Showing posts with label #bbloggers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #bbloggers. Show all posts
So I'm trying to start uploading more stuff to YouTube but it just takes foreverrrr. I love filming the videos but editing my rambles is slightly more time consuming.
In case you missed it, I uploaded a little video about the BEST Friday afternoon I've had in a long time. I covered the trifecta that is clothes, hair AND makeup!
Oh yeah, and jumpsuits. There's a bit of a rant about jumpsuits too. ALL the bases covered.....
LINKS.
Any of these catch your eye? Whaddya think of my blowdry? Tweet me your thoughts @FaceValueBlog or send me a comment on Facebook!
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YouTube Video: The Best Friday EVER with Charlotte Tilbury and Clo&FLo
A bit of a dramatic blog title but given that my last post was over 2 weeks ago, I felt it was only fair that I explain why I've STOPPED BLOGGING!
Before you start imagining dramatic versions of Zoe vs cyber trolls vs mid life crisis vs falling out of love with makeup (never!!), I can assure you that it's all very temporary.
Long story short, the main reason is because I'm currently homeless, living with friends, with all my worldly possessions in a suitcase or in storage. THERE'S YOUR DRAMAAAAA!! BOOM.
It's all planned (sort of) as part of the extremely stressful experience that is buying a house (if you're a first time buyer or thinking about it - check out my handy How To Buy A House series as part of my Money Monday posts!!)
Anyway, as a result there's very little bloggage going on, but here's at least a small picture diary of what's been going on over the last 2 weeks....
1. I binned a serious shit-load of stuff.
I'm talking 15 bags of crap - mainly bills and beauty bits from 5 years ago, very old pants, a collection of used padded envelopes, patterned tights (what was I thinking?) and a freezer full of food I forgot about, froze, then never got round to eating again. (guilty!)
2. I packed up my beauty station
It took about 4 days but I finally managed to sort this product palace into boxes - the hardest part was narrowing it down to the the best items to take with me until I move into the new flat. And in just one bag! Serious work!!
I've also decided that my new beauty space is going to be minimal and immaculate like all those beautiful photos that other beauty bloggers post on their Instagrams.... Maybe. Most likely not.
3. And I found these....
Fashion has odd socks, Beauty has lids with no owners. That's like. *counts* SIXTEEN lids there. Some girls don't even have sixteen products to their name. I should start Beautaholics Anonymous..
4. I tried to sell my stuff online
Selling via Facebook was surprisingly effective and no ebay and paypal fees!! Definitely recommend trying this method before you go official!
Top tips for blog sales:
- Offer bundle prices if you want to get rid of stuff fast
- Double check postage before you commit to a price!
- Really think about what you would buy from someone - dont waste your time taking pictures of stuff which is unlikely to sell.
5. I ate a LOT of this.
Papa John's special garlic sauce is THE DREAM. It's like garlic butter, on steroids. I'm going to buy a supply for my new flat..
6. Storage is SO efficient
I've never put stuff in storage before but OMG, it's incredible how much you can fit into a small space. It's also mindblowing how many units are squeezed into the building - the accountant in me is loving the efficient use of floor space.
This is 40sqft, with plenty of room spare, and less than £30 a week - apparently some people actually illegally live in storage!! It IS much cheaper than rent.. hmmm.
7. I am the least helpful person ever in a house move.
For this reason, Mr FV was very clever and decided to hire a man and van to help. (Such a good idea - best money he's ever spent!) Here's me being....helpful.
8. Once I have a flat, I'm GETTING ONE OF THESE!
What is it?!!?! It's called an Axolotl aka the Mexican Walking Fish and it is the cutest, most bizarre looking alien thing- it lives in the water!
It just looks like it's smiling all the time - I really really want one!! Looks like it'll be easier to look after and my second choice after that is a house bunny so Mr FV is in favour of the fish.... Any ideas of other low maintenance pets??
So there we go - a fortnight of progress!
Hopefully I'll be back onto blogging soon with lots of pictures of my new minimalist, tidy beauty station and my new alien. I shall call him Miguel..
Let me know what you think on Twitter or Facebook! Links below!
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Why I've Stopped Blogging.....
A girl on the what??? A girl on the ground!
Following my amazing London Fashion Week adventure, reporting for Yahoo Lifestyle as part of the Girls On The Ground duo (feat my blogging buddy, and all-round good egg, The Goodowl!) - I can FINALLY tell you the details behind my tantalising Top Secret hints which I've been leaving all over Twitter & Facebook.
The LFW Girls On The Ground was such a huge success that Yahoo Lifestyle have set up an exciting fashion and beauty project called the Girls On The Ground, a small group of bloggers united in a cause - to create some brilliant fashion & beauty content for you!
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It's official. I am a Yahoo Lifestyle Girl On The Ground.
It's happened! Another YouTube video has landed!
It's been a busy month at work, I've moved flat, I'm trying to downsize my wardrobe and sort out my life - SO MANY EXCUSES, I know!
The thing is, I absolutely love making YouTube videos but I just never get round to editing the videos on top of the blog as well. So when fellow blogger Tania from WhenTaniaTalks tagged me in her Tag video, I thought - this is it - this is my chance to get on it and get another video out!
So I only went and actually DID IT!
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Back On Youtube! My first ever tag...MAKEUP ROULETTE.
I don't normally win competitions, but at the #bloggersfestival last month, I lucked out and managed to win the entire Bee Good skincare range! WAHOO!
No idea what's going to happen now - most likely will end up standing in a deep puddle wearing the world's flimsiest ballet pumps, whilst simultaneously getting splashed by a passing bus. Standard Autumn bad luck drama.
Anyway. I digress. Bee Good is a British premium skincare brand, run by husband and wife duo Simon & Caroline (how cute!!) Given Simon's bee-keeping background, Caroline started using the excess beeswax to make products and now, the brand is stocked in Waitrose as the only British brand to exclusively use British beeswax and honey in it's products.
No idea what's going to happen now - most likely will end up standing in a deep puddle wearing the world's flimsiest ballet pumps, whilst simultaneously getting splashed by a passing bus. Standard Autumn bad luck drama.
Anyway. I digress. Bee Good is a British premium skincare brand, run by husband and wife duo Simon & Caroline (how cute!!) Given Simon's bee-keeping background, Caroline started using the excess beeswax to make products and now, the brand is stocked in Waitrose as the only British brand to exclusively use British beeswax and honey in it's products.
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BRAND FOCUS: Bee-autiful skin with Bee Good Organic Skincare
Okay, overly-dramatic title probs but I HAVE been cutting my own hair for basically the last 5 years.
Why? Partly the fact that I find snipping my ends quite soothing (it's an excellent procrastination activity if you're revising!), partly because I'm never 100% happy after a haircut and always end up trying to adjust it myself, but MAINLY because I'm ridiculous and neurotic and just find the whole experience so awkward!
Don't get me wrong, it's not like I'm reduced to a hyperventilating rocking-in-the-corner mess every time I step into a salon - but I was talking to my pals about funny salon stories and today I'm writing a little silly compilation of my favourite hairdresser awks.
Some of them are probably Zoe Dubs specials (ie unique to mentalists like me) but some of them I know YOU KNOW. Now let's proceed and confirm just how mental I am shall we?
Why? Partly the fact that I find snipping my ends quite soothing (it's an excellent procrastination activity if you're revising!), partly because I'm never 100% happy after a haircut and always end up trying to adjust it myself, but MAINLY because I'm ridiculous and neurotic and just find the whole experience so awkward!
Don't get me wrong, it's not like I'm reduced to a hyperventilating rocking-in-the-corner mess every time I step into a salon - but I was talking to my pals about funny salon stories and today I'm writing a little silly compilation of my favourite hairdresser awks.
Some of them are probably Zoe Dubs specials (ie unique to mentalists like me) but some of them I know YOU KNOW. Now let's proceed and confirm just how mental I am shall we?
The Preparation.
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Why I'm Scared Of The Hairdresser. A Bit.
Wake up. Look at face. Grimace. Repeat. There are those days when my skin doesn't just need a little help, it needs a full SOS custom paint job. Red rings around my nose, dark circles under my eyes - foundation just doesn't always cut it.
Enter, stage left, the Amazing Cosmetics Amazing Concealer! Could a product sound any more sure of itself?!! Used by the likes of SJP and Gwyneth Paltrow,the Amazing Concealer is a bestseller from the Amazing Cosmetics range.
I've not tried Amazing Cosmetics before so (like every beauty junkie out there) I was so excited to try this new brand and this new concealer!
I don't want to a) ruin the surprise and b) be lazy with my adjectives BUT Amazing Cosmetics Concealer is....well, amazing!
Okay okay, I'll give you some more detail in a bit but lets say that no one's getting sued by Advertising Standards anytime soon.
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The Amazing Concealer from Amazing Cosmetics!
I was in Covent Garden the other day and I suddenly remembered - there's one thing I've wanted to do in Covent Garden for quite some time now. Nope, not the Ballet, not the Royal Opera House either - I'm talking about the Burberry Beauty Box! (Obvs..)
Opened last Christmas, it is the ONLY store dedicated to Burberry Beauty - makeup, fragrance, scarves and a selection of beauty accessories designed by Christopher Bailey especially for the Beauty Box. I just HAD to go and buy something - y'know, since it's one-of-a-kind and everything.... right?
Ridiculous self-justifications taken on board.... I spent half an hour in there and ended up leaving with this special package.
Isn't it beautiful?! Lovingly packaged, one of the best bits of the Burberry Beauty Box experience was opening the bag (Once I managed to bring myself to undo the beautiful ribbon tie of course.)
Why? Because the great unveiling was a bit like opening Pandora's box - more and more just kept coming out! There was SO much more than just the lipstick inside... Should I have expected anything less?
Let's find out what's in the bag.
Opened last Christmas, it is the ONLY store dedicated to Burberry Beauty - makeup, fragrance, scarves and a selection of beauty accessories designed by Christopher Bailey especially for the Beauty Box. I just HAD to go and buy something - y'know, since it's one-of-a-kind and everything.... right?
Ridiculous self-justifications taken on board.... I spent half an hour in there and ended up leaving with this special package.
Isn't it beautiful?! Lovingly packaged, one of the best bits of the Burberry Beauty Box experience was opening the bag (Once I managed to bring myself to undo the beautiful ribbon tie of course.)
Why? Because the great unveiling was a bit like opening Pandora's box - more and more just kept coming out! There was SO much more than just the lipstick inside... Should I have expected anything less?
Let's find out what's in the bag.
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A Trip To The Burberry Beauty Box!
Has anyone started watching that Netflix series Orange Is The New Black yet? It sounds like Mean Girls in prison, I can't wait to get cracking on that one! Or should I read the books first? I actually really like knowing what's going to happen, is that weird?
Tedious link coming up, but from a makeup perspective, orange is actually the new pillarbox red! I showed you one of my favourite Orange toned lipsticks in my No7 Gay Geranium review which is a warm toned blood orange but, when it comes to Orange-Orange, a lot of you have said that it's too hard to wear!
I kind of agree, I feel like you have to have an occasion for orange-orange (ideally an east London house party one) - I only bust out a full orange lip when I want to look less girly and a bit more modern.
But that's not to say that orange can't be h-awesome. If you're looking for a more wearable shade then coral lipstick is your one and this Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy lipstick is officially my first buy for summer makeup!
Tedious link coming up, but from a makeup perspective, orange is actually the new pillarbox red! I showed you one of my favourite Orange toned lipsticks in my No7 Gay Geranium review which is a warm toned blood orange but, when it comes to Orange-Orange, a lot of you have said that it's too hard to wear!
I kind of agree, I feel like you have to have an occasion for orange-orange (ideally an east London house party one) - I only bust out a full orange lip when I want to look less girly and a bit more modern.
But that's not to say that orange can't be h-awesome. If you're looking for a more wearable shade then coral lipstick is your one and this Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy lipstick is officially my first buy for summer makeup!
I never normally like to spend more than a tenner on lipsticks but I have to say, I am HOOKED. Read on, for the reasons why.
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Orange Is The New Red: Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Sculpting Lipstick
Heat styling, Hair colouring and Backcombing are like the three horsemen of the Hair Apocalypse to me. And when it comes to judgement time, I bet my hair will be pronounced by the Beauty Gods as an over processed, split-ended mess. Oh noes. But is there anything I can do to prevent the end of my hair as I know it?
PERHAPS. Today I'm seeking penance in the name of Dove Intensive Repair Self Warming Mask which is designed to strengthen and revive damaged hair from the inside out. Billed as 'the hair hero we've been waiting for', it uses heat to restore shine and gloss and is meant to leave hair up to TEN times more resilient against future damage. Ten times!
I was lucky enough to be sent the Intensive Repair Mask to try but was it a hair hero........or a hair zero?
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Undo The Damage: Dove Intensive Repair Self Warming Hair Mask
Gawsh, isn't the weather gorgeous at the moment? Oriflame sure picked the perfect time to launch their new "The ONE" collection - I love me a good event launch, especially when it's on a rooftop and sunny outside! Funny how a little but of sun just makes everything 100 times nicer!
Sunny Soho location aside, there were bubbles, cupcakes and a celebrity make-up artist in the form of the awesome Gary Cockerill! Gary is one of the UK's most respected makeup artists and has worked with beautiful faces like Eva Longoria, Cat Deeley and Rachel Weiss to name but a few! Oh yeah - and David Beckham! (yes, can you believe it? Even Becks needs a good buffing up every now and then!)
Pick & Mix makeup in jars and free bubbles - could this BE any more blissful?
Enough fluff, let's get down to business. I've reviewed Oriflame cosmetics many a time but if you haven't seen them (here, here and HERE )- the general jist is..... I really friggin LOVED them. It's such a shame that Oriflame doesnt have a stronger presence in the UK yet!
There's the amazing Oriflame eyebrow kit which I loved, and also the New Years party face I created with the Eye Pearls and Palladium Shine lipstick...dreamy!
Anyway - without getting distracted by the cakes - let's look at the new stuff! What's the "The ONE" collection all about?
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PRODUCT LAUNCH: Oriflame "The One" Collection
It’s sunny, it’s glorious, it’s not really that warm but
HEY. In my mind, summer is well on it’s way!! And with that thought, I’m dreaming
of days spent on a sun-lounger, ripples in the pool, the sound of surf on the
sand… What other way to channel this through my personal being than with beachy
hair and mermaid makeup?
This week, I already released a tutorial about faking thebronze with the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick (which I’m also giving away!) – and today,
we’re moving away from the face and hair. The destination? The hands! The gateway to making sandcastles
and holding Mr Whippys, beautiful hands are just as important when it comes to summer
makeup.
Today’s nails are just that – a beautiful mermaid-meets-swimming-pool
shade, it’s the Indian Ocean nail polish from the Model’s Own Beetlejuice
range.
Isn’t it just sublime? Not quite blue, not quite pink pearl. Either way, it's a serious summer colour which will look SHEET HOT with a tan.
Alternatively, if you’re going for a pale and interesting vibe, Indian Ocean will also complement pastel hair and pale skins with an ethereal glow.
Does it come out like it does on the bottle? Read on.
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Dreaming of Summer: Model's Own Indian Ocean Nail Polish
So normally I like to blog about products I really love. I don't really want to slag off stuff on the internet but thinking about it, bad reviews are generally more fun to read. Not only do they prevent regrettable purchases and save pennies, they also fulfill that salacious need to discuss products behind their back. (5 years in an all-girl school provides me with quite excellent experience in this area...)
So for your entertainment purposes my dear readers, I had a think about some products I've tried which have simply fallen a little flat. But before I go all Regina George on today's product, I'd like to give a little plug to my YouTube channel which I have recently set up. SO. Subscribe to my YouTube channel today!
Advertising over - let's take a look at today's moan. Drum roll please, who's first in line for the firing squad? It's the Black Lash Mascara by Smooch Cosmetics.
Mascara is one of those products which unfortunately requires a lot of frogs to be kissed before you meet the handsome prince. And, as you may have guessed - this Smooch Black Lash Mascara was one of the frogs.
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Mascara Myeh: Smooch Black Lash Mascara
As a somewhat connoisseur of French pharmacy brands, think Bioderma, La Roche Posay etc, I am a bit of a Vichy fan.
A) I've never found a French product that I didn't like
B) Anything that sounds French basically sounds awesome. (I am seriously easy to market to, non?)
This week I attended the launch of some new additions to the Vichy Dermablend range. For those of you who haven't heard of Dermablend, it's a super strength, high coverage range, ideal for covering acne scars, birthmarks, hyper pigmentation, all sorts of skin sins!
The new Dermablend products are transfer resistant, waterproof, rub resistant and really gentle on sensitive skin - it's like The Flash of foundations (cue singing Flash! Aah-ahhhhhhhh! Saviour of the universe..)
Enough singing now - time to tell you about Dermablend and the new products!
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Your Ideal Skin? Vichy Dermablend Launch
So I bet we all know the score on this one... Here's the scene. You wake up with hair greasier than Danny Zuko in an oil refinery, you realise there’s no time to wash our hair (aka you can’t be bothered) and hey, no biggie…. you just dry shampoo the hell out of it. CLEAN HAIRR, DON’T CARE! Sound familiar anyone?
For me, this is a regular ritual which occurs on a weekly basis – there’s just not enough time in the day to wash and dry my hair every single morning. I’m not Harry Potter you know – the combination of early mornings to work and late nights at after-work drinks, my mane gets a shampoo clean every 2 days if it’s lucky!
Dry Shampoo has become a necessity in the beauty cabinet of billions of girls out there (*random blatant fact obviously unchecked), and for me Batiste Dry Shampoo has been sitting in that space for absolute years now. I’ve been using the XXL version so religiously, I don’t even remember a time when my hair wasn’t big, poofy and fresh smelling- albeit slightly chalky..
So when I got the chance to try out a new dry shampoo, I was immediately excited. Could it be the next big Batiste?
This is the JOICO Instant Refresh Dry Shampoo. Instant refresh - doesn't it sound so clean!?
Super props for the lovely minimalist looking can - it looks salon quality and expensive, but does it work? Read on..
This is the JOICO Instant Refresh Dry Shampoo. Instant refresh - doesn't it sound so clean!?
Super props for the lovely minimalist looking can - it looks salon quality and expensive, but does it work? Read on..
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Instant Clean? JOICO Instant Refresh Dry Shampoo
For the grand occasion that is PAY-DAY, I have been looking to splash out on some expensive, fine powder to accompany my pay day night out-out.. No, no City-boy references here, I'm clearly talking about the high-inducing addiction which is a NARS Blush.
But which shade? I had set my mind on the classic Orgasm blush- a dusky pink powder shot through with gold shimmer. Yes, come March 31st, I was going to buy it and cherish it forever! That is, until last weekend, when my plans changed..
I was shopping in Superdrug, buying nothing exciting, cotton pads, toner and the like. (seriously, I get through so much cotton, it's ridiculous) Naturally, like a moth to the beautiful, beautiful flame, I was drawn towards the makeup stands.
Browsing the Sleek stand, I was shocked when I saw the Orgasm blush staring right back at me. Oh yes, dear Face Value Friends. I've think I've found a dupe...
This is the Sleek Blush By 3 Palette in Lace. A beautiful, slimline compact with three finely milled blushes inside, these coral-pink shades are as beautiful on the skin as they are on the pan. Really high intensity colors, and a good mix of shimmer and matte shades.
But which shade? I had set my mind on the classic Orgasm blush- a dusky pink powder shot through with gold shimmer. Yes, come March 31st, I was going to buy it and cherish it forever! That is, until last weekend, when my plans changed..
I was shopping in Superdrug, buying nothing exciting, cotton pads, toner and the like. (seriously, I get through so much cotton, it's ridiculous) Naturally, like a moth to the beautiful, beautiful flame, I was drawn towards the makeup stands.
Browsing the Sleek stand, I was shocked when I saw the Orgasm blush staring right back at me. Oh yes, dear Face Value Friends. I've think I've found a dupe...
This is the Sleek Blush By 3 Palette in Lace. A beautiful, slimline compact with three finely milled blushes inside, these coral-pink shades are as beautiful on the skin as they are on the pan. Really high intensity colors, and a good mix of shimmer and matte shades.
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Sleek Blush By 3 Palette - a NARS blush dupe?
New year, new body? Sound familiar at all? I bet it's a common resolution for us all - this year we're going to the gym more, this year we're running every Saturday morning, this year I will do the squat challenge every day. But what if we didn't have to...?
That's right, you read mine own words correctly. What if we could get a perfect bod without the hard work? Well that sounds too good to be true of course.
At least, that's what I thought in 2013. But then these bad boys from Oriflame dropped through my letterbox and suddenly, the impossible seemed likely.....
Right, what are we looking at?
These sleek silver beauties are part of the Perfect Body range from Oriflame. We've got a stretchmark repairing cream, a cellulite dimple destroyer and a bingo-wing buster! HIYA NEW FRIENDS!
Let's face it, they're not going to cut inches off your tum but they do claim to help tone up wobbly bits and smooth out the bumps. But did they work?
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Jiggly Bits Begone! The Oriflame Perfect Body Range
I've recently become quite an obsessive person. It's not something I'd normally say about myself until this year. Am I going backwards in life??!
I got my first Yankee Candle last October at a Bloggers Halloween event and I've been hooked ever since. Hooked on scented candles? I'm not sure whether to feel happy or sad..
Yes, that includes rushing into Clintons the minute I realised they sold Yankee Candles. Yes, it also includes prising open ALL the jars in ALL the scents to smell EVERY different candle on the shelf. Oh, and going back to smell them AGAIN to decide which one I liked the best.
That day, dear readers - was the beginning to my obsession with Yankee Candles and all things scented...
I never really used to burn candles - to me they were a birthday thing, or sometimes, a bath thing. But nowadays, I'll get home and put a candle on almost routinely. AND I LOVES IT!
I've even started bringing candles out of my bedroom and into the lounge - much to the annoyance of my male housemates who complain that it doesn't make any difference and it only smells "alright" when I shove it under their noses. (To be fair, that's probably the best I could manage if someone shoved a burning flame in my face. Sorry housemates.)
So, candle-converting attempts aside - here's a little look at what I'm burning this week.
First of all, my favourite. The ultimate scent for me....
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New obsession: The World of Yankee Candles...
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