150 FOLLOWER GIVEAWAY!! *Closed*

What a good way to start the new year... like the title suggests I'm holding a giveaway.

To do a giveaway reaching only 150 followers some might think is a little odd.  But for me personally it's a mile stone.  2012 has been the year of the blog, as I have posted more than I ever have since I started in 2010.  I had always said to myself when I got to 150, to celebrate I would host a giveaway.  And here it is.

So if you enter and your name is picked, you'll win all of this...

Wow!!!!

The Batiste Wild Party Trio and the Nails Inc In the Spot Light Trio are pretty self-explanatory, however it's what is inside the Victoria's Secret Makeup bag that is the amazing part.

Lots of pink inside!

.

All these goodies inside the bag are items I've used and blogged about (with the exception of one).

So like what you see and would like to win all of this... keep reading to find out how!

The rules and how to enter:

1... Leave a comment below and say what you'd like to see more of in 2013.  You can only do that once... (just to be fair)
2... You have to follow my blog via GFC
3... You'll have more chances of winning if you tweet about the giveaway.  Just make sure you mention me  (@jollybeachang) in the tweet itself so I know you've done so.
4... Leave a twitter/email address so I can contact you
5... International giveaway

You have until 8pm Sunday 27 January 2013 to enter.  A winner will be chosen at random using random.org and the goodies will be mailed on the following Monday.

Simple!

Happy New Year Everyone!!!!

Angela xox

Essie | Snap Happy + Leading Lady

This Christmas I have been loving the festive red.  Red nails and lips have been high on my list needs.  I was even brave enough to wear a red lipstick to work.  High-five me!

Leading Lady and Snap Happy

I know 2012 is almost over but I think if Snap Happy had been launched in January 2012, I think I would of been wearing it all year.  To me this is the perfect red.  I'm tempted to buy a full size bottle.  A romantic cosmetic affair between us both has been well and truly started.

Snap Happy is so opaque that one coat would work, however I'm wearing two in the above picture.  To make the nail look even more festive, on my ring finger I slapped on Leading Lady over the top to give a darker red look.

You can see me wearing this in my Christmas Day Makeup video, which you can see here.

Angela xox

Essie Winter 2012 Collection

I'm a nail polish junkie!! There I said it, I haul them like there's no tomorrow.  I think I have a problem but my my I feel better for getting that off my chest.  Almost like therapy.

Regarding another kind of therapy, the retail kind.  Whilst Christmas shopping I stumbled across the Essie 2012 Winter Collection. A mini set.  You know me and my minis, I love them.

A cute trio of mini festive polishes, I simply adore these. If i had to name these in order of how much I love them, it would be a tie between Snap Happy and Beyond Cosy.  These are my favourites.

Snap Happy, Leading Lady and Beyond Cosy

Snap Happy is a classic tomato red polish (which I wore on Christmas Day). Leading Lady is a deep berry red polish with red glitter running throughout it.  Finally Beyond Cosy is a chameleon polish... Is it silver or is it gold? Depending on the lighting, it looks gold and in others it takes on the silver hue. A fine metallic glitter polish, this very festive indeed.

This little trio only cost £9.99 from Boots, which I thought was a shocking price. They may not be full size bottles but for three polishes I think it's a bargain.

Have you seen or tried these?

Angela xox

Christmas Day Makeup Tutorial

I know Christmas Day has long gone, but I thought you'd like to see my makeup I wore for the very special occasion.

Christmas only comes once a year to most people.  For me it's twice as I have one on the day and the other on Boxing Day (one with the in-laws and the other with my family).  This year I decided to make myself look pretty with golden eyes and a bright red lipstick!

See...

Here is a list of everything I used (in order):

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation in 100 Ivory
Blistex Lip Balm Raspberry Lemonade Blast
MAC Paint Pot in Nubile
NARS Isolde Eyeshadow Duo
Natural Collection Eyeshadow in Midnight
Rimmel London Scandal Eyes Eyeliner in Black
Clinique High Impact Mascara
Maybelline Illegal Lengths Waterproof Mascara
Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light Bisque
MAC Select Cover Concealer in NW20
Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder in shade 1
Bare Minerals Ready SPF15 Touch Up Veil in Translucent
Bourjois Blusher in Love Struck Rose
MAC Mineralize Blush in Warm Soul
HD Brow Palette shade used Ash Brown
Rimmel London Kate Moss Matte Lipstick in 111

I made a little video showing the process too!  Much to the hubby's disapproval as he thought me making a video on Christmas Day would make us late for dinner...  But I didn't hehe!

Watch this is HD!

So that's what I wore.  What did you wear?

I hope you had excellent Christmas and I hope you like the video (it's a little different with some curvy music, it's better to watch it in HD as well)

Angela xox

Schwarzkopf Osis+ Flatliner Flattening Iron Serum

I've been shopping my stash and I came across something I used to love.  Schwarzkopf Osis+ Flatliner Flattening Iron Serum was something I used to use constantly, but when blogging took over I got into trying lots of different goodies and merely forgot about this.  After a good dust and polish of the can, I decided to give this an outing.

Firstly, lets discuss the subject aka the hair.  I have medium length thick hair.  Soooo thick I always get the comment of 'oh my gosh your hair is so thick' from hair dressers.  It is a bit unruly and I try not to style it too much with heat.  I usually try and blow dry with a big round brush.

In the left below picture I have one day old hair which I initially blow dried.  After a sleep and a quick brush it looks like that... a big poofy mess.

Let's bring in Mr Schwarzkopf Osis+ Flatliner Flattening Iron Serum to the rescue...

On combed hair, I spray Flatliner all over my hair.  I spray it whilst lifting and shaking my hair around like something possessed. Then taking hair clips I split the hair into layers. Starting from the bottom layer to the parting section.

I used wide GHD's to achieve my straighten locks.  After separating the hair into layers, I then spray again over the hair of each layer. Combing the section then running the GHD through the hair. Easy peasy.

This took me about 15 to 20 minutes from start to finish.  The key is not to take large thick sections of hair. If you do the harder to tame and straighten it will be.

Angela xox

Crabtree And Evelyn Citron

Yay I won a giveaway!!

Early this month I won a Crabtree and Evelyn giveaway hosted by the lovely Miss A who writes for Beauty And Makeup Boudoir.  I was one of the lucky winners, which was really exciting for me.  Reason being 1) I've never won a blog giveaway and 2) I've never tried anything from Crabtree and Evelyn before.  

Lucky winners won Crabtree and Evelyn's Citron Honey and Coriander Perfect Pair*.  Inside a beautiful ribbon tied gift box you received a full size shower gel and body lotion. How adorable is the packaging?

I love the freshness of zesty lemon, somehow it always makes you feel fresh and awake. Luckily you don't smell much honey which is good as I'm not a fan of sickly honey scents.

I really like the fact the body lotion comes with an inbuilt pump, great for us lazy girls. I might take this to work as I'm always applying lotions and potions when I have a spare moment or two.

Something like this would make a fantastic gift for someone. You don't need to wrap it up due to the stunning box.  Once I've finished these, I'm going to recycle the box and maybe store my jewellery in there. The box is too cute to throw out.

Thank you Miss A for hosting a great giveaway.  If you fancy trying this, you can purchase this online here.  

Have you ever won a giveaway? Or have you ever tried anything from Crabtree and Evelyn?

Angela xox

*PR/blog Prize

Barry M | Amethyst Glitter

December is certainly glam it up and sparkle like a piece of Christmas tinsel month.  Parties are in full swing and what better way to sparkle...wear a glitter nail polish.

Amethyst Glitter is a rainbow glitter packed with pinks, blues, silvers and purples.  This will certainly get your nails some attention.  To get the above look you're going to have to layer this polish up... three coats gets the perfect look.

This would also be a great alternative to a top coat.  I've found that is not as troublesome as most glitter polishes to remove.  Yes you still have to work at it, but with a soaking cotton pad this will budge when it comes to removing it.

Amethyst is the cutest shade for New Years and it's a bargain at £2.99.  I also own Diamond Glitter, which you can see the nail look I created with that polish right here.

Angela xox

BbloggerXmas Outfit

A touch overdue but I thought I'd show you a few recent fashion purchases.  I actually wore this outfit to the BbloggerXmas Party on December 15th.

Everything mentioned below is new-ish as they were purchased on the 15th, so it all should be in store still.  The only exception is the watch, as I've had that a while.

I'm not very good at posing...

Top ~ Forever 21
Jeggings ~ Dorothy Perkins
Boots ~ Forever 21 (the link is for a grey version)
Necklace ~ Forever 21
Earrings ~ New Look
Watch ~ Fossil (Mini Riley ES2889 is my version)

I've tried to provide links for everything I could find online.  I hope this helps :-)

Angela xox

Merry Christmas!!!!

So Santa has been and I've eaten enough food to sink the Titanic.  I'm sorry for the lack of posts in the last couple of days but with the festive season literally around the corner and a busy work load I've not had a minute to do any posts.

Tut Tut!

So I thought I'd take the time to wish you all a Happy Crimbo.  I hope you got everything you asked Santa for!  I still have more presents to open on Boxing Day... the joys of having to split Christmas/Boxing Day with my family and the hubby's.

Any-ho...  I thought I'd share with you some pretty tree shots... isn't he beautiful?  It will be sad to see him go... sigh.

Once again... Merry Christmas!!!  And also Happy Birthday Jesus!!!  Let's not forget you :-)

Angela xox

Business Cards with Moo.com

How professional am I... my blog finally has business cards. 

In no shape or form do I consider my blog a business.  You usually make money from a business and I don’t from my blog.  For me blogging is more a hobby and a place for sharing my love for all things beauty.

When I attended the BBloggerXmas event I was quite astounded by how many bloggers had their own business cards.  I felt a bit unprepared to be honest.  So I said on the night as soon as I get home I’m ordering some.  I had looked at cards before and thought it was a silly idea but essentially all a business cards are, is a small list of contactable information.  It saves on the post-its, the scrap pieces of paper and a note book.  Or in my guess asking for everyone’s twitter names!!

I picked up my cards from Moo.Com and I completely recommend them.  The service was fast, easy and inexpensive.  There was no complications which was ideal.  I ordered them on Saturday 15th after I got home from the event and by the following Wednesday 18th I had my cards.
For less than £20 I got 100 cards and a small case (you buy this separately) which I think its a good price!

As it was my first time with Moo I was given a code for anyone I recommend to the site.  You’ll receive 10% off your order which is excellent!  If you’d like to make your own and would like the code, tweet me @jollybeachang  or direct message me your email and I’ll pass on the code.

Every little bit helps!  What do you think of business cards for blogs?

Angela xox

BBloggersXmas Party

Last Saturday I attended the first @BBloggersXmas Party organised by the lovely Lola and Victoria.  I meet some great beauty bloggers on the day but best of all I and finally got to meet the lovely Alice aka Bright Town Girl who I blog stalk!  Ha!

Any-ho it was a great day with fancy cake pops to nibble on.  They were  to die for and were perfect for the sweet toothed blogger like myself.  There was also some lovely PR stands from Soap Box PR show casing Diva Professional Haircare, Sista and Bad Apple Cosmetics.  Also there was the lovely Slender Tone ladies who were nice enough showed us some of their gadgets.

On the day if you felt like you needed some TLC, on hand was Aromatherapy Associates with their arm and hand massages.  Their essential oils smelt gorgeous.  Then if the arm massage wasn’t enough, if you wanted an OPI manicure the ladies from the Reebok Spa were on board to pamper us.

 

 

 

To end the day Lola and Victoria gave us all an amazing goody bag which was literally overflowing with beauty products.  I honestly can’t wait to dive in!  I can’t wait for the next BloggerXmas event.

Thank you ladies

Angela xo!

Garnier Ultimate Beauty Oil

I love the feel of moisturised skin, who wants dry skin?  Hmmm no one!  I do love and own a few body butters, lotions and creams but there is something else I’ve been really been loving lately.  So much so, the bottle is fast becoming empty.

Since I took this picture, the amount left is hardly nothing.

Garnier Ultimate Beauty Oil is a nourishing body oil which I have been using for a few months now since I went to Tunisia in October.  I picked it up to use in the evenings to add moisture and a glowing look to the skin after being in the glorious sun shine all day.  Since then I’ve pretty much used it every day since.

A weightless oil with a beautiful scrumptious scent that leaves your skin glowing and radiant.  It makes you look very refreshed and healthy.  Dull skin is gone with this beauty!

Containing yummy ingredients like argan, macadamia, almond and rose - this leaves smelling so... what’s the word... there isn’t one - just ahhhhh!  It is just a lovely relaxing smell if that makes sense.  I love my rosy floral scents and macadamia and argan are the king or queen of moisture, so this is a winner for me.

You might think because this is an oil based product that your skin would feel like an oil slick after applying it.  I promise, no it doesn’t unless you apply too much obviously then it will feel too oily.  The oil is very light weight and with the spray application it is lightly and evenly distributed on to the skin.  Just rub into the skin and your are finished.  You can dress or go to bed within minutes as it’s absorbed into the skin very fast and the oil doesn’t transfer.

Afterwards your skin will be left glowing with a healthy looking sheen.  This on the legs and arms looks lovely, you’ll have the super model sheen.  My top tip is to shower or have bath first, then pat the skin dry and whilst the skin is still slightly damp then put this on.  Your pore will still be open from the heat of the shower/bath.

This usually retails for £7.99 but Boots had it on special for £5-ish so go get yourself a bottle... I have!

Angela xox

Nails Inc | Shoreditch Lane

If you love a unique nail look then keep reading...

Shoreditch Lane is part of the Leather Effect Polishes which have just been launched by Nails Inc.  The sets come with super cute glue on skull jewels which are amazing (check Nails Inc for more info).

Shoreditch Lane *

Anyway, I was lucky enough to be able to get one of the lovely Nails Inc ladies to apply this polish to my nails at a recent event.  Now you might be thinking 'how can this possibly look like leather on the nails'.  Well it does... Beauty blogger promise.  It really does have a leather resemblance.  Like the Concrete collection, this polish gives the nails a textured finish.

Shoreditch Lane itself is a pretty autumn fall shade, it's a very mulled wine berry colour which I liked a lot.  I must say I was impressed and the lasting power was very good.  It was was going strong for up to 4 to 5 days with no chipping.  That was also without a top coat as Nails Inc recommend you don't use one.

I can't wait to buy this polish for myself as I really enjoyed wearing it.  On the plus side it was not difficult to remove either which was it great!

Angela xox

* PR Sample at a Blogger Event ( I didn't get to keep this beauty :-( sadly! )

Rimmel Kate Moss Matte Lipstick ~ 107

I have never been that daring, especially when it comes to lip colours.  Hey I don't mind wearing something bright and bold whilst I'm doing the ironing, but when it comes to venturing outside I stick to 'safe' colours.

However when I decided to film my bold red lip video I knew I needed something über daring. This is where Kate Moss comes in... Well not literally!

Rimmel London Kate Moss Matte Lipstick in 107

She's bold, daring and damn right scary... But actually I'm quite fond of this matte lippy. A great autumn winter shade this deep  berry red shade will suit any skin tone more or less.

I love that this is matte as I think if this had been a glossy finish I wouldn't of been so keen to try it.  Where this matte I think it looks better on the lips, more natural so to speak (if you ignore the big bold part anyway). If it had been glossy I think it would of been over kill.

Swatches plus me breathing on the lens....oops!

The staying power of this is superb and it doesn't budge for hours, it is really long lasting which I love. I found it easy to apply as it was creamy.  My advice before applying this is to exfoliate your lips and use a lip balm to prep the skin. I found it easier to apply to soft silky lips rather than dry rough ones.

Considering I was apprehensive in purchasing this I have actually worn it a few times and had some good comments. I feel comfortable wearing this almost to the point I don't realise I'm actually wearing it.

For my first experience of the Kate Moss lipstick I would give it a big thumbs up.  Plus the lipsticks are so purse friendly at £5.49 you'd be crazy not to buy.

Angela xox

No7 Stay Perfect Metallic Eyes Pencil ~ Green

So I have a new eyeliner to show you.  With Christmas coming I thought I'd try something a little fancy and I recently picked up this metallic eyeliner from No7 to try out.

Stay Perfect Metallic Eyes Pencil in Green

So it's called Green.  To me the name doesn't really do this product justice.  Green sounds a little boring, Emerald is much more alluring.  I mean if you see the swatches above, I'd hardly call this just an average green... green lagoon perhaps?

On the lash line and lid

This eyeliner promises a soft, stay perfect, creamy liner with an intense colour and shine.  No7 do break some of these promises.

Initially this is quite hard to use.  No7 say this is creamy, I personally have been warming the pencil on the back of the hand before applying to the lash line or eye lid as it just too hard.  Dragging on a tender skin area is a no no for me!

No7 promise a long lasting metallic liner.  I have found that this does like to smudge a little to begin with which is unfortunate.  So it's not particularly long lasting as promised.  As for the metallic promise No7 do keep to their word as this does have that metallic look about it.

Swatches time

In all honesty I like this but I don't think I'd be repurchasing sadly.  It's just too hard on the tender eye area, however I love the colour as it is intense and metallic.  If they made a softer version then perhaps I'd be swayed to repurchase it.

This is a little expensive for a drug store brand at £6.50, I'd rather spend the money on these babies which are better and longer lasting.

Angela xox

Nails Inc | Concrete Collection

Texture nails are seriously the 'it' thing in the nail polish world.  Luckily hitting Nails Inc stands is their new Concrete creations.  They are out now by the way!

L-R: Monument, Stonehenge, Marble Arch and London Wall 

I have three of the four shades - Marble Arch, Stonehenge and London Wall.

Marble Arch - Tomato Red and London Wall - Nude *

Apologies for not showing Stonehenge but sadly I don't have enough hands to show you.  But the picture above is to demonstrate the textured affect more so.

The amazing thing I love with these polishes is the speed.  Firstly you only need two coats to get the perfect finish.  In the above picture I have only applied two coats on each hand.  Secondly I love the drying speed.  Almost in a nano second (tad exaggeration) the polish is dry.  A great look super fast... yes please!

The polishes apply like a normal looking polish which looks slightly grainy.  Then when it dries it is almost like the grainy sand effect comes to the surface.  These look best without a top coat as they take on a slight matte look.

If you like the look of these then DON'T hang about.  I think these are limited edition, so once they are gone they are gone.  Each one retails for £12 and are available online here.

Angela xox

*PR Goodies

Botanics Love Affair

When it comes to skin care right now I’m loving Botanics.  Easy to buy (thanks to Boots), reasonably inexpensive and lots of goodies to chose from.  I don’t like to play around too much when it comes to skin care as I’m a believer that if you keep throwing different products on to the skin it’ll never get used to that product. 

Our skin reacts differently to every thing we apply on to it.  Think of your face being a canvas and products being paints.  Whatever you apply to the skin creates a different mixture, which the skin absorbs.  If you keep changing paint colours the outcome will always be different.  How is the skin supposed to get used to products if you keep changing??

A few weeks back I picked up the Super Serum Radiant Youth which I’m really liking (watch this space for a review). When I was in Boots the other day I noticed they had offers on the Botanics range with money off. The serum had £2 discount, so I bought a new tube and I also picked up some other bits and bobs from the range

Mattifying Gel Cream Shine Away
This SPF15 gel is great for us oily skin ladies (and gents).  This hydrates and tightens your pores.  It is very light feeling and doesn’t block my pores.  Due to the tightening effect this stops your skin producing excess sebum (oils).   After cleaning the face in the morning and applying the Super Serum, place this on the areas where you are prone to oiliness. You will feel it start to mattify the skin so much you’ll want to keep touching your face!  You don’t have to wait long for this to be absorbed as the skin drinks it up.  You can then apply your makeup over the top.  Simples and cheap at £4.99.

Replenishing Night Cream Radiant Youth
If you need to boost your radiance, use this every evening after cleansing the skin and after the Super Serum.  This is a youth enhancing intensive moisturiser which I definitely need!  Filled with goodies which combat the signs of ageing (apparently in 4 weeks) and Vitamins C and E which reinenforce antioxant protection.  This also has hyaluronic acid technology which boosts collagen production.  A good bargain for £7.99 I think.

I also picked up the Microdermabrasion Polish Radiant Youth which I’ll show in another post as they’ll be swatches to show you.

What bargains do you love?

Angela xox

NYX Pinky Purple Smokey Eye Look

I'm quite the fan of the US brand NYX and I didn't quite realise how much of their products I owned. I had a little play with some of the items I have and I came up with this pinky purple smokey eye.

Products I have used in order of use:

Match Perfection Foundation in 100 Ivory
MAC Paint Pot in Nubile
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk
NYX Eyeshadow in Princess Pink
NYX Eyeshadow in Root Beer
NYX Eyeshadow in Prune

NYX Eyeshadow in White
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Purple Velvet

No7 Fanomenal Lashes Mascara

HD Brow Palette shade used Ash Brown

Estée Lauder Double Wear Concealer in Light Medium

Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder in shade 1

Clinique Blusher in Bashful Blush

NYX Mega Shine Lipgloss in Tea Rose

I also recorded the look and uploaded a video to my youtube channel.  

I hope you enjoyed the video.  Also do you have any requests?

Angela xox

NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss ~ Tea Rose

I’m not the biggest gloss fan. If there were two football teams and I had to pick a side, I’d pick the Lipsticks over the Glosses.  Sometimes they are  just too sticky I don’t see the point.  They end up all over the place and in your hair if you know what I mean. 

 

One brand of glosses I don’t mind wearing are NYX.  Here I have Tea Rose which is a pretty medium pink.  With these NYX glosses the first thing you notice is the packaging.  It’s so cute and girly with the embossed bow on the handle and secondly the scent and flavour is so yummy.  This has a sponge applicator which is slightly angled for easier application.

The name Mega Shine is true to form as this are soooooo shiny and glossy. On a positive note it is not too sticky which has the thumbs up from me.

I also own Sponge Cake which is natural beige colour with a splash of shimmer.  I will show you more of this soon. 

NYX Cosmetics are now available online in the UK.  Click here to go to the website.  Sadly they are not yet to launch in stores like Boots or Superdrug, but I hope they launch in a store here soon.

Have you tried NYX?

Angel xox

All that glitters with Barry M

Barry M have brought out some stunning shades to adorn our finger tips.  And just in time Christmas too which is pretty awesome.  To hit the shelves are some pretty cool glitter polishes and here is two of them.

Amethyst and Diamond Jewel Glitter Nail Paint

Amethyst is the prettiest rainbow shade full of pink, blue, silver and black glitters pieces which are small in size.  I think this is the perfect party shade used all over the nails or as a sparkly top coat.  When you apply it to the nails it's very blue toned which is unique I think.  

Diamond is as it suggests a silver 'diamond' like glitter.  Unlike Amethyst there is a mixture of small and large pieces of silver glitter pieces.  I have already tried Diamond over the top of Revlon's Sheer Petal and the combination looks so cute and girly I think.

Sorry for the dodgy Instagram shot!

I have shown you what Diamonds looks like... so stay tuned for a post on Amethyst coming soon!  

These are in Boots and Superdrug stores now and retail for £2.99 each.  You can also buy them direct from Barry M.

Angela xox

Beauty Tip: You cannot escape!

Random name for a post I know but I thought it was fitting.  Kind of.  These days products are a tad expensive and you always want to get every last drop, scoop, ounce of products from you tubes and pots.

I mentioned these products in an empties post a while back but as I was about to recycle them I thought I'd see what was trying to escape without being used.

So taking a pair of scissors... be careful now if you try this.  I cut the packaging about half way down, all the way a cross.  You have to remember to keep the cut off part as this will come in handy.

Once I cut it off I looked inside and was surprised by how much left over product is inside.  Lots of expensive beauty product would of ended up at a plastic recycling centre some where if I hadn't been a little curious!

As for the other end of the tube... I popped this back on the other end by slightly bending the main part of the tube into a curved C shape.  The products will be safe and sound and ready for use.

Cool tip which you've probably heard before but I thought I'd share :-)

Have a great Sunday!

Angela xox

Sensai Kanebo Blogger Event

Last week I was one of the lucky bloggers to be invited to the Sensai Kanebo event held at the gorgeous Metropolitan Hotel.  Sensai is a Japanese based brand which specializes in cosmetics, skincare, bath and body care and hair products.

Sensai isn't very well known in Europe, they are much more established in the fart east.  Many of their products contain a precious ingredient called koishimaru silk which Sensai call their precious treasure.  As we all know silk is soft, smooth and completely flawless.  Sensai want the same for your skin.

Pictures from the night

At the event also was the lovely makeup artist Kelly Cornwell who helped demonstrate on willing volunteers some of their amazing products.  I especially loved their Bronzing Gel which takes you from pale and pasty to bronzed goddess in a nano second.

Their lipsticks are also stunning with every colour you could ever need.  They are long lasting and moisturising.  Kelly applied an amazing colour to my lips which was still there by the time I went to bed, in fact I had to scrub it off!!

So after the nibbles were eaten and drinks were finished and it was time to go home, the lovely people of Sensai gave us a few items as a thank you for attending.

Sensai Step 1 Cleansing Milk*

A silk purifying rise off milk cleanser which leaves the skin soft and smooth.  Packed with gentle ingredients this removes all traces of makeup and excess sebum whilst giving the skin a radiant glow.  Part of Sensai's recommended two step skin care system.  The cleansing milk retails for £38.

The colourful lipsticks*

We were also given a few samples of their lipsticks which came in this gorgeous set.  Some amazing colours... there is certainly a shade to suit everyone.

I will be honest by saying Sensai is not a brand for those of you with tightly pulled purse strings.  It is expensive, their lipsticks alone cost £40 which is eye watering.  Sensai is exclusive to stores like Harrods and Selfridges.  So as you can imagine most items they sell have large price tags which is unfortunate as some of their products were amazing.  Still a brand worth looking at, but be warned before you fall in love :-)

Angela xox

*PR Samples

The Essential Holiday Makeup Trio

When it comes to the first few days of a holiday/vacation and you feel a little pale around the pool I generally like to wear a spot of makeup.

I have three essentials that I love to use; a tinted moisturiser, a waterproof mascara and eyeshadow.  I still like to wear some makeup but I generally tone it down a lot and I steer clear of foundations to give my skin a rest.

No7 Triple Protection, Revlon Colourstay and Maybelline Legal Lengths

This year my three essentials were:

No7 Triple Protection Tinted Moisturiser
Revlon Colourstay Shadow Stick in Torch
Maybelline Legal Lengths Mascara (Waterproof version)

The Tinted Moisturiser
This years tinted moisturiser of choice was the No7 Triple Protection.  I'd had a sample sized amount which I liked and thought I'd give the full sized tube a shot.  I have the shade fair/medium which was initially dark on my pale skin, but after I had a few days in the sun this looked perfect on me. 

It gives a gorgeous dewy look to the skin without looking greasy and the coverage is good for a tinted moisturiser.  I did find it difficult to blend when I applied it with my fingers, but a buffing brush from Real Techniques put an end to the difficultly.  The great thing about this product is the protection it gives your skin.  It has a 5 star UVA technology so it protects your skin from ageing plus it has SPF 15.

There is a limited shade choice however with only three to choose from.  For a high street brand it is on the expensive side at £11.50 but if you try to purchase it when No7 have the vouchers for £5 off you're on to a winner. 

The Eyeshadow
When it comes to eyeshadow, staying power is the key demand.  For a quick, easy eye the Revlon Colourstay Smokey Shadow sticks are the 'it' item to have in your makeup bag.  At £7.99 for two colours I think you'd be silly not to have them. 

Long lasting and come in a great range of shades they are simple and quick to use.  No tools required!  Bonus when travelling and you don't have much space.

Torch (above) is great natural colour for the eyes and it also comes with the brown which is great for smoking out the eye and lining it.  If you want to see swatches you can click here.

The waterproof mascara
When by the pool or on holiday at all, a waterproof mascara is a must.  No one wants panda eyes!  I'd never tried the original Maybelline Legal Lengths mascara before, however using this I am impressed with the look it gives my lashes.

With it's fibre extensions in the mascara itself this lengthens the lashes amazingly.  You can really see the difference.  I do like a full lash look which you don't get with this, but if you're looking for illegal length... then this is for you!

As for the waterproof qualities...does it last?  Yes!!!  My Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish got a good work out after using this.  So if you're on the look out for a waterproof, I'd recommend this and as for the price it's definitely worth it at £8.99.

What is your holiday makeup essentials?

Angela xox

Green Smokey Eyes

Looking for a makeup look for Christmas?  Or any other time?  Perhaps you'd like to try this...

I do love a green smokey eye look so I raided my collection and came up with this look for you.  If you like dramatic eyes then you'll love this... fingers crossed!

Products mentioned are:

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation in Ivory 100
MAC Paint Pot in Nubile
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk
Gosh Effect Powder in Aquatic
Bourjois Eyeshadow in Noir Emeraude
Revlon Eyeshadow in Black Galaxy
Sleek Original Palette
L'Oreal Superliner in Black Lacquer
Rimmel Scandal Eyes Liner in Black
Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer
No7 Fanomenal Lashes Mascara
Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder Shade 1
HD Brow Palette  Colour used Ash Brown
Bourjois Blusher in Love Struck Rose
NYX Lip Gloss in Sponge Cake

I hope you enjoyed my video.  Please let me know your thoughts.

Angela xox