Supporting Breast Cancer Awareness Month! >

Wow I honestly can’t believe that it is October already; 2011 is just flying by! As much as I love summer, I am also a big fan of autumn; the changing of the seasons, the coloured leaves on the roads and those beautiful chilli but sunny autumn days.

These days October is also known world-wide as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This is an annual international health campaign organized by major breast cancer charities every October to increase awareness of the disease and to raise funds for research into its cause, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure. The campaign also offers information and support to those affected by breast cancer.

A few days ago I was invited by the Estee Lauder Group in London to learn all about the 2011 Estée Lauder Companies’ 2011 Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign. Did you know that The Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign actually began in 1992 when Evelyn Lauder and Alexandra Penney created the Pink Ribbon together? It is now the universal symbol for breast health worldwide!

At the event the Estée Lauder Companies talked about celebrating its 19th year in the fight against breast cancer. The theme for their 2011 BCA Campaign theme is “TOGETHER. Connect. Communicate. Conquer. For a Future Free of Breast Cancer.”

There was an inspirational speech about the importance of breast cancer awareness which touched many of us because it seems almost everyone knows someone personally affected by breast cancer. They also showcased the Estee Lauder Group products people can buy in this year Pink Ribbon Collection to support the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Here is a selection of the products on sale now:

♥ Clinique's Great Lips, Great Cause Key ring lip-gloss set feat. 3 mini Long Last Glosswear glosses - £15.  15% from purchase donated to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
Available at all Clinique counters and at www.esteelauder.co.uk
♥ Estée Lauder Perfectionist [CP+] Wrinkle Lifting Serum with Pink Keychain – £62.
£10 from purchase donated to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
Available at all Estée Lauder counters and at www.esteelauder.co.uk
♥ Aveda Breast Cancer Awareness Hand Relief – £16.50.
£2 from purchase donated to cruelty-free breast cancer research. Available at www.aveeda.co.uk
♥ Donna Karan Cosmetics Limited Edition Donna Karan Cashmere Mist Candle – £29.
£1 from purchase donated to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
Available at John Lewis Partnership stores & at Harrods, London
♥ Estée Lauder Jewelled Pin Pink Ribbon 2011 £10. This twinkling collectible pin is a simple, elegant way to show your support of Breast Cancer Awareness. Because breast cancer doesn’t just affect women; this year, a blue stone has been added to the ribbon pin to represent the 1% of men who are affected.

These products are available at the above mentioned counters from 3-31 Oct 2011 (while stocks last).
Also part of the limited edition 2011 Estee Lauder Pink Ribbon collection is the Lavish Pink Pure Color Crystal Lipstick. Priced at £18.50 (of which £10 goes directly to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation) you get a full sized BEAUTIFUL pink PureColour lipstick, inside a pretty pink clutch.

I have to say I am loving this lipstick.
It’s such pretty, ultra soft, moisture-rich, sheer cool pink with a subtle sparkle!

A gorgeous lippy plus supporting a great cause equals a win-win situation :)

The Estée Lauder Companies is lighting 200 global landmarks pink this October as a symbol of hope in the fight against breast cancer but they are not stopping there! They want to light the whole world pink... with your words. Please join them by sharing messages of awareness and hope about breast cancer on the campaign’s dedicated Facebook page. As you do, you can help light your corner of the world pink on The Estée Lauder Companies Breast Cancer Illumination Map. Invite your friends and family to do the same, and together, we can shine a light on breast cancer, turning the whole world pink!

So what are you waiting for – let’s raise awareness and click HERE to turn the world PINK!
Find more information on the Estee Lauder Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign online at www.esteelauder.co.uk/about/breast_cancer_awareness_index.tmp  Thanks everyone :) xoxo

The Glossy Box Experience

You've probably read so much about the Glossy Box concept already because it's been all over the blogs here in the UK but for you that haven't really heard about it yet, here are my two cents on it all.
What is it? GlossyBox is a monthly subscribtion where you receive a box filled with a surprise mix of five high-end miniature beauty samples. It costs £12.95 per month and will provide you each month with a selection of what's hot in hair, beauty, scent and body care. I was very lucky to receive their September Glossy Box to expience it all for myself.

This what it looks like; I've got to say I was impressed with the girly and luxurious packaging.

The main benefit of the Glossy Box experience is that is you can easily (and from the comfort of your sofa) discover new types of products that you wouldn’t normally pick up and try or hear about.
So let's check out the products I got in the September Box:

♥ Dead Sea Spa Magik (Salt Brushing) Exfoliator
♥ Móa (The Green Balm)
♥ Plum (Eau de Parfum) by Mary Greenwell
♥ Neal and Wolf (GLOW Super Shine Spray)
♥ HD Brows (Eye&Brow Palette)

The main product that caught my eye was the HD brows kit because this has mentioned a lot in the press recently plus I am still on the look out for my holy grail brow shaping/filling set. 

So when I saw the HD brows palette in the box I got super excited. My excitment however subdued quite quickly once I saw that the palette I got was in the colour 'Vamp' which is meant for people with dark hair :( I suppose this is one of the downsizes of Glossy Box, you don't necessarily get products that are right for your colouring/skin type/hair type. On their website they do say that when you subscribe you complete a beauty profile to allow them to match the products as best as possible to your personal beauty and styling requirements, but I have heard some grummblings on the internet that this matching isn't always so accurate..

The palette is created by eyebrow experts HD Brows and contains four matte eyebrow colours, which can also double up as an eye shadow and eyeliner.

Top row: Nude & Carbon
Bottom row: Dark brown & Rich brown

You can apply this to brows, sweep across the lid, or precision apply along the lash line to give a soft but defined eyeliner look. The nude shadow is a great finishing touch for highlighting under brows and enhancing the brow bone.  The only shade that really works for shaping my brows is the dark brown (and this is only when I am aiming for a quite strong/dark and defined brow look) but I have to say I love the texture of these shades. Matte, highly pigmented and extremely long lasting. This palette usually features for £19.95 retail which I think is quite pricey and as much as I am enjoying using this palette I think there are probably cheaper alternatives out there that provide a similiar result, especially because in the end you don't really need 4x shades for your brows right? All you need is that one perfect shade to shape & set your brows, so my search for this holy grail product continues - please tell me what brow shaping product do you use and love??

Overall I think the montly Glossy Box concept is a great idea. I really liked the balm and hair shine spray (even though it's a little too fragranced for my liking) but the perfume and exfoliating salt weren't really up my alley. So would I sign up for this service? Probably not. Just because I have a huge collection of beauty products already and I think I prefer to have some sort of power over what I buy instead of paying a monthly fixed fee for a variety of sample products with the risk I might not like any of them. However I think if you are someone that doesn't own a lot of products and you are keen to experience and try a few new products and brands then this would be a great way to do so. Another bonus is that if you do love one of the products that came in your monthly box, the Glossy Box team provide you with offer codes for each product should you decide to purchase the full size version of it. Have you heard of Glossy Box before - what has been your experience?

For more information on Glossy Box, or to sign up, click here.

NOTD: Love is a Racket

Hi my lovelies,Omigosh I am loving this late summer we are being blessed with in London at the moment. It's warmer and sunnier than it's been all actual summer! Check out a recent NOTD:

This is OPI's 'Love is a Racket'

This nail polish was released back in August as part of the Glam Slam USA duo by Serena Williams. Glam Slam! U.S. featured a duo-pack with two high-shine shades: shimmering red, Love is a Racket, and glittering bronze, Pros & Bronze. 

Applied smoothly, this was three coats. It's quite a bright red with a high shimmer (not glitter) factor.
It reminds me a bit of that shiny red cellophane paper you get around Christmas time!

Beautiful hands right? It's because they aren't mine!

They are my friends hands haha...I reckon she should be a hand/nail model ;)

Woop woop for it being Friday!!

Cheers to the freaking weekend; I'll drink to that....

xoxo

BINTM and the winner is....

For the last few weeks I have been following Britain & Irelands's Next Top Model. Yes I am a real sucker for shows like this; just love it! Nothing beats talk like 'Smizing' and 'Tyra Mail' or in the UK series 'Elle Mail' because it's hosted by the stunning Elle MacPherson. On Monday night it was the long awaited final and me and my new flattie were on the couches at home with a cuppa dying to find out who'd take the title this season! And I am soooo happy that my favourite Jade Thompson won Britain & Ireland’s Next Top Model over fellow finalist Juste Juozapaityte!

Here they are (Jade on the right) waiting to be told the winner....(such tension hehe)!

B&INTM host and judge Elle MacPherson said of Jade's look: 'This show is about finding a special kind of beauty. A unique modern kind of beauty... and that is what Jade is.'

I think Jade looked UH-mazing in these beauty beach shots taken in one of the challenges in the show. A perfect combination of sexy and cute!

And fellow judge Grace Woodward, who is known for her high standards and catty comments, said: 'Jade is like her name, she's a rare and precious stone we've found in the rough.'

Her freckles are too cute!!

Thompson's prize included a prize with model agency Models 1, a six-page fashion editorial, a cover spread with Company magazine and a £100,000 cosmetics contract with Revlon. Lucky girl. I hope she'll do well in the modelling world because I think this girl actually has a special and unique look :)

And being Wednesday will round this post up with a little inspiration..

Happy Hump Day everyone! Lots of love xoxo Roz