Chanel Rouge Coco Shine Lipstick in Romance

I finally bought my first ever Chanel lipstick!! When I was at the Debenhams press evening we all received a voucher in our goody bags and I knew I was going to head straight to the Chanel counter. I ended up buying a lipstick and a foundation (which you can see in my previous post). I found it so hard to choose which lipstick I wanted and did a bit of research before I went in, I had no idea which finish or shade to go for. After some recommendations from you lovely beauty bloggers, Sandra from The Black Pearl Blog sent me a link to her review on this gorgeous Rouge Coco Shine lipstick in Romance and when I tried it on I knew it was the one I wanted, so thank you Sandra.

The Rouge Coco Shine lipsticks are described as a 'hydrating sheer lipshine.' They glide on like a balm and leave a glossy, sheer finish with a hint of colour. I love how hydrating this product is, especially with the crazy snow in March weather we're having at the moment. Romance is a gorgeous medium pink shade and I found it hard to chose between this, Boy (a lighter pink) and Monte Carlo (a darker reddish pink). I love the colour and the finish of this lipstick, it's great for everyday wear as it's so natural looking. The only thing is it doesn't last as long as other lipsticks but that's to be expected.

I absolutely adore the Chanel packaging, there's just something so satisfying about pulling this little beauty out of your handbag. I think every girl needs a Chanel lipstick in their collection, I'll definitely be adding more to mine. The Rouge Coco Shine's cost £24, a little pricey but worth it for that little bit of luxury or if you want to treat yourself.

Have you tried any of the Chanel lipsticks?

Battle of the High End Foundations

For years I was always a MAC Studio Fix Fluid girl and wouldn't try any other foundations because I liked to stick to what I knew. Then when I started reading blogs and became a beauty blogger myself I decided it was time to branch out and try some new foundations. I have never really found a drugstore foundation that I like or that works for me, I have really red skin and an oily t -zone so I like a medium to high coverage and it has to be long lasting. I always tend to go for high end foundations as I find that they're just much better quality and there is a wider colour range.

The top 3 high end foundations that I find work for my skin are Giorgio Armani Lumious Silk (5,6), Laura Mercier Silk Creme (Cashew Beige) and Chanel Perfection Lumiere (40 Beige). As you can see from the photo above all of them are a very similar shade and that's why I love them so much, they match my skin perfectly. Each time I've went to one of their counters, the girls have colour matched me and they all done an amazing job (I'm always a bit worried about them choosing the wrong colour).

The first of these foundations that I discovered was the Armani Lumious Silk which I bought last October. A couple of the girls in my old work had bought it and raved about it so I had to try it, It's also a celebrity favourite (Kim K, Megan Fox, Kristin Cavallari). When I first tried this foundation I absolutely loved it, it has amazing coverage but doesn't look cakey on the skin, gives gorgeous radiant finish and stays put all day - what more could you want? Also, because it doesn't contain an SPF it look amazing in pictures which is always good for when I'm blogging. You can see a photo of me wearing this foundation in my Christmas Makeup Post. Luminous Silk costs £32, which is the cheapest of the three. When I first got this I only used it for nights out but that soon changed when I found a new favourite...

Laura Mercier Silk Creme foundation is definitely my favourite out of the three and I'm not going to say much about it as I did a full review on it not too long ago which you can read here. This foundation is a blogger favourite and once my sister tried it and loved it I just had to have it. It has the best coverage out of the three, which is great when I'm having bad skin days or I want a flawless finish for a night out. It's great for my oily t-zone and still manages to give a gorgeous natural glow. Silk Creme costs £33 and I definitely think everyone should try it!

The last one is the newest foundation in my collection, Chanel Perfection Lumiere (and also the one I'm wearing in the photo above). I've always wanted to try a Chanel foundation but they never seemed to have enough coverage for me. One day I got a sample of Perfection Lumiere in a magazine (luckily in the shade 40) and I wore it for a couple of days and absolutely loved it. I ended up forgetting about it until I got another sample when I was buying my sisters birthday present and once I tried it again I knew it was going to be the next foundation I purchased. I'd say this has the lightest coverage out of the three, but it still has more coverage than the other Chanel foundations. It has a semi-matte finish but as you can see from the photo above it still gives my skin a lovely glow. This is going to be perfect for days when I feel that my skin is looking good and I don't need as much coverage (it still manages to cover my redness). This is the most expensive at £36 but it's definitely worth it if you want to treat yourself.

So far these are the three foundations that I'll definitely repurchase. What are you're favourite high end foundations? I really want to try NARS Sheer Glow next.

Xen-Tan Moroccan Tan

When Xen-Tan launched their Moroccan Tan I was dying to get my hands on it. For me when it comes to fake tan, the darker the better and I was really interested in the fact it had Moroccan oil in it. I never usually spend a lot on fake tan and religiously use St Moritz which is always on offer in my local Savers or Semi Chem for a mere £3.99 (and it works like a dream). However, after rave reviews from my sister, I really wanted to treat myself to one of Xen-Tan's products. Before I had the chance to order it, my sister already had so I thought I'd wait and see what she thought of it first.

After my sister had used it once, she decided she didn't really like it because it was too dark for her so she kindly passed it on to me (my skins a lot darker than hers). So, on to the basics...Moroccan Tan is meant to give a deep instant colour, dry quickly as well as have a lovely tropical scent. Personally, I do agree with everything it says on the tube but I just did not get on with this product at all.

I'll start with the positives. This tan smells absolutely gorgeous and reminds me of being on holiday, you know that coconut smell you get when you slather on your oil (or is that just me)? Definitely the best smelling tan I've used. Also, I really loved the deep dark colour this gave me however, it could be a little dark and unnatural looking if you're already quite pale.

Now for the negatives - it dries too quickly. I know that sounds like it would be a positive but it literally dries less than a minute after you put it on which makes it a nightmare to apply. I found blending this extremely hard and just couldn't get it to look even on my skin. I though that maybe it would be okay once I washed off the guide colour but it just looked a bit patchy. Being a regular user of fake tan, I've never had that problem with any of the other tans I've used.

I've seen a lot of positive reviews of this product but unfortunately it gets a thumbs down from me - gorgeous colour, terrible to apply. Have you tried this tan yet, what did you think?

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OOTN: Charity Fashion Show

 Bodysuit: Missguided

Trousers: New Look

Blazer: New Look

Shoes: New Look

Rings: H&M

First of all sorry for the lack of posts last week, I was really busy and didn't have much time but I've got lots planned for this week. Last Thursday I was kindly invited to the Style at Merchant Square fashion show and VIP reception. The show was in association with House of Fraser and was held to raise money for The Prince & Princess of Wales hospice which was such a great cause and I had a really lovely night. 

When we arrived at Metropolitan in Merchant Square we were welcomed with a champagne reception and got to sit and chat to other bloggers and get our photo taken while we waited on the fashion show to start. An hour later we headed downstairs to watch the main event and we luckily got to sit in the front row. After the show, a raffle was drawn with some amazing prizes (unfortunately I didn't win anything as usual) and then we went back in to Metropolitan for another sneaky drink (followed by a chippy - glamorous).

I wasn't sure what to wear at first, I didn't want to go too fancy and wanted to get my Spring wardrobe back out (even though it's still freezing/raining/snowing in Glasgow). I had not long bought my Missguided bodysuit but hadn't wore it yet so planned my outfit around that. I decided on bright floral print trousers that I bought last year and absolutely loved and finish it off with a matching blazer. I think I'm going to start doing more outfit posts on my blog for a change since it's mainly beauty, what do you think?

I hope everyone had a good weekend and in case you haven't yet please follow me on Bloglovin here.

How To Get Ashley's DOI Plaited Look With Osis+

[Image from Ultimate Ashley Roberts edited by me]

Last week Immediate PR tweeted asking if any beauty bloggers would be interested in recreating Ashley Robert's plaited hair look from last Sundays Dancing On Ice using Osis hair products. I've seen a few bloggers do these posts before and jumped at the chance as it looked really interesting (and I love Dancing On Ice and Ashley). I also really love the Osis products, especially Dust It. I received the products on Friday and have been practicing all weekend as it looked quite tricky.

The products I got sent to create the look are Schwarzkopf Silhouette Color Brilliance hairspray, Osis Curl Me Soft curl cream, Osis Magic anti-frizz serum and Osis Sparkler shine spray. Here are the steps to follow to recreate Ashley's gorgeous hairstyle:

Step 1: Apply Curl Me Soft to damp hair and blow dry.

Step 2: Curl hair using tongs or large rollers to add bounce (I improvised and used my GHD's).

Step 3: Put your hair into a center parting from the front of the hairline to the nape of the neck.

Step 4: On each side, French braid the hair from the nape of the neck up to the front hairline and finish with a small amount of Silhouette Color Brilliance.

Step 5: Cross over the two braided ponies at the front and pin into the already French braided hair.

Step 6: Pull and loosen braids to get more of an edgy feel and run some Osis Magic through the hair to stop frizz.

Step 7: Finish off the hair with Osis Sparkler to get that red carpet look.

I absolutely love the finished look, obviously it doesn't look as amazing as Ashley's as I'm not a professional hairdresser and I did find it difficult to do the French braids from the bottom up to the front of my hairline so I got my Mum to help me out (thanks Mum). If you aren't very confident with French braiding, then I suggest you get someone to help you too. I also love all the Osis products that I was sent and will continue to use them in my hair routine. 

Thank you Immediate PR for giving me the opportunity to recreate Ashley's hair, I'll definitely be doing it for a special occasion soon. What do you think of this braided look, is it something you'd think about trying?