Would you... leave the house without makeup?

There are some women who wouldn't dream of leaving the house without a bit of slap on, then there are some women who just need some bronzer and mascara and they're ready to go. Unfortunately I fall in to the latter. Since sixth form, when I discovered the wonderful world of makeup (I know - i'm a late starter), I've had this thing where I have to wear makeup everytime I go out. It's strange, but for some reason I feel naked without it!

I blame the media for our insecurities. In a world where we're surrounded by billboards and TV adverts featuring impossibly beautiful women who set the standards so high, how can we feel good about ourselves?! Then there are the tabloids and gossip mags that love to poke fun at the actress or singer who has - shock horror - left their house without any makeup, so that it's now become socially acceptable to call someone ugly. There's nothing wrong with leaving the house without any makeup but I'm sure a lot of us feel 'ugly' or 'plain' without it.

Eva Longoria - beautiful with or without makeup in my opinion!

My skin isn't even that bad. It has a few blemishes and problem areas, but it's nothing that a bit of concealer can't fix. Every morning, when I get ready for work, I apply foundation, bronzer/blusher, top and bottom eyeliner and a lip balm or lipstick. To some people that might not seem like much (I've seen girls pile on ten times more makeup then that!) but to me it seems quite excessive. I mean, what happened to natural beauty?! Now that the weather is sweltering hot and my good friend Hay Fever is back and badder then ever I've found myself opting to wear less makeup.

Today I even managed to leave the house with NO EYE MAKEUP! Those who know me will know that I always wear eyeliner - they never see me without it - not even the mister! So let's see if I can keep it going for the rest of the week. I might even do a FOTD post.

Can anyone else not live without makeup... or is it just me?!

Sami xx 

Clinique Take off the Day Cleansing Balm

I'm a BIG Clinique fan so when I heard all these good things about their cleansing balm I got very excited... My Shu Uemura samples had just run out and I wanted to try something different. 

The cleansing balm is really simple to use. You basically massage it on to a damp face and it 'melts' away  all your makeup, including eye makeup. Now, the first few times I used it my eyes stung a bit... I brushed it off, assuming that they just needed to adjust to a new product. 

Then last night I decided to use it because I had been wearing a lot of mascara and needed something strong to take it off. BIG MISTAKE. My eyes became soooo red and sore I couldn't even blink! To be fair my eyes are a bit sensitive and sting when I get shampoo or soap on them (and my hayfever gets really bad this time of year), but this was like nothing I had experienced before. It actually felt like someone had poured acid into my eyes :- |

About 50 cold rinses later my eyes felt a bit better... but I'm confused as to why my eyes reacted so badly to it  :-S Has anyone else ever had a bad reaction to a beauty product?

I'm on the look out for another cleanser/makeup remover - one that's more gentle and keeps my skin moisturised.... so suggestions would be great :- )

Sami x

Here is a picture to make this post more interesting:

Sari Style!

Sooooo I went to a wedding last weekend and I thought I'd post my outfit/makeup for the night...

The Outfit

I wore this gorgeous peachy pink sari with gold stones and work on it. FYI I'm completely USELESS @ wearing a sari... seriously, this is like the one out four times I stood up! Anyway I decided to keep my jewellery simple and fuss free so I could concentrate on keeping the sari on :- |

The Hair & Makeup

Curled my hair with jumbo curling tongs (Nicky Clarke... I think?!) Then added a few extensions for more volume and body. Makeup was kept simple because the sari is such a light colour.

Here's a list of stuff I used to create the face:

FACE

L'oreal Studio Secrets Primer

YSL Pore Primer

MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation

Bourjois Chocolate Bronzer

Chanel Bronze Universal

Barry M Blusher in Orchid

EYES

GOSH Gold Pigment

Shu Uemura Gel Liner

Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara

Benefit It Stick

LIPS

YSL Lip Contour

MAC Lipstick in Chatterbox

As you can see I didn't use much on the eyes - just the gold pigment and loads of mascara. What do you guys think of the pink lips? Is it too light??

....In Other News

The latest issue of Asian Woman Mag is out and it has the lovely Sugababes wearing saris on the cover! Check it out girls... it's got my interview with them on it!!

                                           

Sami xx

New: OPI Nail Laquer Swiss Collection

Sooooo earlier this week I attended the OPI A/W Press Launch in the swish Absolute Ice Bar. For anyone not familiar with OPI (shame on you!) it's a super-glam nail varnish range that has EVERY nail colour under the sun. 

There were mini manis available @ the event and I was fortunate enough to get mine done by Lena White's daughter! She was lovely and gave me some great advice on nail care... here are a few pearls....

• When applying nail varnish, use a base coat to avoid bright/dark colours staining your nails
• A glass nail file gives a smoother, softer finish than a standard one
• Bright nail colours will transform even the most boring outfit
• Always get acrylic nails professionally taken off to avoid damaging them 

The new collection was themed around the idea of the Swiss Alps, snowy nights, cabin breaks and ski holidays - very cosy! The colours included rich berry reds, maroons, aubergines, emeralds and jewel-toned blues.

OPI A/W Swiss Collection

To be honest I'm not really a fan of dark, moody colours like these but there were a few that stood out to me.

Here are the ones that I got:

                              

 (From left to right: Cuckoo For This Colour, So Hot It Berns, Glitzerland)

I haven't tried the first two colours out yet because I'm rocking Glitzerland - and it hasn't budged or chipped for five days now! Cuckoo For This Colour is a bit too dark for my liking so I might give it away as a gift but I'm soooo excited to try So Hot It Berns! It's a really warm, bright red, which I think will look fab on my toes. 

And as for Glitzerland...

Can you say bliiiiiiiiiiing?!! This pic is doing it no justice because in real life it looks like I've dipped my nails into gold. It kind of resembles the Minx manicures that are becoming really popular with celebs - only they cost more. Mmmmm I think this is going to become my fav nail varnish of all time...

OPI Nail Laquers are quite pricey though, so I'd only consider buying them as an indulgent treat or for a spesh occasion (Glitzerland is perfect for weddings, parties, everything!) 

I'll do a seperate post for So Hot It Berns sooon.

Sami xx

OPI Nail Laquers retails at £9.95 each, available at www.lenawhite.co.uk

The Swiss Collection will be available in August.

I was given these three nail laquers but this doesn't affect my views

Bourjois Chocolate Bronzer

Hey guys,

I recieved this yummmy Bourjois bronzer in the post this morning after winning a Twitter competition. Needless to say I was crazy excited because I've never won anything! :- )

I always look longingly at this bronzer whenever I pass the Bourjois counter but stop myself from buying it because I have sooo many bronzing products already, but this one always stood out to me.

:- )

What it looks like inside

Me testing it out

Soooo, I've been playing with it all morning and have come to the conclusion that I LOVE it! Most bronzers look really orange on me and this one is more of a deep brown, chocolaty colour with tiny gold flecks running through it. It's great for contouring, but because the colour is so deep I think it would work better on olive-dark skintones. It's also very pigmented so if you're after a natural bronzy glow use a light hand to apply it. 

I really like the packaging as well; not only does it look like a bar of choc - it smells like one too!

Overall I'm quite happy with this product... only prob is I keep wanting to eat it :-S

Has anyone else tried this bronzer out?

Sami xx

Top 6 Pink Lippies

If you're not a fan of pink lipstick then I'd suggest you avert your eyes because this post is all about my loooooove for the colour pink and lippies! These are my favourites at the moment:

YSL ROUGE VOLUPTE 6

I've mentioned this lippy in a previous post so I don't need to say much - just that it is amaaazingly moisturising and smells lush!! I love the bubblegum pink colour it gives my lips too

MAC GIRL ABOUT TOWN

The go-to lipstick for a glamorous night out. I heard so many lovely things about this so I had to try it out myself. It's an Amplified Creme so the colour is very, very bright and so creamy that it glides on effortlessly 

YSL ROUGE VOLUPTE 9

The colour on this one is a lot easier to wear than number 6. It's a really bright fuchsia pink that can be worn during the day and on a night out

RIMMEL IN FUNTIME FUCHSIA

This is probably the darkest, richest pink I've ever worn! It borders on a deep pink/cherry red colour and is very striking - you've got to have guts to pull it off!

MAC PINK NOUVEAU 

This lippy doesn't need an introduction does it?! Any beautinista worth her salt will know about this iconic lipstick. I was a bit deceived though - the colour looks like a bright Barbie pink but comes out a lot lighter when I wear it. And because my skin is quite dark it leaves me looking a bit washed out :-( It's a shame because I love it so much

RIMMEL FLIRTY

A cute pink that comes out quite sheer. I had to apply it 4-5 times to get the true colour, which is a lovely sparkly candy pink. The consistency isn't quite as creamy and smooth as MAC or YSL but it still does a good job in keeping my lips soft - and the colour stays on for ages

I recently brought another pink lippy (when will i learn?!!???) but haven't really played around with it enough to put it in my Top 6. I'm also still trying to get hold of MAC's Wild Orchid but it's only available in Pro stores and I can't be bothered to go all the way to Westfield shopping centre for one lippy. I might get it online... Any recommendations??! 

Nehus hoped you enjoyed : - )

Sami xx

Haulage!

After what seemed like a lifetime I went shopping! Here are the bits and bobs I picked up @ my local shopping area...

1) The Body Shop Cooling Foot Exfoliator

I really hate my feet and am forever looking for ways to prettify them. I've used this scrub before and loved the smell. The peppermint has a nice, cooling effect so it's good for summer too.

2) The Sanctuary Intensive Foot Cream

Only used this once so I can't really say much on it yet - I usually use my normal body lotion/cream on my foot too but I wanted something that specifically targeted feet and I quite like Sanctuary products

3) River Island Heart Studs

I haven't worn earrings for the last three months and started to panic that the hole had closed up so I decided to get something small and cute to wear day-to-day. These are really cute and kitschy and go with most of the  things I wear. 

4) Claire's Flower Hair Clips

I love these flower clips because they're so summery and perfect for brightening up an outfit.

5) The Body Shop Coconut Body Scrub

This is the only body scrub I use because it really smooths and softens my skin and it smells lush! I've tried other scrubs but I always end up coming back to this one.

6) Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm

Okay, so the Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil I've been using has started to make my skin feel a bit tight and dry so I thought I'd switch to something a bit more nourishing like this cleansing balm. So far, it's made my skin feel really soft and yummy but it irritates my eyes like a bitch..... annoying because I wear a lot of eye makeup so it's not really ideal...!

7) Chanel Universal Cream Bronzer

After hearing so many lovely things about this bronzing cream and discovering a new found love for Chanel makeup I just had to get this. When I first applied it, it went on like a dreaaaaaaaam! It's so smooth and creamy. You can use it as a sheer wash of colour or build it up for a more defined bronze look. 

8) Coco Chanel Mademoiselle

Ahhh... I love this perfume! It was one of the first ones I owned and I remember splashing it on like there was no tomorrow! Of course I now realise that one or two sprays are enough because it's so strong anyway. If i had to describe the smell I'd say it was like a sweet tea with vanilla - very chic, very feminine, very GlamSam :-) 

(I told you I'm rubbish at describing scents)

9) L'Oreal Studio Secrets Face Primer

This was another product that I'd heard a lot of good things about and I can now say that I totally agree. It's perfect for smoothing out bumps and eradicating shine. And my foundation glides on effortlessly now (Gosh - I sound like a bad commercial but it really is that great!) My only bugbear is that for a tenner they could've made it a bit bigger.

10) The Body Shop Vanilla and Tokyo Bean Fragrance Oil

I used this on my oil/candle holder thingy once and it kinda smelled of baby wipes... I'm going to give it another chance though because I absolutely love vanilla scents! 

BRB

Helloooo..... you may have noticed that I've been missing from blog-land for a while now and tbh I've just been busy with other things (work, upcoming weddings, etc). Anyhu... just thought I'd do a quick post to let you know I'm still alive... and that I will be back to blog-form in a couple of days... please bear with me!

Upcoming posts...

Haul!!

Favourite Pink Lipsticks

Eyelash serum review

I'm going to raid MAC on Friday as well so if anyone has any recommendations of nice MAC lippies and face powders please do let me know :-)

Sami xx