Tropic Lash Extension Kit

     Tropic is a brand run by Susan Ma, who some of you may recognise from The Apprentice; although she did not win, Lord Sugar took an interest in her company resulting in a 50/50 partnership between the two in 2011. I discovered the brand at a Tropic evening held by an ambassador for Tropic who showed us all the products in their collections and I came away with this Lash Extension Kit, £25 and the Skin Revive Moisturising Cream, £20.
     This kit involves three steps with two brushes. The fixing gel acts as a normal mascara (though gooier) and the second brush is packed with black fibres which are brushed on and stick to the gel, giving a longer and more feathery lash look. The gel is then used as the third step to re-seal although I only use this on my top lashes as it is far too sticky to use on my bottom line and the hassle of each blink glueing together is not worth it.
     I've seen amazing results from this : it's like using false eyelashes but without the effort or TOWIE look. The end result is wispy lashes which are full and with the added layers remain strong and in place for day and night.

Make Up Brushes Deep Clean

      I haven't given my brushes the deep clean they deserve for a while now and I felt they needed a good wash to get them back to freshly bought quality again. I use BlenderCleanser which is designed for the BeautyBlender which I use on and off, but also make up brushes like the above. The top photos show them all fresh and cleaned and the one above shows just how bad my large stippling brush (it says it's kabuki but I tend to think of those as powder mushroom brushes) had become. I treated my four main brushes which I use most often : Ecotools flat foundation brush, Bobbi Brown foundation brush, Real Techniques stippling brush and my Ecotools Kabuki brush.
     The BlenderCleanser is a thick product which smells powerfully but I've become accustomed to it now. It is really effective to keep pouring on and gets right to the middle bristles which are hardest to reach and when combined with water shows you just how much excess foundation gets absorbed into the brush. I have vowed to deep cleanse more often as the brushes really benefit from the care and it is an incredibly satisfying feeling to line up white tipped brushes on a window sill to dry and feel as though you've just purchased a brand new set.

March Alternative Music Playlist

Every month deserves it's own playlist and so far this month I've been getting back into the Arctic Monkeys' old albums, Whatever People Say I Am That Is What I Am Not and Favourite Worst Nightmare having moved on from February's love of Life Is Elsewhere by Little Comets. I feel this section of playlist is pretty upbeat for my music taste but please can you just appreciate these talented bands.

The Mighty Fall // Save Rock And Roll - Fall Out Boy

Mardy Bum // Whatever People Say I Am That Is What I Am Not - Arctic Monkeys

High For This // Trilogy - The Weeknd

Unbelievers // Modern Vampires of the City - Vampire Weekend

The Mother We Share // The Bones of What You Believe - CHVRCHES

Team // Pure Heroine - Lorde

Cemetery Gates // The Queen Is Dead - The Smiths

I Always Knew // Come Of Age // The Vaccines

King City // Where The Heaven Are We - Swim Deep

Modern Jesus // Evil Friends - Portugal. The Man

Switzerland in the sun

The weekend before last I took a trip to Switzerland for a few days to spend some time with my mum who lives there in the week for work, to relax in the flat and enjoy the beautiful scenery of Zug, where she is based. I used to be a regular figure skater but since my scoliosis spine operation in June 2011, I haven't been back on the ice. Until we found a cute little rink round the corner from the flat that is. I couldn't believe it but as soon as I stepped on the ice I was off gliding like I used to and it showed me just how much I used to enjoy it and the talent I still have a little of. By the end of the session I was knackered and I still have cuts in my ankles from the strain of my boots now, but I was going backwards and trying jumps I hadn't done in three years! The picture shows me helping my sister Sophie, manoeuvre around the ice; a move which leads to a great sense of superiority but I think she managed to cope with the patronisation. I don't ski unlike my sister and dad but my mum and I walked up the hill we live on and took the train into Zurich to revisit the art gallery Kunsthaus which has some classics like Monets, Van Goghs and a huge collection of Giacometti alongside modern sculptures. I owe these amazing landscape photographs to my dad, whose photography skills I will always admire.
I am wearing my black coat from Zara, furry Christmas jumper and leggings from River Island, my classic 90's shoes from Office and new Urban Outfitters sunglasses, which are a twist from my usual big Tom Ford's but for £13 I wanted to try a new shape, which I am still undecided on.

M.A.C Studio Fix Fluid Foundation in NW13

My respect for M.A.C has heightened even further than I thought possible after following it's Fashion Week looks on social media, because now, at last, I am finally the owner of the Studio Fix Fluid Foundation and I have to say I have never used a foundation that is quite so flawless. Previously, using high street brands such as Rimmel's Wake Me Up and Maybelline's Fit Me and even heading further upmarket with my sleek Bobbi Brown foundation, I have never found the ideal base, having to build up a lot with concealers and powders, leaving my face feeling caked to be honest. However, with M.A.C, I can rely on it not to wear off, or do a poor job of covering my spots and dark shadows and to build up the rest of my skin I only need a little concealer and a light covering of bronzer. I have seen reviews that it can cause break outs but I don't find my skin irritated much at all, although I make sure to moisturise well before applying otherwise my dryness starts to show as the day wears on.
I used my Eco Tools flat foundation brush to apply, which has been a favourite recently as I get bored of my Beauty Blender after a couple of months using it and have to swap it in and out with brushes as I just love the feel of painting onto skin.
This was £21.50, which is more expensive than your average high street brand but with such a flawless look I feel it was worth the money. I also only wear this at the weekends, opting for tinted moisturiser for school as it frees up my skin and I can justify the price as I don't feel I'm wasting such a beautiful product.
My shade is nearly the palest, NW13, but is my best match and doesn't leave an obvious colour difference from my face to my neck which I despise on anyone of any age with poor make up!
Finally, I have shown my face firstly with just the foundation on and no eye make up and then fully done up; this was a bit of a big step for me as having blonde eyelashes does not mean I go freely without make up. Ever. Out of my comfort zone is an interesting place.
I am wearing the Truly Madly Deeply Psychic Symbol Crop Top from Urban Outfitters.

Lush Marilyn Hair Treatment

 

I was in Westfields a couple of weeks ago and I had to stock up on a bit of Lush; my sister goes all out on the bath bombs as a traditional Lushie but I love their hair, skin and makeup ranges as it is so interesting to try products like these, that are organically made. This Marilyn hair treatment is designed to lighten the hair without bleaching and dying. Now, I do get my hair dyed (the natural blonde didn't last long after about the age of nine) so I wanted to see if this worked as most ammonia free products of this sort produce very dubious results. The John Freida Go Blonder was such a disappointment in that respect.
The idea is to put this onto dry hair pre-wash and as the bubbly lady in the shop told me, your hair acts as a sponge when it is dry, absorbing all the product. An aside here : A* to Lush for customer service! Within two minutes of talking animatedly to me about this, I was sold. Anyway, you pile it up and leave it in to work it's magic and then shower off as usual. I've find this is quite inconvenient day to day, but perfect for a relaxing Sunday morning.
The best thing about it, though : it works. My hair has lightened up all over and I've only used it three times over the course of two weeks! I have black roots and I've noticed they've got considerably softer since using this and and much lighter to more of a brown. However I've been leaving this on for about three hours at a time so good results are from long time treatment. If you are a blonde in need of a boost, this is the product.

Kerastase Nutritive Masquintense Conditioner

Curly hair is a nightmare. If you argue against that then it's obvious you have hair like Cara Delevigne. Unsuccessful in finding any decent photos of my hair, I resorted to this selfie to show the extent of my curls and therefore why this Kerastase is so crucial. Since the age of about six, I've been using this as a conditioner every time I wash my hair and although it's billed as a mask which should be used purely as a treatment, it leaves my hair so soft and manageable that whilst my mum continues to pay for it, I will continue to use it as often as possible! It is a pricey £20 at the Gorgeous where I buy it but I only use a small amount per wash so I guess it lasts 2 months a pot? Combined with a Tangle Teezer it cuts down the time I have to spend tugging through my curls and the over all result is always a lot shinier and softer than with any other conditioner I have used including Aussie, John Frieda and Charles Worthington but for the odd occasion these three all work reasonably well on hair as tough as mine. I would recommend this for curly haired individuals like myself or as a nourishing treatment for anyone with dry or frizzy hair as it such a wonder product.

Soap and Glory Yule Monty Gift Set

Please just take this in. The sheer size of this set. Then take a breath and stop weeping with joy. This is the Yule Monty Gift Box that my lovely uncle and auntie (let's be honest, predominantly auntie) gave me for Christmas and oh I do love it. Soap and Glory is such a great brand and their creams and lotions make the skin so soft. This box contains Sugar Crush Body Wash, The Righteous Butter Body Cream, Heel Genius Foot Cream, Hand Food Hand Cream, Peaches and Clean Cleanser, Thick and Fast Super Volume Mascara, The Scrub of Life Body Buffer, Butter Yourself Body Lotion and Sexy Mother Pucker Lipgloss. Happiness. In seven bottles.

Switzerland Weekend - Zurich and Zug

A couple of weeks ago I went back to Switzerland to see my mum and with all this snow it looks incredible at the moment! My mum works in Zug (not far from Zurich) where these photos are taken, living in a flat half way up the Zugerburg which is such a handy spot for walking up to get these amazing views. I don't ski, a fact which makes me feel very inadequate when you have three year olds all set up with their massive puffa jackets superior to me but my mum and I went into Zurich and we came across this crowd of children getting ready for Christmas, carolling in a pyramid as a whole audience gathered round with mulled wine. This was all very cute until we came back four hours later and they were still out which we thought was definitely classed under, 'Swiss Extremist Carolling.' We also found this lovely open courtyard which had a spectacular view of St.Peter's clocktower though we came to the conclusion that it was so very European, purely because you couldn't have that kind of serenity in a public place in London. This was also felt upon seeing fully decked Christmas trees along the main street in Zurich, with pristine baubles; is it too cynical of me to assume that within three days of something like that being arranged in London they would be smashed?
My outfit is Topshop black leggings, fur Zara coat and I don't even know how to describe my shoes? I love them and have worn them pretty much consistently for the past two months. They're black patent and lace up but I don't know how to categorise them because they have a heel and are certifiably to my mind down as 'clompy boots.' Decide for yourself the correct shoe terminology.