I'm in Turkey!

I arrived in Istanbul, Turkey yesterday and will be here until the 3rd of November. We are currently in Bursa which is my home town. I took this photo at sunset this evening, it's rather hot here - summer is not over! :) How beautiful do the hills look? (Click to enlarge)

I will hopefully take lots of photos and update :) However, the connection is rather slow and updates will not be very frequent for now. Ahhh it's killing me not being able to catch up with blogger or YT! :(

x X x

Benefit, Mac and Lush Haul

Yesterday I went on a little shopping spree, I needed a few things as a lot of my products had run out.

YOU REBEL - BENEFIT

The first thing I needed was a tinted moisturiser, I decided not to repurchase my Bobbi Brown one as it finishes SO quickly. I opted for the You Rebel SPF 15 by Benefit instead. I used this a long time ago, but hated it as it made me look orange and binned it. I told the SA my situation and she assured me that in the past there was a dodgy batch and that I could have returned it for an exchange.
Indeed the colour of this tinted moisturiser is a lovely brown colour, the texture is quite thick but easily absorbed, a little goes a long way. I used it today and I have to say I loved the effect. It was a perfect colour match, it gives light to medium coverage, evens out my skintone and makes me glow. This tinted moisturiser is available in only 2 shades, this one and a light one.

SOME KINDA GORGEOUS - BENEFIT

This is a "foundation faker" meaning it doesn't look like your wearing foundation even though you are. I certainly agree with this as the texture of this is so light, highly pigmented yet smooth.

I purchased this once before, I loved the packaging of this cream compact but hardly used it as it was way too dark for my skintone. This is available in 2 shades, a normal one and a deep one. I purchased the deep as it seemed a closer match. My skintone is somewhere in between both. Once I had figured out a use for this I ran out of it in no time. I basically used it to contour my face with a Mac 187 brush, it acted as a bronzer with no sheen, shimmer or glitter. Very natural looking and I will be using it for exactly that again. FYI: This has no SPF.

POWDERFLAGE - BENEFIT

Luckily for me, The Benefit boutique in Carnaby St, London had a promotion on. I'm not sure if that's worldwide? With any 2 purchases you received Powderflage, a light diffusing pale pink powder concealer. I have never tried this but haven't heard too many great things about it. However, that still doesn't put me off, everybody is different and likes different things. Just because something works for me it doesn't mean it will work for you. This will be interesting to test!

FRESH SQUEEZED LIPGLOSS - BENEFIT

I also received a lipgloss as a gift, I love the "Her Glossiness" lip glosses but they have been discontinued, why? Who knows. The scent of this lipgloss is amazing, it's exactly the same as the her glossiness tubes. "Fresh Squeezed" is a pretty coral colour with a slight shimmer, medium pigmentation with a gloss finish.

FIX + - MAC

I went to Mac, and none of the new collections caught my eye, nothing exciting for me. I have lived without Fix + for a while now and was missing it greatly. I love Fix +, perfect to set my makeup or to freshen up.

OCEAN SALT - LUSH

This is a facial scrub / exfoliator. It has a very grainy texture because of the chunks of sea salt. I had a sample of this from my previous trip, the first time I used it I hated it as it stung my face so much. However, after a few uses my skin got used to it and it actually calmed my skin down. I decided it was a definite repurchase. It contains sea salt, lime, coconut, grapefruit and is vodka based. I have been using it 3X a week - my husband has been getting some good use out of it too :). When you open the pot all of the sea salt is on the top and it needs mixing...

ANGELS ON BARE SKIN - LUSH

This is daily skin cleanser, I also had a sample of this from my previous trip and loved it. It has almonds, kaolin and lavender to improve skin tone, cleanse and balance the skin. You basically take out a little chunk, add water to it to form a liquid paste and apply to your skin.

SOAPS - LUSH

I also purchased the 'Honey I washed the kids soap" and received the 'Godmother' soap free as I spent over a certain amount. They both smell divine!

I also got a sample of 'Coal Face' which is a facial cleanser... interesting!

CUPCAKE FRESH FACE MASK - LUSH

This is supposed to be chocolate heaven for oily and teenage skin. It contains Rhassoul mud, cocoa butter, linseed, cocoa powder, peppermint, spearmint and sandalwood oil to cleanse, soothe, remove excess oil and calm breakouts. Sounds good to me!

Wooo, I'm all set for my holiday in Turkey! :) I will be going on Thursday for 12 days, *yay* well deserved!

Illamasqua Dystopia

Illamasqua says: "Dystopia is not for the faint-hearted, Dystopia is a strong statement of defiant confidence. Where the dark meets the light. Monochrome shades build and blend, brought alive by flashes of intense pink and lurid purple, while dazzling pigments, metallic textures and iridescent finishes all add to the drama of this strikingly uncompromising look. As the nights grow longer, bring your alter ego out of the shadows and illuminate your individuality."

I was sent a few things from this collection, it's very different from 'Sirens' but I like it as it's the complete opposite. A fresh change always makes me smile. Lets get examining shall we?

First up we have the powder eyeshadow in Synth. This is a very pretty pale lilac with a duo chrome finish which has silver glitter. I have nothing similar in my collection so can't compare it to anything. I wore it as a lid colour and the glitter helped open up my eyes to create a flirty look. Price: £14

The powder eyeshadow in Machine is a dark grey almost black colour with silver glitter. It is highly pigmented and creates a perfect crease colour for the smokey eye. 'Machine' is comparable to Mac's 'Black Tied' and Maybellines eyestudio 842 'black metal'. In fact they are all almost identical, it's just a matter of what quality and packaging you prefer. Price: £14

Here are swatches of 'Synth' and 'Machine'.

Finally I have the sheer lipgloss to talk about, I am so glad I wasn't sent the intense silver gloss as I would have NEVER worn it. This gloss is very pretty, it's like the gloss version of 'Synth'. It's a very pretty pale lilac colour with a pink duo chrome finish. It's highly pigmented and applies very smoothly. This gloss has NO glitter! Price: £12.50

Here's a swatch of the sheer lipgloss.

Click HERE to visit the Dystopia collection from illamasqua. What have you got your eye on from this collection? I quite fancy the silver liquid metal...

Love Hair Extensions

Yesterday I attended a lovely and exciting event organised by Boudoir PR, it was for a exclusive styling tutorial by Neil Moodie on how to wear different kind of hair extensions. As you all know I am rather obsessed with longer hair and have experimented in the past with clip in and sew in hair extensions. I have recently dyed my hair back to its natural hair colour and now wish to grow it super long whilst keeping it healthy. This event came at a perfect time as I was actually on the lookout for clip in hair extensions for my new hair. I decided not to go for sew ins again as I have come to realise that they did actually damage my hair.




Love Hair Extensions was founded in 2004 under the expert directorship of American Dream, Britain’s longest established trade firm in hair extensions. Clip ins are a great alternative as you can clip them in and out whenever you want depending on the hairstyle you desire. You can also add lighter or darker wefts to alter your hair colour or add volume without damaging it.

We watched 3 demos and all of them looked super natural and wearable. Hair is SO important and really makes a BIG difference to how one feels and looks. The change can be as subtle or as dramatic as you like. The best thing with clip ins is that you can control it, it's cheap and doesn't take to long.

The 1st demo was on a blonde girl that had her hair slicked back and a clip on ponytail was attached. The 2nd demo was on a girl who had very dark long hair, she had lighter and darker wefts attached for some colour and volume. The 3rd demo was on a girl who had a very short bob, she had a few wefts of hair clipped in for medium length hair.

Once the presentation was over, we were asked if anybody wanted to be colour matched, me being the loud eager outspoken person *raises hand* and says "I do". I was lucky enough to have the extensions attached by Neil Moodie himself. With thanks to Lina for the photos! :)

He applied them by backcombing a tiny strip of hair so that the clips had something to hang on to.

In total I had 3 wefts applied to the crown of my head. These were all 18". The colours used were: 2X (6) Dark ash brown and 1 X (4) Chestnut brown.

The clips are so tiny and rounded that you hardly notice anything in your hair.

I got away with applying 3 wefts, but I think 4 wefts would have been better. Once they were all in, the fronts were cut with a razor so that the layers blended in with my natural hair. I love the outcome, what do you think?

Love hair extensions do various types of extensions, synthetic hair for the clip in ponytail, thermofibre hair which you can apply a low heat on and 100% human hair extensions which are ethically sourced. I have found the prices to be very reasonable and there are even some great special offers on.

Visit http://www.lovehairextensions.com/ for more info. Love hair extensions will also be launching an afro hair range with longer lengths of human hair at affordable prices. Currently you can buy afro hair extensions from: http://www.loveafrocosmetics.com/index.asp

I was given a rather generous amount of hair extensions to go home with these include a clip in pony tail, 18" and 24" human hair extensions, and I even have blonde wefts so that I can add highlights to my hair! So expect some dramatic looks in the future! :)

Finally!

My hair is the colour I want it to be....

I dyed it a couple of days ago to reveal a super dark brown which was way too harsh on me. After washing my hair several times, adding two packets of light brown highlights to the parting area and applying the Marilyn Lush hair mask this is the result.

A medium brown with subtle lighter tones in them. I didn't properly style my hair here, it's just air dried then I ran a fat bristle brush through it to smooth it out a little.


I think this colour suits me a lot more than the lighter shade of brown as it helps to frame my face. What do you think?



I was rather pleased with my makeup after having a disastrous time with my tinted moisturiser and starting all over again.

Eyes: Mac Vellum e/s all over the lid. Bourjois gold bronzing powder in the crease, Nars Casino bronzer on outer V. Urban Decay 24/7 pencil in Zero on outer upper & lower lashline. Benefit eyebright on waterline, inner corner & brow highlight. Chanel Exceptionnel mascara.




Face: Revlon colorstay foundation. Bourjois gold bronzing powder.
Cheeks: Nars Casino to contour and Sin as blush.
Lips: L'oreal Cappuccino lipliner & L'oreal glamshine 101 Pink Moon.

I also finally made another video on YT. Check my 5 favourite brushes video HERE. :)

Also, if you know how to change the new layout of YT to the old one please let me know, because it's driving me insane! Thanks X

One Word Tag!

I was tagged by the lovely Cheryl.

Questions with one-word answers...

Where's your cell phone: Table
Your hair: Big
Your mother: Smiling
Your father: Smart
Favorite Food: Turkish
Dream last night: Blank
Favorite drink: Water
What room are you in: Lounge
Hobby: Blogging
Fear: Spots
Where were you last night: Home
Something that you aren't: Bitch
Muffins: Where?
Wish list item: Coat
Where did you grow up: London
What are you wearing: Clothes
Your pets: None :(
Friends: Crazy
Something you're not wearing: Hat
Favorite store: Reiss
Favorite color: Green
Last time you laughed: Now
Your best friend: Hubby
Bestest Place you go to over and over: Maldives
Person who emails you regularly: Robots
Favorite place to eat: Out

I pass on this tag to: Tali - The Gloss Goss, Tina - All The Vanity, Fantastic - Suka & Spice, MaryBelle - Belle, Zoe - Zoella, LaaLaa - Dolce Vanity and anybody else who thinks this tag is a great one! X

Free L'occitane Hand Cream!

This months UK issue of InStyle magazine is giving away a free travel size L'occitane shea butter hand cream worth £7. I have actually purchased this hand cream over and over again in the past. It's one of the best handcreams out there in my opinion. It's SO rich and moisturising, it makes a great overnight treatment or an amazing rescue for dry chapped hands. Read more about it HERE.

Lush and Clothing Haul

The last time I went to Lush was 2 years ago when I purchased some bath bombs and soaps. This time I went with other things in mind based on reviews and recommendations! You all know that I am a "natural" addict so fresh handmade cosmetics seem VERY appealing... I'm surprised I didn't get all of this sooner. It's just when people go on too much about a brand it makes me not want to have it... weird I know.


I am seriously SO excited to try all of my purchases... everything was very well thought out. :)

Here's what I got....

Big: I have heard so many good things about this shampoo, I seriously can't wait to use it! It has raw sea salt, seaweed and lime juice for shiny bigger volumised hair. Price £9.60.

H'Suan Wen Hua: A hair mask that you apply prior to shampooing on dry hair, leave it for 20 mins and then shampoo and condition. Price £7.39.

Veganise: Mini conditioner as I wasn't sure which one to get, one of the girls that worked there recommended this as it had lemon and seaweed in it and said it will go very well with big. Price 100g £3.40.

I also got a sample of the Retread conditioner.

Babyface is something that I knew I wanted. It's basically a makeup remover. Price £3.40 and the tin was £2.49.

I got 2 samples of facial exfoliators. I wasn't sure which one to get so hopefully one of these will be better than the other. One is Ocean salt and the other is Angels on bare skin.

I also knew that I wanted the tea tree toner based on rave reviews! Price 100g £3.10.

My skin is sensitive but dry so I opted for Celestial facial moisturiser. Price £9.96.

I also got a sample of Imperialis facial moisturiser which is for combination skin and the Vanishing cream which is for oily skin.

That's it from me... Is there anything you recommend?

My mum got the Marilyn hair mask and my brother surprisingly who is anti cream got Coco lotion and Cosmetic Lad for his face. :)

I have to say all of the staff at Lush were so friendly and helpful, I really had a fantastic shopping experience.

On to the clothes!

One of my favourite places to shop is Mango. I nearly always managed to find something. I was on a hunt for a big cardigan and I found it. Yesterday I saw a girl wearing the most amazing cardigan and I kicked myself afterwards for not stopping and asking her where it was from. But, guess what? I found the exact same one in Mango!!! Result!:) Price £49.

It looks so amazing from the back, the whole cardigan actually looks stunning. I'll have to model it in a video for you! :)

This cream ruffle skirt I also had to have, it's high waisted and looks so cute on. Price £28 on sale from £42.

It has navy stripes and I plan on wearing it with navy tights, navy top and flat brown boots.

I saw this feather Hair clip from H&M and had to have it, I love the colours. Price £1.99.

Not sure how you are actually supposed to wear it but this is what it looks like on....

I purchased these lovely deep brown leather boots from New Look, I needed some flats and these are perfect. They also match my brown fringe bag from Warehouse! *yay* Price £55.

I couldn't go home without popping to Hollister! :) My mum got me this long sleeve navy top, I love the detail on the arm, I'm such a kid I know, but I love it! I don't care, it looks totally cool on! I plan on wearing it with light stonewashed jeans. :) Price £24.

Wow what a long post! Well done if you made it this far, yay for retail therapy! :)