models own bottleshop

Shoppers paradise Westfield, Shephards Bush will become home to Models Own first ever store this April. The brand we all know & love so well will be opening a stand alone store which is even shaped like a giant nail polish! Until now we've only been able to get our Models Own fix via concessions & their website, but now we'll be able to go into their one of a kind Bottleshop & have a nice long browse at all the pretty products!

The Bottleshop (placed opposite Topshop, Apple & Zara) will be selling Models Own entire polish collection - that's over 200 colours & a lot of 'ooh' & 'ahh'ing from shoppers! Also available are some great in-store exclusives & the full range of Models Own accessories.

I think this beats any other beauty news in my book so far this year, I cant wait to see the Bottleshop come to life & eventually open to the public, although I'm dreading what this will do to my already out of hand nail polish addiction! Are we excited about the new store? It's definitely a unique shopping experience, I cant say I've ever shopped inside a giant nail polish before, roll on April!

superdrug nail art pens

Superdrug, the high street favourite loved by so many of us have announced they are releasing a new range of nail art pens as part of their Finishing Touches collection. The pens are to be released this April priced at £4.99. So far they're only available in pink & silver & information/images are very limited.

I'm dying to get my paws on these! I cant help but wish they'd produced a few more colours but who knows what this could lead to? What's the verdict? Are we expecting good things from these pens?

black & gold tips using MUA eyeliners

• Take MUA's liquid eyeliner in black (shade 5) & their glitter eyeliner in gold (shade 2).
  
  
• Using the black liquid liner fill in the tips of your nails (I'm wearing Primark false nails in this post). It's much quicker to lay the applicator flat as oppose to using the fine point tip.
  
  
• Once dried take the gold glitter liner & line the bottom of the tips - I used one coat as you get a good amount of product out but if you want to add one or two more go for it, the more glitter the better!
  
  
• Allow your nails to dry & add a coat of clear polish to set the design.

MUA Cosmetics have a great variety of eyeliners available, you don't have to use black & gold. Next time I might try white tips with pink lining, what colours would you put together?

katy perry & eylure lashes

Eylure lashes have teamed up with non other than pink pop princess Katy Perry to bring us a range of delicious lashes this February. I'm not going to lie, as soon as I heard about the collaboration I actually squealed with excitement; I adore Eylure false lashes (their glue is my personal favourite) & who better to influence a new style than the flawless Katy? Everyone has their own opinion on her fun, girly style & personally I adore it - especially her make up which is always pretty much perfect & leaves me wishing I could pull off the cute looks she wears so well. Katy & Eylure have created four styles of lashes set to hit the shelves next month -

• Cool Kitty: "One of my favourite lashes! A perfect evening wear lash with manicured tips. It can add the ideal finishing touch for a smoky look that will make people purr as you pass."
  
  
• Oh, My!: "I love Eylure Double Lashes, and I just had to have one for my range of lashes. This style is full of texture, but lightweight and very wearable. The perfect accessory for your eyes."
  
  
• Oh, Honey: "I love that vintage flick at the corners that this lash gives me. Full, fun and great for day or evening."
  
  
• Sweetie Pie: "This is a great lash for anyone who wants to try false lashes for the first time. It's sweet and subtle, but adds just the right amount of length and volume."

There's an obvious difference between the four pairs which is handy for those who love lashes but still want to achieve a natural look. Eylure & Katy have really tried to cater for everyone's personal style with this collection & I think they've succeeded! The lashes are available in Boots & Superdrug stores nationwide priced at £5.95 from February onwards.

Is the collection what you expected? I'm definitely grabbing every style but which is your favourite?

MUA Cosmetics

When it comes to buying new make up I like to know exactly what I'm spending my money on. In the past I've spent enough money trying & testing new products for my bank account to handle only to use a product once & be very disappointed. To me, spending £25 on a foundation isn't a big deal, as long as the quality is worth the price - I wont use a product because it's a high end brand if I can get the same quality (if not better) out of a drug store brand for a fraction of the price - I'm only human! Being into beauty isn't about owning the most expensive items for me, it's about being creative, open minded & finding great quality, affordable brands that actually make you have that silly moment when you find a product you cant live without that is also a complete bargain! I use a wide range of brands from MAC to MUA, I buy my make up based on what suits me, not what looks good in my make up bag. For example, if I were to buy a foundation I'd spend a significant amount of time reading reviews on tonnes of different brands, if a certain product comes up several times & the reviewer has a similar skin tone/type to mine I'll test the product in store & if I like it, I buy it. Simple!

Lately I've become a little (understatement of the year) addicted to the brand MUA cosmetics. Sold exclusively at Superdrug (& their online store www.muastore.co.uk) all products are just £1 along with an extension of Make Up Academy Professional products ranging from £1.50 - £4. The first thing I thought when I saw this brand before was 'ugh, they're so cheap it's bound to be rubbish.', I don't use these three words lightly & I'm going to take several deep breaths before I publish them... I was wrong! I came across so many great reviews on their Heaven & Earth palette whilst reading a fair few blogs & purchased it for a mere £4 on a whim, I think that's where the love affair started. Ever since, if I've needed a new product I've Googled reviews on MUA before anything else & every single time I've read nothing but good things, as you can see from my ever growing collection above! People have asked via Twitter 'are they actually any good?' YES! I promise you, even though the products are such a bargain I wouldn't purchase them if I didn't love them. Just because they don't break the bank it doesn't mean they're to be over looked; they're a brand for normal, everyday use which everyone can afford & personally I think it's great not to worry about spending £25 a pop when I need to renew my foundation. Personally, comparing them to some of my higher end brand products I find very similar results, if not better!

I believe a good make up artist doesn't blame their tools, they can create good work with any half decent product, be it worth £30 or £3. I'm not saying I will refuse to pay out for a product for the rest of my life, like I said it's important to buy things based on quality, not the name/reputation of a brand. But for now I'm happy, my face is happy & my bank is happy!

nude smokey eye using MUA heaven & earth palette

• For quick & easy nude smokey eyes you only need three shades from your palette; 1 - cream, 2 - soft golden brown & 3 - dark brown.
  
  
• Start by applying a primer of your choice, then apply shade 1 all over the lid & up to the brow bone. Apply a little heavier on the inner corners of the lid in order for the colour to stand out.
  
  
• Take shade two & apply to the mid - outer section of your eyelid.
  
  
• Using shade 3 apply the product just above your crease, pat a little more onto the outer corners of the eye. If you want your eyes to be quite bold keep building up the colour by reapplying until you have the desired amount.
  
  
• Blend the edges of shade 3, we want this to look soft, not harsh! However, if you're going for a bold look keep the blending to a minimum.
  
  
• Add a black kohl liner along the lash line, start with a thin line from the inner corner & expand to a thick cat flick at the outer corner.
  
  
• Blend the kohl liner using a small brush or your finger. Blend a little into the outer corner of your eye over shade 3, adding more depth to the colour & out corners.
  
  
• The final step determines how bold you wish your eyes to be, if you want to keep it subtle just add a couple of coats of mascara to your lashes. Never doing things by half I obviously went the full whack & added liquid liner & fasle lashes, but it's completely up to you how you wish to finish the look off!

make up & nail looks

Firstly I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas/New years & 2012 is being good to everyone so far! Secondly, apologies for the neglect of my blog over the past few weeks. I've had lots of time to play with new make up ideas & sets I received over the holidays & above are various eye/nail looks I've created lately. It's been great to get creative whilst stuck at home, I received a 32 piece brush set for Christmas which is my new best friend, along with lots of other great bits & pieces. I'm itching to get started on my weekend/evening courses but they start over the next few weeks so it looks like I'll have to wait until the next round begin in a couple of months time.

If anyone likes a specific look & would like a tutorial/step by step guide on how to achieve the look please just let me know & I'll happily post one :) Also, if there's any looks/tutorials you'd like to see leave a comment & I'll get to work! I'm using any excuse to play dress up lately!

PS - I'd just like to say thank you for all the lovely comments my followers have been leaving & more importantly thank you for following me at all! Much love. x