A girl should be two things; classy and fabulous

The holy grail, the mother of the beauty ship, Coco, CHANEL.

There is something about the slick black and white branding, the glossy lids and the elegance, the prestige that gets girls hearts all over the world pounding, pennys rattling and minds slipping into endless dreaming. You just simply cannot deny the beautiful, sophisticated packaging from the iconic Chanel, whether it is a nail varnish or the out-of-reach handbags poised perfectly in the Bond Street stores.

I am not one to splash my cash on such items. Not because I don't want to but because I can't afford it whilst battling all my monthly fees; train, rent, food. Sure, I've contemplated walking from Warwickshire to London for a few months and even come close to giving up food in the cause for being fabulous. It's like once you have Chanel you are immediately accepted by some higher power in towering heels gleaming head to toe in designer. You have made it.

Well girls, its happened. The Gods have listened to me and his trusty men here on earth (ahem, my parents) have been at work. I have my very first Chanel!

Day in the life

For a person who is a big fan of lists, loves to plan and abides to organising anything she can get her hands on I find it near to impossible to stick to a beauty cleansing regime. Also taking into the fact I have exceptionally dry skin with more than enough time to fulfil its quite frankly, in beauty world, scandalous.

Recently however I have got so sick of my dry skin. Even my  liquid foundation even forming a 'peeling' effect on my forehead, nose and quite strangely the side of my face by my ears. It is has resulted in me making the little effort I should have always made. In desperate measures, I pulled together all the countless cosmetics I have parted with my cash on recently and surprisingly have found the magic ingredients

Twelve memorable moments: March

Ok, so I may have pulled a fast one here and cheated a teeny, tiny bit. I didn't actually do this in March. Actually, I am still yet to do it. But I organised it, that can count right?

Truth is, this March I just felt stuck which month three isn't a good sign but I was just so busy I didn't know where to turn. But, low and behold the bargain hunter struck again with Groupon. After Februarys Spa deal I felt more comfortable in trusting these sites so I went in positive and motivated.

I stumbled across a make up course deal for £38, a beautiful 80% discount from the original price of £190. The workshop is with Make Up London Academy and this ladies (and gents) is my memorable moment for March. Make Up Class.

Image courtesy of Make-up London Academy 

When starting my bucket list for 2014 I had a make up course at the top. I really envy people with flawless make up and those who can master the smokey eye or eyeliner flick. Those who understand the difference between primer, foundation and what brush to use or definitely not to. When looking into the courses they were way above my price bracket but I wanted to get some sort of qualification out of it.

When this deal with Make Up London Academy came up it seemed pretty perfect. Three hours at a reasonable rate to get me to test out whether this is something I would like to pursue and invest in a more respected course.

I don't know much about the school apart from it is based between Caledonian Road and Kentish Town, Camden. Being brutally honest, the website isn't very slick and doesn't give me the impression it is anything too serious. But, as they say, don't judge a book by its cover.

The company says 'MLA was founded to bring excelled to the make-up education, by teaching the best make-up techniques in a fun and simple way.' 

Sounds cheap and cheerful and worth a go right?

The workshop is a simple and basic introduction to make up which is something I am up for; I'm not going to pretend I'm a genius with the paint brush, I can apply my make up in the morning and lets be honest, thats it.

I am set up to be introduced to skin care preparation, the perfect base, techniques to long lasting make up. Day and evening looks will be explored,  trends of the season and false eyelash exploration. I will get to use MAC and Bobbi Brown products with some complimentary MAC products to take away (YAY!) Personally, I'd love to nail the smoky eye look so hopefully this is something I can try out with them. The workshop consists of one hour tutorial with two hour to practice.

So, I didn't do it in March but its what I did that lets face it, I probably was too lazy and complacent to not do before. It's an accomplishment and I promise, I will make sure the month I do it in, I'll do something else to.

Until then, stay posted.

Twelve memorable moments: February

Image from Puma Hotels

So month two and I was going strong with my ideas. It was my mums birthday and I decided to seize the opportunity to do something different, something memorable. I wasn't quite ready for my sky dive but some beauty therapy couldn't go a miss..

Believe it or not but I have never been on a Spa day before. Yes, really. I've gone and had a tan, my nails done but not a proper Spa treatment. So, to celebrate my Mums birthday in style we decided to pamper ourselves.

We found a deal on Travel Zoo, a holiday and mini break deal site. I haven't ever brought anything off these sites before but thought we should give it ago when it was £29pp for access to a spa, treatment and afternoon tea. Being all optimistic we felt there wasn't much to loose.

A nice drive to the Cotswold and we arrived at the country hotel, The Lygon Arms. On arrival to the Spa we were offered our towels and slippers and told that disappointingly no other treatments were available than our pre book massage. Expecting this, we weren't completely disheartened and took into consideration the price we had paid is what we were going to get. We remained positive and ordered a glass of presseco which we drank in a seating area at the top of some spiral staircase (no drinks by the pool).

The pool area wasn't massive; there was limited seating (in which someone removed our towels whilst we were up in the seating area) and the pool was basic. It would have been nice to have some atmospheric music as it did feel like our conversations were clearly heard to everyone else but it was nice enough.

We were approached regarding some last minute facials which after about an hour we were told the beautician had gone home... great.

Stay positive....

The massage we had pre booked was amazing - just what the doctor ordered. Atmospheric music, a full briefing I really needed it. Starting light to firm to begin with I found it hard to adjust and found myself twinging when my pressure points were touched but it was definitely needed and with my tense muscles.

After a bit more relaxing we got dressed and moved across to the hotel bar for our afternoon tea. This was definitely the highlight.

We were served a selection of finger sandwiches and desserts on a plate - ham, cucumber, smoked salmon. Victoria sponge cake, mango dessert and a pot of tea and I was sold.

Overall I think for the value, it was a great deal and a lovely day out which lead to wondering between the country stores in the cotswolds (lots of Cath Kidson and Barbour).

I would definitely recommend using the deals especially if you want to try something different and are short on the cash. One thing I would say is not to go with too many expectations and enjoy it for what it is.

'They're Real' Benefit mascara Review

In attempt to shake up my make up brand I splurged out on this Benefit mascara. I normally stick to cheap sticks such as Max Factor or Rimmel but after being impressed with the Benefit's Bad Lash mascara I decided it was time to invest in my make up bag.

When I saw this in the shop they had images showing a before and after effect. I was pretty impressed with what I saw and decided to try it myself. I can safely say this mascara is the best I have tried to date. Whether that is just from taking a few steps up the label ladder I am not entirely sure but this product does a great job in elongating my lashes. I wouldn't say it thickened out your lashes but it definitely makes a noticeable difference without being too over powering. They look real, just as the bottle says.

The product is tough to remove, seeming quite thick but actually it doesn't feel heavy at all on the eyes. I decided to show my before and after so you can see the dramatic effects.

Before - no mascara.

After - WITH Benefit 'They're real' mascara.

£18.50 was quite a jump in price point for me compared to my £5-8 mascaras but with these results, I am quite happy to pay the price and highly recommend it as a must for your make up bag. Has anyone else tried it or got any other brands to recommend?

xxx

BeautyFriday: Review: Tesco Make Up wipes.

I had been recommended Tesco facial wipes by a friend from University not only because of their extremely cheap price tag (99p) but because of their excellent ability to remove make up. Admittedly it was the cucumber range but these Sensitive Cleansing Wipe bad boys do just as good.

tesco.co.uk

I know face wipes are extremely frowned upon, or so it seems, but they are so handy and so commonly used its worth the review. Due to my often busy schedule I am a sucker for them and surely taking off your make up with anything is better than not at all. (Unless it is some sort of corroding acid!)

I am not a fan of soggy versions as you know from my post on Johnsons wipes but these are warming on me. The wipes are so soft and remove your make up instantly, even tough mascara after a few fiddles with your eyelashes. They are bordering on the wet side but the moisture soon soaks into your skin and doesn't leave you feeling greasey like other products I have tried.

They smell soft, are kind to the skin and don't leave me red raw from scrubbing. Just as it says on the tin - or packet in this case. I always buy Sensitive skin friendly products and am so pleased when they work, the worst thing is blotchy skin.

I tried the cucumber ones a while ago and remember being relatively pleased but due to it being some time ago do not want to review on my foggy memory.

At 99p for 25 wipes from many Tesco stores and online, I say - 4 stars! Hurrah! Go get it girls.

Beauty Friday: Rate and slate

Today I am rummaging through my cupboards again to review some of my loves and not so favourite beauty products.

First up is Batiste Lace Dry Shampoo. To begin with, all their products are a god send for that day you just haven't got time to wash you hair because beauty sleep was just too important. Spraying this on, your hair goes a bit of a dusty closet grey but brush it through with your comb and it reduces greasey shine for a healthier look.  The only problem I have with these products is the funny feeling it leaves on your hair when you run your fingers through - a sort of silky soft but dry reminiscent on your finger tips. I always tend to use this just before the day I need to wash it as even though it gives you an extra day I always feel I need to definitely wash it the day after as I can't go any longer. The scent for this one reminds me of rose so lovely and feminine 7/10

Toni and Guy Glamour Firm pocket hair spray. L-O-V-E this hair spray. Having thick, heavy hair, my curls drop when I have styled my fro and this extra firm range from Tony Guy is my god send, keeping my hair in tack all day! It is easily brush through-able with maybe a slight tacky feeling after but for me that is not a deal breaker. This pocket size is perfect for my handbag for any touch ups on the go. Boots are always doing special deals on Toni and Guy so keep your eye out, I highly recommend this product.  9/10

My name and shame this week is Johnson face wipes for normal skin. My mum constantly uses these and I tend to use them too but after having a break from them whilst using my Simple face wipes  I am reminded why I tried something different. Even though soft to your skin when removing your make up I instantly feel drenched. The wipes are so wet with moisture it leaves me feeling quite greasy and really lives up to the stories I hear of wipes dehydrating your skin. If you have a beauty routine after wipes you might be ok but if you are a bit lazy like me and use wipes quickly before bed I think these wouldn't help your skin - I always feel like I need to rinse my face afterwards! I have also tried the dry skin range but have found not much difference. I will give good points to the soft wipes and give it extra ticks for sensitive skin as I never feel irritated by the smell or moisture but for me, too soggy! 3/10

Anyone else got any reviews on their best and worst products? Tried any of the ones above?

Have a beautiful friday,

Katie xxx

Wednesday wants #3

Apologies for the absence on my Beauty Friday spot but hopefully this will make up for it. I really want to update my make up bag since reading more beauty blogs and picked up on these brands as some favourites. I never spend that much on beauty products but after being really good with my wages this month, I may just take the leap and invest.

Think some of my wants this week will also be perfect for the party season due to their deep shades and glitter tones. What do you think? What is hot on your want list this week?

Katie xxx

Wednesday wants by katie-constable featuring benefit cosmetics

Beauty Favourite Fridays

I decided to pull together some favourites, new and old after rummaging through my cupboards the other day.

1. The first is the Rapid dry for nails from Elegant Touch. Always being in a rush, this helps dry my nails instantly. It really does what it says on the tin give or take a few seconds. I forgot how much I love this until the other morning when I spontaneously decided to change my nail colour before heading to work. The only down side to this is it leaves a greasy finish but this simply can be washed off by washing your hands. It quotes it has Vitamin E in it which I can only guess is an added bonus. I brought this a while ago but I am sure it can be found in any local Superdrug or Boots.

2. Simple exfoliating facial wipes. I brought these from Superdrug on offer at £3. I wanted to try something different to my usual brand and I am glad I did. At first they felt a bit rough and a lot dryer to other wipes I have used. I wasn't sure if it was even getting off my make up! I actually prefer the dryer wipes as some wipes just make me feel greasy and soaked through. I know a lot of people say wipes are bad for your skin as they dry it out but I think they are always handy to have as its better to take off your make up than to leave it on. I get such bad skin if I forget to take my make up off. The wipes are quite rough like I said but this is obviously for the exfoliating and it really feels like your skin is getting a good clean. I have noticed my skin to be so much softer and now I rarely forget to take off my make up because I am looking forward to using these wipes and seeing some positive results.

3.Benefit BAD gal Lash. This is a small tester one I got from Cosmopolitans Benefit gifting they did a few months back but I have a full size one I have had for a while. This one however is the perfect size for my handbag or for packing for nights away. The brush is quite dry which I like and you feel the suction as you pull it out the tube. I never find it has any mascara dripping and its the best mascara I have found that helps your lashes seem larger without sticking together or feeling too heavy. You can buy this from Boots for £16.50 which is slightly more expensive than your typical Rimmel or Max factor but is definitely worth the investment.

4. Adore Eay de Toilette from Next. Working at Next more since finishing University I am finding myself trying out all their perfumes. I brought this one which isn't a huge seller but when I encourage  people to try it they love it. A lot of customers describe it to be very light. Its flowery but isn't over whelming and apparently has 'golden amber accords' which I think helps balance it out from being too floral. This size is 30ml at £6.50 but it also comes in 100ml for £10. Perfect price and perfect size for your handbag. I am wearing this every day at the moment and saving my more expensive ones for special ocassions. A lot of people love Next perfumes for their price tag and often claim they smell so similar to many branded bottles. I had one customer the other day who told me she is allergic to all branded ones and Next perfumes are the only ones that don't irritate her! Must be something good inside them. Diamond, Pink and Gold seem to be huge favourites. Out of the three I would recommend Diamond and Gold. Diamond smells similar to Dior Cherie yet only comes in at about £6 a bottle. 

I would encourage anyone to go and part your cash with these, if you do let me know how you get on :)

Katie xxxx

Thank you gifts

Hello, sorry for the 10 day delay in posting. How are we all? I have recently been offered a new contract at work so I have been busy trying to balance this with CV writing and job applications. Anyone else still struggling with the career ladder? I'd love some reassurance during this time. My days seem to be full of writing CVs, thinking about CVs or writing a to do list of CV writing...oh and dreaming about CVs!! All with the over consumption of chocolate to comfort my unemployement fears. This irrational behaviour meant a break was definitely in order....back to blogging! :)

This post is one I meant to do a while ago after finishing my internship at B public relations. I've been doing some serious blog catching up so apologies for it not coming sooner.

I was extremely flattered to be given a bag of goodies when I left Boudoir (now B public relations) and was so excited to be able to experiment with a few brands I havn’t ever brought into.

Firstly these 5 pots of Ciate nail varnishes were a big love. I have seen the brand featured on quite a few blogs recently so have been interested in investing in some shades – I am so thankful I got them for free! A double bonus was when I spotted I had been given a croc embossed effect set in gold and purple. I have been wanting to try the crack effect out since last winter, I just had not got round to updating my nail varnish set. This look will be perfect for this Christmas and the party nights ahead. The purple is really wintery and warm with the gold adding a bit of glamour. This single pots are also ideal colours for me. The plain berry colour ‘guest list’ 042 is a mega heart as I adore deep palette paints to edge up an outfit. The grey ‘cream soda’ will be great in pushing me to experiment with my shades and the brighter ‘cabaret pink’ 046 adds a wicked paint to make the three a dynamic trio. I am not really a baby pink or pastel nail varnish girl, I like to keep my nails dark and grungy so these are PERFECT! 

Also included in my goodie bag were some Nourish products; a cleanser, toner and a face mousteriser. First of all I have to say, I have never used a cleanser or toner before in this sort of a trio. I normally either just moisturize, sometimes use a black head face scrub or a moisturizing make up remover for my daily beauty routine – well, when I can be bothered. Because of this I don't feel I can really review the Toner as I don't have much to compare it to and don't know anything about toners in general. To me they seem a bit of random product with not much purpose. I would love some advice and tips on this so I can really understand their purpose. 

The cleanser was a thin gel rather than the cream I expected ( I don't know why I expected this just assumptions!). I didn't need much to cover my face and to be honest, I used little due to being concious of the zingy scent. The orange and mandarin is really powerful in this product and having sensitive skin which has suffered from rashes with orange based products in the past, I am always weary. It really feels like you have squeezed oranges onto your face which is a bit odd. This will be either a love or hate for many. My favourite was the moisturizer. Having dry skin  I have a lot more experience in this area. Again the scent of this product is quiet strong but held more of a musky scent than the other two products. Not much is needed and it is a bit heavier with a creamy sort of base rather than some gel ones I have used. I felt a bit of tinglyness if I am honest, now that might be my paranoia but other than that my skin feels really soft and I would use it again. Has anyone else used any Nourish products? I am going to continue using this trio for a while to see if this improves my skin at all so if anything else changes, I will let you know.

I was then given a wonderful card full of messages from the girls. It was so lovely to read all the comments and to hear my time at the office was appreciated and worth while to them. I am going to miss the girls and can’t thank them enough for my lovely gifts!

Has anyone else been lucky enough to be given any goodies from any work placements? Work experience may be tiring when all you want to do is succeed but honestly, it is worth it. You just got to push through the storm to see the rainbow. :). Internships are becoming  my forte at the moment (another sleep, eat breath syndrome) so I would be really interested to hear on anyone elses experiences - leave me a comment and we can natter!

Katie xx

Beautiful Ends Herbal Essences: REVIEW

Hello,

I thought I would do a quick product review today (Ok, so it isn't that short). I haven't done one of these yet and if honest, am slightly nervous. I am not an expert in beauty products but thought it might be useful for anyone reading my blog to get an unbiased and completely ammature opinion of some of the products out there.

After my last hair appointment my hair dresser pointed out my hair was looking a bit dry. This was a surprise as even though I don't go much due to a) the cost and b) I don't need much doing to my hair - she always says my hair is in great condition. I don't do anything in particular to my hair apart from wash, blow dry and straighten or curl. I used to be really bad with protecting my hair due to many products being quite heavy and greasing up my hair. This is a nightmare as I have such thick, long hair I hate to be washing it every day. I do make sure I use Tony and Guys protein protection mist now though every time I straighten it as it made a big difference to the healthiness of my hair and also gives it a smoother finish.

I decided to invest in a hair mask after using one that came complimentary with a magazine and my hair dressers advice. I think it was a Pantene one and I thought it was amazing. Anyway, after a while I popped into Boots to find an equivalent. I didn't really want to buy a large pot but with no sachet options and with it being more worth while buying a pot - I decided to go for it.

I can be a bit tight with my money when it comes to beauty products, I really don't know why but I wasn't really keen to pay £5 for a hair masque. It is probably considered cheap but I am just not use to paying that much. I decided on Herbal Essence's Hair Masque's as it was on offer at £2.09 a pot. I couldn't decide for ages which one to go for so I brought two - the Beautiful Ends for split ends and dry hair and the Hello Hydration one.

Herbal Essence Hair Masques Beautiful Ends and Hello Hydration both £2.09 Boots.

Now, they might do exactly the same thing, but I wasn't sure and thought I might as well get two for the price of one. If anyone knows if they do make much of a difference I would be happy to hear about it :)

So far I have used the Beautiful Ends pot and am really pleased. Normally Herbal Essence products can be so soft it makes my hair greasy but with this I had such a soft finish and have not experienced any unwanted grease. My hair felt light and yes, cheesy as it sounds, completely revitalized. I noticed the effects as soon as I blow dryed it with my hair having a nice shine and my hair looking brand new. The texture is so similar to the conditioner that actually I wondered whether it was the same thing but like I said, it has had a different effect on my hair that it can't be. It has a yummy raspberry and silk smell which is quite musky and lingers. If you are not a fan of fruity smells maybe this isn't for you but I love it as it makes me feel like it has had a good wash. You leave it on for 5 minutes and use once a week and I will definitely continue this regime.

Beautiful Ends, Herbal Essences £2.09 Boots

I don't know about any other brands, has anyone else tried anything? Probably next time I will try something different but for now, I would definitely recommend Herbal Essence if you are new to this sort of thing. Its on offer at the moment and is so worth the price. I can imagine that yes, it is probably a good masque for a starter. Cheap, quick and easy I would say go for it :)

K xx