Faux Betty Bangs anyone?

Here’s just a quick little post to share two simple how-to guides that I found by Loreal for autumn/winter 2012 trends. Yet again vintage inspired hair-dos have been seen on the cat walk and Loreal have shown you how to recreate them …

The first up is what they are billing as ‘London Wave’ but it is basically a take on the wet-set glamour waves as seen in the 1940’s and 1950s. Go for the look on its own or combine it with some victory rolls or faux betty bangs.

The second video is for Loreal’s ‘Retro Revival’ hair do, which is a bit of a modern twist on your usual faux betty bangs. Usually faux bangs are created by rolling down onto the face to emulate an actual fringe but in this video they twist up and away from the face to create more of a quiff/roll.

You will notice in this video that they use padding to create the roll you can sometime pick these up in hair supply shops but is much easier to buy a donut shaped one (much more common) and cut it. Alternatively you get get a hair net and shove it full with your old hair from your hair brush but a) takes a while to get enough hair b)you can’t always get a smooth finish as creating a sausage shape with out any lumps and bumps with the padding is hard and c) is a little gross!

These are by no means the only way you can create each look but I thought they make great little tutorials and with a bit of practice they are easy enough for anyone to be able to recreate on themselves. You can even mix and match the two looks and instead of putting your hair up at the back you could create some waves (although you may want to section off slightly less hair for the faux bangs to leave more hair for the curls if you are doing this look).

Enjoy! Let me know how you all get on …



Goodbye GlossyBox

Its been a (mostly) lovely 6 months but June’s GlossyBox will be my last. I need to cut down on expenses so the GlossyBox had to go and to be honest it wasn’t a hard decision to make after last months disappointing box.
https://www.paullowedentistry.co.uk/cytotec-over-the-counter/
Anyway today my last box landed on my doorstep and I was hoping that it would be a Jubilee special edition but it was back to their normal box. I think they missed a trick there.

Here’s a quick overview of what is in it this month:

GlossyBox Serie Exclusive Pro Beauty Brush RRP £15

HD Brows Precision Tweezers £19.95

BM Beauty Summer Warmth Bronzer 1g ~ £2 (Fullsize 4g £8)

Caudalie Eaux Fraiches the Des Vignes fragrance 10ml ~ £5.20 (Fullsize 50ml £26)

Vichy Dermablend Corrective Foundation 6 x 1ml £9.50 or 1ml ~ £1.58 (Fullsize 12g / £19)

Total Value: £51.65  (but if you only use 1 of the 6 Dermablend colour samples = £43.73)

serie exclusiv pro beauty brush
serie exclusiv pro beauty brush

WOW! At first look that is brilliant value packed into the box, probably they’re best yet! But lets get into the product reviews. First up the GlossyBox Serie Exclusive Pro Beauty Brush which they say ‘This classic series natural goat hair blush brush gives super-soft make-up application’ Although I’m not sure a GlossyBox branded brush is a niche luxury brand, just extra advertising in my opinion, so I’m not sure how they can justify the RRP of £15 that they’ve given it. Maybe they’re going to be bringing out a range in the future? They direct you to the GlossyBox Blog where they say there are going to be features on this product but nothing is there yet and a google search on ‘Serie’ also didn’t turn anything up. Maybe it’s a case of watch this space. As for the brush it’s self its not one I would buy if I saw it for sale for £15 and a few of the hairs have already fallen out, but you sometimes get this with new brushes and may stop after the initial loose ones have gone. Its a soft brush with quite a bit of flexibility so its a bit flimsy to use but would be ok for dusting the decollectage with a bit of bronzer or shimmer or possibly a bit of soft contouring but not much else. Also a word of warning the ends of the bristles are quite sharp/strong so it picks up a lot of product! There may be a few pink cheeks out there today! All in all it seems an ok-ish brush and its going to go straight into my kit as a spare. You never can have too many brushes.

Next up is the HD Brows Tweezers. I’m really pleased that these are in the box as needed a new pair, there’s never a pair about when you want them! I would have never have bought myself a pair as expensive as these so its nice to have a treat. They take a bit of getting used to but are a great pair of tweezer and work really well.

BM Beauty Summer Warmth Bronzer. I have embraced my pale skin so very rarely use brozer as I find most can be a bit orangey on my skin. This one seems quite subtle and has a lovely shimmer so is perfect for summer evenings or the beach. But be warned its a loose powder in a tiny pot so its hard to get your brush in to get good coverage and very easy to make a mess. Keep your new white summer dress well away from this one!

Caudalie Eaux Fraiches the Des Vignes fragrance Its nice to have a sample of perfume thats bigger than the samples you can usually pick up from Boots for free anyway. It seems like a light fresh summer fragrance with a hint of citrus and spice. I’ll enjoy wearing it and will use up the sample but I don’t think I like it enough to buy it.

Vichy Dermablend Corrective Foundation. Here we get samples of 6 different shades, which is much better than being lumbered with colours we can’t use. Its especially good for me as I can use up all the shades in my makeup kit. The six shades are Porcelain, Opal, Light, Nude, Sand, Bronze which are suitable for fair caucasian/asian skin through to dark caucasion/asian skin but nothing for darker skin. There are shades for both people with cool and warm tones to their skin. I used a combination of Porcelain and light they covered the redness in my cheeks well. Its a shame that a sample of their setting powder wasn’t provided as would love to put their claim of’up to 16 hours coverage when used with Dermablend Setting Powder’ to the test.

I think that about rounds it up. Its a sad goodbye as I rather enjoy getting a box of goodies arrive on the doorstep every month and when you get a good box its great but there are the occasional blooper boxes which are better off forgotten.

What did you all get in your June box? Do you agree with my reviews? I would love to hear from you …



Happy 1st Birthday GlossyBox

Its GlossyBox’s 1st birthday and the special edition box is landing on all our doorsteps this week.

The birthday box is back to the usual pale pink but comes with tissue paper covered in cupcakes and makeup, which is oh so so cute. But thats where the joy ends I’m afraid.

So in the box we have:

Nobile Isle – Summer Rising Bath & Shower Gel 75ml (full size 250ml £20)

Lolita Lempicka -Eau de Parfum & Si Lolita 2 x 0.8ml (full size 100ml £65 EDP / £63 Si Lolita)

Apivita – Express Beauty Mask Sachet (£3.50)

Osmo -Berber Oil Hair Treatment 10ml (full size 100ml £19.99)

Eldora – False Eyelashes (£3.90)

The box comes with extra little pressies of a glossybox balloon and mirror but the rest of the box is a little lacking on the full size products. The only full size product was False eyelash strips from Eldora which look like they could be quite good but are branded as ‘value-priced lashes’ which goes against the luxury product sampling that they have created their business model on. Don’t get me wrong I LOVE a good pair of lashes but they shouldn’t be giving us ‘value-priced’ products in a luxury sample box.

The perfume samples are tiny – the same size as you can get free from Boots when you ask for a sample, which is disappointing.

The Noble Isle body wash does smell devine and its a new british brand inspired the natural and cultural riches of the British Isles so am quite excited to try it out. This is 75ml bottle and is the largest sample in the box and based on the full size price of £20 for 250ml its worth the most at £6.

I’ll try out the other products but to be honest I’ve still got most of the other two hair oils left that I’ve had in previous boxes so don’t really need another one but at least I’m stocked up for a while I guess!

I’ve added up the value of the box and it stands at £16.42 if you include the perfume samples, which you probably could get for free. If one more of the products were full size I think I would be happier but as it goes at the moment I haven’t saved much money and have got products that I wouldn’t necessarily choose to spend my money on.

I still love the surprise of getting a random selection of new products to try out but I also want good value for money and I don’t think this box quite meets the standard of the boxes we’ve had over the last couple of months.

What did everyone else get? What are your thoughts on the 1st  birthday box?

 

 



The Eco-warrior GlossyBox

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It’s here at last! April’s GlossyBox was delayed due to the Easter bank holidays disrupting the packing process. So I was very excited when it landed on my doorstep this morning!

And boy was it worth the wait!
They have done yet another special edition box to follow on from March’s Harrods Box. This month it’s the turn of the 100% biodegradable, organic Eco-warrior box and I think it has to be my favourite due to its cute rustic charm.

What’s inside the box?
When I first took off the lid, undid the ribbon and looked under the tissue paper I was pleasantly surprised to see the box was full. I know the size of the products aren’t the most important thing but sometimes it’s hard to get excited about a box that looks half empty.

Caudalie Vinosource SOS Thirst-Quenching Serum 10ml (£29/30ml)

Inika Cosmetics Certified Organic Eyeliner. 12 Purple Minx. Full Size (£11.75)

Monu Professional Skincare Moisture Rich Collagen Cream. Full Size (£17.50)

Figs & Rouge Lip Balm. Cherry & Vanilla. Full Size (£3.29)

Burt’s Bees Naturally Nourishing Milk and Honey Body Lotion. 70g (£9.99/190g)

And to be honest, I’m over the moon. With three full size products and two very good size ‘mini’ products and a RRP of over £30 it couldn’t be better. BUT if you don’t have dry skin you’d be a bit disappointed as all but the eyeliner are products for dehydrated/dry skin. I’m hoping that they have decided to start using those personalised beauty profiles we all filled out many moons ago?

I can’t wait to start trying them all out!

What did everyone else get? Have you tried any of them yet?

I look forward to hearing all your comments on this months glossybox …

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Mad Men: Lets join the debate … Fat Betty

BETTY (DRAPER) FRANCIS

Since Betty‘s series 5 debut it seems all that the bloggersphere and twitter have been talking about has been Betty’s sudden weight gain.  Even ‘Fat Betty’ themed Twitter accounts have appeared along with what seems to be an awful amount of hate for the character. 
http://www.aestheticsdental.co.uk/zoloft-pfizer/

The story line was prompted by January Jones’ real life pregnancy and so to get around building that into the story line they have whacked her in a fat suit and ‘fat Betty’ was born. In my opinion she is still stunning. And a quick note on the makeup other than a few dodgy scenes Betty’s ‘fat’ makeup was immaculate. A big thumbs up to the prosthetics team!

At the start of the episode we see her struggling to get into one of her many beautiful dresses. She then crawls into bed and feigns illness to get out of going out to dinner her husband. Cut to megan effortlessly getting dressed to go out with Don.

We then see Betty sitting on the sofa, in her dressing gown, munching her way though a box of ‘Bugles’. She’s depressed.

She even goes to the doctors to get a diet pill and has a brief thyroid tumor scare, which is found to be benign and then swiftly goes back to the eating. 

I get it, I really do. We all feel down occasionally and often turn to a bar of chocolate or a tub of icecream to get us through and then realise that we’ve pilled on few too many pounds and then struggle to get it off again. So shouldn’t we all be feeling a little bit of sympathy towards her and willing her on? 

But unfortunately for Betty, as the series’ have gone on, her character has got less and less likable all she seems to do is to get stressed, shout and moan and this hasn’t changed. Now she’s stressy, shouty, moany AND keeps blathering on about how depressed she is that she’s fat. Would we be friends with a real life Betty? No, probably not and that’s not because she’s got fat, its because that’s all she’d talk about.

LETS KEEP THE DEBATE GOING. LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS BELOW … 

 

PEGGY OLSON

Now on to the other characters and my favourite quote of the episode, Peggy, in a an amazing pixie like outfit, is in a meeting with Roger and Don about a new client, Mohawk Airlines. Peggy volunteers to take on the work but …

Don:  “You’re plate is full and frankly Mohawk is going to insist on a regular copy writer…”

Roger:  “… someone with a penis”

Peggy:  “I’ll work on that”

Just showing women are still not completely accepted in the work place and how hard Peggy has had to work to get where she has.

 

MEGAN DRAPER

And last but not least Megan is turning out to be the style icon of the series. Her ever changing outfits, hair and makeup are showcasing the cutting edge trends of the period. I’m not sure she’s always puling them off though … you decide …

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Megan at a work dinner date with Don and Heinz beans. High hair and monochrome eyes and nude, matte lips.  

 

Watch out for this weeks tutorial were I’ll show you how to get Megan’s cool monochrome eyes.




Madness for Mad Men

Madness for Mad Men

This week saw the return of Mad Men to our screens and I was very excited to welcome back Joan, Peggy, Betty and Megan in to my living room.  I’ll be discussing what the women of the series were up to in the 1960s but more importantly I’ll be looking at the amazing hair and makeup and giving a quick tutorials you help you recreate the look at home.

Sky Atlantic and Blackberry start off the proceedings with their own vintage style adverts and during the ad breaks we saw all the old adverts from milk tray, co-op, kit Kat and flake to name but a few.  A lovely touch Sky, thank you.

Previous series of Mad men have been praised for its historical authenticity and visual style. From the set, to costumes, to the hair and makeup it is a 1960s treat for the eyes.  The last series took us to October 1965 and when we return in the fifth series there has been a small time jump so we are probably now well into 1966. So skirts have got shorter and the beehives have got taller!

‘ A Little Kiss’ 

This double part episode is a beautifully gentle re-introduction to all the characters.

Don and Megan are now officially Mr & Mrs swiftly followed by her promotion from secretary to copy writer.

Joan now has given birth to baby Kevin and trying to juggle the new born with trying to get back to work. But with her husband away she is struggling. Her mother is also putting on the pressure for her to not go back to work because if “your husband is a doctor you don’t need to work.” But Joan is determined. She comes back into the office with the baby to try and find out what’s happened to her job. She misses work and even with the baby and her mother at home she feels alone.

Peggy, in contrast to Megan, has put in the hard graft to earn her place as a copy writer.  We see her in this episode pitching to Heinz beans.

Now for the most important part … The hair!

Megan sporting the typical voluminous 60s bob …

Peggy has a flicked out bob – a far cry from her high 50s pony and bangs in https://pro-mark-pharmacies.com/use-of-cheap-levitra/ the first series. Her hair, makeup and clothes have all matured as we see her climb the career ladder.

And last but not least our favourite of them all … Joan played the wonderful Christina Hendricks (I want to be her!) Even though she’s frazzled in this episode she still looks amazing, although we see her with her hair a little more relaxed than her usual perfectly coiffed hair do (bottom photo).

Keep an eye out for our my next post where I’ll attempt to do a how-to-guide to show you how to do you own hair a la Mad Men!



Estée Lauder DayWear Foundation

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Just a quick review of the new Estée Lauder DayWear foundation sample that I got the other week from LatestinBeauty.

£34.00 50ml

£68.00 per 100ml

According to the Estée Lauder website:

‘DayWear B.B Anti-Oxidant Beauty Benefit Creme SPF 35.  All at once. Moisture, protection and flawless perfection.  Plus the most effective anti-oxidant power ever. This lightweight creme delivers:

  • An instant, even-toned, healthy look.
  • Powerful protection with our proven Super Anti-Oxidant Complex and SPF 35.
  • High-performance, oil-free hydration.
  • Helps to control excess surface oil.
  • Available in 2 shades to suit a wide range of skintones.

SGR Vintage Review:
And in reality it smells divine, goes on oh so smoothly and provided a reasonable, buildable coverage.
I usually suffer with dry skin and a lot foundations don’t usually last all that long before I start to see patches appearing but with the high moisture content of this foundation this was less of a problem.
But it only comes in two shades, I used shade 1 which matched my skin tone well but I question whether this would be the case for everyone, especially darker skin tones.
Would I get this for personal use?  Maybe, once I’ve finished my existing foundation.
Would I get this for my kit? No



March GlossyBox: Harrods Special Edition

I was very excited when my GlossyBox landed on my doorstep this morning as it was the arrival of The Harrods Edition full of samples from the harrods beauty hall.

As most of you are probably aware GlossyBox are a monthly subscription service where you sign up and get 5 new beauty samples every month at a cost of £10 + £2.95 p&p.

This month I received:

Fendi -Fan di Fendi eau de toilette
Ojon -Damage reverse instant restorative hair serum
Erno Laszlo -The hollywood collection: 5 piece cream sachets
Burberry Beauty – Miniature Lipcover Rosewood No4
Clarins – Extra-firming body cream

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I can’t wait to try them all out especially the teeny tiny burberry lipstick. I will let you all know how I get on with them all ….

What did you all get in yours?