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

Served with science and class, the new wave of drinks.

I have only recently discovered the joys of a properly made cocktail and how to appreciate a good spirit. I know I might be quite late to this party but you know...I'm fashionably late so who cares.

I had a small wow, mind blown experience in Copper Blossom in Edinburgh. It's an adorable new bar that has a hint of Laura Ashley about it.....In a good way! Walking down the beautiful hand painted flowery steps while lanterns swayed above me, I knew I would love this place. It's become one of my favourite bars already.

Sure it gets ridiculously busy on a weekend. Everywhere in Edinburgh does, but you really don't mind the wait. The drinks are amazing.....The mind blowing bit happened when they told me they had a lab downstairs! Wait what? I know, I know....I didn't know science went into cocktails either. I now appreciate the costs of cocktails and I've found I take my time with them more. No knocking back overly sweet sugary efforts of a cocktail, made with cheap spirits! This also has the lovely side effect of a much more manageable hangover in case you do over do it.

Copper Blossom make a clear Bloody Mary.....mind blown! They add an enzyme to it and voila it's clarified (probably way more technical than that but you know....science) My drink of choice though is the Crystal Peach.
If you are out and about in Edinburgh then this place is definitely a place to visit.

Funnily enough though if It'd have been this time last year, I wouldn't have appreciated the drinks anywhere near as much as I do now. I have the brand ambassador for Glenfiddich, Mark Thomson to thank for that. I attended the Stewart Christie garden party which Glenfiddich kindly sponsored. There is no way you would have gotten me near whisky before, but Mark took the time to teach me and my group how to actually enjoy it. Before then I had always thought of whisky as more of an older gentleman's drink, definitely not a fashionable tipple.

My opinion totally changed when I got to know the brand a little better, I worked with them at Goodwood seeing people of all (legal haha) ages sipping on whisky. I even have a favourite whisky cocktail now (Old Fashioned)
I think brands are starting to push now to be more accessible to all ages, taking risks and being dare I say more interesting, I mean check out this little Glenfiddich video.....definitely not dust and boring.

Let me know your favourite bars in Edinburgh...Where shall I check out and what drinks do you recommend?

Stay Classy

Kelly xx

Iolla....Spexy

I wore these awesome NHS glasses as a child. The giant round frames, ridiculously sized for tiny children faces. Mine were a fetching peach to clear fade. The reason for this tragedy? Cost! That had been a problem all through my glasses wearing life.

I went through a stage in my teens of being determined not to be seen in my glasses. I hated the frames. They made me feel so self conscious that I decided to try life without them. Well after being nearly run over on more than one occasion and accidentally getting into the wrong persons car, I decided to save up for some nice glasses.

Fellow glasses wearers know all about "THE COST". You pick up some frames, look at the price tag thinking, "over £100 is steep but I do need them to see and I would quite like to look cool at the same time". You take the glasses to the receptionist and she says... Well it's an extra £60 if you want lenses. Erm well yes...I would quite like lenses in them! That's up there with my main needs in a pair of glasses!

So after shelling out £160 for a mid priced decent enough pair of glasses what happens? Obviously I end up sitting on them within a month. This is not good. I lose things and break things more than is necessary.

This all changed when I got an invite to the IOLLA launch. Finally a brand made by glasses wearers for, well glasses wearers. Obviously the main draw for me was the price. £65 for glasses....that includes the lenses, not only just lenses BUT anti-scratch and anti-glare lenses!!! 

I honestly couldn't believe my short sighted little eyes. The frames are beautiful Italian acetate and are named after famous Scots. I spent a good hour trying them all on, then obviously another hour deciding between my favourite three.

I chose these gorgeous walnut tortoise frames. You know I can't resist a hint of turquoise. They are so light to wear.I can dress them up or down really easily, working them here with my chouchou hood or Boden wrap dress.

So I'll be visiting the showroom in Finnieston again soon but if you can't get along to Glasgow then get yourself online at Iolla They have made online shopping for glasses so easy! At that price you can get spares for you know, when you sit on them.

Stay Classy 

Kelly xx

Winter Lip Velvets...Lime Crime Velvetines

Velvet is going to be big this winter in all kinds of ways.

We know it comes around every year in fashion and you can head over to the lovely Emma's blog bear and bunny to find out how to wear it on your bod....How about wearing it on your face?

Ok well maybe not gluing big ol lumps of velvet to your face but velvet textures? Yes please!

My favourites for this winter are Wicked and Cashmere from Lime Crime. I will list some other alternatives as I know some people have trouble with that brand. (long story I don't want to get into) I have honestly not found a dupe I like as much as Cashmere itself though.

So here they are swatched on my super pale skin.



I would say cashmere is a surprising colour...I've seen it work on pretty much all skin tones. It weirdly doesn't make me look dead, and I think it would look amazing with the 70s vintage fashion we have going on right now. Its a Greige so basically a sort of greyish beige with just the right touch of pink.


Wicked is a glorious deep red with a wine tone to it. I would match it to the victoriana goth trend, or maybe some beautiful royal blue velvet (guess who has such a velvet cape on it's way haha).


Velvetines I find one of the easier matte lip products to work with. Make sure you give it a good shake up before you use it. It goes on almost watery and dries down very quickly. You will get wear from the inner lip outwards but it almost leaves a cute stain so it's not all bad. I find the cheaper ones wear off much quicker.

Cheaper brands to try are MUA in superdrug, Sleek and Bourjois. I've not seen a colour quite like cashmere though.


Do you have any favourites?


Stay classy


Kelly xx