indian grass] is accompanied by salty notes and sunny orange flower and grapefruit, and warm woody accords. It's incredibly irresistible, yet sophisticated, elegant and luxurious. In a way I find Grey Vetiver emancipating and empowering at the same time. If you are a single gal you need this!

LOVE

Percy & Reed No-Oil Oil for Fine Hair!

2013-04-24T23:09:00.000+01:00

Hey beauties, this is another hair product by Percy & Reed I have jolly enjoyed in the past few months, but somehow never got to write the review so here it is. As you only need a couple of drops at a time you can see this No-Oil Oil has been well loved! This is another great product of theirs for a beautiful looking voluminous hair. This hair oil is particularly great for fine hair as it doesn't weight it down - it lifts flat fine hair, giving it natural looking oomph and body. Violet extract makes the hair smooth and shiny, while vitamin B5 nourishes the hair making it stronger and also protects from heat. For my very long hair I use one pump massaging it in towel dried hair from root to tip and then blow dry as usual.

LOVE

Chanel Nail Colour in 581 Cinema: Avant-Premiere Collection!

2013-04-22T23:15:00.000+01:00

As featured in my previous blogpost here is the beautiful Chanel Nail Colour in 581 Cinema! It's from the new Avant-Premiere Collection that launched earlier this month. The collection was inspired by the glamour in the 50s films, which is really close to my heart as I studied film and wrote my dissertation on the 50s film era! There is just something so decadent and glamorous about the fashion and make-up the actresses wore in the 50s. And so does this collection represent the shades of true femininity and glamour! Cinema is a beautiful vintage warm-tone red. This collection has another three shades of the Nail Colour two of which are also new shades: Starlet [peachy pink with fine shimmer], Paparazzi [rosy plum with a gold sheen], and Provocation is a re-release from last year's Fashion's Night Out Collection [creamy plum].

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Chanel Avant-Premiere Collection - 50s Film Glamour Beauty Look!

2013-04-22T18:43:00.002+01:00

Earlier this month Chanel launched a new collection entitled Avant-Premiere, it was inspired by the 50s film glamour! This collection represents new shades of the Nail Colours, Rouge Coco, and Rouge Coco Shine. In the pictures I'm wearing the Rouge Coco in the shade 51 Ce Soir, which to me loving the 50s films - encapsulates the essence of glamour! Ce Soir is described as intense violin brown, it's a gorgeous colour and looks beautiful with a chocolate brown smokey eye. And on the nails I'm wearing a beautiful and very glamorous indeed shade 581 Cinema! Cinema is a red with an orange tint but it's not screaming, it looks very sophisticated and beautiful!

LOVE