Swag alert: Boots Christmas Special!

Boots has seriously upped their game when it comes to makeup, and their new Christmas collecttion a brilliant testimonial to that - their new collection features items that will create a look that will suit anyone.

Check out this new video from Boots No7 on how to create the perfect party look:

One of their many offering that really caught my eye is the Mirror Ball Highlight Compact, which is a gorgeous, no too shimmpery highlighter powder. I've tested this out at Boots, and it's really subtle. More irisdescent than glittery, it's really sophisticated and perfect for accentuating the cheekbones.

I also really like they Stay Perfect Eyeliners - these liquid liners glide on effortlessly (I've used these to line my eyes on a bumpy bus). They're perfect for day to night use as well, just touch up and add on a thicker line and you're ready to paaartay! They're available on 7 colours had I have them in Gunmetal (my fav!), Purple and Blue. Smudge free, too!

Boots are also having a fantastic promotion where you can get a No7 Black Christmas Evening Bag plus lots of other goodies worth £37 when you spend £22 online or in store at Boots.

 

Christmas just came early!

New favourite: SUQQU

I was meant to go for a facial at Elemis Harvey Nichols at 2pm today but got stuck in traffic for about an hour so couldn't make it on time. There were road closures due to the rugby at Twichenham Stadium. I called ahead to let them know that I was going to be late as soon as I could, and had an encounter with a really rude woman who wouldn't let me re-book it.

Really strange, because they're normally quite good. But that, combined with my recent Elemis experiences have really put of me off the brand. Shame that I still have 3 more spa pod treatment vouchers left - might try to sell it off for cheap.

Disappointed with my cancelled appointment, I headed to Selfridges to check out Ann Demeulemeester's latest collection, only to find that they no longer stocked it. Went off to the Shoe Galleries to check out some new shoes and see if I could try on some of Dries Van Noten chunky heeled brogues that I heard were extremely comfortable - they didn't stock them in my size.

Thwarted at every turn, I sighed and decided to have a look at RMK's latest blush collection, which were featured in the current Maquia magazine. Just before I reached the RMK counter, this really beautiful Japanese MUA at SUQQU caught my eye. She looked so fresh faced and approachable, I did a double take and ended up at the SUQQU counter instead.

Tomoko and I ended up chatting about Japanese make up products and how difficult it was to find Holy grail worthy products to match our golden skin tone in UK, and how inaccessable they were here (we have access to good quality, cheap make up like Majorca Majorlica, Kate et al at local pharmacies in the Far East), and I told her about my facial that never was.

She was really sympathetic and offered to let me try their signature Gankin Massage treatment - apparently helps improve facial muscle tone, like some sort of workout for the face. It sounded intriguing so I decided to go for it.

The massage itself only lasted about 5 minutes, but the difference was amazing! I actually felt a lot more relaxed and my skin looked so glowy and plump that I decided to get a tub of the Masculate Cream there and then. YES, IT WAS THAT GOOD!

She then asked me to have a go at doing the massage myself, with her guiding me in the process. I was really grateful for that, as there was no way I would've mastered the technique from the instructions, no matter how good they were.

I ended up getting the Masculate Massage Cream, Face Refresher and the Balancing Cheek Colour in Momozoe.

I got a GWP as well - a little makeup bag with some tiny samples of SUQQU's refined flow charm set containing their lotion, emulsion and cream.Tomoko also threw in some samples of the cleansing cream, soap bars and some foundation and makeup base. I will try them out next week and post some initial thoughts on it.

Can't help myself

I'm addicted to shoes... no ifs or buts about it.

I snagged these pair of strappy chain sandals from Camilla Skovgaard at a sample sale outside my office - working at the Old Truman Brewery does have it's perks! Forgive the quality of the picture - it was taken at my desk with my iPhone as I was too excited about this find and had to tweet it out for the world to know.

Haven't decided how to wear them yet... They've got a edgy look to them, so I could run with the theme and wear them with skinny jeans/leggings and a biker jacket like what the expert stylists at Net-A-Porter had in mind:

Or I could toughen up a girly dress like this:

Biker Chic 2 by Vish featuring a platform sandal

Ecstatic with this find!

My husband complains about my shoe habit. I have over a hundred pairs, and they're all treasures. You can pick any one of them and I'll be able to describe the precise moment I laid eyes on them.

Needless to say, I'm in love with them.

It sounds incredibly shallow, collecting shoes, and they are awfully expensive, but people collect stamps, so what's the difference? If something makes you happy, why not pursue it?

Day Out: The Shoe Galleries at Selfridges

Went to visit the Shoe Galleries at Selfridges today with Jen - hooboy was it packed! We had a chance to take pictures at the free photo booth though :)

To be honest, I wasn't that impressed. It almost seems as if they've decided to sacrificed quality for quantity - more than half the space was dedicated to high street brands - Topshop, River Island, Dune, Office... the likes. A bit of a shame, as those main high street stores are located a stones throw away on Oxford Street anyway.

I also felt that they stocked a lot of 'safe' options - it was like a sea of black and nude shoes (well, apart from the Nicholas Kirkwood limited edition ones and the Comme des Garcons Triomphe d'oleil one plus a few MJ 'mouse' shoes and this super kawaii Jean Charles de Castelbajac 'Bambi' pumps), and I couldn't help feeling that there it was a bit of a missed opportunity to stock more out there, fashion forward styles.

So cuuuuuuuute!

That said, I was quite happy to see them stocking more niche brands - saw some Chie Miharas, Elie Tahari, Isabel Marant, Camilla Skovgaard etc apart from the usual suspects. And oh yes, they also have Repetto's first standalone store outside Paris!

Guess it's a step forward for them as I used to think they only stocked established high end brands like Chanel, Lanvin and the likes.

I think maybe they're taking a leaf from Browns and trying to be ahead of the curve in terms of identifying new up and coming designers and this can only be a good thing for the industry as a whole.

REVIEW: Elemis Retail Spa Pod Therapy

I love a good massage, a good facial and I especially love a good bargain. So when I heard about the Elemis offer for 3 sessions of 30 minute power booster facials for £90 at the Harvey Nichols-Grazia Beauty Event, I immediately signed up.

My first consultation lasted an hour. The first half of the hour was spent on skin analysis using the cool new VISIA technology (hehe), followed by a recommendation on which facial would suit the needs of my skin most.

My concerns were my uneven skin tone and some scarring from my teenage acne days, so therapist recommended the Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing facial, which is supposed resurface the skin, leaving it incredibly clean, smooth and clarified.

She led me to a really nice treatment room at the back on the store, and asked me to lie on the massage chair. It was pretty cool, but being quite petite, the chair didn't really do much for me as it massaged all the wrong points and felt really awkward.

Here's a picture of the room with the massage chair.

I tried to fall aslleep but the chair was really annoying and made me feel incredibly uncomfortable that I couldn't relax. I think my therapist saw how agitated I was, and discreetly stopped the chair 15 minutes into the facial.

That said, the facial was quite nice, though I've had better facials in my life. It was a regular clean, scrub and mask. I emerged from the facial I bit more stressed than I went in because of the chair, but my skin did look a bit better than before though not amazing as I thought it would be (it was a 30 minute facial - what did I expect?).

I went away with a handful of samples and a skincare routine to follow. One thing great about the Elemis is definitely their generous samples policy. It's really great as it shows their confidence in their products, and I'm definitely more likely to purchase something I've used before and liked. I've got wayyy too many products that I've used halfway through and decided I didn't like/didn't suit my skin.

All in all I'd say it's ok, though I probably wouldn't repurchase unless it's a really good deal.

Clean slates

Don't you just love a blank space?

All the possibilities, all that potential...

This will be my little wonderland of possibilities, my happy corner in which I pour my whimsy beauty ramblings and write about the trivial little things and nifty gadgets that help me look pretty.

^_^