BREAKING BEAUTY BOUNDARIES - BEAUTY CHALLENGE AT HOUSE OF FRASER

Photography in this post by Kirsty Smith at Intu Chapelfield.

When at the Beauty Lock-In at House of Fraser, I heard Pippa - the owner of Plain Speaking PR - make comments towards Urban Decay saying that she wouldn't be able to shop there because it was aimed towards a younger audience. In my head I began to question why she thought that, but she is in no way alone in that opinion. My mum, who is older that Pippa but a mum alike, also thought the same. She stuck to what she knows and only recently started getting into brands like Urban Decay, where their marketing is obviously aimed towards younger women with bold makeup - which isn't the majority. When Pippa made that comment it made me a little sad, because I knew that there'd be plenty of products for her to use, but I also understood that it could be intimidating to even take a look.

We are all guilty for sticking to what we know. Even myself. I use bright, bold, daring colours and shapes when it comes to my makeup because 1, I love colour, and 2, to give the illusion that I'm confident. I'd rarely strip my face down to a natural look with minimal foundation and eye shadow because honestly, I'd feel ugly. I wouldn't be confident enough to rock a simple makeup look as I wouldn't have anything to hide behind and I am often envious of seeing fresh faced women who look gorgeous rocking what they've got. And that's what it all comes down to - Confidence. Recently a lovely lady pulled me aside saying she loved my yellow makeup and that 'not everyone could pull that off and I wish I could!' - but why not? Again, confidence. 

So out of this small comment that Pippa made I told her that she absolutely could shop at Urban Decay and that the Heat Palette would look divine on her and later in the night we had a brain wave. Let's challenge Urban Decay along side a brand that's a contrast to them, such as Bobbi Brown, to create a look on a 20 something and a 40 something with each brand using the same products on each of us showing that makeup and style isn't restricted by age, but by our own confidence. We really need to get into a mind set where if we like something, we wear it, regardless of us thinking that it's for 'younger people' or 'that wouldn't suit me'. Dismissing ideas before even taking a look stops us from inspiring ourselves - And I need to stop doing that.

Bare faced and ready to go!

When me and Pippa met at Costa before we arrived at House of Fraser, we both complimented each other on how nice we looked in minimal makeup which was a little confidence boost for both of us before we got going. When going in I was looking forward to getting my makeup done at Bobbi Brown as I am not used to giving myself a glowy natural look and I couldn't wait to see what they'd pull out the bag. After a little talk with Tasmin from Urban Decay and Lottie from Bobbi Brown me and Pippa had picked out the products we wanted to keep the same for our looks and then we got stuck in. Pippa headed over to Urban Decay first with me getting my makeup done at Bobbi Brown. 

The lovely Lottie doing my base.

Lottie is absolutely stunning with every glance back up at her involved a dorky comment from me complimenting something about her. It's important that us women appreciate and inspire each other. Lottie used the Intensive Skin Serum Foundation on my skin which I loved. It made me look so healthy and wasn't heavy on the skin.  She set the foundation with the Nude Finish Illuminated Powder and added the Pastel Peach Brightening Brick (Which I am very in love with and haven't stopped thinking about since) to finish my base. For the eyes she used the Sparkle Stick in Molton Bronze, which she also used on Pippa, with a simple winged liner and mascara. For the lips she popped on the Crushed Lips Colour in  Sazan Nude with the Lip Pencil in Cocoa to give me the perfect nude pout. 

The lipstick from Bobbi Brown

My final Bobbi Brown look.

The lovely photographer Kirsty bounced back from me and Pippa and every time she came over I quizzed her about Pippa's makeup as I was so excited to see what she looked like. When my makeup was done I glanced in the mirror and loved it. It was strange seeing myself all made up but in a very natural way. It got me thinking about toning down my makeup once in a while as I really liked how I looked. I would really recommend Lottie from Bobbi Brown if you want your makeup doing (the winged liner she did on me was bomb) as every step of the makeup she catered to me and made sure that what she was doing was what I wanted. She was incredibly attentive and made me look and feel beautiful.

When I hoped off my chair I scurried over to Pippa, as her Urban Decay transformation was what I was looking forward to most. And oh my GOODNESS did she look amazing. She has the most beautiful blue eyes, so when Tasmin used the Heat Palette on her it made her eyes look absolutely incredible, you can see for yourself below. 

Pippa looking beautiful at Urban Decay. I mean, look at those baby blues?!

Pippa looked beautiful. She definitely looked like she could head out! It was really lovely seeing her in a brand she would never have thought to have tried and I was thrilled when she said she liked how she looked. It was then time to swap over and see what the lovely ladies could do with the same products they'd just used but on the other client.

I'd never gotten my makeup done at Urban Decay, so I was very excited to finally get it done by my all time favourite brand. Tasmin was the lovely lady that had the job of making me look ready for the town and when I saw how perfect and beautiful she looked, I couldn't wait for her to work her magic. I'm familiar with most of the products so it was nice to talk about our favourites and our long lost loves  - the discontinued products. Tasmin was incredibly lovely, easy to talk to and made me feel at ease. I understand that getting your makeup done at counters can be intimidating, but Tasmin wasn't that at all. I would recommend her for and bold looks that you're after (After a glance at her Facebook page she's also very very good at prom makeup).

She used the same products as she did on Pippa, the Naked Heat Palette (You can actually see my review for that here) and Space Cowboy Moondust for the eyes. She begun with the eyes, unlike Lottie at Bobbi Brown, because for more intense looks there's a chance of fall out. This means nothing gets on your face and ruin your foundation! She did a halo eye on me keeping the mattes outside and a pop of Space Cowboy on the centre. Because there wasn't all the Urban Decay testers that Tasmin wanted, she improvised with other products in Urban Decay but for the brows so had to grab a brow product from Benefit as unfortunately UD didn't have my shade. At this time of year I have very dry under eyes, and as I had taken my makeup of twice already my eyes were noticeably irritated. Tasmin did an absolute amazing job at making sure they were hydrated and didn't look cakey and what an amazing job she did. Look how flawless my under eyes look! She used the Naked Skin Foundation on me to keep me looking matte and flawless,  partnered with the Naked Skin Powder to keep it all locked in. She used the Sin Afterglow Highlighting Palette to finish of the cheeks and the new Hi-Fi Shine Ultra Cushion Lipgloss (Try saying that twice as fast) on the lips for the glossiest of glosses. I loved the final look and the smokey dark eyes is a staple of mine, so I felt right at home.

So overall, what did we think? We completely jumped into something that wasn't what we were used to, and we both came out surprising ourselves. I could pull off the more natural makeup that I wasn't used to, and Pippa looked absolutely gorgeous all glammed up at Urban Decay. In other words, try something new. That bright, pink lipstick that you wish you could pull off every time you pass it? Stop beating yourself down - try it - I dare you. You may just surprise yourself. You can read Pippa's side on her blog here. A massive thank you to Hannah, Tasmin and Lottie at HoF for making this challenge happen, and special thanks to Kirsty Smith for the photos.

PINK AND BLUE - KATIE JADE PHOTOGTAPHY

I'm really getting into my textures and colours more than I have ever been and I adore experimenting with styles and shapes that scare me. The only limit you have is yourself. Katie (Instagram: @KatieJadePhotography and www.katiejade.co.uk) found some really awesome locations to make the colours of my outfits pop! See below the look book of the shoot with all items labelled if possible.

Jacket - H&M

Dress - Topshop

Shoes - Dr Martens - Pascal Glitter

Top - H&M

Skirt - Boohoo - Mermaid Foil Skirt

Jacket - Zara

Bag - Skinnydip - Bianca Bag

Shoes - Topshop

Unicorn Necklace -  I Love Crafty - Unicorn Moon Necklace

HEALTH MOT AND EATING WELL WITH M&S

A couple of weeks ago I was asked to pop down to my local M&S store to meet with an independent dietitian to measure key markers of health. These include cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugars, weight and waist measure. This may not seem too exciting, but after meeting with her and talking about how I can improve on certain areas, I came out feeling incredibly good about myself with a bunch of new foods from the M&S Eat Well range to try out.

If you're like me and hates weighing myself and doesn't keep an eye on whats going into your body, meeting with a dietitian is such a good idea. I eat a tonne of bad foods - McDonalds at least once a week and a sugary snack daily - so I wasn't expecting a good result in any areas. But because I don't eat meat, my cholesterol was surprisingly at a good level. My glucose, waist circumference and blood pressure were also at really good levels, but that doesn't mean I can't pay more attention to what's going into my body. I know it sounds cliche but eating as many fruit and vegetables as possible while including exercise in your routine really does help. It's something that is now constantly on my mind when picking up that bag of chocolate! I learnt that you can improve your blood pressure by keeping salt to a minimum, eating healthy and keeping active. This applies to all of the areas, but to keep cholesterol at a healthy level try and include more eat more fish and oats.

There's no need to completely change the way you live straight away, but start by changing a couple of things around such as having meat free weekends or changing your breakfast to a healthier alternative. I've shopped at M&S for a while now, and tend to run down there on my lunch breaks, and it's brilliant to find a range of food that's focused on eating well. I love cooking up interesting foods and M&S never fails to deliver. The front of the Eat Well range also states how many of your 5 a day it is (So many are 2 of your 5 a day! Amazing!) and so much of the range is Vegan too, which I absolutely love.  Just by changing a couple of meals a week to one of the Eat Well range and you've put yourself on the right path. 

I absolutely loved the Pea & Ricotta Ravioli. I've already told myself that I need to pick it up again one lunch break! It counts as one of your five a day which is also really great. Partner it up with a apple as a snack and you've had a really good lunch. I also tried the Balsamic Glazed Beetroot & Goat's Cheese which is another favourite and counts as TWO of your five a day! A firm favourite of mine, and always will be, is the veggie lasagne. You just can't go wrong. To accompany a healthy diet it's great to sneak in something active, too. When it comes to being active, find a sport you really love (Mines swimming, I hate the gym) and try and make a habit of it. Little baby steps and you'll be on your way. Overall, I'm super happy I dropped into M&S to see where I was at with my diet. It's inspired me to try new things and swap a few unhealthy snacks with a better alternative. The Eat Well range has a pretty sunflower on front so it's easy to spot. The calories, vegan/veggie stamp and the five a day logo on the front makes it really easy to eat healthy. Pop down to your local M&S now to see what the Eat Well range has to offer - you wont be disappointed.

Thanks for reading and have the loveliest day!

URBAN DECAY NAKED HEAT PALETTE REVIEW AND SWATCHES

When I first saw this palette I think I was the only person on the planet that wasn't too bothered about getting it. I had no intention of purchasing it until my friend convinced me that it was beautiful and that I needed it in my life. She's someone that I look up to and has insane makeup knowledge, so I trusted her and invested in a palette that I had no idea would become a staple in my life, and part of my daily makeup routine. It's obvious that if you don't like warm tones that this palette is not for you, but if you love warm hues or just want to get a palette for the autumn days, I urge you to check the Naked Heat palette out.

The warm hued palette comes with 12 shades tucked away in breathtaking packing. Easily the most stunning looking Naked palette yet. I absolutely adore the packing. I prefer this over the tin cases or the velvet case from the Naked 1, 2 & 3. The plastic feels more luxurious and the double layer front shows how much thought they've put into it.

L-R, Ounce, Chaser, Sauced, Low Blow, Lumbre and He Devil.

L-R, Dirty Talk, Scorched, Cayenne, En Fuego, Ashes amd Ember.

If I'm being completely honest, there's only one shade in this palette that I do not like with all the rest being insanely blendable, pigmented and gorgeous. I know the Urban Decay formula well after getting almost every palette since the second book of shadows, so I knew what to expect. Again, Urban Decay hasn't disappointed. Keep reading for a quick sentence or two on each shade.

Ounce - A soft cream shade with a hint of shimmer which isn't too noticeable. Makes a really pretty highlight on pale princesses.
Chaser - This shade is great if you're super pale like me and needs a barely there shade in the crease for a quick wake-me-up look.
Sauced - Is a great transition shade or swept over the lid. Super pigmented.
Low Blow - I like using this to darken up Sauced as a transition shade. Again like all matte shades in this palette, it's really pigmented.
Lumre - This is a super pretty shimmery peachy red which I love in the centre of the lid.
He Devil - A gorgeous dark red hued brown which looks intense all over the lid and blended out.
Dirty Talk - A really velvety shadow that has great pigmentation and blends well over the lid.
Sorched - This has the same constancy of Dirty Talk and catches the light beautifully.
Cayenne - A shade that's pretty similar to He Devil, only slightly darker and more brown.
En Fuego -  This is a favourite for me, and I love taking my outer corners to the next level with this shade.
Ashes - Pigmented and perfect for darkening the lash line.
Ember - I don't like this shade. This is the only shade in the palette that I had difficulty with. It didn't blend how I wanted and it seemed to get really muddy. The only way I can use this is using a light transition shade and patting this onto the lid with no blending.

Since getting this I reach for this almost daily and if I'm in a rush and need a palette that has it all for an easy autumn look, this is it. I almost never reach for my other Naked palettes so it's really refreshing to use this in almost every look and it gets me excited for future Naked palettes. All the shades are pigmented and beautiful - so if you like the colours in this palette, it's going to be an investment. 

You can pick this beauty up from Debenhams

here for £39.50.

Thanks for reading!

CAT LADY'S DEADS

If you've been reading my blog from the beginning (way back in 2012 - crazy!) then you know I love supporting local businesses. I have some really fun ones coming up for Christmas, but today I'm focusing on the talented lady Lucy who is behind Cat Lady's Dreads. Some of you know that I now have sassy extensions which this lady sorted out for me and I'm so in love. I'll be popping up a blog post shortly about my extensions now I've had them for three weeks! I'll be posting about the process and the maintenance. As she did such a beautiful job with my hair (I'd never had extensions before and she made it the easiest and relaxing experience ever) I want to talk about her lovely handmade dreads, as I know no one else in the East Anglia area that makes there own.

Dreads are becoming increasingly popular and I can see why. The beautiful colours you can have are gorgeous, and it's for sure going to turn heads. Lucy does an incredible job of colour themes and coordinated charms. All her dreads are completely handmade by her lovely self, but not only does she make them, she also dyes the wool too so all these lovely colour combos you see have been created by herself. To make her dreads she uses the finest cruelty free merino wool from South America, so you know you're getting the best. You can find all her creations on Ebay to buy and fit yourself here, but you can also buy custom packages so you can get the dreads of dreams. From colours, beads, charms and wraps she can conjure up exactly what you want. When it came to my hair and my extensions she was approachable and answered any questions I had (No matter how silly) and made sure that what she was doing to my hair was as healthy as it could be. I gave her my hair type, history of dyes, what colours I wanted and what I was thinking and she went above and beyond to create the best hair I can say I've ever had. I don't want my extensions to ever leave me!

Lucy is based in East Anglia and if you find yourself in that area she provides a fitting service, so contact her for details on that. You can keep updated on her Facebook page here which you can give a like, or on her Instagram @catladysdreads. You can visit her website and read all about her dreads here and while you're there you can see her gallery. Feel free to contact her on any of her social media - she's always happy to help!

Thanks for reading!

THE OLIVE OIL BUYERS GUIDE WITH JAMIE'S ITALIAN

I'm a huge foodie, and being very familiar with Jamie's Italian (You can read my full review here and book a table at the Norwich branch here)  I thought a guide on finding the right olive oil for the job would fit in perfectly here. If I'm honest, when it comes to cooking I'm not very observant and throw in any oil to get the job done, so after having a read of the simple guide I'm able to work out which oil is the best choice to enhance my dish. I don't think I'm alone in admitting that I take a 'one thing fits all' approach to things, so it's great to have something simple to refer to when making sure we are getting the most out of what we do. It's interesting that most Olive Oil is form Spain, and who knew there was a way to taste the oil?

Pure Olive Oil is great for:

Grilling

Frying

Sauteing 

Extra Olive Oil is great for:

Dipping Bread

Dressings

Cold Dishes

Light Olive Oil is great for:

Baking

Grilling 

Frying

I'm pretty pleased to now be clued up in the Olive Oil world as I was pretty clueless and now I'll apply this guide to when I cook. My food knowledge is now a pinch better and I can appreciate different Olive Oils and apply what I know when needed, and I hope you feel inspired to apply this to all your meals!

RIMMEL STAY MATTE LIQUID LIPSTICK REVIEW AND SWATCHES - LATTE TO GO, MOCA, PLUM THIS SHOW AND PITCH BLACK.

I saw the advert for this all over my Facebook page, and knew I had to give them a shot. I popped into my local Boots and picked up Latte To Go and Moca for buy one get one half price and loved them so much that I knew I had to go and grab another two shades. This is then where Plum This Show and Pitch Black came in. I have a lot to say about these guys, so let's get stuck in!

Moca, Latte To Go, Plum This Show and Pitch Black.

So as I previously said, I picked up Latte To Go and Moca first and I kid you not, I fell in love. This is hands down one of the best matte lipstick formula I have found on the high street - For nude shades. These two shades applied beautifully from the tube with easy application and an opaque, matte finish. The nudes stayed on all day with no need for any touch ups. These didn't bleed, didn't flake and most importantly, did what it suggested it would - Waterproof, kiss proof and touch proof. They didn't leave any marks on my countless cups of tea which left the person cleaning my cups at work happy as my lipstick usually gets everywhere. 

Even with that high praise, I can't say the same for Plum This Show and Pitch Black. Plum This Show wasn't terrible, it was just hard to get even. Because the texture is so light and whipped, it takes a lot of time to get the rich plum shade opaque with no streaks. The colour is absolutely beautiful and because of that I don't mind giving it that extra couple of minutes to get it to look nice, but it does take time and if you're inexperienced with liquid lips I would give this one a miss. It's such a shame as once it's on the lips it doesn't bleed or transfer, and I can kiss my boyfriend with no red left behind. 

Pitch Black was honestly a huge fail. I really don't like saying completely bad things about a product but this shade really let the team down. It was streaky beyond belief, and the swatch on my lips below is after a long time building the layers up and hoping I could get a flawless finish. The photo below is about as good as I could get it, but it was so thick and weird that it just wasn't cute. You can see in the swatch above that it's a little streaky and isn't really black enough to be called 'Pitch Black'. Unfortunately I will not be reaching for this at all and the only time I can see myself using is it to darken any of the Stay Matte Liquid Lipsticks or create an ombre, but I wont be wearing it on its own at all. That said, Latte to Go and Moca are two incredible shades and really are faultless - so if you are a nude lipstick lover I urge you to check those shades out, they're beautiful!

Latte To Go.

Moca.

Plum This Show.

Pitch Black.

As I said, if you're a nude lover please check out the nude range, you wont be disappointed! I want to try a few more shades that are darker to see if there are any dark shades that are a little less streaky, so watch this space for that!

Grab these from Boots for £5.99 and include

them in your 3 for 2 offer here.

Thanks for reading!

KAT VON D PASTEL GOTH PALETTE - REVIEW AND SWATCHES

When I stepped into Debenhams in London with a friend a week a go, I had no idea I was going to be returning to Norwich with one of the most beautiful palettes I've seen. I hadn't used or seen anything from Kat Von D in the flesh, so when I saw this in the corner of my eye I had to swatch it. Kayleigh and I oohed and aahed over the pigmentation and I knew I had to have it. When I asked if it was limited and how much it was, I had to have it at the affordable £32 price tag knowing that I wouldn't be able to get it online. I knew if I had gone home without it, I would've regretted it. To give myself another excuse to buy it, I realised I don't have any pastel matte shades, so this would fill a gap in my growing palette collection.

The packaging is so stunning. All her products are uniform and looked gorgeous on the shelves, and knowing that Kat Von D puts so much thought into each product design gives me extra respect for her and extra love for the palette. I love the rainbow ombre text at the front and how the colours are laid out in the pan. Usually with palettes I would have a couple of favourites and possibly a few I'm not that bothered about, but every shade in this palette is strong and I adore them all.

Star, Clementine, Meow & Dope.

Doom, Gloom, Dagger & Skull.

As you can see, these swatch like a dream. They're insanely pigmented and the colour is popping! The formula is on the powdery side, but I don't say that as a negative as that's usually the case with mattes, and these apply smoothly and blend out so easily. Not only do they perform well, I've honestly never seen a palette like it. Each colour seems unique and I know that this is an investment and an extension to my palette collection. I'm guilty of sticking to the same palettes (Naked palettes I'm looking at you), but even though they're beautiful, they're not quite as unique as this. As you can see below the shades blend beautifully together, and they're soft enough to create a barely there pastel look, but also pigmented enough to pack on and create an impact. 

Unfortunately I am struggling to find a decent place to purchase this in the UK online, but as I only bought it a week ago in the Oxford Street Debenhams, I would say that's the place to get it. For £32, this is a steal. If you love pastel shades or simply want to jazz up your collection, grab this if you're passing - You wont regret it.

Grab this from the Oxford Street

Debenhams Kat Von D counter for £32.

Thanks for reading!