Miss Patisserie Bath Delights

Usually a wash-and-go shower person, I been trying to 'make' more occasions to have a bath, at least once a week.  It's important to allow time for yourself, however hectic your schedule.   We all have busy lives and if you don't at least try to indulge every now and then, you loose sight of what helps you to relax.  Closing the door and slipping into a warm bath is our opportunity to unwind and pamper; mind and body.
I use it as a time to do various things:  

• Unfortunately I have been guilty to take my iPhone into the bath and continue a bit of work...bad.  
• Reading the beauty pages of a glossy magazine is better, still work related but a more bath-relevant activity.  
• Slather on a face mask - either a detoxing/pore cleansing clay-based one or a moisturising creamy one; whatever my skin is crying out for.
• Hair mask - always trying out new ones to leave on for as long as possible.
• Exfoliating my limbs with whatever I have to hand.  A rather boring job but the results are astounding; baby's bum softness!

All this whilst perhaps putting on some calming music and in extreme cases...lighting a candle - pushing the boat out indeed.
Then, what to put in the bath.  Bubbles or oil?  Coloured or transparent?  Aromatherapy, perfumed or unscented?  Organic or not?  It is nice to have a choice and I tend to have a top two at any one time, depending on my mood.  Then, here at Beautisserie, I was introduced to 'Miss Patisserie', loving the name connection so far...
A really cute brand founded in 2009 by Charlotte Ridgewell, a fellow beauty enthusiast.  Her success has grown from strength to strength.  She had a vision of putting the fun back into bathing and her dreams came true when she went from selling her 'cakes, lollies and macaroons' at local fayres, to now distributing all over the UK, Europe and even Australia.
As you might gather from the name, Miss Patisserie is a range of attractive and delicious looking products to dunk in the bath.  When I got hold of a couple of 'cakes', they appeared truly, good enough to eat...but I resisted.

I started with a glittery-topped cupcake that as well as a 'bath bomb' fizzing away, it also doubled up as an exfoliator, amazing!  The 'creamy' top is actually rather hard and great for buffing away at tough skin.  After a few minutes, the water had been transformed to a shimmering lilac colour and I felt newly polished.  

Then on my next dip, I tried a slice of cake, topped with flowers.  As it effervesced in the water, a gentle fragrance was released, easing me into a more tranquil state and unlike some others I've tried, it lasted a good while, slowly shrinking down to full disintegration.  I emerge from the bath, fragrant and rather impressively covered in petals, sort of 'American Beauty'-esque!
It's a fab range and well worth a try if you've never ventured into plunging a fizzy object to join you in the water.  Or think of it as having your cake...and not quite eating it.

Check out their pretty website here:
http://www.miss-patisserie.com

24 Carat Beauty

Gold, Silver, Bronze...we all love a bit of bling and how better to wear it than on our faces?!
Belmacz Beauty are pioneering the use of precious metals into their cosmetic line which are all beautifully hand-made in London.  Due to their vast experience with fine jewellery, it makes them the perfect brand to specialise in such a concept.  
In the form of gold leaf, pure silver and natural pearl powder, these luxurious ingredients are added to the products, creating a beautiful glistening finish to the makeup whilst also being known to enhance and heal the skin.  Decadence which does us good, cher-ching!

The latest addition to their treasure trove of products is 'Stardust' (RRP £29).  This velvety warm copper toned eyeshadow is pure indulgence.  The cute little pot can be dipped into with a liner brush or swept across the lid for a wash of colour.  You can even use your multi-tasking skills to combine it with your moisturiser for a neat highlighting effect to the skin.

For this first week of launch, Belmacz are running a promotion (until 25th April) where if you purchase the 'Stardust' eyeshadow, you'll receive a free 'Moonstone Glow Lipgloss' (Above, RRP £26)...go for gold girls!

Throughout the month of May, Belmacz are also offering the following 3 products for the price of £59, saving £30 on the total RRP of £89, maximum bling for your buck!

'Aura' (RRP £31) - Multi-tasking balm to boost radiance to your complexion

 

'Midnight' (RRP £29) - 24-carat gold leaf cream eyeshadow

 'Silver Swan' (RRP £29) - Pure silver leaf eye shadow

www.belmaczbeauty.com 

CK One Cosmetics

After attending their launch last year and loving the products offered up so far (the foundation is rather impressive) I was keen to see the new season collection from CK One Cosmetics.

So off I trotted to St Martin's Lane Hotel for this morning’s presentation.  Global Makeup Artist for CK, Jodie Boland was in attendance to talk us through various looks.  She’s a lovely, smiley Austalian whose infectious personality perfectly matches the brands playful image.

Jodie demo’d various products on the two models, showing how radiant skin combined with pops of colour is not something we should be afraid of.   She wants the customer to experiment with CK and their multi-use products.

For their new collection, along with the CK One Summer fragrance, is an array of new textures and tones to delight our makeup bags.  From lime and blue eyeshadow creams (adding to the already super-wearable other colours), limited edition bronzer (which looked flawless on the model), lipstick/gloss/balm fusions, through to nail colours that dry to the same smell as the fragrance, talk about putting the fun into matchy-matchy!

It’s all about colour and on-trend cheerfulness with this brand, which is really refreshing.  I’m interested to get more into their skin products but why not brighten up your probably muted palettes with some easy to wear shades that will surprise you in wearability.  Give it a go girls!

CK One Cosmetics are available from Debenhams
http://www.debenhams.com/beauty/ck-one-cosmetics

Babington House Easter Wedding

After all this crazy ‘Spring’ weather giving us snow, hail and sub-zero temperatures, it was a welcome surprise to see the sun shining today.  I was up at 5am for a wedding booking out in Somerset so it was going to be a long day.

Travelling there with my hair stylist, we agreed to share the driving, me there, her back.  Quite a way to go so it was nice to have the company and attempt to turn it into a little road trip!  Coffee and snacks at the ready, we were on the road…

Three hours or so later, we arrive at the stunning location for today, Babington House Hotel.  I’ve been lucky enough to stay at this place a few times in the past and can say it’s probably taken the top spot in terms of best UK hotel, in my humble opinion.  It’s got the right mixture of a laid-back feel with great service and attention to detail.  The house, grounds, food, spa and all round ambience of the place is amazing.

Anyhow, to work.  Sun still shining, Claire and I set up for our day of beautifying various ladies.  We had our work cut out for us but the mood was very relaxed and organised so it all went to plan.  Mother of the bride, sister and then the bride; all were taken care of with the right amount of time and attention to detail.

It all went like clockwork and as I always factor in a little extra time for interruptions (there is always something!) it felt like a serene mood filled the room.  I even had time to re-paint the bride’s big toenail as she had smudged it and also encouraged the young boys to play hide and seek to keep them quiet, all part of the service!

Jimmy Choo’s on, off went the bride with a happy smile to face her future…Happy Easter everyone, here's to new beginnings :-)

Area H2O - Hair Saviour!

When it comes to hair styling, I'm not really a target audience for the cosmetic companies.  I'm a pretty much a wash & go kinda girl.  I do put some serum in my damp hair before drying it and occasionally might remember to apply a heat protecting spray, but not often enough for my poor tresses.  My hair is pretty well behaved.  It's long, straight and isn't too frizzy or wild, I guess I'm pretty lucky there.

When I'm going out and have the time/can be bothered, I will have a go at styling my hair properly.  This usually involves using a hot tong and adding some waves into it, definitely heat protectant spray needed here, followed by a fixing hairspray.  Aside from that, it's just a case of combing through my damp hair with my tangle teezer, head flip, blow-dry, out the door.  

When it comes to how I wash my hair though, different story.  Being in this industry for many years has given me the fortunate opportunity of trying many brands and their products.  I can be a bit of a snob here but I do believe you get what you pay for.  Since working for SpaceNK back in the day, I still tend to verge towards my Frederic Fekkai favourites.  Usually the 'Technician Colour Care' or 'Protein Repair'.  

So when I was sent samples from this new line from Area H2O, I was sceptical at first.  I'm pretty monogamous when it comes to my shampoo and conditioner.  Reading more about the line though, I was intrigued.  Living in London, our water is classed as 'hard'.  Meaning it has a high mineral content which is not good, especially for our hair.  It can cause build up and deposits on the hair shaft.  I didn't like the sound of that at all, I'd like to remove this please!

The clever teams and biochemists at H2O have worked for years on their products, taking out various clinical trials to examine the various water types found throughout the world and how to improve them for our usage.  Their findings have allowed them to create a range which promises to combat the effects of the mineral deposits that various water types can leave behind.

Metal ions which are present in all types of water, react when in contact with shampoo, resulting in them clinging to your hair as a mineral deposit.  The special ingredients within the Area H2O range will act like a 'magnet', attracting the minerals thereby removing them and their build up from your hair.  Sounds genius, I couldn't wait to give it a go!

The shampoo and conditioner they had sent me was for coloured hair (mine is highlighted) so is sure to be moisturising and protecting too.  The shampoo was of usual texture, perhaps a little more 'jelly' like and it didn't foam an awful lot.  It is a range free from parabens but there are sulphates listed.  Not that it I mind either way, I'm not for or against the use of either really.  The packaging is biodegradable too, always nice to know.

Shampoo done, I move onto the conditioner.  A lot lighter that what I'm used to, more of a milk than a cream.  It didn't feel that moisturising or 'coating' of my hair than what I've come to expect.  Nevertheless, I rinsed away hopefully what would have been a lot of mineral ions, safely down the drain.

I go about the rest of my routine as normal and I'm not kidding, my hair definitely felt softer. Perhaps it was fluke.  I persevered with them for a week or so to see if it was a real difference.  

The result?  My hair definitely felt softer and shinier, no doubt.  The other thing I noticed was that my hair would feel cleaner for longer too.  Normally after 2 or 3 days I would be desperate to give it a wash but with these products, my hair seemed better than ever.  Healthier and lighter too.  

So I am rather impressed to say the least!  The only con for me would be the smell.  I couldn't pick out any real hint of fragrance at all.  Not a bad thing of course, but I do like to have a bit of perfume in with me when I'm lathering up.  

I would definitely recommend this range, even if you are a haircare connoisseur like me; I would even say just to use it perhaps once a week, to give your hair a detoxing treatment and rid it of all the horrid mineral build up, I know you have some.

Price are £9.95 each or £17.50 for a duo pack.

Available to purchase from Look Fantastic:

http://www.lookfantastic.com/brands/area-h20.list

www.areah2o.co.uk

Guest Blogger for fashion site Brora

A while ago I was approached by luxury fashion brand Brora and asked if I would write them a guest blog marking their 20th Anniversary.  They were going to feature 20 different bloggers each day covering an array of topics, mine being makeup of course ;-)

Having known and purchased from them for years, I was already a fan and felt rather honoured to be asked.
So I got to work; researching items from their latest collection, tying in a variation of makeup looks that would suit each one whilst staying on trend for the season.  I also wanted to ensure they were wearable and easy to replicate looks that the Brora customer wouldn't be intimidated by.

I hope you enjoy reading it and let me know what you think!

Click this link to see my post:
Brora Beauty Guest Blog

Vivienne Westwood Red Label AW13/14

Dame Vivienne has done it again, I literally love this woman.  Her take on fashion is one that I admire so greatly and have done for many many years.  And so it continues...

Her latest Red Label collection at London Fashion Week was further proof that she is a total genius in my eyes, and countless others I'm sure.  So original, so groundbreaking and every piece stands out for it's creativity and attention to detail.  I cannot fault her.

I watched the show (on youtube, not in person sadly!) and was astounded by the craftsmanship.  I was trying to pick a favourite but it was literally impossible.  I love the way she embraces the female form; a hint of cleavage, accentuation of the waist and exposure of legs.  One of the main points I notice too is that every outfit is top-to-toe, you cast your eye up and down and then again.  There's so much to take in, it's a total pleasure to see her work moving and strutting down the runway.





The fabrics clashed perfectly, using leather, wool, lace, silk, paisley and of course, tartan.  Brights with muted tones, slick black, rich burgundy, shimmering metallic, burnt mustard, the list goes on...with each having a 'slung on' look that we know has been preened to perfection.  Asymmetric, cut on the bias, free flowing and structured, it's all there.

Then the makeup; creatively twisted.  Lead artist Val Garland was behind the looks, a fantastic collaboration as she is one of makeup artist royalty.  In my eyes, she wears her cosmetic crown, with a tilt.  Colourful displays of hot yellow, bright blue, bold red and strong black and white lining, all strategically placed on pale faces but made to look almost drawn on by a child, crazy cool.

I also loved the nails, designed by Marian Newman they had an ombre fade done in a really classy way using the perfect tones.

Scroll down for the full video and watch the magic unfold...

All pictures courtesy of Vivienne Westwood via Facebook.
Nail image courtesy of Grazia Magazine via Instagram.

Watch the show here:

Vivienne Westwood Red Label AW13/14 Show