Bernard Chandran - LFW

Last week I entered a twitter competition from Witch Skincare to win a pair of tickets to a London Fashion Week show and would you believe it, I won! I received the lovely tickets on the friday for the Bernard Chandran A/W 12 show on the Saturday at Freemasons Hall, London. Chandran is a malaysian designer and before going I looked up some of his previous shows and loved the designs so was very excited about going to my first fashion show and experiencing the buzz of fashion week!

I took my friend Caroline with me who is a model herself but had never sat and watched a show before so we eagerly arrived and sat in the third row (not too shabby for a competition winner!) and I was immediately stunned by the amount of people, wall of photographers at the end of the runway and the simple clean set up of the show itself. 

Caroline and I before the show! Seemed like the perfect night to try out my new MAC Girl About Town bright pink lipstick!

Photographers galore!

A gorgeous model and an inflatable woman - only at LFW!

Models on the runway!

A quick pose after the show!

Unfortunately the models moved quite quickly and being far from the front I didn't get any great photos and could only just pick up on the make up looks, which is wear my focus is always drawn to! Thankfully I found a great website when I got home which included some photos of the make up and hair looks from the show close up and here they are: 

Photos from www.fashion156.com

This make up look is much more interesting than it looked from far away! I could see the light brows and  bright red lips but couldn't get a sense of how flawless the skin looked with strong contouring and an orange shade on the eyelids. I think the make up works perfectly with the glamourous hair giving it a modern twist on a vintage look. 

The show itself was such a joy to watch, with uplifting drum and bass music which kept the atmosphere exciting throughout. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and could have spent hours just watching the guests themselves with their fashionable clothes and creative make up looks! The show itself lasted only 7 minutes but the excitement I felt watching the creativity of the make up looks and the exciting fashion designs made me even more sure that the world of make up is the right career for me!

x

100 follower giveaway coming soon!

I have reached 100 followers! Thank you so much to each and every one of you for supporting my blog!

Sorry I have been absent from blogging due to no internet but thankfully have just got back online after a complete shambles of a service from Virgin Media (grrrrr) 

Now that I am able to do my giveaway I thought I would give you all a chance to tell me what your perfect giveaway prize would be! I am not a millionaire so what is the one item you would like to win? Is there a particular brand which would encourage you to enter or a must have product that you want to get your hands on? I am considering what to give away as the prize at the moment so any suggestions are welcome as I want to thank YOU for following me! 

Please leave your ideal (but realistic) giveaway ideas below and I will hopefully be giving away one of them as my 100 follower prize! I don't want to do a giveaway which only appeals to a few of my followers so if I have many suggestions for one brand or product I will probably go with the most popular ideas :)

Please comment on this post and I cant wait to get blogging again next week and reveal the giveaway prize!

x

Living Nature

Hey everyone! 

Praise the lord Virgin Media have provided my house with a dongle to connect to the internet so I am able to blog! The connection isn't great but whilst it is working I thought I should crack on and tell you about a brand I am currently loving! I was sent some skincare and make up samples by 100% natural New Zealand brand "Living Nature". I am always keen to try products which are made with natural ingredients because they generally smell and feel wonderful. I was sent a skincare set containing a cleanser, toning gel, day cream and sachets of serum and night cream along with a couple of cosmetics from the range, an eyeshadow duo and lipstick. I always find it appealing when brands cover both skin and cosmetics because it means that you can get a really good feel for the brand and if you like it, can include a range of the products in your collection, knowing that the quality is high.

So lets discuss skincare first! I was immediately impressed by the simplicity of the packaging, white with black writing and clearly labeled. The sizes are also great because they were perfect for travel and for popping into my handbag so I could test the cleanser whilst staying at my boyfriends or carry the moisturiser with me on days out. I received the skincare essentials pack which is a great introduction to the brand and comes in a handy travel case. 

£25.55 www.livingnature.com

I was a little surprised by the price at first because this is hardly a "try me" price and usually when I want to explore a brand for the first time I am reluctant to spend over £15. However I soon learnt that this was more than just a travel set. I used the products every day and then every other day and am still making my way through the bottles 3 months later so although it may seem like a pricey investment, you will be using the products for a lot longer than expected! 

The vitalising cleanser and nourishing day cream were my favourite products from the collection. The toning gel was a little sticky for me as I prefer my toners in spritz or liquid form. The cleanser was light and refreshing, perfect for a morning pick me up! The day cream was again light but deeply hydrating and provided a lovely base for my make up. The small samples of firming serum and night cream were a welcome addition to the set and felt lovely on the skin! The main ingredient of the products is active manuka honey which is widely known for its healing and moisturising properties and also means that the products smell fresh and wonderful. 

I am definitely going to try more of the skincare range and have already for my eye on the gentle eye make up remover and radiance night oil.

My 3 favourites!

Next up is the cosmetics from the range. I was a little disappointed with the eyeshadow duo purely because the pigment wasn't as strong as with my make up brand eyeshadows such as MAC however the colours I was sent were very light pastel shades and therefore the colour itself was quite faint on the skin. The texture felt lovely on the skin though and the packaging was delightful. 

However I was most impressed with the lipstick I received in the shade "Summer rain". I have never been a brave lipstick wearer and am trying to become more adventurous with my shades and this lipstick is the perfect transition from neutrals to brights. It is a soft berry red which makes an impact but doesn't look too vibrant. I have been wearing it almost every weekend in the day with my winter coat and boots or on an evening out paired with black eyeliner. I love it! Living Nature informed me that it is their best seller and I am hardly surprised. The texture feels great on the lips and the colour lasts well.

Summer Rain lipstick £13.80

This isn't a cheap range and there are more affordable ranges which use natural ingredients available however I really like the feel of the brand, with its 100% natural promise and information on safe beauty. The campaigns on the website alone are enough to make you consider what ingredients you are using on your skin and how they may affect your wellbeing.

I would definitely recommend this brand because it is natural, effective and makes you feel good about how you are treating your skin. Go to www.livingnature.com to find out more about this lovely range.

x

An important note for my followers!

Firstly, thank you so much for following my blog, it means so much to me that I am being supported by fellow beauty addicts and make up junkies and I appreciate each and every one of you!

Secondly, as way of thank you when I reach 100 followers I am planning to do a giveaway! I'm nearly there at 94 followers and the giveaway will be something special ;)

Thirdly, Virgin Media have screwed me over and this might be the last day I have internet access on my laptop/PC until the 17th of February!!! This means that I won't be able to blog for a while and the giveaway may or not be postponed until then however I am going to try my hardest to find ways to keep blogging until then so will keep you updated!

Thanks for your continuing support!

Your fellow beauty addict, 

Hayley 

x

London Muse - Shopping day

As part of my two week make up course we spent the day shopping at some of the top make up stores in London and enjoyed some incredible discounts in order to start up and add to our professional make up kits. We started off at the MAC pro store where we were given access to the store at 9am, an hour before the public and given shopping bags to pop products into while we browsed. This was a real treat as anyone who shops ar MAC knows how busy it can get, especially the pro store just off Carnaby Street. The staff were really helpful giving us advice on tips on essential products we should have in our kit and the discount meant that we could stock up on foundation colours and palettes. 

The Muse girls and I after a couple of hours in MAC!

Next up we went to Illamasqua on Beak street which I had never been too so I was extremely excited to see the store. I love the style of the website and the products and the store was just as exciting and theatrical. With glittery floors and mirrors, it oozed drama and creativity and guess who we saw as we walked in? None other than make up artist Alex Box and Illamasqua guru David Horne. We couldn't believe our eyes! Alex was incredibly sweet and posed for a photo with us and told us to contact her if we ever needed advice on the make up industry. The staff were very attentive and helped us pick out our favourite products. I bought only a couple of products from the store but will definitely be going back for more soon including skin base foundation, pigments and brushes!

The girls and I with Alex Philips (Illamasqua artist and Muse graduate) and Alex Box (one of my favourite creative make up artists)

We stopped for lunch at Satsuma in Soho where I used to go often during my breaks when I worked at a theatre nearby, where we had noodles and tempura (yum) and the decor was lovely. It was a chance to rest our legs after hours of shopaholic behaviour and put our many shopping bags down! 

Lovely centre piece on our table! and a few MAC bags...

Noodle time for the shopaholics!

Our last stop was Charles Fox in Covent Garden, a kind of mecca for make up artists which sells lots of brands including Kryolan and Ben NYE. It is a real essential shop for anyone who is working in the make up industry or simply loves make up as it contains everything you would want or need! Sponges, pencils, prosthetics, palettes and glitter, the list goes on and on! The staff were helpful and even asked us if we would be interested in doing work experience in store which is a great opportunity! They also gave us a goodie bag containing lots of amazing products which I have added to my professional kit. The store was thankfully very quiet so we had the chance to take our time and test out lots of professional brands that we had never even heard of before. I bought a number of products from the shop and will be visiting regularly to stock up on essentials and make up artist must haves.

Posing outside Charles Fox on a rainy but fabulous shopping day!

Here are the products I bought on the day:

MAC Invisible powder

MAC Face and body foundation 

MAC Blusher palette with Fleurpower blusher

MAC Eyeshadow palette with Brule, Omega, Sketch and Carbon eyeshadows

MAC 217 brush

MAC Teddy eyeliner

Illamasqua satin primer

Illamasqua matte primer

Illamasqua cream blusher in "rude"

Ben nye lip pencils 

Derma concealer palette in Fair and Medium

Kryolan Lip palette

I tried to control myself and only buy the basics that I needed and although this doesn't seem like a lot of products it all adds up very quickly even with the discount! However I am so thankful to the London Muse team for giving us this shopping day during the course as I could never have afforded this many products without the discount and helpful advice. I now know what are must haves for a make up artists kit and am slowing learning not to waste money on glittery eye products just because they are pretty and instead invest in quality brushes and essentials!

Could you imagine a more perfect day? ;)

x

Grab a copy of March issue Elle magazine!

I just bought mine! It contains a free mascara from Soap and Glory's cosmetic range called "Thick and Fast" which claims to provide false lash effect without the need for falsies! I haven't tried any of the soap and glory make up yet so this is a perfect introduction to the range and Elle magazine is one of my favourites for its beauty and fashion trend reports. The mascara is worth £10 so its well worth buying a copy :) I will review the mascara when I have had a chance to put it to the test! 

What a perfect mid week treat! 

x

Illamasqua - Sophie

Just a quick post to tell you that I have finally got myself a Sophie bracelet from Illamasqua after months of wanting one I got the chance to visit the store on Beak Street, London whilst on my course at London Muse. Our mentor, Nicci Jackson, recommended that we buy the bracelet because it is for such a great cause and will show our support for the Sophie Lancaster foundation each time we apply make up. If you don't know what the bracelet stands for here is some information taken from the Illamasqua site:

On 11th August 2007, 20 year-old Sophie Lancaster and her boyfriend Robert Maltby were kicked, stamped on and left unconscious – for nothing more than looking different. Sophie later died from her injuries.The S.O.P.H.I.E. Lancaster Foundation was set up by Sylvia Lancaster, a youth worker and Sophie's mother, in her memory, and is dedicated to educating young people in our society about acceptance and tolerance towards others through interactive youth workshops. As a brand that promotes the right to experiment and self-express through the way you look, Illamasqua have continually supported the Foundation's work and remains committed to changing attitudes towards subcultures.

www.illamasqua.com

This story really affected me and I knew that I wanted to support the foundation so I made my £2 donation in store and have worn the rubber band every day since! I love telling people why I am wearing it and encouraging them to do the same, especially those who work in this creative, influential industry of make up artistry. There are many products also available in the Sophie range including a jet black eyeliner which is next on my wish list. Please take a look at the Illamasqua website and purchase a band or product from the range because not only are you getting amazing Illamasqua quality, but you are helping to raise awareness of bullying and prejudice in the memory of a brave young woman.

x