Discovering BB Creams!

For the last few months I started noticing the term ‘BB cream’ popping up everywhere in the media; from blogs to magazines. To be honest I’d never really heard of this product before and when my flatmate pointed out to me that she’d read about it and bought one, I thought to myself, Roz you are supposed to be a beauty blogger, how can you not know about this! So I decided to do a little research. If you are, like me, a bit clueless on the whole concept of BB creams then read on….

BB cream stands for ‘Blemish Balm’. Now you might think I am talking about some kind of spot cream but that’s not the case. It’s generally marketed as both a cosmetics and skincare product. BB cream was originally formulated in Germany and used by dermatologists to help laser surgery patients protect, soothe and refine highly sensitive skin while providing light coverage for post-laser scars, acne and other blemishes. BB cream became very popular in South Korea and soon, it exploded all over Asia and now it’s the new beauty hype of 2011 all over the world.

These days BB creams come in a variety of different formulations and qualities. Some are said to have skin whitening or brightening properties. Others are anti-acne, some are anti-wrinkle, some are intended to even out skin tone, and yet others to lighten blemish scars. BB creams are sometimes used like a primer under foundation, and if tinted may even replace foundation and some newer ones will have functions of primer, foundation, moisturizer, sun block, pore minimization and skin refining all together which can save time and money in make-up. Basically BB cream is billed as the answer to all your skincare woes in a single product! Sounds like heaven right?

So after doing this research I was quite keen to get experimenting to see if the hype lives up to it’s reputation! The first BB cream I decided to play with was UNE's Intuitive Touch BB-Cream foundation. UNE is the natural beauty sister company to Bourjois that promises a high performance range of products that are paraben-free, made from bio ingredients and almost totally natural. Most BB creams seem to come as a liquid form so it was quite interesting to see that UNE has launched their BB cream as a solid compact. But I have to say I like the look of its stylish simple mirrored packaging. UNE says their BB-cream foundation is a 7 in 1 product that will smooth, correct, moisturise, enhance, mattify, nourish and protect your skin at the same time! Being a creamy compact I was expecting it to feel quite oily and heavy but was pleasantly surprised that the UNE BB cream felt light, smooth and silky! It seems to almost melt into your skin and blends really naturally. It’s a cream to powder formulation and you can control the coverage you want. Apply as a concealer with the small brush provided or use your fingers or regular foundation brush (in my case my stippling brush) to apply all over your face for a light to medium coverage foundation. Final thoughts? I am enjoying using this product and it’s been a positive first experiment with BB Creams. UNE’s Intuitive Touch BB-Cream would be great for people that like a natural finish that feels gorgeously creamy and smooth on your skin, that provides that little bit extra to say a tinted moisturiser. After this I'm definitely keen to try some more BB creams to compare…..watch this space!

UNE BB cream comes in 7 shades @ RRP £14.49/€19.99.
Available from Boots, Superdrug & Lovelula.com

Has anyone tried this yet or any other B.B. Creams? Would love to hear your thoughts :) xoxo

Happy Hump Day %

I seriously can’t believe how the days are just flying by at the moment. The UK girl band The Saturdays actually switched on the Christmas lights in Oxford Street yesterday because it’s Christmas already in 7 weeks, c’mon that is just plain scary right? ;) I think it feels a little bizarre that Christmas is upon us so soon because only about  a month ago we were experiencing an Indian summer here in London; sun bathing in the parks and wearing summery dresses! 
But you can definitely tell it is autumn now; one of my favourite seasons.
I just love all the red, yellow and orange colours and the hundreds of fallen leaves throughout the city. This is a picture I took on the weekend whilst biking through Kensington Palace gardens in London, so pretty!

We also had day light savings on the weekend which means it’s now dark by 4.30pm which is bit of a struggle to adjust to but then again to me winter and it’s darkness has something cosy about it too. I love being snuggled up and warm inside with candles, lights and maybe a hot cuppa tea! At the moment I am loving the Lounge scented candle by Rodial Life & Style. It fills my room with a luxuriously gorgeous honeycomb & vanilla fragrance! I think scented candles are fabulous because they make you feel warm, relaxed & when people walk into your room they go ‘ooeeeeh’ ♥

Happy Hump Day everyone! xoxo 

New hair with Balayage highlights!

Hey everyone,
For the last few weeks I felt it was really getting about that time that I got some highlights in my hair again. During the summer months I don't tend to highlight my hair at all because luckily my hair naturally gets more sun-kissed over that time. But with the winter month's fast approaching my roots really need fixing! However with so much on recently; moving, trips and work I hadn't had time to fit this in. This week I desperately tried to get an appointment to get my hair done this weekend but most salons were fully booked. Since moving to London I haven't really found my go-to salon, I've more been trying different salons on the search to find my favourite. Struggling to get an appointment my friend was so kind to recommend her hairdresser to me and he was able to fit me in on Friday evening after work, perfect! :)

My friend had found her hairdresser in London, after moving here from Beijing, because he was recommend by her hairdresser in China. She was specifically looking for someone that could give her 'french' highlights like she'd always had done in Beijing. Before my appointment on Friday she told me; don't expect much of the salon, it's nothing flash but she raved about the talents of her hairdresser Cedric.

Credric works from the City, Cuts & Colours salon in Victoria, which is indeed nothing flash but promises experienced top hairstylists without the high price tag. After a consultation with Credric I decided to try comb highlights instead my standard foil ones. Comb highlights, or also known as 'Balayage' is the hottest thing in highlighting right now. Instead of applying foils it's a freehand technique where a stylist 'paints' on highlights giving the client a natural sun-kissed highlight look. I'd read quite a bit about this technique already (with celebs like Jennifer Anniston being a fan) so was definitely keen to give it a go!

This is me while getting my highlights done!

As you can see Credic painted stripes of highlights throughout my entire hair to get a more natural look. I only have colour on my roots because I wanted my roots to match the ends of my hair, which means no need to take the colour all the way through to the ends (as this would only damage your hair!)
After applying the colour, he placed me under the heat for about 10 minutes to let the colour fully develop. Then he washed out the colour and gave me a quick cut (nothing special, because I am still growing out my fringe) and TADA here I am with my finished new hair:

I have to say I love my new hair! It feels so nice to be all blonde again & I think the painted highlights look FANTASTIC! Balayage is also popular because your re-growth should be more forgiving; not providing that harsh re-growth line that foil highlights can give but I suppose time will tell with that :)

Cedric actually has a great website and besides working at the salon in Victoria he also does mobile hairdressing, which means he can do your hair from the comfort of your own home at a great price! 

Check out his website here. I think maybe I have found my to-go-to hairdresser in London? ;) xoxo

Metallic Kimono Outfit Post =

Ever since I saw Laura in this metallic kimono on her blog 'Buy now, Blog Later' I was keen to get my little paws onto it! Kimono cardigans are pretty on trend at the moment so when I spotted this little beauty in ZARA whilst shopping in Nice and tried it on, I was sold. 

This weekend I had my friends round for flat warming drinks in Notting Hill and I wanted a casual but fun evening look so I decided to wear my new kimono :)

Pants: my 'leather' SQIN &Denim H&M Jeans as seen here

Kimono: ZARA Metallic thread kimono (available online here)

Top: White racer back cotton singlet from ZARA

Shoes: Gladiator style heels by ALDO

Necklace: Long chain heart pendant from Tiffany & Co

Watch: Michael Kors

Actually a funny story is that when I returned from Nice and I showed my flatmate my kimono purchase, it turned out she recently had bought the exact same one, wooops! Haha oh well it shows we both have fab taste right? Now we do just need to make sure we don't wear it at the same time ;) 

Here some more pics of me at my flat warming drinks which shows you the proper colour of the kimono a little better. It's a mix between silver and gold and so comfortable to wear.

I'm loving my new metallic kimono because it's so easy to throw on with jeans or a LBD to add that little bit of sparkle! What do you think of the Kimono trend? xoxo