Product Review: L’Oréal Studio Line #TXT Wave Creating Spray

studio line txt wave creating spray

Fine, flat hair. One of my beauty curses. Any help to fight it is more than welcome, so I was delighted to try the new L’Oréal Studio Line #TXT Wave Creating Spray.

Packaging is simple and effective, with bright colours – I personally like the purple/coral combination. The spray diffuses well delivering the right amount of product to the hair.

What I really like it is that it doesn’t feel like you applied anything to the hair – it doesn’t crunch or weigh down the hair.

L’Oréal says that the spray is to create texturised waves on straight hair and is specially formulated to help protect hair against heat.  This last part is very important for me!

After applying to the tips of my hair, I used a curling wand to style. I then brushed and ended up with soft tousled waves. And an extra bonus: volume!!!

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It also lasted all day – and when I woke up the next morning, they were still there!

This had to become a go-to product, which I am not surprised, as my previous one for curls was L’Oréal’s Hot Curl, also part of their Studio Line range.

It is priced at £3.79 for 150ml and you can find the Studio Line #TXT Wave Creating Spray at retailers country wide. More information on this product and others on the #TXT line at the L’Oréal website.

This post contains PR samples. This review, however, is based on my own true experience with the products and reflects my honest opinion on them.

Nails of the week: blues and purples with silver

blue, purple and silver nails - somanylovelythings

This post is a bit different, as I have no idea what base polishes were used.

I’ve been to Brazil and my lovely manicurist Irma looked after my talons for two weeks. She is the only person I will let touch my nails. Although I enjoy doing my own manicure, there is something lovely about sitting there and letting the professional her do her job, while I rummage through boxes of nail polish so she can make my crazy (in her view – but quite tame in mine!) ideas come true.

blue, purple and silver nails - somanylovelythings

So I went frantically picking all blues and purples that tickled my fancy and ended up with this lovely selection. The common element: the silver foil string topcoat from Impala, called Atitude Pop, from their Rebelde collection.

The topcoat has a decent saturation of fine silver tinsel like strings suspended on a clear base. I just love the effect, really brings all the colours together beautifully!!!

Rating:

4_star

Product review: Liz Earle Healthy Glow Cream blush

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Although I have a few other shades, coral/peach is my favourite colour for blusher – it goes well with most skin tones and makeup colours. I was very happy to try the Liz Earle healthy glow cream blush in Coral, 05.

Packaging is lovely – simple, elegant and most importantly, extremely compact. It also has a little mirror on the lid.

Now, I might have mentioned before that I avoid using cream makeup products as my skin is prone to oiliness and it all melts and also because of my scarring – these products tend to sink on them. Not pretty to look at.

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I am delighted to say I was pleasantly surprised with this Liz Earle blush. It looks darker in the pot than it is on the skin – but it is highly pigmented, so you only need a little.

It has a lovely creamy consistency that applies and blends extremely well and a matte-ish finish to die for. And somehow it delivers a lovely glowy flush of colour. I don’t quite get how it does it, but I love it.  Most importantly, it does not sink into my scars after a few hours of use. Score!

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The Healthy Glow Cream blush is available in seven beautiful shades, retails for 16.50 and can be purchased at the Liz Earle website  where you can also find a fantastic line of cosmetics and makeup!

This post contains PR samples.

Nails of the week: blue and silver leopard print

blue and silver leopard print manicure - somanylovelythings

You know when I obsess about a nail design I just can’t stop. I am actually surprised it took me this long to be at the leopard spots again…

This time, I went for a blue base with the beautiful L’Oréal’s colour riche in Rebel Blue.

Then I used Barry M Foil Effects in silver to add the spots and the super handy Barry M’s Nail art pen to add the black outlines and small spots, using the same tools as  previously on this colourful leopard print manicure.

blue and silver leopard print manicure - somanylovelythings

I am very pleased with the result; this design is very straight forward and has a great effect!

Rating:

4_star

Review: LashPerfect Lash Bar Hi Brow treatment

It is no secret that I love a well groomed pair of eyebrows and cannot live without plucking and filling mine. After trying the LashPerfect Hi Brow filling powder and wax pencil and attending their eyebrow event where they launched their brow extensions Brow Perfect, I was delighted to actually try their full eyebrow treatment called Hi Brow.

Their salon, just by Carnaby Street in London, is lovely. I went in 24 hours before my appointment for a patch test (this is very important, as they won’t tint your brows without it!). They were also very lovely changing the date of my treatment when I forgot to pop in for a patch test. Do-oooh!!!

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Before

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After

Upon arrival, the lovely Liga asked me to fill out a form (I had filled one for the patch test already) and took me down to the treatment area. Then she cleansed my eyebrows, gave me a mirror and asked me what I didn’t like about my eyebrows.

I do like them, so I mentioned I would like to keep them quite thick as they are, get more definition, a general tidy and a bit more of an arch.

First, she measured my brow in three points: inner corner, highest point and end, marking the spots. She asked what shade I’d be more comfortable with for the tint – I said not too dark! She applied the wax pencil around my brows and then the tint, removing the excess with a cotton bud and already defining the shape.

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The tint is ON

After a few minutes, she cleaned the dye and started the shaping process, first by waxing. They use an amazing wax which is has a low melting point so it is not too hot – it is in fact very pleasantly lukewarm, and feels very soft and gentle on the skin. Just what you need for your face! She removed hair from the top, bottom and middle of brows!

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Shaping already started on left brow!

She also used tweezers to fine tune the shape and threading to remove the fluff towards the hair line – a multi-technique operation going on!

She then gave me back the mirror and wow – they looked amazing. But she wasn’t done. Oooh no! There was filling to be done. She filled with the lovely Hi Brow powder (reviewed here), teaching me how to do it best. That is no harsh lines at the top, starting from the middle bottom, make a defined line and blend upwards so you can still see skin and it is not too dark! Now I know! Then she applied the highlighter on the brow bone.

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After shaping

Finally – and I found this a lovely touch – she concealed the redness (although I didn’t even go too red, slightly pink, more like!) so I could return to the office, as I had the treatment, which lasts about 30 minutes inclusive of consultation, on my lunch break!

I had never had my eyebrows tinted before and I really liked the effect. It lasts for about a month, Liga told me. Overall, the service was very friendly, extremely professional and I felt very confident in totally trusting my brows (such an important feature of my face!) to them.

More than a week on, the tint has faded a bit, but the shape is still looking fantastic and the eyebrows are still looking very sharp!

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And voilá – beautifully tinted, shaped and filled eyebrows!

You can book the Hi Brow treatment, a great lunchtime treat, by calling the LashBar (35 Marshall Street, London W1F 7EX – behind Carnaby Street) on 020 7434 4554. It costs £35.

They offer a great range of lashes and brows treatments. All info, including prices, can be found on the LashBar website and you can also follow them on Twitter @LashBar@LashPerfect@Hi_Brow and@BrowPerfect_ for news and promotions.

This post contains PR samples. This review, however, is based on my own true experience with the products and reflects my honest opinion on them.

Product review: L’Oréal Ever Riche Oil Precieux

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I started using hair oils a little while ago and the Ever Riche Oil Precieux hit the spot!it

To start, it smell amazing. Really amazing. The very light oriental jasmine, gardenia and ylang-ylang aroma really sticks to the hair.

L’Oréal’s fine oil mist for dry hair is part of the Ever Riche line and is sulphate free.

It doesn’t weigh the hair down (even for fine hair like mine) and I felt an improvement on the condition- it did feel more nourished and shiny.

Personally, I prefer using it on wet hair, after washing, but it can be used on dry hair. I also think the spray nozzle could produce a finer mist- that would make this product just perfect.

The L’Oréal Ever Riche Oil Precieux RRP is £11.99

This post contains PR samples. This review, however, is based on my own true experience with the products and reflects my honest opinion on them.

What I’ve been wearing – 21/11/13

It is all about the jumpers… I went a bit crazy and bought loads to make sure I stay warm …. and they are so cosy!

Also featuring quite heavily are the H&M leather ankle boots – they are shiny, have a considerable heel thus making me feel a bit more dressed up and are comfortable enough to wear all day. And it was only £69.00!

And without further ado, here are my latest picks!

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Teal jumper, black skater skirt and black leather ankle boots from H&M, necklace from Miss Selfridge, bracelet from Primark, rings from H&M, Primark and Forever 21.

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Black jumper from H&M, burgundy shorts from Primark, black leather ankle boots from H&M, necklace from Primark, rings from Primark, Miss Selfridge, Topshop and New Look.

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Snow leopard print jumper from H&M, faux leather skirt from Primark, black leather ankle boots from H&M, snow leopard print socks from New Look, necklace from Primark, rings from New Look, H&M and Primark.

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Grey trousers from Topshop, white crop shirt from Miss Selfridge, tricolour court shoes from Zara, necklace from Primark, rings from Forever 21, Zena & Me, Miss Selfridge,  Topshop  and Primark.

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Black trousers from H&M, leopard print top from Topshop, brown and orange high heels from Viviela (Barnes style), necklace from Primark, rings from H&M and Primark.

Nails of the week: purple and blue

This week I went back to a design I really loved: the vintage inspired heart tip. But with with the twist of less vintage-y colours.

purple and blue nails -somanylovelythings

I selected the stunning OPI Purple-iscious, which is a special edition polish to celebrate the 20th birthday of QVC – purple is the brand colour!

OPI Purple-iscious for QVC 20th birthday

OPI Purple-iscious for QVC 20th birthday

This is a metallic purple, shimmery with extremely fine glitter. It has a very subtle orangey-reddish pearlescence; it doesn’t colour-shift but gives this polish an amazing dimension. However, in essence, Purple-iscious is a fabulous (and delicious) purple. Application was great, as with any OPI polish and durability was also ace. Happy birthday QVC and thank you for bringing this gem of a polish out!

The blue at the tip is L’Oréal’s colour riche in Rebel Blue, an amazing royal blue with a fantastic sheen to it.

I followed the same process as on the nude and red manicure I did before and achieved the same results.

purple and blue nails - somanylovelythings

I really like it, although I don’t think it beats the nude and red one… As for the purple, I will definitely use it alone! It is gorgeous!

You can get the amazing Purple-iscious celebrating QVC’s 20th birthday at the QVC website; it comes in a special kit with the amazing Nail Envy base coat and it costs  £20.16 plus P&P.

Rating:

4_star

This post contains PR samples. This review, however, is based on my own true experience with the products and reflects my honest opinion on them.

My little shoe project

high heels - somanylovelythings
You can see them in detail, including where they are from, below

Shoes. I just love them. Maybe love is not the right word. I am just obsessed with them. Maybe I should’ve been more clear – this little project is not about any old shoes. It is about heels – needle, chunky, comma, spiky, curvy, platform, wedges, block, straight. Heels are the actual object of my infatuation.

May be I am opening myself to being called a crazy shoe lady and I couldn’t care less – to quote Imelda Marcos, “they went into my closets looking for skeletons, but thank God, all they found were shoes, beautiful shoes”. So there you go.

First of all, I love the way they make me feel. Well, tall, to start with and those 5 foot almost nothing ladies will certainly understand. But they make me feel as if nothing is impossible – you know the “give a girl the right shoes and she can conquer the world” say? That is right. Nothing is scary in heels – ok, maybe a wet field, going down a mountain, but you know where I am going with this, right? They make me feel happy and more confident. And that’s just on the inside.

My legs look nicer, my posture looks better (ok, orthopedists out there, I know what you are thinking, and frankly, save it!).

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t feel ugly or insecure in flats. I fell comfortable, alright. In heels, I feel amazing. There is, for me, a weird satisfaction on wearing a fabulous pair of shoes. That’s the reason I decided to document my heels. Most of them, at least. Also, I love looking at them – they are beautiful. 

And it gave me and excuse to finally count them. These 90 odd are part of more  then 140 pairs of shoes which include flats and boots. Amongst this selection, there are many special ones, like my first pair of Louboutins. Some carry numerous memories. Others, sentimental value; they are more than 12 years old and although I don’t wear them anymore, they are a part of me that came over from Brazil to the UK, and like me, they survived. A few tell tales of boys, usually followed by tales of a heartbreak. It is also a little reminder of pain that we all carry in our live (honestly, there are pairs I only wore once as they butchered my feet!)

Yet, they all tell tales of my life and the person I am – I feel this mosaic is a little patch from a huge patchwork quilt that is me. 

Snow PR Spring/Summer 14 preview

Snow PR is just around the corner from my work and I was really glad I made it to their Spring/Summer 15 preview.

On the ground floor, they had all the premium and slightly above high street designers ranges. Beautiful prints, bold colours dominated the rails. I was particularly drawn to the stunning leathers from Muubaa – their pewter-ish holographic top, skirt and dress are to die for. Amazing pieces.

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Jewellery designer Joanna Hynes displayed a capsule clothing collection, with her signature perspex pieces. A crop top with dangly blue and black perspex shapes really caught my attention and I think is quite wearable!

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Ilse Jacobsen displayed beautiful prints – particularly like the printed suit and a colourful rose print pair of trousers, as well as a super delicate white daisy embroided peplum top.  Really wearable and elegant pieces for the coming season.

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Also fond of Baum und Pferdgarten’s loud graphic prints in blue. Leopard print, which is a perennial favourite of mine feature in usual colours, but also in royal blue with sequins. Nice.

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Downstairs, they had their high street range, and the pieces on display were from the Autum/Winter 13-14 collection, so ready to wear NOW!

Quiz Clothing is very affordable and has great pieces. Their going out and party dresses are very good value for money. They also had lovely winter jumpers and separates – love the “studded” bodycon skirt and oversized cream crop top with a necklace. They also have accessories and shoes, so great for that party look on a budget. I would happily wear quite a few of their items, so it was a great discovery for me.

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Another brand I came across and really liked was Madam Rage, they have lovely dresses! I totally fell in love with an embellished jacquard dress in blue, which is part of their Frankie Essex collaboration line, and will soon be available. Cannot wait! They are also very affordable.

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My favourite dress from Madam Rage!

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Also, I had to include these gorgeous Modalu handbags – look at the ombre on that. And I hear they are bringing great colours for the next season, here is a teaser!

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These events get me all excited for the next season, and for a minute, I forget I have to brave the cold… brrrrr

What do you think of the pieces?