Bobatie Beauty

Wedding Photography Inspiration

2011-04-27T09:22:00.002+01:00

With our wedding now only 122 days away I have been gathering some images to give our photographer, who is a friend of a friend Barry Khan, some inspiration for the style of shots we want.

As it will (hopefully!) be a sunny August day I have picked shots that play on the light, even in black and white. I love the look of the sun streaming through the trees and even the glare in the top middle shot.

Fingers crossed ours will look as good...

Our Lego wedding cake toppers

2011-04-20T14:59:00.001+01:00

Just wanted to show you our Lego wedding cake toppers...

I got them from the eBay shop Tania's Bookshop and they're both redheads, like us!

x

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UV Gel Manicure: Week 2

2011-04-18T19:32:00.001+01:00

Just a quick update for week 2 of the gel manicure. There are so far no chips or imperfections and all the nails still have a lovely shine.

Here is week 1 again...

And here is week 2...

There is some visible re-growth at the cuticles, but I expected this as my nails grow extremely fast. I would apologise for the poor iPhone quality photos but my cuticles are far from perfect so it works out quite well ;)

In other news our wedding is only 131 days away now. Getting very excited but worried that I won't lose all of the weight I want to by the time the big day arrives. Already working my butt off, literally, in the gym and cutting down on my carbs so fingers crossed!

x

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Wedding Dress Second Thoughts?

2011-04-13T21:26:00.001+01:00

Our original wedding plan was to get married in Central Park in New York half way through our honeymoon. After some changes (for reasons that I will explain later) we have now booked our new wedding for August bank holiday weekend in good old Manchester.

How is this related to the title of the post? Well, due to the small scale of the original wedding (6 people including us!) I felt like I needed to buy my dress etc. really early just to have something to do. Whilst I love the dress I chose I'm now having second thoughts and really like this one...

This is the Emmeline by Ver Wang, which I'd live to be able to afford but will hopefully get a very close version inspired by the above. Once I have both dresses side by side hopefully I should be able to decide.

I can't believe how Bridezilla it sounds having two wedding dresses but seriously I have so far been the most laid back bride to be. All if the other elements of the outfit will remain the same whichever dress I wear so that kind of makes up for the two dresses thing. No? I convinced myself there for a minute...

More updates when I receive the new dress

x

Images courtesy of verawang.com

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First Impressions: Cover Girl Lash Blast Volume

2011-04-10T11:35:00.001+01:00

So for over a year I have been wanting to try the Cover Girl Lash Blast mascara after various people in the beauty community mentioned it or used it in videos. The main culprit is makeupbytiffanyd on You Tube (my fave guru!). She has similar lashes to me (long and fairly thick) so that's always a good sign when judging if something will work for you.

I bought the volume variety in very black on eBay for around £8 including delivery and as we can't get Cover Girl in the UK I thought this was a bargain!

The mascara comes with the wand separate, which I've never seen before. The tube itself had a screw cap to prevent the mascara from drying out.

Here is the brush dipped...huge! It is of the plastic bristle variety and is a similar size to Benefit Bad Gal lash. The bristles are fairly short. I was worried I wouldn't have enough control using this to get the desired effect but it was fine. Creepy eye shot...

I have now been wearing it for about 7 hours and there has been no flaking or drying out. Seems pretty good so far!
Would recommend...

x

- Scribbled by bobatiebeauty using BlogPress from my iPhone

First UV Gel Manicure

2011-04-10T11:34:00.001+01:00

For a few months now there has been a lot of talk on blogs and You Tube about gel/shellac manicures. They involve a gel, thicker than a standard nail polish, being painted onto the nails and cured/dried under a UV lamp.

The main benefit of this type of manicure is that it claims to last up to 3 weeks! This is massively appealing to me as normal nail polish starts to chip off my nails after literally a few hours no matter which brand, colour or top coat I use.

I really wanted to try this out before the wedding as I don't want to worry about my nails whilst doing the final finishing touches to the wedding look. With this in mind I went for a nude, flesh-toned colour that would hopefully compliment both my skin tone and my ivory dress. Here's the result...

I really like the colour as I have really pale, pink toned skin and this colour is a peachy toned nude so doesn't make me look sallow.

My only criticisms about this manicure so far (after having it done yesterday afternoon) are that fluff and dust have already started to collect around my cuticles due to the gel being so thick (ew!) and there is already a gap between the gel and one of my thumb nails. I think this is due to how thick my nails are.

Let's see how long it lasts!

I had the soft gel manicure at Urban Retreat in Harvey Nics Manchester using Bio Sculpture Gel and it cost around £30 (pricey). I am now very tempted to buy my own lamp and gel kit on eBay, which costs around the same amount. Watch this space for an update!

x

- Scribbled by bobatiebeauty using BlogPress from my iPhone

2010: The year of foundations

2011-01-13T10:41:00.001Z

In 2010 I tried all year to find the right foundation for my incredibly pale, uneven, combination skin.

Ideally it would be long lasting, high coverage and keep the shine at bay whilst also being available in a pale enough shade. Picky? Me?

Here is the selection I tried over the course of the year....

From left to right we have:

- MAC Studio Fix Fluid NC15
- Make Up Forever Mat Velvet +
No.15
- Revlon Colourstay Ivory
- Revlon Photoready Vanille
- Stila One Step lightest shade

Sadly for my purse and sanity these are only the products that made the cut and still get used regularly in rotation. There were also a few products that weren't right from the start (Revlon Colourstay 'mousse' anyone?).

Of the above my favourite has to be the MAC. It gives great coverage, stays pretty matte all day and lasts. The only downside for pal complexions like me is that the lightest shade is just a tad too dark. This isn't an issue if you don't mind blending it down to your neck each day but forget and you get the dreaded two-tone combo...bad memories!

Another notable mention should go to the Stila One Step. I got thus on eBay since Stila pulled out of all but online sales here in the UK and I'm glad I did. Thus foundation claims to rid you of the need for primer and concealer and it does give great coverage. The two downsides are that it doesn't quite 'set', even with a generous dusting of powder. Also it runs at nearly £30. I picked this up for £21 on eBay so check there first if you want to give this a try.

That's enough from me, except to say I think the Mat Velvet + may be the next one to go. Very dry looking and not the coverage I expected.

What were your favourite foundations of 2010? Do you agree/disagree with anything I've said?

x

- Scribbled by bobatiebeauty using BlogPress from my iPhone

My Wedding Accessories

2011-01-06T08:24:00.001Z

As we're not having a traditional big, white wedding in the UK (more on that later!) there hasn't been much in the way of planning or purchasing I've been able to do.

What I have ticked off my list though are most of my accessories for the big day and now it's only 9 months away I feel I can share them.

The shoes are from Schuh, the garter from Not On The High Street and the hair flowers from Etsy (courtesy of my wonderful bridesmaid and best friend Helen).

x

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Birthday Fun in York

2011-01-05T21:48:00.001Z

It's my birthday today so we had a jaunt to York, which was freezing but lovely.

Here is a pic of the magnificent Minster...

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NOTD: Holographic tips

2011-01-05T09:55:00.001Z

A quick nail if the day today. Apologies for the dodgy photo and cuticles...

As my nails were really long I thought I'd go for some sparkle on the tips. I achieved this with Maybelline express finish in Silver Speed and two coats of Gem by Nubar.

x

- Scribbled by bobatiebeauty using BlogPress from my iPhone

ELF (Eyes Lips Face) Haul

2010-10-03T11:34:00.001+01:00

In my attempts to spend less (not really working!) I decided to make a little elf purchase.

I ran out of the cream liquid eyeshadow from the regular line a while ago. This is a great shimmery product and lasts all day. Less than £2 so bargain!

I also picked up the Studio Blush in Gotta Glow, which was in an effort not to buy a Nars highlighter. This is a lovely white gold, gently shimmery product that is a great highlighter on my pale skin and will also work well as an inner corner highlight.

The other products are not as impressive in my opinion. The two liquid lipsticks from the regular line both broke when I was clicking the product through to the applicator and the colours were pretty far off the swatches on the site so unfortunately these went straight in the bin.

Similarly the daily brush cleaner, whilst a good size and in a handy spray bottle, doesn't clean off the smallest amount of eyeshadow from a natural bristle brush. Even from their own studio brushes the cleaner falls short, so I won't be repurchasing this one.

I still think the studio brushes are some of the best you can get and are an absolute bargain for the price but sadly the lip products and brush cleaner just don't match up :(

x

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My Autumn/Christmas Wishlist...

2010-09-30T17:44:00.000+01:00

I know it's not even October but what else am I supposed to do on my week off?? Friends and family take note. Here is the small selection of lovely goodies that I'd like for Christmas. I don't think for one minute that I'll get any of these things but it's fun to look!!

Gold bracelet watch from ASOS. All of my jewellery is platinum or white gold but sometimes it's nice to have a little bit of yellow gold to go with certain outfits...

ASOS Skinny Bow Belt. Brown is a classic colour and anyone who knows me knows I'm obsessed with bows...

Dune Muckyily Wedding Clutch. I know this is an odd one to ask for as a Christmas present but as we're having a very pared down ceremony I'd like to keep things cheap and cheerful...and if that means asking for wedding accessories as Christmas and birthday presents then so be it!

Some slightly innapropriate but gorgeous shoes...possibly for the wedding (Kurt Geiger Imogene Shoes).

That's all for non...well, untill I have another day off to trawl shopping sites that is.

MAC Bargains at Cheshire Oaks

2010-09-30T10:51:00.001+01:00

Last Saturday we ventured to Cheshire Oaks, which is a McArthur Glen Outlet in Cheshire. Little did I know they had a cosmetics discount store.

Usually these stores are filled with 'famous' brands you've never heard of but the boy spotted MAC goodies at the back....a lot of goodies!

I could have happily bought one of everything but with saving for the wedding in mind I got a quite restrained haul. Both items were from the Christmas 2009 collection, which sold out at both of my MAC counters before December 25th.

I got the Intriguing Scarlet Palette in 6 warm eyes and the Love's Divine Lash Kit.

The palette is a gorgeous mix of autumnal colours with a minature 213 brush.

The lash kit was a much listed after kit at the time for one reason...the Reflects Glitter in Transparent Teal. All of the MAC MUA's were wearing this all through December and it looked gorgeous.

The kit includes a full size Penultimate Liner in black (another much lusted after product and loving this!), a minature Zoom Lash, lashes in number 7 and the reflects glitter.

All in all a good haul and it was less than £40 for both.

x

- Scribbled by bobatiebeauty using BlogPress from my iPhone

NOTD: Grey Matter

2010-09-10T19:03:00.001+01:00

I love grey nail polish...
I hate waiting for nail polish to dry...

So, despite having no money until pay day, I just picked up 'Grey Matter' from Rimmel's new colour collection from Superdrug for £3.49. Bargain!

Here is two coats with no base or top coat...

x

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NOTD: Ring finger roulette

2010-09-07T20:09:00.001+01:00

After just buying a new leopard print jumper from H&M I thought I'd break out the OPI You don't know jacques and Mac's Glacier on the ring finger. What do you think?x

- Scribbled by bobatiebeauty using BlogPress from my iPhone

Product Review: American Apparel Nail Laquer

2010-09-05T14:41:00.001+01:00

Just nipped out to get some Sunday roast ingredients and had to have a peek in American Apparel to see what the nail laquers were like in real life.

I thought the colour selection was great for a first collection including some darks, brights, nudes and muddy colours that seem to be everywhere at the moment.

I went for a pastel baby pink cream. I haven't got a colour like thus in my collection and judging by the photos on the AA site the colour looked pretty opaque. The colour is called Coney Island. Here it is after two coats...

Perfect pastel pink to go with all of the grey this AW10.

Have you tried these laquers yet? Link to your blog/photos below x

- Scribbled by bobatiebeauty using BlogPress from my iPhone

I've finally got Konad!

2010-08-20T08:19:00.000+01:00

Despite having hardly any money left until the end of the month I've been wanting to try Konad for ages...so I ordered myself a stamper, scraper, m59 plate and a teeny bottle of special polish from eBay and they all arrived yesterday!

Watch this space for my first attempts...can't wait!

x

- Scribbled by bobatiebeauty using BlogPress from my iPhone

In & Out August 2010

2010-08-17T14:10:00.000+01:00

I've not done and in and out post for a while and, as most of my friends would say, I am the biggest moaner in the world so my 'outs' list should be longer than my 'ins' but I'll try to keep it as equal as possible!

IN

Wedding/Honeymoon Countdown
Even though it is 13 months away (boo hoo) I have well and truly started looking forward to our 3 week-long wedding/honeymoon trip next September. We're going to Toronto, Boston, Cape Cod, New York, Washington and possibly finishing up in Miami. Getting married in Central Park whilst we're in New York and will be met by 6-8 of our nearest and dearest.

I am however quite frustrated that I can't do any of the traditional wedding planning things as we can't even book our flights until January. Thoughts have already started wandering towards my hen do/bachelorette party so watch this space....

Selling stuff on eBay
Recently we've had a huge sort out of our small one bedroomed flat. I gave 4 bags of clothes/shoes/accessories to charity and have or am in the process of selling some other stuff on eBay. We now have so much more space and some spare money to buy grown up things like a rug and a clock (eek does that mean I'm a grown up :()

A week off work with nowhere to go
You may think this is a funny one but I have never intentionally done this. I have had unexpected illnesses that have kept me off work for whole weeks at a time but never when I've been well enough to do anything I want! I suspect I'll end up spending my time cleaning and watching 24 but the dream is there...

Tacky Nails
For some reason recently I have been loving tacky nails. Currently have a spotty design on the go (will post this tonight/tomorrow) and have recently purchased playing card design water decal French tips and a Konad stamping kit so watch out for more tacky NOTD action!

OUT

Summer/Autumn/Winter Hybrid Weather
For what seems like months now we have had nothing but muggy, humid grey and rainy weather here in Manchester. Not only does it mean your perfectly straightened hair is a big ball of frizz once you get to work but it also presents some very tricky wardrobe dilemmas. Black tights or clear tights? Full shoes or open toe? Jacket or no jacket? So sick am I of this that I now have to keep a drawer of my desk at work full of shoes and a cardigan/scarf on the back of my chair just in case. Roll on Winter!!

Hard to clean foundation brushes
I am a huge fan of Revlon Colourstay and Maybelline 24hour foundations and by their very nature they are full coverage and long-lasting formulations. That unfortunately means that fully cover and last a long time on your brushes too! If anyone has a foolproof way of cleaning them please comment below.

Well that was a lot more positive than I thought! What are your ins and outs at the moment? Link to your blog below. Here are Hell Candy Makeup's ins and outs of the moment. Love this blog - go subscribe!!

xx

Roll On AW10!

2010-08-12T18:36:00.001+01:00

After a particularly grey August Thursday today I was cheered up by this fab picture of D&G's AW10 collection.

If you don't crave a hot chocolate in front of a roaring fire after seeing this there's something wrong...

- Scribbled by bobatiebeauty using BlogPress from my iPhone

Product Review: Aussie Dual Personality Aussome Volume + Conditioning Mousse & Texturising + Conditioning Gel Spray

2010-08-12T14:10:00.000+01:00

As it's a particularly grey and showery Thursday I thought I'd do a product review of something I've been meaning to do for a while.

You may remember a good few weeks ago I attended an Aussie haircare even with the lovel Caroline from Wow & Flutter and in our goodie bags from the night we were given two full size products; the Dual Personality Aussome Volume + Conditioning Mousse and the Texturising + Conditioning Gel Spray.

I have used each of these 3/4 times since then so I feel it's time to give them a decent enough review. The aim of both of these products is to give the hair more volume, which although mine is naturally curly I still like a bit of volume to take the edge off the straightness :)

My initial thoguhts were that I like the effect of the mousse...gave good root lift and made my hair overall feel thicker. As with most mousse products though the effect is only good the day or day after you wash your hair and aftet that the effect wears off and your hair feels a bit grubby :(

I've found similar effects with the gel spray to be honest. I really wanted to like this as it's a product that I thought would be a little more versatile than the mousse in that you can use it on damp or dry hair...sadly not. Using it on damp hair leaves my roots sticky and feeling like I need to wash it again as soon as it has been blow dried and on dry hair you get the dreaded crispyness!!!

Overall verdict is that I wouldn't repurchase either of these products. Whilst they do have the gorgeous Aussie smell and I have confidence that they're not as drying as regular styling products they just don't do the job for me. I like my styling products to do what they say on the tin whilst still leaving my hair manageable and clean feeling.

Have you tried either of these products? What are your thoughts?

x

Tag: My Current Beauty Wishlist

2010-07-31T07:47:00.000+01:00

After reading Hell Candy's Blog post listing her most wanted items of the moment I thought I'd give it a go.

I'm in a self-imposed period of austerity at the moment due to saving almost all of my disposable income for the wedding (not for over 13 months but you can never start too early!). With this is mind I can but wish for the things I'd like on my dressing table at the moment and it seems like a better form of window shopping so here goes...

1. Chanel Mat Lumiere Foundation

I have wanted to try this foundation for an age after watching so many videos and reading rave reviews. I love a good matte foundation but am currently working my way through no less than 5 others so really should use these up first before shelling out over £20 on this...I can but dream!

2. Dsquared2 Wood Perfume

This is another long lusted after product. First spied in Harvey Nics over a year ago and looked at many times on HQHair...I will own this one day. Maybe a wedding day fragrance?

3. Frédéric Fekkai Technician Colour Care 3 Minute Mask

I got a sample of this in a recent Space NK order and absolutely loved it! It was my first forray into truly luxurious haircare and I have to say I've been taken in. This may be on my Christmas/Birthday present wishlist (take note boy!).

What's your current beauty wishlist?

Product Review: Stila One Step Makeup

2010-07-30T19:25:00.001+01:00

Got this bad boy from eBay after seeing the review from lovely You Tuber xsparkage. Stila isn't the easiest brand to find in the UK and since Debenhams did their clear out there are no easy outlets (not in Manchester anyhoo!).

Super quick eBay searched showed up some bargainous listings including P&P so I picked this up for around £9 in total.

Was very intrigued by the "no need for separate foundation, concealer and powder concept" and after a week of using this I have a few positives and negatives.

One big positive for me is the pump applicator (above). Very little danger of pouring out too much like with good old Revlon Colourstay and more hygienic even if it's just in my head.

The formula is almost a liquid to powder texture and, whilst is does last and stay pretty much shine free all day, is a bit of a pain to apply both with a foundation brush and fingers. It is also really thick like a paste so can just fall off the brush when you're not looking :(

So overall this is a good foundation and definitely worth a try for the novelty factor. Enjoy!

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Beauty Event: Aussie Haircare Event Goodie Bag

2010-07-27T06:57:00.002+01:00

As promised here are the details of the goodie bag we got from last Thursday's Aussie Haircare event in Manchester. This was the first event I'd been too so felt very spoilt!

Amber Rose, the lovely hair stylist who did my hair on the night, used both of the Aussie products we got in our bags in my hair...and it was biiiiig!

We also got a lovely wide black headband (very mad men!), a little Aussie compact mirror, a Max Factor liquid eyeliner pen and a lollipop for good measure.

Again just want to say a big thank you to all the girls from 1,000 heads and to Caroline from wowandflutter.com for inviting me.

x

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Beauty Event: Aussie Haircare Event Manchester

2010-07-25T07:48:00.002+01:00

Just a quick post to say a big thank you to Aussie and the girls from 1000 heads for a great night at Bluu in Manchester last Thursday!

Much fun was had by all the girlies. Here are some pictures from the night....more on the goodie bag products in my next post.

The lovely Amber Rose and Zara were the hair gurus of the evening and did a fab job of giving us all some much needed ooomph! More photos here.

x

Product Review: Blixz Nail Stickers

2010-07-11T07:07:00.003+01:00

I've been meaning to do this post for ages. Sorry for the lack of posts recently...there's no excuse other than a self-imposed spending ban due to upcoming nuptials.

So I saw on one of Miss Selfridge's facebook posts that they were going to be stocking the Blixz nail stickers. Jumped on ebay instead to see if they were cheaper. Simple search revealed I could pick them up for £9...bargain I thought!

Here's what they looked like in the packaging...

Pretty easy to apply. One end of each sticker is curved to fit snuggly against your cuticle. You may need to narrow some of them but that's easy too with a pair of pointed ended nail scissors. Them you just fold the excess over so it'd touching your fingertip and file off. Here's the end result...

The effect lasted for about 3 days, which I was a little disappointed by. The ends that you file off start to lift and catch on clothes etc.

Overall though these were a great purchase and would be great for a big night out or fancy dress.

Have you tried any other nail stickers or foils? Any recommendations?

x

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My holiday haircare just keeps on giving...

2010-06-30T10:19:00.002+01:00

I always leave my hair curly on holiday and don't bother even packing my hairdryer or straighteners for hot weather breaks.

The first night we arrived in Mexico I tried out a combination of Frizz Ease Serum and Mark Hill Straight Balm (I know...straight balm for curly hair but bear with me!).

This combo really worked. Usually curly hair products leave my hair crunchy and the boy calls them crispy noodles but this combo just leaves it soft and defined.

What's your favourite curly hair styling combo?

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Holiday Haul & Exciting News!

2010-06-17T20:24:00.003+01:00

Hey everyone, sorry for the radio silence we've been on holiday to Mexico. Very hot (100 degrees!) and gorgeous resort. For those interested we stayed at the Gran Bahia Principe Riviera Maya Resort.

I couldn't resist a small haul at Manchester airport on the way out and a small on-plane purchase on the way back...so here's what I bought

I got the Clinique All About Eyes Serum de-puffing eye massage roll-on, the YSL eye shadow palette in number 6 and finally picked up the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion. All were a couple of £'s cheaper than normal drugstore prices but I used my holiday money so technically it doesn't count :)

Here is the YSL palette open. Gorgeous range of greens to go with my red hair...

I haven't tried any of them yet as came home with a terrible stomach bug *damn you weak English stomach!* so expect full product reviews soon.

Some other exciting news is that we got engaged on holiday! On the beach under a shooting star...perfect! Here is the obligatory ring shot.

Hope you're all ok xxx

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Product Review: EOS Lip Balm

2010-06-03T10:59:00.003+01:00

After reading Hellcandy's blog about the goodies she brought back from her recent New York trip I had to try and get hold of the EOS lip balm. It looked so cute...like a little egg!

I found it easily on eBay for a couple of £'s and it arrived at my desk this morning. First impressions are...I love it! It feels super moisturising and easy to apply. Here are some poor-quality iPhone pics for your viewing pleasure.

The balm is 95% natural and 100% organic. Yum!

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NOTD: Urban Outfitters Matte Purple

2010-06-02T16:03:00.001+01:00

Whilst in Urban Outfitters last night picking up such essential items as monkey-topped chopsticks and an 'I spreadsheets' mug (!) I noticed they had a new nail polish range.

There are no brand names on the bottle so I can only assume this is an own brand range. There were a limited number of colours but they did have a small matte range and that's what I picked up.

This, you may not believe, is Matte Purple 3. The colour is really a bubblegum pink and the finish is more of a satin than a true matte.

This is the result of two coats of the colour and two coats of Essie's Matte About You.

While I love the colour this literally only lasted one day, so not much different to other matte polishes then! Next step is to try this with a normal topcoat to test the longevity.

Have you tried these polishes? What are your favourite matte polishes?

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Goodbye sunshine...hello lipstick!

2010-05-25T22:16:00.002+01:00

Now call me a summer kill joy but I was secretly pleased the temperature dropped today so I could enjoy the glorious combination of Revlon's Cherries In The Snow and Barry M's number 3 lip pencil.

I just can't deal with full lipstick in hot weather. I don't know if it's the increased liquid intake (ie. G&T!) or the threat of the dreaded sweaty upper lip but it just feels like too high maintenance...and that's coming from me!

This photo (taken with rubbish iPhone camera) really doesn't do the lipstick justice. It is the perfect cherry red as the name suggests. Much easier to wear than a true red like Mac's Russian Red, especially if you have a typical English rose complexion or you're a redhead like me...insert gratuitous lipstick wearing photo

Have you found your perfect red?Which make up item(s) do you skip in hot weather?

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Product Review: Loreal Perfect Clean Foaming Gel Wash

2010-05-24T14:19:00.003+01:00

I recently bought the new(ish) Loreal Perfect Clean foaming gel wash after watching makeupbytiffanyd's drug store skincare video (although the packaging is different in the US).

I went for the 'refreshing' variety and it was indeed refreshing! I think this was partly due to the scrublet that came with it, which is basically a soft, white rubber scrubby thing (!) that gets a nice lather going.

Initial thoughts on this were great. I'd been getting a lot of breakouts on my chin and this totally cleared them up...however after a few weeks of use this made the skin around my nose dry and cracked. This is really unusual for my generally combination skin. Must be due to the acne-clearing ingredient, salicylic acid. Great for spot clearing but not great if the rest
of your skin is normal/dry.

Think I'll stick to my beloved Avene for now....still using the scrublet though as the old muslin cloths were getting hard to cart around whilst travelling.

Have you tried these face washes? What are your thoughts?

Disclaimer: I have not been paid to write this review. All opinions are my own and I bought the item(s) with my own hard-earned dosh!

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Location:Mancunian Way,Manchester,United Kingdom

Collection 2000 Big Fake Mascara & FREE Fast Stroke Liquid Eyeliner

2010-05-22T20:40:00.002+01:00

Boots recently had an offer to get a free Collection 2000 fast stroke eyeliner with their new Big Fake false lash effect mascara so I thought I'd give them both a try.

I'm a big Rimmel liquid liner fan but after seeing that this also had a sponge tip I was confident I could get the same effect with this...how wrong I was! The nib is hard and scratchy and the resulting line was patchy :(

I wish I could report better things about the mascara but, similar to Benefit's Bad Gal Lash, it has a huge brush that doesn't separate my lashes enough. It's ok with a stroke of Rimmel's Glamour'eyes to separate afterwards but I wouldn't repurchase.

One good thing about these two products is that they were only around £2.99 for both so at least I'm not out of pocket!

Really want to try Loreal's Million Lashes next. Has anyone tried this? What do you think?

x

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New Make Up Storage!

2010-03-10T21:05:00.002Z

So since I started watching make up videos on You Tube my make up collection has grown about three fold and was starting to take over my bedroom and my lounge (where I do my face!).

The other day whilst taking a short cut through Clas Ohlson, which is like a mini B&Q or Home Depot, I spotted a little storage If you don't have store near you, you can buy it here.

There are 25 small drawers, two medium and one large at the bottom. The unit is perfect for make up as the depth is quite deep so you can fit pencils etc. in all of the drawers lengthways (if that makes sense).

So far I have eye shadows in the top 10 drawers, mascaras, eyeliners, liquid eyeliners, paint pots and pigments in the third set of 5, concealers, primers and highlights in the third set of 5 and lip glosses, lipsticks and lip liners in the last set of 5.

I then have blush, contour and eyebrow products in the left-hand medium drawer and face products (foundations, setting powders) in the right-hand medium drawer.

The bottom drawer has some of the palettes I use the most and some Mac brush cleanser in a little spray bottle.

This only cost about £15...bargain in my book especially since the Muji sotorage (example below...now empty) is so expensive. It looks so pretty though aahhh...

What are your storage tips?

BB x

Best boyfriend ever!

2010-03-04T20:34:00.000Z

Just a quick post to say that I have the best boyfriend ever. After weeks of mentioning the OPI Alice in Wonderland collection he bought me the mini collection as an anniversary-eve present today!!!

Very excited to try Mad as a hatter in particular. This is a dark but multi-faceted glitter polish that will look amazing over a black polish. Might wear it for the anniversary weekend in Edinburgh this weekend.

Have you tried these yet? Any thoughts??

I now have a You Tube channel!

2010-02-28T09:55:00.004Z

Just a quick post to let you know that I now have a You Tube channel filled with all the usual make up, hair and beauty gubbins. You can find it here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/bobatiebeauty

There will be a lot of tips for pale skin and red hair, which I think is lacking on there at the moment as everyone seems to be of the fake tan persuasion. I prefer the pale and interesting look *read: Deathly!!*

Anyway subscribe if you wish and enjoy if you can...

2009-08-28T15:45:00.003+01:00

So I mentioned in the tag post that I've just started using the Lush Ultimate Shine solid shampoo bar and thought I'd do a little mini-post about it.

Now I have naturally strawberry blonde hair that's neither red nor blonde so I dye it with permanent colour at home to make me more of an auburn, Lilly Cole-esque colour. As a rule my colour washes out fairly quickly being red but this shampoo bar has been lightening the colour too!

Now don't get me wrong I'm loving the soft, silky, shiny effect it gives but not sure if I can afford the extra colouring using may necessitate eek!

Bought Lush Seanik solid shampoo bar at the same time on an offer with a free tin so might switch to this for the time being and see if this keeps my colour longer.

Have you tried either of these? Have you found the same thing?

What I am using right now tag

2009-08-24T12:58:00.003+01:00

After seeing this tab on Lollipop26's blog I thought I'd get my two penneth in as well.

Shampoo: Lush Ultimate Shine shampoo bar. Until now I've strictly been a liquid shampoo girl but after watching lots of videos on YouTube especially from the lovely MakeupbytiffanyD I decided to give it a whirl and it's great. OK so it has faded my auburn dye a little but it lives up to its name in the shine stakes.

Conditioner: Managed to find a really cheap pot of Redken Colour Extend mask on eBay so had to snap it up but usually it's off to Boots for some Tresemme or the new V05 elixirs they smell yum!

Styling products: Again snapped up a bargainous Redken Colour Extend recharge spray on eBay. Also love the V05 straightening balm and their heat protection spray.

Shower gel: It's got to be Foam burst Gel. It clogs my pipes and most of it ends up on the floor of the shower but it makes me feel like I'm at a foam party in every shower.

Body moisturiser: Still a fan of Bio Oil though now the weather's getting colder I do prefer a richer cream...something like Palmer's Cocoa Butter. The boy thinks I smell of Ferrero Rocher with this on sweet!

Deodorant: Sure Crystal. I've had to change my work clothes at the last minute too many times due to white marks so always go back to this.

Fake tan: Just run out of Ambre Solaire dry body mist so have gone back to the gradual tan moisturiser that Loreal do. I use the one for medium to dark skin (even though my skin is almost as grey as an elephant) and I get a great result after one application. The only downside is that awful fake tan smell.

Cleanser: Simple cleansing wipes then Avene facial wash gel in light. Love this stuff. Also use their mattifying toner and their day cream in light. Get it from larger Boots stores, highly recommended.

Exfoliator: Bought The Sanctuary muslin facial cloths from Boots and just used with the aforementioned facial wash. Really gets rid of every last scrap of make up and smoothes the skin around my nose and chin where I usually get break outs. Can't recommend enough!

Primer: Bought the mattifying primer from the new Loreal Studio Secrets range and I'm liking it. If nothing else it makes my foundation go on a little smoother on my nose and forehead where I apply but only keeps shine at bay until about lunchtime but still worth a go. Also use Mac paint pot in Soft Ochre under eyeshadow...works a dream!

Foundation brush: Tend to use good old fingers for this but have just purchased the new Loreal Studio Secrets HD foundation. The foundation is not great (i.e. too light on the old coverage) but the brush is good so might try this with my Mac and report back.

Concealer: Have several for all my problem areas *eek* so still have a little of Rimmel's clear complexion concealer that it good for a 'live' spot. Then have the Mac liquid concealer for under eyes and round the nose. This is nowhere near as good as touche eclat so will probably go back to that.

Powder: As I have quite a ruddy complexion *thanks Dad!* I use a mineral powder foundation over my liquid base and at the moment I'm using up the Maybelline version but also have some Neutrogena mineral powder on hold (another eBay bargain only available in the US boooo!).

Blusher: Due to the above mentioned ruddy cheeks I don't really need a blusher and just use a light bronzer to contour. At the moment I'm still loving the Prestige dupe of the Mac MSF's. I've got the lightest bronze version. Also a good eyeshadow.

Highlighter: Mac strobe cream is good for a night out but tend to stay as matte as possible in the daytime.

Eyeshadows: Depends on the day of the week and the colour of the outfit. Love Mac for highly pigmented highlighting shadows such as Dazzlelight (the current favourite), also love Loreal for their metallics and E.L.F mineral shadows have a great texture and pigmentation for the price. Bargain!

Eyeliner: Although I've tried Mac fluidline and love them for nights out I keep switching between Rimmel Exaggerate liquid liner and Loreal as they both have pointed sponge applicators rather than those piddly little brushes that are hard to work with and stay put all day. Plus as I wear eyeliner everyday *i.e. boring!* I can't justify using Mac all the time.

Curler: Have v curly hair and lashes to match thank goodness as curlers scare me!

Mascara: Another Rimmel product (what a drug store girl I am). Glam'eyes Lash Flirt mascara. It has a combination of short bristles and combs so every lash gets coated and no clumps...gosh I sound like Lilly Cole!

Lipstick: Not really a lipstick person but I do love Mac Plink and the gloss in Flourabundance. Also have Gosh Darling but unless my lips are in really good condition it just highlights all the flaws!

Nail colour: Anything with a super fast drying formula especially Collection 2000 (yes that brand from the 90's!) Dynasty and Button Moon (see next post for details of these polishes). Maybelline also do a good range of fast drying formulas but thanks to eBay I am now a hardened OPI devotee and am also very excited to try the Zoya matte nail polish after pay day.

Anyone tried anything I've suggested? Tell me what you're loving right now!

NOTD: The perfect nude polish combo

2009-08-14T08:59:00.004+01:00

Hi,

So for ages I was looking for the perfect nude nail polish. I'd flick through the pages of Look and Glamour issue after issue seeing celeb after celeb with perfectly 'cured nude nails *swoon* and couldn't find a polish that gave a good coverage.

I tried Essie...Dior...Nars you name it and probably wasted about 50 British pounds on my quest.

Then whilst watching one of Lollipop26's haul videos I was shown the light...OPI Bare it all in Trafalgar Square. Perfect nude colour to match my almost grey skin tone and great coverage after just two coats.

So after wearing it for a few weeks on and off I came to the conclusion that even thoguh this is in fact the perfect nude shade it does look a little flat sometimes. A tad more zing methinks...bring out Dior Porcelain. One of the previously mentioned ill fated nude polish attempts is resurrected from the flames.

The Dior over the OPI gives a fabulous pinky, shimmery nude colour *yum!*.