June Reads

Fifty Shades Trilogy - E L James

I don't know if there is much I can say about the 50 Shades books that hasn't already been said, but I did manage to resist them for as long as I could until curiosity got the better of me!  I much preferred the first two books to the third which I felt dragged somewhat and I did find all of the books rather unrealistic, but I guess that is the point of them really!  A somewhat guilty pleasure and very different from what I would usually read, but I felt I needed to read them to form an opinion on them!

Railsea - China Mieville

Again, very different from my normal reading, this book is essentially a retelling of the story of Moby Dick, but in a future world where water has all but disappeared and instead is replaced by rail tracks. Focusing on a boy named Sham, the novel is essentially a cross between a coming-of-age and an adventure tale, but it is so much more than that and to try to describe it in a brief paragraph would not do it justice.  It is marketed as a Young Adult book but I found the themes quite complex and it certainly reads more like an adult novel.  If you like to be transported to another world that you can easily lose yourself in for hours, I can thoroughly recommend it.  I have also enjoyed one of Mieville's past novels The City & The City, which is on a similar theme.

It's All News To Me - Jeremy Vine

I'm really interested in broadcasting and journalism, and I this autobiography of the Radio 2 presenter, Jeremy Vine, appealed as it gives a behind the scenes look of what goes on in TV and radio news and presenting.  Differing from many autobiographies, it skims over the early years of his childhood and gets straight into the gossip and stories from his life at the BBC, from his beginnings in journalism as  a political correspondent to his current job on Radio 2 (and yes, I am old listening to Radio 2!).  I liked how informal the book was in its tone and it was a very easy, quick read.  If you are interested in journalism or politics I would strongly recommend it. 

Have you read any of these books?  

If you have read any of the 50 Shades books, what did you think of them?

Beauty Products I Wish Could be Invented!

As much as. I like playing with beauty products, there are some that I wish would hurry up and be invented!

Self Cleansing Make Up Brushes

I'm so lazy when it comes to cleaning my brushes, I have even been known to buy new ones rather than wash old ones!  I know, the shame!  I wish there was some easy way of cleaning them, a product a bit like the Bourjois Express Nail Removal where you just put you brush in a  container and whip it out and ta da - its clean!  How amazing would that be?!

Lip Gloss that doesn't stick to everything in sight!

I very much enjoy wearing gloss but what I don't enjoy is the transfer from lips to cups, hair and husbands!  It gets everywhere, even the ones that claim to be less sticky.  I'd love a long lasting gloss that gave that fabulous glossy look without sticking to everything I come into contact with.  I can but dream!

Skintone Adapting Foundation

Now I know we technically have this already with BB Creams but I am talking about medium / full coverage foundation which adapts throughout the year, according to your skintone and is a cinch to blend.  I get fed up of having several different foundations on the go throughout the year depending on my tan (or lack of it this Summer) and this would be amazing.  I suspect this will never become a possibility though, even if the technology exists, as companies make far more money selling us multiple shades, grr.

Hair Dye Magic Pills

I spend a fortune on my hair every 6 weeks to essentially look exactly the same!  As a dark haired girlie who has an addition to bleach, every six weeks I hotfoot it to the salon to get my roots re-tinted.  I find it annoying, expensive and rather dull sitting in a chair for 2 hours.  I'd love it if I could take a magic pill each day and my hair would turn the colour I wished with no regrowth.  Why can't someone invent this?! 

What do you wish you could invent?

 

Loved but Overlooked

I was dithering over what to call this post as I wanted to encapsulate the idea of products that I love, that other bloggers either seem to overlook or dislike.  Here are a few of them:

Bobbi Brown Cream Shadows

I adore these little pots of cream shadow from Bobbi Brown.  I seem to hear so much about Benefits Creaseless Cream Shadows but there never seems to be much love for Bobbi Brown's versions.  Perhaps it is because Bobbi Brown tends to produce 'safe' neutral colours or perhaps it is just because people don't know enough about them, but I love these and wouldn't be without my small, but ever growing, collection.

Chanel Rouge Coco Shines

I own two of these to date and love them both dearly.  I adore their super light hydrating formula which provides a sheer wash of colour to the lips.  General consensus seems to be that these are too sheer, especially for the price, but I find them to be perfect for giving a subtle, neutral look without much effort, especially during the Summer months.  

Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay in Place Eyeshadow Base

Estee Lauder is another brand that is not written about to a great extent within the blogsphere, probably because it had a reputation for being rather mumsy at one point.  One of their staples that I have been using for several years now is their eye primer.  It comes in a small pot but it lasts for ever and helps my shadows stay put all day.  I would recommend their face primer too.

Cowshed Bath Oils

Cowshed are very well known but I never really see much posted about them.  Yes, they are pretty pricey but their products are priced similar to other luxe bathing brands such as Neom and Aromatherapy Associates and I believe they are just as good too.  My favourite items are the bath oils (I love a Lazy Cow!) but I have tried pretty much everything from them at one time or another.

Bomb Cosmetics Bath Bombs and Melts

I've posted about my love for Bomb Cosmetics previously and it shows no sign of wavering.  For  me, these are the more grown up versions for Lush's bath products and I find them infinitely more moisturising.  The presentation of the bath melts are gorgeous too with some disguised as mini cup cakes!

Are there any products that you love that you feel don't get enough attention from the blogsphere?  

Why I Love Beauty Blogging!

Now before I start, I have to admit this may be a bit of a 'gushing' post, but I've been blogging for just over six months now, and there has been so much I have learnt and enjoyed since I began.  Here are five reasons why I love beauty blogging and the beauty blogging community.

1) It gives me an opportunity to obsess about new products and discuss them in minute detail with others.   Many of my friends are rather ambivalent about makeup and beauty products, using the same tried and tested products day in, day out.  For me, variety is the spice of life!

2) It gives me a creative outlet.  I've always enjoyed writing and I find it stress-relieving at the end of a busy day to compose a blog post, especially when it is something that I feel passionately or strongly about.

3) I've discovered some amazing niche brands.  Brands I would never have known about have now achieved holy grail status and have become daily staples, all thanks to reading other blogs.

4) I'm much more aware of the chemicals I am putting on my skin.  I've been making a concerted effort to use organic and SLS free products and whilst I can't say that all my products are natural, I have found that with certain products, especially skincare, there have been significant improvements to my skin.

5) I've made some great friends through my blog.   People, I may never otherwise have communicated with are those whom I interact with daily, whether it be through other blogs or on Twitter.

What do you love about beauty blogging or the beauty blogging community in general?

What Other Types of Blogs Do You Read?

I used to read shed loads of magazines on a variety of different topics, but since discovering blogs I only really buy mags when I'm going on holiday or on  a long flight.  Blogs have allowed me to read much more up-to-date information on topics on which I am interested, and for me, this doesn't just stop at beauty.  Here are a few of the other topics that I am interested in.

Travel

A family of Elephants at the Elephant Nature Park in Thailand - we were standing right next to them!

I love travelling and often spend time dreaming up my perfect holiday when I don't even have enough cash to pay for a meal out at the end of the month!  I live vicariously through other people's blogs and I adore discovering new blogs with pictures that can transport you in an instant to a place, helping you to imagine both sights and smells from the comfort of your sofa.

Two  of my most read travel blogs are:

C'est Christine, a female solo traveller who writes candidly about her travels and has fabulous pictures.

Never Ending Footsteps,  I love Lauren's friendly writing style and I have especially been enjoying her recent Thailand posts and reliving my trip there last year.

Fashion

Like many beauty bloggers, I also love clothes and although I wouldn't feel confident enough to style a look and post it myself, I admire those who can, and produce unique, stylish outfits on a daily basis.

A couple of my favourite fashion blogs are::

Kingdom of Style, whose style is very different from my own but she has a knack for discovering amazing little-known brands and I love some of the jewellery she posts about.

A Little Bird Told Me, fab vintage eclectic style, I wish I could put together an outfit like Jen.  I love that everything she puts together is affordable or from charity shops too.

Local Food  / Lifestyle 

Forth Rail Bridge, just outside of Edinburgh

I am not the cook in our household, preferring to bake cakes rather than slave over a hot stove after a long day at work!  I do however love reading local blogs highlighting cafes and restaurants near where I live and its a great way of discovering new and exciting new eateries.  

I also enjoy reading local blogs that highlight events and activities in my area and one that I would recommend browsing for any visitor to Edinburgh is Edinburgh Spotlight.  Filled with ideas on what to do in and around the city for all the family, I've discovered so much about my city thanks to this blog!  Its well worth a look through the archives, and they also post comprehensive reviews of what seems like hundreds of Edinburgh Festival shows during August.

What other types of blog do you like to read?

Do you have any recommendations?

A Guide to Buying Beauty Products on eBay

Now before I start, I want to say that you purchase products from eBay at your own risk and that if it sounds too good to be true it probably is. That Mac blush you are getting for half price brand new many not be authentic....

 

But how do you make the most of eBay when purchasing beauty products? Well, I primarily use it for purchasing products that are not available  in the UK or are much cheaper in other countries.  

 

Nail products are the obvious hot purchases with brands such as OPI and China Glaze less than half the UK retail price on US eBay, and they are still a very good deal even when postage is factored in. Two sellers I have has particularly good service from are beautyzone2007 and enchantedbeautyspot who, between then, sell all the major US polish brands. Delivery usually takes just over a week.

 

In addition to nail polish, I've also bought some products that are not available at all in the UK, such as two versions of the Carmex Moisture Plus Sheer Lip Tints in Berry and Plum. I adore the peach and pink ones we have here in the UK, but after contacting Carmex and discovering they currently have no plans to sell the Berry and Plum ones here, I knew I had to track them down, and eBay was my friend!

 

Other useful sellers are French Pharmacy UK - for difficult to find French pharmacy skincare and the Liz Earle Factory Outlet store, which has Liz Earle products cheaper than retail - just be aware that the packaging may be damaged or printed incorrectly.

 

I have occasionally bought high-end cosmetics from eBay and you can find some good deals if you check carefully. Make sure the seller isn't selling hundreds of the same eyeshadow and check they are using their own photos not stock photos.  

I've managed to find US exclusives and limited edition products that have been out of stock everywhere, but you do have to be careful.  Go with your gut instinct.  These kinds of products are usually available for retail price, so you don't tend to  find many bargains, but you may be able to track down difficult to source items.  I know some people sometimes also manage to uncover new testers of lipsticks such as Guerlain's Rouge Gs for sale.  These are obviously cheaper than the ones you find on counters but they are without the gorgeous heavy packaging, which I know I personally couldn't do without!

I hope this has gone some way to giving you a few pointers for purchasing beauty products on eBay.  

Have you ever got a great deal on beauty products on eBay?

Can you recommend any good sellers?

  

Beauty Blogger Fails!

I've been thinking recently about things I just can't get to grips with as a beauty blogger,  so here I present  five reasons why I am a bad beauty blogger!

1) I cannot apply false eyelashes to save my life! I love the look of them once they are on but I just cannot manage it myself. At a recent friend's wedding I had to have my mum do them for me and it was particularly scary when she was  veering towards my eyes with her Tweezermans, knowing she didn't have her glasses on! I really need to put some time aside and practice my application.

2)  I don't do fake tan. I've naturally got a skintone that borders on olive anyway so I've never really seen the need for it.   And I feel like my beauty regime takes long enough without having to fake tan my legs every time I want to get them out!

3) I never wear a top coat on my nails. Mostly because I change my nail colour every couple of days, so it doesn't have the chance to chip or wear. But also because I am extremely lazy.

4) I've never been threaded! This is something I will need to rectify soon as almost everyone I know has now jumped on the threading bandwagon. I'm not sure what I don't fancy about it- is it the fact that you sit in the middle of the shop getting it done for all and sundry to watch, or is it that I'm a bit icked out by the fact the thread goes through their teeth when they do it? I'm just not sure! Either way, I will be taking the plunge soon!

5)  I just can't get to grips with cloth cleansers. I've tried Liz Earle and a couple of others and found that it seemed a bit of a palaver really. I much prefer gentle foaming cleansers or oil cleansers but it seems I am pretty much alone in the beauty blogging world :-(

Are there any things you don't do or thing you just can't get along with that everyone else seems to rave about?

I'd love to know I'm not the only one! 

What makeup item do you have far too much of?

If you are a beauty addict, there is bound to be one type of product that you are inexplicably drawn to and have far more of than any other product.  For me, this is lipstick and gloss!

I should probably put up one of my own pictures of my current stash but I currently have lippies everywhere, hiding in bags, down the sides of the sofa, in pockets you name it, I am never more than 5 foot away from a lip product!

I think the reason why I am so drawn to lip products is that they are so easy to apply, require next to no effort and they can transform a look in an instant.  I almost never go anywhere without wearing a lipstick or gloss!

What beauty product are you constantly drawn to? 

What Was Your First Makeup Purchase?

It seems a long time ago that I made my first tentative step into makeup.  When I was in my early years I recall being allowed to play with some of my mum’s makeup and as this was the 1980s, there was lots of bright blue eyeshadow and vivid purple lipstick.  The decade was not subtle in the slightest!  Whilst makeup was predominately for play and I was never allowed to wear it out of the house, I did start wearing nail polish from around the age of nine on a weekend, and since then, the addiction has never waned!  Polish is still the one item I have numerous varieties of, and I can’t remember the last time I had completely bare nails! 

Nail polish usually came from Boots Natural Collection, Rimmel or Collection 2000 and I vaguely remember purchasing several Barry M polishes as well.  I also took my first tentative steps into lip products with a lipstick from Boots Natural Collection.  Admittedly it was more of a balm / lipstick hybrid but it was the first step into becoming the lip product junkie that I am today! 

As I grew more confident and entered my early teens, I started using mascara and lip gloss and Lancôme’s Juicy Tubes were some of my favourites.  I’m not sure why I liked them so much at the time but I don’t think there was the variation and availability of gloss then that there is now, and their candy colours and fun scents had me hooked!  I’m sure I still have a couple lurking at the bottom of my draw today. 

Throughout University, lack of funds meant that I tended to stick to tried and trusted products, mostly due to lack of funds.  Bourjois and Max Factor were two of the main brands I purchased from when I had a little extra cash (that wasn’t being spend on going out!) and in particular I grew fond of the Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara which I still rate very highly in my mascara stash.  

Today, I have a mixture of higher end department store brands and high street / drugstore products in regular rotation.  I have an unhealthy (and expensive!) love of Chanel products, but am equally excited when I find an excellent product at a great price – the Top Shop Cream Blushes and Carmex Moisture Plus Lip Shines are two of my favourite can’t-live-without items.

What was your first beauty purchase?

How did you get interested in makeup?

What Does Your Partner Think About Your Beauty Habit?

Today, as I am sure you are well aware, whether you embrace the blatant commercialism or not, is Valentines Day and I am asking the question, how does you partner feel about your beauty habit?

If you are reading this blog, you are obviously interested in beauty products and therefore I would imagine, you will have more products than the average person.  From cleansers to moisturisers, lipglosses to mascaras, we females always have more weapons at our disposal for getting reading in the morning, and it is inevitable that we most likely take over the bathroom with our girly products! 

As beauty addicts, we are seemingly incapable of having only one item of each type in our collection, and we must have a variety of products for every occasion, moisturisers for summer, winter, dry days, blemish-prone periods - the works!  I am always amazed that hubby can manage with one shampoo, shower gel and moisturiser and these are all repeat purchases that he has been using for years – where is the fun in that?!  Surely it is far more interesting to constantly try new products and experiment?!

Aside from being stuck in his ways (and I’m sure this is common to many other men!) he does have to put up with my numerous shower gels, shampoos and face masks littering our small bathroom, although I have caught him having a quick sneaky try of whatever new shampoo or shower gel has appeared, before promptly declaring that he is going back to his trusty lime Original Source!  He is very understanding about the limited space he has for his things though, and has got used to finding assorted hand creams turning up in the most unlikely of places!   

What does your other half or family think about your beauty habit? 

Are they understanding or are they perpetually confused by your need to acquire numerous variations of, what is essentially, the same product?

Body Lotion Challenge!

When sorting through my beauty product draws at the weekend, this is what I found……. 22 body lotions!!! How on earth did I end up with this many??! I actually have closer to 25 as I found a couple in unopened gift packs and 1 got a free body butter with a recent Body Shop order… ooops!

I pretty much never buy body lotion as I don’t have particularly dry skin and I lack the patience to sit around waiting for it to dry before I can get dressed. I accumulated all of these over the last couple of years, either as part of gift sets, gifts with purchase, facebook giveaways or as gifts from friends and family. So I have made it my mission to use these up and try to have reduced my stash by the end of the year. Hopefully, my skin will also be much softer and smoother in the process!

Do you have any items that seem to multiply and that you never run out of?

Has Your Purchasing Increased Since You Started Reading Beauty Blogs?

I was inspired to write this post just after Christmas when someone mentioned to me that they were fed up of purchasing things for their skin that never worked and that they ended up shelling out a fortune for them. This got me thinking as to whether, as readers or writers of beauty blogs, if we end up spending more now than we did previously or are our purchases now more informed?

I guess, if you are interested in beauty products and beauty blogging, it can go one of two ways. There are so many new releases and products coming out all the time! Mac comes out with a new collection several times a month and we were seeing the Spring 2012 collections start to appear at counters before Christmas! When products are limited edition, it makes us feel that we need to buy them instantly, otherwise we may miss the boat. Consequently, we end up purchasing products that we don’t really need, and that we are not sure whether will work for us, in the fear that once they are sold out, we will never be able to find anything like that product again. Until the next limited edition product comes along that is….

On the other hand, if you take the time to read a lot of blogs about various beauty products, their benefits and understand whether they might work for you, you may end up making a more informed choice and end up purchasing fewer, but better quality, products that will really work.

I guess I am in the middle camp. Since I started blogging and even prior to that, when I was only reading blogs and not commenting or participating in discussion, I have become much more aware of product availability and what is out there. I used to purchase a multitude of magazines each month just to see what was new and hurriedly race to my nearest Boots in my lunch hour to get my hands on what Glamour magazine deemed to be the latest beauty must-have!

These days, I hope I can see through the hype and realise that, yes, that nail polish is a very pretty limited edition colour but I already have several similar ones and no, matte black polish doesn’t suit me and just makes me look like a goth! I can now read blogs and opinions of what works for people with a similar skin type or skintone to me and see real-life swatches to help me make an informed purchase. I do however have a wider variety of products on my ‘to-buy’ list and that is purely through the reading of blogs, especially with some of the smaller, niche brands. Many brands do not have the budget to advertise in glossy magazines and for them, blogs are an essential part of their marketing strategy (although this is venturing into a whole different topic…).

Has your beauty product purchasing changed since you started reading or writing a blog? 

Do you now feel more informed when buying products or does the sheer amount of choice you are now aware of mean your purchasing has skyrocketed?

Victoria

x

What is your Make-up Age?

An article in Grazia last week questioning what is your real make up age, got me thinking about how we judge makeup on others and how differences in the application of make up and beauty products affect our perceptions of others.

As bloggers, we are more aware than most of new products and new techniques available in make up and therefore we tend to keep abreast of current trends.  One forgets that sometimes the average woman in the street isn’t aware of such trends such as magnetic nail polish, BB creams and the differences between trends for matte or shiny lip finishes.  Many women find something that they are comfortable with and which suits them and decide to play it safe, not deviating from tried and trusted products and finishes. 

In the article, Grazia chose to highlight Kate Middleton’s constant application of dark kohl eyeliner, implying that this was a quite dated way of wearing liner and that a dark brown pencil liner is much more modern and youthful for someone of her age.  Now I don’t wear black liner all the time but I do like to wear it on occasion and it has its place with an evening smoky eye look when effortlessly smudged out.  For day to day wear however, I tend to prefer a liquid liner, usually one of my Bourjois Liner Pinceau, or my Mac, ‘I Get No Kick’, pencil liner which is a gorgeous light golden shade with a sparkle which subtly lightens the eye.

When I was younger and not as interested in makeup and beauty as I am now, I used to associate red lips with older, more mature women, but these days, I enjoy wearing red lipstick or gloss – it is all about how you wear something rather than what you wear. If you pair a red lip with dark eyes, heavy liner and a matte finish foundation, this appears to me to be a little dated.  However the wearing of red lips with dewy skin and minimal eye makeup is more modern and is a fresher take on the look. 

Our thoughts on makeup are also traditionally strongly tied with how members of the opposite sex view us as if you ask many men what makeup they prefer on a woman, they will say minimal and fresh-faced, without the presence of heavy blusher or lipstick. In reality though, we know that this ‘natural’ look is actually  more difficult to achieve as one can spend ages constructing the perfect base that is dewy and transparent, whilst still covering all perfections.  A fresh, makeup-free face is associated with youthfulness, and it is this which I would suggest the makeup and beauty industry is constantly making us desire. You only have to look at recent launches from Nip & Fab and Nanoblur to see that consumers are constantly searching for the next best product to maintain a youthful appearance.   

So how do you ensure that your makeup techniques and products are not making you look old before your time?  Well Grazia suggest that warm colours, such as bronzes and golds are more current, rather than grey, black and brown eyeshadow, however I would suggest that these are classic colours that will never date and it is all down to your application and the formula you choose as to what is a more youthful take on a look. Formulas such as Chanel’s Illusion d’ombre in Epatant, which is a gorgeous sparkly black cream, is perfect for either lining the eyes or creating a modern, sophisticated smoky eye.  Staying away from one-dimensional matte products seems to be the key message, and allowing a little dewiness to come through.  Grazia recommends ditching the powder, however there is no way I could do this as I would just turn into an oil slick by the end of the day, but the secret is to powder only on the areas that require it and not over the whole face.  Modern textures are key with cream products rather than matte being a particularly good option.

Ultimately though, the key is to feel comfortable in what you are wearing and to be happy in how you look.  Make up is often used as a tool to help boost our self confidence, and one can only be confident if you are comfortable in the makeup you wear.  Fashions and trends may change but if you decide a sparkly pink lipgloss isn’t for you, you shouldn’t feel you have to conform.  As long as the pale blue sparkly eyeshadow remains in the 80s!

What are your thoughts on ‘age appropriate’ makeup?

Do you agree with Grazia’ statement that we should ditch the powder?  Or do you think people should be free to ignore trends and wear what they want?