Sunday 22 September 2013

London Fashion Weekend



We have seen the future...

...And it involves pinks, natural shades, geometric print and a return to Victoriana. We are very, very excited.

Show bag this year, designed by Sibling. Featuring;
Maybelline, Lavazza, Label.M, Beauty Candy and Kusmi tea
Now if you're following either Charlotte or myself on Instagram, you'll know by now from the deluge of photos that we've been at London Fashion Weekend [be jealous!] so I figured I'd just give you darlings a little update.

First off, apologies for the shocking photos, I've not got around to uploading the shots from my camera yet so you'll just have to make do with phone pics, I know, shockingly unprofessional of me but such is life!

PRETTY IN PINK
That most girly of colours is going to be popping up in shops across the globe, be it in high street stores or a little further up the market. You're probably picturing something garish that only Barbie would wear right now, but don't - there's a pink for everyone. Absolutely anything from pastel blossoms [think Antonio Berardi's SS 14 collection],  to in-your-face hot pink will be the big thing so work it into your wardrobe where you can. If rose shades aren't usually your thing, branch out and pick up a purse or some statement jewellery and keep yourself on trend in a more subtle way.


BACK TO NATURE
Earth shades and khaki, with a few feathers here and there, oh and something of a 'big house in the country' feel. This trend is about texture and tone. Autumnal shades from right across the colour wheel will be seeing you through to winter this year, with looks for pretty much everyone to feel comfortable in. You can't go far wrong with rich browns and some luxurious fabrics. Orla Kiely's SS 14 pieces showed off some great posh girl field trip looks for the coming seasons, whilst Mulberry hit the mark with a stunning tonal range that'll keep you looking stunning even when we get to the cold depths of winter.

SHAPE UP
Just when you thought it was safe to put the 70s back in its box, it rears its head again in the form of geometric prints and bold blocks of colour. Holly Fulton's AW 13 collection features some reasonably calm patterns in a great range of tertiary colours, whilst House of Holland appear to be predicting varying degrees of blinding design well into SS14, all with their trademark edgy twist on retro classics. Not for the faint hearted and certainly not one for the minimalists out there, but if Bauhaus patterns are your thing then go wild.

VICTORIANA
A personal favourite of mine because it means smart chic with lots of black and white. And lace! As you might have expected, Chanel were all over this trend with some stunning monochrome pieces; Meadham Kirchoff also presented some dark and distressed looking ensembles that put something of a grunge spin on that classical romance look. Dolce and Gabbana's gold, black and red scheme evokes a sexy, somewhat Gothic feel and what's not to love about the baroque style embellishments? 

So, at the end of the day, pick a trend and just go with it. If you're not feeling the feminine pinks - go wild and fill your wardrobe with chocolate browns and all things furry. Not into retro print? Keep it sleek and simple with some black crushed velvet and a pristine white collar.

Have fun darlings!






Wednesday 18 September 2013

Very Irresistable EDT by Givenchy

Floral, feminine and flirty fragrance from Givenchy

Firstly, I am no expert on perfumes and I cannot describe fragrances very well at all so this may be a very brief review! I’ll start with what I know – the bottle is beautiful. It is a graduated pink tinted bottle with a slight twist in it.

Right, on to the difficult part – describing the smell of this Eau de Toilette… It is apparently a mix of five roses and star anise (a spice) making it very feminine, floral but giving it a twist of aromatic spice that contrasts beautifully to the scent of the roses. It is also a very subtle and delicate scent and I adore it. When I think of Givenchy I immediately think of elegance, class and sophistication and every time I use this perfume I feel like I have had a little spritz of that luxury.

Overall, this fragrance is subtle, floral, and feminine and I love it, I love the cute pink twisted bottle and I love the elegant luxurious brand.

This Eau de Toilette is available in a 30ml, 50ml or 75ml size and is sold at Superdrug, The Perfume Shop, John Lewis, Boots and Debenhams at £33 to £36 for the 30ml size.

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L'oreal Paris Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Micellar Solution

Gentle 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution

As I tend to wear makeup that I find quite difficult to remove, I am always on the hunt for an effective but gentle makeup remover. I tend to take my makeup off late at night when I am tired (not a good idea) and so I want my makeup to come off as quickly and as smoothly as possible, and this is the perfect product for just that.

I first tried Micellar solutions a couple of months ago, when I purchased the Bioderma Sensibo and Sebium micelle solutions… these moderately impressed me but not enough for a repurchase. After using them though, I knew that I wanted to find a makeup remover that felt ‘as gentle as water’ on my skin like they did. So, whilst looking for another Micellar solution, I found this L’oreal Skin Perfection one, and I will repurchase this again and again as it really works for on my skin, as it is so and is just the perfect product for my sensitive combination skin type.

The packaging of this product is quite pretty, with its long white lid and shiny pink label - fitting the general colour scheme of the new Skin Perfect range, (which I really want to try some more of the products from; namely the Magic Touch Instant Blur). I personally find the bottle is not great as it just has a hole in the lid to pour the liquid out of and I find that a lot of excess liquid comes out when I pour it onto a cotton bud. I am down to less than half a bottle within 2 and a half weeks of buying it because twice the amount I want to use comes out every time I use it. Though this could probably be solved quite easily and next time I buy it I will just pour it into a different bottle before I start using it.

I find this product is great at getting rid of my makeup, it feels soft and gentle on my skin and ‘feels as gentle as water’ and I use this every night. However, its claim of unclogging your pores hasn’t happened for me, not noticeably anyway, but it does ‘soothe and tone’ my skin as it also claims as it is such a gentle product.

Overall, I love this product, just not the packaging… it just needs a nozzle that doesn’t let the product spill out double as much as I want to use. For my skin type (sensitive and combination) it works perfectly, but as everyone has different skin types and different reactions to products I couldn’t say whether it would work as well on anybody else’s. I tend to try samples of skin related products to see how they feel and work on my skin rather than basing my purchases on reviews of how products have worked for other people. I will repurchase this as at £3.33 to £5 (there have recently been offers on the Skin Perfection range in Boots and Superdrug) I think it is well worth buying, though I will be pouring mine into another bottle next time so that I don’t lose half of it unnecessarily.

This product can be found in Superdrug and Boots for between £3.33 to £4.99.

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Sunday 1 September 2013

Argan Oil Hair Treatment

Argan Oil from Xpel Marketing Ltd.
Argan Oil Hair Treatment With Moroccan Oil

A great product for those of you that feel your hair could do with some pampering after all the straightening/curling/backcombing/blow drying/ hairspray/ dyeing/ general exposure to the outdoors........ you get the picture...

Argan Oil Hair Treatment [with Moroccan Oil extract] is a real pick me up if you find your hair's started to get that dry, brittle feel to it by the end of the week. Daily styling and scorching take their toll quickly and this product is great for keeping your locks looking luscious between trips to the hairdressers. 

The product is applied after towel drying hair, using 2-3 pumps. Unless you have hair as long as Rapunzel, I really can't advise using any more than that or it will leave your hair feeling greasy, even after drying. The oil melts onto your hair while blow drying and coats it to leave a nice shine; though it's no miracle cure for frizz, it does control it well enough that you'll see a difference after first use. 

As someone whose hair tends to fall under the 'dry and constantly being over heated' category, I've found that incorporating this into my routine has meant there's a consistently healthy look to my hair, even when I've put it through hell with the straighteners all week. While it won't mask your split ends entirely, or leave you with red carpet style sleek hair, it will give you an added level of shine and protection. And really, what more could you ask of a product that'll only set you back a few pounds? If you want more Argan Oil products, Xpel Marketing Ltd also do a Heat Spray, Shampoo and Conditioner; I have yet to try these myself but from reviews I've seen, they're worth a go.

Argan Oil Treatment can be found in shops just about anywhere from Tesco to Lidl to Poundworld. It retails at around £3.

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