Motivational Monday: Try one more time

Hey lovelies,

Hope you had a nice weekend

Sometimes, do you ever feel that you are driving along on a long road that just seems to keep going with no end in site?

I had been feeling like that a little bit quite recently

Then I heard the first hand account of a man who had applied for 12 jobs, felt like giving up and then decided to apply to just one more and guess what he got the job.

I made the decision there and then that I would keep my head above the water, change my perspective and keep going.

A few days after that, I got a huge ray of sunshine in the thing I was hoping for

So this post is as much for me as it is for you. When everything around you seems grey, hard and the road seems long.

Keep going, refuse to give up and listen to that little voice of hope within you that whispers ever so gently….why don’t you try one more time.

Hope you have a fantastic week ahead, something good is just around the corner.

Xx

Monday Motivational posts are posted every other Monday.

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

Don't forget to follow me on my new Facebook Page and on Twitter and Bloglovin

The Girl Behind the Blog: Halima Bepo from Pwetty Bambi

For anyone who has been following me from the beginning, you might remember a series I used to do called Bag Spy: What's in her bag? It was all about investigating the beauty cupboard contents, makeup bags etc of amazing women.

So I decided to bring it back, although this time I'm including a lot more information about the woman herself. A little stuck on a new title name though, so please free to share any suggestions in the comments

Without any more blabbing I present my fist amazing woman of the series.

The very lovely and very beautiful Halima Bepo, otherwise known as Pwetty Bambi - which I'm convinced is largely due to her bambiesque eyes! Don't believe me? check them out below... Halima is a makeup extraordinaire who writes the beauty blog Pwetty Bambi

So I got chatting with Halima and asked her to share a little about herself, beauty products and favourite things.

Yellow Leopard Print Nails - Butter London

It may be wintery outside but on my nails it's spring....that's the song (well my version of the song) that keeps popping into my head every time I look down at my nails.

Those of you that follow me on Instagram will know that on Saturday I was at a beauty and makeup event by the very talent hairstyist Dionne Smith and makeup artist Joy Adenuga 

The event was so much fun and it ended with a marriage proposal to Dionne on stage as well as a performance by the CEO dancers from Britain't Got Talent - you can watch my mini video's on  Instagram where I captured the moment.

They also had a nail company there called Colour Riot Nails who were giving out complimentary manicures and my gorgeous bright nails are courtesy of them. 

Maybelline Fit Me Foundation & Concealer Review

I recently picked up the Maybelline Fit Me concealer from Superdrug as I had heard so many good reviews about it, and whilst I was there, I decided to try out the foundation seeing as they had all the darker shades available.

Makeup Show LIve 2013

Happy Friday! Hope you’ve had a good week so far

Just over a week ago I attended the Makeup Show Live at the Hilton Metropole in London. 

My main reason for attending, was to see celebrity makeup artist AJ Crimson who I have been stalking following for a few years online. So when I heard he was finally coming down from America to showcase his line of foundations and BB creams, this was one show I wasn’t going to miss.

And he didn’t disappoint! His foundations and BB creams are so gorgeous that I literally had to restrain myself and save my wallet from buying too many products. The consistency is beautifully silky and it builds really nicely from the lightest wash of colour to being able to cover a tattoo, but still look like skin. He also gave a talk later on and I was really inspired when I heard his story.  One of the things I took away from what he shared is that when you are following your dream, you need to ensure that you put yourself in the place, position and opportunity to make that happen.

Motivational Monday: The Gift of Choice

For the last couple of months, I have been making some changes in my life and have become more focused with following my dreams.

However, I’m still in those early stages and whilst some things have been working out well, a few other things haven’t quite gone to plan or have been happening a little more slowly than I would like.

Which is how I found myself feeling frustrated and filled with doubts over the last few days. This then turned into me feeling sorry for myself and being completely grumpy to everyone around me (sorry guys, you know I love you really).

Then after hearing a message yesterday and taking some time out to pray, I realised something big. The gift of choice. It’s such a simple word but the choices that we make have a big impact on our lives and on how we feel.

 

How to achieve the Braided Look: Autumn Winter Trend 2013

I have recently been looking at all the autumn winter trends, and one of the beauty/hair trends I have fallen in love with, is the braided look.

Here is a video showing the braid trend at some of the fashion shows.

Motivational Mondays: Our Deepest Fear

Have you ever heard or come across something that has hit you hard on an emotional level? Well, that happened to me just a few days ago when I attended the Keziah connections event. It’s a networking event for women of colour  who are interested in the beauty industry.  Angie Greaves was the speaker and she was talking about her career and encouraging us as women to go for our dreams and to never give up.

Ok, background story over, so stay with me… At the end of her talk she read a passage called “Our Deepest Fear” from the book “A return to Love “ by Marianne Williamson and I honestly felt like I had been hit. It’s that feeling of hearing something that resonates so strongly within you that you know it’s the truth.

 

I'm Back & Highlights from the Woman in the Jungle Hair & Beauty Show

Hey guys,

I'm baaaacccckkkk!! and I missed you.

I'm truly sorry for my complete absence over the last few weeks, lets just say that I came to the full realisation that despite my best efforts I am most definitely not superwoman and that no matter how hard I try I absolutely cannot do everything at once.

To say my last month has been hectic is a complete understatement and in attempt to elicit a little sympathy from you, I thought I would let you in on some of my moving woes. They have ranged from serious plumbing and flooding issues, the never ending battle with what I am calling one of the worst possible customer service centres (Ikea)  over my bed and their incorrect measurements, and the crowning jewel  known as the rats that ate my sofa, sofa-bed/rug in a storage facility and then the resulting battle with the insurance to claim it back. (I still don't have a sofa btw).

I'm hoping this has prompted a reaction of "wow I just want to give you a big hug now" and that this also means that I am forgiven (wink, wink nudge, nudge) so I'm going to jump right in with todays post.

In all seriousness though, I have been trying to stay positive through all the craziness, believing that it will all work out and things have finally started clicking into place. So with that positive mindset in full force, it's a new month and I'm back and rearing to go, so thank you for being so patient with me, I truly appreciate it.

To kick things off, here are some images from the first Woman in The Jungle Natural Hair and Beauty Show that I attended last weekend.

Thank you & the Winner of the Mac Ruby Woo and Nuxe Reve de Miel Giveaway

Hi guys,

Just wanted to say thank you so much for all your entries, your kind birthday wishes and for being so patient and lovely. I really appreciated that you took the time to take part and support me

I won't keep you waiting any longer. The winner of the giveaway as randomly selected by Random.Org is Brigitte HoneyBee and I will send you a personal email to get your details.

Thanks again for all your entries.  I will be holding more giveaways in the future so keep your eyes posted

Segun. x

Don't forget to follow me on my new Facebook Page and on Twitter and Bloglovin

Giveaway: Mac Ruby Woo & Nuxe Reve de Miel Lipbalm

It's my birthday today...woo hoo! and so I thought what better way to celebrate than to offer a giveaway to you guys even as I am receiving lots of lovely gifts as well.

So here it is. My giveaway is for Mac Ruby Woo Lipstick  which is one of my favourite red lispticks. It's bold, matte, beautiful and flattering on every shade and to complement it Nuxe Reve de Miel Lipbalm. Again one of my favourite lip balms. It doesn't just coat the lips but instead moisturises wonderfully and best of all, it is quite a matte lip balm which means that when you apply Ruby Woo on top or any other lipstick it won't turn the look into a shiny mess!

Please see below for the rules of entry and thanks so much for all your support on my blog and good luck everyone.

Phillip Kingsley Smooth & Shiny Review

You might remember my post last week on how dry my skin on my body had been…well my hair had been feeling quite similar as well. Ever seem I came back from holiday, it has just felt a bit dry and coarse. I think it was caused by all the lovely sunshine and salty water…. not complaining about that but my hair was definitely in desperate need of a fix.

So I picked up the Phillip Kingsley Smooth and Shiny trial pack whilst I was in the M&S beauty hall on Oxford Street recently. A little off topic but have you been in there? If not you really should check it out. They have done such a great job and have a nice range of brands/products.

Now onto the review. It’s no secret that I have a love affair with the Phillip Kingsley Elasticizer and have written about it in the past. I used to use it back when my hair was relaxed. If you don’t know about the brand, you definitely need to check them out.  Phillip Kingsley is one of the most renowned trichologists and has over 55 years of trichological experience. The retail brand is a trichologically driven hair and scalp range and has won numerous awards. The Elasticizer itself was originally created for the legendary Audrey Hepburn and is a hero product for many people.  However since going natural I have been trying a whole range of new products and thought it might be good to see how an old faithful would perform on my now curly afro hair.

Beauty Review: Argan & Bergamot Organic Treatment Oil from Lucy Annabella Organics

Dry, Dull, Blah... those are the words I would use to describe the skin on my body as of late. So I decided to up the moisture ante with some daily dry skin brushing and a nourishing body oil alongside my usual body moisturiser.

My body oil of choice was the Argan & Bergamot Organic Treatment Oil from Lucy Annabella Organics (bit of a mouthful there I know). I picked up a few small bottles when I went to the Vitality Show a few months ago.

How to revive a dry Mac Paint Pot

Don't you just hate it when your creamy makeup product dries up long before you finish with it?

Well the other day I opened up one of my favourite creamy eye bases, in this case Macs paint pot in Constructivist and it was so dry that it looked like it had been basking in the sun! What sun? I hear you ask...exactly its 10 degrees and rainy!

Anyway I had at least half of the product left in the pot and didn't really want to waste it so I did a little research and found a way to revive it ...woo hoo!

Here is a little tutorial below and I hope it helps someone else.

Aveda Body Scrub Love

There’s nothing I love more than a good scrub down… ooh that sounded a little naughty! Let me explain

I absolutely love body scrubs, the gentle ones that come in shower gel form, the fine/medium grains that give you a good scrub and the salt or sugar ones that get down to business. Basically I love any scrubs and tend to use them about twice a week.

Selfridges Beauty Workshop and Stila Foundations for darker skin

So following my recent post on the Selfridges Beauty Box , I unfortunately didn’t get a box, I did try to buy it as soon as I got the email, but just kept getting error messages until the site finally said they were out of stock!  Anyway, I thought I would pop into Selfridges to get a quick look at the first instalment of their new Beauty Workshop space.  First impressions, they didn’t have as many brands out as I was expecting (just my own wishful thinking there), which was a little disappointing, however  it looks like it will be quite interesting, so it's worth checking out once the final instalment is open.

I had a look at the Weave Got Style bar, and they happened to be installing some track lines on a client (using the threading method) which unfortunately meant that they couldn’t really stop to talk. I got a picture of the hair they have on offer and the texture seemed similar to some Remy brands I have felt in the past. Looking at their site, they don’t specify if they install weaves for women of colour, also looking at their website/press images, it doesn’t seem to suggest that either. However if you are interested in finding out more, have a look at their site and maybe get in touch. It’s weavegotstyle

Finally I stopped at the Stila counter, also in the Beauty Workshop space and spoke to the lovely Stephanie, who highlighted the new gorgeous lip “stay all day collection” as well as the foundations for darker skin tones.  Have a look at the clever packaging with the flip top mirror, concealer and brush all in one, it’s perfect for carrying on the go. I spotted a couple of shades that looked like they would be nice for my skin tone and a few other possible shades if you are lighter than me. I was in a bit of a rush but will definitely be trying it out properly the next time I’m there.

Have any of you been down to the beauty workshop? What did you think?

xxx

LPM - Memories of Venice in Instagram

So I went to Venice for a long weekend a couple of weekends ago and it was so unbelievably beautiful, but I also found it a little sad in that I finally understood what Ms Gilbert meant in the book Eat Pray Love when she described it "as the sinking melancholy of Venice" . The architecture and city is stunning, but sadly just isn't being maintained and it’s so sad to think of it just crumbling away. That being said it was still absolutely beautiful and the weather was amazingly hot!!! Giving me the perfect excuse to over indulge in pizza, granita and gelato, which by the way is hands down the best pizza and ice cream I have ever tasted. Sorry guys spent the last week and a half catching up (always the way when you go away) so didn’t really get the chance to blog, but here are some pictures from my instagram of beautiful Valencia. If you would like to follow me on instagram my id is lotionspotionsme .

 P.s one of the most exciting things was discovering that Venice had a Kiko and the beauuty mecca that is Sephora!!!

xoxo

Betty Boop for Lancome Hypnôse Star Mascara

So I'm a little late on this. I heard about it ,but just never got round to watching the video (covers face with palm). Finally did and I love it, especially Betty Boop who is just too adorable. Oh, in case you are thinking, huh, what is she talking about?! It's the Lancome Hypnôse Star Mascara advert which combines two very glamorous female stars, Canadian supermodel Daria  Werbowy and vintage icon Betty Boop. After watching the video I feel like going to put on some lashes, just to flutter them around

If like myself, you have also been living under a rock, check out the video below and  drop me a line to keep me company under the rock. It retails for £21.00

Now I'm off to wind up Mr LPM by humming Boop Boop Be Doop for the rest of the day.

Selfridges Limited Edition Beauty Box

I love, love, love the Selfridges Beauty Hall, and have been known to spend quite a bit of time in there just swatching makeup and smelling all the lotions and potions. Well I think that love is about to expand even further as Selfridges are about to triple the size of the Beauty hall with the launch of their new concept and space called The Beauty Workshop.  Showcasing 50 new niche brands alongside some cult classics, it will also house beauty treatments such as brow threading and wait for it “Weave Got Style” yes ladies you will be able to get your weave tracks put in at Selfridges! I can’t wait to see it. 
 
To celebrate the launch of the new Beauty Workshop, they have created a limited edition Beauty Box - available exclusively at Selfridges.com.  Similar to the beauty boxes that have been very popular of late, the difference here is that Selfridges have revealed the contents of the box, which will be filled with seven fantastic products from some of their Beauty Workshop brands.
 
The idea behind the box is to give you a little taster of what will be available in store and will contain a Philip B Katira hair mask, Antipodes Avocado and Rosehip Divine Face Oil, Stila One-Step Correct, Omorovicza Deep Cleansing Mask, Estelle and Thild Lip balm, Aesop Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Serum and Bioeffect Egf Serum. 

Images courtesy of Elleuk.com

Images courtesy of Elleuk.com

 
At just £15, this is amazing value for money considering a number of the products are full size products, but you will need to be armed and ready to order when they arrive. They are only producing a very limited amount and I don’t see them staying around for very long. Sign up here Selfridges Beauty Box to be the first to hear when the boxes are available to buy on Selfridges.com tomorrow 
 
Personally I can’t wait… …just the canary yellow box alone looks gorgeous.

Product Review: SkinCeuticals Sheer Mineral UV Defense SPF 50

Hey LPM Lovelies,

Those of you that have been following me for a while will know that in regards to my skin, one of my biggest issues is with scarring from previous acne breakouts. A big part of my fight against my scarring is with sunscreen. I cannot stress the importance of it enough, in that I find that using it helps to prevent further darkening of the scarring I have, by protecting my face from the suns rays. 

Needless to say I am on the hunt to find the perfect sunscreen and will be testing a few out until I do. So moving onto my first sunscreen review, I present you with SkinCeuticals Sheer Mineral UV Defense SPF 50

What they say

“Sheer Mineral UV Defense SPF 50 offers breakthrough formulation technology in mineral sunscreens: a first-to-market transparent, mattifying, paraben-free SPF 50 fluid. Employing all-mineral broad-spectrum filters, SkinCeuticals fills a void in the sunscreen market by providing high UVA and UVB protection in a lightweight, ultra-sheer texture for all skin types, even very sensitive. The photoprotection of trusted broad-spectrum mineral filters is enhanced by Artemia Salina, a plankton extract that increases the skin’s defenses to heat and UV stress. This silky sheer fluid spreads evenly and dries quickly, leaving skin bare and soothed.”

The good

I have been using this daily for the last 3 months and I think it has been fantastic for protecting my face from the sun and stopping my scars from getting any darker. It's very light and sits nicely with my moisturiser without that heavy sticky feeling you can sometimes get when you layer products in the summer. 

The bad

Sadly it’s just not transparent on my dark skin! which goes against the product blurb!! It leaves a white cast on face that unfortunately results in me looking like an extra from the twilight cast! – see a swatch of my hand below. It definitely improves when I put my makeup on, but I think the mix with my foundation gives me a slight grey tinge that is only wearable when I blend like mad..

My other problem (although this is an issue with my skin rather than the product) is that if you have any sort of dry skin on your face it seems to accentuate the dry skin making it more obvious. Like I said clearly an issue I need to solve - but still it's quite annoying as by the time you put your sunscreen on you are hardly likely to run back into the bathroom to have a scrubbing session.

All in all though I think it's a great sun protector and it seems to last for quite a while, I just wish it was actually transparent.The sunscreen retails for £31.00 and is available from a number of UK stockists, see the page for details http://www.skinceuticals.co.uk/stockists.php