Sleek True Colour Lipsticks, Flick It Liners & Eyelashes

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I've got some fun new products from Sleek to show you from their upcoming spring collections, so get ready! First up, the True Colour Lipsticks. The formulation is highly pigmented, available in matte or sheen finish, and they come in bright colors that are very in trend for spring 2013.

True Colour Lipsticks in Loved Up, Tangerine Scream and Smoulder (£4.99)

Loved Up

Tangerine Scream

Smoulder

My thoughts: I'm loving all up on Loved Up!!!! Wow - it's incredible. It's one of those BAM in yo face kind of colours, which I personally love. Super creamy, feels smooth to wear, and very opaque. These are great lipsticks, especially when you consider the low price. I'd love to try out more colours as I think they're really cool!

Next up are the Flick It Eyeliner pens, of which the black one is permanent, and the purple and blue ones are limited edition. They have a felt tip end, and are fairly easy to apply for a cat-eyed look. Launching February 13, 2013.

Flick It Eyeliner in Royal Blue, Dazzling Black and Purple Aura (£5.99)

My thoughts: I'm not wowed about these because I don't think the colours are really all that original, and I'm generally not too fond of pen tip eyeliners. I always find they dry out really fast, and I just prefer to work with a brush. They did, however, last incredibly long. I washed my hand several times with soap after swatching, and the colour was still there. You'll have to remove these with an oil-based eye makeup remover, and some eyelid tugging might ensue. Long lasting yes, but a bit hard to remove.

Lastly, I was sent some of the new Sleek Eyelashes, which have newly launched.

My thoughts: They all look slightly "fake" when wearing, which might or might not be a good thing, depending on what look you're going for. If you want lashes that really stand out and look unique and sort of artificial and artsy on your eyes, these might be a good find. If you're more a fan of natural looking falsies that blend really well with your own lashes and don't stand out too much, these aren't so great. They are very long, and the band to apply is very thick, so they tend to stand out and draw a lot of attention. The shapes are also not very natural, so they will obviously look fake. That might work for a more dramatic look though, so it just depends what you prefer!

Sleek makeup is available at Superdrug in the UK, and online through their shop's website here.

Would you like to try out any of these products? Which ones?

Heart Glitter Nails

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Here's my nail design tutorial inspired by upcoming Valentine's Day. Although, I think you could really wear this anytime, it's so cute! Watch my video below for the tutorial:

Products used:
Sally Hansen Insta-Dry Whirlwind White
Anny Outdoor Style
L'Oréal Fancy Me
Maybelline Deeply in Love
L.A. Colors Art Deco White
Seche Vite

Question: Will you be wearing a Valentine's inspired nail design on February 14th?? Let me know in the comments!

xo, Julia

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Oh and I have 666 followers right now, so you'd better help me get past that foreboding number - Muahahahaha!

Smashbox Love Me Spring Collection

Today I've got a few pieces from the Smashbox Love Me Spring collection to show you, and I have to say - I love a couple of these products so much already! The collection was created in collaboration with street artist Curtis Kullig, with his signature print decorating both the packaging and the cosmetic products themselves (blush and lipstick imprint.)  I got these a few weeks ago and have had a chance to try all the products, so here are my thoughts.

Left to Right: Love Me Blush in Idolize Me, Love Me Be Legendary lipstick in Tempt Me, Love Me Paint Pen Eye Liner in Jet Black

First things: Packaging! I absolutely love it. The blush comes with a nice sized mirror, the lipstick looks sleek, and the red writing on the front is really nice.

Next, I really absolutely LOVE the blush color, I don't have anything exactly like it in my collection. It has a satin finish without any garish sparkles, and the color is a soft pink, leaning slightly coral when worn. The pigmentation is really good, and very buildable, so if you have fair skin - no worries that you will look like a clown on the first swipe. I'm really starting to love Smashbox blushes!

Here is a swatch of the blush, and the pen liner on my hand, wherein I applied several layers of the blush for a really strong pay-off for swatching purposes.

The lipstick in Tempt Me is another great product, with an absolutely perfect color payoff that I think is so nice for spring. It has medium coverage, so you can either wear it more sheer, or apply two coats for an opaque finish. I would describe it as a warm pink, that leans ever so slightly into coral. The lipstick contains shea butter so it's very moisturising and super comfortable to wear, without being too slippery that it immediately creases and feathers into fine lip lines. I really like this lipstick a lot!

The only product I don't care very much for is the eyeliner. It's quite bulky and the tip is really thick, so I feel like I'm applying my eyeliner with a jumbo Crayola marker. I prefer more the thin tips, or an art brush for an eyeliner. However, the thickness of the tip means it's also more sturdy and easier to get an even line. I also felt the color wasn't black enough, it looked more like a very dark grey on me.

Have you tried any Smashbox products? Let me know your favorites in the comments below!

Switzerland Prices:
Love Me Lipstick (26 CHF)
Love Me Blush (40 CHF)
Love Me Paint Pen Eye Liner in Jet Black (29 CHF)

Available at Marionnaud, and wherever Smashbox products are sold worldwide.


(Products were sent for review by PR.)

Tutorial: Sexy Valentine's Look

Like this look? Pin it on Pinterest here!

This is my first Valentine's Look this year. (I want to do a second one, fingers crossed!) I wanted it to be super sexy, alluring and womanly without being garish and bright colors like hot pink or red. Both the eyes and the lips are accentuated, but both are kept in fairly neutral colors so that it doesn't look like, whoa that chick is wearing a load of makeup on her face!

Watch my video to get the look:

And here's the low-down on what I used...

Face
Illamasqua Rich Liquid Foundation, Collection 2000 concealer, MAC Blonde Mineralize Skinfinish, Smashbox Passion blush

Eyes
NYX Jumbo Pencil in White, Ben Nye Cork, Illamasqua Obsidian, Urban Decay Virgin, MAC All That Glitters, Max Factor False Lash Effect mascara, MAC Blacktrack Fluidline, Sleek lashes Nr. 235,

Lips
Catrice Lost in the Rosewood lipliner, MAC Angel lipstick, MAC Underage lipglass

Nails
Catrice Moulin Rouge Light 050


What do you have planned for Valentine's Day? Let me know in the comments!

My Day with InStyle & Manhattan Cosmetics

I recently was invited by Manhattan Cosmetics to attend their Style Day Make-Over Event that they were hosting in partnership with InStyle Magazine. Twelve InStyle readers had won a make-over through the magazine, and I was invited to attend and document the event as a blogger journalist, so to speak.

It was so exciting not only to get a tour of the InStyle offices and interview the Editor-in-Chief Annette Weber personally (video coming on that soon), but also to see how much fun the winners had at their make-overs! They were so excited, and the stylists did an absolutely wonderful job on their hair and makeup.

Watch my video documenting the whole day including a room tour of the fancy Sofitel hotel I stayed at, a tour of InStyle's Fashion and Beauty closets, the make-overs, and an evening of fine dining and partying it up at the exclusive Heart restaurant and lounge in Munich.

Some more pictures from the event...

Inside the InStyle Fashion & Shoe Closet...a fashionista's dream!!
And the shoes are all my size - torture!

I don't have enough makeup yet, so I picked up the supersize versions. Hah!

I stayed at the luxurious and extremely comfortable 5-Star Sofitel in the heart of Munich, which was absolutely beautiful and utterly decadent. I would have loved to try out their Spa but alas, there wasn't enough time. Boo hoo :(

The breakfast buffet was jaw-dropping and utterly mouth watering. These are only a few of the things that were available, I didn't even photograph the warm buffet section. Everything from home made smoothies, fresh squeezed juices of a dozen varieties, fresh exotic fruit, tons of breads and cakes and buns, eggs, salmon, caviar, a tea samovar and many tea varities... Basically I wish I hadn't eaten in three days so I could have consumed a lot more! I love breakfasts but I usually am not very hungry in the morning yet.

Thank you to Manhattan & InStyle - it was a ball!

Recipe: Cheese Fondue

Ahhh winter! Cold nights, snowy landscapes (at least here in Switzerland), and long nights with friends gathered around a cheese fondue and white wine. What could be better?

Here's how to make a traditional and authentic Swiss cheese fondue! Watch the video for all the steps...

Here's what you need for two people. Adjust the recipe for larger parties (duhh!)

200-250g of Swiss cheese per person (for strong eaters, I'd go for 500g for 2 people)

• This can be a combination of Gruyeres, Vacherin Fribourgeois, Appenzeller, Emmentaler and Tilsiter. The most common is moité-moité which means half-half in French, which is half Gruyeres and half Vacherin. I personally prefer a mix of different cheeses.

Fondue Set (such as these on Amazon): Fondue Set (You will need to buy the correct Fire Gel with it, which is also available on Amazon.)

Other ingredients:

1 medium sized loaf of crusty, country bread

150-200ml of dry white wine

1 clove of garlic

2 teaspoons corn starch

1-2 teaspoons cherry or pear schnapps
Dash of nutmeg

1. Combine the white wine with the schnapps, then add the corn starch and stir until there are no clumps left. The liquid should be an even, milky liquid.

2. Cut the bread into bite sized cubes.

3. Rub the garlic all over the fondue dish. Then over medium heat*, heat up the liquid mixture until it is hot but not boiling. Add the entire lot of shredded cheese to the dish, then stir frequently as the cheese starts to melt and combine with the liquid.

4. Season with a dash of nutmeg and black pepper (optional) at the end. Serve immediately on your lit fondue set. Serve with bread cubes. (Other great side dishes are gherkins, mini pickled onions, cherry tomatoes and pears in juice.)

*If you use a gas flame cooker, make sure to use a cast iron fondue dish, as cheaper models will probably burst from the direct heat.

Let me know if you try it out!! You can also make delicious fondue variations. Here are some of my favorites.

Tomato fondue: Add chunks of tomatoes to the cheese while it's cooking

Herb fondue: Add finely chopped basil, rosemary, thyme and parsley leaves

Bacon-mushroom: Fry up some bacon and mushrooms in a separate pan. Drain excess fats, then add the bacon and mushrooms to the fondue

Goat Cheese fondue: Use a portion of goat cheese with the other cheeses for a slightly different taste

Get Ready With Me!

I really like those "Get Ready With Me" type of videos on Youtube so I thought I'd make one of my own. This was getting ready for a semi-casual night out with friends. I didn't want to get dressed to the nines, but still look put together and like I put in a bit of effort. Watch the video to watch me get ready from start to finish, including makeup, hair, and outfit!

Everything I used and wore is listed below...

Skincare
Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré, Clinique All About Eyes Rich, Blistex lipbalm,

Makeup
Bourjois Healthy Mix & Illamasqua Rich Liquid foundation, Smashbox Artificial Light, Kryolan Eye Shadow Primer, Catrice shadows in Grey's Philisophy & Swimming With Dolphins, L'Oreal Infallible eye shadow in Endless Pearl, MAC Brows in Lingering, Urban Decay eyelash curler, L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes, Lancome Maquicomplet concealer, Smashbox Idolize Me blush, Smashbox Tempt Me lipstick

Hair
Sebastian Molding Mud, GHD straightening iron

Earrings
Aldo Accessories

Perfume
Thierry Mugler Alien Essence Absolue

Clothing etc.
River Island blouse, faux leather pants by H&M, Wool coat by ASOS, Shoes by Tamaris, Purse by handbagheaven.com, faux fur collar by H&M

Nail Polish
Anny Ready To Go

Style Steal: Hanna from Pretty Little Liars

Have you ever seen a picture of a celebrity in a TV show or magazine, and wanted to recreate the entire look from head to toe? That's exactly what I'm going to do in this project I'm starting called "Style Steal". The idea is to make a video where I show a celebrity look, and include a hair, makeup, nails, fashion and styling segment so you can recreate the entire look at home. Since most of us can't afford the designer duds that many celebrities wear, I want to show you that you can easily capture the feel of a look with affordable brands and products.

For this Style Steal I'm going to recreate the look worn by the character Hanna Marin from the TV show Pretty Little Liars. I took these picture straight from the new cast photos on the show's website.

Check out my video to recreate Hanna's edgy and chic look, from going shopping for the clothing, to makeup, hair, nails, and styling. Her hair is obviously quite different in cut and color to my own, so I improvised! I guess this is more her style when she had longer hair.

Here's a look at the makeup from the video...

Let me know whose Star Style you want me to Steal next! You can also post your picture suggestions on my Facebook Wall here.

Here's a low-down on everything I used, and what I'm wearing:

Outfit

Grey T-shirt: H&M

Faux leather jacket: H&M

Black denims: H&M

Belts: H&M

Armor ring: Asos.com

Black ring: H&M

Necklace: Forever 21

Cuff bracelet: was a gift, don't know where it's from

Earrings: Asos.com

Shoes: Graceland by Deichmann (or Dosenbach)

Nail polish

Anny Ready To Go

Makeup

Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation, L'Oreal Infallible Endless Pearl e/s, MUA eyeshadow palettes in Heaven and Earth, and Undressed, Margaret Astor eyeliner in Brown, Laura Geller black eyeliner, Rimmel Scandaleyes mascara, Kryolan Eye Brow Powder in Medium, Smashbox Blush in Bare, Revlon Colorburst Lipbutter in Berry Smoothie, L'Oreal Colour Riche Balm in Rose Elixir

Hair

Enzo Milano 1" clipless curling iron, Schwarzkopf Got2b Powderful volumizing powder, Balea Trend It Up Mattifying styling paste, L'Oreal Elnett hairspray

Is this a look that you might recreate? Where would you wear it?

Pumpkin Hummus Recipe

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I've had lots of questions how I make my Pumpkin Hummus after posting on Instagram, so here's a quick recipe. I love to serve this with pretty much anything! It's filling and makes a good side dish for dipping veggies or bread in.

Ingredients

1 can drained and rinsed chick peas
1-2 cloves garlic
2-3 Tblsp. Sesame Tahini
2 Tblsp. extra virgin Olive oil
Splash of water (about 1/4 to 1/3 cup)
1-2 tsp ground cumin
juice of half a lemon
shot of tabasco sauce if you want a bit of kick
salt & pepper
pumpkin purée (anywhere between 1/2 to 3/4 cup)

To make the pumpkin purée, you can use a variety of pumpkins or winter squash. If you use a Hokkaido pumpkin you can leave the skin on, so that's the one I normally use because it's so easy. You could also use butternut, Muscat, whatever you have on hand - these varieties you will have to peel. This is what a Hokkaido pumpkin looks like:

Depending on the size of your pumpkin, use a quarter or a half of it. Remove the seeds and peel (if necessary.) Chop up into rough chunks, and steam them for about 15-20 minutes until fully soft. If you don't have a steamer pot, try roasting them in the oven for 20 minutes on 200 degrees C. I wouldn't recommend boiling as that makes them very watery. Then use a handmixer to purée the flesh, or a blender, whatever. Since this is the most time consuming part of the process, I like to make a lot of purée at once, and use the left over for soups or baking. You could even freeze any left over purée.

Easy way out: Use canned pumpkin. Make sure it's not pumpkin pie filling, it should just be 100% pumpkin, no added sugar, nothing.

To make the hummus, put all the ingredients into a bowl and use a handmixer to blend. Or, if you have a blender, dump everything in and blend. Wow, that was hard wasn't it? Now you've got amazing pumpkin hummus!

This hummus will be gone in no time, so I normally double this recipe and keep it in the fridge for snacking. I love dipping veggies in it, or use it as a healthy sandwich spread.

Icy Snowflake Nails

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These snowflake nails are perfect for winter and the holiday season. I love snow, and wanted to do a wintery, icy cold blue design for the nails, so I thought this was both festive and appropriate for the season. It's also a very simple design, that even a beginner nail artist could accomplish. You only need a few things! Here's my tutorial...

Products I used:

Models Own Feeling Blue

Essence Fashion Victim

L.A. Colors Art Deco in White

ANNY clear polish

rhinestone nail wheel (from ebay)

Do you like this design? Let me know in the comments!

Lilash Annual Sale & Sigma Free Shipping

It's that time of the year again for major Thanksgiving feasting, and post-feasting shopping! A few people have asked me about the annual Lilash lash enhancement serum sale which happens every year around this time. Here are the details:

From 12:00 a.m., Black Friday, November 23rd through 11:59 p.m., Cyber Monday, November 26th, LiLash and LiBrow products are only $99 each, and the LiLash + LiBrow Combo is only $149.95!

Get Lilash on SALE now!

Lilash and Librow normally retail for $139.97 each when not on sale, so this is a huge discount that they only offer around Thanksgiving.

Here's a picture of my own lashes after using Lilash, and you can read all my experiences with the product on my blog post here, and my video here. I am currently not using the product because I just wanted to take a break for a bit, but I have used it for a long time before and it definitely worked for my lashes! See for yourself below.

Also, Sigma has FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING for two days! Yes, worldwide. Here are the details:

Thursday, November 22 (12:00 AM Central Standard Time) until 12:00 AM CST Friday, November 23.Use code BF2012 at checkout.

If you want my opinion on Sigma brushes, I have several review videos on them. My favorite brushes are from the SIGMAX synthetic series for foundation and concealer brushes (F80, F88, P86, P88). Other individual real-hair brushes I like from them are E55, E40, E35, F35, E25 and F10.

You can check out all the products such as makeup brushes, eyeshadow palettes, and more here.

Tutorial: Kristen Stewart Makeup "On the Road" Premiere

I loved Kristen's look at the movie premiere for On The Road. Overall, I love the makeup looks she's been sporting lately, she really has a signature style. Often she wears smokey brown eyes, although this time her makeup artist used a lot of warm red tones which really flatter Kristen's fair complexion and medium brown hair. It's such a beautiful look for autumn and winter.

Here is my take on the look...

For comparison, here are some pictures of Kristen at the premiere which I used as my inspiration.

If you want to recreate this look, watch my video tutorial below:

Face
L'Oreal Visible Lift foundation, MAC Blushbaby blush

Eyes
Maybelline Color Tattoo in Tough as Taupe, MAC Blue Brown pigment, Catrice Heidi Plum, Ben Nye Toast, MAC Woodwinked, Laura Geller eye pencil in Dazzle, Rimmel Scandaleyes mascara

Lips
KIKO Nr. 88 lipstick, NARS Lip Lacquer in Diablo

Nailpolish
KIKO Nr. 243


Which movie are you more likely to watch? On the Road or Twilight Breaking Dawn Part II? Let me know in the comments!

Recipe: Apple Cranberry Crisp

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This is my favorite seasonal crisp or crumble to make in the fall, and beats out plain old apple crisp by a mile, in my humble opinion. Something about the tartness of cranberries mixed with the tenderness of apples makes me excited in my mouth a little bit - actually not just a little bit! It's a party in my mouth, oh yeah!!!

Watch my tutorial for how to make this extremely simple but very delicious dessert. Serve it hot with vanilla ice cream, and I promise you there won't be a bit left over!

Fruit:

4-5 peeled, cored and sliced apples
1 package fresh Cranberries (about 340g or 12oz)
1/2 cup white sugar (100g)
Juice of half a lemon to prevent oxidizing
Cinnamon
Ground cloves
Ground nutmeg

Mix everything together in a deep casserole dish. Make sure to use a lot of fruit, your dish should be filled to the top before you spread the crumble on top.

Crumble:

1/2 cup quick oats (65g)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (65g)
3/4 cup brown sugar (160g)
1/2 cup unsalted butter (113g)
1/4 tsp Salt
1 Tblsp. pure vanilla extract

Mix all the dry ingredients together, then drop in chunks of butter and the vanilla. Mix together until it's nice and crumbly. If it's too soft, add a bit more flour and oats.

Crumble the mixture on top of the fruits, then bake at 375 F / 190 C for 55 mins. The crumble mixture should be slightly browned. Serve hot with ice cream or whipping cream.

Tutorial: Carly Rae Jepsen "This Kiss"

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This makeup look is inspired by Carly Rae Jepsen from her music video "This Kiss". Her makeup artist Desirae Cherman created two looks for the music video.

Scene 1 — The Rock Star: "The performance scene is an underground-club kind of a vibe: dark, smoky flashes of light," Cherman explained. "It created a lot of cool shadows and highlights. I wanted to do the same with Carly's makeup so her features would really pop." The first look was inspired by Pat Benatar's classic smoky eye, which was paired with a dark red lipstick. Cherman recommends a bold lip color as every woman's go-to for after five events. And you can make the look last all night by adding loose powder after lip liner. Then, apply your bright lipstick, blot once, and clean any smudges with concealer.

Scene 2 — Girls' Night Out: To stage a casual night out with girlfriends, Cherman created a cool cat eye. "One of my favorite looks to do with bangs is a nice, strong winged eyeliner," she explained. "It instantly lifts your eye, defines the shape, and makes them pop out." If you have bangs, Cherman recommends skipping makeup on the forehead altogether. That way, your fringe won't end up greasy after a long night spent on the dance floor.

Source

My look was obviously inspired by the second look, although I thickened up the black eyeliner a bit because I just liked how it looks. Here are some screenshots from the video, although I mainly went off the description from Cherman, as the makeup is a bit hard to see.

Watch my tutorial below for the step-by-step to achieve this fun look:

Face
L'Oreal Visible Lift foundation, Ben Nye concealer wheel, Smashbox Passion blush

Eyes
Kryolan Eyeshadow Base, Smashbox Softbox II palette, Smashbox Smokebox Palette, Smashbox Jetset Waterproof liner in Navy Blue, Smashbox Artificial Light in Flash,

Lips
Combo 1: MAC Beet lipliner, Smashbox Electric Pink lipstick
Combo 2: Barry M Nr. 146, MAC Show Orchid

Nails
KIKO Nr. 288

USA Election Nails Tutorial

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Want to wear a patriotic and fun USA inspired manicure on Election night? Try this one on for size. I got inspired by the American Flag, but added a ballot box on the thumb to pay homage to the election. Whether you're voting for Romney, Obama, or someone else - this nail art is sure to fit the bill.

Get these nails with the help of my tutorial below.

Nail polishes used:

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Whirlwind White
KIKO Nr. 336
Anny Woman in Red
China Glaze Shine
Leighton Denny Miracle Mist Speed-Drying Spray