Tag Archives: beleza

Celebrating timeless fashion with Nivea deodorant

Posted in Beauty by

How can your deodorant affect your style? Well, nothing worse than white marks in your favourite black dress to make you wish the earth would swallow you!

The Nivea Invisible for Black & White deodorant, on top of having white mark protection for black clothes, also helps prevent those horrible yellow stains on white garments.

Of course it also counts with the 48 hour anti-perspirant protection, cares for the skin and is also gentle, as it is dermatologically tested and alcohol-free. I also like the bottle has an “open-close” twist top and the classic Nivea smell is present in a softer version.

And the classic bottle now has had a stylish makeover by Matthew Williamson and enchanting design is full of gorgeous patterns, including pretty butterflies, complimenting the brand colours.

Matthew Williamson, who is passionate about designing timeless pieces, says it is important that clothes make women feel better about themselves and that he’s teamed up with Nivea “to celebrate these timeless fashion favourites that make women feel great while offering them a product that will help look after those clothes they love for the long haul.”

This Limited Edition Nivea Invisible Black & White by Matthew Williamson fashion bottle hits the shelves on the 28 August.

The loved and trusted Nivea Black & White formula, all dressed up, costs £3.29 (RRP for 250ml) and you can get it from major retailers like Boots and Superdrug.

written by Dani

You know the drill, but I’ll say anyway: this post contains PR samples. This review, however, is based on my experience with the product and reflects my honest opinion on them.

Overnight hand care

Posted in Beauty, nails, Skincare by

If like me you’re obsessed with hand creams, keep reading. Crabtree & Evelyn, which has the best hand cream in town, has an overnight hand therapy cream and I am sold.

I do have the habit of moisturing my hands before going to bed anyway and lately I have been doing with a product made exactly for that.

But Dani, how is it different from a normal hand cream, you ask? Well.. of course, the trick in on the concentration. This rich cream contains a concentrated complex of vitamins and amino acids, including arginine.

It is formulated especially to protect, by enhancing the skin’s natural barrier, maintain the natural moisture level, help skin recovery and soothe any dryness.

As any Crabtree & Evelyn hand therapy creams, it is easily and totally absorbed by the skin leaving no trace, but a long-lasting moisturisation. Applied at night, this cream works its wonder so I have been waking up with soft and nourished hands.

The classic La Source – a crisp, clean scent of refreshing aquatic notes, musk, and gentle shoreline breeze – is the version I’ve been using, but the overnight hand therapy is also available in three other amazing scents.

I’ve talked a lot about the hand therapy creams (which is always in my bag) and the amazing 60 second fix for hands (which I use about twice a week) and now the overnight hand cream is yet another Crabtree & Evelyn product that has a firm place in my life.

The overnight hand therapy costs £19 for 75ml and you can get online from the Crabtree & Evelyn website or in their ever so tempting shops!written by Dani

You know the drill, but I’ll say anyway: this post contains PR samples. This review, however, is based on my experience with the product and reflects my honest opinion on them.

Oh. My. GOSH AW17

Posted in Beauty, Make Up by

It’s my go-to phrase when it comes to GOSH launches but it remains the truth: every season there’s at least one item that will stay with me until the next launch – but often longer.

As I mentioned before, GOSH is a gorgeous family company from Denmark with most of its products being vegan – in fact, only their lipsticks are not as they contain beeswax.

And of course, they have an amazing, extensive range of makeup products that keeps growing and becoming more and more fabulous!

For Autumn/Winter 17, there’s plenty to love. The collection has hit the shops late last month and I cannot get enough of it.

The Chameleon Primer Plus+ Skin Adaptor Anti-Pollution (£14.99) is amazing. If you know GOSH, you know their primers are amazing and this is not different, but with a difference: apart from organic oak extract, it has micro capsules of colour that burst upon application and adapt to most skin tones.

And, as the huge trend in beauty dictates, it has all important anti-pollution agents, in the form of CityGuard, a complex of two components of marine ingredients, to help protect our city folks’ skin against pollution. A delight to use, alone or as I prefer, a makeup base that evens out skin tone.

Now, the LumiDrops (£7.99) have been a little fave of mine for quite some time and the latest shades are lush. Rose Gold and just Gold (which I purchased as soon as it launched) are gorgeous.

The liquid gold is perfect for highlighting without being too powdery and glittery, catches the light beautifully and gives that golden hour beam to the face. For me, it’s an amazing base for double highlighting, something I do often.

The Strobe’n Glow Kit (001 Highlight, £12.99) wheel is great: 4 gorgeous shades including a holographic white/purple to satisfy out unicorn dreams.

Admittedly, I’ve been using the medium gold as a highlighter (doubles up amazingly with the gold Lumidrops) and the other two gold shades as eye shadows – they are amazing; the lighter for brow bone and inner corner and the more coppery one for the lid.

Then, I add a metallic brown from the fabulous “To party in London” eyeshadow palette (£11.99).

Amazing neutrals and a couple distinct colours among the 9, in this compact and affordable palette with great pigmentation, blendability and colour pay off.

I love “To be cool in Copenhagen” and still use it almost every day so having a metallic one is a dream.

And of course, nothing better to make your eyeshadow pop and stay then a good eyelid primer. This Eyeshadow Primer (£8.99) with polymer technology is a handy chunky pencil and smoker is great and really takes the eye shadows to another level to increase colour pay-off and durability.

The last mascaras GOSH brought out, I’ll admit, didn’t quite work for me but My Favourite Mascara (£8.99) is in fact on its way to be, ahem, my favourite mascara as it’s rather excellent.

With organic oak extract, its smooth formula and irregular shaped bristles catch every single lash and definition is amazing. The volume is not crazy, but length is fabulous so I am sold. And it melts in warm water!

The Brow Shape & Fill (£8.99) is a fab slanted pencil for precise brow filling. Grey Brown is the perfect shade for me and the pencil is soft, filling brows delicately.

It also has a filling powder, which is very nice, but I’d rather see a little brow brush on the other end!

A great pairing with the Lift & Highlight pencils (£9.99): double ended pencil to lift, define and highlight – and has many uses. To be applied on brow bone, inner eye corner and my favourite, the cupid bow.

So many people swear by the banana powder and GOSH now has their own. A Banana version of their fabulous Prime’n Set Primer & Mattifying Setting Powder, which I love because it is a fantastic setting/finishing powder, this one also eliminates redness and pinkness.

The Colour Corrector Kit (£11.99) is a pretty compact to cover all you concealer needs with an amazing 5 shades – neutral, yellow (for purple of blue imperfections), green (to neutralise redness), purple (to eliminate yellow undertones) and peach (for brightening the eye area and olive-skin radiance boost).

I am not massive on colour correcting but the creams are smooth and blendable!

Brow serum is a thing I struggle a lot, mainly because I forget to apply twice a day and then I remember when I am doing makeup, it doesn’t dry and I think I might go hair all over my face (yeah, crazy, I know).

Having said that, I’ve been giving the GOSH Growth Serum (£16.99), which contains SymPeptide XLASH, a (rather irregular) go. Too early to say if it really works but I’m enjoying it.

GOSH also does brushes and they are rather fab. This Mix & Fix Blender brush (£9.99) is, I found, perfect for highlighter placement. Precise, quite firm and it blends the life out of them, without killing the rest of the makeup underneath.

From this review, you can see I will have a few items accompanying me for the new season…  Which one would be rushing to get your hands on?

You can get all the GOSH goodness from Superdrug.

written by Dani

You know the drill, but I’ll say anyway: this post contains PR samples. This review, however, is based on my experience with the product and reflects my honest opinion on them.

Work that eyeliner flick!

Posted in Beauty, Make Up by

Those who know me can confirm the fact that if I have make up on, I have eyeliner. The flick has been with me for ages now and I (almost) cannot leave the house without it.

When a new eyeliner comes along, I’m filled with excitement, especially when it is a pen, my favourite medium. So of course the Lord & Berry Shodō eyeliner ticked all the boxes.

Perfecting the eyeliner application is really down to exhaustive practice, and even after many years of daily doings, there are some days my eyeliner hates me. A lot.

Shodō is a form of artistic writing of the Japanese language and this eyeliner doesn’t let us down. The tapered brush is made of soft bristles that retain their form, thus being firm enough for precise thick and thin lines.

The formula is super black, rather glossy, extra pigmented and smooth. Upon drying, which happens quickly, it sits film-like on the skin.

It is water and sweat proof and does not budge, but can be removed with warm water and flakes off with little effort.

My only recommendation is that an eyelid primer or powder shadow is used prior to application, as the film didn’t particularly love my oily bare eyelids!

Shodō has been upgraded to my everyday eye make drawer to stay.

The Shodō Stylograpic Eyeliner costs a reasonable £16 and you can get it from the Lord & Berry website and other online retailers, such as Look Fantastic.

written by Dani

You know the drill, but I’ll say anyway: this post contains PR samples. This review, however, is based on my experience with the product and reflects my honest opinion on them.</h6

Are your nails in need of some TLC?

Posted in Beauty, nails by

Nails nail nails. I went from a through and through red nail polish gal who could never picture a nude on her nails to a lover of all colours, shades, finishes and art.

Thrilled is not enough to describe me when I opened the box with these gorgeous essie TLC nail polishes.

Treat, Love and Color is a lovely range that requires nothing but itself for a great natural manicure. Its advanced formula with collagen and camellia helps cares for the nail, brightening and working on strength, brittleness and dryness in the long term.

And you apply directly on to the nail, no need for base coat. I tried three beautiful sheer pearlised shades: tonal taupe, is a gorgeous taupe with gold shimmer; see the light, is a classic pearlised light beige and good as nude, is a pretty warm toasted beige with gold shimmer.

The formula is great, which is expected we from essie, and application easy because of their fab brush. For sheer shades, I noticed a good colour and pigmentation pay off with 2-3 coats.

tonal taupe
see the light
good as nude

I didn’t miss a base coat but I always think a topcoat is a good idea and even though I didn’t use one to try this, I probably will normally. I’m sits well on the bare nail and mine were rather happy with the product!

Durability with no base coat is decent; a few days of mani totally in place then it stares to nick in places.

You can get the essie TLC range at Boots and Superdrug and they cost £8.99 each.

written by Dani

You know the drill, but I’ll say anyway: this post contains PR samples. This review, however, is based on my experience with the product and reflects my honest opinion on them.

Get your Shine (Shack) on!

Posted in Beauty, Lifestyle, Make Up, music by

 

My love of glitter is never ending. From the tiny pots mum started to buy when I was around 8 that doubled up as school crafts and hair adornment for ballet presentations, to the same little pots purchased years later to comply with the 90s “glitter round the eye” trend, my love for it never grew smaller.

If anything, it just grew, may I say, exponentially, in the last years. And I have no shame. Glitter Milanese is the goal (#GlitterMilanese/#MilanesaDeGlitter, you saw here first hahahaha).

So you guys have no idea what meant to me to be invited by the amazing girls at Shine Shack to have a glitter makeover for Lovebox at their beyond fabulous pop up at Missguided Westfield Stratford.

I mean, who am I kidding? I’ll never get over the fact my girl crush and glitter goddess Posie Dwyer actually touched my face and glittered me up <3. I’d been Insta-stalking them for aaaages!

So off I went on my “disco ball day”, with my lovely Carol in tow to get to shine even brighter and spread their sparkle even further on the second day of Lovebox.

I got a proper silver holo that was all sorts of fabulous and Carol an amazing pastel-y gradient. The gem design is customised, as well as the glitter combos and obviously Posie and the Angels listen to what you want and deliver extra.

Basically, it is a happy event altogether: they are happy, it’s a great vibe, there is clearly a huge passion behind the brand and work that is done and you can definitely feel that. Plus, glitter IS life so…

Here’s a ridiculously excited story I posted on Insta still at Missguided after being Shine Shacked:

You can have from a simple bio glitter huge sprinkle on the parting of your hair (£3) to lovely braiding (£15, various styles, add rings for an extra £5), as well as glitter on one side of the face, gems, or the full works: glitter on both side of the face, chest plus gems on both (from £7 to £30). Take a look at their divine shimmery menu below.

I mean, I did some glitter on my face on Friday but this was EXTRA. Another level, I cannot recommend enough.

Shine Shack is at Missguided Westfield Stratford (on the right as you come in) on Fridays and Saturdays 10-5pm and Sundays 12-6pm all summer . You can pay at the till for your makeover.

Apart from having it applied professionally and lovingly by the Angles, you can also buy their sparkly range of glitter (from £5.50 – £16.50), accessories (from 2.50) and the brand new mix and match gems (£8) if you fancy DIYing on the Shine Shack website and at Missguided.

Plus, you can catch them at festivals this summer and they are available for private booking – parties and functions: just get in touch and they will have a package to suit you

On top of it all, crushes and love of glitter aside (which might make me biased as I barely managed to remove it all from my face and body as I wrote this), it is amazing to see young, talented women working hard doing what they love,  succeeding and spreading happiness in the process. It is inspiring and empowering and I am a fan, unashamedly.

You might as well just go and follow them on Instagram @shineshack: it will add that extra glam sparkle to your feed!

written by Dani

Yes, I was invited and was lucky to be offered the glitter makover for myself and Carol. But I love the guys and would recommend 10 times over. 

 

Fruit power for the skin

Posted in Beauty, Skincare by

Oh, how much do we love affordable skincare that does its job and on top of it looks great? The answer is an awful lot.

Meet Formula 10.0.6 skincare. A traditional brand created by chemists in 1933, they have an affordable range that promotes clear, healthy young skin (but works wonders for older skin too, if you’re not specifically looking for strong anti-ageing solution).

For me, it really acts as a “maintenance” range, so it’s always by the sink. The fact if has some cute names, simple and bright packaging with effective products within certainly help.

My favourite from the selection I tried was the Pores Be Pure Skin Clarifying Mud Mask. This light mud mask feels very purifying and is quite gentle on the skin.

It contains strawberry, yarrow and rosemary. It dries but doesn’t crack on the skin, sucking impurities for a clear, less congested complexion.

Taking about clearing, the Best Face Forward Daily Foaming Cleanser is exactly that: a fabulous, gentle everyday gel foamy cleanser that leaves skin feeling super clean and fresh.

It contains oiliness reducing passion fruit, soothing and exfoliating green tea and calming chamomile.

Now, who doesn’t love an exfoliating scrub? The One Smooth Operator Pore Clearing Face Scrub purifies, gently exfoliates with pumice from volcanic rock.

It also contains purifying zinc and soothing oat. Feels comfortable to apply and leaves skin feeling soft.

Finally, the P.M. Perfector Overnight Hydrating Cream with black currant and liquorice for a long radiance, soothing and nourishing overnight skin workout. It’s light and absorbs very well.

Best of all, you can get Formula 10.0.6 products from Boots in the UK, and it’s great value for money – each one costs £8.99!

written by Dani

You know the drill, but I’ll say anyway: this post contains PR samples. This review, however, is based on my experience with the product and reflects my honest opinion on them.

A facial hero

Posted in Beauty, Skincare by

I first came across Voya last year, at Organic Beauty Week. In the goodie bag, came a body oil I used to the very last drop, but somehow failed to post about.

Fast forward a year and there they are at Organic Beauty and Wellness Week 2017 and in the bag, the gorgeous My Little Hero Facial Serum.

This organic seaweed face serum is made of a blend of organic oils to boost and protect skin.

Full of antioxidants, it nourishes and improves radiance. I cannot stress enough that oils are suitable to most skins, even the more troublesome ones, like mine.

Oils from sunflower, camelina, coriander, grape, pumpkin, pomegranate and jojoba seed, wheatgerm, geranium, lavender, ylang ylang, palmarosa,  rosehip, vetivert root, bergamot, clove, almond, and avocado are joined by seaweed, green algae, vanilla extracts to form this extremely rich 98% organic oil that sinks deep and very well into the skin.

Because it’s so rich, my skin can only take it at night, and sometimes it’s all it needs. Skin wakes up plump and happy.

Admittedly, it is on the expensive side at £53 for 30ml but we are talking high quality organic skincare that goes a long way.

On the fabulous Angelicus Serratus Nourishing Body Oil (£34 for 100ml) which I used up a while ago, only great notes: very rich but quickly absorbed, perfect for after the shower, leaving skin soft and nourished for ages.

It contains a very pleasant and distinctive smell with citrus and the seaweeds focus and angelicus serratus, which work on elasticity, suppleness and cleansing.

A real delight to apply all over the body, it is full of antioxidant rosehip, sunflower and evening primrose oils, vitamin E, revitalizing lime and rejuvenating mandarin. I was really sad to see the empty bottle, I tell you!

You can get the My Little Hero Facial Serum and the Angelicus Serratus Nourishing Body Oil from the Voya website. Products and treatments can be found at 37 luxury locations, including hotels, worldwide like the Mandarin Oriental in London and the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah in Dubai, for example. written by Dani

You know the drill, but I’ll say anyway: this post contains PR samples. This review, however, is based on my experience with the product and reflects my honest opinion on them.

The B. is back!

Posted in Beauty, Make Up by

If you’ve been following the blog for a while, you’ll know that I used B. Makeup products quite often.

Then they fell off the radar for a while, but for a good reason: to revamp and relaunch the brand.

B. Makeup has a strong focus on their vegan nature, and the revamp of their extensive range has really made it stand out across the products of similar price point.

Not only they have a plethora of pretty makeup but they also have skincare and male grooming ranges.

I tried a few products and have to say I am very impressed with the Defining Duo Liner eyeliner (£6.99). A pen, my favourite type of eyeliner, with a liquid finish and two nibs, what I consider a medium one and a super fine precision application.

It delivers fierce flicks, it’s super black, easy to use and the durability is great, drying super quickly and lasting all day.

I talked about B lipsticks before so no surprise I am quite fond of the Luminous Silk Lipstick in Suis Moi (£6.99).

A lovely darker pink nude with jojoba seed oil, creamy on application with a smooth satin finish.

A bit of a different product, the lip and cheek tint (£6.99) has a creamy texture and is one of those great multitasking products I love. Sadly this not quite my thing, and I cannot wear cream colours on my face – it doesn’t quite work for me.

I know however, I am an exception and with six shades, you’re sure to find one to suit you. Th finish is matte and the colour is buildable. I love the looks of Just a Kiss.

Now the Matte Liquid Lip lipstick (£6.99) in Ravenous, on the other hand, is very much my thing. It’s smooth and super pigmented; it doesn’t however dry totally, so there’s a little bit of transfer. Durability is decent though.

Now, their vegan brushes are pretty great too and have a new look, at an amazing starting price of £5.99. I tried the shadow blender which is tapered, duo-fibre and very soft on the skin. It is not super firm, so perfect for blending the crease up for a natural smokey finish.

The relaunch also sees the Cassie Lomas, the brand’s makeup ambassador, launch her own collection with gorgeous pigments, liquid lipsticks, bronzer and highlighter. I did try them at the launch event and they are truly lovely, still vegan, cruelty free and still very well priced!

B. Makeup is available exclusively at Superdrug and a fab brand with a great range at very affordable prices, especially if you are vegan, as there’s a lot of choice at reasonable prices.

As for me, the eyeliner has graduated from trial and is firmly in my makeup bag!

written by Dani

You know the drill, but I’ll say anyway: this post contains PR samples. This review, however, is based on my experience with the product and reflects my honest opinion on them.

Gel finish, without the hassle

Posted in Beauty, nails by

My love for was proclaimed a few time before (see here, here, here), but I had never tried their Gel Couture nail polishes. I have to say the love just grows.

So much, I made a short video. Yes, you get to see me talking.

They deliver a fabulous gel-like finish without the hassle. Just apply two coats of the polish and the topcoat to seal and get glossy, durable polish in fantastic, fashion inspired and trendy colours.

And they all come with the same amazing essie brush that delivers superb (and easy) application.

It does not chip, and retains the finish for more than a week (I don’t often have the same colour for long than that, but I have a feeling it would’ve held).

Essie Gel Couture is just celebrating their first anniversary and the latest collection,,Gala Bold, has five summery shades.

Very pink and coral, with the most amazing front page-worthy, a metallic royal blue thrown in, which I am wearing on the video.

The new shades are inside scoop, a pretty sheer tea rose pink with a slight blue undertone, v.i.please, a deep, berry violet hinted with red, style stunner, a super bright orange with an underlying red, sizzling hot, an opaque saturated hibiscus red with a pink undertone and finally, my eye-catch shade, front page-worthy, a dark royal blue with a pearl overcast.

Also, those bottles? How prettily twisted are they? ❤

You can get all the info and see all the colours on the essie website and get them, including the new five, at retailers nationwide, such as Boots, Superdrug, LookFantastic and many others!

And here are front page worthy and style stunner in action!

written by Dani

You know the drill, but I’ll say anyway: this post contains PR samples. This review, however, is based on my experience with the product and reflects my honest opinion on them.