Most Anticipated Spring 2013 Makeup Collections

Here's a round-up of the collections that have me in a beauty frenzy this Spring!

Illamasqua I'mperfection Collection: £14 - £28.50

A first glance at Illamasqua's new collection and you see Imperfection. Take a closer look and you see the word I'mperfection. Illamasqua's new collection is about celebrating those features that most would deem a flaw. Features such as freckles, birth marks or beauty spots are encouraged to be enhanced, in an industry that try to cover such features up. But what else did we expect from Illamasqua? A brand that aren't afraid to break the mould and go against what's ideal in a vanity-driven industry.

The collection consists of a range of speckled varnishes, blush duos to suit all skin tones, the innovative new blush brush, a new lipstick, a new green lipgloss (Set to be the next Apocolips) and the existing Precision Ink in Abyss.

The I'mperfection Collection will be available to buy at Illamasqua counters, freestanding stores and online from 31st January 2013.

Chanel Printemps Précieux: £17.50 - £46.00

Chanel's new collection, meaning 'Precious Spring', is inspired by the notion that elegance and beauty should be simple and sophisticated. One of the larger collections this season, the colours range from neutrals and soft pinks to rich plums, all staying very pretty and fresh for Spring. The masterpiece of the collection, as you all may very well know by now is the Illuminating powder, artfully embossed with all things Chanel.

The collection contains three nail colours, a range of matte and and luminous lip colours, two glosses, two lip pencils, two eyeshadow compacts (Duo and Quad), three eyeliner stylos', a blush compact and the illuminating powder. Phew! Printemps Précieux is available from Chanel counters, freestanding stores and online at Selfridges.com.

 Too Faced Boudoir Beauty Collection

Too Faced have gone all romantic on us, giving us soft, pretty shades in decadent packaging, perfect to keep in your boudoir. The brand's founder, Jerrod Blandino, was in awe by the lengths women go to achieve the illusion of flawlessness, inspiring products such as their Air Buffed BB Crème (The first full-coverage BB cream), the soft, sultry shades in their Boudoir Eyes palette and the No Makeup Makeup palette, apparently made to create a 'I was born perfect' look.

There is one product that has me sold on this collection, the Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush. I'm not one for overly girly decor, but the heart shaped box with gold trim has me swooning. A trio of rose, coral and peach are packed in to the romantic heart design and can be used alone or mixed together to create a custom flush or highlight.

Prices range from $21 - $39 (Around £14 - £25). I don't know when or if the collection will be coming across the pond, but it is available to purchase now from the Too Faced website, with shipping to the UK.

Paul & Joe Beaute Carousel collection: £6 - £23

Hold me back and take my credit card away from me please! I've fell head over heels in love with the Carousel collection. I've always had a strange fascination with the intricate beauty of old Victorian fairgrounds, unlike the tackiness of ones you see today. This collection is inspired by Parisian carousels, encapturing the nostalgia and wonderment felt atop a carousel horse as a child. 

There is nothing about this collection that I don't love, from the beautiful two-toned eye powders, lipsticks embossed with horses (Complete with lipstick cases to match!), the limited-edition pressed powder swirl and the ever-so-pretty cheek compacts. My only doubt is what to buy first!

The mesmerising Carousel collection can be found at asos.com.

Any of these collections take your fancy? What products will you be snapping up this spring?

Get The Look with Smashbox

Depending on the feedback I get, I'm hoping to make this a regular post with looks ranging from red carpet, to editorial, to perhaps even theatrical makeup.
What do you think? Would you be interested in seeing more 'Get The Look' posts?

Makeup Artist must-have - The Paw Palette

Crystal Hamilton, a makeup artist based in Santa Monica, California, originally developed the idea for herself, after wanting a makeup palette that was both ergonomic and hygienic. Soon enough, their adorable design and practicality caught the eye of beauty insiders and she turned the idea in to a business. The Paw Palette was born!

 'I had always seen makeup artists on TV use the back of their hand to apply makeup, because it’s easier and faster [than traditional palettes]. But when I went to makeup school, they said, ‘You can’t do that, that’s a no-no.’ You can wash your hands and scrub them all you want, but when you’re working on different models you need to practice safe, sanitary habits. So I had to figure out a way to get that back. I figured there must be something like that out there, but I was searching and searching and I couldn’t find a palette like that anywhere.

I definitely took a lot of time to think about how I wanted the palette to work. I wanted it to suit me; the main reason I made it was for me. I’m very much into comfort and efficiency, and I wanted both of my hands free. One day I was at Home Depot and I saw this acrylic material and started playing with it. The palettes are made out of high-grade acrylic—a lightweight, non-porous material—and there’s an elastic strap so that it’s comfortable to wear for all sizes.'

I don't know about you but I am in love with these palettes! I currently use a bog-standard stainless steel palette that has a hole for my thumb to go through, but it is constantly in the way when I'm holding it and is an absolute pain to clean. The paw palette can be worn in whatever way is most comfortable, whether on the back of your hand, on your wrist or in the palm of your hand and are made from acrylic, making them super easy to clean. 

If they aren't cute enough, she also sells ring palettes!

Prices range from $10 - $23 (That's around £6 - £14 for us Brits) and can be found on Crystals Etsy page here and at www.pawpalette.com . If you want to get your paws on the glitter versions, they are exclusive to Beautylish. Click here to shop.

I'll definitely be purchasing one for myself when I have some money spare. I've just today made a couple purchases for my 100 follower giveaway! Prizes include goodies from Paul & Joe Beauty, Illamasqua, Crown Brush, Jinnylash, Models Own, Topshop and more. Keep your eyes peeled, it's going to be a big one!

What do you think of the Paw Palette? Practical and cute, or just a bit of a novelty?

Balenciaga Florabotanica

Balenciaga Florabotanica - £40 for 30ml, £53 for 50ml, £75 for 100ml.

My dressing table is always full of a variety of fragrances, all which of course I like, but never one that I love. I'm picky when it comes to perfumes, I dislike the sting-your-nostrils overly floral scents, the young, sickly sweet scents, or the ones that smell of pure chemicals with not much else. So I'm tough to please. That however, was until I was flicking through Elle magazine a few months ago and spotted the Florabotanica advertisement. I was instantly put off by Kristen Stewart's ever-miserable face and awkwardness (I can't tell you how much that woman annoys me) and was about to carry on flicking when I caught a whiff of the perfume sample on the page. A spritz on my wrist in Selfridges a few days later confirmed it, it was love.

"Flowers can be cruel, carnivorous or venomous, contain poisons.

What would a perfume that contained the charm and mystery of flowers be like?

This is the story we wanted to tell with Florabotanica." - Nicolas Ghesquiere, Florabotanica designer.

Balenciaga Florabotanica is worlds away from the normal flower-infused perfume; Think floral with a kick. The scent is composed of accords such as mint, carnation, hybrid rose, caladium leaves, amber and vetiver. The packaging is a show stopper alone, steering away from your typical 'pretty' bottle, definitely worthy of pride of place on your dresser. The outer packaging is also beautiful, the floral pattern derived from Balenciaga's SS'08 and FW'11 collections.

Florabotanica is unlike anything I've smelt before, it's one of those fragrances where you pick up different notes each time it's worn. It's not a subtle scent, while wearing it I'm usually greeted with a 'Ooooh...you smell nice!' instead of the usual hello, but I'm not complaining! Upon application it has a very fresh, crisp fragrance, which softens down in to a more warm, musky scent. Definitely one to take me through spring, this will be my go-to fragrance for months to come.

Have you tried Balenciaga Florabotanica? What is your go-to perfume?

Busy Busy Busy

First off I apologise for being MIA this week, so much for my promise to blog more this year! Since arriving back in London last Sunday I literally have been so busy I couldn't find the time to write on here!

The Bullring website published their 'Gothic Lip Trend' review this week that I contributed to and I was really pleased to see that two of my photos were used to headline the article! You can find the article here and you can also check out my blog post of Illamasqua's Disciple lipstick including the original interview here.

I started back to a hectic week at London College of Fashion, we were thrown straight back in to work without no hesitation and given a whole load of information and briefs for the next term. As you can tell by the photo, our essential reading list for Cultural Studies alone is enough to have me wanting to crawl back to bed. All very full on but exciting non the less. And I have to say one of the things I absolutely love about our university is the library, it is crammed full of magazine archives from ID to Harper's Bazaar to Vogue's from across the globe. The British Vogue archives date back as far as the 1920's, and the old advertisements are enough to keep me sat in the library aisles for hours. Very lucky to have such amazing amenities at our fingertips.

On Thursday I attended the Django Unchained premiere. I'm a huge fan of Tarantino films and I couldn't miss the opportunity to see Leonardo DiCaprio, who I was in love with growing up. Surely he was everyones first crush? The atmosphere at the premiere was incredible, unfortunately Leo wasn't there (cry), but I did get a glimpse of Christoph Waltz, who I love, Samuel L Jackson and Jamie Foxx. Probably the moment where my film geek brain nearly exploded was being able to say Hello to Mr.Quentin Tarantino himself, before watching him pose for the paparazzi. Django Unchained, although long, is as always with Tarantino a great film and I 110% recommend it. It is however extremely violent, so not for the faint hearted.

My week was topped off with a night at Funky Buddha in Mayfair for a friends birthday. Unfortunately for me I can't refuse free vodka and champagne and I spent the next day absolutely dying. After the week I've had though I think a big blow out was needed!



Now I'm settled in again I will be back to posting regularly, with a review on Balenciaga Florabotanica coming up in a couple days time. So keep your eyes peeled!

McQ by Alexander McQueen iPhone case

McQ by Alexander McQueen iPhone case - £50.00 (On sale £25.00)

Alexander McQueen is by far my favourite designer, I'm constantly drawing inspiration from his work and his books line my bookshelf, so I decided to give myself a little after-Christmas treat and pick up this iPhone case from Net-a-Porter.
It came super quick, according to the tracking details they even flew it from London to East Midlands airport to quicken up the delivery! It arrived wrapped in black tissue paper with a little bag from Net-a-Porter, containing a branded measuring tape and measuring guide so I know my exact size for any future orders which, being a student will be an extremely far off future but is still a great idea.
The case itself is made from multicoloured tartan jacquard in this seasons hottest colour, oxblood, and is stamped with McQueen's signature razor blade plaque. My iPhone fits in snugly and the case features a faux leather wristlet for carrying if I don't fancy throwing it in to the endless pit of my bag. It also comes with a dust bag branded with the McQueen logo, perfect for me as I switch between phone cases constantly depending on the occasion.


Overall I love this case, it's a nice change from the plain old black and brown cases people carry their phones around in, and for £25 in the sale it's an absolute bargain too. It's now a matter of fighting the urge to buy the iPad case to match!

What are your thoughts? Are you tempted to purchase one?

2012 through my lens

It isn't until you reflect over the past year that you realise how much you have done! These are the highlights of my year, from visiting Manchester to decide where I want to live and celebrating my birthday in Florida at the beginning of the year, right up to spending Christmas at home and my black and gold nails for new years eve.


I never make new years resolutions, as I believe you should aim to better yourself every day, not just one day of the year. However, I have set some goals to accomplish for 2013.
My first is to blog more, I started this blog at the very end of August and I never expected it to get to so far so soon after 4 months. In all honesty I thought I'd have given it up by now!
My second is to enrol on to an advanced film makeup course over the summer. As much as I love doing fashion makeup, the reason I got in to makeup was because of my love of film and movie making, and I find myself missing doing theatrical and special effects more and more.
My third is to make the most of being in London, since I moved I've spent my time settling in and getting used to the workload at LCF, but I haven't explored as much as I've wanted to. I believe you gain as much as you put in in creative professions and I think it's so important to surround yourself with inspiration. I don't mean just looking at pictures on the Internet, I mean visiting art galleries and places of interest, watching a diverse range of films, reading books, doing something you wouldn't normally do. Inspiration is everywhere, and if you spend your time just looking at makeup on the Internet and in magazines and books, your work will just be a copy of what everyone's already seen before instead of your own ideas, and your work will never evolve. With the ever-changing amount of things to do and see in London, I really have no excuse to not get out there.

What are your new years resolutions?