Spring Trends 2012!

I am so excited for this season's fashion. As a girly girl who loves anything 50's, imagine my delight to read and the see at London Fashion week that Pastel colours are making a come back this spring! Mint greens, sky blues, baby pink, peach and cream - just to name a few.


I very much embraced the pastel phase which London went through in the mid 90's, with salmon pink jeans (which were my pride and joy, I must admit) and a baby blue Benetton puffa jacket and an array of baby coloured tops. HOWEVER....... this time I do intend to tone it down and just go for a hint of pastel here and there to brighten up my outfits.


Here are a few little gems which would be great in your wardrobe/makeup bag this season.




Zara £19.99



 Kurt Geiger £60



Oasis £45



 Oasis £40




£1,029.00 zicuu.com (I admit a bit expensive but the stones are amazing and I just love looking at this ring)

 


Maybelline Colour Essential Pearles collection



Nars cheek/lips/eyes hightlight stick - Luxor

Bobby Brown Pastel Palete

1950's hairstyles in 2012



My favourite decade has to be the 1950's for fashion, style and beauty. One of my all-time idols is Grace Kelly. She was beautiful, stylish, hardworking, successful, and she just oozed elegance effortlessly, which I think us girls seem to lack in this day and age.

Well, there is no excuses now girls - the 1950's look is very much back in fashion and I want to give you some ideas of the looks you could create which will give you the vintage look, with a modern day twist.

Say goodbye to the 'TOWIE' tan

I know TOWIE is the 'in thing' at the moment and I am sooooo with the girls of Essex with the designer handbags, sparkles and big hair. However, I just can't adopt the love of an orange tan. I have tried fake tan many times and I do have my preferred brands which I use when I am feeling extremely pale. 


A few months back I read about a new product to the 'Tan' market called Guerlain Terracotta Healthy Glow Foundation and it is AMAZING! 


GTHGF is a gel foundation which comes in 2 different shades. You can either use this product all over your face for a velvety tan or blend over your temples and cheekbones as a gorgeous natural bronzer. It is £33 from stores such as House of Fraser and John Lewis. I really believe this product is worth the money, if you want to achieve a sunkissed natural tan.


The result - a natural healthy glow and no hint of orange in sight. 


Move over TOWIE's favourite 'Fake Bake' and say hello to 'Guerlain Terracotta'. 

Eye Candy

I find eyeliner flicks instantly transforms your eyes into a party look.

Start by applying eyelid primer - Laura Mercier Eye Basics creates the perfect canvas for eyes (my fav). 

Next is your eyeshadow, this it needs to be close to your natural skin colour. 

Then comes your eyeliner. My personal favourite for the winged look is Bobbi Brown Gel Liner which you apply with a thin angled liner/ eyebrow brush.

To get the perfect, even winged look - apply the liner across the upper lash line as you would usually. Then make a small dot with your liner where you would like your wing to finish. Do this on alternate eyes to ensure they are even, then fill in from the dot to the edge of your lash line.

To finish, curl lashes and apply plenty of mascara to the top and bottom lashes. 

For a more dramamtic look, add eyeliner to the lower lash line.

Gooooooooooorgeous!

x

Say goodbye to laddered tights....

Until recently, I was under the impression that Sally Hansen (The Queen of nail care), only produced nail products. I am a nightmare for over thinking things and worrying about everything that 'might' happen in life and as a result of this I bite my nails to pieces. Sally Hansen's 'Miracle Nails' have helped my nails through the toughest of times, for which I am extremely grateful. However when window shopping in Boots recently I spotted Sally Hansen’s 'Airbrush Legs'. I am aware that this product has been on the market for years,  but as I am all about the beauty reviews these days I decided to give it a whirl.  

They offer 4 different shades. Light Glow, Medium Glow, Tan Glow and Deep Glow. My body (other than my face) is olive toned, so I decided on 'Medium Glow'. When getting ready for a night out recently, I decided to try it out. Well, the result was VERY surprising. I really didn't expect much, however my legs had a silky, smooth, sheen finish, with a nice glow to them. It also made my legs look slimmer (slimmer being the operative word, it doesn't work miracles). So in conclusion  I really was pleased with the result and so would certainly recommend you try this product when the weather gets a bit warmer. 

My score - 8/10.

Tip: Do not rub in - allow to air dry

My New Best Friend Liz Earle.

I recently have been suffering from a few health problems and one of the side effects is acne. 

There was me thinking acne only occurred in teenager's. Acne was probably one of the only things in those awful years of hormones, greasy hair and mood swings that I didn't suffer with. Now however, it is making up for lost time. Perhaps you remember those pubescent years where you would get rid of one spot or 10 even and another 10 would pop up to replace them. Well that has been me for the past 5 months.

I had tried everything- threw away old makeup brushes, foundations, bronzers. Tried Clearasil, oxy, mineral makeup, products for sensitive skin and yet nothing worked, in fact some made my skin worse.

A couple of weeks ago after getting myself all worked up about my skin, a friends mum recommended a brand called Liz Earle. She sweared by this product and assured me it would help my skin. So I thought, why not, I’ve tried everything else.

I was really impressed with the in-depth details on her website. The price for the everyday products I thought were pretty reasonable and ordering was simple. When my products arrived I was very excited and also very impressed with how nicely it was presented.

My first product was a Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser which came in a very smart waterproof bag with 2 face clothes. The second product was the Skin Repair Moisturise Light – Combination/oily. 

Then to my surprise, there was a mini complimentary bottle of Instant Boost Skin Tonic. With a handy little manual inside explaining how to apply all these products.

So I went to work on my face straight away. I applied all 3 products as instructed every morning and evening. It has been 2 weeks now and my skin is pretty much spot free, I swear to you!

So this product which I thought was 'pretty reasonably priced' is actually the best money I have spent ever!!!

To buy Liz's products please visit her website: http://uk.lizearle.com/

Let it shine!

I recently dyed my hair a 'Natural dark Blonde' shade and although it was a nice colour, the bleach from where I was blonde before started to show through really quickly and gave it a dull look.


One evening whilst mooching around boots whilst waiting for my train home I saw Brilliant Brunette by John Freida, shampoo and Conditioner. They were £4.99 each and although, slightly more expensive than I usually pay for my everyday hair care products I thought I would give it a go. Well......................what a difference it has made!!! My hair is silky smooth and sooooo shiny! I had numerous compliments from people at work the following day, plus kept being asked whether I had dyed my hair again. I recommended the product to a friend who is blonde and she came in this morning to show me the results and WOW! This product is a definitely must have for hair that needs some brightening up.

Dainty Digits

Rules for healthy, long, dainty nails.


Rule no.1- Remove all nail polish
Rule no.2- File nails into desirable shape- for this summer’s trend go for soft, short and squared shape
Rule no.3- Apply cuticle remover, wait for 1 minute and then push cuticles back
Rule no.4- Buff the nail plate with a cubed buffer preferably
Rule no.5- Apply nail varnish of choice
Rule no.6- Apply clear top coat to those who have strong nails and for those trying to grow their nails use Stop 'n' Grow varnish, which not only stops you from biting your nails, it also strengthens them.


The colour's to be seen with this season is Coral, Hot Pink and SunflowerYellow.

Long time no speak.......

Apologies that it has taken me so long to get my next post to you all, I have had lots going on and so struggled to find time to write. I am back now however, with more tips and tricks to beautify your life in every way.

Lashes of a Goddess

If you are anything like me, you would not be able to live without mascara.  I have very dark lashes naturally anyway but nothing makes my eyes stand out more than with jet black mascara.

My new fav (and it it has been a long while since I discovered a really good mascara) is the Falsies mascara by Maybelline. I kid you not, it does give you the false lash look. Since changing my mascara to this, I have had so many compliments about my eyes and also have been asked whether I was wearing false lashes and to be able to give the answer NO- really made me feel gorgeous!

You can get Falsies by Maybelline in most Boots or Superdrug stores. It is currently on sale in Superdrug for £6.19 so you save £2.

Here's what the professionals had to say:

New specialised Spoon brush for easy application and generous product deposit. New Pro-Keratin & Fibre enriched formula fills gaps for corner to corner coverage. Conquers clumps. Which I have to agree with.

Va Va Voom

Do you want eyelashes that make people stop and take notice.......? Of course you do!!!!

There are so many false lash products and brands out there, here are 2 that I love and which suit all budgets.

#1 Eylure Individual False Lash Ultra (Boots £5.11)

Eylure Individual lashes give you a pretty, natural look as they offer shorter lengths. I use these lashes for every day use or for dates. They last up to 5 days as long as you gently rub your eyes with water when taking your make up off.

Natural all over look: In a pack you receive, small, medium and large lengths. For me the large length is a little to long so I cut them down to roughly the same size as the medium. You can apply these one of two ways. You can apply the shorter ones from the inner corner of your eye to the middle of your eye and then fill from the middle to the outter corner with the medium lashes.
                                              

Natural Winged look:If you have relatively long lashes naturally, you may want to go for the winged look with your lashes (a favourite of Cheryl Cole and Megan Fox). To get this look you start by adding the smaller individual lashes to middle of your eye (I usually use two), then fill from there towards your outer corner with the medium lashes. Or for a more dramatic look, swap and use the medium and long lengths.

                                                        

                                           

#2 Luxe by Shu Uemura (Space NK £13

Shu Uemura sell amazing lashes. They offer full strip and individual. My favourite of the collection are the Luxe. Luxe give an amazing dramatic look. Ideal for nights out or photo shoots, as they'll make your eyes darker and therefore the whites of your eyes look brighter and stand out. These lashes often only stay on until you wash your make up off but I have managed to make them last 2 days by carefully washing around my lashes with water. These lashes have been linked to J-Lo and Katy Perry. The look below.

                                

                                

Things to remember when applying false lashes:

• Apply on the lashes just under the eyelid, not on the eyelid itself. It gives a more natural look.
• Use a clear or black glue avoid white at all costs
• Ensure to apply a thin layer of eye liner to the top eyelid to disguise any glue residue.
• Apply carefully using tweezers as it aids visibility unlike using your fingers.
• Hold lashes in place for 10 seconds before more onto the next one.
• Always always take lashes off with eyelash glue remover. This can be purchased from ebay for £3 or in stores such as House of Fraser.

Now be careful to not cause any crashes, when fluttering those lashes!

Love, H x

Party like it's 2011....

Evening peeps,

I have spent all evening doing make overs on myself. I took pictures, screenshots and videos, to then realise that half of them hadn't come out very well due to the lighting! Very annoyed and very very tired now! So these looks will have to wait, they will be worth it though, I promise!

As I am tired I will keep this a short one but still a little gem to bare in mind when next in Superdrug.......

I went shopping on my lunch break in Fenchurch Street station when I stumbled upon GOSH. GOSH is a cosmetic brand, catering for all your everyday make up needs. I thought, hey this stuff seems ok, then I found their lip gloss. At first glance it seemed like just an ordinary lip gloss but I was wrong, soooo wrong. It has a mirror down the side of the tube, which is of course extremely helpful when you are out and in need of a touch up. It also has a light on the inside of the lid, so when in a club etc, you can see what you are doing and FINALLY it has glitter in the gloss, real glitter! So your lips sparkle like diamonds. 

They are only £7.99 as well!

If you don't believe, just pop in and try a tester, you will not be able to resist!

Happy Wednesday night.

Love, H x

The hair care item I would never be without!

Dry shampoo


My first experience with dry shampoo takes me back 5 years when I was studying to be a nurse.When caring for long term patients, we would often use dry shampoo with a mouse like texture to clean their hair if they were bed bound. So from then until only a few months ago, every time people recommended dry shampoo to me, I associated it with ill people and it put me off.


Unfortunately for me, I have hair which gets oily within 24 hours and so in the end had to give in. However to my surprise, I loved the stuff! I use Boots own brand dry spray (my recommendations below) and it's amazing.
You just spray some all over your hair and then brush it through with a comb and you are ready to go. There is a transparent powder in the spray which makes it suitable for all hair shades and soaks up the oil and so your hair appears dry and clean. Yeeeeeeeey!


If you suffer with oily hair or you have a busy lifestyle and need a quick spruce up after a night
out, then this is the stuff for you.

£1.99 and 4 boots points.

Here's to looking fresh all day everyday!


Love H, x

How to survive a hangover...... with style.

I am afraid I do not the cure for a hangover (I wish I did). However I have a few tips that can hopefully see you through them looking as respectable as you can.

v  Drink LOADS of water. Headaches after drinking are often caused by the dehydration; therefore drinking lots of water will not only help to ease your hangover it will also help you to colour in your cheeks, instead of green and help to ease the puffy dark circles under your eyes.

v  Shower as soon as possible. In order to feel human again you need to freshen up and rinse away the night before’s madness. Use luke warm water and a nice perfumed shower gel and wash below the face down. The nice scent will release endorphins (feel good hormones) and help to perk you up.

v  Brush your teeth and use mouthwash. The amount of sugar that can be found alcoholic drinks and mixer’s is quite disgusting, also as previously, you will be dehydrated and so your mouth will be dry and teeth will be furry. Giving your teeth a good scrub will help to keep your teeth healthy and white, plus will help make you feel fresh, inside and out.

v  Comb your hair back. Keeping your hair back in a ponytail if long or with a headband if short will keep you looking well groomed and tidy.

v  Apply tinted moisturizer and mascara. This is all you need really if you are suffering in the company of friends or boyfriend. The last thing you will want when feeling unwell is lots of makeup weighing you down. Tinted moisturizer is light and helps to add a nice glow to your face without looking as though you are well made up. Apply two coats of mascara to help open your eyes and make them look whiter.

 and if you still look green...... Add a touch of pink blusher to your cheeks.

Believe me, I know when I have been hung over I can barely move off of my sofa, let alone stand in a shower. However, when I do make the effort to do all of the above, my appearance and day is always a lot lot brighter. 

My recommendation for tinted moisturiser’s:



Cover FX £35, this is my favourite but is a little expensive.



Benefit- You Rebel £21

Holly’s must have of 2011!

I love this hairdryer!

I have used plenty of different hairdryers in my time but this one blew me away (sorry I couldn’t resist).

I previously owned a Toni & Guy fancy hairdryer which was heavy and not very powerful and so I would spend ages and ages drying my hair. I then moved onto what appeared to be a travel hairdryer which was lighter and so therefore easier to use when styling but again took forever to dry my hair.

When finally the day came when a very very lovely person bought me a new one and there it was, the saviour of hairdrying! It may seem silly but I promise you, this hairdryer is amazing and it’s cheap too! It is not only extremely powerful and light, it also makes my hair smooth and shiney, I have seen a noticable different in the quality of my hair since using it. I bought my mum one for Christmas and she loves it too!

If you are in need of a new hairdryer or you just want one, you can pick them up in Boots for only £24.99 and you get 98 points on your card with the purchase, which can’t be bad surely?????

http://www.boots.com/en/BaByliss-5541U-Pro-Speed-2100-Hairdryer_1039182/

No longer does getting ready in a rush or styling your hair beautifully need to be a chore!

Love, H  x

The next step to beautiful skin....

As my goal for this blog is to help my readers become as beautiful and confident as they can be. I have decided to post a simple skin care routine that will suit anyone and everyone and that I know it's end result is beautiful skin.


To start with, effective skincare products can not be determinded by price! It is what suits your skin type. I will write a post on which products suit which skin type you are but I wanted to give you a clear idea of what is key for gorgeous skin.




#1 Cleanse/ wash
Cleansing is something that a lot of people do as their daily or weekly routine to unclog their pores although cleansing does work well enough it can come with side effects if used too often or if it is too heavy for your skin type. I personally do not like using cleansers as I find they are too strong for the skin and so I use a non perfumed body wash and warm water to clean my face to ensure my pores are unclogged. You should not use hot or cold water when washing your face as this can effect the capilleries and cause them to burst and you will have little red blemishes. This will then make harder work for you when applying your makeup later.




#2 Exfoliate


Facial and body scrubs are important in your weekly skincare routine in order for you to remove dead skin cells that are lying on top of the fresh glowing skin underneath. Ensure to
use scrubs with small grains as they are softer on the skin. Please do not assume that the bigger
or harder the grains the smoother your skin will be, this is incorrect. It actually allows the 
possibility of tearing the skin, which does not coincide with our aim for beautiful skin.


#3 Moisturise 


Moisturising is absolutely key in your skin care Routine. After washing and drying anywhere 
on your body, you should always moisturise. However, pay attention to your skin and if your face is begging to get spots or getting oily quicker than usual, it may mean you are moisturising too much. Skin that is dry, flacky or itchy will benefit the most from moisturising. If you have acne you should avoid moisturiser ( I will explain this in a later post) and sensitive skin should only used non perfumed. I myself have very sensitive skin and have used olay since I was 15 and have tried other creams more expensive and cheaper and have always gone back to olay. This is just a personal choice as it suits my skin. 


#4 No touching your face
This isn't a routine as such but more of a habit. Please avoid touching your face with your hands or dirty objects, by doing this regulary you will be undoing all of your hard work by opening yourself up to allowing dirt into those pores.


In conclusion - Skin is such a personal thing, therefore, it is important that you find the products which suit your skin type. What suits me or your friend won't neccassarilly suit you.


Now remember - No touching!


Love H x

Do you dare to bare........all?

Strip back the moisturizer, primer, foundation, bronzer, blusher, hightlighter,etc, etc, etc. You have the most important ingredient in the recipe for a gorgeous you...YOUR SKIN!

Don't get me wrong, I adore make up and the amazing looks and confidence you can get from it. However, I am a firm believer in natural beauty and thus gorgeous skin is essential to capture natural beauty.

Here are some tips to help make the most of your skin:

Ingrediants

8 Glasses Cold water

makeup remover wipes. (I personally recommend the olay wipes as they are designed for sensitive skin)

1/2 lemon

Pinch of salt

bowl of warm water 

1 towel

1 bowl of cold water.

Drink 8 glasses of water throughout the day (everyday)

Use make up wipes to take all of your make up off

Squeeze the 1/2 lemon into a bowl of warm water

Add a pinch of salt

Wash your face using the lemon water (ensure to keep your eyes closed). This will help open and clear your pores of dirt.

once you have given your face a good wash with the lemon juice, wash your face with cold water. You must ensure to do this, 

to ensure your pores are closed and so dirt can not get in.

Dab your face try with a clean dry towel. 

Leave for half an hour, make sure to not touch your face in this time or if you do ensure you have clean hands.

For the pièce de résistancee, moisturise your face with a non perfumed cream.

Repeat this every 3 to 4 weeks.

Enjoy a your new glowing skin.

Love, H x