Would you use Dragons Blood as part of your beauty routine?

I’m just kidding… technically speaking I don’t either! However I have recently tested out the Dragons Blood Fix Plumping Sheet Mask Extreme by Nip and Fab.

Nip and Fab is the sister brand of Rodial, founded by Maria Hatzistefanis. I recently read Maria’s book ‘How To Be An Overnight Success’ where she shares by working hard, and having patience and dedication, how she has built up her now global beauty business.

The Dragons Blood range is actually just sap from a tree, rather than what Maria describes as a scene in Game of Thrones. The name sounds much more exciting.

So to put it to the test I decided to use the face mask. Its targeted for tired and dehydrated skin and contains highly concentrated plumping hydralonic acid and soothing dragon’s blood extract.

I’d definitely recommend to use this before an evening out as it left my skin looking and feeling so radiant. I left the mask on for around 20 minutes (whilst watching The X Factor - Autumn has officially arrived!) and my skin felt fresh and glowing after. 

Compared to other sheet masks I have used I would say this is great for a lower price bracket. Its currently on offer at Boots for £5.62. Nip and Fab have many different ranges and also part of the Dragons Blood range is their hyaluronic shot, plumping serum and fix cleansing pads – these will definitely be on my list of products to try out.

CL x

FASHION MUMBLR x L'OCCITANE

This week I visited the beautiful new L’OCCITANE Flagship store on Regent Street, London for an evening of indulgence, (macaroons and prosecco) with the lovely Josie from Fashion Mumblr.

L’OCCITANE is a brand I have used for years, I remember the first time I experienced L’OCCITANE was when mum and I picked up matching hand creams at the airport back in 2010 and ever since, the iconic scent of the hand cream fills me with happy memories of jetting off on holiday.

So when I heard that Josie (one of my favourite bloggers) was holding an event with L’OCCITANE (one of my favourite brands) and it was on an evening I happened to be working in London, I jumped at the chance to head down to the store.

Upon arrival we were greeted to the most instagrammable shop front and shortly after taken to have a look around the store. It was 20 years ago that L’occitane opened its first ever boutique in London and this is the brands first UK flagship store to open so to celebrate they wanted to do something slightly different by offering a multi-sensory journey where you as a customer can experience the beautiful textures, fragrances and sounds of Provence.

Upstairs is home to a luxurious hand massage bar, situated in the L’OCCITANE lounge where you can sit back and relax with a hand and arm massage whilst enjoying a Pierre Herme macaroon observing the hustle and bustle of London’s busy Regent Street. L’OCCITANE have also opened a Bespoke Beauty Discovery Bar (my favourite kind of bar!) where they offer a range of personalized facial treatments… I couldn’t think of anything better after a busy day in London.

After a look around it was time to sit down and enjoy a Q&A with Josie herself. I’m sure many of you follow Josie on social media already, but for those who don’t she writes the blog Fashion Mumblr and you can find her on social media under JosieLDN. I’ve followed Josie for the last 3 years and she is as beautiful and lovely in person as she is online. It was lovely to find out more about her and how she began her career in blogging as well as being introduced to her favourite L’OCCITANE products, all of which can be found in her own vanity pouch that she has created with L’OCCITANE.

There are 5 products in the pouch meaning it’s the perfect way to discover the brand if you are new to L’OCCITANE, or if you are already familiar with some of their products and want the chance to test some other bits out before getting the full size I would highly recommend purchasing this.

The first product in the pouch is the iconic lavender hand cream, this is the product I am most familiar with as I mentioned above, it’s the hand cream that first drew me to the brand. You get the full 30ml size in the pouch and it smells divine, its super nourishing and is so luxurious to use which is why it’s been a staple in my handbag for the last 8 years!

Also included in the pouch is the Pivoine Flora Beauty Milk, this is the perfect travel size and is a really lightweight body milk containing Shea butter, making it extremely nourishing and perfect if you don’t want to apply anything too heavy when you get out of the shower.

The next product is the Almond Shower Oil, this is great to use in the shower if you are in a rush as you are still getting that intense moisture without having to apply a moisturizer. It has a very luxurious feel to it and is super hydrating on the skin.

Then we have the Precious Cream, which is one of the more premium L’OCCITANE products. This face moisturizer is anti-ageing, quite a rich formula so only the smallest amount is needed but has a lovely smoothing effect on the skin.

Finally, probably my favourite is the Immortelle Oil Make-up Remover. I actually used to have the full size version of this, it removes every single bit of make up including waterproof eye make up and has anti-ageing properties built into the oil. At the moment I have lash extensions so I can’t use this on my eyes, but even to just remove my face make up after a long day it really helps soothe the skin and remove any impurities that have built up during the day.

The Fashion Mumblr pouch is still available and retails at £25, which is amazing for what’s included, and makes for a very enjoyable evening routine.

Whilst in store, we also had a sneak peek at the Overnight Reset Serum, which officially launched this week. I’d been sent a sample of this a couple of weeks ago and can honestly say its like massaging liquid silk into your skin. I can’t wait to get my hands on the full size.

Next time I’m on Oxford St, I will be paying a visit to L’OCCITANE, being the perfect place to retreat to for a bit of pampering in between shopping. If you’re in the area I would 100% recommend you to do the same.

What is your favourite L’OCCITANE product?

CL x

ILLAMASQUA STUDIO

Warning. Grab your Prosecco because this is going to be a long post!

On Thursday I was lucky enough to be invited down to the brand new Illamasqua pop up at Box Park Shoreditch with a few other lovely bloggers. The pop up didn’t officially open until Friday (yesterday) so this was somewhat of a very special sneak preview and allowed us the chance to get the low down on what exactly Illamasqua are going to be bringing us with their exciting new pop up. Located in the heart of Shoreditch, the whole atmosphere of the store has that edgy vibe – from the décor, to the music, everything about it shouts cool and trendy!

We were greeted by the lovely ladies who are going to be running the studio and also treated to some delicious rainbow macaroons – perfect for the theme of the event which also celebrates Illamasqua’s up and coming 10^th Birthday - part of which we got a sneak peek of two new palettes which will be launching – The Experimental Palette which includes vibrant, bold shades and The Elemental Palette - my personal favourite, featuring luxurious rich tones throughout!

Also (spoiler alert) launching in October are The Iconic Chromes, which I can’t get enough of! The photos don’t do the colours justice, the pigment is unbelievable and they give the most amazing reflective multi-dimensional finish. They can be used on the lips, cheeks, as an eyeshadow or paired with the sealing gel and transformed into liquid eyeliner.

One of the best features of the pop up is the 16 make up courses they are going to be offering, not just for professional make up artists, but for everyone, so if there is a certain area of make up you want to perfect yourself, you can book in on one of the courses and you’ll receive top training from the super talented Illamasqua trainers and industry experts – Maryann and Lungi, both who have worked with some of the biggest names in the industry at London and International Fashion Weeks. There are also two courses which will be ran by Pablo Rodriguez, the director of make up artistry for Illamasqua himself! Pablo has been painting faces of the biggest stars and his work has filled the pages of magazines such as British Vogue and Vanity Fair.

If you’re reading this as a make up artist the courses Illamasqua have for you are;

Makeup Fundamentals | Red Carpet | Decades Today | Living Legends | Bridal | Asian Bridal | Skin Tailoring

If you just want to learn some top tips on how to apply your own make up, learn special occasion make up or you’re an aspiring artist, the courses for you are;

Lifes a Beach | Pump up the Glam | All About Eyes | Transgender | Ageless Beauty | Drag | Halloween How-To

The courses ran by Pablo Rodriguez are;

Industry Insights | Beauty in Fashion

After getting the inside knowledge on what courses are going to be ran, it was time for Maryann to demo the bold lip look. I was going to be typical me, and go for a nude lip, but the girls convinced me to try the orange as it worked perfectly with my outfit. The colour used here is ‘soaked’ and the lip liner is ‘spell.’ Being a bold lip, Maryann applied the lip colour first with a brush, before finishing it after with the liner. Considering the colour was a matte shade, it had such a creamy formula, not at all drying and lasted hours – I had a 3 hour drive home straight after and the colour still looked perfect as I walked through my front door as it did when I left the store (it even passed the Starbucks on the way home test.)

I managed to have a quick look around the store before making my way home and swatched nearly everything in the shop. I was so intrigued by the colour veils. These have the appearance of a liquid blush in the pot but as soon as they are applied to skin, they blend like the consistency of a powder, super hydrating and have an amazing buildable colour.

Thank you to the girls at Illamasqua for having me, and for the fab products – I can’t wait to have a play around with these and will be sure to keep you updated with what makes it into my everyday make up collection! Big thank you to The Influencers Diary for inviting me along to the pop up.

If you are interested in attending one of the make up courses mentioned, you can get 20% off all courses booked before 10^th September with the code STUDIO. Be sure to let me know if you’re planning on heading down to the studio, and what your favourite Illamasqua product is.

CL x

5 STEPS TO LOOKING EFFORTLESSLY CHIC AT ALL TIMES

When writing this post.. what I really meant to title it was '5 steps to looking like you have your life together, even when you don't.' You know that kind of morning where you plan to wake up, go for a run, have a detox bath and be in the office for 8.30am.. when the reality of it is your only white bra is in the wash, your porridge has exploded in the microwave (this happens to me a lot) and before you know it, its time to leave the house.

You may not feel put together that morning, but nobody needs to know that. Here are my 5 simple steps on how to look perfectly polished and put together.


Standing tall and sitting up straight...
Posture is everything. It portrays confidence, its crazy to think how a slumped back can make you look like you're a few pounds heavier. Just sitting up straight and standing tall can add an inch or more to your height, not to mention the health benefits it has, decreasing fatigue and improving breathing.


Keeping your clothes looking their best...
Please tell me I'm not the only one guilty of hanging my dress in my bathroom, turning the shower on to its hottest temperature and praying the creases drop out. Having perfectly ironed clothing will instantly make you look more put together and steaming your clothes not only eliminates wrinkles and shrinkage, it also leaves your clothes looking a lot fresher. Having clean, fresh clothes leaves you feeling better about yourself and boosts self-confidence.


Matching Underwear...
You know the quote 'sometimes when my underwear matches my outfit, it makes me feel like I have my life together' I really do believe in this. I'm a bit OCD about matching underwear, I also have to have a matching mani/pedi too!


Go to face...
If you have to compromise and its a decision between doing your hair and your make up - always go with hair. You can always count on a fresh blow-dry, or a sleek up do to freshen your style. If you find you really haven't got time to do a full face of make up, you can't go wrong with cc cream, a swipe of mascara and a little bit of lipstick for that effortlessly chic look.


...and if all else fails
Have a coffee and throw on some sunnies. Those dark circles under your eyes are deoxygenated blood, exercise and drinking water will recirculate the oxygen making you look fresh again in no time.

What would you prioritize if you were getting ready in a rush?

CL x