Another Naughty Haul

I went shopping. In Selfridges. And as usual I went overboard. Here's what I got:

Dior Amber Diamond Compact: I'm not sure why I brought this because it is very, very similar to By Candlelight MSF but I felt I needed something 'Dior' and this jumped out to me. It creates a lovely highlight on my cheekbones and the colours, when swirled together, create an amazing bronzy glow. I'll do a seperate post with pics soon to show you what I mean :- )

MAC Face & Body Paint: A makeup artist recommended this to me a few years ago but I was too seduced by the hype over Nars Sheerglow and MAC Studio Sculpt to check it out. Then I started seeing rave reviews about it on Lollipop26 and Bubblegarm and so of course I HAD to get it. I haven't been using it enough to give a proper review but what I can say for now is that it is wonderful on dry skin!

D&G 3 L'Imperatrice: My friend introduced me to this perfume and it was love at first smell. The bottle is a huuuuuuge 100ml but that hasn't stopped me from lugging it around in my bag! It has a lovely peachy floral scent that reminds me of sweets and for £35 it's great value for money. I haven't been able to stop sniffing it.

MAC MSF in By Candlelight: This was part of the In the Groove collection and although it didn't initially jump out to me I swatched it on my hand and was sold. It has this really fine light gold shimmer running through it that looks gorgeous in the sunlight... Look out for a review and pics.

I am suffering from buyers remorse a little because I didn't really need these things (well apart from the foundation - I really needed that...) but after seeing how glowy my face looked a la By Candlelight MSF I feel a little better! What are your guilty pleasures?

Sami x

Summer Flutter OPI minis

It's official - I am obsessed  with OPI - however, it's an expensive obsession, one which I can't indulge in it that often. Having said that, I recently spotted these little beauties on British Beauty Blogger and immediately fell in love. So in true addict style I popped into Selfridges and picked it up straight away :- )

The set comes with four mini OPI nail lacquers from their latest summer collection.

OPI Summer Flutter Mini Collection, £12.95, available at Selfridges

Left to right:

Catch me in Your Net a super shimmery turquiose colour

Wing It! a glittery fuschia pink

Flit a Bit! a bright acidic orange

Flower to Flower a bright pink with white pearl running through it

On my hands

Look how cute and dinky they are!

I really loved trying these colours out - the bright pink and orange in particular are perfect summer colours. In my humble opinion, OPI have the most amazing colour range and quality, but I can never bring myself to pay the hefty £9.95 price tag for one bottle. This mini pack is a good (cheaper) alternative though - especially if you're as fickle as me and get bored of a nail colour after just a few uses...!

Until next time... Sami x

What's Your Dosha?

Anyone familiar with Ayurveda? Nope... me neither... that is, until I went for an Ayurvedic massage* at Blink's newly opened spa room. Blink Bar is most well known for it's iconic eyebrow threading, which has received rave reviews from the likes of Vogue and Elle magazine. They've now branched out to massages and facials and I was treated to a full body massage, designed to help restore a balance between the 'doshas' in my body.

A (Brief) Explanation of Doshas

There are three doshas within us that help keep our body balanced. Everyone has one dosha which is more dominant. 

Pitta

Mind: sharp, intellectual, direct

Body: medium build, warm, muscular

Skin: sensitive, acne prone

Hair: tendency for early greying and thinning

Appetite: you can eat just about anything at any time

Temperament: passionate, driven, courageous, strong sex drive, good leader

Conversation style: speaks to convey a point

Shopping style: spends on luxury items

Stress response: irritable, tendency to blame others

Kapha

Mind: detail orientated, consistent

Body: sturdy, gains weight easily, has trouble losing it

Skin: smooth, oily

Hair: thick, oily

Appetite: loves to eat but has slow digestion

Routine: methodical, resistant to change

Temperament: thoughtful, forgiving, sweet, patient, loving, content, slow moving

Conversation: simple and profound

Shopping style: saves

Stress response: doesn't like dealing with it, withdrawn

Pitta

Mind: creative, quick, imaginative

Body: thin, light frame

Skin: dry

Hair: dry

Appetite: delicate, spontaneous, often misses meals

Routine: variable, spontaneous

Temperament: welcomes new experiences, excitable, friendly, energetic

Conversation: loves to talk

Shopping style: buy, buy, buy

Stress response: tendency to blame oneself

If you look at the three doshas and their characteristics you will see that there is one you can relate to more. Before my massage I was asked to fill out a quick questionnaire to determine which dosha I was but the woman immediately recognised me as a Pitta.

I don't know about you guys but I love personality test type things like this... they're so interesting and usually accurate. Which one are you?!

Sami x

Blink Bar

Fenwick @ New Bond Street, London

For appointments call: 0207 408 

A full body massage costs £75 for one hour

Side note: This was the second massage I've ever had in my life and although it was sooooo incredibly relaxing I found getting undressed and letting a stranger touch me a tiny bit uncomfortable. I think the problem is that I just don't get massage etiquette - what do you wear? Is it rude to fall asleep? What if it hurts?!! Can someone please explain this to me!! Gosh all this stress - I think I need another massage...

Beauty: A Man's Perspective

 

Beauty blogs are such a female dominated market that we usually forget guys have an opinion on beauty too. For this reason I thought I'd dedicate today's post to the guys and find out what they really think about our beauty obsession.

Bear in mind that this doesn't mean we should wear makeup for a guy's pleasure... just that it'd be quite interesting to see what they think about it!

I've enlisted the help of two guys who will give their no holds barred opinion on everything from lipstick to beards (they aren't too keen on them btw...)

Do you prefer girls wearing a lot of makeup or nothing at all?

Jash - I think girls look nice in makeup. They shouldn't leave the house without it... in fact they should wake up wearing it! I like it when they make an effort with their appearance and do their makeup nicely, it shows they aren't lazy... and no one likes a slob right?!

Nas - When they wear a lot of makeup it just makes them look like a clown. I think it looks nice when it's toned down a bit.

What about bright eye and lip colours?

J - Pink or red lipstick always look nice - especially red. Heavy eye makeup looks good too if the girl's going on a night out because it shows they've made an effort.   

N - Lip gloss always looks nice but when girls wear really bright colours it looks like they're trying a bit tooo hard.

Let's talk about hair... straight/curly, long short?

J - I don't really have a preference as long as it's soft and healthy. These days everyone has straight hair so it's a nice change to see girls with curly hair - it makes them intriguing.

N - I'm not keen on short hair but I think some girls can pull it off, like Rihanna.

Do you prefer short nails or long acrylics?

J - Short nails are nicer. I can't stand it when they're really long - it just looks scary! I'm not too keen on wierd colours either - it should be something feminine and neutral like pink.

N - Crazy long nails make a girl look too ghetto and I can't stand that. Simple is better.

Opinion on eyebrows and facial hair please?

J - Messy or bushy eyebrows are a big NO. They should be kept tidy and shaped to suit the girl's face. I hate it when they're really thin as well.

N - My advice is that if you like a guy don't ever, ever let him see you with unkept eyebrows and facial hair - it really puts us off!

What do you/don't you like about perfume?

J - When it's overpowering and strong it makes me feel a bit sick. But something sweet and floral is always nice. Chanel Coco madmoiselle is the nicest perfume I've come across on a woman.

N - I love it when a girl wears perfume! it doesn't have to be anything in particular, as long as it's got a sweet scent.

Name a celebrity's makeup you like and one whos you don't...

J - I never notice a celeb's makeup but I think Shakira always looks good. I can't stand Britney Spears - she just looks like a slob 24/7. 

N - Cheryl Cole always looks nice and glamorous. I don't like Jordan - there's just nothing nice about her!

Well there you have it... this is just an insight into what men think about beauty (two guy's opinions don't exactly represent the entire male population - but you get the idea). I hope you found it interesting nonetheless. There are some things that only a girl friend will understand (like a shared love for muddy brown nails) but that's fine by me!

Sami xx

Quick NOTD - Fuchsia Hype

You may remember a previous Nail of the Day post I did for OPI's So Hot it Berns... it was this really bright red and although I absolutely adoooored it, the colour just didn't seem to mesh well with my skintone. I put it down to the fact that my hands are freakishly darker than my face (about five shades darker, I kid you not).

Anyhuu I discovered Bourjois' Fuchsia Hype Nail Polish which is goooooooooorgeous! It's a rich raspberry red and suits darker skintone really well. If you're not too sure about wearing a bright red nail varnish this is the perfect alternative.

Chic Raspberry Red Nails!

I'm still going through a nail polish obsession and on the look out for a bright purple/lilacone, which of course is the only colour that I can't find ANYWHERE! Suggestions are more then welcome :-)

Sami xx

Makeup Essentials

I've been feeling quite unadventurous with makeup lately so I apologise if my recent haul seems quite...blah!

Left to right: MAC Studio concealer, MAC Mineralize Natural Power, MAC Lipstick in Faux 

MAC Studio Concealer
Would you Adam and Eve it - I've never owned or used concealer before! I usually use an extra layer of foundation to cover spots and blemishes and I don't really get dark circles. But then I started to wonder if maybe I was missing out on something and on the recommendation of a friend brought this one.

MAC Mineralize Natural Powder
The powder was actually something I'd been meaning to get ever since summer kicked in. I don't usually like powder because I have very dry skin and I'm worried it might look like I've caked it on. But this mineralize powder is sooo amazing! It keeps makeup on, doesn't dry out your skin, gets rid of excess shine and creates an all round polished look. This is one product I would definitely repurchase.

MAC Lipstick in Faux
I discovered this lipstick last year and fell in love with it immediately. The colour suits just about everyone and because it has a satin finish, it's also really smooth and moisturising. Think of it as a 'my lips, but better' colour.

So there you have it... Bit of a vanilla haul but I have to say that these products are makeup essentials that every girl should have - even if you don't wear much makeup I'd say to keep these handy for touch ups and bad skin days!

Sami xx

Latest Purchases

I've been doing little bits of shopping lately so I thought I'd share some of the purchases that I'm really loving at the moment...

RIMMEL LIPSTICK IN ASIA

This was one of the first lippies I brought as a teen and I looooved it! The colour is so easy to wear and goes so well with my skin tone (and most skin tones). It's nothing ground breaking but it is definitely a reliable lippy that you can pull out when all else fails. I've had it on my lips for a couple of hours and the colour hasn't budged or dried out my lips at all. The only negative is that the packaging is so lacklustre - and you know me... I can be a bit shallow when it comes to packaging!

BENEFIT CORALISTA

Purchase number two is Benefit Coralista which is a pinky-coral blusher. I've always been a bit wary of Benefit cosmetics because a) some of their products make me break out, and b) I find that their colours don't really compliment Asian skin tone. Hooooooowever - I've been searching for a could coral blusher for a while and a lot of my friends recommended this one to me. Colour and pigmentation is fab and it gives a really nice sheen to my cheeks. The brush tends to pick up a lot of the product so you need to have quite a light hand when you apply it. And of course with everything 'Benefit' - the packaging is also absolutely gorgeous... See I told you I was shallow

                              

I hope you guys enjoy my haul posts... I have a serious addiction to buying makeup and I love blogging about it!!

Sami x

OPI... again!

I go through stages where I am obsessed with something.... for a while it was blusher, then lipstick and now nail varnish. I don't know how it happens but I suddenly become amorously fascinated with that one thing. I've been experimenting with different nail colours on my hands and feet and I love how something so simple and inexpensive can transform someone's look.

Here are some NOTD pics of my OPI nail lacquers that I've been hearting lately...

OPI in Pinking of You

I picked this up at my local department store because they were having a 20% off OPI and I just couldn't resist. Although technically not a 'summer' colour, the pink really jumps out and is very pigmented. In real life  it's brighter and less milky and opaque - definitely not a boring pale baby pink. In fact it reminds me of the MAC lipstick in Pink Nouveau, which never suited me... but the nail varnish version does so yay!

OPI in So Hot it Berns

This is part of the OPI A/W Swiss collection and isn't available to buy until August, but if you're looking to pick something up I'd definitely recommend this along with Glitzerland. The colour is a really bright, sizzling red and looks amazing on the feet. I took the pic with a flash only because it captured the true colour much better then without flash. If you want to turn heads this is the nail varnish for you!

Does anyone have any other nail varnish recommendations for me? I tend to avoid dark colours but anything else goes!

Sami x