The reds roll out.

Those few avid followers amongst you will notice that reds (of any form) are few and far between on this blog, in fact, with my thinking cap set in place, I can only think of this post - where the items have since been sold on to a better home - there have been maroons, a burgundy or two, but stark reds are scarce and I can't put my finger on why.

So, instead I let it be put on my fingers. I have discovered Bloom nail varnishes, and they are good. My outlet for this came through 'Sofia', pretty much the reddest red can get.

Noticing my day pass to Leeds Festival? Read the adventure here.

I think this is classic red at its best and whats more, I actually like it. It has actually been reapplied instead of removed and forgotten with a safer pink, my usual style.


It was easy to apply and was a nail varnish I would legitimately leave at one coat. Two coats only adds a bit of dimension to it, by way of glossiness. There is no top coat here, and it lasted just over 4 days before it started to wear at the tips.
The positives just keep coming.

This was in my massive box of goodies recently supplied by Superdrug, I'm currently brainstorming how to put the review across, that will be featured on the Superdrug blog of course, so be sure to stop by!

While rolling out the red on my talons, I also decided to channel it through my face. No, not through eyeshadow (I just had a flashback to a red eyeliner Rimmel released along with Volume Flash mascara, was it just me who tried that.. ahem.. daring look?). The lips were painted red, this was with Bourjois' Rouge a Levres lipstick in number 7 'Framboise Exquise', another red that I can actually pull off.

It gives a great bitten look, which is why I leave it to the matte finish it creates, instead of topping it up with gloss.
The Bourjois lipstick has also being pulled out frequently in the last couple of weeks since Superdrug also graced me with its presence, which is rare for me and lipsticks. Let's hope it's the start of many complimenting colours to come.

What are your opinions on reds? Do you wear with pride or are they pushed to the back of the drawer?

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Eponge de Sephora

A plus of a trip in Europe is, more often than not, you'll happen upon a Sephora (if not millions), no matter how little I actually need make up products, I'll always pay a visit and always pick something up.

The new product to try this trip was the Sephora dupe for the Beauty Blender, apparently noticeably different in quality. I was never remotely interested in trying either products when I read of their release, but - anything to enable me to spend something in Sephora. It is a not so secret obsession.

It comes with directions - a useful addition - but it's pretty simple.
I hastily tried this out with Revlon's ColorStay foundation. I needed to find a way to like that foundation, the finish was good, but the thickness and problems with blending really let it down.
I'm happy to report the Sephora Sponge has made all the difference.

I pour a little product onto the back of my hand, and dab the rounded end into it, before dabbing it over my face. It allows the foundation to sink into the skin nicely and leaves a great dewy finish. What's even better, is that just with the dabbing, the application is complete, you don't need to blend it and, provided your working with a good colour match, you're left with a seamless finish.


I use the pointed tip for concealer. It's particularly good for under the eyes, as the point gets the product right up to the lash line, again leaving a flawless finish. I always found that using brushes with liquid concealer, became difficult under the eyes as you needed to blend it out with your fingers to really get it up to the lash line.

It retails for around the 12 euro mark (just under £10), but I have a sneaky suspicion that the pesky Americans will get it at a cut of that price. Further online research confirms this, it's just $12, so that's a very reasonable £7 ish. Too bad Sephora has something against England.

If you're heading over to the continent, I'd recommend picking one of these up; especially if you're trying and failing with a dream foundation that is rapidly turning into a nightmare. It makes application easy and flawless and makes me wonder how much better the Beauty Blender can be.

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How Much Make-up Do YOU Wear?

I know I'm among the Beauty Blogger crowd here, but I have it on good authority that a lot of us don't go out in a full face of make up every single day.
So, it got me thinking; Just how much make up do we all wear?

I'm quite comfortable with anybody seeing my with no make up, if I'm at home. But whether I'm popping to the post office, or going out with friends - if I'm out of the house I'll at least have mascara on at all times.

This is what I wear pretty much every single day;

Tinted Moisturiser; Nivea Young is my all time favourite, this must be my third tube at least. I rarely wear foundation during the day.

Powder; MAC Mineralize Skin Finish will be something that is in my collection for ever. I love that it immediately reduces shine, but it doesn't look caked on in the slightest and you can still see your skin, with a tiny amount used.

Blush; Right now, I'm using Maybelline's Dream Blush daily. I go through phases with different blushes in a bid to use them up. My all time favourite was MAC's 'Tippy' from the Hello Kitty Collection or one from my Too Faced Quickie Chronicles palette.

Concealer; Unless the blemish is unsightly, I don't cover them up daily, but I'll always conceal under my eyes. I don't have bags or dark circles, but I love them looking that little bit brighter. I generally use the No7 Stick Concealer for blemishes, and Garnier's under eye roll on (not pictured) for under the eyes.

Eyeliner; This is the main part of my 'look'. I apply a white or cream liner to my water line (Rimmel's white or Stila's 'Topaz'), Elite's Stage Permanent Eyeliner in black to my tight line, and a liquid liner on the upper lashes - which happens to be Bourjouis Liner Feutre, but my favourite is Rimmel's liquid liner, for precise flicks at the corners.

Mascara; I pile it on the outer lashes, but just one coat for the rest. I'm currently using Rimmel's Sexy Curves which is becoming a favourite, but the all time 'go to' mascara is Maybelline's Colossal Lash.

As long as my liquid liner goes to plan, I can have my face finished in 10 minutes at the most.
I think people worry too much about getting stuck in a makeup rut, whereas I look it as, why fix something that isn't broken?
They're your favourite products for a reason!

Now, I want to know what you all wear on a daily basis! Whether it's a slick of lip balm, or false lashes and a full palette of eyeshadow I want to know!

What are your all time favourite products & just how much gets slapped on your face?

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A New Lease of Skin Life

Just over a month ago, I was invited to trial two products by Cellnique. Although it isn't a brand I'm familiar with, I've seen it pop up on a few other blogs, with good results, so I knew I wanted to be a part of it.


Cellnique is a Malaysian based brand, with their fingers in many different pies! The pie chosen for me - ahem - is from their B.Liv skincare range. It ranges through blackheads, pores and dry skin problems, with a wide product range, a couple of which I got sent for review.

After telling them what my skin woes were (monthly cycle breakouts & blackheads focused around my T Zone) they chose the products relevant for my skin type.
I was sent the 'Squeaky Clean' facial cleanser and 'Off With Those Heads' blackhead sebum gel.
I've been using these religiously for the month I've had them and here's what I think.

Squeaky Clean Facial Cleanser

The scent of this is my favourite thing about it, it's very lightly menthol. It reminds me of the scented gel pens that were so in, back in the day. It has tiny exfoliating beads which contribute to making your skin super soft, another level soft, they aren't abrasive in the slightest, but you can feel them working and opening up the pores.


It also leaves your skin smooth, and even using it up to twice a day, there isn't any dryness in sight - likely to be from the aloe vera in it.
My skin remained soft all day, and I've definitely noticed a difference in it's all over texture throughout the time I've been using it.
The packaging is another plus, pumps are cool to me. I love moisturisers, shampoos, facial care with pumps - it makes life so much easier. I generally use two pumps for my face, wet my hands and lather up the product, then apply all over my face, concentrating on my t zone, then rinse off with warm water, and use the following product...

Off With Those Heads Blackhead Sebum Gel

After using the Squeaky Clean cleanser, I smooth this over any problem areas, generally my nose and chin, leave for around 10 minutes to absorb into the skin, then apply a moisturiser at night, or my make up for the day.
I've worn this alone and under make up and it acts as a good primer, not affecting the look of your make up.
The clear serum absorbs pretty fast, it has more menthol undertones, which you can feel working their way into the pores, especially when the pores have been previously opened.

The visibility of the pores on my nose has definitely reduced, I don't seem so hung up on my blackheads any more.
I didn't see any noticeable difference in terms of breakouts or it reducing the size of blemishes though, I would focus this on blackhead problem areas, as there didn't seem to be any affect any where else.

The B.Liv products are currently only available in store in Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong - however, their website ships out to the UK, if you're interested in their products.
If you are interested, but not sure about committing to the prices, Cellnique are offering the first 50 readers the chance to get a free sample of the Off With Those Heads gel - if blackheads are your problem, then why not give it a go?!

All you need to do is email fbfreesample@blivskin.com with your full name and address, with the subject 'www.peluxe100.blogspot.com'. If you include your own blog URL, they are also on the look out for new bloggers to trial their products, so you could be in with a chance there!
It's a great chance to try something new for your skin type.

My experience with the company was more than positive. There was some customs problems with the items, but after contacting the company, all was sorted. They have made sure I've had all the information I needed & never made it a struggle to contact them, so a huge thank you to Cellnique.

Will you be requesting your free sample?

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The Quest For Volume: A Pepper Pot.

If you've followed me for a while, you'll know that I like coming across a product to bring life into my thin hair.
My hair is amongst the thinnest I know, apart from my auntie and cousin, I come from a family of thin hair - so I need to bring in some help if I want any sort of lift.

The newest product which has befallen this mission is Lee Stafford's Matt Fat Powder.

Just like the majority of the Stafford range, it comes in an eye catching pink pot, but nestled among the rest of the range, it is a task to hunt out. It's a tiny little pot, only just the size of the palm of my hand, and for £8.99 it might not seem worth it for 10g of powder.

But, it's a completely new product to me, I've never tried anything like it, and I think there's only one product it competes with, being Label M's Resurrection Dust, correct me if I'm wrong.
It comes in a pepper pot like shaker, with the easiest application.


You just sprinkle the powder among the roots of your hair, rub it in & your left with... Well, a mess. By rubbing it in, it creates a tacky like feeling between the fingertips, which when in the hair creates volume by tacking together the roots. You're left with bedhead chic, but when combed over, just gives great volume, especially when you use a lot of the powder.

It's not going to revolutionise your hair styling routine, but it definitely gives you some lift, which is appreciated in any form for us fine haired girls. It would be at the top of my list, rendering the quest for volume pointless, but despite the tackiness it can create, it somehow manages to fall out quite quickly, especially in clean hair.
It's best used on second day hair, so it can work with the oils in your hair in a bid to keep the volume for a little longer. What's great about the second day use, is the dry shampoo qualities that it has, it might not be as good as a spritz of Batiste when skimping on showering, but for a multi tasking product, it does pretty well.

For the innovative quality I'd definitely recommend it, for revolutionary volume - I probably wouldn't.
It's great for nights out where you can continuously add a little extra, by the end of the night you'll have the volume you've been waiting for; same if you have the time or motivation to reapply throughout the day, but it's only through continuous use and lots of product that it keeps the volume & the great look.

I must thank Briony here though, I snook in a quick sample before committing to buying, when I used it for the Aussome Volume party. That made me immediately want to go out and buy, but after continued use, my volume quest is still ongoing...

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OOTD - £10 Dream Trousers

If you've ever been to Amsterdam, you'll know that H&M is pretty much the order of the day there. One of the main shopping streets (Kalverstraat if I'm not mistaken) in the centre houses at least 5 different branches, with only one being a specialist (children & baby) store.

I think we went in all of them, I'm not entirely sure why, but in my defense, we did find at least one new item in each store.
This leads me on to my newest purchase, the H&M Cotton Mix trousers.


The photos don't do them justice, I tried numerous angles, different lighting - they just weren't having it.
They sit comfortably on my hips, with a zip and button on the side. Skinny fit, but unbelievably comfortable.
What drew me to them was the seem on the middle of the lower leg. Fashionistas out there probably have an official term for this, anybody happen to know it?
The best part is, they are only £9.99 and come in a range of different colours. I tried on some denim versions, which I think might track down in the UK, also available in camel, black and a lighter blue shade from what I remember.
I love them.

I paired them with my newest Rare tshirt, from Topshop - £8 down from £36 in the sale - and my Alexander McQueen rip off inspired scarf from Miss Guided and some extremely old Faith flats.

To me they are a must buy product, I'm only hoping the rest of the selection is still there when I go to a UK branch.
They're in between leggings and trousers, but I wouldn't put them in the 'jeggings' category. Go see for yourself and grab them while they're hot!

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Rimmel Scented Nails

I'm all for a good gimmick, the last year has seen some gems, vibrating mascara, roll on foundation and stick on nail varnish to name a few. Whether the product turns out to be good or not, I still get intrigued. For men it might be the newest technological gadget, for me it's making my nails smell nice.

This post is talking about Rimmel's new range of scented nail varnishes. They caught my eye in Superdrug, and as I had a £20 voucher, I picked one up for the novelty. Despite the Rimmel site stating there is only 4 shades, I'm almost certain there was at least 6, if not more.

I picked up number 58, 'Lemon Drop' purely for the scent.

None of the shades particularly jumped out at me, they were all very average. The pink was my favourite, but as my collection is overrun with pink shades, I chose by scent.
Don't make the mistake of sniffing straight from the bottle. I didn't notice the sticker stating 'Fruity Scent when dry' so I was a bit confused when I couldn't smell anything, as I'm sure the customers in the make up isle when I took to smelling a bottle of nail varnish.

So, I applied, with a struggle. It's one of the streakiest formulas I've ever tried. I don't know if it's just this shade, because of the almost white colour, streakiness is pretty likely. But even after 3 coats it's still not perfect. I would say it's just yellow, but i've used Model's Own 'Lemon Merinque' numerous times and never seen streaks this bad!

Initially I didn't apply a top coat, to revel in all the scent it had to offer - I didn't apply a top coat until the scent wore off. For me, I just got two days. It's a very subtle lemon scent. Similar to lemon drop sweets, as you'd expect from the shade name. You catch it on the air every now and then, but it doesn't last as long as the colour does.


This is combined with the I love Lasting Finish range from Rimmel, so wear wise it does quite well. Three days in and there is yet to be any wear, which has impressed me. On the third day I applied a French Manicure base as a top coat, in a bid to smooth out some of the streaks, it didn't really happen.

There will be those who question the point of this product (just as I did... But like I said, novelties pull me in), why do you want your nails to have a scent to them? It's been a while since anybody smelled my nails...

I'd be interested in trying out other shades, one - to see if they are all as streaky, and two - to see if any scents are more powerful.
They're currently on a 2 for £5 promo in Superdrug and 3 for 2 in Boots, so now would be the time for you to all try them really!

Have you tried the newest gimmick on the market?

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OOTD

Hopefully you'll be seeing more outfits... I plan to style more instead of just throwing on the first thing I see - unfortunately I need practise on where and how to photo the damn thing.

So I took the plunge and bought a maxi dress, after seeing so many normal people wearing them, I thought I could probably pull it off too. I opted for a plain black one from New Look, dipping my toe in the maxi dress water, instead of jumping in first to a striped/patterned pool of length.

I felt very glamorised for the day. I accessorised with oodles of bangles, a set from New Look, tribal themed, and then this winner from the ASOS sale (upon searching for that, I have found even more jewellery I now 'must have'.
The satchel is also from New Look, a very spur of the moment purchase which I absolutely love. I have Topshop gladiator esque sandals poking out from the bottom as well.

Coincidentally this was also featured on I Know What You Wore today as well, so make sure you go see everyone elses outfits!

So, once I get the hang of balancing the camera on some inanimate object at the right level to fit both my head and my feet in, you'll be bombarded with my take on 'style'.

Any tips on how to capture this body length through a lens?

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