How To: 60s-inspired Half Up Half Down Beehive

While I'm not a complete natural in front of the camera, one of the perks to my stint working at Boots' head office was meeting and having my hair done by Mark Hill's creative director Jules Holland.

A fellow northerner, Jools couldn't have made us feel more welcome during our day at Mark's salon in Hull. Creating three summer holiday looks (my beehive, a fishtail plait and sultry waves), Jules spent a whole day on our hair.

Here's what he came up with for me:

Don't forget to take a look at Boots' YouTube channel for more of the same.

Budget Blusher Bricks for Less than a Fiver?

What can you really get with a fiver these days? A sandwich and a can of Coke, a pint and a bag of crisps, a tube ticket... Not much, see.

How about a slightly less pigmented/long wearing dupe of Bobbi Brown's popular Shimmer Bricks?

Caught your attention?

 

 

At just £4.49, the latest offering from budget beauty brand Miners Cosmetics (yes, THE Miners from your youth!) are these stunning blushers featuring a trio of shades.

Miners Blusher Bricks

Love pink? This multi-tonal pink blusher (front) is made up of three contrasting bricked pink shades, ranging from illuminating barely there pink to a deep colour-injecting rose.

Or, if unlike me, you've got the skin tone to carry off bronze/brown shades, you'll want to get your hands on this stunning blusher, comprising three browns, including a highlighting natural sand to a deep sun-kissed bronze.

Blusher Bricks are available from www.minerscosmetics.co.uk

Have you tried Bobbi Brown's Shimmer Bricks? Will you be taking a look at Miners' budget version?

Red Bikini

I doubt there's a more summery sounding nail polish than this scorcher from Revlon. 

Yes, I photographed Revlon's Red Bikini with an actual red bikini. Tut.

Red Bikini is a beautiful red/coral shade, which requires just one coat. And while the sun continues to shine, I'll be milking these vibrant varnishes for all their worth.

Stunning colour, eh?

I'm sure it'd look even more stunning applied to my nails and not on the skin surrounding them ; )

Tres summery though. Quick, someone pass me a pina colada....

What is your polish of your choice at the moment, then?

Win a VIP Shopping Trip with Sudocrem!

We all love seeing celebrities at their worst, don't we? It makes us feel a little better about our own flaws, eh?

The stress of a recent house move and new job recently sent blemish-prone skin has gone crazy. And while I've finally got my face under control with supplements and topical treatments, I know how horrifying it is to have a bad breakout.

And my Mum, trying her best to cheer me up (bless her), brought me a cut out from the Daily Mail featuring a rake of celebs with all manner of skin complaints - Lily Cole, Cameron Diaz and supermodel Agyness Deyn were just some of the celebs on the paper's pages.

So Cameron Diaz suffers from breakouts. She's still gorgeous! (Pic: Daily Mail)

If it wasn't enough that these celebs have suffered the odd bad skin day in the past, it's been splashed across the papers, too.

So, where am I going with this?

Well, it seemed quite fitting that Sudocrem (now commonly used to treat spots, as well as nappy rash) should contact me with details of the brand's latest competition.

All you have to do is guess the celebrity Sudocrem fans via Facebook for the chance to win a VIP shopping experience, including a personal stylist/shopper for up to 6 hours and £500 to spend on a new wardrobe.

Your chance to win a VIP shopping trip!

The competition starts today (Wednesday, May 30). Just 'Like' Sudocrem's page to find out more.

Have you tried Sudocrem for spots? What's your must-have topical blemish treatment? And do you think it's fair that blemish-prone celebs are exposed in the papers?

Jubilee Themed Beauty Treats

So the country has gone Jubilee-mad - and rightly so. I for one am ridiculously excited about the event and the long weekend that surrounds it.

With that in mind, here's a few Jubilee-inspired beauty treats for your perusal.

Elemis has come over all patriotic with this luxurious Best of British collection, featuring 6 favourites from the brand, including Pro-Collagen Marine Cream, Melting Cleansing Gel, Tranquil Touch Indulgent Bath Elixir, Tranquil Touch Body Polish and Wild Lavender Hand Lotion - all presented in a Union Flag box. Available from 31st May priced £45.

Refresh unwashed hair and support all things British with this Brit dry shampoo. Available from Boots.

Batiste Brit Dry Shampoo

At £15, this is a pricey nail polish. But just look at the fake diamond-encrusted lid and the beautiful glitter infused red white and blue polish itself? Very patriotic.

Nails Inc Limited Edition Crystal Colours Polish

And if you have a spare £320...snap up this Jubilee palette fit for a Queen. This Estee Lauder creation features a solid perfume. Although it'd have to be solid gold at that price....

Estee Lauder Jewelled Flag of Britain Palette

Not quite sure why you'd require a 'pouch' for your Vaseline lip balm, but if you've always wondered why indeed you can't get your lip salve its own leather-look sleeping bag...worry no more. Available from Sainsbury's at £3.99 each.

Vaseline Rosy Lips Lip Balm with Union Jack Pouch

Any of these products take your fancy? Or have you got your eye on any other Jubilee beauty treats?

How are you spending Jubilee weekend? It's a family barbecue for me...

All Whitey, Then! Blanx Whitetening Toothpaste: A Review

I have to admit, I've always been a bit dubious about at-home teeth whitening products. I mean, how good can they really be? The same goes for those 'miracle' hair loss cures.

But when Blanx got in touch to see if I fancied trialling something from the brand, I was intrigued.

A week or so later and this landed on my doormat.

Now I won't scare you with any before or after shots (who really wants to see a close up of someone's pegs?), but what I will say is I was a little disappointed after giving the toothpaste a good go for around three-four weeks.

As I said, I wasn't expecting miraculous results, but I was expecting even a slight change.

What I will say, though, is that the product definitely makes your teeth (and mouth) feel clean and fresh and I did notice a reduction in plaque. As far as whitening goes, though I wasn't too impressed.

Having said that, my teeth aren't in bad nick and I reckon the results may have been more noticeable if you suffer from severe discolouration as a result of alcohol/coffee consumption.

But don't just take my word for it. Try it yourself, or follow Blanx on Facebook and Twitter, where you can take a look at the rest of the products in the whitening line-up.

I'd love to know your thoughts. Have you tried this product? What do you think?

FTC Disclaimer: This product was sent to me for review consideration, I have not been paid to write this post. All opinions are 100% honest and my own, as always.

Festival Beauty Treats from Miners

Heading to a festival this summer? Hands up who's going to Leeds/Reading. Or are you checking out the line-up at V or looking forward to a weekend of mud, music and mayhem at T in the Park?

Wherever you're heading, make sure you don't forget to take all the essentials. You don't want to turn up at the dreaded festival loos to realise they're all out of toilet paper and you've forgotten to pack yours.

 

Pic: The Telegraph

But festival must-haves aside, Miners Cosmetics has created some beauty treats you may not want to be without, too.

Remember those mood rings of your youth? These fun Mood Lip Glosses from Miners work in much the same way, featuring colour-changing technology that reacts with your individual ph-level to create a lip colour unique to you.

 

Available in 'Glastoberry' and 'Peace Pout', these quirky new lip glosses are just £2.49 each.

Glastonberry has been designed to change from clear to your own custom vibrant pink shade, while Peace Pout changes from nude to your own custom pink shimmer.

Intrigued? Take a look at www.minerscosmetics.co.uk

What can you never be without at a festival? Share your must-haves below.

And see you down the front...

Love Elemis' Papaya Enzyme Peel? You'll Love This....

Fan of face masks? Love Elemis? Then you'll be interested to hear the brand's teamed up with a charity to make treating yourself to a luxury at-home facial even more appealing.

Elemis' Papaya Enzyme Peel recently celebrated its 10th anniversary and the brand has introduced a limited edition version of its popular fruit-scented face mask. Buy the product - priced £28.60 and available from 1st June - and you'll be 'doing your bit' too.

Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel Limited Edition

Why? With each product sold, Elemis will provide a 5-in-1 Pentavalent vaccine  - via the charity SOCO - to immunise a child in Africa against five common diseases. If that wasn't enough, the peel also features stunning packaging designed by British-born artist Laura Oakes.

Have you tried this face mask? What's your favourite exfoliating face product?

Want to know what I thought of the product when I gave it a go earlier this year? Have a peek.

Vintage Finds

I am an old woman trapped in the body of a 27 year old. When I'm not admiring my collection of charity shop-bought teapots, tea cups and saucers, I'm popping one of my many brooches on with a cardi or perusing my box of vintage and retro-inspired handbags.

So I was thrilled to stumble upon this little beauty at Elsecar Heritage Centre in Barnsley. Seriously, if you're ever in the area, take a look.

It's an original 1940s 'boxy' tan brown bag, complete with cute clasp and well-worn handbag strap. It's a little bashed and dented, but that makes it all the more special in my eyes.

What really sold it for me though was its label; it's from Boots' 'handbag department'. I didn't even know they used to have one. But as I've recently started a job at Boots' Nottingham head office, so it seemed a sign. It had to be mine.

My next purchase was slightly more unusual...

This bizarrely brilliant old ad was just too good to pass up. The fact that it features a monkey wearing a suit was enough to make me snap it up immediately. The chap loved it too; we're planning on putting it up in the spare room.

Monkey Brand: Won't Wash Clothes. What the eckers does it mean, though?!

Are you a fan of all things vintage? And do you collect anything?

Hair Free Legs for Summer? Take a look at the Philips Lumea Precision...

Hands up if you're sick to the back teeth of hair removal? If you're dark haired like me, it probably seems like you're forever in the shower shaving your legs or bent over the bathroom mirror plucking your eyebrows.

So when the people at Phillips asked if I'd like to give the new Lumea Precision IPL hair removal face and body system a bash, I jumped at the chance. After all, this nifty little gadget is said to permanently reduce hair growth.

And since working at Boots.com, I've learned that this electrical beauty has been disappearing off the virtual shelves like the proverbial hot cake.

Philips Lumea

At £399 though, I'm expecting impressive results. I'll let you know how I get on....

Have you tried IPL hair removal? What are your thoughts?

FTC Disclaimer: This product has been sent to me for review consideration. I am not at all affiliated with Philips as a brand, nor have I been paid to write this post. All opinions are my own and 100% honest, as always.

Music Monday

I haven't put together a Music Monday post for some weeks, but in honour of a very special debut album I just couldn't resist...

Today (May 7), Morecambe-based The Heartbreaks release their very first full-length album - and I hopped along to HMV to pick up a copy.

I spent five years as a music columnist for a regional north west weekly newspaper and these lads (formerly known as Tin Soldiers and Seaside Riot) were regulars amongst the pages.

Thoroughly decent young chaps, they've gone on to gain recognition in NME magazine, as well as support slots for Morrissey (tres jealous) and Carl Barat.

The Heartbreaks: Google Images

Get your listening gear around this lovely little ditty....and make sure you check out the band's Facebook page, or grab a copy of their debut album Funtimes - which takes its name from a Morecambe amusement arcade (seen in the video below).

And while we're on the subject of north west bands, make sure you take a peek at the latest video by Lancaster's The Lovely Eggs - who hail from my hometown.

The husband and wife duo create some pretty impressive music videos - and here's just one of them...

Look up 'food porn' in the dictionary and this video should be there. You'll see why when you watch it.



And here's the 'Food' 7 inch vinyl, which I ordered online a couple of weeks back, featuring photography by my good pal Darren Andrews.

The Lovely Eggs Food Vinyl

I love the little certificate that came with it ; )

Let me know what you think. What are you listening to this Monday?

Natural Lip Care from Figs and Rouge

I'm a massive lip balm fan. But while I'm never without a tub, I'm not always convinced that using lip balm is the best thing for dry lips. Who else feels that the more you apply, the more your lips seem to need it?

That said, whenever I've used Elizabeth Arden's 8 Hour Cream I've found that one application is enough to last hours.

When this pretty little product by little-known beauty brand Figs and Rouge arrived in this month's Glossybox arrived at my house, I was as intrigued at its cute and quirky packaging as I was at its natural ingredients.

First up: the product smelled gorgeous - a delicate rose scent that really lingered. But what I loved most about this product was how moisturising it was; something you don't expect from an all-natural brand - definitely worth a try if you fancy a change.

Have you tried anything by Figs and Rouge? Are you a fan of the brand's products?

Hair Help from Nanogen...

A couple of months ago I took myself off to the hair dressers to get my hair stripped of at least six years of jet black hair dye. Five hours, two hair stylists and lots of desperate scrubbing later and my hair was transformed into a subtle red shed. But while I've managed to maintain the colour, I've struggled to keep hold of that 'just-stepped-out-of-the-salon' glossy condition.

I've tried everything; Moroccan Oil (very good, by the way - review coming soon), deep conditioning treatments, DIY olive oil and egg concoctions....

So it was quite fitting when these hair growth sachets from Nanogen landed on my doorstep. My thinking now is that if my hair grows quicker I can promptly cut off the damaged ends (I only had my hair dip dyed, so it wasn't stripped from the root) and start afresh.

Nanogen Hair Growth Factor sachets

I've yet to try the sachets but I'm very much looking forward to seeing how they fare.

Have you tried Nanogen? How do you look after your hair? Any tips for restoring a dry, stripped barnet to its former glory? I'm desperate....

FTC Disclaimer: This product was sent to me for review consideration. I have not been paid to write this post, nor am I affiliated with the brand. All views are my own and 100% honest, as always.