Paul & Joe Lipsticks

I'll never use these. They're purely for me to love, treasure and look at. I'm so excited that they arrived on Saturday. You can get them from www.zuneta.com and they're from the Clare de Lune collection.

I think I might be the only person I know that buys makeup just because it's pretty even though it will never get used.

Kisses,
Rebecca xxx

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NOTD - Miss Frou Frou Flesh

Miss Suzanne gave this to me for my birthday when she was over in London this week. With a bug, scary job interview on this week I thought I had better take the glitter polish off. I thought this said sophisticated, serious chic. I think it's so pretty.

Kisses,
Rebecca xxx

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NOTD - Eyeko Vampira Polish over Models Own Cherry Pie

I LOVE my Eyeko varnishes! Do I say that about all my varnishes? I think I might. Oh well, I only tend to post about the products I actually like. It's hard being negative about something and I was brought up that if I didn't have anything nice to say, then I shouldn't say anything at all.

I love the effect that this Vampira polish has but I'm not a fan of the glitter polish side effects. namely that of trying to get it off my nails!!! It's a NIGHTMARE! So, I layer them over the top of two coats of regular varnish. That's what I've done here with my Models Own Cherry Pie. I love the effect it gives as well. Eyeko glitter varnishes are very opaque so this is only a subtle difference but it does give it a little extra oomph. And I'm not going to have to soak my nails in varnish remover to get it off! Even better!

Kisses,
Rebecca xxx

Wedding Day Hair for the Girl With the Curl

I got to work on a super fun job a while back where I did the hair for a gorgeous wedding party. I don't usually do jobs that are only hair but this was for fun as the bride, Sarah, is beyond sweet and my gorgeous friend, Katy was the makeup artist. Just to make it a properly fun day, the photographer was David McNeil who I've also worked with a few times before! How could I pass it up???

Sarah has very specific hair. It falls in divine wringlets every day without her even trying! For those of us with fine, flat hair it looks like a dream. But girls being girls, we always want what we don't have and Sarah was a little worried about what to do with her hair on the big day. He husband has always admired her curls and my ethos with wedding hair and makeup is to look like the best version of you. With all of that in mind, we decided to work with what she's got instead of against it and just give them a more uniform, polished appearance. It's really simple!

I used this Babyliss Ceramic Curling Wand having put a little mousse and heat protectant through Sarah's hair to prep it. Then I just took sections of her hair, twirled them around the wand, held it for a minute or so and then let them fall naturally. The wand has adjustable heat settings which is great. I had it about half way up as that bad boy can get pretty hot! The heat gave the curls a lovely shine and just made them look properly polished. For a little volume at the roots I gave them the gentlest of a back comb as Sarah really doesn't like the "halo" effect her hair likes to take on usually. We did her hair early on in the day so that the wringlets had a chance to drop naturally and look a lot more gentle than they did straight after we'd curled them!

I often use a similar curling wand on my own hair. It really is a product for everyone. This is the only way I can get my hair to take on a curl and keep it there. I also like pulling through the curls with my fingers to create a pretty wave effect.

Kisses,
Rebecca xxx

NOTD - Models Own Cherry Pie

I do love my Models Own varnishes. This one is a lovely dark, burnt red metallic. Watch this space for how I layered it a day or two later to make it another look all together!

You can get your Models Own varnishes here.

Kisses,
Rebecca xxx

LOTD - Daniel Sandler Orchid

This is straight from the bullet and I've kind of fallen in love. The gorgeous @carolinehirons brought along some Daniel Sandler goodies for the girls at an event this week to try out. Everyone was a bit afraid of this one as it looked dark and frosty.



But you know me. I'm game to try just about anything. I'm so glad as this is divine on. Get your bravery back girls! Autumn is here and it's the perfect time to experiment with colour and texture! Especially on your lips.

Kisses,
Rebecca xxx

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Superdrug Sweet Snuggles Christmas Gifts

I attended an event given by Superdrug a while back where they were showing some of us the goodies coming out for Christmas this year. There are some seriously cute things to be had! Gleeks, you're going to want to check it out!!!

As we were leaving we were given a lovely gift bag to take home with us. It included a lovely Sweet Snuggles set of a mini hot water bottle with pink cover and a mini tub of body creme.

I left the warm hot water bottle unattended and one of my cats has decided it's his favourite new thing so I'll not be getting any use out of that!

However, I'm just loving the body creme. It's a Creme Caramel flavoured delight. In fact, those of you that know and love the Laura Mercier Creme Brûlée Gourmands selection will adore this purse friendly dupe. It leaves your skin feeling lovely but the real attraction for me is how delicious I smell when I'm wearing it.

As soon as I see this on the shelves I'm going to be stocking up!!!

Kisses,
Rebecca xxx

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How many lip products does one person need?

I just saw my reflection in a mirror. It scared me! I haven't looked this worn out since I had chicken pox in December! It looked like I was morphing into a raccoon.

So I dumped out the contents of my handbag on my desk in an effort to find some form of concealer type product. Above is what I found. No concealer, no foundation. However I did find 13 lip products! In one handbag! When am I going to need all of those?!!

Do you ever keep throwing lip products in your bag till it's about to burst???

Kisses,
Rebecca xxx

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Fragrance Blast From The Past - Space NK Enrapture

Unfortunately this fragrance is no longer but I recently rediscovered it when my last fragrance ran out. I had forgotten it was tucked away as a standby for such occasions. It's a blend of tuberose, ylang ylang, blackcurrant and orange blossom. Yummy! I adore tuberose based fragrances! It's the perfect combo of floral and sensual. I'm not a fan of their bestseller, Laughter. It's too fresh and summery for my liking. I like something headier and this does the trick in a daily and wearable way. My Mum is going to be sad when she reads that the bath and body products are no longer available.

Kisses,
Rebecca xxx

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NOTD - Models Own Lilac Fantasy

This reminds me of a nail varnish that all my friends and I were obsessed with in high school. It was called Lilly Pilly or something like that. It's really cute but you know how I feel about sheer polishes. I'd really like to see how it transforms another polish when put over the top. I'm thinking a minky greige colour would be perfect.

Kisses,
Rebecca x
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FOTN

I went out for dinner last night. Excuse how tired I look. It had been a long day. I went with Stila Kitten on my eyes and lined them top and bottom with Rouge Bunny Rouge black pencil liner.







On my lips I put down a coat of L'Oreal 6 Hr Glam Shine gloss in Blush Mania. Over the top I put some Le Métier De Beaute gloss in Audrey. Then for my cheeks I actually dabbed on a little of the Blush Mania to tie it all together.

Kisses,
Rebecca xxx

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Jinja Spa – Chocolate Body Wrap Experience

For my birthday I was given a Groupon voucher to Jinja Spa. It was a chocolate body wrap experience with an Indian head massage and a back and shoulder massage. I booked in at the Bloomsbury venue. The girl on the phone was really helpful and managed to find a time slot that suited me around my working hours.

I went after work and walked into the foyer of the MyHotel the spa is part of. The ladies at reception had me sit down and a therapist came up the stairs and took me down into the spa. While I filled out a form I was seated in a lovely relaxation area with some water. I was then shown through to the special treatment room for the body wrap. Wow! It’s a double sized room that is split in two by a lovely Japanese style silk curtain. The first half is the shower room and the next is the dark room with the treatment bed, etc. I was given towels to cover my modesty and put onto the bed that was covered in a special plastic sheet.

The therapist explained that the warm chocolate mixture she was coating my limbs with was pure dark chocolate packed with anti oxidants along with potassium, magnesium and vitamin E. It was fizzing a little as it was warm and it smelt divine! She did admit to having tasted it to see if it was edible but said the added magnesium, etc gave it an icky taste! I love that she tried though! It sounds like something I’d do!

Once I was thoroughly coated the plastic sheet was wrapped around me I was then wrapped up in a layer of lovely, thick, fluffy towels to keep me warm while the chocolate mixture did it’s thing. So that I wasn’t just left there feeling like I was a chocolate crackle I was given the most amazing Indian head massage. A relaxation pillow was rested over my eyes and she asked if I was ok to have some oil put in my hair. I figured seeing as I was going home after it would be a great opportunity for a hair treatment! It was beyond divine and I nearly fell asleep!

Before she unwrapped me she had started the shower so it would be lovely and warm when I got in to wash the chocolate. All the towels were so lovely and fluffy! She had also prepared the treatment bed with more fluffy towels to jump back under after I was all dried off again.

The amazingness didn’t end there!!! She came back in and proceeded to give me a fantastic back and shoulder massage for half an hour! I have to admit that I’ve never liked massages. I don’t love the idea of a stranger touching me like that and I have a really sensitive back. This was complete and utter bliss! I never wanted it to end! My triceps have been aching from my powerplate sessions and this was just what they needed! It was luxury in all it’s splendid glory. After my back was fully kneaded out I was then coated front and back with a gorgeous chocolate body lotion!

I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I got dressed and went back out into the relaxation area. I thought I was all done and was going to fight the tube strike streets of London to get back home. How wrong was I!? There was a seriously smooth cup of frothy hot chocolate and a plate of brownies for me to feast on before I went!!!!! I could only eat one so she sorted out a package for me to take the other two home!

OMG! This was possibly the best treatment I’ve ever had. It was incredible and luxurious and friendly. It didn’t feel like it was only an hour and a half. I felt like I was in there for hours – but clearly in a good way! I can’t wait to go back there! Especially seeing as I was given a loyalty card as I left. For every six treatments you have there you get a 60 minute full body massage on Jinja!!! I’m certainly going to go back for general maintenance so I can get a lovely massage as a treat! I also think I might buy a friend of mine a treatment there for her birthday after my wonderful experience.

Definitely check out the link I put in above. They have a number of locations and I think anyone would love going there!

Kisses,

Rebecca xxx

NOTD - Essie Pretty Edgy

I really like this colour! I feel like it's perfect for this time of year. It's got enough depth for the rainy days but it's fresh enough for in case the sun decides to come out again for a little bit as well. I had planned on wearing something red today but had to decide against in case I looked like I was getting over excited about Christmas nearly being here.

This picture was taken without flash and with two coats of colour but no top coat.

I should also mention that I didn't purchase this. It was given to me at an event I attended. But I don't think that changes how pretty it looks!

Kisses,
Rebecca xxx

Handy Cruelty Free List from PETA

Hi,

I posted a list not long ago of companies that are still testing on animals. I am particularly fond of the furry creatures so really don’t like supporting that kind of thing. I know that quite a few people have looked at the list and changed their shopping habits as a result.

However, the list was US based and I thought that while it’s great to know what not to buy it would be even better know what was safe to buy!

So here you are. This list is a fairly global list of companies that are cruelty free! And not just cosmetics-wise! Thanks PETA for pointing me in the direction of this list!

Kisses,

Rebecca xxx

ELF Mineral Eye Primer - How To Get Every Last Drop

I know this technique isn't new to mosst of you, but it still shocks me every time I do it! My ELF Mineral Eye Primer "ran out" yesterday morning. When I got home I thought I'd see how it compared to the Urban Decay Primer Potion as far as how much was still in the tube after it "ran out".

So I took to the tube with a serated kitchen knife, scooped the remaining contents out with the doe foot applicator and put it into a Superdrug storage pot. I suspect that what yuo can see in the pot is more than I actually got from the product when it was in it's regular packaging!

Never underestimate how much product you have left when a tube seems empty! I cut the tops off squeezy tubes as well! It's always amazing what you can get out of it! No, I'm not just being a penny pincher and avoiding buying new product. This is me we're talking about! I love finishing something off and trying something new! But I hate waste. I also hate the idea of what all that waste does to the planet.

Do you do this kind of thing at home?

Kisses,
Rebecca xxx

Foundation Ins and Outs - Revlon and Max Factor

My beloved bareMinerals has run out so I'm back to using a couple of numbers that I've brought back from the boy's house. I was loving the Revlon Beyond Natural during spring. It was giving just the right amount of coverage and I loved that I didn't have to think about it too much seeing as it gave a brilliant colour match. Watching the white liquid turn my specific colour was really fun.

I don't know what's happened though. Over the last couple months it's gone weird. I wore it a few weeks ago and someone said how bronzed I looked. I had thought it was looking a little darker than usual. I wore it again yesterday and it went seriously dark! I felt like I'd been Tangoed! This is definitely on my Out list for not being consistent enough. It shouldn't have gone bad this quickly.

Meanwhile, my Max Factor Miracle Touch foundation is definitely In today. I haven't used this in a while actually. It was a staple for a while there towards the end of winter. Today I pulled it out as it was to hand and I couldn't face the Revlon again. I buffed it in with my ELF Flat Top brush and it gave a gorgeous finish. I loved that I could build it a little more around my chin to get extra coverage without having to resort to a concealer. I'm just not up for concealer these days. The Miracle Touch gave a really lovely finish and it's held up quite well all day! I'm looking forward to wearing it again tomorrow actually. I do love a cream based foundation. They give my favourite finish.

Kisses,
Rebecca xxx