I was so sure I wasn’t the Birkenstock kind of person but recently I started lusting over the Birkenstock Arizona. I can’t explain it. I just really like the way they look and how comfortable they appeared. So I got myself a pair on Ebay for about £40. Well I adore them! They are super comfy and I think rather cool! They go so well with jeans but also skirts. I can’t get enough! So are you a Birkenstock gal?
Cleansing powders are not necessarily anything new – Dermalogica have had their Daily Microfoliant (£41.30) for a very long time and is a product I have used before and loved. Recently a few more brands have added cleansing powders to their range – mainly driven by the Asian beauty industry including Givenchy’s One-Minute Glow Powder (£26.55), Sensai’s Silky Peeling Powder (£55), Diptyque’s Radiance Boosting Powder (£38) and Indeed Labs Facial Powdered Exfoliator (£18.99).
I haven’t tried any of these new ones but decided to go with Japanese brand DHC‘s Washing Powder (£8), partly because of the vastly smaller price tag and partly because DHC have got a reputation for good skincare.
So what is a cleansing powder?! Well it’s a powder that when mixed with water gives you an exfloliating cleansing paste. The bonus is the exfoliation bit – but I would opt for fine milled options and nothing with scratchy big granules which could damage your skin. I NEVER use scrubs on my face and only ever “exfoliate” with a flannel (see my hot cloth cleansing routine) or with acids (see my skin refining post) so cleansing powders for me are the best combination!
After a few weeks of using the DHC Washing Powder I can safely say that I really like it. I only ever use it in the mornings. This is mainly because I prefer to I stick with my deep hot cloth cleansing in the evenings when I need to take makeup and the day’s grime off my face. I find that this washing powder gives me the right amount of cleansing in the morning without stripping my skin of moisture. I like the way that this leaves my skin looks bright and fresh. I just mix a tiny bit into my damp hands and massage it all over my face and neck, right down to my décolletage and then rinse it off.
Having now ventured into the cleansing powder zone I am tempted to try the Indeed Labs version which was recommended by Caroline Hirons (one of the best facialists)… maybe when this one runs out!
I had the chance to get some advice on applying makeup from Charlotte Tilbury’s makeup team. The sessions were being held in Selfridges and for £55 you would be shown how to apply makeup based on one of her ten signature “looks” (i.e. The Ingenue, The Bombshell, The Rock Chic, etc.) and then redeem the £55 against her products! I of course jumped at this chance, so off I went to Selfridges where a lovely makeup artist took me through every stage from skincare through to full makeup.
I chose The Rock Chic look as a perfect smokey eye is something I always wanted to master!
The first thing she did was remove all my makeup using two products – Take It All Off Genius Eye Makeup Remover (£24) and the Multi-Miracle Glow (£45). I absolutely loved the Multi-Miracle Glow. It smells amazing, is so soft and luxurious and left my skin beautifully clean and supple. Next she massaged Charlotte’s Magic Cream (£70) into my skin. This also smelled gorgeous and was very moisturising. My skin was definitely dewy!
Next she applied foundation. The colour match for my skin was 9 Dark (£32). This gives a medium coverage with a glowy finish. She then used The Retoucher in 3 Medium (£25) under my eyes and around my nose followed by WonderGlow (£38.50) on my cheekbones and down the bridge of my nose.
After all this prep my skin did look very healthy and glowing without being too shiny. She then contoured and highlighted using FilmStar Bronze and Glow (£49) and then she dusted my face with the Airbrush Flawless Finish Powder in 2 Medium (£33).
Next she started on the main feature – my eyes. I wont go into each step but she used the Luxury Palette in Rock Chic (£38), Feline Flick in Panther (£22), Full Fat Lashes in Glossy Black (£22), Rock ‘N’ Khol in Bedroom Black (£19) and Brow Lift in Cara D (£22.50).
Finally she finished off my look with a sweep of Cheek to Chic in Love Glow (£30), the lipstick Nude Kate (£23) and some Blondie Lip Lustre (£16.50)
I absolutely loved the final look – it is definitely not something I would have been able to acheive on my own. I found every minute of this so much fun and such a good learning experience. In the end the makeup artist spent over an hour and a half with me and talked me through everything she did giving hints and tips. The products are so lovely and it was hard not to buy everything! I am so happy I did this and would highly recommend it anyone!
Of course it is Zara, everyone has seen this biker jacket and I couldn’t resist it. It comes in baby pink too but I love the blue more. It was £69.99.
I got a size L and yes it is a bit stiff but I think it will soften with wear. I have been looking for a biker jacket for years and am quite chuffed with this one!
I read a few reviews for the new Garnier Miracle Skin Cream (£12.99) and decided I wanted to give it a go. This claims to not only make your skin look younger but also more “perfected”. There are weird pigments in it that transform on contact with your skin to make your skin looks better.
As you can see from the images below, when you first squeeze out the cream it is white and as you start to rub it in it turns to light bronze/brown.
I quite like this cream, although I have to say that as someone with darker skin, if you put too much on it can look ashy. But a little blob worked into the skin really does have a smoothing effect. At first I didnt really notice an improvement in my skin but after a few weeks of regular use I have started to notice that my skin is slightly less pigmented and some scars have faded. I have grown to like this more, the more I use it. It also has SPF 20 which is an added bonus.
I am not sure if I would repurchase this but it is a pretty good smoothing face cream!
As always popping into Zara is a dangerous thing, but I did it anyway and paid the price! I found two things this time (I could have found more but I stopped looking!). The first were a pair of skinny ripped jeans. I have seen ripped jeans becoming more and more popular as the weather warms up and became slightly obsessed with looking at Instagram pictures of them! So when I spotted this pair in Zara I was sold at £39.99. They are the perfect denim shade, with the right amount of rips for me in the right places! The one on the upper thigh is ever so slightly risky but not too! I also like that they they are ankle grazers – my most worn style! So swiftly a size 12 landed in my arms!
The next thing was a much harder decision, not because I don’t LOVE them but because they were a slightly eye watering £69.99. These are beautiful crystal encrusted heeled sandals. There is something so retro chic about these, like something you would wear in the French Riviera sipping a dirty martini?? Anyway I love them. I think they look amazing paired with my ripped jeans – a nice combination of ultra chic with a rougher edge. I also think these would look fab with summer shorts? They are definitely coming with me on holiday this year!
So as always Zara comes up trumps and I come out broke!
Estee of Essiebutton tweeted a picture of her wearing an Essie nail polish – Splash of Grenadine (£7.99) and I knew I had to get it immediately as it was the perfect spring shade! Of course Boots were having a three for two offer so I had to get two others to complete my spring trio! So here they are:
Splash of Grenadine – magenta pink
Sunday Funday – a tangerine coral shimmer
Funny Face – bright fuchsia
I was browsing the Rituals store recently and came across the Miracle Scrub – Ultra Softening Hand Scrub in Ginseng and Biloba (£11.50).
I was intrigued so tried it out in the shop. Essentially it is a scrub in an oily base that you use on dry hands and then wash off. It leaves your hands amazingly soft and beautifully moisturised! The smell is quite lovely too.
I have to admit I was instantly hooked. I have used this a few times over the past few weeks and my hands always look so much better after. I have really dry hands so this is like a little extra treat for them! Definitely love this and would get it again.
I finally managed to get some time to browse a Kiko shop. I have bought some things from Kiko before (see here) and loved them so was desperate to get my hands on more. You can buy online but with makeup I find that can be quite hard when you have darker skin.
So I focused mainly on eye makeup as it is something I love and can never get enough of! First I wanted to try out their Long Lasting Eyeshadow Stick (£4.90 each). I got two one in Golden Chocolate (05) and one in Rosy Brown (04). These are amazing, they glide on smoothly, belnding easily and stay put for the whole day with no creasing or smudging (without a primer). I love these two colours. I use the lighter shade (05) in the inner corner of my eyes and the darker shade (04) all over. I will definitely be getting more of these as they are great value and quality and the range of colours is huge!
Next I picked up the Color Fever Eyeshadow Palette (£13.90) in Jungle Green Variations. This is odd because I dont think the colours are greens but actually more greys with a hint of green! Either way the colours are lovely and rich and the payoff is very very good. Again they last really well without any creasing. I have used this for lots of daytime and evening looks and just love it. Am very tempted to get the Unexpected Rosy Taupe and/or the Coral Burgundy next!
I saw these in H&M and loved them immediately. They are very “on trend” at the moment and I just love the faux snakeskin look (£24.99). These are SUPER comfy and look great with skinny jeans.
Worn with Zara skinny taupe coated jeans, Zara necklace and H&M breton top.
Chitra's Things 