Illamasqua Stark & Angst For Eyebrows!

I visited the Illamasqua concession in Selfridges Beauty Hall in Manchester a month or so ago and got chatting to the very helpful assistant there who really opened my eyes to making a bit more of my eyebrows, by making them match my hair a bit more.

I've never really done a huge amount with my brows, just the usual tinting and threading/plucking etc and whilst I do fill them in a little here and there, it's literally just to fill in gaps and do minor enhancements. I'm always too scared of the 'Scouse brows' effect (yes I watched one episode of Desperate Scousewives... although it pained me to do so) to be any more adventurous with my HD Brows kit.

Scouse Brows, before (L) and after (R)

So, when it was suggested that I could try something like this with my brows, I was a bit hesitant; I mean I love seeing Alex Box's work for Illamasqua, I just don't think it would work on a 30 year old that's off to do her shopping in Tesco's, but I agreed as it couldn't *really* hurt and could always be wiped off if I hated it.

He used Illamasqua's Angst powder eyeshadow, and then took it down so it wasn't so 'out there' by using their Brow Cake in Stark... and do you know what? I didn't hate it; I was really very pleasantly surprised and purchased the 2 products used immediately.

 Stark!

 

Angst!

 L-R - Stark, Angst!

 Both together!

What surprised me even more, was the fact that when I got home, Mr Beauty Scoop first of all noticed the 'brow job' and even more shockingly said he LIKED IT!! This is coming from the man who doesn't really like me having too much colour on my face and says I look better with 'less make-up'...  well, you could have knocked me down with a feather, I thought that I was going to have to put up with him tutting whenever I applied it - ha!

Anyway, I've played around with my purchases ever since and I actually think I'm doing quite well with my brows, I think it helps that the colours aren't dark, so I don't run the risk of having 'Scouse brows' and looking angry! I don't have them like this all the time, but it's nice to have the option now!

Another shade that looks promising for matching with plummy tones in hair is Forgiveness, I urge you to at least visit a counter and give this a whirl... you too may be pleasantly surprised!

I even have a matching pair of glasses!

What do you think?

Until Midnight TONIGHT - £10 Off £75 Spend @ Boots.com!

Boots have a site wide voucher code live until midnight tonight only, so this is a very quick post to let you know!

Offer: Save £10 when you spend £75 or more
Code:CYBERMON10
End: 23.59 05/12/11

Visit Boots.com!

Gift Idea: Soap & Glory - Whirly Girl!

I'm a big fan of Soap & Glory products, they're girly and their body products smell GREAT (I know this is personal preference, but I happen to love the smell of their Righteous Butter etc)! I always receive a bit of S&G for Christmas as stocking filler fodder, which I'm always happy to receive too!

The Whirly Girl gift set is a bit different to the usual items I receive as I usually get their bath and body products, so it was actually really nice to try out a couple of their other products. I was particularly impressed with the 'Arch De Triumph' pencil that is double-ended and used to fill in brows and highlight underneath them too.

L-R: Brow Pencil, Highlighter, Blended Highlighter

The brow pencil end was quite hard, but drew easily and the highlight end was creamy and smooth, again easy to use. I really like the pinky highlight shade, especially as it allows you to highlight without the use of shimmer - I feel this could be great for use on a wedding day, or other such day when you know you'll be photographed as I think it would react a lot better to flash photography!

The lipgloss is a light peachy pinky shade (Candy Gloss Pink) with lots of sparkle inside that claims to make your lips more full, and whilst I don't think it made my lips much, if any bigger, it did make them look smooth and plump - which could be partly due to the light reflection from the glossy and sparkly finish! The gloss does make your lips tingle, be warned that you will probably either love or hate this, personally I love it - I can't explain why, I just do!

The body spray is lovely, it's not the signature Soap & Glory scent to my nose, but not far off... it's sweet and fruity but with enough tang to stop it being sickly. It's also really strong in scent, meaning that you probably won't need to use as much each time you use it.

I haven't really given the lashes a proper testing out, mostly because I still can't really apply lashes all that well, and until I have perfected the art, there's probably not much point in me commenting to say if they're good or bad.

All in all, this is a lovely little set to give (or receive) as a Christmas present and everything I've come to expect (and love) from Soap & Glory. Available now for £20 at Boots, and is also available as part of the 3 for 2 offer, making it even better value.

PR Sample - Views are my own!

Celeb Sunday - Rihanna!

I do love a bit of Rhi-Rh, whether she's rocking that fabulous red hair or, as she has been seen lately, as a blonde (and anything inbetween).

I think it really suits her, both the colour and the style... however I have a feeling that it is a wig, a good wig, but a wig all the same (I just don't think she could go that shade of blonde without HUGE damage to her hair caused by bleaching)!

I actually have a similar wig, I'll be showing it (and others) in a post in the next few week!

What do you think of Rhianna and her new 'hair'? 

Clinique 'Week of Beauty Treats' - Monday 5th to Friday 9th December 2011!

From Monday 5th December until Friday 9th, Clinique will be giving you a surprise treat with each online purchase on www.clinique.co.uk. The offer will change each day, and will be a secret until its unveiling on the day, however(!) I have a few little teasers to get you going!

Monday  - A treat to make the eyes flutter during the party season!
Tuesday - A treat full of girly glamour.
Wednesday - Banish the winter blues.
Thursday - Treats all round!
Friday - Hurry! Get it... whenever you choose!

I really like this idea, it's a perfect way to get a little bit extra for your money when spending on gifts for Christmas, or just treating yourself!

Beauty Deals Updates!

Hello my lovelies, I have some new beauty deals for you that I'm going to run down very quickly!

Boots.com are offering:

£10 of Advantage card points for every £75 you spend online in a single transaction!

Gift of the Week: FCUK the Women Has it All Overnight Bag - Was £45, Now £22, Save £23.

£5 off ENRAPTURE hair styling range (I can thoroughly recommend these) using code ENRAPTURE5 until 24.12.2011.


Cheap Smells are offering an extra 10% off their Decléor selection:

QVC are offering a couple of beauty TSV's over the next couple of days. The link for the TSV always stays the same, so it will show as a different TSV if you click it on a different day!

Saturday 3rd December (today) - Decleor 6pc Anti Ageing Radiance Collection £37.92 instead of £45.50)
Monday 5th December - Laura Geller 5pc Bake Sale Beauty Collection

Happy Shopping! x

Competition: Win Elemis FreshSkin Goodies Worth £100!

The Elemis FreshSkin range is a complete skincare reigime/range dedicated to young skin from teens to twenties because Elemis know just how important it is to look after your skin, even when you're young and (relatively) care free!

The FreshSkin range will nurture your skin, preventing premature ageing and brightening tired and dull skin in the process. My mum always taught me that it's never too soon to start looking after your skin, and with Elemis, you know you're getting quality skincare from an uber knowlegeable brand that creates amazing products for all skintypes at all ages; you might say they're experts in skincare!

This prize is the entire Elemis FreshSkin range, (minus the exfoliating face wash which unfortunately met its death at the hands of Royal Mail on its way to me) which is worth £100. The range includes:

• Elemis FreshSkin Peachy Perfect Gentle Face Wash (£12)
• Elemis FreshSkin Softly Softly Daily Moisturiser (£20)
• Elemis FreshSkin Dreamy Sleep Night-Time Moisturiser (£22)
• Elemis FreshSkin Tired Eyes Soothing Eye Rescue (£15)
• Elemis FreshSkin Loving Lips Quenching Lip Balm (£8)
• Elemis FreshSkin Make-Up Away Cleansing Wipes (£8)
• Elemis FreshSkin Face Mask Duo (£15)

The prize is fantastic and you can get your hands on it simply by following me via GOOGLE FRIEND CONNECT and filling out the form below!

Competition closes at 11:59pm on Monday, January 2nd 2012!

Good luck!

Urban Decay's Naked Palette 2!

Yep that's right, a sibling palette to the massively successful Naked palette is on its way to our shores (I believe it's already available in the USA - lucky things) and it looks like a stunner! I got a few photographs from Urban Decay's Facebook page to show you, in case you had completely missed all talk of this before now!

Available in January 2012 from Debenhams, and other retailers from February!