Munky Says

Munky says....this is promising!

2010-05-30T13:58:00.000-07:00

Came across this new range in Boots yesterday - 'Une'. Apparently it's from the same place as Bourjois, but are a more natural/organic type of cosmetics. I bought the pressed mineral powder/foundation and a tinted lip-balm (looks like a lipstick).

Haven't had the chance to try the mineral stuff, but I like the lip balm - they don't come in any 'loud' shades..it's more about enhancing yuor natural lip colour from what I can see.

I did mean to write about my not-so-great experience at the Bobbi Brown counter a few weeks ago - will have a whinge next time!!

Munky says......it doesn't quite work!

2010-01-23T06:24:00.000-08:00

Revlon Double Twist mascara - good idea but it didn't live up to the hype.

I saw a recommendation for this in the Sunday Times Style magazine a few weeks ago so thought I'd give it a go. I've spent years looking for my HG mascara and haven't found it yet!

The brush is large (which I like), and it's a combination of a brush/lash separator. The first time I tried it, the brush came out with a couple of small clumpy bits of mascara on it (niiiiiice), and it was no great shakes after application either. After a couple of days my brain actually kicked into gear and I realised that you have to twist the brush as you apply in order to get the separating bit to work.

It does work. Kind of. The forumla's so thick and gloopy that I had to use my own separator afterwards anyway. *d'oh*

I'll use it until it finishes/sets my lashes like concrete but won't buy again.

The hunt goes on *sigh*

Munky says........Happy New Year!!!!

2010-01-01T08:52:00.000-08:00

This year....

I'll wear lippie at least once per week (I have soooo many gathering dust..they've probably mutated into somet else now)
I promise not to skip the body moisturiser when I'm feeling lazy (I'll thank myself for it in 15-20 years, no doubt!)
I'll keep my nails pretty!
I'm going to find a foundation that I like (and actually use it)
I'll use my MAC brushes instead of just staring at them thinking 'ooh, how soft'
I will not buy new eyeshadows.....until February.

Munky says......a big thumbs up!

2009-12-12T11:48:00.000-08:00

Ministry of Waxing

Highly recommended!

Munky says....I love these

2009-11-22T08:53:00.000-08:00

Just two of my favourite things......!

Benetint

I love love love this product! A bottle seems to last about a year, if not longer. (Okay, possibly sounds a bit unhygienic but there's a limit to how red you can have your cheeks/lips!).

I've always struggled with powder blushes - just can't blend them to save my life. I did try some cream blushes from MAC but they didn't work either - too much rubbing action required! So some years back I found this and never looked back. It gives a natural bit of colour - probably not enough for an evening out, but great for work/general wear. I think everyone has their own way of applying it, but mine tends to be putting a few strokes of it on my face and then rubbing in with fingertips. It's very liquid so no effort required. I like it as a lip-stain too, but it can be a bit drying. Which brings me nicely to:

Carmex!

It smells a bit medicinal, and it gives you a strange tingling feeling when you first apply it, but it's the only lip balm I've come across that actually works for me. Nothing fancy about it whatsoever, but I wouldn't be without it!

In other fabulous news, I've finally found the handbag I was after for aaaaaaaages. Pics next post!

Munky says......here comes winter!!!

2009-10-31T14:39:00.000-07:00

Bit of a rubbishy picture but this is my new winter coat - from Warehouse. It was £90 but I got it for £72 (yay for the discount voucher!). It better last longer than my dodgy Jane Norman coat....that fell apart quicker than I could say 'there's a hole in my pocket'.

I've been very slack on the make up front. the lack of natural light scares me - I can't tell what my eyeshadows look like until I'm already out of the house and on the way into work. By that time it's too late - children are scared and my boss is freaked out. So I've been sticking to the liner...sometimes brown, sometimes black, and sometimes even a purplish black ('icon eyes' by MAC).

Can it be summer soon?

Munky says.....I'm a sucker for 3 for 2 offers!

2009-09-10T13:54:00.000-07:00

Yup. Got sucked right in. I went into Boots to buy some face cream, and came out with that plus 2 Revlon lippies, and a Barry M black eye/kohl/liner/pencil thingy.

Damn those 3 for 2 offers!!

The pic on the left (not taken by me) is of the lippie colour 'Kiss Me Coral'. I'd been searching for a nice coral lipstick for aaaaaages. The ones I came across were either too red or too orange - this is perfect! I also got one in 'Naturally Nude' - apparently this has been discontinued which is a shame because I love it already and I've only owned it for a few hours. I'll try wearing the coral one to work tomorrow and see how long-lasting it is. I'm rubbish at keeping lipstick on - I predict it'll be gone by 10am!

Munky says......I made this!!!

2009-08-22T02:06:00.001-07:00

I started making necklaces and earrings a couple of years ago. I was buying soooooo many (completely lived in Accessorize), and one day it dawned on me that maybe some of the simpler designs could just be made at home. So off I want on eBay and bought myself some mini-pliers!

They're a bit rough and ready - but I'm getting better (and faster). It's nice to be able to make things to match particular outfits, and it makes for lovely gifts - every piece is unique!

The only problem is finding time *boo hoo* Maybe I'll make something later today - I have some lovely deep blue Swarovski beads that I want to play with!

Munky says....maybe I'll try again later!

2009-08-16T02:11:00.001-07:00

My skin had been looking a bit lacklustre of late (boo hoo). I find that every time I come back from Canada my face decides to rebel horribly. They must have cleaner air or something...

Anyhoo, I'd heard about these Elemis 'Skin Bliss' capsules before and figured they were worth a go. I bought mine from Time To Spa although you can probably get them on eBay and the like.

As the pic shows, you get a tub of these things - about a month's worth in total. The pink ones are used in the morning and the green ones at night. They contain oils which I'm assured by the blurb on the website will work wonders! I'm not one for remembering the names of the magic ingredients - if it works I'll buy it again, otherwise I'll end up using it on another part of my body to finish it!

I'm on day 20 of using these now and I've religiously used them day and night. The little capsules are easy to break open and the oil is squeezed out. Rub it between your palms to warm it and massage on to your face and neck. Voila!

On the plus side.....I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that my skin wasn't oilier than usual (yes, this is a positive!). I've used facial oils at night but never dared use them in the morning for fear of walking into work looking like a super shiney lollipop. The oil sinks in very quickly and leaves your skin feeling soft, and you can apply makeup etc on the top aftewards (although I tend to leave it for 15-20 minutes before adding my normal moisturiser on top).

Another plus is that......it smells nice and feels luxurious (and so it should for £58!!). *cough*

On the downside...I didn't notice much of a difference. Oops. I haven't given up altogether - I'll try these again at the tail end of winter when my skin does get a bit dry, but this time around I can't say anything has changed dramatically. Once I've finished the tub, I'll see if anything worsens and will let you know. For now, I'm basically saying that after my ramble above, I probably wouldn't recommend them - not for use in the summer anyway. The one thing they're definitely useful for is to take on a 'plane - you can rehydrate without having to drag an entire tube of cream with you.

Nevermind, eh?!!

Munky says....more MAC stuff ahoy!!

2009-07-20T12:06:00.000-07:00

Got back from Vancouver last week...it already seems like a distant dream :o( Anyway, to cheer myself up, I've been playing with some of my latest buys. Behold!!!

I bought these three from the MAC counter at Vancouver Airport. From left to right, they are:

Silver Ring
Knight Divine
Humid

I haven't had a chance to try Humid yet, but I'd been searching for some silvery greys for a while, and I love the texture of these - they shimmer subtly but don't make me look like a giant glitterball. I'd always worried that it wouldn't suit my dark brown eyes (and light brown skin), but these work really well - either together or alone.

I also bought a lippie - 'Jest' (lustre). I have so many but I hardly wear them - this is sheer enough not to scare me so I'm hoping to get lots of wear out of it:

Last but not least, as soon as I made it back home (well, give or take a few days!), I dashed out to Superdrugs and bought the latest Sleek eye pallette - 'Safari':

Really looking forward to trying the beautiful green colour (3rd along from the left, top row). I love greens!!! A couple of the colours are similar to those in the other sets, but I think there's enough of a difference to justify buying this. Not to mention it doesn't cost much - and we like that!

If I ever manage to get the hang of taking pics of my eye makeup, I'll try posting some up. :o)

Munk says...goodbye London, hello Vancouver!

2009-06-17T02:39:00.001-07:00

I'm off to Vancouver for a few weeks of playing, eating, and sleeping!!

Will try and get some MAC goodies whilst I'm there, and also some concealor from MUFE (heard great things about it!).

Look forward to telling you all about it on my return!!

Munky says.....live long and prosper!!!

2009-06-10T13:47:00.001-07:00

I was never a Trekkie. I remember watching the odd repeat episode of the original Star Trek series back in the day when there was nothing else on. My overwhelming memory was one of fear at the epi where these strange flat aliens attached themselves to the backs of the crew. There was also William Shatner - I never really liked his character (Can't put my finger on it but he was so..so.....&*^*&^ frustrating!!!!). Now Spock I kinda liked but not enough to make me watch it regularly.

Anyhoo, fast-forward to today and the new Star Trek flick. Hands up, I admit that my initial interest in the film didn't extend beyond Zachary Quinto (plays Spock) but having seen the trailers and the reviews - I got all hyper about it and there was me this afternoon, all giddy with excitement, at the BFI IMAX in London. *squeal*

Did I like it? I LOVED IT. Seriously. I'd happily pay to see it again. And then maybe again. The characters were instantly believable and previous Trekkie knowledge wasn't really that necessary - it was almost too short for my liking...I could've sat there for another few hours. Talking of which - I definitely recommend row M, seat 18 for the IMAX. That was my seat and I was right in the middle, a few rows down from the top. No craning of neck to capture the action - perfect. ;o)

Zach Quinto cast perfectly as Spock - very subtle with his mannerisms. No hints of 'Sylar' at all (which I'd been a bit worried about beforehand). Chris Pine as Kirk - completely won me over and I can put my Shatner-induced annoyances behind me. I forget his name but the guy who played Bones was fabulous. And Simon Pegg as Scotty worked well also (comic relief).

I'm off to Vancouver next week. I've already scoped out the cinemas that're playing this over there. I'll be first in line.

Munky says....Superdrug offers are evil, but great!

2009-05-31T12:53:00.000-07:00

Superdrug were doing a 3 for 2 offer on Rimmel and another offer for Barry M (can't remember but it must've been something decent seeing as I parted with some more cash!). I fancied adding a few more colours to my nail polish range so ta-da!

I've only tried the 3rd one along so far - it's a lovely twinkly lilac. Only problem is that I don't have long nails at the mo so there's not much to paint *oopsy*

I'm quite looking forward to trying the mint one on the far right of the pic - very summery!

I don't spend much money on nail colours any more - I think I have more fun with eyeshadow, so it's the cheap stuff for the nails from now on. Having said that, most of my fave colours are drugstore brands in any case. *feels somewhat sensible*

I'm off to Vancouver in a few weeks and I'm trying to get a list together of duty free lovelies that I can buy *not feeling so sensible anymore* Any suggestions? MAC is a must!! :o)

Munky says....a Neils Yard facial is bliss!

2009-05-18T13:26:00.000-07:00

I'm still slightly spaced out.....! I went for my rejuvenating facial this afternoon after work. My therapist was Rima Shah - a lady with seriously warm hands!!! *ahem*

Anyhoo, I had to fill out a short form when I got there, just to cover the usual stuff - any allergies, operations, etc. The treatment room itself was fairly small but cosy-ish. It's a facial but they do ask you to remove your top as it involves a shoulder massage. You do get a fluffy towel to wrap around you though - great for the shy!

I'm horribly ticklish and it took a few minutes before I could keep a straight face and start truly enjoying the facial. But after that, I was away with the fairies - truly! The ingredients used are all Neils Yards products (naturally...no pun intended) and are varying degrees of organic.

Rima started by cleansing thoroughly using a cream cleanser, and then had a quick examination of my skin to decide which products to use. It only took a few seconds and then she was on to the exfoliation - she used a rose balm type of product (rubbish at remembering names) which smelled of...roses. I'm sure there was some orange oil in there somewhere too...followed by a white tea mask, and some moisturisng with frankincense hydrating cream and rose eye cream. I've made it sound quick but the entire thing took a full hour. It was wonderfully relaxing and my face was seriously glowing at the end - much plumper and happier.

The downside is that she suggested I leave my face as was for the remainder of the evening. I had to go home with a lovely oily sheen to my face *yoiks* Actually, I thought I'd wiped it clean before leaving the therapy rooms but I was soon corrected on that point - I caught my reflection in our hallway mirror and holy cow - oil slick! And there was me thinking that people were staring at me on the tube cus I was looking so darned fabulous. :o\ *oops*

I did spend a silly amount of money in the Neil's Yard Remedies shop (on the other side of the courtyard to the therapy rooms) - you get a 15% discount for any products bought on the day of your facial. I didn't splash out on any moisturisers - there's only so much fragrance I can take, but I did get the rose balm, the white tea mask, and a face wash. Oh, and some rose toner..and err some rose exfoliating stuff. And a lipbalm. But that was it, honest!

In all seriousness, definitely recommended - just not for those who don't like strong fragrances. You will walk out of there smelling like a garden in bloom! It was £55 for one hour.

Munky says.....facial tlc needed!!!

2009-05-17T02:57:00.000-07:00

After years of avoiding facials (not-nice experience many moons ago involving an extraction that felt like it was going to break my nose) I've gone and booked myself in for a session at the Neil's Yard therapy rooms in Covent Garden.

Apparently (see how thoroughly I researched this?) I'll be having an initial consultation to assess the state of my skin and see what I need to do to put some more life into it. I think drinking more water may have something to do with it, but I need an excuse to splash out on some pretty and sweet-smelling lotions and potions so I'm hoping they'll tell me more than that.

I forgot to ask how much it would cost also. *so clever*

Anyhoo, I shall post a review of my experiences tomorrow evening - that's if I come home with my face intact.

Munky says Gift Time is the best!!!

2009-04-26T06:11:00.000-07:00

Yup, it's that time again. Well, it was at Selfridges anyway. Estee Lauder were giving away free stuff with two or more purchases (one had to be either an eye treatment, or something else that I can't remember..umm..oh well.)

Since I just happened to be in need of something new for my eyes, I added a High Gloss lip gloss (try saying that when drunk) in 'Blush' to my eye stuff and as if by magic, the sales assistant handed over a huuuuuuge bag of freebies.

Okay, slight exaggeration but the bag was b.i.g. They were giving away two bags - one was a standard cosmetics bag (mediumish size) in a cream colour, and then a much larger shopper in the same colour. To be honest, the quality of the large bag wasn't all that (Clinique do lovely bags with their promotional gifts) and not up to the usual standard. I certainly won't be using it (feels quite plasticky...bit like those bags you get free with magazines).

The makeup freebies were lovely though. I got a gorgeous full-size Signature Hydra Lustre lipstick in 'Dune Rose' (packaging as per the pic above). Beautiful pink colour with a slight shimmer to it, and it goes on a dream. *happy sigh* There was also a mini gloss in 'Nude Rose', a mini mascara (didn't like it so threw it away), and a lovely little pallette of eyeshadows and a powder blush:

Haven't tried these out yet, but they look good for use to the office - nothing too bright and funky! There was also a sample of Re-Nutriv cleanser, and a small miniature bottle of the fragrance 'Sensuous'.

All in all, it was worth it just for the lippie alone but I'm never one to turn down a free eyeshadow or two!

Munky says meh to GOSH

2009-04-16T11:26:00.000-07:00

Here's the e/s 'quattro' that I bought yesterday. It's the 'Violet Night' set of shades. Looks pretty in the packaging, and it even looked nice when I tested some on my hand. Can you spot the amateur??!! :oP

Anyhoo, I thought I'd try it out this morning - the colours aren't overly vibrant so I figured it was okay for work. Apart from a bit of glittery fallout on my cheeks (I'd taken precautions but obviously it wanted to go a-roaming regardless), it seemed to last until midday okay.

Then.....as if by un-magic, at around half two I gazed into the mirror to see..umm....not very much. Now, I used a primer underneath (MAC) but clearly I should've opted for super-glue or somet. This is what it looked like a couple of hours ago:

You can see my eyelid. But where's the colour gone?!! It wasn't even a hard day at the office. I'm just glad GOSH make better eyeliners than they do shadows. Maybe it's beacuse I'm brown-skinned but hey, at least I know now. *pushes it to the bottom of the make-up pile and tries to forget about it*

*cough*

Eyeshadow? What eyeshadow? I didn't buy no eyeshadow!! :o)

Munky says...beware the glittery make-up counters.

2009-04-15T13:05:00.000-07:00

Yup. I went out for 'a walk' at lunchtime. Only it wasn't a walk. Well, it was. But only as far as the nearest Superdrug where I grabbed some more goodies that I don't really need, but hey. Today's haul was:

GOSH eyeshadow quad (violet tones...far too lazy to actually get up and check the name)
Sleek blush ('Rust') Don't normally like powder blushes but this is n.i.c.e
Bourjois nailpolish (a kinda bright red/tomato red colour...again, so lazy!)

Not bad for a 10 minute trip. It was just lucky for my purse that there weren't many offers on - I was in the mood to buy *ching ching*.

Bad, evil make-up counters. *sigh*