Review of Benefit's Hervana - Shimmering in Pink.

Since being a Benefit fan since my late teens, I am always happy to see a new product of theirs come onto the market. Like 'They're Real' mascara, Hervana has similarly not been a let down. In its mini box casing with such a pretty design, like its predecessors of Thrrrob and Dandelion to name a couple, it offers a variety of colours that when swept together create this beautiful feminine pink shade that shimmers across your cheekbones. Lighter than Thrrrob but darker than Dandelion, it is the perfect mix between blushing and a healthy glow with a shimmer. I was a little nervous when looking at the first mix of colours and generally being strictly against bronzers on my pale skin I wasn't sure of the results, but I was reassured from the first stroke across my cheeks. 

The pictures have not shown it that well on my cheeks, but it really is such a soft pink that emphasises a natural glow. The blend of those three different shades in one small box have created a perfect shade for my pale skin to give me permanent rosy cheeks - something I am always looking for when choosing a blusher. It isn't too bright, and isn't too soft. Just right. 

This is one satisified Benefit fan, and definitely recommend it to anyone who wants a rosy cheek complexion with the added benefit (see what I did there.. hah hah hah) of a shimmer with it.

Have you tried Hevana yet? What do you think?

Love,

Eylure Eyelashes - My First Successful Attempt at False Eyelashes.

Hello my dears! Today I attempted false eyelashes for the second time in my life, after the first time it ended in having one of my eyes glued shut. Yes, that is how competent I was at using false eyelashes. So as you can imagine I was not that hopeful when trying them again for the second time today - alas, I surprised myself by having it work successfully! No eyes glued together this time, and the eyelashes still haven't come off - five hours after being put on and being windswept after my adventures outside! I am one happy girl, and pretty impressed.

I tried Eylure 'Gorgerous Lashes' designed by Cosmopolitan and given to me by Dani, who with her gorgeously long natural eyelashes, already looks like she has false ones on - lucky girl! Eylure supply a small tube of glue, which with only a thin layer has kept them stuck on all day, and was an ideal length so luckily didn't have to attempt trimming them which was a concern as some eyelashes can be too long. Once applied with a little pressure, they were on, and I could then fill in the gaps with my liquid eyeliner to blend it all in naturally. Voila - instantly longer lashes, and with a little Diorshow Iconic mascara for a final touch, I was ready for a wide-eye look. 

I love these eyelashes particularly for a day look, as they're not too thick to be over-dramatic but definitely add that something to the day look. I have to admit, I can see myself wanting to buy more for different occasions and to try out different looks now - with my eyes on the Eylure Katy Perry collection and MAC. So I've been won over.

How do you feel about fake eyelashes? Do you have a particular brand that your favour?

Love,

Review of Chanel Rouge Allure Intense Longwear Lipgloss - I'm in love.

Hello my lovelies, hope the weekend has been treating you all well! I actually saw sunshine today, can you believe that?! I actually saw sunshine! However, it did mislead me a bit in thinking it was warmer than it was, and therefore froze the moment I went outside. 

Anyway, after a mini shopping trip with my mum on Friday, I brought home two new stunners to add to my beloved make-up collection. One: My necessary eyeliner after I was disappointed by Maxfactor, the other, was a new Chanel lipgloss. Boy, was that second one a treat. As everyone who reads this blog knows (and even those who don't!) I am a complete Chanel addict - my boyfriend thinks I am insane for spending inordinate amounts of money on such little pleasures, but its my addiction. So when I was given a £10 gift card for Christmas, I have been saving it up for a special purchase - and there, after being swatched against several other Chanel and Dior lipsticks, I began my love affair with the Chanel Rouge Allure lipgloss.

Ah, such a beauty - isn't it? The price, not so much. At £23.50, you have to be in love with the product to even begin justifying spending that much - thank God for the £10 help towards it! I swatched different pink shades from all different brands but nothing matched this one which tipped me towards getting it - the perfect mix between a natural pink but with a hint of red to give it that richness in colour. So it had to be bought as a daytime colour - something different from the clear glosses and red lipsticks I usually have. 

And it does what it says, a longwear colour that is intense like a lipstick, but has the softness and sheen of a lipgloss - best of both worlds really! So far, this is one satisfied customer. However, can't help feeling sometimes that you can spend more on the name of Chanel rather than for the product, but in this case, no other product matched the colour for me.

What do you think of Chanel products? 

Love,

Blog Sale! Avon, No.7, Nail Rock, Benefit and more!

Hello lovelies! So this is my first ever blog sale, and I am going to set up a page dedicated to it so it is easier to find all the products (as time goes on will be adding more products, clothes, and other bits & pieces) rather than trawling through my rambles! 

Anyway, a lot of the products will be Avon but there are many other brands too, plus once the spring cleaning of the wardrobe happens vintage pieces will turn up, along with more modern designs! 

So head over to my 'blog sale' page to see what goodies are up for grabs! If there is anything you think your readers might find interesting then please pass on the message :-)

Much Love

Valentines Evening OOTD, Banoffee Pie & a romantic dinner in.

Hello lovelies, so this is the second part of Valentines 2012! A warning before going any further - this post is going to be picture heavy as I documented making a banoffee pie (using a BBC good food recipe) in case anyone hasn't got a recipe! I got a good tip from Jetley Mess blogger though who said about caramel in a can instead of boiling condensed milk for three hours - definitely a time saver! Anyway, the first of the pictures will be my romantic dinner in, homemade by my Davie and my Valentines outfit! Then the banoffee pie made by yours truly!

So, after being locked out of the kitchen for an hour or so in which I changed, and watched my daily dose of ER, I was surprised with a romantically laid table (candles, flowers!) and homemade Katsu Curry! I felt truly spoilt, and it was incredibly good considering it wasn't wagamamas! I was one impressed girl. On top of everything, he also bought me a small 'me to you' cake as a treat as I am always whining that I never get to have cake. So since he made all this effort for me, I thought I would dress up a little in a 50s/60s theme outfit and topped it all off with the gorgeous lipstick which is Chanel's Rouge Coco 'Gabrielle'! Plus what better occasion to wear a fancy new dress??

Dress: Dorothy Perkins; Cardigan: Dorothy Perkins; Tights: M&S; Belt: Jane Norman; Shoes: Dorothy Perkins

This dress is actually part of the new Dorothy Perkin's collection and from the moment I saw it advertised I just had to get it. I haven't had an occasion to wear it yet as its not a day dress, so it has just been hanging in my wardrobe, getting longing glances for a chance to be worn! It actually comes with a black and gold thin belt but decided to go for a waist belt again as find it more comfortable. Then some red shoes to match the lipstick and add a bit of colour to the outfit, throw on a cardigan with bows, and it made had a vintage feel to it.

Onto the second part, the homemade banoffee pie for dessert (credit to BBC food recipe): 

1) You start with pre-heating the oven to 180. Then the fun part - crushing a pack of hobnobs (300g) for the biscuit base! Now, you can do this with a food processor, or, if you are old fashioned like me, throw them in a bag and bang them to pieces with a rolling pin! Incredibly therapeutic I must say, and effective!

2) Measure out 60g of butter, and add it to the biscuit mix into a bowl. I microwaved my butter for about 15 secs to get it soft and easier to mix, but if you are using a processor then its not really necessary! Then mix it together, preferably with a wooden spoon, until it starts sticking together.

3) Grease a tin, one with a removable base would be perfect as you can lift it out, and put the biscuit mix into the tin. Pour it as equally as possible, and then push down with a spoon to make it more solid and join together. 

4) Into the oven it goes! For about 10mins, just to get it solid and a little more crumbly! Then, take it out to cool for a little while - getting ready for the really yummy bit!

5) Its caramel time using a can of 'Carnation Caramel'! Once the base has cooled, gently lift it out of the tin and put the bottom of the tin/biscuit base onto a plate. Now crack open that tin and start spreading! Remember to do it gently though! The biscuit base easily gets stuck to the caramel and instead of spreading the caramel, you are breaking apart the base - so gently spready the caramel, making sure its an equal layer. The best bit about being the chef is licking the spoons after cooking!

6) Leave in the fridge to cool for an hour - perfect time to paint the nails, tidy up, or watch tv which is always my option. 

7) Back to the fun parts! I used four bananas, but the recipe says different - I became a maverick here just throwing in all sorts of measurements! Slice the bananas, the thinner the better, and layer across covering up all the caramel. 

7) Nope, it's not 'whip your hair back and forth' time, but it is whip your cream back and forth! This was the only moment that I used a bit of technology and used an electric hand held mixer to whip the cream - it was just quicker! Bad 1950s housewife eh? Use 350ml of double cream, and whip until quite stiff, but not as stiff as mine which became hard to spread. 

8) Its the final stretch! If you want to be fancy, get some dark chocolate and either grate it over the cream (like I did) or melt it then drizzle it over the cream. It just adds that last little flourish before presentation!

9) Now, eat and be merry! My boyfriend (who's favourite dessert is this) can be seen doing this final step!

Anyway, that's all from me - going to watch some soppy films now with my man. Hope everyone is having a lovely day, whether you are with someone or single!

Love,

Valentines Daytime Look!

Happy Valentines Day sweethearts! Despite being a very much commercialised holiday, I can't help thinking its a sweet idea that there is one day a year completely dedicated to the idea of love. Yes, you should make the one you love feel special everyday of the year, not just one, but with all the negativity in the world its nice to have a day thats just filled with the positive thought of love. Plus who doesn't like a sneaky present? I've been enjoying my white roses & The Kennedys this morning very much!

Anyway, in theme with this day of romance (and having a romantic date this evening) my FOTD has been designed around this theme:

Using my fancy new Sephora palette, I went for pink shimmery eye-makeup, and deep red lips to stick with the Valentines theme - blending a dramatic, pink colour from the corners in over a shell pink glittery base then with my usual feline flicks. With a few lashings of Benefit's flushed-look 'Thrrrob' over my cheeks, I felt truly beautified for my big valentine's date this evening (with an outfit post to come later!).

However, my daytime outfit is not so much Valentines themed but more I wanted to wear my new ASOS dress & new lace up Next boots! So here they are:

Dress: ASOS; Belt: Next; Leggings: New Look; Necklace: Accesorize (Dani's); Boots: Next.

I love, love, love this new dress! I mean, its shorter than the picture on the website suggested so it can only be worn with leggings, but its got such cute polka dots and three quarter length sleeves - perfect for hiding my huge arms! It actually comes with a thin brown belt but prefer wide waist belts if I'm honest so traded it in for a trusted favourite. Now the boots... These things of beauty. Real leather, lace up design and just the right heel - it was fate that brought us together. Fate. And Ebay. I snagged these lovelies for £17 instead of over £100. Win! So now I wear them as much as possible and have fallen a little in love with them, not ashamed to say!

Well hope everyone is enjoying their Valentines day, or, just your day anyway! I'll post about tonight's outfit later, once I've decided what I actually want to wear!

Are you celebrating Valentines day? Do you have a pair of shoes you are in love with?

P.S. - I just want to add in here about a fabulous give away going on over at KasieLovesCake blog. She is offering a bag full of surprise beauty goodies for her first giveaway with products coming from Barry M, my beloved Boots No. 7, Models Own and many more! Plus if that's not enough to entice you to enter, its a surprise bag! Who doesn't love surprises?! So if you feel like having the chance to win a surprise bag of goodies, just click here. 

Love,