Nail du Jour: OPI Cozu-melted in the Sun

My local department store had a mahooosive 20% sale on all OPI products a few weeks ago so I just couldn't resist ANOTHER nail varnish... Eeek! This one is called Cozu-melted in the Sun and it's a glossy, shimmery beige-pink. It's not too in 'yer face so would be great to wear for work. 

I think this may be my new favourite (although I say that about all my new nail varnishes - fickle eh?!). And it kind of reminds of a silk nightie - sexy, glamorous and understated. Definitely a must-have : - )

What do you guys think? Is it worth it even with a 20% discount?!

Sami xx

MAC Viva Glam Gaga Lip Glass

After the amazing success of the Viva Glam Lipsticks, MAC have come out with a lip glass version! I never brought the lipsticks because I didn't feel the colour would suit me, however, the Viva Glam Gaga Lip Glass* is (in my opinion) a lot more wearable.

Let me just state that I NEVER wear lip gloss... like EVER! I don't even own any! Reason being that they usually taste like crap, can be very sticky/gooey and I don't see them as very long lasting compared to a lipstick. So you can imagine how I felt being faced with this little beauty....

My Verdict: Amazing! The lip gloss was not sticky, tasted okay and lasted for a a good couple of hours (I'm not sure if all MAC Lip Glasses are like this though... am I telling you guys something you already know?!). The colour was also, surprisingly wearable. It's a milky, opaque pink but the glossiness of it meant that it didn't look too light and it didn't wash me out. I also tried the Cyndi Lauper one but I wasn't crazy about the colour... if you want to see how it looks let me know and I'll do a separate post :- )

FYI: Viva Glam Lip Glasses £12, available from October for 6 months ONLY!

Are there any other MAC Lip Glasses that are really good? I've discovered a love for them so any recommendations would be great! 

In other news....

Bring on the Bling

I've been feeling a bit flash lately (it's a shame my bank account hasn't...) so decided to finally buy into the hype and get Paco Robanne Lady Million. I have been lusting over One Million forever so I was really excited about this fragrance. I'd describe the scent as a fresh and fruity (helpful eh?!) and on first spray it is quite delicious... but after it settles the smell becomes quite musty and I can smell the alcohol...Eeek! I'm really disappointed because the men's version is sooo sooo much better! 

Paco Robanne Lady Million 30ml, £45

I also got these beautiful earrings from River Island... They're much sparklier in real life and I love the little diamantés! I think they were about £9.99

Has anyone else tried the Lady Million perfume and what were your thoughts??

Sami x

Easy Peasy Smoky Eyes

If I'm being honest I'm a bit scared of smoky eyes... When applied wrong it can look a bit Taylor Momsen (Eeeek!) but if done right, it can look really glamorous and sultry. Well, I've managed to find a way to achieve it with minimal effort and maximum impact! 

This was my first proper go at it so it's by no means perfect... and I still haven't plucked up the courage to leave the house with it on... Maybe one day!

I used: Urban Decay Primer Potion, Urban Decay Naked Palette, L'Oreal Millionize Mascara, Gosh Liquid Eyeliner, Black Khol

HOW I DID IT

After applying a primer on the eyelids, dab a black shadow, like Gunmetal with a flat brush up to the crease (DON'T GO ABOVE THE CREASE - we're not going for a Panda look here). Extend the eyeshadow out with a pointed brush so it creates a winged out effect.

With a small fluffy brush apply a neutral colour, like Naked to blend out any harsh edges.Apply liquid liner on the top eyelid for extra definition and wing it out.

Apply a black khol or eyeliner to the bottom eyelids and smudge with a pointy brush or your fingers. Add a highlight, like Sin, to the tearduct. Or for more of a cat eye join the eyeliner. 

Apply a generous amount of volumising mascara then finish the look off with a matt bronzer to contour and a highlight on the top of the cheekbones. 

I also applied MAC Lipstick in Blankety to help offset the intensity of the smoky eyes. 

This look is quite strong because it's ultimately a solid black on your eyes, but it can be softened with a highlight. Once I master a 'proper' smoky eye I will definitely post it (but don't hold your breath!)

What do you guys think? How do you do your smoky eye?

Sami x

Nail du Jour: The perfect purple?

I am totes in LOVE with this Barry M Nail Paint that I borrowed off a friend (hence the absence of the bottle). However, I have no idea the name/number of it and I haven't seen it anywhere in the shops! Does anyone know if it's still available? 

The colour, as you can see, is a vivid pinky purple, although it looks a bit lilac in this picture

Could this be the end of my search for the perfect purple?

Sami xx

Golden Makeup Look

Here's a look I did recently for The Asian Beautifier's blog competition where I had to create either a Golden Goddess or Sparkle Diva makeup look. Of course I love gold so I went for that option! 

I wanted to go for a dramatic, yet glamorous, look so I took inspiration from Cleopatra and went for heavy black eyeliner, lots of gold and statement brows (I used a black eyeshadow to make them really stand out but it came out a little messy :S )

Close up...

What I Used...

FACE

MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation in NC42

MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC42

MAC MSF Natural

Chanel Bronze Universal

Bobbi Brown Bronze Shimmer Brick

EYES

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Urban Decay Half Baked Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Urban Decay Virgin Eyeshadow

Urban Decay Sin Eyeshadow

GOSH Gold Pigment

Shu Uemura Gel Liner

L'Oreal Volumize Mascara

Eyelure False Lashes in Glamour 120

LIPS

YSL Lip Contour

MAC Lipstick in Faux

THE REST...

I straightened my hair and put it in a middle parting. Then I clipped a earring in the middle (like a tika) togive it more of a glam/eastern vibe.

Hope you likey :- )

Sami xx

Lush Goodies: Honey Farm & a new Hero product?

I'm not a Lush expert and there are sooo many products to choose from so I thought I'd go for the Honey Farm Gift Set, £14.95, to sample some of their products. Dipping my toes into the water, so to speak. 

The gift set comes cutely wrapped in yellow (recyclable) paper and a black silk bow. I love buying presents, especially when they're for me, so this made me feel very special indeed :)

You open the box to find it covered in popcorn!

Note: Do NOT eat the popcorn - they are purely for packaging... as I learnt the hard way...

What you get inside

Top Left Clockwise: Honey I Washed the Kids Soap, Flying Fox Shower Gel, Honey Bee Bath Fizz, Ma Bar Bubble Bar

My Thoughts

Honey I Washed the Kids Soap: I don't usually use soap because I have VERY DRY skin but this one had no nasty chemicals, lathered up nicely and smelt delish! The scent lingers for a while after you use it too.

Flying Fox Shower Gel: Hands down BEST shower gel ever! The smell is very strong but it left my skin feeling soft and you only need a tiny bit to get a thick, creamy lather.

Honey Bee Bath Fizz: I'm not a 'bath kinda gal' but I chucked it into a running bath last week and it started fizzing up and coloured the bathwater a bright yellow! My skin feeling really silky and soft, which no other bath bomb/oil has ever done.

Ma Bar Bubble Bar: I got two baths out of this and it smelt like a yummy fudge... Mmmm! What else can I say about a Bubble Bar... Er... it created nice bubbles for my bath?

Overall

This is a great product for those that don't know much about Lush as it gives you an introduction to their main ranges: Soap, Shower Gel, Bath Fizz and Bubble Bar. The only thing missing was a massage bar, which I still want to try out. The perfect treat for a night of pampering :)

Hero Product?

Lush Dream Cream, £9.95

Does it work?

In a word: Yes. Lush Dream Cream is meant to be amazingly moisturising and soothing, especially for dry/sensitive skin so I couldn't resist trying it out. I might have mentioned before that I suffer from dry skin and I've tried nearly every type of body butter and cream out there! The Body Shop range is OK and smells lovely, but doesn't absorb properly into my skin. Other cosmetic brands like L'Oreal and Vaseline are rubbish, as were medical brands like E45, Johnson's Baby Oil is too light and Palmers Cocoa Butter did nothing. Everything just left me feeling underwhelmed.

My mum suggested Olive Oil, which worked a treat and made my skin so, so soft - but it left me with a greasy layer of oil all over my body! I had low expectations about Dream Cream but can I just say that it could possibly be the BEST BODY CREAM EVER. Seriously, I applied this at night and my skin was left feeling so soft the next day. I don't know how Lush did it but there is not a single dry patch on me now - not a flake. I've been using this every night and my skin has improved tenfold... I'm so happy I discovered it! :)

Why you should go 'Au Natural'

The main reason why Lush products work so much better than other cosmetic products, I believe, is because the ingridients they use are natural and organic. Soaps and creams loaded with chemicals can seriously disturb your skin's PH balance and this is why a lot of people with sensitive/dry skin prefer to go organic. Next time you buy a cream or shower gel look at the ingredients and think about whether you want all those chemicals on you?! I'm no skin expert, this is just my personal opinion. I'd love to know what products you all use!

Sami xx

PS Sorry about the lengthy post... next one will be full of pics I promise :-)

Haul Time: MAC and other bits...

So, after a whole one month makeup ban, I decided to treat myself :) and of course what better brand to treat myself with then Mac?! There wasn't anything that caught my eye in their Feline collection so I went for some other bits that I'd been meaning to get for a while... 

Lipsticks

Left to right: MAC lipstick in Show Orchid and Impassioned

Top to bottom: Impassioned and Show Orchid

I've wanted to get Show Orchid for such a long time but it's only available in Pro stores (I don't understand why it's not available in normal stores because it's such a popular colour). As you can see it's a gourgous, bright fuschia that would look great with a LBD. The second lippy I got was Impassioned which initially scared me - but as you can see in the swatch it comes out as a creamy pink that I think would suit just about anyone (probably not my uncle though...) I am addicted to Mac lipsticks, and although I'm sure there are better brands out there I will always go back to them!

      Eye Makeup

        MAC Pigment in Tan

I was torn between the MAC Pigment in Tan and Melon, which are both very similar. In the end I went for Tan because it swatched as a shimmerey beige and Melon was a bit more on the yellow side. Nothing much to say about MAC pigments other then that they have amazing colour payoff, can be messy and come in lots of yummy colours :)

MAC Paint Pot in Groundwork

I originally wanted to get Painterly but it wasn't in store so I went for Groundwork instead. The quality of MAC Paint Pots are amazing because it goes on as a cream and dries as a powder. As you can see by the swatch it doesn't leave any creases and melts into my skin like magic. I use this as a base for eyeshadow and on it's own for a more natural look. Love, love, love it! In fact, I may go back for more :)

Presents!

Laura Mercier Pistashio Body Souffle 

              

Everytime I'd walk past the Laura Mercier counter I'd look longingly at their Pistachio Body Souffle because of thei ntoxicatingly delicious smell. I'ver never been able to justify spending £41 on it (yeah - you heard right - £41!) but then I got it as a present! Yay! This cream is seriously moisturising and the smell (think freshly baked cakes... or any other yummy dessert) stays on your skin for the entire day - I put it to the test the other days and it stayed on for hours. My 9yr old cousin also put some on her arm and reported back, saying that she could still smell it when she went to bed!

Dolce & Gabbana Rose The One

I prefer this sooo much more to the original D&G The One because the floral scent makes it alot more feminine. Two sprays of this last all day, which is another bonus!

The perfect weekend treat

My sundays usually consist of lazing around the house, in front of the TV with some chocolate and a magazine!

As you can see I've been busy spending my wages and lazing about (!) but now that Ramadan is over I have more time (and energy) to do more blog posts. I don't want to do loads of lazy, pointless posts every week just for the sake of posting something, but I will try and do 2/3 good quality, (hopefully) interesting posts from now on. I have a few exciting ones coming up this week!

Sami xx