Trick or Treat? Read on to find out...

Gooooood Evening and Happy Halloween,

I'm guessing that most of you will be getting ready for Halloween parties and clubbing or even trick or treating (my lil Sis Sarah certainly is-you better not be home late missy!!).

So, if you're using face paints or just painting on your usual face, make sure you scrub scrub scrub because you do not want to be waking up with blocked pores or spots.

I prefer to prevent spots but sometimes those horrid little (or huge volcano sized) things manage to creep their way up to the surface of the skin. I swear by Eve Lom, I've been using it for years (and will be writing a separate blog about it, it deserves the respect) which prevents my spots but due to bloody hormones I do get the odd spot.

So, my cheap and cheerful method is some lemon juice from a REAL lemon, just cut some lemon up and rub it on the spot/s. It's worked a treat for me for years, but....when you get the big-momma-just-won't go-spot or blemish then you need Dermalogica's overnight clearing gel.

It's a bit pricey but lasts aaaaaaaages as you only need a little.

It's an overnight treatment which treats acne, blemishes and congested skin. It really really does work! Skin cells are renewed when you sleep so it makes sense why this product is so effective! Perfect for skin prone to breakouts!

Hope you enjoyed your TREAT!

Sweet dreams....

Farrah

x

"I love what you do, don't you know that you're toxic..."

Britney Spears wasn't referring to nail polishes in her song but the song title summarises a lot of nail polishes in one word- TOXIC!!!

I LOVE painting my nails and one of my most favourite and loved brands is Chanel and I am pleased to announce that they have been certified as safe, which means they don't contain the 'three' toxic chemicals commonly found in nail polishes.

These toxic chemicals are; TOLUENE, FORMALDEHYDE and DIBUYTL PHTHALATE (also referred to as the 'three'). These chemicals have been linked to rerpoductive harm and cancer (source: Campaign for Safe Cosmetics).

The safe to use nail polishes are known as THREE-FREE. Some of the safe brands to use are;

* Chanel

* Orly International

* OPI

* Revlon

* L'Oreal

* Zoya

For a full guide to THREE-FREE brands and those which are not yet three-free, please visit;

http://www.womenandenvironment.org/campaignsandprograms/SafeCosmetics/Nail_Polish_walletcard.pdf

for a free downloadable information card.

So, for now, enjoy some safe and happy painting.

Farrah

x

Welcomes Manchester Make up It Girl - Jade

Hiya,

I just want to welcome the fabulous Jade to Make Up It Girl, now you'll have the best advice from the North, South and the Midlands!

Jade (AKA Legs/Showgirl because of her amazing 6ft long legs) is a make up artist in Manchester and is also a BIGTIME beauty product addict! She has actually recommended some fabulous products to me such as the Rodial cellulite sun cream (yep, I defo noticed a difference and I didn't burn) and Go Smile teeth whitening gel (love it!!!).

Some of Jade's fave products;

* Nars Laguna Bronzer

* Chantecaille gel foundation

* Chantecaille concealer (which also treats spots)

* Laura Mercier primer

* Laura Mercier Secret Brightener

That's all for today.

Have a lovely evening,

Love,

Farrah

x

Days are shorter, nights are longer so I guess it's 7 Hour Cream...

Gooooooooooooooooooood Morning Guys and Dolls,

How are you all on this fine, grey Monday morning?

Well, I've been a busy bee researching and contacting people about harmful ingredients in beauty products, so watch out for that bog, will be coming soooooooon...

For today's blog, I just wanted to share a must-have for Winter skin. If you're like me and you get chapped lips and dry skin in these harsh Winter months, I can highly recommend Elizabeth Arden's 8 Hour Cream, I know you must be sick of it being called 'the beauty industry's best kept secret' (well obviously not, with all the press coverage it gets) but I pulled my tube out of my winter make up collection and just smothered it all over my lips! It felt so good, it was like devouring a big cream cake (which I did for brekky this morning), my lips were instantly lubricated and healed!!! Well done Liz Arden!!

At the moment, there is the retro limited edition packaging which is really hot but it does the same job whether it's in a fancy pot or the plain tube, but for those of you who are collectors then you might want to buy one but not use it and hope you'll be able to auction it off in the farawy future.

So, there are the lipstick versions of 8 Hour Cream (in clear and tints) or if you're like me and put it everywhere (eyelids, cheekbones, lips, hands) then you'll be better off buying the tube.

It's also good for sunburn, minor skin irritations and there are a whole range of products in the Eight Hour range from hand cream to sun protection. HAVE FUN!!!

xxx

Could she be the most beautiful girl in the World?

Good afternoon guys and gals,

Yes, Idid say GUYS, I know you guys love reading my blog too, well today I've got some eye candy for y'all.

I know this isn't about make up or skincare but I think this girl is BEAUTIFUL! and I just wanted to share her with you.

A good mate of mine, Amit is a photographer and he is actually flying out to Poland (her country) to do a shoot with her, she has worked for a range of big name clients and has also appeared in Vogue (all that and she's only 19).

Let me introduce you to Alex...

Some facts;

* Alex is only 5ft 5 (only 1 inch taller than me, proof you don't have to be super tall

* She's got a 23 inch waist!!!

* She is very down to Earth considering how successful she is.

Amit is always on the lookout for 'the next big thing' and he does have a good eye for talent! Got one more thing to do before I go, I can't leave the ladies without some eye candy can I? Enjoy. xxx(One of the male models Amit will be working with)

Let me know what you think and if you think you could be the 'next big thing'.

To see more of Amit's work, visit www.myspace.com/amit108

What's your poison?

Hiya,

So, when I was waiting outside a barber shop in Brixton, this is what I saw outside a salon;

'Cream of Snail Slime', now I don't know what I was more shocked about; the fact that it's snail slime or that a salon in BRIXTON actually has a huge client base for this treatment. I actually spoke to someone at the salon today who gave me some more information about it and I must admit..I am actually quite interested in trying it out.

So, a bit on the history as to how the benefits of snail slime were discovered. Scientists in Mexico disocvered that snail slime contains natural amino acids, proteins, collagen and elastin. All of these ingredients are used by snails to help regenerate its calcareous skin when it's affected by any damage.

There are different brands of 'cream of snail slime' and the lady I spoke to at the salon assured me that they use the best brand called 'Eligarden', a company in Columbia.

Apparently, cream of snail slime repairs and rejuvenates skin which has been scarred by acne and burns, it is used for stretchmarks, wrinkles and years of sun damage.

You can actually by a soap and a cream, the salon I spoke to stock both but they also offer custom made courses of treatments for specific problems and courses start from £25, not bad eh? Well, I think I might go and catch some snails and make some slime smoothie and sell it on because my garden has some pedigree snails who try to eat my dogs food!!!

What do you think? Would you try this out?

Here are some other crazy and extreme beauty products;

* Snake peptide venom, which apparently is like botox and combats wrinkles.

* Geishas in Japan use Nightingale bird poo as part of their beauty regime.

* Erm... Organic BULL SPERM hair treatment..........

* A placental cream which ACTUALLY contains PLACENTA!! suppose it's better than eating it, like my school friend's mom did (yes, she ate my mate's placenta after she was born, she actually took it home and cooked it)!!!!.

Hope you've learned something new today, so like Sainsbury's slogan says "Try something new today", hahaha.

Have a fabulous evening.

Love,

Farrah G.G

HAUTE GLAMOUR MAKE UP

Hello again,

Haute Glamour (pronounced 'glam-ooor') is the current catwalk trend for make up. So, it's all about strong hair and make-up, directing a move from the 'no make-up make-up' like Sienna Miller to strong make-up like red lips and winged eyes.

Now, let's not forget that on the catwalk, anything goes! However, in real life, alot of these 'catwalk trends' are not really going to happen, are they? I mean, I wouldn't dream of going into work like this-

The bronze cheek contours and lips look was created at Alessandro dell'Acqua, it's also a look that Cheryl Cole adopted in her solo video 'Fight for this Love'.

What I want to know is, do the beauty editors in top magazines who update their readers with catwalk trends go into work like this? I am so curious to know what some of these top beauty editors look like.

This season, beauty editors are (in my opinion) committing a major make-up sin- 'a blusher-free zone' (eeeeeeeeeeeeeeek, can't believe I just had to even write that-urgh)! Blusher is an essential for EVERY make-up bag, it transorms my olive-yellow skin into glowing beige! I refuse to leave the house WITHOUT blusher!

So, back to 'Haute Glamoooooor'. So, we all know it's very unrealistic to go into work at 9am with contoured bronzed cheeks, so the question is this; "How can you add a touch of this catwalk glamour to an everyday look?" Well, you can do the winged eye but it doesn't need to look like this (unless you're going to party)-

This look is from the Versace show, where winged eyes were extended up to the temples. Lips were made neutral with concealer and gloss. I personally prefer a nude lipstick.

For an everyday look, go for a non shimmery bronzer (like Laguna from Nars) and contour cheeks just under the apples of the cheeks and where you would naturally catch the sun (sweep across forehead, down nose). The focus will be on the eyes, depending on how adventurous you are, you could either use a liquid eyeliner for a thick winged eye or some black eyeshadow and sweep outwards towards the end of the eyebrow (I will post pics, just need to find my camera).

Other looks showcased red lips, especially with paler skin (which is what I did today as I haven't applied fake tan in a while). Sometimes I like to go pale throughout the cold weather, it gives me a rosy glow so i don't need as much blusher. I wore Nars Red Square today, I wore it all day and it stayed on and didn't dry out or go flakey! It's amazing! It's actually an orangey red, I will be doing a post about different shades/brands and types of RED lipstick!! So, look out for that.

http://www.narscosmetics.co.uk/color/lips/velvet-matte-lip-pencil.html

Next time I will be blogging about this; Yes it does say 'CREAM OF SNAIL SLIME' (grosse).

Ta ta,

x

STAR PRODUCT OF THE WEEK

Good Evening Guys and Gals,

So, manicured hands up who has dark circles that even YSL Touche Eclat can't hide?

I am one of those people, I don't know if it's an age thing (because my dark circles have only recently got worse) or if it's because I am mixed race and I have darker pigmentation or something (considering I am very pale without my Nars Casino Bronzer)!!! I sleep way over the average 8 hours a night, I must admit I don't drink much water. Jen T did suggest drinking green tea helps (haven't got round to trying that yet).



So anyway, I have tried a range of undereye concealers, the light reflective ones (eg, Touche Eclat) and the concealer sort (which are generally more creamy and thicker because they actually cover up the dark circles). I always use Bobbi Brown's (one of my favourite brands and one I have been using since I was a teenager) concealer kit which comes in a great little pot with the concealer in the top and loose powder underneath to set the concealer (see pic).

However, I have recently re-discovered one of THE best concealers for dark circles, it's another Bobbi Brown product and it's called the correcter; http://www.bobbibrown.co.uk/templates/products/sp.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CAT6087&PRODUCT_ID=PROD72645

It comes in a range of colours from Porcelain Bisque to Deep Bisque (my colour is peach). It is designed to be used under the concealer kit but this morning I didn't even need to use it once I had applied the corrector. I loved how natural it looked and it blended in with my skin tone rather than having two extra light panda circles!

Did I mention that I was considering having mesotherapy injections in my undereyes until I used my corrector this morning? Thank you for saving me £350 Bobbi Brown.

What's also handy is the cute packaging with the little mirror (see pic).

So, a huge round of applause to Bobbi Brown for inventing the 'star product of the week'.

Who or what product do you think will be honoured with 'star product of the week' next time? Answers on fb's wall please.

Mwah,

Make up it girl

Cheap Vs Chic

So, during a lovely dinner with the gorgeous girls (Jen T, Kiran and Sarah), we started talking about make-up (my most favourite topic as you've probably already guessed). A few weeks ago I was talking to Kiran about the cheap quality of Mac lipsticks, they are very dry and after a bit of wear they go all grosse and bitty (I'll take some pics and post soon and show you). Kiran was declaring her undying love for them until today, the day that she discovered REAL, GOOD QUALITY lipstick -the YSL rouge volupte, with it's dreamy, creamy texture and highly pigmented colour, she is now a chic lippy convert. It is so worth it to spend a little extra on a top quality product. So, I dedicate this post to you Kiran, this is a special day you'll always remember.

Mwah

Bon nuit,

Farrah

Laura Mercier Pressed Mineral Powder

Now I must admit, I am a HUGE fan and avid user of Laura Mercier's fabulous products. I have been using her tinted moisturiser for YEARS! and I've always been afraid of heavy foundations after using them on clients in my make up artist days.

However, I felt like a change so thought I'd try the mineral foundation, which comes in a pressed powder form (as pictured) or a loose powder version (which lasts longer so it's better value for money if you're not clumsy).

This product is brilliant, it has a natural finish and you can layer it on (within reason) and you can't even tell you're wearing foundation! It is best used with either the Laura Mercier face brush or the mineral foundation brush, they are both stubby brushes made from real hair. I've had my Laura Mercier brushes for 8 years now and as long as you look after them, they last! I wash mine with shampoo and condition them, then let them dry naturally. The sponge that comes with the product is only really useful for top ups throughout the day.

I'll post some pics up of how good it looks! So, for now au revoir and I'll be back with my next fave beauty product.

Mwah,

Farrah