Corporate Chic

Hey Dolls,

Today I've got an extremely formal Hobbs dress on as I have a meeting later with a client.  But I still let myself play around with makeup.  I think its important to look like you've made an effort, however, not to cake it on in order to still look professional and carry off that 'Corporate chic' look.

My handbag essential is definitely becoming my NARS multiple sticks (I've already amassed three) and my current favorite this summer is South Beach.  In a previous post I used it as a highlighter, whereas living up to its name of a multiple stick, I've used it as a copper creamy eyeshadow.

The rest of my makeup isn't too heavy, just:


Benefit Playstick in Tea Party
Benefit Blush in Dallas
NARS multiple stick in south beach
Diorshow waterproof mascara
no7 lipliner in Nude
Stilla lipglaze in Lemon Grass

Look of the day - leather

Hi ladies,

Summer still isn't quite with us yet and there's still a lot of showers so it's not time to quite wack out the short shorts and flipflops.

So, to fight against the elements I've gone for a lot of leather (pleather). Since living in London the last year, I've seen that a leather jacket is a staple for most girls, from summer to winter. Where ever you look you'll see girls adding it to their outfit.

I've paired it with some Urban Outfitters leather leggings and some ankle boots to complete the look

 Wearing: Cuffed Vegan Leather leggings from UO, Leather jacket from Zara (last season), ankle boots Topsho (last season), 
Makeup: See previous post

Easy smokey eyes with Lord and Berry

Hello my lovely ladies, Smokey eyes is one of those looks that often ends up with eyeshadow fall out not only during the application but also after a couple of hours of wear and puts off even the most seasoned makeup wearer.

 But, here is my fool proof smokey eyes that is super easy and takes seconds. The trick is to use a smudgeable eyeliner - I'm using Lord & Berry's smudgeproof eyeliner in smoke*. Just thickly line the top lid (getting gradually thicker to the outer edge) then as soon as its lines smudge it with your fingers gently (don't worry it gives you 30 seconds smudging time.  Don't over work it in, just gently drag your finger over it to blend it and make the lines less harsh.

 For this easy smokey eyes look, I'm using Lord & Berry, and Italian makeup brand that specialises in lip and eye pencils and available at www.asos.com .  I went for a smokey gray colour smudgeproof eyeliner in #719 for the eyes as its a little less harsh than black (but still gives you 30 seconds smudging time).   I matched it with their vintage pink crayon lipstick*.

Lord & Berry Smoke eyeliner and vintage pink lip crayon

Complete the look - 

To go with this easy smokey eyes look I kept the hair casual with natural waves.  Scrunch in some Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray for some relaxed messy curls.  This is a great low maintenance look that can be worn both day and night.

Hope you like it!

Lord & Berry makeup range is available from:

www.asos.com

www.HQhair.com

www.lookfantastic.com

Sally Beauty stores

*PR samples of Lord & Berry Products

Marie Claire's Ciate duo

Hello you gorgous girls!

This  month's issue of Marie Claire brings the wonderous freebie of Ciate's new Caviar collection. I couldn't resist it and had to get myself an issue and try it out.

It comes with a beautiful mink colour called Shooting Star for the base coat, and then a pink / golden selection of Caviar pearls in Cookies and Cream.  Its such a stunning combination; I thought this would be the perfect manicure which screamed glamour.

Ciate - Shooting Star - The colour of this nail varnish was beautiful.  It dried so so quickly and I built it up to three nails to create a matt colour though one coat left your nails with a very natural shine.

Ciate - Cookies and Cream - Then it comes to the pearls. I have never used pearls on a manicure before so I read the back to see what to do, I couldn't find any instructions of applicator so kind of just poured it onto my nail.  Most the bottle ended up on the floor and because the nail varnish is so great at drying my pearls weren't really all over the nail.  

I made such a mess I decided to do just one nail as I couldn't really see a easy way of applying it.  Using the mink brush would get all pearls in that pot too which I didn't want to do and pouring it seemed so ridiculous.  

Maybe I'm really dumb but I'd love to know if there's a trick to doing it as I can imagine in the right hands it would create a really beautiful look.  

Have you guys bought Marie Claire for this Ciate gift like I did? What were your experiences?

Work Look - Nars Galapagos meets Topshop Whimsical

Hey Dolls!

Just a quick post on today's  fairly natural work makeup look which focuses on nude lips and very subtle glittery brown eyes.

The lipstick is actually from Topshop's makeup range - in a matt peach/nude colour called Whimsical.  I've been purchasing Topshop lipsticks for a while as I really love their consistency and their range of neutral colours which make them great for work.  Anyhow, it only costs £8.00 which is a bit of a steal for a decent lippy.

I matched it with a Nars glittery brown eyeshadow in Galapagos to line the eyes just to bring them out a bit as it's important to line the eyes when you go for a nude lipstick as otherwise it can wash you out a bit.

Nars Galapagos eyeshadow and Topshop Whimsical lipstick

Dress: Max Mara (Always great for work clothes,
Accessories: Silver Nugget Bracelet by Dower and Hall

Casual Fashion - Oversized Topshop T-shirt

Hey Lovely Ladies, 

As you may have seen, I don't really do over-the-top outfits. I like to keep thinks casual and you know, fairly chilled.

I found this over-sized cotton t-shirt from Topshop with roll up sleeves.  It is so incredibly comfy and perfect for just hanging out really.  I got my usual dress size, but I'm now thinking I should have gone up one to really get that over sized effect.

I just wore it with my usual jeans and accessorized it with a leather bag, heeled suede ankle boots and a pair of sunnies.

 Clothes: Topshop Oversized Tshirt, Jeans (old), Shoes were topshop but similar (here), Rayban Aviators

Makeup - YSL Teint Eclait foundation in b50, Benefit Stay don't Stray Concealer, Benefit Illuminator in Sun Beam, Bobbi Brown limited edition sparkle eyeshadow in Ballet, Dior Show Blackout Mascara, Bare Minerals eyebrow powder

And there we have it - a really simple casual outfit that never goes out of fashion! What's your casual go-to?

Review: Perricone MD Chia Serum

Just the other day I found myself in Sephora (how unusual) and instead of my usual B-line towards the makeup I thought I'd have a look at the beauty creams.  I saw a brand called Perricone MD which I had seen raved about on other beauty blogs but until then hadn't seen in the shops.  Kindly, and coincidentally, that same week Perricone MD gifted me their Chia Serum.

So here is my review:

What is it?

This serum is an anti-ageing serum made from the ancient anti-ageing super food, the Chia.  At 24, this is my first ever anti-ageing serum, and I can't wait to see what its like.

First impressions - 

You know when you open a product and BAM you smell it and just want to eat it? Well that's the Chia Serum.  It reminds me of almonds, just pure deliciousness.  The glass bottle and glass pipette also add to the the luxury feel of this product, so on first impressions I was won over.

Product Benefits - 

Chia oil is combined with 5 essential oils that hydrate the skin and protects against oxidative damage whilst smoothing fine lines.

Results: I have oily skin so I was wary that it would be too much for my skin type.  However, it left my skin feeling silky smooth and hydrated. I can only imagine how great this would be for people with dry skin.

I also have a few furrow lines on my forehead, and after I put my makeup on they were visibly smoothed. (This is great news!)

Product negatives - 

A lot goes a long way.  It says to use one to three drops and I doubled that so it took a long time to smooth in.

Though this was great for smoothing out my fine lines, I'm not sure how much it would transform more ingrained wrinkles.

 Results:

9/10

Though I was gifted this item, I would repurchase it.  You can get it from their site (link) or Sephora. Apart from the amazing smell I feel like this is a great product for people in their 20s and 30s who want to start protecting their skin early.  A couple of drops can also be used on top of your makeup as a finisher - and as you can see in the photos is added a nice glow to my cheeks.

Have you guys tried Perricone MD Chia serum or would you recommend anything else from the range?

Life on NARS

I hope everybody has that Friday feeling!?

Here's my end of week work makeup look.  I've got all my usual makeup - Benefit foundation, blush and mascara and then to warm it up I've added some beautiful golden shades by Nars in one of their lipsticks and multiple sticks.

Its coming up to summer (is there ever really a summer here in London) so the golden shades are a great way for adding a special something to your makeup whilst still keeping it light enough for work.

Nars sheer lipstick in Sexual Healing (link) - I'll spare you the jokes
Nars The Multiple in South beach (link)

I used the South Beach multiple stick on top of the Benefit Dallas as it adds a real luminosity to the skin.  It warms it just enough to look like you really have been on south beach without the tangoed effect.

The lipstick is great for work as it blends in to your natural skin tone so you don't have to be precise at all when you took it on. Literally, a couple of swipes and your ready to go.

Paris - Flower Crochet Shirt

Hey guys,

So here's outfit number two from my trip to Paris!  I was in Topshop just a couple of days ago and fell in love with their white flower detail crochet shirt.  Crochet is just so summery and I couldn't resist it when I saw it.  They also have it in some great pastel colours - blue, yellow and pink.

Clothes:

Topshop flower detail crochet shirt (link), Guess Letitia skinny jeans, H&M white ballet pumps, H&M flower hair clips

Jewellery - Dower & Hall Nomad sterling silver nugget bracelet, Tiffany wire bracelet (old but similar here), two silver antique bangles from Italy (old).

Personally, I've always had a penchant for real silver jewellery, I feel like it has such a sophisticated touch to it and so I'm always building to my collection.  I'm currently loving the collections by British jewellery designer Dower and Hall.  There's so much detail which goes in to their pieces - like the heart shaped clasp on the silver nugget bracelet above.

Fashion in Paris

Good morning my beauties!

I've been away the last few days in Paris which is why you haven't seen a post off me in a while!  It was my first time there and an absolutely wonderful experience and a great time to try out some fashion in Paris.  

After setting off from Kings Cross on the eurostar within two hours we were in the heart of Paris! These snaps are from the hotel balcony - I thought I'd share a couple of the outfits I wore over there and some of the more 'romantic makeup' looks I did.  Because, well, if you can't wear red lippy in Paris where can you?

I went for a simple but chic look consisting of jeans, white cotton shirt from The Kooples (perfect for the changes in weather!) and my favorite pair of cream Ugg wedges.

 Clothes: Cotton White shirt- The Kooples (link), jeans - Italian boutique (old), shoes - Ugg wedges (link)

Makeup: Number seventeen photo flawless primer, YSL teint touche eclat foundation b50 , Urban Decay primer potion origional, Urban Decay blackout eyeshadow, Mac Prep and Prime loose white powder, Benefit blush in dandelion, Diorshow waterproof mascara, Soap and glory lipstick in man trap

There will be more snaps coming up from my trip in Paris! Hope you guys enjoyed!
Kisses!

Zara Outfit of the day

Hello lovely ladies, 

Here's today's outfit - almost all Zara!  It's a beautiful sunny day today in London, but still not quite warm enough for a summer dress.

I've opted for Zara's light sky blue basic satin trousers (see it here), with a white sweater with transparent shoulders (see it here).  It's such a light an airy outfit it's perfect for these beautiful summer days.

I matched it with these stunning cream ugg wedges (similar here) which are my absolutely 'must' summer staple and this beautiful dark blue clutch from Accessorize - (similar here).  This clutch holds absolutely everything and can also be worn on the shoulder, perfect for taking to the park!

Makeup all Benefit Cosmetics - Benefit pore-fessional primer, Benefit Some Kinda Gorgeous, Benefit hoola bronzer, Benefit Dallas Blush, Benefit Badgal Lash and Badgal waterproof eyeliner

 I love walking through London on sunny days like these

Wow, I think I overdid it with the pictures! But I hope you like my Zara summer outfit.  Have you got any summer musthaves?

Dark Chanel Eyes

Hi everyone,

As you know I tend to keep my makeup fairly natural, but as I was off to spend the beautiful long June evening in a pub garden in London Bridge I thought I would mix it up a bit with some dark chanel eyes. The colour I used is from a quattro ombre that unfortunately is last season, but you can still find the individual shade in the singles.

Makeup - YSL touche teint foundation in B55, Benefit blush in Dallas, Nars orgasm illuminator, chanel eyeshadow in illusoire, benefit mascara in badgal lash, Stila lip glaze in Mango (one day I will do a whole post on these lip glazes, I have 10!) 

I like this 'pub garden' kind of look, as though I have slightly heavier makeup than usual, it was toned down with wild hair and casual clothes.

Clothes: The Kooples silk and cotton tshirt, find similar here, zara leather jacket.