My Valentine's Day Makeup

This year we decided to stay in and enjoy a meal at home, we even included our toddler in our celebration. We had a veritable feast of chicken in a red wine, brandy and mushroom sauce, minted greens and rosemary roast potatoes. For dessert we had a Gu chocolate mousse. This was washed down with Prosecco.

But enough of the food chat .....

My Valentine's Day makeup -

Click for a closer look on the pics!

My eyes were lined using Avon's Supershock Gel Eye Liner which I just love, the liner just glides on and is so black for real 'wow' eyes. I kept my lips understated with No7's Nude Rebel lipstick.


And just look at the stunning red roses my husband gave me!

I had to close my eyes to receive them..

Oh yes I almost forgot, on my eyelids I wore L'Oreal Colour Appeal Chrome Intensity in Cacao Mania.

A close up -  diamonds, a butterfly and glitter!

All tied lovingly with a bow

Happy Valentine's Day!

NOTD - Orly Gilded Coral

Back in December I gave a preview of the new Precious Collection from Orly which was being launched in January 2011.

I mentioned then that the Gilded Coral really appealed and today I am featuring it as my nails of the day. Just as I thought, I love it. It is a stunning coral colour, peach with a slightly pink tone and a beautiful gold shimmer to lift it to something special. I think this is so pretty on...

I even found a bracelet to complement it !

*PR Sample

Boots Summer 2011 Preview - Sneaky Peek

I was delighted to be invited to the Boots Summer Show on Tuesday.

It was a great day to be having the event as the sun was shining and it was warm, really easy to get in the mood for Summer!

I am quite a convert to Boots No7 products - my favourite lipstick is ' Nude Rebel' one from the Autumn Collection so I was looking forward to seeing what was being brought out for Summer.

I met Lisa Eldridge and she introduced the No7 Summer Limited Edition Sundowner Collection - This is a 70's  inspired collection, in homage to Jerry Hall. Think sultry glamour reminiscent of the golden beaches and palms of the world's most luxurious destinations like Mustique and Monaco!. It is all about being a bronze goddess.

My personal favourites from the range include the Sunset Metallic Eye Palette - £13.50

These are 4 gorgeous metallic shades, they are so soft and creamy to the touch, I cannot wait for this to launch! A great tip from Lisa Eldridge was to apply the shadow with a damp brush to make the metallic sheen really pop.

The quad will have a palm tree embossed across it - sounds lovely! - Available from 18th May 2011 - 12th July 2011.

I had this applied on my nails - Stay Perfect Nail Polish in Sultry Sands - £7.50

It is Friday now and with a base coat and top coat this is still perfect. Sultry Sands is a gorgeous glittery nude shade, so shimmery and it will look amazing with a Summer glow.  There will also be a bronze shade called Golden Palms.

Available from 18th May 2011 - 12th July 2011.

Launching on the 13th July No7 will be 4 new shades of Moisture Drench Lipstick - 2 new reds and 2 nudes. My favourite from the new range is Rumour - a wonderful sheer light nude. Look out for my review coming soon.

From the skincare range the item that got me most excited was the Instant Vitality Eye Roll-on £12

This Roll-on with Pro-vitamin B5, light diffusing pearl, Eyeliss and caffeine promises to instantly refresh and reduce puffiness for a wide-awake look. I cannot wait to get my hands on this!

Available from 13th July 2011

Over at 17 cosmetics I was transported to Miami with their Miami Pop Collection. This collection has been inspired by the neon signs seen on Miami's Ocean Drive. Having visited Miami I am inclined to agree that this is a great inspiration for a summer collection.

I love the Miami Pop Lipgloss £3.99

This is such a juicy high-shine gloss in hot pink - perfect for a summer pout!

Also in the range are 2 juicy bright nail polishes and a bronzer.

The Miami Pop Collection is available from 15th June for 4 weeks only

Bring on Summer! Has any of this whetted your appetite?

Afternoon Tea at The Kensington Hotel - Review

On Tuesday I had the pleasure of having Afternoon Tea at The Kensington Hotel.

I will not trust the TFL website for directions again! It took me miles away from my intended destination, but somehow or other I did eventually find it! Note to others...do not get out at Gloucester Road Tube Station.

If you exit at South Kensington Tube Station the hotel is probably no more than a 5 minute walk and very easy to find.

The Kensington Hotel has recently re-opened after a fabulous £20 million refurbishment. From the minute I walked through the grand doors I was taken aback by its lovely scent, the welcoming lobby and the warmth.

I was led to the Drawing Room, shown to a window seat and soon settled down to Afternoon Tea. The setting for Afternoon Tea is delightful: A grand room complete with chandeliers and a high ceiling, a roaring fireplace, big comfy chairs in true Regency style and a mix of English and Chinese paintings adorning the walls.

For the next 2 hours I feasted...

Afternoon Tea is served as 3 courses. Arriving first came 5 finger sandwiches, each one equally delicious - smoked chicken with a citrus mayonnaise, brie with sun-dried tomato & rocket,  honey roasted ham with a whole grain mustard mayonnaise, Scottish smoked salmon with horseradish & chive crème fraîche and finally egg mayonnaise and cress. Perfect!

These were followed by 2 warm home made scones wrapped in a napkin to retain their warmth. (I say "warm", but perhaps "hot" would be a better word - they were obviously straight out of the oven). One plain and the other raisin, with the obligatory clotted cream, strawberry and rose petal jam and a wonderfully tart lemon and passion fruit curd.

After this, the desserts were brought on a traditional 2 tier cake stand.

I have to say these were fantastic. A lovely mix of bite sized cakes - rich traditional English fruitcake, Victoria sponge, carrot cake and a fresh fruit tart with the added bonus of a mini chocolate crème brulee.

With a choice of 13 teas or the option of coffee if you prefer, you are really spoilt for choice. I chose to start with a white tea called "White Moon" which had a subtle peach flavour. I then chose the wonderfully fragrant Jasmine Tea, and ended with a 'smoky' tea which had a very unusual taste that perhaps wouldn't be enjoyed by all. Being a tea lover and feeling curious, I felt I had to at least try it!

I had a great time, the setting was charming, the service friendly and attentive.

If you are looking for a relaxed and unpretentious Afternoon Tea then I can highly recommend it as a real treat.

Afternoon Tea at The Kensington Hotel is served from 3-6pm and costs from £23.

Please visit their website for more details http://www.doylecollection.com/locations/london_city_hotels/the_kensington_hotel.aspx

Clinique Redness Solutions Makeup SPF15 - Foundation Review

I recently picked up a sample of this liquid foundation to try as I have noticed that a bit of redness has appeared on my inner cheeks. I hoped that this foundation would disguise this. The sample I have is 03 - Ivory. A good match for my pale (ish) yellow toned skin.

Clinique claims 'that Redness Solutions Makeup SPF 15 camouflages redness. The soothing oil-free formula instantly colour-corrects flushing, blushing. Beneficial probiotic technology helps strengthen skin's barrier. Keeps environmental triggers at bay with SPF plus antioxidants'.

I have worn it a few times now. I am suitably impressed with this foundation, it covered the redness instantly and although I did wear a primer underneath,  it lasted all day.  I would describe this foundation as quite matte. I didn't glow, and neither did I shine. I really liked the way it was so smooth and easy to apply providing excellent coverage, blending seamlessly with very little effort. I felt flawless and it left me feeling confident (ie not conscious of my redness) within seconds.

Here is a close up of my cheek area that is usually red, 8 hours after I applied the foundation

As with many of the newer foundations on the market, this feels light on the skin, which is great for the coverage. It also feels strangely calming. I have read that with continued use this can help reduce the redness..so I would be interested to hear from anyone who has/is using this foundation.

If you suffer from redness I would think this would definitely be worth a try as I think this is an excellent foundation to conceal/cover redness.

Redness Solutions Makeup SPF15 is available to purchase from Clinique counters or online at www.clinique.co.uk costing £21 for 30ml and comes in 6 shades

What do you think ? Have you tried this foundation yet ?

Charity Event - The Big Chocolate Tea Party!

This dropped into my mailbox and it is such a worthy cause that I felt I had to share this with you all - plus it features chocolate and tea - what could be better!

Forgo the calories and host a Big Chocolate Tea Party any time in April 2011 and raise some money for charity.

The Sick Children’s Trust’s second annual Big Chocolate Tea Party is back! 

The Big Chocolate Tea Party is about getting together with friends, family or work colleagues, over a cuppa and your favourite chocolate treat to help raise money for The Sick Children’s Trust, enabling them to help sick children and their families at their time of need.

Michael Crawford OBE , president of The Sick Children’s Trust said: “Many of the families we have helped have explained how swapping stories and sharing worries over a comforting cup of tea has enabled them to draw strength from each other; helping to ease the burden of having a seriously ill child in hospital.  So I couldn’t think of a more appropriate way to raise much needed funds for our charity.”

Emma Thompson stayed at The Sick Children’s Trust Rainbow House whilst her son, George, aged one years, was being treated at Great Ormond Street.

She said: “We do not know what we would have done without the help of The Sick Children’s Trust. We had to come to London at short notice and our planned short admission turned into a long term situation that has turned our lives upside down. Because of the help of the charity we are able to have accommodation near to the hospital and it means we can still have a family life and all be together at this difficult time.

“We will definitely try to raise money for this wonderful charity in the future, not only would the money go to such a good cause but it would be fun to organise an event like a Big Chocolate Tea Party that the children could be involved with as well.”

Last year the charity raised £14,000 and have high fundraising hopes of trebling that this year.

As well as various tea parties being hosted around the country by the public, this year the charity has teamed up with The Chocolate Festival at the Southbank Centre as its official charity.  It will be hosting a Big Chocolate Tea Party filled with fun chocolaty arts and crafts from 12-2pm on Sunday April 10 2011 and everyone is encouraged to come down and visit.

To receive a Big Chocolate Tea Party pack please visit www.sickchildrenstrust.org or email thebigchocolateteaparty@sickchildrenstrust.org. There are also lots of downloadable recipe cards created by famous chefs Heston Blumenthal, Ainsley Harriott, Gino D’Acampo, Phil Vickery and Gary Rhodes for chocolate inspiration!

NOTD - Models Own Black Swirl - New for Spring/Summer

Today I am wearing Models Own - Black Swirl. This is from their new Spring/Summer collection

There have been mutterings on the internet that this is a dupe for Chanel's' Black Pearl' nail polish, although I have seen the new Spring collection polish from Chanel I haven't tried it so I cannot comment on whether it is or not. However, what I can say is that Black Swirl is a beautiful black polish shade in its own right. It has a  fantastic swirl of silver that gives it a wonderful pearlescent gleam when the light hits it.

You can see the silver swirl in the bottle

From different angles it looks very much like a black pearl, sometimes even a white pearl. This is a perfect polish to complement the trend for metallics this Spring.

I admit I am not a huge fan of black polish but this is exceptionally stunning on and I can see myself using this a lot.

Models Own Black Swirl costs £5 and is available from Boots or online www.modelsownit.com