Beauty on a budget

The credit crunch seems to be affecting everyone at the moment leaving us with little cash to spare to spend on making us look fabulous! But you don’t need hundreds of pounds to look a million dollars.

Here are a few tips to stay looking beautiful everyday without putting your hand in your pocket:

If your nail varnish has dried out, i do this all the time by leaving the lid off, add a tiny drip of nail varnish remover into it and shake well and it will be good as new

To make your mascara last longer blast it with your hairdryer for a few seconds

Lipstick can be very frustrating when you can see that you have plenty left but can not get to it. The best thing to do is scoop it all out and heat in the microwave for a few seconds. Mix and press into a small container and you’ll have a new shade

When buying eye shadow by eye palettes, much more cost effective!

Weird tip but trust me it works!!! If you suffer from very dry hair, apply a tablespoon of cooking oil, comb through your hair and wrap in a towel for 20 minutes. Then wash and shampoo and condition as normal

Dust your lashes with loose translucent powder before applying mascara to add volume and lengthen your lashes

Keep your lip and eyeliner in your fridge as it will be less likely to break

Use your eye shadow as eyeliner by applying it with a damp cotton bud

Add a small amount of foundation into your moisturise to create an every day tinted moisturiser

Bleach your own teeth. You can pick up really good kits now and it will save you hundreds of pounds and you will be able to smile with confidence

Do not feel cheeky to ask for samples at beauty counters

To make the most out of your razor all you need to do is rinse it in a cup of ice water. It keeps your razor sharp and can make it last twice as long.

Free £5.00 Skincare Voucher* at Boots

Boots has a huge collection of beauty products and are currently giving away a free £5 voucher when you spend £5 or more in a single transaction. You have until the 9th September 2008 so be quick!!!

Redeemable only on these fantastic brands:

Olay Regenerist
Olay Total Effects
Olay Definity
Boots Time Delay
L’Oreal Wrinkle De-crease
L’Oreal Revitalist
The Sanctuary Spa Covent Garden
Tri-aktiline

Terms and Conditions

Redeeming your voucher
Voucher valid until 9 September 2008
Voucher can only be used on facial skincare products
Your £5 facial skincare voucher can be spent on facial skincare products from the following brands: Tri-Aktiline, Olay Definity, Olay Regenerist, Olay Total Effects, L’Oréal Wrinkle Decrease, L’Oréal Revitalift, Boots Time Delay and Sanctuary Facial Skincare
Voucher cannot be redeemed on www.boots.com or bootsdirect
No change will be given for any products under the value £5 when using this voucher
Vouchers cannot be used as part payment when redeeming Advantage Card points
Only one voucher can be redeemed per transaction in store
Vouchers cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer or coupon
No cash alternative is available
Photocopies will not be accepted and vouchers are not transferable
Some products featured may only be stocked in larger Boots stores
Subject to availability

To find you nearest Boots store click here.

Get Ready for the launch - Chanel

How exciting!!! Chanel are launching some fabulous new products due to hit the stores in September!

First to hit the stores will be Exeptionnel De Chanel - a dramatic black-look mascara which gives volume and voluptuous curves to the lashes. To complete the look they will also by launching a Due Eyeliner and a Smoky Eyes Shadow Palette.

Autumn Makeup Collection - Glamorous range of colours inspired by crystal and gold.

Coco Mademeiselle New Products - Twist and spray eau de parfum and fresh moisture mist

Sublimage Texture Universelle - A lighter velvety cream for all skin types. This new addition to the sublimage range gives smoother, firmer and more radiant skin.

Lift Lumiere Foundation - A rejuvenating and smoothing fluid foundation with a subtle satiny sheen. Smoothes away wrinkles and diminishes imperfections.

Les Tissage de Chanel - Soft powder tweed effect blush gives a radiant finish. Available in 4 shades to delicately illuminate the face.

I know that i will be purchasing most of the above as they all sound amazing, very exciting, roll on September!!!

Pretty Feet

You might be a lucky one off on holiday soon but if like myself you are still sat in “sunny” England it is still no excuse for not getting your feet out this summer.

Doesn’t matter if you are strutting your stuff on a beach or have your feet hidden in Ugg boots cracked heels, split nails and chipped nail varnish is not acceptable!

Follow these simple steps to have beautiful feet:

Firstly, remove any nail varnish you are wearing

Soak your feet in warm water to soften your skin and nails

Remove any hard skin using a foot buffer and foot file concentrating on your heels.

Dry your feet thoroughly and moisturise with plenty of foot cream

Cuticle cream works wonders on your toes. Gently apply the cream on your nails and push back cuticles in tiny circular movements around the nail plate

Tidy up your nails using nail clippers, rounding the corners help to prevent in-growing toenails

Paint your nails in whatever colour takes your fancy

To end your foot pamper give your feet a good hydrating rub!

Your feet should now feel soft and gorgeous!!!

Out of office glamour

If you are heading out straight from the office a quick fix to add instant glamour is to add red lipstick.

Red lipstick will always be a beauty staple – always in fashion, whatever the season.

Men find red lips hard to resist. Over the years we have learnt that red lipstick = sex appeal and glamour!

The best color red to go for is a shout-out shade. It is all about being bold and carrying off even a really bright colour with confidence. Make sure that you apply the lipstick correct though and go for a shade for your age as if wrongly applied can make you look washed out or tarty.

With red lipstick it is all about your skin tone! See below for a few tips on what red colour to go for depending on your skin tone:

Fair Skinned: Go for a brownish red

Medium-to-dark: Deep and rich red

Dark brown: Pinkish reds or strong fuchsias

Ashley Olsen wears a bright stand-out shade here demonstrating just how cool this look is and how to wear red.

Make the most out of the look you have…

Don’t shy away from a mirror

If you have a low self esteem you will probably hate the thought of looking in a mirror and avoid it like the plague. However, mirrors can become a big alley. Even if to start off with you only spend a couple of minutes a day looking at yourself and visualize any changes that you would like to change that would make you feel good about yourself, anything from fresher, younger looking skin, healthier hair or a brighter smile. These changes are realistic and attainable and in my blog there are lots of tips to help you achieve you goal.

Pamper yourself like you are in a salon

You always feel fantastic when you have spent a day in the salon so why not pamper yourself like you are in a salon in your own home? Its simple really! You must of noticed how your hair gets washed in the hairdressers and feels squeaky clean after, so do it yourself. Always pour the shampoo and conditioner onto you hands, do not pour directly onto your hair, and give your head a good massage for a couple of minutes. Your hair will feel soft and clean and by massaging your head you will feel relaxed.

Stand out in the crowd

It is not all about looking pretty. Look amazing and show everyone around you that you take pride in yourself. Make the most of what you have. Feel good, feel pretty and that’s just what everyone else will see around you. You’ll learn to love yourself and that will make you dazzle and more confident person.

Do what makes you happy

Do one thing for yourself everyday. Even if you can only squeeze one thing into your day make sure you do it! It can be anything from painting your nails or a long soak in a bath. Try to take A break at least twice a day to recheck your make-up, hair, posture and clothing. Always works a treat for me!

And last but not least smile! Smiling = beauty in my eyes!

Boob Enhancer

Always dreamed of perfect perky breasts that remain a distant dream, unless you are willing to endure the pain and cost of the knife. Well look no further Rodial’s latest ‘wonder cream’, the Boob Job could be the answer to a fuller bust!

Going under the knife is not something you should do without thinking long and hard about. There are so many risks and if you are going to do it make sure you do your research and NEVER do it on the cheap!!!

But thanks to this fantastic product you may want to think twice before going under the knife. Boob job is based on a natural phytosterol and works with your natural fat cells. As the fat moves around the body after eating, the cream blocks the fat into areas where the cream has been applied, and locks it into the bust area. You will see a gradual increase in cup within 56 days as well as gaining an instant lifting and firming effect.

I have ordered mine today so you will have to be patient and I will get back to you in 56 days. Could a gel really boost me up a bigger bra size? I am very intrigued! After having a browse through their website, I could see that they offered many different products for different areas of your body. So in time I will have to make a few purchases and let you know what I think!

At £125 it is not cheap but compared to the cost of a boob job it is nothing!

Are we too concerned about our appearance???

These days it seems as though, not only during the summer months, but all year round we are obsessed with being slim and beautiful. Recent surveys show that women can’t go longer than half an hour without having a quick peek in the mirror. I personally put this down to those beautiful celebrities on front covers of magazines. Celebrities are, on the whole, considered by many to be extremely attractive.

There is too much focus today on the way women look and all this size zero debate shows how much pressure people feel under.

Over the last couple of years the beauty industry has boomed. A HUGE amount of money is made by promoting and exploiting this phenomenon. Even the male grooming industry is now worth a staggering £59 billion worldwide.

I have got pretty caught up myself and I would never leave the house without make-up. I would feel naked. Even a trip to the supermarket involves concealer, mascara and lipgloss. A night out involves the full slap, foundation, eye shadow, eyeliner, blusher this list could go on forever…

Beauty products and skincare treatments drink up all my money but spending money on cosmetics doesn’t make me feel as though I am throwing my money down the drain as it makes me feel better in myself so why not? If you look good, you feel good and the opposite applies too. If you feel good, you’ll look good.

Most people have diaries full of birthdays, personal reminders but not mine. Mine is full of appointments for hair, nails, facials, etc. That is far more important to me, everything else comes second…

Roll back the years with Botox

As we grow older are main panic seems to be lines and wrinkles. It doesn’t matter who you are they will affect you one day even those catwalk beauties.

There is many reasons we will get wrinkles and lines mainly caused by everyday movements and facial expressions including smiling, laughing or frowning . Sun damage and smoking plays a big part in this too!

Not everyone will agree with me on this one but i am a big believer in curing the signs of ageing with Botox.
One small injection will minimise the appearance of lines and wrinkles, giving you a fresher, more youthful appearance.

Botox is a simple procedure that is injected into these muscles and works by precisely weakening these small facial muscles, resulting in unwrinkled skin. There is no anaesthetic involved with Botox and can be over and done with in 10 minutes and as it is not surgery there is no chance of scarring.

If you were to have Botox i would only recommend going to a “well named” company such as Transform or Harley Medical.

L’oreal Paris Glam Shine Blush Lipgloss

L’Oreal’s new lip gloss is genius! As soon as I saw it advertised I was straight out to buy it (yes, I know, ‘Sucker’!) but when it comes to lip gloss I am a bit of an addict.

It promises to stay on no matter how much you eat, drink or kiss and is perfect for a sparkly, girly night out on the town.

It sells out quicker than it hits the shelf – sold every four minutes in the UK.

The secret behind the gloss is in the hydrating properties that make lips shimmer and shine.

They have a selection of colour’s and I am in love with all of them. Since I have been wearing this gloss everyone has been commenting on the shine and wanting to know what I am using.

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