It's been a while since I've done a 'Five Favourites...' post (see my June favourites, here), so I thought I would combine it with a few products I've amassed lately in sort-of mini hauls that didn't merit separate postings. All these things I would definitely repurchase, which has to be a good sign!

 1. Maybelline SuperStay 24h Foundation (£7.99)

This is not a new product, by any means, but it's new to me. I quite like Maybelline for foundations -  they seem to suit my skin- and have tried a few of them, but somehow this one passed me by. I went in actually wanting to try their new launch, FitMe, but I decided I didn't like it. It's gel-based, which is appealing to some people, but I don't get on very well with gel formulas (I sometimes use Mac Studio Sculpt, which is also gel-based but it makes me look very greasy and I'm not a fan). When I discovered it's only selling point is matching your skin tone, I wasn't impressed. That's not supposed to be a special feature- all foundations should match my skin tone, or I shouldn't be wearing it!

Instead, I found myself picking this up, intrigued by the promise of long-lasting, flexible coverage. I recently fell in love with Chanel's Lift Lumiere, but it's pricey so I'm saving it for special occasions. Most days I wear a BB Cream and some powder, but there are days when I need some extra coverage. I've been using Maybelline's Dream Nude Airfoam, but the foam format is messy and I'm nearing the end of my can, so this is my replacement.

It's comfortable to wear on the skin and long lasting- a perfectly decent, mid-range foundation that may well become my new weekday staple!

 2. Bourjois Volume Glamour Max Definition (£9.49)

I've wanted to try this mascara since it first came out, but it's always been sold out when I tried to find it, which made me want it even more. Like all my favourite mascaras, it features a plastic brush- I find they give a much better result than traditional fibre brushes. The result is volumised, thickened but still defined lashes. The brush has a special tip to catch all your tiny lashes, and the formula itself boasts volumising agents and black pearl extracts, which can't be bad! This product is really nice to use and easily buildable for mega-lashes. It doesn't flake out either, so it gets my vote. And, as ever, the super-cute Bourjois packaging make it really fun to use.

3. Bourjois Little Round Pot Light 01

Another hit from the French drugstore cosmetics brand, this eyeshadow is a new concept, designed to be highly concentrated and two times as luminous as a normal eyeshadow (how you measure that is beyond me, but still...) Using super-reflective mother-of-pearl pigments, the shadow feels silky and light on the lids, although I do find that the baked shadows require a firmer brush than I normally use to gather enough pigment.You can either apply it alone over the whole eyelid to brighten up the eyes, put it on with a dampened brush to ramp up the shimmery effect, or you can layer it over a normal eyeshadow to add a shot of pearly light to the colour. This makes it quite interesting- they also had an 'intense' darkening eyeshadow to act like a transformer too, but that just looked like a normal dark grey shadow to me!

This is really pretty and I've been relying on it for days when my eyes look tired and need an extra boost!

4. Umberto Giannini Glam Hair Rock N Roll Extreme Hairspray (normally £5.61) and Old School Setting Lotion for Big Hair(normally £5.49)

Ok, this is sort of a two for one situation, I'm putting both these products as one. I really like Umberto Giannini hair products, and have long been a fan of their Overnight Beauty Balm to sort out my parched, processed locks, so when I ran out of hairspray, I thought the time was right to try their Rock N Roll Extreme Hairspray. I was looking for something with a strong hold, and I am a fan of the gorgeous, fashion-girl illustrations they use on their packaging. Its a light spray that really holds, but most importantly, doesn't give that awful crispy effect bad hairsprays do, which means that although its strong, it's also lightweight and untraceable. It also smells gorgeous!

The second product was an impulse buy (at two for £7.00, it would have been rude not to really!), but is actually something I've been searching for. Despite not being poker-straight, my hair resolutely will not hold a curl. Despite investing in a quality curling iron, I've spend many an hour painstakingly labouring over my curls, only for them to promptly drop out within half an hour. Boo! I happened to mention this to my best friend's housemate, an American from the deep south where big, bouffant curls are a religion (her words, not mine!). I asked her what the secret to keeping curls in place was. She asked what product I used, which I replied was nothing but hairspray. Apparently, this is equivalent to building a house without the proper foundations! That kind of makes sense. She advised me to use gel, but I thought something must have got lost in translation because I couldn't imagine that working. However, I had read in the 'olden-days' of setting lotions and thought I needed something of the sort to make my curls stay. This product describes itself as 'bringing back the classic ‘set’ of the 50s but with a quick drying formulation. Gives volume, bounce and shine plus a long lasting hold'. I haven't actually tried it out yet, but I'm really excited to!

5. Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Exfoliation Treatment Pads (£12.99)

I read about these in the weekly bible (aka Grazia magazine),was sufficently intrigued to track them down, and after a couple of uses, I can safely say these will be a staple part of my new skincare regime. The little disposable pads aim to provide regenerated, smoother, brighter skin. They contain those key anti-agers, glycolic and hyluronic acid to stimulate cell turnover, plus blue daisy extract to calm the skin. They tingle a bit when you first use them- and the packaging states that you must always use a moisturiser with sunscreen as use can make your skin more sensitive to the sun.

I loved how bright, glowing and renewed my skin looked after using these. I think combining regular use with the paper collagen masks I love will hopefully really give my winter skin a boost and help to tackle the fine lines I've started to notice. They're such a quick and easy thing to do that really improves the look of your skin, I'm instantly a fan. If you don't like standing their using a scrub as well, they really do the trick!

As you might have spied from my other posts, whether its cosmetics or pieces of clothing, I love it when things work overtime. Any product, or object, which promises multiple benefits or different uses gets my interest. Why? Well, just the convenience and the feeling of having bought something that's working hard and smart for me. I'm just fascinated by anything that multi-tasks.

Which is why I might well have found the perfect bag for me. Its from an online fashion boutique called POPKORS (which roughly stands for 'Popular Korean Accessories') and they sell a wide range of bags in loads of great designs for highly reasonable prices (with free UK shipping, to seal the deal). Some of the designs are blatant 'homages' to Hermes and Balenciaga, but they have some great own designs, too.

There were quite a few bags I would gladly have ordered on there, but it is the month before Christmas, so I can't really justify spending huge amounts on myself! So with massive self-restraint, I limited myself to this one:


I picked the beige (because I thought it would go with more), but I could have quite gladly had the black and the red as well! I love the chunky, oversized gold postman's lock, it's so chic. The slouchy, fold-over top is also brilliant. It works as a clutch bag, and I really think the design details on it are very elegant and designer-looking. But the best bit? The straps! Behold:



 Not only does this beauty have an elegant little chain strap, for when you want to hook it over the crook of your arm or sling it casually over your shoulder.....but it also has a really long, cross-body strap so you can wear it like a satchel (I like to be hands-free when I'm hitting the dancefloor!)





Honestly? I think I'm in love. This seems like my perfect bag. It could even work as a smaller day bag (I do haul a loooot of stuff around with me in my well-loved Alexa, but I could see me using this out on a shopping trip or nipping for coffee with friends).

If it's as nice as it looks when it arrives- damn international shipping, it's so slow!- I will re-order the black one in a heartbeat. It just looks so well designed and versatile, I can see me loving this bag for a looong time (perhaps even as much as my beloved Mulberry, and at a fraction of the cost to boot! This bag was priced at $30 AUS dollars, which was about £24 sterling).

POPKOR trade on eBay, so you can access their fabulous selection of bags online. I am definitely a fan, and will be purchasing again if all goes smoothly.

Trying out Freshlook Colorblends in 'Sterling Grey'

Coloured contacts. I learned this week that for an innocuous little piece of plastic, they can really divide opinions. In this day and age of Botox, boob jobs and body modification, you wouldn't think they'd be so controversial. But you'd be wrong, as I found out when I made my second foray into the world of lenses.

Let me start by saying I have absolutely nothing against brown eyes, they can be stunning. And I've never had a problem with my eye colour. It's quite a light orangey amber colour-exactly like my mother. But my dad and all his side of the family have a very distinctive family look- honey-coloured skin, dark hair and light blue eyes- and part of me has always wondered what I would look like with my dad's combination. And I find dark hair and blue eyes a particularly special combination (my Mr has this, and his DNA is great!).

So, I've always been slightly intrigued by the possibility of using coloured contacts to switch up my look. Now to me, this is no more offensive than dying your hair or using fake tan. We're so used to those kinds of appearance changes that it doesn't really phase anyone. And yet changing the colour of your eyes is seen as really wrong by some people, it seems.

My Mr was horrified when the nice package from contactlens.co.uk dropped through the letterbox. He finds something horribly low-rent and tacky about using coloured contacts, and his disgusted and bemused reaction actually threw me pretty badly. "But why would you want to change your eye colour?" he asked. When I explained that to me, it was just a bit of fun to switch up my appearance, he didn't seem to agree. He made me feel pretty worried that I was doing something that would look awful.

But actually, I'm pretty pleased with the final result!

As mentioned, it was my second time trialling coloured lenses. The first try went disastrously wrong. I didn't know anything about lenses, or eyes in general (having 20/20 vision, I've never even been inside an opticians yet) and I didn't do any research before I ordered. I simply picked an unfeasibly bright blue and clicked to purchase.

When they arrived, I didn't have a clue what I'd ordered, how to insert them, how to care for them....and in short it was a disaster. I only managed to get one in and then promptly freaked out because I didn't know how to get it back out. In any case, I didn't really like the effect as it looked really bright blue, fake and weird. The second one I couldn't even get in because I kept blinking too violently and I was stressed out and panicked about getting them out. I didn't have any of the right storage equipment, so when I did get them out I did the wrong thing and tried to store them in a little tupperware pot with some tap water, where they promptly dried up and died before I could try them again.

This time, I was a little smarter. I did plenty of research beforehand, about different colours and brands, how to insert and remove the lenses, and proper storage and care of them as well.

Here is my first time guide to it for coloured contact lens virgins:

1. Spend time thinking about what colour you really want

It's all too easy to go crazy and opt for the shocking blue, vivid violet or bright green shades. And, if you are after a certain, larger than life look, then that's the result you'll get. However, if you're after a more passably natural eye and you're not keen on the idea of random strangers knowing you're wearing lenses, then consider a shade such as grey. This is a soft colour that subtly lightens dark eyes, without screaming 'obviously fake'. It's not the first shade I'd think of, but it's really pretty and subtle, especially on Oriental eyes. Of course, if you already have blue eyes and you just want to make them standout more, a vivid turquoise could really work. It all depends, so know what you're looking for and what you hope to achieve before you buy.

2. Research the brands available

With the thousands of review posts of pretty much everything invented, ever out there on the web, there's not much excuse for not doing your homework to choose the right lenses for you and getting a good deal on them. About 2 seconds of web research will probably show you that Freshlook Colorblends are generally considered to be the best currently available. There are lots of other brands too. Google Image Search will allow you to see the lenses in action on different types of people, and how it looks. Try to find an image of someone with a similar colouring to you to get an idea of how the colour might look on you. Now you need to find where to buy. Of course, your best bet may well be to visit an opticians, especially since they will probably show you how to put them in. But if you're impatient or price-consious, then you may want to order online. Once I'd decided I wanted to try the Freshlook Colorblends in 'Sterling Grey', I found a reputable, good value site- contactlens.co.uk retails them at £7.00 per lens with free UK delivery (yes, right and left are sold and priced as different items, which I never suspected! Of course, this is because some people who actually need lenses for vision correction need different strengths and prescriptions in each eye. Duh!) If you don't need a prescription, just select 0.00 in the menu and make sure you order one left and one right eye!

With one lens in, so you can see the difference!

3. All the gear and no idea

Another thing I never understood before is that you don't just need the lenses, you need a few items with them! The lenses come in little, individually-sealed pods that don't re-seal. You will need somewhere to store them after use, and it must be airtight. Luckily, eBay can help you source these items real cheap. I bought a cute little white compact (search something like 'travel contact lens case' for similar) with a mirror, tweezers for picking up the lens, airtight lens case, and a couple of little bottles for holding a small supply of contact lens solution, and it was only £3! Then I also bought a big bottle of contact lens solution for a couple of pounds, again this can be sourced very cheaply. You really do need this stuff, so don't be tempted to leave it out.

4. Learn how to put them in and out properly

At first, I underestimated how difficult this can be. I figured that because I'm not especially squeamish about touching my eyes, it would be fairly straightforward. It was not. It was totally difficult, frustrating, and I hated the feeling of having a foreign object in my eye to begin with. So leave plenty of time before whatever event you want them for. I would suggest trialling taking them in and out several times before the day of whenever you want them for. The last thing you want is to be rushed and frustrated. Accept it's difficult and it takes practice to get right, and allow yourself enough time. It took me the best part of 40 minutes and countless attempts before I could get them into my eyes. Put them in before doing any make-up, as it can really make your eyes run and will probably ruin anything else you've put on your face!

Youtube is your friend. It has some excellent video tutorials that I'd highly recommend running while you try and put them in. Methods of insertion are varied, so take time to find what works for you.

Very straightforward tutorial on how to insert them here

This one is also great for newbies (mute to avoid the cheesy Japanese lounge-singer music)

And, how to take them out (although I found removing them very easy)

5. Shake Up Your Make Up

Of course, the beauty of changing up your eye colour, is that different eye make-up will now suit you! It's fun to play and experiment with your new eyes! I recommend trying out bronze shades or a classic smoky eye to make baby blues really pop, and if you're trying out brown eyes, purple and green shades will look beautiful and will really make your new colour stand out. Have fun trying new shades to contrast with and compliment your new eye colour.

6. Carry eyedrops!

If you've never worn lenses before, then you don't realise how much your eyes can dry out with lenses. To keep this comfortable, stash some eye drops in your clutch bag and carry them with you so you can freshen up with the lenses in.

So, what do you think? I think the grey shade is really beautiful and I've enjoyed playing about with my eye colour. I don't think there's anything 'wrong' with coloured lenses, but my husband's reaction has made me realise some people think its a bit weird or somehow insecure (I say: no more than any other hair dye, fake tan or cosmetic!). So, if you do want to try them, be prepared!

I've decided to work on a series of occaisional postings concerning my Beauty Icons, the women who look so a..maz..ing that they inspire me to try and improve my own look.

I already do an occaisional series of posts titled 'Loving Her Style', which are all about celebrities where I really like the way they dress and want to try and emulate it (see my posts on Zooey Deschanel, Mollie King, Lana Del Rey and Millie Mackintosh). But that's about clothes, and styling. And there's a whole group of women who's looks I love, but whose dress sense doesn't quite set my world alight, so that's what these postings are about.

First up, the magnetising Victoria's Secret model, Alessandra Ambrosio. Now, this lady has been on my radar for a while, but I never found her the most beautiful VS girl. And I actually still think Candice Swanepoel is the most stunning Angel VS has. But just lately, something about Alessandra has been really captivating my attention. I don't love the way she dresses (let's face it, she's more known for wearing bikinis than actual clothes and the pics I can find of her 'off duty' style show she's very bohemian, which I hate. Anything that looks as if it could smell of incense and patchouli skeeves me out!). But I do love her looks and her makeup.

Specifically, it was this Daily Mail picture of her dressed up as a 'sexy dictator' for Halloween:


Wow, just wow. And then I found myself trying to find out her beauty secrets, using her picture as a motivation to get my butt out of bed for morning gym sessions and avoiding cake! I think what I like about her most is that we have similar colouring, so I'm figuring a lot of her tips and tricks will suit me (although I couldn't hope to look as good!). Also, her look is really sultry, even slightly 'bitch face' which seems to be the type of beauty I admire most!

The Elements of her Look

• Bronzed Skin - a key element of Alessandra's beauty style is her golden, sunkissed skin (which I guess is a must when you model undies for a living!). She has said that she prefers a natural tan and leads an outdoors life. But when you live in Blightly, where sunshine is rationed, you are going to need to fake it. I actually don't use fake tan, never have done, but I favour Garnier Summerbody Lotion in the winter to give a hint of a glow.
• Shimmer Skin Makeup - for all those shoots and appearances, Alessandra states they make her body up with a shimmer lotion to enhance her tan. I recommend Pretty Polly Love Legs, to give your skin a similar polished sheen.
• Shimmer Bronzer - Shimmery, bronzed cheeks are Alessandra's M.O. The best product for this is Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks, which allow you to blend different shades to get a multi-dimensional finish.
• Shimmery Brown Smoky Eyes - Alessandra is queen of a more subtle style of smoky eye, where she shies away from black and uses deep browns to really give her eyes a smoulder that's actually very wearable. The shimmering chocolate brown and bronze shades in the Au Naturel eye palette from Sleek will give you this look.

Other Tips from Alessandra:

• Drink coconut water to stay hydrated and promote a healthy complexion
• Preparation H cream under the eyes can help with severe bags
• The most important part of any beauty look is building the right foundation- this means regular exersize, staying hydrated and looking after your skin, nails and hair all the time. This will make anything you do on top look a 1000 times better! Attention to detail is everything!
• Body scrubs are your best friend for when you plan to have a lot of skin on show
• Get those big, flowing beachy waves by using a lightweight, volumising mousse on hair and then a large barelled curling wand. I just purchased the Diva Big Waves, a fabulous tool that either adds deep waves or lock the barrel together for a massive curl! I'll be doing a full posting on this soon.

There is this video where she explains her favourite products, courtesy of Modelinia.

This post from Talking Makeup shows a complete show look for Alessandra, done by make-up artist Polly Osmond, but using all VS products, here.

I love her hair colour-its a bit darker than my current colour, but still has a subtle golden sheen- how does she do that without her hair going lighter and lighter each time?

Who's beauty look do you love?

Concealer is a big deal to me, cosmetically. Mainly because my under eye area is an absolute battleground of fine lines, dark circles and morning puffiness that I really struggle with.

Unfortunately, its genetic and without surgery (which I’m not brave enough for!), there’s only so much you can do in the name of damage limitation. I know its better when I’m well rested and hydrated, but its always a concern of mine and I’m still searching for the holy grail of concealers to help me out.

I’ve never found one I loved enough to stick with so far, although I was pretty impressed with MeMeMe Correct & Perfect Concealer, which I’ve reviewed here.

So when I read about Rodial BB Venom Eye, I was very intrigued and keen to try some. This concealer launched on 19th August, at first exclusive to Harrods, but its now available from www.rodial.co.uk. A big set back, to me, is the price. Now I certainly don’t mind paying for a quality product, but at £29 for 6ml (plus a postage charge if you don’t happen to live in London near Harrods), it is really at the top end of what I’d pay for a concealer -and certainly for a product I’d never tried before and couldn’t test before ordering, I thought it was asking a lot.

So, I did my usual trick and hopped onto eBay to see what I could find. There was only one on there, as you might expect for a new product, but people must have heard something good about it, because I did get into a bidding war. In the end I won, and I paid £22.

I have seen Rodial products featured in various magazines, but I haven’t tried anything from their range before- mainly because there aren’t any stockists where I live, and I don’t like to order cosmetics online if I’ve never tried them before. Knowing the right shade is important and its not like you can return things you don’t like! Rodial do mainly quite high-end skincare products, but have just branched tentatively into cosmetics, with a BB cream, concealer and a couple of lipstick shades.

And what’s so special about this product anyway? Well, Rodial state it contains:

•    Di-Peptide ‘SYN-AKE’ complex to target crow’s feet
•    Hyaluronic acid to plump and intensively hydrate the skin
•    Ronasphere LDP to reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles
•    Light-reflective particles to immediately brighten the under eye area
•    Contains SPF

Before- no make-up at all!

After- using the Rodial BB Venom Eye

Effectively, it’s a skincare product with long term benefits as well as a concealer, which could well warrant the price tag if it’s good at both functions.

It’s currently only available in two shades: ‘Aspen’ and ‘Malibu’, with ‘Malibu’ being the darker of the two. Normally, as an NW20 this is what I’d go for, but the one I found on eBay was the lighter shade. I was a bit worried it wouldn’t suit me at all, but actually it works absolutely fine and doesn’t look bad.

The 6ml of product comes in what looks almost like a lip gloss packaging, with a doe foot applicator. It’s a very light, fluid consistency but despite this it gives a nice level of coverage, and as you’d hope, it doesn’t settle into the lines around your eyes. I blended it in with my fingertips as I actually believe that this gives a better finish on the under eye area than using a concealer brush.

The product is very long lasting, which is a big plus point in its favour- it did a full day at work without needing a touch up, but the packaging makes it quite portable if you did want to carry it with you.

The long term skin benefits will only be visible over time of course, so I can’t really comment on the cumulative effects, but based on the immediate results-I’m in love! I felt it dealt with my puffiness and discolouration an absolute treat.

Overall? This is seriously a new must-have for me and I feel like I’ve finally found an under eye concealer I’m happy to stick with for a while. My hope is that it really does have some good long-term positive skincare  effects and also that a little goes a long way. It will be interesting to see how long the tube lasts, because that really determines if I will buy this long-term. In my honest opinion, it could do with being £10 cheaper, in which case it would really be worth the money (and paying for postage on it, which always annoys me a little bit on small items).

If you have nightmares with your under eyes and you’ve exhausted a lot of different products without seeing the results you long for, I’d seriously recommend giving this one a go if you have the cash, it could be just what you’re looking for!

Do you know any wonder products for problem bags and circles? If so, share them below!

Posing in full war paint!

I can't resist a good tag post about beauty! Of course, it is rather a lazy way of ensuring that there's something to write about, but it can also give a lovely insight into the lives of those whose blogs we adore!

I've just stumbled across and started to follow the great site run by Sarah called Ohh So Glam!, which I love already. It's exactly my kind of read. I love it when you find a new favourite blog, because there's hours of fun to be had going through all the posts you missed! She'd posted a tag post recently, and it's only short, so I decided to have a go at filling it in!



When did you begin to love makeup?

I've seen lots of pictures of me when I was little, smeared in lipstick and blusher where I've clearly raided my mum's dressing table, so I'd have to say ever since I could toddle really! A lot of girls who love make-up have similar stories, so I really think its something that is quite often passed down from your mum. Among my friends that don't wear a lot of make-up, their mothers usually didn't either. But my mother is a total beauty junkie and she's probably the reason for a lot of my obsession with the stuff.


As a former professional dancer, my mum knew some really great cosmetic tricks, and could make herself look fabulous with powder and paint, which always fascinated me. I clearly remember her sitting me down and putting some kohl pencil on me for the first time for a school disco, and how mesmerised I was with the effect. I love my mum but we haven't always had the best relationship, and we now live miles apart so I don't get to see her as much as I'd like. But make-up is still something that brings us together.

She came up to visit last weekend and on the first evening, we had our make-up bags out to show each other our new buys! We're both always looking for exciting new products, and although our tastes are a bit different, we usually want to try a lot of the same things!

How do you feel without makeup?

Not very happy. I will go without if I'm popping to the gym before work or it's Sunday and I'm washing all my brushes or something, but I'm generally not happy about being seen in public without anything at all. That said, I certainly don't think women should feel pressure to wear cosmetics, which I explore in my 'Morningface' post, here. A lot is said about 'being the real you', but I always say that the real me wears eyeliner. I feel a lot more confident and free to be myself when I know my make-up is in place. Beauty is a pleasure to me, not a chore, and I really enjoy the time I spend making up each day.

What do you like about makeup?

The way it can transform your entire look, the confidence it gives me, and the 'me time' I get while putting it on! I love discovering new products and talking about them with people. I'm massively into self-improvement, both internal and external, and I love to witness the change from scruffy to glamorous! I've written a post in the past about Why I Love Make-Up, here.

Three 'Holy Grail' items?

Three? Three?!?! That's absolutely brutal. I'm just finishing a post on my 25 Can't Live Without Products, let alone three!! But if I really, really had to choose...

Vaseline Lip Therapy Rose and Almond Oil
I just can't live without this pink-tinted pot of wonder, especially since I discovered using it on my cheeks. There's no way I'd ever be without this!

Mac Fluidline
I'm massively into eyeliner, and I wouldn't feel like me without a quick slick of my favourite. I would really rather go without foundation than without eyeliner!

L'Oreal False Lash Telescopic mascara
My holy grail mascara, I love this product. As it was one of the first to advertise without false lashes, I was intrigued when it came out, and I've loved it ever since for the impact and definition it gives. It's been able to take the place of Lancome Fatale, which I was obsessed with and then they bloody discontinued (replacing it with something that was supposed to be better, and was significantly worse!). What I like most about both of these mascaras was that they have solid comb brushes that pick up a big reservoir of product for dramatic, but still separated lashes.

Please feel free to take this TAG and pass it on, and if you do answer it, post a link to your blog below, I'd be really interested to see what you think!