MAC VELVET TEDDY LIPSTICK.

If there's one thing to come out of 2014 it's got to be the Kylie Jenner lip!... That dark nude, super full, super luscious, 90's inspired lip! And because she's so babelicious, that exact colour, Macs' Velvet Teddy has been sold out & an absolute nightmare to get my hands on. But last week, after continuously getting turned away, my local Mac counter finally had this lovely nudey number back in stock! Hallelujah!

Oh my goodness! Was this product worth the wait... Hell yes! What a dreamy little product this is. 

Velvet Teddy is quite a deep brown shade of lipstick that has slight pinkish undertones - It's pretty much the perfect nude! It's strange because nude lips are often very subtle and are used to let your eye make up do the talking, but with this it feels different & much more of a statement lip. I'm forever being complimented when wearing Velvet Teddy, there's just something about it that's so delicious!
There's often a worry with matte lipsticks that they can be quite drying however as per, Mac have absolutely hit the nail on the head with the formula of Velvet Teddy. Once applied it oozes luxury & feels super nourishing on the lip, in fact it almost feels like a lip balm it's that moisturising.
The staying power of Velvet Teddy is brilliant as well, even if it wasn't I'd probably still love it as much as I do, but this lasts for hours - I'm so so impressed with it. It's no wonder this product has been sold out for such a long time.

Also how cute is this Its Christmas Deer* scarf? I was lucky enough to attend the opening of Lush, White Rose last week where I was gifted with this fabulous knot wrap, it's a multinational reusable 'wrapping paper' however I've been wearing it as a scarf to get myself into the festive spirit. Ho ho ho!

Have you been lucky enough to get your hands on this product? I still need to purchase the lip pencil Soar to wear alongside this lipstick, but that's another one that's currently out of stock. Darn it!

Claire.x

THE OPENING OF LUSH, WHITE ROSE.

Oh my god! *Insert Essex accent* I've been invited to a Lush blogger event!... These were my first thoughts when I saw the email from Urika ping in my inbox. Since staring blogging I've longed to attend one of Lush's prestigious events and I've always heard such brilliant things from other bloggers. And by golly I wasn't let down!

In the queue (yes there was a queue with red roped barrier - how lah di dah) I met Jess & Bridie, two absolutely gorgeous ladies I'd met at a previous event. As we chatted & caught up, we were greeted with open arms and a glass of fizz by Urika, the PR assistant for Lush White Rose - An awesome welcome that set the tone for the whole night.

Something I think Lush is famous for is their Bath Bombs & Bubble Bars, and understandably these are kept right at the very front of the store. There were rows upon rows of loveliness, there were old favourites such as the French Kiss, Granny Takes A Dip & Sakura but it was the newie newness that I was really impressed with. Now Lush always pull out all the stops at Christmas time, but for me it was the Luxury Lush Pud & Golden Wonder that really caught my eye! And we were given demonstrations of them both...

The Luxury Lush Pud! A huge bath bomb, made up of loads of little bath bombs - What's not to love! Firstly, lets start with the colours.... How amazing does this look. It foams & froths absolutely instantly with this stunning explosion of colour, all the miniature bath bombs are multicoloured so it leaves your bath looking incredible. This one to me screams relaxation, the citrus scents & addition of ylang ylang oil make this perfect for a pamper night or to wind down before bed. It's absolutely heavenly!

Golden Wonder! This is such a little firecracker! If you give the Golden Wonder a little shake, you'll hear a rattling inside of a smaller, even glitteryer (if that's a word) bath bomb. Again this fizzes immediately after touching the water & gives off the most fantastic swirl of sea blue & glittery gold. If you take a closer look though you'll see loads of little stars floating around your bath which is complete bliss! It's the little things like this that make Lush absolutely unbelievable. This one again gives off a citrus scent, more so than the Luxury Lush Pud, this one's packed full of orange oils, lime oils & citric acid, that just feels amazing on your skin.

As we moved round the store we were invited to make our very own Comforters. All three of our faces lit up simultaneously & we jumped at the chance! Two guys from the Lush Kitchen took us through a step by step guide on how to create this little swirl of gorgeousness. It was super quick to make & I think all three of us were really surprised by how well we had done. I'm super excited to use this, and knowing I've made it myself will make it that little bit more enjoyable.

There were so many different lotions and potions available to try, one which I loved, which I didn't think I would was the First Snow dusting powder. It's almost like a talc in the sense that it mattifys your skin, but it's got a really pretty glittery sheen to it. It makes me feel like one of the vampires from Twilight. It's not overly glittery, it's just got the right amount of sparkle & leaves your skin feeling super soft & silky.  

I also got to try the Angels On Bare Skin cleanser, which has a putty like feel to it but when it's mixed with warm water it transforms into a paste. Granted it does take a little longer than a usual cleanser, but there's something ingenious & innovative about this formula that I just love. I was advised to try this one as my skin isn't too bad, I rarely get breakouts but I can get quite dry patches & sometimes need a bit of a 'pick me up'. This product feels super clean (if that makes sense) when it goes on and it's packed full of calming lavender oils & gently exfoliating ground almonds. Certainly a recipie for success! I think because of the time scale it takes for the whole process this is more of a pamper night product but we all need those nights sometimes don't we ladies.

Face masks! Face masks! Face masks! Oh my goodness, these are just amazing! They're so fresh & have got such potent smells, obviously all of them aren't going to be to anyones taste, but you can certainly tell they're packed full of goodness! My favourite out of all of them is the Catastrophe Cosmetic, its jam packed with soothing blueberries, calming calamine powder & softening Irish moss gel. It smells and feels absolutely divine! 

I've never tried any of the massage bars before but I couldn't leave without buying one of these golden From Dusk Till Dawns... It's another citrus wonder, can you see the theme that's going on here. Anything citrussy & I'm there! These apply so brilliantly, I'm absolutely hook line & sinker in love with them! It's super nourishing & the sensual oils leave you feeling all luxurious & comforted.

I was really impressed with Lush's selection of fragrances & in honesty I didn't realise they had such a large selection. All scents were super strong smelling & long lasting. Considering how much other perfumes cost, I think these are such a good deal & I'm particularly intrigued by the solid pots. They're absolutely delicious & of course Sun is my fave!

These teeny pots of lip scrubs is what I was most looking forward to because I was absolutely desperate to get my hands on Bubblegum! Firstly the smell is out of this world, it's like candy floss, mixed with bubblegum, mixed with sugary sweetness. It's a very strong scent, almost verging on the edge of being sickly, but to me it's completely amazing. The lip scrub is packed full of caster sugar which gently exfoliates your lips, perfect for this time of year & to use as a base for applying other lip products. 

Lastly & most bizarrely we sat down for the most unusual spa treatment I think I've ever had. Our lovely Lush representative had a selection of tuning forks that once struck and placed either on our temples or chest gave out the most extraordinary, remarkable feeling. The vibrations of the tuning forks completely transport you to another dimension. I'm trying not to sound corny here but this treatment really is unbelievable, for such a simple concept especially! 

I had such a fantastic time at the event & it was lovely catching up with Jess & Bridie. The staff at Lush White Rose were completely awesome, every single one of them was friendly & inviting and their knowledge & love for Lush was inspiring! Thank you so much to Urika to inviting me to the event, I knew it was going to be good, but it was incredible. Hats off to you!... And now I can't wait to jump in the bath!

I was also gifted with a fabulously festive set of goodies, which I'll be documenting & reviewing at a later date. 

What's your favourite Lush product?

Claire.x

THE PAUL MITCHELL GIFT OF SYLE EVENT.

I was beyond excited when my Inbox pinged with my first Leeds blogger event invitation last week. Since moving to the area last month I've been super psyched to throw myself back into blogging & meet lots more lovely ladies who share the same passions as myself... And with Paul Mitchell/New Cid Cosmetics, last Thursday I got just that opportunity! 

I've used a few New Cid Cosmetics products however I didn't recognise the Paul Mitchell hair care brand (maybe I've been living under a rock) but after doing my research I knew I was in for an absolute treat!...

Upon my arrival I was instantly greeted by the lovely Sarah who offered me a glass of fizz & a selection of delicious canapes. Unfortunately I was driving & had to decline the Prosecco in exchange for a glass of fresh orange - I did however take full advantage of the pigs in blankets, spring rolls & mozzarella bites! Yum!
They also had displayed amongst all the yummy food a couple of new giftsets from their Holiday 2014 range. It was really nice having a sneaky peak into their up and coming collection... They seem to have something for everyone, whether you have coloured hair, damaged hair, you name it they've got it - All contained in the cutest arty styled packaging.

Before getting into the salon area there was a lovely little New Cid Cosmetics dressing table set up, displaying a wide range of products, from lip glosses, eye shadows & the most fantastic, fluffiest make up brushes. One thing I was really impressed with, with the cosmetics was the packaging! This may sound really sad, but the lip glosses had little mirrors on the side as well as an internal led light - Which is going to be super handy for traveling and when you're out & about. There's nothing worse than haphazardly applying your make up & it ending up all over your face. I found the products to be fabulously pigmented, in particular the eye products & lipsticks -I swatched a few on my hand and they were still going strong the next morning (I don't usually forget to scrub myself clean before going to bed - Ooops) So really impressed with them too! With regards to the blush and bronzers, they appear to be really glittery but once applied to the skin it's really not, so give them a go, they're pretty deceiving!

For the last couple of years I've been growing out a 'Frankie' cut and initially I only intended my hair to become shoulder length, but you know how it is, life gets in the way, I've forgotten about it & now it's pretty much boob length. I feel a bit stuck in a rut hair wise so it was absolutely lovely having my hair styled by two fab ladies from Padd Hair Studio. Almost immediately the girls recognised my hair type, how I keep it & sadly that I didn't know what to do with it (Booo!) Because I very rarely wear my hair up, they suggested a fishtail braid with a bit of added volume in the front & I absolutely love it! I'm in awe of how quickly this look was put together and will deffinitely be trying this out for myself. I'm probably going to fail miserably but it's the thought that counts right? To finish this look the ladies used the Freeze & Shine Super Spray which is a paraben free, colour safe hairspray. It smells delicious & kept my fishtail braid going strong until the following evening.

I had a fabulous night meeting fellow Leeds bloggers and was gifted with this amazing (and pretty heavy) Paul Mitchell & New Cid Cosmetics goodie bag. I can't wait to start trying these products, if the event's anything to go by they're going to be amazing!

Thanks for taking a look. Lots of love.
Claire.x

WHY YOU NEED THE BODY SHOP LIPSCUFF THIS WINTER.

The Body Shop lipscuff is a product I've been using for years & one that never ever leaves my handbag -  I almost think I'm dependent on it, especially during Winter.

When I was younger I used to suffer quite badly with dry & cracked lips & it became something I was highly self conscious of because whenever I'd wear nice lipstick it would always flake and leave me looking like the double of the Joker from Batman.

Using The Body Shops Lipscuff has changed all of that for me!

This little stick of pepperminty goodness is packed full of crushed fig stone granules, which acts as an exfoliator for lips. You apply it just the same as you would a lipstick with a couple of quick swishes, it literally couldn't be any easier!! The marula oil inside lipscuff moisturises faultlessly & teamed with the gritty fig stone is a match made in heaven!

I couldn't recommend this product enough! It's formula matched with the gorgeous minty smell is sublime. It's £8.00 for 2.5g of product which I think is really reasonable considering it lasts for so long!

Have you used anything like this during winter?

Claire.x

DYO DESIGN YOUR OWN FABULOUS JEWELLERY EVENT.

Yesterday I attended my first ever bloggers event - As part of the fringe event for NE1's Newcastle Fashion Week, DYO put on a 'Prelaunch Party' at Nancy's Bordello close to the city centre & quayside. It was a fab event, from start to finish! Being greeted with wine and cupcakes is always a bonus, but we got to make & take home our own Princess Pendants which was just fabulous!

DYO Fabulous Jewellery (Or Design Your Own Fabulous Jewellery) have come up with a brilliant concept & niche in the market when it comes to jewellery!.. Being able to design unique jewellery incorporating ethically sourced semi precious stones & beads. So not only will you be doing good, but you'll also have some fabulous jewellery that no one else will have!

We had a presentation led by Janet, the founder of DYO, who confessed (again & again) her love for jewellery as well as explaining her journey, from sourcing all the different components to setting up the web interface. Janet explained the darker secrets behind where our average high street jewellery comes from (which is pretty horrible btw) and discussed how passionately feels about ethically sourcing all the different components to make up DYO fabulous jewellery - Janet handpicks these components from artisans all over the world, so your jewellery really does tell a story. The 'Design Your Own' interface is really easy too... To begin with there's a template of three necklace lengths, collar, princess & matinee, from here you can click and drag over different pendants, chains, bead choices & clasps to make something that is unique to yourself! There are so many different choices too - It's difficult to choose, especially for an indecisive bugger such as myself!

DYO also offer a service where you can send in old jewellery items, such as an old pearl necklace, to be made into something bespoke and completely new! They colour match too!.. Janet gave an excellent example of a bride wanting to match her dress to her jewellery, so a swatch of material can be sent over to DYO to match up with some fabulous specially made jewellery!

Towards the end of the afternoon we had the opportunity to make our own Princess Pendant necklace. We selected our own chains, clasps, pendants & beads to make up our bespoke necklaces. I opted for muted more natural colours as they will go with a variety of outfits, however chose a chunkier than normal chain to do something a bit different. 

Here's my finished princess pendant! How fab is it - I'm super pleased with how it's turned out. I'm surprised actually at how long it took for me to complete the necklace, it's a lot harder than I thought it was going to be, but competing it & doing it myself makes me love it more! 
I won the bracelet too in a lucky dip! Yay :-)

I absolutely loved my first bloggers event & and meeting other bloggers from the North East. Thank you DYO for inviting me!.... I'm proud to say I'm a fabulite! 

Claire.X