Murad UK's 4th of July Celebration

I have finally found the time to write to you about the fabulous Murad event I went to 2 days before I went to the South of France! I met up with the lovely Laura from Heroine in Heels and later met the lovely Gemma. The event, being held by a large L.A. based company on Independence day, had a brilliant 4th of July theme and we were spoilt with wine and obviously... cupcakes (it wouldn't be a blogging event without them!), as well as a free facial, face scan and a little blogger treat to celebrate the first UK store, out of London which can be found in my home town - Leeds (House of Fraser)! 

jacket - H&M, crop top - Topshop, trousers - Primark, shoes - Topshop via Next2nowt.com, bag - H&M

I managed to try their products before, back when I was suffering mildly from acne which really affected my self confidence. I was pleasantly surprised by the products supplied by a cosmeceutical company which I hadn't particularly heard of before but my grandmother forced me to try. That 'cosmeceutical company' happened to be Murad and did miracles for my skin and now I have much better skin! So when I was invited to this event, I couldn't wait to go and show my appreciation as well as try some new products!

First me and the girls pondered around the new products snapping away and getting some advice from the lovely people there, like Zooey and Sarah. We then got an interesting talk about the ethics and morals of the company as well as the history of Dr. Murad and a little insite to the products that we were going to receive in our blogger goodie bags! 

Dr Murad is both a dermatologist and a pharmacist and wants the best for your skin in the long run! He's one of a kind and has 18 patents making him 'a leading visionary in the fields of skincare and dermatology'. So I couldn't recommend his products more! You can find out more about the skincare range which is perfect for you and some of the things we learnt from the Murad website (click here) and if  you have any questions about any products, feel free to ask and I'll drop an email to Sarah to let you know any answers!

 After the little talk and receiving our brilliant goodie bag (post up soon!!), I headed back upstairs and I had a face scan by Rachel who told me exactly what I should be doing and not doing with my skin in order to reduce redness, dryness and stop the majority of my break outs! I've never done anything like this and was extremely nervous for the outcome but Rachel made me feel very comfortable and happy in my skin and gave me a prescription for the products that would help me the most! 

After the face scan, I had a cheeky facial at the very end since I was the last one standing! It was so soothing and definitely worth getting the bus home fresh-faced for!!

Hope all the americans (and any other nationality that celebrate Independence day) enjoyed 4th of July even though it was ages ago now!! 

What did you all do for Independence day? Have any of you tried any Murad products?

G xxx

ps. all photo's are taken from Heroine in Heels! 

Top 5 beauty products

So I finished all my exams ages ago now and I know I vowed to do loads of posts when I'd finished but I've had so many post-exam parties and gathering's that I've been mistreating my blog and not posting! However, here's my first post-exam post. I got lots of products from North Meet Up, all of which I tried before exams but didn't have time to review or write about so I thought I'd let you know my favourites now!

#1 - Dr Hauschka Powder Duo (02 Warm Breeze) 

My family is a huge Dr Hauschka fan because (as it says on their website)...

• The vast majority of their ingredients are 100% natural and the skin care products are grown biodynamically and organically, or ethically wild-harvested
• They only use natural botanical preservatives (without chemical additives) coupled with appropriate packaging to keep products fresh
• Not a single ingredient in any of their products comes from an organization involved in animal testing

 And so I was so excited to try this bronzer, since I've never actually tried any of the Powder Duo's even though I've always wanted to! This is due to the only downside of this product, in my opinion, THE PRICE. Being 17 I can't afford to spend £33.50 on a bronzer! So I need to make this one last! 

The colours can be used together or separately depending on what effect you want to have. The shimmering colours which come in 'Warm Breeze' are deep peach and light brown. They are perfect for my skin tone and so I'll be using this non stop during the not-so-summery summer we have here in England to give myself a glow! The brush is really soft and I'd really recommend it because it lasts for hours, which I find doesn't happen which a lot of cheaper bronzers and also the smell is absolutely divine (as with all my Dr Hauschka products) 

It can be purchased at Harvey Nichols 

#2 - Elemis FreshSkin Skin Glow Exfoliating Face Wash

I have loved all the Elemis products that I have ever tried and this one was no exception! This exfoliator 'contains cherry powder and jojoba beads to gently polish and refine skin texture' and 'aniseed to soften and condition' and in my opinion it does! I find that with some facial exfoliators the beads are so small, to avoid harsh contact, that my skin doesn't really benefit, or alternatively, too large and my skin begins to burn, however this product has good sized beads! 

I feel the need to exfoliate quite regularly because I naturally have quite a few spots and also dry skin so it's quite a necessity and I really feel like this exfoliator does the job. Another bonus: this product is free of all the evil things found in lots of products now so there's no excuse not to buy it! Available from most beauty retailers for £11.99

#3 - 2 in 1 Conditioning Mascara by Cailyn

This mascara instantly increases length, thickness and density without giving that horrible fake look! The mascara includes Nano-Peptide Technology conditioning serum adding curling and volumising and lengthening instantly to your lashes! However, for £15 it's extremely expensive for me, especially  considering my usual is about £8 However, it's waterproof, doesn't smear or flake very easily and lasts a reasonably long time! 

The packaging is also really professional which I love! 

#4 - Arbonne Lipstick (Rose Petal)

(I had previously opened it, it's packaging didn't get given to me messy)

I had never tried any Arbonne before I received some incredible products at North Meet Up, how silly of me! I've not stopped using any of the products including the moisturiser which I previously reviewed (only reason it's not on my top 5!) and especially this lipstick! It's conditioning, not drying and covers easily, which I find is a problem with many lipsticks! I absolutely adore this colour because it's lighter and pinker than my natural lip colour but still manages to look reasonably natural so it's a shade you can wear with anything! The only thing that's wrong with this lipstick is that I found it to start drying quite quickly and began to clump but it wasn't a problem to just reapply, just keep checking it if you've had it on for a while! Also, I've used it so much that the silver writing on the side has rubbed off which has slightly ruined the professional feel of the packaging! But overall, love this product, and you can get it for £18 from here  

#5 - Fillast High Perfection Lips 

'Active Hydrating and Plumping Lip Balm'

Short and simple, does what it says on the tin. It's extremely cute and pretty packaging attracted me to the lip balm instantly! Fillast High Perfection Lips uses Hyaluronic Acid Technology in order to moisturise and to undo the ageing process because it keep the skin's maximum moisture levels. If you're a science-fiend, check it out here. Most reviews I have seen of this product claim that this lip balm doesn't 'plump' the lips but I feel as if it does, only for a short period of time, but it doesn't claim to plump them for a long period of time so I think this product is better than other products I have tried that claim to 'plump' up lips. After the first few minutes after applying, your lips tingle and feel slightly larger and as a lip balm, it's brilliant. Completely hydrating and I am using it constantly! It is applied white and then turns clear with a glossy, no-stick quality so can be used whenever! 
The only issue with this product is that it costs £36 for a small tube and although it's one of my top beauty products purely for the amazing hydrating feeling that it gives your lips, I would never buy this product for £36 because I'm so skint! 

Have any of you tried any of these products?

G xxx

ps. lots of outfit posts coming soon! YEY 

Battle of the hand creme

At the North Meet Up, I was lucky enough to receive 2 different hand creme's. I love hand creme's and they both looked brilliant so I wasn't stuck at which one to open first. Me, being me, opened them both and thought I would see which one was better so that I can help you guys if you're choosing a new hand creme! 

Nourish's Protect Smoothing Hand Lotion smells divine but it's slightly too strong for my liking. I like a subtle fragrance so that I can also wear my favourite perfume without the smell being masked by the hand creme whereas, the citrus smell of orange and mandarin from the Nourish hand creme dominates over other smells. When you apply it to your skin, it sinks in very quickly and the creme is not greasy at all, which can often be a problem I find with moisturisers so that's very good. However, if I'm being honest, for about 10 minutes afterwards my hands felt slightly sticky and uncomfortable, which was weird, even though the hand creme had been absorbed already. Other than that, I can tell you my skin feels softer and more hydrated after use! Another good point about this hand creme which may appeal to some people (especially my family) is that it's 94% organic and has another 1% natural minerals!

Out of them both, I feel that I prefer Arbonne's FC5 Ultra-Hydrating Hand Creme mainly due to the fact that I favour the subtle smell of it (I would describe it as refreshing and tropical) and also it doesn't leave a sticky feel after applying. A video on the Arbonne website explains that this hand creme works with 'fresh cell technology' and 'extracts the vital cell nutrients' which are 'preserved naturally' within the hand creme in order to 'protect and preserve the skin' (see video here for more information). The vital cell nutrients come from natural products such as fruit and vegetables and this product has no sight of parabons and other nasty products! This hand creme instantly makes my skin feeling fresh and smooth and hydrated after quickly being absorbed by my skin therefore it does exactly what it says on the tin! And just like the Nourish product, it isn't greasy. This product also comes in a little travel size - perfect! This product is slightly more expensive than other hand creams that I have bought in the past, which is my only down side to this product! But who can put a price on young-looking skin?

My hands aren't particularly dry so I wouldn't be able to tell you how well they work if you have a serious problem with dry skin but for someone with 'normal' skin (not trying to sound rude, but they describe them as dry, normal or oily), they certainly do what it says on the packet. I didn't feel like I needed to reapply either of the hand cremes soon after I applied it the first time.

Nourish's Protect Smoothing Hand Lotion* - 12.95 (can be bought here)

Arbonne's Ultra-Hydrating Hand Creme* - £19 (can be bought here)

Hope this helped, 

G xxx

ps. have you ever used either of these products before?

Beauty Review: Ilah eyebrow kit*

Although I am mainly a fashion blog, I am a big beauty lover and so I am doing my first beauty review! At the #northmeetup (see my post about it here), there was many companies including Ilah. The Ilah team were very helpful and friendly and let me know that I was the 'perfect New York', they also did my eyebrows for me with the kit I was kindly given in my goodie bag! After I had a recent eyebrow disaster - in which the eyebrow technician waxed my eyebrows horribly and completely not in the shape which 1) I wanted 2) suited my face - I was left with eyebrows which were thin and I didn't really like them therefore, I often coloured them in (which hardly ever match symmetrically). 

Therefore, Ilah's eyebrow travel kit is perfect. Not only is it packaged nicely (which is always something which draws me to a product) it is also very compact, which is extremely handy. The pack comes with 3 different eyebrow shapes - New York, London and Paris in order to colour in eyebrows in a perfect shape. This allows you to get the perfect shape eyebrow in a matter of seconds and it lasts for up to 24 hours (semi-permanent is a slight twist of marketing)! There is also 3 different colours of colouring to suit different colours of eyebrows. The little clear pot of gel on the right is to apply before the powder so that the powder appears darker and stays on the eyebrow for longer and the white at the top of the middle powder circle should be applied beneath the eyebrow after applying in order to highlight and contour the eyebrows giving you the PERFECT eyebrows! Perfect. 

As you can tell from below, the Ilah eyebrow kit makes my eyebrows look a lot fuller without looking bushy (like the famous Cara eyebrows - which in my opinion are p e r f e c t) and slightly darker! I'm absolutely in love! 

before

after

This product is obviously not permanent (nothing ever is!) and so obviously this product is not the only thing able to give you the perfect eyebrows but maintaining your eyebrows with plucking/waxing and using this product would create a much better world... eyebrows wise. 

The RRP is £29.99 and although I haven't been able to test out the lighter shades, I can tell you it really does do it's job (for me - the darkest shade, and I'm sure for everyone!) so it's definitely worth the money spent! You can purchase it here or at other Ilah stockists.

G xxx

please comment whether you liked this beauty review - it's my first so I don't really know how to go about it! 

#northmeetup

I was super lucky to be invited to the raved about #northmeetup! It was hosted and organised by Em Sheldon (visit her blog here) and she couldn't have done a better job! It was hosted in Deansgate Lock Revolution Bar in Manchester which is a beautiful venue and we got treated to 2-4-1 cocktails all day! Being a lightweight I only had 2 cocktails and felt a kick so I thought I better leave it at 2! 

I met the most amazing girls there, the lovely Bryony, Jessica, Hannah and the best dressed girl there, Charlotte. I was super nervous about going, being the youngest there but I'm so glad I plucked up the courage and went. All the girls really were lovely and friendly (and have absolutely amazing blogs - NORTHERN TALENT!)

We had talks from Xen-Tan and GlamGlow and Arbonne, which were very enlightening. I absolutely cannot wait to try the products! Reviews will all be coming soon! Between the talks us girls drank and talked and went to visit all the little corners each with it's own little treats. As you will be able to see below, I picked up goodie bags from Arbonne, So In Fashion and more from around the balcony. I also got my nails done, talked with Near-Wolf's representative about my hair, in which she gave me some really good advice and got some advice about 'the perfect eyebrow arches' from a lovely eyebrow specialist! 

(We got a sample of the moroccan self-tan, so lets hope I get rid of my streaky fake tan phobia!) 

(I also got a sample of the mud mask!)

I also walked away with one of these (not all of them of course!) 

Here's what I wore:

(I know I look very summery compared to the weather behind me but the forecast said 'sun' and this was taken when I got back so it was getting dark!)

necklace - EBay, shirt - charity shop, jacket - H&M, bag - H&M, trousers - mango, shoes - Primark, ring - Topshop 

This is all my goodies, I am very very lucky and grateful to receive all these things and I will be doing numerous reviews and give aways so keep checking this space! 

G xxx

ps. VERY sorry for the photo heavy post!

The 'Red Swirling Trouser' tale

 

Once upon a time, there was a girl who lived in a village near a forest. Whenever she went out, the little girl wore red trousers, so everybody in the village called her 'Red Swirling Trousers' ...

You get my point. I've had these trousers for quite a while now, and they featured in a post a while back of a haul but I had never actually worn them. I bought them in awe of weworewhat.com and never had the confidence to wear them, but today I did! And I'm so happy I did. I got a few compliments on them, so I was very happy and when one girl asked me where they were from I proudly said 'from a charity shop' and she was so shocked!! I've made it my mission to compliment at least one stranger every time I leave the house from now on! It's such a pick me up and I think it would make me feel a lot more positive. Good karma come and get me! I do love the colour of these trousers, they are a little bit darker in person that in the pictures but non the less, they are bright and a reasonably statement piece so I paired them up with my H&M black turtle neck, my black belt from Sue Ryder and my Office shoes! 'All black everything' (except the trousers). The other reason I really love these trousers are they are a bit of an illusion. Even I forgot they were trousers until I started moving! They look very skirt-like when sitting or standing still but when they brush in the wind, the trouser form really comes out and it's quite refreshing! 

I also wore my Kookai leather jacket to keep me warm in this chilly weather (even though Leeds is warming up!)

My hair is always skew-whiff and floaty and I honestly couldn't be bothered with it but I thought, a bad hair day would honestly ruin this lovely outfit so I put it in a low, messy bun inspired by the following:

 image:http://fashionista.com/2010/10/trendspotting-messy-buns-or-stick-straight/

image: google images

I absolutely love these messy buns and I think it's a very refreshing change from the usual sleek hair. Although it's very classic and 'done'. The messy bun gives a chance for us girls with unruly hair to have the catwalk hair we've always dreamed of! 

G xxx

ps. 2 sleeps away from #northmeetup - excited!

Who's going? Comment below!