Category Archives: Beauty

Product review: Simple Kind to Skin+ Perfecting Beauty Balm (BB cream)

simple bb cream - somanylovelythings

Love the Kind to Skin+ package designs!

I must say, before anything, I am not a fan of BB creams. For someone like me, who looks for a full coverage, BB creams just don’t quite cut it.

I was, however, pleasantly surprised with Simple’s very first BBC cream, part of their Kind to Skin+ range.

What I really like about it is that, even though they only have one colour, it did blend extremely well on my face. And over at the event, there were a few bloggers, with different skin tones and they all seem to share this opinion. Also, the coverage is very good. One day, I even wore it on its on (with a bit of powder to set) and it was fine!

It blends very well, absorbs quickly and the finish is very sheer and natural; in terms of colour and coverage is great!

I also tried it as a primer. This worked alright, it didn’t actually make the make-up last longer (which is not really this product’s job, but hey, gotta try!), but made it look good.

simple bb cream - somanylovelythings

Well pigmented, very good coverage

The thing I don’t like about this is that it has light reflecting particles. Although I am a massive fan of the glow they give, because of my skin condition, any shimmer will only make scars more evident, so I have been using matte products only for a very long time now.

For this reason alone,  I don’t think this product is particularly suitable for me. Had the particles not been there, I think Simple could probably have made me change my mind about BB creams. Now, that is something!

As other Simple products, it is suitable for sensitive skin; it has no fragrance (love that – again!), SPF 15, ginger root extract, bisabolol, sweet almond and sunflower seed oils.

If you have much better skin than me (which most people do anyway), I think this is a little gem – and for an RRP of £8.99, you should definitely try (currently at Superdrug for £5.99!!!). It is an item of make-up that also cares for your skin and will give you that nice glow!

simple bb cream - somanylovelythings

This is the kind of lovely glow this product gives your skin!

You can find more information on the Simple 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: vintage inspired nude and red heart tips

vintage inspired nails - somanylovelythings

For a very long time I wanted to try this lovely manicure. But I ALWAYS had square shaped nails, since I can remember. And this “heart” tips don’t really look good on a square nail, after all, no hearts have a square bottom, right?

Not sure why but I woke up one morning really feeling like changing the shape of my nails and I took the plunge and filed them on to this oval-pointy shape. Have to admit the first 24 hours were quite odd, and I still feel they are more fragile than before….

I used the beautiful (probably one of the prettiest nudes ever) L’Oréal Paris Color Riche Macaron Noisette nude as a base and after two coats used Spicy Orange, a very orangey red (or reddish orange?!) to create the effect.

vintage inspired nails - somanylovelythingsI did a bit of practicing the days before on naked nails and found the easiest way for me. First, with a nail art brush, I marked with a small line the middle of each nail on the tip and then using the polish brush itself, touched the end of the brush away from the centre on both sides of the tip, as if drawing a V with sticks, creating the shape. It does help that the L’Oréal brush is rounded at the end, so perfect for this design – it really cut out my work and It was actually much easier than I thought.

I am thrilled with the final result, love it and the shape is actually growing on me, although I feel sometimes I have claws!

Rating:

5_star

Product review: Osiris glasses from Specsavers

You probably noticed from one of my outfit posts that I am a specs wearer, and I was very happy to be invited by Specsavers to try one of their fabulous glasses and picked a lovely Osiris frame.

The glasses mecca is very well-known nationwide and I ended up in their Tottenham Court Road branch, in London. With the specialist help at hand, I was able to pick my favourite frames which then received my prescription lenses (I had an eye test with Specsavers in March anyway, so I didn’t have to have a new eye test). The lovely Laura from Beattie Communications was also there to provide much needed girly advice.

Specsavers frames - somanylovelythings

I had already decided I wanted cat-eye shaped glasses and wanted to stay away from my always reliable black frames. So I mentioned that to the assistant and he was very thorough in finding all the frames in the shape I wanted.

In the end, I was between three frames: two from Osiris and a Karen Millen – two involving leopard print – and ended up settling for the gorgeous Osiris B39, a dark purple cat eye shaped frame. I chose that as it was the biggest shape of the three and I thing bigger frames look best on my face, which is heart shaped with not so delicate features, so the bigger frames balances it out quite well.

Osiris glasses from Specsavers - somanylovelythings

The frame is of excellent quality, very well finished, with a flexible hinge and fashionable – I hear this on has just arrived and at the moment they are on a 2 for 1 offer, and they price on the sticker already includes single vision lenses! 🙂

My lenses weren’t available immediately; in some cases, they can do that for you straight away, which is great! My non-reflective lenses took only a couple days to be put on my chosen frame and upon collection the service was impeccable – quick, friendly, attentive, even though the shop was full. I had a little adjustment to the legs, which got done pretty quickly, and the assistant told me I could take them to any shop to have any others done after I wear them for a bit – which I did for a small adjustment to the nose bridge. It is great to count with some after purchase service!!!

Osiris glasses from Specsavers - somanylovelythings

So, I am in love with my frames and really impressed with the overall service received at Specsavers – a great start to this intimate relationship, I am sure me and my specs are going to be happily ever after.

To check the Osiris range and the extensive glasses, sunglasses and contact lenses offers, check the Specsavers website.

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

Product review: L’Oréal Nails à Porter stick-on nails

One of the fabulous new products unveiled at the L’Oréal Paris Nail Art Masterclass was Nails à Porter – their spin on stick-on (or false) nails.

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Nails à porter in Neo Couture
Nails à porter in Femme Fatale
Nails à porter in Drama Queen
Nails à porter in French Touch
Nails à porter in Killer Nude

First of all, the designs are lush! They have classics such as red (Femme Fatale) and French manicure (French Touch), as well as some lovely designs: geo grey and minty green (Neo Couture), black and gold (Drama Queen – my fave!) and black an nude (Killer Nude), all very lovely.

You have twelve sizes to choose from, to match your nails shape. What I really love about them is that they are VERY flexible and feel quite natural!

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They come with sticky gel pads to be applied on the nail and a little file to smooth the edges.

Sadly, my natural nails are too long for them (and somehow, I am gutted!!!) so to try these beauties I have recruited two lovely volunteers from my office, designers Charlotte and Claire.

loreal nails a porter femme fatale - somanylovelythings

Charlotte unleashes the Femme Fatale

Charlotte had never applied or used any false nails before. I sent her off with the set and she applied them on a Saturday. She tells me she managed to do so quite easily – and she did a fantastic job, they looked great on her hands!

She had a birthday to attend and went wearing the red Femme Fatale Nails à Porter on her talons. She reported losing two on Sunday, but used remaining sticky pads from the pack to stick them back on.

She thought wearing them was a bit weird, and that she was very aware of them, feeling the need to be very careful all the time, which is natural for the first time you wear something false – I was like that with nails, lashes and hair! She liked the way they looked and removed them without problems after three days. She also mentioned some finger nails looked better – more natural shape-wise – than others.

Personally, I think they looked great in her hands, but it seems the false nails just bothered her, and I don’t think she will be wearing them again – this brand or any other!

loreal nails a porter - somanylovelythings

Claire goes funky with Neo Couture

Claire has used various brands of false nails before, usually resorting to them for special occasions. She used Neo Couture and says they were easy to apply – in a matter of minutes.

For this particular design, as there are different patterns, Claire didn’t manage to make her ring finger the accent, which she’d liked to, as no size match was possible.

She also mentioned the sticky pad appears to be stickier than other brands she has used; the nails themselves are fairly flexible and don’t appear to be a hard plastic. They file really nicely (this is a big issue for Claire, as she wears contact lenses and needs to file one index finger nail shorter than the others – with long nails she can’t get then out). She also added that the paint didn’t chip or flake when filed down, other brands have always disappointed at this stage as they have chipped or flaked after filing.

She did lose two nails, but in all fairness she put them through the ultimate testing – packing up boxes for moving house. She actually caught one nail in-between a draw and a rail and it marked the nail but after a few minutes the line it created lessened and you could hardly see it!

She buffed the natural nails where she had the two losses then stuck the pad on to see if this made a difference, re-applying the lost nails. Claire tells me she has naturally oily nails and glued or stick-on nails never last the lengthy the box says.

She noticed that after 3 days of wear they started to wear a little on the paint, but they don’t appear to have chipped at all but have worn a little. Removal was very easy and clean; nails feel fine afterwards.

At the end of her trial, she tells me she would definitely buy Nails à Porter to wear for a dinner and dance party or wedding types of occasion. She actually took French Touch from my hands too!

I think I am sold. Next nail chop, I will be all over Drama Queen.

Nails à Porter is available from retailers nationwide from September and the RRP is £7.99.

You will also be able to get more info at the L’oréal Paris website when the product launches!

Eye make-up look challenge: electric blue, acid yellow

blue and yellow eye make-up - somanylovelythingsWhen this little YSL eyeshadow duo reached me, I knew I had to create a look using both together. I love the brightness in this Ombre duolumieres in 37 – electric yellow and royal blue.

The pigmentation is good, I had to put quite a bit of yellow to build it up. The combination is just great! I decided to do an exaggerated cat eye and add a blue eyebrow – why not?!

blue and yellow eye make-up - somanylovelythingsHave to say I did this pretty quick, about 10 minutes per eye, and here is how I did it:

1. I prepped my lid and using a pencil brush I applied the blue creating a smokey line on about 3/4 above my crease, pulling it at the edges to create the huge flick at the end.

2. From the other corner, I pulled another line to meet the one coming from the crease, and filled the shape with blue, but just on the flick, not on lids.

3. Using an applicator brush, I saturated the whole lid with yellow, blending the edges with the blue on the crease then pulling the colour towards the temple, within the blue, creating a similar shape to the blue.

4. Using a liner brush, I applied blue on the lower water and lash lines. I applied some yellow to the inner corner and blended in with the blue.

5. I then, with the pencil brush, brought the above the crease blue line to the inside of my nose bridge, creating a subtle hook shape below the inner corner. I then carefully applied a little bit of yellow on the inside of this line.

6. I applied a highlighter to the brow bone.

6. I added some mascara to my lashes and then a set of false lashes.

7. Finally, I filled my eyebrows with the royal blue, keeping the strong shape but giving it more definition and colour, of course!

Products I used:

  • Yves Saint Laurent Ombre Duolumieres eyeshadow duo in 37 – electric yellow and royal blue
  • MAC pigment in vanilla
  • MAC Extended Play extra black mascara
  • Blank Canvas double ended brushes E23, E25, E27 and E30
  • MAC brush 208
  • Eldora false lashes in H149
  • Duo eyelash glue
  • Urban Decay eyeshadow primer potion

make-up

Difficulty:

eye make up look - easy

Nails of the week: Red hearts

girlznailz random hearts wraps - somanylovelythingsI ❤ hearts. Sorry, I couldn’t resist! The fact is I do, so when I got the heart nail wraps from Girlz Nailz I knew I was going to fall in love.

These wraps have a lovely red metallic hearts in different sizes on a white background – love the white background, btw! I used the wraps to create two accent nails in each hand – on my thumb and my ring finger.

I found that their sizing didn’t quite match all my nails, but I could’ve easily cut them slightly to fit, as there are plenty of wraps in each packet. I have mentioned this to the company and they said they will look into the sizing, which is brilliant.

As on my previous use, these wraps applied really well, I heated them up a bit with the hair dryer and carefully applied them to clean, buffed nails. I achieved a crease free finish in a few minutes.

girlznailz random hearts wraps - somanylovelythings

This time, durability was even better, 4 days looking good and on the 5th day ragged edges started to bother me – still great going for wraps – so I removed them by peeling the raggedy edges and pulling with tweezers, then using nail polish remover to take off the little bit

The other nails were painted with the gorgeous Kiko Sun Pearl nail lacquer in Chilli Pepper red – this colour is lovely, with some amazing golden hints all over, just lush! Sadly it is a limited edition and not available on the site anymore, I picked it up from a bargain bucket in the shop!

Overall, a lovely mani. These wraps are great!

You can get the Random Hearts nail wraps and browse other cute and fierce designs at the GirlzNailz website.

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.

On trial: Budget make-up brush cleaning glove

budget make-up brush cleaning glove - somanylovelythingsProcrastination is a word directly related to brush wash in my books. No, I don’t like dirty brushes, on the contrary, I feel really disgusted and want to wash them all the time. Plus, a clean brush applies make-up way much better than a manky one. And there is the question of hygiene and harbouring bacteria… eeeew, don’t wanna get into that.

So I decided to look for ways of making my job quicker and came across brush cleaning mitts. The best known is probably the Sigma Spa Brush Cleaning Glove but at US$35, I find it is quite pricey for what it is.

And that’s another reason I love reading other blogs: came across an “alternative”, posted by Make-up Savvy – a cheap and cheerful silicone oven glove from eBay which does the job just as well.

budget make-up brush cleaning glove - somanylovelythings

The foundation brush is the worst offender, permeated with stick liquid in a faded skin colour and cleaning that wasn’t as painful, at a fraction of the time. The glove has texture which helps clean the bristles and the smaller ones towards the wrist are alright for smaller brushes, like eyes.

The bumps did a much better job than my fingers or a plate to get rid of make-up from the brushes – and my hands didn’t get wet! Win all around!

I am not gonna lie and say it made me LOVE cleaning my brushes, but the fact it made it faster is encouraging.

budget make-up brush cleaning glove - somanylovelythings

Oh, yeah, and it cost me under £3,50 with delivery from eBay (which arrived very quickly!!!). Thumbs (in glove) up!

Product review: St Ives Renew & Firm apricot scrub

st ives apricot scrubI am pretty sure most of us know the classic St Ives apricot scrubs, after all, it is said to be the number 1 scrub brand in the UK!

Part of the Timeless Skin range, the St Ives Renew and Firm apricot scrub has been in my bathroom for a few weeks now and I am getting at least one, but usually two good scrubs a week with it – especially before my weekly fake tan session.

This scrub contains apricot – which is full of vitamin A type goods and antioxidants and corn kernel meal and walnuts as super 100% natural exfoliators. Also has gentle alphahydroxy, it is non-comedogenic with 100% natural extracts and without parabens, phthalates or animal-derived ingredients.

It has been used as a body scrub and provides soft exfoliation; the granules are firm and well distributed in the cream; you noticed the two textures of exfoliators . It is not super dense with granules and feel very gentle on the skin. when washed away the skin feels soft and quite moisturised.

st ives apricot scrub

The smell is very subtle and pleasant; the scrub goes quite a long way too! I am not quite sure about firming, as I am using all over the body and it would probably take some time to see this type of effect, but my skin feels renewed for sure!!!

By browsing their site, I also found out that they have not only scrubs, but a very extensive range with different care for various skin concerns!

Worth checking out the St Ives site for the Renew & Firm apricot scrub, usually priced under £5 and 0ther products.

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: Simple Kind to Skin+ Protecting moisture cream with SPF30

simple protecting moisturiser spf30After attending the Simple Skincare bloggers event, it was no secret the new Kind to Skin+ range product that I was most excited about was the Protecting moisture cream with SPF30 – obviously, because I love Simple face moisturisers, but mainly because it has a very decent sun protection, very handy for for a sun-from-face-blocking person like myself.

And this moisturiser didn’t disappoint me; it has become one of my daily staples. The cream is very light; it is quickly absorbed by the skin and sits really well under make up. It has no fragrance which I love – I always mention that on Simple products, but this is quite important to me!

It contains vitamins E and B3, glycerin and almond oil to nourish and protect the skin.

And best of all, it has a super SPF 30. Oh, wait – if you think it cannot get any better, its RRP is of only £6.99. Yes, you heard it right. A protecting day moisturiser  with a respectable SPF for less than £7. I am impressed. Very.

The Simple Kind to Skin+range is already available at Superdrug and is on offer for an amazing £4.99. Seriously, 1/3 off. Cannot be missed!

You can find more information on the Simple 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: black and berry colours marble

nail marbling - somanylovelythingsI decided to use a dark colour as a base for marbling this week. I do prefer the lighter colours, as the contrast is better, but wanted something a little bit different.

Using a whole lot of L’Oréal Paris Color Riche shades ranging from very light milky pink to bordeaux, I went for a black base and and ombre effect for the marble – seems like there is a lot going on but was actually quite simple.

nail marbling - somanylovelythings

I used Black Swan and from pinky to thumb, Rose Paradis, Dating Coral, Spicy Orange, Shocking Pink and Addictive Plum, as well as L’Oréal 7 in 1 Saviour as base coat and 2-in-1 Protect as topcoat – all from the L’Oréal Nail masterclass Pick n’ Mix!

nail marbling - somanylovelythings

I was very happy with the results; Dating Coral and Shocking Pink fared particularly well with the black. Durability was very good too!

Rating:

4_star