Event: Selfridges Blogger Event with Mixed Gems Beauty

Rose from Mixed Gems Beauty recently hosted a fabulous beauty blogger event in Selfridges Birmingham.

Hosted in a private room, we met up at the Marc Jacobs Daisy Dream stand and were given a token to use in their special vending machine. I received a sample of the new fragrance whilst there was also a full sized bottle up for grabs!

We made our way upstairs and found a room laid out with stands from brands including NARS, Kiehls, Creme De La Mer, GHD, Tom Ford, Charlotte Tilbury and Estee Lauder.

However, before we dug into the make up the first thing we noticed was this fabulous display of personalised Krispy Kreme doughnuts. YUM! This was such a thoughtful touch and there was a frenzy as we all clambered to take a picture with our doughnut.

Krispy Kreme doughnuts

But I digress. As well as having a catch up and natter, we were able to sit down and spend some quality time with the beauty hall girls and find out more about products new and old.

Kiehls Calendula Toner - with real flowers!

Kiehl's Creme De Corps (it's on the Christmas wishlist!)

Kiehls Hydro Plumping Retexturizing Serum

Kiehl's Calendula Toner

I sat down with Nikki from Kiehls to talk about their new product, the Hydro Plumping Re Texturizing Plumping Concentrate, a serum that is packed full of hydrating glycerins to provide up to 72 hours moisture. I was also drawn to the Calendula Herbal Extract Alcohol Free Toner as I love natural products. Inside the bottle you can see REAL FLOWERS!! Amazing. I also love the Creme De Corps and just need to dive in and purchase this beauty; look at that soft whipped texture.

Amy's manicure in progress

Amy's Nars nails

Nars eyeshadows

The Nars stand

I then had a look at NARS where Amy from PYT had her nails done and we both had a play with the beautiful and soft eyeshadows. I then went over to Estee Lauder where they are offering 8 minute beauty makeovers. I opted for the lip makeover and tried out this gorgeous Pure Color Envy Lipstick in Eccentric and was also reminded of how accenting the cupids bow with a highlighter makes a huge difference.

Charlotte Tilbury Lip and Cheek Colour 

Charlotte Tilbury Luxury Palette The Dolce Vita - how pigmented is that bottom left colour?

Charlotte Tilbury Bronzer and Highlighter

Charlotte Tilbury lips make up bag

Charlotte Tilbury 10 signature looks

Beautiful Charlotte Tilbury make up bag

Charlotte Tilbury has some of the most divine products out there in some seriously glam packaging.

Lastly, I got to try out some insane items from Tom Ford!

Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate Palette (I need these!)

Just as the evening was wrapping up I managed to squeeze in a few minutes with Karen from Creme De La Mer, but I'm dying to go back for a full consultation!

A big thank you to Rose for hosting event and to all the Beauty Hall girls who took the time to meet us and leave us with some fabukous samples to try out. As always it was lovely to see you all :)

Bullring Birmingham #bullringbloggers Event

The Bullring Birmingham is home to so many great shops and brands, so the lovely folk at Bullring invited myself and a host of other Birmingham bloggers along to an event recently to showcase just some of the fabulous beauty and fashion brands on offer.

Hosted in the management suite, I came straight from work and dived into the refeshments table to give me some energy before checking out brands such as Kiehls, RMK, Clarins, Urban Decay and Umberto Giannini.

The drinks were served up in adorable mini milkbottles with pink and white paper straws, and Millie's Cookies even created a special cookie cake for the night emblazoned with #bullringbloggers. Later on in the evening, we were also treated to Nandos and Wagamamas treats (can you tell I'm a foodie?) but I digress!

We were welcomed to the event and then heard a fashion presentation from Karen Millen and had a talk on the new Umberto Giannini Curl Friends range from Umberto's PR manager.

Then, we were left to our own devices! I tried out some products from Giorgio Armani including the Blushing Fabric in two shades, one, a beautiful gold highlighting shade and another that gave a lovely natural flush to cheeks. I also tried out the Luminous Silk Foundation which was super light on skin.

RMK introduced us to their beautiful skincare range, including the Cleansing Balm and we learnt about the brand and its popularity in the Far East.

I also got to try out some beautiful products from Urban Decay and was super impressed with the Strip Palette! I loved how glowing this set made me look and it's definitely on the shopping list.

Next, I had a chat with the lovely Nicki from Kiehls (hope I've spelt that right!) and went through some of their new products as well as classics such as the Creme De Corps, then the girls at Clarins went through their pretty Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector collection of plant therapy infused balms.

We also took a look of some of Shu Uemura's iconic products including the super softening cleansing oils and colour pop make up.

Here's a snap of my fabulous curls courtesy of Umberto Giannini - I just wish I could have my hair done like this every day!

NutellaTasha, The Style Floozie and me!

Last of all, we had a lovely surprise waiting for us in our goody bags - a personalised Tatty Devine necklace! This was such a lovely gesture and I adore my necklace so thank you so much!

Big thanks to everyone at Bullring for organising the event :)

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream - Product Review

Have you ever picked up a pot of Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream? If you have, did you notice the writing on "Greenland First Ascent" and wonder what the story was behind it?

Kiehls Ultra Facial Cream* available here 

"Kiehl's chemists are known industry-wide to go the extra mile by "tortute-testing" their highly effective formulas in some of the most remote plaes on earth. To ensure it hydrates even the most parched skin, Keihl's has sent its Ultra Facial Cream to the uncharted peaks of Greenland, 282 feet below sea level in Death Valley, 13,000 vertical feet to The Mount Whitney Portal - and this year, across the frozen sea ice of the North Pole.

"Most skincare products claiming 24-hour hydration are never exposed to real environmental elements to prove their all-day endurance. To test the performance of Ultra Facial Cream, Kiehl's partnered with adventure explorer and polar guide Doug Stoup, on his recent expedition to the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean. Amid waters that are almost permanently covered with constantly shifting sea ice, The North pole has some of the harshest conditions in the world with temperatures reaching as low as -43 degrees C.

In his own words, Doug has said "I feel it really improves my skin from drying and chapping... I depend on it to provide all day continuous hydration."

So how does this iconic cream measure up to the claims?

This thick white cream looks and feels rich in texture and consistency before you've even put it anywhere near your face. As rich as it is, it's also suprising light, almost whipped, and not at all greasy. Once spread over your skin, this instantly leaves skin feeling super soft and comfortable. This feels so light on the skin, without any residue or greasiness, and it's also fragrance free. Light enough to be used under make up in the day, it can be used day and night.

The Verdict

A great all round moisturiser for men and women, that can be used day or night for instant comfort and hydration. For normal skins, especially in the winter months, that don't require additional benefits such as blemish or redness control. At £24 for this 50ml tub, the product does a great job of hydrating skin and lasts a pretty long time too.

*PR sample

Mammoth Empties Part 5: Hands, teeth and everything else

Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment Cream – I’ve been using this for years and it was my favourite, until I tried Kiehls. That said, I’d still happily use this as it’s so good at keeping hands soft.

Kiehls’ Ultimate Strength Hand Salve – Already on my birthday list, please santa?! All time favourite hand cream.

Per Una Originale 10ml – My favourite non designer perfume ever, I’ve already got a huge stash of this but 10ml is way too small.

Tails Cosmopolitan* - Not a beauty related item but I had to include it as I got this in my goody bag at the #BrumBloggerMeet (link to post). 

Colgate Sensitive Multi Protection – I have such sensitive teeth and I;ve tried everything under the sun to help. Can’t say this is a miracle worker but we can but try.

Colgate Sensitive Pro Relief – Better than the Sensitive Multi Protection one! I’ve got 4 mini tubes as you can see of this because I’m always getting them when I go to the dentist, for free! Can’t say fairer than that.

Colgate Total – It’s toothpaste, enough said.

And my toothbrush haha! Wisdom, although I’m really not fussy.

Product Review: Kiehl’s Three Steps to Ultra Moisture – The Ultra Facial Collection

I don’t know about you, but Kiehl’s is one of my favourite brands. I can’t get enough of the Hand Salve and Crème de Corps, so I was really pleased to get this as a gift from the USA.

The Kiehl’s Three Steps to Ultra Moisture – The Ultra Facial Collection is a three piece set containing an Ultra Facial Cleanser (30ml), Ultra Facial Toner (40ml) and Ultra Facial Cream (50ml).

First off the cleanser. In a tube similar in size and shape to their famous lip balm, the little screw top lid is a little fiddly to open. The product itself is a semi-opaque gel with a very slight shimmer. This felt thick and luxurious and lathered well.

The toner is a semi opaque thickish liquid that I applied onto a cotton wool pad. It came out clean so the cleanser must have been good!

Finally, the moisturiser is quite a heavy cream that felt really comforting.

Overall after using the three products my skin felt soft and moisturised, although there was a little cream left on the skins surface. This is a great little kit and is just the right size to take away with you on holiday or for overnight stays. After using it for a few days my skin felt hydrated and clear. It’s a great little set and I’d recommend it to anyone who has normal skin.

Have any of you used Kiehl’s products before? What did you think?

Birthday presents - Vera Wang, Burt's Bees, Kiehl's and Pimms

It was my birthday on Monday, so sorry it’s taken a while to get up but here it is! I’ve been so lucky to receive such lovely presents from my friends and family. I think they’re getting to know my taste more and more, especially since I started the blog as everyone knows you can never have enough blushers!

Kiehl's Hand Salve and  Creme De Corps

Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm

L'Oreal Everpure Shampoos and Conditioner

The things I asked for were the black Celine-esque handbag, three products from the L’Oreal Everpure range, Vera Wang Lovestruck, Marina and the Diamonds Electra Heart CD Deluxe, Burt’s Bees tinted lip balm, Kiehls Crème de Corps and Hand Salve, Per Una perfume.

The happy surprises were Pimms, lemonade an apple and a lime (just waiting for the sunshine to enjoy it), Zola Jesus CD, faux pearl necklace, silver flower necklace, macaroon notebook, Kevyn Aucoin eyelash curlers (I asked for Shu Uemera but got these and they are ace!), vanilla coconut scented hangers, Keep Calm Notebook, rose ring, Bare Minerals bronzer mini pot, strawberry Freddos and the jade butterflies.

I also got to go on a shopping spree which I’ll post the pictures from later. I’m most excited about my MAC makeover which I had today. My friends have really kindly bought me a few products from MAC and I have been looking forward to it for months! I won't tell you what look I went for but I will post the pictures next week for you to see.