Be still me beating heart, it's Rolo stuffed cookies!

I saw this recipe on the Self Facebook page and thought it would be downright cruel of me not to share it :)

That's right, it really does require 50 Rolos..........

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Music Monday: Seven Devils by Florence and the Machine

I'm sure a huge portion of you reading will be going "Uh, this isn't new" but if it's new to me, it might be new to others and it's only polite to share, see?

I heard this song last week on the Revenge (UK) finale montage and, after the gripping season conclusion, I promptly typed "Seven Devils" into Google and found out that I am apparently a fan of Florence and the Machine and that it was also used for a Game of Thrones Season 2 promo.

I may be mildly obsessed with the song.
I may have had it on repeat for a few days.
At some point I will find out if the rest of the album is good too....

Exciting News if you love Kate Moss' Make Up!

Charlotte Tilbury, Ibiza cohort of Miss Moss and Grand Mistress of the Smokey Eye (yes, it deserves capitals) has decided to start a blog!

This blog will feature tutorials, reviews, quick-fix tips and behind the scenes glimpses into the (probably) ridiculously exciting life of a celebrity Make up Artist.

As a pre-emptive treat, Charlotte has released a Smokey Eye tutorial, featuring Laura Bailey, which you can see HERE on her new YouTube channel, or on the Grazia website.

I suggest we all watch and learn..... ;)

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Lisa Eldridge's ingenious Brights vs Smoky tutorial

I know it's a bit lazy to just share someone else's video but this is such a good idea that I physically had to!

On the surface, it looks like it's been done using dark coloured shadows with varying undertones, BUT, it's actually an ingenious way of using up those random brights that everyone seems to own that never seem to get used.

All hail the Queen of Make Up ;)

Go HERE for more knowledge

Bring back Dairy Milk Mint Crisp!!

Ok, so these post are very random and more than a little complainy lately but this was my favourite chocolate bar ever and Cadburys, cruel mistress, discontinued it here the UK a good few ( too many ) years ago.

The precious

However.....

I just found out you can still buy it in Ireland!!!!!!!!!!!!

You might think this would make me happy - Yay, it still exists! I can once more savour it's delicious goodness!

Unfortunately, it's about £2.50 for a small bar PLUS International shipping costs so there'll be no savouring going on here.

So, in closing I would just like to say:

CADBURYS!! If you can feed Ireland you can feed Wales too! Bring Mint Crisp back!


Please...?

Today I have been mostly....

.... watching re-runs of An Idiot Abroad. Karl Pilkington is truly a genius.

The man himself

Ricky Gervais, you are a lucky man and I thank you wholeheartedly for sharing your good fortune with us.

Seriously, Illamasqua?? Seriously, Laura Mercier??

I will just skip over how long it's been since my last post as none of you need to hear the extent of the mental cringing that went on when I saw the last date listed here........

The point of this post is samples. Apparently a contentious subject when it comes to expensive foundation, although my opinion on the subject applies to the entire price spectrum.

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The reason I have picked on chosen these two brands is because they are both extremely well known for their bases. Everyone and their uncle has written about Illamasqua Skin Base and Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage has been a classic for a bajillion years.

They also happen to be the two brands I wanted to try a sample from during my last visit to the Big Smoke.
This is how it went. For BOTH brands.



Me:  Hello, is possible to get a sample of (Skin Base foundation / Silk Creme foundation) please?
SA: Sorry, we are a colour matching brand. It's better for a make up artist to match you than for you to have a sample and try it at home.



I'm sorry? What now?? It's better for me to trust one person's opinion in shitty department store lighting, with only a few hours left in the day, than for me to have a couple of days worth of a few different colour/ texture possibilities to make sure that the colour is correct and that it doesn't oxidise, turn me into an oil slick, disappear after 5 minutes, or give me the breakout from hell ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Yes that's a lot of question marks right there. It is demonstrating the level of my incredulousness.

To make matters more annoying I have seen samples of BOTH PRODUCTS on various blogs. To be fair, a lot of the Laura Mercier ones were from Sephora (come back to the UK, PLEASE!!) but there were branded sample tubes from Illamasqua.

Are these samples only for people who will bring the brands more publicity and not for the everyday customer who doesn't want to make an expensive mistake? Should I have given some spiel about being a beauty blogger in order to get preferential treatment?

This is not to say that the SAs were unfriendly/unhelpful but there was a little initial snootiness when I made my request.

WAKE UP PEOPLE! This is lazy!

Estee Lauder, Lancome, Clarins and MAC are fantastic at giving samples and, guess what, if the product works, I will come back and buy it.

Guess what I won't do? Buy it blind.

Foundation is expensive but it is the crux of a flawless face and I refuse to waste my money on anything that doesn't live up to expectations.

Did these two? Unless the policies change, I guess I'll never know.

If you got this far, thanks for reading, I would love to hear your opinions and experiences.
xx