FOTD

I've remembered why my FOTD posts are so few and far between. It's because I have to take about a million photo's to get one good one. It's a bit depressing. I think, 'Ooh, I quite like my makeup today, I'll do a FOTD.' And then I take a photo and look rubbish in it. So what should be a quick snap can turn into an hour long photo shoot with myself. Awkward. 

Anyway, here's a few I was happy with. I've tried quite a few new products recently which I absolutely love and I thought it was about time I showcased them. I'm planning on doing in-depth reviews at a later stage so I can declare my love for them in more detail.

(Badly applied false eyelashes, this will be addressed in a review!)

Face:

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation

Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer

L'Oreal True Match Powder

MAC Ladyblush cream blush

NARS Luster blush

ELF Eyebrow Kit (review here)

Eyes:

Benefit Honey Bunny Creaseless Cream eyeshadow

MAC Vanilla Pigment

Urban Decay Naked Palette

Maybelline False Lash Effect mascara

Maybelline liquid eyeliner

GOSH Velvet Touch eyeliner

Girls With Attitude 'Short & Sweet' False Lashes

Lips:

Estee Lauder Crystal Baby lipstick

Philosophy Christmas Gifts 2010

One of the things I love in the lead up to Christmas is the arrival of festive products. This year, Christmas at Philosophy is sparkle, spice and everything nice. The collection offers a gorgeous array of Christmas products, whether as a treat to yourself or as a gift for someone special, these festive delights will be sure to put you in the Christmas spirit! Here's a selection of Christmas gifts from Philosophy's 2010 collection...

 Warm &Toasty - £20.50

With the title Warm and Toasty, the products tucked away inside this beautifully designed box offer everything the name suggests. Containing Double Rich Hot Cocoa, Hazelnut Espresso and Hot Buttered Rum, these deliciously named products not only smell divine, they can be used as shampoo, shower gel and bubble bath. Each 180ml bottle offers a rich, creamy scent that will allow for indulgent baths that perfectly epitomise Christmas. I didn't think I'd be a fan of Hot Buttered Rum, but after having a sniff of it in the bottle and discovering a lovely rich buttery scent, I'm tempted to make it following the instructions on the bottle to discover if it tastes as good as it smells!

Candy Cane Bubble Bath/Shower Gel & Lip Gloss (not pictured) - £17

Exclusive to QVC UK

Inspired by the cute little red and white striped candy canes that make an appearance around Christmas time, Philosophy's Candy Cane gift set is a refreshing peppermint that will make you feel like you're surrounded by the little sweet treats. A delightful way to wake up in the morning!

Holiday Greetings - £18

Exclusive to John Lewis

For those who have a sweet-tooth, this gift set would be the perfect addition to the bathroom. Containing Brown Butter Cookie shampoo, shower gel and bubble bath, Coconut Macaroon body butter and Pink Frosted Cookie lip shine, these goodies sound good enough to eat. The postbox inspired packaging is gorgeous too!

What do you think, will you be buying any Philosophy gift sets this year?

Olay's Big British Beauty Poll - The Results!

A few months ago I featured a post about Olay carrying out the biggest beauty census to date, The Big British Beauty Poll, which was specifically aimed to pinpoint what we, the consumer, wanted from skincare brands.

A staggering 20,000 women aged between 18-65 jumped at the chance to air their views on everything from beauty spending habits to attitudes to cosmetic surgery to their ultimate beauty icon and the results are now in!

♥ Classic beauties reign supreme as Audrey Hepburn voted most iconic beauty of all time 

Audrey’s look is still a winner in the beauty stakes! When asked, ‘which celebrity do you consider to be the most iconic beauty of all time? Women voted Audrey Hepburn their top choice, followed by Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren, Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor and Twiggy. Three of the most popular new faces in top ten were Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Aniston and Cheryl Cole.

♥ £23 ‘on the money’ when it comes to monthly beauty spend

When asked, ‘approximately how much would you estimate you spend on beauty products each month?’ the average monthly spend across all age groups was £23. This figure decreased over the age of 44, with younger women prepared to pay more.

 

Olay Regenerist 3-Point Super Serum

13,000 women tried and tested Olay's new Regenerist 3-Point Super Serum and when asked ‘Would you recommend new Olay Regenerist 3 Point Treatment Serum to a friend?’ an overwhelming 98% of women responded with a resounding YES.

Independently proven to firm skin as well as the UK’s leading super serum costing £400, Olay Regenerist 3-Point Super Serum contains the highest levels of penta-peptides and vitamin B3 complex, delivering maximum firming and hydration benefits.

Olay Wave Cast

To provide women with another chance to have their say on all things beauty or to interact with a panel of leading beauty experts, Olay is conducting their first ever live wave cast over the Internet. Details are as follows:

Date – Thursday 25th November 2010

Time – 16:00 

Visit - http://www.olaybigbritishbeautypoll.co.uk/

 
*This is a sponsored post

Vaseline Intensive Rescue Giveaway Winner!

The giveaway to win a Vaseline Intensive Rescue goody bag and a £50 voucher to use at a dry slope has now ended and I've now picked a winner. 

The lucky winner is...

♥ Lauren ♥

Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway, I enjoyed reading about everyone's Winter skincare essentials and will be trying out a few products based on your recommendations!

Lush Christmas Collection 2010: The Boogg & Gingerbread House

Until recently, I was a Lush virgin. On many occasions I enviously read the reviews of other girls and wished I too could indulge in sumptuous candy scented, bubble filled baths. But the bath we had in our old flat was tiny, in a bathroom that had no windows, and the one time my desperation to be encased in warm water reached a peak and I attempted a bath, the hot water ran out before the bath was even half full.

So I was delighted when our new house had the added bonus of a huge double bath complete with jacuzzi jets (which create masses of bubbles in a matter of seconds!) It was crying out for Lush goodies! Autumn/Winter is the ultimate time of year to take a bath and with Lush's Christmas Collection now available, I've found myself hopping in regularly, overjoyed to finally luxuriate in the Lush bath experience.

I have a whole host of Lush Christmas bath goodies waiting to be reviewed, so for now, I'll start with The Boogg & Gingerbread House...

The Böögg Ballistic - £2.25

The Böögg is inspired by a Swiss tradition of building an effigy of a snowman, filling its head with fireworks and popping it on a bonfire. This little snowman features 'fireworks' made of a combination of Bubble Bar and Bath Ballistic mixture that create slowly fizzing froth and explode out the snowman's head.

Popping this into the bath was a lot less exciting and dramatic than I'd hoped for. Although it was fun to watch different colours appear from the snowman, they dissolved very quickly and the bath water didn't change colour. Containing armoise oil which was slightly herbal, the smell lingered delicately for quite a while in the bathroom and on my skin but overall quite a disappointing experience.

Gingerbread House Bubble Bar - £2.45

This is the most delightful looking bath product I have ever seen! Indeed it looks good enough to eat with it's iced roof and cinnamon stick chimney. The scent is a sweet spice, which Lush describes as a combination of citrus oils, blackcurrant and ginger. The perfect scent if you want to feel warm and Wintery! I only needed to use half the bar for lots of glorious bubbles, which disguised the not so appealing orange bath water. The fragrance lingered on my skin afterwards and left my skin feeling lovely and soft.

The complete Lush Christmas collection can be found here

More reviews to follow shortly!

Lacoste Joy of Pink Perfume & Event

I was recently invited to a tea party to celebrate the launch of Lacoste's new fragrance -  Joy of Pink. With the promise of lots of girly fun and with Alexa Chung making an appearance, I was excited to see what the afternoon had in store!

The event was held in the members' club Paramount in Centre Point. Located on the 32nd floor and 385ft above ground level, the views of London were breathtaking if a little vertigo inducing! The venue was beautifully decorated with touches of everything I adore. The room was filled with candles...

pink champagne...

beautiful flowers...

and delightful decor...

After a bit of socialising over cocktails and champagne, Alexa Chung was introduced and informally interviewed by T4's Rick Edwards. She looked lovely in a soft feminine blouse and black leather hotpants.

A few things I discovered about Alexa Chung: She can't drive, she's a bit naughty as often doesn't take her makeup off after a night out and one of her favourite beauty items is liquid eyeliner which she feels is both retro and modern.

I managed to get a photo with the lady herself (she said she liked how I was tall too and I agree, it's not nice to always feel like a lonesome giant!) but is it possible to look good standing next to Alexa Chung?

I was thrilled when we sat down for afternoon tea at these charming tables adorned with dainty teacups and plates.

The menu was mouth-watering...

...and the cakes were delicious!

It was a fabulous girly afternoon which I thoroughly enjoyed.

On to the new perfume! The Joy of Pink packaging features the same design as the other Pink House fragrances, enhanced by a vibrant explosion of neon pink. The box has been revamped with the neon pin, ribbon-style writing, reflective of the vivacious mood of the fragrance.

With a delicious bursting of citrus grapefruit scent on first application, the perfume mellows over time and settles with peony and cedar wood adding a touch of musk. Whilst I tend to reach for more heavy and musky fragrances during the Winter months, this is a fabulous fresh and fruity perfume that is perfect for perking me up on dull days and giving me a scent of Summer. Light, girly and delicate, this is a great perfume for everyday wear. I love it!

Prices start at £24 for 30ml of EDP

 

Vaseline Intensive Rescue Giveaway

The arrival of Winter means lots of lovely things such as mugs of hot chocolate, cosy slippers, snuggling under blankets and the excitement of Christmas. It also unfortunately means for me the arrival of dry skin as the cold windy weather and heating play havoc with my skin. I've come to rely on a few essential products to see me through the cooler months and give my skin back some much needed hydration.

Vaseline Intensive Rescue is extending its range of products designed to provide instant relief and long-lasting care for dry skin, with the launch of Vaseline Intensive Rescue Moisture Locking Cream, ideal for use during Winter.

The fast absorbing cream formula is specifically designed to soothe and relieve very dry and stressed skin, both on dry patches and all over the body. Vaseline Intensive Rescue Moisture Locking Cream is highly effective and it is even clinically proven to provide twice as much moisture as E45 cream.

The Prize:

One lucky winner will receive the complete Vaseline Intensive Range worth around £25 plus Dry Ski Slope Lesson Gift Vouchers worth up to the value of £50, for either Milton Keynes, Castleford (near Leeds) or Braehead (near Glasgow), which can be used for slope activities, the bar and the onsite shop.

To Enter:

Simply write a comment below letting me know which products you reply on to see you through Winter, along with your email address.

Rules:

- One entry per person

- Must be a follower of my blog

- Closing date: 10pm on 10th November 2010

- The winner will be chosen at random and contacted by email. If I receive no response within 48 hours a new winner will be chosen

- UK only please!

For more information about Vaseline products, head to www.vaseline.co.uk


*This is a sponsored post