PRODUCT REVIEW - Garnier BB cream

One word - AMAZING!!!!

I absolutely love this cream! I have heard so many people talk about BB creams before and how good they are, you can't really get them here in the UK unless you buy them from places like eBay. Well that is no longer the case, Garnier have bought out Miracle Skin Perfector all day BB cream, a cream based on the traditional BB creams here in the UK.

The idea behind a BB (Blemish Balm) cream is that it is skin care and make up all in one, whilst being a make up product it also works behind the scenes to treat your skin and help improve the look of the skin as well as tackle blemishes. The coloured part of the cream is mineral based which is great for the skin as it is a natural product that doesn't clog up the pores.

For the summer this product is perfect, it feels like a silky tinted moisturiser on the skin but gives great coverage. It also smells like summer in a tube! The first day I wore it two people commented on how good my skin looked (which made me want to stock up on this miracle cream!!), and how fresh faced I was!

 Available in light or medium

It blends into the skin really well and a little goes a long way so this tube should last a long time! I still apply mine with a foundation brush but it will blend just as well with your hands.

Its available from most Garnier stockists and cost £9.99.

Have you tried it? what did you think?

Stay gorgeous

Grace x

Weight Loss Wednesday - week 6!

Ok Ok, I know its not Wednesday, I forgot to do this post yesterday (and last week, but who's counting!!).
So this weeks weigh in is a combined weight loss for two weeks and the scales say......

-3lbs

That is 2lb last week and 1lb this week, which I am thrilled with! That's brings my grand total to -11lbs Last week was a bit of a test as I wasn't in control of all my meals through out the week due to eating at a friends one night and going out another, but for those of you who know about the weight watchers plan you have a spare 49 pro points a week that are there as your just in case points, this should help if you know you have a big night out planned or a meal at friends where you don't know what you are having. Well in the end the two meals turned out very healthy and pretty much on plan, but I did have a couple of treats that took me over my daily allowance but as you can see even when you use your spare points you can still lose weight!

I said I would put some healthy recipes on here a couple of weeks ago which I haven't but I promise I will!

Grace xx

PRODUCT REVIEW - MUA goodies

I'm sure some of you will remember that I wrote about MUA products after attending TOWIB back in July, well I was really pleased with the products that I got in my goodie bag and have since been out and purchased two more of the eye palettes which I love!

Last week I was sent a few more goodies from MUA to try out, which I have and wanted to let you all know what I thought! I received a Mosaic Bronzer, Extreme Volume Mascara and a Concealer pen.

 Mosaic Bronzer

This is really HIGHLY pigmented, so much so that I broke my own rules when it came to bronzing and stepped into jersey shore territory! The colour is great, its very natural with a fine application but with a heavier application it gives you a great tanned look! A little really does go a long way with this bronzer.
At £2.50 this is an amazing bargain!

Extreme Volume Mascara

 I am super fussy when it comes to mascara, I have used the same one for years and when they discontinued it I was devastated! The extreme volume mascara from MUA has a nice consistency which you know is not going to clog up on your lashes, I tried this product on my lashes and also on a bride at her trial, I have a slightly varied opinion on this one! For me it left my lashes evenly spread out and natural looking, but it didn't give much volume, I have to say though I think that is due to my eyelashes being extra straight, On the bride who has gorgeous naturally curled lashes it looked amazing! I think you would possibly still need your eyelash curlers to hand if you want a more dramatic look, but for a natural look this mascara is perfect! It is really black too (I know that sounds silly but I'm sure you know what I mean!) which is great. This mascara costs just £2.00.

Brush on Concealer Pen

I love products that make your life simple and this one really does, having a built in applicator means it could definitely be a handbag essential. I received this concealer in Radiance, which has a brighten effect on the skin so will help to reflect light which then disguises dark circles and blemishes! This pen concealer has a nice creamy consistency which is really pliable and blends really well. Another bargain at £2.00!

All in all the products I have tried from MUA have been good and some of them have a permanent place in my kit! They are available at Superdrug and at bargain prices they are definitely worth a try!

Have you tried any of the MUA range? What are you favourite products?

Stay Gorgeous

Grace x

Please note I was sent these products to try out and review them on this blog, I have not been paid to do this and the opinions in this post are mine, I aim to be completely honest about any products I review and would never give a positive review if I didn't believe that to be true.

Make Up Monday - Get the sun Kissed look!

This weeks Make Up Monday I'm showing you how to achieve a sun kissed look with out having to step out in the sunshine!

I always find that in the summer my skin becomes slightly more oily than normal, this is due to the heat, having a heavier foundation on the skin won't help either so using a tinted moisturiser is the perfect solution! I have been using Garnier Miracle Skin perfecter all day BB cream, it is light weight but still gives you a good coverage and leaves the skin with a healthy glow!
Once you have applied your base the next step is Bronzer, the positioning of where you apply bronzer is the key to the sun kissed look, if you apply too much you could very easily go from being sun goddess to jersey shore in one swoop of a make up brush!

When applying a bronzing powder swish the brush in the product, tap off the excess and then what ever is left on the brush apply to the skin. The brown areas shown in my oh so beautiful photo are where you should apply your bronzer (obviously not in blocks like this, but you get the gist!), use either a sweeping or circular motions when applying, and remember less is more when building up the colour! The blocks in the photo demonstrate where you would naturally pick up the sun so the idea is to mimic this and create a natural look!
Once you have perfected the bronzer, apply some blush, a pink or coral is great in the summer.

The next step is high lighting, this is a great way to enhance a healthy glow on the skin!

 As shown in yellow, this is where you should apply a highlighter. I prefer a cream high lighter and you can either dab it on with your finger or apply in small circular motions with a flat stipple brush. By applying to the cheek bone and under the eye brow you will have a nice sheen on the skin that you normally get from being in the sun! Another favourite trick of mine is to apply a small amount of highlighter to the cupids bow (upper lip), this defines the shape of your lips.

Finish the look with a coat of mascara and lip gloss and you are good to go!

Have a great Make Up Monday.

Stay Gorgeous

Grace x

Weekly Blog Round Up - week 19

Its that time of week again where we get to see what these nail bloggers have been up to!

Sarah stamped a pretty red and white design with her Fauxnad plates and using Beauty UK coral for the base http://spellbindingnails.blogspot.com/2011/08/sdp-d12-red-and-white-floral-design.html

Stacie was inspired by a Tatty Devine bunny brooch http://kawaiinailart.blogspot.com/2011/08/bunny-nails.html

Claire created a paint splatter manicure with her Konad plates using OPI red as the base http://toptwentynails.blogspot.com/2011/08/opi-red-and-konad-splatter-step-by-step.html

Theresa dipped her clients toes in crystals with this extravagant pedicure http://theresabloor.blogspot.com/2011/07/swarovskidiamonte-crystal-toes-pedicure.html

Grace created a cool tuxedo manicure http://ooooohpretty.blogspot.com/2011/08/tuxedo-nails.html

Trisha showed us what she got when she broke her 3 month no buy http://www.trishadotj.com/2011/07/i-broke-down.html

Emily brought back the 80s with her pacman manicure http://emilysnailfiles.blogspot.com/2011/08/pacman-french-manicure.html

Jen shared her Brittany Femme Fatale manicure http://moondancerjen.blogspot.com/2011/08/femme-fatale-tour-nails.html

Lena showed her Nails Inc polish free with 2 dove deodorants http://thestudentsguidetonailpolish.blogspot.com/2011/08/nails-inc-copacabana.html

If you would like to be involved in future round ups email Stacie.fields@gmail.com

Have a great weekend!

Stay Gorgeous

Grace xoxo

Tuxedo Nails!

Continuing from my post about the androgynous trend that is coming in this Autumn/winter I decided to stick with that theme for this weeks nails design.....I present to you Tuxedo Nails!

 (please excuse my dry cuticles! in desperate need of a manicure!)

This design is really easy and I actually think its quite cute too! Although I showed my dad and said what are they and he said "Play boy bunnies!" not quite but we get the idea!

All I used for this was a black base colour (My private jet - OPI) and a white (alpine snow - OPI) for the triangle at the top. Then I used a black and white nail art paint and a dotting tool for the buttons and the bow-tie.

  To see how I got this look, take a peek at my video tutorial!

I hope you like this weeks design!

Stay Gorgeous

Grace x

Do it like a dude!

With the Autumn/Winter fashion season approaching, we are already seeing lots winter woolys lining the racks in our favourite stores. One very obvious up and coming trend is the Androgynous look, with heavy tailoring, blazers and ties, next season is set to have you doing it like a dude!

With lots of celebrities already sporting this trend such as Rachel Bilson, AnnaLynne Mccord and Fearne Cotton they show that you can take a masculine outfit and add a bit of girlie glamour to stay up to date once autumn is here!

This look doesn't have to be over the top manly, by keeping your hair and make up lady like and adding a bit of glitz with your accessories you will be looking uber chic this autumn!

What do you think of this trend? Is it something you will be wearing this Autumn / Winter?

Stay Gorgeous

Grace x