ghd pink cherry blossom styler

People often ask me how I style my hair and I always give all the credit to my beloved ghd styler. Their multi-award winning ghd styler is my go-to tool for quick, effortless straightening or for making easy curls (video here) and waves. I have had my current ghd IV classic styler for over four years now and it still works brilliantly for my everyday styling.

This year ghd released a new limited edition Pink Cherry Blossom styler which supports Breakthrough Breast Cancer. Over the last 9 years ghd has actually already raised almost £6 million for this great cause from the sale of their pink stylers. Now I was a very lucky girl recently because the lovely people at ghd were so kind to send me this brand new Pink Cherry Blossom ghd to play with, woop woop!

This Gold Classic styler has shimmering pink plates and has the same features and gives the same salon-style results as the ghd Gold Classic styler and is perfect for styling all hair types. The pink accents on this styler are a bit of a girly novelty but it is great to know that for every Pink Cherry Blossom styler sold in the UK, £10 is donated to Breakthrough Breast Cancer!

Plus the Pink Cherry Blossom styler comes with a matching heat-resistant satin storage bag with pretty floral embroidery detailing. Just like my old ghd the quality of this new styler is unbeatable, heating super fast and providing long lasting results (whether it be curls or straight) on my hair! As much as my old ghd was still working well I have to say that I can definitely tell that maybe it was time for a new one because this new styler is even quicker and better than my old one. Some people might feel that £99-£129 is quite expensive for a styler but seeing how mine has latest for over four years and it gives me perfect results everytime; I think it is a worthy investment!

Also did you know that on the ghd website they have great section full of 'how-to' hair tutorials?

I love the 'how-to waves' and the 'bouncy blow-dry' videos! Check out all their tutorials here.

My ghd stylers are probably one of my can't-live-without products! 

Do you own a ghd styler or do you prefer another styler that you use daily? I'd love to hear! x

Focus...

That time of the week again! 

I feel it is very important to keep a healthy sense of perspective in life and keep focussed on the good :)

Also as you know I was at home in the Netherland last weekend so here a quick collection of pictures:

Attending my sisters PhD ceremony - feeling very proud of her for this amazing achievement! 

When at home I can never resist a delicious piece of traditional Dutch apple pie

Comfy and casual outfit of the day; distressed jeans, leather converse high tops, leopard print scarf

Strolling around the picturesque town of Delft - check out the lean on the church tower ;)

Yes it's that time of the year again; indulging in Oliebollen! 

Showing my friend around Delft

We spotted several 'horse parking spots' for St Nicolas shopping loading zone haha

 My hometown, beautiful The Hague!

Parliament building and Grote Markt square at night

On Saturday we made a little day trip to Amsterdam where we biked around, caught up with friends and walked around the rainy, but still very pretty, canals. Lunch was a grilled goats cheese sandwich with walnuts and honey at Cafe Nielsen in the Nine Little Streets area of Amsterdam (which has lovely boutiques and restaurants). Dinner and a couple of glasses of red were consumed at Boca's in the Jordaan; a fun casual platter restaurant/bar.

On Sunday I took my friend for a walk along the beach but we experienced some crazy winds that day; we almost struggled to move! After being completely blown away on the beach we warmed up again over hot chocolates and poffertjes.....yummmmm!

Ps: If you fancy being friends on Instagram, you can follow me at Dutchessroz

Happy Hump Day everyone :) 

Skyfall & 007 Fragrance giveaway!

Have you seen the latest James Bond movie Skyfall yet? I've always loved myself a bit of Mr Bond so I was rather excited to see the third movie featuring the handsome and mysterious Daniel Craig. I loved him in Casino Royale but have to admit that Quantum of Solace was rather disappointing. I'd read great reviews for Skyfall and I can happily say it lived up to its (high) expectations. I loved the movie!

I loved it that lots of scenes took place in London; my current home town. Skyfall was full of action, passion and back in this film was some of the typical 007 style wit and humour! The only thing lacking for me maybe was a bit more passion and romance - c'mon we all secretly fantasise a little about being a Bond girl ;)

Did you know that our favourite secret agent has been around for 50 years already?! In 1962 Sean Connery starred as Bond in the first movie, Dr. No, and now a special fragrance has been created to celebrate this milestone anniversary. Most men want to be James Bond, it's probably got something to do with the girls, guns, girls, gadgets, and, um, girls!) and now they can actually smell like the super spy!

The tag line is 'Dangerously Sophisticated' and this classic and unmistakably masculine fragrance blends smooth vetyver, sensual lavender and crisp apple for a fresh, powerful twist. The fragrance launched in August exclusively at Harrods and sold out in a matter of days! The 007 fragrance is now available nationwide and in the USA Kohl's will be stocking the range of 007 products.

The studded, rectangular bottle is equipped with a top secret swivel nozzle (designed by Q, we can only assume), and is available as a 30ml and 50ml eau de toilette natural spray, priced at £19.50 and £24.50 respectively. The 007 Gold Limited Edition comes in 75ml and is priced at £36.

Now I'm giving you the chance to win this sexy and suave perfume for the Mr Bond in your life! All you need to do is follow me on twitter and tweet me who from the 6 actors that have played 007 in the last 50 years is your favourite? Here is a reminder of the handsome James Bond's over the years...

For me it's probably Pierce Brosnan or Daniel Craig! So who's your favourite? Enter below now; entries are open internationally and close Friday night. Good luck! X

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sunrise run at my Zen place!

I'm back home in the Netherlands at the moment for a long weekend for a family occasion. One thing I always try to do when at my parents place is to go for a walk or run at the beach. My parents live in The Hague, just behind the dunes by the sea so it's only a 5 minute walk from home to one of my favourite places in the world. In general I'm definitely a person that loves being near water but the beach by my parents house is truly my personal 'zen' place! I don't know what it is but going for a walk there along the coast, feeling the wind against my skin, hearing the sound of the waves rolling in..it always puts my mind at ease and I feel in total peace. I always have the best and most honest conversations there with people and it's the one place where my mind can just roam free and I always feel better and happier once I've been there! So after arriving home on Wednesday night the first thing on my agenda for Thursday was a sunrise run on the beach..and I was lucky because it was a stunner of a day! It was a bit chilly but so worth it, just look at this..

I am currently trying to increase my running training because I actually signed up to do my first 1/2 marathon in March, eeek! Recently my knees started playing up a little so I decided to invest in some new running shoes. They say you should get new ones every year but I admit I'd had mine for almost 2,5 years. Whoops!

I got these new Asics sneakers (link) and I have really noticed a difference so bring on those 21km I say ;)

A no make up, just out of bed shot of me during my run. I always need music when I am running to keep me going and energised!

Such a beautiful sunrise! I took this photo with my iPhone; no filter!

This is the sun shining through the trees in the dunes on my way back after my refreshing and super peaceful run. I felt tired, but satisfied and happy! I mean how can an amazing place like this not bring a smile to my face :)

Do you have a location that is your 'zen' or happy place? Xoxo

 

This will be your night - BOSS Nuit Pour Femme

One of my favourite parts of going out is the anticipation and getting ready for the night! After choosing the right dress, shoes and your hair and make up is all done, the final touch is spraying on your fragrance for the evening! I have a few staple perfume favourites but at the moment I am loving Hugo BOSS Nuit Pour Femme.

The campaign for BOSS Nuit Pour Femme is fronted by the beautiful Gwyneth Paltrow and the scent itself is based on the most iconic symbol of feminine style – the little black dress (we all have one!)

The bottle, like the perfect little black dress, is classic yet sexy. The perfume has top notes of white peach and wet aldehydic, heart accords of jasmine, white flowers and violets, and the base notes include warm woods, sandalwood and crystal moss. Gwyneth says the fragrance is a sensual and feminine perfume “For me, BOSS Nuit pour Femme is a very sensual, feminine perfume. It’s the perfect night time perfume because it’s very alluring but very elegant at the same time.”

As always, Gwyneth looks flawless and beautiful! The little black dress that Gwyneth is wearing in this video is actually available to purchase form Hugo Boss stores. I am definitely loving BOSS Nuit Pour Femme at the moment as the finishing touch to my evening preparations, ensuring I feel 'perfectly put together' for my night out :)

The BOSS Nuit Pour Femme products range from £20-£59 which means there’s something suit almost everyone’s budget. Are you a fan of Hugo Boss perfumes?

Remember what you deserve...>

Some Wednesday words of wisdom:

Definitely need to keep reminding myself of this at the moment.....

Happy Hump Day xoxo

Neon Pink Stripes

When I spotted this jumper on ASOS I didn't have to think twice about clicking the 'add to bag' button. Stripes (you know I love anything stripey...), warm and neon pink is my definitely my idea of a fun winter jumper! Last Sunday was a stunner of a day so I went for a lovely walk in Kensington Park Gardens with the parents who were visiting for the weekend...

Neon pink striped jumper by Mango (link)

Jeans - Abercrombie & Fitch

Converse Chuck Taylor All Stars

I love the navy blue detailing on the sleeves plus it's super comfy. And for only £27.99 I think it's quite a steal. I am a bit worried that my stripes 'obsession' is getting slightly out of hand though. Today I was in Zara and I tried on four striped jumpers. I really wanted to buy them all but managed to control myself and not buy any.... but think I will end up going back to make this one mine - oh oh ;)

Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara!

People say that good things come in small packages, and with this bottom lash mascara Clinique totally proves that to be true! I realise I am a little late jumping on the bandwagon for this much hyped about product but I always just thought..why would anyone need a special bottom lash mascara and just wrote it off as another gimmicky makeup item. But do I wear mascara on my bottom lashes? Yes everyday! I feel it opens and frames my eyes, especially since my lashes are fair but I always used the same mascara as for the top lashes. At a recent Clinique event I found this little tube in my goodie bag and was curious to finally put it to the test to see if it really was good as people claimed...

Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara is basically a baby mascara bottle (2ml) with a miniature wand to allow perfect application of the mascara into your bottom lashes, it even reaches all those tricky-to-reach lashes!

The best thing about this little beauty however is its formula! Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara is made from a polymer formula that will not budge, smudge of flake, but as soon as bath water temperature water hits it, the mascara "relaxes" and can be removed easily!

I had pretty much accepted the fact that the mascara on my bottom lashes would always flake or smudge throughout the day but NO MORE! I was super impressed with the lasting-power of this bottom lash mascara. My bottom lashes still look black, defined and pretty after a long day at work...plus it even withstood the gym test!

I am officially a changed woman and will definitely repurchase this product over and over! Have you tried the Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara?

Available in Black and Black/Brown. Allergy Tested. 100% Fragrance Free. Ophthalmologist Tested. Safe for sensitive eyes and contact wearers. Bottom Lash Mascara, 2.5ml - RRP £10.00/€14.00.
To buy online, visit: clinique.co.uk

Tumblr - Life is like a box of chocolates....

I am a big lover of beautiful images and quotes to inspire me in life and I’m already addicted to Pinterest (follow me: link) to collect and organise my favourite things onto mood boards. I also knew of Tumblr’s existence, which is a very popular micro-blogging platform, but I just hadn’t got involved….mainly for the fact that I don’t really need another procrastinating pastime in my life ;) But after someone pointed out the website to me again last week I decided to take the plunge and sign up and it’s now fair to say I am completely hooked! I actually saw this quote on Tumblr today and think it sums the whole concept up quite nicely...

“A person’s Tumblr tells a lot about them. It shows what kind of images they see in their head, who they love, who they hate, even what they think about other people. But most of all – has all the words they never said to people, all the words they couldn’t have said but should have said.”

Check out my Tumblr page here. Are you on Tumblr? If you are, leave me a comment with a link to your page because I would love to find more great people to follow to share the love of images.
 

 

Probably one of my favourite quotes:
"Life is like a box of chocolates...you never know what you are going to get!"
http://dutchessroz.tumblr.com

And it's that time of the week again. Loving this....

Happy Hump Day everyone :)

LOOK Beauty - Nail Pop in City NOTD

Did you know that UK LOOK magazine has their very own high street make-up range called LOOK Beauty; which is designed, tested and worn by the beauty brains from the magazine? Their collection contains lots of great products for your eyes, face, lips and nails and prices start from only £4 for say an eyeshadow and go up to £18 for a Glow, Bronze and Sculpt Kit. Plus a donation a donation will be given to their cancer charity, Look Good, Feel Beter, for every LOOK Beauty product sold.

The people at LOOK Beauty send me one of their Nail Pop shades recently, which I was more than happy to put to the test! Nail Pop promises hard-wearing, colour perfect nails in 30 trendy shades. I was sent the shade City...



City is a dark taupe grey shade. The formula is smooth, pretty fast drying and easy to apply. I found it was opaque and had a lovely shiny finish after just two coats. Overall I was pretty impressed and I love this shade for winter!

Nail Pop polishes are priced at £5 and you can buy them on the LOOK Beauty website or at Superdrug.

 

Have you tried anything from the LOOK Beauty collection?

 

MUA Blush Perfection - Cream Blush Giveaway!

Back in September MUA Makeup Academy launched four new cream blushes to their MUA professional range. I have to admit that I am probably more of a powder blush kind of girl most of the time, but then again I do love the Topshop creme blushers (Neon Rose being one of my favourites).

Drugstore cosmetics brand MUA proves that makeup doesn't always need to cost the earth and I find they offer a good variety of fun products of surprising quality at a such low cost. The new blush perfection cream blushers come in four shades; Dolly, Blossom, Yummy and Bittersweet and are priced at only £2 each!

The packaging is not the prettiest, but then again for that price what do you expect?

This is the shade Dolly which looks quite dark in the pan but once applied to the cheeks it actually gives you more of a light coral dewy glow. The formula is very creamy and easy to blend, dab it on with your fingers or I like to use a small stippling brush to apply my cream blushers for streak-free application.

The MUA cream blushers can be directly applied to bare skin, layered over liquid foundation or set them with the matching matte blushers from their range (£1!) for an even longer lasting effect.

These blushers are good for everyday wear and for that price they make a nice guilt free and fun addition to any makeup bag. Available at your local Superdrug store and on the MUA website.
Or be in to win now because I am giving away two MUA cream blushers to one of my followers!

Follow the instructions below (via Rafflecopter) to win a set of MUA cream blushers in the shades Dolly and Bittersweet! Entries close Friday November 16 and is open internationally...GOOD LUCK :) x



a Rafflecopter giveaway