BeautyH2T

Glasgow Reviewed: Blythswood Square Hotel Spa Thermal Experience

2012-02-07T17:41:00.000+01:00

Ladies... I have found heaven, well the closest thing to it. And it is located right in the heart of the city, situated in one of the most glamorous and stunning looking hotels I have ever walked in to.

Since I was little I have been obsessed with being in hotels, I don't know if it was because in my younger years, holidays were spent in a caravan. Don't get me wrong I loved it I love it, but when you have 5 people in a small space where you have to turn pretty much any surface into a bed at night time, the idea of a big fancy hotel used to be complete fantasy! I was captivated by the idea of the sweeping reception halls, the trolleys that the immaculately dressed bell boy would pop luggage on, and the grand dining rooms that the films showed me. Getting older, I have not lost this passion and love having a nosey in any hotel I can, of course my lifestyle currently affords me stays in your average Travel Inn or Holiday Inn but even staying in these is wildly exciting to me!

So you can imagine my amazement at getting the chance to visit the Spa located within the 5 star Blythswood Square Hotel, I have never been to a proper spa before and this was quite the way to break me in! The moment I stepped out the lift I knew I was in for an incredible time, your senses are instantly met with gorgeous soft lighting and a delicate blend of relaxing scents, visually everything just looked so luxurious and inviting. The reception staff were a delight, welcoming us in and explaining the whole experience to myself and my mum who was coming along for the ride. They made us feel incredibly VIP which was such a treat,and something that really added to the over all experience.

We were led down to the changing rooms and I was blown away with the attention to detail. There was a perfectly sized area for beautifying yourself post treatment, hairdryers, cotton buds and pads, and huge mirrors with great lighting and lots of counter space so no one is cramped in. The set up is fantastic- you get a locker pre prepared with a bottle of water, towel, flip flops and gown for your visit, you literally don't need to bring anything bar your swimming costume which I loved, it made it all feel so effortless, which is exactly what you want at a pampering experience. You set your own code on your lockers ( total peace of mind!), pop on your flip flops, grab your towel and head on through to the thermal experience, something I will never forget!

As you go through you are met by what feels like a luxurious underground bunker, it felt sumptuous and private and utterly decadent to have different relaxation rooms to try out. What I loved about it, is the choices that are on offer, my mum is not a fan of extreme heat and so doesn't love a sauna or steam room- but here that didn't mean she was restricted to just a pool! The Laconium was perfect for her as it was a warm but by no means sweltering hot room, we could sit in here for some time and it wasn't too much for her at all, just incredibly relaxing, while gently warming your body up. I then went off and explored the Crystal steam room which was glorious, I have previously been put off by steam rooms finding them too uncomfortable and actually a little scary but this one was really different, the air was manageable as it was coming from a centre point in the room, which felt like it created more space to breathe properly which helped me to just sit back and let the steam do its magic on the skin. I felt amazing as I came out of here and into the pools area to join my mum who was very happily sitting beside a body jet getting a pretty impressive shot of massage to her achy joints, getting in the warmth of the pool was lovely against the skin and It was blissful to alternate swimming the length of the pool with just floating and letting the various jets just help wash all the stresses away.

The last stop we took and something I think is a fantastic addition to the journey is the Tepidarium, which is just a dry tepid room really close to the body's own temperature where you can lie back and let your body get back to normal after such a soothing experience I needed this room to wake myself back up! This got us ready for putting our robes on and heading back up to the couch area and enjoying a delicious pot of Green Tea ( they also offer a delightful looking afternoon tea of various sizes) before Mum headed off for a treatment and I went off for a really unique experience- a seaweed bath! So many products now have the healing addition of seaweed in them the chance to have a bath of it seemed like a wonderful idea. I was left in a the BIGGEST tub you have ever seen, with a nice warm bath ready for me with seaweed fresh from the Hebridean Islands submerged in it. The therapist explained all the benefit and then left me to soak and just take in all the nutrients. With candles lit and some peace and quiet I sat back with a magazine and just took it all in, I pretty much had to be dragged out of it afterwards.

All in all I cannot recommend heading to the Blythswood Spa enough- it is one of the nicest experiences I have ever had and I was reaping the benefits afterwards. The alternation between hot and cool areas is amazing for opening up the pores and absorbing product used afterwards, I was glowing for days and that seaweed back left my skin like pure silk! Since my visit showering just isn't enough, I have never felt so good!

Thanks to the whole team at Blythswood for giving my Mum and I an experience to remember. I loved it so much I am heading back shortly so keep your eyes out for a review of my next adventure.

Day paid for by the lovely mothership along with some vouchers given at an event. All opinions are one hundred percent my own and totally honest.

Liz Earle Skin Boost Tonic

2012-01-23T16:22:00.001+01:00

You have all heard me wax lyrical in the past over my love for Liz Earles skin care range, I am a huge fan of what Cleanse and Polish did for my skin years ago, as are a LOT of other bloggers! I have been branching out in the last few months with a couple of their other products, that are now firm staples in my routine and I thought it was high time I shared them!

I was sent the Skin Boost tonic and to try out at the start of winter, I didn't want to rush in and review as It is all too easy to love a product in the beginning, rave about it and then discover that your skin actually doesn't love it as much as you thought! But after using this steadily for a few months I can confirm, my skin loves it and these products have helped keep my skin much clearer and incredibly soft ( if I do say so myself!) this winter.

Firs up is the Instant Boost Skin Tonic I find there is always two sides to the Toner- do you need it or not debate. But for me my oily skin benefits fantastically for having it, I find I need this step to help absorb any excess oil and keep my skin feel fresh and clean. What is important to keep in mind if you do decide to use one is that you use a gentle one, any strong toners with lots of chemicals and alcohol will just strip the skin of natural essential oils which will do damage not help it!

I use it at night after cleansing, but also in the morning, I use it to wake my skin up, remove any dirt from the night and prep it for moisturiser and make up. Before I was just using a mixture of generic cheapo toner I had lying round and a small amount of witch hazel combined in a spray bottle, since using Skin Boost though I have seen a marked difference in what a toner can do for the skin.

This is the kind of toner that has an ingredients list I like, alcohol free so non drying, organic aloe vera to soothe, and with calendula, vitamin E, cucumber and chamomile to keep skin soft and refreshed. For me this totally delivers, it costs £12.25 for the twist top bottle like I have here, or if you prefer a spritzer bottle the 200ml version is £12.50 which although does seem pricey in comparison to an average 'drug store' brand,you do get what you pay for here. I also really like that there are smaller options which is perfect for travelling or if you just want to try out a product before committing to the larger size, you can pick up a 50ml bottle for £5.

Superdrug Vitamin E Radiance Cream

2012-01-20T14:44:00.000+01:00

I love to come across a good product from the high street that is a proper bargain and this stuff certainly fits the bill! I first saw this on a blog a few months ago- apologies as I cannot for the life of me remember whose blog it was! and seeing as it was only £2.99 I had to try it out. I have heard loads of good things of a variety of the Vitamin E products in the Superdrugs own range, but what sold this to me is the idea of it being a pretty good dupe for Mac's Strobe cream. Now I dont have a bottle of strobe in use at the moment so apologies for the lack of comparison swatches but as you can see from Superdrugs version it is pretty stunning!

First off I am a big fan of the fact this comes in an easy to carry (and travel with) 50ml tube, hygienic, practical and fresh looking makes it a winner on the packaging front. I love that with the tube you can be in control of how much you are getting out, and the click close lid is properly sturdy so there should be no mishaps in your make up bags.

When blended in it gives a gorgeous golden shimmer glow- without gathering in my crater pores, as you can see from the snap it does have a really golden shine which you can mix down with some moisturiser like I do for day time, or wear on its own under your base for a night time look. I have been using it for a while now and am really happy with the finish, It absorbs into the skin quickly and doesn't feel overly greasy whilst still giving that golden glow I like. I think this is going to be great for summer time as you could easily wear this alone on tanned skin to get that healthy look, and it would also look fab on the collar bones, or up the front of bare legs to make them look longer. Right now for winter is definitely doing to job of perking up my dull looking skin, those light reflecting particles are amazing.

I am in love with it because it also has SPF 15 in it, which is something I like to look for. I haven't experienced any flash back while wearing it for photos which is a must know for beauty bloggers :) Overall I am thrilled with this little find, a totally inexpensive but versatile product that performs well.

I really want to try the Vitamin E face oil next, I have heard some excellent things about it! I noticed on Superdrugs Website today that it is 2 for £3.99 on the Vitamin E range so now might be the time to try it out.

Bubble Betty- my Hair Hero!

2012-01-17T14:54:00.000+01:00

I am ULTRA excited to share this new product with you,as for me this is an absolutely saviour in rainy Scotland. Ladies, I give you Bubble Betty the fahhhhbulous reworking of the Granny classic rain hat, keeping your hair neat and tidy and most importantly dry. Why spend all that time creating a gorgeous 'do just to have it blown away with the winter weather!?

Some people might be too embarrassed by wearing a rain hat- but I am someone who has no problem wrapping a scarf all over their head to keep their barnet dry so this is no problem for me, the fact they come in some uber cool design just makes it even more wearable! The Scottish based company has come up with 4 quirky designs for their launch but will be changing the styles regularly to ensure Bubble Bettys always look good, whatever the weather!

I love that this little beauty comes in its own little stylish tin, which I keep in my handbag without it getting damaged, meaning you can use it over and over again. You can get a fabulous Bubble Betty from the site http://www.bubblebetty.com/ and they cost £6 each.

Getting to know...Cover Fx

2012-01-16T15:43:00.002+01:00

I was really excited to be invited by Cover Fx to go along to their counter in Harvey Nichols in Edinburgh to meet with one of their make up artists and find out a little about the brand. I have wanted to give Cover Fx a whirl for a long time after hearing about their foundations and concealers and how good they are for covering hyper pigmentation, acne scarring and other imperfections- all things that bother me about my skin! That was a couple of years ago, and since then I have noticed the company mentioned me and more in various magazine articles and blogs so I was keen to try some of the products out.

Lee Graff, the woman at the helm of the company has worked as a corrective make up specialist since 1985 and since then has been developing the brand along side a chemical engineer and a leading dermatologist.

"As a camouflage specialist for over 25 years, I’ve taught patients to use makeup to effectively cover rosacea, acne, scars, and many other imperfections. I encourage you to take control of your appearance to enhance your self esteem and confidence to face the world. My dream was to help men & women with skin conditions face the world with confidence by offering them makeup products with therapeutic benefits that would perfectly match their skin tone, be affordable, well tolerated by even the most sensitive skins and achieve a perfectly natural, flawless effect." - Lee Graff

preparing to make me over!

This desire to really help people with conditions they suffer from and the psychological problems that can go along with that, is something that really came across to me when meeting counter manager and make up artist, the very fabulous Eduardo. I was impressed and touched to hear his passion for not only for the brand but providing a complete service to anyone who comes by to enquire. He was very dedicated to making sure that anyone looking for help with concealing or covering a skin complaint leaves the counter with exactly what they wanted along with the knowledge of why it will help and how best to apply it. Seeing someone genuinely care that you feel good about yourself is not something I feel you actually get at a lot of at make up counters. In my experience most are all about the hard sell and what colours/finish they are choosing for you, not what you actually want. Cover Fx's counter couldn't be more different, watching them at work you could see they weren't hurrying to get people off the chair, or putting pressure on to buy a whole host of products they might not need or really want.

look at all those shades!

concealer and foundation in abundance

On to the products, I was AMAZED by the colour range- I had no idea they did their foundations in 30, yes 30 shades. It was incredible to be see decent dark shades for black skin, and wonderfully light colours for the fair. With so many shades there is definitely something to suit everyone and I love that, seeing as some companies even at the higher price end still only run with a limited selection of very yellow shades this is a refreshing sight. With the vast array of other products they stock, there was so much to see and play around with. One thing I had heard loads about was their primers, and I can see why, they have 3 types of primer, a lip primer and an eye primer that all felt amazing. My favourite one 'Briteprep' has an SPF 50 which is perfect for me! A primer with good high SPF is exactly what I had been looking for last summer.

Primers, foundation and lipgloss oh my!

Eduardo did an amazing job, it is the best I have ever felt coming away from a counter before. I looked like myself but a LOT better,my skin looked healthy, natural and properly glowing, but with all my imperfections that bother me well concealed. It didn't look thick or masky, and it felt really comfortable to wear. Better than that I wore it to the gym later that day and then took snaps afterwards and it still looked in great condition! Longevity like that is such a wonderful thing in my eyes, I don't need it to last days and days like some seem companies seem to claim nowadays, just one that lasts the whole day and last well without getting patchy or shiny. Not only did Eduardo apply some gorgeous looking make up but he shared some excellent application tips that I had never heard of before, that I have been trying out since and have really helped my make up looks its best. You must go in and meet him if you are ever in Edinburgh!

The very lovely Eduardo

I cannot recommend enough going in to a counter if there is one near you to have a have a chat with one of the staff if there is something about your skin you would like help with, or if you just want to discover some seriously good products you might not have even known existed. I have been so impressed with my cover FX experience and am looking forward to trying out a few of their products and letting you know if they live up to their first impressions! Now on to how it actually looked....

not the best light in the world but hopefully you can see all the pigmentation is all gone!

And there it is after a whole day AND a session in the gym- pretty darnn good still!

Thanks to Cover FX and Eduardo for such a lovely meeting!

Have you ever dabbled with Cover Fx products?

FOTD- Estee Lauder Maximum Coverage

2012-01-12T14:58:00.000+01:00

Just wanted to share a FOTD with you after my first foray into the world of Estee Lauders Maximum Coverage make up. Now I cheated a little here, as I am too scared of how thick it is to wear it alone, so this is me wearing it for a night out with a small amount mixed with Garnier BB cream to water it down. I have heard a few things about this Camouflage make up recently and I was really keen to try out a little sample pot I got at the counter. I am not totally decided on it yet, when I was applying it felt very thick and mask like at first, but when I saw the couple of quick snaps I took before I went out that night I think it photographs quite well and I actually don't mind the finish- it's obvious I am wearing foundation- but I am ok with that.

I am not quite ready to head out and spend £26.50 on a full bottle yet, I think I need to play around with it a little more. I am aware that my skin is no where near as bad as it could be and I probably don't need a heavy heavy coverage- but with my current pigmentation issues and scarring I do like to see that getting covered up for a night out- and this certainly does that! I also like that its SPF 15 and you really only need a tiny amount so it would last a long time. The shade range however is crap- be warned!

FOTD:

Mixture of Estee Lauder Double Wear Maximum Coverage Make up in Vanilla light mixed with Garnier BB Cream in light.

Accessorize Bronzer

Benefit Bella Bamba Blusher

Nars Albatross highlighter

Mac CCB in Pearl

Benefit Hoola for contour

Blistex Lipbalm!

Boots no 7 eyeshadow quad in purples ( free with mascara!)

Max Factor False Lash effect Mascara

Only a short review for now as I want to brave the full face with just this first to give a good opinion but on first try I did like how it looked on and was impressed with how little you need and obviously the coverage it provides.

Has anyone else tried Maximum Coverage?

Review Time- Lanolips 101 ointment

2012-01-10T14:32:00.000+01:00

When my dad was asking what I was after for my Christmas I as per usual found myself drawing a blank. I really should keep a note as I go of things that I have heard of that I really want to try- maybe that can be a New Years resolution for me! After scouring the Internet and blogs I managed to come up with a few things that I had been keen to give a whirl, one of which was Lanolips. I think it was gorgeous Charlotte that first brought the company to my attention earlier in the year, and since then I have seen it coming up all over the place!

Dry, flaky, painful lips are what I dread every winter, and I have tried a multitude of products to try and help me out, so I was hoping for a miracle from this little tube. Of the product Lanolips say:

"This ultimate luxuriously creamy ointment contains 100% Ultra Pure Grade Lanolin which literally melts between your fingers. This magical multi-purpose product has multiple uses such as extremely chapped lips, dry cuticles, dry, itchy skin, dry nasal passages and more. Suitable for even the most sensitive skin."

After using it for a few weeks I have to say I am a total convert- I had refrained for buying it for myself as I had felt £11 was a lot of money to spend on a lip balm- but now I can totally see why you would.

The product itself is really thick, so you do have to squeeze really hard to get some out of the small opening at the top, but that actually makes it hard to get out too much, so there is little chance of waste. You also only need a really small amount of product to cover the lips so a small amount at a time is perfect. Even though the consistency is thick it then melts onto the lips and boy what a feeling! I was thrilled from first application, when I was first squeezing away to get it out the tube I thought this was going to be useless but I was so wrong, once on the lips it is incredible how smooth they feel, and not just in a slick lying on top of the skin way, but in a deep intense moisturising way.

It is not like any other balm I have ever tried out, my lips feel utterly incredibly after applying this and do so for hours after, it has done wonders for my messy lips, and you use so little I can see this lasting for a long while. My top tip is if you use it on your lips and have it left on your finger just rub that on your cuticles afterwards, it has done wonders for them too! It is really fab for dry skin generally so it is a really handy tube to carry with you.

I am now mad keen to try the Lemon Aid version, and there are also coloured versions available that contain SPF so they are good for you in lots of ways! You can buy Lanolips from Boots and other places on line, the 101 ointment is £11.22.

Is anyone else loving these products right now?

This product was paid for by Santa's money, all opinions are 100% honest and my own.

The Goose has gotten FAT!

2012-01-06T15:06:00.000+01:00

Happy New Year Blogland! I Hope you have had THE best holidays ever,I had a lovely time at home with the family, although I can now barely fit into my pajamas now!

It was our first Christmas in our new house and it was really nice, far too much food and drink and many presents I didn't deserve. I am sad it is all over for another year. But roll on 2012 and all it brings, 2011 had some real ups and downs so I am hoping this new year brings happiness and health all round.

Dad working his new bar!

Ally working the santa look

Merry Christmas everyone!

2011-12-25T22:19:00.001+01:00

From me and mr b :)

Bx

Christmas Inspired NOTD +FOTD

2011-12-21T17:12:00.000+01:00

Saturday night saw the arrival of the hotly anticipated 'A very Uddy Christmas' out at HPs house. Seeing as she had an awful time over this period last year being stuck in a hospital in London, this years needed to be extra special to make up for it. Throwing a Christmas party with lots of food, booze and close friends was the perfect way to really get us in the holiday spirit, add in a little costume element too and it was the best night.

I had a white dress so the natural choice was to be an angel, child's play wings and all, but I wanted something white and with a little sparkle on my nails to keep me angelic. I saw that 17 in Boots were doing a deal where if you bought 2 things you got a little sparkly bag with 3 polishes in it and a Nail file, and it just so happened one of the polishes wash a glittery top coat. I bought the no17 plain white polish, got the set and then still wanted something more to make them even prettier and stumbled across the Collection 2000 sparkle top coat and I am so glad I did. The combo of these three looks absolutely gorgeous and just what I was after, the iridescent shimmer topcoats made it so shiny!

For my makeup and hair I didn't have a clue what I was after- I just reckoned it should be white, shiny and angely- so a touch of Revlon Colourstay foundation, some Benefit Bella Bamba on the cheeks and then lots and lots of Nars Albatross for highlighting kept my face right. On the Eyes I just went to town with pure white from a Sleek Palette and some silver/deep grey smudged in.After lashing of mascara I topped it off with some collection 2000 glitter liner over the mascara and in the inner corners of the eyes to add a little shine!

The finished Angel!

The party was a great success, I want to do one all over again, any excuse to get dressed up and stuff my face,

Me and Cliff Richard

A christmas tree!

I hope everyone else is getting tucked into the mulled wine and parties!

Christmas time with Rox Jewellry

2011-12-19T15:17:00.000+01:00

Christmas is coming and the goose is well and truly getting FAT! December has been the usual mix of stuffing my face with an array of badformebuttastesogood treats and quaffing booze like it is about to go out of fashion. My party season kicked off in spectacular time a few weeks ago thanks to a night with Rox Jewellry. Thanks to the absolutely gorgeous and lovely Toni, myself and HP were treated to a fabulous night in the Rox store and thrill room in the Argyll arcade in Glasgow.

I was really blown away by the whole event, those guys sure know how to lay on a party. We were greeted by a Moet Champagne bottle lined black carpet, then headed into the store to be met by a host of beautiful people all dressed to impress. It is dangerous to have a party in a jewellery shop, a few of the delicious Pinky Vodkas later (yuuuuuuummmmmy!) and I wanted everything in there.

HP and I were particularly taken with this anchor necklace we noticed,although there was too many pretty things to take in. I am totally in love with their new line of Crystal Disco Bracelets -the sparkliest things I have ever seen! If anyone is looking for last minute Chrimbo Pressies this is definitely the place to look.

Not only were we pampered down on the shop floor but the party continued on up in the 'Thrill Room' upstairs which was STUNNING. I had no idea that was up there! We were spoiled rotten with a gorgeous performance by Emeli Sande which was amazing, I was blown away by her vocals and she looked pretty incredible to boot! I basically haven't been able to get her big song Heaven out of my head since!

It was such an amazing night, thanks so much Toni and all the Rox gang for having us along.

Boots Natural Collection Lipgloss in Fondant

2011-11-30T14:40:00.002+01:00

FOndantI have so many products that I use pretty much every day or carry about in my handbag that I have never actually shared on the blog. This lipgloss is one of those unsung heros that I had to tell you about. Coming in at a bargainous £1.99 the Natural Collection lipglosses are a real steal especially as you can usually pick up Natural Collection on a 3 for £5 offer.

The shade I carry around is Fondant, although I do have my eyes on a few others as I am really impressed with the consistency and colour pay off of these. The one criticism I do have is that this particular shade can be a little 'gritty' but only slightly and it is definitely something you can get over considering the price and quality. The colour of this is pretty perfect for what I want from a nude lip not too corpse like but perfect for matching with a winged liner or smoky eye. It feels really moisturising and doesn't apply sticky or streaky, it also doesn't have an overpowering scent or taste which I like.

Overall for any nude lip lovers out there I definitely recommend picking this up- its perfect for colour on its own or on top of some lippy.

Batiste Wild- The Sassy New Scent

2011-11-28T14:58:00.000+01:00

Batiste how do I love thee? let me count the ways...

It has saved my from countless greasy disasters and helped make hundreds of hair do's on the go. It really is wonder stuff and everytime Batiste release a new scent, shade or version I cannot wait to get my hands on it! You can never have too much and I always have countless bottles on the go at once, a different scent to suit my mood :)

The latest scent is Wild is a fantastic addition to the range and one of my firm favourites already. From the packaging to the scent this one is a winner- I love the animal print, it looks fab sitting out on my shelf and it even has little claw prints!

Batiste Say:
Wild is for daring girls who are in touch with their animal instinct. A feisty Oriental fragrance with loads of personality, it's the perfect partner when you’re out on the prowl.

I say:

This scent is gorgeous, not too overpowering but leaving your hair smelling fresh and lovely thanks to notes of cocoa,vanilla and light musk with woody tones to keep it not too floral, it really is a delight to use. I love that the formula gives the same amazing result, hair grease free, more volume and texture to day old hair or for putting it up.Wild adds a lovely scent that stays all day and has kept it feeling extra fresh.

This really is perfect for the festive season, sexy, sultry and definitely sassy I totally recommend picking up Wild for your collection ( it would make a fab stocking filler too!) It is available exclusively at Boots at 2.99 for 200ml- BARGAIN!

Kryolan Cake Liner Palette Swatches

2011-11-24T14:55:00.000+01:00

The lovely Eden-Avalon requested some swatches of this fabulous palette ( review below) So here we go- aren't the colours gorgeous? This was just a quick messy swatch- but you can havethe colour as sheer or apaque as you like depending how much you wet your brush.

Simply Stunning!

Kryolan Cake Liner Palette

2011-11-09T14:21:00.000+01:00

A long time ago I did a review on a fantastic product I found in Charles Fox in London. Since then I have always turned to my Kryolan Cake Liner when I went a trustworthy and precise black winged liner, and it has never failed to let me down. A normal pot if I remember correctly only cost me £7/8 and after using it for over a year and it has barely gone down, I doubt I could ever finish it! To apply I simply take a thin liner brush and run a little water on it, take a little cake liner and literally paint it on, much like applying face paint I guess. You can build it up and sheer it down really easily and it does not budge all day or night, saying that it is still really easy to remove at night. When I was in London recently I was thrilled when the SA in Charles Fox told me they had a new in Palette with 4 colours in it, it was the perfect way to have 5 of the colours when travelling around. I am actually in love and it has already proved invaluable in recent weeks.

Colours included are black, brown, grey, aubergine and a blue/navy which is a russety red/purple that I adore wearing. The brown and grey are perfect for a more subtle look when I want something less harsh than the black. The blue is perfect for a pop of colour but not in an in your face way and I find it makes my brown eyes stand out a bit more. I cannot recommend trying this out, I got this for £17.95 which makes it £3.59 a liner which is knock out value. I can't see anywhere to buy this or the individual pots on line but I know Charles Fox take order over the phone (+44 20/7240 3111)

Has anyone else dabbled with cake liners?

Murad Renewing Eye Cream

2011-10-27T14:47:00.000+02:00

My first experience with Murad was when we got a sample of the acne cleanser in the Glossybox a while back- I was trialling a different cleanser then so didn't use it but I was intrigued. Not long after I was invited to a Murad event in London that I couldn't make but the lovely people there sent me some products to try out instead. One of the ones I have been using now for the past 6 weeks is the Renewing Eye Cream and have been really impressed with it.

Dr Howard Murad roots his products on "The Science of cellular water" his system for optimizing cell hydration and skin health.

He aims to "enhance the skin's barrier function to protect cells from environmental damage and dehydration while encouraging healthy cell turn-over so that surface layers have a higher population of stronger younger cells"

With that in mind I was expecting good things from these products and so far I haven't been disappointed. First things first, Murad is at a higher price point than I can normally afford, this eye cream is £63 for 15ml,but I am aware that your skin is something you have really invest in, so I was excited to give it a try.

I love the packaging of not just this but all the products i have been using, I feel they have that mix of looking scientific, expensive but not scary, not over powerfully clinical but still clean and fresh. I am thrilled with the large pump on top of the bottle. Because of the consistency of the cream the pump doesn't generate a wild amount of product- with the price of the bottle you don't want any to go to waste!You really do need a tiny amount of this stuff, so it should last a good long while.

Of the eye cream Murad says:

"Dramatically increase moisture, elasticity and firmness. Reduce medium-to-deep crow's feet and wrinkles and diminish puffiness for an illuminated, bright appearance. Firm and restore the delicate eye area."

Now I am 25 and while I am keen to start caring for the eye area right now I don't have any major lines to speak of, so I can't report on its anti aging ability. I can report however that since using it my under eye seems much 'flatter' and far far less dark than it was. I was troubled with a dehydrated under eye area, which often brought annoying little whiteheads that were a NIGHTMARE to get rid of. Using this cream has them looking and feeling incredibly nourished and moisturised. The main thing I have noticed about using this is how bright my under eye looks- When I look in the mirror in in the morning they look so much better than they did before, which is fantastic.

I have found using this eye cream an absolute pleasure, It feels luxurious to apply and as I have seen fab results on my bags and circles, I actually look forward to putting it on! ( I know.... how sad am I?!?)The issue for me is the price still, however if I was in a better financial position I would absolutely pay for this product. With the tiny amount you need and the results I have experienced I think it is a very worth while investment.

Right now you can save a huge 20% on all Murad Skincare on the website by using the promo code save20.

Has any one else tried Murad's products yet?

In the Company of Wolves

2011-10-26T14:31:00.000+02:00

SHAZAM! I am back! sorry ladies, I have been away for a week with the family exploring Yorkshire ( read stuffing my big fat face with countless cakes) Normal service will resume ASAP but just now I wanted to share a quick post with you. There is a fabulous, gorgeous blogger called Claire, who is the hardest working woman in the WORLD I tell you. She runs In the Company of Wolves (ITCOW) which is a a multimedia fashion show designed for showcasing Scottish talent, something which is desperately needed around here! Tonight is ITCOWs biggest even yet at the Sub Club in Glasgow and it is set to be a huge occasion.

Taking inspiration from 70's B movies, Dario Argento, John Carpenter and William Castle and With visuals from Florence To, art work from Claudia Sharpe & Rachel Nova. and with 17 designers taking the catwalk with collections never seen before in Glasgow, it is such a special occasion. There are even special ITCOW for the night, made specially by the amazing DIY nails- how fierce are they!

Not set on doing a sterling job promoting Scottish Young Talent, Claire has a heart of gold with all profit from the event going to Rape Crisis Scotland.

I am so sad I cannot make it along tonight, but if anyone else can I highly recommend it, an experience not to be missed!

26th October

Sub Club

8pm

£10 (tickets available at ticket-scotland)

Go Claire!

Illamasqua Sale Goodies

2011-10-12T14:34:00.000+02:00

In London recently I couldn't resist a quick peek in the Illamasqua Store and I am so glad I popped in! A SA matched me up with a sample of the Skin Base that I have dying to try for AGES! and out of the corner of my eye I spied a sale...... So of course i had to dive right in and see what was up for grabs- I was instantly taken by two eye shadows, the pink tones looked to be perfect blushers and at £5 each I was willing to take the chance.

apologies for the photo after I tried it out- I couldn't wait until I got it home

I picked up a cream eye shadow in Morn and a Powder Shadow in Lick and have so far been impressed with both. Something I was taken with is the size, fans of Illamasqua blushers will know they are BIG, not the easiest to carry around, so I have been popping these into my bag to keep with me for top ups- Perfect.

Consistency and pigmentation wise they are the quality i have come to know from Illamasqua with each of them looking gorgeous on and lasting all day on. They are a dream to apply and the cream shadow not only looks good as a blush, it makes a really stunning lip colour too! You know I have had so much fun playing around with these I haven't actually tried them as eyeshadows yet!

I am thrilled with my little £5 bargains, multi purpose and travel sized, I will be keeping my eyes peeled for the next sale!

Nails Inc Gossip Girl Collection

2011-10-07T13:57:00.000+02:00

Gossip Girl- gorgeous people, gorgeous clothes and fabulous lives. Not a far cry from my own life…. Oh wait… Maybe not. But the exciting new collaboration from Nails Inc means I can at least have some flippin'gorgeous nails to set me apart from the rest. These new Gossip Girl sets available now are £20- and consist of a colour and a topcoat with hand cut particles giving the nails a 'futuristic finish' I cannot wait to try them out- they look absolutely perfect for Christmas time and the little set would make a fab gift.

Right there are lots of offers on at Nails Inc- free delivery when you spend over £40 and an free gift too- time to get shopping Manhattan Style!

XOXO

Chanel Illusion D'ombre in Mirifique and Ebloui

2011-10-04T14:35:00.000+02:00

On my recent London extravaganza, I was the luckiest girl in the world- HP produces a little present she got me in duty free, I was SO excited. I was lusting after the new Chanel eyeshadow in Ebloui since it came out, it is the perfect rustic cranberry shade with complex shimmer. That kind of shade is my absolute go to shade for going out and I love how it makes brown eyes stand out. I felt so spoiled, and I couldn't wait to try it out- the texture of these new shadow/mouse/cream type pots are like nothing I have ever felt before, and the colour pay off is absolutely incredible. Sorry for all the pics, it is just hard to capture the exact shade as it changes in the light!

But then a week later- DRAMA, I open my little pot of magic and it has shrank, fully by about a third and now was just a lump that was left over. I was literally gutted, it is probably the most gorgeous little pot of anything I have ever owned! I know you fellow make up lovers will totally understand that devastation, I wasn't sure what I was going to be able to do. Some googling led me to seeing other reports of the same thing happening to the same shade, so off HP and I went to Chanel in Glasgow to see what they said. The ladies there were very nice and said they would change it but they didn't have this wonder shade still in stock :( So I swapped it for the incredibly eye catching shade- Mirifique.

Look at all the different colours it shines!

Mirifique is absolutely stunning, It makes an amazing liner, and when the sparkles catch under the light it is gorgeous! I haven't worn it blended out yet, but I know sheered down it will give an incredible wash of colour on the lid. It could be absolutely perfect for a smoky eye. I am so sad Ebloui didn't work out though, one day it will hopefully be mine again, but now I feel so lucky to have tried both!

Did anyone else splurge on these wonder pots?

Date Night- FOTD & OOTD

2011-09-30T14:49:00.001+02:00

Last weekend the other half surprised me by actually arranging a date- he never does that! I was really excited, I love getting dressed up to go for dinner- even if it is just to the end of the street! Even though I was by FAR the most dressed up person there- I just love getting ready and putting something nice on for the evening which I don't do that often anymore. Seeing as we were just going to explore our new local area I thought it was the perfect opportunity to go with something different, this is not a look I ever worn out before- red lipstick completely terrifies me. I was actually really pleased though, it is too easy to get stuck in a make up rut so this was fun for changing it up.

Dress- Matalan £22

Shoes- Matalan £16

Foundation- Estee Lauder Double Wear In Ecru

Mac- CCB in Pearl

Eyeliner- Kryolan Cake Liner in Black

Lips-Gosh lipstick in Lambada

Blusher- La Femme Blush en Rouge

Brows- Trish Mcevoy shadow in dark brown

Mac- Mineralise Skin Finish in medium plus

This weekend I am away to the home town to see a play my super talented friend Ally has been assistant director on, his stuff is always so good- I really can't wait. No doubt there will be lots of food and drink for after too :)

Have a good weekend lovelies,

L'occitane Shea Butter Collection

2011-09-26T11:02:00.000+02:00

One of the best gifts I received last Christmas was a totally unexpected one from my other half’s Aunties, an amazing gift set of 10 L’occitane travel size hand creams. I had never used L’occitane products before then and I was instantly converted. The hand cream was without a doubt the best I had ever used on my constantly dry hands. I found the consistency not too thick for evenly spreading, nor was it runny therefore taking an AGE to sink into your hands. The way my hands felt afterwards felt so luxurious and pampered, I was addicted to putting it on and I loved the smaller sized tubes and popped one in all my bags. Since then I have found myself wandering into the Glasgow store to pore over their latest lotions and potions and always being impressed with the service.

When I was looking into more info about the company I was really thrilled to read about how the company gives back- through the L’Occitane Foundation. Here they select, finance, and assist projects that support the visually impaired both in Europe and in developing countries, the preservation of the knowledge of nature and also the economic emancipation of women.

It is this last area the foundation works with that has led to this review- The company work with the women of Burkino Faso to support training and increase education have inspired the new limited edition Shea Butter Range. What I loved about these products before even trying them out is that the company buy the shea butter directly from the local women at a fair price to ensure they can take care of their families, and send their children to school. These are ethical products that go far beyond the purpose of a handcream, or lipbalm.

I adore the eye catching packaging, colourful graphic prints inspired by a traditional fabric from West Africa and after giving the organic lip balm and Ultra Rich Body Cream a whirl I am happy to report the product itself is fab. The lipbalm retails for £8 and has a delicious rose scent, not overpowering but enough to make you want to put more on! It feels incredibly luxurious on the lips, it leaves them moisturised for ages- they felt really nourished and smooth for long after.

The Ultra Rich Body Cream (£16) is a dream to use! I adore the feeling of it on my skin, It left my skin feel soft and supple, it just adds that little spot of luxury to my post shower routine and left my skin feeling feeling so silky. It doesn't have a cocoa type smell that I know so many find too sweet, but more a fresh almost light floral scent that left me with a really clean feeling.

Overall I am really impressed with this range, I adore the ethical background and am thrilled the product is as good as it is. The gorgeous packaging means they would make fantastic presents too, with three scents to choose from (Cocoa Flower, Hibiscus Flower, Desert Rose) there is something for everyone.

WAH Nails London

2011-09-23T14:31:00.002+02:00

As you will have read in my last post I was in London this weekend having a jam packed fun filled weekend with Mairead. I wanted to make sure she felt extra special as part of her amazing experience thanks to the Willow Foundation- so with the help of the incredibly sweet director at WAH nails, Sharmadean, they thought she deserved some banging nails to keep her glam for the weekend. So on Saturday morning after a pretty delicious bit of breakfast in the hotel we headed off for an early morning mani in Wah Nails, in Topshop Oxford Circus.

Some of my fave WAH designs

Even after I told her and we spent the week poring over all the designs on offer it still took us 20 minutes to decide on the day. In the end I settled for their famous leopard print nails in turquoise and pink glitter and mai went for some gorgeous intricate roses which looked incredible!

It was amazing seeing how much of steady hand the girls had- and the detail is amazing. Finished with a top coat of Seche Vite It just looked so shiny and eye catching after. 6 days on and there is only a chip on the top of one nail and that was my own fault- impressive!

If you are in London and looking for something extra special you should totally get yourself some WAH nail art- it was so much fun!

Thanks to all the team at WAH,

Happy weekend everyone!

I love London

2011-09-22T14:19:00.000+02:00

This weekend was a weekend I have been looking forward to for such a long time and now it has gone I am sad :(

There is an incredible charity called the Willow Foundation who organises special experiences for seriously ill 16-40 year olds. These special days are such an amazing thing to be offered and I was delighted for Mairead that they were letting her have a special trip to focus on and look forward too. I was so lucky to get to join in hers along with her sisters and Mum and we had such a fab weekend.

The Fabulous Macleods at Buckingham Palace

The Willow foundation put us up the gorgeous Park Plaza hotel by the Thames in London and whisked us off to see Wicked. Around all this we packed in some amazing dinners, a trip to see the Wizard of Oz,a visit to the London Eye- a boat trip down and The Thames and a wander round the amazing Chanel Une Promenade experience in harrods. We certanly got everything out of the weekend we could have :) In the last year we have gone to London quite a few times but Mairead as always been confiened to her bed in the hospital and not been able to get out and do all the amazing things London has to offer, so this was the perfect opportunity to fit in everything we have wanted to do.

Breakfast in bed don't mind if we do :)

Macaroons in Liberty- YUM!

A champagne trip on the London Eye

Enjoying the view

L'aduree Macaroons!

The Wizard of Oz was amazing,Mai and I had been glued to the BBC show picking the new Dorothy so seeing it all come together on stage was incredible! Then to get to see Wicked in the same weekend was just a dream, I have wanted to see it for so so long and it completely lived up the the Hype,it was absolutely sensational and I loved every second. I now have an odd urge to paint myself green....

I cannot recommend enough to anyone in London right now to head on over to Harrods and have a walk around Une Promenade, the mini exhibition dedicated to the life of Chanel is absolutely stunning. I had no idea what it would actually entail- but we were greeted by someone ready to take us on a tour round it the floor- he was really engaging and passionate about the brand d the story. I learned some amazing facts about the reasons behind certain Chanel traits, and about Coco's life and the handover to Lagerfeld. I was captivated by all the incredible detail that has gone in - you must go and see it if you can.

This weekend will never be able to live up to all that excitement, a major huge thanks for the amazing Macleods for taking me along and to the Willow Foundation for giving that to Mai,

Blog Love-In: The Sunday Girl

2011-09-13T14:32:00.000+02:00

The Sunday Girl ( formerly known at the The Crazy

Bitch Beauty Gazette/Adrienne Adores) is one of my absolutely favourite reads. I never skip over her posts, they always draw me right in thanks to her amazing clear photos and cracking banter.

Out of all the bloggers, Adrienne is the one whose make up stash I would want to get my paws on the most, she always has the latest products to try and the colours she goes for are always right up my street. Not to mention she owns more Mac than... Mac! Her sense of humour and writing style are spot on, I look forward to reading her posts and her chat on twitter :) I have had the pleasure of meeting this lovely lady a few times now and I can tellyou she is even funnier in person ( and utterly gorgeous to boot!)

Just look at those shots!

I love how she posts nearly everyday and has a fab mix of content so I cannot recommend checking out The Sunday Girl right away and getting her added to your reading list.

For anyone who loves IKEA

2011-09-08T14:45:00.000+02:00

You MUST see this

As someone who has spent most of the last month going back and forward to Ikea ( I am not complaining- HELLO MEATBALLS!) I was really excited to look over some of the amazing ideas on this site.

I wish I was more creative!

They Say, I Say: Sally Hansen Insta- Dri Top Coat

2011-09-07T14:32:00.000+02:00

Seche Vite, we have had some great times together. You have allowed me to go to bed right away without pillow marks all over my nails, you have given me endless shine and you have taken the waiting part of the manicure away. But we need to talk, we haven't always got on famously: you have peeled, shrinked my polish a little, gone gloopy and unmanageable, and there is that small matter of all the warnings being thrown around about some of your ingredients. So this isn't easy for me to do, but I think we should have an open relationship- I am seeing other top coats.

There are so many other quick dry top coats out there now so deciding was hard, but I wanted one that was reasonably priced, gave a good shine and dried very very quickly. Now it is early days yet but so far things are really working out with me and my new Beau, Sally Hansen's Insta Dri. Priced at £6.08 in Boots and after hearing some great reviews of it, I had to give it a whirl.

They Say:

Long-lasting shine, chip resistance and a great manicure that dries fast and lasts.The exclusive acrylic polymer complex dries any nail colour in 30 seconds. Nail colour stays true thanks to UV filters, which prevent fading, yellowing & discoloration caused by sunlight while offering superior shine.

I Say:

For £6 this top coat really packs a punch, it is not quite the lightening dry of Seche Vite, it does take 30 seconds but that is a small price to pay if it means I have a bottle I can use right to the finish without it turning into a gloopy mess. I like the runny wet consistency of it, I find it glides over the polish really easily and doesn't drag or ruin the colour. I have only used it a couple of times, so I will keep you updated if it falters but so far it has kept my nails chip free, and without the peeling I have experienced recently.

I can't fault Insta Dri so far, I think it is performs well for the money and would totally recommend it for anyone looking for a change from Seche Vite. I will continue to put it through its paces and let you know if there are any changes :)

Anyone got other quick dry top coats they can recommend?

Mairead's Ceilidh

2011-09-05T14:51:00.001+02:00

Happy Monday everyone! I hope everyone else had a fab weekend. I had one of the best weekends in such a long time, I just had to share some pics. As you all know I am terribly proud of my best friend Mairead ( or HP as I like to refer to her) and how well she has coped with what has been a rollercoaster 18 months battling cancer. With her on the road to recovery and getting stronger every day, she decided it was time to get down to some serious fundraising for the Teenage Cancer Trust who have been a huge support to her and other young people in the same situation.

With this in mind, Mairead's Ceilidh was born, and what a night it was. Saturday night saw a packed out hall enjoy some amazing ceilidh dancing and top notch Soul brought to them by the very talente Hidden Agenda. I have not danced like that in so long, it was amazing fun, wonderful to catch up with so many people and enjoy something all together. Above all we raised over £3000 for the charity which is just so exciting to be able to give back to the TCT.

Mai and I before kick off

stef and Mai on the floor

Bouncers for the night

Teenie and Mai

Ceilidh in full swing

The wonderful Family Macleod

Playing Top Model

Mairead put so much work into creating such a superb event, I couldn't be prouder, here's to the next one :)

Much love,

Topshop Lipstick in Brighton Rock

2011-08-31T14:48:00.000+02:00

I have been so impressed with the few bits of Topshop make up I have tried so far and one of these has to be this lipstick in shade Brighton Rock. A hot pink that really pops, I have found this a joy to apply. It is moisturising, slick and really creamy. For £8 it feels really velvety and has excellent staying power- it has got me really keen to try out some of the other shades on offer.

I have heard so much about the cream blushes, they are next on my lust list ( once I have finished paying of all these DULL white goods I had to buy!)

Doesn't that look just dreamy?! What does everyone else love from Topshop right now?

NOTD- Barry M Peach Melba

2011-08-25T14:43:00.000+02:00

Peach Melba is one of those shades you suddenly see all over blogs and everyone starts discussing how you can't get hold of it in any stores. Which automatically means if I see one I will buy it, without actually stopping to think of whether I want it! I am so easily persuaded-sigh. I know loads of people are really loving this one, but to be honest I am just not sure. The colour just looks a little odd on me I think, in some lights I do like it but in others it looks a little- Calpol Six Plus ( why could we not just continue to have normal Calpol? Muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum!)

These snaps are with only two coats which on some nails looks a great opaque shade but on others it looks patchy and a little uneven. I think it would look superb on skin more tanned than mine but for me I am a bit on the fence. It is no doubt perfect for a little nail art I imagine :)

They Say, I Say: LIz Earle Skin Tint

2011-08-23T14:41:00.000+02:00

By now you have probably read one million posts on this and are totally bored but I still want to throw my hat into the ring and offer my opinion. As we all know what works for one does not work for another and with some mixed reviews for this product, I imagine any one considering buying it could use one more review to help make up their mind either way.

Having been a fan of their products for years I was so excited when it was announced Liz Earle were moving into the cosmetic side of the industry,the first offering is the Skin Tint which will be available for £21 from the 15th of September.

They Say :

Launching to customers in September, our new beauty essential delivers great results on all skin types. Sheer Skin Tint is the natural bridge from skincare through to colour – this hard-working beauty staple is rich and creamy like a foundation, yet so lightweight it glides effortlessly onto the skin, blending easily to enhance natural skin tones. Delivering dependable, visible results, Sheer Skin Tint has been designed for use all year round, the unique, high-performance formulation leaves skin dewy, even and radiant, with the perfect level of coverage for every woman to achieve naturally beautiful skin.

I say:

I have been using the Tint now for over a week and I am really pleased with it. It has a slightly thicker coverage than a normal tinted moisturiser which is the kind of coverage I like ( when my skin is behaving) it is not so sheer I feel totally 'naked'. I really liked the creamy formula, I found it blended effortlessly on to my skin and left it with a really natural looking dewy glow which is what I always look for in my base. It has lasted on me really well all day without powder, but I have tried setting it with powder and it still doesn't look to cakey or over done. I am a huge fan of its SPF 15 which is really important to me, but so far I haven't experienced any problems with photographing it, there hasn't been the usual dreaded white cast that other SPF products leave.

It is a creamy formula with mineral UV protection SPF15 and is enriched with a blend of natural source vitamin E, borage and avocado, and is suitable for all skin types.

Hopefully you can really see the kind of even glow it is gives in the below snaps, worn on night before and day after skin- not bad at all! Worn with just blusher and mascara and a cheeky Sleek lip paint mixture, I am really happy with the results. Here I am wearing the lightest shade Bare although I am experimenting with the next shade up as my skin is a bit of a mixture at the moment. The shade range so far is not amazing, but I do hear there are plans to expand on this which is good, the fairest shade however will definitely please the palest ladies as it is really light and it as it blends out very well.

Overall I am a big fan, I think what is on offer here is something I have been looking for a while. The worry I have is with how long it will last me, at £21 a tube it is not the cheapest but due to the quality I would definitely repurchase. It remains to be seen how long this tube lasts but hopefully I will get a lot of wear out of it to be worth the money.

NOTD- Chanel Graphite

2011-08-19T14:44:00.000+02:00

So last night myself, HP and Teen decided to dash to Boots to see the new Illusions D'Ombre De Chanel Collection and it did not disappoint!

The polishes are gorgeous and the long wear eye shadows are TO DIE FOR! I am madly in love with the copper shade:

Photo from Temptalia.com

There are some incredible swatches at Tempatlia you can enjoy here

HP picked up the stunning nail polish in Graphite and whilst sitting in Ikea enjoying our meatballs we couldn't resist cracking it open, the excitement was too much! So here it is in all its glory, only one coat but my what a coat that is. It applied flawlessly, not chunky gritty glitter that doesn't spread, and even in one coat it looks amazing. I cannot staring at my nails trying to decide how to even describe it, it is too complex to get right! In come lights it looks Olive green, then gold, then pure silver, So I am settling on calling it s pewter like shade maybe? What ever colour, it is basically gorgeous :)

Sorry for all the photos, I took so many trying to actually capture the colour!

Happy Friday everyone,

Much love

The Fairy Hobmother visited me!

2011-08-10T14:23:00.000+02:00

Ladies, in case any of you out there haven't noticed there is a little bit of magic spreading around blog land right now...

The Fairy Hobmother from Applicances online has all been flying all over the Internet granting lots of wishes to lucky people- and a few days ago one of those lucky people was me :) I was over the moon!

It couldn't have come at a better time either, its been a really tough week, Ally and I were away for his birthday enjoying the comedy festival in Edinburgh and were awoken in the hotel by a call early in the morning saying my new flat was flooding all the floors below :( queue a mad rush back to Glasgow to spend the day getting upset and trying to sort the damages. Later in the day- our washing machine started to leak and has to go to. After weeks of sorting all this out it was really upsetting and comes at a time when I am totally penniless! I logged on to my emails though and there was one waiting for me from the lovely Fairy Hobmother herself saying she wanted to grant my wish of something pretty for the flat and so she sent me a lovely Amazon gift voucher- isn't that amazing!

I know that she is watching over these posts and would love to know what the lovely BeautyH2T readers wishes are and who knows maybe on of you will have yours granted next.....

Leave me a comment and let me know what your heart desires!

Happy Wishing everyone,

I'm Still Here!

2011-08-03T14:39:00.000+02:00

I'm alive!

*waves from under mountain of boxes*

Sorry I have been so absent, flat moving has been a HUGE challenge, and I am still all over the place so no time for posting :( but I promise I will be back in action as soon as I can. We did all the moving this weekend and it was intense! Could not have done it all without my family and some of our friends who came to help, they were absolute heroes and made it all happen. Now we have quite a few teething problems to work through ( Plumbing- GAH!) but hopefully it will all settle down in the next couple of weeks- they have to, I am out of money! Terrible timing too- I want the new Sleek Pout Paints so badly!

I have still been keeping up with reading everyones posts but hope everyone is doing well. Thanks for keeping with me, I will be as soon as I can see a floor in the new place.

Much love,

I'm so excited...

2011-07-20T14:39:00.000+02:00

And I just can't hide it!

I now cannot get that song out of my head- oooops! Sorry for not posting anything this week, flat stuff is now well and truly upon me and I am a bundle of nerves and excitement. It has been a whirl wind couple of months and I have learnt a lot, with keys now due to be in my hand tomorrow afternoon it all might start to feel more real! I have barely slept a wink this last week, my brain will just not switch off thinking of all the things I need to buy and when I can get everything done.

There is a lot to be done in the next couple of weeks, carpet to go down, walls to paint, furniture to move and a mountain of things to pack. My folks have been a huge help in getting all this sorted, they are driving through a big van from my home town full of old furniture from my Grandads house, and then the weekend after Ally, some very kind and helpful chums and I will be moving all our actual stuff from our flat and that will be us in! I know the minute I have the keys tomorrow I will just want to do it there and then, I am so impatient!!

I will try and get some posts up in between all the madness but I bear with me if that doesn't go to plan, there is just so much going on.

If anyone needs me I will be hiding in a box like this lady.

Muchos love to everyone,

WINNERS!

2011-07-13T14:35:00.000+02:00

Just want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone for entering my giveaway! It is so exciting as it leads me to lots of different blogs that I am not already following- my reader is overflowing with new posts to read :)

Without further ado here are the winners of the beauty loot!

The lucky ladies in those slots on my ever so glamorous excel spreadsheet are....

Leah of Look! Flying Monkeys

and

Summer of SLHX Beauty!

Congratulations to you both. I will be in touch shortly to get your addresses. Thanks again to everyone who commented on it. I have a big giveaway coming up again so keep your eyes peeled!

Much love,

Raindrops on Roses

2011-07-12T14:50:00.001+02:00

My new favourite things.....For now!

I have been so cheeky- I am on a total spending ban apart from buying household stuff for the new place but then I broke and ordered the Sleek Oh So Special Palette. I just had to- honest! look at all the gorgeous colours, and from what I read it packs a great pigment punch, for 6.49 that is well worth it..... ( Right!??)

I have been getting proper carried away with getting all the things for the new place- I don't even know if it will all fit! I have spent all the pennies I have on little things to try and make the place really homey! I seem to have developed a duck egg blue addiction- it is going to be EVERYWHERE in the flat!

My new wallpaper for a wall in our room, I absolutely love it and can't wait to see it up there and sitting with our new bed....

I am also madly in love with Gumtree right now, I cannot recommend it enough to anyone in the UK how is looking for new furniture/household goods/anything! I have picked up some absolutely fantastic bargains in the past few weeks which have saved me a fortune. There is of course loads of random crap for sale on there- which is worth looking at just for a laugh but in amongst that are some real gems.

There is one another little gem that I am absolutely loving right now....I am almost ashamed to admit it, I may or may not have just indulged in a 6 month old Canon 500D. Yup another Gumtree bargain that I am proper excited about. It means that I am all out of savings and I probably could not have bought it at a worse time- but hey! I am in love with it, and cannot stop sitting experimenting with it. I am really enjoying reading stuff about using it properly, watching videos and tutorials. I can't wait till the move is out the way and I can get out there with it and get practising!

I will not have any money till roughly 2014. Oh dear!

Keep your eyes peeled- I will be announcing the winner of the my giveaway shortly :)

Blog Love-In: Katie's Beauty Blog

2011-07-11T14:29:00.000+02:00

This weeks Blog Love-In is inspired by a superb post from one of my favourite bloggers. I don’t know if it was her in depth views, honesty or just that superb header photo that got me hooked on Katie's Beauty Blog all I know Is it that her posts always stand out in my reader.

The post in question that I just loved recently was on skincare- I have long loved the work of Paula Begoun and I think she has a lot to teach us all about keeping our skin in the best condition, Katie recently was lucky enough to meet her and then shared her wisdom in her post here, if you have ever had problem skin then you MUST check this superb post out.

Katie's Beauty Blog has some superb in depth reviews, a range of excellent products featured that I don’t often see on other blogs and some startlingly stunning photo's and swatches. This little lady is one incredibly talented person, her photography work extremely interesting ( I love the stuff on ghosts) which you can see here, she has even had her work shown in the Tate Gallery in London- a HUGE achievement. Katie always manages to show off new products superbly, and her creativity with make up is inspiring- just look at her Gaga tribute:

If you are not already following this superb blog I thoroughly recommend you add it to your reader now :)

Hope everyone had a great weekend,

A Wonderful Weekend

2011-07-05T14:37:00.000+02:00

The sun was here! Yup little ole Scotland actually saw some real live, long overdue, burning heat, glorious sunshine this weekend and what a weekend it was!

HP and I went to a murder mystery on Friday night which was a great laugh. I have always wanted to go to one and I adore any excuse to get dressed up, so we threw ourselves into the 20's theme!

It was loads of fun and now I am itching to do another one! The morning after myself, HP,her sis Teenie and their (super) mum- Mamma Mac all packed up the car and headed up North to go and visit their Granny. It was a completely glorious day, I adore travelling in the car when it is nice weather and the scenery is so gorgeous. HP had made a pretty spectacular range of Cd's to keep us in full voice on the road too. We had an amazing weekend their, i got to explore the whole area, see the beaches and the lighthouse and sample lots of tasty home cooking :) I also slept like a total baby up there- it must be the fresh air! I didn't want to leave to come back to busy Glasgow yesterday because we had had such a lovely time.

A Mermaid!

The wonderful Granny Weir

Heading off on an adventure

Enjoying our Sunday Sherry

CAKE!

A trip to the amazing ANTA

Teenie the Giant

Getting my Tyra on!

taking in the amazing views

Sorry that is a lot of pics but we took so many when we were there, I had to share some. HP's Granny was recovering from a big op she had only a week and a bit ago and she is doing marvellously! It was so nice of her to let me come up and stay, I can't wait to go again :)

I hope everyone had a similarly wonderful and sunny weekend,

DON'T FORGET TO ENTER THE BIG MOVE GIVEAWAY!

Liz Earl does Skin Tint

2011-06-30T15:21:00.000+02:00

Ladies I am very excited-as many of you will know I adore Liz Earle's products.I have used the notorious Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth cleanser for years and recommend it to ANYONE looking for a cleanser that might help their skin. I just received the exciting news that after 3 years of being in the making they are now ready to launch their first Skin Tint this September. This is big news for Liz Earle lovers out there as I know they are not going to disappoint with this, so if like me you are all a flutter at the thought of it you can sign up for more info as it comes HERE

The Body Shop Colour Glide Lip Colour

2011-06-30T15:03:00.002+02:00

To get me out of my nude lip slump and prepare me to get a bit of colour in my life I have gone down the route of trying a few pinks. I wanted to share my favourite of the moment The Body Shops Colour Glide Lip Colour in Shade 55 Pure Blush. I bought this as part of the Group On extravaganza a couple of months back and it has not disappointed.

I really like the small compact feel of these lipsticks, it does feel little in comparison to other lippies but you do get 4g of product which doesn't strike me as bad. the colour goes on really easily, which makes it a pink I can slick on pretty carelessly and it looks good. I cannot remember how much one of these retails for which is a pain I know but off the top of my head I think they are reasonably pricey at around £ 9 which is more than I would usually spend. I got this one for free as part of my deal but I am really pleased with it and probably would repurchase thanks to its performance. It is an incredibly moisturising formula which I love as it feel nice one, not at all chalky. It is long lasting and doesn't fade patchily.I think the colour is gorgeous and is pretty build able, here I am wearing it below with a touch of Gosh Darling below to bring out the pink even more. On its own it is just a lovely pinky sheen that brings a really healthy look to the face.

Here is it in action- a bit of overkill on the blusher but focus on the lips people!

Boudoir Prive- Glossybox but better?

2011-06-28T21:31:00.002+02:00

No doubt you will have seen a million posts/tweets in the beauty community surrounding the Glossybox, which I told you about here. I am definitely on the fence regarding this one, I really wasn't impressed with the email informing subscribers that the price was going up as of the September boxes, and I don't think giving people such varied contents on the box ( rouge bunny rouge lip gloss in one, random shower gel in the other) but I still adore the packaging, the thrill of seeing what you get and well basically I am addicted to receiving post! I still love the idea of people getting the chance to try out some fab brands that they wouldn't think to try out otherwise. Which is why my intrigue has now led me to The Beauty Box from Boudoir Prive which launches in July.

The boxes will cost £10 a month (including postage and vat) and this time contain 6 high end samples, the feedback system with this company is also better than the Glossybox as they will be offering discounts to buy full sized versions of the products sent in return for your feedback. The deluxe samples will be spread across 6 categories: skin care, body care, hair, make up, fragrance and lifestyle and will include very established brands and some new one including some picked up from the amazing beauty hall at Liberty London. Now that definitely gets my beauty pulse racing!

Right now you can head on over HERE to sign up to be notified of when the site is up and running and you can put your order in for the first box- if the first month of Glossy Box is anything to go by ( Hello full size Nars Illuminator) then I cannot wait to see what comes with this little beauty! According to Boudoir Prive's facebook the site should be launching around the second week of July but if you sign up you will be notified as soon as it does.

I am definitely intrigued by this and after the lukewarm response to the June glossy box will be hopefully giving this service a try. Don't miss the chance to sign up to the Beauty Box now.

Disclaimer- I have not been asked to write this, I am just addicted to things in miniature and know I am not alone so wanted to spread the word :)

Roll up, Roll up- Giveaway Time!

2011-06-27T21:33:00.000+02:00

As you all now I am trying to get myself ready for my big move and I think that is perfect excuse for a giveaway! I have gathered together lots of products and samples that I have either been sent or used and not been for me and I want to pass them on. Please note that does mean quite a few ( not all) have been tried out one or more times, but I figure its a great way for a couple of readers to get to try them out too!

So here are the prizes:

Prize A

Stila Palette

Avon eyeshadow Duo

4x samples (Olay, Lancome,Oribe)

Bourjois nail Varnish

Gosh eyeshadow Single

Avon Baked Blusher

Gosh Lipjam

2 Revlon powder Bedroom Eyes

Collection 2000 Coloured Mascara

Eyeko Magic liner (turns eyeshadow to liner)

2x lipgloss

2x M+S cream highlighter

W7 Eyeshadow

2True Mascara

Ruby and Milly eyeshadow duo

Glitter liner

no7 Shadow

Prize B

No7 Eye Jewels Mineral Shadow set

2x Avon Shadow Quads

W7 Secret Concealer Kit

Space NK Solid Perfume

Lipcote

Stila Lipstick and Gloss

2True, Avon and La Girls Eyeshadow singles

Almay Bright Eyes Cream shadow

2 x colleciton 2000 coloured mascara

Revlon Powder Shadow

2True Eyeliner

3x Nail Varnish ( Rimmel and Me Me Me)

The rules for the give away are:

1) You must be a subscriber/ follower of my blog, doesn't matter how long for it is open to anyone.

2) Please don't forget to leave your email address and where you live at the bottom of your entry so I can contact you if you win.

3) The giveaway will run until 11pm Tuesday 12th July 2011 (UK time)

4) Don't forget the giveaway is international, so anyone can enter.

To enter:

1)Post "Enter Me" in the comment section along with your email address= 1 entry

2)Link to my giveaway in your sidebar and leave a comment with a link below= 1 entry

Write a blog post about my giveaway

and leave a comment with a link below= 1 entry

4) Follow me on Twitter http://twitter.com/beautyh2t and tweet about my give away come back and post a link to your tweet in the comments section below = 1 entry.

So there you go, you can enter up to 4 times, winners will be picked through random.org the day after it closes and I will email winners to let them know.

Good Luck Everyone!

Honey I'm Home!

2011-06-23T14:40:00.000+02:00

I have my new flat on the brain right now I am afraid everyone, there are so many fiddly legal things to get my head round and dates to arrange that I literally cannot think of much else! I apologise now for the lack of usual posts- I just have not had the time and am instead trying to juggle an incredibly tight budget to get some actual furniture for the new flatg! Now I can't afford to do anything like the ones below, but a girl can dream right?!

I am looking forward to one day having some money again! and being able to put a real stamp on the place but for now it will definitely be a mix of borrowed bits and bobs from kindly friends and family and the odd little charity shop/gumtree/Ikea bargain thrown in! I am waiting to hear about getting my keys but if all goes to plan that is only going to be a month away- I am realising now how ridiculously impatient I am- I WANT THEM NOW!

Hope everyone is having a far more productive week than I am :)

Blog Love-In: 25FLondon

2011-06-21T14:24:00.000+02:00

The love-In this week is to direct your attention to a blog that I have only been reading for a little while but in that time it has fast become a favourite read of mine. 25FLondon has the combination of really outstanding photography and excellent swatches makes this the kind of blog I can spend a long time getting carried away in the archive!

I am a huge fan of the clear and crisp layout of this blog and find it so easy to get my way around to take in all the amazing pictures on offer. H is amazing at digging up a new product that I haven't seen on any other blogs and her swatches always puts those products right on my lust list!

Just look at those freaking amazing snaps! You can pretty much see even from the few photos above why 25FLondon has become one of my absolute faves and if you haven't already checked it out you really should!

NOTD- No 7 Stay Perfect in Minty Fresh

2011-06-16T14:29:00.000+02:00

I went for a mooch in Boots last night with HP last night( whose growing in hair is looking all kinds of fierce right now!) and realised I had a couple of little £5 vouchers burning a hole in my purse. One of things I got was this new nail polish shade, NO7's Minty Fresh. It definitely needs 3 coats to get the even opaque look that I like, and usually I am pretty lazy, anything that needs 3 coats is too much work for me, but with this one I really like the outcome so I think it was worth it. With my voucher I think I got this for just over £1.50 which is a real bargain as I love the consistency of these polishes and find most of them go on really smoothly and have a pretty good longevity.

Saturday Night FOTD

2011-06-14T14:37:00.000+02:00

First off thanks so much for the lovely comments on my last post- you guys are the best!

Just a quick FOTD from Saturday night, I was getting together with some of my bestest friends in the world for food, drinks and a lot of laughs. It was just the fun I needed after a stressful couple of weeks- thanks guys! For the occasion I went with a big load of eyeshadow which is not something I do very often any more so I wanted to share it with you. I went for a slick of Mac Blackground paint pot as a base and the deep blue from the Sleek Bad Girl Palette. I don't feel that comfy with lots of eyeshadow on but sometimes I like to go mad with it just to mix it up. I think this combo came out pretty well, maybe a bit much for staying in and relaxing with friends- but hey who cares!?

Benefit Porefessional

Revlon Colourstay Foundation

Brows- MUA shadow in Brown

Lips- Revlon lipgloss in peach petal

UDPP

Mac Black Ground and Sleek Bad Girl Blue

Prestige Eyeliner in Black

Mac CCB in Pearl for highlight

Nars Deep Throar Blusher

Nars Albatros Highlighter

Excuse the scaly lips- you wouldn't believe it is actually July in Scotland, my skin feels like it is the middle of winter!

NEWS......

2011-06-13T18:16:00.000+02:00

I have some news I have been dying to share with you all but thought I better wait....

But now I am just TOO excited to hold it in, I bought a flat! Yup I am about to be a homeowner, a big scary grown up with a mortgage! Totally terrifying and was a stressful couple of weeks but it is all done now ( although I might not unclench until I have some keys in my hand!)

Look! I know you can't really tell much,but I am going to make it nice and homey on an incredibly small budget as I am now completely penniless! Behind the door here is really the reason I bought it- hello little walk in wardrobe! Not quite the Clueless/Carrie dream but close enough for me and means I can hide lots of my crap :) And there is another bedroom for me to chuck the boy into when he is annoying me- HURRAH!

So there you go, I only just decided to do this a couple of weeks ago, then it was a mad dash to sort through everything on the market and find something suitable and then this beauty came along.Now my head is now awash with things to think of, such as finding a shed load of furniture, how on earth do blinds get fitted, where do you find nice cheap wallpaper and other such like important things!

Moving flat ( again!) does mean de cluttering and I do have a big load of leftover blog sale stuff, duplicates and swatched once and I think the best use for it all is to throw it in a mega giveaway so keep your eyes peeled and I will get it on here soon.

Hope everyone had a fab weekend,

Blog Love-In: Little Blog of Horrors

2011-06-09T14:37:00.000+02:00

This weeks Blog Love-In is for one amazing blogger by the name of Ayden. Little Blog of Horrors is such a superb, addictive read. Filled with amazing pictures, adventures and stories of Ayden's life, she does an excellent job of making you feel really part of it all. I adore her sense of style and love seeing how she incorporates her accessories to really pull an outfit together, that twinned with some amazing tattoos and blonde streak in her hair and she has a pretty kick ass vibe going on!

TOO CUTE!

Ayden is such an honest,genuine, hardworking and talented person and I have been really lucky to get to know her through blogging. It is actually her birthday, verrrrry soon! So this post is to point you in the direction of her fabulous blog and to say a very

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

To this very special blogging lady!

They Say, I Say: Benefit Porefessional

2011-06-08T14:28:00.000+02:00

To achieve a flawless face it is not just the case of needing a good foundation. Even the most expensive or highest quality foundation can still look a little crap without a solid base underneath it. I have tried a wealth of primers in the past couple of years, some I have loved and others have just been horrendous and totally ruined any makeup applied on top. The most recent addition to my ~~addiction~~ collection is Benefits Porefessional, a much hyped pore smoothing (silicone based) primer that even sold out on first release.I know many people have a love/hate relationship with silicone primers and products. Personally I don't mind them and they don't break me out or irritate my skin, I like the amount of 'slip' they give for applying make up on top of. Porefessional is Oil Free which is a big bonus as with many of them it is the oil that puts me off as apposed to the silicone.

They Say:

Quickly minimize the appearance of pores! Apply this silky, lightweight balm for translucent pore coverage and smoother-than-smooth skin. Pores... now you see 'em, now you don't!

I Say:

I adore this stuff, for me it is like a magic trick in a bottle, I take a tiny amount of this on my fingers and pat it onto my key problem areas, namely the pores on my cheeks and a little on my chin. This primer is designed to target specific areas instead of just being applied liberally all over the face. Now of course it doesn't completely eradicate all my problems but it does a damn good job of trying, I can really see a big difference from having this covering my pores and how my foundation looks over it. The consistency is velvety too the touch but turns to a matte powder feel finish after setting, it is not chalky in any way just leaves you completely smooth. It feels totally lightweight on and the silky finish is totally addictive, it doesn't 'pill' in any way which happens with a few primers I have tried, and foundation doesn't stick to it and become clumpy or cakey.

The product has a light tint to it, which makes it fab for applying over make up if needed, perfect for a touch up if you heading straight from an office, and also if you don't want to wear foundation or anything, you can get away with some Porefessional and powder and you are good to go. I love that it is in tube packaging meaning you are in control of how much product comes out, it makes it easy to chuck in your bag and carry around with you too. Right now it is lasting about 6- 8 hours on my face,so when it is warmer and I am sweatier(!) it will probably need topping up but as it goes on so easily over make up as well as under so top ups will be no problem.

A pretty crap example but you can see it has 'filled in' many pesky pores

It is £23.50 a tube which initially I was taken aback by, but after seeing how much you need and the performance it gives I will definitely be repurchasing, if will never be able to completely conceal the biggest of pores but mine are pretty size able and I am amazed by what it does to cover them up!

PR Sample sent for review, all reviews are 100% honest and my own.

Blog Love-In:Rottenotter's Thoughts

2011-06-03T14:18:00.000+02:00

Happy Friday everyone!

Why is it when you have a bank holiday Monday that the rest of the week seems to draaaaaaaaaag??

This weeks Blog Love-In is for the lovely Katy from Rottenotter's Thoughts. Katy's blog has the kind of layout and style that I love: crisp, clear and accurate pictures and a great mix of content. The swatches on the blog are exceptional- just look at these ones from the UD Naked Palette! I love her Week in Photo's posts- they show case her amazing photography skills and are a great read,I love having a look into other peoples lives and find its these posts that bring a good mix to my google reader. The reviews on the blog are fantastically in depth and cover a wide range of products, Its really handy seeing these grouped together in her favourites at the end of every month, I always end up with a growing 'want' list after reading!

A dab hand with HTML and Layout, Katy is on hand to help out if you have any problems with your blog, she was a huge help to me when I was changing my layout and look of my blog and she was so patient with my million questions!If you haven't checked out Rottenotter's Thoughts I totally recommend you do so now!

Happy Weekending everyone!

They Say, I Say: Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser

2011-06-02T14:23:00.000+02:00

First off- I'M ALIVE! Sorry I have been a bit absent these last couple of weeks, I have been a busy bee and that looks to be continuing for the next wee while, so bear with me and stick around, I promise I will be back in action before long. I just wanted to pop on and let you all know about something that I consider to be a superb deal.

I have used Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser on my face for the past 6 or 7 months and without it being a big bells and whistles cleansers that promises the moon and has a giant marketing campaign, it is in fact just a fantastic, consistent, hardworking cleanser that I continues to impress me. It has really helped me clear up the big skin issues I was having, has returned balance to oil problems and has left it looking clear and healthy.

They Say:

Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser is great for daily cleansing, make-up removal or as part of a skin care routine to treat dryness caused by prescription skin treatments. Originally formulated for dermatologists, it’s gentle on your skin and doesn’t disturb the natural pH balance.

Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser can also be used instead of soap, which can irritate sensitive skin or skin damaged by eczema, psoriasis, acne or rosacea. Unlike some soaps, Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser cleanses, moisturises and gently removes impurities without stripping out your skin’s natural oils. It’s an excellent choice for facial or all-over-body cleansing and can be either left on, or rinsed off with water (see How to use, below).

How to use Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser:

Apply Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser to the skin and massage gently.

• With water: rinse and pat dry with a soft towel

• Without water: remove excess with paper tissue or cotton wool

Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser

Ingredients: AQUA/WATER, CETYL ALCOHOL, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, BUTYLPARABEN, METHYLPARABEN, PROPYLPARABEN, SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE, STEARYL ALCOHOL.

I say:

This stuff really has become a staple for me, out of all the cleansers I have ever used this one has delivered the best results and continues to do so. It leaves my skin feeling like 'skin', by that I mean it doesn't leave it feeling tight and over worked, and it doesn't make it over produce any oil. With continued use I have found it has totally returned my skin to its normal state and left it looking much brighter and healthier. It wont deliver magical instant results, like so many promise do but in reality can really ravage your skin, but if you stick with it and let it work you could see a great difference. After spending too long trying out far too many different and too strong products this stuff has saved me!

The reason I am getting round to telling you now is where I recently managed to pick it up- before this weekend I had to buy it from the Internet for £8 a bottle then postage, or wait until I was in my home town with a big Lloyds Pharmacy who stocked it. But this Sunday after literally just explaining to my mum what I use on my face ( she was saying it was look much better!) than I happened into the Pharmacy in Asda and BOOM there was a huge stand filled with these babies for only £4, I am so excited! Being able to buy it on the mainstream and for that price was a huge trip, so of course I instantly bought my next 3 bottles!

Has anyone else tried Cetaphil?

Blog Love-In: Beauty's Bad Habit

2011-05-25T14:35:00.000+02:00

Sorry for the lack of posting this week, I feel like I have been mega distracted. You know when you just cannot focus? I can't sit still for 5 seconds this week! I hope everyone else is getting on a little bit better, maybe I just need to go through this hump-day! This weeks blog love-in is dedicated to the amazing style, photography and swatches of the lovely Lily at Beauty's Bad Habit.

I have read her blog since near the start and it is pretty addictive! Lily does incredibly creative make up looks with some of the most amazing blends of colours and use of indie brands that are amazingly affordable. I have discovered loads of different products thanks to her honest and in depth reviews, her swatches are by far some of the best I have come across thanks to her amazing photography skills. She always makes me want to try out looks that take me right out of my comfort zone and that is pretty special.

Beauty's Bad habit is an all round interesting and insightful read, with a wonderful mix of hints and tips on both make up, the industry and photography, there are new companies and inspiring looks on there i abundance and I highly recommend you head on over there and check it out!

Glossy Box for the WIN!

2011-05-19T14:31:00.000+02:00

You might have seen this all over your reader but I just needed to share in case anyone missed out!Glossy Box is the UK equivalent of the popular Birch Box in the US, basically you pay a little cash and they send you a box filled with gorgeous samples. EASY. Now they have only just sent out the first ever set of boxes and they have not disappointed! Sadly I think I signed up literally just after the May cut off, but wanted to let you know how fab the goodies inside were.

Photo from 25FLondon

You can see reviews here and here

All I can say is MEGA JEL- Nars Orgasm Illuminator, that is some goody box right there. The box is gorgeous never mind the goodies inside.

You can cancel paying for it at anytime, so you can either get one every month for a tenner or treat yourself in the months you need it :)

Love it!

Blog Love-In: Lipglossiping

2011-05-19T14:06:00.000+02:00

You have all heard / used Bloglovin, well now it time for my very own Blog Love-In ( see what I did there!) One of my favourites things about this little Internet world is discovering lots of different kinds of blogs to read and follow. I wanted to start a little a series that helps you lovely H2T readers find new blogs to peruse and share with you new and old reads that I really rate. So without further ado I give you the....

First up is one of the first beauty blogs I had ever come across:

Charlotte from Lipglossiping has me in stitches regularly, and has some of the most detailed and frank reviews of products I have come across. That combined with her out of this world photography makes her site one of my most visited. I totally trust her thoughts on products and she has led me to discover some of my most loved items to date. Her site has recently had a massive revamp and on there is a wealth of stuff that I spend an embarrassing amount of time poring over, she has painstakingly organised all her content into handy sections. I would definitely check out the inspired 'Round Table' feature at the top of the page, your place to ask a probing beauty question, and help out others looking for advice and tips.

Well, there you have it, I get to share some love and hopefully you get a new read. If you haven't seen Charlotte's stuff before I cannot recommend enough that you check it out.

Enjoy!

They Say, I Say: Tresemme Colour Revitalise Shampoo

2011-05-18T14:36:00.000+02:00

After a terribly disappointing performance from the Botanics Shampoo I bought to help with 'Red Hair Fading' Syndrome and I was on the hunt for something better. Yup RHFS is definitely a real condition (!) and I think I have found a possible cure...

Tresemme Colour Revitalise Shampoo

They Say:

TRESemme vitamin e & aloe colour revitalize shampoo gently rinses out dirt and grease but still maintains color-treated hair's vibrancy and salon-fresh richness. Its unique, color-locking complex saves vivid hues from fading. UV filters guard against damage from the sun and pollution, while its conditioning formula (thanks to its vitamin E and aloe) restores hydration to keep hair shiny and healthy.

I Say:

I am really impressed with this shampoo so far,in comparison to the Botanics it is a treat to use. It is a creamy formula that I usually stay away from for fear of the dreaded grease, but it actually performs really well. It has a good lather, rinses out incredibly well, gets rid of a lot of tangles and then leaves my hair feeling clean and nicest of all, glossy. I haven't found it has given me greasy locks at all, and it certainly did more for maintaining my red colour than any others I have tried so far.

I continue to be impressed with the value for money that comes with a Tresemme Shampoo- those huge bottles are perfect for any bathroom and need replacing left often than many others.I would definitely recommend anyone with coloured hair gives this one a try- It costs £3.26 for 500 mls in Boots and most Supermarkets/ Pharmacies

Raindrops on Roses...

2011-05-17T16:14:00.000+02:00

...I'm no Julie Andrews but these are a few of my favourite things:

Rapidlash: I finally gave into myself and bought Rapidlash, HP has been using it for a while and loves it, when she pointed out it is £25 on Amazon ( as opposed to £40 in Boots) I decided I needed a treat. I am currently smothering my brows and lashes in it at night so fingers crossed for big results!

Friends blogging: I have been meaning to link to these bad boys for AGES but keep forgetting so here it is:I adore reading other peoples blogs and find it really exciting when people I know are doing it, a couple of friends of mine write superb blogs and I totally recommend you go and take a look.

Lovely Caoimhe from C0loured Lights

Fabulous Clara from Fashion Fix

Batiste XXL Launch: I am hugely excited for the launch of Batiste's XXL Size cans and the Volume XXL formula- reading the reports from the launch, this volume formula sounds out of this world and exactly what I need for my hair. Grease be gone and mega volume, thank you Batiste! For all of us who go through hundreds of the normal cans they are releasing large versions ( think hairdresser size) of some of the best. Perfect for having in the bathroom and all still for under a fiver. Roll on the end of May so we can get our hands on the new range.

Gosh Long Lasting Brow Pen: I have long lusted after the Suqqu Eyebrow liquid Pen since my beloved Lisa Eldridge uses it. Alas because of the cost and the places you can get it, it is yet to be mine. But thanks to the lovely Stina I am off to buy something that might just give me that brow fix. I cannot wait to get to Superdrug and pick up Gosh's Long Lasting Brow Pen- I am so excited they look just what I need ( want!)

Kiss Ever Easy Lashes- HP has got me SO excited to try these out, being the lash guru she is she spotted these and since watching the video I cannot WAIT to try them out. The idea is simple and seems such an obvious one- you use the attached string to get them in please, take away the string and boom- gorgeous lashes!

La Femme Blush on Rouge: Now La Femme is a little known company here in the UK but their blushes are a long kept MUA secret that I learned while on a set one day. Since then I have only had the joy of only owning one seeing as they were so hard to get hold of. Well not now and trust me soon enough EVERYONE is going to be talking about them, why you might think, well because they are DIRT cheap, yup in the UK you can get them for £2.99 a pan from Love Make Up or you can do as I just did and buy a monster a 12 pan palette from Make Up Mania in the US for £27 including shipping- that is a lot of incredible blush for the price. Will get a review up as soon as it arrives, I am so impatient I want it now!

Whats floating your boat right now?

They Say, I Say: Botanics Radiant Red Shampoo

2011-05-16T16:52:00.000+02:00

Happy Monday!

I hope everyone had a great weekend, mine was jam packed,was at a fantastic dance show on Friday night, then Saturday I headed off to Edinburgh for a long overdue catch up with all my girls from the home town! It was a fantastic evening we did a salsa class together which was hilarious fun, I have never shimmied so hard in my life, then stuffed our face with Tapas before heading out for drinkies. I over did all the wine and ended up in quite the state yesterday- it is not big and it is not clever, I seem to be regressing. Oh dear.

So I wrote the post below last week before Blogger went mental, so its pretty outdated now thanks to the fact I have since dyedd my hair again...more on that later this week....

As someone who has been dying there hair red for over a year now I have become accustomed to just how quickly the colour fades away a sort of murky tint. Sexy. I still didn't want to throw in the towel though as I love the deep red shades when they are freshly done. On the hunt for a wonder product to reduce the fade rate I have tried a few different things, one of which is the Boots Botanics Radiant Red Shampoo.

They Say:

The rich tones in red hair can fade or look dull due to mineral deposits or frequent colouring.
Botanics Hair Radiant Red Shampoo uses Henna that protects and shines.

Rich in anti-oxidants to help protect natural colour and shine, henna has traditionally been used to bring out the tones and highlights in red hair. Botanics Hair Radiant Red Shampoo also uses Honey which adds rich moisture. Dermatologically tested.

Plant extracts at levels that really work, combined and formulated for unbeatable product performance.

I hate to say this shampoo did not light my fire one bit. I have given it so many chances but no luck. I find no matter how long I rinse and rinse for I cannot get all of the shampoo out and then afterwards my hair is just left feeling, lank and sticky. I know with a henna shampoo like this, it is not the same of your run of the mill shampoo with a huge lather but I just could not get used to the feel of this at all.Not a great experience in the shower, far too much work with little pay off. Because of this I didn't get a chance to use it long enough to compare its anti fading powers to other shampoos! It costs £3.05 from Boots, and of course what works for one wont for another so if you are a 'red-head' then maybe it is worth a try but for me it was a total dud.

Any one else had a crap shampoo recently?

I say:

Girls Day Out

2011-05-11T14:58:00.000+02:00

On Saturday myself and a gaggle of other beauty bloggers braved Glasgow's Girls Day Out at the SECC. I say braved becuase thats what you have to be to get in amongst the huge crowds of women there, when there is shopping and drinking to be done the elbows definately come out! But we survived and had an ace time, I was actually lucky enough to get to go twice as me and HP braved it too, it was quieter when we went so I had lots of time to peruse the stalls without all the girls, and of course that means double goody bags :) I am such a sucker for freebies!

The lovely Stacey of Nude Obsession organised a swap for us and it was the best idea ever. All of us have odds and ends lying around that just weren't right colour or formula for us, so getting to swap these for other peoples was so much fun. We each put some items in a gift bag and walked away with a whole new set- I felt so spoiled! I got some Neutrogena Moisturiser, No 7 matt Primer, A stunning body shop bronzer and a collection 2000 lip gloss. All of which I have been playing around with since!

Here is a little pic of all the goodies from the weekend, I was lucky enough that the gift bags were different on the days I was there so I ended up with lots of new things to play with.

A freebie I was excited to try out is the toothpaste- I have heard lots of great things about its whitening capabilites so here is hoping I am soon to have a dazzling smile!

As someone who is mega sad and reads an embarrasing amount of wedding blogs, my favourite thing in a lot of American Werddings is the use of a photo booth for all the guests to play around with. I think its an amazing idea for lots of different events so was exctied to see one at the G.D.O! Of course that meant all of us had to pile in to one and get a snap for our blogs:

Bloggers looking FIERCE!

A big hello to all the Ladies who were there to make it such a fun day:

Jewlie at http://thebeautyhooligan.blogspot.com/

Linsay at http://smooshkissxx.blogspot.com/

Hailey at http://lilmissgiggles143.blogspot.com/

Adrienne at http://thecrazybitchbeautygazette.blogspot.com/

Loren at http://www.laceandlipstick.com/

Lori at http://xmisslorix.blogspot.com/

Ayden at http://mydollface.blogspot.com/

Stacey at http://nude-obsession.blogspot.com/

If you haven't already visited their blogs then I totally recommend you do it pronto!

500 points Boots Voucher Up for Grabs

2011-05-09T14:50:00.000+02:00

I was lucky enough to get to go to the Girls Day Out in Glasgow twice this weekend- I will post soon about all the goodies I left with after an afternoon with some fellow bloggers but for now I just wanted to share some goodie bag love!

Seeing as I went more than once I ended up with a few 500 Boots Advantage Points ( you need to spend over £25) they are only available until the 15th of May and there is a limit to how much I can actually buy in Boots (shocking I know!) so I have two spare vouchers if anyone would like one? Just leave me a comment with your email address and I will get them posted out asap- If there are more than 2 people after them I will just draw the names out of the hat at 10 O Clock tonight.

They Say, I Say: Daniel Sandler Watercolour in Cherub

2011-05-09T14:25:00.001+02:00

I have wanted one of these watercolours for so so long-I am not even sure why but I think whenever I read something about them ( which is not often) I am just really taken in by the bottle idea, and the shades on offer. So when my little bro asked me what I could get for my bday ( and something that wouldn't break his poor student bank) I knew what I wanted.

Daniel Sandler is a professional Celeb makeup artist with a well known range in mineral make up and brushes. With 20 years in the business, he obviously knows a thing or two about what does and doesn't work so I was mega excited to get my hands on one of his products.

The Watercolour blusher was hailed by Cosmopolitan Magazine last year as the blusher of the year and are no stranger to Brides needing something to last the big day.

They Say:

"I created Watercolour fluid blusher for women for two reasons: Firstly, bronzing sticks and most cream formulas start off looking sensational but they wear off too quickly and you need to re-apply. Secondly, liquid or gel cheek stains have been a nightmare to blend as they dry so quickly, even for me as a professional, and the shades are very limited.

With Watercolour you can say goodbye to those problems as it not only gives you amazing cheeks that last all day long but they’re also a dream to apply, and with 7 divine shades to suit all skin tones you’re guaranteed to look your most beautiful 24/7."

I say:

I adore this stuff, I really do. It takes a little bit of time to get used to how the product comes out and how best to apply it, but once you have that down pat you are on to a winner. The bottle is smaller in real life than I though but when you see how much product you actually need it is not a bad thing- just incredibly easy to carry around if needs be. You have to make sure to remember to shake the product really well before opening as you want the product to mix, then you squeeze a tiny dot of the liquid on to the back of your hand, direct on to the brush or to your fingertips. Out of all the methods I definitely prefer dropping a tiny amount on to my MAC 188 brush and swirling on to the cheeks that way. Due to the incredible staying power of this stuff it is too easy to stain your fingers or hands with the stuff!

So how does it apply.... like a dream. It is amazing how easy to blend out this stuff is, it does not just set like a tint or even a cream blusher often does, I find in the morning I have enough time to work it to the level I want, not only that but because of the nature of it but you can really build it quite easily to the level you want. It is by far the most 'natural flush' I have ever achieved with out putting in a lot of effort and boy does this stuff last. I was amazed at how flawless this looked more than ten hours later- I had topped mine up in the morning with a little powder blush ( there is absolutely NO need for this, I just have a blusher problem) but of course by the end of a very long day it was only the Watercolour visible and in place. I went for the shade Cherub which is described as:

The Number One Best Seller. a delicate sheer, pastel pink that’s perfect for fair / medium skin tones that want the daintiest, youthful flush of colour.

I think it is a darling colour. I think it might be a touch too pale on me when I am really tanned so of course that means I MUST dabble in another colours very soon and honestly I cannot wait. For how much they cost I honestly think this one small bottle would last me an eternity so it is well worth it. Here are a few rough snaps ( post gym so don't laugh!) but you can see how it well it has lasted a full day.

That is alot of my face- AHHHHHH Sorry! Just wanted to show it in a few lights and get a good picture of how nice a 'wash' it really gives.

Had anyone else turned their hand to Watercolouring?

Much love

Benefit Brow Bar

2011-05-05T14:51:00.000+02:00

Just before I headed off to Berlin I was lucky enough to get to go and meet with the fabulous Andrew from Benefit. I cannot begin to tell you how exciting a morning it was, getting to hear all about the new skincare collection,seeing the latest released products and a hearing a few sneaky tips to what is coming up next... My lips are sealed ( for now anyway!)

Benefit is a company that I realised I just do not know much about, but when putting on my face for our encounter I realised I actually was wearing 6 Benefit products in my daily routine and I hadn't even noticed it! So they have things that I adore the packing of, use quite a lot but "Ooooh I must go and browse the Benefit counter" does not always pop into my head. Most of the Benefit products I have owned have been bought online, I have only actually visited the counter a couple of times but I have heard quite a few people say they often find the 'in your face' technique of the sales people a little 'too much'. But I can honestly say after meeting with the team that I was impressed with how customer centric their attitude to service is, passion is definitely incredibly important to the brand.

What I found really interesting was when Andrew explained to me about Benefits Brow Bars being at the core of the brand. In America and other places Benefit are all about the brows and the brow experience is what people flock to the counters for, but here we are only just getting round to this. Now as regular readers will know, I have terrible brows, they have long been my sense of paranoia, resentment and envy of others which I explained to the the Benefit team, but then they managed to persuade me that honestly everyone has something there that they can work with and I had to let them do a tint and wax.

Andrew and Andrea had explained to me that most of the people who get their brows done are considered project brows, brows that need continuous work and with regular care and attention from the trained specialists they can walk away with the stunning Hollywood arch that I crave! Hearing all this had me taken in, could it be true and under years of pencilling, powdering and over plucking there really was some help for me...

So I let them take charge and took my seat at the Brow bar- taking my brows off in public was a big step, after being years of battle with them I at first felt a little silly, but a couple of seconds in the chair, realising no one was staring at me and I was at ease. Andrea was a total darling, she helped me relax from the get go ( she even whipped off one of her own brows to show me what she really had hiding under there- now that is dedication!) It literally took a few moments for her to tint my brows darker and wax away from above and below and then she showed me what it had done.... Now there was no way she was ever going to be able to instantly mend the big gaps I had created just a few days before from picking and pulling, but honestly I could have cried- they looked HUGE in comparison to what they had been and although she had little to work with thanks to the brow mapping she had done on me I could see where she was guiding the shape to grow in- it really felt like a huge experience for me and one that I didn't think i would ever do. I had heard beauty therapists before in high street salons bitching about girls coming in to get brow waxes who had "like no brows, what do the hell do they expect to get done?"

Well my time at the Benefit counter certainly goes to show that is not true. I then had my brows filled in with one of some Brow Zings ,a touch of wax and powder and I had big power brows, like the Brooke Shields I have always desired! I honestly could not stop staring at them so from here on in I was to promise Benefit that my brows belong to them, that I was not to touch, pluck or play with them until around 4 weeks or so had passed and it was time for another session and I can honestly say that this little part to the session has actually helped my amazingly. Now that I know that there is hope for these little stragglers I have been SO much better at picking and pulling at them, I am going to try my hardest not to disappoint and proudly go for my next wax with a little more up there to work with!

Now I don't have any pics right now of my eyebrows sans powder but here is a recent FOTD I did for Superdrug where you can see the brows how they are and hopefully you can see there is a difference there.

I have a few products coming up to review soon which I am excited about because in their trial run right now I am totally in love! I want to say a huge thanks to Andrew and the girls out in Silverburn I had the most amazing morning with them and really look forward to meeting again soon!

So who else has made a brow bar visit? Are you used to the idea of getting your brows done in public?

Disclaimer: I was not paid or compensated in any way for this post- all opinions are 100% honest and my own-the enthusiasm shown was by being blown away by the experience!

Danke Berlin

2011-05-03T15:17:00.000+02:00

I'M BAAAACCCCCKKKKK!

Did you miss me?? I missed you all ( in amongst stuffing my face and drinking too much German beer!) I have LOTS of exciting stuff to share with you guys soon but for now I just wanted to say hello and share a couple of Berlin snaps with you. Won't bore you with them all, I went tourist mad with the camera to be honest but still wanted to give you a sneak peak of my city break. I LOVED Berlin, it was an incredible city, steeped in the most fascinating and grand history, there was just so much to do we did only a portion of what is on offer. I would absolutely return in a hearbeat and I intend to!

We were there for 5 nights and 6 days and in that time I walked further than I probably do in a year- my feets are mere stumps now but it was totally worth it. I was away with the other half ( first proper holiday together and he didn't kill me, thats pretty impressive) and we managed to fit in seeing so much, all the main sites like the Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, The remains of the Berlin Wall, The holocaust memorial, Museum Island and much more. I have always had a big interest in World War 2 so being able to go on a huge Third Reich and the Nazis walking tour was fascinating- we learnt so much it just gave me even more respect for Berlin that I had before I went. It was my Birthday on the Tuesday so we went to the Zoo which was amazing, it is right in the middle of the bustling city and a wonderful way to spend the day- bar the huge thunder storm that came out of no where but the seal enlosure helped pass that time :)

sleepy at the Brandenburg Gate after a long day of walking

Captain Map keeping us right

Rest stop

Ally chilling in the middle of the centre beach!

Ally was a gem and smiggle some mini eggs with us so we could roll them for easter :)

At one of two incredilbe fleamarkets we browsed

Stumbled across an amazing outdoor karaoke event in the park- much fun!

Joking at the olympic stadium

The lion King

Tchuss!

We ate soooo much while away I can barely even fit in my pajamas now, seriously so much good food everywhere it would have been rude not to indugle! Put all the daily steins of beer in to the mix and generally my body is a total mess so that diet starts today! Well, maybe not but I will at least head to the gym tonight and contemplate doing some exercise!

The minute I got back it was straight into the Royal Wedding prep for me and HP's celebration party, it was such a lovely day. The wedding was all we hoped for there was much squealing, oohing and ahhing and dressing up. I definately had more than my share of the pimms and prosecco going round and her sister and chum made me the most incredible cake I have EVER had, it was perfect, it has all my favourite make up treats on the top made of icing- what more could you ask for! there were even little bronzing pearls! We then fired up the BBQ and continued our own little garden party it was so much fun. I feel totally spoiled this past week, I even got pressies too I will fill you in on them later but I am a lucky girl!

Part of the Royal China collection :)

Teenie with the best cake ever

Overdoing it on the Pimms

Sorry for the mega long post so to anyone still reading HAI! Thanks for keeping up, did I miss anything huge?everyone else have a fab long weekend?

Much Love

Out of Office

2011-04-21T15:15:00.000+02:00

I have to set one at work so figured why not do the same on here! Don't want people to think I have just ditched all this- when really the truth is I will be stuffing my fat face with all the goodies in BERLIN! YAHHHHHOOOO I am off on a little short holiday with the Boyf. We leave on Saturday morning and I am really excited, I have never been before and heard so much about it! Anyone with any suggestions of where to go or what to do then leave a comment :) It has been a long time since I have been on a holiday so can't wait to see some new places.

It is also my birthday when I am away- the big 25- GROAN! Will be odd not being at home and seeing everyone, but I am sure I will find something fun to do. To celebrate with friends when I get back HP and I are having a joing Royal Wedding/Birthday fun day, think bunting, dressing up and some fizz, I really can't wait it will be a great day to look back on. Birthdays shouldn't just mean treats for me though- so I have a exciting giveaway to start when I get back, watch this space!

Hope everyone has a really lovely Easter weekend no matter where you are and what you are doing, I will be back soon so stay tuned!

Much love,

Lauren Conrad does Beauty

2011-04-20T09:00:00.001+02:00

Before there was TOWIE, I had mad love for The Hills. Realistic- no, honest- no, totally addictive and AMAZING- yes!

I have watched the box sets over and over ( thanks HP!) and most of the time I am pretty much just style crushing on all the ladies in it. The hair do's, the mani's and the outfits were totally lust worthy and so for anyone else in the same boat, I give you-

The Beauty Department

If you have missed LC from your life and her books and style bible have just not been enough for you, you can now visit her very own beauty site:

This is a site for anyone who’s ever had a beauty question or gotten into a fight with a hair brush and lost. We’ll be covering all kinds of hair+makeup how-to’s, nail trends, skin issues, tools, current obsessions & inspirations, as well as countless quick tips. In the process we are truly excited to get to know all of you! We want to read your emails and we want you to participate in our voting polls so we can figure out exactly what you need! We want to make beauty as accessible as possible. We’re releasing new things every day including videos, printable photo tutorials and exclusive images of our lovely Lauren Conrad.

There is not a huge amount on there yet but so far I have to say I am impressed, I am a sucker for pastels and easy to read sites though! The tutorial on there already has the right amount of photos and seems simple enough to follow, I look forward to seeing the rest of the content.

What do you think ladies, will you be checking out The Beauty Department?

Tiny mini almost blog sale

2011-04-19T22:55:00.000+02:00

It is teeny tiny! Just two things I have bought in other blog sales in past couple of weeks and just aren't right for me. Selling for exactly what I paid and both just swatched twice since recieving. Postage is £1.50 if you want recorded just let me know and I will adjust accordingly. Leave me a comment with your email if you fancy either and I will get in touch. Can post them out this Thursday so will be with you for the weekend :)

Nars Zen blusher/matt bornzer/ contour powder £10 promise the mirror will be cleaned up!

Mac Vintage Selection LE paint pot- £12 ( going for £25 on ebay- madness!)

There are still a few things left in my other blog sale- check it out HERE

Ballet OOTD/FOTD

2011-04-19T13:00:00.000+02:00

So if you haven't already read my mega long, gush fest extravaganza post about how meaty my Saturday was at the Ballet- DO IT NOW! Jeez, I still haven't come down from the high eh? Soz.

Just a few pics of what I decided to wear on the bod and on the face:

BEHOLD....

Overgrown toddler chic, but I figured kind of apt for the whole Alice, whimsical world type situation.

Dress- Matalan

Shoes- Primark

Goober face- Models own.

Now bear in mind these snaps were taken 10 hours later, I think the face held up ok...ish

But what I was wearing was:

Foundation- Double Wear foundation in Ecru with a splash of Double Wear light to combat flash face

Blusher- Accessorize in Starlet and Pretty in Pink

Eyes- Urban Decay naked palette combination of Naked,Buck and Hustle with Kryolan cake liner in black.

Clearly high on a busy day of prosecco and cake! But just look at those LASHES

The Scottish Ballet presents 'Alice'

2011-04-18T23:23:00.003+02:00

I am still on a high from my amazing Saturday, I can hardly type I have so much I want to get down on here and share with you all! So, as the King in Lewis Carrol's famous story, once said...

Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop.

On Saturday morning I arrived at the utterly stunning Blythswood Hotel and was met by a room full of my fellow bloggers all looking gorgeous and dressed up for a special day with the Scottish Ballet, thanks to the amazing Ann from Girl in the City Glasgow. Having a nice big glass of prosecco thrust in to my hand before mid day is definitely my kind of Saturday!

After some time to meet the others and get settled, the group of us were led into screening room complete with Harris Tweed covered chairs, and were treated to an insight into the making of Alice: the creative thought process, the work that went into making the complex moving sets and the absolutely exquisite costumes. Getting this sneak peak behind the scenes was a fab experience, it made me even more excited (if that is possible) for the afternoon ahead. We got to meet Leon who is in charge of the incredible spa at the hotel,the whole place it just stunning and I cannot wait to get in there and use the generous passes we were given to try it out. If the hand massage I was given by one of the lovely therapists is anything to go by the treatments in the Spa will be to die for!

The unbelievable Spa at the Blythswood Hotel, Glasgow.

We were then taken to have the most amazing afternoon tea I have ever seen, we couldn’t believe there was a full cake stand was for each of us- there were just so many amazing treats! All themed around Alice itself it was an apt and adorable spread, tiny little love heart jam tarts and a gorgeous chesire cat coloured sponge cake had me stuffing my face. I was over the moon when all our leftovers were boxed up so we could continue the feast at the ballet! I am always thinking about my stomach aren't I!?

While we were munching away the lovely ladies from the Rainbow Rooms gave us a demonstration of a really easy messy bun, it looked perfect for the Ballet so when we were invited through to have our own hair done I just had to try it out! I had my locks backcombed and coiffed to perfection,it was so much fun! I have had my hair done at the Rainbow rooms before and really love the experience, I definitely recommend heading there to try it out. Plus you get five pounds off when you book online here.

Rainbow Room ladies showing us how it is done!

me mid mega backcombing session!

My very own Ballet Bun!

We were all so spoiled not only did I get a new 'do' for the day but Smujj were on hand to touch up our make up- I felt like a movie star! Confession time,. I have never worn or tried out false lashes so this was my moment! And what a set of lashes I was given, LOOK AT THESE! It was such a strange feeling to start with I couldn’t see anything but the lashes but soon got used to them, it was so good to get the chance to have someone else do it for me!

Before we left for the theatre we were given an incredible gift bag stuffed full of amazing gifts,I honestly felt like it was Christmas! Special thanks to the lovely Toni from Lion Loving Tiger who arranged for this gorgeous ROX bracelet to be included! I felt so spoiled, even the themed gift tag had me squealing ( sorry ladies!)

So then it was time to head to the Royal Theatre to take our seats, The ballet literally took my breath away. I cannot recommend to you enough that you treat yourself and get along if you can. The whole spectacle was whimsical, colourful, witty and delectably dark in places. An amazing blend of elegant moves, gorgeous storytelling, couture worthy costumes and a superb score led it to being one of the best experiences I have had in such a long time. The episodic structure of the narrative kept the pace flowing beautifully, and made each piece exciting and intriguing. As the story developed and Alice's relationship with Charles matured you felt like you had really been on the journey with her and her band of charismatic friends from the world inside his camera.

Photography courtesy of Andrew Ross

I want to say a really huge, heartfelt thanks to Ann and Heather and their colleagues for such an amazing expeirence all round, for treating us all like queens and for all the organising and work she put in to it. I also want to say hello to all the really lovely ladies I met on the day, I had a fab time and really look forward to seeing you all again at the next event, Lets get planning!

If you missed Alice here in Glasgow, do not worry you can catch it at:

Edinburgh Festival Theatre
Wed 20 – Sat 23 April 2011

Evenings 20-23 April - 7.30pm

Matinees 21 & 23 April – 2pm
Inverness Eden Court

Wed 27 – Sat 30 April 2011

Evenings 27-30 April – 7.30pm

Matinees 28 & 30 April – 2pm
Cardiff Millennium Centre

Wed 4 – Sat 7 May2011

Evenings 4-7 May - 7.30pm

Matinee 7 May – 2pm

Aberdeen Her Majesty's Theatre

Wed 11 – Sat 14 May 2011

Evenings 11-14 May – 7.30pm

Matinees 12 & 14 May– 2pm

Tickets start from only £10 so I thoroughly recommend giving this a go, I had never seen a real Ballet until this and cannot compliment the experience enough.

If you are itching for a backstage look then you are in luck: you can tune in to Alice's live streaming event from 7pm on the 21st of April, you will get to see the dancers warming up, getting their make up on and talking about the performance. Over 2000 people tuned in last time an event like this went live so make sure you don't miss out.

I hope everyone else had a similarly magical weekend as we all did.

Much love,

In the Press

2011-04-14T14:31:00.000+02:00

Why that is little ole me in this months Dare magazine, free in Superdrug stores all over the country! What a treat, I so enjoy the amazing things I have gotten to do since starting blogging and for some reason this tiny little picture really made me smile! How sad am I?

This leads me on the most exciting thing yet, on Saturday I am off to meet a group of some of my most favourite bloggers ever! We are going shmoozing in the oh so fabulous Blythswood Hotel and then going to see the amazing Scottish Ballet in 'Alice', how exciting is that? I am really looking forward to meeting everyone and having such a fancy day- what a huge treat!

OOTD+ FOTD

2011-04-12T15:08:00.000+02:00

I have lots of exciting things I want to get up on here. Why are there not more hours in the day!? It was incredibly warm and sunny here over the weekend, properly roasting. A bit of sunshine never fails to really lift my spirits, I love going to the big park I live near and having a seat amongst the huge crowds, everyone enjoying the rays. Of course today we are back to the usual drizzle and winds but it was nice having a glimpse of summer to cheer everyone up. Sunday I spent on an overdue Spring clean, I find it pretty therapeutic when I am in the right mood. One of my best friends is moving in to our spare room soon, which of course is full of my overflow of rubbish so a clear out is definitely necessary.

I now have a MOUNTAIN of stuff to get on to ebay, I just need to find the time to get it on there, and add it all. I still have a few things left in my blog sale, so I am going to knock the prices right down and for anything thats left I think might just put together a bit of a giveaway, most of it has only been swatched once or twice so I would rather someone else got to enjoy it, what do you think?

Anyway the point of my post was to just put up a quick OOTD and FOTD from Saturday night, we were heading to our lovely friend Wills birthday bash in his flat...

During the day I had bought Revlon Colourstay foundation, I hear people talking about this one all the time, and seeing as I had a cheeky 2 pound off voucher lurking in my purse I just had to get it. I will do a full review soon, but here it is on its maiden voyage...

Outfit- a random Asda pick up, I really liked it, totally sheer but worn with a long vest underneath. Sadly this was the only wear this dress will ever see. I was really smart and sat on something it got caught on, it was not to be rescued :( A one time wear but think it cost me a fiver so I am over it now! My favourite OTK Kurt Geiger boots got thrown on too, think they really jazz up a pretty plain smock.

Face- Revlon Colourstay Foundation
Mac Pearl CCB
No 17 First Kiss Blusher
Mac Rubenesque paint pot
Stila Twig and Barefoot Contessa Shadow
No 7 Gel Liner
Maxfactor Masterpiece Mascara and a cheeky coat of Revlon Fabulash as well.

I was pretty happy with my eyes, they literally took a couple of seconds to do and I liked the overall effect, I always love a more 'burnt' looking smokey eye!

Hope everyone else had a lovely weekend

They Say, I Say:The Beauty Works Clear Zone

2011-04-07T14:29:00.000+02:00

A little while ago the lovely Natalie from The Beauty Works sent me the Clear Zone system to try out. I had heard of this before after seeing it on a few sales style websites and I was really intrigued with both how you use it and what exactly it does for your skin. Like anything I am sent I like to give it a proper full trial, don't want to go shouting my mouth off saying something works great and then a week later-breakout mania!

Well with this little beauty I am happy to report it has had no such bad effects and has actually helped keep my skin a lot fresher and clearer than it has been in a long while. Now I of course can't 100% say my improved skin is wholly down to using the Clear Zone but I have changed little else in my life and since using this I really have felt a difference.

They Say:

Based on Salon technology, the Clear Zone painlessly zaps the bacteria on your skin which causes spots, blemishes and acne. The Clear Zone produces Ozone, which exists naturally in the air. It is a gaseous compound which is formed by the interaction of UV light and electrical discharges with oxygen in the air. The Clear Zone generates Ozone with High Frequency current, which is efficient in sterilising and controlling the production of sebum from the sebaceous glands. This will either prevent a skin disorder developing or help speed up the healing process in an acne condition.

Sooooo basically this little gadget helps sterilise your skin, helping to combat pimples and acne. Because it is germicidal it help kills the pesky bacteria causing the spots- Just what I needed. It comes with its own mirror with stand, and the wand part is on a cord so you have flexibility.

I Say:

I was not totally sure about how this experience was going to be, the booklet explains that you can hold the wand close to a particular spot and it would quite literally zap it- this put the fear in me, but I was happy to discover it is entirely painless. Beauty works recommend for oily problem skin like mine that I use it for 8-10 minutes every other day which you then lowered as you go on, I actually found taking the time out to do this really therapeutic. You feel a sort of warm, fuzzy sensation as you glide this round the face, the only thing you really notice is the smell- don't worry its not a horrible smell, its just a noticeable smell. When the Ozone is generated you can smell a sea salty type scent which I found so random, but totally liked- sort of showing something is happening I guess.

As they have said this is not a fix all machine, it cannot actually just cure acne, so I wouldn't go into it assuming you are going to come out with celeb smooth skin. That being said, the results I have seen have been pretty amazing and I would totally recommend the Clear Zone to anyone looking to invest in their skin, trying to keep problem skin at bay and looking to get a glowing quality to it. My skin looked far fresher and brighter after using this only a few times, I was impressed with how quick it was! my skin started to heal up so I have lowered my usage but am looking forward to keeping this up especially when the hormonal breakouts appear. I am so happy to say it has clearly helped lower my oily skin issues, I am far less shiny than I was before and definitely more radiant. This little beauty is perfect for any skin type and handily will go with any skin care routine you are currently using.

Available from The Beauty Works for £39.99

A big favour to ask you all.......

2011-04-06T15:14:00.000+02:00

Ladies (and gentleman!) I have a favour to ask all you lovely, gorgeous followers of mine, who I appreciate very much! The other day in a moment of ~~boredom, madness~~ genius and just for fun I started a little blog for others to join in with in the run up to the Royal Wedding. Now wherever you are in the world I know Wedding Fever is reaching you and whether you hate or love the Royal Family there is a space for you on the blog.

I give you.....

http://www.platemiddleton.co.uk/

I would be eternally grateful if you could pop over to the blog and follow us on there and twitter

http://twitter.com/platemiddleton

I would love love love if anyone wants to join in and make a plate of their own. You can make it in any way you want, with paint or photoshop, a drawing on a bit of paper, oil paints or chalk- everything and anything is welcome! You can email me plates or a snap of your handiwork to:

platemiddleton@gmail.com

It is all just in the name of fun, and a place to pass a few minutes in the day, letting your creativity run wild!

I know it is a bit of a random favour but normal service shall resume tomorrow :)

Thanks everyone- you are FAB!

Much, Much love