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

Topshop lipstick in Rio Rio | Shona

You know those days when you wake up and want to 'dress your face up' even though your probably going nowhere, and seeing only your and oblivious parents and tired, festival-worn sister. Yes today was one of those days. On those kind of days I often reach for the Rio Rio lipstick from the topshop.

As its an  orange-toned red its super easy to wear, and today I went with a subtle bronzey eye, and a good dashing of bronzer through the cheekbones!

I love the lipstick range from topshop, as they are well pigmented, long lasting and have a slightly creamy finish for the first few hours so are a joy to wear. Another plus is there is a small but diverse range of intriguing colours to chooses from. I tend to gravitate towards them than other brands on the highstreet which is evident from my ever-growing collection! As I dont have a red lip liner in my collection, I used a Rimmel lip liner in 001 Spice, which does its job and slightlt tones-down the vibrancy of the lipstick suiably for the daytime.

This lipstick is priced at £8.00, which although a bit pricier than other highstreet brands, manges to justifies itself with its lasting power, pigmentation and slightly-glossy-slightly-satin finish which makes it so comfortable to wear.

 Do you find the whole colour range wearable? Have you got any good recommenndations from the topshop lipstick range?

Boots 17 Blush Collection and Review | Mariam

I'm a huge fan of 17 – one of the three Boots exclusive brands. It stands on the lower end of highstreet/drugstore pricing range and constantly comes out with new exciting products while maintaining a solid permanent line. One of my favourite products are the blushes. I love them so much, I've collected five over the years.

I should apologise now and say that four out of five are limited edition, but the praise for these blushes is consistent across the board. I know a lot of people talk about the Natural Collection blushes from Boots, but I'm personally not convinced. Yes, the 17 blushes are that little but pricier at £3.49, but they compare with other blushes I've tried at two, even three times the price. All the blushes I own are buttery, blend easily and any glitter is very inconspicuous.

Damson Wine

This is the only permanent line blusher I have. It's a very neutral dusky rose/plum colour, akin to Benefit's Dallas. It's a very easy colour to wear, and as it's matte, it lends itself to a slight sculpting effect.

These other four blushes are limited editions (though the last two are still in stores I believe – RUN!) and therefore have the slightly snazzier title of Blush and Glow and the price is raised to £3.99.

These two were released around two years ago, if I remember correctly, though I have seen them in little Boots clearouts. These are half blushes/half highlighters, but as I'm not a highlighter fan, I haven't got a lot to say about that part.

Peaches and Cream (on the left) is a lovely rich peach shade with a healthy dose of gold shimmer – the perfect spring/summer shade. It is very comparable to the cult Orgasm by Nars, and truly a flattering, warm shade.

Strawberry Swirl is one of my all-time favourite blushes (you can even see a little bit of the pan peeking though!). It's very close to my natural 'blush colour' if that makes sense, so I find it really easy to wear. 

These two were released this spring and I believe they're still in store and definitely on the Boots website. Instead of a blush/highlight combo, these are two blush duos that can be used seperately or indeed mixed together.

In Bloom is the perfect spring shade. It's a cool toned pink with a slightly lilac/purple undertone, however, I did find it to work on my skin tone.

Peachy is one of the most flattering shades I've ever worn. It's not quite as peachy as the name would suggest, I actually find it to be quite pinky. Nevertheless, it's an instant brightening blush and perfect for summer.

What do you make of the 17 blushes? Do you own any, or are wanting to try them out?

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