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