Lazy Day and Easy Lounger

So, here's Lazy Day from the To The Beach Collection. This is a really pretty girly pink, and looks amazing when paired with the Life's A Breeze Lip Pencil (as seen here) which is the perfect shade for almost all of my MAC light pinks. I think I'm going to call this my 'understated' pink. It's just the prettiest colour!

And here's Lazy Day paired with Easy Lounger Lipglass from the same collection. Easy Lounger is a great compliment to Lazy Day and really gives you that beautiful high gloss finish. When used with the lip pencil, I found these products to be long-lasting and I had no bleeding around the edges at all.

What do you lovely ladies think? Would you add another pink to your collection for Lazy Day?

xoxo

Makeup For Dry Skin

Recently I went though a phase of having extremely dry and flaky skin (hence my lack of FOTDs) and these products absolutely saved my life! Granted I felt a touch over moisturized for about 10 minutes but I'll put up with 10 minutes to look great the rest of the day! FYI: The foundation and concealer are in paler shades than I'm wearing at the moment because I get drier skin the paler I am.

So the first product I'm using is MAC Studio Sculpt SPF 15 Foundation in NW15 (choose the right shade for you though!).

This foundation is completely buildable, so it's great for summer and winter. It doesn't sit in dry patches and stays put all day because of it's gel base. I use a 189 or a 190 brush to apply it. And even better for summer it's water resistant!

The name says it all, my concealer of choice for dry skin is Select Moisturecover again in NW15 (again choose your own shade!).

I only use this when I need it (ususally under my eyes). I love this concealer so much because it gives really great coverage without feeling heavy. I use it no matter what's going on with my skin when I'm using both my Studio Fix or my Studio Sculpt foundations.

Studio Sculpt Foundation

straight out of the tube (with flash)

Studio Sculpt Foundation

blended with a 190 brush (without flash)

Sorry for the with/without flash, only way I could get the foundation to photograph true to colour. There isn't as much colour difference as appears in the photos, my skin is washed out in the first one.

Select Moisturecover Concealer

applied with applicator from tube (with flash)

Select Moisturecover Concealer

blended with a 194 brush (with flash)

 Again sorry for the not so great pictures, it's hard to capture a foundation and concealer that blend in so well!

When you have severely dry skin it's always better to creme blush and highlighter products and not powder. Powder will sink straight into the dryness, but creme products will keep the moisture you're working so hard to keep in your skin there.

I love MAC Blushcreme in Ladyblush and MAC Creme Colour Base in Hush. I like these because again, they're buildable, so you can have as much or as little colour as you like.

Mac Blushcreme in Ladyblush

 MAC Creme Colour Base in Hush

 MAC Creme Colour Base in Hush (left) and

MAC Blushcreme in Lady Blush (right)

both swatched with a single 'swipe'

 MAC Creme Colour Base in Hush and

MAC Blushcreme in Lady Blush

blended with a 187 brush

This combination of products on my skin made such a difference to my skin's appearance, even though it was very dry, it still looked plush and healthy.

xoxo

Full Skincare Routine with LUSH Mini Reviews

I've been debating posting this for a while. I don't know if the blogging world is ready to see my makeupless face! But I'm finally ready to take the plunge. I know I look super different in these photos, my hair is scraped out of the way and I look way weird without makeup!!

So.. here we go:

Just to show you how good my makeup remover is, here is the makeup I was wearing before I started.

And here's after makeup removal. I first gently peel off my lashes, then soak a cotton pad with Benefit's Gee, That Was Quick! I love this product becuase it will remove all traces of makeup including mascara, eyeliner, waterproof products, eyebrow pencil, lipstick, foundation, etc., etc. which is really important in your skincare routine.

 

After removing makeup, I used my Baby Face Cleanser from LUSH. This can also be used as a makeup remover, but I prefer to soley use it as a cleanser. This looks very oily in the photograph, because frankly, it is. You literally melt this onto your face from the bar, so it has an oily consistancy so it can melt onto your face. Once I have applied this I wet my hands and rub the product into my skin. I really can feel this getting into my pores and cleaning out all the dirt. I absolutely love this product as it leaves my skin feeling fresh and baby soft!

Next up I use Angels On Bare Skin, again from LUSH. I don't use this every night, but I usually do it at least every other day. It's one of those products you use when you just have that 'grubby' feeling. Hard to explain but I guess you guys know what I mean. I feel like this is a half and half cleanser and exfoliator, it sort of exfoliates but cleanses at the same time. This is really great for dry skin, I would recommend this to anyone who gets dry patches or just dry skin in general. Even if you change skin types with the weather, I'd say this is a great investment.

 About once a week I do a mask just to give an extra hydration boost. This is The Sacred Truth Fresh Face Mask, yet again from LUSH. This was a tester pot that I received instore but I got 2 or 3 uses from the pot. The first photo is right as the mask is applied, and the second photo shows 10 minutes later when the mask had dried. I like to let it dry completely and then rub and peel it off.  This gives me time to go get changed for bed and sort my room out so I can fall into bed as soon as I'm done! This really makes me feel like the dirt is being scrubbed away from my skin and I love it :)


After this I moisturize with Celestial (do you still need me to say it's from LUSH?!) which I recently bought a full sized pot of along with the full sized Angels On Bare Skin. I just love those products and so does my skin!!


I'm really loving LUSH's skincare range, I've noticed a real difference in my skin. I'm sure once I've used these products up I'll try some other things too!


What are your favourite skincare products?


xoxo

Lee Stafford Jzeush! Bar - Mixed Experience

Well.. this is somewhat of a mixed review/rant/rave because to be honest I have really mixed feelings about my experience. For those of you who haven't heard of the new Lee Stafford Jzeush! Express Style Bar, it's basically a walk in salon where you can choose from 11 looks ranging from £12-£20 and get it done there and then. I was first approached by a woman who was handing out flyers, she asked if she could tell me a bit about the service. I agreed to this took a flyer and carried on shopping. I was intrigued to see whether the service really was as good as they said so when I was done shopping I went back to ask a few questions. I had my eye on the Fishtail Plait but I've tried it before on myself and all the back kept falling out because of my weird layers. I talked to the marketing woman about this and she said (literally) "they can work wonders". I'm a sucker, but this and the fact that Lee Stafford himself was standing right there watching the girls do the hairstyles, I figured "why not?".

As soon as I sat down I regretted the deccision. The girl doing my hair seemed like a trainee, she re-started the plait 3 times and it looked like it was sticking out of the side of my head at a really strange angle. Given that I had seen Lee giving the stylist working on the next station (even though she was doing a different style) pointers and helping her, I figured he would do the same for the girl working on me. No such luck. Now, I wouldn't have been so irritated by this if I had not been paying £20 for the style. By the time she was done with the plait and had tugged it into place, I admit, it looked good. So I paid and left, figuring that it was a nice treat, but not an experience to repeat.

However, by the time I reached my car the entire back of my hair had fallen out  of the plait and was hanging around my shoulders. It was a side fishtail plait on the right, so my shorter layers from the left side of my head had fallen. I've got to say, for £20 this was unacceptable to me. 5 minutes of a style for £20 - no thanks. I couldn't go back in and complain because I had to get home, but I rang the number on the flyer, which turned out to be head office. I told them exactly what had happened and was offered to go back and have the style redone with Lee himself overseeing it or a refund. I chose the refund, simply because I don't have the time to go back, there would be petrol money or train fares too, so a refund just seemed better.

Today I received a package containing my refund and 3 full size products with a letter apologising for my disappointment and inconvenience, and explaining that they welcome any customer feedback and would like to make it up to me with the enclosed products.

I recieved the Bling SpARkLE SpRAY, the Bling HaiR REhab Detox SHaMPOO and the Bling HaiR REhab iNTENsE CoNDiTiONER. I will be doing full reviews of these products in due course.

Overall, I wasn't impressed with the Jzeush! service itself and would only recommend it if you wanted one of the more complex styles which I feel would be worth the £20. However, I personally felt 5 minutes in a chair for a fishtail plait was not worth £20 leading to my complaint. I was really impressed with the way the company dealt with my complaint and quick resolution of the issue.

xoxo

Just for the record: I have no problem at all with Lee Stafford, his company or anyone affiliated with him or his company. This is an simply honest review of the service I recieved. I have no grudge that would lead me to write a negatively biased review of these products and intend to treat these products as if they had been sent to me for review purposes.

LUSH Haul - Great Deals and Haircare

I ummed and ahhhed over this deal for a few days before taking the plunge, but I figured it would be a great thing to feature on here and after some research I'm guessing there's about £15 worth of products in a box for £10. So I say DEAL! Naturally putting Lora in LUSH means samples, so I decided to get some hair products after being told by the sales assistant serving me that the haircare range is as good as if not better than the skincare range.

 So you get this cute little box for £10...

And you open it to find a cute beachy postcard

with the product descriptions on the back...

And under the postcard are your 6 products,

all full size except for the creams.

 First up: Buffy

LUSH say:

"Exfoliating scrub for your seating area. Use Buffy on wet skin, in the bath or the shower, to make you softer and smooth to the touch. Buff yourself all over, paying special attention to your backside if you would like special attention to be paid to it in future; rinse off the ground up exfoliating bits of rice, almonds and beans and pat yourself dry. There's no need for body lotion after a Buffy, because the cocoa and shea butters in it moisturise your skin beautifully. There's something about exfoliating your body that makes you feel bright and bouncy, as well as smooth all over. Slay that cellulite."

I've used Benefit's Sugar Scrub (I can't remember it's real name for the life of me!) before so I'm excited to see how this compares.

 Next up: Glorious Mud

LUSH say:

"Rub our dynamic, fizzy cube of rhassoul mud all over your body to cover and cleanse. The aloe vera extract is soothing, and the mix of sesame and vanilla will moisturise. Mask your whole body for smooth, soft skin that smells just like the delectable Crème Anglaise body lotion."

This was featured on the front of the Spring 2010 LUSH Times, so I've been wanting to give this a try for a while.

 Here we have: Stepping Stone

LUSH say:

"Everyone needs a Stepping Stone after an arduous day with your foot to the pedal. The green foot has the zesty You’ve Been Mangoed fragrance and punishing pumice to scrub away the rigours of life. Jojoba oil will moisturise dry skin without leaving them greasy and sea salt will treat them to plentiful minerals. Put your feet up and save your soles."

 

I'm going to need this over the next few weeks as my marathon training intensifies!!

 

 Not quite sure about: A Token To The Forest Gods

LUSH say:

"Our tokens to the forest deities are green, fizzing toner tabs with uplifting grapefruit, sweet orange and neroli oils. Drop into a bowl of hot water and enjoy the sharp, citrusy blast of oils. Your face will be toned, refreshed and a little closer to the divine."

 

Maybe you use these like a steamer? Hot water and a towel over your head? I'm not sure, but I guess now is a good time to try!

 

And last but not least: Ultralight and Fair Trade Foot Lotion

LUSH say: 

"Protective moisturizer to look after all skin types. Ultralight gives you a two-in-one: a moisturiser with sun protection. It has all the antioxidant rich seaweed, aloe, St. John's wort and myrrh we can cram into it to prevent free radicals ageing your skin before it's ready. The ingredients with the long names are synthetic sunscreens. Use it whenever the sun shines. SPF 10 low."

and

"Minty revitalisation for feet with fairly traded cocoa butter. Pink and perky, one mightily minty cream for your feet, which also helps to ease the abuse they get when trapped in shoes all day. We use both spearmint and peppermint essential oils to relieve aches and cool hot feet again. Arnica and marigold herbs take away the weariness and get your feet ready to wear your highest heels or to be seen naked and proud of it."

I'm always up for trying products (especially foundation and moisturizer) with SPF so I'll give Ultralight a good shot on the sunnier days, and I'll be pairing the Fair Trade Foot Lotion with the Stepping Stone scrub.

I also picked up some haircare samples:

American Cream, Veganese, Rehab Shampoo, Big Shampoo and Cynthia Sylvia Stout

I figured since I've been using my curren shampoo since the start of last summer I should make a change, hopefully for the better! I'll be letting you all know how I get on.

I just bought the full sized pot of Celestial as my sample pot convinced me, but since I'm still getting the occasional dry patch I'm still on a hunt for my super-dry-fixer moisturiser so I picked up a sample of Imperialis.

I think my skin just likes being awkward, so I'm just going to keep sample testing until I find my solution!

That's all for now! Hope everyone's week is going well!

xoxo

p.s. I won a virtual £1,000,000 tonight playing along with The Million Pound Drop on Channel 4! Check out the top name on here:

Just a tad amusing huh? :)

FOTD - MAC To The Beach

Since getting my To The Beach goodies I just had to do a FOTD with them. So here it is :)

Face

Rimmel London Lasting Finish 16 Hour Foundation in 201 Classic Beige

MAC Select Moisture Cover in NW20

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Medium (Powder) and Soft and Gentle (Highlight)

MAC Powder Blush in Pink Swoon

Eyes

Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin

MAC Eyeshadows in Sweet & Punchy (Lid and Inner Corner), Humid (Crease), Brule (Blend) and Shroom (Highlight)

GOSH Velvet Touch Eyeliner in Blue Lagoon (Waterline)

MAC #7 Lashes

Duo Lash Glue

MAC Plushlash in Plush Black

MAC Eye Brows in Lingering

Lips

MAC Lip Pencil in Life's A Breeze

MAC Lustre Lipstick in Lazy Day

MAC Tinted Lipglass in Easy Lounger

I absolutely love Sweet & Punchy and Humid, they look so darling together! I'm considering the bronzing products from the To The Beach Collection. Any thoughts?

LUSH Haul coming up later tonight (and maybe some reviews)!!

xoxo

MAC Lipstick and Lustreglass Swatch - Angel and Morning Glory

So I figured the easiest way to get my lipstick swatches on here was to just post them as I go. I've been taking pictures as I wear them, but since I keep buying lipsticks I'm not keeping up at the moment! So I've tagged this with 'MAC Lipstick Swatches Collection' so once I get going with this you guys can just click the tag in the sidebar or at the bottom of a related post to see them all.

So here we go:

 Angel (Frost) with Morning Glory (Lustreglass)

So this is fast becoming a favourite combination I'll take pictures of these on their own so you can see the difference Morning Glory makes to Angel. I think Angel is a really nice neutral pink, definately one suited to a work environment, but you can dress is up with some bright eye makeup and it's perfect for summer.

xoxo

MAC To The Beach Haul

I love this collection, I had to wait until I got paid to get some bits and bobs but now here they are!

Life's A Breeze Lip Pencil

(Sorrry for the blurry picture, my camera was being stupid)

I really love this lip pencil. It's the perfect colour to compliment so many pink lipsticks. It looks really good with Viva Glam Gaga, Creme Cup and Lazy Day.

 Easy Lounger Lipglass

This is a really good way to spice up a pink lipstick, without having to buy a different shade of gloss for each one. It's sheer enough to suit all light pinks, but gives the perfect amount of shine and shimmer for use in the day and at night.

Lazy Day Lustre Lipstick

This is another really gorgeous pink from MAC's lipstick collection. It's more of a subtle pink thank most, but I like that. Perfect for work!

Life's A Breeze - Lazy Day - Easy Lounger

 Sweet & Punchy and Humid Eyeshadows

 Humid - Sweet & Punchy

I really want to go back and get the other eyeshadows, they're all really pretty. I have Shimmermoss already, so I won't be buying that one, but I really want the other two. I just got these two today, and I really wanted Float On By Eye Kohl to go with them, but I need to budget still!

LUSH and drugstore hauls later!

xoxo

FOTD - Hollister Skirt Inspired

So I bought this super cute blue, green and yellow Hollister Skirt, I'll put a pic up later, but this morning I saw it and thought of my new Alexander McQueen for MAC eyeshadows. So here's my FOTD:

Face

MAC Mineralize Foundation in NW25 (Foundation)

MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation (Concealer)

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Medium (Powder), Medium Deep (Contour) and Soft and Gentle (Highlight)

MAC Powder Blush in Pink Swoon

Eyes

Alexander McQueen for MAC Eyeshadows in Pagan (Lid) and Haunting (Crease)

MAC Eyeshadows in Brule (Blending) and Shroom (Highlight)

GOSH Velvet Touch Eyeliner in Alligator

MAC #7 False Lashes

MAC Plush Lash in Plush Black

MAC Eye Brows in Lingering

Lips

MAC Frost Lipstick in Angel

MAC Lustreglass in Morning Glory

xoxo

Bit Of A Nag About Packaging Quality...

Well.. to be totally honest I'm a little bit surprised to be sitting here writing this. MAC is one of my favourite makeup brands, and for their prices I have come to expect quality. I expect quality product, but also quality packaging. After reading this, some of you may be saying.. "Lora, what the hell? This is the stupidest thing to complain about ever." but if I'm going to pay £12 for a lipgloss I really think everything about it should be awesome. So here's my nag:

I've owned my MAC Flusterose Lustreglass for a month (and 2 days to be exact). When I bought it, it looked like this:

Right now it looks like this:

Anyone notice my issue? I'm a freak about my makeup staying in good condition. I've used this about.. 3-4 times, and it spent the first 3 weeks in it's box. One night out in my on-the-go makeup bag and the logo is almost gone.

I promise that both pictures are the  same product, I know they look different shades in the pictures but one was taken in natural light and one in artificial light so that has affected the colour in the pictures.

I'm not trying to say MAC are a bad company with bad quality products blah blah blah. What I'm saying is: Why does the ink used to imprint their logo (something they should really be proud of on their products and want it to stay there) rub off so easily? This has been lying still in my train case in it's box for 3 weeks, spent 3 days standing on my shelf and a night in my makeup bag. The only jostling about this has had was for one night. I know this is a silly nag, but this really seems crazy that this ink doesn't stay put. I love MAC, I love lustreglasses, but I have noticed this on several of my 'gloss products'. To be honest, if I were MAC (not that you can 'be' a brand or anything), I'd want my name to stay put on the product. I'm sure an awful lot of hard work and money goes into the formulation of these products so I'd want people to remember where all the hard work came from that's making their lips look so lovely. Anyway, congrats if you read this far. I know it's a stupid thing, I just like to take care of my makeup and my friend asked me if it was fake or repackaged today when I told her how long I'd had it because of the state of the packaging. Hopefully a nice, summery FOTD tomorrow :)

If anyone's continued reading, thanks, it means a lot; and have you experienced anything like this?

xoxo