Vogue get in, er, Vogue

Vogue has relaunched its website!! Thank gawwwd .. it was about time, their beauty features were outdated and boring, so that is all change now. For a brand that is all about the cutting edge of fashion, you think that would translate into their website... well now it does! Check it out... www.vogue.co.uk

Peroxide is a Girl's Best Friend

The ordeal is finally over, so by day I'm watching old movies to nurse my celebration party hangovers [there are going to be a few...]

Today's old movie was "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" one of those classic, upbeat but "with-a-message" type musical starring some some amazing outfits, exquistive jewellery and the legend that is Marilyn Monroe. You literally cannot stop staring at the girl throughout the whole film, she has such a unique radiance [for the time, obviously Christina Aguilera, Scarlett Johanssen and just about every other Hollywood starlet thinks they have the allure of Ms. Monroe, of which they are either very hopeful or completely deluded].

She some how makes you beleive she is fragile, cunning, sexy, innocent, conniving, cute, clever, dumb and glamorous all at the same time. And, in reference to the title, that blonde hair is absolutely captivating. No matter what people argue, you always notice the blonde first, especially the bright platinum mane of Marilyn. Would have been interesting to see how her career would have gone if she stayed true to her brunette roots...

But this is a beauty blog, so I shall focus on that! Back in the 40s and 50s, they used cake makeup on actresses (and Marilyn herself did some promotional work for Max Factor) whereby they used damp sponges to apply a thick base that evened out skintone under the harsh lighting.

The rest is all very 50s glamour-puss, from the highly arched eyebrows which is my favourite part of 50s makeup) the thick, winged eyeline [again, it would have been in cake form] and the ruby red lips [MAC do a great red lipstick which they based on Marilyn's lipcolour in "How to Marry a Millionairre" called Ruby Woo] Marilyn became the iconic image for women all around the world, and is still the main influence for retro makeup. What an icon.

... oh, and the movie also stars Jane Russell, did I mention that? She's a brunette, what do you expect.

The Body Shop

... If I ever have to look at that damn logo again....

Unfortuantely, as University life draws to a close, I am suddenly unmotivated. The reason for this I'm not so sure [the rain doesn't help... for goodness sake its nearly June!!!] but The Body Shop has finally taken it all out of me. I think I've learnt more in the past six months about business [and about myself!] than I have the rest of my life put together.

And I'm shattered.

I promise to write more when I've handed this work in!!! First stop - Space.NK :D

The Goddess of Viagra

Wow... yesterday was my first full day not publishing a post!! Well I promise to make it up today... OK its 8pm and this is my first one, so probably not so much, but I'm coming up to the deadline of my report... 13,500 words at last count... so I'm going slightly hysterical...


Ps- I would like to share with you a gem from "The Weakest Link" today.. Glamour model special [full of quips from the love-to-hate-but-cant-doubt-the-face-lift-was-a-success Anne Robinson such as Who will you vote off? Who will be the glummer model?] any ho... Charlie U-wotever, that eejit off Big Brother with the big gob was on and when asked the question.. "In greek mythology, who is the goddess of love?" answer from the eternally stupid waste of space Charley "Viagra"

I mean, I know Ive got an A Level in Classics, but come on.... gave me a giggle though, well needed today! So thanks Charley your utter self righteous stupidity brightened my day.

Nothing to do with beauty, so apologies.

Voila! Lumiere!

So I was traipsing through town yesterday and went into John Lewis to have a browse through the latest Summer product launches.

Franchises in stores can be a bit intimidating and I wasn't in the mood to have to tell all the salesgirls "I'm just browsing, thanks" so I went to the nearest counter and just got that one out the way.

Luckily for me, it was one of my favourite brands, Chanel. At the moment I use their 'Teint Innocence' compact, which is a very lovely, smoothing and lightweight foundation. My only problem with it is that it runs out in about 2 months; not good when it costs £22! The compact is handy to carry around though.

So I went in to check out the other foundations and product launches of the Summer. They supplied with me a sample of Vitalumiere foundation lotion [it also comes in a cream which is no suitable for my combination skin, but felt lovely and rich when I tried it on my dry areas, so if you have dry skin check this one out!]

The consistency is nice and light and it spreads well, mattifying the areas that need it and yet not drying out my dry areas. It is a light-medium coverage, and gets a big tick for containing an SPF. It also smells 'Chanel' [if you use any of the products, you'll know what I mean, all the coosmetics and skincare seem to have a similar smell...

However, after a few hours I felt it was seeping into the lines around my eyes a little bit [yes, I have lines, so what!] and seemed to be 'slipping off my nose a little bit.

I wouldn't say it was worth the money for me. Shame.

Chanel Teint Innocence compact + foundation £30 Refill £22 Chanel Vitalumiere £28

UPDATE Onslaught

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odI7pQFyjso&feature=related

An interesting response from Greenpeace to Dove's Onslaught video [see below]

This addresses a very important environmental issue. Palm oil is not sustainable and is used in an astonishing amount of products. So check the packaging before you buy! It's unnecessary and as you can tell from the video, causes a lot of irrevecable damage.

Onslaught

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei6JvK0W60I
Check out this link - its the latest advert from the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty.

I have mixed feelings on Dove. Whilst I understand that they are promoting a better body image for girls in a society where eating disorders are rife and the number of girls getting cosmetic surgery is rising at an astonishing rate [let alone they are getting progressively younger] I still think, at the end of the day, it's all a big promotional venture to sell more products. I'll bet the women in charge of the marketing and PR campaigns are on the Atkins and have botox shots in their forehead.

Serving Up A Treat

Customer service. Its either very right or very wrong isn't it? Especially with cosmetics. Buying yourself some new colours or products is a very personal and self indulgent treat that we all love doing and receiving poor service can ruin that mood.

Well, I've experienced both extremes today.

I went to do some printing for my degree work and the guy had obviously missed the personality gene. Even though I was sweet and nice, which I tend to be to most people until they make it obvious I should act otherwise, he just didn't 'get' me at all. And he was rude and obnoxious, so to make myself better I visited MAC where you are guaranteed [in Nottingham any way...] to get a lovely, personal service.

An artist demonstrated the new 'Naughty Nauticals' collection on me and I paticularly liked the new shade of Pigment in 'Mutiny' blended with the eyeshadow in 'Submarine', a very wearable deep ocean colour. Great if you love the smoky eye look like I do.

However, I'm currently on a look out for a good orange nail varnish, which they didn't have in yet; strange because MAC tends to be a leader and not a follower on colours and I expected them to have several shades of the 'it' colour for Summer! Will have to get OPI instead then...

MAC Pigments £15 MAC Eyeshadows £10 OPI nailvarnishes £11

God damn you Natalie Portman. Not many people can pull of couture!

HOW hot is this dress?! I'm told it is by Brawny, never heard of them, but I will definitely be looking out for them now! Celebrity endorsement.. theres nothing quite like it! Could have been more inventive with the shoe choice though... perhaps she didnt want to detract attention from the dress.

RIP Perfect World Anti-Oxidant Mask

Why do they do this to us?! Just when you are falling in love with a product they go and discontinue it.

The first time I remember this happening to me was when I was 15 and just discovering the world of makeup [via my Mum's makeup bag]. She had this wonderful, creamy eyeliner by Clinique in the most gorgeous shade of brown that really brought out my green eyes. It swiftly became mine, and was the first time I actually used a product until it could be sharpened no more.

When it had gone I bought several [cheaper!] shades of brown eyeliner but none quite hit the same note.

A couple of years later and I saved up to buy "The One" only to be told it was discontinued.

When I was 17 I discovered Bloom makeup. The concealer stick was fab, and as I was at a spotty stage, was regularly used. Nowadays I can't even find the brand anymore, and goodness knows I've tried.

Now its happened again. One of my favourite masks, Perfect World AntiOxidant Overnight Mask by Origins has been discontinued. This was one of the products that led me to fall in love with the brand and ultimately lead to me working for them. It was a beautifully scented, rich hydrating mask that you could apply before bed and wake up radiant. But, alas, it is no more.

Clarins Beauty Flash Balm also works as an overnight treatment, so I guess thats my new port of call, but I don't get a discount on that. Hmph.

Clarins Beauty Flash Balm £14.50

Nude enough for you?

One of the biggest problems I have with the cosmetic industry are the standard of Organic certification.

The hard fact of reality is that no product can ever by 100% organic. Why? Because you cannot label water as organic and water is the base of all products. Probiotics obtained from milk cannot be labelled as organic, even if the milk they are taken from is. I don't pretend to be an expert on this subject, or indeed any subject written in this blog, it's all point of view of course. But I have had training on the certifying of organic cosmetics.

When customers approach me on counter and look upset that the Origins Organic range face wash in 'only' 73% organic they almost berate the company for 'bothering to put it as organic'. Well actually, we are just being honest. We have sourced what we can and we are truthful about it.

The truth is, there is no Government legislation on organic labelling. If a company decides to create a product that has 3% organic ingredients, it can officially label itself as organic. It does not need to have a certfication and it does not need to show the percentage of ingredients that are organic. Just jumping on the green bandwagon and going along for the ride. This is ridiculously unfair to all the companies that actually source as much organic produce as they can and spend a hell of a long time transforming these ingredients into a product. [It's a very expensive and timeconsuming process.]

And at the end of the day, it's us that are made to look a fool.

Genuine organic brands to try are:

NUDE [between £18-50]

Origins Organics [between £18-35]

Jatamansi [from £40]

Organic Apoteke [from £14]

Neals Yard Remedies [from £12]

Erbaviva [from £8]

Shiny, Happy Hair

I was having a conversation today with one of my friends over a glass of wine and the eubject moved on to hair. Why is it that when you meet with a girlfriend, the subject of hair always seems to enter the conversation, however fleeting?! Anyway it inspired me to ask around for what my friends use on their hair as treatments. There is something almost spiritual about hair masks for me; the ritual of massaging it, enhaling the scent and the anticipation of looking more Goldilocks than Gladrags when the potion is rinsed off.

My blonde friends seem to love Aussie 3 Minute Miracle for Coloured Hair. I love the smell of this product and it does make your hair very shiny, but its difficult to work with after because of the softness, I find.

My personal favourite is Kerastase Chroma Reflect Mask that is packaged in delightful fushia casing and although is very expensive, makes hair wonderfully glossy.

Another tip from a friend with afro-carribean hair is Aveda Damage Remedy.

My Aunt, who used to work for SAKS, has very dry and damaged hair from her addiction to irons and constant colour changes. Overprocessed hair lacks protein, as dyes tend to suck it all out, and she swears by beating an egg [packed with protein] mixed with a little milk and applying the resulting goo to hair. Wrapping your hair in a warm towel afterwards increases the heat, and thus the penetration, of the formula.

I also read that Reese Witherspoon [whose hair at the 2007 Oscars looked gorgeously natural and shiny] uses olive oil as an overnight treatment to pep up glossiness.

So it just goes to show that even the professionals employ home remedies as part of their beauty rituals!

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle sachet from 99p Kerastase Chroma Reflect Mask £24 Aveda Damage Remedy from £15

For a True Blue

Well today is a legendary day in my life, I got absolutely no sleep last night worrying about the Champions League Final. Anyone who knows me knows I am a big Chelsea Fan, so I am dedicating this post to my favourite blue beauty!

Benefit Bad Gal lash used to be one of my favourite mascaras, if you are after the rock chick, thick chunky lashes look, however this season is all a bit understated in terms of beauty, lots of natural eyes with the emphasis more on the mouth. This will be perfect for Winter though as I've heard on the grapevine that coloured mascara is going to be all the rage...

I must admit that Dolce and Gabanna light blue always sticks around in my head because of the delicous David Gandy who stars in the adverts. That and the fact that I always see the product on offer in Wilkinsons when buying cheap Pic n Mix... :P

Kiehls is a lovely brand. They have a great ethos and their Creme de Korps is one of the best body moisturisers I've ever tried, but I won't spend £14.50 on a little bottle. It's always sold out on Space.NK online though so not everyone shares my views! Their 'Blue Astringent Herbal Lotion' is one of those products you are likely to find in a lot of A list bathrooms. An alcohol based toner that is good for mopping up oily to very oily skins; I've heard that Angela Bassett is a fan.

After my rave about Shu Uemura yesterday, I do not need to introduce the brand, but their Depsea range is formulated using marine extracts such as a variety of seaweeds and flora; great antioxidants and seaweed is a known skin balancer and although I'm yet to try the range, I imagie it would suit my skin type very well. The 'Moisture Lotion' seems a reasonable price and what a gorgeous bottle that relfect that collection aesthetic beautifully.

Terry De Gunzberg is the woman credited with inventing the legendary Touche Eclat for YSL. No wonder when she launched her own range, By Terry, beauty editors, A Listers and all us ordinary folk clamoured to be one of the first to experience the "haute couture of makeup", as Terry describes her collection. I will defintely be dedicating a post to this wonderful line as soon I have sampled more products from the collection, but if it is all as good as the foundation and brush in one, Light expert, I'm in for a treat.

Finally, I had to add an oil didnt I?! Space.NK aromatherapy oils smell delicous and this one, 'Revive', is my favourite with notes of pink grapefruit, rosemary and juniper.

Benefit Bad Gal Mascara £14.50 Dolce and Gabanna Light Blue from £16.95 Kiehls Creme de Korps £14.50 Shu Uemura DepSea Moisture Lotion £21 By Terry Light Expert £38 Space.NK Aromatherapy Bath and Body Oil £30

How to Look Good Naked

I love Gok Wan.

The episode this week showed a woman who has had a masectomy and used to hide behind unflattering and baggy sweats, but good old Gok showed her she was really a beautiful, inspiring woman. I believe that women who survive the utter horror that is breast cancer are the real women among us. They have battled and come out the other side, and at the end of the day, without trying to sound too blunt; a tit is a tit. It's about who you are, your highs, your lows, your beliefs, who you love and those who love you and that determine your Womanliness.

A cause that I feel very strongly for is 'Look Good... feel Better', a charity that addresses appearance-related changes to women who suffer from cancer. They have volunteers that encourage women to take pride in their appearance and give them confidence that they may have lacked.

www.lookgoodfeelbetter.org

Don't Cry for Me Shu Uemura...

... I cried for you. Well now I've opened up to one of my best mates about crying over a product, I may as well share it with all of you [and no it wasn't over the price, suprisingly] It was over Shu Uemura High Performance Cleansing Oil. This is the stuff of legend... a truly rich and nourishing but not at all greasy cleanser that takes away make up and grime and leaves your skin so soft and radiant its unbelievable. Yes, its a little pricey, but a bottle lasts ages I'm told [I've only ever had samples of it :( I currently use Origins Clean Energy cleansing oil because;

A. I get a nice discount

B. I can't get Shu Uemura in Nottingham.

This brand is fabulous and I can't wait to try the hair care range which has recently launched. The website is http://www.shuuemuraartofhair.com/_en/_ww/ if you want to check it, very high tech and lovely designed webpage. It also discusses the products in great detail, very informative.

I'll have to add it to the ever expanding list of products for my parents to bring me back from the USA!

Mr Shu Uemura himself was one of the greatest pioneers in cosmetic history, RIP.

Shu Uemura High Performance Balancing Oil £25 Origins Clean Energy Cleansing Oil £14

Its been a loooong day...

So im going to ridicule some Z List celeb to make myself feel better.

So who is the 45 year old mess? Er...actually it is 20 year old Brooke Hogan, daughter of the Hulk, who is forging a career as a 'singer' or something.

Now false nails I have no problem with but when they look they belong to a witch out of the Wizard of Oz or something, you know your in trouble. I mean can she actually be happy with the results? "Oh yes dahhhling, there fabbbbulous!"

I get my nails done occasionally, the shorter the better so I can still type and pick up cutlery and that, but I guess when your famous you have servants to do that sort of stuff for you.

What is it about all these LA Blonde idiots that feel that orange skin, peroxide hair and red talons will make them the next Big Thing?! I just don't get it. Give me Alexa Chung anyday, class is more than skin deep.

Michelle!!!....Ooooo...

... is all I can say about these. The quirky [putting it mildly!] duo Viktor and Rolf have come up with the goodies again, this time designing eyelashes for Shu Uemera. I love love love Shu Uemera eyelashes, they are so funky with a vivid array of colours and textures from spider lashes to purple stripes [see my lovely, if very drunk, picture above!] and plumes of feathers.

Viktor and Rolf's collection are scarily expensive for false eyelashes [think £60+] and called the odd names of 'Wing', 'Wing 2' and 'Rhombus' [?!?!?!?!] They are seriously cute though.... birthday list!!

Viktor and Rolf Eyelashes for Shu Uemera £60

Fun in the Sun

Summer is here [apparently...] and everyone will soon be jetting off on their hols, or basking in the park. So I thought I'd dedicate a post to sun protection [and my friend Kate has asked me for my recommendations on sunscreen, so this is in honour of you girl!]

Personally, I don't tend to go over the top in sun protection, I don't really burn a lot, and I'm not really a 'peeler' either. So I tend to use Malibu sun spray dry oil SPF 15 [I've already mentioned my obsession with oils, and that goes for sun care too...] which is cheap and cheerful and available from Wilkinsons and Matalan for under a fiver. However, for those who want to spend a little bit more or get a higher protection. I would recommend Clarins.

According to Jenny, a sales assistant on Clarins at the House of Fraser store I work at, Clarins is the Queens choice and she looks pretty good for her age! Their Oil Free Sun Care Spray is a nice smelling oil that is a blend of mango and coconut in terms of scent and is full of antioxidants as well as SPF 15 or 25. This spray also won an award by one of my favourite magazines, InStyle.

SPFs in face creams is one thing that really irritates me. I am a firm believer that all face creams should contain at least an SPF10 as sun damage is the number one cause of premature aging. Estee Lauder Day Wear Plus SPF15 Face Cream is a beauty editors and celebrity favourite [fans include Charlotte Church and Liz Hurley]. My moisturiser doesn't contain an SPF but I mix it with Clinique City Block SPF25 on bright days. I wish I could convert myself to a moisturiser with an inbuilt SPF but I love Dr Weil Mega Mushroom Lotion so much that I can't bear having to hunt for a suitable alternative. I have anough aggro with finding the 'perfect' mascara and foundation, thankyou very much!

Malibu Dry Oil Body Spray SPF15 £4.95 Clarins Oil Free Sun Care Spray £16 Clinique City Block SPF15 £12.50 Estee Lauder Day Wear Plus SPF15 £30 Dr Weil Mega Mushroom Face Lotion £45

Lashgate!

Whoever does Salma Hayeks make up must run RUN away! I can't actually remember this type of horror happening on the red carpet. It could have at least happened to Nicole Kidman or Paris Hilton. God has no sense of justice. Here is Salma looking glam [other than that...] at the Indiana Jones: Curse of the whateveritscalled in Cannes.

O-il have that one [groooannnn]

My good friend Nicola works on the Decleor counter opposite me. She is trained as a massage therapist and facialist [great for me last week; she gave me an impromptu display of her talents!] and has great product knowledge on Decleor.

Before I started to work for Origins I had never really tried Decleor, although I liked the sound of it. It's quite similar to Origins in that it uses plant based extracts as ingredients, but its the holistic rituals it promotes that I enjoy most.

There are 5 face oils in a range that are suitable for a variety of skintypes. Nicole suggested I try the 'Neroli' one for combination skin. You apply before moisturiser [I'm craaaazzzzyyy about oils, I use an oil as a cleanser, an oil as a body moisturiser...] so when she introduced me to these oils I was very excited. It's applied in a very specific way and leaves your skin intensely hydrated without feeling oily. I'm a convert, but at £38 its very expensive. For little poor student me anyway!

Decleor Aromessence £38

Its time to burn...

It's the time of year when everyone seems to be booking their holidays abroad but me. You notice these things when you work on a beauty counter and ladies come up asking about sun protection in Barbados/ Magaluf/ Australia etc. AHHHH!!! Any way... I have been recommending a fab product from the Origins Organics range called 'Silkening Body Spritz'.

The organic range is formulated without additional chemicals such as parabens, surfactants, mineral oil and phthalates which is good news for eco-concious consumers. The range is assessed by EcoCert and the american USDA and this spritz is 95% organic [remember water cannot be classified as organic...] and treats the skin to lightweight moisture. It also has a 360 degree pump which makes application easy.

The spritz contains rose, lavender and aloe, all brilliant at reducing redness, irritability and sensitivity, so perfect if you over do it in the sun. Obviously I won't actually ever be needing this product if my holiday situation doesn't improve soon, so I'll be relying on feedback!

Origins Organics Silkening Body Spritz £21

Decaying away

Urban Decay is a brand I really like, but the sods at House and Fraser are scrapping the stand!

There must be problems in the brand somewhere as they are not very good at connecting with their customers.

The counter I work on at House of Fraser is situated directly opposite an Urban Decay franchise so I am always aware of their visitors. First and foremost, they don't have a salesperson, which obviously dents the credentials of a so called 'luxury' brand as there is no one to help demonstrate the product, which I believe is essential to a company that uses fashion forward colours. Not everyone knows how to apply such bright colours and are intimidated, so a salesperson could help them here.

Also the stand is always a mess [I'm not going to bother tidying it!] and so its off putting aesthetically. The last thing is the godawful promotional poster they have at the stand of a girl who looks so drunk she is about to fall over with half shut eyes and a leering smile. God only knows why they would use this picture, if it was a pic of me on facebook, safe to say I'd untag it straight away!!

After all the grievances though, this brand actually produce very good products. The packaging leaves a bit to be desired, but the colours are bold and long lasting and the price tags are not too hefty. I adore their palettes [and I'm not really one for palettes] as they come in well considered, complimentary colours with amusing names. I paticularly like 'Shag', rustic pinky bronze that is shimmering and very flattering. Their 'baked bronzer matt' is also lovely and gives just the right amount of bronze [I cant stand shimmery bronzers] and the glitter eyeliners are very good too, although I find if you apply black eyeliner, wait for it to dry and then apply the glitter over the top this is better as the consistency isn't fantastic, but thats a difficult thing to get with glitter. Try 'Spandex' a lovely navy blue.

It's not all doom and gloom though as they are building a brow bar there now, very 21st century, and its going to be very amusing watching people getting their moustaches threaded. I had the pleasure of watching that in the Beyond Beauty section of Harvey Nichols once, its such a skill to be able to thread, so I might try and learn how to do it!

Urban Decay baked bronzer matt £14 Urban Decay Glitter Eyeliner £11-50 Urban Decay palette [includes 'Shag'] £20

Beautiful Game. Rubbish stylists

In celebration of Portsmouth winning the FA Cup and in anticipation of a bold show from Chelsea come Wednesday night I have dedicated this post to some wacky footballing hair disasters.

David Beckham shows 'em how its done with this cute [but a bit outdated] cut and colour, but seriously, what was Gullit thinking when he had this dreadlock mullet cut?! And as much respect as I have for Edgar Davids, this peroxide afro does the lad no favours. And even the ever gorgeous Freddie Ljungberg used to have this odd black/red colour... even stranger when he played for Arsenal as opposed to Man U. And David James must NEVER EVER be allowed within five ft of a hair straightener ever again. The Hitler look suits no one, dear.

But the award for worst hairstyle must go to Roberto Baggio, the legendary Italian who did wonders on the pitch and horrors in the dressing room.

You know what I think? If in doubt... just shave it off ;)

Pure Unadulterated Glamour... you just can't beat it

This used to be married to Carmen Electra. What the hell did she do to him?

If you don't know Dennis Rodman was a basketball player and is now just a complete loony who likes to channel his inner Naomi

Harthrob...

Congratulations are in order to Josh Hartnett who has signed a megabucks deal with Armani to be their 'face' of Armani Diamonds for Men. Hopefully he'll do the damn thang and get topless in the ad campaign...

Coco's loco...

Interesting article at http://www.notcot.com/ about the origins of the infamous Chanel No 5 bottle. if you have time I recommend you read the article, but the basic line is that Ms Chanel herself used to pretty much reside permanently at The Ritz in Place Vendome in Paris and modelled the bottle on exact proportions, as you can see above the original Place on the right and the bottle fitted in on the left.

Intriguing, but how the hell did they do that? Last time I checked there was no Google Earth in 1921...

Chanel no5 from £39

Beautao

Designed by Yael Miller of Miller Creative, these gorgeous products for Beautao, a brand I admit I have actually never heard of but will now actively seek out. The power of good design! Especially love the fushia, but they all look lovely together

These are a few of my favourite things....

Having a panic attack day today about my finals... so to make me feel better I have compiled an image of all my favourite products. Sad I know, but I feel better now :)

Jolie Big Belly ! [sorry...]

Wow hasn't Angelina got huuuuge?! So twins it is... poor Jennifer, she's dating that mess of a man John Mayer now, who Jessica Simpson dumped. That's right, Jessica Simpson acutally DUMPED someone before they realised how stupid and shallow and superficial she is. Any way, Jennifer Aniston is having the leftovers of that little romance, and Angelina is all pregnant and saving the world with Brad Pitt.

Must admit I love Angie, she always look amazing so I included a picture of her looking near perfect. Just a smudge of eyeliner, a dab of blush, slick of eyebrow colour and some neutral lipgloss must take her five minutes and she's still a knockout. Ok so she may not be the most adventurous person when it comes to make up but she knows what works for her completely and her classic way with makeup is so glamorous.

A Shocking Discovery...

Since I have been obsessed with make up since ...oooo forever, it is quite difficult to write everything I want to put on this blog, so it will just have to filter in naturally when I reminded of a good product or a wonderful service, and of course the negatives of the industry too... however I would like to share my experience with Shiseido one boring Sunday afternoon at work.

Missy is one of the most professional [and nicest] people I have ever met in the health and beauty industry and she has been a counter manager at Shiseido for about four years, I believe. So one day at work I drifted over to check out the Shiseido counter [ I love love love their Hydro-powder eyeshadows, so vibrant! My favourite is Bleu Chatoyant; a shimmering turquoise] and stumbled upon a piece of expensive looking machinery. "Its a face analysis tool" said Missy. Well, my skin is normally pretty good, I get the occasional breakout and quite a lot of shine on my nose but I always put it down to a hormonal thing, and I get a shiny nose, so I consider myself combination/ oily in terms of skintype.

The tubular machine is held against your skin and then a few seconds later bleeps and right before your eyes is your skin.. magnified by what looks like a hundred. Im not sure just how much it is but my jaw had the floor by this point. My skin looked blotchy, damaged and... argggg... wrinkly!!! According to Missy my skin was "severely dehydrated and beginning to line". ahhhhhhhhhhhh worst news ever!! But it did make me realise that whilst my skin may have been combination/ oily when I was 15, skin adapts as you get older and I just never thought to analyse its current condition. Because my nose is shiny I assumed my whole face had excess oil when it was crying out for a drink!

A creamier moisturiser and an eye cream [as well as now swearing by SPF25 every day!] has made my skin a lot healthier, and when I returned a month later, Missy clarified that my skin had indeed made a significant improvement. So I can seriously recommend you try and find a counter that offers this service as soon as possible, its such an eye opener. Just because your nose is oily doesnt mean the rest of your face is!

Shiseido Hydro-Powder eyeshadows £15-50

Tat's better....

Audrey Tautou is to replace Nicole Kidman as face of Chanel. Thank God, although I reckon Nicole offered herself to be dropped, now that shes pregnant she can't keep having all that botox pumped into her face so she probably looks horrific. I mean can you believe the above person is the face of CHANEL!?!

For someone who had a relaxing massage today I sure am in a bitchy mood.

Any way, congratulations to Audrey, she is gorgeous [and french, which helps...]

Topless in House of Fraser

If I was someone with a hint of shame or embarassment I wouldn't have gone through with it, but we had a professional masseuse on the Origins counter today and my boss asked me to come in and have a massage! It was delicious, esepcially because I was a bit sore from overdoing it at the gym this morning. Massages should be put on the NHS there is nothing that makes you feel more alive and optimistic.

Downside was it was on the counter, and it was pretty busy, and I was told to basically strip my top half off which was only awkward for about 30 seconds because as soon as the massage started I just melted into the table and half dozed off.

I sampled our Origins Organics Massage Oil that has neuroli, lavendar and chamomile amongst other essential oils and it was delicious. I already own the Ginger Touch relaxing massage oil, but this one is almost as good! The great news is that the masseuse is coming back at the beginning of June to teach us all how to massage, so I'll be an expert in no time! form orderly queues....

Origins Organics massage oil £26 Origins Ginger Touch relaxing massage oil £17-50

Re-Nutriv... Re-Mortgage...

Excuse me if I come across a bit dazed in this post...

I'm currently working on my final year project that is about re-branding The Body Shop to position itself successfully in the competitive health and beauty market. It's grea tfun to do and obviously requires a hell of a lot of research, which allowed me to stumble upon this little fact. Estee Lauder have launched a new set of products in the Re-Nutriv range [which was expensive enough, surely, at £150 for a pot of creme...] called Re-Nutriv Re-Creation. And the prices are actually mind boggling.

For TWO pots of 30ml product [a day and a night creme] will set you back £550. Who in their right mind would spend this money?!! I have mini heart palpatations when I hand over £30 for my moisturiser! It would have to be covered in diamonds and hand delivered by Clive Owen for me to even consider parting with that sort of cash. So here's a picture of the 'Miracle collection' and Estee Lauder's promotional tagline...

Today. Continuous protection. Tonight. Targeted correction. Tomorrow. Re-Creation.A new beginning for your skin [and your integrity] ... Ok so i added that last bit... but perrrrleassse.

Also, could someone please tell me the difference between Estee Lauder's Ultimate Lifting, Intensive Lifting and Ultimate Youth collections? I shall ask the girl on Estee Lauder when I go to work on Sunday and let you know!

Re-Nutriv Re-Creation duo set £550 Re-Nutriv Re-Creation day creme £300 Re-Nutriv Re-Creation night creme £300 Re-Nutriv Re-Creation Eye balm and Eye serum £200

I Heart Charlize

Was going through Dlisted.com as you do after your lunch break and came across this wonderful pic of Charlize Theron, she is such a knockout!

Ok so she sold herself short being the face of Dior as I don't like any of their products really, except perhaps their lipglosses, and I think their perfumes suck, quite honestly.

So here is Charlize rocking her Dior [obviously] Cruise Collection piece. What an amazing shade of purple it brings out her honey skin nicely.

My Delivery!

Whoop whoop... finally my first ever delivery of Estee Lauder company products came through today! I ordered the following:

Dr Weil Mega Mushroom serum, Dr Weil Mega Mushroom lotion [which will eventually get their own post because they are so special!] MAC plushglass in Fulfilled [a very natural neutral pink that smells delish] Clinique Full Potential Lips in beach bunny [a shimmering tawny colour] and MAC Lip Gelee in Saphoric that looks wild in the tube; all glitter and rust-colour but is actually suprisingly flattering on [but would recommend for darker hair]

But the most important delivery was my Origins Ginger Souffle body cream. This cream is so rich and reminds me of beautiful Tuscany with its notes of italian lemon, lime and geranium and the subtle hint of ginger. It's suprising how much a smell can really transport you. Origins have a whole Ginger collection as this extract is great for boosting circulation and really warming the skin up [as well being a known aphrodisiac...]. It's divine to use and sinks it really well, although if you don't have dry skin like mine I would suggest trying to balm as this product is quite thick in texture.

Dr Weil MM serum £40 Dr Weil MM lotion £45 Clinique full potential lip gloss £11 MAC lip Gelee £10.50 MAC Plushglass £13 Origins Ginger Souffle £20

Chill with the Stil[a]

The trend for orange in both clothing and cosmetics is hard to ignore at present... I know I have bought into it and my friend Laura has the most gawjus shade of orange nail varnish [I should make it clear now that my nails definitely leave something to be desired in terms of health and length!] but when I get my falsies done I will be trying out that colour! Barry M do some lovely shades; I wore a fabulous fuschia shade to the Newmarket Guineas racing a couple of weekends ago and it matched my MAC Amplified lipstick in 'Impassioned' perfectly!

But back to the orange... last year I bought another Amplified lipstick [you can't beat MAC for in your face matte lippys] in 'So Chaud' and its the brightest, thickest matte orange lip colour you will find anywhere, so if like Agyness Deyn, this is your colour of choice I recommened the MAC Amplified and Matte ranges.

Unlike some beauty bloggers, I am not afraid to diss products and brands. I am quite a critical person and if a product fails to live up to its reputation it should be named and shamed. A few weeks ago I was looking for a lipgloss to go with my new hair colour [went from dark blonde to brunette...have since reverted back to blonde] and found a lovely lip glaze stick [more like a pencil...] from STILA at Space.NK and the colour is a gorgeous, non sticky subtle orange hue. however after parting with my hard earned cash I got home to realise that everytime you used it the glaze would smudge all over the pencil and you have to re-sharpen it after every use. Well three weeks down the line and half the stick has gone. Not good; and when I complained to company via email I got no response what so ever which is not very impressive and has dented my view of the brand somewhat.

MAC Amplified lipsticks - £11 at MAC stores and MAC concessions... Stila lip glaze stick £15 at Space.NK and luxury department stores

Padma

Also at the April Breast Cancer awareness event was Padma Lakshmi looking ethereal and radiant in this gorgoeus dress... very close to looking like a bed sheet but the ruffled hem makes it.. Ill have to ask my friend Michelle who made it, update soon!

Ms. Microbiotic does brights!

Today I went along to a Future Laboratories trend report presentation today that was outstanding in terms of market knowledge and consumer reports and this will no doubt help my report, so it's been a good day! We were given a free [gotta love the freebies..] edition of the latest Grazia and I must say cover girl Gwyneth Paltrow is looking hot at the moment!

I know this picture is kinda old... it was taken at a Breast Cancer benefit back in April... but she is really rocking the bright colours that are evident on the catwalk and her makeup is right-on-trend baby blue, seen at Karl Lagerfeld and Anna Sui SS08 shows.

Fake Bake Bonanza...

So my first official product post!

Well I'm going to begin it with discussing the weather, as a typical Brit. The sun is out, the birds are singing... and everyone is in Sun City getting topped up on the sun beds...

Why is this?? Why the irresistable urge that as soon as the temperature shows signs of hitting the 20s everyone must be tanned absolutely right away without a moments hesitation? I should analyse myself as I compeltely guilty of said urge but I have worked out a way of getting that sexy bronze [but ultimately natural] tan abolutely right away with a moments hesitation.

Its called Fake Bake.

I have tried a lot of self tanning products [and goodness knows I shall try a lot more... thats one thing about being a beauty junkie, one is never satisfied...] from the cheap Rimmel [which you cant beat for instant tan as long as you don't mind orange streaks the next day and a slightly tango-d duvet...] via Garnier, Nivea, Clinique, Clarins [will soon be blogging about their new fake tan as my House of Fraser colleague is gonna sneak me a sample of their gorgeous smelling Delicous Self Tanning Cream that smells like expensive chocolates and looks like whipped praline.

Any way, Fake Bake takes the biscuit [without the biscuit smell youll be pleased to hear]

Ok so its a hassle to put on and leaves you looking like burnt toast, but the next day when you wash off the residue it leaves you with the most gorgeous bronze glow and better still you only have to top up once a week or so. This will definitely be one of my emergency products throughout the Summer.

Fake Bake is available at all major department stores and costs £23-£27

Original post!

Hi!

Wow... so this is what it feels like to have a blog...

So let me introduce what I envisage this blog to be... I want it to be about the modern times, historical times, latest fashions, past fashions, innovative trends, traditional trends... whatever I feel like writing about in the day...

When Carrie from SATC [surely no point in putting what that stands for...if you don't know this blog aint for you!] woke up every morning and decided who she was going to be for that day... that is the sort of person I am. Although not so much in clothes, but through make up!

Yes, this blog will be about my musings on the cosmetic, health and beauty industry, my lifetime fascination with the perception of beauty through what we look like on the outside...

Before you get sceptical, I know that its all about inner beauty and who you are as person that ultimately, at the end of the day, defies who you are as a person, but looking good on the outside is a good place to start and my constant quest for the perfect make up bag bares witness to this!

Enjoy

A

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