The Body Shop BOGOF Offer

Hello lovelies!

Just to give you a quick heads up - The Body Shop are currently offering buy one get one free on their current in store sale line (by in store I mean High Street store, not webstore - they have different offers!) - this includes some of the amazingly reduced box sets, shimmer cubes and body butters amongst other treats! This offer is available in their regular high street stores until February 13th (or until they run out of sale stock)!

Also, if you have a Love Your Body card, you still get a further 10% off ... and if you're super lucky like me and have your birthday ion January or February, don't forget to claim your £5 birthday treat money against it.

I was really lucky today and managed to get two massive gift boxes with a combined total of £68 for a mere £8.50 (£34 of products in a £23 box reduced to £15 on bogof with 10% love your body discount and £5 love your body birthday gift!) Here's what I got:

Pretty awesome no? I picked up the Pink Grapefruit (my favourite!) and Mango gift sets, both of which contain a shower gel, soap, body butter, scrub (all full size) and a shower puff!

Have you managed to pick up any fabulous bargains in the sales this year? Will you be checking out The Body Shop bogof?

Also, a massive thank you to the sweet assistants in The Body Shop on Stonegate who were just lovely today and a wee heads up for York peeps - Stonegate Body Shop are offering Free Makeovers every Friday at the moment, perfect for getting your makeup done before a big night out or maybe just giving something extra a go. If you pop in and book, be sure to tell them I sent you :) xx

FOTD: Relaxed gypsy goes on holiday

Hello :) Just thought I'd post a quick little FOTD. It's a combination of a visit to the Benefit counter and trying to decide what to take with me on holiday (we're sort of backpacking to Amsterdam so I want to travel light!) I couldn't find my camera. so these are just from my camera phone hence the slightly dodgy colour and blurriness.

Face:
bareMinerals Foundation in Medium Beige (I still have a bit of a sample pot left and was seeing if I like it or not, however, my skin is already itching so I think it's a no - stupid bismuth)
Benefit benetint (cheeks and lips)
Lush It Started with a Kiss Lip Tint (over the benetint)

Eyes:
Shiro Cosmetics Lance the Dragon Tamer (all over)
Superdrug MUA in 13 (all over)
The Body Shop Big and Curvy Mascara

Nothing groundbreaking, but I definiately think I'm going to take benetint on holiday with me - 2 birds with one stone :D

FOTD Nocturnal Phosphoric Amino Acids

Today I decided to have a bit of a play around with a couple of Sleek products that I've had in my kit for a while but haven't really had the chance to use - the Acid Palette and the Kajal in Nocturnal (Black). I'll be doing a proper review of the Kajals soon as well because they're awesome!

This look is quite a dramatic look inspired by some of the gorgeous Arabic looks that Oxford Jasmine has done, the Illamasqua Dystopia publicity from a while ago and the Cheshire Cat from the old Alice in Wonderland film. My fringe is in desperate need of a cut, so sadly this look is bought to you by my right eye only.

Face
Elf Mineral Face Primer
Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Foundation in 02 Ivory
The Body Shop Natures Minerals Foundation in 03 (probably didn't need it to be honest)
The Body Shop Natures Minerals Blusher in 01 Pink Quartz
17 Blush and Glow (mainly just the Glow part) in Strawberries and Cream
Elf Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder (Bronzer only for contouring)
The Body Shop Colourglide Lip Colour  in 62 Velvet Wine

Eyes
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Sleek Acid Palette - Amino (inner 2/3rds)
Sleek Acid Palette - Phosphoric (outer 1/3rd plus winging and under eye)
Sleek Acid Palette - Neutralisation (inner corner)
Sleek Acid Palette - Carboxylic (outer cream - blended)
Sleek Kajal in Nocturnal (upper and lower lash and water lines)
17 Va Va Voom Mascara in Black
Elf Eyebrow Kit in Dark

(Wondering about the weird Sleek names? See this post - I gave every colour for all of my palettes a name!)

April Favourites

April seems to have been a really exciting month for me make up wise - I feel like I've discovered lots of exciting new things that have really perked up my daily make up routine, so I thought that I'd share my April favourites with you :)

Elf Luscious Liquid Lipstick in Bark
Yum! This is actually my perfect "my lips but better shade" and it has a gorgeous peppermint taste. It's a cross between a lipgloss and a lipstick, not at all sticky and perfect for just finishing off a fairly quick neautral look :)

Lush Colour Supplement in Dark Yellow
I really do need to do an update post on these - since buying the actual jar (instead of using the sample in a plastic pot) I've been utterly transformed in my opinion of these. I previously said that they were only really good for the tinted moisturiser aspect - I was wrong! They're perfect concealers/foundations. Love it! Use this every day as a tinted  moistuirser and as a concealer on my nose and cheeks

The Body Shop Nature's Minerals Foundation in 03* and Kabuki Brush*
I wear this over my Lush Colour Supplement tinted moistuirser/concealer combo pretty much every day as it gives a light-medium coverage that I think is perfect for work. Again, I really need to do a full post on this soon as I've got a fair bit to say about it!

No 17 Blush & Glow in Peaches and Cream and Strawberries and Cream
I bought this on Mizz Worthy's suggestion and they're amazing! A perfection combination of blush and highlighter in really flattering shades for Spring/Summer. I adore these and again they get used most days.

Elf Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder
I got this as part of a massive Elf haul that I did recently (I still need to show you that -  It's full of pretty things!) and I love it. I know that there's a few posts around saying it's a dupe for some Nars things, but as I don't have those, I couldn't tell you. For me they're just a gorgeous blush and bronzer shade. (Note - I'll add a photo of it open when I get home.... silly me!)

Elf Studio Brushes - Blush, Powder, Complexion, Eyeshadow C
These have basically revolutionised my entire make up routine...  having good quality brushes makes such a difference! Again, I use these brushes pretty much everyday (apart from the powder brush as I use that for liquid foundation which I don't wear on a daily basis) and I love them. They make applying make up easy, give great control, haven't shedded at all and are use generally wonderful!


What have you been loving this April?
*This products were given to me free for review purposes

Foundation Fortnight: Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection

(Photo from the Collection 2000 website)

This is a foundation that you've probably heard a fair bit about - I know that a few bloggers have been talking about this in recent months and it was Mizz Worthy who tipped me off on this one.

Described as "ultimate wear foundation", this foundation promises flawless skin, 16 hour wear and claims to be transfer proof and water resistant. All of that, and it has and SPF of 20, is oil free and costs a mere £5.99.

You might have heard me ramblingon before about being afraid of foundation - I think it's just one of those things that I decided to scare myself into being afraid of after seeing so many women wearing either foundation that was too dark or too cakey. Hence anything that says "ultimate wear" makes me think of freaky mask faced women in department stores. So how did I get on?

Finding a match
Amazingly, I found a good match for my skin tone pretty much straight away. This almost never happens. I have skin that is pale but in an olivey weird way and find it really difficult to get most "drugstore" (hate that word by the way) foundations to match me. Therefore I was pleasently surprised when I found that Ivory (shade 2) is a perfect match for me! Don't believe mr? Look at my cheek/neck/ear:

Not too shabby really.

Wearability
(I've decided that it is a word....) Lovely. This blends really easily into my skin, although it does set quite quickly so you need to work fast. I've applied with with both a traditional foundation brush and my ELF powder brush and have had no problems with streakyness with either method. Although it "sets", it never looks cakey. This foundation gives a medium - heavy coverage and I found that it covered all my redness/blemishes/rubbishness easily with no need for concealer. I find that this is probably my most long lasting foundation, and my make up will look just a lovely in the evening as it did first thing.

Anything else to know
This foundation has a slightly matte/slightly dewy finish (there's probably a less oxymoronic phrase I could use, but nevermind) and is availiable from anywhere that sells Collection 2000 (Superdrug and some Boots stores I think)

Finally, a picture of me with a fully made up face so that you can see how it looks. If you want a comparison shot to see how my skin looks naked, check out this post. If you want to know what make up I'm wearing in this shot, just ask and I'll let you know :D

Oooo and, whilst I'm here, let me just show you my favourite lipstick at the moment:

Yum! It's The Body Shop Colourglide Lip Colour in 62 Velvet Wine. (Apologies for my retarded lips .... they refuse to have lipstick applied to their inner regions.)

Foundation Week: What's your Holy Grail Foundation?

Hello lovelies!

This week has been slightly quieter than normal as I've been trying hard to sort some difficult things out in my head and also I've been enjoying having many a free evening to spend with the husband :D I hope you're all well and happy.

I thought I'd start foundation week a little early with a question - what is your current holy grail foundation? If you don't have a h.g., what's you're favourite at the moment, the one that you reach for automatically without even thinking about it?

I think my current favourite is a combination of Lush Colour Supplement in Dark Yellow (which reminds me, I have an update post to do about the Lush Colour Supplements... watch this space) mixed with a little moisturiser and then either Lily Lolo Mineral Foundation in Blondie or The Body Shop Mineral Foundation in 03.

My favourite bits of Body Shop make up

As promised in my last blog post, here's a very quick look through some of my favourite bits of make up from The Body Shop. Most of this was bought with my own pennies but if it's marked with a * I was given for review purposes (longer reviews will be coming!)

1.Shimmer Cubes in Brown *
I'd always thought these looked a bit naff, especially as swatching them is pretty much pointless (they give a very sheer shimmery colour) However, I got chatting to the manager of my local store and she recommended spraying your brush with their Vitamin E Face Spray first... wow! Doing this turns them into gorgeous richly pigmented cream eyeshadows that really do stick (even without primer!). I haven't tried yet, but I imagine that you could just foil your brushes normally as well for similar effects.

2.Moisture Foundation in 04
I love the smell, colour, texture and wear of this! It gives a good medium coverage, doesn't "set" but also doesn't slide off and blends really nicely. Whenever I wear this people comment on my nice fresh looking complexion.

3.Natures Minerals Foundation in 03* and Natures Minerals Foundation Brush*
Shortly after my wee post about mineral foundation, I was asked if I'd like to give these a try. I'm still in the process of properly trying this foundation out (a more detailed review will come in Foundation week) but so far I really like it. It gives a light to medium coverage and is great for days when you want to look tidied up but not too done. Again, it's not cakey and doesn't make you sparkle like Edward Cullen. This brush is beaaaaautiful! So stunningly soft. I adore it. Very minimal shedding as well.

4.Love Gloss for Lips
If you saw my Rae Morris Exotic Eyes look I did a little while ago you'll have already seen one of these beauties in action. I own 2, my favourite being Raspberry Pink. They're quite buttery, smell/taste really nice and fruity and give beautiful colour payoff and shine. They're not at all sticky and they last a good 4 or 5 hours before needing a touch up. They've just bought out a very "on trend" Dusky Lavender, which would look hideous on me but would probably suit the rest of you beautiful people quite nicely!

5.Colourglide Lip Colour
I'm really starting to build up a little collection of these! Again, they smell so scrummy (seriously, The Body Shop makes the nicest smelling make up ever!), they're really moisturising and have wonderfully buildable colour. They have an incredible range of colours with pretty much something to suit everyone. My personal favourites are Soft Peony and Velvet Wine (I think... it might be Midnight Berry)

Do you use any Body Shop make up? What are your favourite bits?

(If I get time, I'll add some pictures to this post.... at the moment my camera batteries are still needing a charge!)

Stonegate Body Shop Make Up Event

Hello Lovelies! Hope you've had a nice couple of days - we had a nice time in Keswick although having a stupid injured foot made it really frustrating as me and The Husband LOVE hill walking and didn't get to do any ::(

Anyway, this is a post mainly aimed at my Yorkshire based readers (but that doesn't mean the rest of you need to stop reading!)

Tomorrow (Thursday 8th April 2010) The Body Shop on Stonegate, York will be holding a very exciting Make Up Event! It'll be going on all day and they've got lots of exciting things planned - arm and hand massages, free makeovers, makeup, hair and skin consultations and tonnes more as well.

They're a lovely bunch down at the Stonegate store and are extremely helpful (last time I was there they convinced me that I wouldn't look like an idiot in their red lip gloss and they were right) and would love to see you down there. If you do pop in, feel free to mention that you read about it on Sparkle and Shade (or just Emily's blog - they should know who I am!).

Also if the world of The Body Shop's make up is utterly bewildering to you, I'll be bringing you a post of some of my favourite make up bits from them later on today :D

*Disclaimer* I am advertising this event as part of my affiliation with my local Body Shop store. I am in no way paid to blog about this event and this affiliation is not connected to The Body Shop head office.

FOTD: Rae Morris Exotic Eyes

A little while ago I bought the book "Make Up: The Ultimate Guide" by Rae Morris ... one of this days I'll get round to reviewing it for you, but for now here's my attempt at the Exotic Eyes look she does. I'll apologise for the fact that my blending/shape is nowhere near perfect but it's a loooong time since I attempted something this complex.

Face/Lips:
Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Foundation in 02 Ivory
The Body Shop Kiss of Colour Cheek Blush in Golden Coral (I LOVE this blush :D)
The Body Shop Love Gloss for Lips in 11 Raspberry Pink

Eyes:
High Voltage Cosmetics Eyeshadow in Pin Up (Yellow - all over lid and up to brow bone)
Sleek Bohemian Palette Eyeshadow in Sanguine (shimmery cranberry in crease/wing - see Lipglossiping's blog for details for the new names for this palettes/Sleek's plans to introduce names for all their palettes)
Sleek Bohemian Palette Eyeshadows in Neutron (black - outer v/wing)
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eyepencil in Flipside (lower waterline)
Bourjois Volume Glamour Ultra Black Mascara
Rimmel Professional Brow Pencil in Black Brown

What do you think? I know it's a little messy but please be gentle :)

A couple of exciting things in the pipeline for Sparkle and Shade

Hello lovelies :D

I just thought I'd let you know a couple of things which are in the pipeline for Sparkle and Shade over the next month or so.

Firstly, I'll be having a whole week dedicated to foundation. I'm not really a foundation expert (in fact, it terrifies me half of the time), but I've got a few new bits and bobs to play with foundation wise and thought it would be a good chance to do a themed week and to share my experiences with you as I tried to find my Holy Grail foundation! This will probably be in a couple of weeks when things have settled down a little and I can commit to blogging every day :)

Secondly, I'm planning on running a little creative make up competition - I'm sure I've mentioned before that I also do face painting and I love the fact that the avant garde side of make up artistry combines the two (well, it does in my head). So I'm planning on running a little competition to encourage you ladies to get creative with your faces and those crazily coloured palettes hidden away at the back of wardrobes/drawers/piles of tat which will feature some very exciting prizes (well, I think they'll be exciting).

Finally, I want to tell you about a little partnership I formed today. I was in my local Body Shop (the one on Stonegate in York if you really want to know) and got chatting to the manager about beauty blogging while I was trying some beautiful red lipstick on (I'll show you that later... it's purdy). After a bit of chatting (and a bit of explaining what blogging is exactly), she asked me if I'd like to partner with their store to give my York readers all the latest gossip on special events and that sort of thing, and also to review new products/products you might not know about and just give you a bit of inside information on The Body Shop in general. I really do feel very honoured and privileged to have been asked to partner with them in this way and I know I've got some really exciting things to share with you over the next few weeks (I know because they're currently sat on my carpet and I'm grinning like a kid with a massive bag of sweeties).

So that's it really, all the lovely bits and bobs that are in the pipeline for Sparkle and Shade. I really am having so much fun writing this blog, and I hope you're having fun reading. If you have any requests for posts/fotds that you'd like to see me do or any other thoughts/ideas/suggestions please do share them with me as I love to hear from you :)

*Disclaimer* My partnership with The Body Shop is through a local store manager, not through head office. Although I will receive some products for review, I will not be paid in any way. I am doing this to help promote my local shop and some excellent products. As always, my reviews will be fair and unbiased. Also, please don't go into your local stores begging to become partners - this isn't an "official" thing and I'd feel awful if store managers all over the country got hounded.

80 Follower Giveaway Update!

Goodness me, I have 86 followers. That's a very lovely surprise to come home to after a wee mini break with The Husband. The other lovely surprise that I came home to was to find that the garlic bulbs we planted in January have finally started shooting, but that's probably quite dull so I'll shush and hush!

Anyway, as promised, this giveaway just keeps on growing! The latest addition to the bundle is:

The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Reviver. Yummy :D

If you've not already entered yet, the giveaway itself is here!

FOTD: Rapunzel fell from grace

Sorry for the sudden flurry of posts ... I really am loving having a camera again!  Anyway, here's a quick look I did this morning before running out of the house for work. I decided to keep it quite simple, fresh and natural. Also, I apologise for the mahoosive spot on the end of my nose - I blame stress!

 

 

Face:

Lush Colour Supplements in Dark Yellow (mixed with my normal Origins moisturiser)

Benefit Dandelion

Eyes:

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Boots 17 Solo Eyeshadow in Ivory Coast (all over eye up to brown bone)

Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy (ontop of Ivory Coast, over lid only)

Fyrinnae Rapunzel had Extensions (all over lid)

Fyrinnae Fall from Grace (outer two thirds and blended)

Sleek Storm palette No. 5 (inner corner)

Sleek Storm palette No. 6 (outer V)

Urban Decay 24/7 pencil in Rockstar (waterline and blended along upper and lower lashline)

Bourjois Volume Glamour Ultra Black Mascara

Lips:

The Body Shop Colourglide Lip Colour in 48 Soft Peony

FOTD: Spectrum

No, not ZX Spectrum silly, colour spectrum! I was chatting to a friend of mine who reads my blog and he was asking what I'm gonna do next and it reminded me that it's a while since I've done a FOTD post... mainly because I hate taking pictures with my webcam :( The colours just don't look right and you can't quite see the detail.

Anyway, here's a colour spectrum inspired FOTD from today :) (Also I apologise for the fact that I have this mad bit of hair sticking up at the back ... I'm having a Harry Potter hair day aka a day of hair that won't do what it's told)

 

  

I literally can't wait for my XD card ... I got the dispatch email for it today so hopefully it's not gonna be too much longer until normal service is resumed!

Details:

Face:

Lancome Adaptive in 02 Lys Rose and The Body Shop Moisture Foundation in 04 (2 thirds lancome + 1/3 The Body Shop .... I was experimenting and I liked it!)

ELF Mineral Booster in Sheer

Botanics Cheek Colour in Holly Hock

Boots No7 Natural Radiance Highlighter

Lancome Blush Subtil in Bronze Glow

Eyes:

UDPP

Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy

(from inner corner to outer corner, all Fyrinnae)

Shingami

Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat

Chaotic Evil

Treacle Well

Banana Mochi

We're All Mad Here

Looking Glass

Urban Decay 24/7 Eyepencils in Zero and Flipside

Bourjois Volume Glamour Mascara in Black

Rimmel Professional Eyebrown Pencil in Black Brown 

Lips:

ELF Mineral Lipstick in Nicely Nude

Recent lovely haul things

Over the last week or so, I've been a lucky girl indeed. Here's what I've been hauling recently (still no pictures, sorry!)


♥ Collection 2000 Glam Crystal Gel Liner in Turquoise - I really love the colour of this, and the liner itself stays for a really long time! The glitter was a bit patchy but I think that's because I was applying it in a bit of a rush.


♥ Collection 2000 Longer Lash Mascara in Intense Black - I've been using Lancome Hypnose since I got married,but it's waterproof and that really annoys me as it makes my lashes slightly clumpy. This is ok as a very basic mascara, but is quite a wet formula if you know what I mean. Not amazing, but not truly awful..


♥ Collection 2000 Colour Intense Solo Eyeshadow in Velvet -  This colour is beautiful. It's a really lovely plummy shimmery redish purple.Yum. Very smooth application and good coolour pay off.


♥ Collection 2000 Pop-tastic! Eye Palette - I got free with the above three Collection 2000 products.The colours are similar to those in the Sleek acid palette,although not as bright or as richly pigmented. I haven't tried this properly yet but from the swatches I did, I think it might be alright.


♥ The Body Shop Colourglide Lip Colour in 48 Soft Peony - I LOVE this! I'm not really a lipcolour girl...it scares me. However, this gives a beautiful soft pink, moisturises nicely and smells like yummy raspberry sweets. Definitely recommend giving this a try.


♥ The Body Shop Moisture Foundation in 04 - I've been looking for a new foundation for a while, as I got the Lancome one for my wedding (see a theme emerging??) and had a bit more of a tan. This is a perfect match for my skincare, applies really smoothly and evenly and doesn't look patchy on my dried bits. The combination of this and the Lip Colour probably means that The Body Shop is going to be getting a lot more of my money in the next few months!!!


I also got a huuuge Fyrinnae haul on Thursday and ordered my Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland Palette but I'll save those for another post :)


What have you hauled recently? Have you tried any of The Body Shop's make up? What did you think?

Favourite Everyday Products

So I was in the shower this morning, and I was trying to think of do-able blog posts whilst I wait for my XD card. I figured one very simple post would be to share my current favourite "everyday" products... the bare essentials that get used even when there's not really time to do much beyond the basics:
Shower Gel: Dove Cucumber and Green Tea or The Body Shop Neroli Jasmine
Shampoo: Lush Daddyo
Conditioner: Lush Jungle
Lip Balm: Dr Organic Pomegrante Lip Balm
Mascara: Lancome Hypnose in Black (although I picked up Collection 2000's Longer Lash Mascara in Intense Black the other day so I'm not really using my Lancome)
Skincare: The epic list of Origins I posted a while ago and the Amie Eye Make Up Remover
Deodorant: Nivea Double Effect 24hr

What are your everyday essentials?