Tag Archives: Lancome

Beauty reimagined: Fabled by Marie Claire

Posted in Beauty by

fabled-by-marie-claire-review-1Imagine 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-2Then, 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-claireI 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-3Now 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-4At 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.

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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.

Mastering the flick

Posted in Beauty, Make Up by

lancome-grandiose-eyeliner-review - 1I shall not be seen without my flick! True story. Eyeliners are a huge love of mine, up there with lipstick and Lancôme just did it pretty!

Not only pretty, but the Lancôme Grandiôse liner is also pretty awesome.

The packaging is gorgeous, a little gem with the beautiful brand flower encased at the top of the wand.

lancome-grandiose-eyeliner-review - 1 (1)The formula is good, although maybe slightly dry so needs picking up several times from the bottle for a flick.

The shade Noir Mirifique is super black matte, quick-drying with a fabulous staying power. I mean, hardcore.

lancome-grandiose-eyeliner-review - 3Now, let’s talk about the bendable wand. I think the brush is lovely and extremely precise. The fact it bends can help; it is more ergonomic and intuitive when bent; you can get the brush closer to the roots and corners.

Personally, as I am used to lining with straight brushes so it feels pretty much the same for me.

lancome-grandiose-eyeliner-review - 3 (1)
lancome-grandiose-eyeliner-review - 2
lancome-grandiose-eyeliner-review - 1 (1)

However, it is the prettiest thing and a fabulous liner that lasts all day. Cannot really ask for more!

The Lancôme Grandiôse Liner costs £23 and is available from the Lancôme website and retailers nationwide.

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

#BanTheBoring with the new Lancôme Juicy Shaker

Posted in Beauty, Make Up by
lancome-juicy-shaker-review - 2Lipgloss hasn’t been a thing for me in a long time.
Lipstick, one of my beauty trade marks, however, just came into play 8 years ago. Before that, lipglosses were the thing on my lips. Blame the 90s.
lancome-juicy-shaker-review - 1The classic Lancôme Juicy Tubes were an integral part of discovering makeup for me, but I felt I grew out of them, in a way.
Bring in the Lancôme Juicy Shaker, somewhat a version of the cult classic, reworked for the present day.
lancome-juicy-shaker-review - 4Start with the packing, a cute bullet that keeps a surprise: a ridiculously soft sponge applicator in a conical shape, which delivers the right amount of product and helps contour the lips.
The lipgloss itself has a super light formula, supercharged with oils (they are all the rage, don’t you know?!). These contain a blend sweet almond oil, omega 3 and cranberry oil for extra hydration and softness.
lancome-juicy-shaker-review - 3I tried Apricute and Cherry Symphony and the pigmentation is very decent:  a somewhat buildable tint (which is said to get more intense the more you shake the bullet) with a lovely sheen that is in no way sticky. My hair hasn’t caught once!
lancome-juicy-shaker-review - 1So good tat even my little forest friend wanted a piece of it – I had to be pretty nifty in removing them from the tray! 😀
Lips feel soft and moisturised. A real blast from the past in the best way possible!
lancome juicy shaker reviewThey come in an amazing 14 shades, including the limited edition Mint to Be, cost £18 each and can be purchased online and at retailers nationwide.
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Primed and prepped: a guide to primers

Posted in Beauty by

which_primer - 2 of 6 (1)Many a times I went on about how primers changed my life and how important they are in the makeup routine. I will give you a brief round-up not to bore you.

Continue reading →

Product review: Lancôme Doll Eyes mascara by Alber Elbaz

Lancome by Alber Elbaz Doll Eyes mascara

Vanity. I am guilty as charged. And will confess I wanted this mascara so much because of the gorgeous – and gorgeous doesn’t quite describe – packaging. Something about the hearts and the words “limited edition”. The Lancôme loved Doll Eyes mascara has received an adorable gown. Yes, it shall go to the ball.

Packaging aside, the review boils down to the Doll Eyes mascara. The wand is funnel shaped, to give inner corner lashes more definition and outer corner more volume. The bristles are medium-long size and of a medium consistency – not too hard, not too soft. The formula is medium weight.

Lancome by Alber Elbaz Doll Eyes mascara

I am a big fan of Lancôme mascaras and this product didn’t disappoint; it gives good volume, but lacks a bit in definition. You can also notice the heavier coating on the outer corners for the desired doll eye effect.

lancome Doll eyes mascara tested - somanylovelythings

lancome Doll eyes mascara tested - somanylovelythings

Lashes do look lovely with only two coats, as seen above. Three coats make lashes look quite lush. Four makes them start to clump. Admittedly, I don’t  spend as much time carefully applying each coat as I should, so I stop at three.

Lancome by Alber Elbaz Doll Eyes mascara

Pretty with content. What else does a girl need?

Have you tried the Doll Eyes mascara? What do you think?

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

studio_smokey_eyesA 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!

eyeko_liner

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!)

nivea_kitClassic 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.

loreal_sos

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.

rodial_bauble

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.

rae_morris

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.

sanctuary

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

clinique_candy

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.

babydoll

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

nailsinc_minis

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!

clinique_party_tips

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

elemis

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


opi_fullytied

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

clinique_3step

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.

liz_earle

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

naked3

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

mac_stoke_midnight

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

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

ud_glitter

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

Damsel-in-De-stress

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

ysl_youthliberator

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

lancome_visionnaire

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

mac_brushes

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

lancome_alber

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

Product review: Lancôme Hypnôse Drama Eyes smoky eyes palette by Alber Elbaz

lancome by Alber Elbaz smoky eyes palette

There is no way of resisting this palette for a lover of all things pretty. Although the colours are not new for Lancôme, the pretty dotty packaging created by Alber Elbaz for this five-colour Hypnôse Drama Eyes smoky eye palette is. And yes – I am a sucker for packaging.

More than a that, I am an ultra-sucker for black eye shadow. A black smokey eye is my favourite look. I would wear it everyday. You read it right. DAY. Plus, as a wearer of red lipstick, black is pretty much the only smokey I can get away with. There you have it.

lancome by Alber Elbaz smoky eyes palette This palette comes with five very wearable shades: a very pearly pink, a light silver grey, a metallic charcoal, a very dark charcoal with silver particles and a satin pure black. What a selection!

I created this look using all but the pink colour in the palette. It was an “Ibiza clubbing eye make”, hence the over the top crystals.

Black smokey eyes with crystals -somanylovelythingsApplication was alright, the colours are super pigmented and look great when applied. You can also use them wet for extra impact. Dry they are extremely blendable. The only problem I found with it is that the darker colours drop an awful lot when applying, so if going bold, do eyes first then skin. Or hang tight to tissue under the eye. Once it drops, it really sticks.

Black smokey eyes with crystals -somanylovelythings

Not only it looked fantastic but it also lasted well, so this is a palette which will be accompanying me in many nights out!

Love it.

Lanvin’s Alber Elbaz for Lancôme to launch

This super cute teaser video for the collaboration collection between the Lanvin designer Alber Elbaz and cosmetics brand Lancôme was illustrated by the man himself and ticks all the fashion and beauty boxes. alber elbaz for lancôme mascara, image from style.com

With uber cute packaging gracing some existent hit products, as seen on these Style.com and Fashionista.com previews, the LIMITED edition (yes, you heard it) 9-piece eye make up collection is set to be a total (and quick) sell out. I mean, how gorgeous is this on the right??? Really???  ❤

“It’s never just a piece of makeup. It’s something a bit deeper than that.” Well, Elbaz, I totally agree with you, sir.

On the 15th of June, when the collection hits the shops, don’t you all rush at once. Yeah, right.

What I wore

So, with the weather oscillating so much, and looking a bit grim at points to say the least, I went a bit crazy on the autumn/winter 12-13 items that can already be found in the shops. It is a sad thing; it is not even the pinnacle of summer and I am already thinking about buying warmer clothes…

I started the week with love on my mind, favouring the heart print two days in a row, with two girly dresses I love!

Then I went a bit darker, and yes, I wore trousers, a very rare occurrence; and  I closed the week with a very autumnal blouse.

This week I gave in to the big necklaces. Oh, I am loving them and cannot wait to acquire a couple more.

Monday

Navy and nude heart print dress (Little Mistress),  red patent court shoes (New Look), heart ring (Forever 21), nude round and large over the knuckle rings (H&M), above the knuckle ring (eBay), MAC lipstick in Lady Danger.

Tuesday

Black and mustard heart print ring (Primark), tricolour court shoes (Zara), rings (big heart – Forever 21, small D heart – Miss Selfridge, mustard – H&M, black bars – Primark), bracelets (mix of Topshop and New Look), Lancome lipstick in Hot stuff.

Wednesday

Black sheer shirt (Primark), black trousers (Zara), black peep-toe wedge booties (New Look), rings (skull – shop in Paris, gold knuckle – H&M, resin – Sobral, above the knuckle – Lovehearts and crosses), bracelet (New Look), earrings (News Look and ear cuff – Topshop), necklace (Primark), MAC lipstick in Odyssey.

Friday

Floral blouse (Primark), black pencil skirt (H&M), taupe gold captoe shoes (Viviana), rings (mustard H&M, star – Primark, gold knuckle – H&M, resin – Sobral, above the knuckle – Lovehearts and crosses, bars – Primark), necklace (Primark), Kiko lipstick (it was bought on their sale, has no number, or name, it is quite orange and matte, I put a little bit of Vaseline on top).

Have you started buying Autumn/Winter items yet? What trends are you going to be adopting?

What I wore – 21/07/12

It really feels like every week, when I show you what I wore, I mainly moan about the weather. Well, I do. I cannot take anymore. All the tought and effort (and a bit of frenzy) that went inbto building a lovely summery wardrobe are totally in vain. Oh, well….

It feels like my tights are glued to my legs. My only attempt not to wear tights last week was aborted in the middle of the day; I didn~t wear them on Tuesday, but I brought them in my bag. By midday had to gie in… just not warm or dry enough.

It had been a while since I wore leopard print, so I decided to start my week in it; and I closed my week confronting the grey weather by going all colour with a bright pink playsuit.

And on Wednesday, I wore I dress I bought a few years back in New York; so pretty, inspired on the Prada collection at the time, it seems to keep giving!

Here are the details:

Monday

Leopard print blouse (Forever 21), black leggings (H&M), taupe shoes with gold toe cap (Viviana), animal rings (Miss Selfridge), resin ring (Sobral), spike and leather studded bracelets (New Look), NYX lipstick in Peach Bellini.

Tuesday

Mint green lace panel top (H&M), black pencil skirt (H&M), mint green shoes with silver toe cap (Topshop), skull ring (shop in Paris), triple spike and black heart rings (Forever 21), believe ring (Disney Couture),  Revlon lip butter in Strawberry Shortcake.

Wednesday

Black and white print dress (Forever 21),  tricolour shoes (Zara), metal belt (Primark),  pearl earrings (Accessorize), ear cuff (Topshop), flower rings (Accessorize), big heart ring (Forever 21), D heart ring (Miss Selfridge), bracelets (a mix of New Look, Topshop and Primark), MAC lipstick in Russian Red.

Friday

Pink flower print playsuit (Primark), black leather ankle boots (gift from a friend), skull ring (as above), star ring (Primark), snake ring (New Look), purple stone ring (Accessorize), bracelets (a mix of Topshop and New Look), NYX lipstick in Chloe.

How are coping with the “summer” in the UK? If you are not in the UK, how’s the weather over where you are?