LMB

Friday Treat

2012-01-27T10:40:00.000Z

For a while I thought I would never be able to have a conversation with my husband again... he only seemed capable of singing this song... it makes me laugh so much I cry. Prepare to be surprised by Michael Bolton...

Does contain swearing...

MyFace lil'bling Black Ice

2012-01-24T10:56:00.002Z

I usually have red nails in the winter and coral nails in the summer but I fancied a bit of a change this week so I tried out MyFace Lil'bling Nail Chrome in Black Ice. I don't really know what I was expecting - well I think it was a sort of 90's style silver - but what I got was dark, dark grey with fantastic metallic finish. Pretty easy to apply although you will certainly need two coats and it is hard to clean up the edges (as you will see from my terrible picture - I'm afraid Joe has gone off with my camera in his pocket so this is taken on my phone).

For those who like a bit of understated nail drama I really recommend this. I am big believer in red being the most glamorous and smart of nail colours but for those who want grown-up, glam nails this is definitely worth a try. Only £5.99 and a great addition to your colour collection - I just love these nail colours more every time I try them xx

Facing Beauty

2012-01-24T10:39:00.000Z

There are quite a few makeup books that I should probably be putting up here - they are either great for inspiration or for technical know-how but Facing Beauty: Painted Women and Cosmetic Art which I received for Christmas is the best book on beauty, it's history, what has been, and is, considered beautiful and what women have done to accentuate their image in the eyes of the world.

Professor Aileen Ribeiro focuses on the period between 1540 and the women in Renaissance paintings to 1940 where the cosmetics industry really started to influence how women were able to change and adapt they way they looked. Facing Beauty: Painted Women and Cosmetic Art is full of beautiful colour plates showing real and ideal women throughout history and the costumes, fashion and cosmetics that influenced them xx

Happy Friday

2012-01-20T11:39:00.000Z

Charles Worthington Hair Repair

2012-01-18T14:09:00.000Z

DIY hair treatments are a necessity in these financially difficult times and Charles Worthington have come up with the Salon at Home range which includes a fantastic, affordable, solution to damaged hair. I've raved about Ojon products before now and although they do work and are environmentally ethical they are not exactly money saving so I've been on the hunt for something to help my damaged hair, at home, that isn't going to break the bank.

Charles Worthington's Strength and Repair Hair Repair Kit is a three part treatment that you can use once a week and really does make a difference. It contains oils which penetrate the hair, smoothing it and making it less prone to damage. It's only available at Boots and is £19.99 - not so cheap you may be thinking but you get three treatments with this and as you only use it once a week it should last you some time.

Charles Worthing Salon at Home Strength and Repair Kit

Step 1 is the Hair Repair oil. You work the oil into your hair with your hands, avoiding the roots if you have fine hair, you really don't need too much of this oil at all. Then you put on the plastic bath hat provided and then read a magazine or something for 10 minutes. Gently rinse it out with warm water and move on to...

Step 2 the Strength and Repair Shampoo which you use as you would your usual shampoo.

Step 3 is the Intensive Hair Repair masque. Squeeze out any excess water and then cover your hair with this cream masque. You leave this on for five minutes so either put a towel round your shoulders and put your feet up or dangle upside down... which is what I do. Make sure you thoroughly rinse it out and then style as normal.

OK so I would rather not having to wander around with a bath hat on for ten minutes or dangle my head upside down for another five but it's only once a week and it really works and is a much more reasonably priced option than anything else I've found so far. Really pleased I tried this xx

Pain in the Lip

2012-01-17T12:51:00.000Z

Sometimes, usually when I have a particularly nasty cold, I get a spot/crack in the corner of my mouth. I know I'm not the only one but, having looked into causes etc on the Internet, I seem to be the only one with a helpful cure.

I did do research into what causes it and I'm not going to go into that here because, well... I didn't agree. Some people say it's a vitamin disorder, some say its an allergic reaction to some foods or products, some even say it's a form of herpes. I don't think it's any of these... well the one I get isn't. OK so if I eat a whole pineapple I may get one, I'm not denying that acidic foods may be a cause sometimes but mine is about once a year when I'm coldy.

So if this sounds like something that happens to you and you've not found anything that works then - and I know this is going to sound weird - try using Zinc and Castor Oil cream from Boots (or in fact I've just found it cheaply here - although I haven't tried this particular one). It's in the nappy rash section and no using Sudocrem is not going to be the same. This stuff really works if you apply it whenever you remember, for a couple of days.

I know that maybe this suggestion may make some people shout at me about its unsuitableness or tell me that this actually does mean I have some vitamin deficiency, I don't care. These spots/cracks/whatever they are, are painful and annoying and I want it gone asap. And, I'm not the only one this works for, my mother and sister swear by it too and a) we can't all have mouth herpes b) my mother is always right so there. I don't want to think too deeply about how the Holmes family discovered this nappy rash cream works so well (I'd like to point out it used to just be a normal unspecified cream...) but it does so give it a go xx

Bad Girl i-divine Palette

2012-01-16T15:01:00.000Z

I'm just about getting over my Sleek makeup resentment that I won't go into here and do have quite a few of their eye shadow palettes - they are great for having a variety of colours and not breaking the bank and, although they do drop down quite a lot they are highly pigmented so you get a good colour payoff.

I actually have about five at the moment but my new favourite is the Bad Girl i-divine palette - it has a fantastic variety of colours for doing smokey eyes - greys, greens, blues and black with two paler colours to use as a base. It's been around for a while but I originally (wrongly) thought it was a bit limited in the colour department and was mainly greys and blacks which seem to be everywhere and pretty easy to get hold of but I was wrong. The greens 'intoxicated' and 'envy' are my favourite. Good greens are hard to come by, let alone two that blend well together. £6.49 for 12 great, usable colours is great value for money. I really recommend checking these palettes out - they change them round quite often so if you want this one I'd get it asap xx

They don't swatch very well...

Maybelline Volum Express Colossal Cat Eyes Mascara

2012-01-12T17:19:00.000Z

A couple of weeks ago I reviewed Colossal Volum' Express Mascara by Maybelline Cat Eyes and said I hated it... I used it a couple of days ago and, to quote the immortal words of Dr Houseman 'when I'm wrong I say I'm wrong'.

Sometimes, I find that mascara's are rubbish at first and then once they've been open for a few weeks they are much less clumpy and just better generally. So I take back what I said about hating it, it's still not my favourite but I don't hate it and will definitely be using it... I've already used it twice this week. Sorry Maybelline, bad review retracted xx

Fairy Light Solos by Pixi

2012-01-07T13:48:00.001Z

Happy New Year. I hope you've all had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to 2012. I got such lovely presents this year I feel quite overwhelmed. One of these presents I've wanted to try for a long time - Pixi's Fairy Light Solo in Champagne Glow. A beautiful golden flecked peach colour that brightens and lifts the eyes and is so nice to wear as a subtle but glamorous base on your eyes. Fragrance and Paraban-free these shadows are suitable for even the most sensitive of eyes. I'm addicted and have been wearing it ever since - I can't imagine a time when I won't want this colour in my kit and the shadow itself is so easy to use and highly pigmented that I want to get it in more colours - at £10.50 it is worth every penny xx

Giveaway Winners

2011-12-22T09:51:00.000Z

Thanks to those of you who entered the giveaway - the winner of the Barefoot SOS Body Lotion is Cath and the winner of the Face Wash is Fonce. Please send me your addresses to my email address on my contact page and I will post them out to you asap! xx

Cetaphil Restoroderm

2011-12-19T14:48:00.001Z

I really wasn't sure about these Cetaphil products when I first started using them. The name isn't very memorable and the packaging doesn't blow me away and the moisturiser was fine but with my incredibly dry skin on my legs during winter it takes a lot for me to recommend a body moisturiser that actually keeps my itching under control. CETAPHIL RESTORADERM MOISTURISER 295ML really does reduce dryness and has made my eczema so much more bearable.

Using advanced ceramide and Filaggrin technology these Restoraderm products are specifically designed to help dry, eczema prone skin. Filaggrins are proteins normally found in the outermost layer of healthy skin that help hold it together, people who suffer from eczema are often missing filaggrin or it's not working properly so these products help rebuild this barrier and so far they've been working for me.

I've been applying in the morning and evening and have been itching much less and the red patches on my legs have started to go down. Behind my knees gets particularly bad at this time of year and I spend half my day itching them through my jeans - so far I've been resisting that urge and in fact haven't thought about it. It's suitable for toddlers and children and is non-greasy and easily absorbed.

There is a Body Wash to be used in conjunction with the Moisturiser and I'm going to start using this. If you suffer from itchy skin then I do recommend these products. I think quite often finding a product that stops the itching depends on you - sometimes E45 works and sometimes Dove Dry Skin cream works but nothing was helping this year. The Skin Restoring Moisturiser is £19.99 and available from Boots - not cheap but you get a 295ml pump bottle for that so it lasts quite a long time and frankly you can't put a price on the feeling of relief. I can't wait to start using the body wash (which is £15.99) xx

p.s I'd like to point out that by far and away the best thing for my eczema is going to the doctor and getting some nice prescription cream. It's the only thing that stops the itching properly but I never have time to go to the doctor at this time of year xx

Christmas Suggestions #3

2011-12-19T14:27:00.000Z

You didn't actually think you'd get away with a Christmas without me mentioning Liz Earle. Regular readers will know that I really love their products so it's pretty tough for me to decide which of their products to recommend specifically for Christmas. But I've finally decided on the Intensive Nourishing Treatment Mask which I've been testing out for the last month and really love, especially now it's got really cold, my face hasn't dried out at all.

This product is suitable for all skin types which is why it's particularly good as a Christmas present, and it's pretty versatile. You can either apply a thick layer to your face and neck after cleansing, put your feet up for 10-15 minutes, and remove with a muslin cloth soaked in warm water, then cleanse. Or just leave it on overnight which is what I've been doing as my skin was so dry with the sudden change of weather. In fact this applied to any problem area and left on overnight is really wonderful. It is just gorgeous, natural and soothing.

The best thing is that a starter kit of this which is a 50ml tube of the mask and a muslin cloth is only £13.50 which is really reasonable. You only need to use this as and when you need it so it should last a nice long time and a 50ml tube on it's own is only £12.75. Very good for sisters in laws, cousins or the difficult to buy for friends xx

P.S worth going to the Liz Earle website just for a glimpse of her cute dog!

Christmas Suggestions #2

2011-12-16T11:44:00.000Z

Dry Recovery set

There's no getting around it, Ojon products are expensive, especially if you haven't used them before and don't know if they work for you or not. But at the moment they are doing these fantastic three piece starter sets for only £15 and many other gift sets besides.

Damage Reverse

If you are struggling to find a gift for someone and you know they colour their hair or straighten it a lot I would recommend the Dry Recovery or Damage Reverse three piece starter sets. Restorative hair treatment which improves the condition of dry, damaged and coloured hair overnight, and then Hydrating shampoo and conditioner - this set would also be an amazing present for someone who is jetting off to somewhere hot as they won't take up too much room in a washbag.

I would also love the Volume advance three piece starter kit, also for £15 it volumises your hair without weighing it down and contains a pot of the wonderful Damage Reverse overnight treatment which will last you for ages and is worth the money on it's own. I'm addicted to it and would be very pleased to receive it as a present! xx

Christmas Suggestions #1

2011-12-12T19:20:00.001Z

I love Origins and I know what my favourites are from years of trying out and using their products - what is fantastic at Christmas though is their wonderful selection of gift sets. It means you can choose exactly what you think your friends should be trying out and would love.

Famous Favourites

You can choose your price range on the website and the sets come in gorgeous little bags and boxes. I've picked a few of my favourites (hint, hint) but you should go and have a look for yourself especially if your struggling for inspiration.

Right so my gift set of choice is Famous Favourites - not the cheapest option at £62 but it has the most variety and is great for any woman over 25. It includes Starting Over age-erasing moisturiser with Mimosa, Modern Friction a gentle, natural exfoliator and Incredible spreadable ginger body smoother among other things.

Ginger Treat set

For the slightly older city dweller I love the Perfectly Protected set which is slightly cheaper at £39 and has three A Perfect World products - one of my personal Origins favourites.

For something really festive then Ginger Treats is only £29 and these three products, Ginger Souffle, Incredible Spreadable and Ginger Float, are incredibly spoiling. A very good present for the mother-in-law or aunt I think.

There's even an option for the man in your life with a £30 Man's Best Friend set of natural, male friendly products to moisturise, soothe and clean xx

Friday Treat

2011-12-09T10:39:00.000Z

Not makeup related... but I love this... and don't forget to enter my giveaway

Giveaway

2011-12-08T15:28:00.000Z

Soothing Face and Body Wash

I'm very excited to announce that I have two Barefoot SOS products to giveaway! The Barefoot SOS skin rescue range is just what we need at this time of year now the winter weather has properly set in. With a carefully crafted blend of the highest quality natural ingredients their products are perfect for those with dry or sensitive skin.

So first I have Soothing Face and Body Wash - a gentle, non-drying wash with Panthenol and Allantoin to maintain skins moisture level, Evening Primrose and Jojoba oil to condition and Chickweed and Burdock extracts to cool and soothe.

Barefoot SOS Daily Rich Body Lotion

The second giveaway is Daily Rich Body Lotion - a silky smooth lotion containing Chickweed and mallow extracts to cool and soothe, Shea Butter for protection against the elements, Argan and Macadamia oils to nourish and smells fantastic with Orange Blossom and Lavender.

To enter you have to be a follower of this blog and then just add a comment to this post saying which product you'd rather receive and then I'll pick two winners and announce them next week! xx

Website

2011-12-02T11:27:00.000Z

OK so my website is basically ready - just need to tweak about the pictures a little bit but it is there for all to see. All down to the amazing work of Sam of Googledigook who designed it (3 times eventually... after we got hacked) and worked so hard and was always nice...

www.corinnaharrod.com

Friday Treat

2011-12-02T11:18:00.000Z

I love these tutorials - wish they gave a bit more info on which brushes she uses etc... ugh she makes it look so easy

No 1 Perfume

2011-11-29T10:52:00.000Z

Yes this is about to be another rave about how much I love Liz Earle, this time I shall be focusing on her perfume, but before I start saying how much I love it I'd like to say how much fun the event at their London store was last Thursday. It was just a lovely evening, I arrived late and stressed and thought I wasn't even going to make it on time and everyone there was just so nice and welcoming and I felt soothed and so pleased that I was able to make it. I had missed the talk by the wonderfully inspirational Lorna McKay but spoke to her about the inspiration behind the fragrance, and the development process with one of the top perfumers in France... I did this whilst sniffing my wrist every two minutes where I had sprayed the fragrance because I loved it and it changes whilst you are wearing it.

I have quite a hard nose to please - I like grown up musky perfumes rather than anything to sweet or citrusy. Botanical Essence No 1 by Liz Earle hits the nail on the head. Fantastic for summer days when you want something lighter but still with a bit of back bone and a real pick-me-up in the depths of winter. I was really surprised by just how much I loved it - I just could not get enough of it. If you doubt me just check out the reviews for it here. I could also still smell it hours later which is incredibly unusual - my skin seems to absorb perfumes.

It's incredibly hard to review a fragrance as smell is such a personal thing and everyone has different preferences. I think you'd struggle to find people who didn't really like this perfume though. It's much more complex than I was imagining... Bergamot Essential Oil, Damask Rose, Coriander Essential Oil, Vetivert Essential Oil, Nutmeg Essential Oil are just a few of the ingredients and the balance is so perfect I think that's what I found most surprising from this fragrance. It's got the good smell of rose without it being sickly and overpowering, the freshness of Mandarin Essential Oil without being too orangey. I'm not putting this as eloquently as the scent deserves...

This is not just another aromatherapy type smell, this is a proper fragrance - it is grown up, womanly, spirit-lifting and sensuous. The Liz Earle team held nothing back when developing this - I really think you should try it xx

Stippling Brush

2011-11-25T11:33:00.000Z

This is my weapon of choice for foundation application and I can't recommend it highly enough if you have more mature skin. Stippling is the action of dabbing the bristles of a brush into fresh paint to create a design - you can do this with your makeup but what's so good about these brushes is that they work the foundation right into your skin so rather than it sitting on top of lines and blemishes it blends it in making the finish more natural and is now great for high definition makeup. They are not restricted to foundations you can use them with blushers and highlighters, setting powders and blot powders so this is a great allrounder brush to have in your collection.

Mac 187 and 188

MAC do two very good stippling brushes of different sizes, both of which I have in my kit, and which they call 'duo fibre brushes'. The 187 is the larger brush for all over the face and the 188 is smaller and better for under the eyes or those with smaller faces. They do a 130 which is a short handled version. The 187 is £32.50 though and I just think it's not as versatile as the Real Techniques equivalent. The 188 is £26 so I think unless you know you need the larger one this one would do just as well.

My absolute favourite and the one I use everyday is the Real Techniques Stippling Brush. Incredibly reasonably price at £10.99 available at Love Makeup - this brush stands up by itself for easy storage, has synthetic taklon brushes which makes it great to use with powders, liquids or creams and very easy to wash and my personal reason for loving it is the size. You can do your whole face with it but it's small enough that you can clean up under your eyes with it very easily too. You all know I love Sam and Nic Chapman of Pixiwoo so it should come as no surprise that this brush is designed by Sam (as are all the Real Techniques brushes) and I've posted her video below so you can see her work her magic.

Friday Treat

2011-11-25T11:06:00.000Z

I love this...

Collections 2000 Smoky Eye Palette

2011-11-23T21:22:00.000Z

I just cannot stop using this new Smokey Eyes palette from Collection 2000! I like it so much I think I may well get myself another one just in case I use this one all up and they stop doing it!

I was early to meet a friend and went to get my sister some face cream from Boots and accidentally came out with this and the felt tip eye liner I raved about earlier. This palette is gorgeous and perfect for the Christmas party season or anyone wanting to try out smokey eyes as it is incredibly cheap at only £4.19. I love it so much I'm already planning a video using it which I hope to put up soon. Really versatile with colours that will suit everyone and instructions of how to use it on the back I can't recommend this highly enough. A great present or stocking filler for a makeup minded friend xx

Liz Earle Evening

2011-11-23T10:51:00.000Z

Tomorrow, Thursday 24th November, between 6.30 and 8pm the Liz Earle team are hosting an evening of fragrance at their London store on the Kings Road. Anyone who reads this blog regularly will know what a fan I am of her products and I can't recommend them enough as fantastic Christmas presents. I know what I'm getting for my sister and I may well top up on the hot cloth cleanser for myself while I'm there.

The evening will feature Lorna McKay, the Liz Earle fragrance expert, who will be sharing her stories from the world of perfume. There will also be a complimentary personalised engraving service for anyone buying a bottle of the Botanical Essence No 1 and there will be delicious refreshments provided to help with your browsing!

I'm really excited - I've never had the chance to try out any of the Liz Earle fragrances before so I am shifting stuff around in my diary to make sure I can be there. All guests take home a little goody bag of treats to try out and there is a chance to win the Liz Earle Ultimate Hamper with a personalised bottle of Botanical Essence No. 1.

Tickets are £10 and redeemable against any purchase on the night . To reserve a place call 01983 813 562 between 9am and 5.30pm. Do it quickly to reserve your place xx

Monday Treat

2011-11-21T13:28:00.000Z

Didn't manage to get near my computer on Friday so I thought I'd post this today instead. I want this primer so much...

Kleenex Eye Makeup Removal Wipes

2011-11-14T18:15:00.000Z

I've been using these for the last fortnight and I really don't know what to say about them. I think they are great in many ways; they remove eye makeup, they are in small easy to carry around packaging and they don't dry your skin out at all. I only have two problems with them. Firstly, why would you use these if you were into using wipes anyway, surely it would be better to use an all-in-one wipe that can do everything? Also they get a lot of my black eye makeup off but not all of it.

I think I can talk myself out of both of those problems - I don't like using wipes every day to remove my makeup but they are incredibly useful to have in your washbag for those late, maybe slightly tipsy, nights when quick makeup removal is necessary or when you have limited resources. I do, however, like to remove my eye makeup first whether it's before I wash my face in the bath, or using a cleanser and for this these wipes are great. I actually forgot to take them with me when I went away last weekend and was annoyed at not having them. It's incredibly useful to be able to use something to get the majority of your eye makeup off first and the fact that I then either cleanse or wash my face means that anything left behind is going to get removed anyway.

They are also incredibly good value at £2.99 for 24 cloths so a non-expensive way to have a quick solution in your washbag, they smell great and are made from natural fibres. As I mentioned above these packets are also smaller than the usual wipe packets so they are incredibly convenient to carry around. To have these or not is definitely a personal choice depending on your makeup removal routine but for those who have one similar to mine I'd say they are worth a try xx