RE: Previous post

Not overly impressed with the baby pink shade...in reality it comes out a very garish bright barbie pink, remiscent of the colour of a tacky pink limo. Not a good look. Learning curve :)

Holly xx

George @ ASDA

Today I was in ASDA, buying bread (as you do!) when I stumbled across a nifty little bargain!
George nailpolishes are currently on sale for..wait for it...£1! In all fairness they retail at £1.50 normally which is a bargain in itself, but at £1 a go I couldnt resist picking up a couple.

The polish photographed above (and I apologise again for my webcam, it isnt wonderful I know!) is a greyish lavender colour. It pretty much comes out on the nail exactly as it looks in the bottle, which is pleasing as some nailpolishes come out completely unexpected.

In terms of application, it went on quite well! On one hand I have done two coats and on the other only one, and there really is no difference between the two. I have only just painted them so I don't know about their lasting power so far but I'll keep you informed.

What I love about this polish is that it dries in absolutely no time at all. Big thumbs up to that.

In terms of the colour, Im a little unsure if I like it. Its a case of I don't dislike it, but I don't love it either, so im a little unsure for the time being. I also bought a pretty baby pink colour so i'll give that a try and see how that comes out!

So if you feel like opting for a cheap and cheerful nail polish, head on down to ASDA :)

Holly xx

Fake Tan Royalty

So of course you have all heard of St Moriz fake tan.
Praise for this badboy has been circulating the blogosphere for months, infact, it was Lollipop26's youtube review of this product that first enticed me into the world of beauty blogs/vlogs.
I'm not blogging about it today to talk about how amazing it is (although it really is very good!), but more to pick up on a negative that people have mentioned in regards to this product.
Some people have said that initially they absolutely love it, however after a few days it starts to go patchy.
I for one do not have this problem with St Moriz, which I pin down to the way in which I apply it, which might be slightly differently to the way it is applied by those who find it goes patchy on the skin (or it might not, but its worth trying to get to the bottom of the problem, right?:) )

Obviously the first step is to exfoliate the skin. All good tanning advice urges that you do this before applying fake tan, to prep the skin and remove all dead skin cells.
The next step is to moisturise. I do not moisturise all over after iv showered an exfoliated. Instead, I moisturise each body part directly before applying the fake tan to it. If im tanning my legs, I'll moisturise my left leg and tan that, before moisturising my right leg and tanning that. I find this way that the moisturiser helps the fake tan to spread more evenly.

To apply the tan, I use a SolTan tanning mitt from Boots. I used to use my hands, but its a messy process and the tanning glove really helps to distribute the product evenly all over my skin.

How much of the product you use is entirely a personal preference dependant upon how tanned you wish to look, so I will say no more on that :)

I tend to apply my fake tan a day or two before the event for which I wish to look tanned (for example, I do my promotional work on a Friday night so its nice to look tanned and healthy for it, therefore I'll either apply my fake tan on the wednesday night, or the Thursday), and this is due to a number of factors.

The Smell: I am yet to come across a fake tan that doesnt smell horrible...think a strong biscuity smell, not very attractive. If I apply the fake tan on the day I wish to look tanned, I am going to be walking around smelling like a biscuit. To eliminate the smell completely, I like to get two showers in before I am due to go out. It is recommended that you wait at least 8 hours after applying the tan before you shower. If I apply the tan on the Wednesday night, I will go to bed with it on (am yet to encounter sheet staining!) and then shower on Thursday and go about my day. Then shower as normal on Friday, and by friday evening I will be tanned and smelling completely non-offensive:) On the Thursday there is the chance I'll be walking around smelling biscuity, but not much that can be done about it!

The benefit of several showers before the event for which you wish to look tanned is also that you can wash off all the excess product, and leave yourself with an incredible natural looking tan. I find that after application, I'll wake up looking pretty orangey. This is only due to the excess product, and after a shower this tones right down to a lovely golden brown.

To prolong the tan, moisturise daily. This advice applies for natural tans and is the same for fake tans. If your skin becomes dry then there is a higher chance of the fake or natural tan peeling or becoming patchy. I find that moisturisation every day will prevent this :)

Hopefully this wasnt a complete parroting of tanning advice thats been given before, I just find that this is the process that works best for me as I have never had any problem with my fake tanning application :)

Holly xx

Hola lovlies.

So yesterday I had my hair cut and coloured. I'm trying to grow my hair, as it has been the same length (just below my shoulders) probably for about the last five years, and I'm absolutely dying for long hair! Clipping in hair extensions for nights out is becoming a tedious process lol.

I was just watching a video by Imogen at FoxyLocks about how she cares for her hair, and it has inspired me to not only protect my hair more when styling with heat, but also to rest it from the clutches of my straighteners, as I'll confess to straightening every day. So we shall see what progress I make in the quest for long locks!

Had a relatively busy weekend so far. On Friday I was photographing childrens tv presenters Dick & Dom, who came to uni for a DJ set. They were actually really lovely! I was surprised, particularly after working with some divas (yes Scott and Abs from 5ive, I am talking about you!) but Dick and Dom were sweethearts.

I wasn't having a moment of outfit insanity either, for the record! It was a pyjama themed night so I opted for the 'I wear my boyfriends work shirt to bed' look.

Off to the library now to work on my dissertation proposal! Hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekends:)

Holly xx

Nails of the Day

Sorry for the poor quality of my integrated webcam! Also my pale hands kind of blend into my marshmallow throw rug...but it was either that for a backdrop or my bedsheets which are the same colour as my nails. That wouldn't have worked, would it!

Today I painted my nails with Nails Inc polish in 'Elizabeth Street', an extremely pale pinky nude colour.

I'll admit I'm not massively impressed with Nails Inc. There are some factors about them that I like; the packaging, the pretty colours, the cute names. However I am dissappointed in the quality considering the price tags that go with their products. Also chipping...this polish did not remain chip free for a longer period of time than any cheaper polishes I own.

I'd been excited to try a Nails Inc polish for a long time, so I was over the moon to see that my Cosmopolitan magazine were offering a selection of colours free. I rooted through the rack of magazines until I found this colour, and was delighted that I was able to try it out for free before actually investing any money into it.

I can't say I'd repurchase a Nails Inc polish again, specifically. If there was a colour I was desperate for, and couldn't find a dupe in another brand, then I would opt for Nails Inc, but other than that I think that plenty of cheaper brands offer just a lovely polishes that are not only cheaper but just as good in terms of quality, if not better! (Barry M for example!)

Holly xx

Tip of the Day

Just thought id quickly share a little tip with you that I picked up from watching a TV show (The Truth About Beauty, hosted by Martine McCutcheon...hope thats spelt right!)

Basically, one of the special guests who they were interviewing, her name escapes me, gave her top tips for healthy skin. She mustve been late thirties to fourties, and her skin was absolutely glowing! Her secret? Eating tomato puree on a cracker every single day. Not so strange really, as recent studies have shown that tomatos contain a specific chemical that has significant skin benefits. I think they are looking to produce this chemical in some kind of tablet form, if they havnt piloted one version of it already.

So yeh, I've purchased my tomato puree and my crackers, now to see if it's hello to healthy, glowing skin!

x

Happy New Year!

So 2010 is upon us. Let me start by wishing everyone a very happy new year :)

I havn't blogged in a very long time..since October infact..but a new year equals a new start so I resolve to blogging on a more frequent basis! I might even start afresh entirely, by reintroducing myself and giving a quick account of where I am as the new year begins.

So, I'm in my final semester at University, studying for my Masters in Marketing (largely the reason for my lack of posts, it is the most time consuming thing I've ever done)

I work as a sales assistant at New Look in order to fund my social life and addiction to pretty, material things:)

I also work as part of the promotions team for Flirt! (the UKs biggest student night) at my University, as 'Miss Flirt'. (I basically go around & photograph everybody enjoying their night out, as well as photographing the special guests that are booked for appearances, ie Matt Willis from Busted, The Saturdays, etc) It's by far the most fun job I've ever had!

Not very exciting, but that is where I'm at right now. Im hoping 2010 will bring a little more excitement with it!

Santa was extremely generous this Christmas...not only did he buy me a new camera for my promo job (my last one had beer spilt on it, was dropped, and was generally very battered!), but he also brought me my very first MAC products:

MAC Style, finishing powder, and bronzer.

These were some of the products that the makeup artist used on me during the photoshoot I mentioned in a previous post, and I loved their staying power so much that they had to go on the Christmas list.

As well as these, I also recieved some products by SATC makeup artist Victoria Jackson, who has recently launched her own line of cosmetic products:

Above: VJ Survival Kit, Shimmer Bronzer, Lipgloss Trio and Makeover Essentials travel brush roll.

I was a little dubious at first, as a quick peek on her website did not leave me too impressed; it seems out of date and vague, however the products themselves are lovely, and I will discuss them in more detail at a later date.

For now, back to my market research assignment, joy!