Ice Skating & Tower Bridge

1. Getting off the tube at Tower Hill 2. Tower Bridge 3. Louise 4. The ice rink 5. Superdrug Products 6. Superdrug Products 7. Zoe finding out which parts of her face and hands are hot or cold 8. Me 9. Me and Zoe 10. Walking onto Tower Bridge

I have been meaning to post about this for a good few weeks, but it appeared to have got lost amongst hundreds of Christmas time photographs and I had completely forgotten about it (along with some other back dated posts). I hope you don't mind me posting about it now, but I thought you might want to see some of the photographs I had taken and it's better late than never eh?

Louise and I hot footed it along to an event held by Superdrug, where they had rented the whole ice rink out for us to use. I can't say i'm much of an ice skater, in fact, think bambi on ice, Louise on the other hand, was quite speedy. She put me to shame. Although I use the term "event", it was more just a showcasing of some of Superdrugs products. We also met Zoe there of TheLondonLipgloss who then accompanied us for a stroll along to Tower Bridge before Lousie & I headed back to her house in Northampton for fun and frolicks. How beautiful are the buildings? You wouldn't expect something like this to be in London would you? When you think of a City, you think of tall glass buildings surrounded in other offices and plenty of shops. It looked particularly gorgeous all lit up at night.

♥

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GlossyBox Event

Victoria (VIPXO) & Lily (LLYMLRS)

Me, Victoria, Louise & Lily (Kindly taken by Lily at Glossybox)

Last Thursday, after attending the Illamasqua Event with Louise, we made our way over to Mortons in Mayfair for the GlossyBox event. It was extremely swanky round there let me tell you. I felt a little out of place in my chino's & flats.

I had heard a lot about GlossyBox, both good, and bad, but having not looked into it more myself, or subscribed to the box, I went there with a completely open mind and not really knowing an awful lot. I already knew that it was a fabulous idea however, but after speaking with the girls behind the brand it all became very clear how much thought and effort went into these boxes, and it confirmed in my mind that in fact, it's a marvellous and exciting idea and concept. I know that most of you may have already had your fair share of GlossyBox info, or be subscribers to the box, but for those of you who may be reading this wondering what it is, I shall quickly sum it up for you (I will probabaly give it absolutely no justice whatsoever, but I will try) GlossyBox is a monthly subscription, which arrives to your door, in a little box, filled with high end Beauty & Cosmetic samples. The idea is that you pay a smaller amount that you would to buy full sized products and get to sample a variety of different things you may not have thought to try previously. The previous boxes have contained brands such as Nars, Illamasqua, Ciate, Xen Tan...to name a few. There are also lesser known brands, some of which deserve to be shouted about I'm sure. It's a great concept for those of you who may wish to experiment a bit more with different beauty products and spend less doing so.

At the event, we were given an empty box, of which we could fill with 5 products that had been used in GlossyBox's during the previous months. This was seriously fun, we even got the little sticker and ribbon to tie the bow (I don't know how they manage to tie these so neatly, mine was a shambles) It was a lovely evening, and the girls were all so friendly, I didn't get to chat to everyone but I spoke with Sky & Lily who were both gorgeous & lovely. I also finally got to meet Victoria & Lily who's blogs I both adore & overall it was a splendid event. Thanks for having me GlossyBox.

At the event we were given a little voucher for a free GlossyBox, I received mine yesterday, but I am staying tight lipped until the subscribers recieve theirs, so look out for my review on that.

♥

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Illamasqua: Theatre of The Nameless Collection & Event

Last week, I was lucky enough to be invited by Illamasqua to see their new Collection "Theatre of The Nameless". The event itself was held in a swanky bar in central London (Dean Street for those of you who need all the minor detail). In true Illamasqua style, the room was decorated with luxurious fabrics and dark decor to fit their mysterious theme. They definitely know how to fit a scene.
I arrived with Louise (SprinkleofGlitter) after getting lost in China Town and Leciester Square and flagging down a taxi to drive us the whole 2 minutes up the road. You can tell we don't live in London. We were greeted into the event by Hayley at Illamasqua who gave us a run down of the new products. The theme behind the collection is based on 1920's Berlin and the underground subcultures, namely one woman in particular - Anita Berber, a 1920's "lady of the night", actress and dance performer. She, alongside a chap called Sebastian Droste (her lover) performed very shocking, and out of the ordinary shows which bent the rules of Theatre in the 1920's. They were the rebels of their time. The colletion reflects this dark mood, with sultry, smokey reds and dark contours, alongside very striking harsh lines.

One thing I really love about Illamasqua are the stories behind every collection. They really think about the things that inspire them and I can only imagine what their research boards look like. Every product has its purpose, story and theme and that really does make such a difference to the overall collection. You really feel as though you must own everything.

Top Photo: Me & Louise (SprinkleofGlitter)
Me, Hayley (at Illamasqua) & Zara (MouldyFruit)

There are a handful of makeup items in this collection which had me drooling, and others that I wouldn't feel overly confident to rock out (like the green lipgloss) but it's things like this that make Illamasqua so unique. There are people out there that crave something different and dramatic, and so these out of the ordinary colours and combinations are perfect. Some of my favourite items were the Loose Pigments & the Cream Pigments. I already own 2 of the loose pigments and they are by far the most intense, compact pigments I own. I highly reccommend them, escpecially with the sealing gel for extra secure eyeshadow or even for an eyeliner. The cream pigments got a lot of attention in the previous collection, and I had been eyeing them up since, so I was so happy to see they had been brought back in this collection. The colour "Androgen" is gorgeous!

Cocktails and the Live versions of Anita & Sebastian

On leaving the event, we were given a little bag of goodies to take away & play with. I was exceptionally happy with the 3 items I was given & if asked, I would have totally chosen these myself. They obviously know me too well. ;)

The first is an intense lipgloss in "Bella Donna". A deep pink with a slight plummy undertone. This lipgloss is gorgeous! It makes your teeth look sparkling white, and is such a flattering colour. I'd wear this on a night out, but since I have been rocking a statement lip more than normal, I'd even wear it during the day. It's not overly sticky or drying and has such a great pigmentation.
Then we have the Cream Pigment in "Androgen". This is my favourite item of the three, and possibly whole collection. It's massively pigmented and makes for the most perfect blush. I love my coral blushers as I feel they really compliment my complexion so this is going to be a new staple to my makeup routine.
Last and by no means least, is the nail polish in "Faux Pas". These nailpolishes were designed to give the nail a waxy, "rubberised" look and texture. Somewhere between shiney and matte. I really love this idea, and actually the finish looks fab. Especially for the Autumn. There's 3 other colours in this range, a stoney brown shade, a deep cerise and a bottle green. I want to get my mitts on the stone brown.

Overall, I was thouroughly impressed by the collection and the products within it. The lovely people at Illamasqua never fail to make a product launch spectacular. With everything from the inspiration, to the product design to the amazing promo shoots. It's slightly on the higher end of the makeup brand scale, and the prices do reflect this, but with it comes quality. I have plenty of makeup items from Illamasqua that I treasure and use on a regular basis, and i'll continue to buy from them as long as they keep bringing out these amazing products.

To check out Illamasqua and the new product launch, as well as their previous collections and regular makeup stock, check out their website: http://www.illamasqua.com/

♥

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The Body Shop Blogger Event June 2010

Evenin' Ladies, Hope you are all well?

One of the many benefits of being a "beauty blogger" means getting a sneaky peek into the new collections that some brands have to offer. I was lucky enough to be invited to see the new Body Shop editions last week.
On arriving in London I was greeted by the gorgeous Nicola & Caroline & we made our way over to the event.
As usual, the girls had all made a huge effort to make everything look pretty & fab. Cakes piled up, nibbles, champagne & all the products laid out for inspection.



They started the event off by talking about the new Shampoo's, Conditioners & Hair Treatments which will a lot more easy going on the eco system and all the fishes in the sea. I haven't ever really thought about all the chemicals in my shampoo once they have been washed down my plughole, and i think it's great that the Body Shop have thought about that. There will be different categories for different types of hair and i believe they will even be slightly cheaper. I'm looking forward to trying these out.

We were then introduced to the new "Baked to Last" collection, which feautures a bagful of baked, mineralized products. Personally, i love mineralized makeup. I think it's slightly more versatile. You can get some seriously amazing effects and essentially a whole range of different colours in one compact. Chase Ashton demonstrated two different looks using the products on some seriously gorgeous models. The first was a neutral summer time look, where he just used the bronzer lightly on the cheekbones,very subtle golds on the eyelids & a peach lipbalm. The second look was slightly more dramatic on the eyes and a little bit darker on the lips.

Eyeshadows (rrp: £9.50)


The ones I can see myself using/loving...


The ones i can't...


The Blushes (rrp: £12)


The Bronzers (rrp: £14) - These are GORGEOUS.


The Lip Products (unsure of price)



Below is also a picture of Zoe holding up a bowl of lipgloss...this is how much us females will eat in our lifetime..shocking isn't it?



We were then shown a few products from the Vitamin C collection. I wasn't personally expecting a lot from this range as I have previously tried the eye cream and was left pretty dissapointed (no eye cream has ever surprised me though) and i actually got quite excited about the new products in the range. There's a few things i have tried already and love but i will be doing a seperate review on those.




Here's a picture of Me, Caroline & Nicola on the balcony soaking up the sun.


I had an amazing day! So many amazing new products which i can't wait to start using & it was lovely to see all the girls.
After the event, Nicola, Caroline and I, squeezed ourselves onto the tube (So hot and disgusting it doesnt even bare thinking about...) and went to Westfield for a spot of shopping (little haul on that later)
Keep your eyes peeled for reviews on things that are worth blogging about.
♥

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Backstage at LFW - Rachel Freire "Future Noir"

Just a pre warning, this is a long blog post, packed full of images and videos but i hope you find it as interesting as i did being there.
On Tuesday, i was invited by Jack Saundercock (head of makeup) to go backstage at one of the shows for London Fashion Week. The designer was Rachel Freire and her collection was called "Future Noir".
I'm no fashion expert, although i am extremely interested in art, textiles & trends, i can't say i'm much of a fashion journalist (in fact, i'm not one at all), so don't expect a huge in depth spectacle, merely just my personal thoughts, opinions and observations.

The collection involved a lot of reflective strips , black latex leggings/body suits, mirrors, geometric shoes, cassette tape, a mixture of nude & brown & some truly amazing headpieces. The reflective strips are not something i can say i've ever seen incorporated within a piece of clothing..besides the fluorescent jackets we use for safety reasons, and they certainly aren't the most flattering thing to wear i think you'll agree.
I also love the variety of textures Rachel used in her collection..from floating, draping & inter-twining to very tight latex, body suits & very structured pieces.
There really was an outfit to please every fashionista.






The above image was one of my favourite outfits of hers. Her inspiration came from a soccer players uniform & the very structured, protective shoulder gear they wear. I love the mirrors & the reflective strips teamed with the simplicity of the nude body suit & pvc holdups.
I think she has created a fantastic range, there were simpler designs and a lot more outrageous ones. The shoes were incredible, how they walked i have no idea. It was fascinating to see how much detail had gone into every garment & how well the models exhibited them.

The makeup was also amazing. Jack had really thought of everything. With the title of the collection being "Future Noir" he wanted to portray this in the makeup. Using dark edgy colours along with the contrasting white's and greys made the makeup futuristic & geometric. I also think the striking white worked very well with the reflective strips used in some of the models outfits. Jack described it as a "Cybotic Army".








What makeup was used?



What skincare did they use on the models?

How was the look created?







It was amazing being able to see all the products & effort which went into making the models look so amazing. Not only that, but all the thought that Jack had clearly put into his makeup to fullfill the title of Rachel's collection. Makeup is an art, and that really does come across when you see all the imagination & inspiration which is put into it.
After spending time backstage with Jack and the rest of the team and seeing first hand the products used, i definitely wanted to get my hands on the Jemma Kidd palettes & the lipstick in "Peggy", as you all know, i'm a total sucker for nudes & this one is perfect & highly pigmented & at such a good price. Jemma Kidd is sold in most Space NK stores if anyone else in interested. I also really want to try out the Dermalogica dry skin lotions & potions that Jack mentions in the video above. My skin becomes dry very easily during winter, and the things he spoke about sounded like something i definitely want to try out.

Overall it was an amazing experience being at the show & thank you Jack for giving me the oppertunity to see how things work at LFW, on the catwalk but also backstage.
♥

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Maybe she's born with it? Maybe it's Maybelline...

LOL at the Cheesy title...sorry, couldn't resist!

Have an equally Cheesy Photo that Shirley took of me at the event to go with it ;)

As some of you may or may not know, there was a big group of bloggers/youtubers invited to attend a beauty event at L'oreal Headquarters in Hammersmith for Maybelline yesterday.

Before the event started, i met with Sophie (Beautymarked19) & Shirley (Shirleybeniang)
& we headed over to Oxford Circus for a bit of retail thereapy.
Whilst at the Illamasqua stand we got chatting to one of the MUA there called Gillian & she was one of the nicest MUA i have come across.

[Me, Gillian & Sophie - Photo courtesy of the gorgeous Shirley]

It makes such a difference when someone is genuinely excited about the products on sale. (something i had yet to come across at an illamasqua counter) She was demonstrating how the pigments could be used & totally sold me on them...i wasn't planning on getting anything! She even posed for a photo, which she said she will try and find..so Gillian...if you manage to find this, let me know! :)

After this we went on a "find Vicky (Peachykeencheeks) spree" She had only gotten a tad lost. :) Whilst we were waiting for vicky, Shirley asked a newspaper stand guy to take a photo of us. He turned out to be a flirty little bugger and asked Shirley for her name...and guess what she said...Lassie! As in, the dog lassie. It was quite funny. :)

[The photo he took..Me & Lassie ;)]

By this time we were panicking we'd be a bit late so ran to get the train after we'd managed to direct her to where we were. Whilst on the train we met with the gorgeous beauties Mushine (Bubblegarm) & Olivia (BeautybyOlivia), Once in Hammersmith we met with the adorable Anna (TheStyleDiet) and went over to the L'oreal building.

[Top Photo L-R: Sophie, Shirley & Vicky. Above L-R: Mushine & Olivia]

The event started by them encouraging us to stuff our faces with cakes and sandwhiches.. haha.
We then all sat and watched the presentation on the new ranges Maybelline have come out with, a few adverts for the products and an explanation of all the current ranges they have. I found the presentation really interesting as i felt i knew more about the brand and the things it had to offer.
After this, we were given 2 goody bags, the first was a selection of the products maybelline already have for sale & the second was the new items such as the "pulse perfection vibrating mascara" and the new colour sensational lispticks. I liked that they gave us the goody bags waaay before everyone went home, as it gave us a chance to look at the products together.
There were tables set up with all the foundations so we could be matched and take them home to try. As well as the foundations, there was also the nail polishes, the lipsticks and the eye products laid out for us to test and look at.
There was also 2 makeup artists available to do our makeup or to ask questions.
Overall i think the event was fab, very well structured & thought out, well catered, extremely friendly organisers/pr ladies & everything was so relaxed and fun :)

After the event a few of us girlies popped into Primarni in Hammersmith & bought a few things before heading back home.

Some more photos from the event...

The Goody Bags...
Thank you so much for such a fab afternoon/evening!
& It was great catching up (even if it was only briefly) with most of you.
♥

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