Competition: WIN a Fearne Cotton 'From Dusk 'Til Dawn Eyes' Set.

No Flash.

Flash.

I've been ill this week with flu like symptoms, and have also had internet issues, so haven't been able to post anything up for you to read. So, to make it up to you, and as a quick post that I can get live before my net drops again, I thought it would be nice to run another little competition.

This time the prize is a 'From Dusk Til Dawn Eyes' eyeshadow set from the Fearne Cotton makeup range. The set consists of 3 lovely shades, that appear to be shimmery in finish - I've photographed very quickly, both with flash and without. I thought this would be a nice thing to give away since it's getting close to Christmas and this would either make a lovely gift, or be a lovely set to use over the festive period, with the shimmer finish.

All you have to do to enter is fill in, and do at least one activity from the competition form below AND be a follower of the blog via GFC or Bloglovin, simple eh.

Competition ends on Wednesday 4th December at midnight (so that's basically late Tuesday night, just for clarification). I've extended it as I've had a few people email me telling me they're having problems with the widget and entering.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

L'OREAL Colour Ombrés Hair Colouring Kit in Copper WINNER!

The winner of my L'OREAL competition from last week is:

Jayne Bojang.

I have emailed you, but have yet to hear back. Please contact me to arrange delivery of your prize. x

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

November 2013 Decleor Today's Special Value/TSV on QVC - Midnight Tonight!

I don't have many details right now, but I have had a few of you ask about this. I am told it's due to be on the 9th of November (so midnight tonight, guys), and Fiona Brackenbury added this photograph to her Facebook/Twitter accounts so I thought I'd post it up for those who haven't yet seen it. No price details as yet, they're embargoed until midnight, when you'll find out yourselves anyway. x

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

Viviscal & Look Good Feel Better Charity Project: Your Hair Confessions!

I am a sucker for a good cause. I like to be able to help anybody, whenever/wherever I can and always donate what time/money I can to various charities too.

So, when I got an email through this morning, telling me about Viviscal and their campaign to both uncover the true meaning of a 'Good Hair Day' and raise money for Look Good Feel Better by donating £1 every time somebody in the UK fills in the survey on their Hair Confessions site, I immediately set to work in writing this post in the hope that I too could help to raise awareness, and also encourage every one of my readers in the UK to fill in the survey.

Look Good Feel Better is a charity that is 'dedicated to improving the self-esteem and quality of life of people undergoing treatment for cancer', something that I think is just as important as the cancer treatment itself.

How you look affects how you feel, and I'm betting every one of you knows what it's like to have a bad hair/makeup/skin or whatever day; you know, one where you go out just not feeling yourself, feeling self conscious and generally rubbish because your hair wouldn't curl properly or your foundation looks a bit cakey etc. So, if I was going through treatment for cancer, and had lost my hair in the process, or had to have my breast(s) removed, I'd imagine that I'd feel pretty low, on top of already feeling poorly and having my body battered by the various treatments available... and that just can't help matters at all.

So I'm asking you all, if you live in the UK, please please go over to the 'Viviscal Hair Confessions' site and fill in the survey. Also, please do share this post to all your friends and followers too as the more people that fill in the survey, the more money LGFB will receive, and the more people they'll be able to help. It only takes a little bit of your time, and you will be entered into a prize draw to win 3 month supply of Viviscal hair supplements, and a grand prize of a trip to LA on Oscar weekend 2014 - although I'd personally fill it in without the prize incentive.

If you're not in the UK, please feel free to forward this post to anybody who is. x

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

Wordless Wednesday... on a Thursday (Scheduling Failed)!

Just a little post today as I am poorly, but I wanted to show you this product before I tried it out anyway! It looks brilliant, and such a good idea... don't you think? I'll be trying it out in a club, and reporting back what I think very soon.

Hope you're all well and not suffering the lurgy like I am. x

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

WIN a L'OREAL Colour Ombrés Hair Colouring Kit in Copper!

So, it's Bonfire Night tonight, and I thought I'd celebrate it by hosting a little giveaway on here as I haven't done one in quite a while. In keeping with the theme of the day, I thought it only right that I gave away this nifty little ombré hair colour kit from L'OREAL Paris, in the copper shade, since it's kind of fiery colour-wise.

All you have to do to enter is fill in, and do at least one activity from the competition form below and be a follower of the blog via GFC or Bloglovin, simple eh.

On a separate note, feel free to leave a comment below with what you plan to get up to later on. I'm off to a huge bonfire in Manchester, with my friends. It's my first bonfire in years (now I'm out of boring mode) and I'm expecting it to be loooooads of fun. x

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

Angle Cut Wig: Hairdo by Ken Paves!

Back in July I decided it would be a fun idea to see if I could fool my friends on Facebook with a short blond wig that I bought. I haven't actually worn it out seriously as I do love my own hair and always end up just styling that instead, but I do quite like it regardless.

As I walked in to see my dad and step mum with it on to ask their opinion, I saw my neighbour and she didn't even recognise me, which encouraged me to take the images above (I wasn't actually naked, by the way).

This gave me the perfect status update to play my prank when I updated my profile with the first image in the collage and the accompanying status: "Haha my neighbour didn't recognise me then with my new hair..." to which I got a tonne of replies, basically saying how amazing it looked. To the point that I actually felt guilty and went out partying, wondering how I'd break the news that it was actually a wig, ha!

To say I fooled them was an understatement, and even a few weeks later when I took the wig to a party and plonked it on my head, I got a message from an old friend asking if this picture of me (see below), captured at an after party whilst I was drunk, was an old image (as I used to have hair similar to this myself), or if I'd had my hair cut/dyed. I even have my red hair showing through, so it must be convincing, haha.

The wig is by Ken Paves, who is a celebrity hairdresser, and is made from 'Tru2Life' fibre, which basically means that you can style the hair using heated stylers, but apparently not ones that are *too* hot, such as GHDs.

This particular wig, the 'Angle Cut Wig' in Ginger Blonde is based on the now famous crop cut that he did for Victoria Beckham (and this was also a style I actually sported back in the day (aged about 17, as previously mentioned) and whilst it isn't real hair, it does appear to be very convincing to others. This is an essential to me when wearing a wig that isn't a novelty style or colour, especially considering its price point of £95 (although it's currently on sale at £85 at HotHair, as linked above).

Overall, I do think this wig is a good purchase if you like to change your look without actually going for the chop or reaching for the bleach/dye. It is comfy to wear, and not *too* hot either... and whilst it hasn't had a great amount of use, I know that should I want to rock the short, blonde look at any point, I will be happy to wear this, as I know I can easily fool people whilst doing so.

Do you wear wigs? Would you wear a wig like this?

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk

Fat Girl Slim - My Before & After Images!

2007 - possibly the only pictures of me that I've got at almost my heaviest. Below are images from Summer this year.

I used to be fat. Like 6 stone (almost) heavier. Mostly due to Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, but still, nobody cares WHY you’re fat; they just see the large person stood in front of them. I was never happy being larger, since I’d always been a size 10-12 in the past. I lost interest in myself, didn’t see the point of trying to find too many nice clothes, since I felt horrific in anything I put on, I avoided cameras like a professional (hence why I’ve found it so difficult to find images of me whilst so heavy), and looking back at images from events and nights out I’d been to/on, it was like I barely existed at all.

• At my heaviest, I weighed 16 stone 2, possibly a couple of lbs more, I stopped weighing myself you see. I think I must have been a size 20-22 and I was miserable. Thankfully I lost 2.5 stone when I went on my medication for the PCOS (basically the reason I got large), with the weight coming off slowly but surely with that. However, this year, the rest of the weight (3 stone) dropped off me, kick started by the heartbreak diet after my fiancé of almost a decade had an affair and left in March, but continued (I think) by my active weekends in clubs, dancing off the flab.I now weigh between 9 stone 4lbs and 9 stone 6lbs. My aim is to get to 9 stone with the final bit of toning up I need/want to do.

Heavy August last year.

Me this year in the last 2 images.

Anyway, I’ve been asked a few times by people to put up before and after images and I was in 2 minds about whether to do so or not because I felt so hideous about myself in the before images, but then thought ‘why not?’ because I’ve actually achieved something pretty decent, and should be proud of this. So, this is a huge amount of images, apologies for this – as I’ve basically used all my fat photographs, and tried to find as many images as possible to contrast with them for you and show you what I look like throughout this year.

Even dresses that I squeezed into when I was larger, but not at my largest, I've been able to wear (just about) now I'm slimmer and I can't believe the massive difference in just a few dress sizes, as you can see above.

I obviously wouldn't recommend the heartbreak diet, but this wasn't in my control and I fully believe it shocked my body into dropping weight quicker than it had been on my medication alone. As mentioned above, I still want, and need to tone up, because after an almost 6 stone weight loss there is lose skin and still a small layer of fat but this is something I will be working on from now, until I achieve my goal.

I didn't even realise the difference, until I had to convince friends that I did actually weigh so much more by showing them my before pictures. Madness.

I still see myself as the larger girl for the most part, and when I buy my sized clothing, I look at it when it arrives and think 'I'm never going to fit into that'... but then I do, and I honestly can never believe it. This was especially the case with the 'Letto' dress above, by Forever Unique at Chic Boutique, which I've just noticed has been reduced in the sale from £110 to a bargainous £55, and well worth every penny as the dress is gorgeous and I always receive tonnes of compliments when I wear it - full review on this coming soon.

Have you lost weight yourself? Have you ever experienced this 'fat girl mentality' after weight loss? Do you want to lose weight? Tell me your stories. x

This post originated at www.thebeautyscoop.co.uk