Dior 'Prune Smoking'

I can't imagine a prune smoking, surely that would reduce it's health benefits.

Sorry, I'm totally sad, I know.

Anyway, this beautiful colour was a birthday gift from my lovely O. With my birthday being back in September it is quite shameful that I'm only posting it now, but to be fair I'd only used it on my toes so far and I would not ever, EVER inflict my feet on the internet. So once I got it on my fingers I got snap happy.

Dior - Prune Smoking

This is so chic. Undeniably so. It just oozes laid-back sophistication and implies that you do your weekly shop at Prada.

 This is essentially a blackened burgundy. It's got quite a strong brown-black base to it which keeps it original. This is a straight cream with no shimmer, my favourite kind of finish. Two coats plus top coat.

So yes, this is the colour Dior call 'Prune Smoking'.... and sniggers aside about the name,  I like it very much indeed.

Hello stranger!

Yes, you there.... HELLO!!! It's been a while and I'm very sorry for that. I cannot believe that my last appearance on Blogger was on the 10th November! I

'm so out of the loop, can you believe that I didn't even know what the new Chanel 2013 Spring collection looked like until yesterday? Yesterday! The blogging community has known since way before Christmas.

And by the way it's very nice indeed. All three eyeliners are calling to me as well as the new eye palette. 

I'm so behind.... *sobs*

Today I thought I'd kick my creative juices into flow and at the same time let you know about some products that may or may not change your life. There have been a few things over the last month or so that I've been practically idolising and it wouldn't be fair if you didn't know about them, right?

First up, WELEDA REGENERATING POMEGRANATE BODY OIL

Just buy it, your skin will thank you for it. In fact Mr P thanks me for it, although he doesn't really know the reason why my skin is both silky and juicy (??) at the same time. I suppose I mean plumped up, rather than juicy, but it gives you an idea of what this gloriously golden oil does for your skin. It's part of Weleda's anti-ageing pomegranate line but just ignore the whole ageing element of it and just go for it, even if your in your twenties. The skin on our bodies is so neglected that we all need a bit of 'regeneration' in our body care.

Apply after showering and massage it into your skin. It's not one of those dry oils, it's a proper oil although it's not too heavy and sticky and I have no problem dressing right away. My skin just glows since I've been using this and it even looks firmer. Mr P thinks  I've been working out (which I have.... massaging myself is hard work).

It smells delicately fruity and clean and doesn't interfere with perfume. 100% natural. What's not to love? I bought mine at Planet Organic for £19.99 but Weleda is sold in so many places and so many countries, it shouldn't be hard to find. It's not cheap I know, but I don't believe that there are many better things you can put on your skin.

Next, LANCOME 'IN LOVE' DEWY MIST (for Spring 2013)

The product that I've been searching for my whole make-up wearing life. I love when my make-up has been on the whole day and kind of sets into my skin and becomes one with me. This spray gives me that look as soon as I put my make-up on, even if I've used powder. I hate my skin looking 'made up', somehow it lacks the radiance that I've been craving. This is radiance in a bottle. No shimmer, no cheap tricks, just a beautiful little bottle of orange blossom scented dew that kisses the skin with health. Spritz on after you make up or later on in the day to refresh make up for that youthful fresh skin you've been hankering after. I also use it before make up and it primes the skin by softening it. My only complaint is that it's limited edition and the bottle is too small. I'm using it too generously I think, but I can't help it. It's one of the most beautiful little products I've come across in a very long time and I'm going to need a back up bottle.

It's £22 (ouch!), but so worth it. Let's call it 'Princess spray'.

Following that, another Weleda PINE REVIVING BATH MILK

Warming, cooling, refreshing, relaxing, liberating! A bath of contrasts you might say. This is the only thing I've been using in my Sunday night baths for the last month. It's so restorative and leaves the bathroom smelling like it can heal you. Mr P likes it, it's pretty unisex. Nothing nasty in here, all natural goodness. You can feel like Cleopatra in a mountain forest for all of 20 minutes. Eyeliner and headress optional.

I picked this up from Planet Organic for £10.95. I reckon you can get between 6-10 baths out of it. I'm very generous so I'm nearing my final, and 6th, bath from this bottle. If you have a smaller bath or are just more restrained than me (not hard) then you can make it last longer.

Well my lovelies, I hope you'll forgive my absence and I apologise in advance for the next few months as I will be preparing for a show and my mind will be in LaLa land. Actually on that note, I've been thinking for a while that it might be interesting to write about beauty prep and make-up for stage performance, my routine and various looks and products that I employ. What do you think?

Don't forget to let me know what products have been rocking your world recently! 

Oriental Blush - Water decal nails

I saw these stunning nail decals on the British Beauty Blogger website about a month a ago and I knew I had to have them straight away!

They are commonly labelled as 'geisha' nails, but some very knowledgeable folk have commented that they are in fact Chinese peach fairies. Whatever these beautiful, ethereal creatures are, they make for a stunning manicure and I've blurred the label by calling them 'Oriental Blush', I think that sums up the look really.

Peach fairy nails!

Nail decals are like transfers, you cut them to size from the sheet, soak them in a little water for a few seconds and then slide them over your (previously painted) nails. I chose a pale French manicure pink as my base for a soft, fairytale vibe. This is two coats of L'Oreal Marie Antoinette underneath the decals. After applying the decal I used a generous layer of topcoat to seal in the design. I'm happy to report that this has been one of my longest lasting manicures.... over a week of wear!

For some reason I couldn't get a crystal clear shot of the peach fairies, but if you go to the Hail the Nails website you can see them displayed perfectly and you can pick some up for yourselves while you're there!

I loved the peach fairies so much I picked up two sheets of them and I also got the Pink and Peach English Rose Flowers decals. Such a great little site!

I'm itching to try these over black, do you think it will work? 

Pandora loves Autumn

It's been a long time since I really wrote about the things I love and actually love what I wrote....

I began this blog almost two years ago as an outlet for my creative writing and more recently I find myself merely 'reporting' in the briefest way possible, leaving aside any real expression that might interfere or, most likely, be ignored. After all, most people check out beauty blogs nowadays for reviews and swatches, not for literary satisfaction. And why shouldn't they? Why should we part with our hard-earned cash for products that just aren't worth it. We're savvy and we know it.

Anyway, I digress as usual.... Today I'm going to indulge myself thinking about all the things that make me feel warm inside when it's cold outside, both beauty-wise and otherwise.

First up.... CANDLES!

I love them. I love the subtle light they create, and the way they instantly change the atmosphere in a room with a flicker. Scented candles are even better, but they have to be good quality ones. I've had some very disappointing candles in the past and there is definitely a correlation between price and quality. My current favourites are by Yankee Candle. Perhaps not the most luxurious of packaging it has to be said, but there is a cute homeliness about the jar candles and once they're lit and the lights turned down low it doesn't really matter anyhow.

When I come in from the cold there is nothing more reassuring than lighting a few candles and making some tea before snuggling up on the couch.

Yankee Candles in Chamomile Tea & Blissful Autumn

The two I have burning at the moment are Autumn Bliss, (a sweet, fruity and mellow tempered with spice and a stronger hit of pear) and Chamomile Tea (the most comforting, wrapped-in-a-blanket smell, and quite literally chamomile tea with a dash of honey). I burn them simultaneously if I'm feeling indulgent and they complement each other beautifully. The quality of Yankee candles is absolutely superb. A medium sized jar (410g) has between 65-90 hours burn time and the wax burns down evenly for the most part. The scent is as strong at the end of the candle as it is at the beginning.

Medium jars retail for about £16.99 each on the official Yankee Candle website. 

Next up....RICHLY COLOURED NAILS!

This year I'm really spoilt for choice when it comes to adorning my nails. I have some beautiful metallics (which go with most things but really seem to set off knitwear beautifully) such as Estee Lauder Molten Lava and Chanel Peridot, and some more unusual offerings like Estee Lauder Black Turquoise .

Estee Lauder Molten Lava

I especially love the feeling of pulling out my purse (which happens far too often according to Mr P) and flashing my jewel-toned dark nails at cash registers. Don't ask me why, but it makes me happy...

Next.... and a strange one.... PALE SKIN!

I love to embrace being pale in the winter and eschewing bronzer for a richer toned blusher and just-bitten lips. I love the idea of having alabaster skin, although to be honest I tend to go more sallow than anything else... still it's the idea I love and that inspires me to go more gothic with hair and make-up. I love the feeling of fragility that paleness gives me.... please don't get me wrong here, I don't mean consumptive heroine, and I certainly don't love feeling ill, I mean more like a delicate 'winter fairy', if there's such a thing (and I'm sure there is) :)

Anyway moving swiftly on..... BLACK!

Nothing literary here, it makes me look thin, ok? And I've been wearing a lot of it recently and loving the sleekness that comes with a mostly black ensemble. A well-cut black coat is every girl's best friend as are a nice firm pair of black treggings (trouser-leggings, don't you know?). I love colour, truly I do, but this autumn in particular I've been loving embracing the dark side....

Next.... CASSEROLES, STEWS AND BAKING!

See why I need the black? Cold weather means hearty food and is there anything more comforting than finding a casserole in the oven when you come in from the cold and freshly-baked muffins for those icy weekend mornings?

My vanilla caraway muffins - the ultimate breakfast treat

I can't tell you how much I'd love to find a casserole magically made for me when I get home. Perhaps the winter fairy will provide it, it's probably more likely than coming home to find Mr P in an apron chopping onions....

I hope you've enjoyed the randomness of this post.... I'd love to hear what you're loving at the moment! 

'Starry Night' Halloween Nails

Sinful Colors 'Black on Black' with Orly 'Shine on crazy diamond'

Ok, so this is not exactly ground-breaking, but with not much time or scope for creativity nail-wise, I wanted a quick way to pay homage to Halloween without spending a frustrated hour with a tooth-pick trying to draw spiders on my nails. Granted, last years nails were much more interesting, but I had more time back then.

Having said that, I rather like my little festive Halloween look. Think black night peppered with stars, a less ghoulish and more glam take on All Hallows eve.

 I used one coat of Sinful Colors Black on Black (yes, just one coat, it has marvellous coverage), topped with one coat of Orly Shine on Crazy Diamond, which is my favourite sheer glitter polish. Then one coat of Essie Good to Go Topcoat. The Orly, as lovely as it is, has a horrid dull finish if you leave it on it's own and a topcoat will bring it back to life.

 I've tried to capture the amazing holographic nature of the glitter which comes to life under artificial light. In daylight you only see silver, so I took these photos underneath my bathroom lights.

For our Halloween tonight we are going to see Diana Krall at the Royal Albert Hall, so I don't think these nails would look out of place there. A little bit fun, a little bit chic and oh-so simple.

Happy Halloween peeps!

Chanel Black Pearl

Also known as 'the curse of the black pearl'.... This has stolen my heart and become my number one polish of all time. I just want to wear this and only this....

Chanel Black Pearl

Funnily enough I didn't buy this little bottle of black magic. It was a birthday gift from my little brother and his lovely little girlfriend (ok, they are not so little, they are grown up enough to recognise Chanel, but you know.... younger than me, so little.) They also bought me Peridot which I thought I didn't want but now I have it I don't know how I could have not had it in my life. The Peridot story will be told soon, but it's now my 'lucky' polish...

Chanel Black Pearl

 But back to Black Pearl. This literally is like someone has just replaced your fingernails with precious black Tahitian pearls. (Do pearls even come from Tahiti? Well, I like to think they do)

 I don't know how they did it, but Chanel have replicated all the beautiful nuances in a black pearl, bringing out the shots of irridescent green and flashes of blue-lilac which can be found in real 'black' pearls. It's really incredible.

I'm so in love with this. It goes with everything and even has a changing quality which means that it picks up the colour in whatever you are wearing and reflects it, for instance, if I'm wearing something green the polish becomes more green-tinged. Amazing.

It's a curse because I've received a lot of stunning new colours recently, all birthday gifts, all of which are gorgeous, but my heart yearns for black pearl in a way which I've never before experienced with polish. This is going to be one of the very few colours I'm going to need a back-up bottle of.

Plus, this is one of the GOOD Chanel formulas, lovely coverage, decent wear time. This is two coats with Essie Good to Go topcoat.

Buy it. You need it. You won't regret it.

Review- Laura Geller Glow and Behold Kit

I'm a bad, bad beauty blogger, because I've not told you about this when it's something that you probably need in your lives, like, now.

This was a Today's Special Value on QVC some weeks ago and I caved in and bought it because every single one of the products looked so unique, unlike anything I have already, and as you can imagine, I already have a lot. 

The whole kit was also tremendous value for money, something around the £34 mark if I remember correctly, but even at it's current price, £42, it's still awesome value for money and I would definitely buy it again as a beautiful gift for someone. 

Laura Geller Dream Cream concealer (medium-dark)

So, what's in the set, I hear you ask. First up, and the thing that intrigued me most; The concealer. Yes, that's the concealer in the above photo! Can you believe it? You basically swipe your finger across all the shades and within each colour there are corrective and brightening properties which means that you get the best of everything in one go, almost like 4 products in one. If the result of mixing all four shades together is too dark or light then you can adjust the shade by going over the application with one of the three stripes of colour to lighten or deepen accordingly. The half-moon shade to the left is the highlight shade which, when mixed in with the others just brightens the under-eye area a touch, and when used alone as a traditional highlight gives a lovely rose-gold gleam to the cheekbones. This is a totally unique concept, made even more special by the fact that swiping across all shades does not ruin each individual colour, you can swipe down on them vertically to regain each original shade as you see it here. The effect looks very natural indeed, and I happily interchange this with my Garnier roll-on/Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection combo, although I suppose if it came to the crunch and I absolutely had to choose one concealer it would still be Collection 2000, just because my dark circles are soooo bad and it's a bit more opaque in coverage. But overall a very lovely concealer and definitely one to check out either on it's own or with the rest of the set..... and so moving on to:

 The Tahitian Glow face and body powder. A gorgeous skin brightener which is a cross between a bronzer and a glow powder. It's a bit like the Dior Healthy Glow powder, only less orange. Don't get me wrong, I love my Dior powder, but this just brings my skin to life in a way I didn't think was possible. It can even double up as a foundation as it has a degree of coverage to it. In the summer that's what I'm going to do, if it lasts that long. You can also dampen the sponge it comes with and use it wet for even better coverage on the body, but I haven't tried this out yet. I just use it with a powder brush all over my face and marvel at the radiance.

 I should also mention the half mirror inside the compact... it's a neat idea to have half mirror/half transparent plastic, it makes identifying the product a whole lot easier. The mirror is a little small, but much better than nothing. I do my make-up facing the window and so I have to hold up a mirror to see what I'm doing. As a consequence my mirror-less blushers get a little less love.

The Bora Bora blush is stunning. The perfect pale pink flush of colour for any time of year. The effect is luminous and paired with the Tahitian Glow the overall look is 'radiant princess', for lack of a better phrase! I think the key is that both the blush and the Glow powder are baked creams, so they are fundamentally a cream formulation which means that they don't end up looking powdery on the skin.

You also get a whopping size of the Spackle make-up primer in the set. I'm kind of fine without primer on an every day basis, but for special events and situations where you really want your make-up to stay put this does the job admirably. It's scentless and light. Not a thrilling product by any means, but a good one to have on standby.

Last but not least, this clever little lippie. It's a split-colour called Caribbean Kiss, with a plummy-pink on one side and a tawny bronze on the other. I thought that it looked a bit 'blah' to be honest, but it's now my most reached for lip colour, giving me a very luscious looking soft, fresh pout. The texture and scent are a huge plus, it has a light smell of raspberry buttercream (in my opinion!) and feels so moisturising. The colours are sheer which makes it so easy to slap on and not think about, and I can't think of anyone this would not look good on.

All in all I'm a TOTAL Laura Geller convert. If you have the QVC channel try and tune in when she's on, she's hilarious, so much fun to watch. That fact that the products are top-notch just makes me love her even more.

You can find the set here if you're interested. As far as I know it's only available in the UK via QVC, but in the US it's probably all much easier to come by.