Monday Summary 001

Victoria from the wonderful blog, Lily Loves Lola introduced a lovely idea of writing 5 good things every week in her Monday Summary. I have decided to try and do this idea too as it's easy to post about beauty all the time, and sometimes it's nice to read some of the more personal stuff and to have these posts to look back on. Let me know if you are doing these posts too!

 Heart shaped cacti at Ikea

My 5 good things:

1) Living in London. I'm sure most of you know but I moved from Surrey to Clapham in London in October and am so glad we made the move. Yes, rent is expensive but it is so worth it to be living in such a great capital city. I want to make the most of living here so if you have any recommendations of places to visit and things to do let me know!

2)  A new cousin. Last week my Uncle and Auntie had a gorgeous baby boy called Walter George. He is so cute and teeny tiny and I cannot wait to meet him!

3) Titanium - by David Guetta and Sia. Can't get enough of this song!

4) Walking. As I live and work in South London my commute is an easy one. Last week I decided to start walking to work so I treated myself to Spotify premium, made myself some playlists and power-walk the half an hour journey. I may arrive at work a bit of a hot mess but I feel so much better for doing it. If I walk to work every day I will be doing 10 miles every week and when the evenings get lighter I'm going to start walking home too.

5) Family-time. This weekend I went back to Surrey and had a lovely weekend seeing the family and hanging out with Charlie. We went to Southampton on Saturday and I made the most of West Quay shopping centre and bought 2 pairs of jeans and some sale items from Zara. Also spent a lot of time in IKEA. The rest of the weekend was spent chilling, watching Bridesmaids and catching up on blogs.

January Favourites: My Top Three

♥ Estee Lauder Double Wear Light - this foundation was too light for me in summer but now we're into the depths of winter (although evenings are getting lighter- hooray!) my skin is at its fairest and so this is a great match. Even though it's the light version of Double Wear I do find it a little heavy and so mix it with this sample of MaxFactor Lasting Performance- I love the results. It lasts all day long and makes my skin look flawless without looking like I'm plastered in foundation. 

♥ MAC MSF Natural - I've already raved about this powder in my post here so won't rabbit on about it again. In a nutshell; best powder I have ever used.

♥ Benefit Cha Cha Tint - this came in my wonderful goody box from Benefit at the Diet Coke Get Glam event a couple of weeks ago. I've never been that interested in the Benefit 'tints'. I tried the small bottle of Posie Tint when it came free in Glamour magazine but wasn't very impressed. However at the Benefit event it was applied properly and I realised I needed to be more generous in my application to get the best look. I do like Posie Tint but the real favourite for me is Cha Cha Tint. It's a gorgeous coral-y colour and gives a lovely healthy colour. I just dot three 'brushes' on my cheeks and then blend in. Lovely!

L'Oreal Paris New Eye Products

Today, L'Oreal Paris have launched the new Cheryl Cole advert (view the ad here) and with that launch they are releasing three new eye products- False Lash Telescopic Mascara, SuperLiner Gel Intenza Eyeliner and SuperLiner Perfect Slim Eyeliner. All will available from February.

False Lash Telescopic Mascara (RRP £10.99)

 

L'Oreal say: "Say goodbye to false eye lashes and open your eyes to see things in a totally different scale with new L'Oreal Paris False Lash Telescopic Mascara'. With one stroke of the brush lashes are provided with a lengthening false lash effect"

                                        

I do like the original Telescopic Mascara although it's not one of my favourites (I love L'Oreal Voluminous) and after a quick try of this today I'm not overly impressed. Saying that, sometimes I find mascaras work better once they've been opened a few days!

SuperLiner Gel Intenza Eyeliner (RRP £8.99)

L'Oreal say: "This new creamy eyeliner is available in a make-up artist favourite glass pot with a professional style brush. Featuring an ultra smudge-proof, highly concentrated pigment, the liner gives a deep, bold colour result and last for up to 24 hours"

As soon as I saw SuperLiner in the name of two of the new products I was extremely excited. The SuperLiner liquid eyeliner is my absolute favourite liner and has been since I started using it back in 2010. I'm looking forward to trying this gel liner- I have been neglecting my gel eyeliners in favour of the SuperLiner so maybe this will turn me back to gel!

Superliner Perfect Slim (RRP £6.49)

L'Oreal say: "In one steady stroke, this superfine eyeliner accentuates the shape and contour of the eye with its 0.4mm tip. Providing the ultimate stylish and intense sweeping line, this accurate liner gives optimum control thanks to its grip zone hold"

The SuperLiner Perfect Slim will be available in black and RRP is £6.49

I tried this this morning and oooh, I really like it. As with the SuperLiner liquid liner it's really easy to apply and gives a lovely black line. You can easily wear it thick or thin and can build it up to how you like it. 

Are you going to be buying any of the new L'Oreal products?

Benefit 'They're Real' Mascara giveaway - winner!

Thanks to everyone who entered my Benefit giveaway. The favourite Diet Coke can design by far was the Romantic- my favourite too! 

The giveaway winner is......Carmen xo. Congratulations! I will be sending you an email shortly and the mascara will be on its way to you soon!

MAC MSF Natural

Today I am posting with a lot of love for MAC's MSF (mineralize skinfinish) natural. I have been using this face powder for a few years now, however a few months ago it ran out and I decided to buy a cheaper powder from Rimmel- their Stay Matte Pressed Powder. It was OK but nothing special and so I ended up just skipping powder completely. 

Before I attended the L'Oreal event in Mayfair I popped to Selfridges and bought the MSF natural again. I have tried it in a few shades- light plus, medium plus and my latest is just medium. As soon as I applied it after buying I realised that I am never going without this powder again! It is the best powder in the WORLD.

It applies so well and makes your skin look so lovely- almost airbrushed yet still natural. I have also worn it on its own and it works really nicely on just bare skin. It may seem pricy at  £20.50 but oh so worth the money. This is definitely a staple product for me, and will be for a long time.

John Frieda launches YouTube haircare channel

John Frieda has recently launched a new YouTube channel with a focus on step-by-step hair tutorials and you may recognise some of the bloggers featured (hi Sabrina!). 

John Frieda say:

"The John Frieda© Haircare Experts are proud to announce the launch of a brand new YouTube channel. To mark the occasion, the professionals behind the John Frieda© Brands will host a series of easy to follow videos showing a range of stunning hairstyles. Eight ‘Style on Demand’ have been created, hosted by top John Frieda© stylists Jake Davies and Giles Robinson. They share industry secrets enabling women to recreate a variety of beautiful on-trend styles for 2012. The bite sized videos are designed to empower hair conscious women, giving them the confidence to try new looks and styling techniques. The videos include styles for both day and night. Sessions include mastering classic retro curls to create an elegant 1940's screen siren look and producing a stunning celebrity inspired halo plait. To keep up to date with the latest styles visit the John Frieda© YouTube channel here."

I've been having a look through the tutorials and they are fab and look relatively easy to recreate. I think my favourite look is this messy updo which I may try soon. Let me know if you have tried any of these tutorials!

If you would like to win the Benefit 'They're Real' Mascara make sure you enter my giveaway here- winner will be announced on Sunday!

iHeart Breaking Hearts

My Dad sent me the link to this new product and I had to share it. My Dad is a product designer (you can see his work here) and his business partner used to teach the girl who came up with this idea.

iHeart Breaking Hearts are clever biodegradable eating utensils that come in the shape of hearts- simply snap to break them apart and use them. Cute!

Diet Coke and Benefit Get Glam Event

Last night I attended an event to celebrate a collaboration between Diet Coke and Benefit. I was invited to the Benefit store in Spitalfields where Benefit's Head Make-up Artist Lisa Potter-Dixon introduced us to the new 'Get Glam' Diet Coke cans. We were shown the three make-up looks that run alongside each can design and also had the chance to have a mini-makeover to try one of the looks (I chose the romantic look).

Everytime you buy a can from the 'Get Glam' collection you receive a £5 voucher code, redeemable on purchases from the Benefit website. The collection highlights three seasonal looks and each design features a female face in striking silhouette with a hot lipstick palette.

♥ Romantic ♥ Fashionista ♥ Rock Chick

You can watch step-by-step tutorials for each make-up look which are available on the Diet Coke 'Get Glam' Facebook App (available to download here).

When we left we were given the most amazing 'Get Glam' gift...

So beautiful, generous and will also be very handy to use as storage after I've emptied it!

Giveaway
*closed*

As I bought the Benefit 'They're Real' mascara over Christmas I thought I would give the one in my box to one of you lovely people. You can read my review of the mascara here.

♥ To enter, comment below with your favourite Diet Coke Can design- Romantic, Fashionista or Rock Chick.
♥ You must be a follower

♥ UK only
♥ Giveaway will end at 6pm next Sunday and winner will be picked using random.org

L'Oréal Paris Hair Expertise Event

Yesterday evening I was introduced to the latest hair range from L'Oréal Paris. After work I hopped on the tube to Bond Street, was lured into Selfridges for 10 minutes and then arrived at Mayfair House to meet the lovely L'Oréal PR team and of course, the new products.

L'Oréal say: "L'Oréal Paris Hair Expertise Ever treats hair like cashmere and gently bathes it in luxurious high foaming creamy shampoos and rich conditioners concentrated in caring ingredients which envelop the hair. Aromatic oils energise the senses for a true at home hair experience"

It was therefore very apt that I had a very luxurious wash and blow dry using the new products. There are three hair programmes in the collection; EverPure for coloured hair, EverSleek for frizzy hair, and EverStrong for fragile, brittle hair. I went for the EverPure shampoo and conditioner- specifically the EverPure Colour Care & Volume (there are three different varieties- Colour Care & Volume, Colour Care & Smoothing, Colour Care & Moisture).

The shampoo and conditioner felt gorgeous on my hair- indulgent yet very light. The big selling point of this new range is that it's non-sulphate. I'm sure most of you are sulphate-savvy but if not, I understand it as sulphates being the chemicals which make your hair lather (and probably do some other stuff too!) and are not meant to be the best for your hair so this is a really good quality for the range. Even better is that the shampoo still lathers- traditionally non-sulphate shampoos don't lather and I hate this when washing my hair. It just doesn't feel 'washed' enough!

I love the scent of the shampoo- really fruity and just generally delicious. I wasn't so keen on the conditioner scent which seemed quite different to the shampoo (strangely) but the head massage that I enjoyed took my mind off it! After my hair wash I was treated to a lovely blow dry. I wanted volume and I definitely got it. Cue pose-y photo taken on my iPhone for you...

I expected this range to be only available in salons but it will be launching in places such as Boots and Superdrug very soon! I will find out the exact launch date and price details soon but I believe the products will be between £5-£7. Thanks L'Oréal for a fantastic evening!

Review: Benefit 'They're Real' Mascara

Product

Benefit 'They're Real' Mascara

Price

£18.50 - Boots

What does it claim to do?

"It's the mascara that's beyond belief! This jet-black mascara lengthens, curls, volumises, lifts & separates lashes for a spectacular "out-to-here" look. " - Boots

What do I think?

I hadn't heard or read much about Benefit mascara's until 'They're Real' came along. Their new mascara had a great reception- so much so that it's sold out in at a lot of counters. All of this hype embedded itself in my head and when I saw it in Boots I just had to buy it.

First impressions of the mascara are very good! I really like the packaging and the wand is an interesting one with a little ball on the end. The mascara itself is a lovely glossy black and it applies really nicely- it definitely lengths, separates and gives a nice curl. It doesn't give as much volume as my MUFE Smoky Lash but I am still impressed.

The main negative for me with this mascara is how difficult it is to remove. It takes me ages and does put me off using it every day as I can't be bothered with the effort of scrubbing it off- and losing lashes in the process!

Would I re-purchase?

No. I really like it but don't feel its worth the extra cost.