Rosa Bello

NOTD: OPI Danke Shiny Red

2012-10-24T18:42:00.001+01:00

Today's nails are from the OPI Germany Collection. Danke Shiny Red is a gorgeous red with a slight metallic shine. Perfect for upcoming Xmas parties!!

Stay beautiful

Jane x

EOTD: Bourjois & Sleek Makeup

2012-10-18T12:36:00.000+01:00

For this look I used:

Urban Decay Eye Primer Potion in Sin

Matt Brown (3rd from left, top row) from Sleek Makeup Chaos Palette

Pale Gold Shimmer (2nd from right, bottom row) from Sleek Makeup Sunset Palette

Bourjois Little Round Pot Eye Shadow in 03 (Blue Magentique)

Push Liner Brush

Angle Brush

The look is very easy:

Apply primer
Use matt brown on eyelid
Pat shimmer over lid and into crease
Use push liner & angle brush wet to create winged eyeliner with blue eyeshadow
Optional: I applied MUA Intense Colour Eye Liner in Snow White to waterline to create a cleaner look

Curl Lashes and apply mascara

NARS Orgasm Collection

2012-06-28T14:51:00.001+01:00

Anyone who loves NARS will no doubt be aware of the cult classic that is the NARS Orgasm collection. Within the Orgasm range is a blush, The Multiple, illuminator, lip gloss and nail varnish.

I already own the Orgasm blush in the trio palette NARS brought out last summer. I don't think it is quite as shimmery as the single version but still is as gorgeous!

Orgasm Blush, Albatross Highlighter, Laguna Bronzer

I had kind of forgotten about it in the last few months after favouring NARS Cactus Flower and my new love Illamasqua Zygomatic!

I had forgotten until I saw this picture on their Facebook page, I don't know why I just fell in love with the look!

On the Facebook page they have listed the products and how to apply them to recreate it, click here to take a look.

I would have loved to have rushed out and brought all of them but I resisted. Instead as I already own the blush I treated myself to the lip gloss.

It is similar to the blush with a golden/pink shimmer colour. I have olive skin so on my lips it looks more sheer then maybe it would with a lighter skin tone. It is great to put over a neutral matt lip base if you want to go from day to night.

I did consider Super Orgasm but for me it was to shimmery and the 'glitter' particles were to noticeable.

Inspired by the NARS image I decided to create my own Orgasm look.

Face
I used NARS Laguna lightly over the face as I have tan so don't need foundation.
Placed NARS Orgasm over the cheek bones and then dusted lightly around the hairline, nose and lips.
Finished with NARS Albatross to highlight cheeks, nose and cupids bow.

Eyes
As a base I used Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin
Built up 3 or 4 layers of NARS Orgasm Blush over the top, blending out over the crease
Smudged MAC Smoulder Kohl Pencil in black and then dusted a light coat of NARS Orgasm Blush over the top.
Finished with Max Factor Masterpiece Max Mascara in Black

Lips
Line lips with GOSH Nougat Crisp and blend into to lips.
Coat lips with NARS Orgasm Lip Gloss

Overall the collection is great to add a glow for Summer!

Stay Beautiful,

Jane xx

NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer

2012-04-20T12:00:00.000+01:00

As we are coming in to Summer (I type this as it is pouring with rain outside!!) I needed to replace my Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser as it was running out. I decided to give the new NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer a go. I picked it partly because NARS is fast becoming one of my fav makeup brands but also because it is oil free.

My colour shade is St Moritz (Medium1), it blends into my skin perfectly, better then the Laura Mercier colours do.

In terms of coverage, I would say it is light but can be built to medium. The finish in my opinion is more matt then some may like but does give a radiant effect. The best thing for me about this moisturiser is the longevity of it. I am not a great one to powder after application and with most of my foundations and tinted moisturisers by the end of the day I look oily and a little cakey. After a day at work with the NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer my skin shows hardly and oil and barely any cakey patches.

The only negative thing I have to say is about the smell! For some it may be great but for me it has a really strong citrus smell which I really am not a fan of. Despite that it does not stay on the skin so it hasn't put me off enough to stop using it.

If you are comparing it to the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser here are some little facts you may like:

NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer has SPF 30 compared to SPF 20
Both are 50ml
NARS is £27, Laura Mercier is £33 (when purchased from Space NK)
NARS is Paraben free, Laura Mercier isn't

I didn't think anything could convert me from my Laura Mercier but this one has and is now one of my must haves!!

Stay Beautiful

Jane xx

Choccywoccydoodah Shop London

2012-04-12T15:18:00.000+01:00

Last week my mum and I had an unexpected trip to London and thought we would go a visit the new Choccywoccydoodah shop in Fouberts Place (opposite the Mac Pro Shop for beauty fans!). If you have never herd of Choccywoccydoodah they create the most amazing sculptures from chocolate. They really are pieces of art! They started in Brighton and recently opened the new shop in London.

Below are some pictures I took to show how amazing the creations are, plus we did get to sample some of the chocloate and it tastes amazing!

Stay Beautiful & Eat Chocolate!!

Jane xx

Sarah Edwards Cakes

2012-04-12T13:40:00.000+01:00

I am so excited to write this post, I have been saving it for months!

Last year my family and I started a little tradition of buying a bespoke birthday cake for each other. This is how we discovered the very talented Sarah Edwards. She makes the most amazing cakes ( I have tried alot of cakes, so I am qualified to make this statement lol!) and her white chocolate filling is to die for!!

Below are a few examples of the gorgeous cakes Sarah has made for us. They really are pieces of art and it has become a highlight of family birthdays to see what she has created.

My mum loves Chanel No 5

This was my bday cake, inside the gingerbread house was my fav sponge cake with white chocolate filling! The little trees around the house were peanut butter cupcakes!

I can honestly say this was the best bday surprise ever!

I love that the hands were movable!

My dad is a chocoholic!

For my grandad who loves reading Shakespeare

My mum collects Wedgewood

This is my favourite of all the cakes, it had such personality it was almost too cute too eat!!

I hope you all like them, you can see more of her cakes on her website or on her facebook page.

Stay Beautiful & eat lots of cake!!!!

Jane xx

Umberto Giannini Hair Kits

2012-03-21T11:00:00.000+00:00

Umberto Giannini and their Artistic Director, Paul Gooch, have created these cute little hair kits. They are a bargain at £12 and contain everything you need to create the looks. What I love is that each kit has a QR code on the back that links you to a video showing you ways to use the kit.

The range includes four kits:

Vintage

The kit contains:

Velcro Rollers, Roly Polys, Pintail Comb, Pins, Grips and a beautiful lace headband

Festival

The kit contains:

Wide Tooth Comb, Hair Rags, Triple Ribbon Hairband and a Compact Mirror

Up-Do

The kit contains:

Big and Small Hair Donuts, Pins, Pintail Comb, Hair Band and a Diamante Hair Band

Backcomb

The kit contains:

Roly Polys, Backcomb Brush, Pins, Feather Grips

My favourite is the Vintage kit and think they make great gifts or to take with you on summer travels. I am thinking of trying the Festival one for my upcoming trip to Ibiza.

All the kits are available from large Boots stores or at www.boots.com

Stay Beautiful

Jane xx

Stacking Heart Rings

2012-03-19T22:34:00.000+00:00

Note: Today's blog I was a bit unsure about because I work for the company. However, I am blogging about them because I really love them and not for any other reason.

Rubinstein Keightley Heart Stacking Rings with Diamonds (£385)

Rubinstein Keightley Heart Stacking Rings (Silver, £50. Gold from £299)

These rings are soooo cute I had to share them!

The rings are made by Rubinstein Keightley Goldsmiths. We are a bespoke jewellers who make our jewellery in our on site workshops. The benefit of this, is with pieces like these rings you can have them however you like. The heart stacking rings are available in Silver, Gold and Platinum. Once you have decided the metal you can choose a polished, matt or oxidised (Silver only) finish plus add a bit of sparkle with diamonds (shown above) or other stones.

My set is pictured below, I have 2 9ct Rose Gold Rings (£299 each) in a polished finish and a silver polished ring (£50 each) in the centre.

I also wear them as a necklace by threading a chain through one of the corners so they hang at an angle. The other nice thing about them, is you can engrave something on the inside. I am thinking of having my parents and grandparents names put on them as they all gave me Christmas money towards them.

The silver rings aren't online yet, but I will update the post when they are with the link.

Let me know what you think,

Stay Beautiful,

Jane xx

Beauty Easter Egg

2012-03-15T20:05:00.002+00:00

Today I found the perfect easter egg! It won't add any pounds and its good for you!!! I am talking about the Babor Easter Egg.

This lovely egg gives your skin a gorgeous 14 day treatment of Energizing Oxygen Fluid, Algae Active Fluid, Moisture Plus, Collagen Booster Fluid, 3D Lifting Fluid, HSR^® lifting extra firming fluid and Direct Beauty Fluid.

The egg is £35 but worth around £58, it's a great treat for any beauty lover.

If you want to treat yourself to one they are available from Esque's website.

Stay Beautiful,

Jane xx

Recipe: Salmon Puff

2012-03-03T18:30:00.001+00:00

This recipe isn't Ramsey standard, it is very simple and open to lots of improvements. I made it up a few weeks ago when I had some creme fraiche to use up after making the salmon and courgette recipe I mentioned in a previous post. It is very basic, simple and quick to make, plus it gets a few of my 5 day in!!!

Ingredients

Fish (today I have used a fillet of salmon, I tried this with Cod and haddock which work well too)
Puff Pastry (This time I used Tesco's Ready Rolled, normally I use Sainsbury. Tesco is really puffy!!)
Lemon Juice
Parsley

What to do

1. Preheat oven to 200c
2. Roll out the pastry on baking sheet (Ready Rolled comes on the baking sheet already)
3. Place fish about 2cm from the short edge of the pastry
4. Mix 3-4 tablespoons of creme fraiche with parsley

5. Add 3-4 splashes of lemon juice to the sauce. Feel free to add more or less, it takes away the sharpness in the creme fraiche.
6. Spread over fish

7. Fold pastry over to cover fish

8. Fold up edges and push together to seal

9. Beat an egg and brush over top
10. Cut an x in centre
11. Place in oven for 30mins

Always check fish is cooked before eating. I served mine with baby new potatoes, cucumber and sweetcorn. I also made a little extra of the sauce to mix with vegetables.

Like I said not fancy but tastes good and quick when you get in from work.

Stay Beautiful,

Jane xx

NOTD: Ciate Main Stage

2012-02-25T13:23:00.000+00:00

Today's nails are one of my new favs!! I brought this earlier in the week and have been dying to try it out.

Ciate nail varnishes first came to my attention when I received the orange ( I think this was Speed Dial) in my July Glossy Box. (Click here to see my post on this) which I loved. The quality is really good, you could easily get away with one coat if you were in a rush.

I am not sure if any main stores stock Ciate as I have never seen them locally to me. I got mine from a beauty trade store but they are available online on the Ciate website.

Today I have one Ciate Main Stage varnish. It is deep fuchsia pink and perfect for getting in a summer mood!

Stay Beautiful

Jane xx

Mulberry Autumn Winter 12

2012-02-21T18:46:00.000+00:00

As you can't have failed to notice, this is London Fashion Week!! Yesterday was the turn of Mulberry to showcase the Autumn Winter Collection. I am a massive (almost obsessive!) fan of Mulberry! Luckily the show was streamed live on their website, so I got all dressed up and sat down in front of my TV to watch the show.

The main story from the show was the introduction to the Del Ray bag. Named after the girl of the moment Lana Del Ray. I have never wanted to be famous but if it means having a Mulberry bag named after me then sign me up!!

www.mulberry.com

The bag reflects her style for vintage with a contemporary twist and I think the bag looks gorgeous! She attended the show with a bespoke white ostrich version. The bag will retail for around £795 and will come in a selection of colours.

The main theme of the show for me was cosy layers, the outfits featured big knits, big fur coats and aztec prints on clothes and bags. Colours haven't really changed from this winter but the show had a lot of golden/burnt browns and oranges.

These are my two fav looks. The first because I love the bag and the second for big hair coat!

wwww.mulberry.com

www.mulberry.com

If you want to see the show click here.

I am off to start saving for my Mulberry bag!!

Stay Beautiful,

Jane xx

Nars Spring Summer Collection

2012-02-19T18:10:00.000+00:00

I splashed out in Space NK on some goodies from the Nars Spring Summer 12 Collection!
I had been looking at it for a few weeks as I have to pass the store everyday to get to work. However I was persuaded after watching Tanya Burr and FleurDeForce video on Spring Products.

I treated myself to:

Douche France Trio Eyeshadow, £33

Nars Douche France Eyeshadow Palette

This palette has a light pink/almost white, a baby pink and a maroon colour in it. All 3 are matt and look great for a natural eye this summer. I have been using it almost everyday since I brought it, mixing it with my Naked Palette. The only negative I have is the pigment isn't as good as I had hoped, I have to build it up quite a bit to get the colour to real show.

I am so sorry this pic look really weird!!

Cactus Flower Cream Blush, £21

Ignore the silver flecks they fell off a brush I had near by :(

I LOVE this!!!!!!!! The colour looks really scary in the pan but on it looks amazing! You can use it lightly to give pinky/red glow to the cheek or use build up for a more dramatic effect.What doesn't show from the swatch and the pic is it has a shimmer to it which I like but others may not. Lastly it blends really well so if you do go bait OTT it is easy to fix. This is my new 'LOVE' item, this really has not left my cheeks, also it looks great as lip stain if you just want a little colour but without using any product.

Mexican Rose (left), Cactus Flower (right)

Mexican Rose Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil, £17.50

Nars Mexican Rose

Ok I am going to be honest, I love the idea of this and I have worn it and got lots of comments about how great it looks but it scares me!! I think it is because I am used to nudes on my lips so anything bright I worry looks bait clown like but I am getting used to it. It looks more red in the flesh but it is a bright pink with a red undertone. I didn't think you really could get a gloss effect from a pencil but it it gives great gloss effect. The massive plus is the colour lasts!!! This is the first lip product where I have to physically wash my lips to get the colour off!

Pucker Up!!

Stay Beautiful,

Jane xx

I'm Back!!

2012-02-12T15:44:00.003+00:00

Hey Everyone!!

Just a quick post to say I am back after a very long break of 4 months!!
I don't really want to go into why but I needed sometime away, but I am back refreshed and excited to be back blogging again!

Stay Beautiful,

Jane xx

Boudoir Privé Beauty Box - September

2011-09-25T17:55:00.000+01:00

Today I received this months beauty box from Boudoir Privé. I was was a little apprehensive about this month's box after being disappointed with last months treats.

This months box was all about 'Les Indispensables', products that are absolutely essential.

The box included:

Tropic Skincare - Body Smooth
A natural scrub containing Macadamia oil and Sea Minerals.
I haven't tried this as I gave it straight to my mum. It smelt to lemony for me and it us very oily which my skin isn't fond of.

Agent Provocateur - L'Agent perfume
I was surprised by this scent as I normally like Agent Provocateur scents. It smelt very floral and musty which I hate. I also felt it was a very grown up scent which I'm not sure would appeal to the normal Agent Provocateur audience.

Macadamia Natural Oil - Healing Oil Treatment
I am guessing this is rivalling the much loved Moroccan Oil range. It says it is suitable for all hair types and can be used on wet or dry hair. I am going to try this tonight to see what I think.

Colbert MD - Nourish Eye Cream
This cream claims to reduce puffiness and dark circles and is used by celebrities including Kate Middleton. It does cone with a royal price of £90 for 15ml!!
I actually was lucky enough to be given a pot of this at a previous bloggers event. It is a nice cream but I was to scared to use it up as it was so expensive, so I will try this little sample pot.

Zoya - Jem Nail Varnish
Zoya is one of the top nail varnish brands and Jem is from it's Autumn/Winter 2011 collection 'Smoke & Mirrors'.
I'll be honest this was the main reason this box excited me. I can't get Zoya near me and dying to try them out! The colour is great and I will feature it in a NOTD post tomorrow.

Cargo Cosmetics - Boogie Nights Eye Liner
This liner came in black and contains silver glitter bits.
I liked it when I swatched it but I do think you need to build it up with a couple of layers to really see the shimmer.

Mai Couture - Blot @ Bronze
This is a blotting paper that removes oil but also leaves a hint of bronzer to give skin a radiant glow.
I am not sure about this, I tend to need blotting on my T-Zone which isn't where I would bronze my skin.

Overall the box wad better then last month but I feel Boudoir Privé appeals to a more mature user so I am going to cancel and stick to my Glossy Box.

Stay Beautiful

Jane xx

Glossy box - September

2011-09-18T17:44:00.000+01:00

I have just picked up my GlossyBox from the sorting office and found another box of treats.

This month I was treated to:

Green People - Day Solution Hydrating Balancing Day Cream
Moa - The Green Balm
Mary Greenwell - Plum Eau de Parfum
Rahua - Shampoo & Conditioner
HD Brows - Eye & Brow Palette in Vamp

My Thoughts

I love the HD Brows palette, I don't fill my brows but as a smokey eye palette I can see this being used a lot. All the colours are matt and have a good pigment.

The Plum Eau de Parfum does smell plumy as you would hope but isn't my kind of scent. It kind of reminds me of the smell you get in La Senza from those bead things!
The rest I am not sure about yet as haven't tried them.

Overall I did like this months box but I wish GlossyBox would give everyone the same. As most bloggers post each months box I always end up feeling a little disappointed that someone got one thing and I got another. This month for example I got mainly what I would call sample sized products except for the palette. Looking at other people's boxes some got mainly gull sized or bigger products. Yes mine still may be luxury but I feel they got more for their money.

Having said that I do still like my monthly delivery from GlossyBox but I am waiting for my Boudoir Prive box before I decide which to keep next month.

Stay beautiful

Jane xx

EOTD: Pink/Purple Eye

2011-09-12T10:04:00.000+01:00

OK this is my first EOTD because I use my iPhone to take my blog pics and it doesn't work well for this sort of thing, however, today I accidentally created a really pretty eye that I wanted to share!

It was meant to be a metallic nude smokey eye as I was just popping to the shops, I started with Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin and then used my new eyeshadow from Famous by Sue Moxley.

I know I may be a bit behind but I have never really looked Famous by Sue Moxley before. The palettes have really nice colour combinations and the prices are really good. While I was looking I spotted this really unusual shade (Shade 16). It was brown with a metallic shine to it, I decided as it was 1/2 price in Superdrug (£2 I think) I would try it. OMG I love it!
It has great pigment which surprised me and you could really build up the colour, I love that the colour always changes, from brown to purple to grey to gold.

I added black eyeliner from my fav GOSH Velvet Touch Pencil and was going to leave my eye like this.
And then out of the corner of my eye makeup box I spotted this little pink pot from Barry M (Barry M Dazzle Dust Shade 84). I had brought it a while ago but never used it and so I popped a little on my brush and decided to give it a try.

I hope you like it, the pics don't do it justice really but it looks so pretty! I'll be honest it probably a little OTT for popping to the shops but it gave me a little boost!!

Stay Beautiful

Jane xx

Guest Blog: Bloggers Must Have from Nanna Kate

2011-09-08T10:00:00.000+01:00

First to take part in my 'Bloggers Must Have' series is Katy from Nanna Kate

1. Name

Katy - not short for Kathryn or anything else, just Katy...

2. Tell us a little about yourself and your blog

I'm a Pisces and a left-hander so I am a dreamer, creative and sometimes rather impractical... however - through some crazy twists of fate I ended up working as a Credit Risk Analyst for the Finance Department of a major Telecoms provider in the UK; crazy because I don't even know my times table! But for as long as I can remember I've crafted. One of my best friends and I made an entire miniature village out of clay as kids, it even had it's own ambulance! I've always had some little craft project on the go to indulge my creative side, at one point I even set up a business making Wedding stationary. But work and 'life' always get in the way and there aren't enough hours in the day to work full time, follow a career development plan, have a social life, bake, go to my WI meetings AND regularly craft!

I decided to set up my blog as a way to escape the rigidity of my job. Initially, I intended to write about baking and craft, my two major passions - but I ended up writing about all kinds of things including beauty - did I mention I'm a product junkie? I have included links to my beauty reviews (via www.dooyoo.co.uk) on my blog, little snippets about my addiction to monthly boxes and plan lots of cool beauty stuff in future, including 'The secret skincare diary of Nanna Kate, aged 27 and a half'... which is going to chronicle my sudden battle with skin perfection and the products / treatments I'm trying to combat the outbreaks I've never experienced before!

3. What is your must have product?

£17.95, www.sheercover.co.uk

My must have product is without a doubt Sheer Cover Lip-to-Lid Highlighter.

4. How did you discover it?

I used to work in a Call Centre as a Team Leader handling calls from people wishing to buy Guthy Renker products (including the Sheer Cover brand). One of the perks of the job (in my eyes!) was that we got to try samples of the range so that we could sell products based on our user experience; we also got 50% discount on the full sized products. After leaving the company I went on to use everything up that I'd bought discounted; and couldn't resist buying the products direct at the full price - they were so amazing.

5. Why can't you live without it?

The Lip-to-Lid Highlighter is not only ridiculously versatile, amazing value for money and comes in three perfect shades to suit anyone and everyone - it's also GOOD for your skin because it's a mineral make up. It's the absolute definitive finish for day or night make up. My review of it can be read here http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/makeup/sheer-cover-lip-to-lid-highlighter/1534721/ and that's going to give you more justification (if you need it) as to why I can't live without this product!

6. Anything else you would like to add?

I called my blog Nanna Kate because my Sister absolutely tortures me about my 'Nanna' fashion sense. I wear vintage, floral, handmade, etc and she thinks it's hilarious. My Dad tells me I am old before my time joining the WI and putting a sewing machine at the top of my Christmas list. My Mam's a bit kinder - but that's her job after all. I originally intended to keep the blog 'anonymous' and thought this would be an ace pseudonym (Kate, short for Katy and also my real Nanna's nickname as she was Kathleen), but I kind of lost the anonymity when I told my Sister all about it (damn that sisterly bond!).

Thank you Katy for sharing your Must Have! If you would like to share your must have and do a guest post for me comment below, tweet me or email me.

Stay Beautiful,

Jane xx

New Flat Haul

2011-09-04T19:15:00.000+01:00

Some of you may know that I am packing to move next month. I am moving to a little flat not to far from where i currently live (actually it is 2 buildings away lol) so i have started collecting things on my travels (mainly to Ikea!!) ready for my new BOY FREE home!

* Warning!!!!* If you don't like pink or purple look away now! It appears the flat will have every shade of pink and purple possible!!!

Ikea

I do love Ikea!! I love looking at the rooms for inspiration and the Market Hall is like my heaven!!

On my recent trip I purchased this gorgeous mirror, I really like that it looks vintage but being black gives a more modern feel. When I brought this I think they had got the pricing wrong as I paid £19.99 and weirdly the same frame without the mirror was £24.99. When I went yesterday the pricing seemed to have changed but now the mirror is £25 and the frame only has stayed the same. Not sure how that works but anyway it is really cute!

Ung Drill Mirror, £25

www.ikea.com/gb

To go with my purple lounge I also purchased these flower pots, I wanted to get the pink to match but they were under all the purple ones and I couldn't get to them :( oh well good excuse to go back!!
They are a complete bargain at £1.39 each!

Tip: If like me you can't keep plants alive Ikea do some nice artificial plants that look realistic

Papaja Plant Pot, £1.39

Ralph Lauren Home - Bicester Outlet Village

This is my big treat for when I move in! I have wanted the duvet for years! I brought the matching pillow cases about 4 or 5 years ago in a House of Fraser sale but could never justify the price, plus, the bf didn't want to sleep under a pink duvet.

I had seen this in the outlet store a few times but still thought it was a lot of money as I have to have a Superking size. On my recent trip they had an offer of £20 off which made it a little more reasonable (kinda lol!!) at £79.99 and as I am now going to be living boy free I thought why not!

The duvet matches the Oxford shirt in the main collection from Ralph Lauren collection and is in the same cotton material. I like that you can have 2 different looks, one side has the stripe, the other is just plain pink. I am so excited to put this on my bed but am resisting until the first night in my new place.

My next purchase was this gorgeous door mat with princess motif. It is made by a german website called www.giftcompany.de and is washable plus has a rubber non slip back to it.
I brought it from a little shop in a village I was visiting. The shop was closing down and had everything in the sale, I managed to get it for £12 down from £40!
I wish I could find another shop in the UK as looking at the website they do some really cute stuff and some cool doormats!

I have actually decided it is to nice to be a doormat so I am going to use it as a mat by my bed.

My last visit was to TK Maxx. Now I must admit I am not a big fan of TK Maxx purely because I hate going through rails of clothes, however I do know they are good for homeware so ventured in.

My first find was this bright pink utensil holder with four utensils. It is a shiny hot pink plastic and was only £5.99.

The other purchase was this cute baby pink metal birdcage. It has a little mirror at the bottom which I think I will actually take out. It also has 6 little hooks which you can hang necklaces from, I think I am going to buy some cheap necklaces with birds etc on to put inside and use as decoration rather then storage. I love how cute it is and was only £7.99!

So that is my haul, I will do a flat tour post when I am moved in and sorted, I am sooo excited!!

Stay Beautiful,

Jane xx

Guest Bloggers Needed!!

2011-08-20T16:59:00.000+01:00

?????

Calling all bloggers!!

This week someone asked me after all the products I have tried which would be my 'Must Have'. I found this quite difficult to answer but my answer was..... you will have to have to read my upcoming post to find out!!

This got me thinking, as bloggers we try lots of different products some good, some bad. We may not be beauty 'experts' but I think we have a good knowledge of which products are worth buying. With that in mind I want to start a new series called 'Bloggers Must Have', where guest bloggers take turns in writing a short post on the one product they can't live without. It can be makeup, skincare, haircare or anything you could not cope without.

If you would like to take part, comment below, tweet me or email me and I will get touch.

Stay Beautiful,

Jane xx

Boudoir Prive - The Launch Box

2011-08-19T21:21:00.000+01:00

A few days ago I received my first Boudoir Prive box. I like many others was very excited to see what they would offer, especially after a big twitter campaign to get people signed up just when everyone was a little disappointed with Glossy Box.

Boudoir Prive had promised 5 or 6 products for £10 that would be deluxe samples of luxury products. The products will cover Skin Care, Body Care, Hair Care, Makeup, Lifestyle and Fragrance. Some brands may be know, others maybe new.

So the little pink box arrived with a little hand written note and a pink box wrapping up the treats.

Inside the box was a little note explaining all the products.

I received:

2x sachets of Bloom Tea
2 x perfume samples from Etat Libre D'Orange
Sample pot of Babor HSR Lifting Extra Firming Cream
100ml bottle of Sachajuan Hair Repair
Sample tube of Jane Iredale PureLash Extender and Conditioner
Bottle of Olavie Antioxidant Body Butter

So the important bit, what did I think?
Well to be honest I was a little disappointed. I like the concept obviously, I also like the idea of being introduced to new products (Babor was the only brand I knew) but I was a little disappointed on the product sizes. The Babor and Sachajuan samples were good sizes but the others were tiny. I know they are expensive and I'm sure they warrant the £10 but I was disappointed.
I hate to be negative and actually after reflecting on it after a couple of days I think Boudoir Prive could be a real compliment to Glossy Box. If they can continue to provide lesser known luxury brands in decent sized samples it would sit nicely with Glossy Box providing samples of well known brands.

Let me know your thoughts,

Stay Beautiful,

Jane xx

P.S If you would like to see what Glossy Box has to offer see my post on last months box here.

P.P.S I would just like to add if you haven't checked out Boudoir Prive on Twitter or Facebook then do, the one big plus is their customer service and joining in with the beauty community.
The blog is good too!

Mini Series: Get The Ibiza Look- Instant Tan

2011-08-14T18:12:00.000+01:00

The last post in this series look at creating a gradual tan, this time I looked at creating the Ibizian tan in an instant.

This week I was kindly sent Bronze Ambition Sun Kissed Instant Tan Mist to try and I had brought the Bourjois Delice de Soleil Bronzing Powder Mist last weekend, so decieded to try and compare both.

Bronze Ambition Sun Kisses Instant Tan Mist claims to give a glowing tan which dries instantly while also leaving a moisturising finish. It also has 360° technology meaning you can hold it upside down and it still works.

There is no claim to how long the tan will stay but it does say it is splash resisitant and can be washed off using soap and warm water.

Bourjois Délice de Soleil Bronzing Powder Mist claims to give a bronzed effect lasting up to a day, dries instantly and is good for the skin.

The Tan Test

Warning: Bare Legs on Show!

These are my legs before, I do have naturally olive skin and have a little extra colour from the St Tropez Gradual Tan.

Although both sprays say they don't need rubbing in, I found the tanning mitt came in helpful to give a more even coverage and it was hard to not accidentally hold the spray on one point for too long.

They did both dry instantly and I had no rub off onto my clothes which I was impresses with.

Smell wise, Bourjois had a nice chocolate scent and the Bronze Ambition had a fragrance that I can't quite explain but it wasn't unpleasant.

In terms of colour, the Bronze Ambition was defiantly my favourite, the spray is dark brown (as shown in the pic above), whearas the Bourjois was orange.

Below you can see the results, my left leg is using Bronze Ambition and the right is Bourjois.

As you can see both gave a good coverage and colour, the picture doesnt show so well ( I am saving for a new camera!) but the Bronze Ambition defiantly was darker and the Bourjois I found did give me an orange tinge which I wasn't a great fan of.

This picture is 24 hours later and wearing jeans all day (thank you British weather!!). I was impressed with the Bourjois as it had stayed put, although a little faded. The Bronze Ambition had kept some colour but had started to go patchy due to my jeans but as it didn't claim to stay didn't mind too much.

Lastly Bronze Ambition is £4.99 for 150ml and is available online, Poundland and Bodycare. Bourjois is £7.99 for 75ml.

Overall my favourite was Bronze Ambition, it is great value for money and gives a nice dark natural looking tan.

Stay Beautiful

Jane xx

Recycle your Glossy Box

2011-08-07T19:53:00.001+01:00

Just a quick post today!

I had been trying to find cute and practical storage for my makeup. It needed to be compact as my new house will be smaller and therefore my makeup will have less space despite growing in size since I've started blogging!!

Today I was having a tidy up and I felt bad throwing out my GlossyBox as it looks so pretty. I decided to use it for storing my nail varnishes. I think I might start using them for my makeup after every month as they hold quite a lot!

If you have any ideas of other places to look for cute makeup storage let me know!

Stay Beautiful

Jane xx

P.S If you haven't discovered GlossyBox yet read my post on it here

Umberto Giannini Painted Lady Palette and Gift Sets

2011-08-01T10:30:00.013+01:00

Today I am off to the hairdressers, which I am very excited about as my roots need doing badly!! As some of you may know my hairdressers is Umberto Giannini and I have been going there for over 5 years. During this time I have watched their haircare range grow and develop and produce really good haircare products. Therefore I was really excited to find out they were launching a makeup range in September.

Umberto Giannini have collaborated with BAFTA award wining make up artist Paul Gooch to create a goregous Painted Lady range.

I was very lucky to be able to try the Painted Lady palette and the duo shadow that will come with some of the gift sets.

The palette has 8 eye shadows and 4 lip colours, they are all dark tones so perfect for Autumn/Winter and a great price of £10.

As you will see the eyeshadow don't have the strongest pigments but still work nicely and I really like the lip creams they have a much better pigment and are really wearable colours.

The shadow duo available with some of the gifs sets and are great for a dark smokey eye in Winter.

The gift sets look like great gifts for Christmas ( I know it's early I'm sorry!!), I am really excited to try the false lashes and nail wraps!

The palette and gift sets will be available from Boots in September, they are defiantly going to be on my Christmas list!!

Stay Beautiful,

Jane xx

Mini Series: Get The Ibiza Look- Tan

2011-07-31T14:31:00.000+01:00

Today is the first instalment of my 'Get the Ibiza Look' series. The reason for this series is today I should be flying out to the White Isle, however, I just sold my house and about to start living on one salary and therefore have had to be sensible with my pennies :(

I was hoping the British Summer would give my tan a boost and make up for not having the Ibizan sun however as always the British Summer has let me down so I am going to have to fake it!!

I must admit I am still a self tan virgin, I have a bottle of St Mortiz waiting to be used but if I am being honest I am still a little scared I will end up looking like an orange mess!

Previously I relied on one sunbed in May/June (I know these are bad for you but I am lucky that my skin is olive and holds its tan. One sunbed lasts me all summer as a base to build on) and Johnsons Holiday Skin (around £7). I think the formula must have changed as it smells horrible (almost like plastercine) and instead of giving me a 'holiday' glow makes my skin have a slightly orange colour.

On the trip to Boots the St Tropez section caught my eye ( it was on offer which helped!). I was still a little hesitant on trying a full self tan so decided to try the Gradual Tan Everyday Body Moisturiser (Normally £14.30, currently £9.53 at Boots). I was a little unsure if I would end up with the same issues as the Johnsons Holiday Skin but as it was a tanning company I was hopeful for a better result.

WARNING: Bare Legs Shown below!!

Before

After a week of using it every other day

The camera doesn't show the best picture but I am really pleased with the results. My skin looks tanned not faked much better then Johnsons, I also like the fact that I use very little product compared to the Johnsons lotion to achieve this result esp. when it is double the price. The best thing about it is the smell, it actually has no fake tan smell, it smells really nice. I can honestly say I love this St Tropez Gradual Tan Everyday Moisturiser and it has a permanent place in my bathroom!

Stay Beautiful

Jane xx

P.S If you are are unsure on how to apply tanning products the St Tropez website has some great video tutorials.