OPI Discovery Collection

What are you doing today at 4pm? Or even tomorrow at 2pm? 

Well, after a scorching weekend, it's predicted the next few days are full of silly storms, so why not curl up on the couch and grab an absolute bargain on QVC?

My gorgeous colleagues at OPI are back on air once again- this time with a 12 Piece Discovery Collection. If you are a big OPI fan (like moi) or maybe you've just heard me banging on about them for the past 2 years, it's the perfect why to try a little bit of all the OPI favourites. Plus it comes in a gorgeous box, ideal for any summer birthdays coming up.

So what do you get?

First up, it's hero treatment Nail Envy, in original gloss and the new QVC UK exclusive shade-nude, plus my desert island pick, Avoplex Nail & Cuticle Oil. You can read how to get stronger, longer nails using these products here.

Next, for a long lasting, quicker manicure, it's professional secrets Chip Skip and Rapidry Top Coat. Simply start your mani with Chip Skip, and follow with a base coat or Nail Envy. After two coats of colour, finish with Rapidry Top Coat for a high shine finish in a flash.

Now what colour to choose?! We've got summers favourite coral  Cajun Shrimp, amethyst  toned Purple With A Purpose and a hot pink, Pompeii Purple. Plus, from the Brazilian collection, multi tonal pewter Next Stop The Bikini Zone and a soft pink I Love Applause from the Muppets collection. Phew! That's a lot of mani's and pedi's to be rocking in the sunshine!

Talking of the sunshine- if you are jetting off on your jolly's this collection is even more perfect- as each and every bottle is 3.75ml meaning you can even take a few in your hand luggage! Plus you'll also get your manicured mitts on moisturising lotion Avojuice in Coconut and Melon (smells exactly like a holiday cocktail!) and floral Violet Orchid, which is ideal for a romantic evening stroll.

Thinking this collection will break the bank? Then you'd be wrong- you'll be grabbing over £60 worth of OPI goodies for under £25! Bargain!

So make sure you tune in and join me in sporting gorgeous fingers and toes this summer!

A sneak peek at the OPI Coca Cola Collection

So, we've had the Gwen Steffani, Mariah Carey and even Muppets collection, but now it's time for a completely new collaboration from nail giant OPI.

Early this summer we'll see the launch of a 9 piece collection inspired by the Coca Cola brand.

Coca Cola I hear you cry?! Well what's more iconic than a refreshing cold drink on a hot summers day?! And every Summers day needs a salon worthy manicure doesn't it!

Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI co-founder and executive vice president said of the collaboration - “These two iconic brands truly deliver happiness in a bottle – whether it’s a refreshing, invigorating sip of Coke, or a set of fingers and toes perfectly polished with OPI nail lacquer.”

I couldn't agree more Suzi!

This limited edition collection features inspiration from The Coca Cola Companies best loved brands, including Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Cherry Coke, Vanilla Coke, Sprite, Fanta, and Coke Zero. So we can expect a wide shade range, with one to suit us all!

After last weeks QVC TSV shows, the team released a sneak peek of the shade swatches on their Instagram page- and I must admit I was dying to get my hands on them!

But soon my wait will be over, and I can share my favourite's with you all. In a short few weeks I'll be attending the collection launch before launching the collection LIVE on QVC on June 21st- so make sure you tune in for my FIRST EVER hour long show.

(Butterflies are kicking in already!!)

SS14 Manicure Trends

After a fortnight of being blown all over the place by these 70mph winds and resembling a drowned rat each and every morning,  today's sunshine has me well and truly looking forward to Spring!

The high street is now finally full of beautiful soft pastels, including the mint leather mini I'm rocking today!  But if your not yet brave enough to move away from our dark winter tones in your clothing, why not start with your nails?!

In September we saw a huge variety of nail trends on the catwalks, from brights, pastels, nudes and the continuing Nail art trend.

My personal favourites are the feminine pastels perfect for my pale winter skin tone, but I'll definitely be rocking the brighter tones as soon as the sun has kissed my complexion. Here's hoping that won't be too long!

Why not join me and try either Gargantuan Green Grape, Aphrodite's Pink Nightie or Lucky Lucky Lavender from salon favourite brand OPI for an at home professional mani? These shades will look great against your pastel skirts and floral print blouses
for an sunny Spring-time picnic date! Well a girl can dream can't she?!

Once, we are back to sporting our bikinis and slapping on the SPF 15, I'll be needing my sunnies just to protect my eyes from my bright talons. 

This seasons OPI Brazil collection is definitely going to be the place to turn. For the brave amongst you, you why not try I Just can't Cope-acabana, Where did Suzi's Man-go or Kiss Me I'm Brazilian. 

Whichever you chose, It's nearly time to shed those layers and spring to summer! 

(well, maybe give it a week or three?!)

Brazil by OPI

Yesterday not only saw the launch of OPI's collaboration with Gwen Stefani, but they launched their Spring Summer 2014 collection too. The main room was decorated with sea blue and vivid orange chairs, alongisde walls adorned with images of an idyllic beach scene, definitely giving us all a taste of the collection to come.

Artistic director Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, described the collection as-

“With sun-soaked shores, tropical fruits, and lush flora/fauna, Brazil is such an inspiring locale. I wanted women around the world to embrace the energy and playfulness for which Brazilian women are known. Through the Brazil collection, with shades drenched in color and charged with shine, women can express themselves, showing off their sexy, mysterious, fun and exciting natures."

Well, if I feel even a tad like a bronzed Brazilian goddess whilst wearing these colours I will be ecstatic. 

My Brazilian manicure thanks to OPI!

Available to purchase from February, the collection features 12 lacquers and 4 liquid sand textured mini lacquers, in a variety of bold, bright and muted earth tones.

Brazil Collection at the mani stations

OPI Treatments at the mani stations

I'm planning on easing myself out of the bleak mid-winter and into Spring gently by focusing on my absolute favourite first- AmazON…AmazOFF, a deep jungle green. I wish this colour was available NOW! (patience isn't my strong point, but it will be well worth the wait!) 

Then there is the rich chocolate, OPI Scores a Goal!, mocha toned I São Paulo Over There and Taupe-less Beach, a beautiful soft taupe, which I plan of wearing together, as the tones compliment each other perfectly. 

Before we jump straight into the summer brights, we can embrace the super shimmery amethyst-pewter tone of Next Stop…The Bikini Zone which looks stunning on the ring finger, worn alongside creamy nude Don’t Bossa Nova Me Around. I can definitely sense a bridal favourite approaching- these two would make such a pretty manicure for the big day ladies! 

Now, it's time to soak up the rays (or apply the self tan!) and enhance our Brazilian glow with 6 bold brights and 4 vivid liquid sands.

For a fun and creative mani-pedi try wearing a variety of shades- I'll be wearing sunny yellow I Just Can’t Cope-acabana, teamed with soft orange Where Did Suzi’s Man-go? and deep blood orange

Toucan Do It If You Try. If you prefer pink tones however, try vibrant coral Live.Love.Carnaval 

with warm pink Kiss Me I’m Brazilian and ruby red Red Hot Rio.

Brazil Collection

Fancy being super creative an adding a fourth or fifth colour to your bold, bright mani? Then try a one of the four mini Liquid Sand lacquers. These shades are GORGEOUS. I have always been a big fan of this matte texture, which is shot through with dazzling sparkle, but theses shades are unbelievable. Available as a holiday sized set, I can see these selling out pretty quickly indeed!

The four shades are- the violet Samba-dy Loves Purple , hot fuchsia pink  I’m Brazil Nuts Over You, bright blue What’s a Little Rain Forest?  And golden yellow You’re So Flippy Floppy

Remember, with liquid sand lacquers, you DON'T need a top coat!

Two great colour collections, all in OPI's famous chip resistant, salon professional formula with the easy to use Pro-wide brush. Yes, next season ladies I think we will all get a little mani-happy!

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Balance Me Stellar Face Balm

Well it seems our delightful summer sunshine may be slipping away from us, if the thunder storms in Manchester and torrential rain in London are anything to go by!

So luckily, this weeks see's the majority of children in England breaking up for school holidays, meaning lots of us will be hopping onto a plane and jetting off to a sunnier horizon.

After 3 weeks of sweltering heat, freezing cold air con and no doubt a few too many gin based cocktails, many of us will be suffering from dehydrated skin and dull, dry, flaky complexions. Yuck. 

But, what can we do to combat this in such a short space of time, especially when you want to arrive looking like a Greek Goddess when you touch down in Corfu?! 

Easy- Invest in Balance Me Stellar Face Balm, then sit back and enjoy your flight. 

Available in a handy cabin sized 7ml pot and costing a bargainius £5, you really can't go wrong.

This nourishing balm counts organic Shea and Mango Seed Butter plus Virgin Coconut and Rosehip Oil, amongst its main ingredients, aswell as neroli and may chang, which help to soothe irritations. For a nightime and flight-time treat, apply generously all over your skin, avoiding the eye area, and leave your skin to soak up the moisture. On awakening/landing, simply tissue off or massage in any excess.

Just like the famed Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream, this balm can also be used as a lip balm, cuticle cream or hair smoother and is the perfect tonic for dry, rough heels and elbows. 

But, I know LOTS of you will be happy to know- this has a much more delicate aroma!!

Balance Me, was founded back in 2005 by sisters Rebecca and Claire Hopkins, after deciding to search for a better work/life balance by moving into the cosmetic business. After a year of working from their home kitchens,  business partner, aromatherapist Sian Jones joined the team and the rest is history. Endless awards, products sold nationwide, all whilst bringing up 5 children between them! These women are a force to be reckoned with!

So, your next stop is sumptuous, supple smooth holiday skin.

Simply strap yourself in, listen to the safety announcements and enjoy your flight!

The importance of suncream

Finally, it seems summer has arrived! With a week of glorious sunshine and rather balmy temperatures, which look set to continue for a good few weeks, I think we can guarantee a year we can all manage a good tan. 

But, with most of us catching a few rays on our lunch hour and with a sun kissed bronzed complexion the goal in mind, are we all looking after our skin as we should?

I was shocked to hear that as a ivory skinned, (fake) red head, I should be wearing an Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 30 in the UK and 50 abroad. This news put a pretty big dampener on my pride of wearing an SPF of 15 at the local park in the midday sun. No wonder I was suffering with a touch of the lobster look- according to Boots Soltan, SPF 15 is recommended for olive, naturally tanned skin only. Not me then!

What I find most worrying though, is that I am a BIG cancer research campaigner. As a committee member of North West Cancer Research I presumed I was pretty clued up on my skin cancer prevention. How wrong I was.

So, what should we be looking for in our SPF? 

Well, we need UVB protection to stop us from burning and protection from UVA will prevent us from ageing prematurely, so a suncream that provides BOTH UVA and UVB protection is a MUST.

Which level of SPF should I choose? 

The easiest way to work your what you need is to think of this equation- (get your maths head on!) For example, if it  20 minutes for your unprotected skin to start turning pink, using an SPF 15 sunscreen should prevent reddening for 15 times longer, which is about about five hours. However, experts recon light/fair/pale skin tones should use SPF 30 in UK climate and 30-50+ in a hot-very hot climate, where as olive and naturally/easily tanned complexions can wear SPF 15 in the UK and 30-50 in hot-very hot climates. Not too sure? Speak to a sun care consultant at stores such as Boots. 

When should I apply?

Apply a full shot glass amount to your entire body 30 minutes before exposing your skin to the sun. Re-apply after two hours or if your skin feels hot or is reddening. Always re-apply after swimming.

My favourite suncream is one introduced to me at QVC- and is used by most guest experts and all presenters that I have met during my time there.

UltraSun, a Swiss company founded in 1992, are specialists in sun care. With all their products being perfume, oil and emulsifier free they are perfect for the most sensitive of skins and ensure you don't experience the dreaded 'prickly heat'. 

Price wise, Ultrasun isn't majorly expensive, esepcially if you buy through QVC who have some fantastic kits available.

So as this lovely sunshine continues, make sure you take a moment to make sure your skin is protected. I fear it's something we may live to regret otherwise.

Kryolan Lip Stain

The sun is shining, the birds are singing and the postman has been with a parcel from my favourite make-up grotto, Charles Fox. Today, I am one happy girl! So, what was inside this parcel that made a girl grin from ear to ear like it was Christmas day? The latest lip products from Kryolan- Lip Stain and Lipstick Sheer! 

First up, its the Lip Stain. (You can read all about the Lipstick Sheer in a few days, I won't keep you in suspense for that long!)

Kryolan Lip Stain in Jazz

Packaged like a lip gloss, these tubes of loveliness contain 4ml of intense, rich colour. It's pretty obvious, before you have even unscrewed the applicator  that the formula is thicker and creamer than most lip stains and are jam packed with pigment. But from a professional brand like Kryolan, that has been creating industry standard make-up for over 65 years, I wouldn't expect any less. 

Now, which shades to choose? Lip Stain is available in 8 shades, including vibrant pink, sultry plum and a variety of nude hues to suit all skin tones, but it's the names in particular that drew me in. These are all named after a type of music- well it is festival season after all! Being a very indecisive girl, I listen to most types of music, but Jazz (especially the gypsy jazz, electro swing, feels like your in Paris in the 20's, drinking illegally type) is one of my favourites to listen too. 

So, the pretty apricot tone 'Jazz' was choice number 1.

Choice number 2? Well, I couldn't not choose a red could I?! 

So, the vibrant cherry red made its way into my make-up kit too.

Kryolan Lip Stain in Rock

The applicator is a great quality lip brush, which I find are much better than the typical sponge/wand type. A brush won't absorb product and won't drag on the delicate lip area.

Before we apply however, I would seriously recommend lining our lips first. Even as a daily red lip wearer, and someone that can do 30 lip applications on a mega busy make-up day, I struggled to get a precise, crisp application, especially at the cupids bow. Having a guideline edge, just makes applying a liquid colour much easier- and who doesn't want an easier, quicker application on a stressful morning!

Although this is a liquid stain, the colour dries quickly onto lips, leaving a strong block of colour. Leaving a matte finish, it doesn't however feel drying or tight like some stains I have tried previously, in fact, I think the finish is  pretty similar to Lime Crimes famous Velvetines.

Matte, but with a soft sultry finish. 

After a 9am application, I was delighted to find that after 3 glasses of wine, a hefty BBQ and a very hot and humid gig  my lip colour was still in place, and as vibrant as ever. This is most certainly smudge proof, water proof and long lasting!
Plus, being the hottest day of the year, I was delighted to find Lip Stain even contains UV-B filters- stunning, bold colour and sun protection, this is practically unheard of. 

So, how do we get this off?! Simple! Take your eye make-up remover on a cotton pad and sweep over your lips. and voila, normal lip service resumed.

All in all, I adore this lip stain, as to be honest, I knew I would.

Not only will this be a new make-up bag staple, it will be my go to lip product when working on a long days shoot in this lovely hot summer we are currently having. 

Because you know, even us pro's hate having to re-apply lip colour!

Red Lips even in Summer?

As a girl who wears a matte pillarbox red lip on a daily basis, when it comes to Summer I am usually at a loss as which lip colour and texture to turn to.

Last year, for example, I rocked orange toned reds, such as MAC Vegas Volt and Lady Danger finished with a slick of MAC Lip Conditioner to protect my lips from the UK's mild sun.

The year before I even headed down the pink route, with my all time favourite MAC bright  Girl About Town, but this year I was really at a loss.

Left- Vegas Volt.                   Right- Lady Danger

That was until the team at No7 introduced me to their new BB Lips and High Shine Lip Crayon.

Both offer a sheer slick of my favourite 'real red' colour, perfect for the long hot summer we are all awaiting!

I must admit I was a little bit wary of BB Lips to begin- really yet another product spouting this 'BB' / 'CC' nonsense?!! (I'm a little concerned this will carry on until we reach 'ZZ' in 2038....)

But, one simple application later and I had quickly reversed my opinion. 

My initial reaction was to how pigmented my 'Berry Rose' shade was. I imagined it would be a very sheer tint, but it actually gave me the depth of colour I usually experience from a cream or moisturising lipstick. The angled plastic end makes for simple application, even when mirror-less. But as the colour is so strong, I would still advise taking a peek in your compact just to check its looking good and neat!

With such a glossy finish, you would usually expect a sticky, tacky texture- but surprisingly BB Lips feel smooth and  very comfortable to wear. Packed with rich emollients and anti-oxidents, as well as an SPF 15, its the ideal lip care product to wear all year round.

Now, onto my High Shine Lip Crayon, in which I chose the red toned shade (surprise, surprise) 'Berry'.

Shaped like a kids jumbo crayon, these glossy lip colours are perfect for a soft lip look. But, if like me you have an odd lip line, you may want to lightly line your lips in a matching shade, just to act as a guide line when applying.

One application leaves my lips with a slight hint of colour, but brilliantly, you can re-apply as many times as you wish to achieve as strong a colour as you wish! Like BB Lips, the finish is glossy, yet feels smooth and highly moisturising. 

Priced at only £8.50 and £9.00, and currently on a Buy 1 Get 2nd Half Price offer, these are definitely two summer staples I won't be without!