Shell Lip Balm

Oriental Fan Shell Lip Balm

These are really sweet and would be a great, girlie present. Made using real shells and organic lip balm, I really like Shell Lip Balms because... well the balm really works, the mirror in the shell is great and it's so unusual. If you are trying to put together hen party presents or maybe as an alternative to the Easter egg, this would be a great solution. They will also put together a wedding pack for you to use as wedding 'favours' (I hate that word).

I have the Oriental Fan and was worried it would be a bit flimsy. Not at all, it's much more chunky and sturdy than I expected and it comes in a little bag so you can keep it dust and dirt free in the bottom of your handbag xx

BB Creams - do not be fooled!

This is a post I've been planning for a long time. BB creams seem to be everywhere and I was initially really confused as to what they were as they all seemed to promise different things. The 'BB' seems to stand for Blemish Balm mostly although sometimes it's billed as Beauty Balm and they are basically based on the real BB Creams that are huge in the Asian market and have been for sometime.

However, just because they are based on these creams does not mean they do the same thing at all. In fact, they really don't. The original BB creams soothe and regenerate the skin and help with blemishes, pigmentation and even out skin tone. They supposedly do the same thing here but they really don't.

Rae Morris Eyes - Friday Video

The brilliant Rae Morris....

Liz Earle Botanical Shine Treatment

Ok, ok I am trying to ween myself off gushing about all Liz Earle's products. I mean it's getting a little undignified now isn't it, but I'm allowing myself this one because it involves her hair care range and I've never reviewed any of these products before. I'd lie to say this was going to be incredibly critical and I'd finally found something that the Liz Earle team couldn't do but well... I haven't. Yes again I've found one of their products that's amazing. Sorry.

Liz Earle's Botanical Shine Treatment

The Botanical Shine Treatment is for frizzy, course and unruly hair and you use it as a 10-30 minute treatment after you've shampooed as normal. I'm always wary of products that are for 'course' hair because mine is so fine that often then make it lifeless and flat. My hair can get very damaged if I do not use treatments on it weekly though, because of the amount of colouring it's had done to it over the years so it needs all the help it can get. It has a slight natural curl which goes to frizz when it's not very happy (80% of the time) and I trust Liz so I was desperate to try this. In fact I was trying it 15 minutes after it came through the door.

Of course it smells great and it's reasonably easy to use - I mean you put it on like a conditioner it's just a bit of a faff waiting for the 10 minutes. I put a bath hat on and folded some clothes and cuddled my dog. Then rinsed it well and dried as normal. My hair actually looks better than when I come back from the hairdressers - it looks healthy, sleek, shiny but the treatment has not affected the volume and it smells nice and it even looks thicker. The list of ingredients tells you exactly what everything does which I always like to know - including cotton extract which forms a barrier around the hair smoothing it and helping it reflect more light.

This is going to be a regular feature in my hair routine now and for £12 it's not going to break the bank. If you don't believe me just read the reviews for this - they are fantastic.

London Fashion Week Tickets 2012 - ENDED

So... three of the five winners haven't claimed their London Fashion Week tickets... this means that the first three people to email me their full name and postal address will win the tickets as described in my post last week. Email your details to littlemissbmail at gmail dot com. xx

Percy & Reed Dry Shampoo - Friday Video

I've raved about their dry shampoo but if you weren't convinced then hear it from the horses mouth...

Holiday

I'm going to South Africa on holiday which I'm very excited about. There will be posts going up on here but I'm also going to try and post things on my other blog if I can work my phone... xx

Percy & Reed No Fuss Fabulousness Dry Shampoo

I first used dry shampoo about 15 years ago and it was horrible... it didn't really work unless you had a really thick mane of hair like my sister. For those of us with finer hair it just did not help at all and in fact sometimes made matters a lot worse. Since then I've avoided it like the plague but I've been hearing such fantastic things about Percy & Reed I thought their dry shampoo must be worth a try.

Percy & Reed dry shampoo

Now I know I'm supposed to tell you what products do and how good they are but I'd like to start this review by saying how much I love this packaging. It's just great, kind of old fashioned, classic, fun and generally appealing! It arrived at the perfect time. I was wandering round the house in my slippers with my greasy hair scraped back. I was going out with my oldest friend that night so I thought if it all went horribly wrong she wouldn't mind sitting, eating opposite something representing a fraggle (I kid you not... it happens more often than it should).

So off I went - following the instructions to shake before use and spraying evenly through my hair. It smells amazing - really good - and even better is that it worked. My hair did look better (more volumised, less greasy at the roots), smell better (it really does smell good) and it was incredibly easy to use. I would definitely recommend this. It even, albeit briefly, made me think I could bear to start going to festivals again. You can buy it online for £12 which I think is very reasonable for such a good product. I'm going to try their Abundantly Bouncy Volumising Mousse next.

What You Need to Know - Percy and Reed No Fuss Favulousness Dry Shampoo

• £6 or £12
• 50ml or 150ml
• Either spray directly into the roots from about 10cm away or onto a brush for more controlled distribution 
• Available in the UK from John Lewis, Feel Unique and Look Fantastic

London Fashion Week Tickets Winners

Thanks to everyone who entered. I'm afraid some of you were after the Sunday deadline but I can now announce the winners. Please email me at littlemissbmail at gmail dot com with your full name and postal address and we will get your prizes out to you.

So the winners are...

Leah Adams
Wunmi W-A
Ben
Youlia
Beatrice Morgan

Congratulations... I'm jealous I want to hear all about it xx

Guest Post - Ancient Beauty Techniques

I'm very excited to have a guest post on here for the first time, courtesy of Bella Franklin a fellow beauty blogger and writer for cosmeticsurguryguru.com. I may bang on about all the latest stuff and there's huge interest in the makeup from the 40's and 50's but how did they do it a really, really long time ago? Here's insight from Bella into Ancient Beauty techniques...

Laser hair removal can get rid of unwanted stubble and Botox can iron out wrinkles, but what did ancient civilisations do to look glamorous? Our ancestors were quite inventive when it came to sprucing up, so let’s take a look at their preening techniques.

Pumice stone hair removal

The ancient Egyptians were obsessed with looking good and went out of their way to be fashionable. They used abrasive hair removal techniques to get rid of unwanted body hair and were dedicated to staying clean. Both men and women used pumice stones and shells to scrub off unflattering fuzz and leave the body looking soft and smooth. Nowadays, we use similar techniques, but the process must be carried out carefully and slowly to avoid damaging the skin to be most effective.

Saffron eye shadow

Makeup has been around for centuries and was used widely throughout Ancient Egypt. Women would make eye shadow out of saffron and would dry red ochre to make lipstick. An eye cosmetic known as kohl was made by grinding galena (lead sulphide) and a range of other ingredients and was used as eyeliner and mascara. A number of historians believe this beauty product caused lead poisoning, but this fact is often disputed. Kohl is still around today though the lead sulphide is frequently replaced by charcoal.

Elaborate wigs

The Assyrians, Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans and Egyptians all adored wigs and used them to improve their physical appearance. They were often made out of human hair or vegetable fibres and were decorated with henna. Many people would actually shave their heads and would rejoice in wearing different headpieces. Wigs were considered more hygienic by many and prevented an infestation of lice. They became extremely popular in England after the fall of the Roman Empire and were particularly renowned throughout the Elizabethan era. Wigs are still popular; however, hair transplant surgery can restore your natural hairline and prevent hair loss.

Henna nails

Egyptian civilisations found great pleasure in painting their hands and nails with henna. They would spend hours crafting special designs and became masters of nail art. Apparently, henna traces were upon the nails of mummifies Pharaohs who were believed to enjoy a royal makeover. Henna is still used throughout the world and has become a well-known form of expression. Elaborate designs are often painted onto future brides and intricate patterns are considered beautiful.

Many ancient beauty techniques are still around to day and have been passed down from our forefathers.

Bella Franklin has been beauty blogging since being on a student at university, 5 years later she now writes for cosmeticsurgeryguru.com a blog dedicated to both surgical and non surgical cosmetic procedures.

ENTER TO WIN - Free tickets to London Fashion Week from Lavazza (NOW CLOSED)

I'm very excited to announce that I have five pairs of tickets to London's Fashion Week to giveaway courtesy of Lavazza the official sponsor of LFW. Please read the information below and make sure you read the terms and conditions - some of these tickets will be for during the week so you need to  be able to take time off work. For this reason this competition will only be open until midnight on Sunday 12th February.

To enter please write your answer as a comment below this post and the winners will be chosen at random and contacted at the beginning of next week. If you see that the correct answer is already there don't worry - the winners will be chosen from all the right answers whenever they answered the question and remember there are 5 pairs of tickets to give away so you are in with a chance...

A years supply of coffee and limited edition calendar

'This February Italy’s favourite coffee Lavazza will have been the official coffee of London Fashion Week for a decade. To celebrate, Lavazza is offering 5 lucky readers the opportunity to win a pair of tickets to London Fashion Weekend and the ultimate coffee lover’s dream: a year’s supply of authentically Italian coffee, a moka pot and a limited edition 2012 Lavazza Calendar. '

To be in with a chance of winning this great prize, all you have to do is answer the following question:

How long has Lavazza been the official coffee of London Fashion Week for?

•             10 years

•             8 years

•             12 years 

The 2012 calendar

Terms and conditions

Tickets will be a variety of late weekday and weekend days (Fri 24 – Sun 26 Feb) and cannot be exchanged for specific dates requested. We will endeavour to supply weekend tickets where possible and will give notice to winners in advance if their ticket entry date falls during the week.

Please remember to read the terms and conditions carefully and write your answer as a comment below this post.

L'Oreal False Lash Effect Telescopic Mascara

I think I have a new favourite mascara. L'Oreal's False Lash Effect Telescopic mascara actually does what it says it's going to (which is a bit of a novelty I think) and for those of you who don't like clumps, I know a lot of you do, this is clump-free, lengthening and very black. I'm not hugely keen on the brush, it feels a bit wibbley wobbley but I'm sure it's that that helps the mascara go on so easily and so well. Since I've been using it people have asked me what mascara I'm wearing and I find that I can get away with just one coat of it rather than my usual two or three. It also doesn't dry hard and crispy so feels really soft and weightless.

The ultimate test will be done tomorrow when I shall paste it onto my mothers lashes and then stare at her all morning to see if there's any weeping or puffiness. She has the most sensitive eyes I know and although I occasionally reap the benefits of lovely make-up that she can't use, it does mean that a lot of products that I think are fine are a complete no go for her which is quite useful for the purposes of this blog and indeed for when I do other people's makeup. I don't really like recommending anything or using anything that hasn't been tried out of her before. Yes I'm mean, she is my sensitive eye guinea pig but I also try my hardest to find nice things for her that don't make her swell up. I'll let you know how the test goes but if, like me, you don't have sensitive eyes then get this if you are looking for a new mascara - I really recommend it.

What You Need to Know - L'Oreal False Lash Effect Telescopic Mascara

•  £10.99
• Black and waterproof black
•  Lengthening, no clumps, plastic brush
• Available in the UK from Feel Unique Boots, Superdrug,

MAC Tinted Lip Conditioner

I have a rule that when I buy someone a present online from a makeup website, and I have to pay for delivery, I buy myself something too. I tell myself that it makes sense if you are paying for postage - so when I bought my friend some Magenta Madness pigment from MAC for her birthday I decided to get some Tinted Lip Conditioner in Petting Pink.

This is a really lovely nude/pinkish lip balm with SPF 15 so it's perfect for trip to South Africa in a couple of weeks and I actually think it would be lovely for a bride who is completely adverse to lipstick. A bit of nude lip liner all over the lips and then this over the top - perfect. It also comes in a clear conditioning balm, Fuschia Fix and Soothing Beige so something for everyone. It's £11 which isn't cheap for a lip balm but it is lovely to wear and the pot is really quite big and you need a small amount so I think the price is pretty good.

Jim Chapman at IMATS - Friday Video

OK so I'm going to the IMATS tomorrow for the first time, and on my own and I'm a little nervous about it because it's huge and there will be some amazing, awe inspiring people there and I imagine myself just getting trampled to the floor under a mass of amazing peoples feet... so I thought I'd check out some videos to see what exactly to expect and one of my favourite youtube men went with his lovely girlfriend last year and videoed some of it and it made me feel a lot better.