Products I'm Giving A Big Ole Thumbs Up To....

Forget June and July favourites, here's the products' I'm giving a big ole thumbs up to'.

This post is long overdue, there's been so much stuff I've been trying and testing of late. And the summer months haven't put me off wearing darker shades when it comes to my daily slap.

First up, then....

My trusty Sleek Storm palette

Said palette has clearly seen better days, but that's because I've been using it so much. As you can tell, I've been enjoying the beige-y cream shade second from the left on the top row. This, teamed with the midnight blue (fourth from left on the bottom) in the inner corners of the eyes, makes a gorgeous combination for an evening out. Which are your favourite Sleek palettes?

And the rest....

Eyeko's Tea Rose polish, which has been blogged about to death, really is as stunning as everyone makes out. I was sent this product to review by the folks at Powder Rooms and I've been pretty much wearing it at every opportunity. Tea Rose polish and Barry M's mint green, that is. Ah! Barry M's mint green; we all jumped on that bandwagon didn't we. Still, it is as lovely as they say.

When I'm not wearing MAC's Made To Order lipstick (a gorgeous creamy peachy/orange summery shade I'm vamping it up big style with 'Lustering' (pictured above, far right). A stunning fuchsia pink, this looks perfect in the day with minimal face make-up and big, fat lashes.

What are your must-have summer lippies?

On the eyes, I've been using Eyeko's double ended black and silver chunky eyeliners. I've been applying blusher with Natio's beautifully soft face brushes, which are also great for highlighting and contouring. Bourjois' Smokey Effect eyeliner in Deep Green is another favourite. It comes with one of those nifty little brush smudgers on the end, brill when you're a smokey eye novice like myself.

From top to bottom: Eyeko's Line and Shine eyeliner, Bourjois Smokey Effect eyeliner in Deep Green and Natio blush brushes.

And finally.....

Lush's Ocean Salt is a god send. I'm already on about my twentieth pot since discovering it about six months ago. I literally go through it like it's going out of fashion. Unfortunately for me I live a fair distance away from a Lush shop, so I always feel the need to stock up when I get the chance. A salty face scrub containing lime, coconut and vodka (yep, mental!), this makes applying foundation a dream. It really preps the skin (for me at least) and doesn't leave my face feeling oily or dry. Plus, it smells like summer in a tub!

Karin Herzog is a new brand to me. I discovered it just after Christmas after treating myself to a facial at a spa. The Karin Herzog Glyco Rose facial literally did wonders for my skin, and I've since thought nothing of driving over an hour to the spa in question for three more treatments.
So when the people at Karin Herzog offered to send me their famous Oxygen cream (which I believe was one of the key ingredients in the facials I've been having) I was eager to try it properly.

My intial thoughts after trying it were 'arrghh dry skin'. The product is a sebum regulator, helping to control oily skin. My skin isn't particularly oily, but it is blemish prone. I applied the product a little too liberally at first (my fault, I later found out only a dot or two was needed over the entire face) and ended up with extremely dry, flaky skin. So at least we know it does its job! After perservering (and getting myself a blimming good moisturiser), I'm quite impressed. It's really helped to control break outs, as well as reduce existing blemishes, and that's good enough for me.

I'll do a more thorough review after a few more weeks' use.

What have you been enjoying using lately?

Spotlight On...Make-up Artist Cassie Steward

Cassie Steward's been a busy bee of late. Not only has she done her thing backstage at London Clothes Show, but the talented make-up artist has been to St Tropez not once, but twice in the last couple of months. Phew! But today the twenty-something from Lancashire, who's been the make-up artist at several Aussie bloggers' events, has found some time to make an appearance on A Lauren to herself. Thank you, Cassie!

Read on to find out what it's like to me a top make-up artist.

Cassie (right) works on a shoot

Lauren: What did you reckon to the Aussie events and how do they compare to the kind of work you usually do?

Cassie: I love working for Aussie as i love the team. I love meeting new people (especially those also into fashion and beauty, I could chat for hours!) and I've used the products for such a long time myself. I actually carry Aussie Miracle Moist shampoo and conditioner in my kit on every job, long before I ever worked for Aussie, just for my make-up brushes! And you should know that I'm very precious about my brushes! ha ha

Lauren: What's been the highlight of your career as a make-up artist?

Cassie: Oh I don't know. It sounds like such a cop out but I'd say 99% of my jobs are exciting from my perspective, just because I love everything make-up and hair. I love seeing the final product, whether it be in a magazine, on a billboard or on the catwalk!

In the last year I've worked on teams at London Fashion Week and the London Clothes Show, which was exciting as it was so hectic and fast paced. I was also flown to St Tropez this month with Sony to shoot a campaign with them, which was very nice indeed!

Lauren: How did you get into the beauty industry?

Cassie: This is one I get asked a lot! I actually finished a really basic make-up and hairdressing course at a local college when I was 16, and in the years after that I assisted bigger make-up artists as much as I could, whether it was actually doing make-up or washing brushes/getting coffee. I did it all! There is no fast track in this industry but I think hard work is always rewarded.

In most cases I advise against budding make-up artists spending thousands on expensive courses, as once you've spent the money, you still have the years of low/no paid assisting work to go to try and get an 'in'. Although i loved the course i did at college, I learnt nearly everything I know now, from assisting working make-up artists and made so many great contacts along the way.

Lauren: If you could do any celeb's make-up, who would it be and why?

Cassie: Oh, there are so many! I think the ultimates for me would be Jennifer Lopez and Jessica Alba because they are both so classic but also still very contemporary. They have beautiful skin and with their face shapes/features, their faces are the perfect blank canvasses capable of carrying off just about any look. Plus, both of them have been known to be quite brave style-wise.

Lauren: Which celeb do you think always has great make-up? (and who doesn't?)

Cassie: I met Beyonce's make-up artist, Francesca Tolot a few years ago now and she was so lovely! I think she consistently gets it right with Beyonce; she always looks so flawless, pristine and classy. Even if I'm not really into Lady Gaga or her look, her make-up artist Billy B is another one who always gets it right in a different way - very bold and theatrical but always perfectly executed.

Lauren: What's your essential beauty item?

Cassie: Oh, I have so many! My personal beauty stash is just as big as my kit. For personal use, a good cleanser is more than worth its weight in gold. It can take literally years of investigating to find the perfect cleanser as everybody's skin is so different - there's no universal answer. I must have spent hundreds, if not thousands, over the years trying everything that came on the market, having taken my mildly problematic 'teenage skin' into my twenties with me and once i found a set of products that worked for me, the difference was massive.

A good make-up application starts with a good base, so finding key products that work for your skin is so essential. Kit wise, my all round top cleansing product is Bioderma, a French brand who do the most amazing make-up remover. It's so mild it is perfect for all skin types (even really sensitive skin) but will also remove every last bit of mascara in a hurry. Also in my kit is Embryolisse moisturiser, another french product and another cult product in the make-up industry, a generally good all round moisturiser for basic skin prep.

Lauren: Finally, what's the best piece of beauty advice you've been given?

Cassie: As above, a good skin care routine! I think it's one of those things that if you don't have particularly problematic skin you don't think about too much until you get older and the effects of aging and general wear and tear begin to show.

It's so important to look after your skin and the more care you take of it in your younger years, the more benefits you'll see as you get older. I think the same goes with hair care; when you're young you bleach/dye/straighten/curl to your hearts content and don't really consider the consequences until your hair is in massively bad condition.

Want to know more about Cassie? Click here

Drum Roll Please: And The Winner Is.....

Thanks to everyone who entered my last-minute Miners Cosmetics contest, posted at the weekend.

Cheers for all your entries. But there can only be one winner......selected out of a hat mere moments ago by a work colleague.

Congratulations Lucy from Beauty and the Blogger

Please email me your address to laurenholden6@gmail.com and I'll get your prize sent out in today's post

Thanks everyone

Tonight I'm.....

Heading to the cinema, courtesy of Gillette.

A few weeks ago, I was sitting in the office on a miserable Monday morning (eyes pricked open with matchsticks) when a surprise package landed on my desk.

"A package, for me???" I squealed. I rarely get owt good sent to work.

Inside said package was a whole host of treats from Gillette. I'd taken part in their Bikini Challenge on my blog last year and it seems they'd remembered me. Thank you, Gillette. I received a bag packed with cinema goodies, including the Odeon cinema tickets, popcorn, Dirty Dancing on DVD (yes, yes, yes!), the Gillette Venus Embrace and some beauty treats..

The point of the package? Gillette were - and still are - promoting their Get Close Film Season to celebrate the launch of the aforementioned razor. Basically, for a short time only, UK cinemas are showing some of cinema's 'closest' moments -  a selection of soppy girly films, including Pretty Woman and The Notebook.

There's still time to catch The Notebook at Odeon cinemas (July 20) and Pretty Woman (July 27). Enjoy!

I think Shrek's the order of the day for me, though. Is it any good?
Don't forget to enter my Miners Cosmetics contest (in my previous post!). Good luck.

Three For Me, Three For You!

So for some time now, Miners Cosmetics have been sending me some make-up to try out. Just as a new addition to their collection hits the online collection, I receive a package in the post containing said products. Not just one package though....

I work at a newspaper during the daytime, writing a beauty column amongst other things. And those kind folk at Miners send me a make-up package to my home address (for blog purposes) and an extra one to work. Thank you Miners.

This time was no exception; I received three of their stunning new lip gloss tins through the post - twice. So this time around, I'm offering them to you lovely lot.

The Tin O Tint retro-esque lip balms (£2.95 each) come in cherry, vanilla and watermelon scents - and not only do they look great, they smell delish!

All you have to do to win a set of three Miners lip gloss tins (pictured below) is leave me a comment with your email address by Monday, July 19 at noon and I'll pick a lucky winner at random. Et voila!

You must be a follower/subscriber to enter.
Thanks for reading and good luck!

The competition is open to international readers too x

Away with the (Aussie) Fairies....

I'm coming at ya with another Aussie post...following their Luscious Long bloggers' event last Saturday night (July 10).

So, 'PING', myself and my friend Sarah (left) duly transformed ourselves into fairies for the night. Thanks to Ebay and its cheap as chips fairy wing, tiara and wand sets, we were laughing. Here's the finished result...

We were later joined by Computergirl, aka Emma, who'd had a right nightmare getting to London, what with delayed trains and the London heatwave (32 degrees, phew!) A hop,s kip and a fairy jump later, Emma was ready and we headed over to The Avalon VIP Room in Shoreditch. Thank you Aussie for booking a hotel just over the road, our feet thanked us for it!

Emma and I at the party (pic nicked from Emma's blog, ta Emma!)

Arriving at the event we were greeted by Emma and Lisa, organisers of the event, who gave a quick presentation about the evening, before hairdressers Amber Rose and Zara got to work on some luschious long hair demos.

Later, we were all treated to new dos by the talented hair duo, while enjoying cocktails, nibbles and an appearance from Cinderella, Snow White and Prince Charming!

We met some lovely bloggers, including the lovely Liloo, Jenny, Zoe, Fe (hppe that's your name!) from Peonies and Lilies, Hayley, Natalya, and, of course, Emma

Aussie's hospitality, yet again, knew no bounds! The girls went to a great lengths to ensure the fairytale night was a success.  We walked away with perfectly tousled hair and a beautiful goody bag stuffed full of cute treats. Thank you Aussie!

We spent the rest of our weekend in London shopping; we headed to Notting Hill's Portobello Market, Covent Garden and Oxford Street. Here's Portobello Road market in all its glory...

....and one in Shoreditch

To read more about Aussie's events, as well as what it's like to be an Aussie Angel, go to: http://www.uncoveraussie.co.uk/

 

Coming soon on A Lauren to Herself:: An interview with Cassie Steward, the make-up artist at previous Aussie events

 

Thanks for reading x x x

There's More To Life Than Hair.....

.....but it's a good place to start.

It's just days until the Aussie Luscious Long tribe party bloggers' event, so here's the second of my interviews with the brand's team of party stylists. Amber Rose was the girl in charge of styling bloggers' hair at the recent Manchester Aussie To The Rescue event. This is what the top hair stylist had to say ahead of the London event....

Amber Rose styles my hair at the Manchester bloggers' event

Lauren: What did you think of the Manchester Aussie event and how did it compare to your usual jobs as a hair stylist?

Amber Rose:  I really enjoy working on the Aussie jobs as it's always so fun!
I mainly work on styling the hair on photo shoots but really I do all types of hair jobs. It lovely to get to so lots of different things.

Lauren: How did you start out in the industry and what would you say to others who want to make it as a hair stylist?
Amber Rose: I started out in the salon which was great experience In the salon I worked my way up then after a few years I went on to doing test shoots to build my portfolio.
My advice would be... get all the experience you can. Work really hard and believe in yourself!

Lauren: What's been the most memorable job as a stylist?
Amber Rose: Getting to the final in of  'Image of the Year' was very exciting. It was a world wide competition in Toni&Guy. Even though I didn't win I was so happy to be in the final three.

Lauren: If you could get your hands on any celeb's hair, who would it be and why?
Amber Rose: That's a hard one because there are a few celebrities who I would love to style but if I had to choice one celebrity I think it would be Mariah Carey. I've been a huge fan from a very young age and she is so beautiful.

Lauren: How important is a great hair style to a person's self confidence?
Amber Rose: It's so important. Honestly, if your hair not right then it makes you feel not as good. My best advice is keep your condition good and if you have a really good hair cut looking after your hair and styling it yourself should be easier on you.


For more about Amber Rose, click here. To read more about the Aussie blogging events, go to http://www.uncoveraussie.co.uk/