Tag Archives: Chanel

Summer makeup

In the summer I rarely wear foundation – it’s just too cakey and hot and I end up feeling like my skin cannot breathe. I do still love applying my makeup though – it makes me feel ‘put together’ before venturing out. This year, thanks to the recommendation of a friend, I have tried a couple of new products. I love them! Now I am no beauty blogger, and no expert but I know what I like. Both these foundations give a wonderful, barely there glow to my skin with very light coverage, but both act as a perfect base.

The first is super indulgent – but it comes in a large pot, and using a stipple brush to apply it I hardly make a dent in it – it will last ages! It also looks gorgeous on my vanity – who doesn’t want to see the Chanel Cs each morning? Meet Soleil Tan de Chanel bronzing makeup base.

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The Nordstrom site describes it here as “The velvety finish of this light cream-gel bronzer leaves your skin with a beautiful sun-bathed look. Wear it on its own, or for a hint of outdoors radiance, over or under your favorite CHANEL foundation.”

It is lovely and creamy and as I say, applied with a stippling brush it leaves a beautiful radiant base. I am a convert!

Next is the new Clinique Chubby in the Nude foundation stick at a more palatable price. I haven’t bought Clinique for years but this has me back at their counter in a hurry. Again it is super lightweight and can be applied from the stick or using a stipple brush – I tend to dab it on then use the brush to blend it. I was matched with the vanilla shade and it is perfect for carrying on vacation and dropping in a handbag. It came as another recommendation – our makeup conversation became expensive 😉

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While at the Clinique counter I also bought the Stay-Matte Sheer Pressed Powder. My nose is always shiny and I figured if I am going to spend money on a foundation then I should at least seal it with a powder. This is beautiful and does as it says – all day in the humidity I have had no shine, with just one additional application in the afternoon.

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I then nipped across the mall to Sephora just to buy their Bright Future Gel Serum concealer – having bought Nars concealer before the Sephora own brand is an equal at a far cheaper price. I use it just to conceal dark circles and redness around my nose.

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Whilst in Sephora I discovered these Bright Future Color Correctors and gave them a try. I absolutely love the yellow one which ‘combats dullness’ – I just apply it in dots on my lower eye socket – or the highest point of my cheek bone and blend it by dabbing with my fingers – it really does work – I love it. Green neutralizes redness, and then there are three shades for skin brightening.

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So there we go – with eyeliner, waterproof mascara and lippy I’m good to go all summer!

Today I am in the office wearing an new top and an new bra (see previous post!) 😉

zara topTop – Zara // Trousers – Gap (similar here) // Sandals – Zara (old) // Bag – Mansur Gavriel

 

 

 

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Capes, blankets, shawls or throws?

I don’t care what you call them – I am officially obsessed. If you haven’t seen images similar to these then you have been hiding under a rock for the past two months – good for you! This is the Burberry Blanket which you can pay a ridiculous amount extra to have monogrammed with your initials. Unfortunately it is already sold out.

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So what happens now? Even if you have $1400 stuffed under your sofa cushions you can’t buy one. Well thank goodness we have ASOS. The only challenge now is to choose which one. Or, if you’re not one for challenges, just buy them all.

Plain black cape:

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Cape with burgundy stripe:

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Reversible camel cape:

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Grey color blocked cape:

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Aren’t they gorgeous? I personally adore the burgundy striped cape – the perfect Fall color and one which you will see me wearing a lot of this year. I can see myself wearing it over jeans and a tee with my burgundy Newburys. I have, however, just ordered the camel cape in lieu of a camel coat. Not only are these capes gorgeous and well priced at less than $50, they also stink of practicality for our Atlanta Fall/Winter climate. I’ll even be using mine now for throwing around my shoulders in our frigid office air conditioning.

Another new purchase arrived this week, which I am head over heels with. Instead of the Chanel Boy bag that I’ve been holding out for (yeah right in my dreams!) I have been cruising for a bag with a chain. I ordered these to compare from Zara. Unfortunately they are all stunning and I haven’t brought myself to return any of them yet!

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The last one is definitely staying – it’s slightly smaller than the other two but has the added versatility of a clutch as you can remove the long strap. It’s a fabulous price for real leather too. I used it to go to my regular Friday lunch alone that has now become one of the highlights of my week!

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Here is what I wore, with the Anya Hindmarch bag before switching!

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Bag – Anya Hindmarch (old from TheOutnet.com) // Shoes – Vince Nina // Jeans – Zara (similar here) // Tee – Mango (old) // Jacket – Zara jersey jacket (old)

And finally my outfit from Thursday. which was crammed with work, conferences and vet visits!

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Boots – Rag & Bone Newbury (old from TheOutnet.com) // Dress – ASOS (on sale now at just $21)

So will you be donning a cape this season?

 

 

 

 

The future’s so bright…

I’m one of the fortunate ones who rarely misplaces sunglasses.  This means I don’t need to buy them often, which in turn means I spend a little more on a good pair when I do buy them – logical no?  Living here in the sunshine also means that I always buy polarized lenses – I can’t live without them for driving in the glare.  I currently have the following in my collection:

Silver Ray-ban Aviators with mirrored lenses:

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Classic black Ray- ban Wayfarers:

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And a pair of large round Chanel sunglasses similar to these, that I have to say I rarely wear as my Ray-bans are SO comfortable!

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I’ve recently started wearing more gold jewelry again – I actually think it suits my skin tone better.  Obviously that means I need a pair of gold aviators.  I am torn between the classic gold with green lenses (these look silver but I assure you the description says they are gold!):

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OR this gorgeous tortoiseshell pair with brown lenses and gold trim:

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I have to say I am tempted by the tortoiseshell as they are so unusual – what do you think?  Help me decide please!

As for this week here are my outfits so far.  It is scorcchio here so I wore nothing more than a bikini at the weekend – summer is here, which also means lots of new summer items are getting worn!

Today I decided to put my new harems (I sized up as the waistband is a button up with a zip and quite snug!) on thinking I was heading into the office.  I quickly had to do a u-turn though to meet my painter back at the house.  We are about to paint the main living areas of the house Sherwin Williams Silverpointe – a gorgeous cool grey – I cannot tell you how excited I am after almost 7 years of yellowy-cream walls!

I have to say I LOVE these Chania Birkenstocks – they are a gladiator and look fab and feel amazing!

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Top – Mango // Trousers – Mango // Sandals – Birkenstock

Yesterday it was a day for casual cut-offs and sneakers.

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Top – Mango // Shorts – J.Crew // Sneakers – New Balance by J.Crew (old similar here)

And Friday I wore my lovely new Ancient Greek sandals, which are like jewelry on my feet, with this gorgeous ASOS maxi dress (it is generous – this is a US 6/UK 10) – thanks to Eve for the tip off!

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Dress – ASOS // Sandals – Ancient Greek

Don’t look too close – I am desperate for a pedi after running and hot yoga all last week!

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I hope you all enjoyed your Monday off in the UK – we only have 2 1/2 weeks left before the summer break here!

 

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Outfit catch up.

First of all my Golden Goose arrived!! Yay!!! SO fast!! But boo!! Bugger they are too big!! I ordered 39s – both my other pairs are 39s – but these leopard print ones are ENORMOUS! So off they go back, with the 38s on their way to me. Why must a brand be so inconsistent with sizing?  The good thing is they are lovely – quite muted and not too loud at all – if you can say that for leopard print:)

It’s definitely Fall here now – the jeans and boots are out in full force, along with scarves – it’s very exciting!  This weekend we have Fall break from school too so it should be fun packed with play dates for Poppy and Hugh, and Mom and Dad:)

Today I am wearing – shock, gasp, horror – lots of ‘old’ stuff.  My Boden drop shoulder jumper (from the clearance), Gap camo jeans, Zara scarf and grey Newbury boots.  Look at that turf behind me!  We have a whole new yard to enjoy – no more rotting swing set causing a hazard to anyone!

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Monday saw me in my new H&M ‘coatigan’, Fayza jeans, Vince Ninas and an old Zara black tee.  The sunglasses are Chanel from last year (similar here).

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Tuesday I wore my fabulous leopard print hat, old AllSaints tee, old J.Crew jacket (similar here), camo jeans from Gap and my canvas Newbury boots.  Yes, yes, yes – quite a few ‘older’ loved items coming back out for Fall!

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Yesterday I eventually changed into my Boden St. Ives jumper, Fayza jeans, Havaianas and J.Crew wool cap – I was very lazy and worked from home while some burley men worked in the yard laying the turf:)  Sorry for the fuzzy photo – I think I was still shaking after a tabata session in spin class – I thought I might actually hurl it was such hard work!

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Unfortunately we underestimated the amount of turf we needed so they’ll be back next week to finish the job…

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My weekend starts tonight with a girls’ night out – margaritas and tacos – I can’t wait!

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Just for fun.

Last night it occurred to me, as I was surfing some blogs and Instagram, that there are a lot of folks out there running, working out, doing crossfit etc. in preparation for the summer.  I find it incredibly motivating seeing what others are up to in their work out regime and I love chatting with people about what works best for them.  So I have a new challenge for you – just for fun:)

Every day I work out I will upload a post work-out photo on Instagram (poppysstyle) and tag it with #PSFitClub.  Follow me here and leave a comment including the #PSFitClub.  I’ll follow you back, and all you need to do is upload your post work-out photo tagged with #PSFitClub – easy hey?  We can have our own virtual, global training group.  Great motivation!  I want to see rosy cheeks, sweaty brows and dirty sneakers/trainers.  Tell us what your goals are, what you have done, how you feel, and what your reward will be.  In 6 months time we can compare photos from now and then!  Have fun with it.  To start us off here I am after my hot, humid, sauna like run here this morning.  After today – for those of you that have zero interest in working out – I’ll just be posting #PSFitClub photos on Instagram🙂

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And now the reason behind #PSFitClub – so I can continue to drink wine, eat chocolate and wear fabulous clothes!  Here’s what I’ve worn so far this week.

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Trousers – J.Crew factory (old) // Shirt – J.Crew popover // Shoes – Nine West

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Dress – Asos // Boots – Rag & Bone canvas Newburys // Sunglasses – Chanel

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Sandals – Zara // Jeans – Zara (old) // Top – Zara // Bag – Alexander Wang Rocco

 

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Old friends, a birthday, a Eurovision song contest and wedding talk!

It’s been one of those amazing weekends.  I still feel on a high, though slightly weary after a weekend of excesses.  Karin and Simon left this morning to head back to Stockholm but it was a memorable weekend.

Yes I did help choose the rings:)  I think Karin found my advice invaluable…BUT I have promised not to share photos of it before the wedding in August.  Needless to say it is a classic and stunning.   The boys and girls then parted ways, as the ladies took on some hardcore shopping.  Two pairs of Jimmy Choos, a Jimmy Choo clutch, a Coach handbag and a pair of ballet flats later Karin was all shopped out.  And you’ll never guess what – I didn’t buy a thing!! I was having so much fun offering advice that I got my shopping endorphins vicariously through Karin.

I did however do some ‘browsing’ and I fell seriously head over heels (pun intended) for these Miu Miu jazz shoes!

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Had I had 2 glasses of wine at lunch instead of one I’m quite sure this McQueen clutch would have come home with me.

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Then I took some photos of a potential birthday present – I like to help my Husband out with a couple of pointers:)

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As for Karin’s haul here’s one pair of the gorgeous wedding shoes – these are for the ceremony.

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Naturally we had to get a pair for dancing in too:)

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This is the bag that Karin walked away with from Coach.  I adore the style – so slouchy and the interior design is perfect.  I am lusting after it in yellow.  Coach seem to have really upped their game recently and are moving away from the heavily branded C logo bags – thank goodness.

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On Friday night after a tiring day of shopping we all headed out to our favorite restaurant where Simon proposed to Karin last year.  MUCH fun was had.  I was thrilled to wear my Ted Baker dress for the first time!

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Dress – Ted Baker (no longer available online) // Shoes – Nine West // Clutch – YSL // Bracelets – Tiffany & Co // Ring – David Yurman

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On Saturday it was Poppy’s birthday so after presents we went to her favorite BBQ joint for lunch.  Later that afternoon she had the time of her life dancing to the Eurovision Song contest!  We were SO excited that we managed to stream it live – quite giddy with excitement actually!

Yesterday we headed out for a little more shopping.  You’ll be relieved to know this time I did actually leave the Mall with something.  Two things in fact.  I am enamored with Gap at the moment and I left with 2 pairs of jeans.  The neon were in the sale in store but don’t appear to be online.

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I LOVE these paint splattered skimmers.  Both pairs are very stretchy and I managed to get into a 27″ in both so definitely size down.

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On Sunday night we headed out for steak and fabulous red wine.  Yummy – those 27″ might not fit today.

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Shoes – Zara // Jacket – Zara (similar here) // Blouse – Zara (old) // Trousers – Zara // Clutch – YSL

Today it is a day for comfort and drinking lots of water.  The sun is shining here again after a weekend of rain – not that we noticed it – we were having so much fun.  Till next time our special friends.

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Sandals – Zara // Skirt – Asos // T-shirt – Boden (similar here) // Neon scarf – Forever 21

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I’m a lucky girl…

…because I got another night out with MM last night!!  That’s two nights out this month already, and a couple of lunches – I should plan solo trips abroad more often!  I leave for Blighty in just over a week and to say I am excited is an understatement.  I’ve already started laying out my clothes in the bedroom to try and plan my capsule travel wardrobe.  Never fun – there’s always more I want to take.  I wish I was a good packer.  The UK weather also complicates matters as I need layers and I want to take suede boots – but that’s just madness for Bury in February no?  How do you pack?  Do you have it down to a fine art?  Tips please!  You’d think I’d be a pro by now but not so.

Yesterday I was begging for more warm weather – the sun shone but I think I was overly ambitious in my J.Crew shirt (some colors, including this neon rose, are in the sale) – it was still pretty chilly.  The scarf is an old H&M one and the jeans are Gap.  The flats are the VInce Camuto Fawna that I got in the sale.  I had to return the pink ones as the glitter came off after one wear – let’s hope these last a tad longer.

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So last night we headed to our favorite bar that overlooks the downtown skyline.  I ate oysters and drank prosecco – it was lovely.  I wore my Hudson Leeloo jeans that I got on sale at Zappos.com.  I LOVE them – so stretchy and comfy – the ‘bone’ color is perfect – not too white if you know what I mean – cream in fact!  The blouse is Zara as is the jacket, and the boots are the Nine West Buster that I got on sale. The clutch is and YSL Belle de Jour, a present from MM for our anniversary a couple of years ago:)  Oh and my nail polish is Chanel black satin – gorgeous color but doesn’t wear well, regardless of a great base coat and top coat.

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Okay back to the packing while the kids are at the park – wish me luck!

 

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A New Year and a new closet!

First let me tell you – if you did as I did and ordered in J.Crew‘s sale at the weekend, call them and ask them to apply the new 30% off sale prices STYLE2013 code to your order – they just did for me and have credited me $50 – brilliant customer service I have to say.

Another couple of sale purchases were made last night (trying to get it done before the New Year’s resolution etc…).  As MM was watching football I was surfing Nordstrom’s shoe sale.  It started with a want/need/itch – call it what you want – for some black and white ballet flats for the Spring to wear with my new J.Crew cafe capris.  Not willing to pay Chanel type prices but wanting a Chanel type shoe I thought Nordstrom would be the place to start.  Low and behold I found these beauties – the Vince Camuto Fawna.  Unfortunately, at 50% off I also thought I’d save more i.e. spend more, and I ordered the pink and caramel versions too!  They’re also available in the sale on the Vince Camuto site if you are in the US.

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So the Christmas tree is down today and the house is looking relatively normal again.  I have to say the Christmas present I am loving more and more each day is our new closet.  I am so thrilled we got it finished before the Holidays.  Each time I walk in there I feel giddy.  Everything is put away neatly, all within reach, and the best bit is we built it all ourselves – such a sense of accomplishment!  So as promised here are some photos of our new IKEA Pax closet – the steps are necessary for me to reach to top – we are using every inch of the room – and don’t worry MM has some space at the other end of the closet!

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Not much going on today – I nipped out to Trader Joe’s for some more Cava and Prosecco for tonight.  MM and I aren’t huge fans of New Year’s Eve – we always used to call it amateur night.  We’re much happier sitting in with a Chinese takeaway, some fizzy wine and Carson and Ryan on the t.v. – I am so ready for 2013 to start.  2012 has been an amazing year – and I am expecting great things from 2013.  We’re planning a year of travel and trips – no money on the house this year!  I hope 2013 brings you all health, wealth and happiness – and THANK YOU for being here – for reading, being interested and leaving comments and sending emails – it means more than you can possibly imagine.

So here’s the last outfit of 2012 – some sparkles and fur.  MM wanted to know where I was going clubbing when I nipped out to the shops:)  It’s time for the Target fur (reduced to $35 online), worn over a Zara t-shirt layered with an old, but favorite Diesel sequin t-shirt.  The jeans are Hudson Collins and the boots are the Isabel Marant Dickers.  HAPPY NEW YEAR! xx

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New makeup!

I get stuck in a rut when it comes to makeup.  Apart from my eyeliner I have probably been applying and using many of the same products for 20 years.  Much as I love clothes and trying new things I rarely do the same with make up – very boring.

My current make up routine begins with a drug store moisturizer with spf – either Boots No7, Oil of Olay or Nivea – I like a light non-greasy fluid.  MM bought me a pot of La Mer for my 40th but to be honest I find it too thick for me – no bad thing at $100 a pot!  That is then followed by foundation in the Fall/Winter – normally from Clinique, or Jergens natural glow in the Summer.  I’ve always loved Clinique and use Aglow blusher everyday.  I’ve been using Clinique since I first splurged on my Wedding makeup back in 1998.  I’ve tried Estée Lauder a couple of times and their foundations are lovely – but the power of branding always brings me back to Clinique and I also use their pressed powder everyday.  Eyes are always drug store brands – due to sheer laziness I never wear eye shadow unless we’re off out somewhere special – my every day wear is a line of L’Oreal Infallible pencil on my top lid and Maybelline Great Lash mascara in Very Black.  This mascara is always a Beauty Editor’s favorite and I love it – it never clumps and is super easy to apply – I doubt I’ll every wander from this little gem.  Lips are normally a quick swipe of gloss – I’ve tried them all L’Oreal, Clinique, Rimmel, but my favorite is Chanel – $29.50 – so expensive – but they last forever, are non sticky and have fabulous colors – well worth the splurge in my eyes.  I also have an array of Revlon super lustrous lipsticks – they are lovely and creamy and there’s a great choice of colors.  At the end of the day before bed I use my Clarisonic Mia and apply Bio Oil – the best night moisturizer I have found and I really believe my Clarisonic has reduced the number of break outs I get.

Given how rarely I switch up my make up I decided that this month it was time to adapt for my 41 year old skin.  It definitely needs a bit more care.  There are certain drug store purchases like my eye make up and moisturizer that I won’t change – I just don’t see the point in paying more.  However, in addition to my moisturizer I am now trying Clinique Repairwear Laser Focus – let’s hope it does exactly what it says on the bottle.  My skin has been ravaged my sun – and although I now wear spf daily – in my youth I fried it in the sun on the rare occasions we saw it back in the UK.  At 17 I even gave myself sun stroke using a heat/sun lamp on my face – I shudder to think of it now!  I nearly bought some Clinique Even Better but have decided to try Ambi Even&Clear instead for now as the price tag is considerably less.

As for foundation – I’ve decided I really just don’t like it.  The thought of applying a goopy fluid on my clean skin just seems counter intuitive to me.  Having said that I still need something to give me a bit of a glow and very light coverage.  After trying a Bare Escentuals starter kit I’ve now invested in a pot of their Matte Foundation powder and a fabulous new applicator brush from Sephora.  I love how silky and light it feels on my skin but it really does provide great coverage.

I also bought a new blusher brush as for the first time ever I have bought a Nars blusher – yes the one that is mentioned in nearly every magazine – Orgasm.  It is a gorgeous peachy color and apparently should work well on my skin that has ‘yellowy undertones’.  One of these blushers is sold almost every second according to the girl in Sephora.

I’m still as lazy as ever when it comes to lips but my current Chanel glosses are Twinkle and Seashell for the summer, so I bought a couple of darker ones for Fall – Myriade and Imaginaire – I can’t wait to wear them!

All in all quite a good haul that I am really happy with.  It did make me question why I think $30 for an item of make up is too much – when I quite happily spend that on a t-shirt.  After a fabulous haircut yesterday I am starting to think that you can have all the clothes in the world but nothing makes you feel as fabulous as great skin and great hair.

 

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Oops I did it again.

Today we’ve had the most incredible weather.  I always get so excited in March here as you can really feel the seasons change suddenly as the buds open, the temperature rises and the pollen increases.  I even burned my shins a little sitting in the garden this afternoon, definitely flip flops and bare legs weather, hooray!  I hope it lasts tomorrow as once the clocks have sprung forward I’m off out for my last long run before the half marathon next week.  I feel pretty virtuous today after a 20 minute shred with Jillian Michaels and then a 5 mile mountain climb on the bike in the Y while the kids were having their swimming lessons.  A good thing really as now the Mini Eggs have arrived in Target they’ve become quite a problem for me.  Thankfully I not only had Jillian to motivate me but an awesome workout partner too.

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Poppy has just returned from another fabulous birthday party and she now claims she is a ‘rock ‘n’ roll’ girl…I’m convinced she will actually one day wear black lipstick and worship Siouxsie Sioux – her Dad will be so proud.

As I was leaving the house to take her and her friend to the party I decided it just wasn’t cool to go in my worn out gray sweats so I popped on my lovely reliable Boden Easygoing tunic which is currently on clearance at $49.  I have to say this normally wouldn’t be my style at all but I ordered it on a whim in the sale based on my love of all their tunics and I thought I should at least try this one.  I put it on and it really is the easiest thing to wear.  Worn as a dress, or over leggings or tights, it is so comfortable and I love the pockets.  It does verge on being a ‘smock’ so you definitely have to be careful with how you style it but I am very happy it is in my closet for these early spring days when I want to go bare legged.  I’m wearing it here with my navy Tory Burch Eddies.

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I painted my nails again last night and opted for Chanel Black Pearl.  It’s a gorgeous greenish metallic black but I have to say given the price of a Chanel polish it comes nowhere close to Essie or Opi for staying power.  I’ve already had two chips to touch up.

Finally, after lusting over it for 3 days, and then being madly frustrated that the AllSaints website was down, I went and ordered the Dissolve dress.  Yes I know it’s long sleeve and we’re heading into summer but I love it so much and it’s just ‘so me’ so yes I went and did it again and hit that ‘place order’ button.  I can’t wait to get it now – and if there is a short sleeve version I’ll probably get that too…;)