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.

Nails of the week – silver and blue holographic gradient

holographic gradient nailsOh yeah, I have an obsession with gradients too… and this time, I used three linear holos to create this lovely gradient effect on my nails, in silver, blue and dark grey.

I kind of regret having added the dark grey; it would have been just as nice in silver and blue,plus the darker colour was less pigmented than the others, so at one point I really thought it wouldn’t work…

Work it did, and I was pleased with the result. This time, I applied only one coat of the all white coat, and it worked fine – less time waiting to sponge and less layers of nail polish. I used a silver holo from ColorClub and blue (Apolo) and dark grey (Zeus) holos from Specialittá Hits “No Olimpo” range, applying the sponging technique.

holographic gradient nails

Application, as mentioned, was a bit sketchy, but turned out ok in the end. The ColorClub holo takes aaages to dry. Durability, however, was fantastic: 14 days – yes you read it right – 14 DAYS with absolutely no chips (I skipped a week of doing my nails, partly for being lazy, partly because it looked so good I felt bad removing it!)

Rating:4_star

What I’ve been wearing: 20 May 2013

Confession: this outfit posting hasn’t gone as smooth as I thought… some days I am too busy to take pictures of what I am wearing… so it became not weekly thing, but I have been trying my best, and here is another batch!

I kind of had enough of this “transition” season going on for longer than it should… I just want to ditch the coat!!! Hurry up summer!

Outfit #1

outfit1

Black and white striped shirt and leggings from H&M, black booties from Primark, necklace from H&M, rings from H&M and New Look. Lipstick MAC So Chaud.

Outfit #2

outfit2

Blue watercolour pattern skirt and royal blue shirt from H&M, black court shoes from River Island, necklace from H&M, bracelets from New Look and Turkey (yes, the country), rings from H&M and New Look. Lipstick is Natura Pêssego.

Outfit #3

outfit3

Snake print dress form H&M, mink court shoes form New Look, rings from Accessorize (fox), New Look (bow) and H&M. Lipstick is Revlon lipbutter in Tuttifrutti.

Outfit #4

outfit4

Black skater skirt and black studded top from H&M, grey cap-toe court shoes from H&M, necklace from Primark, rings from H&M and New Look. Lipstick, MAC Ruby Woo.

Outfit #5

outfit5

Black top and black and white maxi skirt from H&M, black platform sandals from Zara, blue stone necklace from H&M, bracelet form H&M, rings from Primark (blue oval), and Topshop (?). Lipstick Natura Pêssego.

And this closed what I thought it would be the beginning of she sandals season. I was wrong. Actually, I was a bit cold going home that day…

How are you coping with the extended rubbish weather?

Cat-a-Cake Creations jewellery: a world of cuteness

Cat-a-cake Creations - somanylovelythingsAccessories are really important in my life – I wear tons of it everyday (actually someone at work once mentioned they were distracted by my rings when talking to me, haha), so I was delighted to receive some lovely samples from Cat-a-Cake Creations, an illustration, design, jewellery and greeting cards (phew!) company by Claire Montgomery.

Illustrator and designer Claire, based in Brighton, UK, specialises in hand crafted collage illustrations; the greeting cards are designed using hand drawn and digital processes and the jewellery, launched in 2012, is hand designed and laser cut.

Her jewellery is very cute and very quirky, girly with an edge – the materials used, acrylic and cherry wood veneer, certainly contribute to that.

bird earring Cat-a-cake Creations - somanylovelythings

So delicate!


I got the lovely Summer Seaside ice-cream cone necklace in gold mirror, which costs £10 and a little flying bird pair of earrings, in a lovely metallic charcoal finish, which retails for a very resonable £6. I really like the length on the necklace chain. The finish is flawless and detail is incredible and you can choose different finishes for some of the designs.

They are very pretty and wearable, definitely unique pieces that will make you stand out from the crowd – and this is just a small sample of her range, which include the latest collection entitled Carousel.

ice-cream necklace Cat-a-cake Creations - somanylovelythings

So quirky and shiny!

You can browse Claire’s jewellery line (which contains necklaces, brooches, charm bracelets, charms, phone charms, and earrings) and her gorgeously illustrated greeting cards (she has an amazing offer available, but will also pick up commissions) on the Cat-a-Cake Creations site and you can buy online on her Etsy site. Oh, and everything is lovingly made by the seaside!

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

Exclusive interview: Kimberly Wyatt launches Beautiful Movements Cosmetics at Holland & Barrett

Kimberly Wyatt's Beautiful Movements Cosmetics - somanylovelythings

Gorgeous Kimberly shows off her make-up range

We all know Kimberly Wyatt – the blonde bombshell from the Pussycat Dolls and a star judge on Sky1’s Got to Dance programme. What we didn’t know (well, at least I didn’t know) is that Kimberly has a lovely make up range called Beautiful Movements Cosmetics, launching in June at Holland & Barrett.

The mineral make-up line, which consists of foundations, concealers, eye shadows, lip colours and blushers, is as pretty as it is good – it is free from parabens, animal products, synthetic dyes, fragrances and other chemicals usually present in cosmetics. To make it even better, it is cruelty free, not tested on animals, vegetarian friendly and approved by PETA and BUAV (that is the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection).

Kimberly Wyatt's Beautiful Movements Cosmetics - somanylovelythings

Mixing medium, foundation, lipgloss in cherry bomb and eyeshadow in aquatic

My very first impression was that, even though the line is mineral, it does not carry that dullness of mineral products already on the market (come on, you know what I mean!). On the contrary – and it is not just because Kimberly’s face adds that extra glamorous touch, it is also because of their fabulously vivid colours. Of course, the basic, nude colours are also present in the collection.

Before talking to Kimberly herself, I spoke to her business partner, Laura McCosmiskie, who is also responsible for skincare range Love the Planet. She told me BM Cosmetics have been selling online for more than 2 years, but they wanted to make sure the products delivered what they wanted, before hitting the streets. Plus, people really needed to physically try them, especially foundations. She highlighted that make up that is kind to the environment and the skin is paramount, as she suffers (like me and many others) from problematic skin and Holland & Barrett, being the health haven it is, seemed to be a natural stockist for the range. Her favourite product from is the Dewy Perfection finishing powder, a light diffusing powder that gives the complexion a soft focus effect! Nice!

Now, tell me….

During my short, but perfectly formed exclusive interview, Kimberly told me that she decided to venture into make-up because has always been a massive fan of make-up and loves the “artistic, creative side of creating a flawless face”. As she became more aware of what ingredients products contained, she found a big passion in wanting to make positive changes, not only as a consumer, but as a business. She describes the project as the perfect blend between a passion and wanting to make that positive change.

Kimberly Wyatt's Beautiful Movements Cosmetics and Dani Dutra from somanylovelythings

There are 37 products in the range. Look at all those colours!

Do I look pretty?

When asked about her favourite beauty look, she quickly replied natural, earthy tones for day with colourful lips, and darker eyes, with a more natural looking lip colour for the night – mentioning the range offers products to create both looks. She looked very natural on the day, wearing black eye liner with a flick. Very smiley and attentive, she came across as super nice and genuinely passionate about make-up, mentioning quite vivaciously how much she loves playing with make-up, the colours, the pigments and that natural make-up should not need to make sacrifices when it comes to those.

When asked about healthy habits, she said she tries to create as healthy lifestyle, and “beauty start from inside out, as cliche as it sounds”, praising fruit, vegetables and nuts in a healthy diet and regular exercise, as well as being aware about the “added extras” in products that we put in our skin. But we are all humans, and Kimberly, who is now based in London, confesses that her guilty pleasure is chocolate – actually, chocolate digestive biscuits!

Her fave product from the range is the silky Mixing Medium Prime & Create, which can be used alone, as a primer and also mixed with the powder, to create a cream consistency foundation, blusher or eyeshadow. Luckily, I got a sample which I have been using.

Kimberly Wyatt's Beautiful Movements Cosmetics and Dani Dutra from somanylovelythings

After the interview

Catch that light, accentuate that shadow

We finished with her telling us what her best beauty tip was: contouring. “Pay attention to the contours of your face and bring out the natural beauty using that”. Watch the shadows in your face and then use highlighter and darker shades to highlight and contour, enhancing what you already have. “Bring out your natural beauty, instead of creating a mask of make-up”. Well, I cannot disagree, that is a hell of a good tip, for more than one reason. Write it down ladies – this comes from someone who always looks good!

And to top the interview off I had to embarrass myself and ask for an autograph for my other half, who is a fan. Ah, boys….

Beautiful Movements Cosmetics - somanylovelythings

The goodies I’ve been trying!

I took home a few goodies to try – and trying I have been! review will come very soon!

You can buy it from Holland & Barrett in June. If you cannot wait, head over to the Beautiful Movements website to browse the range and find out more about the brand.

Nails of the week – black with red glitter French manicure

black with red glitter French manicure - somanylovelythingsBlack and red, red and black… I cannot get enough. Definitely my favourite colours.

This week I had a wedding to go to, and was wearing a red (surprise!) dress, so decided to match my nails.

I used Colorama Black as base on all fingers except the ring one, where I applied the gorgeous Barry M glitter in red (seen in full glory here) as an accent. I used the same red to do the French mani on the black ones.

black with red glitter French manicure - somanylovelythingsI love it, really. The glitter tips just looked so pretty (the Barry M glitter polish is amazing!), and the black was so glossy (Seche Vite topcoat used!). Application was fine; two coats of each polish were applied. Durability was good; by the 6th day the glitter started to wear off from the tips, but a good run nevertheless.

Rating:

4_star

Product review: Lee Stafford Big Fat Root Boost mousse spray

lee stafford big fat hair

Big fat hair. Something that, for me, a person with fine hair, was always an unattainable dream.  To add insult to injury to my limp strands of hair, luscious, voluminous locks proliferate around me, everywhere I look. The cheek!

Since taking Roaccutane for the second time, I noticed a visible thinning in my hair. Although in quantity it seems ok, it is finer than it’s ever been.

Anyway, I have to resort to products to lift those roots and create that glamorous effect in my locks.

I came across this Lee Stafford root boost a while ago and have been using regularly. The consistency is of a firm-ish white mousse that dissolves well, and you apply it in a very controlled manner, thanks to the little straw nozzle (which I love, as too much product tends to weigh a lot in my hair, leaving it looking greasy), straight to the root of towel dried hair, rub with fingertips and style.

lee stafford big fat hair

It really gives roots that oomph and sought after lift, changing the whole look. It holds, especially if combined with a bit of back combing. As you don’t need a lot, the bottle also goes a long way.

So, if big, fat hair is for you, this product will certainly make you happy. In the UK, you can buy it from Boots for £6.99. See the whole range and where to buy around the world on Lee Stafford’s website.

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

Nails of the week: orange and colour shifting glitter flakes

Orange glitter flakes nails - somanylovelythingsYou were warned there was going to be a flakie fest here… well, here is another one.

This flakie, suspended on a sheer light orange base is from Risqué, a Brazilian brand, and it is called Cobertura Encantada – enchanted coverage, in free translation, and it really is. I used on top of a gorgeous dark-ish orange, with a very discreet metallic sheen, called Garota Verão, from Colorama – and I have to say, this one needs to be worn alone, it is beautiful.

The glitter flakes, even on an lighter colour, shifted subtly from gold-green to orange-light red. I really liked it. Most of the time, they were just very shiny vivid gold, as seen on the pictures. I couldn’t quite capture the shifting :(. I saw some pictures of it over black and it is amazing… but I am sooo tired of wearing flakie over black; they end up looking quite similar…

Application was alright; smooth. I used two coats of Garota Verão (could have done with one, really  – it is very pigmented), and three of the glitter topcoat – it is not the most saturated flakie I have ever seen, but three coats created a good coverage.

Durability was ace and I was very happy with this one, nothing too exceptional, but nice. Overall, a good combo!

Rating:

3_star

Product review: Holland & Barrett sleeping beauty box

We all know that sleeping well is essential to our beauty. Dark circles, tiredness, dull skin, dry patches: a badly slept night can literally be seen in you face.

So although some of the products here are not really beauty products per se (apart from the one), I believe they can also be part of a beauty regime. I am lucky to sleep quite well already, but a helping hand is always welcome, especially in more stressful times.

I received four products, to be used in steps just before saying night-night:

dr organic night cream, cherry concentrate, lavender oil and wonder oil from holland and barrett

First, the Wonder Oil, a combination on olive, sunflower seed, wheat germ, sweet almond, sesame and jojoba oils and a blend of 14 herbs in a base of Safflower oil and a citrus blend of grapefruit, lemon and orange (phew!) so plenty of goodness there, to be used on the skin, hair, nails. I use it after showering, on damp skin. It absorbs quickly, leaves a subtle orangey smell on the skin for a little while and you I could still feel my skin moisturised and soft in the morning. It retails at £10.99.

Then, the Black Cherry concentrate. This is yummy. My favourite way of taking it was as yoghurt topper. OMG, it is sooooo tasty, and healty. You can add to ice-cream, use instead of squash for a delicious cherry drink – hot (lovely just before bed!) or cold. Love it. Has no added sugar and cherries contain the sleep hormone melatonin. It is also said to help relieve gout symptoms, arthritis pain and help prevent heart disease. The only problem is that I could not find the nutritional information for this anywhere – it would be nice to know how many calories and carbs it has. You can buy a 473ml bottle for £11.69.

After that, the lavender oil. I love lavender oil. For me, the way of using it is in the oil burner. Smells great and if you have undesirable moths in the house, this really helps to get rid of them – keep a soaked cotton ball in the wardrobe! This little bottle retails for £4.99 (10ml)

I also received a Dr. Organic Moroccan Argan oil night cream. It smells amazing and it is of a thick consistency  great for drier patches, I used on my hands, elbows, knees, around my hips and waist, as well as on my decolette. I found a bit too rich for my face, but it will probably be alright for more mature skin. It also contains Kigelia, Roselle and Baobab, all organic ingredients, of course!  It retails for £9.49 for a 50ml tub.

You can find all these products and much more at Holland & Barrett.

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

What I’ve been wearing – 28 April 2013

Another week, a whole set of outfits… aaaaaaah! Again, B&W obsession is NOT going away…

Outfit #1

outfit of the day

Some spots and stripes! Lulu Guinness for Uniqlo top, River Island polka dot skirt, red court shoes from New Look. Lipstick is MAC Red.

Outfit #2

outfit of the day

Leather collar shirt, from Primark, black shorts from H&M, black and white court shoes from Viviana Calcados, set of above the knuckle rings from H&M, key, pearl and heart rings from New Look. Lipstick is MAC So Chaud.

Outfit #3

outfit of the day

Didn’t really have time to properly photograph the outfit that wasn’t black and white!!! AAArgh! Black top, blue patterned trousers and necklace from H&M, black court shoes from River Island.

Outfit #4

outfit of the day

Apple print shirt from Friday on My Mind, black pencil skirt from H&M, red court shoes from New Look, kiss and bow rings from Primark, set of above the knuckle rings from H&M. Lipstick is Ruby Woo.

Outfit #5

outfit9

Black and white patterned shirt from H&M, leather-like pleated skirt from Primark, black and white court shoes from Viviana, bow and key rings and bracelet from New Look. Lipstick is MAC Lady Danger.

What about you? What have you been wearing?