I'm almost feeling back to normal now after my mad hen weekend! While I was wandering around Edinburgh with my pals, I couldn't help but stop and get Chris a little gift. He has a HUGE sweet tooth and loves any kind of chocolate or sweet things. So when I walked past The Fudge House, I thought I would pick up a few different flavours for him. I got four types of fudge all packaged in a little box...chocolate hazlenut, white chocolate, creme brulee and maple syrup. As you can see from the pic, he has been at it already and there's already some gone!
I'm surprised I managed to resist getting myself some but although my wedding dress is ready to pick up now, I will be having another dress fitting at the end of this month to tweak the fit so I have to be good! I weighed myself after being away at the weekend to see if I had put anything on and low and behold I had put on just under 1lb. That's ok though because I did go all out and eat/drink whatever I wanted. I can lose that again in less than a week so I'm ok with that!
Chris had taken a trip back home to Ireland at the weekend and he returned with two gifts for me from his lovely mum. She kindly bought me a dress from Savida and a skirt from Dunnes Stores. I am so lucky to have a future mother in law who knows exactly what my style is, she always gets me such lovely things! The dove grey dress is a jersey type material with a cream vest lining, tie waist and crochet detail on the bust...perfect for lazy summer days.
The pale grey skirt has gorgeous embellished pockets and is pretty short but just the right length for me...I might wear this on my Aberdeen hen night in July! I love clothes that have beading or intricate embellishments, it just adds a bit of glitz and interest.
After getting back from Edinburgh my skin and hair felt a bit dry...that could be because of the copious amounts of alcohol that was consumed...not big and not clever! I found three products that really infused my hair and skin with hydration again. The first being Loreal Elvive Re-Nutrition Nourishing Fluid which I like to apply both day and night. I work it through the ends of my hair after blowdrying and also at night before I go to bed. I find that it's light enough not to make my fine hair greasy but it works hard at making my hair feel like silk. My hair already feels tons better. Another hair product I really rate is the Sebastian Hydre Deep Moisturising Treatment, this is amazing if you have dry or frizzy hair and if you're blonde, you'll know what I'm talking about! I leave the treatment on in the shower for 5-10 mins and then wash thoroughly...this is important to ensure that all of the product has been washed out of your hair. Otherwise, you will end up with a build up of residue and you're hair will be static all the time. I switch around my hair treatments alot because my hair gets too used to using the same product and it becomes less effective. My favourites are still Lee Stafford Hair Growth Treatment, Kerastase Chroma Riche Mask and I would say this Sebastian one is now up there with my favourites.
The third product is a skin saviour if you have dry skin. It's the Estee Lauder Hydra Complete Multi Level Moisture Gel Mask. It's described as a 'long, refreshing drink of pure moisture for your skin'. My face feels so soothed after using this and it plumps out my skin texture, softens it and smoothes any dry patches. It's a great mask to use the morning after a big night out because it feeds your skin with the hydration it needs. It's oil free so it's great for sensitive skin. It contains alot of natural ingredients like Cactus Flower and Mohave Yucca and is also great if you work or live in an air conditioned environment where skin can get really dried out.
Onto some things that I have been loving at the moment. First up is the Givenchy Prisme Libre in no.4 Tender Sun. Although the diagram on the bottom of the product indicates that it is intended for use on your cheeks, I love to swirl the four bronzey shades together for an all over face glow. This gives such a luminous but non shimmery radiance to your complexion and it looks very natural. I love the packaging although I don't find the double sided face puff inside that useful as it applies the product too heavily for my liking. I much prefer to use a big powder brush to give an even and natural finish. The palest peachy coloured powder in the quad is really brightening and brings my skin to life. It doesn't look chalky on the skin and because you only need a small amount for each application, it will last for a long time.
I had been trying out a new foundation last week and wanted to share my thoughts on it. It's Lacome Teint Idol Silky Mat Foundation in Beige Diaphane. This foundation claims to provide 18 hours of shine free coverage that's breathable and visibly refines pores. This foundation is a light to medium coverage but it is also buildable. The consistency is very runny and you really don't need alot of product. It has SPF 16 and contains Mineral Siliceum to actively control shine over time. It's described as being hydrating, oil-free, sweat resistant and suitable for all skin types. I would agree that the foundation is very light in texture and it feels natural on the skin, it offered adequate coverage for my skin, however my skin is currently pretty blemish free and even. It gave a nice soft matte finish and didn't look cakey or unnatural. I don't know about the sweat resistant claim though as I did find that the foundation tends to melt a bit after about 5 hours and when you rush around, it doesn't feel fool proof on my face. I think this would be the kind of foundation that I would only wear in the daytime as I need a bit extra coverage and staying power if I'm heading out on the town with the girls. It's a nice foundation for girls who are looking for a light, natural finish. It didn't blow me away but it's certainly a good foundation for summer on lazy days in the sun when you want that no-makeup look.
I am obsessed with having flawless makeup so any kind of primer that will help me achieve that is welcome in my makeup collection! This new concealer and eyeshadow primer from Benefit Stay, Dont Stray is a flesh coloured liquid that can be applied under the eye and on the eye lid to make sure your concealer and eyeshadow stay put. Sometimes concealers can melt or settle into fine lines (it can be due to using an eye cream that's slightly too heavy) and I personally hate it when that happens because it can make you look older. Because I get bad under eye circles, I really need my concealer to stay flawless all day and this product is brilliant at doing that. I just apply a tiny amount with my fingers and pat it gently into my eye area. There's a pump applicator so this keeps everything nice and mess-free. I normally use Mac Paint Pots to prime my eye lid before eyeshadow but this will be more handy for travelling because it kills two birds with one stone. It's particularly useful on nights out when I know I will be bopping around to music and getting sweaty (gross, I know!). It's like a liquid version of Mac Painterly Paint Pot so it's great for concealing uneven pigmentation on the eye lid - you could even wear it on it's own if you were going for the natural look.
I have my wedding makeup trial for myself and my three bridesmaids this Saturday in Glasgow so I'm REALLY excited about that. I have been looking into this for a while and I really want my makeup to be perfect on the big day. I am a perfectionist and I'm kinda scared that I might come across as some kind of diva to the makeup artist. It's just because I am so into my own makeup and I know what works on me. I have a list of products/words to go over with her like...Mac Woodwinked e/s, golden peachy tones, soft matte complexion with highlighted cheekbones, black flicked eyeliner...etc. I am really particular about the coverage of my foundation for example so I want to make sure that I choose the right product for the day. It's so hard because you need a foundation without SPF or at least with a low SPF so you don't get that white cast look in flash photography. Also, you have to get your eyes and lips more defined than you usually would so they show up better on camera. I have been looking for inspiration and I love the skin and eye makeup in this Pixiwoo Bridal Makeup vid, although the lip colour would be too pale...
I know that I want individual false lashes on the day and since my dress is a champagne shade, I think that gold and bronze tones would really compliment the dress and my hair. I really hope I don't come across as really high maintenance to the makeup artist but I know what I want on my wedding day and I won't be happy unless it's perfect but I think anyone could understand that. I am going to try and wear a top that is ivory or champagne coloured so I can get a good idea of how the makeup will look against my dress.
I really want to channel the subtlely sunkissed Charlize Theron vibe for my wedding makeup. I love the way she always has soft definition using golds and bronze:
I think if I used a lipstick like Mac's High Tea then that would add the colour I needed on the lips.
So I will have to take some pics of how the makeup turns out. But meantime, have you got any tips for makeup trials?
Photo Courtesy of LookBookLA.com
Window Un-Dressed: Andrew Christian West Hollywood Store Window (photo courtesy of LookBookLA.com)
Red, Black and Blue...and Six Pack Ab: Andrew Christian poses with Models (photo courtesy of LookBookLA.com)
Trois: Andrew Christian, Nick Verreos and JP Calderon, Andrew Christian Store Opening
The Fashion Show Mini: Designer James-Paul and friend, Andrew Christian Store Opening Party (photo courtesy of LookBookLA.com)
