Secret Cinema | Back To The Future

Back To The Future is one of those fabulous Sunday films you can watch a million times and always get swept up in the 80's hairstyles and 50's glamour. So whilst I'd known about Secret Cinema events for a while, it wasn't until this one rolled around that I actually stumped up the cash for one. On the 1st August myself, Tomas and my friend Nancy took the DeLorean with flux capacitor set to our destination - Hill Valley circa 1955!

Getting ready for this evening was an event in itself. From the frocks to pomade slicked hair, I have to say this was definitely an era we all relished taking part in (and, let's be honest we all have wished we could dress like this every day!) We were each assigned characters to play (this didn't amount to anything in the end but it was a nice quirk I guess) and luckily we all became High School Seniors going to the Enchanted Under The Sea Dance. Fabulous! So for the evening Nancy became Joan, Tomas turned into Richard and I to 'Shaquanna Nettles'. Yeah I'm not sure I quite fitted the persona either!

The town had everything from a diner serving Byron burgers and shakes to Hill Valley High School where a real-life prom was being held, with swing dancers aplenty. There was a promenade of shops where you could pick up a tonne of vintage goodies or make yourself a little crafty souvenir to remember the night. To top it off there was even a working fun fair. Of course the graphic designer in my boyfriend ensured we walked away with a hand printed, super cool letter press poster for our flat. Nancy and I however were smitten with the corsage stool and enjoyed glue-gun-fun making high quality wrist foliage! 

I think though one of the big highlights of the night had to be our time spent as cheerleaders, all three of us really showed off our moves but for some reason only Nancy & I were documented shaking our pom poms..!

Genuinely, though expensive, for the immersive experience you get in going back to the 1950's this was totally worth it. There was definite room for improvement with certain aspects of crowd control, technical hitches during the show (we went to the second performance so there were a few rough edges) and for out of towners' the journey to deepest darkest Hackney was a little much, but overall the night gets a 7/10 from me.

Did any of you folks make your way down to this event? I know this attire would work perfectly for the Goodwood Revival which I went to last year so definitely let me know if you rate our 1950's get ups!

Lily x

P.s. Sorry for the blogging break! Life got a little bit crazy for a few weeks, there was a storm which took out our internet for 2 weeks too but I promise not to leave it this long again! 

L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes & Shu Umera S Curler | Review

Hello my name is Lily and I have a mascara problem. I am forever telling my mum to go and buy my latest holy grail mascara, only for a few weeks later to hop on to another mascara bandwagon. Well Ladies and Gentlemen, I've now found my perfect eye combo for lashes that literally just go POW!

Spring Make Up | Bronze Eyes & Red-Orange Lips

This season the makeup look of the moment is a bright and bold, orange-red toned lip, teamed with gold/bronze eyes. I'm not one to follow trends for the sake of trends, but if you remember my Lipstick Doughtnut Post, then you'll know how much I love the Hourglass Opaque Rouge in Riviera! With that in my stash it would be rude not to put down my eyeliner and take out my trusty Urban Decay Naked Palette for a bronze eye. I simply swept Half Baked all over the lid with my Mac 217 Brush and blended out. Running a little Darkhorse along the lash line, adding lashings of mascara and I was good to go!

I also took this opportunity to take my Tarte Blush in Tipsy out for a spin. Oh wow! Never has a blush applied so buttery and blended so well. Blushes normally last on me a max of 3hours but this one genuinely lasted until bed time!

Finally an ode to the Dior BB Cream. I remember when I hadn't ever thought my skin was good enough for a BB. Then my lovely friend & blogger Alice of Bright Town Girl wrote THIS post and it went straight on my birthday list. Now the sun is out and my skin is behaving (touch wood!) I dug it back out. Teamed with the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused Light and this is a glowy, lightweight base that stays put.

Let me know what you think of this look and what trends you'll be trying out this Spring/Summer ! 

Lily x

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American Haul & Review | Sephora and Bath & Body Works

Now to me Sephora and Bath & Body Works are all I thought of when my Dad told me he had to go to America on business. Gone are the days of longing for Hershey's Cookies & Cream, thanks to watching and reading so many amazing American & Canadian Beauty 'gurus' (such a funny term but what else do you say?) I long to peruse the aisles of these two beauty meccas.

Now luckily for us Sephora now ships to the UK (sorry Dad when I gave you this giant list that wasn't the case!). However thanks to pesky shipping regulations, this means we still cannot get perfumes or nail polishes delivered. Hearing so much about Sephora's Formula X Polishes ($10.50) and the Fresh's Sugar Lychee Perfume ($22), I had to pop these on my list first. 

Review | Bésame Cosmetics Cake Mascara & Eyeliner

A little something different today on the blog! We're all more than familiar with the treasures of Boots & Space NK, so when I first heard about the brand Besame Cosemetics; I was so excited to try it! For those who lust after the glamour and beauty of a time gone by, this brand allows you to indulge your inner starlet, with vintage inspired make-up products. I mean can we just take a second to coo over the stunning packaging! Beautiful on any dressing table let's be honest. 

Now the concept of the Cake Mascara & Eyeliner* is as the name suggests, a dual use product. The black cream is activated with just a small amount of water (with some trial and error I found a little really is best, you want to try and create a thick paste) and then you just rotate either the mascara wand or dab in the eyeliner brush to pick up your product. 

Coral Accents | Spring Has Sprung

What a lovely warm, sunny day it has been today! I know it's a cliche but the sun really does make everything just look that little bit more beautiful doesn't it? With the sun streaming in I woke up early, so Tomas and I decided that we would indeed catch the worm and pop down to grab some ingredients for a healthy brunch to start off the day well. After a breakfast of mashed up avocado on brown toast, topped with spinach and poached eggs, we popped out to enjoy more of the sunshine and what a lovely day it was too! 

It goes without saying that come springtime, everyone wants to put down the greys and blacks (yes even Miss Monochrome over here) and incorporate the vibrancy of colour around us, into our own style. One of my favourite colours right now has to be coral. That strong, pinky orange toned colour can make my heart flutter no matter what form it takes. So I've put together a few of my favourite ways to incorporate it into your day to day style without breaking the bank.

Lipstick Longevity | The Doughnut Test

I think I've found my blogging niche; doughnut swatches. Yup. I've managed to find a way to test the longevity of a few of my most favoured lip products using sweet sugary goodness. 

There have been a lot of promises from brands to give lasting, moisturising colour, all day long. After having found love in a bold lip, I've built up quite the collection over the last few months. So why not put them to the ultimate test.

From Drugstore to High End I've picked my Top 3 favourite formula's to trial:


Hourglass Opaque Rouge

Rimmel Apocalips

Mac Matte Lipstick

Hourglass Opaque Rouge - Riviera

Before

After

This is probably one of my all time favourite lip products. The formula of this applies perfectly in just one coat. Any more and it will start to go a little cakey. Often I'll apply it at 9am and by the time I leave work it looks near perfect. So I had high hopes for this! As you can see there was some bleeding around the edges and in the middle it went slightly patchy. However I feel that could have been my eagerness to chow down before letting this set properly!

Overall this has a fabulous formula that you can trust to last all day and it comes in a range of amazing colours.After my friend Alice's (aka Bright Town Girl) recommendation I know I need to add the shade 'Icon' to the list! The only downside is they are slightly drying so I'll always layer this over a super moisturising balm after giving my lips a trusty toothbrush exfoliate.

Rimmel Apocalips - Stella

Before

After

Many have likened the Rimmel Apocalips formula to the Hourglass. I own two of each and I happily use either of a morning when running out the door. However whilst I do feel that the Hourglass formula boasts superior longevity, Apocalips has such a moisturising glossy finish that in some respects I prefer it. 

I applied two coats and after a couple of (huge) bites of Krispy Kreme goodness, I could barely see any feathering or fading. Incredible. However I would recommend steering clear of sugar coated things with the glossiness of this!

Mac Matte Lipstick - Diva

Before

After

Oh look it's a deep red, burgundy lip colour - how totally unexpected in this season! Now I know the formulation of Mac lipsticks doesn't promise to last all day, but when wearing such a bold colour you take longevity as a given. I adore this colour 'Diva' and I'm glad I chose to shake off the blogger buzz of 'Rebel' when choosing my lip colour. I find this just has slightly more red in it than purple, which works nicely to make my teeth look whiter than they are.

I applied this without a lip liner (not normally a step I would miss) and used two coats. Post-doughnut; although the pigmentation has faded in the middle slightly, this did not bleed around the edges much at all. The formulation is matte and therefore slightly drying, however I do find this helps the colour stick for longer.

Overall all of the lip products had their good and bad points but generally all put up a very good fight against the doughnuts that stood in their path. I think if I had to choose, on days when my lips need a little more moisture, I'll stick to my Rimmel Apocalips. However on 'good lip days' I have found I would make a selection based more on colour matching to my outfit, over the formulation of these three products, because all three earn a recommendation.

So tell me what are your favourite long last lip products? More importantly, doughnut-wise, are you more of a glazed ring or a chocolate-filled, sprinkle-covered masterpiece?

Lily x

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Review | Smashbox Brown Eyes Palette

I'm taking a moment out from frantically Googling the delectable Narsissist Eyeshadow Palette to sing the praises of Smashbox's Brown Eyes Palette. I was lucky enough to receive this palette for Christmas and I'm so glad I did! I've always wanted to try Smashbox after my friend (and MUA) Natalie,  had sung the brands' praises for being of incredible quality, whilst being one of the few brands to be totally bunny friendly. 

Though my eyes are a mixture of blue and green, with a brown ring around the pupils (I'm not known for being straightforward), I feel this palette could compliment any eye colour. The pigmentation is incredible, I would say stronger than Urban Decay and Mac, and on par with Stila. 

Now I'm sure established bloggers would think me silly for this, but after I swatched the shadows on my arm I was so excited I ran through to tell my boyfriend Tomás how I was now officially a beauty blogger..! Simple pleasures!

Something I've been meaning to try for a long time has been Amelia Liana's smoky-eye Post-It Tip. I picked up these page markers from Asda for 50p (my Dad thought I was barmy when I explained why - hey ho there's no pride lost here!). Taking the line from my lower lash towards the edge of my eyebrow created the perfect guide to wing out my shadow. 

After applying my MUA Eyeshadow Primer, a product I feel is on par with the UD Primer Potion, I applied the base cream shadow first to take out any redness. I used the infamous Mac 217 Blending Brush (worth the eye-watering amount of money, though the No7 version is a mighty close second) I took the pink/brown shimmer shade from the middle of the 'Smoky Trio', and blended this from the outer corner and into the crease. To deepen this I took the darker brown and once I'd tapped off the excess (these will bleed if you don't) worked this through the crease with the same brush. Finally I took the frosted pink colour across the center of the eye to add dimension, then the base colour to soften the edges of the look once I'd removed the post-its. 

 Smashbox - If this is the quality of all of your products I feel I may have found a new love amongst the aisles of Boots. Have you tried any Smashbox products? What would you recommend I should try out next?

Lily x

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What's On My Face

So as a means of easing myself in I'm going with a popular post theme today:
What's On My Face.

Face Make Up

Clarins Instant Smooth Self Tanning - Like most of my Clarins products, this puppy has lasted me over a year now and it's going strong. Leaving my skin with just a more 'alive' glow, all the while leaving my pores blurred. 

Clarins Instant Light Complexion Perfector - The smallest pea sized amount of pearly goodness over the face leaves, well, what can only be described as beer goggles for the skin tone!

Nars Sheer Glow - A January Blues purchase that needs no introduction. Dewy, yet also somewhat matte, medium coverage. 

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer - We're into double figures now on the repurchasing stakes. I stray occasionally but this creamy, long lasting formula will also rescue those bags and monthly chin eruption.

Nars Dolce Vita Blush - I don't hear enough about this and I just don't know why! The ultimate Autumn/Winter flush that somehow gives cheek bones simultaneously.

Brows & Eyes

Benefit Brow Zings - Genuinely I've had this longer than I care to admit and though the wax and I have fallen out of love, the powder is a gem.

Maybelline Brow Drama - I could not love the brush, colour or formula more. My caterpillar brows tamed in one sweep. 

Shu Uemura Eyelash Curlers - I'm lucky enough to have long eyelashes (despite my frequent fringe trimming mishaps!), but they wouldn't pack a punch without help from these expensive, but utterly worth it, gems.

Maybelline 24hr Colour Tattoo in Tough as Taupe - This matte pot gives definition on lazy days and doubles as the perfect base to other eyeshadows.

Urban Decay Naked Palette - "How do I love thee? Let me count thee ways..." In the midst of Naked 3 pandemonium, can we all take a second to just swoon. For you were the first, my last, my last, my everything and I will certainly write you a post of your own.

Rimmel Lash Accelerator Endless Mascara - Now on my 5th tube of this and though I've had moments of adoration for Benefit They're Real and Maybelline The Rocket, I can't stop coming back to this one for lengthening.

Nars Sheer Glow Deauville, Real Techniques Buffing Brush, Clarins Instant Smooth Self Tanning, Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer 01, Clarins Instand Light Complexion Perfector.

Nars Dolce Vita Blush and Real Techniques Blush Brush.

Urban Decay Naked Palette

Now if anyone wants me I'll be playing with composition of products and drooling over how pretty they all look together. 

Are you starting a blog in 2014 too? How was my first makeup post?
Let me know your thoughts & what you're hoping to achieve this year!

Lily x