Forevermissvanity - A UK Lifestyle Blogger : May 2013

Summer Delights

Tomorrow I'll be making my way to Wales for a week of sailing and at the moment I'm going through all my beauty items deciding what to take. Boat life is far from glamorous at times. The wind leaves my hair curly and unmanageable, whilst the weather takes its toll on my face leaving me with dry, horrible skin. Sailing has always been a passion of mine and if I have to look a little less glamorous for a few days, oh well, at least I'll be doing what I enjoy, I just need to keep up with my beauty regime so that I can feel the best I can be whilst at sea. The space is tight so I can't pack my entire collection...which in all fairness takes up the majority of my bedroom anyway, so I'll have to choose my favourite little items to put in my cosmetics bag.

This EOS lip balm is one of my latest favourite products. It combines my love of summer fruits with cool, funky packaging. The EOS lip balm fits into any handbag without any problems, moisturises those lips making them feel baby soft and you're lips are left with a scent that leaves you drooling for hours. The EOS Summer fruits lip balm is only £4.99 and can be bought from biggreensmile.com.

My next favourite products are from the new YVES Rocher tropical collection. All these products make me want to go on holiday and even though it's only Wales I'm going to, I'm glad to be getting away. There's a variety of bronzing, bright, sun kissed products for you to try and so far I've been barely disappointed. The first product I'm really liking is the cheek stain. It gives you a wonderful glow to your face by only using a very small amount. The difficulty comes with the application. I don't like the fact that it doesn't include an applicator and you have to literally pour it out, but the end result is worth it. The cheek stain helps bronze those cheeks to match your perfectly tanned body, adding extra warmth to those who are naturally pale like me. Yves Rocher's cheek stain is only £7.50 and it's rather affordable compared to other cheek stains on the market.

Second product is this beautiful Yves Rocher duo- khol eyeliner. There are two eye popping colours to use and great someone looking for an alternative to black. I've found myself reaching for this pencil quite often lately as I love using the lighter colour under my eye to make them appear brighter.

The final item from the Yves Rocher tropical collection I own one of the Yves Rocher nail polishes in this turquoise green shade. I love the colour, but unfortunately it chips far too much for my liking. This may be due to my quite damaged nails and the fact that I work with lots of chemicals, but the product isn't that effective for daywear. However, I'll be taking this with me for a night out as the colour is far too lovely to be sitting in my makeup draw at home.

My final favourite product at the moment is this Atelier Paris Waterproof foundation. I was kindly sent this product awhile ago to test out and I found that the colour is far too light for my skin tone. This instantly ruled the product out as a regular foundation, however I came to discover it makes a pretty darn good concealer.

This Atelier Paris gel foundation is not only easy to apply, but it's waterproof. Great for all those swimmers out there and people getting ready for a night out whilst it's raining outside. If I was to cover my face in this foundation I would literally look like a ghost. Not due to the quality of the product, simply due to the fact that I make a mistake when selecting my colour. I now use the product regularly as a concealer to cover up blemishes, spots and bags under my eyes when I need something that has long staying power. The product costs £28.00 to buy, which is a little bit pricey for me, but I can see it being a great investment for those who have searched out the market looking for waterproof foundations.

So now you've all my new products, it's time for me to say goodbye for the next 7 days. The blog unfortunately wont be updated as I haven't had chance to schedule any posts during my exam period, however there will be a treat in store for all you wonderful followers when I get back. I'm reaching nearly 1000 followers and I think it's almost time a little giveaway is in order.

Enjoy your bank holiday!

A few months ago I wrote a blog post on SheerCover makeup and expressed how much I loved the brand. The minerals are really easy to work with and the products are really affordable. In this blog post, I've decided to show you the Sheer Cover highlighter powder and the smokey eye shadow palette, which have recently become two of my favourite products.

I don't wear much eyeshadow as I religiously stick to my cat-flick eyeliner and red lipstick makeup routine, but this kit has made me reconsider my makeup look. There's nothing sexier than a smouldering smokey eye and these colours are perfect for blending and creating that look. Since I received the palette, I've been using the purple and silver colours regularly and noticed they have stayed on for a considerable amount of time. Most eyeshadows I have used in the past have smudged very easily and it's put me off wearing them. The second aspect I love about the Sheer Cover palette is the pigmentation of the products. The colours stand out and rather than layering the colour on for a dramatic look, the colour applies with literally one glide of your applicator. The SheerCover eye palette retails at £20.95, which I think is affordable for the selection of colours available and the fact that you only need a small amount at a tiny. The packaging is glossy and looks expensive and you really feel that you're buying into luxury.

The second product I tried was the 'Lip to Lid highlighter' in the shade bronze. This product is great for contouring those cheek bones or adding a little bit of colour to your face if you're pale like me. I love how it shimmers in the light and the fact that you only need a small amount to make a difference to your face. The powder can also be used on your eyes, lips or even to patch up your fake tan. So far, I'm loving this powder and I'm wearing it nearly everyday. I never thought I'd find a highlighter that rivalled my NARS orgasm, but this definitely does. The highlighter retails at £17.95 and although I think this is a tiny bit on the expensive side for this product, I would definitely repurchase it due to it's versatility.

Overall I love the colours and the look the products create. It feels like i'm wearing a second skin rather than lots of makeup and best of all, it looks the highlighting powder looks natural.

What do you think of these products?

http://www.sheercover.co.uk/

Today has been quite hectic and I've worn myself out at gym, therefore I've decided to treat myself to some pampering courtesy of the SMask Caviar Face Mask. I find face masks a great way to wind down after a long difficult day and they make your skin feel silky smooth just before bedtime. I've always wondered about the hype surrounding caviar face masks and whether they work. After all they're a lot more expensive than the 99p face masks you can buy at your local beauty store. The SMask Caviar face masks retail at around £20, but are they worth the money?

Pros

They left my face feeling rather refreshed and softer.
It's less messier than a conventional face mask. The mask is already prepared for you and all you need to do is rest the mask on your face and let it do it's magic.
Doesn't stick to your hair as much. It's advised that you tie your hair back, but I forgot to do it. Most face masks will have mucked up my hair within five seconds, but my trapped hair remained nice and clean.
The face mask is really relaxing. There's very little you need to do and you get a lot of benefits. I had a headache before I applied the mask, but it vanished all the stress.

Cons

It's not an attractive look. Most face masks don't look that attractive, but I find that this mask in particular makes you look like a blue plastic alien. Of course I took a blog photo for reviewing purposes, but I think that's probably the least attractive photo I've ever added to this website.
It's rather expensive. You only get 3 masks and the product costs over £20. Granted, that is probably the amount that you would pay at a salon and it does include caviar, but as normal working person the product is edging over my spending limit.

With the Smask Caviar face masks, I think the pro's definitely outweigh the cons. It's an easy to use product and great for if you're in need of pampering before a night out. The price is a little bit too much for a regular face mask, but perfect for the odd indulgence. If you can face resembling a blue alien for the evening, I'd say give it a go, it's definitely done wonders for my skin.

Have you tried any Caviar face masks?

For aslong as I can remember, my eyelashes have caused me many confidence issues. Makeup artists that have worked with me say I have wonderfully long eyelashes, but if that's the case, why do they never stand out as much I would like? I've tried curling them and purchasing many different masacras, but I came to the conclusion that all hope had gone. I felt like I was doomed to have fine none existent eyelashes all my life or surrender to a life of daily fakery - something that isn't really my 'cuppa tea'. Don't get my wrong, when I discovered fake eyelashes for the first time I thought they were a god send and I wore them as much as I could, but to do this on a daily basis would take too much time and effort. I'm a get up and go type of girl and I like simplicity. If I applied fake eyelashes everyday, I can guarantee that I'll be running for the bus and one would be stuck in my hair whilst the other would have fallen off and yes girls, I have experienced days like that before.

I was recently approached by the PR company that handles Lash fibres and asked if I wanted to do a review. Upon first hearing about the product, I laughed skeptically and told myself that it probably wouldn't make much of a difference. I've grown too accustomed to lash products letting me down over and over again and with the product having a rather low price tag I thought it would have no chance. Despite all my concerns, I thought I might as well give it ago and I can happily say I take back all my snide giggles and all my hesitancy against the product. Lash Fibres has worked really well and made such a difference to my daily makeup regime. For on the go bigger lashes, this is perfect. Gone are the hours spent wasted aligning fake eyelashes, here's a product that makes a difference instantly with no glue in sight.

LashFibres in an instant eyelash brush containing mini fibres that cling onto your mascara. This gives you luscious lash volume within seconds and takes only three steps. Perfect for those lusting over longer eyelashes, but lack the time to apply fakes.

Step one

Apply your own mascara. I've gone for my usual B Longer lengthening mascara - it's one of my favourites from Superdrug and it works really well with my short lashes.

Step 2

Apply the LashFibres over your mascara using a downwards method (the opposite to how you would normally apply your eye mascara) and then wait 30 seconds.

Step 3

Apply your second coat of mascara and voila - it's done.

As you can tell my eyelashes look more pronounced and my eyes look wider. This is probably one of the first times that my eyelashes have really stood out on camera without wearing falsies. I'm really happy that I've found a product that I can wear on a daily basis that doesn't take much effort and erases my lack of confidence when it comes to eyelashes. The product retails at £9.95 from Superdrug - at that price I think i'll be hauling these next time I go shopping.

I've finished my LashFibres look with a bright lipstick and cat-flick eyeliner, it's my signature makeup look and the one I'll be applying the most whilst using this product. I've used my Collection 2000 felt tip eyeliner and my MAC Archie Girl lipstick that I keep falling in love with over and over again. So finally...

Optional Step 4:

Do a cheesy, wacky, slightly disturbing grin on camera. Yep, that's what I do when I'm happy. I pull rather weird faces then my partner comes across them on my camera and gives me a what the hell face. Plus, you get to see how your new eyelashes look from all different angles...or take lots of 'selfies' for Facebook...go on, you know you want to.

Have you tried LashFibres?

http://www.lashfibres.com/

If you have recently read my Twitter feed, (@jessycalouise) many of you will know I have recently embarked on a tone up mission for my holiday to Ibiza. As you can see from my pictures, my stomach is a little bit flabby and I unfortunately have stretch marks from when I lost six stone two years ago. I'm determined to get a little bit more in shape to make myself happy at last in a bikini and I finally feel after all those years its within arms reach. All this working out inspired me to write a post about gym music. You can usually spot me at the gym shaking my hips as I'm on the cross trainer and lip syncing my favourite songs to get motivated. I find that certain music makes me work harder. It can be the simple fact that I relate to the song, I want to be like someone in that music video or the rhythm. So here's my recommendations for every new and old gym bunny out there.

Heavy songs

No-one can ever take away the rock chic side of my personality, it seems evident in most things that I do. My wardrobe is full of fake leather items and I wish I could turn back time and suddenly appear in the 80s. Rock music isn't usually listened to in the gym, but it's got a great heavy beat and can often make you feel really sexy.

Indie/ Pop Rock

I find indie rock music to be great for interval training, where you need to run at different speeds to get your heart pumping. When I listen to bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, I imagine running on the beach in California rather than on a treadmill, it's great for escapism.

Pop and Dance Music

Pop and dance music is very popular in the gym, because it evokes a feel good mood. There's always some type of dance music added to my gym playlist as you can never go wrong with it.

What's your favourite music?

With the wind and rain being a predominant force at the moment, we're all grabbing our hairspray cans and praying that our hair will hold out for the day. I'm really picky when it comes to hair products due to having an overly sensitive scalp and heat damaged hair. I hate it when you buy hairspray that is literally like glue and you spend hours with a comb the next day, whilst tugging half of your hair out. I gave up on hairspray for quite a long time, until discovering the Got2B range a few months ago. Their hairspray worked rather well with my hair, but I still felt it took the shine away and left my hair looking slightly lifeless. It was when I ran out of my Got2B hairspray that I turned to one of my favourite haircare brands for help and I was guided in the direction of their new control hairspray.

The Macadamia control spray is one of Macadamia Oil's newest products and they state that the spray will give you a long lasting hold which brushes out easily. The spray is also humidity resistant, enhances your hair's natural shine and gives you UV protection. The Macadamia control spray has to be one of my favourite hairsprays I've used to date. It works well as an everyday hairspray and it doesn't cause the build up that most products do. I love the scent, the sophisticated bottle design and most of all that the product contains soy proteins that helps encourage healthy looking hair. If I still worked in the hair salon, this is a product that I would recommend to my friends, family and my old clients.

The product costs £17.95 and you don't need to use that much at a time, making it very cost efficient. I would always pay that little bit more for hair products as I believe great looking hair is the most important part of a persons outfit. My friends that have accidentally sniffed my hair whilst on a night out have been asking what product I've used and my mother has been sneaking the bottle into her bedroom when I'm away. The Macadamia Oil Control spray is clearly a big hit, like all the Macadamia Oil range. If you was to invest in any hairspray, from a professional hairdressing opinion and a beauty blogger, I'd say MC's Control spray is the way to go.

What's your favourite hairspray?

www.macadamiahair.co.uk

Summer Nails

With the sun being brighter than it has been all year, I'm getting ever so slightly obsessed with bright, cheerful nail polishes. Whether its bright orange, pink or even neon, there's nothing like a bold coloured nail polish to brighten your mood. Here are some of my current favourites.

Beauty UK - Posh Polish (No 15 Funky Diva) and Glam Nails ( Dolly Mixture No 70)

Unfortunately my nails aren't in the best of condition and as you scroll through all these pictures, you will notice looks of nails that look bitten. This isn't the case - I've never bitten my nails, I just unfortunately suffer from very brittle nails due to my deficiencies. I've tried nail strengtheners, different types of nail applications, but none of them really work and I don't want to wreck them either more with falsies. Just admire all the colours I have to show you, because seriously, the pictures don't do them justice.

Polish Polish

I love these colours because they stand out from the crowd and oranges, pinks and reds are my favourite choice of nail colour. They seem to effortlessly compliment my skin tone and look great with most outfits. I've found that the Beauty UK nail polishes have a long durability, which is great for those who suffer from frequent accidental nail polish chipping. The posh polish in particular is fast drying and applies really well, this is very similar to the glam nails, but I think the posh polish has the winning factor for me.

Glam Nails

Beauty UK Cancer Research Paint for Life set.

With the Beauty UK Cancer Research 'Paint for Life' set, you're able to carry on your nail polish collecting without a guilty conscience. £1 from every sale of these polishes goes to helping Cancer Research - we love shopping, especially when it's for a good cause.

The colours evoke a sense of girl power, feminine pride and symbolise the Cancer Research logo. This set makes me think of ice lollies and cocktails - a weird combination, but I've always been peculiar anyway.

http://www.beautyukcosmetics.com/

Finally if you're looking for something different, why not try out this new Nail Art collection? Nail Art's polish collection is bursting with bright, fun summer colours all from the small price of £3.00. I love bargain nail polish, especially when they come in such fabulous colours like these. The PR company kindly sent me some of the new Nail Art tattoos to try and they are incredibly cute and an easy way to revamp those dull nails. The Nail tattoos are £5.99 and there's 60 mini stickers for you to play around with.

I loved playing around with all these stickers and colours. The colours remind me of Candy floss and something that Katy Perry would probably like.

As for the stickers, I'm in love with all the little bows and hearts. They stick on easily and take quite a lot of scrubbing to get them off, which means if you keep your nails in good condition, they could last awhile. My favourite has to be the little anchors, but I'm saving them for my sailing holiday in a few weeks.

http://skinartuk.com/

So there you have it. You've seen all my new polishes that have been added to my ever-growing collection. Is it normal to have nearly 100 nail polishes? I don't know, but I can guarantee i'll end up buying some more in the near future.

What's your favourite nail polish?

Blackpool is usually regarded as the most cheesy, tacky, alcohol ridden city in the UK, but so many Brits still enjoy a day out on the west coast during a bank holiday weekend. This Monday was no exception. Me, my partner and my parents went to the costal city of Blackpool for the day to frolic on the beach, play in the amusements and visit the Sea Life centre. When we arrived, we were greeted by manic drivers trying to find a parking place, a disrespectful woman who thought it was appropriate to casually swear at us and a mismatch of crazy folk unsure of which direction to walk in. Sounds like a bad day? Nope, we had an amazing time - it's just a shame about hour we spent trying to to park.

The sun was gleaming and I was walking around in a crop top and mini skirt. It has been the first time in my entire life that I have worn a top that shows off my belly and the weather was perfect for it. Unfortunately I didn't think to wear suntan lotion on the hotest day in the year so far, what a big mistake.

To hide from the sun, me and my fiance decided to visit Blackpool Sea Life centre. I'm a complete fish fanatic and I love everything to do with the sea. There was so much variety at the Sea Life centre and I loved being able to walk through the tunnel of sharks, see the glowing jelly fish and most importantly their turtle exhibition. I found the Sea Life centre a wonderful distraction from the sun and all that water around us definitely gave a cooling effect.

Our journey ended with a walk along the pier and a bite to eat in a nearby bar. We saw no alcoholics or maniacs in Blackpool, just people soaking up the sun with a smile on their faces. Everyone seemed happy and we all had a pleasant, fun day out. It makes a change to escape the small suburban village where I live and encounter the bustling life of a costal town. When I said I was going to Blackpool, most people raised their eyebrows and said 'that's not really my cuppa tea'. Well I think people should start looking at the bigger picture, because during the day, Blackpool can be lots of fun.

It's a fact, everyone needs a little bit of sparkles in their life. Glitter and sparkles are an instant confidence booster, they make you feel glamorous and they shimmer wonderfully in the sunlight. Glitter coats have shot into fashion ever since Millie Macintosh wore hers on Made in Chelsea and it now seems every shop on the high-street is loving the trend. This jacket is from Krisp.co.uk and costs around £30 to buy - good price for some MIC inspired style.

I've recently been wearing it a lot, because it looks great in warm weather and it's very light to carry. The compliments came flooding in when I wore this jacket out for the first time and I think i'll be definitely wearing it out tomorrow night when I go for a meal with my partner.

Maxi Dress £14.99, Earrings £4.99 and shoes £24.99 from www.krisp.co.uk

Krisp Clothing are a relatively new brand with lots of exciting stock at prices we all like. There's so much I would love from this website and the above image is the outfit I'm dying to get my hands on for my summer holiday to Ibiza.

www.krisp.co.uk

What holiday items are you lusting over?

Last week the weather was cold and the rain was in heavy force, but this week, there has been such a drastic change. It finally feels like we're entering British Summer Time and for me, it's an opportunity to grab those beautiful summer dresses, chic wedged heels and drink plenty of cocktails. There's nothing like summer fun and having the freedom to venture out of the house without a coat on. My confidence feels at it's peak when it's sunny, because I can show off the figure I've worked damn well hard for the last few years, instead of adding layers to keep myself warm, which inevitably make me look chubby.

This burgundy skater dress from Brave Soul is one of my favourite daywear outfits. It's elegant, yet funky and looks really feminine. Being a little bit of a 'rock chic', I love the fact that it has studded shoulder pads. It's great to wear to my local rock bar or for cocktails with the girls somewhere a little more high class.

Bravesoul.co.uk has many great outfits available at such a low price range. This dress was only £25.00, which is great for any budget and there's plenty more dresses where this came from.

www.bravesoul.co.uk

What would you buy?

Summer Delights

Sheercover love

Smask Caviar Face Mask

Eye-lash Revamp: LashFibres

Fitness Challenge: Gym Music

Macadamia Control Hairspray

Summer Nails

bank holiday at blackpool

Girl in the Glitter Coat

A day in the sunshine