Harvey Nichols The Violet Case.... Freebie Purchase Alert!!!!

Now I have not really been hitting my written blog too hard at the moment... I've been keeping everything up to date on my Instagram and twitter. I genuinely think that is the future of blogging now. The quick, to the point visual awesomeness that it is.

Although I did feel the need to write up a little piece about the Harvey Nichols exclusive Violet Grey collab.

To put it simply it is an awesome bag of awesome! It's an industry beauty edit with all the beauty essentials picked by the people in the know.....

The bag itself is just adorable. A cute oversized makeup bag, made pretty by Donald Robertson (Estee Lauder creative director) containing products picked by The Violet code.

Violet Grey is basically an online edit that keeps itself up to date by talking to those in the know and taking a nosey in the makeup kits of people like Charlotte Tilbury and Lisa Eldridge.  This is the first time that an edit has been available outside the US!

Onto the products, each kit has....

NARS The Multiple Blush (Orgasm) 
Chantecaille Jasmine & Lily Healing Mask 
Eve Lom Cleanser
James Read Sleep Mask (Tan Face) 

Crème De La Mer Express Treatment Facial £50 redeemable voucher 
Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Colour
Omorovicza Queen of Hungary Mist
Serge Lutens Nuit De Cellophane Eau De Parfum
111SKIN Bio Cellulose Mask
Charlotte Tilbury Magic Night Cream (Deluxe Sample) Charlotte Tilbury Magic Eye Rescue (Deluxe Sample)
Sisley Black Rose Cream Mask

My personal favourites are the generous sized NARS multiple, The Eve Lom Cleanser (a hero product for some) and the Serge Lutens perfume.....I may be a convert!

All this free when you are spending over £200 in store!! This is a huge win for me as I usually save up a big spend on my skincare to get all of my points together! It's in store now until they run out.... I'd get along there quick!

Stay Classy


Kelly x

Girl Meets Brush Review

 

I was invited along to attend a tutorial workshop with a new brush brand Girl Meets Brush. I went along with my partner in crime, Emma from Bear and Bunny who is a self confessed make up noob to see what the brand had to offer and the idea behind it.

We decided Emma should be the one to have the mini lesson as I used to be a make up artist it made sense to get the opinion of someone not in the know.

We were greeted by the lovely Lynne Mills, she is the scottish make-up artist behind the brand. Lynne was all set up and ready to go. Emma sat down and went into a full face make up tutorial driven by Lynne. Emma was encouraged to copy the steps that Lynne went through to create a really lovely day to night natural smoky eye.

Lynne chatted to us enthusiastically about the idea behind the brushes. I have to admit it was really lovely to see someone that has that amount of passion for anything nowadays. Lynne explained that she felt in her job as a make up artist that some of the tools could be improved on and that clients would benefit from a guide on how to use each brush. I have to say this was one of the most common questions I got while working at MAC. There are so many brushes about that it can be quite daunting.

How Jealous of that kit box

So Lynne launched the 12 piece essential make up brush set which has a very handy guide enclosed and all the brushes you would need for the very pocket friendly price of £85. I think that would make an amazing gift for Christmas. If you are still baffled you can book a one on one tutorial like the one Emma had including the brushes for £135. You can also for a limited time buy single brushes if you just want to try them out or have a Girl Meets Brush shaped hole in your kit.

Emma said she definitely felt more confident having a go at a smoky eye after the lesson and had a better understanding of the brushes and their uses. From my side of things as a make up artist I found the brushes easy to use and beautifully soft. I find myself reaching for them over my other brushes now in my kit.

I'll be uploading a video to You tube this week using the brushes with my new baby....the Lime Crime Venus 2 palette.

Stay Classy 

Women are from..... Lime Crime Venus and Venus 2 Palettes

Ok so I love a palette.... Having gone through all the stages of Naked (Urban Decay of course) I had felt something was missing from my vast repertoire of eyeshadows.

In came the Venus Palette from Lime Crime. As soon as I saw those grungy tones and that true burgundy red I knew this was what would fill the make up void in my life.

I was right of course! The palette is gorgeous, I find myself reaching for it much more than any others, I can create a classic pin up to a grunge eye and an intense smoke with just that little beauty. My only complaint really is that although the packaging is gloriously beautiful, It's not all that travel friendly. Maybe I ask too much.


When the Venus 2 Palette started being tantalisingly swatched day by day on the Lime Crime instagram I knew I had to have this too. I can always be lured in with a nice marketing plot.

I'm especially foaming at the mouth to get
Pigeon (pearl): Brown/green shift and
Fly (pearl): Ivory/green green shift onto my eyes!


I'll do a full review and a look once I get my paws on it. Fingers crossed for fast US delivery!

Stay classy


Kelly x

Oh my Teese..... My Beauty Mark and Dita Lipstick

I have always been a fan of Dita's. You may see a little of her influence in my own make up and hair from time to time. She was very important in my journey finding my own style. Whilst I like to mix and match vintage with a modern twist, Dita tends to stay quite true to a classic vintage look. She knows what works for her and has spent many years perfecting that look. That's why I am so excited for the new book to come out. With Mr Pearl as my close friend I was hoping I would get some behind the scenes beauty secrets but no such luck. I would expect no less from him....A true gent.

I know the book will have a lot of the things I already know in there as we do very similar styles but its the process of getting to that end result that fascinates me.....what tips and tricks does she have? For me the book is worth having even if it's just for the beautiful imagery it will have. So it's on order and I will review it as soon as I have pawed it!

On top of this MAC have collaborated for the second time with Dita. MAC fans will remember Dita being one of the faces of MACs charity lipstick, Viva Glam VI. This lipstick is a warm terracotta-plum with pearl finish which is really easy to wear day by day, not really mine or Dita's usual style.



This time around Dita has had involvement in the colour of the lipstick itself, so of course it's a red! Now I have over 15 different reds...maybe closer to 20. Do I need another red? You bet I do. I'm a sucker for packaging and presentation. I LOVE the fact the lipstick has the signature on it and the packaging!

It's being described as "a true red" hmmm what exactly does this mean? A lot of reds now are saying they are a true red (not the lipsticks themselves, they can't talk.....can they?)



  I have heard that it is more a tomato red which is very Dita....A slight yellow warm red without pulling into an orange.

I'll put up a full review when I get my mitts on the book and the lipstick.




Stay Classy

Kelly xx

Rodial Makeup and Christmas givings

I went along this week to the new Rodial make up launch. Now I've been quite excited about this release having been a big fan of their skincare for the past couple of years. (Dragons blood day cream, I'm looking at you)

I arrived in the Harvey Nichols store in Edinburgh to be sat down and straight into a lovely bit of cleansing and moisturising using the stem cell oil and moisturiser. I have used the oil before and have to say it is a really lovely oil. It has all the usual omega you would want in a facial oil as well marula oil for extra hydration, which to be honest is something we should all be looking for during the harsh winter. (It's already ridiculous up here in Scotland, we even had snow the other day!)




Moving onto the make up.... Paul Edwards did a fabulous job of making my skin look super glowing (not my usual style so it made a change for me) He mixed the glow pen with the tinted balm which gave a beautiful sheen all over my skin. This for me would be one of the must have products from the Rodial make up range. I also loved the eye sculpt, it's a beautiful contour shade that looks beautiful buffed all over the eye or in the socket for definition. It's very different from the Mac paint pots as it is much more of a mousse consistency. I layered over it that evening to go out and my eye make up did not shift!



(Lighting wasn't great to take a picture I'm afraid)

If you are in the market for a new mascara I would recommend the XXL mascara which made it into the Harpers Bazaar hero products! It has beeswax in for conditioning and gives a gorgeous fan of lashes....I love volume on my lashes and black as night please!

If you want to try out the Rodial skincare I would say get yourself to Harvey Nichols and grab one of the Christmas gift sets (better yet get someone else to buy you it for Christmas! The hero set is only £50 and you get decent sized products to try out or open it up and put them into crackers for the Christmas wow factor.

What's your favourite Rodial product?

Stay Classy

Kelly xx

Deadly is The Female

I have a soft spot for Deadly is the Female. I love their vintage inspired lingerie that has just the right amount of decadence, so I was very excited when I heard about their new kickstarter.

Its a Murder Mystery theme which is just perfect for me, I love a bit of film noir.! And to top it all off they are now expanding (haha) up to a G cup... I am so pleased to hear that, it can be so hard to get nice bras, especially vintage inspired in a larger cup size.

They have a cute video to show off the collection on the kickstarter page here....https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kissmedeadly/retro-lingerie-fashion-for-femme-fatales-by-kiss-m
You can grab a nice little discount through the kickstarter. I've gone for...




Grace
A bias cut, cowl-neck black satin nightgown, with adjustable spaghetti straps and sheer chiffon side panels.

 I do love the sheer chiffon robe with a plunge front, elbow length sleeves, and full skirt, trimmed in rows and rows of ruffles too!! For £70 each on the kickstarter they are total bargains!








This is an adorable set too...

Angelou

What are you going to pick??

Stay Deadly

Kelly xx

The Printing Press launch party

I went along to the launch party for The Printing Press on George Street in Edinburgh which is the baby of Des McDonald, who boasts working in The Ritz and The Ivy in London on his CV. We were greeted on arrival by an impressive ice sculpture and a glass of champagne, strong start!

The party had an impressive turnout and the restaurant had been cleared to make way for a fresh seafood cart and an adorable cheese stall to keep the guests fed and happy. 

I'm also a bit of a food snob and the glorious canapés made from fresh Scottish produce that were doing the rounds got me excited to go back for a full meal! I love a menu that changes with the seasons.

Along with spotting a bad foundation match at 100 paces, one of my other favourite things to do is to quaff cocktails. I don't do it all that often as they're quite hard to fit into my macros (An eating plan I follow) so they have to be worth it. And they more certainly were! I had a kitsch treacle based drink served in a treacle tin and a prosecco poured over sorbet...It's the only way to drink it darlings.
I think it is a fabulous addition to George Street. Next time you are in Edinburgh give it a try, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Stay classy




Kelly