Best & Worst: Oscars 2011

Last night the 83rd Annual Academy Awards were held the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. It's one of the biggest events of the year in Hollywood & I am always very keen to see what all the big stars choose to wear to this glamorous event. As usual - here are my best & worst picks! 

Best

♥ Gwyneth Palthrow shines a Calvin Klein Collection column dress and finished off her look with earrings, a brooch, and a ring from Louis Vuitton’s jewellery collection: L’Ame du Voyage. Gwyneth is one of my style icons! She just wears clothes so well. This metallic Calvin Klein Collection gown really was made for her. Stunning!
♥ Cate Blanchett in a Givency Couture dress with beautiful yellow detailing on the black along with Van Cleef & Arpels jewellery. Cate is never afraid to make a bold fashion choice. She definitely wore the most controversial dress of the night. Some people hated it, some people loved it. It's so different & not really 'me' but in some way I just LOVED it! She wears this dress so well & manages to look amazingly soft and pretty! Plus hair & makeup were perfect. She just blew me away, my absolute favourite of the night! :) 

♥ Reese Witherspoon wore a black & white Giorgio Armani Privé evening gown with Neil Lane jewellery. The strapless dress features a white silk band at the neckline and a subtle train. In some way the dress reminded me a little of the gown Julia Roberts wore to the 2001 Oscars. But have to say, Reese looked glowing, elegant and loved the retro ponytail!

♥ Michelle Williams in a white beaded Chanel Haute Couture gown. It took me a while to decide on this outfit but in the end have to say I do like it! It's soft, pretty and suits Michelle's style & short hair.

♥ Sandra Bullock is red HOT in Vera Wang. I know this is a simple look and not very 'stand out' but she looks beautiful & I plainly love Sandy so just had to put her on the best dressed list :)

♥ Mila Kunis showcased her smoking body in this racy yet tasteful lavender chiffon gown with tiered lace detailing by Elie Saab haute couture. The colour looks so amazing on her and yes it's a little 'boobie-ish' (haha is that even a word...) but I think she can pull it off and still look classy!

♥ Hilary Swank in a Gucci Premiere couture strapless floor length evening gown. Think the glittery feather trail and silver/blue ombre features on this dress are stunning! 

♥ Halle Berry looks like a dream in a nude and crystal encrusted Marchesa corset gown with organza and silk tulle ruffles and Christian Louboutin heels.

Worst

♥ Nicole Kidman in a Dior dress with a rare 19th century diamond Riviere necklace from Fred Leighton and Pierre Hardy shoes. Nicole told Hollyscoop that her daughter Sunday Rose picked out her outfit, which was cute, but clearly a mistake ;)

♥ Scarlett Johansson in Dolce & Gabbana. I have very mixed feelings about this look. I liked the (open) back of the dress, I liked her messy hair and loved her rusty eye makeup.....But  I didn't love the colour on her and the front transparent part of the dress looked a little odd. Plus in some photos it looked as if her black underwear & bra were showing in that dress. So in the end, she's on my worst dressed. Sorry!

♥ Melissa Leo, a real red carpet disappointment. She wore a white, lace/cut-out dress with an ultra-reflecting fabric underlay by Marc Bouwer. It looks too big, bulky & square on her & the mix of fabrics...a BIG NO!

♥ Emma Stone at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party held at the Sunset Tower Hotel on Sunday. Emma wore a Chanel Haute Couture dress and Salvatore Ferragamo Heels. I know this is not from the actual Oscars Red Carpet but spotted this outfit & it just HAD to be on my worst dressed list! C'mon what on earth is she wearing and oh my gosh what did she do to her hair!! Did she try to cut her own fringe? Am lost for words. She looked so amazing at the Golden Globes & am just shocked & disappointed with this look :(

♥ Penelope Cruz has only just given birth to a little baby boy and I have to say her body looked amazing, but unfortunately I can't say the same for her dress.  The embroidered L'wren Scott dress looked kind of cheap.....
♥Amy Adams in a dress by L'Wren Scott matched with jewellery by Cartier. Don't think the dress is that bad (dont love it either) but the main thing I didn't like was the way she wore her accessories with it. The green pendant just didn’t work well with the neckline and the blue!

♥Marisa Tomei in a 1950 couture Charles James dress from Lily et Cie. Oh where to begin! It looks OK until you scroll down and see the lower half of her dress. It looks as if an amateur seamstress worked on the bottom part on to the dress last minute. Didn't like her hair either. Big fail....
♥Jennifer Lawrence in a Calvin Klein Collection dress made for her by designer Francisco Costa. OK there is nothing wrong with this dress. She is a beautiful woman and she looks very sexy! But, I think she looks boring! I know a lot of people will disagree with me on this one, but I just think, she's a first time nominee and this was her time to shine! She looked beautiful....but a little boring! 

So this were my picks! What were yours??

Award wise, thought the Oscars were quite predictable this year - pretty much knew who was going to walk away with a little gold statue. Am glad that Natalie Portman won though, she truly deserved it! :)

To view a full list of all the Oscar winners - click here!

Ticking off the Shopping Wish List...

Hi lovelies,
It's Sunday night and I'm just chilling at home after a lovely weekend! I hope you all had a great weekend? 
So a while back I did a guest post for Andi's blog 'Saltwater Dreams' on my Holiday Wish List. See the original post here. Since then I have been slowly ticking items off the list....
First it was the iPhone4 - check ✓ then the Hunter Regent Savoy Wellington's - check ✓ and yesterday I faced the Oxford Street crowds to get to Selfridges to full-fill another dream and get wish list item number 3! What I got?? The Alexander McQueen Silk Skull Scarf!!! Initially I couldn't decide on which scarf to get i.e. the black scarf with white skulls or the ivory scarf with black skulls.  But after a little help from my lovely twitter friends I made up my mind and got the ivory/white one! Check ✓ :)
It was SUCH a happy moment and I just love love love it!!

This is me today whilst shopping with a friend on Kings Road wearing my new scarf! 

A happy Rozy for sure :)

Speaking of today - I had a perfect day out with a friend. We met up for brunch at Le Pain Quotidien, which is now one of my favourite places to go in London for brunch. There we pretty much ate our weight in bread topped with their amazing chocolate, hazelnut and praline spreads, sooooo delish! After brunch we went to see the movie 'No Strings Attached', with Ashton Kutcher & Natalie Portman, which was actually really cute and romantic! And then we did some shopping on Kings Road - a great area to shop in London because it has a mix of high street brands plus also gorgeous boutique/luxury/designer shops. I ended up getting the following:

Some MAC Cosmetic items I have been wanting a while:

♥ Paintpot in Groundwork

♥ Studio Finish SPF 35 Concealer in NC20

♥ Mineralize Skin Finish Natural in Light Medium

♥ Plus a stunning pair of patent leather red heels on sale at Shuz! Down from £119 to £35 - BARGAIN!

To finish off this post I thought I'd quickly share an item that's currently on my shopping lust list!

Erdem's Margot Lace Dress! So beautiful right..... Sigh, however at almost £2,000 I fear this dress will have to remain a dream forever and will never quite make it off my lust list! :) xoxo

Bourjois: Paris Ballerine

On Saturday I was invited by Bourjois to preview their new 2011 spring/summer collection called 'Paris Ballerine'.  The collection is right on trend with the current ballet hype! It's filled with gorgeous & glowing soft pinks and silver shades to create the perfect youthful and romantic look! A group of us bloggers got to enjoy yummy treats (just check out those cupcakes, nom nom) & got a demonstration of how to create a romantic smokey eye and swatch all the new collection products. 

So let's see what the Paris Ballerine collection includes:

♥ Sweet Kiss Naturel Lipsticks (£7.99/€11.99) in Rose Innocence (11) & Rose Passionné (13)

Rose Innocence is such a gorgeous soft pink and the consistency of the lipsticks is very creamy and non-drying. I have been wearing the pink lipstick heaps recently - love it! Definitely recommend getting it!

♥ Effet Smoky Pencils (£4.99/€7.99) in

New Wave Blue (78),  Sand Rose (77) & Ultra Black (76)

These liners are creamy, long lasting and are dual ended with a great little brush - perfect for smudging to create that soft smokey look! 

♥ Little Round Pot Eye Shadows (£5.99/€8.99)

Shade 05 - Frosty Pearl Pink & Shade 25 - Glittery Light Silver

These shades really suit my complexion. The light pink shade is frosty is perfect for all over the lid or used as a highlighter. The silver can be used in combination with the soft pink for a romantic look or mix with black for a more edgy look! The silver is quite glittery so can cause a bit of fall out when applying. An option to avoid this would be to apply the shade wet which would also increase the intensity of the colour. 

♥ Illuminating Touch in Rose Essentiel (£6.99/€9.99)

A lovely pink highlighter to apply on high end of your cheekbones for that glowing look!

♥ So Laque Ultra Shine (£5.99/€7.99) in Rose Satin (36) & Blue Asphalte (37)

I got the Rose Satin which is a opaque pink nude and great for an everyday classy nail colour.

I couldn't wait to try to re-create the Romantic Ballerina look myself with the Bourjois Paris Ballerine Collection. Check out my FOTD below! I went a little less smokey to make it suitable for work but for a more dramatic look just bring the liner to work in your handbag, apply and smudge out to update the look for a night out!

♥ Face:

Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer

Bourjois 10hour sleep effect foundation

Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzer

Bourjois Illuminating Touch in Rose Essentiel (cheekbones)
Bourjois Rose De Jaspe blush (apples of cheek)

♥ Eyes:

Bourjois Little Round Pot in Shade 25 - silver (all over the lid)

Bourjois Little Round Pot in Shade 05 - frosty pink (crease blended up to brow bone)

Bourjois Effet Smoky Pencils in Ultra Black (waterline & upper lash line - smudged out)
Bourjois Volume Fast & Perfect 'Rotatif' Mascara

♥ Lips:

Bourjois Sweet Kiss Naturel Lipsticks in Rose Innocence (11)
plus a touch of Bourjois Effet 3D lipgloss in 05

The Bourjois Paris Ballerine will be released mid April 2011. 
So what do you think of my Paris Ballerine look - think this is something you will try? xoxo

Happy Hump Day %

A little somber message from me today as my thoughts are back with everyone in NZ after the horrible Christchurch earthquake occured there on Tuesday :( If you haven't yet heard about this on the news; the city of Christchurch, in the South Island of New Zealand, was struck by a terrible 6.3-magnitude earthquake yesterday which caused many deaths, injuries and destruction to this beautiful city. So far the confirmed death toll stands at 75 people with around 300 people still missing. Rescue teams performed amputations to free some of the 120 earthquake survivors rescued last night but many more are still buried beneath concrete and twisted metal and hopes of getting to them in time are fading. So incredibly sad....

Luckily everyone I know personally in Christchurch has confirmed they are safe but I do have friends that have lost people or have been affected by this terrible event. It definitely makes you realise to value every day and life your life to the fullest!
 
For more information on the disaster you can read constant updates on www.stuff.co.nz/ or www.nzherald.co.nz/. Plus the Red Cross in the UK has launched a NZ Earthquake appeal so if you want to help, you can donate by visiting this website! Sorry for the not so upbeat message today but I truly hope everyone still has a Happy Hump Day! Lots of love xoxo Roz

Gold & Silver Inspired FOTD

Last week during my daily communte to work, while on the tube, I was reading the fabulous free 'Stylist Magazine' and was mesmerised by the beautiful makeup on the model in the Modern Art photo shoot! I loved the bold combination of gold & silver together so I felt inspired to try this look for myself. I made it a little less dramatic, making it more wearable for during the day (& suitable for work) but this could easily be dramatised by applying the eyeshadows more heavily & adding a bold lipstick to make it a stunning glamorous evening look!

Some images from the photo shoot above and below my inspired FOTD:

♥ Face:

Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer

Bourjois 10hour sleep effect foundation

STILA contour trio palette

MAC Springsheen blush

♥ Eyes:

MAC Woodwinked e/s (all over the lid)

MAC Electra e/s (crease)

Urban Decay Chopper e/s (lower lash line)

MAC Smolder eyeliner (waterline)

Eyeko Graffiti Eyeliner pen (winged along top lash line)

L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara

♥ Lips:

I love..Raspberry & Blackberry Shimmer & Shine Lip Gloss

I feel the photo of my FOTD doesn't do the look enough justice. In person it looked a lot more bright and vibrant plus the silver stood out more! What do you think of this look? Hope you liked it! xoxo Roz

Recent shopping purchases

Hey lovelies,
Thought I'd quickly share some of my recent shopping purchases! Because my boxes full of clothes, shoes and personal belongings from New Zealand STILL haven't arrived in London (sob sob) I decided I was in dire 'need' of some new office dresses. I find ASOS has a brilliant selection of dresses that are suitable for work with a jacket but can also be worn out! So onto my new goodies:

♥ ASOS Bengaline Cut-Away Tailored Pencil Dress, in Red, on sale here now from £38.00 to £24.00

Tailored pencil dress featuring a fitted shape through the body, a centre-back zip fastening, a v-neck & a cutaway silhouette at the upper front and back. I'd been looking for a red dress for ages & loved this one!
♥ Oliver Bonus silver bow earrings with diamonds in the middle for a touch of class!
On sale here now for only £13.50! With REAL diamonds, at that price = what a steal!!
♥ Limited Collection Patent Platform Court Shoes from Marks & Spencer at only £19.50. Was shopping for underwear at M&S when I spotted these shoes. I'd been looking for some black patent shoes and these are suprisingly comfertable. So great bargain at that price! Buy them online here

♥ ASOS Nude Black Seam Tights. I always wear tights to work and love the backseam! Available here for £6.00
♥ ASOS Tailored Seam Detail Ponti Pencil Dress, in Black.
Tailored pencil dress. Featuring a structured design, a V-neckline, pleated detail to the sleeves and slit detail to the hem. Really nice thick fabric and a gorgeous fit! Buy here now for £40.00

♥ ASOS Tailored Cowl Neck Pencil Dress, in lipstick pink. Tailored pencil dress, featuring a draped cowl neckline, panelled stitching and pleating to the hips.
Available in 8 colours here, starting from £18.00 (pink one is £30)

♥ I also got this amazing push up bra at M&S. It's basically a boob job for £22 - uh-mazing haha!
Check them out here :)

Have you done any shopping recently? Please share any nice/bargain/good purchases :) xoxo

Open your Eyes!

I recently received a new product from New CID Cosmetics in my mailbox; the 'i-open'! I was intrigued by this product because it contains a powder concealer & a nude coloured pencil in one. I'm pretty addicted to using concealer - meaning I'm always keen to try out new products to help hide my annoying pigmentation spots underneath my eyes, reduce my dark circles or brighten up my eyes! 

What they say:

"i-open is a double-ended wand for widening and brightening eyes. The retractable pencil end helps to reduce redness inside the eyes whilst the cream to powder concealer at the other end helps to hide dark circles under the eyes. An essential for any make-up bag." 

How to apply:

First run the pencil end of i-open along the inner rim of the lower lash line (aka your waterline). Now using the sponge end, blend the powder concealer under the eye & over the lids. To pick up a bit more concealer, dip the sponge end into the cap & twist. 

Swatched: top line is the pencil, bottom line is the concealer. In the picture above I applied the concealer powder around my left eye and the right eye is left natural (yikes..) I didn't use the pencil on my waterline in this photo.

Pro's

♥ Am a fan of the skin coloured pencil. I personally prefer using nude coloured eyeliners on my waterline instead of white eyeliner to brighten my eye, because I find it not as harsh. I already love my Chanel Eyeliner in Clair, see my review of it here, so this is a great alternative!

♥ The liner is very soft & easy to apply

♥ The liner has great pigmentation and is long lasting

♥ The 2-1 in product is ideal, great size & perfect for the handbag to allow touch up's during the day/night!

Con's

♥ The concealer powder probably doesn't give me with enough coverage as I ideally would prefer. I'm used to using creams and liquid concealers. But this is also because I have a few pigmentation spots that I find need a good amount of product to cover them. However if you just want light coverage this powder would be ideal. 

♥ Not that much concealer powder comes out when you remove the lid so personally I have to re-dip and twist a few times to get the desired coverage. Therefore I probably I won't use this product much at the start of my day to apply concealer but I think it's perfect to have in your handbag to allow you to touch up during the day or night when you need to! 

i-open is available in Light & Medium and is priced at £18.50 (this review is on the light version)

To view a demonstrational video, to buy i-open or for stockist details click here!

FOTN: Smokey Eye with a POP of Gold $

Last weekend I went out with my girls for a fun-filled night out in Clapham, London. We had a delicious italian dinner (accompanied by quite a few glasses of wine) and then explored some of the bars! We had such a fun time :) Sharing with you my Face of the Night; I decided to go for a grey smokey eye with a POP of gold for some added fun 'sparkle'! 

♥ Face:

MAC Studio Fix Fluid - NC20

MAC Studio Fix Powder - NC20

GOSH concealer (2)

Rimmel Bronzer (contour)

MAC Blush in Well Dressed

MAC Vanilla Pigment (applied lightly on upper cheekbones as highlighter)

♥ Eyes:

MAC Paintpot in Blackground (over lid as base)

Grey/Mauve eye shadow from Chanel Enigma Quad (all over lid)

Urban Decay Naked e/s (crease, to blend out grey)

MAC Vanilla Pigment (brow highlight)

MAC Pure Show gold liquid eyeliner (lower lashline)

MAC Smolder (waterline)

Eyeko Graffiti Eyeliner pen (upper lashline)

Makeup Forever - Fiber Lash

L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara

♥ Lips:

MAC Dazzleglass in Sugarrimmed

♥ Other:

Jewellery: My stunning new Gold Multi Bauble Drop Earrings earrings by Talullah Tu

Talullah Tu is amazing jewellery collection by the wonderful Tanya Burr - Love her stuff! :)
Dress: Got this new dress recently while out shopping with my parents. Black Jersey Lace Dress from Reiss, buy it online here - it's so comfortable, classic and beautiful!

I got the Pure Show eyeliner earlier this year as part of the MAC Fabulous Felines collection - Leopard Luxe! It's a true gold liquid liner. Applies smoothly, is super bright and amazingly stayed put all night (it was even still there in the morning...LOL) The look was semi inspired by some looks I saw floating around at the time when the Leopard Luxe collection came out (summer 2010) and have to say LOVED it! What do you think? xoxo

Makeup Forever: Lash Fibers

Back in December, for St Nicolas, I got a cosmetics item that had been on my MakeUp Lust List for quite a long time. I first heard about it through the incredibly talented ladies of Pixiwoo when it featured in one of their videos. (Ps: check their website & YouTube channel out if you don't know them! Uh-mazing tutorials!) So now let me tell you about one of my favourite makeup items at the moment: MakeUp Forever - Lash Fibers!

"Lash Fibers is a fiber-enriched base to mascara. Applied before mascara it adds lengths and volume to your lashes and maximizes their volume for a spectacular effect. Its creamy texture immediately wraps the lashes and sets immediately. Enriched with active ingredients, its formula nourishes, protects and strengthens lashes"

Basically you add this product as a primer for your lashes, covering it with little white fibers. Apply by wiggling the brush along the lashes to completely sheathe lashes with the fibers. Repeat as desired, let it set for a few seconds and then apply your normal mascara over the top! This is me with the product applied pre-mascara. I know it looks a little weird; the white lashes...

Then here is the finished result. On the left is my eye WITH Lash Fibers + Mascara &on the right is my eye only with mascara! Can you see the added volume and  length?

I absolutely love it! Ok it's not quite like falsies and I wouldn't wear this every day but when I am going out or want a little bit more volume and drama without going for the full false lash effect - this products is PERFECT!

Left: with Makeup Forever Lash Fibers + Mascara.           Right: without fibers and just mascara.

It applies really easily and smoothly & I like that it volumises and lengthens without clumping all the lashes together. It was quite tricky to get good 'photographic evidence' showing you the proper results but all I can say is that I really notice it & love it! You can purchase this product online at Sephora here for US$20.
Have you ever tried any lash primers with fibers before? xoxo

Happy Hump Day %

Also wanted to share some songs I am loving at the moment ♥

♫ Price Tag – Jessie J

♫ Rolling in the Deep – Adele (actually am loving all her stuff at the moment!)
She did an amazing performance at the Brit Awards last night of 'Someone like you' Check it out here!

♫ Tonight – Enrique Iglesias

♫ S&M - Rihanna

♫ Higher – Taio Cruz

♫ Who's that Chick – David Guetta ft Rihanna

♫ Good life – One Republic

♫ Grenade – Bruno Mars

♫ More – Usher

♫ F*cking Perfect – Pink

♫ Nothing – The Script

♫ Hold it against me – Britney

♫ One in a Million – NeYo

♫ Rocketeer – Far East Movement

♫ Invincible – Tinie Tempah ft Kelly Rowland

What songs are you loving at the moment? Please recommend me some good music!! :) xoxo

Happy Valentines Day >

Hello Everyone,
Just wanted to wish you all a HAPPY Valentines Day plus announce the winner of my ‘I Love…’ Giveaway! 
My Valentines has been, well, just like any other day really, LOL! I don't really have a loved one or secret admirer or crush in my life at the moment so no real surprises for me today. But the one thing I am truly loving this Valentines Day is my friends! I have to give a quick shout out to all my girlies and I feel I am very fortunate that I have such great girls in my life; they complete me! I Love you Girls! 
Also I handed out some little heart candies in the office today to get people in happy v-day spirits :) Like?

 

Now onto the important stuff, the winner of my giveaway…but first I’d like to thank everyone who entered my little ‘I Love…’ Giveaway! Now…….can I have a drum roll please….?
So the lucky winner is: NATALIE! (who loves her gorgeous boyfriend JP this valentines day)
I hope he made you feel special today Natalie! I will contact you to arrange delivery of your prize!
Also it turns out Natalie has a cute blog herself – check it out http://blushblendbeauty.blogspot.com
Lots of love xoxo Roz

Best & Worst: BAFTA's 2011

Today the 2011 BAFTA's were held at the Royal Opera House in London! The big winners of the night were 'The Kings Speech' (7 awards), 'The Social Network' (3 awards) & 'Inception' (3 awards). I wasn't too impressed with the fashion choices for this event but still quickly wanted to share my best & worst picks!

Best

From L-R:

British actress Gemma Arterton in Yves Saint Laurent. Elegant: love the bold blue bow & red lip!

American actress Emma Stone went for block colours in Lanvin, pretty!

'Chalet Girl' star Felicity Jones in vintage Chanel & Jimmy Choo shoes. Classic and cute!

Amy Adams sparkled in a design by Elie Saab.

Worst

From L-R:

Hailee Steinfeld (14 year-old) chose a black jewelled Miu Miu dress court shoes by Jimmy Choo.

It seems like people are loving this look but it's not really me and I simply don't like it...sorry!

Jennifer Lawrence chose a low-cut number by Stella McCartney. Its a stunning dress but something about it on her makes me not like it. I think the corset part of the dress just doesn't sit quite right on her plus I hate the ribbon choker, haven't seen those since the 90s (and for a reason...)!

Emma Watson in Valentino. 

Love the body of the dress and the lace but think the ruffle finish neckline is just a bit OTT. 

Harry Potter author J K Rowling in Lanvin. Unflattering...

Minnie Driver in an Alice Temperley gown. Think it looks cheap with the embellishments under the bust and that white feathery monstrosity is equally as tacky looking.

What were your best & worst picks? xoxo

March Cover Girls =

I thought I'd start a new feature on my blog covering my monthly favourite 'Cover Girls'!

I always love seeing the amazing pictures for the popular fashion/beauty magazines. Those covers always tempt me to buy the mags because they makes me want to see more & more!

So starting this first new feature here are my favourite Cover Girls for March!

Gwyneth Paltrow looks impeccable on the cover of Bazaar! Her eye makeup is just stunning! 

Plus am loving the lippy she's wearing (apparently its L'Oreal Color Riche in Freshly Rosy)! Tempted to buy it :)

Model-turned-actress Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (who stars in the forthcoming Transformers 3 film) on the cover of VOGUE's (UK). She looks red-hot-sexy! Sooo stunning (all make-up by YSL)

Black Swan actress Mila Kunis looks sultry on the cover of W magazine.
Love her dark smokey eyes and that red/plum dress is so gorgeous!

I saw Black Swan a few weeks ago and was just blown away by the film - definitely recommend you go and see it. It's quite freaky/scary in some parts though, so be warned :)

Keira Knightly on the cover of ELLE (UK). 

Simple but glamourous! Saw her in 'Never Let Me Go' last night. 

Pretty sad movie, a little strange story but beautiful cinematography. 

And last but not least: Lea Michele on the cover of Cosmopolitan (US). I added this one because I read that she received a lot of critism for this photo shoot as the dress is a bit revealing.
Personally I think she looks stunning & c'mon she's an adult so 'role model' or not I think she looks sexy but still sophisticated! Go girl :)

Would you all like to see this as a monhtly feature on Dutchess Roz? Let me know! xoxo

New CID Palette: Eyes, Lips & Cheeks >

Let me introduce you to a great little palette for the busy girl on the go!
I recently discovered the New CID Cosmetics Eyes, Lips & Cheeks Palette ♥
“The Eyes, Lips and Cheeks palette is your perfect make up ‘wardrobe’ to create stunning looks on the go.
Use the combination of shimmering and matte eye shadows to create a sexy smouldering look for both day or evening wear. There are also two lip colours or a lip-gloss to choose from. Finally, to complete your look, use the powder blush which will add a natural pink glow to your complexion. All contained in one palette with a mirror and applicator - what more can a girl ask for?!”
The packaging of the palette is a hardened white cardboard, meaning you probably wouldn’t want to get it soaking wet but then again I don’t think it’s going to fall apart if it accidentally got a little wet (aka in the bathroom). The palette includes: 4x Eye Shadows (3 shimmer, 1 matte), 2 lipsticks (round pans – the 2 on the left), 1 lip gloss (the 1 on the right) and a blush. What I think is great is that the Eye Shadows are generously sized at 5.4gm a piece! The set also includes a brush, but as with so many brushes supplied with palette’s – it’s nothing to rave about, no shape so I don’t bother using it! The palette then also has a little ‘drawer’ part which contains the lip colours and blush. One slight negative point on this ‘drawer’ part is that it’s not connected to the palette as such so if you hold the palette the wrong way it would just fall out. Therefore you’d have to be very careful if you were take this palette out and about with you (in your handbag for example) as the drawer could easily pop out in transit…However this could easily be fixed with a bit of tape!

Here are swatches of the Eye Shadows, Lip colours and Blush in the palette:

The shadows don’t have names but I would describe them from L-R as: cream/ivory shimmer, taupe shimmer, deep brown shimmer and a soft chocolate matte shade. It might come across as quite a neutral palette, but because of the mix of shimmers & matte you can create lovely natural looks but also more dramatic smokey eyes with the gorgeous taupe & dark brown eye shadows! The shadows are well pigmented, long lasting and very smooth to apply and blend. Have to say I was impressed! They all complement each other so beautifully which allows you to create so many looks just using this one palette. Ideal :) The lipsticks/glosses have a nice consistency and feel smooth when applied. Plus the blush gives you a cute soft pink glow which I have been wearing it a bit recently on the apples of my cheeks!

Here is a FOTD that I created with the new CID cosmetics palette. A gorgeous smouldering smokey eye!

♥ Face:
Pink Blush of the CID Eyes,Lips, Cheeks Palette

♥ Eyes:
Matte brown colour of CID Eyes,Lips, Cheeks Palette (slightly brushed into eyebrows)
Light shimmery colour of CID Eyes,Lips, Cheeks Palette (inner corner of the eye & browbone highlight)
Dark shimmery colour of CID Eyes,Lips, Cheeks Palette (rest of the lid/outer crease & lower lashline)
Medium shimmery colour of CID Eyes,Lips, Cheeks Palette (blended into inner left corner of crease)
Barry M Liquid liner in black (upper lashline)
L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara
♥ Lips:
Pink Lip colour of CID Eyes,Lips, Cheeks Palette (most right -3rd)

Overall think this palette is a fab little purchase and perfect for girls that love natural or brown smokey eyes.
You can by this palette for £24 at Debenhams, House of Fraser or online at www.newcidcosmetics.com

Plus at the moment it's on SALE at ASOS for only £12 - such a bargain. Check it out here!

Happy Hump Day %

Wishing you all a Happy Hump Day!

Some quick little updates on moi:

♥ Fitness: I am proud to say that I went to the gym last night for the first time in over 7 months! Since leaving NZ back in June I haven't really worked out at all & as much as this hasn't really effected my weight, I have felt so lazy and unfit. So I got my act together tried out the Fitness First near my work yesterday and I am happy to report that after doing 7km on the cross trainer, I can actually still walk today. Woop woop! I'm going again on Thursday to do a fun class and then I will sign up and get myself into a routine! GO ROZ GO! :p

♥ Family: I had my mama & papa (mum & dad in Dutch…) visiting me in London this weekend. We had a lovely time walking around the city, showing them my new life & home, eating loads of amazing food and soaking up some culture at museums and seeing a musical show! One of the things we did was go to the London Borough Markets. If you live in London and have never been, or are planning to visit London – I definitely recommend going here!!  The Borough Market is a wholesale & retail food market in Southwark, London (near London Bridge). It is one of the largest food markets in London and the sells a large variety of foods from all over the world. The market is a web of many trader stalls displaying and selling artisan foods, breads, patisseries, confectionary, vegetables, dairy products and the list just goes on and on! Check out some photos I took at the market below. I loved walking around and getting to taste all the delicious foods on display. Nom nom! For more information on the markets visit their website www.boroughmarket.org.uk

♥ Travel: I am so excited, because in 22 sleeps I will be leaving on an airplane to the sunshine! Me and 3 friends have booked a luxury 4 day weekend to Marrakech in Morocco for early March. A five star hotel, sunshine, cocktails and lots of Moroccan food. I just can't wait!!!! I envisage it will be a little bit like the below? JOKES ;)

♥ Birthday: It turns out I need to wish some a belated Happy Birthday….Who? My little blog!!! It was 'Dutchess Roz' one year birthday on 28 January and I completely forgot about it (woops!) I can't believe how the time has flown. I am still amazed by what this blog has become in such little time and I am so thankful to all my readers and followers to give me this extraordinary experience. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

xoxo Roz

Aveda Smooth Infusion: The Round Up!

Hi everyone,

So after using the Aveda Smooth Infusion collection for almost a month, here it is; my final round up of the challenge! You can read my previous two posts as part of the challenge here and here.

To summarise the range here is another quick outline of the products I have been using:

1. Smooth Infusion Shampoo: softens hair & reduces frizz, priced at £14.50 for 250ml

2. Smooth Infusion Conditioner: includes a special plant infusion that leaves hair silky smooth, priced at £16.50 for 200ml

3. Smooth Infusion Style-Prep Smoother: makes styling easier by producing long-lasting smooth results, priced at £18 for 100ml

4. Smooth Infusion Glossing Straightener: for all-day straightness &shine, priced at £18.50

♥ What they say

"With 40 percent of women seeking smooth, straight, frizz-free hair, Aveda’s 4-step smoothing system, Smooth Infusion, was designed to help achieve these results—leaving hair chic, straight and manageable for 12 hours."

♥ Things I loved about the range:

The lovely lemony botanical scent. It smells so fresh which seems to linger in your hair all day!

Being organic and natural products the shampoo and conditioner feel really cleansing and good for your hair.

The products aren’t too heavy or rich which means it doesn’t weigh the hair down.

The products provide a heat barrier which means it protects your hair from heat styling and humidity.

My hair was super easy to brush (de-tangle) after washing, especially after applying the Style-Prep Smoother.

It made my hair softer, shinier, more manageable, well conditioned and less frizzy!

♥ My overall verdict:

Well basically I have been pretty impressed with the Smooth Infusion range. It promises smoother & sleeker hair and ever since I have started using these products I have certainly noticed a difference in the way my hair looks and feels. Does it make your hair straight and totally eliminate any sign of frizz? Well no, it can’t work miracles but I did find my hair was noticeably smoother, softer and it felt more hydrated. I have naturally quite straight hair already but after sleeping I normally wake up with frustrating ‘kinks’ in my hair (especially at the back of my neck) and I found while using the Smooth Infusion Range that my kinks were virtually gone in the mornings, woop woop! Also my hair remained in a smooth and less frazzled condition even after travelling on the busy London tube, working in air-conditioned offices, walking through wind and rain, ice skating and many more activities! So the big question, would I re-purchase any of these products? Yes, I would certainly re-purchase them! OK the products are a little more expensive than your average high street/drug store brands but then again I feel you get what you pay for and especially with the Style-Prep Smoother and Glossing Straightener you only need to use very little so it would last you ages. The Style Prep-Smoother is definitely my favourite of the line. As much as I know that using the full range of products will give you the best results, I think the Style Prep-Smoother is the star of this collection and you will get smoother results by just using that!

I hope that you girls have enjoyed reading about my Aveda Smooth Infusion Challenge! For more information on The Smooth Infusion line go to your local Salon or visit http://www.aveda.co.uk/

*this was a sponsored post via HandPicked Media for the Aveda Smooth Infusion Challenge.

No7 Best Wink

I received an exciting little goodie in my mail box last week. No7's new 'Exquisite Curl Mascara' which I will be trying out over the next few weeks so see what I think (and share my thoughts with you). As part of the launch of this new No7 mascara, Boots are running a little competition where ladies across the UK can win a pampering weekend in London amongst other goodies. All entrants need to do is upload a video or photo of themselves showing off their most beautiful wink at the camera!

You can find out more about the competition, upload your own wink and check out other people’s entries at No7’s Facebook page! Click on the image above to be transferred to the Fan Page to enter! Note the competition closes on 15th February! Btw I am absolutely useless at winking so please excuse my silly entry for the competition ;)

So what's your best wink? xoxo

Over the Taupe - NOTD

As you might know I am a big fan of any taupe/mushroom coloured nail polishes & one of my favourites is definitely Chanel – Particulière! Check out my post on that nail polish here. When my friend (& fellow nail polish lover) recently came to visit me in London she with had with her an OPI colour that is very similar to my beloved Chanel polish! Here is my Nail of the Day (NOTD) wearing OPI – Over The Taupe:

Over The Taupe is very similar to OPI’s - You Don’t Know Jacques (from their French collection) but it’s a little lighter and less brown and more taupe and mushroom! Over The Taupe was released in the summer of 2009 as part of an OPI Brights collection that was a collaboration between OPI and Paige Denim. Apparently there was a lot of fuss when this collection was released that Over the Taupe didn’t really belong in a collection of bright blues, pinks, orange and purples. I agree that it does seem slightly odd that a mushroom taupe was added in to a brights collection, but hey who cares, it’s a gorgeous colour! I just adore these kind shades on my nails. So chic and perfect for any occasion; for work but also still classy & glam for a night out! Needed about 2-3 coats to get a good opaque coverage but I used a basecoat and found that the polish lasted amazingly long!
Note to self – think I need to use base coats more often ;)

I have my parents visiting me in London this weekend so will be out & about showing them my new London life! Hope you all have a fantastic weekend :) xoxo

Dublin Girls Night FOTN$

This weekend I was in Dublin, Ireland for a fun weekend with a girlfriend, out and about exploring a new city! On the Friday night we hit up the 'Temple Bar' area in Dublin for a night out on the town. Of course going out is always a great excuse to get a little dolled up! Sharing with you my Face of The Night!

♥ Face:

GOSH concealer

Revlon PhotoReady Foundation
MAC Bronzing Powder in Refined Golden (contour)
NARS Orgasm (blush)

♥ Eyes
Urban Decay Sin e/s (champagne colour - all over the lid)
Urban Decay (NAKED Palette) Hustle e/s (plum brown satin colour – crease & lower lash line)
Eyeko Graffiti Eyeliner Pen in black (Upper lash line)
MAC Smolder eyeliner (waterline)
MAC Zoom lash mascara
Fake 'Katy Perry' Lashes by StyleEyes Lashes 

I recently discovered StyleEyes Lashes via the gorgeous Laura - a fellow beauty blogger! She started this eye lashes business with 3 friends part of a University project. They sell set's of fake eyelashes (10x per pack!) in the following styles:

- Katy Perry

- Rihanna

- Cheryl Cole

- Frankie Sandford

The lashes are priced at only £5 per pack of TEN (not including glue) which is such a bargain! I was super impressed with the lashes and the look they gave me. After a bit of fiddling - I am still no expert on the fake lashes front - I just applied them with Revlon Precision Lash Adhesive Glue (purchased at Boots and they stayed put all night. I loved the effect of the Katy Perry lashes, giving me longer spikey lashes without looking too full on! My friend (below) wore the Cheryl Cole ones which were more dramatic but so much fun!

If you love fake lashes then I definitely recommend checking out their website. They are good quality, amazing value for money, you can order and pay online via PayPal and they ship internationally! 

Think I want to add the Rihanna ones to my collection next……