Kiko – A new makeup find

I had never heard of Kiko before I went to Westfield and saw this shop full of lovely makeup and decided it was worth a visit. I wasn’t disappointed. There was a huge range of products from makeup to skincare and nail polishes too. The best bit was the price – very very reasonable! After a lot of trying and browsing I settled on two eyeshadows, a lipstick/gloss and a nail polish.

The eyeshadows are called Coloursphere and are described as a “baked silk effect” and come in loads of colours and cost £5.90 each. It took me ages to choose but I finally went for no 27 Sparkling Cobalt Green – a beautiful smoky green that is very shimmery. Lovely for a night out! The second colour I went for is no 29 Golden White Multicolour which is a beautiful shimmery white that works really well in the corner of my eyes to brighten and lift.

Next I went for an “Ultra Glossy Stylo” which is described as an “glossy wet look lipstick”. This cost £4.90. The shade I went for is 810 Soft Red.The colour is a lovely pinky red with a bit of shimmer. It is really glossy on and I find it really easy to wear.

Finally I got this beautiful blue nail polish. This is number 336 Electric blue and is £3.90. It’s a great royal blue and I have to say the consistency is brilliant and the brush is pretty good too. The picture shows two coats over a base coat.

Will definitely be going back next time I visit Westfield.

Asos Monoclash Dress

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this dress. I first ordered this dress in January, yes January. I saw it on Asos and just knew I had to have it. I ordered my usual size 14 and sadly it just looked awful on me. I didnt really spend too much time asking myself why, I am one of those people that knows pretty instantly if something is wrong and will immediately return it. That is exactly what I did.

Two months later and I have seen the dress EVERYWHERE and I really mean EVERYWHERE! One place was on the blog site “What’s In Her Wardrobe“. Gemma was wearing the dress with a belt and said how her usual size was too big! So as you can guess I was straight back on Asos and by some miracle there was a size 12 left. I snapped it up immediately!

When it arrived I tried it on with much trepidation but this time swiftly added a belt and WOW! Its amazing! The fit was so much better with the pattern sitting in the right places and the belt just added that bit of definition I needed. I am so pleased with this dress it is just so effortlessly cool and unusual. Definitely a great purchase! Definitely was worth all the buying & returning and at £55 a great purchase!!

Worn below with Whistles Kir Royale Ankle Boots and Primark belt.

My Hero Products Part I

There are loads of hero or cult products around and I have to admit sometimes I do wonder how some of the products even get on the list! I am a total sucker for anything beauty related so feel that I do have some expertise in this area!

So I decided to write a post about ten of my hero products – they may or may not be my top ten but are the ones that immediately came to mind! So in no particular order:

1. Lucas Papaw Ointment (£5.10 for 25g tube)
If you haven’t come across this yet you will soon! Its an Australian product that is made from fermented papaya – yes I know that sounds disgusting but somehow it isn’t!! Its just like a thick balm that you can use for everything – and I mean everything! I mainly use this on my lips and cuticles. I also use it around my nose when I have a cold and have been blowing my nose a lot leaving me with dry flaky skin. Its just a very useful little tube to have in your purse at all times.

2. Aromatherapy Associates – Deep Sleep Bath Oil (£37.00 for 55ml)
Nothing works better to relieve tension and put me straight into a deep, deep, sleep. Never knowingly without this!

3. Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula – Skin Smoothing Lotion with Alpha Beta Hydroxy and Shea Butter (£4.09 for 250ml)
Keep going back to this – this makes my skin feels really soft and silky and definitely helps to reduce any scarring or marks on my skin. Absorbs instantly and lasts all day without any greasy residue.

4. Aussie Hair Range (from about £5.00)
I love Miracle Moist, Miracle Shine and Luscious Long and keep coming back to this range. They smell amazing and do exactly what they say every time. For my thick Asian hair the BEST hair conditioners are most definitely the 3 minute miracle deep treatments – especially love the Frizz Remedy.

5. Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish (£14.75 for 100ml)
I have already explained why I love this product so much and keep buying it again and again. Read more here.

6. Tesco Fragranced Ultra Soft Wipes (£1.09)
Weird one to include but if I don’t have a packet in my handbag I get distressed! Ever since having my daughter I have kept one in my handbag, one in the car and loads around the house. Even when my daughter is not with me I need these – great for removing red wine stains, wiping off makeup when trying on stuff in the shops and just generally an all round godsend!

7. Revlon Color Burst Lip Butters (£7.99)
I LOVE these. I tend to wear more sheer lipsticks than anything else which is probably why I love these so much! I have a particular obsession with Berry Smoothie – I have about four of dotted about in my handbag, the car, at home etc.!

8. Lush Dream Cream (£10.95 for 240g)
I started using this on my daughter whenever she got little patches of dry skin or eczema and even for nappy rash. Now I have one in the bathroom at all times and everyone in the family uses it for various reasons. Its just a beautiful, natural cream that seems to sort out all skin problem overnight!

9. L’Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil (£.9.99 for 100ml)
Again another product I have mentioned before (several times). I think I am on my fifth or sixth bottle now! I adore this and so does my hair!

10. Revlon PhotoReady Foundation in Caramel (£12.99 for 30ml)
I have quite a few foundations and BB Creams that I use but I have repurchased this one about 4 or five times now which is a sure sign that it is now one of my hero products. With dark skin it can be quite hard to find foundations in drugstores that match my skin colour and tone. This works perfectly every time. The texture is light but with good buildable coverage. I have applied this with my fingers and with brushes and it works well either way. Lasts all day and doesn’t dry out my skin or cause breakouts. Basically a really good all round foundation.

So that’s it – 10 of my hero products. Not all of them but a good start!

My Beautiful Boots – Whistles Kir Royale Ankle Boots in Taupe

These are the most beautiful ankle boots. I am completely in love with them which is a very very good thing given that they cost £150! I know I know that’s a lot of money BUT they are so perfect for summer and I have already worn them for two weeks straight meaning that their cost per wear is already down to £10!!

These Whistles boots also come in black leather, black suede, khaki suede, navy suede, and a stunning dark grey suede (which my sister bought and I am seriously contemplating buying and keeping in storage until winter?!)

Dress is from & Other Stories and skirt is from Forever 21 (old).

Rimmel London Scandal Eyes Shadow Stick – Tempting Turquoise

I love this new Rimmel London eye shadow stick in Tempting Turquoise (£5.99). The colour is incredibly strong and goes on really well. I have mainly used this as an eyeshadow – i.e. apply a small amount to my eyes and blend it in. This gives a lovely subtle wash of colour which I really love. I may try it as a stronger finish but for the moment am loving  it like this!

L’Oreal Hair Expertise Ever Riche Nourish & Taming Shampoo and Conditioner

I have used a few of these L’Oreal Hair Expertise Shampoos and Conditioners and really liked them. They are really rich and leave my hair really soft and conditioned. I have tried the Ever Sleek Smoothing and Moisture range and found that really good. I use a lot of different products and have found the L’Oreal range very good. I especially love the L’Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil.

The most recent shampoo and conditioner I tried is the Ever Riche range for Dry and Rebellious hair. My hair, like most Indian hair, is very thick and can be quite dry and frizzy if I don’t take care of it. The shampoo and conditioner (they were about £5.99 each – on offer I think) are really rich as the name suggests and definitely gave my hair a really soft and smooth finish. I also love the smell of this range. I really liked this and it was a godsend when I spent a weekend in house with pool and my hair needed that extra help! Very pleased with this and will be buying again!

Marks and Spencer – Les Senteurs Gourmandes Perfumes

I was browsing the M&S Beauty section and they had these perfumes called Les Senteurs Gourmandes with a base note of vanilla. I totally fell in love with two of the range  the Vanille Bourbon and the Vanille Noir (£22.50 for 100ml).

The Vanille Bourbon is literally as you would expect – Vanilla with a hint of Bourbon whisky! It’s an amazing smell. Even though I don’t normally like sweet smells this is just addictive. It also lasts all day without having to reapply.

The Vanille Noir is a little more spicy but again with a strong vanilla base. This is more of a sophisticated scent, more grown up and not so sweet as the Bourbon.

These have definitely become my new favourite perfumes!

Garnier Ultimate Beauty Oil

I love body oils but find that they usually leave too much of oily residue to use during the day so I usually just stick to using them at night. That is until I tried the Garnier Ultimate Beauty Oil (£7.99). This is a lovely oil made from a mix of Argan, Macademia, Almond & Rose oils.

The smell is incredible but not overpowering so wont clash with your perfume. Most importantly this oil is very easily absorbed and my skin is left silky and moisturised with no oily residue. This means that I can get dressed straight away. The only thing that is annoying about this is the spray. I find that if I use the spray I end up with oil everywhere – i.e. all over the bathroom floor which is a recipe for disaster! So I tend to just pour a bit out into my palm and use it that way which I find very effective! I definitely love this product and will be buying it again when my bottle runs out.

Makeup Purchases – Bobbi Brown & Real Techniques

I have been thinking about getting the Bobbi Brown Extra Repair Foundation (£36.00) for ages so I finally decided to go and get it! I popped into John Lewis and a lovely woman on the Bobbi Brown counter tried out three different shades and we settled for Golden 6 which was the perfect match for my skin.

This foundation is meant to be for dry skin. I don’t have dry skin but really wanted a dewy foundation that gave my skin that plumped up glowy look (without the oil slick). Well this certainly delivers. It gives me medium coverage, which I can build up if I want more. My skin does look really healthy with this foundation but I have to be careful not to overuse it as I don’t have dry skin so this could sometimes be too much.

Having purchased the foundation I had a slight weak moment and also got a High Shimmer Lip Gloss in Pink Sequins (£17.00)! Its pink and glittery – what’s not to like?!

The next thing I wanted to try are the Real Techniques makeup brushes. Like a lot of people I watch Pixiwoo and love their tutorials. So I decided to start with two – the Expert Face Brush (£9.99) and the Setting Brush (£8.99). Using the Expert Face Brush with my Bobbi Brown foundation makes my skin looks airbrushed! It’s probably one of the best foundation brushes I have used. The Setting Brush is a bit harder to use. So far I have used it to powder very lightly to specific areas of my face. It works quite well for that but am hoping to try it with a setting powder when I get round to buying one! Love both brushes and will be going back for more!