Breast Cancer Beauty Products

I'm not going to tell you about the importance of breast cancer awareness because you probably already know. What I will tell you is, that if like me, the mere thought of doing a sponsored marathon or walk for charity has you breaking out in sweat then don't worry - there's an easier and funner (is that a word?!) way to raise money! Some of the big beauty brands have come up with special limited edition pink products to support the cause. Which one (if not all) will you be buying?!

Estee Lauder Elizabeth Hurley Pink Ribbon Lipstick Collection, £25

Estee Lauder Elizabeth Hurley Pink Ribbon Lipgloss Collection, £25

Clinique Great Lips, Great Cause Glosswear Key Chain, £15

Clinique Special Edition Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion, £35

Estee Lauder Pink Ribbon Collection Jewelled Pin, £10

OPI Pink of Hearts Nail Laquer, £9.95

Bobbi Brown Pink Shimmer Brick, £29.50

My favourites are the Shimmer Brick and OPI nail varnish (surprise, surprise!) And don't quote me on this but most, if not ALL, the proceeds from the sale of Bobbi Brown's Pink Shimmer Brick will be going to charity. The rest will be donating £2 - £7.50 from each sale. I love non-guilty makeup! What will you be picking up??

Sami xx

PS - Normal blog posting will resume shortly - I've just been taking it slowly since Ramadan because my days are usually a blur of work, eat and sleep! Ramadan Mubarak to all my Muslim sisters reading this :- ) xx

All I want for Christmas...

A few weeks ago I went to the Selfridges Christmas press day to get a sneak look at their Xmas collections. Of course, being Selfridges, they didn't disappoint. Here are a few things that I have already included in my wishlist!

The L'Oreal Advent Calendar, £TBC

My eyes nearly popped out of their socket when I saw this. It's packed with mini beauty products from the L'oreal family including Lancome, Shu Uemura and YSL. I really, really, really want this!

Viktor & Rolf Christmas Limited Edition Perfume, 50ml, £75

I love the V&H perfume bottles - they're so glamorous and unique, and this one is no exception - eye candy for sure.

Shu Uemura Customised Manga Lashes, £25

Personalisation is really big right now - everyone wants to be unique! Shu Uemura have taken advantage of this and created a special palette for you to deisgn your own lashes. Personally, I'm not too keen on the whole Manga theme but this would make a great gift.

Benefit Wonderland Set, £44.50

I love seeing what gift sets Benefit will come out with and although this one isn't as exciting as Powderazzi or Celebutante it does include some lovely products like the Bad Gal mascara. 

Bobbi Brown Essential Brush Collection, £160

I am drooling over this luxurious brush set and I'm sure the truly dedicated makeup addicts/artists will be rushing out to get it!

Bobbi Brown Mini Brights Palette, £45

I would looooove to get this as a gift - the colour range is amazing! The only issue I have is that it is tiny in real life - like the size of your palm! So for £45 it's way overpriced. 

....and here's what's not on my wishlist:

Luminess Air Platinum Airbrush System, £295

I know everyone wants to get that perfect airbrushed look that you see in magazines but I don't think this is the best way to go about getting it. It just seems a little tooo vain and tacky for my liking. They also have an Airbrush Tanning Set, which actually seems like a good idea as it eliminates the messy tan application process. (IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THIS LET ME KNOW AND I'LL GET MORE INFO FOR YOU - I WASN'T TO EXCITED BECAUSE I DON'T REALLY NEED A TAN!)

There were lots of other beauty goodies that haven't been mentioned (including a £3000 giant Chanel No5 perfume bottle!) but these were the things that really stood out to me.

Although I was impressed with the Selfridges Xmas collection I was disappointed by the PR staff, who to me, seemed quite rude! There were moments when I asked a question at least twice and got no reply or acknowledgement.

I work for a niche publication so, even though most PR people are lovely, their are some (usually ones who look after the bigger brands) that have this superiority complex and think that they don't need publicity in our magazines!

Anyway, rant over... let me know what you will be putting on you Xmas wishlist :- )

Sami xx

The Makeup Manual

Apologies for my absence from blogsphere, I've been getting a bit lazy with my posts (rubbish excuse I know). I've also been trying to stay away from makeup and unnecessary spending so haven't got any new, sparkly things to show you guys : - (

BUT, what I have been enjoying for the past couple of days is the Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual which I came across in the library. I've always been tempted to buy it from the Bobbi Brown counters just because it looked so glam and pink! 

Anyhus, I snapped it up quickly and have been reading it since. It gives really useful tips on taking care of  your skin, makeup application, makeup tools, etc. The only thing it didn't really touch on was contouring, which seems a bit silly because it's such a popular makeup technique these days. But, Bobbi Brown, you are forgiven because the images and easy-to-understand writing made this book a real pleasure to read! I'm considering purchasing the book after so I can use it as my go-to for beauty advice and tips.

As you can see the images are really striking and there's simple step-by-step tips so even a beginner can understand the art of makeup