Prom 2012 : Dress and Makeup | Mariam

So I went to prom yesterday. Shona went too, but I'm hoping she'll do her own post on it. If not, just trust me, she was there.

First off the dress. As you can see, mine was a polka dot peplum number. I've been wanting to get involved in the peplum trend for a while no, and prom seemed like the perfect occasion. It was from New Look, but one of their concessions called Cameo Rose. You might be thinking the dress isn't very prom-like. I should stress that our 'prom' was in a night club, and floor-length ball gowns were not the order of the day. Nevertheless, I love this dress and I think I'll get a lot of wear out of it, unlike my Year 11 Lipsy prom dress that is still resting, unloved and covered in cobwebs in the depths of my wardrobe.

Make up!

My make-up was really like my everyday make-up but more intense. I went for a smokey golden-brown eye, bronze and coral cheeks and balmy lips. Nothing out of the ordinary there.

On my eyes: Maybelline 24hr Colour Tattoo in On-and-on Bronze (35) as base, The Body Shop Sea Shell eyeshadow (part of a shimmer cubes collection) as inner corner highlight, W7 Perfect Eyes Eyeshadow in Sahara as the bronze lid colour and another W7 Eyeshadow in Carbon Copy to darken the outside of my eyes. I then applied Topshop Kohl Eyeliner in Saddle on my waterline, Bourjois Liner Pinceau in Black (32) as liquid liner and Bourjois Volume Clubbing Mascara in Ultra Black. I then pinched some false eyelashes from Shona, cut them in half and stuck them on the outside of my eyes for a more catlike effect.  

On my face: Benefit Porefessional (Glamour sample) as primer, Dirty Works Concealer under the eyes, Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in Light (2) on blemishes and redness, Bourjois 123 Perfect Foundation in Vanilla (52) as base, Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder in Medium (51), Gosh Cream Blushes in Peachy Rush (001) as base blush and Aura Cosmetics Fruity Blush in Peach Fizz over the top. As highlighter, I opted for my The Body Shop Illuminating Face Base.

On my lips, I just used some Korres Lip Butter in Mango. The finished look was borderline porn star, but I liked it!  

Do you like my look for prom? What's your ideal prom dress and make-up look? Also, if anyone is reading this and has a prom to go to in the near future, I hope you have a great time!

Mariam xx

Empties #1 | Mariam

I've recently acquired a load of empty tubes, jars and bottles so I thought I would give you a little low down on the products I've used up.

Let's start off with the boring ones shall we?

Nivea Pearl and Beauty 48hr Anti-Perspirant

I get through a lot of these, so there's really no surprise at this being in here. I'm no anti-perspirant buff, but this is really the only one I will buy. It just smells so nice and clean and girly – a lovely way to enhance (or even completely substitute) your perfume. As for keeping sweat patches at bay, it seems to do the job! Not quite sure about the 48 hour claim, but I doubt anyone has such a busy lifestyle.

Maybelline One by One Volum'Express Mascara

This is a good all-rounder mascara – it lengthens, volumizes and the tapered synthetic brush catches all the little lashes in the inner corner. If there wasn't a huge number of other mascaras out there that I wanted to try, this would probably be a repurchase for me.

The Body Shop Banana Shampoo

I was really intrigued by the Banana hair range by The Body Shop and while my conditioner is still going strong, the shampoo is all used up. This shampoo helps my hair feel really clean and light, and it's noticeably made my hair much shinier. I've tried to repurchase this but all stores I've been in are out of stock. Just checked the website – out of stock! What is going on?

Percy & Reed Totally TLC Hydrating Mask

You may remember Glamour magazine giving these Percy and Reed products away a couple of months ago, and I was so mad for this Deep Treatment mask I even snapped up three! While I cannot say that this is a miracle hair saviour, it makes my dead ends feel a bit more nourished and combing through my mane that little bit easier. Again, the main thing about this product is the smell. I've probably never enjoyed the smell of a hair product this much. Interestingly, it smells a lot like the deodorant pictured above. A strange concept, but to me it smells delightful.

Mandara Spa Amber Heaven Moisturising Bath Essence

 This is actually a bath essence but I've been using it as a body wash, as it has proved rather difficult taking baths in my shower. It's worked well, though. I just absolutely love the smell of the Amber Heaven range. It's not my usual taste; it's very musky, very woody, very deep, but there's something almost hypnotically beautiful about it. I'll definitely look for the Amber Heaven body butter the next time I'm in a bigger Sainsbury's.

Mandara Spa Tropical Blooms Softening Body Cream

This was another little sample included in the set. This is a really nice light moisturiser that sinks in really nicely to the skin, leaving behind a silky smooth finish. It smells floral, but not overly so. Again, another product I'd love to own full size.

Mandara Spa Honeymilk Dream Nourishing Hand Cream

It's taken me a good half year to use up this hand cream but I can sleep easy as I've got a mini back-up. Quite simply, this hand cream is delectable. It makes my hands feel extremely soft and nourished, and like all the Mandara Spa products I've tried, it smells sensational. So sweet and comforting, like a big fluffy duvet.

I'm actually a huge fan of the Mandara Spa range. They're available in most larger Sainsbury's as well as here. If you feel like you need a bit of (affordable) luxury or are looking for a nice present for someone, I really recommend this brand.

Have you used up any products lately? I really like summing up products I've used, I'll make this a regular feature.

Mariam xx