New Nails - In the Nude

This weeks new nail varnish is No 7's Stay Perfect 'So Simple'. I love wearing this nude shade, as I think its a fresh take on the French Manicure. The colour matches my skin tone, its seems to elongate my hands, giving an elegant touch..

You need two coats to give a full colour, and I think a 'squoval' shape (square with round edges) compliments this shade the best. The colour is quite chip resistant, but I would advise to wear with a base and top coat to make sure it lasts even longer.

I got this with a No 7 £5 off voucher from Boots the other week, bringing it to just £2! Its not on the Boots website, but its sold in most large Boots stores.

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Miracle Foundation?

I often get introduced to new products that I love through the freebies in magazines. So I couldn't wait to try Rimmel's  'Wake Me Up' Foundation free in this month's Elle (see previous post).

It claims to be Rimmels first foundation to 'visibly reawaken and illuminate the skin...instant anit-fatigue effect'. This all sounds too good to be true, who doesn't want fresh, flawless and radiant skin every morning?! It also has SPF 15, which is a good dose of sun protection from a foundation, and something that I always look for in facial products.

Luckily my skin looked extremely dull and lifeless this morning, allowing me to really put this miracle foudnation through its paces. The verdict? Does it wake my skin up? Yes! Does it give me a radiant glow? Yes!! And does it give a flawless, even finish? Yes!!! This foundation is quite thick, which makes sure that all blemishes and imperfections on your skin are covered up, get it doesn't appear too heavy on the skin which I think add's to the glowing effect.

Its on offer at Boots at the moment with £3 off (usually £8.99), even at full price I think its well worth the money.

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This Months Elle Magazine...

...has a free Soap and Glory 'Thick & Fast' Mascara worth £10.
The magazine costs £3.90, so at over half the price its well worth a try. And if you can get past the MILLIONS of adverts in the magazine, its quite a good issue with lots of inspiring fashion ideas to look forward to for the spring months.

I haven't tried the mascara yet, but have checked on the Boots website and its got great reviews. It even says in the magazine that its the 4th best selling mascara in Boots at the moment.

The magazine was released this week, and I don't expect stocks will last all month, so act quick!

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Beauty Icons - Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick

Every girl needs to know the go to beauty essentials that are worth investing in. These should be quality products that are versatile, wearable and make your final look well polished and professional.

Here is my first installment of what I think should be in every girls make-up bag.

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick

Courtesy of bobbibrown.co.uk

Bobbi Brown currently has 5 shades in the iconic range: Bronze, Pink Quartz, Nectar, Rose, Beige. Each one a shimmering brush on powder, where you can blend together with a brush (shown above)to go over your usual blusher, giving an iridescent sheen; or use the colour individually to go for a stronger look - creating highlights on your cheek bones, brow bone, nose and forehead, or a natural eyeshadow combination.

Each compact offers a subtly different look, and its well worth investing in a couple of them as they work so well together. At £30.50 each, its not exactly cheap, but when it a blusher, bronzer, eyeshadow and highlighter all in one - its worth every penny.

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Winter Hats

Here are my top 3 hats for Winter, that could take you through the chilly Spring too.

 

The Feather Trim Fedora
I have to be feeling quite confident when wearing this hat, even though I know its very much in style and fashionable I've got to get the rest of my outfit looking 'just right' in order to pull the look off successfully.


Accessorize, £24

I wear it with my Barbour coat, brown flat knee boots, a long chunky cardigan, like this one from Topshop, thick wooly tights, and some shorts to smarten up the look.
This hat is tricky to wear with our English weather, as it even says on the label 'Do not wear in rain', making it quite impossible to find a day that is neither windy or raining. My advice is to pack a plastic bag or reusable canvas bag in your handbag that the hat could fit into, that way if you're fine if you're caught out by out unpredictable weather. 

Beanie

I own numerous beanies, but this is my all time favourite (for this year anyhow!). The grey wool makes it very versatile and coordinates with most outfits. And the fur bobble is in keeping with the massive fur trend that is upon us, and adds a fun aspect to the hat.

Gap, around £15

Faux Fur Headwarmer

This is perfect when you're wanting to look 'put together' and sophisticated. I got this in 2010 from Urban outfitters, but can get their newest version in the sale now. I like wearing it with a deep plum or red lipstick for extra glamour!

Urban Outfitters, around £15

None of these hats are available anymore, but similar designs are still in the shops they were originally bought from.

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Weekend Baking

Baking is a great for something to do when you've got a quiet weekend, and you've got the whole week to enjoy your creation!

I made this yummy Victoria Sponge cake last weekend. I decorated it with pink butter icing and hundreds and thousands to give an eye-catching finish.

Here's the recipe to make your own..

Ingredients for Sponge:
4oz Caster Sugar
4oz Self Raising Flour
4oz Margerine
2 eggs
1 level teaspoon of Baking Powder

1 - Put all ingredients into a mix bowl and beat with a wooden spoon until mixture is a smooth, creamy texture. Or put a food blender, which is alot easier.
2 - Distribute evenly between 2 round baking tins that are 6.5/7 inches wide.
3 - Cook for about 25mins at 160oC. Sponge should be a golden brown.
4 - Leave to cool in tins for 5mins, run a kinfe round the edges to loosen the sponge out of the tin, then put on a cooling tray for about 30mins so it can cool further.

Ingredients for butter icing:
3/4oz Margerine
1/4 table spoon Milk
2oz Icing Sugar

Beat ingredients together until a thick paste. You'll notice this doesn't look very much, but you only need a thin layer of icing on the top, otherwise the cake becomes too sickly. I added red food colouring at this point, you only need a tiny drop.

Layer jam on one side of the sponge put the other sponge on top. Smooth the icing with a spatula over the top. Hundreds and thousands are optional..

Yummy Scrummy

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All About The Eyes

Gel Liner is a great alternative from Liquid eyeliner and Kohl. I think its the best of both as it has the long wearing, durability of the Liquid eyeliner, and if you choose to, have it soft round the edges like Kohl.

It comes in a little pot, I use Bobbi Brown's Long Wear Gel Eyeliner , this link also has a very useful 'How to' Video at the bottom. It costs £16.50 from Bobbi Brown, this has a great consistency, applies well and lasts all day. 

You could however pay half that for Maybellines version. I haven't used this one myself, but the famous makeup artist Lisa Eldridge has used it on her website and has great reviews on the Boots website, so I'm confident it will work just as well as Bobbi's!

Application:

• Use a fine brush to apply, as you can always make the line thicker if you want.
• It can be worn on a bare eyelid or on top of eyeshadow, depending on your desired look. 
• I like applying one thin coat of mascara first, so that when you run the brush along the lash line the gel has some structure to stick to and gives a stronger line. Then apply a second coat of mascara for a really powerful effect.

Gel liner is also very versatile, as you can create a strong 70's cat-flick from the corner of the eye. Or keep the line close to the lashes, use a small blending brush (or a cotton bud) and blend the line into the eyeshadow, to create a smokey blend of colour. This gives definition but doesn't look too perfect and 'done'.

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