Celeb Sunday - Victoria Beckham!

Another gorgeous smoky eye here, this time from fashion queen, Victoria Beckham. The smoky eye, teamed with luscious lashes, nude lips and a sleek updo (that I LOVE) make Victoria look so chic, and SO amazing, don'cha think?

I also like that this photograph hasn't been airbrushed to within an inch of its life! :-)

A Few More Beauty Deals!

20% off full sized Elemis products @ Time To Spa until Sunday 11th December!
Code: XMASTREAT

They also have a couple of extra money saving offers:

Buy Pro-Collagen Marine Cream 100ml for only £99! SAVE £54
3 for 2 on all Christmas collections - Buy and 2 collections and get the lowest priced set FREE!

Boots have extended their £50 off Philips Lumea Precision code until 15th December 2011, so if you're still considering it, you have a bit more time to think!
Code: LUMEA50

Feel Unique still have money off voucher codes available to be used:

Save £2; use code STOCKINGFILLER in the 'promotional code' box at the checkout when you spend £25 or more.

Save £3; use code XMASWISH in the 'promotional code' box at the checkout when you spend £50 or more.

Save £5; use code FIVESTARXMAS in the 'promotional code' box at the checkout when you spend £75 or more.

Boots 'Kiss Me Quick' Lollypop Face Cloth!

I love that this face cloth is fashioned into a lollypop, and actually it must look fairly realistic as Mr Beauty Scoop thought it was a lolly when he glanced at it!! It's a quirky little stocking filler that costs £3.50 from Boots.

I do have a couple of niggles though, and I'm hoping that these were a one off on this particular cloth. The first issue was where the lolly stick had been stuck onto the cloth, as when I pulled it off, it actually pulled some of the thread with it, so just take care when doing this if you do get one.

Secondly, where the plastic kimble tag had gone through the cloth to hold it into the lolly shape created holes that whilst fairly small, were still quite evident.

Finally, there were a few more imperfections like more pulling and also a bit of irregularity in the pink sections of the cloth where it appears patchy.

However, all that being said, I'd still be happy to receive one on Christmas day as the cloth does what it needs to and is soft on the skin too (I'm just being a bit picky with the comments above). Not to mention the novelty fun factor in receiving one of these (and it's also great for those on diets who are trying to avoid real lollies) so not bad for just £3.50!

I found it rather funny when I looked at the care instructions and it instructs to 'sponge clean only' haha... have a look below!

Wordless Wednesday - Olivia Wilde!

I lurrrrrrrrrrrrrrve Olivia's dramatic smoky eye look in this photograph, it is stunning, don't you think?!

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'?