Sneak preview: Bourjois so laque ultra shine in Bleu Asphalte

An absolutely gorgeous navy grey colour with a hint of purple that's very unique and makes me feel super chic and fashionable!

Two coats were needed for an opaque even colour and the ultra shine formula means it dries to a super glossy finish.

(with flash)

It promises up to 7 days of wear, and although I had to remove mine after 3 days, there was no chipping and only a tiny amount of tip wear.

Bleu asphalte will be released as part of the Paris Ballerine collection in April 2011.

Have you tried any Bourjois nail varnishes? Are you a fan of dark nails?

Weekend wishlist

Evening ladies, hope you all had a good weekend! I decided to give myself some time off from revision, had a nice catch up with friends, a much needed shopping trip to Westfield and caught up on blogposts and magazines. As a result, I've now got a long wishlist of items I want to try:

Oskia massage candle
A luxurious scented candle, which also doubles up as a body oil once the wax is melted. The May rose scent sounds amazing and it's packed with skin loving ingredients such as coconut oil and vitamins for super soft skin.

Chanel vitalumiere aqua foundation
I've heard nothing but good reviews for this foundation. The light fluid texture sounds perfect for me as I hate wearing anything thick on my face and it seems to give a beautiful naturally radiant finish to the skin.

CID eyes, lips and cheek palette
With 4 eyeshadows, 3 lip glosses and a blusher, this is the perfect palette for make up on the go. All the shades are super wearable and it looks very chic with the white packaging.

Glacial shell detox massage
Using a combination of hot and cold shells, this massage focuses on the legs and stomach to ease stress, stimulate the circulation and remove toxins. Perfect for detoxing the body in time for summer!

Paul's Boutique grace handbag
I'm in desperate need of a new handbag, and this one would be perfect for everyday use. Not ony is it is a good size for all my stuff, it also looks super cute with the little padlock.

Have you tried any of the above items? What's currently on your wishlist?

Escada taj sunset perfume

Escada are well known for their summer scents, and with the sun finally making an appearance, I thought it would be a good time to try out this year's Taj Sunset fragrance:

As expected, it is gorgeously girly, with plenty of sweet fruity notes to bring out that holiday feeling.

On me, it opens with a burst of zesty orange and tropical mango, then blends with the juicy berries and coconut to give a really exotic fruity fragrance that reminds me of sitting on a beach sipping cocktails!

For an EDT it actually lasted pretty well. I can still smell it on my wrists towards the end of the day, but if I was going out, then I would reapply for a stronger scent.

Because it's so fruity and sweet, it's not necessarily a fragrance that I would use everyday but I can see myself reaching for this a lot over the next few months, and it'll be my perfume of choice if I go somewhere hot this summer!

Have you tried any Escada perfumes? Which perfume will you be wearing this Spring/Summer?

Available from Escentual.com

A weekend NOTD- RMK white purple

A beautiful cool toned lilac colour with a hint of shimmer that dries to a glossy finish.

Two coats were required for an opaque even colour, but this really is the perfect nail varnish for Spring. Not only is it a gorgeous pastel colour, it's also infused with a delicate silver shimmer, which glistens beautifully in the sunlight!

Have you tried any RMK make up? What's your nail varnish of choice for Spring?

Bourjois Paris Ballerine

Paris Ballerine: A ballerina inspired range of soft girly pink colours, but much like the film Black Swan, there's a darker smoky twist:

(Illuminating touch in Rose essentiel
and Little round pot eyeshadow in 05 & 25)

Starting with the eyes, there are 2 permanent eyeshadows, as well as a new highlighter for the the cheeks. As you can see from the swatches, all the colours are super pretty- the highlighter and silver eyeshadow are quite glittery, whereas the pink eyeshadow has more of a delicate shimmer.

There are also 3 smokey effect pencils, in Ultra black, Sand rose and New wave blue. Of the 3, my favourite has to be Sand rose, which is a gorgeous mauve colour. The pencils are soft and creamy, and come with a small smudge brush so they can be blended with eyeshadows, to create an easy smokey eye.

For the lips, there are 2 colours- Rose innocence - a rose pink and Rose passionne, a reddish coral colour. I've never tried Bourjois lipsticks before, but how nice is the packaging, the plastic casing reminds me of the much posher Dior addict lipsticks.

Finally, there are 2 nail varnishes, Rose satin- a baby pink and Blue asphalte- a beautiful grey purple colour that I absoutely love! I've worn this shade non stop since the event, and will be featuring it in a NOTD very soon!

Bourjois Paris Ballerine will be due for release in April 2011.

What do you think of this collection? Any of the colours catch your eye?

Skincare rave - Biotherm skin ergetic serum and moisturiser

I've always associated Biotherm with good quality skincare, and after weeks of testing out their new Skin-ergetic range, I'm pleased to say it certainly didn't disappoint.

The range is designed to combact the signs of fatigue and contains extracts of fruit, vegetable and soy to keep skin looking smoother, more plumped and radiant.

The serum actually comes in 2 parts, a mustard yellow powder and a white fluid, which you mix together just before your first application so that it's as fresh as possible.

Admittedly, the powder wasn't very attractive, but once mixed in, it competely dissolves and you're left with a light fruity serum which was a joy to use.

The light fluid seemed to sink into my skin straight away and it is lightly hydrating, but because I use it at night, I like to apply some forest secrets over the top for extra nourishment.

The moisturiser on the other hand is rich and creamy without being greasy and just seems to melt into the skin. Like the serum, it has a lovely fruity scent and it keeps my skin nicely hydrated throughout the day.

Because it's so creamy, a little bit goes a long way and despite nearly 2 months of daily use, I've still got over 2 thirds left.

My skin has always been in a good condition, but since using these products, it looks healthy and rested everyday, even without foundation. Most impressively, even when I was suffering from a cold and a major lack of sleep my skin still looked radiant. So overall, a big thumbs up for me!

Have you tried any Biotherm skincare? Do you use a serum as part of your skincare?

Aussie lusciously light and your chance to join in the fun

On Thursday, I received a surprise package from Aussie, which I excitedly opened to find a cute lusciously light helium balloon, a bottle of their new conditioner as well as a ribbon wrapped note:

It seems all their conditioners have been given a make over, and are now lighter which is great news for fine haired girls like myself.

Because I suffer from fine, limp hair, I was sent the Aussome volume conditioner, which contains Australian hops and smells amazing. I can't wait to try this next time I wash my hair!

Finally there was a note, offering us the choice of a lusciously lighter self (a healthier body and mind) or lusciously lighter style (new hairstyle, colour or cut) this Spring.

Aussie are also giving 10 girls the opportunity to join in the lusciously light fun. To enter, simply answer the question below in a blogpost, then tweet the link to @yummyhair:

“Put a spring in your spring! Tell us, how would

you lighten up your life? #AussieLight”

The competition ends on Sunday 2oth March and winners will be choosen by Aussie based on creativity. For full T&C click here.

Good luck and fingers crossed I'll be seeing

one of you lovely readers this spring!

Project bathroom update

It's been a while since I've done a project bathroom post, but I'm pleased to say, that since my last update I've managed to finish a grand total of 15 items:

(click on the links below for my review)

Dove go fresh shower gel 250ml (all the way from Corfu!)
Akin unscented very gentle shampoo 225ml
A'kin mandarin shampoo 225ml
A'kin orange blossom body wash 225ml
No 7 cleanse and care eye make up remover 100ml
Soap and glory the righteous butter 300ml
Cutex strengthening nail varnish remover 200ml
Aveeno moisturising creamy oil 300ml
Siana anti-ageing hand cream 125ml
The body shop hemp hand protector 100ml
L'oreal solar expertise matte fluid protection spf 50 50ml
Maybelline the falsies mascara 9ml
Bloom full and flirty waterproof mascara 8ml
2x No 7 radiance boosting hot cloth cleanser 200ml

I've got a lot more to finish, but instead of using different products all the time, I'm going to try and stick to one thing, so hopefully I'll get through them all a lot quicker!

Are you doing something similar? If so how are you getting on with project bathroom?

No 7 exquisite curl mascara

When I first heard about the new No 7 mascara I was both excited and sceptical- I have really straight lashes, that no mascara can curl, but having read all the good reviews, curiosity got the better of me and I decided to give it a try:

The exquisite curl brush is slightly curved with lots of short bristles, which does a good job of coating all my lashes.

Applied to bare lashes, it helped to lift my lashes ever so slightly, but didn't replace the need for an eyelash curler. Having said that, it is good for those days when I'm in a rush and don't have time to curl.

One of my favourite things about this mascara is it's ability to darken and separate the lashes - no matter how many coats I apply, it never clumps and because of this, it's one of the easier mascaras to use for my bottom lashes.

When it comes to removal, I usually take my eye make up off first, but because this mascara isn't as messy, I just remove it at the same time as washing my face using a hot cloth cleanser.

Overall, I think this is a good everyday mascara, especially if you're feeling lazy, but if you have straight eyelashes like me, then you'll still need to use an eyelash curler.

Have you tried any No 7 mascaras? What are your top tips for curling your lashes?

Silk perfect pillow case review

For years, people have raved about the hydrating and anti-ageing benefits of silk, so when I was given a Silk perfect pillow case, I couldn't wait to put those claims to the test:

SilkPerfect cases are machine washable and have silk on one side and cotton on the other, to prevent the pillow from slipping during the night. I personally would have preferred silk on both sides, but at £25 for 2 pillow cases, they are very competitively priced.

Compared to my usual cotton case, the fabric was so much smoother and it had a nice cooling sensation as well. I thought it was a pleasure to use and felt truly luxurious.

Since using it, the results have been quite subtle, but my skin seems less dehydrated and prone to dry patches and my hair a little smoother and easier to comb through.

Because the results were quite subtle, I wasn't 100% convinced at first, however when I temporarily switched back to cotton pillowcases, there was a noticeable difference in the condition of my skin and hair. Since then I've always slept on a silk pillowcase and I'm hopful that long term, it'll help to keep the wrinkles at bay!

Have you tried Silk pillow cases? What luxury items do you like to treat yourself to?

Illamasqua spring/summer 2011- Toxic nature

On March 10th, Illamasqua will be releasing Toxic nature, their spring/summer collection for 2011 and last night, I was lucky enough to attend their bloggers event for a preview of the products:

lipsticks, sheer lipglosses, glister precision ink and matte cream pigments

The inspiration occurred when creative director Alex Box was stranded by the ash clouds last year and the concept behind the collection is 'nature fighting back against the genetically modified society that plunders it'.

nail varnishes and toxic claw false nails

The collection features a range of earthy muted tones, pretty pastels, as well as brighter, more lurid shades, which represent the more toxic elements of nature.

With such a varied range of colours, there's something for everyone and my top 3 picks would be stagnate nail varnish (a gorgeous mauve grey), divine lipgloss (a bright neon pink) and glisten precision ink (a beautiful shimmery nude lilac colour).

Toxic nature will be available online on 10th March and instores from 17th March 2011.

What do you think of the collection? Any of the products catch your eye?