Redken Sheer Straight 06 review.........lazy girl's blow dry in a tube.

Redken-Sheer Straight around £12

OK, I have been a bit naughty and not used this exactly how it is meant to be used.... you are meant to take a coin size amount, work it through damp hair and blow dry and then run some straightening irons through the hair afterwards (if needed), ok there is a flaw in the above, blow dry, I have not blow dried my hair whilst using this as I frankly never blow dry my hair, I let my hair dry naturally and an in this instance took some straighteners through the front of my hair and that is it.I even tried it without doing *anything*  just brushing it through and letting it dry naturally and it gave me silky/smooth waves (think Veronica Lake-ish) very, very loosely *ish* as in I wish :) but it was lovely and smooth.

My hair left to dry naturally without a styling product. A bit *fluffy*.

As you can see my hair is definitely wavy pretty much all the way through the length, I don't *hate* it but I do love having relatively sleek hair every once in a while.

After using the Redken Sheer straight 06, no blow drying but straightening irons through the front.

My hair had dried so much straighter and was without  the conspicuous *wave* that it normally has, so straightening irons just slid through my hair and I definitely looked more *groomed* than normal without having to succumb to a blow dry. I have used it several times now and I am impressed with the results as it actually feels very lightweight and has little to zero *faf* factor as in great for lazy people like me, that pretty much just washes their hair uses minimal styling product and heads out the door with soaking wet hair.
I will try it whilst blow drying my hair ( when I have time) ha ha ha.

Barely there skin tints/bases, top picks NARS, Perricone & Cosmetics A La Carte!

To some people the very, very sheer base that literally has little to absolute minimal coverage must seem like the Emperor's new clothes of make up, in the respect that the base *does not show* and ironically the absolute best are not exactly cheap. But.........I do believe that these are worth it (sorry no reference to L'Oreal there at all just merely coincidental) cackle, cackle!
Perfect if you want a natural,sheer base!

NARS- Sheer glow- £29.50/30ml 20 shades

A cult favourite, very light textured, blends seamlessly to create a bare skin look, a fantastic array of shades, very natural slightly dewy finish. It is very sheer, but is buildable if you want to achieve more coverage. This base creates a barely there finish but it is almost like a delicately perfected version of your own skin.

Perricone MD- No Foundation Foundation £45.00/30ml 1 shade- SPF30

This is a richer texture to the other 2 as it has a more of a *treatment* base, it is 1 shade that blends into the skin the actual shade is a neutral mid tone, so will not be great for the very palest and the deeper skin tone, but will work for most Light to Medium/Deep skin tones, texture wise it has a beautiful *creamy* feel but it is not greasy. It evens out the skin tone, tones down redness and gives skin a beautifully radiant finish.

Cosmetics a La Carte Moisture Tint Foundation-£36.00/30 ml

 11 shades and option of custom blend shades SPF 25.

Feather light, sheer formula that looks invisible but creates a beautiful, glowing finish that truly looks like a 2nd skin. Very *comfortable* on the skin and disappears, evens out skin tone and gently reduces redness. It is the perfect minimalist base.

 

A sheer/glowing base- my work.

A sheer base for a natural beauty look-my work.

Buzz kill I know- but my 40 year old skin with a sheer glow base (not just for models).

Gone BUT NOT FORGOTTEN- this was the original *real skin* base.

Or you can *sheer* out liquid foundations with a drop or 2 of facial oil like Nude ProGenius mixed into your regular base, just mix on the back of your hand or in a mixing tray which will give you an idea of whether this look is for you.

Davines....hair *miracles* MELU shampoo & conditioner!

MELU shampoo with Spinach extract

MELU conditioner with apricot butter

 

Sensitive skin can mean a sensitive scalp which means some of the most *high end* but over perfumed products can create a sore/itchy scalp. But some of the traditional *green brands* are just not effective when you have coloured/fragile or very dry hair. This leads me to Davines a brand that uses fantastic ingredients, has an extensive range with something for all hair types, some amazing treatments and styling products. I have been using the MELU shampoo & conditioner for some weeks and I have been so impressed. It is developed for fragile hair especially longer hair that is prone to *breaking* which is very much my hair.
This duo leaves hair very soft, shiny and hydrated, my hair definitely feels stronger. My scalp feels very clean but not irritated at all. There is a light *fresh* fragrance and very textures are creamy and sumptuous.

Mavericks........uniquely beautiful.

Alek Wek- the most beautiful skin I have ever seen

PJ Harvey a fierce talent

PJ Harvey

Beth Orton- impish beauty

Beth Orton- Lo fi elegance

Tilda Swinton- Beautiful colouring & fearless actress

Tilda Swinton

Young Sophie Dahl voluptuous beauty.

Bjork- a maverick beauty in every sense of the word.

Karen Elson a true timeless beauty.

Susie Bick a true original.

The glorious Miss Grace Jones

Jenny Shimuzu

 

The lovely Beth Ditto

  

These women have incredible beauty, some are classic beauties with a *twist* and some do not *conform* to the stereotype of traditional beauty but each one absolutely has a unique beauty.

Covers that definitely *challenged* people: Cindy Crawford shaving K.D Lang & a heavily pregnant Demi Moore

 

mav·er·ick/ˈmav(ə)rik/

Noun:	An unorthodox or independent-minded person.
Adjective:	Unorthodox.

Colour crush.........Deepest Purple!

Deep Purple- Pantone- inspiration.

 Deep purple the colour associated with: Royalty, magic and Liberty in London. A colour so rich and sumptuous that you can create a whole look with nuances of the shade and in a literal sense let the shade *wear you* or focus with purple on the eyes coupled with nude lips or purple from deep to black/purple for the ultimate edgy statement lip. It is the ultimate *vamp* shade.

1.	vamp
	A femme fatale character in movies or books. The character is a woman who, while not necessarily attractive, has a certain allure (usually this striking, exotic, overtly sexy glamour), and is usually a heartless, man-eating seductress.  My kind of girl ;)

Vintage ring, Art deco 1920's - Emerald cut Amethyst

The iconic Liberty bag

Dior campaign stronger- smoked purple eye

Focus on eyes- trend look I created using rich/deep purples

 Best Deep Purple eye shadow compact:

Tom Ford- Violet Dusk Quad-The perfect combination for a pared down dark purple eye.

 Best deep purple single shadow:

Bourjois Intense #4- a rich coloured and easy to use deep purple shadow

 Best Purple eye pencil:

Pixi Endless Silky eye pencil-Black Tulip- so creamy you can even use as a cream shadow as well as liner.

Best Purple Liquid liner:

myface Slinky- Purple Haze, the most incredible deep purple liquid liner with a little pizazz

LIPS

Dolce & Gabbana- Scarlett Johannson vamping it up

Best Deep Purple lip gloss (Sheer tint):

Illamasqua sheer glos- Tantrum a beautiful transparent *juicy* dark purple- easy way to try the colour.

Best Deep purple lipstick (full pigmented):

Nars Matte Velvet lip pencil- Bleu Train- the perfect deep purple full pigmented lip colour.

Best deep purple lip liner:

Barry M lip liner - #11 Wine- works equally as well with gloss or lipstick for a precision line.

Best Deep purple Nail colour:

Chanel Vendetta- The most incredible dark purple shade.

The one that is gone but not forgotten.......................................

NARS Times Square Lipstick- From Make Up Your Mind

 Nars Times Square was a colour that was truly unique at the time a deep purple which was almost black, the original campaign was Erin O'Connor with a graphic flash of black liner, barely there base and Times Square in all of its glory- this colour looked equally amazing on darker skin tones too, I have seen it used on Alek Wek & Naomi Campbell, there was a matching lip liner and I would wear this lip colour, with a slick of Copacabana on my eyes, Zen blusher and feel like the bees knees :)

My recent homage to Times Square- I mixed about 4 shades to create the colour.

NOTE: There is a band actually called Deep Purple with *Smoke on the Water* being the strike out hit with one of the most simple and iconic intros- air guitars aloft :)

Lashes... starting with the Boots No7 Fanomenal Lash Serum- 1st post.

Last night I started using the Boots No7 Fanomenal  Lash serum, it is a serum that is applied to the lash line on lower and upper lashes (even brows) that in 8 weeks makes lashes appear fuller, thicker & longer. There are excellent reviews on the Boots website and when I purchased the Fanomenal Lash mascara the consultant who was lovely and so proud of Lisa Eldridge's association with No7 told me that she had seen a difference after 2 weeks. So let's get going ..........

What they Say:
This serum with its unique blend of ingredients gives thicker, fuller and longer lashes in just 8 weeks (as tested by consumers).
NB: I have noticed on the website it mentions darker yet on the packaging it does not, so I will be looking at that too, whether my lashes look darker.


Last night was the 1st night I tried the serum and it applies easily with a narrow (liquid liner style brush) to the root of the lashes on the upper, lower lashes and even brows. My lashes are very fine and I will find it easy to see a difference. It is not sticky and did not sting at all.

Lashes as they are very dark but very fine and definitely not the longest in the world.

Gratuitous shot of my son's lashes- yes, that is what I am aiming for :)

* I was sent this as a sample to review.

New York............East Village/Greenwich Village snaps.

These houses reminded me of the house in the Royal Tenenbaums

Lingerie shop- pin ups.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner- a florist's display.

The famous Inn where the Stonewall riots happened in June 1969

C.O.Bigelow

Washington Place

Beautiful *Tavern*

Street view

Always love an audacious, chubby city bird with attitude.

Manicure- Essie Mademoiselle- I let the manicurist pick, I did not have the heart to tell her that I would never normally wear that shade, I wanted something *black* or at least intense, but she LOVED that shade- it is actually growing on me.

Home whilst I am here, has everything I need.

My Guardians.

Clive Christian, Memoire Liquide- Jasmin/Gardenia custom blend, Molecule #1 and Cristalle

Yes, I am being a voyeur and staring right back at the guys staring in at me :)