Make-up review - Illamasqua Intense Lipgloss

Cards on the table - I LOVE Illamasqua. They do colour like no other brand, from the palest of shades of foundation (they even do a pure white), to intense brights and bold darks.  They do really good online product demos, showing the same lip colours on more than one skin tone, and in "moving swatch" videos rather than just those hopeless blobs which never truly represent how the product will actually look on you. And then there's all the textures they offer... a little more on that in an upcoming post on their nail varnishes.

I've been looking for an orangey shade of lipstick for a while, so when I spotted their Intense Lipgloss in Mistress in the sale for a meagre £6.60 (instead of £16.50 RRP), I had to give it a shot. It's more coral than orange, but a great way to work out whether orange suits me or not before I go full on tangerine.

I have only one complaint about this lipgloss, and that's the applicator. I hadn't seen a brush applicator in I don't know how long until I got this. And I wouldn't mind, except it arrived damaged - sometimes the brush gets a bit messed up towards the end of a tube of lipgloss when you replace it a little carelessly. This one arrived damaged and splayed, and it's like there's a tiny knot at the end of it scratching my lips when I apply it. I'm going to need to give it a wash and trim the splayed hairs.

That said, I love the product. It's a thick, gloopy gloss with the most amazing colour payoff. It's impossible to stop your hair sticking to your lipgloss in the wind, but this isn't nearly as sticky as you'd imagine for such a thick consistency, and it lasts really well. Plus, applied more sparingly, it gives a great sheer colour which usually gets me til near lunchtime before needing a top up (depending how many cups of tea I need to get me through the morning).

This would look fab with a tan, or pale skin and crisp black eyeliner - which luckily is my signature look.

Illamasqua's Intense Lipgloss costs £16.50 and is available in 18 shades (some of which are still on sale at £6.60!) ranging from traditional pinks and reds to black, lilac and lime green, with both traditional gloss and metallic finishes.

Ax

Haircare review - TIGI Bed Head Colour Combat Dumb Blonde shampoo and conditioner

I've always had decent hair. A little fine, sometimes flat, but always in good condition as I didn't heavily use heated appliances (instead leaving my waves to dry naturally) and only ever dying it dark shades which didn't contain bleach or the worst of the nasties.

I decided a few months ago that it would be a great idea to dye the ends of my hair blonde, a la the ombre trend that's been doing the rounds of late. BIG mistake. Everything that was blonde is now dry and split ends and frizzy and nasty. I've had to dye it back to dark brown as the blonde just highlighted how awful it was. And the vicious circle just continues as now that it's nasty and frizzy, it needs MORE straightening/curling to look decent. So I'm damaging it further.

So I decided to forego my usual Herbal Essences/L'Oreal Elvive/Tressemmee grade hair products and try something a bit more indulgent to try to get my hair back into shape ahead of my wedding in November.

I hotfooted it down to TK Maxx to see if I could pick up a bargain on their salon brands, and managed to get a double pack of this TIGI shampoo and conditioner, in the jumbo 750ml sizes, for £12.

Using a product meant for blonde hair, this should be ultra moisturising. Lathering up the shampoo, letting the scent wash over me, it smells AMAZING and I was SO excited to be using something that felt more indulgent and special than my usual products - and not to mention to have gotten such a bargain. The shampoo is a pearly pink creme and  a little goes a long way. It lathers up nicely, smells amazing, and rinses out easily.

Then comes the conditioner. A thicker, custardy yellow creme, it's got the same lovely scent as the shampoo, and it applies nicely, feels like it rinses out well and my wide toothed comb glides through my damp hair after use.

But then when I'm drying my hair, it all goes wrong. I can feel a tacky film on my hair, and with my hair in its current damaged state, it makes it look even more coarse and somehow makes the split ends even more pronounced. I've tried mixing it with another conditioner to dilute the effect so it wasn't a total waste of a purchase, but alas, it didn't really work.

I would post a photo of what my hair looked like after using this, but whenever I use it I end up either washing my hair again to get rid of the residue, or tying it up so no one can see it. It's that bad.

This one really pains me. I SO wanted to love this shampoo and conditioner. The shampoo is good, but not amazing. And the conditioner has been passed over to Will to try it out on his beard - but if he doesn't like it, it'll be heading for the bin.

Have you tried this conditioner? Did you find the same? And what should I be trying next?

Ax

What 2,000 calories looks like

Following on from last night's post about health, exercise and nutrition, I spotted this article today on the New York Times website. It's an extreme example, to take high calorie options from U.S. restaurants, but it's further evidence that cooking your food using fresh ingredients is the way forward if you're trying to watch what you eat!

Definitely worth a read: What 2,000 calories looks like

Ax

Being healthy

I'm by no means the healthiest person around - I'd say I'm distinctly average in my quest to be healthy, lose a few pounds, try to establish good habits, and not let it get in the way of me going out and having fun. I don't have loads of weight left to lose (having lost nearly 3 stone in the last 12 months), I don't hate my body - I just want to be healthy, look after my body, and look my best for my wedding in November.

I really kicked into action last January - I'm not sure what was different this time, but something just worked. A combination of tracking calorie intake (via MyFitnessPal - definitely check it out if you haven't already) and running regularly with some yoga chucked in for variety, saw me make some serious headway last year. But it was gradual - a couple of pounds a week at most, usually less - and I allowed myself some nights, weekends, hangovers and holidays "off", so I never felt deprived. And I even started to ENJOY running. Outside. In the cold. Dodging tourists and buggies. Yep.

Run Forrest, run!

And then Christmas happened. Oops. I managed to put on about 10lbs in the 3 weeks between my work Christmas party and going back to work on the 5th of January. Oops. My body mass is now 60% cheese.

So I'm logging some of my runs, good days, and bad days here to give me some extra motivation to keep going as I try to get back on track and work towards a better me.

One of the hardest things I find is making myself go out for a run after work. I get home about 7pm most nights, and after a long day at work and battling the tube home, the last thing I feel like doing is donning my running gear and going out in the rain. I don't have a trick for this yet - I just need to make myself go out asap, before I get too comfortable, and definitely not sit down otherwise it's game over. Leave your tips in the comments below!

So after a week back eating healthily, and my first few runs of 2015, I've dropped a couple of those pounds. My runs hurt my legs more than they have in months, but at least I'm doing it. And it will get easier.

Here are a few things I've found really work - I'll be spending the next few weeks trying to get back on top of them!

• Sleep lots and drink lots of water - if your body isn't fuelled with these basic things, you'll eat for energy and turn to quick sugar fixes. And your skin will thank you too.
• Walk wherever you can - my last job was close enough that I could walk to and from work, which took about 45 minutes at a very brisk pace. So I was burning off about 400-450 calories every day, avoiding the stress of the tube, and saving £120 a month in tube fares. My commute to my new job is a lot longer, so I get the tube, but I still get off a stop early and walk the last bit, and I make sure I pop out for a 20-30 minute walk at lunchtime every day.
• Log everything you eat, and all your exercise. Calories in and out are the main thing that will make a difference. But it will also motivate you to see your miles stacking up in Map My Run, and you'll be informed to make better food choices when you know how many calories are in things. You might not fancy that Mars bar so much when you realise you need to run 3k to burn it off.
• Cook fresh food. I'm lucky that both me and my other half enjoy cooking, finding it therapeutic to chop stir and create after a long day. But even if you don't, try to make as many meals from raw and fresh ingredients as possible. You'll avoid the salt and sugar that's in processed foods, and again, once you know what's in your meals you can make more informed choices and tweak recipes to suit you. Plus homemade recipes tend to be more nutritious as the veg is fresh, and way lower in calories as you can avoid the fat, salt and sugar in the ready made versions. And you might even find you enjoy cooking.
• Don't be too anal or deprive yourself - yes, you need discipline, but deprivation leads to rebellion. And the only way to rebel against a diet is eating a whole block of cheddar.
• Don't think "I'll start on Monday" or similar. I heard people talking about turning over a new leaf in October. That means they'd written off 2+ entire months of the year. And if I can put on 10lbs in 3 weeks of indulgence, think how much damage I could do in 2 months.
• Find exercise that works with your lifestyle. I often work long days and have random evening work commitments, so I imagine if I tried to do a weekly class on a Tuesday I'd have to cancel it more often than I made it. But my weekends are fairly consistent, so I do a longer run on Saturday and Sunday mornings, and a shorter run on at least one evening after work. I also really struggle with giving up my evening time to exercise, so if I've had a bad day and just want to start chilling out as soon as I get back, I crack out my yoga mat and a YouTube yoga tutorial (like Lesley Fightmaster's*) which I can follow on my laptop while I start to unwind and listen to music or watch something brainless on telly. 

What are your top tips? I'd love to hear them!

Ax

*You should only do yoga unsupervised if you're already confident in your posture and positions - don't want you hurting yourself, which is completely possible when you're doing some intense stretching. Be careful!!

Nailcare review - Sally Hansen Nail Rehab

I have absolutely terrible nails. I bit them for years, and even now I can't help but pick at them and play with them. And the second my nail varnish starts to chip and peel? I take great pleasure in peeling the rest of it off. And damaging my nails to boot.

So when I received a bottle of Sally Hansen's Nail Rehab in my advent calendar, I was really keen to give it a whirl.

Instructions say to shake gently, then apply 1-2 coats to bare nails either alone or as a base coat. Simple.

The product applies like a dream - the brush is just the right size - easy to apply in a couple of strokes, but not so big that you use too much product, and the product is just the right consistency. Thick enough to feel like it will have some benefit, but thin enough to layer up with coloured polish and a top coat without going all thick and peeling. And it's lovely and smooth - filling in ridges, with no strands or bits (unlike another base coat I've been testing of late).

The big question is really the long term benefits. I've been using this for about 4 weeks now, and have probably applied it 6-8 times in that period - I change my nail polish A LOT. There has been a slight improvement to the strength of my nails, but they have been weak, brittle and peeling since before I started using it, so it's really not the fairest trial. But on the other hand, to have any positive effect on nails which were in such bad condition to start with, this really must be doing something right.

Worn alone this gives a lovely natural glossy pink sheen - perfect for the base of a French manicure, or just a fuss-free, natural but polished look.

Or it also helps my favourite dark polishes apply more evenly and they probably stay chip-free a day or two longer using this as a base coat, combined with a decent top coat.

All in all, a winner for me.

Ax

A day at the sales... oops!

I wouldn't even say a day at the sales. I walked from my flat to the dentist on Saturday. En route I popped into Boots to get some shampoo. Then took a shortcut through Debenhams to the dentist. By the time I got to the dentist I was the proud owner of four - yes, FOUR - new perfume gift sets, an aftershave for Will and some samples.

I don't need to tell you about how good the sales are for picking up perfume. But I will...

My purchases:

- Jean Paul Gaultier Classique, 50ml EDT + 50ml shower gel + 50ml body lotion. Was £49.50, now£32.99 (Boots)
- Versace Yellow Diamond, 50ml EDT + 50ml shower gel + 10ml travel EDT. Was £49.50, now £24.75 (Boots)
- Marc Jacobs Daisy, 50ml EDT + 75ml shower gel + 75ml body lotion. Worth £81.14, was £54.00, now £36.01 (Debenhams)
- Ghost deep Night, 30ml EDT + 50ml body lotion. Worth £29, was £25, now £16.67 (Debenhams)
- Paul Smith Man 2, 100ml EDT. Was £36, now £18. (Debenhams, not pictured)

Plus free samples of:

- Chloé Eau de Parfum
- Balengiaga Rosabotanica Eau de Parfum
- Bottega Veneta Eau de Parfum
- Calvin Klein Reveal Eau de Parfum
- Calvin Klein Euphoria Gold Eau de Parfum

(all Debenhams, gifted for buying the Marc Jacobs gift set)

I have always loved JPG Classique, but never bought it, so this seemed like a good chance to pick it up. It's quite a sweet floral fragrance, but grown up and musky rather than girlie and sickly. As for the Versace, I actually bought it by mistake... we bought a Versace perfume for Will's sister a couple of years ago and I thought it was this one, so I didn't even have a spritz in the shop - just bought it as I was sure I liked it. Turns out it wasn't Yellow Diamond, but the good news is I still like it! Though I might not have bought it had I known. Marc Jacobs Daisy is another favourite I've just never bought, and Ghost Deep Night reminds me a little of one of the Dior Poisons, but was essentially a cheap impulse buy for every day wear. Paul Smith Man 2 is one of Will's favourites for every day wear, so it was a good opportunity to buy him it at a bargainous price - and everyone likes an unprompted gift.

Apologies for the dodgy shadows in this pic

Can't wait to get stuck into the samples - I know I love the Bottega Veneta, and Rosabotanica's sister fragrance Florabotanica is one of my favourites (with the most divine packaging), so keen to give that a shot too. And then the other three are new to me, so those will be a real treat!

Total spend: £128.42
Total saving: £85.58 (based on RRP, not value)

And not forgetting the free samples... If anyone's looking for ideas for my birthday in March, I certainly don't need any perfume...

What's your biggest sale bargain?

Ax

Skincare review - GLAMGLOW YOUTHMUD mask

I treated myself to an advent present in November, in the form of a beauty advent calendar that contained about £250 of products for a bargainous £50. One of the first products to catch my eye was GLAMGLOW's YOUTHMUD mask, a mask that constantly pops up when I'm searching for new mud masks, but I've never gone ahead and purchased - so you can imagine my joy when I got a 15g sample in my advent calendar. I love treating myself to a face mask, and mud masks are highly recommended to absorb oil and calm and balance blemish-prone skin like mine, so I'm always looking for new ones - and this one promised a lot. More on that later.

First things first, on trying the product out, my initial reaction was confusion - as I was trying to squeeze the product out of the tube, it was getting all clogged up with only the tiniest bit of product coming out. I couldn't work out why, until a firmer squeeze sent a long black strand of tea leaf out. I don't know enough about the "science" of the product to know if having these large pieces of tea leaf left in the product is actually beneficial, or just for show. I imagine all the goodness has been extracted from the leaves by the time the mask is packaged and they're just left in for aesthetic purposes. Personally, I find the large pieces annoying, as they clog up the hole in the tube, and fall off my face when I apply the mask.

Ignoring the oversized tea leaves, the mask does go on really nicely - a thin layer is all that's needed. As an exfoliating mask, there are also exfoliating beads in the formulation. Usually I prefer to exfoliate with acids than scrubs, but the beads in this mask are tiny, much finer than any of the facial scrubs I've used previously, so while I'm no expert, they don't feel scratchy or potentially damaging.

The official marketing promises A LOT:

There's nothing GLAMGLOW doesn't do - feel the tingle as it works its magic on your skin:
> Skin Collagen Synthesis for a noticeable 3 day glow.
> Brighter, radiant skin in minutes.
> Leaves skin noticeably soft and smooth.
> Multi-level resurfacing exfoliation.
> Penetrates into the deepest layers of the skin to soften fine lines and wrinkles.
> Tightens, tones and lifts the skin.
> Relieves dark circles and minimises pores.
> Absorbs impurities without removing natural oils.
> Helps protect against everyday environmental aggressors.
> Suitable for all skin types, all ages and for both women and men.
> Contains no artificial colours or fragrances.
> 99% paraben-free, cruelty-free, and suitable for vegans.

I wouldn't say I noticed a glow lasting 3 days, and I can't speak for any of the long-term benefits, but after using it there is a noticeable glow, and my skin is particularly soft and smooth. I've been using it to revitalise my skin after the indulgent Christmas period, and it's helped fight the effects of January. With the instant glow it gives, it's also a good mask for using before a big date or night out.

Until I've seen some long-term benefits, I'm not sure I could recommend it at the RRP of £50 for 50g, but you can find it on various beauty websites for around £35 which I'll probably treat myself to at some point. Plus, my little 15g sample tube has done at least 5 or 6 treatments, and there's probably still one more use left in the tube, so a 50g tub should last a LONG time.

Have you tried GLAMGLOW products? What do you think?

Ax

Skincare review - Lancôme Galateis Douceur

It's an oldie, but a goodie.

I've always avoided cleansing lotions and milks like the plague, knowing many of them (though not this one) contain shea butter - a nightmare for my oily, spot-prone skin - and preferring the safety of balms and clay based cleansers. But after spending a small fortune on Lancôme's Génifique and Visionnaire serums a few months back, I was given a rather generous free gift set including mascara, lipstick, perfume, miniature serums, and this wondrous little cleanser.

I put off using it for months, terrified it might break me out, but finally cracked it open in November, and boy am I glad I did.

It's a thin lotion, which smooths across the skin easily (meaning you really don't need much), gives enough slip to massage in, and then is easily removed with a damp flannel. It removes light make up easily, but heavy eye make up or sunscreen would need a separate make up remover. Resultantly, I tend to use it as a second cleanse after an oily balm has taken care of my make up.

The good
I find it to be super gentle, so good for sensitive skin and not an issue around the eyes, and I've had no new break outs when using it - even less occasional spots than when I've been using Ren Clearcalm which was always my safest cleanser.

The bad
It does contain mineral oil (find out more from Caroline Hirons here), but while I know it's not *good* for my skin, it hasn't clogged it up in the slightest, and I'd say it's as clear as it's been in recent months.

It won't be for everyone, but for me - especially given my aversion to milky lotions - it was an unexpected success. At £23 for 200ml / £35.50 for 400ml (though often on offer), it's not the cheapest, but nor is it particularly expensive, and it's a small price to pay for the soft, clear skin I'm currently sporting.

Have you tried it? What did you think?

Ax

Restaurant review - Caravan, Exmouth Market

One of my lifelong passions is theatre. Having started dancing when I was just 3, and continuing right up until I could no longer juggle work, uni and training about 17 years later, theatre has always been a huge part of my life. So as huge film (and Tim Burton) fans, Will and I figured that we simply had to see Matthew Bourne's ballet, Edward Scissorhands. If you can get a ticket, GO! It's an absolutely magical production which had me in pieces. But I digress... one of my absolute favourite things about theatre trips? Pre-theatre meals!

We plumped for Caravan - a short walk away in foodie hotspot Exmouth Market, and serving modern tapas style sharing plates inspired by a range of global cuisines. I'd wanted to try it for a while since a foodie friend of a friend (which said friend very kindly sat me next to at his wedding) raved about it, and it did not disappoint.

Me with my new buddy, Horatio

We were eating early - 17.30 - but the restaurant still had quite a few diners and a decent buzz. It's quite sparsely decked out, with clean white walls, but enough wood (and taxidermy) to give it some real character. We were sat next to Horatio, a rather fine peacock, and ordered a bottle of Tempranillo - the cheapest wine on the menu, but mostly selected as it was suitably light and juicy for pre-theatre so we didn't snooze through the ballet. 

The menu is updated daily, using the best seasonal produce, and designed to be shared - with both small tapas style plates, and larger, main course style plates - but whatever you order it all comes as and when it's ready. This might not be for everyone, but suited us just fine - though we did go for a traditional one small and one large plate each. 

Mullet, curried granola, mint & apple yoghurt, cucumber

Salt pork belly, taro, beansprouts, shrimp dressing

I started with the mullet, which was beautifully cooked, though the skin could have been a tad crispier and the granola wasn't as strongly curried as I expected. But it really was a delight - sweet with hazelnuts, tender flesh, on a bed of fresh apple and cucumber, tzatziki style. Will went for the salt pork belly. I could only get him to spare a tiny taste for me, but it was packed with flavour, rich and salty, with a delicious crunch from the beansprouts. I couldn't have eaten much of it, but Will devoured it and my little bite had me salivating.  

Chermoula grilled Welsh lamb, butternut hummus, green beans, broad beans, dukkah

Will's not a huge fan of lamb, so I often pick it in restaurants, and this was some of the best I've had in recent memory. Gloriously pink and delicately spiced, with a crunch from the dukkah, on a soft, sweet hummus which complemented it perfectly. The greens were cooked just right to retain some texture, and there was a little surprise of goats cheese through the greens - great for me, but I know a few people who wouldn't have been so happy with that as it wasn't on the menu. 

Jerk pork chop, coconut & plantain slaw, crispy shallots 

Will went for yet more pork (ironically after having ruled out a pork-only restaurant earlier that same evening...) and it was good enough he'd only let me have a tiny taste again. I'd say the jerk seasoning could have done with more of a kick, but I'm a bit of a chilli fiend. And the slaw and shallots gave a lovely crunch. 

Chestnut cake, milk chocolate ice cream, bitter orange syrup

Dark chocolate mousse, mint sorbet, pistachio nuts

The food was very generous, but we couldn't stop ourselves from trying a couple of the desserts - a dark chocolate mousse with a creamy sorbet and pistachios for me, and a moist chestnut cake (though could have been a tiny bit lighter) with a sweet milk chocolate ice cream and zingy orange for Will.

As for the little extras, fresh tap water was topped up regularly, and proper salt and pepper grinders were on every table - hurrah! Not that the food needed any additional seasoning, but there's nothing like freshly cracked black pepper and sea salt - the powdered stuff just isn't the same, and more chefs wouldn't cook with it, so why let us mere diners add it to our food?

Total bill for wine, three courses, a side dish (deliciously buttery kale with almonds) and tip was around £46 a head - not bad for central London, and given you can easily spend a similar amount on one of the many high street chain restaurants, it's a small price to pay to try something genuinely interesting.

Food: 4/5

Service: 5/5

Value: 4/5
Would I return? Absolutely.

What do you think? Have you been? Where else would you recommend for pre-theatre?

Ax

Well hello there

I've been thinking about writing a blog for quite some time, but life keeps getting in the way, and I just haven't got round to it. I used to love writing - fiction and non - but it's been ages. And what would I write about? Who would read it? Then I decided that by the time I worked those things out, another year would have passed it and I still wouldn't have done it. Plus this year I'm starting a new job, turning 30 and getting married, so at least that should give me some topics for blog posts. 

The final nail in the coffin was the oracle, Caroline Hirons, writing the other day, "if you are thinking of starting a blog and are procrastinating. Just do it." and everyone that knows me knows I will do literally anything that woman says, and so, here I am. On a side note, if you have skin, you should read her blog. Now.

So what will I write about?

To be honest, I'm still not entirely sure. They say you should write about what you know, so that means food and drink, health and beauty, travel, wedding planning, theatre, music, film and tv. I'm sure over time, I'll work out where my niche is and what I enjoy writing about - and if anyone actually reads this, let me know what you'd like to read more/less of.

A note on the name

I didn't want to let the lack of the perfect name be the reason I didn't start this thing, but I'm reasonably happy with it:

• Stingin' Belle is my favourite Biffy Clyro song
• Swingin' refers to my love of jazz, blues, swing and all things retro
• Belle relates to all things beautiful
• I'm not into the other type of swinging

Next up: Likely a restaurant review of Caravan in Exmouth Market, assuming I get round to writing it while I still remember it.

Til next time.

Ax