Beauty Mission #1 - perfectly shaped eyebrows

Hello Beauty Addicts!

I'm going to start a mini 'series' in this blog called 'Beauty Mission'.

Basically in each Beauty Mission post I'll discuss something I want to improve on/change beauty wise, what steps I'm going to take, progress updates..

I know many of us ladies out there have the same issues and problems - whether it be skin problems, hair problems and so on - so hopefully this won't just be helpful to myself but helpful to other people out there.

For the first in this series: Eyebrows!!

I personally believe that your eyebrows can completely change your face - anyone else agree?

Last year I stupidly got into the habit of plucking my eyebrows on a regular basis and the end result was thin, little, no-shape nothings which I regret. As you can see in the picture below they were very thin with no shape.

My eyebrow Beauty Mission is to make my eyebrows even, thicker and perfectly shaped.

How am I going to do that?

* Putting the tweezers away!

* I've started to get them threaded every 2-3 weeks. I've been going to one specific lady over the past few months and I basically sat down with her and discussed my eyebrows aims. She completely agreed that they were uneven with no shape so it's good we're on the same wavelength. Every time I get my brows tidied she's going to leave a thin line of hair so hopefully over the coming months they'll thicken up. After that we're going to shape them and even them out. Step by step ey?

In the meantime...

* I've been using the Laura Mercier eyebrow pencil in Warm Brunette to fill in any gaps and MAC eyebrow gel to tidy them up.

* Resisting the urge to tweeze out any strays - I'm so OCD when it comes to grooming my brows.

Here's how they look so far after about 5 months of thickening them up:

As you can see, they're already thicker (albeit quite messy!) but you can also notice that they're uneven. The brow on the right is thinner but as you can see, there's a thin line of hairs that will hopefully grow out and even them up. You can also see that the shape of them is different - the one on the left is thicker and slightly arched and the other brow is more rounded and patchy. There's honestly not much I can do about that now so after a few more months of thickening them up I'll hopefully be able to have something to work with (!!) and shape them so they're identical.

Just for fun here are some celebrity eyebrows, before and after:

See what a difference eyebrows make!! Click here for more celebrity eyebrow before and after pictures.

Once I have perfected my eyebrows - hopefully sooner rather than later - I'll do a post updating you guys!

Is anyone else out there currently unhappy with the state of their brows?

Take the challenge with me and get your eyebrows into tip top condition by the end of 2012; take pictures of your progress too.

xxoo ♥

French mani - Pink smoothie

Hello ladies,

Just thought I'd a show a picture of my current mani.

The colour of choice this week was the ever so classic French - Gelish of course.

The last time I had a French manicure was honestly 6 - 7 years ago?!

Why so long might you ask?

I personally think that French doesn't look nice unless your nails are somewhat long. My nails break like there's no tomorrow but since I started doing Gelish they've actually been given the chance to grow - woop woop!

After months of waiting for them to grow, they're finally at a 'French appropriate' length so I couldn't resist - I think it makes my hands look quite feminine, don't you agree?

The base colour is called 'Pink Smoothie'; such a cute name and such a gorgeous colour right?!

What colour are your nails right now? Anyone else out there a Gelish addict like me?

xxoo ♥

Lancôme Visionnaire - mini review

Ello ello ello!

I was pretty excited when I got a sample of Lancôme Visionnaire, mainly because I've read some rave reviews about it online, and supposedly Kate and Pippa Middleton just luuurrrrvee the stuff.

I like sample sizes (especially of expensive products, and that this is!) because it gives me the chance to test the product out and see if it's worth paying full price.

What is Lancôme Visionnaire you might ask? Well..

* It's their 'first advanced skin corrector' for wrinkles, pores and evenness.

* Wrinkles appeared reduced, pores appeared minimised. Skin tone is more even, as if corrected.

* I'm far from being a scientist or a chemist so I'm going to try and simplify this into words that someone (like me) can understand because when reading about it online, it all started to get a bit confusing..

Basically the scientists over at Lancôme have been working on this product for 12 years and created a molecule called LR2412 - 2412 because it allegedly took the scientists 2,412 attempts to get the product jussst right. The molecule is basically Jasmonic acid which is derived from plants and promises to aid the skin in repairing and healing by deeply penetrating the skin.

What I say...

I used the tiny sample sized bottle (7ml) sparingly in the morning and at night for about 11 days; after cleansing and before moisturising. According to Lancôme you start seeing results after 4 weeks but what the heck, here's the review!

Here's a piccie of me and my tiny Lancôme Visionnaire bottle:

* I'll start of by saying I love the packaging - I've seen the full sized one in the shops and the 7ml is literally a mini version of it minus the pump - but in general I love the packaging of most Lancôme products; they're the kind of products that look so chic sitting on your vanity table (or wherever you place your beauty products)!

* Visionnaire is a serum with a smooth silky texture and it smells divine! I personally adore its scent, is it weird to describe the scent as comforting?

* After my 11 day trial I can honestly say that I can feel and see a difference in the texture of my skin. My skin feels smooth, soft and my overall complexion seems improved. I can't comment on my wrinkles, because to be honest, I don't really have any (yet!) but I do think my pores appear slightly smaller, and my skin tone is more even. I actually got a comment from a family member asking me what I've being using on my skin and it's looking much better!

Would I purchase this product?

Yes I would!

Although the price tag is a bit (understatement) hefty I really liked the effects it had on my skin and considering I only used it for less than 2 weeks I'm dying to see what'll do to my skin after 1+months!

A 30ml bottle of this product retails for $84/€70/£50.

Do any of you guys use Lancôme Visionnaire? If so, what do you think of it?

xxoo ♥

essie's 30th birthday!

A few months back I had the pleasure of attending an 'essie' event at At.mosphere Lounge in the Burj Khalifa, Dubai. The event was for essie's (the brand not the founder!!) 30th birthday.

Essie Weingarten, the president and founder of 'essie' cosmetics was there herself and it was a pleasure to meet her.

I thought I'd share a few pictures from the event for you lovely ladies (please excuse the crap photo quality, all photos were taken on my Blackberry).

Here's the view from At.mosphere which is on the 123rd floor, gorgeous right!?

One of the yummy mocktails :

I think the flash was too bright because I look like I'm in shock/petrified lolz :

You can see Essie herself in this picture whilst she was getting interviewed by the press; she was so spunky and sweet :

Now for some deets from the event.

* They was a choice of 2 different delicious mocktails (one of which is in the picture above), an array of canapés, and for dessert a big birthday cake (of course) and macaroons!

* Essie said her all time favourite colour is 'Ballet Slippers'.

* As a goody bag they were giving away a box of Patchi chocolates and a nail polish; I got 'Aperitif'.

Overall it was an amazing event to attend and I'm not going to lie, meeting Essie Weingarten was pretty cool!

I only wish I'd taken some more pictures for you beauty addicts, oh well.

xxoo ♥

Quote of the day

'Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin. That, or a kick-ass red lipstick.'

Gwyneth Paltrow

xxoo ♥

First haul post of 2012

Hello Beauty Addicts!

This is officially my first haul post of 2012.

Let's get started...

* Urban Decay Naked Palette.. I've wanted this for ages, god knows why it has taken me this long to go ahead and purchase it but I'm so glad I did; I'm in love (yes, with a palette).

I know Naked 2 is out but from the reviews and blogs I've read online the original Naked Palette is supposedly a lot better. What do you guys think - Naked Palette 1 or 2?

* The Naked Palette came with a mini Primer Potion (I already have a full sized one and love the stuff) and a basic shadow brush - how cute is the mini Primer Potion though!?!

* A closer look at the palette; such a gorgeous array of neutral shades - to all the Naked Palette owners out there what are your favourite shades/combinations?

From Urban Decay I also purchased the 'All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray' - a groundbreaking formula mists on, ensuring makeup that won't budge for 16 hours. Colour dispersing technology keeps makeup even, so it always looks just applied. Weightless but powerful, the spray resists moisture and even has a techy cooling ingredient that makes skin look and feel fresh all night long!

I haven't tried this product before and I'm pretty excited to see if it works; I mean anything that makes your makeup last longer and look fresh gets an A+ in my books - although I am a bit doubtful that my makeup will look just applied for 16(!!!) hours.. hmmm.. If you use this product, enlighten me!! Does it really work or am I just a sucker for marketing?

* A basic rounded crease brush from SEPHORA.

* SEPHORA Instant Eye Makeup Remover (boring I know)!

* YSL Touche Éclat in shade #2. I think I did a blog post on this product a while back basically dissing it but I was recently reintroduced to it and I love it. It's my morning savior.

* MAC Eyeshadows in Brulé (satin) and Espresso (matte).

* Two face masks by H&M. The first one (in the green packaging) is a 'Deep Cleansing Blemish Mud' mask - a special blend of aloe vera, witch hazel, rosemary & willow combine to target problem areas for a clear complexion.

The second one is a 'Raspberry Smoothie Pore Cleansing' mask - raspberry, mango, apricot, peach & pomegranate clears blocked pores and leaves your skin fresh and smooth.

* I'm really into big rings at the moment and couldn't resist this bargain from Forever 21! You likey?

* And last, but definitely not least.. A jumbo sized bag of pick & mix jelly sweets - naughty, naughty I know!!!

And that is that!

Do you girls use any of the above products? What do you think of them! I love reading all your comments, thoughts and opinions so let me know in the comment box!

xxoo ♥

P.S. in case anyone is wondering I'm wearing 'Schiap' by NARS on my lips, such a nice shade no?

Beauty Tip

My lovely aunt owns a chain of salons over here so I'm fortunate enough to attend various beauty/hair related seminars and events, which I find enlightening as I get to learn 'insider' tips and interesting things I never knew before.

I thought I'd share one of the most recent and effective tips I've learnt so far!

Before applying conditioner to your hair, towel dry it (but be gentle)!

Think about it, if you apply conditioner to soaking wet hair, it's most likely to 'drip off' your hair right? When you towel dry your hair before applying conditioner, your hair can absorb the conditioner and reap the benefits better.

I've been using this beauty tip for the past couple of months every time I wash my hair and I can honestly feel a difference in the the texture of my hair, it feels so much softer and healthier!

After I shampoo my hair, I gently (remember ladies, when your hair is wet it's easily 'breakable' so being gentle is a must) towel dry my hair and then apply conditioner to my ends, leave it for a couple of minutes and rinse as normal.

Put this simple yet effective tip to the test and try towel drying your hair before you apply conditioner! Let me know if you feel a difference in the texture of your hair.

xxoo ♥

Gelish love

Hello beautiful beauty addicts!

Ever since I moved back to Dubai, I've gotten into the habit of professionally doing my nails at the salon - it's cheap here in comparison to the UK and Ireland and I suck at doing my nails myself so why not!

I was recently introduced to the Gelish manicure a few months back and I'm obsessed.

After my first Gelish manicure I was hooked and there's been no going back since!

In case some of you haven't heard of gelish:

* It's applied like regular polish but then cured in a LED lamp (usually takes about 1 - 2 minutes).

* It lasts for over 2 weeks without chipping and peeling - yes ladies, a perfect manicure for 2+ weeks!

I usually get mine re-done ever 2 weeks, even if there are no chips because the regrowth usually shows.

Here are the reasons why I personally love Gelish...

* It techically saves me money. A regular manicure here can range from DHS 50-70. I despise chipped nails so would usually get a manicure done every 5-6 days. With Gelish I pay DHS 100 for a perfect manicure that I have done every 14 days.

* Perfect. No chips. 2 weeks. Nuff said.

* I love the shine you get with Gelish.

* It's made my nails grow! My nails are quite weak and have the habit of chipping and peeling on a regular basis so my aim for long gorgeous nails has always been a fail. Every since I've been doing Gelish my nails haven't broken but in turn they have actually grown. Success!

* It doesn't damage your natural nail.

I'm actually due for my bi-weekly manicure in a week so I'm going do a post and take pics every couple of days from day 1 just to prove to your girlies the amazingness of Gelish.

I'm currently wearing 'Red Roses' and I've had them for exactly a week.

Here a rubbish quality picture of my Gelish manicure, but as you can see after exactly 7 days there's been no chipping and the shine is amazing; you can already slightly see the regrowth though:

For anyone who lives in Dubai, I get mine done at Tips & Toes for DHS 100.

xxoo ♥