Best Firming Cream - Nivea My Silhoutte

Just voted the best firming lotion for Tums, Bums & Thighs in a recent poll is Nivea 'My Silhoutte' (£11.99), it proved fast visible results for users even within a week, with the skin appearing firmer & more toned. In fact it beat top seller Rodial's Tummy Tuck at £100 to first place, defintely a bargain buy if it can out perform a product like that! Of course as with all these products, the best results are always gained when combining them with some excercise & healthy eating, although this cream is certainly a great helping hand for an express beach-fabulous body!

Mac Summer Trends - Neon Colours

Just out from Mac are their new Neon Make-Up Bags, this season is going neon-shade crazy so why not have a bag to go with it!!!!! Out in Yellow, Orange & Blue the patent bags are perfect for this summer's trend, limited edition (£10.50)
Also why we're on the subject of Neon, try out Mac's new limited edition Neo Sci-Fi Sheertone Blush for some summer shimmer (£14)

Exfoliate Your Way to Perfect Skin!

Exfoliation is sometimes a pretty forgotten step in the average beauty regime, yet incorporating it can give you instant fresher, brighter & not forgetting younger looking skin!
The basics of what exfoliation actually does is to help remove the dead skin cells from the epidermis, this is your top layer of skin & it actually has 7 layers in total, the top being called the 'Stratum Corneum' & consists of dead skin cells, if these cells continue to build up the layer will become overly thick which is when it will start to look dull & lifeless. Your skin naturally exfoliates but an exfoliating routine really helps this process, keeping the epidermis in perfect working order!.
Oily skins can really benefit as well as it will help to keep the top layer of skin in good condition & in time reduce the amount of oil produced by the skin.
Try lancome's Exfoliance Clarte (£25), it's a gel wash & has fine exfoliating micro beads which will brighten & smooth the skin, it doesn't feel harsh on the skin eaither making it easier to use.
Some exfoliating scrubs claim to exfoliate a lot deeper removing the complete top layer of dead skin, this more commonly known as Micro-Dermabrasion, for best results you should have this done professionally but there are a few good DIY products on the market, try L'oreal Refinish (£14), You'll see instant results with this & it will brighten the skin giving a really youthful glow!
As with all exfoliating, this should only be carried out twice a week, any more than that & your skin can become to dry & sensitive & can be easily irritated by other beauty products.

A Girl's Best Friend - Top Products for Perfect Skin!

Here are some top products for hiding any tale tale signs that may give away any late nights out on the town!!!!!!!

Eyes -

Benefit Eyecon

This cream is amazing, it has a fading action which will help your eyes appear brighter & fade any fine lines as well.


Also from Benefit - Lemon-Aid. A product I use many times myself & can be used as a eye primer with or without make-up, it will hide any redness or discolouration on your eyelids, giving you a fresh healthy look regardless of how many late nights you've had!

Face -

If you want to brighten your complexion in one easy go & get instant results then opt for Nars Brightening Serum, it erradicates any dull lifeless appearance to the skin & gives you an instant youthful glow! Worth every penny!!!


Another instant fix for tired over-worked complexions is Rimmell's Recover Foundation, it has a brightening formula that gives your skin an extra glow, covering up any evidence from the night before!

Bourjois Ombre Stretch Shadow - Review

The latest offering from Bourjois is their Ombre Stretch shadow, it has nylon micro fibres that create a fabric like effect so it will blend easily. I found that while it did blend out softly it didn't actually blend that well with other shadows used, particulary when blending a lighter colour above towards the brow (if using one of the dark shades that is). The brush that comes with it quite good & a lot better than most applicators that come with shadows, best to use a proper 'fluff' brush though to get the best effects. Another small down side is that at the inner corners of my eyes I noticed the shadow seperated slightly & the pigment ran a little, it was the purple shadow & small streaks of pink appeared which never normally occurs, so it's not all that great when in contact with moisture... But still a lovely effect & easy to blend on it's own, so over all worth a try. £6.95 from Boots.

Top Lipstick - Bare Escentuals

Recently tried & tested from one of our top magazines Bare Escentuals Lipstick gets top marks for a long lasting & luscious colour on the lips!
It has a nourishing blend of exotic oils, natural waxes, and plant extracts to perfect it's moisturising effects, the lipsticks use only minerals as colour, so no chemicals which can irritate & dry out the lips. It glides on easily with a smooth application, plus it's long wearing & your lips will stay hydrated and soft as if you have lip balm on!
Also pink pouts are all the rage this season so try out their new colour 'Berry Glace' (£12)

Keira Knightly & Sienna Miller at the Edinburgh Film Festival

With the launch of the Edinburgh Film Festival Keira Knightly & Sienna Miller took to the red carpet for the premiere of their new movie "The Edge of Love'. Both looked stunning as usual & Keira sported a very dramatic smokey eye effect which gave a striking finish to her over all look.

Here's some top tips on how to achieve a sultry smokey eye worthy of any red carpet! -

First of all ensure you have cotton buds at hand as these are your top tool for finishing off this look!

1 - Use a matte eye shadow & opt for a dark brown & black such as Mac Shadow in Brun & Carbon -
2 - First of all apply a primer base to the eye to hold the shadow as it will be a heavy application.
3 - Gradually build the colour, add the dark brown first & blend over the lid & into the socket line.
4 - With a blending brush blend outwards at the outer corners to soften the edges & bring it outwards for a dramatic finish (use circular motions for this)
5 - With your black shadow blend it into the outer corners of the eyes & again blend outwards.
6 - With a pencil brush use the dark brown & take it under the lower lash line to create a heavy finish then do the same with the black.
7 - With your cotton buds blend all round the eye ensuring the edges are soft & blended.
8 - Finally take a black kohl eye pencil & line the top lash line & into the inner lower lash lines & the inner corners so the whole eye is defined, this will create a dramatic finish to the look.

One other tip - as using these colours can be a bit messy, best to either place some loose powder under the eye to catch any excess shadow or do the eyes first, then your foundation!