YSL Lipstick

Here it is!

One of the beauty-world's most fashionable and stylish lipsticks by Yves Saint Laurent, and I was lucky enough to be treated to one by my darling husband.

At £24.00 this is an extravagant purchase for me, I usually stick to drugstore brands rather than the designer labels, but I've admired this lipstick for such a long time and was desperate to try it out. 

Set in a metal tube with a gold finish, with YSL's name emblazoned on the side, it screams style and sophistication. It reminds me of the lipsticks my mother wore, although they probably only cost a few £'s back then, I knew they were special because my mother hardly ever wore lipstick, it signified a special occasion, which is probably why seeing lipsticks make me giddy!

(I'm rambling)

I chose colour No13, which is brighter than it looks, a gorgeous coral tone!

It glides on beautifully and feels so moisturing, almost oily, on the lips. I was told, by YSL's MUA, that the lipstick is packed with essential oils that promote healing in the lips.

Upon application, I could see why.

The colour was bright and went on smoothly, I was absolutely delighted with it, 

until...

Excellent.

I've paid £24 for a tinted lipbalm.

The colour faded after 20 minutes, slowly disappearing into my lip line, after 30 minutes, it ended up looking like a cheap lip-liner.

I did some poking around and found that a lot of beauty-gurus have complained about YSL's lipsticks doing this, I kicked myself for not researching before purchasing, but for £24 you expect some sort of quality!

I am totally disappointed and I don't think I'll be buying another. They look so beautiful and the lipstick itself sits on my dressers, taking pride of place, purely for aesthetic reasons.

I shouldn't have to pay that sort of money for a lipstick that needs to be re-applied 10+ times a day when I could have bought 4 drugstore lipsticks that have the durability of a stubborn ox, that take a pack of wipes to get off!

So there you have it, in this case, more means less!

Love,

Laura xxx

Marital Make-Up!

The pictures speak for themselves really!

Last week my husband and I attempted to film a quick video of ourselves having a little make-up sesh. It was actually SO much fun and I laughed so much I cried and snotted everywhere, I managed to escape with both of my eyes still intact, not prodded out with eyeliner.

Unfortunately, little Nahla cried throughout the whole 15 minute video so I thought it would be better to do it again another day, when she was fast asleep in her cot.

That's not to say it wasn't fun though, he did a good job with my foundation, but I did end up looking like a clown.

(The above photos are a few of my favourite stills from the footage!)

So watch this space, 'My Husband Does My Make-Up' video will be coming soon!

Love,

Laura xxx

Retro-Baby!

The retro/pin-up style depicts romance and kookiness! 

Big animated eyes defined by dark liner and bold bright lips make a proud statement, whereas soft delicate blush and gentle eye makeup creates a whimsical and romantic illusion.

After researching tonnes of photos of people in 'Pin-Up Era' make-up we decided that the rusty reds and muted nude lipsticks we had set aside were not going to be up to scratch for this blogpost.

So, after a quick mooch around Boots, a few new purchases were made...

Bourjois: Rouge Edition- No10

Rimmel: Apocalips
MUA: Lip Liner- Red Drama

Such vibrant, retina-burning reds!

My lovely friend, Lara, achieved this gorgeous look by wrapping a headband around her head and then tucking her loose curls into it, she pulled out a few tendrils at the front to get this beautiful glamorous style. 

As it will soon be festival season, this hairstyle would look amazing with some flowers woven into it to bring out your inner hippie!

Bright lipsticks are a must when going for a retro look.

I am wearing a brilliant new foundation by MUA, 'Undress Your Skin', a random purchase of mine this morning, it covers and blends so well, I will definitely be buying more!

Lara is wearing Rimmel's Apocalips, the colour was amazing and really clung to her lips, the only (hilarious) downside is the amount of product that ended up on poor Lara's teeth. No matter what we tried there was always a few splodges of the sticky lipgloss-style product on her teeth. Not a great look for clubbing, or for a date! 

False lashes, high arched eyebrows, bright lips and big bouncy hair are the key ingredients for recreating this fun look. The lighter the foundation and powder, the better. Anything to achieve  flawless skin, so the attention is bought to the eyes and the lips, is a must.

This is such an easy look to create and would be great for the Summer!

Love,

Laura xxx

Birchbox

Last month was the first month I reviewed Birchbox, it was packed full of amazing high-end beauty product samples (that have lasted well into this month). I raved about it so much and really hoped that the next box would be just as good, so I didn't have to eat my words.

It did not dissapoint!

The products in this month's box are based around London Fashion Week, from catwalk makeup to VIP hair products, this box gives you a little taster of the glamour that is LFW.

As usual, the cardboard box arrives in a larger shockingly pink box that always gives my Postie a much needed wake-up boost! I'm enjoying collecting the little pink drawstring bags that the products come in, they are currently being used as homes for all of my cotton wool pads and buds!

The first product is this fluorescent orange packet containing an invigorating nutrient-packed drink to give you a little wake-up shake when you're flagging from all of the walking around you've been doing at LFW... or, if like me, all of the walking you've been doing round Tesco looking for Orzo rice!

The drink is scrummy, it would be hard for me to only drink a small amount of this! 

I was excited to pull this beauty out of the box, I consider a 50ml sample size rather generous! This shower gel smells divine. Upon unscrewing the bottle my eager nose picked up Guava, Almond undertones and Aloe. I can't wait to use this as a pick-me-up in the morning. 

I was so excited (and surprised) to see an eye-lash curler nestled amongst all the products. I have been putting off buying a curler for years, I didn't see the point in using one, they looked scary and I always thought there was an imminent danger of them snapping your eyelashes off.

How wrong I was.

Suddenly, it looks like I'm wearing false lashes and I can see the full benefits of my mascara!

Anything that helps me achieve a professionally blow-dried look is welcome inside my Birchbox! Last month I was given KMS California's volumising spray and I can't rave about it enough. I've been using it every other day and the sample bottle isn't even half empty!

As a new Mum who definitely does not have the time to blow dry my hair with rollers, I will jump at the chance of using a product that helps me achieve that look.

A nice little extra came in the form of Gerda Spillmann's Bio-Fond Cream Make-Up, and it really does feel like cream!

I imagine that this would give you beautiful coverage, the shade is slightly too dark for my fair skin, so I've taken to using it as a contour.

It glides onto the skin with minimal effort and leaves it with a powder-like finish.

Lastly, Vichy's Thermal Spa Water is a refreshing facial spray. It moisturises and sets your makeup and is one of those must-have items for your bag whilst you're on-the-go.

(There's no picture because I accidentally deleted it and by the time I noticed the natural lighting had gone away, so any subsequent photo would have looked sub-par, so here's a link!)

I am thoroughly enjoying my subscription to Birchbox, the £10 a month subscription fee is more than reasonable, I seem to be getting such amazing products and am genuinely giddy with excitement every time I open a new box!

I cannot wait to see what's inside next month's box!

Love,

Laura xxx

Birchbox Jan 2013

Joliebox is now Birchbox!

This is the first month that I've subscribed to Birchbox (having been disappointed quite a few times but Glossybox) and I could not be more pleased with it!

Birchbox runs a £10 a month subscription service that send samples of high-end beauty for you to try, if a particular product tickles your fancy then the full size version is available to buy in their store...sometimes at discounted prices!

One thing that really impressed me is the fact that the packaging is so pretty! I know boxes aren't that exciting but I'm going to keep both, they're pretty and will make for excellent storage!

The first product I pulled out of the box is this absolutely sumptuous lip balm.

It smells like roses and blackcurrant and leaves your lips really moisturised and soft, without feeling sticky. 

Once this runs out I think I'll be re-stocking!

The next product confused me a bit... is that a lipgloss?

Nope, it's actually a cuticle repair gel.

Once I got past the thought that I was applying sticky lipgloss to my nails it actually felt nice, and smelled rather pleasant. 

Lastly, I recieved the most amazing smelling volume hair treatment by KMS California and a firming and hydrating cream by WEI.

Both products look and smell luxurious and has left me feeling that the £10 a month subscruption fee is defintely worth the money.

If that hasn't convinced you then maybe the knowledge that the more you buy, the more Birchbox points you receive, which, in turn, earns you money off!

Love,

Laura xxx

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette Review & Smokey Eye Tutorial

I finally bit the bullet and coughed up the cash to pay for the Urban Decay Naked Palette. I have been in two minds about it for months and months but decided that it would be a good investment, especially for the things I want to do in the future.

 Everything about it is just so stylish, the tin it comes in is lovely and surprisingly heavy. It comes with a double-ended brush, one is for the crease of the eyelid and the fluffier one I use to blend in the colours and to give smooth edges.

The pigment of the shadows are thick and a little goes a long way, this is the first time I've been able to achieve any kind of blending of colours, before the eyeshadows I was trying to blend would just mottle into one horrific colour. Now I'm able to get a beautiful ombre effect.

The range of colours are supposed to be basic nudes, darks and golds that you can use as both a day and an evening look. The bronzes and golds are so shimmery and thick, they're just a delight to use!

The Naked palette definitely puts the fun into putting make up on!

I achieved this brown/shimmery/smokey eye look by blending a lot of colours together and layering.

I started by spreading 'Verve' all over my eyelid (I'll add a photo of all of the shades at the end), particularly towards the duct. Next I blended 'Suspec't into the lid, started from the middle of the eye, I dragged it outwards to form a cat-eye effect. On the outer-corner and into the crease of the lid I applied 'Busted' which is a beautiful chocolate colour. In between all of these steps I took a very fluffy brush and gently blended the corners so get a soft look. 

Lastly, I applied a teeny tiny amount of 'Half Baked' over the darker part of the eye, just to get a light shimmery bronze look.

I love the look, and like I said earlier, this is the first time I've been able to achieve it so I'm really glad I bought the palette and would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to oomph their eyes!