New Makeup and Beauty Products

I love seeing new products for Christmas. There are many new items coming out in the run up to Christmas. So to help out with the gift shopping, here are few ideas for makeup junkies and bath relaxation. From gift sets to stocking fillers to little treats for yourself.

This is the Champneys Travel Collection Gift Set. It has little bit of everything you need for a holiday. Body Cream and Shower Cream in Exotic Retreat, Mediterranean Bliss Body Hydrator and Shower Cream, Thai Royale Body Cream and Bubble Heaven and a body polisher. 

These nail polishes are from 2True and come in bright colours with some shimmer. Perfect for the party season.

Christian Louboutin - Les 20 Ans

There is one word that makes me quiver, one shoe that makes me salivate. Louboutin. A few weeks ago it was announced all over the blogosphere that in honour of his 20 years of hard work, Christian Louboutin  is releasing Les 20 Ans, a 20th anniversary book. It is now on sale and to coincide, Christian Louboutin has releases videos of what went into making this book. It is behind the scenes at the photo shoots.

What I would have given to have a been a fly on the wall that day! The video includes Dita Von Teese, Kristin Scott Thomas, Mika and Gareth Thomas to name a few. There is a lot of skin on show. It is all about the shoes! Did you know Christian Louboutin collaborates with Dita and makes all her shoes for her shows? Lucky lucky lady! My love affair with CL continues!

The book cover above

Love these but nowehere near brave enough!

I have also had a peek at the new collection for SS12, unfortunately I could not take photos but I can tell you it is fabulous. Expect studs, spikes, jewels and lots of colour. There was a pair of shoes with long spikes on the toe area mixed with jewels. Fabulous!

On a complete random sidenote, do you have nickname for Louboutin shoes? Loobies? Christy Loobs? I always hear the funniest nicknames for the shoes. Tell me in the comments.

Nails Inc Blogger Competition

Nails Inc are having a competition which gives YOU the chance to create your very own nail polish! Several bloggers have created designs using Nails Inc polishes. To enter, all you have to do is 'like' your favourite design. I went for a crazy, eccentric design. Tell me what you think in the comments and if you like it, vote for me!

 

To create this look I used 4 colours. First a base colour of Charing Cross (red). I did this the day before as it needs to dry completely for the next step. Once dry, put a strip of sellotape over the nail and paint a colour over the top and bottom. You can choose any colour and amend the design. Perhaps stick to two colours and go horizontal?  Leave the sellotape on for about 30 minutes to let the polish dry then take it off.

 

See the other designs and vote by going to Facebook here. 

Nutribeauty for all your beauty needs

I have discovered the most amazing natural beauty site where you can buy products without chemical overload. If you have sensitive or problem skin, it is maybe one of 2 things. You are probably using the wrong products for your skin type or putting the wrong things into your body and the toxins provide skin problems. Well online beauty boutique, Nutribeauty may be able to help. They have a holistic approach and the brands they have are relatively green. Some of brands you can see on the site include Heaven, Neal's Yard, Dr Hauschka and Trilogy to name a few. Here are some of brands and products in a bit more detail.

The most unique brand was Genki. Genki aims to bring some of the top beauty secrets from Japan to you. The product that I have fallen in love with is the Konnyaku Sponge. Konnyaku is a popular southeast asian vegetable, rich in minerals and traditionally used in Japanese beauty treatments. The plant fibre structure of konnyaku exfoliates but does not leave the skin raw like some exfoliators can. This is ideal for people with sensitive skin as it is very gentle yet provides a deep cleanse. You can use with cleanser or by itself. It does come in 3 types, original for normal and sensitive skin, Pink Clay for dry skin as it has moisturising properties, Bamboo Charcoal for oily skin. The best thing is it only costs £10.

Combat Winter Skin with Melvita

Isn't it getting a bit chilly these days? I was shivering all day today. One thing that suffers during winter is your skin. The cold can dry out your skin and leave it dehydrated. Melvita is the largest certified organic beauty brand in France. They offer products for the face, bath and food supplements. In November, they are launching their new Apicosma range.

Now what makes this special from the millions of skincare products out there? The 3 Honey Complex, which is a unique combination of honey ingredients to treat the causes of dry skin. That means it does not just create a sweet smelling creamy layer on your skin which lasts all of 30 minutes and your skin is as dry as a bone, but it actually treats the cause of dry skin. How does it do that, you ask?

The 3 honeys used are Thyme, Acacia and Orange Blossom. I met the Head of Research & Development at their launch recently and he described the technology behind the products. When creating the Apicosma range, they were trying to see which was best honey and see what effects each honey provided. It turns out that when combined, the new 'super-honey' had unexpected, new effects. Not only does it replenish nutrients in the skin, it regenerates the skin cells to create a thicker epidermis and strengthen the skin. A thin epidermis is a cause of dry skin so this is how it fights dry skin and makes it completely different to other skin ranges.

Now not everywhere on the body is dry. Some areas will have dry patches. So Melvita have the Apicosma Ultra Nourishing Body Balm and most definitely my favourite. It is a rich body balm to target the dry areas and smells amazing. Wonderful for mild eczema sufferers like me!

For a more everyday product there is the Skin Softening Nourishing Body Milk. It is less rich than the Body Balm and rapidly absorbs into the skin leaving it super soft. For your hands which often get forgotten about in winter there is Apicosma Extra Rich Hand Cream which left my hands feeling amazing.

For people with dry skin, this range does the trick. You can buy Melvita from their Flagship store in Covent Garden and Melvita.co.uk.

Green Eye Makeup

For an evening out, I regularly return to green eye shadow for an amazing effect. Green eyes featured in the Alice & Olivia SS12 show at NYFW. So I thought I might have go.

Image courtesy of Cosmopolitan

Murad Hybrid Range

I cam across Murad which is a doctor skincare brand with a different approach. I had the privilege of meeting the founder, Dr Howard Murad, M.D at the launch the new Hybrid range. His philosophy is that skincare comes from not only what you put on the skin but what you put in your body.

GANT SS12 Preview

For a chic look, I love to head to Gant. I love their preppy looks. I previewed their SS12 collection and it has lots of bright colours with some moroccan themed pieces. I find the looks very summer Gossip Girl meets Hamptons. Have a look at these gorgeous pieces...

This dress is a must have for me!

Diamonique from QVC Pop-Up shop

People I am back!!! I have been going to lots of press events so I have lots of exciting things to tell you but first things first, Diamonique at QVC. I am true believer in the saying "Diamonds are a girl's best friend". However, for us mere mortals a diamond may not be in the budget. Diamonique have the most beautiful simulations of diamonds at a fraction of the cost. To celebrate the launch of 3 new categories of Diamonique, QVC had a pop up shop on Tuesday 11th October with a little lady you may recognise...

Fashion Rocks in Westfield Stratford

So by now you know all about Westfield Stratford City opening and you may have had a walk around. But if you are like me you may have missed a few shops which are slightly outside the centre in all the chaos. So I went back for round two once the madness died down and found a little gem and my new home, Fashion Rocks. You may know of the catwalk shows which brings fashion and music together. There are now spinoff stores in London and Sheffield. I cannot express how much I want to live here...

New Frontcover kits!

Frontcover can only be described as beauty products for the fashionista. Whatever shade you need, Frontcover has it. If you have not heard of Frontcover, (where have you been?), they  release limited edition beauty collections twice a year. The collections include complete kits for the lips, eyes and nails. I recently got the chance to meet one of the co-founders who told me about the inspiration and what goes on behind the scenes.

Illamasqua Theatre of the Nameless

I always like a brand that dares to be different. Illamasqua are eccentric, unique and very bold. The new collection is called Theatre of the Nameless  and inspired by self-expression that transformed 1920s Berlin. The collection is rich in colour and has some fabulous rubber-look nail polishes.

Amway Fashion Show

A few weeks ago, I went to the Inspiring Diversity Fashion Show sponsored by Amway. I finally have the chance to share some of gorgeous clothes with you. It was a charity fashion show in aid of a fantastic cause. The collections were available to order and all profits went to raise money for the Inspired By People (IBP) charity. They support projects in developing countries and aim to improve and empower the lives of vulnerable people, particularly women and children. 5 designers were on show so without further ado...

z-mode was my favourite collection and the hostess' favourite as well as she wearing the most beautiful dress from z-mode below. The hostess was Zoe Hardman who was really nice and quite funny. The designer, Victoria Rangayah is from Lithunia. She relocated to the UK in 2008 and launched her label z-mode during LFW SSH in 2010.