Sleek Makeup Lip4 Palettes

I'm gonna be honest with you guys, it is HOT out there! We may managed to put off summer for a couple of weeks, but it's here and it is here with a vengeance.

One of my favorite makeup tips for beating the heat is to wear a bold or bright lip. That way you don't really have to wear much else on your face. And the less makeup you wear, the less you have to worry about melting off. A lot of people have asked me about lipsticks that last all day and don't slip off. Well, I've got your answer today!

Sleek Makeup is famed for it's eye palettes, but they get rave reviews for their lip and face products as well. I've only tried a few of their lipsticks but they all seem to have amazing lasting power and great pigmentation. I was recently sent two of their brand new Lip 4 Palettes to try out, and I've already taken shown them to almost everyone I know.

Sleek makeup Lip4 Lipstick Palettes in Showgirl and Siren

Let's start with Siren. Each shade in this palette has orange tones, making them perfect for summer. The description says that there are matte, satin and gloss shades in here and I love the variety of textures.

Sleek Makeup Lip4 Palette in Siren. Shades clockwise from top left: Love Me, Desire Me, Kiss Me, Miss Me

Shades clockwise from top left: Love Me, Desire Me, Kiss Me, Miss Me

 

Love Me and Kiss Me are my favorites from this palette. Between the matte texture and peachy tone, I found Miss Me to be pretty hard to apply. I'm pretty sure if I used lipliner and did it the right way it would have been a lot easier, though.

Sleek Makeup Lip4 palette in Showgirl. Shades clockwise from top left: Lola, Vegas, Dancer, Jewel

Showgirl is definitely one for the girlie girls! Packed with four different shades of pink in three different textures, there is a pretty pink for everyone.

Clockwise from top left: Lola, Vegas, Dancer, Jewel

I actually really like every shade in this palette, except for Jewel, which is a little too Nicki Minaj for me!

Most of the shades  (apart from the super glossy ones)  wear pretty well. I got a good 6 or 7 hours out of Dancer, and that was even when I was running to events all day. The rest of the matte and satin shades last pretty long as well and I didn't feel the need to touch any of them up. 

The negative thing about these palettes is that I'm worried the glossier lipsticks will melt quickly in the Dubai heat, even if you keep them in your handbag. So just look out for that! Otherwise, I think these palettes are great. They are the perfect size to throw into a clutch and I love the variety of looks you can get from each of them. 

You can order these online at sleekmakeup.com!

*These products were sent to me as press samples

Hairworks Jumeirah Beach Road

If you have bright colored hair, or you want to put something crazy like pink or green in your hair, I've got the perfect salon for you!

I was recently contacted by the lovely staff at Hairworks Jumeirah Beach Road to see if I would like to pop in and check out their brand, spanking new salon. As soon as I walked in, I was greeted by their awesome manager Jay who was super excited that I have pink hair (she has pink hair, too!) I was also introduced to head stylist, Zahira, one of their top stylists. Funny coincidence, it turns out that Zahira and I actually went to beauty school together! Talk about a small world :)

The hair stations at Hairworks Jumeirah Beach Road

The salon is gorgeous. It has lots of natural light, which makes the whole place feel really spacious and airy. They also stock full ranges of Kérastase and Redken. Hurray!

The shampoo section is closed off from the rest of the salon, so it feels a little calmer and more relaxing when you are getting your massage

Jay offered to pump up the pink in my hair for me, since it was starting to fade a little bit. She also suggested adding in a little bit of purple, which turned out to be an amazing idea! Then I was treated to the Oleo Relax mask by Kérastase mask that would help smooth my hair and make it softer. The mask was left on my hair and then I was treated to the most amazing scalp massage!

Next, Zahira worked her magic on my hair. She gave me pretty, prom-queen waves that lasted for like three days. If you know me, you know how much I love me some big hair. So let's say I was more than happy about that. 

Pink hair at Hairworks! (Photo borrowed from Jay's Instagram)

Their selection of Redken and Kérastase

The whole team at Hairworks is amazing. They are all really sweet and super talented. And best of all....they stock all sorts of crazy hair colors! I highly recommend them if you are thinking of adding a little oomph to your 'do. Bright colors can easily go wrong, but they know just how to make them work.

Haircuts start at 255AED and color starts at 100AED for just a tint or gloss. Give them a call on (04) 385 4777. You can also check out their Instagram account and Facebook page to check out some of their awesome work.

CND Shellac Summer 2013 Collection

CND Shellac Spring/Summer 2013 Collection: (Left to right) Cake Pop, Azure Wish, Lilac Longing, Limeade (the collection also includes a sheer, shimmery shade called Grapefruit Sparkle)

CND welcomed this summer with a collection of  beautiful pastel Shellac polishes. I was invited to try out the collection at the brand new Tips and Toes Nail Haven in Al Barsha. It was kinda rough at first because I did get lost, but once I got some more directions, it was pretty easy to find. The nail area in the new branch is huge! Although it still looks exactly like the other ones and the service is exactly the same quality as well. They must have a really great branding team!

The giant nail room

Onto the actual Shellac service...I chose to go with the beautiful Lilac Longing. I originally wanted to go with Cake Pop, but when I was told that it was the most popular option I decided to switch it up. I got a full Shellac manicure, which included a short arm massage and full cuticle grooming, and took about an hour. It's been over ten days and my manicure is still going strong! Not a chip in there at all, which is great! I didn't have the greatest experience with my last Shellac manicure, but I am super impressed with this one. I think it's because my nails are in much better shape. They are still peeling, but it's nowhere near as bad as it was last time. Yay!
 

Shellac Lilac Longing

I was all about the neons last summer, but this collection may have changed my mind. What do you guys think? Are you fans of Shellac? Will you be rocking a little pastel polish this summer?

Introducing Sephora's Loyalty Card for The Middle East - Sephora White!

Sephora White Card

It's finally here, you guys! Sephora's loyalty programs in the rest of the world are almost as well-known as the store itself, so it was kind of a bummer that we didn't have anything like that over here. You may remember that we did have a short-lived loyalty card that provided some discounts (If I remember correctly) That card was still nothing compared to the loyalty cards in the US.

But good news! Sephora Middle East has heard our cries and answered them. We now have the Sephora White Card!

How does it work?

You can sign up for the card with any purchase from a Sephora store in the UAE, Saudi, Qatar or Bahrain. So whether you spend 10dhs or 1,000dhs in there, you are eligible for the card.

You will receive 1 point for every 10dhs you spend and when you collect 200 points you get to choose an awesome gift. You will also be upgraded to a Sephora Black Card, which entitles you to a special birthday gift (eee!) as well as invites to special sales (double eee!)

A little more info on the Sephora White card

Just a few of the gifts you can choose from when you reach 200 points

So, yeah! That's pretty exciting! Have any of you signed up for the card yet? If you live outside the Gulf, what kind of benefits do you get with your loyalty card?

Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick in Bark

Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick

Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick in Bark

I generally love cream pencils. Or in Bobbi Brown's case, Long-wear Cream Shadow Sticks. I'm pretty much always running late so I like that I can just swipe and blend these on, throw on some mascara and head out the door looking half-way decent.

Bobbi Brown's Shadow Sticks are creamy, but not so creamy that they slide off your lids. I usually get a good 6 hours of wear or so before I take this one off. I find that this blends out really well, almost too well if you are looking for a really rich, deep color.  I usually use my fingers to blend it out (like I said, I'm pretty lazy and I'm always running late!) and have no problems with that. If I have the time, I will use my fluffy brush and that seems to work just as well. 

Bark is described as 'a rich brown'. Which describes it perfectly. While it's not totally matte, there are no shimmer particles in this whatsoever, so it's great for wearing during the day. It's perfect for that daytime smokey look. I also like to layer a shimmery gold shadow on top of it at night to really open up my eyes (Hello, faux candlelight effect!) Anyway, here are some swatches so you can see what the shade looks like.

Bobbi Brown Long Wear Cream Shadow Stick in Bark swiped on (left) and blended out (right)

While they're definitely not cheap at 170Dhs a piece, they will last at least 8 months to a year, even with regular use. And because they are by Bobbi Brown, they come in colors that can actually be worn every day.

Have you used any of these shadowsticks? What do you think?

PS I've been playing around with my swatches, what do you think of the labels?

Marc Jacobs Daisy Sunshine and Eau So Fresh Sunshine

Marc Jacobs Daisy Sunshine and Daisy Eau So Fresh Sunshine

Mr. Marc Jacobs has basically just given us 'Summer in a Bottle'. Two bottles in fact. We've got Daisy Sunshine and Daisy Eau So Fresh Sunshine. I've been wearing both a lot and I just love looking at the bottles, how cute are they??

Sunshine is definitely light, fruity and playful. I can really smell the guava, apricot and mandarin in it. It also has Red Currant, Lily of the Valley, Violet, Lychee, Blonde Woods and Musks. It lasts well and I've love keeping it in my purse for a little mid-day pickup.

Eau So Fresh Sunshine is my favorite of the two, something in it reminds me of my childhood summers. I can't totally pinpoint what it is, though. I can really pick out the pink grapefruit, jasmine petals and rose in this one. While Sunshine is really vibrant and fun, I think this one is a little bit more feminine. And I promise it's not just because it's pink! haha

Are you a fan of the Daisy perfumes? What are your thoughts on Marc Jacob's perfumes in general?

*These perfumes are PR samples
 

A Day at Nursin Beauty Salon

You may remember my pretty turquoise nails from this post. Well, I thought I'd tell you about the salon where I got them done.

Nursin Beauty Salon is a gorgeous, giant of a beauty salon on the Beach Road. It's got a definite Moroccan feel to it, and I thought the use of color was really interesting. I think you see so many white interiors that it's kind of nice to see something different. There is a lot of gold as well as jewel tones.

Inside the hair coloring stations

What I thought was interesting is that they have a separate section for hair coloring and processes like Keratin treatments and a separate section for styling. The coloring section was really cool because each station has a chair that leans into a basin. So you don't have to get up and move to have your hair washed! Genius!

The Moroccan bath

The relaxation area

They also have a beautiful Moroccan bath. I'm not a huge fan of dark tiles, but I thought this was really pretty. There's also a gorgeous relaxation area where you can relax and cool down after the bath.

 

Mani-pedi stations

Nail art!

Back downstairs, they have mani-pedi stations and a nail art station. I didn't actually try it out, but I was pretty impressed by the selection of glitter hehe.

Nursin's owner is really sweet and the staff are super friendly. Their prices are great, too. A manicure and pedicure will set you back 150Dhs and a full body wax only runs 250Dhs! Not bad, huh?

*all images courtesy of Nursin Beauty Salon