YSL, Philosophy, Green Tea & a Tag

Hello my lovelies! Zip-a-dee-doo-dah-zippety-ayyyyy, my oh my, it's a wonderful day! Oh my god, how amazing is the weather at the moment? It's so gorgeous and sunny and warm!  Long may it continue! It's the simple things in life that make me happy and nice weather is one of them.  Me and Chris are going to head up north tomorrow to Findhorn (a lovely little place with a really nice stoney beach) so we can have a romantic day out together and make the most of the sunshine.  The longer days always make me feel like I'm getting more time in a day to do everything I want to...does that make sense? I kinda feel cheated in winter and I'm sure I must suffer from that SAD thing!...doesn't everyone though!? I have that Jason Derulo song stuck in my head today (Sowlo, I'm ridin sowlo) and yes I am doing the accent thing as I sing it.  I think I'm slowly driving Chris demented because I only know some of the words so I just make the rest up!hee hee.  Brace yourselves...this is gonna be a long post!

First up, I just wanted to rave about some YSL products that I mentioned in a previous post.  All three are from the Summer 2010 Solaris collection: Bronzer in no.2, Nail polish in no.42, Rouge Pur Shine Lipstick in no.93.

The bronzer is beeyootiful! The consistency of this is divine, non-powdery and really smooth and I love the sleek packaging.  No bulky boxes here, just a lovely slimline case that will be super handy for travelling or carrying around in my bag.  The shade no.2 is the medium colour available and it's perfect for when I am more tanned as it gives a natural, non shimmery glow to my skin.  The bronzer is matte on the skin, however if you look REALLY close at the pan, you can see miniscule particles of shimmer but that doesn't show up on the skin, it just stops the colour from looking flat once applied.

The nail polish is a really pretty rich purple colour with no shimmer.  It's a really glossy formula and I only needed one coat to get an intense streak free finish.  I love the fact that YSL nail polishes always have a lid that lifts off to reveal a more practical lid to the polish.  It's alot easier to open when you can actually grip onto the lid.

The lipstick is absolutely perfect for summer because it's a sheer formula that looks more like a light gloss.  It's so lightweight, moisturising and the colour is really flattering and pretty.  It's a soft pale pink with an ever so slight tinge of lilac (but not like those weird coloured lipsticks that make you look dead).  This lippy is the kind that you can just apply without a mirror and not have to worry about having to be precise.  I am in love with the packaging, it's something about the baby pink colour with the gold YSL case that does it for me! 

One smell I love in summer is coconut and I have been using two products with the most amazing scent...Philosophy's Coconut Frosting Body Butter and Shower Gel.  As you can see...Munkay loves it too (that may be lost on non-UK followers...I had to prize them from his dirty little mitts after these photographs were taken!).  I find myself having showers JUST so I can use the gel! Saddo much? It has such a heavenly scent though, I love it...it smells good enough to eat! I have used the shower gel (which can also be used as a shampoo or bubble bath) about 6 or 7 times already but you only need the tiniest amount to create a really rich luxurious lather.  It leaves the most beautiful scent of coconut on my skin that lasts all day and Chris had commented on how good it smelt! 

The body butter is super moisturising and I like to apply it just before bed so I wake up with really soft, smooth skin.  The Philosophy packaging has been copied by quite a few brands and I can see why.  I really like the recipes they print on the front, it's a really fun idea that really does make you feel like you are bathing in Coconut Frosting!

I looked around for some authentic Japanese Green Tea but it ain't easy to find in Aberdeen so in the meantime, I found the purest, most potent one available...Clipper Organic Green Tea.  I can't say I was really looking forward to my first cup after it had been likened to pond water but you know what, it ain't all that bad.  It doesn't taste amazing but it's certainly drinkable.  It has an earthy taste to it, almost like normal black tea.  I can put up with the weird taste though because I know how many amazing benefits this has with regards to my general health.  It may not taste great but it's for the greater good!

Now for some tags! The first one is one that I actually wasn't tagged in but I thought it might be fun to do just to let everyone in on some random facts about me.  I read it on Jo's blog, But Enough About Me so if you haven't already checked hers out, please do...she is one funny girl!  Due to our mutual love for eachothers blogs, we have agreed to stalk eachother on blogger!

The first rule is to post the 8th picture from the 8th folder in your documents:

This pic was taken out our engagement party/bbq at my parent's house in August 2009.  It was before I lost alot of the extra weight (for reference, I was a size 16 there and I'm now a size 12 but I still maintain that 70% of my weight is boob!That's still the case!) My mum had ordered a huge cake from Costco for us and we all know how delish those cakes are! We were feasting on left over cake for the next week! I love my family so much and they made this such a special day for me and Chris.  All our friends were there and it was a fantastic chilled out day.  Good memories.

And now for the questions for the tag...

1. What shoe size are you?

I am a size 7 and I've always hated having big feet, it means that certain flat shoes make me look like a clown! No ballet pumps for me unfortunately :(

2. Where do you work?

I can't divulge too much on this at the moment as there are changes afoot but I will update on this soon :)

3. Favourite piece of clothing you own?

It has to be my Monsoon Originals Hot Pink minidress pictured here underneath the black sequin blazer, it has a heavily beaded neckline and also under the bust.  I always get compliments on it:

4. Your favourite blog?

Ahhh I can't name just one because there are so many great blogs out there, although my favourite ones are But Enough About You, Bubble dreams...,  Alpha Blonde, The Gloss Goss and Bubblegarm.  I read every single post these girls do and if you aren't already following them, you should be!

5. Do you have any pets?

Oooooh yesh! His name is Wolverine, he's a long haired Syrian hamster and he is a Legend! The coolest hamster that ever walked the face of the earth!Word.

My mum and dad have two Golden Retrievers called Hamish and Findlay but I think of them as mine as well since I still lived at home when my folks got them 5 years ago.  I adore them and every time I go home, which is pretty much every weekend, I just want to take them away with me! I miss having dogs around the place.  Once me and Chris move to somewhere with a garden, we are definitely getting two dogs! (note- Findlay is trying to do his "I'm not aware of the camera so I'm looking upwards" pose):

6. How many siblings do you have?
I have one brother, Gary.  He is going to be 30 in July...and yes I have been winding him up no end.  It's too easy!

7. If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
First I was going to say somewhere exotic but whenever I'm away, I always miss the UK (crazy but true!) so I think I would be happiest somewhere in Cornwall.  I love the vibe there and the lifestyle...beach, great weather, great nightlife, surfing, beach parties, amazing scenery and wildlife.  It pretty much has everything, I used to visit there alot when I was a kid and I always loved it so much.

8. What were you doing before this?

Cooking up some of my special Chilli Con Carne for dinner tonight...I like to cook it in advance to let the flavours develop a bit!

9. Your favourite food?

I tend to like spicy foods, the kind you find in indian, mexican and thai cooking.  I do love a big fat fillet steak as well though with Dauphanoise potatoes..mmmmmmmm.  Healthy!  To be perfectly honest I love my food and I really enjoy trying new recipes, I'm not the kinda girl who chooses a salad on a date!ha ha.

10. Do you have a middle name?

Yes, it's Jayne.  Although I never really like it because when you team it with my forename, it always makes me sound like one of the Waltons..."good night Laura-Jayne". 

11. Your favourite websites?

Blogger (obviously!), Ebay, Temptalia, Dune, Monsoon, Makeup Provisions, You Tube, my wedding website.

12. Who do you tag?

Alpha Blonde

The Yummy Mummy's Beauty Blog

Missmascara1983

Lastly, I just wanted to share a song I'm loving at the moment...Vampire Weekend - Giving Up The Gun (and no, not just because the gorgeous Jake Gyllenhaal is in the vid!..ok, maybe that's part of the reason! I even fancy him in 70's tennis gear...Sigh...)...

As you can probably tell by now, I have VERY eclectic music taste...from indie to rock to R'n'B to dance.  Variety is the spice of life afterall!

This is the song that has me shakin my thang around the kitchen whilst making dinner, it makes me feel summery!...

Have a fandabbydosey weekend girlies! Enjoy the sunshiiiine (Oasis stylee!)

My Favourite Lip Glosses

What's not to love about lip glosses? I always get mesmerised by the shine and shimmer of these products and I'm a total sucker for pinks, peaches and nudes, especially when they are shot with gold particles.  I like my lip glosses to be non-gritty, a nice consistency, reasonably long lasting and nicely fragranced.  All of these lip glosses live up to these specifications and I love them all.  I won't ramble on too much in this post as the pictures speak for themselves.  I hope you enjoy the post!

Sure, alot of the lip glosses I have are similar but as us girls know, each one looks slightly different on!  You will have to excuse the tatty condition of the Chanel lip gloss, but I've had it for a year or so now and since it's always rattling around in my handbag, it has taken a beating over time!  If I had to pick my top three glosses out of all the above products then it would have to be Mac Fashion Scoop, YSL Golden Gloss in no.10 and L'Occitane Rose Petale Lip Gloss.  I would highly recommend all of these!

What are your favourite lip glosses?  Do you have any recommendations based on what I already have?

Randomness

Another random post from me! I just wanted to share a few things with you guys and get your feedback because I love hearing from fellow bloggers!

1) Two women who's looks and style I would like to steal!....

I want her luscious thick hair and amazingly gorgeous face...Petra Nemcova...

I have been watching a couple of films featuring this actress lately (I Think I Love My Wife and Lakeview Terrace) and I couldn't help but notice how beautiful Kerry Washington is! When I thought about it, she is a regular in the best dressed section of magazines and I really like her sophisticated style...

Who are your current makeup/style crushes?

2) My mum has been using a Vibrating Plate (you can get them from places like Argos for around £100) and after 3 months of using it every day, she is in amazing shape! She has lost inches off her whole body and constantly gets compliments on her new trim figure.  Mum has been doing various exercises on the vibrating plate mainly for her upper body and it really shows.  She was determined to get in the best possible shape for my wedding in August and she didn't want any 'back fat' ruining her lovely strapless dress! She offered it to me for a few weeks before my wedding so I could have a go and fine tune my figure for my big day.  I will definitely be trying it out and will let you guys know how I get on!

3) After hearing various recommendations for Japanese Green Tea as an all around healthy supplement to daily life, I am definitely going to try and stock up on it next time I go shopping.  I want to find the authentic Japanese variety to make sure I am getting the most potent and pure version of it.  If you didn't already know, the benefits of Green Tea are as follows:

• The anti-oxidant found in Green Tea (Epigallocatechin Gallate) is 100 times more effective than Vitamin C and 25 times more effective than Vitamin E.
• It reduces high blood pressure
• There have been studies to show that it is very effective at preventing cancer
• Studies have shown that it lowers your cholesterol
• It benefits and strengthens your immune system
• Increases Thermogenesis (the body's rate of burning calories)
• Enhances Fat Oxidation (stops your body holding on to as much fat)

With all these amazing benefits, I'm wondering why it has taken me so long to catch on!

4) Now that me and Chris have booked our honeymoon to Kuala Lumpur, Borneo and Hong Kong, I would love to hear anyone's recommendations on where to visit if you have been there before? We want to make sure that we don't miss anything amazing while we are there.  I think I am most looking forward to the 5 star hotel in Borneo that we will be staying at:

I don't get the chance to stay in 5 stars very often (actually...never!) so I am probably going to be such a geek over there oooohing and ahhhing over everything!  Our room will open right out onto the beach! I will have to take loads of photos because I have a feeling this will be the holiday of a lifetime.  I am really looking forward to seeing the Orangutans as well, they have a sanctuary on the resort.

What is the best holiday you have ever been on?

5) YSL Summer 2010 collection - After seeing the new lipstick from YSL on a couple of blogs recently I have found myself lusting after a few things from the collection! I am properly lusting after the baby pink lipstick, the matching lip gloss, the bronzers and a couple of the nail polishes.  Feast your eyes on the gorgeousness....

Is there another collection you're drooling over at the moment???

My Favourite Lipsticks!

Its another 'Favourites' post! I always find it helpful to see other people's favourite lippies, it's good to see how different shades compare against eachother and that makes it easier to choose the right colour for your skintone.  I am not THAT adventurous when it comes to vibrant hues because, well to be frank, bright lippies don't suit me and tend to make me look like a fool.

I love the fact that Mac lipsticks are available in such a great range of colours but the formulas aren't always the best.  However, these are the ones I reach for most in my collection and Hue is hands down my must have lipstick for something that you can just slap on without a mirror...

Angel is a great way to wear a stronger pink without looking too obvious.

Shy Girl is a dark peach toned lippy that looks great with a sunkissed tan.

Pretty Please is a gorgeous sheer wash of pale pink loveliness.

Creme De Nude is a classic neutral that suits most skintones.

I love YSL lipsticks and I tend to find that they always have loads of shades that flatter my skintone.  I am a sucker for peaches, pinks and nudes! Frozen Mango (no.32) has to be my absolute favourite.  It's so easy to wear, has a great sheen to it and looks really pretty.  Note - the other shades have photographed slightly darker than they are in real life.

My ultimate lipsticks out of everything I own are my Rouge Voluptes.  You know, you've heard about them so many times.  But they are so creamy, smooth to apply, moisturising and I adore the heavy luxurious packaging that makes me want to keep taking it out of my bag all the time!  They are everything you could possibly want from a lipstick and I love the two shades I own.  The only small downside is that you have to make sure you have smooth lips before you apply the lippy, they don't apply well to flaky lips (but what lipstick does?)

Lastly, here are my last three fave lippies...Estee Lauder Pure Colour in Vanilla Truffle (it holds a special place in my heart...my favourite nude lipstick and I would choose this ahead of Mac Creme De Nude because the consistency is alot creamier).  My newest edition, Clarins Joli Rouge in Pink Blossom, is a lovely wearable pink nude.  Definitely the prettiest peach lipstick I own is Jemma Kidd's Duo Lipstick in Wendy which also has a lip balm/lip primer on the other end (you can't argue with that!). 

I just wanted to do a quick update at the end of this post on what's happening with me at the moment.  My hen weekend in Edinburgh is at the end of the month and I have been looking at what I am going to wear.  I still have no idea what the girls have planned for me...I'm getting slightly worried! I really don't want a stripper because:

a) The idea of a sweaty, sylvester Stallone lookalike dripping in baby oil gyrating in my face ain't my idea of fun! (why are strippers NEVER hot??!)

b) I would be generally mortified if my mum had to watch me spraying whipped cream on a semi naked man!

I'm cringing just thinking about it! ahhhhh! It's the stuff of nightmares!

There's a really good group of girls going so it's going to be a hoot! I have already decided that I am going to wear my Monsoon Fusion mini dress for one of the nights (I figured all out glamour is required for my hen weekend!):

Now I just need to find shoes to go with the dress....

Wedding Hair Inspiration!

So you guys know that I decided I am going to wear my hair down on my wedding day and that I bought real hair extensions to create more volume.  Well, I found the perfect picture of the supermodel, Petra Nemcova, to show my hairdresser what I want on my wedding day.  These pictures demonstrate what kind of curl/wave I want in my hair on the big day (although I would have a side parting rather than have it swept back). 

It looks like she has had it styled with rollers which gives a less contrived and more natural, laid back curl to the hair.  I don't want anything that looks stiff or overly styled.  With my new hair extensions in, they will give my fine hair slightly more length and loads more volume! I will just be back-combing the crown slightly so that my comb and veil can sit comfortable there.  I can't wait for my next hair trial!!!

Hair Extensions, Shopping and Stuff

I promised you guys that I would post pics etc when I received my hair extensions from FoxyLocksExtensions and I received them this morning! I am so happy with them! The colour is pretty damn close to my hair so they blend in well (I chose no.22, the Honey Blonde colour).  I think I will still take them to my hairdresser though because I want to add some lowlights so it matches exactly (so shoot me...I'm a perfectionist!ha ha).  The hair looks and feels great and I was impressed by how sturdy the clips were.  I quickly put them in so I could take some pics of what they look like initially.  I must admit that I didn't feel the need to put all the pieces in (there were 10 in all and I only put in 8).  I wanted to post an initial pic so you could compare when I get the extensions treated at the hairdressers and also trimmed to blend in with my own hair.  I reckon I'm going to lop off about 1-2 inches because the extensions in their current state sit below my bustline! (although it's difficult to see how much the hair will bounce up when it has been curled/waved).  Anyhoo, I am very happy with the product I received and I can see why people like them so much.  They add so much volume to my hair, although I did feel a bit like a mermaid/Rapunzel when I put them in.  I couldn't wear my hair/extensions straight in this manner because I feel that hair past a certain length can begin to look tacky.  That's just my personal opinion!  So once I have taken a trip to my hairdresser to tweak the extensions a bit, I will post some more pics!

I was out last night for a friend's 30th birthday meal at an Italian Restaurant called Little Italy.  It's a very relaxed place where you even get to dance on the tables at the end of the night to some cheesy Euro pop! Although I resisted this time since I was wearing a short dress...so I took it upon myself to just take pics!  Anyways, since it was a relaxed evening, I just went for a really neutral look (I know, boring!) and used my conical wand to style my hair.  I was at the hairdresser's yesterday too so I'm alot happier now my dark roots have been covered up!  Here's what I used:

Face: Revlon Photoready Foundation in Golden Beige, Estee Lauder Maximum Cover in Medium as a concealer, Mac MSF Natural in Medium, Benefit Powderflage under eyes, Dior Bronze Matte Sunshine Bronzer in Honey Matte, RMK Blush in Holographic Soft Coral, Dior Shimmer Powder in Amber Diamond.

Eyes: Mac Painterly Paint Pot, Mac Ricepaper all over lid and browbone, Mac Vanilla pigment in inner corners, Mac Retrospeck on lid, Mac Mulch in outer corner and crease, Mac Fluidline in Dipdown on top lashline, Benefit Eye Bright on waterline, Rouge Bunny Rouge Amplitude Mascara in Black Obsidian, Clarins eyebrow pencil in Soft Blonde.

Lips: Clarins Joli Rouge in Pink Blossom.

I was having lunch with the girls today and since I was a bit early, I decided to have a look in Accessorize (a.k.a. My dream treasure trove of beautiful things!).  I was just browsing and then I spotted the cutest little delicate bracelet with the word 'Love' on it (exactly like the keyring that's given to Carrie in the SATC movie!...they also have the keyring too if you like that).  I wouldn't normally buy gold coloured jewellery but this was so delicate that it actually suited me.  It hangs loosley on my wrist which I prefer.

THEN I spotted a gorgeous little gold necklace with a diamante heart with an arrow through it....so pretty! So I had to have that too!  Ok, so I thought my shopping habit had been satisfied but and after lunch with my lovely friends, I decided to do a leeeeeetle bit more (window but not really) shopping.  I convinced myself I better start looking for clothes for my honeymoon to Kuala Lumpur, Borneo and Hong Kong.  So here's what I got out of H & M...

A lovely little retro 50's style baby blue pinstripe dress...it reminds me of the kind of thing you see Sophia Loren and Marilyn Monroe wearing in those black and white pics! This dress was only £14.99!

Next I spotted a rail of dresses that were new in but they were £2.99 each! I couldnt believe it so I got the turquoise one and the black one.  They will be perfect with some sandals when we are chilling out near the beach.

I remember Holly over at The Yummy Mummy's Beauty Blog did a video including a polka dot scarf she got from H&M and I loved the look of it so I picked one up too (I'm such a copy cat!).  This one was only £7.99 I think.  I love pairing scarfs with outfits though, it can really finish your look off nicely.  I also wanted to get some over-sized Aviator shadesso these ones that were only £4.99 did the job nicely! I don't like buying expensive sunglasses because I think I would cry if I sat on them or they got broken somehow!

So my good intentions went out the window! But I'm really happy with everything I got because they were all fantastic bargains!

Have you started buying your holiday clothes yet?

Wedding Hair Update

You know I did my posts about how I was going to have my hair up for the wedding?...well, I kinda, sorta changed my mind!  I originally wanted my hair up because:

a) The ladies in the bridal store kept saying how I just HAD to have my hair up if I was wearing a strapless dress.  It would apparently 'elongate my neck and make me look more graceful'.
b) Every bride I saw had her hair up so I just kind of fell into the thinking that I should do that too.

My doubts began when I went to visit the photographer a while ago.  He said "I hope you don't mind me asking, but how are you wearing your hair for the wedding?"...I of course replied "oh I'm having it wavy but up in a loose chignon".  He paused for a while and then said "This is just my opinion, please don't be offended, but I think you would suit your hair better wavy/curly and down because it would suit your face shape better and also suit the relaxed feeling of the wedding".  I sat there and I will admit that I was a bit taken aback that he was so honest about it but then he continued..."Do you wear your hair up alot?" to which I thought, well no I don't because I prefer it down and I feel more comfortable with it down.  Then it dawned on me...why the hell am I wearing my hair up just because other people expect me to? I need to do what I am happy with and I am happiest with my hair down.

SO, the decision has now been made (thanks to my wedding photographer).  I am alot happier now I know I will have long flowing locks on my wedding day.  I want to look like me (but maybe a bit better than normal!ha ha).  I have now set out on a quest to find the best real hair clip in extensions to add more volume to my hair.  Don't worry, I'm not after ridiculously long locks, I am going to cut the extensions so they blend with my hair (this is more about volume, not length).  I do want to add just a couple of inches to my hair length so that when it is curled and it bounces up, it will still be a decent length.

So ladies, any recommendations for really good hair extensions would be appreciated! In the meantime, I did have a look at the extensions available on a fellow bloggers, Imogen's, website www.foxylocksextensions.com/.  I ordered the delux real hair clip-in extensions in Honey Blonde (160grams) and I thought they were pretty cheap at £72.00.  The colour I chose looks like this (pic courtesy of foxylocksextensions.com):

I like that the extensions aren't one solid colour, they have highlights through them just like my hair.  I will let you all know how I get on with them once they are delivered.   I will be taking them to my hairdresser to be cut (and possibly dyed to match my hair colour exactly) and blended into my own hair to make sure it all looks as natural as possible.  I think half the battle is trying to get a good colour match so I'm hoping the Honey Blonde ones do the job.

I actually really like the FoxyLocksExtensions website because it includes a guide to clipping in the extensions with Pics, Video Tutorials, Customer Reviews, Order Tracking and a Celebrity Hairstyles section where it shows you a step-by-step guide to achieve a particular look.  Imogen does a really good video on how she clips in her extensions, now it may seem simple to do, but I've never done it before so it helps to get it right.


How gorgeous is Imogen!
Have you tried any real hair extensions? What did you think of them?