Ke$ha 'Blow' Music Video Inspired Makeup

I had blogged ages ago about how my style icon was (unwittingly!) Ke$sha... now her video for 'Blow' has inspired a full on tutorial. I think I'm going to have to admit that I kinda like her...

MOR; Black Cherry & Cassis Noir Heaven!

If, just for once, I could describe a scent so well you could actually smell it, it would be for this product; MOR Cassis Noir Body Butter.

The scent is described as "sparkling cinammon leaf, bulgaria rose and blackcurrant flirts with star jasmine in a warm seductive dance"... Does that help? I bet you still can't quite taste how absolutely delicious, sophisticated & downright sexy this is!

The scent is slightly, ever so slightly, masculine in that it isn't floral. It is fresh, heady and so moreish. The texture is super thick & creamy, blends into the skin like a dream, leaving a soft comfortable silky feeling, without being sticky. At around £22 for 50g, this is one that should sit atop your dressing table, being saved for special occasions. The scent demands a partnership with freshly showered skin, an LBD and sky scraper stilettos and who are we to argue?

If you are choosing to extend the seductive scents into the bedroom, bathroom, kitchen (stairs...) then one of the MOR Black Cherry Candles would be a pretty good place to start.

Let's begin with the obvious; who could resist the jet black candle & gold leaf decoration on the packaging? Absolutely divine. Move onto the wafts of heaven once alight; "Cherries, plum red currant & tangerine zest blend with the musky aroma of Blonde Woods to finish in a sweet fruity scent".

So far, my candle has been my choice for that bathtime when I want to feel like the girl in the flake advert. A moment of peace, calm and luxury.

The MOR range is available from the House of Fraser Apothecary, both online & instore.

Maybelline Liner Definer Liquid Eyeliner

I don't know where to start with this. I already ranted here about this horrible little pen, but now I'm trying to write it down, I'm not sure where to start!

Ok, I'm a bit late to the 'felt tip liner' party. I've been admiring from afar, but as I don't really wear liner that much myself (and a product like this is quite useless in a pro kit) I've never really felt the need to run out & buy one.

But, I was browsing in Boots or Superdrug the other day (I can't even remember which!) and I spotted this one. Swatching it on the back of my hand, I was impressed by the clear, sharp black line it gave, skipped down the aisle & handed over my £6.50.

Once home, I was eager to give it a go and set up for filming a tutorial (which I had to abandon due to the complete and utter fail from this stupid pen). What happened? I'm not going to go on and on and on, preferring to summarise below...

The tip is rock solid and it 'stabs' into the lash line. To get any product actually onto the lid/lash line, you have to lie the pen on it's side, meaning you get an almost centimetre thick line, rather than the thinnest sleekest line as promised. It drags, tugs & pulls the eye lid. The actual liner is crap & dries patchy. It's difficult & stressful to use - trying not to stab yourself in the eye necessitates bathroom mirror gymnastics & not something I'm good at at 5.30 am getting ready on a Monday morning. It is, quite simply, down right pants.

Don't even get me started on it's name. Liner Definer Liquid Eyeliner? Seriously, someone was paid to come up with that??!!

I have not a single good thing to say about this (did I mention the very strong chemically smell?). I'm interested to hear your experiences!

Seriously Maybelline, WTF??

I have a bit of a Maybelline product rant coming up in a couple of days (I already 'vlogged' about it here) but whilst I was searching for the online link to include in the YT description box, I came across this advert... (this is a screen grab).

I have issues with this foundation anyway (I haven't even tried it and I never ever would!). The sponge on the end of it is enough to make anyone who has ever suffered from blemishes, oilyness or acne to run for the hills, clutching their toner tightly to their chest. But, I digress...

Forget the product; WHAT THE HELL IS THIS ADVERT ABOUT???? Seriously, what on earth is it trying to convey? Did the graphic designer have a drink at lunch?? This has got to be one of the most unflattering adverts I have ever seen.

A Few Products I'm Loving...

BarryM Foundation Creme in White (£6.19)

I was trying to think of an alternative to MAC White Face & Body when filming a video the other day and I seemed to remember (somehow, I don't ask me how!) that BarryM do a white foundation, that might be a good dupe. Figuring I shouldn't be recommending things without actually having tried it, I popped down to Superdrug to pick some up for myself!

I can't say I'm blown away, but it does exactly what it claims to. It's thick, creamy, pigmented & blends in beautifully into both the skin on it's own and with other foundations. It cost only £6.19 so if you're on a budget, then this will stretch your foundation of choice the whole year through, into the winter days when you need a shade or 2 lighter.

Accessorize Baked/Merged Blush

I also finally succumbed to one of the Accessorize blushes after seeing Cami rave about them in at least 2 videos! I picked up 'Starlet' and it has been love on first swatch! Aside from the absolutely stunning packaging, the product is beautiful - it gives the freshest rosiest glow, with just enough of a subtle shimmer. It's divine! And at £6, I can probably pick up another shade without it breaking the bank!

Accessorize Eyeshadow Palette in 'Gamble'

The last little find was this palette from Accessorize. The colours caught my eyes as just a nice neutrals - nothing too sparkly, dark etc. And it's really pretty! Again, it was about £6. The colours all work well together and are very blendable.

The little tube of E/S primer that comes with it

Bright Lips - MAC Vegas Volt

For those of you not able to fully embrace the spring/summer '11 brights makeup look by whacking on some neon green onto your peepers, then here is a little video to help you out. Pick your favourite bright lippy, keep the skin & eyes fresh and et voila! Supermodel Chic without running the risk of looking like coco the clown...

I chose MAC Vegas Volt. I 'backed to MAC' for the first time last week (well, actually Ann from Girl in The City did it for me) and my reward was this little beauty, which has gone straight into my top 5 of all time lipsticks. I know, praise indeed!

Image Sourced Here

Spring/Summer '11 Brights FOTD Inspiration Pictures

Mirror Mirror, in my hand...

These little cuties are called 'Model Mirrors'. Each mirror comes with 8 powerful little LED spotlights, meaning you can preen yourself anywhere.

These will be available from House of Fraser Apothecary instore from 1st April and will be priced from £19!

Adele Inspired Makeup Brit Awards 2011

I just saw Adele's Brit performance for the first time yesterday and immediately fell in love. Her makeup was gorgeous too, so I had a go at recreating it. I'm not completely happy with it, but hey ho!

You can see her performance video here...

Guilt Free Sweet Treats

There a few reasons as to why I won't be tucking into a plate that looks like this on Tuesday.. (I don't eat flour, wheat, gluten etc, I am on a strict diet blah blah blah)

(am actually drooling)

But the geniuses (or geni-i?) at Wahanda know how to keep us girls in sweet treats, without ruining our diets (unlike the girl at Starbucks on Wednesay who topped off my SKINNY White Cafe Mocha with Whipped Cream!) I digress...

Here are some calorie free sweeties from Wahanda...

© Honey: Integrated Body Dynamics offers a deliciously tempting honey massage. A therapeutic massage from ancient Tibet which is good for cleansing the whole body, stimulating and opening the energetic channels, honey takes the polluted energy out of the organism, improves blood circulation in tissues underneath the skin and muscles, and improves the thermal regulation of the skin

© Fruit: The Bannatyne Spa in Edinburgh has a Elemis Fruit Active Glow facial that applies specialist Eastern massage techniques deeply cleanse and stimulate, whilst powerful conditioning actives nourish and renew dull, tired skin, leaving you with a healthy natural glow.

© Sugar: For glowing, polished skin head to Espace at Fresh for a invigorating sugar scrub. This is an ideal pre-holiday treatment to enhance your tan or post-winter to improve skin's tone and texture.

© Chocolate: Surround yourself in chocolate without gaining a pound at the Savana Urban Spa in Westbourne Grove London. Choose from aChocolate Manicure or Chocolate Pedicure which starts with a warm milk soak, followed by a hot vanilla and brown sugar scrub and finally a warm cocoa butter masque for super hydration. All served up with a cup of hot cocoa! Or treat yourself to the definitive facial a Chocolate Facial It includes a deep cleanse, exfoliation, uplifting face and shoulder massage, relaxing head massage, as well as chocolate mousse hydrating masque and a luxurious heated foot wrap and short massage with warmed cocoa butter to help you really melt into the experience

You can check out what else is available from Wahanda here & get registered to keep up to date on all their amazing beauty offers.

How Much Is My Face Worth?! (TAG)

I have just been catching up on my blogroll and I am loving this tag which is new to me: How Much is Your Face Worth?

See here and here for some inspiration...

I have a rough idea of how much my entire pro kit is worth if it had to be replaced, but I don't really keep an eye on my own personal makeup. I've chosen my favourite daytime look products, including skincare...

Embryolisse 24 Hour Miracle Cream: £17

Rodial Glamtox Eyelight: £92

FACE Atelier Ultra Foundation: £34

MAC Select Cover Up Concealor: £13.50

MAC Brule Eyeshadow: £9.50

MAC Patina Eyeshadow: £9.50

MAC Satin Taupe Eyeshadow: £9.50

MAC Omega Eyeshadow (Brows): £9.50

Make Up For Ever Aqua Smokey Lash Mascara: £17.50

Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara: £10

Make Up For Ever HD Cream Blush: £21.75

Chanel Bronze Universel: £28.60

Dior Capture Totale Loose Powder: £44.94

Dior Lip Colour Glow Lip Balm: £20.50

Ok, I'm really scared to look! The total is... (*peeks from behind a cushion*) £337.79!!!!!!!!! OMG!! I am actually a little ashamed!

If I take the Rodial Eye Cream out, as I didn't buy that myself, it takes it down to £245.79, but still!!

*goes for a lie down in a dark room and thinks of ways to prevent husband seeing this post*

I tag you all to do the same, comment here and leave me links to your posts so I can feel better about myself!

Glitter For Grown Ups

From a distance, this nail polish is bluffin' with it's muffin. Here, it's completely unassuming.

This is Bad Romance by Deborah Lippmann. Isn't it gorgeous?!

Inspired by (unsurprisingly!) by Lady Gaga, this is a black nail lacquer infused with fuschia/purple glitter. Unfortunately, I just couldn't quite capture it right actually painted on my nails and no matter which angle I tried, my camera wouldn't play ball, so I don't have any swatches for you, but the pay-off is pretty much like it looks here.

Although you can paint it over a naked nail and after 2 or 3 coats you will build up a solid black base, using more than 1 coat starts to 'blur' the glitter. So for application, I'd recommend doing your nails first with either a bright purple or black nail polish, then paint 1 coat of this over the top. Finish with a high shine top coat to keep the finish smooth & glossy.

This nail polish is available in other shades; I still have my eye on Ruby Red Slippers! Available exclusively from the House of Fraser Apothecary from £16.