How I use facial wipes ( night time routine)..

If you are one of those people who come home from a long day, and just reach for those facial wipes to take off your makeup, and that's it, your done, STOP!!!  I don't care what these things claim to do, they do not take off all of your make up, and if you do not believe me, try it, go to bed, when you wake up, take a wipe and wipe your face, you'll see you still have make up left on your face...

"If you suffer from acne, or are prone to breakouts, it is so important that you take off all of your make up correctly...once you get used to doing so, when you get home from a long day, it will seem like nothing to you.."

How I use wipes

First of all, I use any facial wipes, it really doesn't bother me which brand, as you can see from the photo above. The first thing I do after a long day is ( errrhmmm, baileys on the rocks!) take off my eye makeup ( with an eye makeup remover loving N07 from boots right now), then my lipstick, after I will take a facial wipe and wipe off my foundation, when I've finished with the wipe, ( no I do not go to bed people! tut tut tut) I then dampen my face with a little water and grab my "African black soap" and wash my face..I continue to tone, ( my toner of choice right now is tea tree water from lush) and moisturise.

This is my nightly routine..

Some people will read this and be like "ohh that is soo long" my response to you is "love the skin your in, as you only get one face, and if you wear make up every day, you need to be taking the time to  cleanse your face"

They usually have offers on wipes in superdrugs and boots, plus they sell them in the poundland, supermarkets...

xxS

African Black Soap (acne)

If like me you never had acne as a teenager but now as an adult it seems like a week doesn't go by without a new breakout, you are not alone....there's thousands of us out there. I've used over the counter products, been prescribed creams from my doctor, and yes these creams have worked but not for long... for me anyway.

I've been hearing a lot about African black soap via the YouTube world, but it didn't really appeal to me until I went to an event and I met the lovely lady and founder of "Gidore" (a natural online product store ) "Lukwesa Burak" I was telling her about my skin and she recommended the soap, she also said it is one of there best selling products online...so you know I just had to buy not one but two, and I am glad I did.

How I use the soap

As I love wearing make up, I have a very strict night time routine, I will go into details about this, in my post called "how I use facial wipes" so look out for that one, anyway, so, what I do is after I take off my makeup, I make sure my face is damp, then lather the soap in my hands and start washing my face in a circular motion, if I wanted to exfoliate ( as this soap contains oats) I would apply the soap directly to my face, being as gentle as possible...

 Above is the soap new and un-used

The soap used, (and abused errhmmm lol!) as you can see the oats are more apparent.

My Verdict 

I am in lust with this soap, my weekly breakouts have stopped, yes, I do get the odd spot every now and again, but its nothing to cry about ...all the hype I heard about this stuff is true, well, it works for me, and I will always have this in my bathroom..

"This soap is certified organic"    "Cruelty free" 

If you want to give this a try ( and I think you should yes!) go to www.gidore.com  the soap costs £4.50

I have not seen this brand in the shops only online..

or you can go directly to the brand website www.nubianheritage.com 

xxS

Models Own Mirrorball Collection

Ever since the press shots were released for this collection a couple of weeks back, I've been hyped up for it. They were released a few days early at their "Bottle Shop" in Westfield West London, so as I was there I thought I would take a look.
Models own describe them as "nail frostings" I think they are more of a 3D glitter but hey each to their own.

There are 5 different colours in the collection with disco themed names hence Mirrorball:

Hot Stuff - A coral pink and gold
Freak Out - Electric blue and hot pink
Dancing Queen - Green, gold and blue
Disco Inferno - Gold, copper and green

I opted for "Boogie Nights" which is purple, blue and hot pink.

Now the problem I have with this collection is that looking at the bottle it looks like a complete colour, it isn't. It is just the flecks of glitter within a clear polish.
In order to wear it on its own you would have to put on quite a few coats to achieve a wall to wall gitter look.

As a topcoat over a similar colour it works really well and brings an extra something to a standard manicure.

Here i'm wearing it over Essie's "Sure Shot"

I have to admit that I'm a little disappointed by the Mirrorball collection, I love Models Own normal glitters and really had high hopes for this but it just falls a bit flat for me, this is one that I won't be replacing.

If you want to try the Mirrorball collection they cost £5 each.

If you want anything from Models Own now is the time to buy as they are having a online 50% off sale!!!
Minimum spend is £25, use code SUMMERSALE
The sale ends on October 2nd 2012 at midnight.
To shop go to www.modelsownit.com

M x

Accessories Haul!!!!!

So i've brought a couple of accessories over the past few weeks that I would like to show you, we've not done hauls before on the blog but if you would like to see a clothes one let us know :-)

Studded Slippers 
Theses are everywhere at the moment, in fact studs in general are just everywhere. I first saw a  Topshop pair during the summer but when I tried then on they were far too narrow.

I came across these ones in Office within Topshop in Westfield West London, I loved the nude colour as I hadn't seen them before and they fitted like a dream, better still they only cost £25!!!! The Topshop ones start at £28.

They also come in black, not sure if you can get them on the website, may only be in-store but do have a look. www.officeshoes.co.uk


Models Own glitter polish
Models own have opened the worlds first bottle shop in Westfield West London, and have some great offers. I love models own glitters I really do think they are the best out there.
I took advantage of the 3 for £12 offer and was able to choose one of the Mirrorball collection for free (review coming soon)

To find out more head to www.modelsownit.com

Lola Rose Charm Bracelet
This is my 5th Lola Rose bracelet, I tend to get them when they are on offer on QVC as they can be very expensive because they are semi precious stones, but saying that this is the most expensive one I've brought at £19.

A week or 2 ago it was a todays special value, from the 2013 Spring / Summer collection, I instantly fell in love with the deep green blue and the rose-ish gold, in fact I think that this colour is much better suited to the colder months so I will be wearing it loads stacked with other bracelets or on its own.
www.qvcuk.com

Freedom at Topshop Jewellery
I've never been too much of a fan of the Freedom range as in the past as the pieces didn't really last and were quite expensive for what they were.
But these 3 pieces caught my eye and they were quite good value so I do hope they last.

Cross drop earings -£7.50

Rose gold cross ring - £4

Heart and cross ring - £5

And if you cant tell I'm really in to crosses at the moment!!!!
Not sure if you can get all of theses online but have a look www.topshop.com

Orelia Pearl Necklace
Orelia is a consession within Topshop and have the most dainty jewellery but is all very on trend.
I just fell in love with the way the light caught the little pearls /blocks on this chain, there is something that is very classic but on trend about it. At £10 I think its good value.

I had to take 2 photos of this to show a close up of the blocks, but really the photos do not do it justice.
You can find the Orelia range in larger Topshops or at www.orelia.com

Hope you have enjoyed this, leave a comment and let us know what you think.

M x

Strip wax bar review & Giveaway

A few year back I had a really bad waxing experience (which i wont go into hahaha!!!) and since then I've made do with Veet. Until the being of this year when I discovered Strip.

The are the UK's first waxing only boutique and provide waxing services for both men and women.

I go to the Chelsea branch where they provide the following services:

• Waxing
• Laser hair removal
• HD brows
• Threading
• Bikini gem application
• Eyelash extensions 

They have 6 different themed treatment room:

• Chocolate room
• Berry room
• Lavender room
• Gold room
• Black and white room
• MANifico room

I myself have been in the berry room and the lavender room and both are just lovely.
They have TVs in each room and give you the remote so you can watch whatever you want to get your mind off whats about to come.

They use different flavoured strip and hot wax, usually according to what room your in, so needless to say I have used the lavender and the so berry waxes.

They also do chocolate hazelnut, active gold, olive oil and manifco wax for the boys!!

At all strip branches they use Lycon wax which is a premium wax that prevents the painful sting that comes with waxing.

And I can honestly say that since going there waxing has been nothing but a pleasurable experience, the staff are so very professional you wont even hesitate to re-book.

Now with them using premium wax you can expect to pay premium prices, they start from £10 to an eye watering £175 for waxes.

They have 7 different locations

• Chelsea
• Soho
• One New Change
• Bristol
• Essex
• Topshop Oxford Circus

To find out more about the services that Strip provide head to www.stripwaxbar.com

Now for the giveaway!!!!!

I have 3 "Introduce a friend" cards that will give you 20% off your first treatment at Strip to send to 3 lucky ladies.

All you need to do is either like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter and leave a comment on this post.
You have until midday on Saturday 15th September 2012.
All names will be put in to a hat and the winners will be announced on Sunday 16th September 2012.

Good luck!!!

M x

Please note that because of technical probs the giveaway mentioned above has been withdrawn and will tale place again at a later date x

Maybelline Smoky eyes mascara and master smoky eyeshadow pencil

I love mascara. I own more mascaras than most women. I wear mascara everyday unless I'm sick or if I'm doing a self imposed make up free day.
So when it comes to mascara I kinda know what I'm talking about.

On a recent trip to superdrug to pick up Sleek's BB cream (review coming soon!!) I saw that Maybelline had a new mascara out from the Colossal range "Smoky eyes"

Now I don't think for a minute that a mascara can give a smoky eye look on its own, but I have to admit that I was intrigued, plus it was on offer so I also picked up a "Master Smoky" shadow pencil in "Smoky Chocolate".

The mascara is nothing to shout about, the brush is a nice size but as I suspected I felt it done nothing to help create a smoky eye look on its own.
It's also has quite a strong scent which may bother those with sensitive eyes or wear contacts.

I much prefer Cat eyes mascara from the Colossal range that came out last year so if I were you get that instead.

Here I'm wearing the mascara on its own

The eye pencil fared a little better....

It's a double ended with the pencil at one end and a sponge at the other.
There are actual instructions on the pencil telling how to achieve the smoky eye look in two easy steps.

I thought the pencil was actually alright even though I felt a little silly buying the master smoky eye pencil because I own enough more than enough eyeshadow and brushes to create the look, but this is a nice speedy way to do it. It's very pigmented and blends real easily.

This would be perfect for someone who just starting out with makeup or those who find it difficult to create a smoky eye.

They come in 5 different colours:
Black
Chocolate
Navy
Grey
Violet

Here is the mascara and eye pencil both together

You can get both the mascara (£7.99) and eye pencil (£5.99) from superdrug in store and online www.superdrug.com 
They are currently doing an offer of 2 for £10 on selected Maybelline products which include both of these products.

FYI on my lips I'm wearing L'oreal Caresse in 202 "Impulsive Fuchsia" I done a review on the range a few months back take a look.
M x

My Big Chop! ( no more LYE) 2nd September 2012

I've been relaxing my hair for as long as I remember, ( early teens) and my reasons for doing so, were just because everyone else was doing it, plus, I always dreaded getting my hair done, ( I recall saying "ouch, my hair!" and then being smacked with the comb lol! ) the pain the pain, and I always used to beg my mum or sister to hot comb it, because I liked the straight look...so, I've been wearing a relaxer for about 20 years... when I used to get my relaxers, it would only be 2-3 times a year, so if I had one in January, my next relaxer would be ending of May/June...

I'm 5'5 ( OK 5'4 and a half! gosh! ) and my hair here ( this picture was taken a few months ago)  is bra strap length " relaxed" I used to get comments like " what weave is that" "is that all your hair" " you must have Indian in you" one time I was in the hair shop and this lady asked "is that all yours?, your lying! are you fully black?!" then she tried to touch my hair, and this was another black female..

" I  find it sad, that people still believe that just because your black, you can't have long hair" 


The Reason's behind my "big chop"

I have been blessed with a beautiful daughter, and I noticed that when I went to get hair products she would go straight to the wigs and weaves section? whats that about? and she would try and pull at her hair, saying " I want hair like mummy's" by the way she turned 3 this year, and that really bothered me, and I couldn't relax my hair again after that, so I said to my daughter " you want hair like mummy's OK baby, OK"..so, my daughter is the reason why I am Natural today...I want my daughter to understand that her black is beautiful no "LYE"...


The day of my "big chop"

oh my life, people, I was nervous, I'm not even going to lie to you, January of this year was my last relaxer, my goal was to transition for a year, but I couldn't cope with the two textures after 6 months,  it was to much for me, so September 2nd I big chopped!...on my way to the salon I started to get really nervous, and it didn't help when a man said " beautiful head of hair" as soon as I stepped on the bus! I was like "really, really! REALLY!!!!!  and to top it off, I was early! LOL! but as soon as I sat in the stylist chair, I remembered why I was doing this, and the nerves were gone..

The first picture is of me, getting my relaxed ends cut off, 2nd picture, is my hair before the chop, 3rd picture is my hair on the floor of the salon, and the last picture is my natural hair NO MORE LYE!

Final words

I believe that people were shocked at my choice to go natural, because of the length of my hair,  but what can I say, It's just hair, it will grow, but right now I am loving the short fro or "TWA" ( teenie weeni afro) and I am looking forward to my new healthy hair journey, and to be honest I couldn't give a flying fig about what people think, as how I choose to wear my hair, is my choice..and if you are thinking of going natural, do your research watch youtube videos like  "mynaturalsistas" "Haircrush" "nikimae2003"  http://www.youtube/UKnaturals   http://www.YouTube.com/Naptural85 or get some well known books like " the science of black hair" "Grow it long" ...

The best part of my big chop experience was when my daughter saw my hair and said " ohhh nice mummy, you got hair like mines now, cheers!" and we had to cheers afro's...LOL! 

I will keep you posted on my healthy hair journey!

S xx

MAC Matte Lipsticks

As the Kate Moss matte lipsticks are coming out in a couple of weeks (03/10/12) I thought I would review the MAC ones as I have been playing around with two shades over the summer.

The two shade that I have been wearing are:

Ruby Roo - A vivid blush red

I really love red lipstick and had heard a lot about this particular colour, I went in to my local Mac store and tried out a tester, I was a little worried about matte lipsticks in general as I suffer from dry lips so the assistant managed to talk me in to buying a primer to wear underneath and on top (which I have since lost!!!)
For me this is a great pick me up colour, so I do put this on whenever i'm feeling a bit low or if i want to add a bit of glamour to a converse and jeans day and of course for a night out.
They say that every woman should own a red lipstick and you could do a lot worse than this one

Here I'm wearing it with NOTHING!!!!!

So Chaud - A intense reddish-orange

Now everyone and their mum have been talking about orange lipstick this summer especially MAC's "Morange" so after seeing a few swatches I took myself back to my local MAC store to try out a tester.
First of all the assistant was wearing it and I didn't like it on her, but I thought "Hey ho, it might look better on me" it did not. I hated it.
Not one to give up I started looking at some other orange type shades and came across "So Chaud" it looked good on my hand so I had a go on my lips. I'm not gonna lie it was bright but not on the level that Morange was, it looked kinda classy, and plus I could mute the full-on-ness with a brown lip liner if I wanted to. I loved it.

Here I am wearing it with Rimmel's Exaggerate lip liner in "Ultimate"

The coverage of MAC's Matte Lipsticks are great they really do last all day and if you are sans lip primer (like myself) you can always use a clear lip balm.
They can be worn with a lip liner, I know that "Brick" is the one of choice to wear with Ruby woo. but they look perfectly good without.
And as an added extra I feel that both these shades make my teeth look whiter which is not a bad thing!!! #justsaying


Priced at £14 they are not cheap but are well worth it, I can see myself wearing both these colours all year round.
It will be interesting to see how the Kate Moss ones fair, they will be priced at a purse friendly £5.49 when they come out (and I know I have enough Boots points to buy all 5 if I wanted to hahaha!!!)
And if I'm honset both myself and S are really looking forward to trying them.


If you can not wait until October 3rd you can get the Kate Moss ones via Rimmels facebook page.

MAC Matte Lipsticks are priced at £14, you can get them in a stand alone store or a concession or online at www.maccosmetics.co.uk 

M x

YSL Touche Eclat - "Luminous Amber"

I think it was last year that YSL launched this product for darker skin tones, I did have a look when I was in Debenhams but wasn't drawn to pick it up until the end of June that is.....

Whilst in Ibiza with my good friend C, she whipped this bad boy out and her skin looked amazing!!!!!

Two weeks later I found myself in Debenhams, and they were doing an offer of duty free prices on various different items including Touche Eclat, so I played around with the testers and settled on number 6 "Luminous Amber"

What I love about this is the brush applicator, you click the bottom and can control how much of the product comes, its blends real easily, it also comes with a handy leaflet explaining how and where to apply it if your not highlighter savvy.

Also the size is fantastic to fit in your make up bag, this is an overnight bag essential.

 

The one thing I don't like about it is the price, I got it for £21.50 but as I said before it was on offer, it normally retails for £25, but that said it is a high end luxury product so the price matches the brand.

And the cap is a bit rubbish, you may need to put it in a little food bag to make sure it doesn't cover everything else in your make up bag.

Once this runs out I will be buying it again if anything this has made me want to try the foundation which launched a few weeks back.

Here I am wearing it with:

Sleek BB cream in "Medium" (review coming soon)

Mally volumizing mascara 

Sleek blush in "Sunrise"

NYX Lip liner pencil in "Nude Beige"

MAC lipstick in "Hug Me"

HD Brows pallet in "Foxy"

You can get Touche Eclat at Debenhams for £25, if you are a beauty club member and want to buy it online you can get free delivery www.debenhams.com 

M x

My big chop is tomorrow!!! Nervous much!

Tommorow is the day, no more LYE!

I so rate females for long term transitioning, me, I can not do it, you really need to have a lot of patience in regards to dealing with the two textures, I am sure that this time tomorrow I will be pacing up and down in my front room, taking a swig from a bottle in a brown paper bag (just saying!) in one hand and frantically smoking from the other, and just to let you know, I do not even smoke! Hmmmm nervous much!

Right now I do not have a laptop as mine decided to breakdown on me! So I will try to get the pictures up of my "BC" ASAP! So please bear with me, thank you...

Will keep you posted!!!!

S xx