Hollie's pick(s) of the week

Ripped shirts, jeans, leggings, jumpers, ripped everything!
Hollie's a huge fan of the new Balmain 'Slashed army shirt' at a pricey £860 in sure if you look around the high streets you will find a similar buy for a more suitable price!
Balmain Slashed army shirt - £860

It was quite a contravertioal piece when it was paraded down his catwalk sporting the utility chic look, but the earthy military colour is bang on trend. Other designers such as Rodarte, Chanel and Christopher Kane had simmilar takes on the ripped shirt look and it's a great way to goth up the nude tones that have been taking over.
Ladder long sleeve dress - £35?

I managed to bag myself a ladder knit jumper which I think you can wear with anything for example leggins or skinny jeans, and it gives a bit of texture and interest to any outfit.

ASOS newest addition
Vintage Heirloom Chanel Black Tote - £1, 755
(Pictures from official retailers websites)

If you have had access to a ASOS magazine you might have noticed that they now stock vintage Chanel bags! Yes, they have been used before but they assure you that it's been supplied by a licensed vintage Chanel specialist. If your not prepared to spend over £1,000 on a used bag then you might want to check out the quilted bags by Pauls Boutique or other high street shops such as Dorothy Perknis or Topshop because quited bags can be found ANYWHERE now.

10 Seconds with Hollie and Quick Fashion Trends for S/S '10 Reviews

Hollies fashion highlights and favourites for Spring/Summer:

"Chanel, Rodarte, Christopher Kane, Marc Jacobs new flat shoes because heels are going out! SHOCKER And Dior have some really nice black and purple dresses"

Platforms and stilettos are sizzling out for the spring/summer, we're migrating to the trendy peep toe boots at the moment. And watch out for Chloé and Stella McCartney to show you how to flaunt the new small heels. I think the clogs as seen on the Chanel S/S '10 catwalk will be a micro trend since it's a big leap, and people are still staring at it as if an alien has landed. But you never know it might be all the rage in a few months time, because the once major fashion mistake of socks and sandals is trendier than ever right now. Wear your ankle length plain socks with chunky heels and you can't go wrong!

Christian Dior Spring/Summer 2010

Marc Jacob Spring Summer 2010 ready to wear.
Pictures from the offical website.

Jumpsuits and tribal prints are the way to go!
Although personally the cubic like tribal prints aren't really to my fancy... I think I'll stick with florals :)

Hollie's Nail varnish tips

She speaks! Please give a warm welcome to one of my co-writers/contributes called Hollie.

I think I'll just quote her :)

"Lately I've been wondering why my very expensive chanel nail polish is chipping really easily lately and so i decided to do some research. Apparently, you are not suppose to use nail varnish remover more than once a week as it dries your nails out. Using nail polish remover that contains alcohol or acetate makes your nail polish chip more easily. I have been using my nail polish more than once a week because it kept chipping AND my nails are really dry and feel weak which apparently makes it chip EVEN MORE, and my nail polish remover contains acetate! Explains a lot really. Just though it would be useful. Oh, and also you're supposed to use a hand moisturiser/cuticle oil to help strengthen your nails, because if your nails are weak, it chips more easily =) Also you're supposed to buy a moisturising nail varnish remover, which will help!"

I think that informs us a bit more on taking care of our nails, yes? Especially if your always wearing nail varnish! You need to leave your nails to breathe every now and again or they might weaken over time. So maybe paint your nails every other week?

Related products:

Avon Nail Experts Cuticle Balm - £6, Boots Moisturising nail polish remover pads - £1.50, OPI Acetone free nail polish remover - £7 (I haven't used any of these products before, it is just there for reference)

Hollie also wanted me to mention the Limited edition Chanel nail lacquers from the Spring/Summer 2010 collection, so here we go:

I think they're £16 each, pictures from the Chanel website.

She has the mushroom brown colour that the model is wearing above, and it was also seen on Lily Allen. I like it because it's a very unusual but beautiful colour. I'd recommend a base coat and to make it last even longer, apply a clear top coat and bring the varnish under the nail. It works wonders :)

Nail polish reviews & favourites, and Product of the week

Boots Lasting fix nail polish

I noticed a new makeup range that Boots come out a while ago with and all the prices are purse friendly :)

I think they're still on offer with 3 for the price of 2 (cheapest free) So if you're in the UK go and check it out~
I read Style Suzi's review which seemed pretty positive, so I managed to save up some spare change after a shopping splurge and bought myself some colours to play with.

Fairy cake pink and Parma voilet - £2.99 each

Read Suzi's review here. (I'm sure I bought 3... I think I'm missing a blue one o-o)
This is Fairy cake, I applied 2 coats and an under coat of Rimmel stronger base coat.
I put a base coat on to strengthen my nails and to stop any staining.
I found that it really did need the 2nd coat to just even it all out, because with just one coat it was really streaky :/ And also I think it's starting to come up with tiny bubbles... it might be the base coat.
It dried pretty quickly with a nail drier so I wasn't bored waiting for it to dry.
And I think in the bottle it's a tiny bit paler but it isn't noticeable at all.
Although I was looking for a more nude pink I quite like the colour.
The range of colours is a bit limited but it has the main colours that are on trend right now.
I'm terribly messy when I paint my nails, but I always neaten them up after they've dried with nail varnish remover on a Q tip!
Now, I wonder how to decorate it....

Ciaté - Long lasting full coverage nail enamel

From left to right: Cookies and cream, Sugared almonds, Fruity pops, and... er green? xD - £9 each

From what I've read these were the nail polishes celebrities used and were all the rage so when I saw a special offer on ASOS I managed to nab a brights collection and a pastels collection.
However the quality was appalling, I think it was because they were trying to get rid of any old stock. Not only did 2 of my favourite colours pastel pink and blue crack during delivery (thankfully they were packaged separately so it didn't ruin the rest of the order) it went all over the green polish too so I had to soak it in nail varnish remover to clean it up and stick the lil bow back on =.= I don't know if it was just my order or it was just plain clearance reasons but I was really disappointed with it. I blame the cute packaging!
It needed 2 coats and when it dried it went all horrible and bumpy D: Out of date maybe?

My favourite picks

From left to right: Rimmel London Stronger nail care - £4.49?, Barry M All in one - Base coat, Top coat, and nail hardener - £2.49?, Rimmel London Lasting finish in 050 Tangerine Queen - £2.99, and Bourjois Techno bar in colour 41- £??.

The first 2 polishes are self explanatory really and they do what they say on the bottle :) I always apply a bottom coat and if my nails are growing I apply a coat to stop it chipping.
I love the orange colour by Rimmel it's really bright, dries fast and the same colour as in the bottle, and if you're like me you can peel it off after wearing it xD It's a weird habit of mine... but I do use nail varnish remover to get rid of the gritty bits at the end, you don't want to scrape it off or you'll damage your nails!
It's pretty much the same for the pink Bourjois varnish. It's a nice bright pink, and the miniature bottle makes it really cute! I might post a pic of it on my nails later.

The next nail polishes I plan to invest in is the OPI varnishes, I've checked them out and they seem to have the right shade of pink and want. But at a pricey £9.95 each I'll have to think about it...
And last but not least.. product of the week:
Miniture Palmer's Cocoa butter formula cream - £1 On the go size Bastiste dry shampoo in Tropical - £??.
I adore miniature versions of everyday essentials! One of my friends recommended to me the cocoa butter which smells divine, and it absorbs pretty quickly, and I use it whenever my hands feel it needs some moisture. It's size makes it easy to carry around in my bag, and alongside the cocoa butter is my miniature Batiste that I use in between hair washes. I don't wash my hair everyday because then it'd be super greasy, so I mist over some batiste in the morning and then if it's a long day I top it up in the middle of the day with the miniature size. If you follow the directions on the can you won't get any white patches, but if you do find yourself with white roots just lightly brush it out. A bonus to the dry shampoo is that it adds a little extra volume so wave goodbye to days of uncomfortable flat greasy hair!

Update and face mask review

Yay, Easter holidays~

That means I can update my blog more often, but the big pile of catch up work on my desk is making it so that I can't update as much as I wanted to.
Anyway on to the facial mask review. If you have been reading my blog I had a Sasa haul not long ago and one of the products was Be Creation - Tina's dresser brightening masks. Here's my verdict after using them all...

It comes with 4 masks in 1 box, which is enough to last you for around a month if you use it once a week like I did. The mask is in two parts, you apply the top half first and then the bottom half. It fits reasonably on my face but I noticed that the nose shape was a bit small, but overall the shape was okay. After around 15mins I took it off and massaged in the excess serum until it's pretty much absorbed. I did notice a visible improvement in skin tone, it looked like my face had just been covered in a sheer luminous brightening powder if that makes sense. There was a little stickiness at the end which bothered me a bit, but as it's rather moisturizing i skipped out moisturizing for that day. Overall it does a decent job of evening out the skin tone and I'd recommend it 2-3 times a week if you want a lasting brightening effect, and also if you don't mind the stickiness it's a pretty good product to treat your skin with if it's feeling a little on the dry side.

Clinique 3 Step review, False Lashes care&cleaning

Ah! Finally a new update~

Better late than never! Now let's get crackin'....

Clinique 3 step
(All purchased from the Clinique website/Boots stores - Clarifying lotion £14, Liquid facial soap £13, Scrub cream £16.50)

Clinique is a well established brand that everyone has heard of either from make up or skin care.
They're well known for their Allergy Tested & 100% Fragrance Free products and the 3-step system in which they have specific properties that are tailored to your skin type. Don't know your skin type? Just ask in any store or complete the short skin report quiz online :)
So I've been using this for about a year or more and I've just finished using the Clarifying lotion for skin type 2 (it was purple). I decided to try the type 2 one next as I thought my face felt a little oilier than just combination skin, and since they didn't make a test sample I had to buy a 200ml bottle. (A bonus is that it's my favourite colour!)
I use the facial scrub once a week and the other products twice daily as recommended on the back of the products. I rarely have any breakouts when using this and my skin always feels cleansed and fresh afterwards. The facial soap is very gentle though so sometimes you won't notice a wonderfully refreshed feeling after using it, you know it's doing it's job if it's preventing any break outs or build ups~ So far after using the type 3 clarifying lotion I have noticed a slight improvement of the oily areas of my face compared to the type 2 so I'll carry on using that for now.
False eyelashes
It's been a while now and people are still going crazy over these synthetic little enhancers!
This is just a small collection of all of my lashes, Tokyo, Eyelure, Miser Mascara, etc~

(Be creation top lashes & lash box see Sasa haul post, bottom lashes - Be creation volume bottom lashes cut to length )

I've found that lash cases can be really useful either if your on the go, or like me and prefers to take them off after a long while when they start getting uncomfortable.
It also stores your lashes to stop any dust build up and prevents them from getting damaged.

(Damaged/worn lashes)

The top lash above the sets in the picture above was just a poor quality, it was too flimsy which made applying it a nightmare. I think I just chucked them to one side when I took them off so I lost one hehe...
So if your looking to purchase a decent pair of false lashes that can last for at least 2-3 wears you need a nice firm band where you put the lash glue so it makes application a lot easier but not too rigid that it makes it uncomfortable to wear.

Lash stacking(Top - Be Creation Max volume top lashes, Eyelure - Tokyo Hiroko end lashes)

I stacked 2 Be creation volume lashes with the Eylure lashes to create a
The Be Creation top lashes are great for creating a natural volume lash look, but if you want 'look at me lashes' then I wouldn't recommend them for you.
The Eyelure lashes are perfect to add a kick of subtle colour and finish any look :)

(Separated out)
I will do a tutorial on eyelash stacking, it's really easy~

Lash Glue

(DUO adhesive - £8.50 from MAC, Eyelure individual lash - £?, Royal - £1.27? from Beauty essentials, Eyelure Lashfix £?)

The first thing I would like to say about lash glue is that when you buy a new set of falsies you mostly get a free little tube of glue with it, get that.. AND BIN IT!!
The only included glue I would say is reasonable to use is probably the ones you get with the Eyelure lashes, aside from that most of the time they're of a really bad quality. They either don't stick, stink (out of date) or just not usable at all.
I think there's mainly 2 types of lash glue out there, individual lash glue and strip lash glue. Individual lash glue is super strong and long lasting so those individual little lashes stay on for longer like they are supposed to! And never make the mistake of buying the wrong one or using the wrong one as the results can be rather painful :/
The Royal lash glue was recommended to me by a friend of mine and for that price I'd highly recommend it as the quality is almost the same as the Eyelure Lashfix, that is my holy grail for strip false eye lash glue. The Eyelure Lashfix is a glue that I've always went back to after trying others because of the mild smell and glue like texture that glue is meant to look and feel like. It also dries clear like it states on the box and the time it takes for the glue to become tacky is just long enough so that I can do any last min eyelash curling before application!
I also got recommended the DUO adhesive and as it was sold in MAC stores I thought it would be a good investment! But it turns out when I went to use it, it came out like a bubbly watery liquid with a yellow tint. I don't know if it's meant to be like that or it's just the one I ordered that wasn't so great. I thought maybe it was the latex in it that made it like that but the colour just put me off :/

Cleaning your fake eyelashes
There are many different ways to care and clean your lashes and this method that I am going to show you is a quick spot cleaning way.

You will need:(Eye make up remover, Cotton buds/cosmetic pads, false lashes&lash box, tissue)

Step 1:

Very gently remove any large bits of excess glue that might still be on it by rubbing the band of the lash (see diagram below), go ALONG the grain/band of the eyelash when peeling off. You can use clean fingers or tweezers, NO FORCE is needed as it can cause the lashes to misshape! After that place onto a tissue or cosmetic pad.

Eyelash diagram:

Step 2:Dip a cotton bud into the eye makeup remover (I would recommend a water based eye makeup remover as oil based ones can leave a build up of oil on the lashes, and if they're synthetic it will just loom around on the lash until you bin them). With a generous amount of eye makeup remover on the cotton bud, gently rub away any glue left and mascara on the lash.

Step 3:
Place the lashes back into the lash box to reshape whilst it dries. You're done! :)

A side note:
I never thought the post would be this long so apologies if it bored you! xD I hope your now all clued up about false eyelashes! I also wanted to add my staple face wipes:
A good start when removing make up! But don't rely on it to take all of it off, because you still need to use face wash to get all the makeup that has set into your skin, and the waterproof make up too!

Update: The Clinique Clarifying lotions have a really strong alcohol smell, so if you're not used to it I would steer clear! :)