Monday, 28 October 2013
Yet another benefit to Aloe Vera gel...
Thursday, 24 October 2013
Aloe launch!
Tuesday, 22 October 2013
Teeth whitening review & results
Monday, 14 October 2013
Professional Beauty North
Thursday, 10 October 2013
Cosmo Careers
Hello everyone,
Last night I attended the Cosmo Careers Masterclass in Manchester. It was for people interested in working in fashion, whether it be designing, PR, journos etc.... So I met some fab people & saw loads of fabulous outfits!
On arrival we had champagne and mingled with everyone for half an hour. Then we were taken into the lecture theatre where we saw an amazing panel of: the Cosmo editor, a designer for Missguided, a buyer of luxury labels, a PR from BooHoo, a fashion journalist who is known for her Catwalk to Curvy column in Cosmo and finally, a PR from Gorgeous Couture.
What an amazing panel!!We also saw out fabulous goody bags laid out ready for us.
The talk began with the panel introducing themselves and then editor Louise asked the panel a series of questions which would give the audience some great insights into the industry and their best advice and tips. We were given insights into where they began and how they worked their way up, tips for CV writing, interviews.... A whole raft of information. It was all so inspiring!
At the end of the session, they opened up for the floor for half an hour so that we could ask them any questions we may have. This was great and made the session really personal.
Even though some of the information given didn't directly apply to my field of PR (if it was a design question for example), it didn't matter! You could apply a lot of the information to the PR field anyway and it was valuable to get an insight into the fashion industry as a whole too.
It was a thoroughly enjoyable night which ended with the opportunity to walk up to the panel at the end of the session for any final questions. One of the main bits of personal advice that has stuck with me is to always be open to learning new things. I think sometimes when you are going to interview, you feel like you need to know everything, where in reality- you don't! The industry is constantly changing so there is no way that you will ever know it all.
Definitely keep an eye out for future Cosmo Careers events- you meet a fantastic panel, people and walk away with some priceless advice!
Thanks for reading,
Saffron xoxo
Monday, 7 October 2013
Dressing for success
These are my 6 Do-or-Die Pieces for the communications professional:
1. A great pair of Jeans – They can be from Target or they could cost a car payment. As long as you are comfortable and you can either dress the jeans up or down, a great pair of jeans is a must. From those Saturday morning pre-event planning I’m-on-my-hands-and-knees-doing-what moments, a great pair of jeans can be your saving grace. Oh, and make sure they make your bum looks good in them and aren’t “Mom Jeans”. I can write an entire post on that alone!
2. A tailored suit – My grandmother had many fabulous, tailored pieces. I never understood why she was so adverse to “buying off the rack” but little to my knowledge (hey I was young) she sometimes bought off the rack and had it tailored to her fit. I have learned that tailored items make the woman. Nothing says LOVE like sliding into a suit jacket that fits you perfectly and doesn’t make you look like you are about to HULK out of it or are playing pretend in your mother’s dress clothes.
3. An umbrella – Who wants to look like a drowned rat at a client meeting? Wait, who wants to look like a drowned rat period? Purchase a small umbrella that is convenient enough to tuck into your handbag or briefcase. Technically an umbrella isn’t a wardrobe necessity but an accessory. Trust me, an umbrella is a must or at the very least a poncho. Ok, scratch the poncho idea.
4. Little ” ” dress – For me, a little black dress is great but a little ” ” dress is fabulous. If you want to wear color, wear color. Wear what you feel comfortable in but just make sure it looks professional and sophisticated but most importantly feel like a million dollars in.
5. Classic white shirts – I used to loathe white clothing. Abhor it! But as of late, I have come to realize the versatility of a classic white fitted tee or a white button down shirt. White shirts can be worn under blazers, under sweater, or by themselves. Pick out a few white shirts–they don’t even have to be “classic”.
6. THE HANDBAG – Or the briefcase. Make your personality shine with a statement piece or go classic. If you are usually a bit more conservatively dressed, hit them with a killer handbag but make sure it is useful and not totally for show. You are going to need it to fit in things for your arsenal (smart phone, tablet, etc).
Friday, 4 October 2013
Smokey eyes
My fave PFW looks on & off the catwalk
Monday, 30 September 2013
Nivea in shower moisturiser
Nivea in shower moisturiser is my new favourite product! I thought this would be one of those products that shouldn’t work but it actually does! When I first saw this advertised I thought it was a great idea and a time saver but I wasn't sure if it would really work.
I get really itchy skin if I don't moisturise after a bath/a shower so I was sceptical whether this would still leave me with itchy skin after drying myself. I have quite sensitive skin anyway and Nivea products have always suited me, so I thought I would give it a go!
I bought it last weekend and have used it ever since. If you have dry skin then it may not be nourishing enough alone but for normal skin like mine it’s great. I have been using the almond oil formula for dry skin and have not yet tried the one for normal skin. But the dry skin version is extremely nourishing and leaves your skin feeling so nourished without any residue! I love this because I can get dressed and going straight away!
I would definitely recommend this product if you want speed but still the feel of nourished skin. You wash your body with your normal body wash, then apply this when you are ready to leave the shower- simply rinse off, dry and go!
The price is £3.65 for 250ml and £5.15 for 400ml. I normally buy this in asda but I found it at a steal price in home bargains for £2.99.
Definitely try it out and let me know what you think :-)
Saffron xoxo
Friday, 27 September 2013
What are your breakouts telling you?
Wednesday, 24 July 2013
Sonic bonded extensions
Sunday, 21 July 2013
Celebrity fashionista
I am always looking online for new styles/ outfits to imitate. Today I found a fab site that I wanted to share with you guys:
www.celebrityfashionista.com
It is a site which lists recent celebrity outfits and where to buy the pieces from. I search for the Kardashians in particular as I love their style, not only because the pieces are amazing but also because they dress for a similar shape to me. There is a whole section on kardashian style, sectioned under each sister. I am liking kourtney's style in particular at the moment, but I tend to alternate between Kim or kourtney!
Have a look :-) I think we all need a bit of style inspiration at times. So enjoy!
Saffron xoxo
Wednesday, 3 July 2013
Forever Living
Hope you are all well and have a fab day. I am feeling excited about two new opportunities which have come my way! Today I have a Skype call with one of my friends from school who is a distributor for 'Forever Living' aloe vera products. She is going to tell me about all of the products and I am hopefully going to become an ambassador of it myself!
Here are some of the products, they do weight loss products, skin products and all sorts! I am very excited about the opportunity and can't wait to hopefully get started.
I have also been approached to do a product review on an up and coming craze called 'LVL lashes'. It is an alternative method to lash extensions using a special gel which provides clients with longer lashes which lasts up to 6 weeks. The treatment takes just 45 minutes and the results are immediate. LVL uses silicone shields which are very comfortable and straightens and volumises the lashes. Here are some of the results:
I am going to have the treatment done myself and I can't wait to show you guys the results and do a product review on LVL lashes. They are said to be set to be the next big thing so watch this space!
Thanks for reading,
Saffron xoxo
Monday, 1 July 2013
EYLURE and BRIT ROCKS false eyelash review
While I have been away I have had a sudden urge to buy false eyelashes again after a break from them! A while ago I wore them every day as part of my daily make-up, then I went through a phase of wearing them just for nights out, then I finished my false eyelash phase with individual lashes being professionally applied for a holiday (and this was about a year ago!) So quite a big break from them! I am pretty lucky with the length of my eyelashes (pictured below) anyway but it is always nice to add a bit more thickness to my natural lashes. Apologies for the tired eyes- little Daisy has left me sleep deprived of late! :-)
Women with short of sparse lashes will definitely be impressed with the result of a set of false eyelashes. These lashes are available in all sorts of different looks, styles and forms. I usually stick with the basic strip lashes which fit along your top eye lid. Other options are individual lashes (which can be applied yourself using tweezers), bottom lid eyelashes and strip lashes with a bit of extra something such as gems or sparkles! A good range of false lashes are 'Eylure', they produce lots of different styles, lengths and options of lashes. There are even different takes on the basic strip lashes too, such as more natural looking ones, varying lengths of lashes and my personal favourite 'intense' (pictured below). Strip lashes are the ones I tend to buy and are very quick and easy to apply and are great for women with short, sparse eyelashes with no or little gaps in your own natural lashes. If you are a lady with gaps in your natural lashes I would recommend the individual lash sets to make the finish more natural.
As the box states, these lashes are by 'Eylure' from their 'Naturalites' range: 'Intense: Ultra full lashes for an intense effect' and come with the lash adhesive. The average price of a set of this range of lashes is about £4, certainly no more than £5 depending on where you purchase them from. These are my personal favourites- they might be too much for some people but seeing as my lashes are quite long already I like these because you can actually tell the difference when I've got them on! They are very easy to apply following the steps on the back of the box, however I don't think the picture steps are the most helpful so I have written the steps that I follow to put the lashes on:
- Gently peel lashes from box (selecting which eye you would like to do first using the right and left eye indicators on the lash box). Ensure the lashes aren't too wide for your eye by holding the lashes (dry) up to your eye. If they are a bit too wide, just trim them with scissors and begin the application process.
- Apply a small amount of the lash adhesive along the black strip of the lashes.
- Allow glue to dry a little bit so it is tacky to touch (I speed up this process by gently blowing along the glue).
- When the glue is tacky, carefully hold the lashes by the lash tips, close your eye and apply to your natural lash line, paying extra attention to pressing either end of the strip onto your eye lid to ensure attachment.
- Carefully press along the whole line of the strip to ensure all is secure.
- When all is secure, squeeze along the lash line to stick your natural and false eyelashes together for a more blended finish.
- (optional) Depending on the look you are going for, I always apply some mascara to the lashes too as I go for a more dramatic look.
- Enjoy your fabulous lashes!
As I said above, my favourite range of lashes is 'Eylure', but I decided to try out a new set to see if I liked them just as much. The answer is no! I tried the 'Brit Rocks' range (pictured below), using the 'eyeluscious' set.
The lashes themselves look beautiful inside the box- very flirty! This is what attracted me to buying them. However, when I removed the lashes from their box they had a very plastic feel, not like the natural feel of the 'Eylure' range. But I thought I would try to apply them anyway and hoped for the best! I applied the glue (included) to the lashes and allowed to get tacky as in the above steps and began to apply as normal. But the lashes simply wouldn't stick! After about 5 attempts I gave up and stuck to my natural lashes for the day! I think it was a combination of the glue not being strong enough and also the lashes being too stiff which made them not want to stick. I didn't want to give up on them that easily because the lashes themselves are beautiful, so I went out and bought another set of the 'Eylure' lashes just to use their glue!
So I tried to apply the 'Brit Rocks' set again using the 'Eylure' glue and they thankfully stuck! I was relieved and went out. About half an hour later, the corners of the lashes began to lift, so I applied some more glue and it lasted for a little bit longer again. But all night they continued to lift and because I was applying so much glue, they were beginning to irritate my eyes, so in the end I took them off! I find the lashes are too stiff and plasticy to hold and because of this, every time you blink, the stiffness of the lash strip begins to lift the lashes off. Having said this, my friend uses these lashes all of the time and they fit fine with her! I am determined to make them work as they are beautiful but perhaps the shape of them just doesn't suit my eye lid! I will keep you posted on my progress!
Thanks for reading and I hope it has been helpful :-)
Saffron xoxo
Wednesday, 12 June 2013
Wedding inspiration
Today I am going to do a quick lifestyle/style post as I have been quite focused on the beauty side of things lately. Well, my partner and I recently set a date for our wedding (July 19th 2014) which is of course very exciting! The first things which crossed my mind were, the venue, the theme and of course the dress! We have decided on our venue, a gorgeous farmhouse locally, so that was one thing sorted. Then I have been looking online for inspiration for themes and we have decided on lilac and cream. Here are some of the pictures which are helping me to design our venue dress:
What do you guys think?
Wednesday, 5 June 2013
OPI Nail Envy 'Perfect Couple'
For today's blog post I am going to focus on my nails. Recently I purchased a new set from OPI named the Perfect Couple, containing Nail Envy and also the Avoplex cuticle oil.
This set cost me £18.95 from a local beauty store but I have seen it being priced from £18.00 right up to £32.50 online!! So make sure you shop around a bit to get a good price. I have used OPI Nail Envy before after seeing it on QVC and I have always been very pleased with it and see what a difference it makes to my nails almost straight away. I have tried the original version (pictured above) and also the matte version and I definitely prefer the original as I found the matte goes a bit cloggy and sticky after a while. So i definitely would recommend buying the original over the matte version, buying the original also makes a great top coat as it leaves a really shiny finish which is what I prefer on my nails. However, both do give the desired result of growth and strength in the nail so I guess it all depends on which kind of finish you prefer.
The cuticle oil is also great and helps encourage the nails to grow and keep the nail bed looking healthy. Whenever I go and have a manicure at a beauty salon, the beautician always comments on how healthy my cuticles look! Although it is oil, it doesn't feel greasy for ages and ages so you can quickly get on with things. I usually apply the oil at night just before I go to bed around my cuticles so I can leave it to soak in. But if you do use it during the day, you can massage it into the cuticles to get it to soak in quicker. I think this oil smells so lovely too! It makes you feel very pampered.
So I thought I would post a few pictures on how I would usually use the above products:
Firstly I apply one coat of the original Nail Envy onto my nails. It says on the bottle to apply two coats, but when I am using a colour I do one coat as a base, then the colour, then use the second coat of my Nail Envy as a top coat. If I wasn't going to use colour, I would just apply two coats of the Nail Envy.
This is what it looks like after the first coat- nice and shiny. My nails are quite short at the moment because I (regrettably) haven't used this product for a while. But I know that it will quickly show results.
I let this base coat dry, then I apply my chosen colour. Today I have chosen 'Dutch Tulips' as it is for once sunny in the UK and this colour is lovely and vibrant.
So I again apply one coat of this, leaving this result:
I love how shiny it is and OPI polish is so easy to apply as most of them have the wide brushes which means that usually you only need one stroke on each nail! This is the result after one coat, sometimes I would do two coats of colour depending on the shade.
I then do my second coat of OPI Nail Envy over the top as my top coat. Nail Envy recommends you to do a new coat every other day, then after 7 days, remove and start again.
After this, I apply the Avoplex cuticle oil around the nail bed and massage it to soak it in.
I put this on daily!
I then put on my Burt's Bees hand balm :-)
That's it!!
Thanks for reading,
Saffron xoxo