Make Up to Make Out

TIGI BED HEAD SUMMER AZTEC TOTE PROMOTION

by Lina on May 10, 2013

I got sent these lovely new hair bits from Tigi Bead Head last week to highlight their new in-salon promotion. Right now, if you buy two or more Tigi Bed Head products you can grab this handy limited edition aztec print Summer tote* as a freeb with purchase!

Weirdly, I’ve not used much Tigi Bed Head in the past, literally just a few products here and there, so was pretty eager to test this lot out. Being a skank who only washes her hair twice a week (I told a boy this fact two days ago and he was rather disgusted seeing as he washes his hair every day!) (- but seriously though, I genuinely don’t need to wash it more than that?!), I’ve only used them a couple of times each but so far very impressed with it all.

Especially loving TIGI BED HEAD AFTER PARTY* as an awesome finishing product, smells lovely too; but the smell of TIGI BED HEAD TOTALLY BAKED* OMGGGGG!! SO DELISH. I could happily pump that stuff directly into my mouth and eat it. Okay, perhaps not, but damn close to it as smells so good. It’s a prep-volume type product, btw.

Full reviews coming!

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DUNGAREES & SATCHELS

by Lina on May 8, 2013

I’m actually planning on filming a haul vid today with these bits included, but thought I’d give you a little sneaky peek first.. !

You may have gathered from either my Twitter, Instagram or even this blog that I have an obsession with dungarees at the moment. I’ve always been a fan of slightly mannish trends; hello the concealed wedge trainer last summer! Although I guess men wouldn’t really wear a wedge concealed or otherwise, but still, I kinda like street, boyfriend, ill-fitting, somewhat garish attire; so the dungaree trend has ticked every box for me this season!

FYI, that’s not my bedroom!

The newest addition to my collection are these Topshop Moto Bleached Dungarees. I had a feeling they’d be bought out in Petite so was biding my time until it finally happened. I initially bought them a size too large, thinking they’d be nice and oversized, but unfortunately they still weren’t looking like how I wanted so I exchanged them for a larger size up, which I think is a much better fit. What do you think?

The good thing with them is that they have adjustable straps and they can be rolled up to whichever length you like, so really, all you need to decide on is the fit and how much slouch you want, and then the length can be altered accordingly. I have a feeling I’m going to be living in these all summer!

I picked up these two mini satchel type bags yesterday as well; one yellow from Zara (the Zara Messenger Box Bag), the other lime green from Topshop (Topshop Edge Paint Satchel)! There’s no way I can justify keeping both so I’m really undecided over which to keep. I think I prefer the Topshop lime green shade, but am really taken with the inside compartments of the Zara yellow one. Zara bags are amazing quality as well, my one from six months ago that I use religiously is still holding out so well!

Waaaah, what to do!

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LEARN TO UKE

by Lina on May 7, 2013

How was everyone’s bank holiday break? Good?! I feel a little sad as I write this as this time last week I was at the last of my Beginner’s Ukulele lessons, which I started a month ago.

I can’t believe how much I have learnt in that short space of time, or how much I enjoyed the classes and the sheer learning of the instrument! If I could, I’d have happily spent every Tuesday evening attending Ukulele class for the rest of my life!

I did my lessons at Learn to Uke, which I can’t recommend enough. The prices were really fair, and now knowing how much I’d learn I actually think they could easily get away with being much higher! I did the month long Absolute Beginner’s course with Lily, and we’re both definitely booking in for all the other advanced ones – it is literally just a matter of timing as we’re both away at different parts of the summer and kinda wanna keep doing them together.

Anyway, if you’re in or near London, fancy learning the Uke too, Learn to Uke are holding a fab competition where you and three of your buddies can win a taster session, worth £150! The deadline date for this comp is 24th May 2013.

Here is the link to Learn to Uke’s Twitter and Facebook to get started!

I really did enjoy my first set of courses, and cannot wait to book in my second! I may even, when I feel a teeny bit more confident, upload a lil’ vid of my new found Ukulele playing skillz for you all to have a giggle at! But not making any promises just yet, ahaha..

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CLINIQUE NEW A DIFFERENT NAIL ENAMEL

by Lina on May 3, 2013

This little manicure kit, complete with four shades from the new Clinique A Different Nail Enamel For Sensitive Skins nails range, arrived unexpected a few weeks ago – isn’t it cute?!

The line itself is quite innovative actually, as it’s an entire new range of nail varnishes designed specifically for sensitive skins.

It might sound a bit gimmicky and unnecessary, but actually back when I had incredibly sensitive skin as a teen (eczema, dairy intolerances, etc), one of the things I was repeatedly warned from doctors about what could potentially be causing the flare ups was nail varnish, a known allergen. It’s on our hands continuously when we wear it, we use our hands to touch our skin constantly, it makes our skin react, we then scratch the irritated skin with our nail varnished hands and on the cycle goes..

I’m not sure whether the culprit of all my skin problems back then was actually nail varnish, but it clearly is for many people so this line of dermatologist-tested, ophthalmologist-tested and fragrance-free varnishes is a welcome solution for those who do suffer from it.

Black Honey*, Fizzy*, Hula Skirt*, Juiced Up*.

Now, onto the actual product itself! The range has all the classics, along with a few new limited edition shades. Of the four shades sent to me, the two brighter ones were limited edition.

I found the texture and application varied from shade to shade, but ultimately had no problem with application for any of the shades; except the iconic Black Honey! I felt the consistency for this one was a teeny bit runnier and thinner than the others, and consequently trickier to apply neatly. But I got there (semi) eventually! And the shade ended up being one of my favourites of the four on!

From top to bottom, Black Honey, Hula Skirt and Juiced Up. Unfortunately I haven’t included the pics of Fizzy on, the lightest shade sent to me, as it really didn’t suit my hands! Sorry! Cop out, I know.

What are you views on this range? You eager to try Clinique’s New A Different Nail Enamel?

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EX1 INVISIWEAR LIQUID FOUNDATION

by Lina on May 2, 2013

Before I begin this review, I should state that I believe my skintone is exceptionally tricky when it comes to foundations. The majority of foundations I’ve tried make my skin look ashy and uneven, whereas on someone with Caucasian colouring it could be the perfect match. However, oddly enough foundations designed primarily for Asian skins have never been a good match either – I find a lot of them are perhaps a little too yellow for my skin leaving it equally uneven looking, but in a different way. So as I said, I believe my skin is exceptionally tricky to match and not atypical!

EX1 is the new, award winning cosmetic line launched specifically for Asian skins (well actually it ranges from Asian, Middle/Far-Eastern to Mediterranean complexions). It’s entire line is priced very competitively, and is readily available from quite a few places online. From the collection, I was given the EX1 Invisiwear Liquid Foundation* to try as it was recommended for my drier skin.

The texture felt pretty good when pumped out of the bottle and blended simply with fingers; non cloggy nor overly greasy. I applied it with my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush and got pretty good coverage with a few pumps (no primer) and a little concealer (Clinique Even Better Concealer) under eyes, around nose, etc. No other powder was added or needed to set my make-up.

Whilst I find the coverage of this lightweight, moisturising, velvet finish foundation impressive considering it is such a lightweight product, I did find the colour seemed to saturate on certain areas (around cheek lines, mouth area, etc) – something that has always happened to me with ‘Asian’ foundations, leaving my complexion not as even toned as I’d prefer.

It wore really well, and I was really impressed with it, especially considering its price! Definitely one of the best options for Asian skins on the ‘high street’. However I don’t think I will be switching my usual, slightly pricier brands for this just yet. If it wasn’t for the unevenness, which wasn’t really even that bad, I would be all over this. Again though, it could just be my odd skin tone and I have a feeling it would work much better for someone more yellow/warm toned than me!

I do feel really on the fence with this, and so am going to have a further play around with it and try mixing it with illuminators, etc, and see how it fares then, so you might see this revisited soon!

What are your common foundation issues?

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SUFFER FROM ACNE?

by Lina on May 2, 2013

Have issues with the scarring consequently caused from it? This understandably causes a huge knock of confidence and sometimes what’s readily available in the shops as treatment is simply not enough.

Concealer is great, but as you see from the pics of Victoria Beckham, it can only take you so far and isn’t a rival for actual smooth, clear skin. If you’re at the point where you’re despairing over it, or simply tired of having it, I’ve listed some great Non-Surgical solutions below which MYA Cosmetic Surgery offer to show you what’s out there for the next step in clear skin.

Dermaroller Procedure
Dermaroller uses multiple micro-needles to stimulate the skin’s natural healing ability. The needles stimulate skin repair without causing unnecessary damage, as they stimulate the skin’s natural collagen production to repair the damage. This is a fairly new procedure but Mya do offer it – they also offer many other cosmetic procedures like rhinoplasty, liposuction and teeth whitening.

Omnilux Blue Light Therapy
The technology is based around Photo Dynamic Therapy and specifically targets the bacteria responsible for causing the breakouts. The Light Therapy works by destroying the bacteria, thus giving your skin time to heal and recover, leaving you with clean and clear skin.

Skin Peels
I’m actually a fan of Glycolic Peels myself (the milder peels available), as it’s great for brightening and evening out all skins types and tones, especially scarred! Peels work by resurfacing the skin and encouraging skin regeneration. They can be used to eliminate mild to moderate acne or to target permanent acne scarring, leaving you with the perfectly clear skin that you desire!

Pixel Laser Resurfacing
This treatment can target scars without damaging the surrounding tissues. It creates a faster healing response than other laser resurfacing techniques. It encourages collagen production beneath the skin to fill in acne scar depressions, so that your skin surface will soon appear smooth and clear!

There are many great products out there you can readily pick up to help with acne scarring, however if none of them are working or the results are only short term, it’s good to know there are other non-surgical, lasting options available!

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WE’RE TRASH, YOU AND ME..

by Lina on April 26, 2013

You may have spotted this on my Instagram yesterday, my new Hello Kitty trash-tastic bling phone case! What do you think?

Since getting my Samsung Galaxy Note 2 phablet (a phone/tablet hybrid), which I am absolutely loving, btw, I decided after several drops and knocks and scratches from daily wear and clumsy, small hands, it was perhaps time to invest in some kind of protector for it. I had always, always loved the big, tacky, super trashy toy/jewelled Kawaii inspired phone covers that I’d seen on various iPhones online (not sure I ever actually spotted one in IRL), however really struggled to find something of equal quality and ‘bling’ for my android handset. Until now.

Admittedly, this probably isn’t offering the best protection out there, but if we were all simply looking for efficiency alone than the world would undoubtedly be a very boring place!

My phablet, pre pimped.

I got it from a custom design place on Etsy, and including postage it came to around £25, which I thought was reasonable. My phone is huge anyway and it does add a considerable amount of bulk to it, I can imagine people thinking it ruins the phone’s sleek design factor, however I love using it a 100 times more now, it has definitely become an accessory, and ironically I actually treat my phone far more delicately since having it so as not to ruin the case! Go figure.

It’s clearly an acquired taste – which works for me, as I am too! I ADORE it.