Back in action!

As you all know, I've been out of action for a while due to the launch of my brand new publication, COLLABORATION magazine. Now that the issues have arrived on my doorstep, which is all very exciting, I've actually had a lot of spare time so am pleased that I can transfer that time into my blog again! It actually features an interview I did with the wonderful Kim from sweet monday!

I popped into Harrods a couple of weeks ago and fell victim under the hands of the (very nice) lady on the Benefit counter. Earlier on that day I accidentally dropped my Benefit Brow Zing palette down the toilet! Typical me. So I proceeded to Harrods and ended up leaving minus £82. Wow. The wonderful saleswoman suggested me a few products and sat me down in that oh so glamorous chair, and once she'd applied them I really couldn't refuse. I've never been a massive Benefit fan, sure, the packaging is amazing but most products I'd tried weren't too stand out for me. This has all changed.

Starting with 'they're Real!' mascara, I've always had trouble with the length of my eyelashes. They're stubby and straight and never point in the direction that I want them to. As soon as I tried this mascara, I ACTUALLY fell in love. Check my before and after pictures below:

 Although my lashes still look a bit messy, going in all sorts of directions, as you can see in the before picture they're pretty much non existent. I do actually have eyelashes, but I have naturally light hair! Look at the lengthening on those bad boys! So overall, very impressed with this gem.

they're Real! mascara by Benefit

Harrods £18.50

Another product I was recommended and have completely fallen head over heels for is the Benefit 'high brow' pencil. OH MY GOD. I have a massive addiction to highlighter, it's SO important in any woman's daily make up routine as it can completely transform the shape of your face when used alongside a darker, contour colour. I don't know why I hadn't tried this earlier, but now I have it, I can't imagine not using it.

'high brow' pencil by Benefit

Harrods £14.00

Find below a picture of me on my 21st birthday (the blonde on the right), using the pencil underneath my eyebrow on the brow bone, and along my nose to help with contouring. It's really subtle but actually works wonders! Highly recommended:

So, what does little Vi think? She's been snoozing these summer days away indoors (I'm not mean, she's staying indoors as pugs + heat = bad news!) on her favourite sheepskin rug...

She agrees that my lashes look super beautiful with 'they're Real!' and urges you to go and buy it before it sells out (again!) She's pretty sad that she can't use it on her own lashes and whiskers, but if she could, she believes that she would look incred.

What do you all think?

Much love,

M & V -x

Les Violets Hypnotiques

As an avid Christian Dior beauty fan I can't help but crave the new season lines as soon as they're announced. And these new nail polishes are no exception, I'm instantly hooked!

When I received this press release on Friday, I was more than over joyed. Dior have lived up to all my expectations, and as my nails are looking pretty dire at the moment this news probably couldn't have come at a better time.

As of March 5th Dior release this new seductive nail trio named 'Les Violets Hypnotiques'. All three hues are glossy and ideally colourful, but I can't help thinking that these would be suited more towards the Autumn/Winter season? Perhaps it's the aesthetic of the ad campaign.

Either way, I have absolutely fallen for these shades already, in particular 'Shadow 783' which captures the perfect balance of metallic and glitter.

Obviously Violet the pug gave a huge paws up to this collection, whilst the line's title 'Les Violets Hypnotiques' incorporates her name, she can't wait to get a splash of mum's Shadow 783 on her puppy claws!

Time for a nail re vamp for dog and owner, I can feel another blog post coming on...

Les Violets Hypnotiques will be available from Harrods on March 5th at £17.50 each.

Much love,

M-x

An apology in the form of a beauty review! Do you forgive me?

First of all, I can't apologise enough for the hiatus! I've been 3 months without posting, and in those 3 months I have been inundated with university work. I feel like my head may explode. Aaah, third year. I know, as a blogger, this is not a good enough excuse! So my sincerest apologies for any of you out there who feel a little disappointed in me. I'm disappointed in myself! I've been meaning to post this review for a long while now, but keep finding my self distracted by the many things life has been throwing at me recently. So anyway, enough about me. Since last posting, Violet the pug had a minor operation over the festive period, so most of my time has been spent running around after her, fulfilling her every need. Just the way she likes it. There were a few complications (she started rejecting her stitches) so recovery took a little longer than expected. She is completely back on top form now, which is another reason I now have time to do a little bit of extra blogging!

A wonderful PR company that I had the pleasure of interning for in the past sent me over a gorgeous package full of beauty goodies from their clients Boux Avenue and Burt's Bees to review for my blog once they heard that I had started my own. What lovely ladies! So first of all, thank you Fluorescent!

As the winter weather finally set in a few weeks ago, I've found my self using double the amount of moisturiser that I normally do. Those bitter winds have taken their toll on my face, resulting in dry and un happy skin, not good. The first place that always seems to take most of the battering is my lips. I'm definitely a lipstick kind of girl, and after the minus degree wind chills had their way with my lips, it's safe to say that lipstick is no longer an option until I can sort this crisis out! Vaseline is always a safe bet, but I'm not really a fan of the super glossy effect it can give to my lips. So in comes product number one that I've absolutely fallen in love with over recent months, it's Burt's Bees tinted lip balm. Not only does it give a smooth, velvet like texture to tired lips, they also come in great shimmery shades and don't have the wet look effect. They're somewhere in between lip tint and lipstick which, if you ask me, is the perfect combination. These balms are also made from 100% natural ingredients, and also have that amazing fragrance from the beeswax that's used to create them.

I have two shades of Burt's Bees tinted lip balm, one in 'Rose' and the other 'Hibiscus'. Another thing I absolutely love about these little lip balms is the packaging. Bundled up in cute little cardboard tubes, these are absolute treasures. I slightly prefer the 'Hibiscus' shade, only as it's a little more subtle than 'Rose' and I'm desperate not to draw attention to the peeling skin and scaly surface of my damaged lips! Not only are these balms in lovely neutral shades, they have a really nice golden shimmery finish to them, seen in the swatch below ('Hibiscus' above and 'Rose' below.)

I've also been religiously applying the Burt's Bees naturally nourishing Milk & Honey body lotion after showering. Not only is the fragrance a mixture between coconut (even though it only contains a tiny amount of coconut oil it really shines through!) and a milky, creamy aroma, it also does exactly what it says on the tin. A 24 hour moisturisation product indeed! I mainly use it after showering, just before bed. Instead of the whole 'lavender before bed' remedy, I strongly suggest you try this, as it has me sleeping like a baby with uber soft skin all over!

Want to know what Violet's verdict is on her favourite product?

It's Burt's Bees tinted lip balm in 'Rose'! Not only is this product named after her Chihuahua best friend, Violet also suffered from dry skin on her little nose when the cold weather was thrust upon us, so a quick swipe of Burt's Bees lip balm kept her little snout shiny and moisturised! She liked the taste, too...

Much love,

M-x

Unleash the beast....

I thought it was about time that I introduced my pug, Violet to my blog, after all it's named after her! As it says at the top, this is not just a beauty blog, I also feel really passionately about my beautiful little pooch. She has kind of taken over my life this past year.

I received Violet last Christmas as a not-so-surprise gift from my mum, for me and my sister who live together in London. I hadn't stopped going on about how much I longed for a dog for months. As a girl who has never lived without a dog before, moving to London and not having a cute little hound to cuddle up to was starting to get to me. Boyfriends just don't cut it. My mum finally got sick of my whining and thought she'd scare me out of it by saying "Go on then, I'll get you one for Christmas if you want one so much!" which OBVIOUSLY had the opposite effect...and here we are, one year later.

On most weekends we tend to go on mini adventures. Although we don't venture too far, I like to think that Vi really enjoys getting out and about. We mostly go to Hyde Park or Clapham Common, and meet loads of other pups along the way who she likes to play with. If you're a dog lover like me, I'm sure you'll enjoy the occasional pug posts! I like to take A LOT of pictures of dogs that I spot, so fingers crossed you enjoy as much as I do.

Much love,

M (and Violet)-x