March 'Ins & Outs'

In…

Blogging
I’ve only really been blogging for the past month and I can’t believe how addictive it is. I want to start doing more regular posts on things like makeup/hauls/beauty tips… hopefully I’ll get a few more followers  And to those who are already following me – thank you soooo much – it really means a lot to me!

Nude things
Nothing dirty…! I mean in terms of makeup and fashion… lol! At the moment I’m addicted to all things nude: nails, lips, eyes, clothes, bags, shoes… have I left anything out?! This is one trend that’s been around for a while now and looks set to stay for summer. ATM I’m on the look out for the perfect nude handbag

Easter eggs
Yup, it’s that time of year again when we all ditch our New Year resolution diet (if you haven’t done so already!) and indulge in some yummy choc eggs! My favourites are Cadbury’s Crème Egg and the Giant Dairy Milk one that comes with a lovely purple mug (my colleagues are soo jealous… :-p).

Dear John
This year’s most romantic film + Channing Tatum… need I say more?!

Out…

Snowy March
Instead of blossom trees and blue skies we get rain and (possible) snow - it’s spring for goodness sake!

End of the month money drought
Am I the only one who suddenly feels poorer towards the end of the month?

Shu Uemura saying goodbye to the US
Could this spell the beginning of the end? I personally love Shu Uemura and I think their products are very high quality but as Lollipop26 stated in her blog, it didn’t really brand itself well enough. Let’s hope it stays in the UK…

Train strikes
I might as well be on strike too if it goes ahead because I rely heavily on their services. The same thing happened last year when I had to get a bus to work and it took me four hours :-S. I really don’t get the point of this.


That’s my In’s & Out’s for March – I quite like sharing these with you guys so I’ll be doing them more regularly (maybe a monthly one?)

Hope you enjoyed my little rant…!

Sami xx

Makeup on the train...

This morning didn't start off well for me - I woke up at 7.50am and I had to leave by 8. Neddless to say I was rushing around like mad woman trying to get my clothes on and make my hair look presentable. I didn't have any time for makeup so I shoved a bunch of stuff in my bag to put on in the train.

Big mistake.

No only were people giving me strange looks when I made my 'mascara face' (you know the one where your mouth is hanging open randomly...) I couldn't put my eyeliner on without smudging it at least twice. And I had blusher going everywhere. :S

Now my question is... what is the most effective way to put makeup on when your on the train/tube/bus?
I think I really have to master this because I always see other women effortlessly applying their lippie and liner... and wonder how they do it?!!!??

xx

Better late then never....

The Vitality Show

I realise I'm like a week late on posting this but I can't let it go unnoticed! The Vitality Show 2010 was held in Earls Court for 4 days last week and showcased some of the best health and beauty companies in the UK. In short - it was like a beauty paradise!! There were live demos, classes, great offers and loads of goodies!

Benefit had a 15% off all their products and Bourjois were doing a 2 for £9 or 3 for £12 offer. I did get some goodies from Bourjois but bypassed Benefit as I'm not really a fan of theirs... There were also lots of facials/manis/pedis going on for a great discounted price... The Dove Spa in particular caught my eye (facial for a tenner? Yes please!!) The Sk;n Clinic (yeah that's how they spell it) probably attracted the biggest crowd. They were doing free skin consultations and it seemed like everyone wanted to try it out! Anyway the queue was so long I left it out - but I will probably check out one of their London clinics soon to see what all the fuss is about.

I had such a great time that I'm already waiting for the 2011 show... anyone know if they're going to hold it again?! For now i'll be saving my pennies for The Clothes Show which I hear is also really good!

I'll leave you with a preview of all the goodies I shamelessly blagged on the day....

The food was all healthy stuff so I gave it to my mummy 

Ahhh.... lovely beauty goodies : - )

Haircut.... Finally!

So i've finally taken the plunge and got my haircut! If you read one of my previous posts you'll remember how I said I hadn't cut it for a year and a half... but the other day I decided to pay a visit to the hairdressers and get rid of those pesky split ends.

Now bear in mind that when I say 'haircut' this actually means a trim (does half an inch even count as a trim?!) But nonetheless it deff looks fresher and healthier so i'm happy : - )

Then, that same day I brought some extensions from a beauty shop in east London. They were 100% European human hair and cost only £30... which compared to a lot of online places is quite cheap!

Here's a visual....

BEFORE

AFTER

Sorry about my horrible photography... I realise now that wearing a leopard print cardi isn't the best way to show my hair and it's length... lol

As you can see the extensions add length and volume but not so much that it looks fake - in fact none of my friends noticed I was wearing extensions until I told them!! I tried to wear it straight but found that it didn't look as natural as it does curly. 

Hope you like!! xx

NB: I brought the extensions without the clips, which turned out to be a nightmare as I was up forever sewing them on so I would suggest to get them with the clips on...!

Paddington Bag... You WILL be mine!

I'm in love with the Chloe Paddington bag : - |
This isn't really the wisest thing to fall in love with (it costs £775 - and the most i've spent on a bag is £80), so I've decided that I will use this gorg bag as motivation to save money. Anyone got any tips?!?!

Bye bye daily coffees... Hello designer handbag...

Blogger won't update !!!

Okay... I'm getting really annoyed - Google doesn't update my posts on the Blog roll/feed thing.... so it seems like I haven't been posting anything for weeks when in fact I have... :@

This is getting a bit silly now...

Vasanti - Update

Okay guys, i've got a link from Amazon where you can purchase some of the Vasanti products:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s?ie=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=beauty&field-keywords=Vasanti%20Cosmetics

You can also contact Kelly, their UK sales rep and buy directly through her.
Email: kelly@vasanticosmetics.com

And here's a pic of the lip balm I brought off them, courtesy of their PR company

 Hope that is useful : - )

Let me know if you buy anything off them and what your experiences were like... xx

Summer Trend: Nude Nails

Yep, that’s right – barely there nails are totally on trend this summer so chuck out the acrylics and get painting! Lighter skintones should go for peaches, baby pinks, blushes and creams with a pink undertone and darker/olive complexions suit light browns, beige and taupes. I’m currently lusting after OPI Tickle My France-y and Revlon’s Sheer Blush. Does anyone know if these are worth buying??

Revlon varnish in Sheer Blush

OPI nail lacquer in Tickle My France-Y

If you have any recommendations please let me know… xx

Asian Woman Magazine Spring Issue

Thought I'd take a moment to show you all the cover of the latest Asian Woman magazine.

This issue has the lovely Bollywood actress Kajol looking really edgy in a green/peach makeup look.

Read my interview with her inside (some shameless plugging there...!) And let me know your thoughts!

Sami xx

Update

Hey guys,

this is just a quick update to let you know that my blog can now also be found at the offical Asian Woman Magazine website: http://www.asianwomanmag.com/ !

This means that I will be doing more regular posts (before I was always at work, so I never really had much time and now it's sort of like work - this isn't a great excuse I know... :S).

Anyhu watch this space

Sami xx

The Vitality Show

Hi guys,

Quick update to let you's know that I went to the Vitality Show last friday and I LOVED it! It's like a beauty addict's dream. Anyway will be posting pics and giving more info soon so watch this space :-)

Sami xx

Product Rave: Vasanti Lip Balm

Vasanti Cosmetics are a Canadian-based beauty brand that I came across a few years ago through work. I had initially dismissed it but recently at an exhibition I came across it again and thought why not give it a go?

I’d been looking for a sheer everyday lipstick and the woman recommended their bestseller Tinted Lipbalm in Tahiti. I was really surprised by the effect – it felt like I had just put an intensive moisturiser on my lips. And it tastes amazing too! Described as a lip conditioner that gives a hint of colour, the results were silky soft lips with just the right amount of colour.

Unfortunately there are no Vasanti concession stores in the UK at the moment but if anyone wants the contact details of a UK based seller please let me know.

Sami xx

Random Rant

Why are sales assistants at beauty counters so rude?!?!

The other day I was at the Shu Uemura counter at Selfridges with a friend and I was showing her a cleansing oil. The sales assistant told us that for a big bottle it would cost £50. I thought that was a a lot to splurge on a cleanser without trying it out so I asked for a sample of one of them. He then said that there weren't any samples when there were blatantly a handful behind the counter. When I asked him again he rudely handed over ONE tiny sachet. Of course I asked for one for my friend, which he wasn't too pleased about. And then he stormed off to 'help' another customer.

This experience has really put me off going back to that counter again. I mean, c'mon how can someone working in customer services be THAT rude?! Samples are what help draw customers in. It makes it easier for them to decide whether or not they should spend a certain amount of money on something. To be honest I shouldn't even need to ask for a sample, it should be offered as part of the service.

Anyway, sorry for the lengthy rant but I find it quite therapeutic letting out steam through writing (i'll probably cringe when I read this back in a few months).

On a positive note, I have had a good experience with Shu Uemura in the past at other department stores. The guy gave me loads and loads of samples : - ) and yes it did help me decide if I wanted to buy it again.

Sami xx

NARS Eyeshadow - check the name!

I was browsing around the NARS beauty counter on friday when I came across this eye shadow called 'Bengali'. Being a Bangladeshi myself I was thrilled!! We have an eye shadow!!

The colour is a rich, woody brown that would look lovely with a smoky eye and the pigmentation is really good as it stayed on my hand right up until the next day.

The only reason I didn't impulsively buy it is because I have a huuuge collection of brown eye shadows as it is and I am trying to be sensible with my spending (okay i'll probably go out and buy it next month - but for now i've resisted).

Quite proud of myself... : - )

Sami xx

NARS Single Eye shadow, £16