M.A.C. Master-class at London Fashion Week 2012

Back in February I was very lucky to get invited by M·A·C to attend a special make up master-class at London Fashion week! I've never been to a fashion week before so even just walking around the fashion week grounds at Somerset House in London felt really cool. 

As the official makeup sponsor of London Fashion week 2012 M·A·C had their own suite set up for us to enjoy breakfast, browse around their new collections and get to see Pablo Rodriguez, MAC's senior makeup artist, recreate a catwalk look from start to finish.

Me with my exhibition pass, feeling pretty 'cool' ;)

Self portrait and goody bags!

The look that Pablo was going to show us was designed especially for Stephanie Rolland Spring 2012 show as seen on the runway at the Haute Couture Paris Fashion week.

This is definitely not your every-day kind of makeup! It's a very dramatic winged smokey eye but I think the look really suited the collection which contained a colour palette of black, white, red and lime green and where silhouettes were kept simple with highly sculptural and exaggerated flounces.

This is model Yasmin Le Bon closing the show wearing a blood-red gown that weighed over 45kg!

OK now to the look.... Pablo started using M·A·C Studio Sculpt foundation which he stippled on with a M·A·C 188 brush, then he dabbed Select Cover-Up Concealer under the eyes to conceal dark circles and then he set the base with Blot Powder using the M·A·C 168 brush.

The model looking very fresh faced ;)

For the eyes he lined both the waterline and upper inner lashline with Feline eyeliner. He then pressed M·A·C Fluidline Eyeliner in Blacktrack (one my favourite products) all over the eyelids and blended it out with the 224 brush.

To achieve the dramatic look as seen on the runway he applied M·A·C Pro Acrylic Paint in black with a mascara brush to create a feathered, paint 'splattered' effect and the lashes got a layer of MAC False Lashes mascara. To finish off the face he applied a new contouring creme with his fingers under the cheekbones and the cheeks received a lovely gentle flush of colour with M·A·C Pink Swoon blush. The final touch was a nude pink gloss on the lips in the form of MAC Lipglass in Underage. As you can see it was all really about the eyes with this look by keeping the rest of the makeup very simple! 

TADA the finished look. I love this edgy winged smokey eye!

It was really cool to see such a special look created up close and Pablo was truly amazing and answered all our questions :) Sometimes catwalk makeup can look very complicated but when you get taken through the steps you can realise it is not actually always that hard! I left feeling the master class feeling super inspired and passionate about makeup. 

Thank you very much M·A·C for my lovely London Fashion Week experience ♥ xoxo

Ginatricot shopping purchases from Oslo

Even though Oslo is a pretty expensive country (food and drink especially!) I did manage to squeeze in a wee bit of shopping. Yes.....I just couldn't help myself. Last time I was in Oslo I loved the shop Ginatricot, where I bought my lovely 'picnic blanket' tartan poncho. So in Oslo, visiting the Ginatricot store was definitely on my list of things to do :)
My main purchase was this black bag!  I just love it....

More on the bag later but first here my outfit of the day last weekend with my new Ginatricot purchases:

♥ Ginatricot Jumper in Beige NOR 199 (approx £19)
This jumper/top was all over the posters in the store and they had it in white, cobalt blue, lilac, pastel pink, white and black and it did take me a while to decide which colour to get! I was umming and ahhing between beige and lilac! My mum actually bought it in the cobalt blue colour which is also stunning!
It's featured on their website here but seems like it's sold out online.
♥ ZARA white linen t-shirt
♥ Jeans: Roxanne by 7 For All Man Kind (as seen here)

♥ Ginatricot Black handbag with silver zips and detailing NOR 399 (approx £39)

♥ ZARA black suede wedge boots.

♥ Watch by Michael Kors

I picked up these wedge boots at ZARA while I was in Berlin over New Years and I absolutely LOVE them!
I have worn these a lot the last few months. They are suede, high knee and the wedges means they are heels but super comfortable. 

I knew I had to have these boots when I saw them on this blog here and here.

BTW definitely check out Caroline's awesome fashion blog 'Fash n Chips' - I just adore her style!!

And here some more pictures of the bag from Ginatricot. I wasn't really looking for a new bag but something about this bag just caught my eye. It's the perfect in between size; aka not-too-small-not-too-big! I love the silver zip detailing and lots of handy pockets. Also its detachable long strap means you can swing it around your shoulders when it gets heavy or you have to walk a long distance.

For me it is the perfect every day bag and for that price tag you are not too worried about it getting dirty or damaged which means you can take it with you every where you go stress-free :)

Had you heard of Ginatricot before? I really wish they would allow online shopping and worldwide shipping because it's a bit like a better primark, cheap as chips but full of great fashion finds! xoxo

I've got your number...

Sophie Kinsella is one of my favourite writers so at the airport, on my way to Norway, I picked up her latest book to lose myself in during my holiday. Because that's what happens to me when I read her books; once I start I just won't be able to put it down!

"I've lost it. :( The only thing in the world I wasn't supposed to lose. My engagement ring. It's been in Magnus' family for three generations. And now, the very same day his parents are coming, I've lost it. The very same day. Do not hyperventilate, Poppy. Stay positive!!"

 ♥ From the back cover:
A couple of glasses of bubbly with the girls at a charity do and Poppy's life has gone into meltdown. Not only has she lost her engagement ring, but in the panic that followed, she's lost her phone too. As she paces shakily round the hotel foyer she spots an abandoned phone in a bin. Finders keepers! Now she can leave a number with the hotel staff. It was meant to be! Except the phone's owner, businessman Sam Roxton, doesn't agree. He wants his phone back, and doesn't appreciate Poppy reading all his messages and wading into his personal life. As Poppy juggles wedding preparations, phone messages and hiding her left hand from Magnus and his parents, can things get any more tangled?

Kinsella's heroines are at their best when they're causing mischief, and Poppy is no exception.  The book is filled with humour, wit and a super cute love story! The book had me laughing out loud and I finished it in two days because I just couldn't wait to discover what would happen to Poppy. If you are looking for a great mindless chick-lit then I definitely recommend picking this up :)

Some of my other favourite books by Sophie Kinsella are 'Can you keep a secret', the 'Shopaholic' series, 'Remember Me' and 'Twenties Girl'. Have you read any books by this author?

And once again, Wednesday has rolled around.....

Happy Hump Day everyone :) xoxo

Pastel Spring Trend: ORLY Cool Romance

Right on trend for S/S 2012 is Orly's latest 'Cool Romance' collection. 'Cool Romance' consists of six gorgeous new nail polishes with pastel crème colours and creamy and shimmery textures. These shades are bound to steer you away from winter to spring, warming your days as we gradually wind out of winter!

Top Row L-R

♥ Prelude to a Kiss: pastel pink creme shade

♥ Faint of Heart: muted grey creme

♥ Jealous, Much?: pastel mint

Bottom Row L-R

♥ You’re Blushing: soft lilac creme

♥ Artificial Sweetener: dusty rose shimmer

♥ Steel Your Heart: charcoal shimmer

The collection comes in full sized (18ml - £9.25) or mini sized (5.3ml - £5) bottles.

I am very much loving the pastel trend at the moment and think these polishes are all super pretty!

 

This weekend I wore Prelude to a Kiss....

(Sorry for the shoddy application and the condition of my fingers...)

Anyhoo a very pretty shade right :) It's a bit more pink than I was expecting because from the swatches I'd seen here it looked way more peachy? The formula was a bit streaky and it definitely needs 2-3 coats to get an opaque/smooth finish. This is only two coats and as you can see it probably needed a third coat but I did this quickly in the morning because I wanted to rush out to enjoy the lovely spring weather we were blessed with London this weekend! At the moment you can get a cute mini trio at Boots for only £13 containing Faint of Heart, Prelude to a Kiss and Jealous Much (Link). Or check out the Orly Website for further stockist information. 

What do you think of the 'Cool Romance' collection, are you loving the pastel trend like me? xoxo