Stuck in a Rut

It wasn't until I got a proper full time job I could stop shopping around for the best of the cheap make up brands or Boots and Superdrug's own that I could actually invest in some half decent make up when I discovered Mac. Maybe part of it was because girls always talked about how great Mac was, and maybe part of it was the fab reviews it always got and the fact in every youtube makeover the girl ALWAYS uses Mac products, but from the first time I used it I loved it, I could still never justify buying more than 1 or 2 products at once and always stuck to the basics, I have issues about spending too much money on "gifts" for myself, and I always mixed my make up bag with Mac and cheaper products, like the odd Rimmel eyeshadow (to take a colour risk) for example, but ive pretty much stuck with Mac for the last 5-10 years.. which is a relatively long devotion.

Yesterday while getting a pedicure I indulged in some of those magazines I usually wouldnt buy for home all that often because I never really sit and read them, but because I wasnt getting a manicure at the same time (I love you everlasting nails!) I read... Grazia, Ahlan, Hello, OK yes for once I was rude to my pedicurist, but in the long term its OK, she'll forgive me next time I discuss Philippine politics with her! I saw in each magazine was a review of a different Benefit Product, the one that grabbed me was "Pore fessional" I have issues with my pores, Microdermabrasion helped me loads, but quite often when I get home from a long day at work I really cannot be bothered will skin care, I know that sounds crazy, but I really cannot, this sounded like a dream product, although these are often too good to be true, the store opposite my nail bar sells Benefit! Oh and it was pay day, so I brought a few things which I am totally in love with and aside from my foundation (which took me years to find the right one at Mac) I will more than likely switch from Mac to Benefit....

Todays Products of my Dreams, that actually work wonders in real life:

Perfect for my overwhite skin.... ahhhhh so nice to buy products that actually do what you want them to and work for your skin tone etc on the first try :)

Kim Kardashians Guide to Dressing a Curvy Figure

Listen shes not a graduate in Fashion, (although she did dress some famous people pre sex tape days..) Monica Rose picks out her clothes, But she does always look good and she definitely knows how to show off her curves in the right places... so here you go ladies:

Find A Great Tailor

"Anything you wear should be proportioned to your body, and a good tailor will make sure everything fits perfectly. I either have my tailor at every fitting or I have my stylist pin my wardrobe and take it to the tailor before I wear anything. Shortening a hem line on a dress can make a huge difference!"


Accentuate Your Waist

"Show off that tiny waist! Adding a belt makes your outfit look more polished. I have great belts from Phillip Lim and Alaia. Vintage belts are one of a kind and can be affordable too."


Avoid Oversize Tops & Dresses

"I know they are comfortable and they look amazing on Nicole Richie but flowy tops and dresses are not flattering on a curvy figure. They can make you look pregnant and they look sloppy in photos. Try wearing a maxidress instead. A.L.C, Torn by Ronny Kobo and T Bags make some great ones."


Embrace Shapewear (never thought id hear a celeb admit this!)

"Every woman from a size 0-14 should own Spanx! I love Shapewear by Body Wrap; they have a firm control long leg panty that makes my body look smoother and slimmer under fitted dresses without leaving any lines."


Love Your Curves

"Being confident and owning your body is sexy. I love to show off my curves and designers like Thatcher, Antonio Berardi, Preen, Altuzarra, Markus Lupfer and Brian Lichtenberg make amazing dresses that fit my body perfectly."

Cheap Improvements

So yesterday I was in Geant Hypermarket and since I got paid... early I might add I was having one of those days where you buy things, gimmicky things you wouldn't normally look twice at! Anyways I threw lots of beauty goodies in my trolly now the following two I couldnt wait to try when I got home because they seemed to good to be true!

The first thing I brought (I was in Geant because id actually missed my nail appointment in Nail Bar and thought, why not get some food for home LOL) was Nail Patches:



Now these looked a little tacky (and I add its not this brand they sell in Geant but its pretty much exactly the same!) There is no nail varnish involved, its one white sticker ready shaped you stick over the tip of your nail, and then i slightly pinkish clear one you stick over the top of that, now they are a little fiddly at first but you soon get used to it, would be alot easier to get a friend to do it for you, but honestly they are beautiful and you would never know its not nail varnish. I put them on last night so just waiting to see how long they last... its 25aed I think (so £3) which is less than half what I pay for a manicure, and the painting is the reason i go (oh and the massage and reading magazines for free!) shaping of my nails I can do myself... so its less than half the price of ONE manicure and you get TWO complete sets.... if they last longer than a week i'm sold :)


The second item I brought (and am testing) is heated eyelash curlers! YES bit crazy I know, but a while back I got some eyelash extentions and although my eyelashes are pretty long anyway ever since i had those ive been a bit obsessed with things that give me longer, curvier lashes :) once again it isnt this brand i got because I have a feeling what im buying is Geants own brand maybe, but heres a pic:



They were only 50aed and I used them (quickly) this morning and didnt use eye lash curlers they are pretty good and seem to be holding the shape better! I also managed to get the stray lashes that my eyelash curlers can normally get!!

I only tried them both today... let me see in a week ;)

Review - Quick Trim

So As I said in my last post I started taking Quick Trim's Fast Cleanse... To be honest I didnt really notice any different, but then I put it down to the fact its more of a cleanse than a weight loss aid, don't know if my body is any cleaner but what the hell I tried!

Anyways today I started with Quick Trim's Burn & Cleanse, im hoping for a bit more of a result from this 14 day weight loss program. I didnt actually realise but I have to take 4 pills during the day, 2 between breakfast & Lunch, and 2 more between lunch and dinner. then 4 before bed! thats quite alot. but after reading the ingredients which all seem to be pretty natural and as far as I know no one had diet from quick trim i'm going to give it a go, I dont actually own any scales (I lost them when I moved house a couple of months ago) im going to go buy some after work and try to keep track of my weight.

I dont do any vigorous exercise but Im going to go for a run or a fast paced walk every other day after work and try to move around a bit more at work etc, as well as eating a bit less sugar and drink more water and see how things go. There is an exercise planner that comes with the pills so ill have a look at that after work and see if theres anything in there worthwhile.... ill keep you updated!

Quick Trim

I follow the Kardashian sisters (and the lovely Rob actually) and their shamless advertising and multiple endorsements just pass me by, due to the fact many celebrities endorse and your always pretty sure they simply do it for the money and nothing else. However they started tweeting about Quick Trim around the time Khloe starting looking amazing, Kim was also twittering on about this product "Quick Trim" Kim never looked overweight, yeah her curves were alot fuller than they are now, however she seemed lucky enough that if she was a bit "heavy" she put it on in the right places and is wasnt particulaly noticible. Khloe however really started to shine!

In the 5 1/2 years i've been in Dubai I have put on around 10Kilo, ive gone from a size 10 to a size 12, which isnt particulaly bad I know, but I really do feel like I need to loose some weight, since unlike Kim my thighs wobble! (lol) I hate the gym, like i'm sure many people do, so many fitness first fanatics but just looking at fitness first in Jebel Ali makes me feel like im looking into a goldfish bowl, all lined up and organised with absolutly no feeling whatsoever, there is no way I can tolerate this feeling 3 or 4 times a week, it will just feel like a job rather than something I should try to enjoy! I want to get a bycicle since in England I really enjoyed riding through the streets, then into the woods, then past the park and through the streets again, always something new to look at, a good dose of fresh air and great excersise, yes my bum aches afterwards but what to do ;)

Anyways at the weekend I was in Burjaman and I spotted a GNC and I know they sell Quick Trim in GNC in the US and thought id give it a go, what have I got to loose? They have 3 products available, however I opted out of the "Extreme Burn" as I fugured it best to start slowly maybe I can invest in the extreme burn after the other 2 products I brought show some promise of working!

So I brought the "Fast Cleanse" "A 48 Hour Super Diet Detox" a Liquid detox which tastes a bit lemony to be taken 4 times a day between meals. I started the "Fast Cleanse" today, my main issue is the fact you have to drink 3 Litres of water, I have a bit problem drinking water so this is deeming a little bit of a challenge. However I just finished my 1.5 Litre bottle so im pretty sure i'll make it!

The other product I brought is "Burn & Cleanse" you have different pills for night and day, it is supposed to jump start your metabolism and Burn calories during the day and detox & Cleanse at night. Now I like the idea that it is not just a diet pill but a detox as well, I dont know whether it does exactly what it says on the tin but I like the sound of it nonetheless:

 Maybe after i've done these depending on the results I might buy the " Extreme Burn" but lets see. Today I started the "Fast Cleanse" I will keep you updated and let you know how these products work out for me!

Must Have Products

Hi Ladies... I was just about to post something on twitter about how much I love certain products, then I realised I havn't posted for a while so would be fun to do a "must have" section of my daily routine, finally at 26 I have found my perfect products for a perfect daily routine.... would be interesting if you can comment and suggest some nice products!

anyways, my must haves (in order!)

1. This is actually the night before!
My Boots Microdermbrasion Kit

Now this is AMAZING! you might think its just the same as exfoliating, but its really not... I actually forgot to do it for a few days and my skin starting playing up! Do this at night before you go to sleep or when your chilling watching tv, you will love how your skin feels!


then i sleep of course..... and my daily must haves

2. Touch & Glow by Soap & Glory

Soap & Glory make awesome products with great packaging and not too expensive, available at Boots also this is a moisturiser with tanning beads! as you rub the moisturiser you burst little beads full of, well brown stuff that makes your face glow! not only does it moisturise your skin but it makes me use less foundation!


3. Mac Studio Fix foundation

Ive tried pretty much all foundations from mac and a zillion others from other companies, and nothing felt good on my skin and every one of them had a problem, too think, left orange marks etc etc you know the drill, but studio fix is great! light, but pretty good coverage, I dont have amazing skin and im prone to break outs and its pretty good at covering imperfections but when I dont have any, couples with my Good to Glow, this product looks great!

ps. I love my mac brushes!


4. L'oreal Lineur Intense Liquid Eyeliner


I pretty much steer clear of liquid liner's I can never get both eyes looking the same, i dont have a steady hand, and im not even sure it suits me! My Boyfriend was trying to be cute and he brought me some new make up and this was one of the things (some woman behind the desk in Debenhams recommended it!) he got me..
Now this is pretty cool! its not really distinct when you wear it its kind of subtle, which i liked from a liquid liner, its not all wet etc its like a pen, it only comes in 2 colours but both are pretty and it looks all shimmery when you put it on!

5. Shroom Eyshadow by Mac

This is not just an eyeshadow for me, I totally overuse this! I use it for an eye shadow pretty much everyday, its light its shimmery, its suitable for wherever your going! but I also use it as a highlighter, putting my big fat mac brush in it and highlighting my face! I love this product :)


6. Estee Lauder Eyelash Primer

I cant praise this product enough, sold it under duress by one of those pesky women in stores that force you to buy 10 things when you wanted one.... but im glad she did this is great-you put it on before your mascara and it actually nourishes and legnthens your lashes.


7. Maybellines collosal volume Mascara

I HATED the old maybelline mascara the pink one with that hideous lid even the way it looked was terrible, everyone used to rave on about it but all it did was clump up my lashes till it looked like that brush you clean chimneys with! with isnt a good look and also wasnt featured on the ad ;) But due to some money issues I had to budget and buy a cheaper alternative to the mascara I usually buy and i didnt know what to get and thought it give this new product a try! now this is WONDERFUL I am fussy when it comes to mascara but this really is a nice product - no clumping no spiders! just long single lashes!


8. Evian Water Spray

I just like to keep this in my handbag, spray my face every now and again, its refreshing and helps to hydrate your face, also as long as you dont rub the water round your face I feel it helps my make up last longer!

9. Matrix Oil Control Treatment

This is also always in my handbag, Now this supposidly helps you if you have greasy hair... now I have to wash my hair everyday bevause if i dont by the afternoon of the second day my hair is just gross! now this product doesnt stop that but if I was my hair at night by the afternoon of the next day its starting to get a bit limp.. now this product allows me to spray a little on my hair and it helps reduce the grease, I havnt fully allowed it to show me what it can do as I HATE having greasy hair, but it does help, If I can wash my hair the night before and just spritz this on in the morning or when i start to see its looking wet (lol) i can spray this on, and for that I love it!

10...... actually not really sure i need a 10 :)

Feedback ladies... need some recommendations!

Soap & Glory

Good Afternoon and Good Sunday hope everyone had a nice weekend!

This weekend I decided since I had started using my Microdermabrasion kit and was starting to see positive results it time I made more of a conscious effort to take care of my skin. I have on many occasion upon meandering in one of my favorite beauty stores... Boots, looked at the Soap & Glory products, they always had packaging which I would love to stop and look at, its drawings and cartoons amused me, but I felt that they tried to hard and it probably resulted in less than satisfactory products so I never tried them out. However about 3 weeks ago (before my microdermabrasion purchase) I noticed they have a product called "Fab Pore"

I have (due mainly to my lack of consuming water on a daily basis) a few enlarged pores on either side of my noce just on my cheek areas, sometimes i dont notice, because im used to them and sometimes when im having a bad day (feeling fat, bad hair day, make up just doesnt go right) they really bother me, so I decided to try this product out. It smells like peppermint goodness and feels great on my skin, doesnt dry hard etc and im trying to use it once a week, along with my new daily Microdermabrasion routine they seem to be shrinking, problem is of course i dont know which of the products is what causes the shrinking, so in a bad move now im stuck with using both forever ;) but if im happy with the outcome I dont really see too much of a problem!

So yesterday I went into my beloved Boots and decided to buy a couple more items from the range to see how I feel about them. The first thing I spied was a cheaper alternative to Yves Saint Laurent's "Touche Eclat" now If I can find a cheaper alternative to that im all for it! its called "Wizard of Flaws" and well, the name says it all!

The other product I used for the first time this morning is "Glow Job" basically a moisturiser with Tanning beads, and not subtle either quite dark beads that burst as you rub them in, forcing you to really rub the moisturiser in well, already in the afternoon my skin feels soft and well moisturised, for a very light skinned person I really recommend it, as its given me a nice glow and barely used any bronzer or blusher today as it looked more natural. I think this will also be nice to use before going to the beach or pool and it contains SPF and (obviously) I wouldnt wear make up to the beach or pool so it gives you a nice glow!!


Anyways, hopefully post again soon, just wanted to recommend some products for you... its always nice to have recommendations of products that ACTUALLY work!

Breast Cancer Vaccine

There is not much to say about this article because it pretty much speaks for its self but I always say if one life can be saved, the effort is well worth it.

My Grandmother had breast Cancer when I was a child, I vaguely remember sitting at her bed side in the hospital, this isnt what stuck me as the hardship of Breast Cancer, yes of course having a mastectomy is very hard, but when faced with such a decision I cant imagine you have to think twice, nowadays it seems common place to have silicon breasts as replacements (not sure if this is covered by the NHS and if its not it bloody well should be!) But when my Grandmother had the procedure it was the late 80's and this wasnt quite so common place, for years shes had the battle of where to buy the special bras (like with boob included!) etc and I know its a daily struggle, no thin straps, only white bras available, only mail order - to a man this might not sound like a big deal and even to some women, but putting up with these things as well as the strain it may take on a relationship for 2 decades. well I cant help but try to support any Breast Cancer awareness scheme I can.



So I truly hope we can take on the Breast Cancer Battle and one step at a time, Cancer as a whole.

MicroDermabrasion

So as I mentioned earlier I was thinking about getting a home Microdermabrasion kit (which are apparently AS effective if not MORE effective than Salon Microdermabrasion kits - due to the fact they are less abrasive and you can do them slowly over a period of time and destroy less regenerative skin cells) Anyways yesterday I bit the bullet and toddled off to Boots and brought myself one (I have issues spending money on myself!) this might have something to do with the fact that my skin and body seems to be suffering with an especially bad bout of hormones at the moment and I was getting very upset yesterday at the state of my face! so i decided I definatly deserve to invest in something which will aid my happiness!

so off i went.

Now your supposed to do the treatment twice a week and not on consecutive days, so yesterday was my first day, yes my skin felt softer afterwards but didn't really notice THAT much difference, plus I used my ever faithful overnight gel (Ok tried to find a link but couldn't, will get back to you later!) so lets see how it looks after a week (or two) my face is no where near the state of these women, and these supposidly used a home microdermabrasion system:




So I have faith!!! Ill keep you posted, always nice to have something recommended!

Venus Spa - Gillette

Just a short post, I just wanted to write about Venus Spa by Gillette....

I hate Razors, in fact I cant watch a man shave his face (including some adverts on tv) gives me the eebie geebies! I have no fear of blood or anything but I am fearful of seeing someone cut themselves with a razor! now sure if its because I know how much cutting yourself shaving hurts (looks like a paper cut but stings like you cut your whole leg off!) or because its their face, im not sure! I also have to add that waxing everything on a frequent enough basis not to disgust myself is just not on (and the waiting inbetween waxing drives me insane!) so shaving my legs is the best option, for some reason though (never know why) I ALWAYS forget shaving foam in my weekly shop and shaving dry (or just wet) hurts my skin so if your anything like me (forgetful with sensitive skin!) then these Venus Spa razors by Gillette are for you!

Easy to use, and leave your skin feeling amazingly soft.....

Hair for the Summer

Hair for the Summer


Apparently according to celebrity stylist Monica Rose loose braids are whats in for the summer, and I have to say I find this messy braids look kinda cute, shame I just cut my hair short (well resting on my shoulders) for the summer - though im sure there's a way to work in some loose braids somewhere......

Curvy Girls Rule!

So I just read that Kendra's newly released Sex tape is the first to outsell Kim Kardashian's which was apparently the highest grossing Celebrity "Porn" sex tape ever made. Now I was pretty surprised seeing as many a celebrity have fallen into the trap of making sex videos and them "accidentally" getting released. But what I did realise is that out of the many surely this goes to show, that everyone loves a nice curvy womanly figure.... :)

Home Made Facial Scrub

So, last week I discovered the gem that is Kandee Johnson, she is from what I gather a make up artist for magazines (and possibly celebrities i'm not too sure) I stumbled across this wonderful video for a home made Lemon Scrub, I usually use what alot of women seem to use, the peach st ives scrub which yes is a bit harsh, but does the trick! but does leave me a bit sore and red tbh! so I tried this out....



was a little bit nervous about using Lemon Juice directly on my skin, but seeing as I had previously been in awe on Kandee's skin, I thought id give it a try...

I have done the lemon scrub twice in the last 3 days, I figured every other day is enough. I have already noticed a difference, my skin isn't problematic as a rule but we all have our issues, leading up to certain hormones changes my skin often breaks out, as well as if i dont drink enough water (which i often do *slap wrist*) and my cheeks in general are quite red (in the wrong place!!) and this lemon scrub does sting a little but already after doing twice I notice a difference, and as she says putting natural items back into your skin must be for the best!!!

ps. Does anyone use a micro-dermabrasion kit? she recommends them as well just wondered where does a good one here in Dubai!!!!