Simple 60s

After seeing the 60s revival all over the A/W 2012 catwalks recently, Ive decided to blog my love for my favourite beauty icons of the 60s. I love the fresh faced, natural beauty the women had back then. Everything just looked carefree and immaculate, no enhancements and no Lady Gaga meat dresses! These are who I take my inspiration from especially with my make up style and hair. My personal favourite is Francoise Hardy,to me she's effortlessly beautiful. I know most of us agree that it was a beautiful era full of rock and roll and the dawn of the 'supermodel'. What era do you love? Who is your favourite icon?

                                           

                                                                      Jane Fonda

                                                                  Francoise Hardy

Goldie Hawn

 

                                                                     Patty Boyd

Bridget Bardot

Cher (pre surgery obviously...)

Penelope Tree

Jane Birkin

                                                                     Diahann Carroll

Raquel Welch

Eartha Kitt

Jean Shrimpton

The famously iconic Twiggy

                      

This Is Bliss....

As I've said previously I love face masks and theres not many I haven't tried, so I was surprised when my friend bought me this recently as a gift as I hadn't seen this before ( oh she knows me so well). This is the Bliss Triple Oxygen Energizing Mask, designed to brighten and tighten the skin and banishing all bad bacteria that causes the dreaded zit!

Its a gel like formula similar to a face wash and it smells like orange sweets which is great. A lot nicer than some of the medicated smelling face masks I've tried before. You have to apply it to a clean damp face....

Then it foams up on your face pretty much as soon as its applied, you leave it for 5 minutes then rinse.

For me its good as oxygen based products are great for blemish prone skin, Its just very different to any normal face mask I've used before. Ive never used one that foams and the feeling of it while it works on your skin is strange, it feels like your face is melting. After using it a few times I've finally got the hang of it, when I first used it I made the mistake of rubbing it into my skin too much which meant it didn't foam at all. Has anyone else used this at all?

Lady In Red....Nail Varnish

On Saturday me and my friend treated ourselves to a Shellac manicure, and I have to confess Im in love....
I am totally a convert, at first I wasnt too sure as it can be pricey and there isnt a massive choice of colours yet as its still kind of a new thing. I went for Wildfire Red which you can see below, I normally go for dark or shimmery colours but decided to vamp it up for a change (not like me im more tramp than vamp)

The whole process takes about 45 minutes, they layer a lot and use the UV drying machines to seal the colour and protect them from smudging or bubbling. The end result is amazing it leaves your nails so shiny you can see your face in them, it also lasts for 3-4weeks no chips, smudges or discolouration. They feel like they have a coat of armour on them and there isnt one mistake or bubble. I think this is what makes them so good as I usually paint my nails and then 2 days in it looks like i might as well have not bothered. The only downside is apart from London* which is where we had them done its not a common manicure yet in most salons, I have only found 2 in Birmingham so far that do them. Have you ever had this done? If so where? and did you get a great result too?

* We went to Bliss in Kensington, this isnt a promotion they were paid for by myself this is just a recommendation...

I Don't Like Mondays

Over the weekend while in London in the sunny weather I realised my base makeup was terrible! Sometimes when you buy new products they just don't do what they advertise and seeing myself in the sunshine it showed. So I went back to basics and bought a couple of old favourites of mine...and 2 nail varnishes...and a manicure...and a concealer brush....(the guilt is taking over now).

MAC has always been a favourite of mine and I think for base products you cant beat them. I ended up buying the Studio Fix Fluid and the Blotting Powder. The only problem with the Studio Fix Fluid is its in a glass bottle its almost impossible to get the foundation out, so I bought the pump separate to use as it screws on the top easily leaving you to be able to decide how much foundation you need not the bottle!

There is literally a shade for any skin tone but as I'm so fair I have the lightest NW15

This blotting powder is great for oily skin although it says medium its pretty much white transparent, its great for holding foundation and concealer in place all day. Did anyone else buy much this weekend if so what did you treat yourself too? Any new amazing products you can recommend?

Magic Masks

I love face masks and ive tried so many over the years and gone through all the motions from Mrs Doubtfire to a beetroot. As ive said in previous posts I have oily problem skin, most masks make my face that tight I end up like a slick rick. Finally I have found a small selection that work for me hopefully you too!

First is Soap & Glory Fab Pore Facial Peel, this face mask is brilliant. The mask comes in a 50g pot and a little goes a very long way. When you open the pot you get a bright white paste with tiny blue/green beads that dissolve on your skin as you apply.You can leave it on for 15 minutes or 5 minutes as a 'refresher' as they say, preferably I leave it on for the full 15. It has a minty smell almost like toothpaste which is what it feels and looks like on your face. This leaves my skin feeling clean and cool, no excess oil or dryness and helps to calm my blemishes. Winning!

Second is Mask Of Magnaminty by Lush, these face masks are different as they are made fresh. They have a sell by date and you have to keep them in the fridge almost like food. This one is designed for breakouts and oil, not just on your face but your body too. Its labelled as the Big Green Giant Face & Back Pack. It really is green I always look like princess fiona. The thing is it works and thats what really matters its got a really strong peppermint smell which I love and my skin feels really soft afterwards.To be honest ive tried most Lush face masks and not had a bad one yet so id definatley recommend giving them a go.

The last mask is the Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Gel Mask, I havent included a picture with this as its pointless. It comes out and drys on your face crystal clear. It tightens on the skin leaving you a bit Joan Rivers, but I quite like that its not messy or full of colourings. It claims to remove the dead dull skin and smooth the texture leaving bright radiant skin. It does just that but its not the kind of mask you can leave on for ages, I personally think its quite strong so 8 minutes is all it needs. After this mask you should just apply your regular toner, NO moisturiser. Now it doesnt state this but you need to restore your skins ph levels or it can be damaging, I was told this by a beauty insider. The problem is the price I know its not cheap but its a luxury I use every other week and it has lasted me for ages (im trying to justify this incase my bank read it can you tell....?!)

I hope I havent bored you too much! If you have any masks you love share them with me as I love adding to the huge mountain I already have. I should seek help for my obsessions really.....

Im A Lazy Oaf

Lately I'm loving the novelty trend that seems to be appearing everywhere from sweats, tees and jewellery. I discovered LAZY OAF a little while back and it is amazing! The prints are quirky without being tacky which is something I find with most novelty tshirts, I have a weird problem with adults in Disney tshirts (Before anyone says it there is nothing wrong with it at all, I think its stems from bad childhood fashion which I still haven't forgiven my mom for!) Anyway I wanted to show you some of my lust haves I want it all to be fair....

I love these and at first I thought the price was a little bit steep but when I purchased a sweater from their website http://www.lazyoaf.co.uk/ the quality was way better than anything from the over priced high street. Its also an independent brand and that appeals to me as I am sick of paying a high price for low quality clothes. They also do really funny greetings cards great for annoying family members! Anyway no promotion just wanted to share this brand with anyone who hasn't seen it before and might love it.....



Foundation Fail

Ok so im a sucker for a new foundation always have been, but its because I have never found one that does what I want it to. Ive tried so many and recently decided to buy Maybelline Dream Nude Airfoam after everyone raving about the Dream Matte Mousse. I was excited to try this as having oily skin problems means foundation slides off after an hour and for that it certainly didnt disapoint.

I chose the Light Beige colour which is the second lightest shade as they had sold out of the lightest, as you can see below its not quite beige it has an orange tinge and lasted all of 5 minutes on my skin.

You have to shake the can like hairspray so the colour mixes and then press and watch it explode out of the canister. You have to press it so lightly otherwise you end up with so much on your hand its a waste. The texture is ok and I had high hopes for the coverage but its not great. Maybe for light to medium coverage it would be fine. Im pale and have blemish marks so I need a light feel but serious coverage. If anyone has any suggestions il be very grateful!!

My Glossy Box For Feb

So like many bloggers I signed up to GLOSSY BOX and as this is my first blog I thought I would also start sharing mine. I will review the products and let you know, would be nice to hear off others too.

              

       
        As always it was so neatly wrapped I didnt want to ruin it.....but im a beauty junkie so obviously I did

                                                                                                                                                                          

The first product was a BECCA watermelon beach tint, this is a multi purpose lip and cheek tint. I am a fan of lip tints but have never tried a cheek tint as it doesnt sound appealing to someone like me who battles with oily skin on a daily basis. But as its a natural day time colour this may be the perfect solution to the age old lipstick on the teeth which I get regularly.

Second was a DR BRONNER Lavender hand sanitiser. Now I get the purpose of a hand sanitiser and the germ facts, but the problem is im normally too busy/lazy that I forget to use it. I have a friend who uses hers so much she must have the cleanist hands in the world she gets through loads, but for me the gel formula and chemical smells dont appeal. So I was pleasantly suprised to see a Lavender scented spray so maybe even I will be converted!

The third product was AWAPUHI by PAUL MITCHELL, its a wild ginger treatment oil for your hair. This couldnt have come at a better time as I used a 'colourb4' on my hair over the weekend and the ends of my hair are very dry. Im not a fan of oil based products as with oily skin you dont need anymore but due to the worzel gummidge effect I have going on il be using this asap!

Fourth product is a BM BEAUTY pure mineral eyeshadow in Noir. Now if im honest I dont have a pair of fluttering bright eyes they are more like belt holes, so black eye shadow is my nemesis I normally stick to light reflecting colours. Il try it for the quality and il post to show the results but im pretty sure it will be a lost cause on my tiny eyes.

The last product is a COMO SHAMBHALA invigorate shower gel. Again im more of a simple soap gal but as I am venturing out of brum to Cambridge for the weekend im going to take this minature with me and see if I can be won round. Im not sure I buy into invigorating shower products normally in the mornings no amount of lemon and ginseng gets you in the mood for work. But hey who knows I may be wrong and be doing cartwheels through Cambridge all weekend.

                       Il give these a go over the next couple of weeks and see what its all about!

ME ME ME

As this is my very first post i thought I would make it about my favourite subject....me! Yeah I know but as bad as that sounds most bloggers out there will agree as this is the whole part of many blogs, to talk about yourself and the opinions you have. Sooo to start my names Janine im 24 and i hail from sunny glamorous Birmingham (more sarcasm to follow im afraid). I love everything from fashion, beauty, music and current affairs to knitting and terrible television and I mean really bad tv. I also love a fad and will sign up to anything so you can read my fails so you can decide whether to do it yourself or probably not. Anyway to finish this If its alright with whoever reads this (hi mom...) il be sharing and hoping you like it!