My little shoe project

high heels - somanylovelythings
You can see them in detail, including where they are from, below

Shoes. I just love them. Maybe love is not the right word. I am just obsessed with them. Maybe I should’ve been more clear – this little project is not about any old shoes. It is about heels – needle, chunky, comma, spiky, curvy, platform, wedges, block, straight. Heels are the actual object of my infatuation.

May be I am opening myself to being called a crazy shoe lady and I couldn’t care less – to quote Imelda Marcos, “they went into my closets looking for skeletons, but thank God, all they found were shoes, beautiful shoes”. So there you go.

First of all, I love the way they make me feel. Well, tall, to start with and those 5 foot almost nothing ladies will certainly understand. But they make me feel as if nothing is impossible – you know the “give a girl the right shoes and she can conquer the world” say? That is right. Nothing is scary in heels – ok, maybe a wet field, going down a mountain, but you know where I am going with this, right? They make me feel happy and more confident. And that’s just on the inside.

My legs look nicer, my posture looks better (ok, orthopedists out there, I know what you are thinking, and frankly, save it!).

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t feel ugly or insecure in flats. I fell comfortable, alright. In heels, I feel amazing. There is, for me, a weird satisfaction on wearing a fabulous pair of shoes. That’s the reason I decided to document my heels. Most of them, at least. Also, I love looking at them – they are beautiful. 

And it gave me and excuse to finally count them. These 90 odd are part of more  then 140 pairs of shoes which include flats and boots. Amongst this selection, there are many special ones, like my first pair of Louboutins. Some carry numerous memories. Others, sentimental value; they are more than 12 years old and although I don’t wear them anymore, they are a part of me that came over from Brazil to the UK, and like me, they survived. A few tell tales of boys, usually followed by tales of a heartbreak. It is also a little reminder of pain that we all carry in our live (honestly, there are pairs I only wore once as they butchered my feet!)

Yet, they all tell tales of my life and the person I am – I feel this mosaic is a little patch from a huge patchwork quilt that is me. 

Snow PR Spring/Summer 14 preview

Snow PR is just around the corner from my work and I was really glad I made it to their Spring/Summer 15 preview.

On the ground floor, they had all the premium and slightly above high street designers ranges. Beautiful prints, bold colours dominated the rails. I was particularly drawn to the stunning leathers from Muubaa – their pewter-ish holographic top, skirt and dress are to die for. Amazing pieces.

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Jewellery designer Joanna Hynes displayed a capsule clothing collection, with her signature perspex pieces. A crop top with dangly blue and black perspex shapes really caught my attention and I think is quite wearable!

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Ilse Jacobsen displayed beautiful prints – particularly like the printed suit and a colourful rose print pair of trousers, as well as a super delicate white daisy embroided peplum top.  Really wearable and elegant pieces for the coming season.

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Also fond of Baum und Pferdgarten’s loud graphic prints in blue. Leopard print, which is a perennial favourite of mine feature in usual colours, but also in royal blue with sequins. Nice.

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Downstairs, they had their high street range, and the pieces on display were from the Autum/Winter 13-14 collection, so ready to wear NOW!

Quiz Clothing is very affordable and has great pieces. Their going out and party dresses are very good value for money. They also had lovely winter jumpers and separates – love the “studded” bodycon skirt and oversized cream crop top with a necklace. They also have accessories and shoes, so great for that party look on a budget. I would happily wear quite a few of their items, so it was a great discovery for me.

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Another brand I came across and really liked was Madam Rage, they have lovely dresses! I totally fell in love with an embellished jacquard dress in blue, which is part of their Frankie Essex collaboration line, and will soon be available. Cannot wait! They are also very affordable.

snow pr preview - somanylovelythings

My favourite dress from Madam Rage!

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Also, I had to include these gorgeous Modalu handbags – look at the ombre on that. And I hear they are bringing great colours for the next season, here is a teaser!

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These events get me all excited for the next season, and for a minute, I forget I have to brave the cold… brrrrr

What do you think of the pieces?

My halloween look: Disney’s Maleficent

Maleficent Halloween look - somanylovelythings

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.

Maleficent Halloween look - somanylovelythings

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.

Maleficent Halloween look - somanylovelythings

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.

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.

frankenstein halloween look - somanylovelythings

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?

LashPerfect press evening and launch of Brow Perfect

lashperfect lashbar

Brows and champagne said the invitation. Although I must confess this line alone is enough to get me almost anywhere, it wasn’t the only reason I was very excited to attend a press evening at LashBar, the LashPerfect flagship store and salon in central London. I knew there was much more to know about them, as I was first introduced to the brand at Olympia Beauty and have fallen in love with their Hi Brow eyebrow powder (reviewed here).

Lash bar

Image courtesy of LashBar

The lash and eyebrow haven salon is absolutely lovely with the treatment areas downstairs. Apart from catering for clients, the space also serves as training centre – LashPerfect professional eyelash extensions are available in 6000 salons nationwide and also present in more than 20 countries – very impressive and a great indicator of the quality of their products and services.

At LashBar, they offer a huge variety of eye treatments – of course, professional lash extensions, false lashes application, anti-ageing treatments, perms and tints.

However, the night was all about brows. Demonstrations of their Hi Brow by La La Professional Treatment – Eyebrows by Design (£35.00), which include a combination of techniques to tidy, shape and tint and left the ladies with a natural lift and better definition, as well as filling and shaping. All services in the full eyebrow treatment are also available separately (waxing, threading, tinting, tidying).

And if all this wasn’t enough, we were treated to the unveiling of a brand new service: their Brow Perfect – super natural eyebrow extensions. Perfect for filling in gaps, the extension last up to 7 days and are made of synthetic hair. Having said that, they just look extremely natural!

lashperfect lashbar

Left brows with no extensions – note the difference, especially in the middle!!!

As well as the professional range, LashPerfct also has a line of consumer products which include my fave Hi Brow, wax pencil, strip lashes, eye make-up remover , growth and conditioning lash and brow serum, 24 hour liner, amongst many others. They can be bought in the shop or online, as well as in salons around the country.

And yeah, the champagne part was also true – accompanied by amazing canapes!

The LashBar is located at 35 Marshall Street, London W1F 7EX (just behind Carnaby Street). All info on treatments and prices can be found on the LashBar website and you can book an appointment by calling 020 7434 4554. Also follow them on Twitter @LashBar, @LashPerfect, @Hi_Brow and @BrowPerfect_ for news and promotions! More info on LashPerfect can be found on their website. No excuses for unruly brows of lashes now, ladies!

Nails of the week: Gold, green and blue colour shifting

multi chrome nails - somanylovelythings

This week I rekindled my relationship with colour shifting polishes. Once a favourite of mine, they gave way to some dabbling with nail art.

When I found the beautiful Specialittá Hits Marimoon Cool sitting at the bottom of my polish box, I knew this was the time.

And this beauty delivered an amazing colour, shifting from an old gold into a deep dark green and then a teal-ish blue, with impeccable metallic finish.

multi chrome nails - somanylovelythings

Application was great; I used two coats. This polish is really pigmented and for a metallic like this, sets with very little brush strokes. Durability was fantastic; I actually wore this for two whole weeks and chips just appeared around day 10 (and still only where I bit the skin on the side of the nail!).

This certainly brought back my love for colour-shifting polishes!

multi chrome nails - somanylovelythings

Rating:

4_star

Product review: Pro Hygiene Collection from Pro Make-Up Shop

pro makeup shop hygiene collection

Now, before I start, I must confess I had been thinking about getting a product like this for a while now and my wishes came true when I spotted the Pro Make-Up Shop at Olympia Beauty! How lucky!

They were displaying their Pro Hygiene Collection, which is formed of a Antibacterial Make-Up Spray (sanitizes makeup and helps reduce the growth of bacteria that can lead to infection.  Suitable for pressed and loose powders, creams, gels, pigments, lipsticks, pencils and tools), the Make-Up Brush Cleaner (removes product residue, oil and pigments and helps reduce bacteria build up while remaining safe for use on natural and synthetic brushes) and the Hand Sanitizing Gel.

pro makeup shop hygiene collection

All  kill 99.99% of bacteria and both the Make-up and the Brush Sprays also kill candida albicans, all within 60 seconds!

I don’t think I need to say how important it is to keep your make-up tools and kit clean, either at home but especially if you are a professional, applying make-up on other people. This range is just great for domestic or professional to keep yourself and your clients safe!

The packaging is simple and easy to manipulate. Nozzles are sturdy, product is dispensing even and efficient; for the sprays, a fine mist, for the pump, a reasonable amount of product.

pro makeup shop hygiene collection

For me, the star in this trio has the Make-Up Brush Cleaner. Really, this is what I had been looking for and my mind is much more at rest now that I use it daily. It takes one or two sprays on the brush applied from about 10cm, a little brush on a dry piece o paper and in 60 seconds the brush is dry, ready to re-use or put away.  It smells a bit lemongrass-y and doesn’t leave any residue or smell after a minute.

The Antibacterial Make-up Spray is also great; spray at about 15cm from the item and it dries in 60 seconds and doesn’t spoil the make-up on which it has been applied. There is also no residue, marks, smells left behind.

Finally, the Hand Sanitizer. It feels great on the hands, it is not drying and doesn’t leave a sticky feeling.

The Pro Make-Up Shop will also bring these products in a mini size, I was told, making it easier for professionals to carry in their kits!

You can get the Pro Hygiene Collection in  bundle offer, with the three products for £25.93 or each individually, from £6.50 to £15.00 for 240ml at the Pro Make-Up Shop website.

They also supply a variety of disposable makeup applicators, tools and accessories, hygiene essentials, bottles, jars, cosmetics tools and student kits on their website and have a very handy Safe Beauty Guide which can be downloaded by professional and beauty enthusiasts – well worth a look.

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.

Thor-inspired Mojito shoes by Julian Hakes

Thor Mojito shoes by Julian Hakes

Designer and architect extraordinaire Julian Hakes is at it again – he created a version of his work of art Mojito shoes to mark the release of Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World in the UK.

Describing his hand-carved shoe as what would be a very special and unique a gift from the Thor’s heart and made in Asgard for his companion Jane Foster, Hakes also said he “wanted to draw on some of the strong iconography of Thor and his character but in a subtle way which reflects the deeper, darker storyline and imagery of the film”.

He then created a Mojito shoe “as if it had been hammered by Thor, using Mjölnir, from a solid block of titanium or rock”.  And the result is quite something! I love the colour and texture and I can see clearly he managed to convey all the ideas that inspired him! 

I find it too cute that a superhero would gift their loved one with shoes. Well, he would certainly get it right if he managed squeeze in some shoe-hammering time between fighting the baddies.

If you are not getting yours from your superhero boyfriend, you can see and shop the whole Mojito shoes range for us, mortals, at the Julian Hakes website.

Chase PR Spring/Summer 14 preview breakfast

chase pr spring/summer 14 breakfast

At the beautiful Choccywoccydoodah secret garden, Chase PR has shown us some of their clients new collections for the next season.

The garden is indeed quite secret – I had no idea it was sitting at the top of their building. And yes, it is a garden, with a bright green fake grass floor, benches, plenty of flowers and my favourite spot: a romantic rope swings with roses at the top.

Fuelled by plenty of sugar and delicious coffees, hot chocolates and juices, we waltzed through the goodies.

Their clients include  Elie Tahari, Julian Hakes, French Connection, Red or Dead and LaidBack London, Sebago bringing in the shoes, Transitions lenses, which were in the quirkiest frames, Chesca and Red or Dead clothes and Storm watches and jewellery.

My picks are the rose gold watches from Storm, as well as some of their rings, the French Connection black and white slingback, Elie Tahari’s metallic pink high heel sandals and a zipper stiletto and the amazing Bocca glasses frames from  Face a Face with Transitions lenses (which I am absolutely in love). I couldn’t leave Hakes’ Mojito engineered shoes out – although I prefer the black to all the amazing patterns they had on show.

Thank you so much Chase PR for having me that morning, especially to the lovely Charlotte who showed me around!

And judging by the looks of the collections, it seems warmer weathers is not the only thing to be looking forward to for the next season!

Nails of the week: Red and nude

nude and red manicure - somanylovelythings

Yes, you are right. I cannot stay away from the red and nude combo for too long. I just love it on my nails. I wanted to do a half moon plus French tip for quite sometime and I finally got round to it.

I used L’Oréal Color Riche in Macaron Noisette (the most beautiful nude ever to grace my talons) as a base – two coats are sufficient. When dry, I used a hole re-enforcer as a guide for the half moon and French manicure guides for the tips, splashing them red with the beautiful Brilliant Red  from Lola. This red is fantastic. It is sheer but almost cream and the coverage is excellent – so pigmented. The colour is great – a deep, vivid blood red. I love it and will certainly be using is on its own.

nude and red manicure - somanylovelythings

This was the first time I used  nail polish from Lola and was really impressed. Application was smooth, the polish quality is very good, which translated into great durability of seven days with no chips – all bearing in mind it was tip only!

I am pleased with this mani; maybe I should have had the French tips slightly thinner (which I always do and think maybe I should have had it slightly thicker… oh well). Overall, I think it lacked a bit of oomph. Should’ve used the Lola red alone!

nude and red manicure - somanylovelythings

As for the Lola Make-up by Perse polish, I loved it – and you can find their range at M&S, in-store or on the website!

Rating:

3_star(for the mani)

5_star(for the Lola polish)

L’Oréal Nude Magique Eau de Teint foundation

lorealnudemagique

Attention all lovers of very light make-up!!! The news of this foundation has been doing the rounds recently. Lots of people already swear by L’Oréal~s new  Nude Magique Eau de Teint foundation and the company released this video backing up their “lighter than water” claim. The new lighter than water texture foundation promises to be perfectly invisible and invisibly perfect with amazing coverage – the ideal nude that glides on the skin and doesn’t feel like makeup. The new foundation comes in six shades from Porcelain to Golden Sands, costs less than £10 and you can find more information at the L’Oréal website!