Fashion Fair Carnival Collection: Review and Swatches

Staring out my window with the sun shining brightly, and despite the rain we have been experiencing recently - I feel inspired to believe that Summer is finally around the corner!

One of the things I love most about Summer is the sunshine which always encourages me to shed the dark colours of autumn/winter and move into more vibrant hues, whilst also allowing my skin to get a beautiful bronzy glow from the sun (with protection of course) 

So when Fashion Fair offered to send me a few samples from their Carnival Collection, It sounded like it would be perfect for summer. Inspired by the sun kissed Caribbean and festivities of the Carnival, the collection is a mix of oranges, metallic gold, bronzes, vibrant pinks and purples.

L - R ( Safari Brown, Sahara Sand)

I was sent a selection of metallic golds and bronzes and starting with the eyeshadows - I just have one word. Gorgeous! Highly pigmented, they are beautiful shades that are highly wearable even during the day and they show up beautifully on darker skin tones.

My favourite is Safari Brown, which is a perfect brown skin nude on my skin tone and I can actually wear it on it's own.

The shadows go on extremely soft and are so easy to blend with other colours. Below is a swatch of the lipsticks and shadows.

L - R (Sepia, Confidence, Safari Brown, Sahara Sand)

The lipsticks I will admit, made me extremely nervous when I first saw them in all their bronze and gold glory, all I could think was circa 90's! But I was pleasantly surprised. 

L - R (Confidence, Sepia)

Confidence is more on the golden side and on its own doesn't work for me, but it can be combined with a darker lip colour to create a nice ombre effect and also worn over a nude lipstick. 

The star of the show however is Sepia lipstick, which completely wowed me - It has a brown/ bronze tone to it which also works as a nice nude colour. It's such a pretty shade and is long wearing and soft on the lips. 

The Carnival Collection is available from selected Debenhams and Boots.

The Review: Clayspray Chococlay Face Mask

 

Face masks are one of my favourite items in my beauty routine, and I tend to use them once or twice a week, picking and choosing a mask according to my skins concerns to either deep cleanse, exfoliate or hydrate my skin.

I was recently sent Clayspray, a Spanish skincare brand to try out and upon seeing the packaging and product, I was intrigued.

The science bit

Clayspray is described as the first emulsified clay in a spray can (first time I have ever seen a face mask spray out of a can), which helps the clay mask last a lot longer than say clays that come in a jar, tube or powder, simply  because once opened they are exposed to air so tend to become hard and dried out.

It is said to "incorporate up to 60-65% of pure clay mineral, spring water and hydrogel in a luxurious texture". Which is extremely high in comparison to normal clay masks, that are said to "only contain 10-15%" in their formulations, so this is one of the highest concentrations I have seen.

The macromolecular hydrogels are meant to retain up to 800 times their weight in water, which in turn is  meant to infuse your skin with moisture as opposed to drying it out, whilst also removing excess oils and impurities.

I tried out the Chococlay - Red Clay and Cacao Mask which aims to nourish, balance, smooth and brighten.

How to use

Like most clay masks, you need to start of with a clean face, then lightly mist your face with the H20 water spray and apply a thin layer of spray to your face.

I have to admit that it applies beautifully - it has a slight liquid type consistency, which makes the application of it so much smoother and easier than any other clay mask I've used previously. If you are a fan of clay masks, you will know what I mean here, they tend to be quite thick and hard to apply.

You then leave the mask on for 15-20 mins, and can spray your face again halfway through with the H20 water to prevent it from becoming too hard and drying. This avoids that tight and horrible I can't speak or move my face experience you sometimes get with a clay mask. (I loved this tip and will be using it for some of my other masks)

Finally, rinse off the mask once the time has elapsed and follow up with another spray of the H20 water and the rest of your usual skincare.

So what did I think?

A Hair Treatment with Errol Douglas

Ever since I decided to go back to my natural hair, I think I’ve only been to the hairdressers once. Mind you, it wasn’t out of choice, but simply because when I tried, most hairdressers would stare at my natural afro hair, and you would see literal expressions of panic fly across their faces as they tried to figure out how they would handle it. It was either that or they would try to convince me to relax my hair.

Fed up with the whole process, I have mainly managed and treated my hair myself for the last couple of years.

However, I recently attended an event with Phytospecific at Errol Douglas, and was invited to try out a complimentary hair treatment at the salon. When I quizzed them and was informed that yes they do offer treatments for natural afro hair, I was intrigued.

Now Errol Douglas as a salon is not new to me, I have heard many people rave their professional service and treatments for a mixture of hair types, and some of my friends go there to get their hair both relaxed and treated. But I just assumed it was restricted to relaxed hair. I love it when I stand corrected!

I arrived for my appointment a couple of weeks ago and hidden behind the hustle and bustle of Knightsbridge, is Errol Douglas. A beautiful salon, located on Motcomb Street. With a chic and spacious space, the décor is stylish and warm, inviting you to settle into one of their comfy chairs and get your hair done.

Errol Douglas himself is a legend in the industry and has won an MBE for his services to the hair industry.

On arrival I was offered a drink and a food menu, which has a selection of actual meals and juices to choose from.  Do note that there is a charge for these as they work with a private chef.

I was then led downstairs to the dedicated afro hair area. Enter in Eve, the miracle worker who is the Artistic Director and Head of the Afro hair team at Errol Douglas.

Eve is extremely experienced and knowledgeable about all things hair, having worked as a hair stylist for the last 20 years, with 11 years specifically at Errol Douglas. Sporting a very stylish natural fro hawk style herself, I knew I was in safe hands.

3 Products To Help Improve Your Beauty Sleep

We've all heard the term beauty sleep bandied about but what does it really mean and is there any real substance to it?

Beauty sleep is defined as:

"A period of regular restful sleep, especially when attained by going to bed early. Also called beauty rest."
“(It comes from the belief that such sleep helps preserve an attractive and youthful appearance)”

Sleeping earlier which is the first stage of your sleep cycle, is said to be crucial to beauty sleep as it's during that time that the body typically produces a surge in the growth hormone, which helps cell regeneration and works to repair and rebuild your body tissues.

Chronic lack of sleep or poor quality sleep has an incredibly negative effect on the way we look and feel.

And what's the recommended number of hours of sleep that we need? Well experts recommend between 7-9 hours of sleep, if you are aged between 26-64.

I came across a quote in the daily mail that talked about study of the body clock – chronobiology, which suggests that there are set times when our body clock dictates that various processes take place in the skin and hair

" From 8pm to 11pm is the time for hydration and stimulation, while 11pm to 3am is the time for nutrition and regeneration and 3am to 5am is the time for resting"

But what do you do when you can't get enough sleep, find it hard to shut down or even struggle to sleep at all?

Over the last few months, I have been incredibly busy, have been pulling a lot of very late nights and as  result have definitely seen the negative effects across my skin and health. 

I generally feel more stressed, never feel very rested and have put on a bit of weight. Deep sleep  (of which I haven’t been getting) helps to negate the bad effects of the hormone cortisol, a stress hormone which has been known to increase your body fat percentage - thus fighting against you gaining weight around your stomach.

So I decided to get a handle on it as part of my moving into a healthier state this year.

Some of the things I have been doing include:

1. Forcing myself to go to sleep earlier (not easy but it has to be done),
2. Not going on my iPad or phone whilst in bed (yes Instagram I'm side eyeing you on this!)
3. Avoiding drinks like tea, coffee and hot chocolate (they all contain caffeine which is too stimulating at nightime) 
4. Ensuring that my room is a cool/neutral temperature. Being too hot or cold keeps me awake.

Let's Get Tarted Up: Review of Tarte Cosmetics Fearless Amazonian Blush and Lights Camera Lashes Mascara

Ok can we just pause … and talk about the beautiful packaging of these Tarte products for a minute

The Fearless Amazonian Clay Blush is housed in pretty packaging that is colour coded to the same shade inside. It also includes an intricate pressed tree pattern that has stayed put even after I’ve used the blush a number of times

The Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara outside shell is just so unique in all its dark purple snake print gorgeousness.

On opening the blush, my initial thought was I don’t think this shade is going to work on my darker skin tone or even show up, but I stand corrected. 

It’s really buildable and applies easily, leaving you with a wash of colour. If you are a lighter skin tone that I am, then you probably won’t have to build up as much as I did to get the colour payoff.

It’s really long lasting with a matte finish, which is perfect if you have any flaws on your cheeks from pigmentation; to open pores and breakouts as a matte shade will avoid drawing attention to the area.

Overall I really like this blush and am keen to investigate more of their shades.

When I first saw the mascara wand, I wasn’t too sure. It just looked a bit blah but again I stand corrected. The wand completely coats every single lash when you run it through.

It’s a much wetter formula than I usually use, but it sets beautifully with no smearing or flaking. It also helped to lengthen and curl my lashes upwards

One coat gave me a nice full and open look. Layered on with 2-3 coats, the final effect was a dramatic, I have lashes and I’m not afraid to flutter them effect.

Have you tried the Tarte Cosmetics Amazonian blushers or the Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara?

Did you love it or hate it? And are there other products you would recommend?

Let me know in the comments below

 To stay updated on future posts please subscribe or join with Google Friend Connect (see the right hand column)

Are we friends yet? If not why ever not? Follow me on  Facebook , Instagram , Twitter and Bloglovin

Beauty From Within: Radiant Skin Smoothie

I’m so excited to be kicking off a new series on the blog, which might be called Beauty from Within or Beauty Food  (still deciding) and it’s all about beauty from the inside out.

One of my big goals at the beginning of the year was to go back to eating well and improve my diet. Midway through 2014 and all the way to December, I had a huge number of personal things going on and the combination of stress and bad eating habits really did a number on my skin, weight etc., so this year was all about claiming back my health.

I’m a big believer in treating your skin from the inside out, and one of the things I introduced back into my diet is green smoothies. This one is packed full of radiant skin boosting ingredients and I’ve been drinking it for the last month and have really noticed an improvement in my skins tone and appearance.

Many skin conditions can be helped by improving your diet and conditions such as acne, exzema, psoriasis, rosacea, dry skin etc. are often affected by your diet.

Several of the ingredients in this smoothie are anti-inflammatory and very alkalising which helps to reduce the levels of acidity in your body and promote healing.

So what are the main benefits of drinking this smoothie?

Reduce wrinkles and other signs of aging – A green smoothie would not be a green smoothie without the addition of some dark green leafy vegetables. I used a combination of Spinach and Kale and some Oranges. All of these come from the Beta Carotene family, which is a carotenoid compound mostly abundant in fruits and vegetables that are green, yellow or orange in colour. The body converts beta-carotene into active vitamin A, a powerful antioxidant it can reduce wrinkles and help protect against other signs of ageing.

Keep your skin moisturised and clear - Flaxseeds are high in Omega 3’s fatty acids, especially alpha linoleic acids which provides your body with oils that help to keep your skin supple, smooth and clear. Omega 3’s are essential to good health and isn’t something the human body can naturally create so it has to come from your diet. Flax seeds also contain ligans which act as antioxidants with highly anti-inflammatory actions as well as phytoestrogens. Phytoestrogens mimic the effects of estrogens and work to balance out female hormones. This is especially great for that time of the month and also to reduce any hormonal related breakouts. They have also been shown to slow down the body’s natural aging process, minimize hair loss and enhance skin appearance.

New from Crabtree & Evelyn: Black Absinthe Perfume

Crabtree & Evelyn is a new brand for me, now don't get me wrong I know all about the brand and it's long standing beauty botanical heritage

But to be honest whenever I've thought about them, my thoughts always leaned towards the idea of scents from a vintage English garden, which is not my general scent of choice

That is until I was recently introduced to the brand at a recent press launch, and was blown away by how beautiful, modern and complex a lot of their scents are.

Case in point, their newly launched Black Absinthe Eau de Cologne, described as:

"Absinthe began as a herbal tincture before transforming into the muse of the French bohemian crowd in what became known as the green hour. It was drunk as a way to relax and thought by some to increase creativity. Paying homage to absinthes rich history, this contemporary cologne underscores the herbaceous notes of absinthe, artemisia and fennel flower and blends it with the smooth tones of black liquorice, peppery vetiver and a creamy tonka base for lasting sensuality."

3 Marsala Beauty Picks: Cheeks, Lips and Nails

Pantone has named Marsala as the colour of the year for 2015, and this is a colour I’m loving. I would describe it as a reddish brown shade with hints of mauve and rose, that’s very reminiscent of the makeup looks from the 90’s and looks absolutely gorgeous on most skin tones.

Leatrice Eiseman the Executive Director at the Pantone Colour Institute gave this description of Marsala: “Marsala enriches our mind, body and soul, eluding confidence and stability. Marsala is a subtly seductive shade, one that draws us into its embracing warmth”.

It has already started cropping up in the new fashion and beauty collections and to help you on your beauty Marsala way, here are my top 3 product picks for lips, cheeks and nails on how I wear Marsala.

EX1 Blush - Love Story £9.50

I discovered this blush in Beauty Mart and it is absolutely beautiful. Developed by Farah Naz, EX1 Cosmetics was created to cater to Asian, Middle/Far-Eastern or Mediterranean and Exotic complexions. Their shades go up to Mac NC45 as a comparison chart. Because it has been developed for olive and yellow type skin tones and the centre of my face is a lot lighter with a yellow undertone, I found that this just worked and it sat beautifully on my skin tone

It’s a lovely red brown shade and is extremely pigmented so a little goes a long way. It goes on really softly and wears incredibly well, the longest I have had it on for is 9 hours and I found it didn’t budge throughout the day.

Latest In Beauty Box with Get the Gloss

 I have a bit of a wary relationship with beauty boxes. To be honest I’m not a huge fan of surprise boxes, where I don’t know what I’m paying for and therefore might end up with things I hate.

If a sample is a little too small in regards to quantity, I’m usually a bit hesitant to try it out particularly if it’s for my face. Either because I feel I won’t be able to try it out for long enough to see the results (so in my mind what’s the point of starting it). Also in the last couple of years my face sometimes has a tendency to err on the sensitive side, meaning that I’m now extra picky on what I will use

I think in the past, I have only reviewed a couple of beauty boxes on here. The first I was sent as a PR sample and the second was from Latest In Beauty, which I purchased myself because it had a couple of things I was keen to try.

Well Latest in Beauty have done it again! I was encouraged to pick up a box largely because they had some products I’ve been keen to try for a while. This box in my view is a good one, not surprisingly though, as it was compiled with Get the Gloss one of my go to sites for beauty, health and lifestyle

So onto the box and what products drew me to it:

Max Factor Creme Puff Blushes on Dark Skin: Review, Pictures and Swatches

How gorgeous are these blushes?

I'm a big fan of the Milani Baked Blushers, which sadly is only available in the states. You can however sometimes find it online. I had also heard that these are a great drugstore dupe for the Hourglass Ambient Light blushes, which I'm yet to try.

So when I spotted these little beauties, I couldn't wait to try them out.

Max factor launched these Creme Puff Blushes in six shades. and although they all seem pretty, when I swatched them in Boots, these two were the only ones that I thought worked on darker skin. All the other shades were either a little too light, shimmery or pink (but think baby pink). 

They have a beautiful marbled effect of colours and because they are baked they go on incredibly soft and merge the two different tones with a slight shimmer effect.

I just love the soft focus of the blush and how it provides a glow, making you look like you are lit from within.

The two shades I picked up are

25 - Alluring Rose - which is a brown, rose gold and peachy shade. This has more shimmer in in and is still a little light in my skin tone so I much prefer to either wear it as a highlighter or to layer it on top of another blush. If you have any spots or open pores which I do, I would recommend using a light hand with this blush, as shimmer can highlight any areas you are trying to hide.

30 - Gorgeous Berries - is a berry and pink shade and is my favourite. It's the darkest shade of the line and is a soft and pretty tone on my skin tone.


These are them swatched on my skin and a few images of me wearing them.  I actually layered them on top of each other. (I'm trying to start taking more pictures of myself and seriously struggled with the camera so if anyone has any tips on how to take selfies with your dslr camera, please please share) 

These blushes are available from both boots and super drug and retail for £8.99

Have you tried any of them and will you be picking it up?

Have a lovely weekend

Xx

Brighten up your shower: Rituals Happy Buddha Shower Gel

This last month has been so grey and cold that I’ve found myself needing a morning pick me up to get me out the door.

Currently brightening my morning shower routine is Rituals Happy Buddha Shower Gel  (even the name makes me smile)

It’s in an aerosol type can and is a gel-to-foam formula. It starts off as a gel then puffs up in a similar way to hair mousse before foaming up on contact with water. And combines Mandarin and Yuzu together for a great zesty pick me up, leaving your skin with a soft warm fragrance.

It retails for £8.50 for 200ml from Rituals and a number of department stores (Note the size in the picture above is a small sample size I got as part of a gift)

Have you ever tried anything from Rituals? What did you think? Would love to get some recommendations in the comments below

I would love to stay in touch with you, please subscribe or join with Google Friend Connect (see the right hand column )

Are we friends yet? If not why ever not? Follow me on  Facebook , Instagram , Twitter and Bloglovin