David Emanuel Visits Sunderland!

David Emanuel graced Sunderland city centre with his presence last Thursday, February 6th. He was at the Bon Marche store to launch his new clothing line and to chat to Fashion North about the inspiration behind the line, his escapades in the jungle and that iconic wedding dress.  

GO TO:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfrSXzpyl7Q

L'Oréal Elvive Extraordinary Oil

The weather is getting colder, and the nights are getting darker, equalling disastrous results for our hair. If like me, you dread the dreary weather for reasons none other that it wreaks havoc on your hair, take a look at what I thought of this hair oil. 

                 

After everyone went wild for the amazing but pricey Morrocan Oil, the clever clogs at L'Oréal released this hair rescue oil a good few months ago. 

Not being one for hair serums or sprays as I feel they make my hair greasy, I decided to try this out a few weeks ago when my hair started feeling really dry. 

L'Oréal says it leaves hair 'sumptuously soft and with a luxurious shine', and it certainly lives up to the claims. 

After using it for a while, I love it so much that I wouldn't like to wash and dry my hair without it! It has a weightless touch, and doesn't leave my hair feeling lank or greasy, which is what I usually find with 'shine enhancing' products for hair. 

I only need a few drops for my long hair, so I reckon this 100 ml bottle will last me a while!

It's currently £6.66 for 100 ml at Boots, but it's normally £9.99. The latter is reasonable anyway, considering it is so similar to Morrocan Oil which for a tiny 50 ml bottle is around £15! 

One more thing I love about this is the sleek and sophisticated packaging. The glass bottle has a very 'up-market salon' feel, and the pump-action top makes sure it doesn't slop everywhere.

Does anyone have any other amazing hair oils that I should know about? 

                      

                   

Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation in Soft Beige

       Despite amassing around ten different foundations of all textures, colours and brands, this £4.99 Rimmel bargain is fast becoming a one of my firm favourites. I was a little bit sceptical before purchasing, as my skin and I never really got on very well with the now infamous Maybelline mousse foundation.

        I tend to have that annoying combination skin that can't decide whether or not it wants to stay greasy and shiny, or dry and flaky. However, much like the majority of beauty products, I'm slightly obsessed with buying new foundations, so picked this one up at Asda a few weeks ago. (As you can see it has been rattling around in my much too grubby makeup bag for a while, hence the dirty looking packaging!) 

        I love the creamy consistency of this foundation,  and while it does exactly what it says on the tin by keeping the skin matte, it's not too drying which can make products look tacky. When used with my primer it stays put all day, and other products like blusher and highlighter glide on fine. The shade 'Soft Beige' is quite a good match for my skin tone, however I'd say the limited number of shades is the one downside to this product..yet who can complain for a fiver?

 

September Saviours

      Sitting down to write this post, I've just had the realisation that Christmas Eve is only 3 months away! Or to make it sound even more daunting...a mere 12 weeks, if like me, the idea of Christmas shopping at this time of year makes you break out in a cold sweat, check out some of my September favourites to get some no-brainer gift ideas for the females in your life. 

      First up is a money-saving miracle in the form of Nad's Brazillian Wax. If the very thought of shelling out for waxing every month makes you want to hibernate and revert to the likes of a cave woman, then consider snapping up this little life-saver hair-remover. 

      It's a snip at only £9.49 at Boots, and lasts for around two to three waxes. It's extremely easy to use, as it's the Brazillian hot wax version, meaning it doesn't require those long fiddly strips. Plus, anyone who's had the hot wax before, will be well aware of the advantages of using hot instead of strip, (so much less pain-inducing!)

      Next is a little something I bought when I was studying in Memphis, in a very well-known store (to Americans!) called Dollar Tree. I've raved about Dollar Tree in some previous posts that I wrote throughout my time in Memphis. Being on a student budget, the store which is the American equivalent of our beloved Poundland became the go-to shop for my penny-pinching, or rather cent-pinching European friends and I. What's more, it stocked a ton of makeup and beauty products.

      Amongst a lot of other things, I picked up this New York Color Blushable Creme Stick in the shade 'Urban Spice'. I hardly used this whilst in America and now I'm not really sure why! It's the perfect consistency and colour to rub under the cheekbones to create a subtle but long-lasting contour. I haven't yet seen this product in England, so will be on the hunt for a decent dupe, however I can't quite see me finding one as cheap as one dollar! 

      One brand we certainly don't associate with the term 'cheap and cheerful' is MAC. In fact, I purposely keep my distance from the counters in a bid to not spot something and then tell myself that I HAVE to buy it. (I'm sure I'm not the only one.) However, when I saw my friend sporting Lady Danger it just looked like the most perfect red lipstick, and to be honest, for me it is. I know that a lot of people love the infamous Ruby Woo and Russian Red by MAC, but they are a lot more bluish-red than coral-red which is what suits my skin tone. 

      Last but by no means least, is a little freebie from Cosmopolitan magazine. Hair products and I don't tend to get on, I prefer to leave it natural and a bit messy, so don't really like anything that professes to make my hair super-glossy and straight. Yet lately I've been trying out a few new products since my hair has been coloured a few shades lighter than usual and so the condition has some what deteriorated. This Argan Oil Hair Transforming Cream from the 'Phil Smith Be Gorgeous' range is a thirst-quencher for dry hair. It contains the now infamous Moroccan Argan oil, and claims that it will 'miraculously transform the texture of your hair into lustrous silky locks.' Bold statement? Not really, as it lives up to the claims. What I like most about it is that it doesn't weigh my hair down or make it greasy, and you only need a pea-sized amount to make your hair feel nourished again. 

Are there any other hair saviours out there that I can add to my small but gradually growing collection? 

No7 is No1 for Fake Tan!

     Being naturally lily white, it will come as no surprise that I am a dedicated fan of one of the beauty world's holiest grails - fake tan.
St. Tropez, Fake Bake, Ambre Solaire - you name it, I've slapped it on in the quest to become slighly less see-through. 

     For a while I'd been using Fake Bake's mousse, and got along with it just fine. That was until I received a £5.00 off voucher for No7. As I was in need of a new bottle of tan, but didn't fancy paying the twenty-odd pounds for Fake Bake, I decided to put my No7 voucher to good use and purchase their 'Perfectly Bronzed - Quick Dry Tinted Lotion'. 
     To sum up how I feel about this tan in four words - I'll never look back.
That might sound like a flippant comment, but this affordable tan is the absolute perfect shade for me, (I bought 'Medium/Dark'.) 
     After a few hours of applying, I was already left looking like I'd had a week in the Bahamas, but in a good way, not in a I'm-so-mahogany-you-can-only-see-my-teeth-way.
      I apply it with a tanning mitt, and in contrast to the likes of the St. Tropez and copycat cheapy St. Moritz, it doesn't fall out on to the mitt in a wet gloop of mousse. 
     It's more like applying moisturiser, but it's tinted, making application ten times easier. 
Another thing I like about this fake tan is the longevity it has on my skin. I'm not sure if it was just me, but I found that St. Tropez only lasted until I had a shower, and I was left with only a very slight bit of colour. Not what you'd expect from 30 quid a bottle...
     Anyway, I can't sing No7's praises enough, it's even on offer at the moment at £9.95...bargain. You can buy it here.

Are there any other fake tans out there that I should know about?

Aldi's Emerald Beauty

 It's not very often anyone sings German supermarket Aldi's praises, in the makeup sense anyway. 
Aldi is well known for it's funny television adverts featuring grannies and babies, and it's bargain fruit and veg, but not for the little gems that can be scouted out in the tiny cosmetic section of the stores.

...Introducing Aldi's 'Lacura Beauty' eyeliner in the shade 'Emerald'...

This is a very dark green kohl, with a creamy consistency making it easy to apply and wear. Some people are squeamish when it comes to the idea of wearing a coloured eyeliner that isn't black or brown, but dark green can be a very pretty alternative. 

Swatch of 'Emerald'

 I've got quite a few coloured eyeliners from Urban Decay, but they are brighter than this shade from Lacura, making them not as wearable, in my opinion. I usually reserve the more vibrant eyeliners for festivals and suchlike. 

The eyeliner is a steal at £1.49, and even comes with a rubber end to smudge the eyes and a pencil sharpener. Can't get cheaper than that!

Although it isn't quite as pigmented as MAC's 'Undercurrant', I'd say it's a pretty good dupe. Tanya Burr uses 'Undercurrant' in her Haifa Wehbe tutorial below.

 Most of us can't afford to be splashing out on green eyeliners from MAC, so this one is a great alternative for when you're trying to tighten those purse strings. 

I'm wearing 'Emerald' in my waterline in these two pictures. As you can see it's a really subtle dark green.

 

Has anyone found any beauty bargains at Aldi?

Recent Bargain Wardrobe Purchases

I usually just write about makeup but today I thought I'd share my recent clothing purchases as I think they're nice and summery, despite our English summer seeming very reluctant to appear any time soon!

First up is this lovely tie-dye green print shirt dress from TK Maxx. I'm a bit of a bargain hunter, and have a keen eye for pretty things that come cheap, and this was no exception at £12.99.

It's perfect for the summer, (when it finally arrives) to wear with bare legs, sandals and a denim jacket.

Unfortunately the photographs don't really do it justice as the greens are a bit brighter to the human eye.

Bought it at TK Maxx but designed by 'Band of Gypsies'

 

Next is a top I loved as soon as I laid eyes on it. I absolutely love elephants and think most things emblazoned with elephant prints are gorgeous. 

Not only do I love the print of this New Look top, I love the boxy, oversized shape of it too. It's quite casual, but could be dressed up slightly with black skinny jeans and a big gold statement necklace. This is another bargain at £12.99, and was actually one of my Easter presents from my Mam.

You can buy this top here!

Yet another bargain buy is this beautiful red satin camisole from Miss Selfridge. Originally £28.00, it's safe to say I did well getting this for only £7.00
I love the double strap detailing and the cut-out detailing at the front, it makes the top look a lot more expensive than it was!
I'm really into cami tops at the minute, they go really nicely with denim shorts and can easily be dressed up or down. 
I always buy them in a size bigger so that they hang a bit lower at the front and at the arms. I don't know why, but I find that cami's look better slightly better bigger than fitted. 

And last but by no means least is this super-summery dress by Izabel London.
I hadn't heard of this brand before until I saw the collection in an outfit store. They have some gorgeous clothes, especially dresses, at really affordable prices.
My eye was caught by the colour and lattice-detail of this dress. I thought it was perfect for summer and could even be worn at festivals with bare legs and wellies. I'm going to Bilbao Live festival in Spain in July and this is definately going to be going in my bag!
The turquoisey colour would look fantastic with a tan and brown accessories such as a fringed leather bag.

Dress £22.00

Does anyone have any bargain summer purchases?