Don’t stop the presses

Having done a science degree I decided I didn’t want to stick to research but I did want to stay connected somehow and use the knowledge I have. I was lucky enough to get a job at a weekly science journal where I have learnt about a whole new industry and the chance to apply to things I enjoy, science and writing.

As a team we were fortunate enough to visit the printers of our journal. The printers are responsible for another 40 weekly publications and a number of monthly ones too. I was excited to see when I got there that they print New Scientist, TV times, Red, Elle, Asiana and Cosmopolitan and lots of other publications we would typically see in the supermarket/newsagent.

They talked us through the process of getting from the page we design on a computer to the finished product. What I found the most impressive was that all magazines/papers are typically printed using only 4 dots of the colours, black, cyan, magenta and yellow (in that order). The density of these dots is what gives us the ‘illusion’ of the image that we see. It was fascinating to see the paper go through at such speeds through each colour and build up into a picture. The printing happens on huge reels of paper, with up to 32 pages printed at a time (16 pages each side of the sheet) in such an order that when the paper is folded it is all in the correct number sequence.

There is obviously so much more to the process, but the whole trip was fascinating. Unfortunately as an industry publishing is suffering, a combination of more information being online and the economic situation in general. I hope to continue being involved in the editorial side, and that is partly the reason I started my blog, to continually improve on my writing skill, as well as of course share my beauty passion.

I tend to buy magazines sporadically, as and when there is a good freebie mostly! I am guilty of using the internet to get whatever information I want and for reading. But having seen how it all works I really want to subscribe to some magazines. My individual contribution to keep the industry going, as well as benefit from subscription discounts!

I have Red magazine in mind but I wanted to ask what magazines you subscribe to or what you enjoy reading? It doesn’t have to be beauty related, I am also considering New Scientist so I would be really grateful to have all your suggestions. I will be going away soon, so I plan on stocking up at the airport and making my decision to start in September!

July empties

This is a project 10 pan update along as well as some other items I have used up this month. I originally intended to keep all the empty containers until I had finished the project 10 pan, but even with only a small pile developing on my bathroom floor the urge to throw them into the recycling is too much!

Of the project 10 pan I have finished 4 of 10 items.

Tresseme heat protectant. I never liked this since it would leave my hair feeling sticky even with a liberal amount used so I am glad to be done with this.

Avon anew reversalist serum. I went through this whole bottle without having any strong thoughts about the product. It didn’t appear to do anything good for my skin but equally it didn’t do anything bad either. A lady commented in my first project 10 pan that this had done wonders for her so I suspect that it’s just not for my skin type or condition.

Blinc resurfa-a-stick. I have previously reviewed this. I liked the exfoliator and the idea of how to use but the reality made me feel like I was wasting what is an expensive product. I prefer the Soap and Glory “greatest scrub of all” which I am using now.

Avon anew eyeshadow. I was using this daily and can’t scrape any more out of the tube. I have also previously reviewed this. I need to find a new daily substitute now.

Of other items in my bathroom, I have used up my Organic Surge shampoo and conditioner and my Boots cleansing balm, again I have previously reviewed these.

Of my remaining project 10 pan items the Bourgeois mineral radiance still looks the same, but since I am going away soon I have a cheeky plan. I usually try to take half empty bottles or samples on holiday so that I can use them up and leave them behind, so I may just retire the blush after this trip.

I hope that by the end of August I will be done with the project 10 pan and that I would have used up enough other things to justify my growing list of wants!

I am considering picking a product each month which I will try to use more often just to make sure I get the best use out of everything I own. For the month of July I have chosen ELF liquid lipstick in babylips so please let me know if you would like to see an empties post each month.

Preparing to graduate - teeth and nails

Part two of my preparing to graduate series. A big thank you for all the comments on the first post, I am glad to know the topic is of interest. Another aspect of my preparation was home teeth whitening and nails.

I’ll start with teeth. I do not have a bad level of staining on my teeth and make a point of visiting my hygienist twice a year, that being said I have always wanted them whiter and have considered professional treatments. I have used Crest whitening strips on two occasions in the past as a cheaper alternative. The first time I purchased the "advanced vivid" variation and on this occasion the "professional effects" which is meant to give enhanced whitening.

I purchased both from America via amazon for around £25-30 for a 20 day supply. The first time I was able to the "advanced vivid” for the whole 20 day time course, but with the professional batch I experienced increased sensitivity and the bottom of my two front teeth in particular developed unsightly white dots and I stopped using them after about 10 days.

For the run up to graduation I used a strip every other day. This still worked to give me a whitening effect but I didn’t get the sensitivity or white patches. I would repurchase these again (treatments can be performed twice a year) but I would go back to the “advanced vivid” variety seen as this version was too harsh for me.

On a side note, I purchased the advanced seal versions both times as these are meant to adhere to the teeth better and not move in the half hour treatment time, which I found was the case.

On the day of graduation I brushed my teeth with Pearl Drops Hollywood instant whitening toothpaste. This is used the same as regular toothpaste but contains micropolishers which are meant to give you a whiter-looking smile. The instructions states for a “ultra glossy look” to use it twice daily for two weeks but I have only ever used it for special occasions.

For my nails I decided to do a simple and classic french manicure. It occurred to me that I have never shared my favourite French manicure polishes, 2True, which I purchased years ago from Superdrug. I know that these must have been cheap since I was a student at the time.

The picture shows the nail tip white, and I also used the manicure pink of the same range on top. I prefer wearing the muted white colour on my tips as it seems more natural. The brush is a good size and shape to get a good line free-hand. It does need two coats to get a good colour and dries in an average time. The pink only needs one coat, but habit means that I always do two! It is so pale that all it does is add a nice shine and finish to the nails.

This photograph was taken 4 days later, and as you can see it lasts really well without chipping. What does occur is what looks like cracks in the white polish with a grey tinge but this is only visible when looking very closely.

This ends my preparing for graduation series! I hope you have enjoyed and found it helpful.

Preparing to graduate - skin care

I have never been sure how much to share about my life outside the blog, but last Friday was my graduation. After 4 long years the chapter finally closed on my university days with the idea being to celebrate the achievement with family and friends………. call me shallow, but my main concern was having the best looking skin I could for the photos.

This meant the weeks leading up to it were spent with a strict facial routine, exfoliating and using a face mask every other day. From what I have read exfoliating so often is not recommended for dry skin, but I have always found it to be good for keeping my skin clear and getting rid of any marks.

I have been using the "greatest scrub of all" by Soap and Glory, which really lives up to its name. A little goes a long way with this scrub and the 125ml I am sure will last me for a few months even using it so frequently.

The scrub reminds me a lot of the re-surfa-stick I just used up as part of my project 10 pan, with the obvious exception that it isn’t in a solid/stick form. The particles of this scrub feel very similar to the microdermabrasion crystals and do not feel harsh on the skin. You only need to scrub for less than a minute to get really smooth, clean and fresh feeling skin with no dryness experienced at any stage.

I would usually use the scrub in the shower and would immediately after use the Soap and Glory “The fab pore 15 minute facial mask”. The mask is quite thick and a pale pink colour with blue beads which you rub into your skin so that they disappear. I have always left it for the maximum 15 minutes. The mask does tingle initially but this stops quickly. The mask doesn’t dry hard and is easy to wash off. I use a muslin cloth since it adds another mild exfoliation step.

Finally I would moisturise with Re-Gen cream, which I purchased in Asda for around £4. I had read on other blogs that the oil (found in 99p stores!) is a dupe for Bio-oil, which I have used since my teen years. The cream has a nice smell and is a very light, absorbing easily.

Like bio-oil, re-gen is meant to help reduce the appearance of scars, stretch marks and blemishes as well as be moisturising for dry skin. It certainly helped reduced the appearance of small red spots and they then did not develop into anything larger.  Each morning my skin would also feel very smooth and moisturised and in my opinion the cream can also be considered a bio-oil dupe. The first time I opened the tub I did not realise the cream was so fluid and spilt quite a bit which has been the only negative.

This night skin care combination worked extremely well for me, in a short time-frame my skin was clear, with reduced scarring and very smooth. Since Friday, I haven’t been so strict with the routine and I can see the difference in my skin condition already so I plan on keeping this up and would repurchase all the items mentioned.

Be sure to look out for my next blog post in this series which will be teeth and nails!

The “Rocco" Bag

I had always promised myself a designer handbag with my first pay check but when it came down to it I chickened out! After seeing a number of bloggers featuring this bag I shamelessly have jumped on the bandwagon and decided this would be my substitute.

I made my order from a UK eBay seller which meant I didn’t have to wait too long for arrival. With the postage I paid around £32 which aside from my Miche bag is the most I have ever paid.

The bag is actually a lot bigger than I had thought in the photographs. But that isn’t a negative, the space inside is huge and I like being able to fit so much in. The quality is far better than I had expected and the bag feels very sturdy.

Needless to say, I love this bag. I felt very glamourous wondering around the shops with it at the weekend, I am hoping that everyone knows that feeling I am talking about. I am even considering getting the nude colour with shoulder straps should it ever come back in stock…..after all I have made such a huge saving…...

Bloggers.com editor’s choice

It seems to be a week of nice surprises for me and my blog. Earlier this afternoon I noticed an email from bloggers.com to congratulate me since I was picked as one of the three editor’s choice blogs for the day!!

It was such a lovely and completely unexpected surprise and I feel very lucky.

I really like bloggers.com for finding new blogs on all sorts of topics and for being able to connect with people by posting messages as well as being able to discover further blogs through who they follow. I find it much easier to use than bloglovin’ which I never managed to get the hang of.

I’ve included the link to the main page and my profile.

I’ll be back with more beauty posts soon!!

Guest post on PinkSweetSz

I was really excited to see my guest post up on PinkSweetSz blog this evening! Welcome to my blog for those of you who have followed the link! Its good to have you here :-)
 
For my current followers check out my blog post featuring a J.Lo inspired look, and of course check out PinkSweetSz blog too!

Sleek pout polishes

I wanted to swatch the latest limited Sleek pout polishes from the Mediterranean and Caribbean collections. Monte carlo is a sheer pink shade and Bonaire an orange. Both appear far brighter in the pot than on the lips but that being said the colour pay off is greater than that of more expensive glosses I have. 

I can see myself making a collection of all the limited editions which are released, I love the packaging and the image on the front of the tin which is something I think should have been carried over on the eyeshadow palettes. 

Monte Carlo

Bonaire

I see myself reaching for the pink shade more than the orange, which is a little brighter than the image shows, although with a light hand I think this could look very pretty.

I prefer to apply both of these with a brush to get the best colour pay off and allows you control the amount of colour. I plan on taking these glosses on holiday with me later this year. Not only are the colours great for the sunshine but I love the moisturising properties.

Which shade do you prefer?

Montagne Jeunesse MEGA REVIEW

I was fortunate enough to be sent a load of Montagne Jeunesse products to review. As you may have already seen I have already featured Montagne Jeunesse product reviews for things I purchased myself and have been a fan of the brand for a long time, so I hope all can trust that my review will be fair and be solely my own opinions.

The bundle I was sent actually made me aware of far more products from the brand, such as hair masks and lip products which I have never seen in stores. I would recommend purchasing online, since they offer free postage with only £7.50 worth of products and you have access to the entire range.

I have selected some stand out products for quick reviews.

Tonic Masks
I tried out the Cherry and the Aloe Vera Tonics. Both work in the same way, with each sachet containing one mask soaked in various extracts which you simply place over your face and leave for 5-10 minutes. Both masks have holes cut for the eyes and nose and you have to detach the mouth section (I am not sure why) prior to application. These are so simple and mess free which is a huge advantage.

I was not expecting to find a difference between the two, however I far preferred the aloe vera in terms of scent, experience and result. The cherry scent was very artificial and not as relaxing an aroma. The cherry mask also gave me a tingling sensation for the 10 minute time course which I did not find relaxing, whereas I did not have this with the aloe vera mask. I was surprised with this result since, the aloe vera mask was said to deep cleanse and moisturise, whereas the cherry tonic focussed more on being suitable for dry skin. Both are designed to have the skin feel smooth and hydrated after use, which I certainly did find with both. I would not purchase the cherry mask again as I really did not like the sensation, but I would use the aloe vera tonic many times over!

Hot Miracle hair masque
I spoke about this in a previous blog post, a highly underrated hair masque and the serum which comes with it is great, I hope that Montagne Jeunesse see this and think about having the serum in a bottle!

Peel face masques
When I used the peel face masks years ago I never liked them thinking they didn’t do much in the way of deep cleansing. This time round I really enjoyed using the tropical face masque more so than any of the other traditional face masques. The only downside with this was the artificial smell.

Finally…..
Party shimmer moisturiser
I would recommend opening and sharing this on a night out with girl friends. This is something which would probably be better suited in a tube. It gives a beautiful subtle shimmer.


There were a few products I didn’t love too, such as the apricot scrub, which was mostly down to scent rather than how it worked as a exfoliator, and the smoothie face mask, which dried too quickly for me and became uncomfortable. However, because of the affordability of the range and the fact that you can just try out a masque once and decide if you like it without spending a lot of money or ending up with a tub/tube of something you won’t use again, you have nothing to loose by getting a selection and finding your favourite.

FOTD - Sleek Mediterranean look 2

Another FOTD using the Sleek Mediterranean palette. I tried to incorporate a few different colours on this occasion and came up with this look.

I placed washed ashore in the inner third of my eye, and sunset in the middle third. I then worked moors treasure in the outer corner and up into the crease. I also applied bamboo on the brow bone to act as a highlight and used it to blend out the colours at the crease.

I really love how the colours have the ability to look completely different, and in this case blend into one another and compliment one another well.

I think I could have improved it by feathering the plum shade more in my crease and toward my brow bone which would have made the look more effective with my eyes open!

I still want to tackle the blues and that green in the palette but one step at a time!

Sunday Night Thoughts - Beauty Confidence

It was lovely to have so many peoples opinions two weeks ago on fake beauty. I wasn’t very organised last weekend to schedule a post to go up while I was at the wedding but I wanted to carry on the discussion into beauty confidence.

I read this article about women’s spending habits when preparing for a holiday. I wasn’t really surprised at the amount women spend on clothes in preparation, in fact I was surprised that it was the over 50s group they were referring too, since I imagined under 50s would spend a lot too. But I was suprised that the psychologist they asked for a response, commented that this was essentially an issue of confidence in themselves.

I personally don’t like being away from home and not having all my comforts and things. I just don’t like being unprepared so having to fit everything into a suitcase is not a fun task. Generally for the sake of space and weight I will try and reuse outfits if possible and take away a few key pieces, particularly ones I cannot wear here! I already pick clothes which I think are flattering so I don’t tend to have a fear of looking bad.

I personally feel less insecure about how I look while I am away. But am I the exception here? I don’t agree with the article at all, but I would be interested to know your viewpoints.

Quick Review - ELF Mist and Set

I received ELF as a freebie with other purchases back in January and hadn’t started to use it until recently. More recently I have found my makeup isn’t lasting all day. I can only put this down to the travelling I do to work and the fact that once I am there, I am sitting at a desk all day and finding myself touching my face (which is a habit I need to stop!).  What is really unusual is that it fades unevenly!

The Smashbox primer I am using up for my project 10 pan doesn’t seem to help with making my makeup last, but I have found that the ELF mist and set is better at this.

The instructions say to spray lightly on your face, but from my experience lightly doesn’t work. So I spray 2 light pumps on each half of my face and this works really well. I allow the it to dry naturally rather than blot.

Although my makeup still fades eventually, it fades evenly and to a lesser extent than if I were not to use any at all. When I have used it for nights out, my makeup lasts perfectly over the course of the evening.

On the more negative side I do not like the smell of the product at all, which reminds me of stagnant water. But this smell doesn’t linger.

The product contains aloe, green tea, cucumber and vitamins A, C, and E which is meant to be moisturising and soothing to the skin. I cannot remember the blog post (or the blogger) but I remember reading that the ingredients aren’t very good compared to MAC fix+ so this has made me reluctant to use it daily incase it were to break me out. If anyone knows the post I am talking about, please link below!

For the price I think ELF could have been a bit more generous than the 60ml they give, especially considering I use more than suggested I am likely to get through it quicker. I can’t compare it to any similar product but as a cheap fix, this works.

Quick Review - Organic Surge

Anyone who has followed my blog for a while will know I picked up the Organic Surge haircare for moisture boosting at the vitality show earlier in the year.

I have been using this for a while and actually finished it now and delayed posting a review just because I had no strong views either way. I brought it originally because I wanted to move away from using harsh chemicals in the hair and in particular the detergent SLS.

I really like the brand ethos and am actually using their skincare at the moment too. In terms of how the haircare performed, I have very little to say. The big thing I noticed is that whatever is being using as the substitute for the SLS detergent does not foam up very well at all. I realise that shampoos foaming is a subconscious thought that foam = clean hair. But by having the product foam up I find it easier to spread it all across my hair and therefore don’t miss any part. To feel like I had a really good clean with the Organic Surge I would regularly have to apply more shampoo to the lower portion of my hair.

The conditioner did make my hair feel very soft after rinsing, but this was temporary and in the course of using it I don’t think there was an overall change in my hair condition.

In all I am not disappointed with the products but I am not impressed either and don’t see myself buying it again unless there is a change in the formulation. Have you ever tried these? If so let me know what you thought.

Nails of the Week - You Don’t Know Jaques

The final polish from the OPI set ‘You don’t know Jaques’ a more brown than taupe shade in my opinion. I usually wouldn’t want to opt for a dark shade like this in the summer but this went best with my wedding outfit.

Of all the polishes I received in the kit, this is the most disappointing. This shade is much more opaque than the other shades, which is the only positive. That being said the formulation is very streaky and doesn’t allow you to go over the same area twice without pulling polish away and adding to the streaks. The second coat did sort this out though and you don’t need more than 3 to get a good finish. Even with a top coat the polish has already worn a lot at the tips and begun to chip in places after 2 days. I don’t see myself pulling this one out again any time soon.

Sleek Mediterranean Palette review and look

So I asked people to guess the palette I used for the makeup I did in my last post. It was in fact the Sleek Mediterranean palette! The look was completely inspired by Nilufar at Nilufar Loves, her review swayed me into buying the palette in the first place.

I have become a big fan of Sleek products in the past few months, so I was excited to see the swatches of the new palette. At the same time I am afraid of colour and stick to neutrals a lot, so I wasn’t sure I would get any use out of this at all. Now I have it, I am really pleased I brought it and may set myself the challenge of taking only this on my holiday in August and seeing the looks I can create out in the sunshine.

As ever, the colours are all very pigmented and I really like the even mix of finishes. My favourite colours are aquamarine, midnight garden, sunset and hummingbird, which I am really surprised about as I have never liked blues.

I opted not to go for the blush that was released with the collection after being a little scared of the look in the pan! But I have a feeling I will regret this as I did with pan tao. However, magenta madness looks like it could be very similar in colour and I may try using this as a blush. I would love if Sleek created a blush palette and either combined their best shades or created new ones.

The look I created used 3 of the colours. I used bamboo as a highlight and in the corner of my eye as well as blending all the colours together up the crease very slightly.

All over the lid I used sunset and midnight garden in the crease. I needed to do a lot of blending, to get a nice finish, partly because the blue shade is very pigmented and partly because of my lack of blending skills. This is where the bamboo shade came in really helpful to get rid of any harsh lines and create the shape I wanted. I really like that this combination of colours actually makes the navy appear like a plum purple.

Under the eye I also the three shades blending into one another. You may also be able to notice that I used Sleek luminaire under my eyes. I found the best way to apply this was with a small concealer brush which allowed me to get really close under the eye.

On the rest of my face: 

Bella Pierre mineral foundation in cinnamon, 

Witch concealer stick, 

Garnier eye roll on and Sleek luminaire, 

mix of mememe blush in rouge and bourgeois mineral radiance 

ELF bare brown and Boots naturals caramel lipstick

If you have looks for the palette please place the links below so I can get some inspiration! What do you think of the palette itself and the look I managed to create?

OOTN - Wedding reception

I went to a family wedding on Sunday night, I haven’t done an outfit post in a while so I thought I would share this. Do let me know if you would like me to include more outfit posts generally.

I did originally ask earlier in the day on twitter for comments on if the outfit worked or not. I changed it up a little, and in the end I was pleased with how it looked. Did I make the right choice compared to how I started?

The dress was from Primark, as was the belt. It needs a belt otherwise it just looks very oversized and unflattering. (Also note to self, must be more aware of the sleeves when leaning over food!) I opted for the leopard print belt just to tie the colours of the dress and shoes/bag together. I showed these shoes previously in a haul right at the start of my blogging days and I love them! The platform makes them really comfortable to wear all night. I think I have mentioned before how much I love my clutch bag too. It is the perfect size and carries more than you would think, so I was glad to be able to match this up.

For my makeup I spent so much time on my eyes that I ended up doing the blush and lips as I did for Zoo Lates. No prizes for the right answer I’m afraid but can you guess what palette I used for my eyes? Be sure to check out my next post for a closer look!

Finally, just thought I would share the gift everyone got at the table. I thought this was a really cute and unusual container. Once I eat all the sweets this will become my new ring or earring pot! 

FOTN - Mixing it up

On Friday I went to London Zoo for one of their annual Zoo lates nights. The zoo is open till 10 for you to wonder around and see the animals as well as have food and there is even a silent disco.

Since it is not a true ‘late night’ I headed there straight from work which meant a quick change of clothes and make-up refresh in the bathroom.

This photograph was actually taken after I got home (excuse the hair). I used a mix of my bourgeois mineral radiance and mememe rouge as a blush, which tones down the blush and gives it a more bronze colour. My eyes were really simple due to a lack of tools, my Avon anew shadow and eyeliner.

On my lips I went for a mix of Boots naturals in caramel and ELF bare brown (swatched below) with the mixed effect shown on the far right.

I really like this colour combination, in the past I have found bare brown to be a little dark, but by combining these two it makes it more wearable with quite a natural/bare face in my opinion.

Finally a picture of me and the penguins on the new penguin beach. I encourage anyone who is in/near London to check out the Zoo lates before the end of July. I will definitely be heading there again next year.

My 1st Blog Award!!

On Sunday, the lovely Amalia awarded 10 bloggers the Best Blog Award, and I was honored enough to be among them! It made my day, so thank you so much Amalia! 


Award rules:
Link back to the person that awarded this to you
Amalia at Dear Makeup Diary

Share seven random things about yourself
1. I don’t eat tomatoes or mushrooms
2. I like things to be symmetrical
3. I’ve never had a cup of coffee
4. I am longsighted
5. I’m a night person
6. I always fall asleep watching movies
7. I keep a random mementoes from special days 

Answer the following questions:
Favorite colour: Purple
Favorite song: ‘my everything’ by next
Favorite dessert: strawberries, blueberries, meringue and lots of double cream
What is pissing you off: nothing right now, I try my best not to sweat the small stuff
When your upset, you: sleep, and if I can’t sleep watch TV shows
Your favorite pet: my cat Dixie, have had him for 14 years
Black or white: black
Biggest fear: not being able to have children
Best feature: my hair
Everyday attitude: don’t sweat the small stuff
What is perfection: being able to see beauty and show kindness under any circumstance
Guilty pleasure: channel E, when I have the house to myself I’m always watching something on there it’s a good form of escapism for me

Award 10 blogs
Beauties in Bloom 
Elemental Styles 
Latina hair beauty makeup 
Imagination in Colour
GoldBeauty88’s Makeup Blog 
Lady of the Lane 
Lipgloss and Leopard Print 
Skin Deep Beauty Blogger 
Skin Scrubs 
The dark side of Beauty

Quick Review - L’Oreal Glam Shine

The first of the things I brought in my latest shopping trip, after seeing J.Lo in the latest L’Oreal I wanted the lip gloss she was wearing. I loved the colour even though it looks like a really bright orange in the tube. 

The shade is Aqua Mandarin (orange). I chose the fresh option, which is not shimmery although there is a shimmer version available. I really like the shape of the applicator which makes it really easy to apply and picks up the right amount of product.

A little disappointingly the gloss is a lot sheerer than I imagined. In most lighting conditions it looks much more like a clear gloss but I found when outside more of an orange tint could be seen. I was hoping for a little more colour pay off considering how bright it looks in the tube but it has made me a little braver about possibly picking up an orange or coral colour lipstick. It has a lovely sweet and fruit scent and is not too sticky. It feels hydrating on the lips and is as long wearing as any other gloss.

At £4.99 on promotion from Superdrug it’s not something I would rush out for but if you have it on your mind to purchase it is worth picking up now.