CHRISTMAS WISHLIST

This Christmas I am living away from my family and friends. We have decided not to do presents as the cost of postage always puts people off. Although I won't be getting many presents this year it doesn't stop me from dreaming and compiling a list of items that I would love to have and may eventually purchase myself once I have recovered from the costs of the festive season (such as parties, frocks, presents for the bf and his family etc. etc.)

My Wishlist...

Beauty related:

1. Urban Decay Book of Shadows 2
Gorgeous shades and great quality shadows all in one cute box set

2. MACs Holiday Collection - 5 Sexpot Smoky Mini Pigments/Glitter. This pack features Naked, Sunnydaze, Chocolate Brown, and Dark Soul Pigments, and Reflects Antique Gold Glitter

3. Illamasqua Eye Brow Cake
Perfect for defining those perfect brows with no smudging!

4. Essie's Mint Candy Apple Nailpolish
It's such a unique and gorgeous colour


5. MACs Baroque Boudoir Lipstick in Privé
Such a pretty nude pink colour in awesome packaging

Clothing related:

6. Warm Winter Coat
Both Jackets from Zara. 1st one is a raincoat made out of 100% cotton and 2nd is a wool and viscose blend

7. Faux Fur Coat/Jacket
Zara faux fur coat and Mango Striped faux fur jacket

8. A pair of Leather Riding Boots
Steve Madden Ottowa Cuffed Over The Knee Boot and Geox Donna Mendi Stivali Boots

I don't ask for much do I? Hehe well there's more to life than materialistic items but we can all have a little fun in dreaming for the nice things in life right? Hope you all have a Merry Christmas :)

Illamasqua Excite

The other day I was out Christmas shopping with my boyfriend. We were on a mission to get all gifts bought by the end of the day! I had to admit that I didn't dread it as much as I thought I would. All the shopping and browsing actually sent me into a frenzy. I actually had my boyfriend to thank for holding me back. I did veer off a little bit now and then but was promptly reminded that we had a task at hand!

One of my little indulgences during that trip though was a 'mini' stop at the Illamasqua counter in Debenhams. The lovely guy at the counter tested out the Excite blush and Furore pure pigment as a highlight on me. I ended up just getting the blush as it is Christmas time and I really had to concentrate on presents on other people rather than myself!

To justify, I was looking for a coral coloured blusher and Excite by Illamasqua just screamed at me. Actually the colour is very intimidating as it is so bright! But some sweet talking and very little persuasion from sales attendant was all I needed.

The products are highly pigmented and just the tiniest amount goes a long way. I used the blush today and found that just a tap or two from a 'not-too-stiff' blush brush was all I needed for a natural flush of colour. The colour just brings warmth and glow to my skin tone as well. I am very happy with the purchase and for £16 it was worth the money. Their products are great quality and because of the pigmentation would lasted ages, so I will definitely go back for more after all this Christmas spending has subsided.

Here is a picture of me wearing Excite and a bit of white shimmer pigment as highlight. I was playing around with my makeup so ignore the overly nude lips. It was me trying to make the Barry M Darling work - if you read my post about it you would remember me saying that that kind of shade was too hard to work with for my skin tone and mouth shape.

Star Style: Miranda Kerr

One of my favourite Victoria Secret's Angels has got to be Miranda Kerr. She is not only gorgeous, witty and down-to-earth but also a fellow Australian. Her style ranges from simple pieces for a casual chic look to sexy and edgy for red carpet and PR events. What else can I say, the girl looks gorgeous and she can dress!

Miranda generally tends to go for the more classic and clean cut looks with just the right amount of accessories (she doesn't overdo it). It seems her favourite go-to look for autumn/winter are boyfriend blazers and skinny legs or mini skirts. Below are a few outfits that Miss Kerr has been seen out and about in.

I love the Tweed Blazer Miranda is wearing in the picture above.
Here are cheaper alternatives
Available at www.urbanoutfitters.com or www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk

Below Miranda Kerr wearing a gorgeous long sleeve camel Bodycon dress

You can find a dress similar to that at ASOS
Available at www.asos.com for £20


Here Miranda is wearing a slinky ruched dress

The dress below is a gorgeous alternative
Also available at Asos for £25

I hope you guys have enjoyed my little celebrity style post. Thank you for reading :)

My experience with Lilash

I recently got an email from the seller that I usually get my Lilash from. It confirmed everything that I already new and more about the product that I have been using for over a year. It is quite frightening and put things into better perspective for me. I realise how many of us will do what it takes for outer beauty. Please continue reading to find out what this seller has to say about the product and the feedback they have received from selling over 4000 bottles of Lilash in the last 2 years.

For those that do not know what lilash is here is a quick overview. It is a product that stimulates and encourages lash or eyebrow growth. It claims to lengthen and thicken your eyelashes in 4-6 weeks. On their website they assure you that the product is "physician formulated & clinically teste, safe for even the most sensitive eyes, the only non-irritating lash conditioner, less natural breakage than extensions". RRP is US$139.97 so not a cheap buy. You really need to be desperate for long lashes to spend this amount. I was! And I still am but with more products out in the market now I definitely won't be going back to Lilash. I have to admit though Lilash has done WONDERS for my eyelashes. They use to be short and unflattering, now they are noticeably longer but unfortunately not thicker!

this picture shows my lashes now with over 1 years worth of Lilash!

In the recent email that I got from my seller I was inform that they do not sell Lilash anymore. This is due to the overwhelming amount of people complaining of the side effects. The side effects noted are darkening of the eyelid skin, eye vein distension, redness, swelling, itching, eye pain, and lash fallout. Some claim that after 2 years of use their eyelashes start to fall out (my seller included). I myself have noticed darkening of the eyelid area, redness, itchiness and hair growth in unwanted areas like below my eyes (towards cheek). My lashes now are still long but I feel not as dramatic as when I was using the first tube. Could this be because I am getting more resilient to the product? I don't know. What I do know is that after I finish my current tube I am switching! Lilash costs too much to just throw out mid tube. Even through all the side effects I do not want to give up long lashes. The things we put ourselves through for beauty, shocking!

Please for anyone that is considering Lilash do your research before purchasing! There are other products out there that are less aggressive and cheaper. When I 1st purchased Lilash it was relatively new so although I did A LOT of research there weren't many, if any, bad reviews or feedback. However now that it has been on the market for at least 2 years there are a lot more information about the product on the internet.

Other products that you could look into: My seller informs me that MD Lash is as good as Lilash but without the side effects. Clinical tests have shown a 48% increase in lash length in just 4 weeks. Theres also Marini Lash, Revitalash, Lashfood and some people have even claimed that Castor oil on the eyelashes boost growth and thickness?

If anyone has had experience of eyelash stimulator products please let me know. I'm very interested in hearing your story. Thanks for reading :)

'Myspring It' Review

I have recently purchased 'Myspring Its' online and can safely say I love this product. This is by no means the first review of the product. If you 'youtube' the product you will find several makeup gurus raving about them (that is where I got the notion to buy some). They work just like threading but is SO MUCH quicker and easier to do yourself.

So if you know anything about threading, it is when you use thread/string to pull out facial hair rather than individually plucking them with tweasers. It is great if you want to get rid of baby or fine hair that tweasers usually cannot get a grip of. The good thing about it is that you are essentially removing the hair from the roots and therefore should not come back as thick as when shaving. The problem with threading is that it can be hard to master and takes a bit of effort to get use to doing on yourself.


My review:

• The product design: cute pink handles on each end of the coil. Just longer than the length from your middle finger to wrist
• The ease of use: a bit of getting use to at the beginning but it doesn't take you long at all once you get started. Then it is just a breeze. You need to hold each end (pink handle) and bend the coil so it is an upside down 'U'. Then twist the handle outwards (please see picture below)
• The price: some gurus on youtube mention the MySpring IT website which sells it for around US$15.99 each or 2 for $26.99 BUT I found a cheaper version on ebay. So don't pay premium price for what I think is the same product! I got mine from an ebayer called 'net.top' for GBP£0.99 plus $2.99 postage for 5 Myspring Its!!
• The Pros: It is faster if you are no expert at threading and great for larger areas. It is also a no brainer. You can just twist away while watching TV. Ideal for larger facial areas like upper lip or chin or even face if you want it.
• The Cons: because of the shape of the product it is not as precise as threading or using tweezers. So it will be hard to get close in under the eyebrows.

To get an idea of how to use the tool imagine that you are holding it and your twisting away from your face and outwards from the centre

I hope this is helpful for those that want to find an alternative to threading and plucking or just want to give it a go. For the price you are getting on Ebay there is no reason not to try it out. Please let me know if you do give it a go and your feedback on it :)

Rimmel Sexy Curves Mascara

I recently got the Rimmel Sexy Curves Mascara and I have to agree with everyone out there that love this product. I am converted! It does give you fuller and curvier lashes as claimed. For me this is very important as I have poker straight eyelashes that are thin and just blah. I tend to invest quite a bit on mascaras as I love the lashes look. Currently I have in use L'oreal Voluminous, Maybelline XXL Curl Power, Bourjois Clubbing Mascara and Diorshow. I have tried many brands of mascara in hopes to find the perfect voluminous mascara that adds length, volume,curls and doesn't clump! With all that in mind I love the Rimmel Sexy Curves.



So here is my review:
The packaging: Bright metallic purple which really stands out and looks pretty.
The wand: I actually really like the curvy, plastic wand. I think it gives really good control and you can really get right into the base of the lashes to add volume
The formula: I like that it is an intense black and not too runny. It didn't clump up my lashes as well. It is also buildable. I applied 3 layers and no clumping.
The smell: No overpowering smell. Very minimal odour.
The price: drugstore prices at about £7-8 at Boots and Superdrug. Not bad!
The effect on my lashes: separated, long , voluminous lashes with a bit of curl! YaY!!

I definitely find that this mascara is better at curling my lashes than a lot of other products out there that I have tried. I prefer the wand of this than to L'oreal Volumous as I find that the wand on that tends to collect too much product and it ends up clumping my lashes (however in saying that I have found a way to avoid the clumping and ultimately I enjoy it a lot more). I prefer it to my old favourite which was Diorshow as it is a more intense black and it doesn't 'weigh' my lashes down. It is also a fraction of the price!

I am very happy so far and will definitely repurchase :)

Luxurious Velvet

Fashion Trend: Velvet

I love seeing velvet coming back in fashion. There are some gorgeous clothes around at the moment perfect for the colder days of the year. Velvet can be one of those hit or miss fabrics. With the right style, texture and shape you could look like a million dollars. In my opinion simple, clean cut designs usually goes best with velvet. The cut plays a big part in modernizing the garment as well.

On the runway velvet ran through the collections of Armani Prive, Fendi, Jean Paul Gaultier, Prada, Ralph Lauren to name a few.






On celebrities we see the likes of Katie Holmes, Jessica Alba and Eve Mendes wearing this gorgeous trend in not just black velvet (which is normally the obvious choice) but jewel toned numbers. Jewel tone colouring is also a big favourite this season (think topaz, ruby, sapphire - deep colours).



You can find some lovely velvet items in High Street stores such as Dorothy Perkins, H&M and online stores such as ASOS.