The Coral Lip you need to Wear this Summer

I have a thing for corals when the weather starts to get super hot like it is at the moment. And this one is ticking all of the boxes!

Maybelline Color Drama Intense Velvet Lip Pencils are relatively new, well to me at least, and they have been hailed as a bit of a dupe for NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencils. Whilst I haven't used the latter, this one is definitely worth a try regardless. I haven't tried all that many lip pencils before this one dropped into my hands as I'd assumed that they'd be difficult to use and not nearly as soft and easy to apply as this one turned out to be. For a pencil that costs just £4.99, the staying power and creaminess definitely packs a punch considering it's so cheap. Plus the coral shade of this one is lovely and not similar to any of the others I've seen lurking about. It's an intense colour that lasts all day. And whilst the pictures here don't quite do this justice, it's one I thoroughly would recommend popping in your basket next time you're walking the aisle of Boots.

How to Look Gorgeous in Glasses

As a glasses wearer myself I know how tricky it can be to get your make up just right when you take into account those frames are going to be masking much of your handiwork. Should you go heavier on mascara? Skip out eye shadow completely? Compensate with a statement lip? The options are endless and there is a distinct lack of information out there on what you really ought to be doing.

Wearing glasses is great, and is very en vogue at the moment. From a 10 point increase in perceived IQ (I'm sure I read that somewhere, let's assume it's still 100% accurate), to celebrities like Kristen Stewart, Anne Hathaway and Jennifer Anniston showing that the four eyed look can be stylish, glasses are definitely not the geek symbol they were back in my school days.

Wearing them since I was a teenager has given me a bit of time to acquire some experience in the field, so here are a few tips for keeping your look polished whilst wearing them:

1. You have license to go a bit heavier on mascara

Good news is you can get away with layering up your mascara since the defining your eyes becomes all the more important, so layer up and go big with the lashes!

2. Highlighting eye shadows are your friend

Highlighting eye shadows really help to add that glowiness, especially if your frames are dark. Otherwise you're in danger of casting a dark shadow around your eyes, which isn't ideal for the fresh faced look.

3. Brows are important

Keeping those brows tidy really helps to frame the face, especially when the specs bring even more attention to them. No hairy caterpillars here!

4. Keep 'em curly

Curling your eye lashes also brings yet more definition to your eye, and will help to make them stand out when your lenses are covering them up.

5. Keep the brights on your lips

Piling on bright eye shadows to your lids will mean that you are in danger to looking a bit clownish. Keep the colour to your lips where they can really help to balance out your face.

High End Beauty Wishlist

There have been a few new beauty releases over the last few weeks which have got my attention, mainly from other blogs I read raving about them.
The one I'm possibly most excited about is the Lancome Le Duo- a contour and highlight stick. I've used Lancome products in the past and they're usually well worth the price tag, and that this stick comes in five different shades gives me hope that the highlight will be highlight-y enough for my pale complexion. (I've lost count of the times a highlight has been darker than my base skin colour- the perils of being pale!) It's not out quite yet, but it hopefully won't be too long before it's available in the UK. 
Dior is another brand I hear great things about, and their Nude Air foundation is supposed to be great for combination skin types.
Real Techniques brushes- but rose gold! Who can resist?
Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick is another one I can't wait to try. The colour range is lovely, with some berry colours which I'm always attracted to. As well as this one which is Melon, and looks like a perfect summer shade.
Since Sheer Glow foundation from NARS is one of my all time favourites, their new All Day Luminous Weightless one is next on the to try list. Coverage is meant to be very full, but it'll last all day.
Estee Lauder Little Black Primer is being hailed as a mascara innovation. You can use it to tint, amplify or set lashes and the results are said to be comparable to falsies. Testimony enough to justify giving it a whirl!
The colour range of Clarins Instant Light Lip Balm Perfector looks lovely and summery, with only a light colour wash for those days when you don't want to look too drag queen. They're meant to react with the natural pH of your lips to give a natural colour for each wearer, making it all the more tempting to give them a go.
Are any of these items on your beauty wish list at the moment?

Hair Inspiration: The Long-Bob

There seems to be a trend at the minute of famously long haired celebs going for the chop and opting for a shoulder length style instead, or the "lob" (long-bob) has it's often known as.
We saw Rosie Huntington-Whitely debut a new style over Christmas, Selena Gomez posted on Instagram implying she'd gone for the snip, and last year Taylor Swift kissed goodbye to her long curly mane in famous of a much sleeker, shorter style.
Far easier and quicker to style, a shorter look is definitely becoming more and more enviable now these celebs are showing us how versatile and glamorous it can be.
January Jones is great at tailoring her hair for the occasion and has been seen sporting a variety of styles of late including sleek and straight, loose waves or retro pin curls. It's a refreshing to see a bit of variation from the long loose waves which seem to have become a uniform for the A List of late, providing that you don't have to have hair down to your waist to be able to look glam!
Whose celeb hair are you coveting at the minute?

Top 5 Beauty Tutorials 2014

Youtube tutorials promising to teach you the easiest way to do a simple 5 minute up do, which turn out to have 15 steps and result in a couple of hours of hard work and nothing to show for it but a matted mess are my pet internet hate!
But there are a few out there which do live up to their promises and amazingly enough, teach you how to do something amazing with your hair in five minutes!
I've weeded out the good from the bad and picked out those which really do teach you how to do something in an easy to follow way so you can copy it from home.

1. The Texture French Twist from Twist me Pretty A really easy way to quickly put your hair up, and looks deceptively difficult. 2. 5 Minute Curls from Kouture Kiss This is now the only way I curl my hair before work, so quick and easy. 3. No Heat Curls from Paper Mamma A super easy way to get curls without damaging your hair with heat. 4. Twisted Pony from Twist Me Pretty Confession: try as I might a three strand braid is just too damn difficult for me. This one solved the problem! 5. Fishtail braid from Once Wed Fishtails braids definitely aren't as easy as them seem, this video is great to help you figure it out.

Pantone Colour of the Year: Marsala

1. Nars Blush in Seduction, £21.50, Look Fantastic 2. OPI, Opi Scores a Goal, £7.95, Nail Polish Direct 3. Mac Lipstick in Amorous, £15.50, Mac 4. Topshop Lipstick in Boardroom, £8, Topshop 5. Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Pomegranate Pink, $6.99, Maybelline 6. NYX Lip Liner in Ever, £3.50, NYX 7. Stila Eye Shadow in Twig, £12, Beauty Bay 8. Deobrah Lippmann nail varnish in Lady is a Tramp, £16, Look Fantastic
Around this time of year Pantone likes to announce their prediction for the colour of the year, and this year the colour in question is Marsala.
No, it's not a curry, but rather an earthy brown-red colour with warm undertones. It translates across both interiors and fashion, however it's not the first time this particular shade has been en vogue for beauty. By all accounts 90s beauty is having a big revival this season, and if Marsala is anything to go by it looks like a trend which will continue into 2015.
The best thing about this colour is the various iterations it can come in. To try something more subtle a brown-pink toned lipstick like Mac's Amorous is a good starting point. Or dab some of Maybelline's Colour Tattoo in Pomegranate onto the outer corners of your eyes for a bolder look.

Dear Santa... Luxury Christmas Wish List

Christmas is a time when gift guides spring up from all of your favourite brands featuring limited editions, fancier packaging, and versions of your favourite products dipped in gold. If you're not eating something naughty, you're definitely unwrapping something a little bit fancier than you'd typically treat yourself to.
So weather you're treating yourself after a long day Christmas shopping for other people, or thing someone special deserves a little luxury treat, here's a little bit of inspiration for how to spoil someone this Christmas.

1. Tom Dixon Set of 3 Scented Candles, £75, Selfridges 2. Layla leather and rose gold-tone headphones, £130, Netaporter 3. Anya Hindmarch Textured-Leather Pouch, £135, Netaporter  4. Kate Spade Seriously Darling iPhone 5 Case, £25.43, Revolve 5. Bobbi Brown Warm Glow Eye Palette, £59, Bobbi Brown 6. Mulberry Bow Clutch Wallet, £495, Selfridges 7. Charlotte Tilbury Mini Lipstick Charms, £29, Charlotte Tilbury 8. The Nails Inc Alexa Collection, £45, Selfridges 9. Kate Spade Good as Gold Bangle, £65, Selfridges