Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeliner: Review

Being an avid fan of eyeliner, both under my eye and on the lid, means that I am always partial to beauty bargains. Last week while shopping for my product "up-dates", you know yourself, every so often you have to have to pop  along to Boots to re-stock your beauty bag. Well, during mine last week I spotted Rimmel promotions, including their latest mascara to the range "Scandeleyes Rockin Curves", offering a few euros off, which I couldn't resist! In the end I bought the above mascara, some Natural Collection concealer and lip gloss and today's featured product "Scandeleys Eyeliner".

The biggest point to note at this moment is that I am very particular with the way I like my eye liner to sit on my lid. For my under eye I tend to stick to pencil liner as it stays on longer and isn't as difficult to apply, but it is strictly gel liner "pitch black" effect on top. My usual Rimmel product of choice is "Exaggerate Eye Liner" and this new liner style does not add up in comparison. First of all if you like your liner really dark this is not the product for you. It comes out more like a faded black which is only really acceptable at the end of the day when you are falling into bed. Well, it doesn't last until the end of the day anyway. If it is still visible at lunch your doing well. Another aspect of the product that has me on edge is that I don't think I am going to get very long out of it , this mainly due to the fact that I have it less than a week and it seems to be drying up already. The "Exaggerate" product has a  refill pot which the brush sits into allowing to achieve the ideal jet black lines above the eyes. Overall I am very disappointed with this product and if you are a keen eye liner wearer such as myself I would say stay away from this.

Another promotion that Rimmel are doing at the minute includes the eye shadow chubby sticks as part of the "Scandeleys", I bought one in the deeper purple shade. Last week I went out with a few friends and wore this shade to brighten up my make up (nude lip, basic contouring) and it did exactly just that, it looked great! What I loved the most is that it lasted until I got home and I didn't have to re-touch once (I wish the same could be said for my eyeliner).  I will be picking up one in every shade available.

Love C X

So Fresh & So Clean

Working full time means that my evenings now consist of winding down and relaxing. My beauty routine has since changed during this process of part-time to full time working lady. I've spoken about the strain of making sure that my make up stays in tact for the full nine hour shift, but occasionally I top up my foundation on my lunch break (which I think is normal!), so this requires to wear a full face everyday which I don't mind but I need my skin to breath also. So part of my New Years resolution was to take better care of my skin and this is when I introduced facial masks into my weekly beauty regime. H&M offer a great range of facial scrubs for 99c which I was first very skeptical to try because of my sensitive skin  but many of my friends have raved about them so I took a chance and picked up the olive oil option. After applying all over my face (avoiding eyes and mouth) and letting it soak into my skin for 15 minutes. If you haven't used one of these facial masks before be warned that after about two minutes you will no longer be able to move any part of your face! Afterwards my skin felt extremely smooth and fresh and the following day I noticed the difference, especially after I had applied my make up I had a glow off my skin (something I could get used to).

To brighten up my spring wardrobe I am also investing in a little nail revival, primarily in the form of nude shades. I am usually a massive fan of Barry M nail polishes but when it comes to the nude options they tend to crack quiet easily and don't seem to go the distance aswell as the darker shades. I've decided this time around I am going professional in the form of shellac. I've tried this before so I now how nice it looks and lasts much longer than the average self polish. I'll make sure to post the results to the Facebook page (CiCi Jewels).

My all time favorite scent has to be Chloe. Every Christmas I end up with loads which thankfully gets me through the year. What I like about this scent is that it is quiet light and not over powering, very femine and lasts for hours! This year although I did manage to receive some other smellies as well, including Giorgio Armani "Si" and Paco Rabane "Lady Millions". For the past few weeks I have been wearing "Si", which I would never have picked for myself, and was surprised with all the compliments I have about the fragrance. Very pleased with the results and smells of late.

Love C X 

Blue Bloods

Every season I have a colour that stands out in my mind as my "go-to" shade for the coming months. Recently I have been talking about white a lot, but I also think I need a block contrasting tone to add some umph to SS14. Welcome cobalt blue. Blue is a shade that I do not normally go for in my everyday choices, mainly because when it comes to shopping, any item that I pick up always has a black/white/maroon option and these are shades I wear more. So it is time to break the mold and venture with this luxury shade. 

This look particularly suits a tailored style, over-sized coats, silk loose fitted shirts teamed with smart skinny trousers are a great way to embrace the brighter season. As I have recently spoke about in many of my recent posts, basic block colours (white, black, beige and grey) are my essentials right now and the great aspect about this move is cobalt blue compliments all of the above.... It's a win-win.

The one retail brand that I think offers the best high street alternative to high-end designer tailoring is Zara. I have been keeping an eye on the latest season stock arrive slowly into the shops and so far it can be described effortless tailored chic. I may put together a post on my favorite bits from the new Zara collection in the next few weeks so make sure to keep an eye out. If you plan on experimenting on the this deeper shade Zara are offering some amazing options in the form of shirts, cotton tees and smart A-line dresses. If any of you are bold enough to try the bold blue lip tweet me the results (you can do so by the side tab).

Love C X 

January Loves....

January is all about black and grey. PVC skirts have always been a favorite item for me so I am always on the look out for newer versions in different styles and shades. The one in the above image is from Soda Scotch and there is a link below to buy it. The Pull and Bear cut out booties are extremely popular right now and Penneys have a fantastic pair, and such good value (like everything else in Penney's!).

Recently I wrote a post on Your Style Forecast called Clean Living, and this focus of this post centered around investing in good quality basics for your wardrobe and this months Loves is a prime example on how to do this. Monochrome is also highly recommended for the coming season so technically we are all in fashion for SS14. The links for all items shown are featured below. 

Alexander Wang gray crewneck sweatshirt
Scotch Soda leather skirt

Pull&Bear cut-out booties

3 1 Phillip Lim handbag

Filippa K scarve

Ray-Ban ray ban glasses

TOMS Black Travel Journal

NIXON headband headphone

Love C X 

Be Happy, with your Foundation!

Over the past number of years I have tried many, and I mean many, different brands of foundation. At first I am always happy with the initial results, they tend to blend well and give the radiant effect that we all crave. But over time, usually this time frame being a few weeks, the initial happiness fades and I find myself back at square one, trying to find a new foundation to buy.

I always find that a true test of how good a foundation really is is how it holds up by the end of the working day. Working in retail translates to being on your feet all day and generally a lot of physical movements, so naturally this has an effect on how you look by the time 6 pm arrives. When I realise that the foundation that I have bought cannot see me through this period I simply move on to the next. But alas! I think my may have finally found my foundation heaven in the form of Clinique "Stay Matte".

Clinique was first recommended to me by a friend about six months ago but it was actually the "Even Better" foundation that I was told to try. Now I did try this option but it just did not suit my skin type at all (oily to combination) so I browsed the brand for alternative foundations and this is when I decided to try "Stay Matte". I wasn't hopeful at first as many had let me down in the past. At the beginning I was pleasantly surprised with the results, it gave me the radiance, easy to blend, there was a shade to match my skin tone (004 Fair) and above all it still looked in tact by the end of the day. With my type of skin foundation tends to look particularly shiny even after I have applied powder and previous matte foundations that I have tried have all resulted in my skin looking "cakey". So trying to find the perfect option which will offer a matte effect with just the appropriate amount of shine has always been a struggle, so I was genuinely shocked that I found all of this with this product.


Six months later and I am still blissfully happy with Clinique "Stay Matte". Only in recent years have I understood the value of truly investing in brand (expensive) beauty products, the value being the long lasting beautifying effects. Not that this product costs much, 27 Euro is actually a bargain for how happy I am with it but is still a significant difference if you are accustomed to buying your foundation in Boots. This is the only product from the brand that I am using at the minute but now I am considering investing in other items, such as the chubby sticks, pressed powder or nail varnish (which I have also heard is really good).

Clinique is also a brand that I had never thought to buy before it was recommended to me.  I was very determined for certain brands, such as MAC, to work for my skin tone and this was partly because everything else from that brand worked so well on my skin and I love them. But you have to listen to your skin and if it works with a specific brand or product you must stick to this until you feel it longer continues delivering these results. If like me you have struggled with different foundations over the years I urge you to give this a try because it may just be what you have been looking for.

Love C X 

Ooh girl, love your style: Miranda Kerr

So, she has been on the scene for awhile ( 10 years to be precise) but it seems that in the last twelve months Miranda Kerr has gone from just another model to my street style icon. Many of the shots that we see of Ms Kerr are taken while she is either leaving her home with her son or simply walking down the street. This shows her natural style personality, and it is practically flawless. Not only has she been blessed with those looks but the girl knows how to work the best looks! 

What I love most about this girls style is the simplicity of what she is wearing but yet how well it looks. When you think about it, apart from the high-end event outfits, her casual style consists primarily of blue wash skinny denims, a basic tee, a winter cardigan and/or over-sized tailored coat. This is nothing that is not in our own reach, I'd say we have all these in our wardrobes already but there is something effortlessly beautiful about these scenes.

The above images with the aqua-blue maxi is probably one of my personal favorites, mainly because it is one of those outfits that is noticeable "I can only wear this once" statement which is not necessarily meant for casual attire but yet it is. It is effortlessly chic and beautiful.

"I believe to be successful at anything you have to give it a 100% commitment and that is what I still do to this day."- Miranda Kerr

Love C X 

Dreaming of a White Spring

Here we go again, another new and exciting year ahead. In my last post, The Future is looking Bright, I spoke about beauty trends which I think will be hot this coming season. So today I am focusing on fashion colours. Like everything, this is a personal perspective on colours and shades which I plan on wearing. Recently I wrote a post for Your Style Forecast called "Clean Living", which centered around the idea of focusing on brighter block colours for the coming season. White is a new hot favorite for me. Investing in finer tailored clothes is also on the agenda for me.The high street offer fantastic trend focused staples but the length of time that I get out of these numbers just doesn't seem worth it to me anymore. From now on, I have decided that I will spend money on clean classics that will not only match everything (white and black are prime examples of this statement) but they will also follow me through to seasons for years to me.

Minimal colour is a fresh approach to my wardrobe. Cleaning out all the clashing colours and bold prints is practically detoxing. Some people fix up their diet for the new year, I clean up my wardrobe. Although this is a slight lie as I have cleaned up my diet aswell. I am now cutting out all foods containing gluten, which includes bread, pasta, pizza etc. Thankfully there are lots of gluten free pizzas and pastas available so I won't be suffering too much! 

Other colours which I am adding too much wardrobe for 2014 include; beige, grey, mint greens and the addition of more black. 

Part of this style revival stems from the fact that in my new job I have to wear black most of the time. At first I thought this was really convenient but as the weeks have gone on I feel lack I am lacking creativity with regards my style. This could be why I am craving white and bright shades but I also need to find some black pieces that are timeless also that will make me want to wear them outside of work. Black PVC is something that I love and tend to stick to this look just for winter but I have a feeling that I may just carry it into spring this year. 

To a Fashionable New Year! 

Love C X 

The Future is Looking Bright

A new year can only mean one thing; new trends! This generally equals to the fact that new colours are coming that we are all going to be lusting after. Looking at this from a beauty perspective always fascinates me; how is it that everyone,with a vast range of complexions and skin tones, can all wear certain shades so well.

Moving into spring/summer '14 has already given me hope for bright colours. With this in mind I have reason to believe that colours that we we all want to brand our lips with are soft berries and electric oranges. We seem to have exhausted every other form of berry so it only seems natural to test the waters with a lighter shade. Personally, I am a massive fan of deeper burgundy shades. They create a bigger impact and compliment my features better. Now I am not saying that I will not at least try these shades but with regards orange, I am not feeling too confident.

This orange come back reminds me of the 90's era where everything was a lightly bit brighter and crazier. 2013 saw the decade become very trendy again with the help of  Miley Cyrus, midi crop tops and high waisted denims, so it was only a matter of time before the colours which defined the 90's was going to make an appearance.

As I write this I am trying to figure out how I will style this shade. My new colour (clothes wise) is white, so I'm thinking this could be a great team together. With regards products, I'm putting my money on Michael Kors Lip Lacquer in Dame and Maybelline Colour Sensational Vivids Lipstick in Electric Orange.

Soft berry is a gorgeous to play with, particularly for day time wear. Given rise to a gentle finish for your look will definitely compliment clean, fresh colours such as white, beige and grey, all of which I am embracing in the coming months.

Happy New Year! 

Love C X