Vichy Dermablend trial and sneaky photo shoot.

I am constantly on the lookout for the next best product to enlist in to my make-up arsenal, and next in the firing line is Vichy Dermablend Ultra-corrective Cream Stick. I have heard lots of good things about this foundation but hearing and testing are two different things. So I decided to rigorously road test this product before shelling out the big bucks. It also helped that I received 6 small trial sizes of this product in my June Glossybox, so I was well prepared.

I began by using this product on myself for a day-time Birthday Tea Party. I used the lightest of my testers (which is actually the lightest shade this foundation comes in), which was 11 Porcelain. Unfortunately this was still a little too dark for my skin, story of my life. Aside from this, the foundation itself was quite nice. It did take a bit of effort to blend due to its consistency, but once on it stayed put. It also felt light and it did not cake, even after powdering. I didn’t use flash with my pictures on the day, so I couldn’t tell if there would be any flash back issues. 

I then decided that this was not a fair trial as the colour didn’t completely match my pale complexion. So on to the next phase, testing in a professional environment. This is where my beautiful friend stepped in to offer assistance. So armed with my testers and buffing brush (and my whole kit, you have to be prepared!), myself and hubby trundled round to her house for some dressing up time. 

I blended 2 colours of Vichy foundation for Vicky on the day, which were 13 Light and 14 Nude, but this was simply because I had the colours to do so. If I didn’t have the colours I would have gone with the one that was lighter and used coloured powder to correct the colour. I found that the foundation held up fine for the few hours that we shot for and Vicky said it felt nice on her skin. We also didn't use flash for these photo's either, so unfortunately i can not give you an opinion on this subject. Over all I found this product to be quite nice as a normal every day foundation, especially if you like a fuller coverage. However this product is not without flaws, namely the colour range and blend-ability of colours. There are only 7 shades available in Boots which only spans a miniscule amount of the colour spectrum. Also I found that blending two shades together was a nightmare purely due to the consistency of the foundation. Because of this Vichy Dermablend Ultra-corrective Cream Stick will not be making it’s way in to my professional kit, however if you are lucky enough to find your colour then this is a nice foundation for personal use. 

Vichy Dermablend Ultra-corrective Cream Stick can be bought from Boots here if you would like to give it a try. 

Stacey x x

Get your Barbie ‘Bling’ on.

If Barbie liked garish, over the top, mega bling then I believe this is what her manicure would look like. 

All pink, shimmery and sparkly. I love it!

It may not be winter inspired but we all need a bit of sparkle as the dark nights draw in.

I used flat back diamantes and pearls from Ebay for the embellishments, and an orange stick to place them on the nails. I used two coats of Illamasqua Loella over all the nails and one coat of Nails Inc Belgrave Square over Loella on all the nails except the embellished ones.  

I hope you like.

Stacey x x 

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain.

Hay guys just a little review for you. I first saw this product on Arden Rose‘s Youtube channel, ARose186. She was doing a favorites video and I thought ‘balm and a stain’, I gotta get me one of those! As Arden Rose is an American Youtuber,and as everything always comes out in America first, I didn’t get my hopes up for getting my hands on one of these for a while. However I couldn’t contain my curiosity and had to do a little online research. I found that they had been released in the UK but Boots website had completely sold out. Why am I never the first to find things! Anywho, I then decided I didn’t need any more lip products anyway and gave up the Ghost. Until I took a chance walk through Boots in Manchester City Centre and guess what! Kerching, 3 balm stains bought and paid for quicker than you can say “do I really need these?”

 (040 Rendezvous, 001 Honey Douce, 010 Darling Cherie)

I have to admit, the pickings were very slim for these when I went in. There are normally 7 shades to choose from, but on the day there were only 4 available as all the rest had sold out. So of the measly few I had to choose from I chose 010 Darling Cherie, (which, surprisingly was the one I really wanted), 040 Rendezvous and 001 Honey Douce.

010 Darling Cherie is a gorgeous medium pink/purple. It does look quite dark in the bullet but don’t be deceived, or scared, it goes on lighter. This one is my fave!

The next is 040 Rendezvous and yes it is Orange. What did you expect, you know I like a little bit of crazy?! This stain is pretty bright so I would say not one for a shrinking Violet, but definitely my cup of tea.

And last but not least 001 Honey Douce. Just like Darling Cherie this stain looks dark in the bullet but once swatched comes up lighter. This is a light, blush colour which looks quite natural and beautiful on the lips.

As you know I bought these from Boots where they are £7.99 each, but they are on 3 for 2 at the moment, bargain! And I adore them (as I do with most lip products lol). They feel nourishing and light on the lips and leave a lovely stain when the balm wears off. They are also SO easy to use, with their crayon like tip and twist bottom applicator, especially on the go.

Have you guys tried any of these yet? What do you think?

Stacey x x

Glossybox Beauty – Rising Stars.

Hi guys first off, just a quick progress report on the new blog (see I told you I'd keep you informed). The new blog is still under construction but I am hoping it's not going to be too long now before it's released in to the wilds of the internet.

But now on to the star of the show, the Rising Stars Glossybox. I have to say that this Glossybox is the best box of all that I have ever received. I have used everything in this box (this does not happen very often) and there are definitely more than a few things that I will be purchasing.

Lady Gaga – Fame Perfume.

I was very excited to receive a tiny vial of Lady Gaga's new perfume 'Fame' in this months box. I have been thinking a for a few weeks about how I would like to increase my perfume collection (collection may not be the most appropriate word when I only have two). And low and behold this tester arrived and has given me the perfect opportunity to expand. This perfume is beautiful. The scent is divine. I like it so much that I have already tried to buy it. Tried and not succeeded however as Boots had already sold out of the gifts sets Grrr.

Rodial Glamoxy Snake Serum and 5 Minute Facial.

Wowsers. Snake Serum? Sounds pretty crazy! I can safely say this is the first time I have ever tried any product that sounds like it has been extracted from a deadly creature! However this isn't actual venom, it is a serum inspired by the Temple Viper. This serum is said to lift and plump the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and boy did I feel it working. I can't comment on if this actually works to minimise fine lines and wrinkles because, I'm sorry I don't have any yet. However if the tightening feeling I experienced was anything to go by, this could be a winner. I also tried the 5 minute facial and although the sachet did not have enough product in it to cover my whole face, the parts that did get some felt amazing after. I used this product like I would do any other mask. Spread it on, soaked in the bath for about 30mins and then washed it off with cold water. I was pleasantly surprised with both the scrubby particles and the clay mask itself. Mask and a scrub in one! Maybe that's why it's called 5 minute facial? I really love these products and would definitely buy these.

Balance Me. Wonder Eye Cream.

Dubbed as “a triple-action cream designed to soothe tired eyes, smooth away dark shadows and reduce the appearance of fine lines”, and so far so good. I have been using this for about 3 weeks now. The cream feels lovely on my skin. My under eye area is sufficiently hydrated and it has not given me any Milia. When it comes to eye creams this is all I can really hope for, but if it does these things and maybe rids me of my dark circles then I'm happy.

Vichy. Idealia Day Care Cream.

Love. Love. Love. If you didn't guess already, I am loving this moisturiser! It is an amazing product. Thick enough for winter skin but does not cause an oil slick. Naturally illuminating instead of glitter or shine. Gawjus scent and a reasonable price point. What more do you want? Well an SPF would be nice but that's just splitting hairs. P.S Vichy if you make this moisturiser with an SPF that would make me very happy.

Maghrabian Hair Oil.

This is the second hair oil that I have received in my Glossybox's and I am just as impressed with this one. I use this on washed, wet hair and only use a smidgen. I then dry my hair with the hair dryer and hello glossy, nourished hair. There is the potential to over use this product and end up with dunked in a fryer looking hair, so I would advise if you have hair that can lean towards the oilier side, less is definitely more.

So here it is. Hope you have enjoyed this review and keep on the look out for news about the new blog.

See you soon.

Stacey x x

Glitter Nails – A mixed bag.

Hay guys I'm still here, in case you were wondering. Unfortunately the posts are going to be a bit thin on the ground, for the next few weeks at least, because I am a little caught up in my new/old venture. I am designing a new blog at the moment. The idea came to me about a month back, whilst thoroughly engrossed in a couple of lifestyle blogs I thought “wouldn't it be great to share with you guys, and the world, a bit more of me?”. And thus the idea was formed. A lifestyle blog, still massively focused on all things beauty, but with a smidging of fashion, a smattering of fun and frolics and a whole dose of 'Life' as we know it. However don't despair, I will be giving you a fair amount of warning before pulling the plug on Nourish all together. There will be plenty of time for you all to scoot over to the newbie and I promise you wont miss a thing in the process.

Now I couldn't leave this post without anything beauty related so I thought I would show you my glitter nails. Oh glitter, how I love you! 

 (China Glaze - 842 Snow Globe, Nails Inc Special Effects - Glastonbury, China Glaze - 885 Mistletoe Kisses)

As you can see I went for kind of a mixed bag of glitter this time. We have greens, purple, gold and a bit of iridescent sparkle thrown in for good measure. I also used a new technique this time called Sponging. There are lots of variations of this technique (maybe that's a another blog post right there) but I used the most basic, which was literally taking a piece of sponge, dabbing it in nail polish and dabbing it on the nail. I used this technique to graduate the green up from the tip and blend it in a little. I have to apologise if you can't see the effect clearly, glitter is a nightmare to photograph. But believe me when i say, it really does look lovely in real life. 

  

 

So nice and quick and simple today and I will see you all as soon as I can.

Stacey x x

A Wedding "Up North". Make-up.

So it was the day of the wedding and my self and Hubby found ourselves back at the MOB all suited and booted at 9.30am. Complete with camera equipment (Hubby was taking pics of the wedding preparations) and a few bits of make-up, you know that I just happened to have lying around ;0). Once Vicky was finished having her hair done I ushered her in to the ‘Relaxation area', AKA the back bedroom, where I had set up shop in front of the window (BTW the best possible place to apply make-up). I then shut the door and advised anyone coming in that this was a stress free zone. I love to do this when I am applying wedding make-up. It's such a stressful day and having time out while being pampered gives people time to relax and ready themselves for the day ahead. 

 
As always, for me wedding make-up is about enhancing natural beauty. Not necessarily staying away from bright colours but understanding what make-up a person normally wears and having a clear view of what they would like to look like on their "big" day. Obviously I already know Vicky so I was aware that she doesn't wear a lot of make-up normally. However I did insist on two things. A little colour on the lips and a scattering of individual eyelashes. 

Once the make-up was done (I may have spent a little time on the MOB as well) it was on to Wynyard Hall for an amazing day that I will cherish for ever. 

A sneaky picture of me to prove i was actually there. This is the only one you are getting though, cant be stealing any thunder now can I! 

All that’s left for me to say is: Vicky and Jonny I wish you all the happiness in the world and I love you both. Now let us all raise our glasses “to the bride and groom”.

Stacey x x

A Wedding “Up North”. Nails.

On the 26th July I was honoured and delighted to attending the wedding of two of the most lovable, caring and truly beautiful people that I have ever met. I have known Vicky and Jonny as a couple for 7 and a half years now and Vicky pre-Jonny for another 3 years on top. So let’s just say I have been waiting for this celebration for a while.

So the day before the wedding, and actually the day we moved house, the hubby and I trundled our sorry, lethargic bums up to Teesside. After wallowing in my own tiredness for a while and eating copious amounts of Chinese food at the mother figure’s, it was time to go to the Mother of the Bride’s (MOB) residence for the mammoth nail dressing challenge. 6 bridesmaids, MOB and the bride-to-be herself, the pressure was on! On entering the MOB’s my tiredness all but evaporated, to be replaced by a giddy girlishness and an extreme longing to wear my wedding dress again ;0)  

A few weeks earlier Vicky had sent me a picture of the bridesmaid dresses and I was on a mission to find nail polish to match. I already had a pink polish that I thought would match and I had found a gorgeous olive polish from OPI, but with two days left before ‘The Big Day’ I still had not found a polish for the blue dresses. So I decided to throw caution to the wind and custom blend a colour.

I started with a very tatty Nails Inc white (Whitechapel)  that had been abandoned in the bottom of my nail kit. I then added a little Ruby and Millie Blue 610C, OPI I Vant To Be A-Lone Star, Nails Inc Pembroke Close and Tudor Way. And then shake and blend, and blend and shake. Add a little of each colour here and there and Voila (the blue one, third in from the left).

(From left to right: Alpine Snow&You Callin' Me A Lyre? - OPI, The mix polish, Kensington Square Caviar - Nails Inc, Stranger Tides - OPI, Sweet Heart - OPI)

I am actually very pleased with how this custom blend colour turned out. I was a little worried that the consistency would not be right or that it might peel off the nails because of all the different brands that I had used. But it went on lovely and lasted like a trooper!

(From left to right: Mother of the bride, bridesmaids colours x3, the bride-to-be. I thought you might like to see how they looked together)

With the bridesmaids sorted the MOB went for a classic French polish which was chic and understated. The perfect choice to complement her pastel pink outfit (I have never seen pink look so elegant). And that was all……………………..Only kidding. We could never forget the lady of the hour! The bride-to-be decided to go with a beautiful, barely there nude. She was going to let nothing compete with her bejewelled princess dress, except maybe her shoes! So the night went by in a haze of polish, false nails and girly giggles and before I knew it, it was time for bed and the wedding day.

To be continued......................................................

Stacey x x

More Nudes.

HI guys so I have just found this post that I wrote weeks ago and realised that i hadn't published it. So here is my second installment of Wedding Nudes and I have four more OPI lovelies to show you. 

(You Callin' Me A Lyre?, Stranger Tides, I Vant To Be A-Loan Star, Care To Danse?)

These polishes are from different OPI collections and were bought specifically for my friends wedding which is next week has been already. And these are Care To Danse? and You Callin' Me A Lyre? from the New York City Ballet Collection. I Vant To Be A-Loan Star from the Texas Collection and Stranger Tides from the Pirates Of The Caribbean On Stranger Tides Collection. Now I know that I have called this post 'More Nudes' and I know that two of these polishes cant really be classed as nudes, because – well they arnt nudes are they. But I am a colourful girl and when I paint my nails I paint them to be noticed, so these light, airy colours are practically nude to me!

As always I cannot fault OPI. These polishes are a lovely texture, they are easy to work with, they dry well and even, and look amazing!

Both You Callin' Me A Lyre? and Care To Danse? are the nudest nudes I have ever seen. Because of this I would probably not use them as a straight colour (because the more coats you put on your nail the thicker the nail looks) but they are fantastic for French polish. I have been looking for the perfect pink to be used in a French polish since the beginning of my nail time! And I have now found it in You Callin' Me A Lyre?. Because this pink is so sheer it does not discolour the white tips, which has plagued me with other 'so called' French polishes. Care To Danse? is also great for a French base, and with it's lilac tint instead of pink it works wonderfully for cool toned ladies. 

I Vant To Be A-Loan Star is a beautiful pearlised light blue. It looks so chic on the nails with just a hint of colourful fun. I have tried brands in the past that have tried to create a colour like this but instead it has ended up looking like Tipex toothpaste (which of course was fine when you were 13 and wanted to paint your nails in school, however not so great …..ehem a few years later).

Stranger Tides is what I would like to describe as a matt Pistachio Green. It is a very unusual colour and I love it. It is not garish and bright, its subtle and grown up, and the more I look at it I think 'if that's what grown up is, maybe I could be grown up too one day'.

So here you have them, all laid bare on the table for your viewing pleasure. And when you see them next they will be on blushing bride and bridesmaids hands.

See you soon.

Stacey x x

Neon at a 1st Birthday party.

On Saturday I frequented a child’s first birthday party and as these are the only parties I attend these days I decided to make myself look a little presentable. It was a lovely sunny day (probably the last we will see this year) so I thought I would go for some neon clothing and a flash of bright make-up. 

As you can see I went for bright blue eye liner and pink lips. I kept the rest of the make-up very natural to bring it up to date, instead of it looking 80s.

I also wore my new rainbow head band which was custom made by Janine Basil (you can find her on Etsy here. Check her out!). The head bands that she designs and makes by hand are amazing! I have another of these beauties to show you, but I am saving this for a rainy day when we all need a little cheering up. Also her customer service is amazing! And you know that I love good customer service. 

Products used:

No7 Beautiful Skin BB Cream, normal/oily in Fair.

MAC Casual Colour. Lip and Cheek Colour in Keep it loose.

Dior SkinFlash in 002.

MAC Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder.

MAC Eyebrows in Spiked.

Collection 2000 Mascara in Clear (brows).

Urban Decay 24/7 Eye Pencil in Radium.

MAC Prep + Prime Lash.

Maxfactor False Lash Effect Mascara in Black/Brown.

L'Oreal Rouge Caresse lipstick in 07 Cheeky Magenta.

Hope you likey.

Stacey x x

Glossybox July 2012 - Beauty

Hi guys, so it's been a while...............................I didn't quite understand the work and stress that goes in to buying your own house. Put it this way I wont be doing it again in a hurry! It has taken so long to get everything sorted, especially my internet. It was off for over 3 weeks! That was no Facebook, Twitter, internet shopping, and your good selves for 3 whole weeks! It was like a life time. I can normally just about manage a week on holiday and that's because I have sun shine and new shops to keep me occupied.

So what have I been up to while I have been in the social networking dark ages? I have been to a beautiful wedding (where I did the make-up), I have tried many products from a few Glossyboxes, I have received some amazing headbands, and spent a good amount of time thinking about a make-up station for my spare room (that is still a work in progress).

So what shall I begin with? Well lets stick with the title and go with the July 2012 Glossybox.

I am still absolutely smitten with my Glossyboxes. I still get very excited when one arrives and I still think it's fantastic value for money. July's Glossybox actually has one specific hero product in it and that is the HD Brows Eye and Brow Palette which retails at £19.95. So that means if you had received this box for £12.95, you would have got a 20 quid brow palette and 4 other products to try! Wowsers is all I can say to that.

HD Brows Eye and Brow Palette.

 

You must have an inkling by now that I am a little bit in love with this product. This is a brow compact that comes with 4 brow shades and a mini brush. The colours in this palette are so diverse that they suit most brow shades (a make-up artists dream!), and they are really smooth to work with. However, the brush I am not so keen on. It works ok but it's not a patch my MAC 266 brush. So is this product worth it's £19.95 price tag? Hell Yes!

Elizabeth Arden: Visible Difference Skin Balancing Lotion SPF15.

I am already a fan of Elizabeth Arden products having used a few of their moisturisers in the past. So I was very happy to find another of their moisturisers in my Glossybox. I actually received a small tube of this and a sachet, which has lasted me about 5 days so far. I have to admit that the first time I tried this moisturiser I thought it left my skin feeling a little sticky. But I persevered and now it think it is quite lovely. It is really moisturising but not like an oil slick, and leaves my skin feeling plumped. Would I buy it for a whopping £32.00? Erm...No. Not because this product isn't nice, just because it's not £32.00 worth of nice (in my opinion of course).

Jelly Pong Pong Cosmetics: Lip Frosting.

I'm sorry to say this but I really didn't like this product, not one iota. It smelt so sickly sweet I feel just the scent could make you teeth rot. The texture was a little gloopy and oily. And the colour (a normal shimmery pink) looked horrendous on my lips (and I have a lot of different lip colours in my personal make-up bag, some not too dissimilar to this). This product honestly made me feel like I was using some kind of child's make-up. It did not make me happy at all *sad face*.

Clynol Salon Exclusive: Enrich Colour Shampoo and Monu: Golden Glow.

Ok so there always has to be something that I haven't tried in my box but this time there are two things. The shampoo is something I would normally use (who doesn't use shampoo) and is actually being saved for my holidays. However the Monu fake tan is something that I will never use. I am just not a tan girl. I prefer to be pale and interesting (and I am too lazy to tan up lol).

So this box had 1 product I didn't like at all, 1 product that I am probably never going to use, and 1 product I wont be spending my hard earned cash on. But low and behold, after all that I still think Glossybox is amazing! Must be good ay?

If you fancy giving Glossybox a try click the link below to find out what all the fuss is about. 
http://www.glossybox.co.uk/invitation/NzI1MjA=?utm_source=Customers&utm_medium=link&utm_term=NzI1MjA=&utm_campaign=Refer-a-friend/ 

See you soon.

Stacey x x

Illamasqua – My growing collection.

Hi guys today I would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to the most amazing make-up brand and my steadily growing collection.

Illamasqua is a British brand that makes professional make-up available to the public. They began their life in 2008 as the brainchild of Yorkshire man Julian Kynaston and have utterly exploded on to the make-up scene with their slogan “make-up for your alter ego”. Illamasqua's whole ethos is about challenging conventions and having fun with make-up, going a bit crazy and loving every minuet of it. Illamasqua are full to the brim with creativity and this even comes across in their product creations. I love the idea of making products to be used in all different ways and Illamasqua have promoted this idea by having multi-use products. So instead of having lip pencils or eye pencils they just have 'pencils' that are formulated to be used on eyes and lips. They also have the Cream Pigments, the Pure Pigments, the Liquid Metals and a multitude of other products that can be used all over the face and body. Illamasqua are also proud sponsors of a very worthy cause, The Sophie Lancaster Foundation, which just makes me love them all the more. The Sophie Lancaster Foundation was set up in memory of Sophie, who in 2007 was beaten to death for looking different! Now I personally think that there could not be a more apt partnership and I applaud them both for the sterling work they are doing to promote the right to be individual and safe (I cant believe people don't have this right already. It makes me very sad!). I could literally go on all day about this incredible brand but lets just say, I am a little in love with them.

The Collection.

I like to think of this as a proverbial dip of the toe in to the extravagance and sheer brilliance of Illamasqua, soon to be followed by a full on dunk when monies become available.

So what have we got here?

Midnight Vixen.

This box set was chosen by my hubby's own fair hand as a Christmas present. It includes False Eye Lashes No.26 and Precision Ink in Abyss. These eye lashes are beautiful. With a pliable band and the funkiest feather tips. Loving that it comes with the black liquid eye liner as well. Just the box set to achieve seamless, show stopping eyes.

Nail Varnish.

As you know I have already reviewed one Illamasqua polish for you which can be found here, but just recently I purchased another two (in the sale of course, did I mention that the Illamasqua sale is ACE!!). The two I went with are Swinger, which is a gold molten metal, and Loella, which is a candy pink with a slight duo chrome purple. I find that these polishes go on so nice and smooth and when you are getting them for £5 in the sale who can complain?

Medium Pencils.

Also bought in the sale for £5 each, such a bargain, were three medium pencils in Strumpet, Rump and Devotion. Strumpet is a classic cherry red and was bought specifically to go with Box Lipstick. Rump is a sky blue and Devotion is a pastel jade green. Both were chosen purely because I liked the look of them and they do not disappoint.

Precision Ink.

I adore liquid eye liner, I actually think it is my favourite make-up product so I was bound to have some of Illamasqua's offerings. As you already know from the above I have Abyss, but I also have Havoc and Scribe as well. Havoc is a dark plumb colour which looks so much better than black on pale skins like me, and Scribe is pure white and absolutely rocks my world!

Cream Pigment.

Cream Pigment is a wondrous creation that can be used literally anywhere on the body. The two colours I have were chosen specifically to use as under eye correctors, I have dark circles no matter what I do!, they are Bedaub and Emerge. Bedaub is a matt mint green and can be used to counteract redness and Emerge is a peach colour and can be used to counteract blue/purple. Obviously you don't have to use the cream pigments like this, as Illamasqua says they can be used for anything.

Pure Pigment.

Pure Pigment, like Cream Pigment can also be used anywhere and any way you like, so versatile, and I have three in my possession at this moment. The first is Zeitgeist which is a black pigment with silver shimmer running through it. The second is Berber which is a rust red colour with a gold/green shimmer. And the third is Static which is an iridescent duo chrome of pink/silver. Pure Pigments are finely milled, have beautiful shimmer and apply like a treat, just remember to watch for fall out.

Lipstick.

And last but not least, the Pièce de résistance and the one piece of Illamasqua finery that I have been wanting for a long time is Box Lipstick. From the creator Alex Box comes the ultimate vintage lippie. Just looking at it makes me want to put on my circle skirt and twin set and pearls. It is matt finish and deep scarlet red. It's definitely a beauty and teamed with Havoc Precision Ink for those 50s flicks your on to a retro winner!

Well after all that I think that's everything – for now. And on my wish list? Everything else.

Hope you have enjoyed.

Stacey x x

Original Eau De Cologne – Erfrischungstuch.

HI guys today I would like to show you something a little different. Grandma and Grandad in-law have just been on one of their many, MANY jollies, this time to the The Rhine, and they brought me back a little present. For those of you that don't know, The Rhine is a really big river that runs through six countries in Europe: Switzerland, Principality of Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, France and the Netherlands before flowing into the North Sea at Rotterdam. And it was on this voyage that they did a little sight seeing in Cologne in Germany, and this is where my present came from.

In Cologne city centre you will find Glockengasse 4711 which is the birth place and home of the world famous 4711 Original Eau De Cologne. As legend goes, on 8 October 1792 a Carthusian monk gave the merchant Wilhelm Muelhens a unique wedding gift: the secret recipe of a so-called "aqua mirabilis" a miracle water for internal and external use. From the outset Muelhens was sold on this extraordinary formula and went in to production of his “Kölnisch Wasser” Cologne Water. The formula of this product is so heavily guarded that when Napoleon issued a decree in 1810, that all formulas for internal use had to be made public Wilhelm Muelhens positioned his Kölnisch Wasser for external use only. Thus avoiding disclosure of the secret formula. The numbers 4711 are also steeped in history. In 1794 during the French occupation it was decided that all buildings were to be given consecutive numbers to eliminate the jumble of street names and make it easier to billet troops. The house belonging to Wilhelm Muelhens was given the number 4711, which was later adopted as the name of the brand.

This excites me some much! It's like owning a piece of history and I love using products that have a story behind them. 

So the G's brought me back The Original Eau De Cologne – Erfrischungstuch. Which is a box of 10 refreshing tissues infused with 'The secret formula'. My present came beautifully gift wrapped in the classic gold and blue colours that are synonymous with this brand. And when I opened the box I was delighted to find that each tissue is individually encased in it's own opulent packet. The packaging of this brand and product absolutely oozes elegance and grandeur! Just as I like to think I do lol.

Also the tissues themselves smell lovely! There is a slight alcohol scent to them but this does not transfer on to the skin. Like I say, the formula is still shrouded in mystery today but what the website does tell you are the essential oils that are used. These are Bergamot, Lemon, Orange, Lavender, Rosemary and Neroli. This combination of essential oils and what ever else is in there, left my skin feeling clean and fresh, with a subtle hint of citrus. These refreshing tissues are specifically to be used on the go and they will definitely be getting some use here. I will be taking them on holiday, keeping some in my bag for when I have to run for the train, and if I ever go camping again these will be coming along too. They are ace, so glam and lovely! Thank you G and G for thinking of me on your hols and bringing me back a slice of history.

Stacey x x

O.P.I - The More the Marry-ier.

Yes that time of year is upon us again, where ladies get fraught and crazy and men get hot under the collar and cold in their socks, it is in fact Wedding Season. Actually that is not completely correct because in the UK you can get married at any time of the year but the summer time is the most popular. I am guessing that the allure of a dry day and sun shine is what spurs the 'To Be's' on for a summer wedding, but as we have seen from my last post and the fact that it wee'd it down on my own wedding day, just goes to show that in the UK you can not guarantee the weather!

So in my quest for the perfect wedding nudes I came across the very aptly named O.P.I gift set - The More the Marry-ier. I absolutely love O.P.I's play on words when it comes to the names of their polishes, they always make me smile. 

 

In this set you get four 3.75ml mini polishes including: Alpine Snow, Princesses Rule!, Sweet Heart and a RapidDry Top Coat. Alpine Snow is a pure, matt white. It applies lovely and opaque and is perfect for those classic white tips. Princesses Rule! is a pink polish with a beautiful shimmer running through it. It applies quite sheer which is a nice change. One coat will leave you with a subtle shimmer on the nails but this can be built with more coats to a full on pink shimmer-fest. (Shhhh don't tell anyone but this is my favourite from the set). We then have Sweet Heart which is a light nudy pink. I found that one coat of this baby was a little streaky so I would definitely suggest two coats as the optimum. Also I found it too opaque to be used as the pink in a French manicure but it is a lovely nude when used on it's own. And last is an old faithful of mine, the RapidDry Top Coat. This is the only top coat that I use at the moment simply because with this there is no need for any other. It works a treat. 

 (left to right: Sweet Heart, Alpine Snow, Princesses Rule!, Sweet Heart)

Don't worry if these arnt really what you are after for your big day as I do have some other nudy treats up my sleeve.

Until next time.

Stacey x x

The Beautiful Jess.

Good morning and welcome to a super quick post this fine morning. And when I say fine I do actually mean it today because it is not raining. Wait for it – not only is it not raining, it is SUNNY! For those of you waking up to a little sun in the UK this morning you can heave a sigh of relief that at least for one day the flood warnings wont be sounding. For those of you that don't live in the UK we have had rain for forever and so much in one go that it has flooded many places. Even in my small town parts of the roads have sunk! But we are not going to think about that today, as I say the sun is out, it is a fine day and I thought I would share with you The Beautiful Jess.

This photo shoot was undertaken months ago but Hubby had decided that not a single picture from this shoot was good enough to be viewed by the public. He had decided this without letting me see any of said pictures so I could not have an opinion on the subject. So after some incessant pushing and general wife wearing down Hubby gave in and Voilà. 

 

I have to say this is not the first time that I have had no clue what Hubby has been going on about. I personally love this picture – yes I may be a little biased because I love Jess ;0) but I think this is beautiful. Of course I did the make-up, otherwise why would it be on my blog – that would make no sense lol. But this time I did a little something extra and had a go at doing hair as well. Now I am by no means a hair stylist, I actually get my own hair cut short because I am so rubbish with hair! So I bit the bullet and gave it a whirl. As you can see I only curled it with some curling tongues but I really do like it. Jess has the most gorgeous fiery red hair anyway so that helped a lot.

As well as the hair and the make-up I also painted the nails. I wanted to give the effect of leaves on the nail so I used a matt green base and a nail art pen with a striper in gold to do the veins. I didn't want them to look too uniform (I am a sucker for symmetry so this was really hard for me) so I varied the thickness and position of the stripes for each nail and I really do like the effect.

As for the make-up I am really sorry that I don't have a run down of the products used for this one. As I say I thought this shoot was never going to be shown so I didn't keep a list of the products and it was shot so long ago I cant really remember what I used. I could take a guess but I feel that wouldn't be much help to any one, but what I can say for definite is the super full-on, amazing lashes are from Stargazer and they are the Feathered Eyelashes in 54. I had been dying to use these beauties and they were everything I wanted them to be. They are immense!

I think as a whole doing the make-up, hair and nails has given the photo a more rounded feel. I think this is the most complete picture I have done so far and I think I would go as far as to say that it's my favourite.

Big thanks has to Jess as always, for just being plain beautiful and a big WOOP to the Hubster for taking a stunning picture (cant believe you weren't going to show these, you should listen to me more often lol).

Hope you have enjoyed and I will see you again soon.

Stacey x x