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

Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil

Shu Uemara isn't a brand I'm that familiar with but a friend introduced me to it last year when I was looking for some falsies (they do the best false lashes I'm told). Anyway, I brought a bunch of stuff and the guy gave me some samples of their cleansing oil. I started using it to take off my makeup when I ran out of wipes (yes - I'm that lazy I use wipes most nights!) So you put a few drops of the oil on wet hands and the formula  transforms into a milky consistency.  You massage it onto your face and rinse off.

Does it work? Yes. After using the oil my face felt clean and soft, rather than tight and itchy. It also took off most of my makeup, although it was tricky getting my eyeliner and mascara off (it doesn't irritate my sensitive eyes either, which is a bonus). 

Would I repurchase? Probably, but I've heard so many wonderful things about the MAC cleansing oil and the Clinique cleansing balm that I'm wondering if I should shop around before finding one to stick to you.... lets see...

As you can see the samples are tiny!!

The Shu Uemura cleansing oils cost around £25 and are available in most department stores

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