30 October 2012

An Introduction to Avene




French skincare brand Avene is a range I always skipped past in Boots, always intrigued but never pushed the boat out to give it a whirl. Their infamous Thermal Spring Water is a highly rated product of many a beauty editor and one summer I admittedly gave into the hype and purchased a small bottle. It was nice, yes just nice - it is essentially water in a can so there isn't that much to get excited by - and that is where I left Avene, nice but not exciting. However a few months back I was lucky enough to win some more products from the range and I also happened to purchase a moisturiser on a impulse Boots spree (you know the kind).

Avene Thermal Spring Water - As mentioned before, it's essentially spring water in a can. Lovely for a refreshing cooling mist on a hot sunny day, not that we have technically many in England... but a saviour for holidays and sweaty tube journeys alike. It's true amazing use is for calming down the notorious 'clown face' aka you've shovelled on too much slap - either aunt sally cheeks or a puff too much of powder - a quick spritz on this on the face will soften any harsh edges and tone down any zealous applications of make-up. One for emergencies.
Gentle Eye Make-up Remover - Probably hand's down the best eye make-up remover I have ever tried, stat. I simply urge everyone to give this rather genius product a whirl, for I am truly amazing with the results. The gel like formula is thick but enough not to be runny, but wet enough to very softly remove mascara, eyeliner and eyeshadow. With super sensitive eyes, this works an absolute treat in removing product exceptionally well but being ever so gentle. I dollop one squeeze on a cotton pad, soak for a few seconds and remove - hey presto! It leaves no oily residue (pet hate) and beats the pants off a Lancome and YSL samples I recently used up. You heard it here first - GO!
Soothing Eye Contour Cream - It does what it says on the tin, an all round soothing and hydrating eye-cream that I apply before bed. Nothing to shout about, but lovely all the same. It really does hydrate without being too heavy. I'm quite fussy about eye creams, often dismissing if they even work, but this is gentle and all round lovely. 
Light Hydrating Cream - Being on the rather pricy side for only 40ml of products, the Light Hydrating Cream was rather disappointing. Not very light in comparison to other creams I have tried, it was slightly tacky to touch if you didn't let it sink in properly, meaning it was rather hard to work with when applying foundation, which seemed to drag across the skin. But thats me probably just being impatient. Being silly I also picked up the sunscreen free version, typical!

In all, I have enjoyed using Avene range, especially the eye make-up remover (holy grail!) - the French certainly have a way with skincare. If you hop on over to the Avene website you can sign up for a Skin Diagnose and receive two mini samples - how lovely! Cannot wait to give the Gel Cleanser a go. Have you used Avene and recommend any stand-out products?

29 October 2012

An Introduction: Diptyque

A few months back I was kindly asked by Anna if I would like to accompany her to the Diptque store just off Brooke St, to learn more about the brand. The Diptyque scented candle was born in Paris 1963, created by three friends who shared memories of travel and adventure, of which were the ideas behind the array of fragrances. World renown, Diptyque is a signature of luxury and often dots the pages of Vogue here and there. 


Choisya - Diptque (£20.00)

My first foray in to Diptque is with the miniature scented candle in Choisya, part of the floral family. The orange choisya flower native to Mexico, emits a beautiful warm yet bitter orange scent. Candles are the ultimate relaxation and being truthful, something I never get around to indulging in. Partly due to time and secondly due to safety issues, lets just say last time I burnt a candle it resulted in a loo-roll fire ball hurdling out of the window at thousand mph - the least said about it is better. Being strictly strategically placed on my bookshelf, out of harms way, I have thoroughly enjoyed burning the Choisya candle of an evening, especially now we are moving into Autumn. It burns clean, leaving a strong aroma in the room that lasts for the entire evening, without becoming too sickly scented; the balance is just correct.


The miniature candle retails at a steep £20, but the quality of the candle and aroma is worth the price. I read on Becky's blog that every hour of burning time equates to 60 pence, which like her I agree it is very reasonable. I'm not sure if I would re-purchase a candle so pricey myself (fire risks and all), but I will be sure to pop another scent on my Christmas list. I think they make a fabulous gift, something rather special and indulgent. I have also been trailing The Art of Body Care Travel collection which is a lovely pampering treat, another one to look into further if your keen on exploring the Diptque brand.

Have you ever tried Diptyque? Please never mention the fireball in-front of my parents. Thank you to Anna for inviting me, and most importantly please go follow Becky's pins.
*Pr sample

28 October 2012

Bargain O'Clock

Today I am hi-jacking my usual post (keep yours eye's peeled tomorrow for some candle goodness) for some need-to-show bargains I whipped up in New Look yesterday in my lunch break. Over the last two months I have been spending my money else where rather than on clothes, deciding that once I buy something I really do wear it for a week and purchase something else - something I think we are all too a little guilty of? Trying to actually mix up and wear my 'old' but perfectly good pieces rather than going on a mad A/W shopping rampage. That's not however not to say I haven't had pangs of 'oh em gee, take me to Topshop now,' I received quite a few clothing items for my birthday (which I hope to show soon) and multiple gift cards just sitting in my jar asking to be spent. But alas, I completely crippled when I saw these bargains, who really wants to wear last season shoes?


Red Slipper Shoes (£10.99) (link!) / Black Pointed Slipper (£10.99) (link!)

I couldn't resist picking up a black and burgundy pairs of smoking slippers, they are the perfect addition to the A/W season, and for that price too I really couldn't complain. Seriously cool and a bit weird if I'm honest, I cannot wait to pair these with an assortment of outfits.

Ballet Pumps - New Look (£2.99) (link!)

Ballet pumps are my staple all year around, come summer or winter they are my preference of shoe choice. Of course I love a good sandal or boot, but all in moderation ladies. Having previously stocked up for summer on the New Look pumps, delighted to see at an already bargainous price of £7.99, I literally did a little scream and punched the air when I saw these beauties were on a save £5 promotion - thus being £2.99 per pair!

So there you have it, five pairs of shoes for thirty quid - I love it when a spending ban goes to pan. It would be rude not too! 

In other random news:

Ditching X Factor/Strictly nonsense this year, I flicked over and have been enjoying The Thick Of It, I can't say I understand politics that well, but The Thick Of It is absolutely hilarious and I seriously recommend it on catch up iPlayer. As do for Hunted, the new BBC wanna be Spooks thriller, you'll need nerves of steel and remember to look away with the blank-faced man inject peoples eyeballs, but other than that, its fabulous tv drama.

Trying to find a new pair of glasses, as I really am going blinder than a bat in my current pair. Having been trying out these Ray Ban out-there pair, thoughts?

Awkward moment of the week, the lovely man fixing the back of my Marc Jacobs watch after accidentally dropping it in a rush (insert sheer panic manic facial expression), queue him asking me to make a donation into charity tin, finding I have no change in said purse and only finding odd bits of holiday money. I smiled gracefully, popped in 34 cents and am now waiting for karma to whoop my ass.

Well that's my exciting week in a nutshell, how about you?  

26 October 2012

Sparkling

Popping into Boots on my lunch break proved fatale, instead of purchasing a pair of eyelashes like I intended I also happened to make good use of the three for two promotion running over cosmetics, whoops. Not that I technically need anything but once the Revlon varnish caught my eye, I was completely and utterly entirely sucked in.



Nail Varnish in Sparkling - Revlon (£6.45) / Eye Quad in Coral Dream - Maybelline (£7.19) / Lasting Perfection Concealer - Collection (£4.19)

I highly rate Revlon polishes for not only their formula but their bang-on-trend colours they produce each season. This pink glitter polish aptly named Sparkling is a medley of different sized glitters. I cannot wait to team this with a number of nude and pink polishes, especially worn on an accent nail. I always love to cheat with a glitter polish, they always beat other polishes in longevity and rarely chip, lazy and pretty.

Everyone and their gran seem to fallen head over heels for the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer, wondering what all the fuss was about I can definitely see the hype. This cheap as chips concealer is borderline war paint, in a good way, no so good way for any flaws or under-eye circles. Its creamy, easy to blend and stays true to it's name of long-lasting. What a high-street gem.

I never usually purchased highstreet eyeshadows, I'm definitely snobby that way. My first thoughts that spring to mind are chalky puffs of powder, but this Maybelline Quad throws that quip out if the window. Coral Dreams includes the most beautiful champagnes, burnt corals and a dark warm brown, perfect for an evening eye. It blends wonderfully, fool proof for achieving a great look. Bargain.

So there was my little splurge. Any other drug store products you recommend? I did purchase the Revlon Lip butters eons ago, but can't quite say they are my cup of tea.

24 October 2012

My Stashe

With the holidays fast approaching - ooh how American of me - I've started to think about presents already. Admittedly I have circled the Boots Christmas Catalog to death (hello Philosophy Holiday Sets) but before I start writing any lists it's time to start saving. Whether we like it or not, they must only be maybe two (or three if your lucky) pays days left before Christmas, er scary!? I decided to put on my creative head and get my craft on. Taking inspiration from this image on Pinterest, I created my very own 'My Stashe' - perfect for saving pennies.



I hot footed it to Hobby Craft to pick up a medium size jam jar (sadly I'm not actually that patient to race through an jar of actual marmalade) and not forgetting a permanent marker pen from Sharpie. I recycled some pink card from an envelope to create a bright topping for the lid and cut out a perfectly sized moustache. I then stuck the circle lid shape on with double-sided sticky tape and glued the moustache on carefully with a glue stick. I traced 'my stache' in pencil before to position the phrase perfectly, then lined over with my blackest black Sharpie, Ta Dah! Super easy, super funny and a great way to save. Afterwards I popped in some baby pink tissue paper inside to conceal my pennies from prying eyes (18 year old brothers mostly).

Some of you may remember my last Chanel fund / slash / gift wrapped tissue box.. well that saving marklarky went swimmingly till I crumbled, tore the box to shreds within minutes to buy a Marc Jacobs bag, McQueen bangle and a holiday. Whoops! Fingers crossed this doesn't meet the same fate!

Are you a good saver? This would also be a cracking little DIY project if a man-friend is embarking on 'Movember' soon!

17 October 2012

River Island A/W

In the summer I had the pleasure of attending the River Island A/W press-day, where I sussed out this season's collection and basically swooned over most items. Dark and gothic seems to be the order of the day, with glam and luxe material and edges, i fell instantly in love with the collection..

River Island is a brand that has seriously come up trumps in the past couple of years, passing swiftly on from some of the awkward embellished teen pieces, River Island is a treasure chest of on-trend key pieces. Not afraid to push the boat out, River Island really does produce some cracking items each season that are worth investing in - plus their shoe department is something to be rivalled. Some of their items are definitely a tad too bold for my personal taste, but they do some fabulous feminine classic pieces that always catch my eye. A few pieces I definitely would mind stashing in my A/W wardrobe..
Navy Stripe Embellished Jack - (£65.00) / Beige Contrast Shirt (£35.00) / Black Chain Jacket - (£65.00) LOVE! / Silver Tweed Skirt - (£30.00) / Black PU Panelled Skater Dress - (£32.00) / Grey Encrusted Alice Band - (£12.00) / Cream Lace Blouse - (£35.00)

What do you think of River Island's A/W collection?

15 October 2012

Birthday Adventures

Last week as you may have already guessed was my 23rd birthday, I started off with drunken celebrations that included Mexican food (always a winner), strawberry daiquiris, the entire restaurant singing happy birthday to moi (nightmares do come true), eating jelly willy's off another customer's 40th birthday cake (she offered), sucking helium out of balloons and sleeping in my contact lenses (killer). Moving swiftly on to Wednesday's adventures I popped along to Bea's of Bloomburys tea house in St Pauls with Sarah for a beautiful afternoon tea. We scoffed some charming mini baguettes, jing tea (whatever that is) and a chocolate themed stand of cakes. Despite the fact there's nothing more I really dislike than chocolate cake*, it was rather fancy - you can't beat a birthday scone slathered in jam and clotted cream, and I mean slathered..

The Afternoon Tea retails at £17.50, not bloody bad for a decent tea in Central London. Don't be fooled by the petite stand, each cake was very rich in flavour and deliciously filling. It included scones, brownies, peanut butter brownies, whit chocolate brownies, marshmallows, cupcakes and dainty meringues. St. Pauls is fairly small shop but it becomes very busy on weekends, so booking is essential. If a cuppa and cake tickles your fancy, pop along to the Holborn branch, my absolute favourite, to sample one of their tasty delights!
Bringing back chocolate lipliner, circa 99'
The beautiful Sarah on Millenuim bridge, in-front of the Tate.

A few of the many fabulous presents I was lucky to be gifted with, Sarah (who happens to be my bff and one of my favourite bloggers) is perhaps the best gift purchaser ever! No you cannot steal her. Matthew took me to Bluewater for a lovely gift picking spree, but unfortunately the delights of GBK lured us in and we also settled for a yummy Pinkberry, far more interested in scoffing our faces than shopping.. so we are going back for gifts, not food, maybe.. He did however pick me up some beautiful Cath Kidston slippers, which are not only pretty, but incredibly dreamy. 

So there you have it, my birthday adventures! Thank you to many of you that wished me birthday wishes on Twitter, I felt very loved! 23 really isn't that bad afterall, let's just hope the next year goes a little slower please.

*Never been a fan of chocolate cake, this always springs to mind. Weirdo and I know it.

8 October 2012

GHD: Style and Protect

This week is officially the start of the birthday celebrations, turning the somewhat pointless age of twenty three on Wednesday I may have already celebrated with a few too many strawberry daiquiris! I was also throughly delighted to receive a very lovely gift from ghd, their beautifully presented Style and Protect Gift Set, perfect for creating any sleek hairstyle.

ghd is a brand I've dabbled in slightly, but not with what you may expect. Famous for their iconic straightening irons, they have never appealed to me on the basis that I have rather fine hair and not really having much of it, so I can really get away with any bog-standard set of straighteners. However, one Christmas I was surprised with a ghd travel hair dryer set and it was hand's down the best dryer I had ever used. Of course the little blighter did eventually die, after using it religiously every day, whoops. The ghd Style and Protect Set contains a large paddle brush, Straight & Smooth Spray, Final Shine Spray and two large sectioning clips.
The classic ghd Paddle Brush is designed to help blow dry large sections of hair, retailing at £20 it instantly makes the set rather good value for money. Having never owned a paddle brush I was rather excited to try as now my hair is so much longer, it really does make brushing a dream - keeping my hair sleek and smooth. However as my hair is so fine and as i'm really not that blessed in terms of the amount of hair that graces the top of my head, I can literally brush my entire head of hair in one sweep. Impressive, if not a little depressing. Still preferring to use a rounded brush for blowdrying, the paddle brush does work wonders for detangling and keeping hair smooth. Definitely one to look into if you have thick hair.

The Straight & Smooth spray is a styling product designed to keep hair sleek and de-frizzed, additionally it is also infused with a heat protection agent, perfect for straightening. What I love about this product is that it can be used on either wet or dry hair, something I really struggle to find when searching for a heat protection spray. The majority of the time I straighten my hair in the morning after it has air dried over night, I find that most heat protector sprays are designed to only to be used on wet hair; or if they are suitable for dry hair it makes the ends all dry and crackly - eurgh.  This lightweight spray has been a well-loved new discovery, it feels very light-weight in the hair and evenly distributes product. I now have no excuses for not using a heat protectant - guilty as charged!
I have tried my fair share of shine sprays over the years, from professional to hight-street, often being disappointed with the longevity of the shine and some making the hair appear rather greasy. I wasn't expecting great things from the ghd Final Shine spray but I was pleasantly surprised. I wore this on the weekend to my birthday meal and was impressed by the level of added shine it provided and how it lasted to the end of the night. Like the Straight & Smooth spray it was super light-weight and I will definitely be saving this for special occasions.

All in all I think this set is perfect for dare I say, popping on your Christmas list, I may have completely missed the boat on the straighteners, but ghd is really so much more. I may have to indulge in the ghd rounded brush in attempt to give myself that 'at-home but wish I could copy my hairdresser's perfect blow dry'!

Have you tried any ghd products? 

5 October 2012

The Trench Edit

With the chill of October coming on rather too suddenly, I have found myself reaching for one of my most worn, classic items I own in my wardrobe: the trench coat. The ever so stylish trench was designed by no other than Thomas Burberry for army officers to protect from the harsh winter weather. Revving it up the 21st century Christopher Bailey has bought the trench slap bang up to date, with a rather metallic quality street offering as shown in the S/S13 collection here, the trench coat remains a classic staple.
Trench - Zara (£69.99) / Piped Detail Mac - Warehouse (£85.00) / Mia Mac - Oasis (£120.00) / 
Trench - Zara (£69.99)

Whilst I may not be able to afford that iconic check print lined Burberry trench coat just yet, I bought a fabulous offering from Topshop a few years back. The trench's classic, simple tailoring allow it to be worn with absolutely everything, from your standard parisian stripy bretton top, tapered jeans and ballet pumps, or lazily thrown over cocktail dress for evening adventures. First rules of trenches are to always, always tie the straps to the back for a relaxed style, secondly to roughen things up around the edges roll the sleeves back to add an edge.

Taking your trench from Autumn to Winter can be easily done, as can changing the appearance of your look. Wearing my trench day in day out, it can become a little boring but swapping accessories can pull a completely different mood or style. I alternate between an oversized chunky grey scarf from Zara, unbelievably cosy for chilly mornings but adding a bold statement; or mixing things up with a faux fur stole I picked up from H&M. Adding instant glamour and luxe, the faux fur transforms the trench in to a completely different coat. I come back to my trench every season, just changing and twisting things up here and there! Invest in good quality, shape and shade. With a few dry-cleans inbetween, it will last you and your wardrobe forever! 

Faux Fur Stole - H&M (£12.99) / Studded Umbrella - Burberry (cough £595.00) / Belted Trench Coat - French Connection (LOVE) (£165.00) / Cableknit Scarf - Topshop (£16.00) / Tube Scarf - H&M (£7.99) / Wellies - Hunter (£85.00)

Do you own a trench? In other news I filled three bin-bags full of charity shop cast-offs today and my wardrobe loves me for it. I'm exhausted!

3 October 2012

Lust

Embellished Panel Strap Dress - Topshop (£69.00)

Oh god, Topshop lusting strikes again! With the birthday fast approaching next week -turning 22 again yeah? - the girls in need of a brand new spankin' birthday dress. Navy, chiffon, adorable embellishment with a grecian feel, I'm smitten! However sitting here tapping away, I glance to the right and see the other fifty occasion dresses (navy, chiffon..) I've bought and never worn: guilty as charged. 

Do you splurge on going out dresses? Hands up who thinks this would be the perfect NY dress.
 Enable me people.


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