Beauty Flash

With the movie release of The Great Gatsby movie it seems we are celebrating everything art deco. Benefit are ahead of the game with their new Art Deco Collection inspired by San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, San Fran is also were Benefit was born. The collection is a reformulation of their existing products as well as firm favourites. The lines will be released in May and the packaging is gorgeous! Included in the collection are six ultra plush lip glosses, ten creaseless cream shadows and twelve longwear powder shadows. The hydra smooth lip colour will follow in September. So grab some of these beauties while you can! www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk

As in my previous post  ( http://flash-beauty.blogspot.com/2013/04/earth-month.html )  you'll know its Earth Month and another brand that are big supporters are Origins. They have released some lovely limited edition packaged products and are running a plant a tree promotion for each product purchased. Origins is a favourite brand of mine and this is a fantastic opportunity to try something new for a good cause or just stock up. Products included are Clear Improvement £16 (charcoal mask to clear pores), Drink Up Intensive £16(overnight mask to rehydrate), Modern Friction £19 (gentle exfoliator), Checks and Balances £12 (face wash). Shoppers can also receive a limited edition tote bag with 2 skincare purchases* there are four designs to choose from. (*terms and conditions apply see www.origins.co.uk for details) Origins have special offers on delivery and samples at the moment too, on their UK website (please also check www.origins.com ) happy shopping!

Its time to blossom with these gorgeous pick of pastels! No. 7 Ballerina Beauty Blush Palette £12.00 This gorgeous palette includes four pink pressed shades, just swirl your blusher brush, tap off excess and voila gorgeous glow :) MeMeMe Dew Pots Coral £7.25 These are great to use a eyeshadow base or on there own built up for extra pow! Bobbi Brown Brightening Finishing Powder £40.00 This is part of the Brighten, Sparkle and Glow line and its gorgeous! It instantly brightens skin and feels gorgeous. Lancôme Baume in Love Lipstick £20.00 These lovelies come in four shades fuchsia, coral, purple and pink. The formula includes shea butter which is fabulous for keeping lips super soft and they give a subtle sheen. These colours are gorgeous on. Limited Edition so snap them up! Stay gorgeous! xoxo

So not all of us wake up looking like perfection, or actually, are too busy, or as above... lazy. Here are some fuss free tips for low maintenance, high style ladies. Dry Shampoo's can be your best friend at 6.30am with an important meeting. A quick spritz and your good to go. There are also so many great brands out there that not only will your hair look great but it'll smell amazing too. One of my favourite brands is Batiste. (rrp £2.99) If you don't have time for full make up, just add some bronzer (where the sun would naturally hit your face i.e. forehead, nose, chin etc. ) a quick swipe of lip gloss and mascara and you're good to go. For a less harsh look, especially for day time, try a nude eyeliner ( I love Rimmel's Scandaleyes Eyeliner) or white, this can really open up your eyes and make them look brighter. Also, for a change swap black for a plum colour. For tired eyes try some eye drops, there are many varieties around that add a great spa

So where I live the weather is a little crazy, but it is spring none the less so I'll be choosing and recommended my favourite spring trends as well as make up, fashion and scents in the next few posts. Starting with my favourite spring nail colours. L- R Miss Sporty Clubbing Colours (this is a vibrant deep coral colour) Barry M Lychee (a lovely nude colour in the Gelly Hi Shine formula which gives a lovely finish) Max Factor Glossfinity Angel Nails (this is a gorgeous sparkly taupe colour perfect for spring evenings) Revlon Sunshine Sparkle (gorgeous lemon colour looks fab with a tan!) Essie We're In It Together (gorgeous light pink with subltle blue/purple sparkles throughout Essie All Tied Up (Gorgeous brownish red colour with gold sparkle throughout another great night time colour. Essie Bikini So Teeny (Stunning baby blue colour with iridescent sparkles) Barry M Gelly Hi Shine in Greenberry (this is a gorgeous mint colour, really bright and goes on amazing, these nail

April is Earth Month . To celebrate and help towards a great cause a good way to donate is to get a hold of the Aveda Light the Way Candle. This lovely limited edition candle costs £16.00 with proceeds going towards projects to provide clean water in Madagascar. The candle has all organic ingredients with scents or vanilla, cinnamon and ylang ylang. The packaging is beautifully decorated and recycled as well.  This is available now at Aveda spas/salons nationwide and also at www.aveda.co.uk Great cause, great product :)

I don't think I'm alone in this beautiful world by admitting I'm a product junkie. I decided to whittle my skin routine with my favourite products I like to use morning, evening and weekly. I have to admit I haven't always been this obsessed I don't really know what came over me. Probably all the magazines, you tube vlog's and general skin envy I developed looking at my friends flawless finish. I have to add, I have the most boring, non sensitive skin, which I know I'm lucky to have. I rarely get breakouts, occasionally my skin is a little dehydrated, but I do think its important to look after your skin no matter how blessed (or not) you are. I used to just use face wipes to clean my skin and take off my make up - then boom the addiction to cleansers began.. I have three which I use daily/weekly. I am not totally against cleansing wipes. They are handy if your just out the gym or heading out after work. I recently tried the Neutrogena Visibly Clear Rapid

Anyone who suffers from dry skin will know the importance of keeping your skin moisturised. But really moisturising should be a massive part of ones beauty routine. I remember my grandmother always telling me to moisturise day and night and me thinking what for? I've got much more exciting things to do that than! Well, they where right and I'd say since I was about 17 I have religiously followed this routine. Not just my face but my body too. A lot of my friends only seem to moisturise their body after a shower etc. I do this every night before bed and every morning before I get dressed. It doesn't take long plus you get to lather yourself with gorgeousness, who wouldn't??! After bathing let your skin dry a little before applying moisturiser or oil. For best effect you should pat your skin dry with a towel. Ensure your skin is completely dry before dressing, especially if using oils as these can stain. Hot water and regular soap can rob the skin of its natural moi

As spring has sprung... well kind of. All the gorgeous shades are in season. Pastels and bright colours are must haves, so even if your weather isn't that sunny your make up and beauty can be :) When I was a teenager (from what I remember haha) I wasn't a huge fan of lipstick. I preferred just some lip gloss and at a stretch lip liner. Here are some tips for gorgeous glossy lips... Find your favourite shade, dont be scared to try something new! I like to add a little concealer to lips before applying lip colour, helps it stay put! Apply lip gloss to your bottom lip only (the middle part) this stops it being applied to thickly. Rub your lips together gently. If you do like lipstick try using a neutral colour underneath, or if you have bright lipstick a clear gloss looks fab or simply put some lip balm over it for a glossy non sticky finish. If you go overboard, just grab some tissue and blot it out. Here are some of my favourite lip products recommended for teens :