Beauty reimagined: Fabled by Marie Claire

Posted in Beauty by Dani - So Many Lovely Things

fabled-by-marie-claire-review-1 Imagine a gorgeous place where your favourite beauty brands come together. That would be enough, right?

Add some beauty experts edits and opinions, from a leading magazine, to make your life easier when choosing the best products for you.

fabled-by-marie-claire-review-2 Then, top it off with a real shop full of friendly and approachable professionals in the counters.

Enough? Thought so, but there’s more: online shop with the superb Ocado delivery service, within a chosen 1 hour time slot.

Too good to be true? Maybe, but it’s real. All this is Fabled by Marie Claire.

And you can experience it right now as I have an exclusive 15% discount code for you, lovely readers, to start shopping online right now: VOU039323938, valid until the 26th October 2016.

To me, the concept is genius: an online shop tons of amazing beauty brands covering makeup, skincare, hair and fragrance, supported by the magazine expert edits, reviews and trend watching.

Beauty lovers that might be short for time, or are not sure about what red lipstick to go for, now have a haven to make their lives easier and help them nail they beauty needs.

And The Fabled Shop in London’s Tottenham Court Road? Dreamy!

fabled-marie-claire I was about to place my order at fabled.com and decided I needed a new foundation. Took the opportunity to try the new Urban Decay All Nighter foundation.

So I went to the shop for a colour match, as I work nearby. Even though I told the lovely makeup artist on the UD counter I was not buying, she was lovely, helpful and super friendly.

I also wanted to get myself a new eyeliner – I went for Estée Lauder Little Black Liner. Obviously both will be reviewed soon!

fabled-by-marie-claire-review-3 Now to the order. The site is clean, well categorised, so it is easy to use and find what you’re looking for. You can also look for specific brands, skin concerns, the Marie Claire edit and specific filtering within categories.

They have an online chat to help you in those decisive hours and placing the order is very quick and painless, with Ocado delivery (free over £15, £3.90 otherwise) slots from 5:30 am to 11:3pm.

And you can attach it to your grocery shopping. Now, that’s as exciting as it is dangerous!

Remember, you can get 15% off right now with my code VOU039323938, valid until the 26th October.

fabled-by-marie-claire-review-4 At fabled.com and at their fabulous The Fabled Shop at 21 Tottenham Court Road, London, you can find Aveda, Aromatherapy Associates, Balance Me, Bobbi Brown, Benefit, bkr, Burberry, Clinique, Caudalie, Crabtree & Evelyn, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Essie, Eyeko, Estée Lauder, Eylure, ghd, Giorgio Armani, Gucci, Hugo Boss, He-Shi, Lancôme, Lipstick Queen, L’Oréal Paris, Marc Jacobs, Maybelline, Nails Inc, NARS, OPI, REN, Rimmel, Seche, St. Tropez, Skin & Tonic, T3, This Works, The Balm, Tom For, Urban Decay, Zelens (breathe) and much more.

signature1

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.

Product review: Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner

Confession: I cannot go one day without eyeliner. And I mean it. I tried all types: pencils, felt tip pens, gel pots, eyeshadow+slanty brush… you name it, I’ve been there. And I settled for the pen, which is the most practical. For that reason alone, I was more than excited to try the Eyeko Skinny Liquid eyeliner in black.

To start with, I love that the tip is super long. I don’t know why, but I just do. And it is indeed very skinny and precise.

Now, I used this one to the end. Using everyday, it lasted about three months. I mean, the liquid is clearly ending, but the tip remains pretty sharp. It is still going – if I leave it upside down or shake it a bit, it will go back to almost new glory. It is still going but I know it is at the bitter end – it has given me all the signs it wants to retire. And I am re-purchasing. I don’t think I will ever let this one go, as I tried many liquid eyeliner pens and this one is really the best one!

The liquid is smooth and very black. It dries quickly and I cannot remember having any transfer after applying, at any point.

Application is easy, it glides very well with just the right amount – not too dry or too wet. One stroke and you have a solid colour. With any liner, a steady hand is always welcome, but the strong tip really helps. And because the tip is so fine, you can create perfect flicks, with precision. It is also easy to build up to create thicker lines.

Durability is also great. I do use an eyeshadow primer, but this baby stays in place all day and doesn’t smudge – even through my spin class (my best and probably unfairest test to makeup durability!). After 8 hours, it starts to fade, but stays in place. It is easy enough to remove with a good eye makeup remover and rubbing is not required – just wipe gently with the damp cotton wool!

I especially recommend this to those who are new to eyeliner – as mentioned, the tip really helps if you are not that confident with other eyeliners, and you can create delicate lines! actually, there isn’t a single Eyeko product I tried and did not love. Seriously. Eye wizards!

The Skinny Liquid Eyeliner retails from £10 from the Eyeko website and they . At the moment, QVC has a brilliant twin pack for £15 plus p&p – which will come in my Christmas stocking, through “very subtle” hints!

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.

Beautiful christmas: my selection of beauty gifts

Ho ho ho. It is December and I feel I am officially allowed to say the C word without attracting some dirty looks (and the “already?!” expression n their faces). Obviously, I am talking about CHRISTMAS, silly.

Most people know someone who is a beauty fanatic and if you are not one yourself, choosing the right thing can be quite difficult. But fear not, So Many Lovely Things will give you an easy solution that is certain to cause a good impression.

I went through my favourite places for beauty buys and here are my picks:

Up to £25

A good all rounder for a great price. Studio products are great value for money. This Smokey eye kit, for £6, is certain to please. New Years eve eyes, sorted!

I love the Eyeko Skinny liner – it is my favourite and I use everyday. This double pack from QVC is excellent value for £14 and after trying you will certainly need a second (and a third – you won’t live without it, ever!)

Classic skin care brand Nivea pulled together a lovely pampering selection with Honey Face Masks, Body lotion, Pearly Shine Lip, Cleansing Wipes, Moisturising Day Cream, amongst others. For £15, this gift goes a long way. Available at Boots.

Post Chirstmas excesses will show on your face. Pull yourself together with this L’Oréal Port-Party Beauty SOS and be ready for the next one in no time! £10 from Boots.

A pretty bauble from Rodial, with its lovely Glam Balm inside. A tiny bit of luxury to plump those lips for that all important unde the mistletoe action! £14 from Harrods.

I love this book. Rae Morris’ classic Makeup: The Ultimate Guide will help you get the grips with makeup and look even more fabulous! Only £12.50 from Amazon.

The Sanctuary’s Best Sellers Collection is a great body indulgence kit with their classic scent. £15 from Debenhams.

Clinique’s Chubby stick Whole Lotta Candy collection means you will have three beautiful shades to choose from for the New Year’s party! £20 from House of Fraser.

Pretty doll eyes with YSL Baby Doll Mascara Set – to put it on and remove later! Find it at Boots for £24.50.

Must Have minis from Nails Inc – lots of shades to start well the year – fro nudes to neons – this will keep your talons colour going for a while! Great value of £23.52 from QVC!

Festive talons courtesy of Clinique’s Party Tips nail polish set.. Three pretty shades for sensitive skin for £20 from House of Fraser.

Discover Elemis’ great Tri-enzime kit with this 4 piece set, for only £24.12 from QVC.

OPI’s Fit to be Tied #2 has two beautiful nail shades and delivers glitter in the right amount. £18.55 from QVC.

Clinique’s classic 3 step kit is one of my favourites cleanse, tone and moisturise sets. Have a go with this intro collection and see for yourself. £20 from Debenhams.

The Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser is a classic – and is has a special edition for Christmas – £26.25 for 200ml cleaner and 2 muslim cloths!

Over £26

I couldn’t leave out the Naked 3 palette from Urban Decay, coming out on the 12 December for £37. Hurry!!!

Beautifully packaged MAC’s Stroke of Midnight eye kit in Smoky got me hooked. Smokey eyes paradise with Chillproof, Retrospeck, Gaelic Gold, Well Put Together and Carbon (my fave matte black eyeshadow). At £32, exceptional value for money.

Benefit’s Groovy Kinda Love gift set has their best sellers to keep you pretty – and all for £29.50 from Boots.

Sparkle! The Urban Decay Starlight Glitter set can help with that! £30 from House of Fraser.

Guinot has brought some lovely gift boxes this year, each one looking to fix a “problem” in a girl’s life.

Ready Set Glow will deliver complexion brightening tools; Damsel in De-Stress will pamper and help relief stress; Supercharged Youth Boost delivers a boost for ageing skin. They also have a male grooming gift set called Tied up, with a face wash, after shave and shaving brush! They are priced between £46 and £64 and can be found at your nearest salon using Guinot products or at the Salon Skincare website, amongst others. website

Reveal a younger you with YSL Forever Youth Liberator Serum set, £64 from Boots.

Lancôme’s Visionnaire is of my favourite serums – and this set has lots of amazing goodies to accompany it! It costs £82 from Boots.

This classic selection of half size MAC brushes is amazing – and a fantastic value too at £42.

And finally, a girl can dream…. fro £300 you can get the WHOLE Alber Elbaz collection for Lancôme at Harrods. Sigh…

My halloween look: Disney’s Maleficent

It is no secret I absolutely LOVE dressing up. Halloween is just another opportunity for me to get drawing, cutting, sewing and hot gun gluing.

Maleficent is my favourite Disney character. It has always been, since my mum bought me the Sleeping Beauty book from the book circle people (it was so long ago, they used to come to your door, hahahahaha) and then later on, the VHS, which I watched repeatedly, as any good child obsessed with their favourite story. However, even though I love Aurora, Maleficent was for me, the highlight of the story and even though she deserved to die (as these stories go), I just loved watching her turn into a huge, scary dragon.

Maleficent Halloween look - somanylovelythings

So this year, I decided to turn into the Mistress of All Evil. I interpreted her three times when younger at school, and although I perfected the evil cackle after the “prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die” line, my costume making and makeup resources and abilities weren’t even close to what they are today.

With high expectations, I started to gather the bits: a cheap vampire cloak, twisted devil horns, an amazing raven (or crow, not quite sure!) and purple satin from eBay. I painted the horns black (with acrylic paint from Tiger, they originally had some red in them) and using a hot glue gun, attached them to a wide alice band. I wrapped a satin ribbon around the joints and headband to give it a better finish.

For the sceptre, I bought a cheap devils trident and a tacky oversized Christmas bauble, which was red. I removed the colour with nail polish remover to rveal the silver and glued (hot glue) to the trident stick. I then hot glued my raven on to it.

I then cut the sizes of the cloak, added a lining layer of purple to the back and added the shredded purple details to the from opening. Underneath, I wore a New Look black velvelt bodycon, tights and black court shoes.

For the make up, I created my usual base with Hourglass Veil primer, MAC Fortified skin enhancer in adjust, foundation, concealer and powder. I then started the eyes. I used Urban Decay purple Vice and MAC Bitter for the eyes, as well as Eyeko Skinny liner and Black Magic mascara and a set of exaggerated, cheap false lashes.

Lovely raven

Maleficent Halloween look - somanylovelythings

The whole look

Green and purple

The eyes have it

My inspiration approves!

My Maleficent wears Loubis…

I painted my raised eyebrows and my widow’s peak with MAC gel liner in Blacktrack. I then applied eyeshadow Bitter all over my face, to exhaustion, until I became green-ish and contoured the cheeks quite blatantly with MAC’s Carbon eyeshadow and my usual contouring shade from Inglot (a muted almost grey brown).

I finished off with MAC’s Russian Red and a huge black ring.

And as a bonus, here is a pic of my better half Frankenstein monster, which I put together pretty quickly! Make up took five minutes with green face paint, MAC gel liner in Blacktrack and Carbon eyeshadow. Bolts were made of grey foam, painted unevenly with Barry M Foil effect polish and glued on with Duo lash glue.

I think I looked quite scary. I was very pleased with my Maleficent – I was so worried I wouldn’t make her justice, but in the end, I think I pulled it off!

What did you dress up as for Halloween this year?

Product review: Eyeko Black Magic Mascara

Lately, my mascara life turned a bit odd. Old favourites stop doing the trick and I felt everything made my lashes clump. Luckily for me, in the past month I have encountered a few solutions and the Eyeko Black Magic is one that has given me happy lashes. Drama and curl indeed.

Packaging is very nice – a silver squeezy tube and it has a curved hair bristles brush which feels very soft when applying. The liquid is smooth, not too thick and a shiny, well pigmented black.

This is a true bit of magic – it gives good definition (picking up all little lashes), good volume, length and curl – so ticks all the boxes, which is quite hard to find. Plus, it comes with a cute and functional Eyeko branded plectrum which helps application by protecting your lid – you can really get in there without worrying about smudges!

This mascara sits very well and lasts all day, no flaking or smudging . After spin (my ultimate test!) there was very minimal transfer to the close to the crease (the studio has been extremely hot lately but I’ll spare you the details!)!

It applies extremely well on top of dry mascara (for that all important top-up when you are going out after work), but it makes it waaay more difficult to remove!

With (L) and without (R) mascara: length and volume!

Good length and volume – drama in a bottle!

Now, if the Black is a staple for day or night, wait for this: Midnight Blue. Yes, you heard it. The Black Magic mascara comes in a new shade: blue. So beautiful. It really gives your lashes that je ne sais quoi. I was worried it was going to be too out there but is in fact, very wearable . Overall, it has that blue aura, but you only see it is really blue when it catches the light. And it looks stunning!

This is the kind of mascara that will change your lashes in a way that sometimes I catch a little glimpse of them and think – wow – they are fluttery! So I probably don’t need to spell out that I love it!

Eyeko black magic mascara in midnight blue

You can get this fab mascara from the Eyeko website – and also take a peek at their amazing liquid metal liners, which I reviewed a while ago.

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: Eyeko Liquid Metal Eyeliner

Oh-so-pretty. That really sums up how I feel about these liners. The Eyeko Liquid Metal eyeliners in Black Onyx and Rose Gold and simply gorgeous.

The packaging is very nice, pencil like, with a “barrel” at the end where you can see the liner’s beautiful colour. Black Onyx is a wet look black with a slight silver shimmer and Rose Gold is what is says on the tin, a bright, metallic gold with a rose hint – to be honest, it was more yellow than I thought!

To start applying, rotate the barrel and soon the fine “hair” fine brush is permeated with colour. The brush is not hard, so a little bit of practice is required if you are not used to applying your liner with a normal eyeliner brush!

Black and gold eyes using eyeko liquid metal eyeliner - somanylovelythings

Be careful though; rotate it ever so slightly not to waste the precious liquid! The texture is very light and quite runny, so to create delicate lines, a little bit will do; the colours are very saturated. I went over the lines a second time after it dried, to exaggerate the effect! It was fairly easy to work with and didn’t irritate my eyes (which are very sensitive!).

eyeko liquid metal eyeliner - rose gold

And boy, they shine. Instead of swatching on my hand, I decided to go all out on a super lined eye and it looked beautiful. It doesn’t dry to quickly but it doesn’t take too long either, so it is important to be careful with transfer to the crease, to the upper lid, to the lower lash line (in this design case!). I barely used anything else on this eye make-up and I am in love with it.

It lasted well and after it dries it won’t move. It was fairly easy to remove with a good eye make-up remover though!

I am now addicted and so glad these beauties came my way!

You can get these stunning eyeliners from the Eyeko website – keep an eye out, as they are launching a collaboration with Alexa Chung soon!

So Many Lovely Things

A blog about beauty, style, shoes, fashion and lifestyle

Tag Archives: eyeko

Beauty reimagined: Fabled by Marie Claire

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.

Product review: Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner

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.

Beautiful christmas: my selection of beauty gifts

Up to £25

Over £26

My halloween look: Disney’s Maleficent

Product review: Eyeko Black Magic Mascara

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: Eyeko Liquid Metal Eyeliner

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.