Category: Make-Up

Love At First Swipe: Clinique Pop Lacquer Lip Colour & Primer

After I recently tried out a Clinique lipstick for the very first time. It was immediate love. The Clinique Long Last Matte Soft Lipstick in matte plum is literally  one of the most beautiful purples lip colours I have ever seen and tried out

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Clinique Pop Liquid™ Matte Lip Colour and Primer

After falling in love with my very first Clinique lipstick a few months ago, I was recently investigating the clinnigeu counter once again. There I came across their Clinique Pop Liquid™ Matte Lip Colour and Primer range, which comes in a range of liquid but also solid lip colours.

Clinique: A lightweight liquid lipstick covers lips with lush pigment and a modern matte finish. Wears all day. Moisturising formula with built-in primer provides a smooth, even glide so lips feel as fresh as they look.

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As I had recently worn my hair  green, another lovely purple shade sounded like a great lipstick choice and so I went for shade number 8 -black liquorice.

Product

The deep berry colour of this liquid lipstick is an absolute dream. The pictures, unfortunately, don’t do it any justice.

I personally am a fan of liquid lipsticks that dry and that don’t leave you in the danger of smearing that deep colour all over your own face, which will inevitably happen to me. This lipstick in unfortunately not of this type. I was waiting for ages for it to dry till I realised that this is just not going to happen. While I initially was disappointed in this, it turns out this is also where a major difference lies in for this liquid lipstick

While many other matte lipsticks can dry out your lips, the Clinique Pop comes with a primer and not a separate one. The liquid itself contains a hydrating primer made of shea and murumuru butter that not only nourishes your lips but only makes the colour go on smoother.

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Packaging:

There is not much to say on the point of packaging. The lipstick comes in a nice looking square frosted tube along with a silver top that can double as an emergency mirror if you have nothing else available. It is not quite perfect, but definitely better than blind application.

The applicator itself is also one of the relatively common liquid lipstick applicators. However, I have used applicators in the past that made precise application of liquid lipstick easier, but it is not unusable. Although, it might be worth considering using a lipstick brush, should you have one within reach.

 

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Price

Clinique is pretty much everything but a budget brand but at £16.50 it still comes in significantly cheaper than your favourite MAC lipstick. So I guess while it might not be a “cheap” option but given its quality, I would say it definitely qualifies as a “value for your money” option.

 

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A product I can only recommend

While I already loved Clinique lipsticks , the  Clinique Pop Liquid™ Matte Lip Colour and Primer  once again has been awesome.

Clinique might not be the first point of call when thinking of lipsticks but I will definitely find myself back at the Clinique counter, to try out some more lipsticks. Who knows maybe my Clinique lipstick  collection will soon even outnumber my MAC & Lush lipsticks…

 

What is your favourite lip product discovery/brand?

Did you recently discover any new or unexpectedly amazing lip products? Which matte lipstick is your favourite? I would love to know!

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Sparkle Like A Diamond

No matter if you are getting ready for Halloween, an evening of fancy dress or simply a night out, everybody deserves to feel like a fairy princess. Thanks to a trend that hit the scene during the last festival season, this could not be simpler. It is time to sparkle things up!

 

I Am A Fairy Princess

I was recently so lucky to run into Wish Upon A Sparkle at an event I recently attended. They truly made me feel like a fairy princess. And not only did they choose a great application for my face shape they also perfectly matched it to my turqoise & grey hair. Boom! Can I please have this every day.

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I absolutely love this picture. Not only is the sparkle amazing, the pictures also really show the different colour nuances of my silver and turquoise hair do.  If you would like to add a little sparkle to your life too here are a few options for you.

 

Book A Sparke Professional

Wish Upon A sparkle are absolute experts in sparkle & glitter. No matter if you just want to sparkle up your face makeup, try out the sparkle-braid trend or even go for a full body sparkle, they are the team for you.

You can book them for Hen Parties, Weddings or any other private or corporate event.

 

 

DIY Sparkle

A bit over the top to hire a professional for your night out sparkle? Fret not!

Just buy a Sparkle-It-Up-Yourself Kit online. One good example is Stardust by BeautyBLVD, which comes in four colour variations – silver, gold, purple and a turquoise shade. Each kit contains 15g sparkle, bonding gel and an application brush, everything you need to make yourself sparkle.

Womens Evening Dresses

 

The Sparkle Downside

The downside of this whole thing is though that the glitter gets EVERYWHERE. I was pouring at least as much sparkle out of my bra as I had in my face. You will pretty much have to accept that the sparkle will be all over the place, especially if you should drunkenly fall asleep with it still on. Luckily I was able to avoid that.

Given that it gets glued on with skin glue, it does take a little effort to take it off. If you are the type that is unlikely to remove your makeup after a night out, you will pretty much have to accept a bed full of sparkles. However, there is nothing a long shower and a good vacuuming can’t fix. And let’s be honest being a fairy princess is worth it!

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Did You Try Festival Sparkle

Did you try festival sparkle yet? Do you know of any other places where you can great sparkle? I’d love to see your pictures of your glittery self if you have any.

 

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Get Glammed Up With BeGlam – App Launch Event

 be glam - launch event collage

Everybody loves a little glam

If you are like me you will love to get proper glammed up once in a while when having a night out with the girls, going to any other sort of special event or sometimes simply just because. The only thing that does feel even better than glamming yourself up is getting glammed up – and there is a new kid on the blog when it comes to booking experts.

 

BeGlam - Mirror Polaroid

A Little Glam Can Go A Long Way For Body Positivity & Self Love

Getting glammed up really can do so much more than just getting you ready for a special event or a night out. Practising some self-love & self-care by trying out some new amazing makeup looks or getting your “hair did” can do soo much for your self-esteem and make you feel soo good about yourself and even your body.

This does make me think of “Cheap Thrills” by Sia.  It does express in a great way how treating yourself to a little makeover (and hitting the dance floor with your loved ones) can make you feel a million dollars.

 

 

Everybody needs a little glam once in a while. At least this is how I feel.

 

So What Is BeGlam & What Has It To Do With Getting Glammed Up?

Like I said earlier, the only thing that feels even better than glamming yourself up is getting glammed up with some professional help, making  you look your best and pampering yourself a bit – and this where BeGlam comes in.

mono hair replacement systems
Source: www.beglam.co.uk

BeGlam allows you to easily browse and book your local makeup artists and hair stylists. The great thing about freelance MUAs and stylists is that they will come to you rather than you having to go to their studio or salon, so this is perfect for a little pamper party at home or especially if you are looking for a somebody to do your wedding makeup and hair for you and your bridesmaids.

be glam booking stepsSource: www.beglam.co.uk

You can book via the website or the iPhone/iPad app. I believe an Android versions in planned and will follow soon. If you are interested, keep an eye on my Facebook page, I will let you know as soon as BeGlam will hit the Google Play Store.

 

Bubbly, Celebs & Makeovers At The Release Party

The release party  at the Artisan was good fun: Celebrity guests (Housewives of Cheshire), makeovers, tasty food and bubbly.

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Oh and yes, I mentioned celebrities. Who they were. I was told they were part of the cast of The Real Housewives of Cheshire. I have to admit I would have not recognised them or had the faintest idea who they were wasn’t I told as I do not really watch that sort of show,  but once it was pointed out to me who they were it was actually interesting and nice to meet them.
I guess while this would have been an exciting point for many, it was a little lost on me.

However, celebs or not the event was great, you simply can’t beat the combination of bubbly, yummy food and  especially makeovers.

Be Glam - befor & after collage

 

My OOTD

dressDress: ‘Ionia’ Sea Blue Polka Dot Tea Dress –  Lindy Bop
Shoes: Old Season – Deichmann

Here is a quick glimpse of what I wore on the day. The beautiful Lindy Bop  ‘Ionia’ Sea Blue Polka Dot Plus-Size Tea Dress. I do love this dress and I got a lot of compliments for it. I will fairly soon post a full review of this dress to give you a better idea and include some better pictures of what I mean by that.

I want to leave you with one little word of warning though: If you consider buying this dress and your boobs are a bit on the larger side, you will have to be careful with this dress.

What do I mean by that? Take a closer look at my left boob in the picture (a thing I did not expect to say today…) . You should see a seam going across my boob. If this dress would fit as it was intended, this seam should lead around my bust, not across it. In my case the seam luckily ends up bang in the middle of my boob wich makes it kind of look like it was intended this way and I more or less get away with it.

All in all a lovely dress that I very much love but I guess if you are on the more well endowed side you will have to try the dress on and see where this seam ends up on you.

 

What Makes You Feel Glamorous?

What do you do when you want to feel glamorous? Have you ever booked a freelance make-up artist, mobile hairdresser or maybe a mobile nail artist?

Now go out put your make-up on do your hair and hit the dance floor, hit the dance floor….

Lots of love

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#MAAfterDark – It’s All About The Party Dress

UNIQUE wedding dresses

 #MAAfterDark – The Event All About The Party Dress

If you follow my blog you will have seen several excited posts leading up to #MAAfterDark. The Hashtag stands for Manchester Arndale After Dark and was an event organised by the Manchester Arndale center all about the perfect party dress and looking glam during this party season.

This evening brought 18 amazing Mancunian blogger babes together as well as special guest and competition judge Victoria from Inthefrow, who you can see in the bottom left in the below image collection.

An Inclusive Event

As I had mentioned in my very first post leading up to this event that I absolutely loved, that is was one of my very first inclusive events. This means here no distinction was made between “normal” fashion blogger and plus-size bloggers. It is nice to be surrounded by lot’s of amazing plus-size ladies and to feel all the support but it is also amazing  to once in a while to be recognised as simply being part of the “fashion scene” and not only plus size.

This inclusive nature of the event was not only reflected through the bloggers that were invited, but also by the represented shops, showing off their current party fashion, with Simply Be, Yours Clothing & Evans having rail space – and I fell in love a few times that evening.

 The Task

Each of us bloggers had been paired beforehand with one of the many retailers in the Arndale Center and given the same task: find your perfect party dress. Finally the best 10 party dresses would be chosesn by a jury. I was paired with the lovely Yours Clothing.

 

My Retailer

 

But let’s get to the important part: finding my dress. I was very excited to be paired up with yours clothing, as it is a brand I very much support. Not only do they offer clothes in a large sizing range (up to a 32) but they are also quite affordable compared to others while still on trend.

So last I week,  I set foot in to their yours clothing branch for an epic shopping sessionarmed with a shopping voucher given to me by the Manchester Arndale center. You can read more about this in one of my latest posts here. The last contenders were these three dresses:

Choosing The Dress

Before I went I had a look online and was dead set for the lace skater dress, especially as skater dresses are usually my go to party dress. However, if there is one thing I have learned over the last few months blogging, then it is always to try new things. And ultimately I liked the dress, but I felt I looked a bit unbalanced and bottom heavy in it, with relatively little fabric on the top and the poufy skirt on the bottom.

 

So I tried the sleeveless 20s style flapper dress in the middle. The 20s are currently very much on trend and this dress had been recommended to me by the Yours girls at the Plus size awards. I loved it on the hanger and although I liked particularly the fringes and had lot’s of fun shimmying for the camera I believed it did not really do my shape justice.

 

Finally I tried the lace shift dress in combination with a sparkly silver belt, the silver version of the golden belt that I had worn for the Plus Size Awards. To my surprise that combination really convinced me. The short sleeves seemed to really balance my uppper body and the belt nicely took my waist in to create a lovely hourglass shape. The length is perfect for the office when combined with leggins and shows just about the right amount of leg in it’s night look when combined with

The Accessories

With a lovely simple dress like this you can go all out and sparkly on the accessories. And this is what I did. I went for a sparkly silver belt, in combination with a black clutch with silver studs. Luckily I even had a pair of Deichman plateau heels that almost perfectly matched the studs in the bag.

The best thing about this was though that my £100 did not only pay for the dress, but also for all the accessorie: the handbag, the belt, the earrings and the bracelet and that with money to spare. I would say that was a pretty good deal. Interestingly enough, looking at the hangers when coming in, I appeared to be the only one who accessorized the dress out using our budget.

The Styling

After  having a first look at the new party wear collections, a nice prosecco and some nibbles. It was time for beautifying. I got the perfect classy and simple yet effective makeup to match my dress together with the most amazing curl and updo I have had in a long time I really loved what the stylists did.

My Final Look

Black Lace Swing Dress With Contrast Insert* –  (£34) – Yours Clothing
Black & Silver Diamante Across The Body Bag* –  (£20) -(Yours Clothing*
Grey Glitter Thin Belt*-  (£7) Yours Clothing
Bracelet* –  (not on site) – Yours Clothing
Earrings* – (not on site) – Yours Clothing
Shoes – (old season) – Deichman

I am really, really happy with my final look. Individually all things were great, the hair is absolutely amazing but together they are just a killer style. I so love what the stylist has done with my hair, the makeup was subtle but effective and matched the style of dress very well, I just know if I would have done it myself I would have overdone the smokey eye once again.  And finally the sparkly accessories give this simple look the perfect dose of glamour.

#MAAfterDark – The Competition

The jury had a very close look and intensive discussion about the dresses you can see in the group shot. Finally the 10 dresses below were crowned the top 10 party dresses of this season.

 

These dresses will be displayed in the Arndale Center and here on their website. You can win a voucher for £100 yourself by voting for which one is your personal favourite. Vote here. You can have a closer look at these dresses here, and also enter the competition.

 

Which Dress Would You Have Chosen

Which of the 18 dresses is your favourite? You can have a closer look at them by clicking on the image to enlarge it. Which one is your favourite? Do you agree with the Jury or would you have chosen differently? And which one is your absolute favourite?

Lot’s of love.

 

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My first Birchbox

I love surprises & I love beauty products. And so I decided a few months back to test out a few beauty boxes as a little monthly present to myself.

My Beautybox Experience

After having been with the Glossybox for a few months now, I decided that it was time to give the Birchbox a try.

Due to my busy schedule my post about the July Birchbox only gets published now and unfortunately I did not get to write a post about my June box. But as it happens I received the same products ads Lozzy Loves Lippy. So you can read her review here.

 

My First Box: The July Box – Sun Sea and Sand

A nice touch  of the Birchbox seemed that that each box stands under a certain motto like for example Sun, Sea & Sand in July or  “The Great Outdoors” in June. They also include quite often practical little makeup bags and one or the other little foodie treat like chocolate or a nice drink.

Here is what my first Sun, Sean & Sand box contained:

 

The Contents

Wish Three Whishes Lavender Body Butter

I absolutely adore lavender, as the house I grew up in and that I obviously left behind when moving abroad had tons and tons of lavender in the Garden. So for the lavender is the smell of home. Unfortunately most lavender products overdo in and basically choke you with the smell, not so this one. Having a beautiful smell and a great feel I would definitely recommend this.

 Where to buy:
At Birchbox

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The Porefessional

This is the product I was definitely the most excited about testing. I am using quite a few benefit products but am still a bit weary about testing new ones as, let’s be honest. They are not cheap. The Porefessional is a primer that promises to virtually erase pores and it is really doing a great job of it. My skin looks so much smoother using it and it also goes a fairly long way. In the meantime this has replaced the primer I used to use and I have also bought the full size version of this. Once again I would definitely recommend this.

Where to buy:
at Birchbox
at feel unique

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Laqa & Co Sheer Lip Lube

This lip crayon is not so much of a lipstick and much more of a lip moisturiser with a hint of colour. I received the coral one but there are lots of many lovely colours available you should check out. It feels lovely, does a great job at moisturising and, as mentioned above, there is a nice range of colours available.

Where to buy:
At Birchbox

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Philip Kingsley – One More Day Dry Shampoo

Dry Shampoo is one of my essential beauty items and a real life saver on overslept mornings and this is a good one. It leaves the hair with a great shine and does not appear to weigh the hair dIown. It is on the a bit more expensive end of scale on full price but so is it’s quality. The sample size has made it’s way into my handbag/travel kit. Although I am not quite sure if I will be buying the full size version.

Where to buy:
Travel Size: at feel unique
Full Size: at Birchbox or feel unique

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Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream

Well even though I am hitting the big 30 next year I am still not big on creams like this or even skin routines as such. This is probably where I have the big pores from mentioned above. I cannot say if I would buy this full price but it does feel great the skin no to heavy, like some creams do and on the the first view I would say my skin looks better. However, that might be the placebo effect. So I guess you should maybe test that one yourself.

Where to buy:
at Birchbox (currently sold out)
at Balance me

 

Glossybox or Birchbox?

Generally the two boxes appear pretty similar. A monthly subscription of the Birchbox costs £10 (plus P&P) just like the Glossybox. Both boxes consist of a mix of ca 5 full & sample size products, out of which some are niche and some high end brand products. However, when looking at the list of affiliated brands, I would say that the Birchbox  appears to be to an extend more exclusive and higher profile. Also, other than Glossybox, the  Birchbox offers an own online shop in which you will be able to buy the full size versions of the products sampled in the boxes, in case you liked them.

Get The Birchbox

Use the below link in combination with the code BBXBTS to get your first box for £10 with free shipping on your first box

BIRCHBOX

Get The Glossybox

If you prefer to test a single box first you can just order a single box or sign up for a rolling monthly subscription.

Or if you like the idea of little presents to yourself you could sign up for a 6 or 12 month membership in for which the monthly box prices are lower.

Just click on the below image to find out more about about Glossybox’s monthly subscription options.

What is your favourite beauty box?

Do you subscribe to a monthly beauty box? Have you discovered one of your now favourites over one of theses boxes? Do you know another box except the Glossybox or Birchbox you can recommend?
I would love to hear from you.

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