What I wore...to a Christmas party Instagram Edition

Last night was my work Christmas party and like the amazingly organised blogger I am, didn't have time to take proper blog photographs.  Instead, here are some lovely grainy Instagram snaps of what I wore.

 

My dress is from Warehouse a couple of years ago.  I had originally bought this dress from Missguided which I absolutely love however it was incredibly short, especially for a work night out.  After some last minute panicking (by panicking I mean, throwing every piece of clothing I own on the floor) I found this black body con dress with silver embellished shoulders from Warehouse.  I love Warehouse dresses - I have fallen in love with this beautiful leather and feather dress - it would be perfect for New Year!

On my face, I wore M.A.C Studio Fix Fluid, NARS Laguna Bronzer, Bourjois Rose D'or, Laura Mercier Mosaic Shimmer Bloc and Rimmel Stay Matte powder.  On my eyes, I wore Benefit's creaseless cream shadow in Strut, Urban Decay Gunmetal, M.A.C Carbon, my all time favourite M.A.C 3d silver glitter (Christmas isn't Christmas without a little glitter), Two Faced Perfect Eyes eyeliner (this has quickly become one of my favourite products ever!) and Ardell Demi Wispies.  On my lips, I wore YSL Rouge Volupte #19 and Dior's Lip Glow.  

Then after a few too many shots of Sambucca, I got a little carried away and got some leopard print face paint done - just call me the female Mike Tyson!

I would love to see what you all wore to your Christmas parties - link me up!

Love Nic 

xx

Espa Skin Purifying Facial at The Retreat

On Saturday, I was invited to the launch of a range of Espa products and treatments at The Retreat in West Calder, West Lothian.  The Retreat aims to bring the quality of treatments often found in larger cities and spas to a more accessible location for the people of West Lothian. I absolutely love this - I think the standard of local salons found in Scotland is getting higher and higher; The Retreat being the perfect example of this. I was given the opportunity to choose one of the Espa treatments and chose the Skin Purifying Facial.  

I was introduced to my therapist Evelyn and got to ask her about the training she completed in Gleneagles to become an Espa certified therapist - it sounded quite an intense course and trusted I was in excellent hands!  I was then taken through a consultation and was asked what concerned me most about my skin. I've mentioned so many times on Magic's in the Make Up that I have quite oily skin which is prone to breakouts around my T-zone and acne scarring. The Skin Purifying Facial sounded perfect as it is designed to help congested and problematic skin.

After my consultation, I was taken in to my treatment room.  It was like walking into an oasis of instant calm.  The room was lit by beautifully scented aromatherapy candles, there was relaxing music playing and the treatment bed was so comfortable. Firstly, Evelyn analysed my skin using 'SkinVision' technology and it turns out that on the whole, my skin is fairly normal, with an oily T-zone and the occasional dry patch (I've been giving it a bad wrap this whole time!) 

The facial lasted 55 minutes and used the Espa balancing range (this smells AMAZING) which helps deep cleanse the skin, regulate oil and refine pores.  A number of products were used throughout the facial (I need the Balancing facial oil in my skin care routine), and Evelyn used a number of facial massage techniques and gentle exfoliation gloves to help my skin feel thoroughly cleansed.  While waiting for a face mask to work its magic, I was also given a hand and arm massage.  Of all the facials I have experienced, the Espa Purifying facial left me feeling the most relaxed and pampered, I felt so sleepy afterwards!  I also loved how bright my skin looked as you can see below - even Nick commented on my skin which is unheard of!

If you are looking for a professional and friendly salon in Scotland, The Retreat is perfect.  Within driving distance from both Glasgow and Edinburgh, it offers five star quality treatments at an affordable price.   It has such a warm and welcoming atmosphere that it would be difficult to not leave feeling relaxed!  The Retreat offers an amazing variety of facials - there is one to suit all skin types, including a personalised express facial which is only 30 minutes long and tailored to your skin type!  I definitely want to try one of the body treatments next - the salt and oil scrub sounds amazing and I've always wanted to try a hot stone massage!

I would love to hear about your experiences of facials. Have you ever tried an Espa treatment?

Nic

xx

Operation Disco Pants: An Update

I recently posted this photograph on Instagram showing my weight loss progress so far.  While my weight loss has definitely slowed down of late (the result of a two week holiday in Portugal, a weekend away in Liverpool and too many Afternoon Teas…), I'm so happy that I've maintained my two and a half stone loss.

Over the last 6 months I've come to realise just how bad my diet was before: I could easily munch a packet of Percy Pigs on my way home from work , I would often eat a whole pizza twice a week and probably drank far too much wine.  Although I would tell myself I was happy because I allowed myself to eat all the cheese I wanted, it turns out I really wasn't.  In fact, I was pretty miserable.  I had no self confidence: if a dress didn't have sleeves, I wouldn't wear it, if it wasn't black, I wouldn't wear it.  Meeting new people absolutely terrified me and my anxiety was through the roof (I'm still working on this but getting better!). As crazy as it sounds, I was positive people wouldn't be interested in getting to know me because I was overweight. With every goal I've set myself and met, I gain a little more confidence.  I mean, I wore a white dress in public!  Most excitingly of all?  I bought a pair of Disco Pants (OK, not the most exciting news but it was a big deal to me…I cried in the changing room when they fit!)

Recently someone told me in work that I had given them hope that they too could lose weight and to me, this means so much.  It's true, if I can do it you can too.  I think the most important thing is to sit down and be 100% honest with yourself: be realistic with your goals.  I've found that I've steadily lost about 1-2 lbs a week using My Fitness Pal.  If like me, you need structure and goals to meet, but also need a degree of flexibility, My Fitness Pal is great.  If you don't want to be reigned in by a calorie count and still be able to eat a wide range of foods, Slimming World might be the best choice.  If you find you lose weight best on a low carb diet, try going paleo for a month and see how you feel.  

 Most important of all?  Do whatever it takes to become happy and healthy...

…while still allowing yourself some cheese.

Lots of Love

Nic

xx

Other Operation Disco Pants:

The Breakfast Swap

Progress Pictures

An Internet Lovers Guide to Exercise

An Internet Lovers Guide to Eating Well

M.A.C Cranberry

If you have been looking for the perfect autumn/winter eyeshadow, look no further than M.A.C's 'Cranberry'.  For the last couple of years around this time, I always watch numerous 'Cranberry' You Tube tutorials, add it to my ever growing wish list and then forget it about it until Autumn rolls around again.  However since buying 'Cranberry' this Autumn, I've worn it nearly every day!

When it came to writing this post, I found it quite difficult to describe 'Cranberry'.  Depending on the light and what you pair it with, 'Cranberry' can look red, burgundy, a reddish brown and sometimes even a dark pink! 'Cranberry' is a frost which gives a really pretty metallic finish to the eye and can be used quite lightly to give a sheer wash of colour, or a little more heavily to achieve an opaque finish.  

What makes 'Cranberry' the perfect A/W eye shadow shade?

1. It's versatile.  As I mentioned above, 'Cranberry' looks different depending on what you pair it with.  I love using Cranberry all over the eye, then smudging a little matte black shadow along the lash line and the outer corner of the eye.  Blending black into 'Cranberry' creates a really nice deep plum shade. It works as an all over lid colour, a crease colour and even a liner.
2. It's extremely flattering. When I first applied 'Cranberry' I was a little worried as it can make your eyes look a little tired or sore when used on its own.  However, as soon as I added some dimension to my eye and some mascara, the shadow was a really flattering shade.  I have hazel eyes that often change depend on what colours I use - 'Cranberry' really brought out the greeny/yellow.  Those people with green or blue eyes would look amazing!
3. It surprisingly compliments a number of other colours.  I've use 'Cranberry' with gold, white and purple eyeshadows, each giving very different but pretty results.  Most surprisingly though, I thought I would be quite restricted with what lipstick shades I would be able to wear, however I've worn it with nudes, reds, plums and even bright fuchsia!

Do you have 'Cranberry'? How do you like to wear it?

Love Nic

xx

Keeping toasty this winter...

Winter is my favourite season; I love the food, the smells and the weather it brings.  In Scotland there is a phrase, to 'coory in' which describes exactly what I love about winter:  it's that feeling of coming home from a freezing cold night, getting straight into my pyjamas, cranking the heating up, getting  festive scented candles and twinkly lights on and having a cuddle with your loved ones.  In other words, I love to hibernate in winter.  

However, when I am reminded that I do sometimes need a social life and I'm forced to venture outside, I want to be as cosy as possible.  Remember when your mum would wrap you up in a huge puffy jacket and zip you in, right up to your chin, so you would have to turn your whole body if you wanted to look left or right?  I may of hated it then, but that's what I strive for now in my winter clothes.  While it may not be quite cold enough for that yet in Glasgow, I wanted to share some of the pieces I've recently bought to keep me toasty warm this winter.  

As soon as I saw this parka in Topshop I had to buy it.  It's the cosiest coat I've ever owned - the sheepskin and fluffy hood are detachable, though I'm not sure why you would want to take it out, it's the best part!  If you are thinking of buying this parka, be warned.  You will spend half of your day either being asked where your coat is from (three different people have chased me around shops without me noticing as I had my headphones in) or avoiding people trying to stroke your hood.  The other half of your day will be spent trying to ignore other people walking down the street in the same coat - it seems to be very popular! I don't ever understand why some people have such a problem being seen in the same clothes as others - if you buy from the high street surely this is unavoidable!? 

My scarf and boots are from River Island.  The scarf is huge and unbelievably cosy! As I sit near a huge window in work, I often end up wrapping it around me to keep warm.  It also comes in red and orange - I am sorely tempted by the orange version! I wanted a pair of cut out boots for such a long time, but was looking for a pair without a heel so was delighted when I found these (link here).  They are so comfortable and well made and look amazing with pretty much anything - I've worn them with leggings, jeans and dresses. I've paired them here with a pair of frilly sparkly socks from Primark to keep my feet extra toasty!

What are your favourite pieces to help keep cosy this winter?

Love Nic

xx   

Revlon ColorBurst Lipgloss 060 Adorned

As a fellow beauty lover, I'm sure you're familiar with the feeling of stumbling across a perfect product - there is just no discussion about whether it is coming home with you or not.  Despite having a silly amount of fuchsia lip products (I'm slowly beginning to think of Magic's in the Make Up is a fuchsia lip directory rather than an all round beauty blog ha!), I  had to buy Revlon's Limited Edition ColorBurst lipgloss in 'Adorned'.

I practically ran over to the Revlon stand when I saw 'Adorned' - it is a ridiculously neon fuchsia gloss with blue micro glitter (that is extremely difficult to capture).  It is one of the most pigmented and creamy lipglosses I have ever tried.  On the lips it has the look of a liquid lipstick rather than a gloss, but is much easier to apply!  It's so glossy, non-sticky and very comfortable to wear.  When the glossiness begins to wear, the colour of 'Adorned' stays on the lips for a couple of hours which I love.  The doe foot applicator makes application easy, however as it's so pigmented I found it a little safer to use a slightly smaller lip brush.

One thing I have noticed is 'Adorned' seems to be magnetically attracted to my teeth - even after using the old 'suck your finger' trick, some gloss always manages to find it's way onto my teeth.  It might be best to have a friend on teeth watch - especially if you're like me and tend to slap their lip products all over their face after a couple of cocktails!

If you love bright lip products, you definitely need to see 'Adorned' in person - it's beautiful! Revlon ColorBurst lip glosses cost £7.99 from Boots and Superdrug.

Love Nic

xx

Sephora Professional Mineral Powder Brush #45

I have just came back from a wonderful holiday in Portugal and was delighted to find that there was a Sephora a ten minute drive from our Villa! While I was a little disappointed at how small it was, I managed to find a couple of things I'd had on my wish list for a while.  I was most excited to try the Sephora Professional Mineral Powder Brush.

Although marketed as a mineral powder brush, I've been using #45 as a buffing brush for liquid foundation.  The brush is synthetic, making it perfect to use with liquid foundation as it's much less absorbent, wasting less product.  The bristles are densely packed but extremely soft, which makes it lovely to use and helps give excellent coverage.  I love the way my foundation looks when using this brush - it seems to deposit just the right amount of product and is small enough to fit into the contours of my face.

#45 washes well and I've experienced no shedding.  I've found that it works particularly well with fluid foundations - I love using it with both Giorgio Armani's 'Luminous Silk' and 'Maestro' foundation, Chanel 'Vita Lumiere Aqua' and Shiseido 'Sun Protection Liquid Foundation'.  While it does provide excellent coverage with thicker formulas such as Laura Mercier 'Silk Creme' Foundation, it does take a little more work buffing it in compared to other brushes I've tried.

If you have access to Sephora, I highly recommend picking up this brush!

Lots of Love

Nic

xx

Loving Laura Mercier

I first discovered Laura Mercier's 'Silk Creme Foundation' last year and have loved it ever since - I think this is about my fifth tube!  When I recently visited the Laura Mercier counter to repurchase 'Silk Creme', I took part in a promotion that allowed me to buy two products and pick a third for free.  I chose the Shimmer Bloc in 'Mosaic' and Lip Glace in 'Ambre Rose'.

'Silk Creme' provides amazing coverage, has a natural, luminous finish and lasts all day.   It photographs beautifully, especially under flash photography which makes it my go to foundation for nights out. You can read my more in depth review of 'Silk Creme' here. 

I absolutely love highlighting powders; some of my favourites include Dior's 'Amber Diamond', Smashbox Soft Lights in 'Shimmer' and M.A.C's Mineralize Skin Finish in 'Soft and Gentle'. However, Laura Mercier 'Mosaic' may have pushed its way straight to the top.  The shimmer bloc is comprised of four shades that can either be used individually as eye or cheek products or swirled together to add radiance to the face.

The compact comprises of four shades: a bronze, a gold, a taupe and a champagne which, when used together, gives the appearance of a golden peach.  I've used 'Mosaic' as my highlighting product every day since I've bought it and can't believe how pretty it is.  When using 'Mosaic' on the cheek, it's important to use quite a light hand to avoid it looking too shimmery.  When used with a fluffy brush, the finish is a really pretty, natural sheen which you can see below.  I've also used the champagne shade in the inner corner of my eye.

'Ambre Rose' Lip Glace is a very pretty, rosey bronze lip gloss, perfect for everyday wear.  I love the Laura Mercier Lip Glace formula as it doesn't move around on the lips and avoids any sticky or gloopiness.    'Ambre Rose' is quite an opaque gloss as you can see below.  While it does contain a gold glitter, this is fine enough to prevent any grittiness and helps keep the lips looking glossy and shiny.

What are your favourite Laura Mercier products?

Love Nic

xx

Rouge d'Armani 601 Plum

Every time I try a new product from Giorgio Armani, I fall more and more in love with the brand.  I recently bought one of the Rouge d'Armani lipsticks in 601 'Plum' and it is one of the nicest berry shades I have ever owned.

The Rouge d'Armani lipsticks have been designed to bridge the gap between long lasting colour and providing comfort and hydration.  The formula is extremely long lasting.   By the end of the day, 'Plum gives the appearance of a stain which I love.  Unlike other long lasting formulas I have tried, it's very comfortable to wear and is not drying on the lips.  When first applied, 'Plum' looks quite glossy before drying down to a satin finish.

The formula is quite sheer but can be built up to be quite opaque on the lips.  I love how versatile this makes the lipstick - you can either dab it on lightly to give the appearance of a stain or you can apply it more liberally, creating a more opaque finish.  The shade is beautiful; when used lightly the lipstick gives the appearance of a light berry colour, however when applied opaquely, it is a true plum

Have you ever tried any of the Rouge d'Armani lipsticks? 

Love Nic

xx

The Best Carrot Cake

On a miserable, rainy Sunday afternoon there is nothing I love better than keeping cosy indoors, and one of my favourite things to do on such afternoons is bake.  I was recently challenged by BakingMad.com to recreate one of the recipes from the site.  I deliberated over finding the perfect cake recipe and decided on the 'Best Carrot Cake'.  I absolutely love carrot cake, especially at this time of the year.  As the recipe makes two loaves, I decided to change it up a little and make one loaf and 12 carrot cake cupcakes!  There's a brilliant video on Baking Mad which demonstrates how to make cupcakes, which really helped.

To make this carrot cake, you will need:

5 Eggs

350g Light Muscovado Sugar

400ml Ground Nut Oil

400g Self Raising White Flour

2tsp Cinnamon

2tsp Nutmeg

400g Grated Carrot

200g Sultanas

200g Chopped Walnuts

For the cream cheese frosting you will need:

250g Unsalted Butter

100g Cream Cheese

600g Golden Icing Sugar

The recipe is very straightforward to follow:

1. Preheat the oven to 150C or Gas Mark 2 and grease 2 regular loaf tins with butter and baking paper (I only lined one and filled a muffin tin with cupcake cases)

2. Add the sugar, eggs and oil to a bowl and whisk until combined.  Mix the carrots into the mixture with the walnuts and sultanas.

3. In a separate bowl sieve the flour, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Fold the flour into the egg mixture until combined.

4. Pour the mixture into the loaf tin(s) and bake for 40-45.  Halfway through cooking, use a sharp knife to cut lengthways along the top of the loaf to create a dome like effect.  Once cooked, remove from tins and allow to cool on a wire rack,

5.  For the frosting, cream together the butter and cream cheese.  Add in the icing sugar and pop into the fridge to firm up.

6.  When firm take a palette knife, and holding the loaf in your hands, spread the frosting on, starting at the side and then piling high on top.  Smooth over the frosting for an even finish.  

My loaf ended up taking about an hour to cook - to ensure it's cooked, stick a cocktail stick through the middle of the loaf and when it comes out clear, the cake is cooked through.  For the cupcakes, I baked them in the oven for 25 minutes - they will feel a little 'spongey' to the touch but this is normal. I beat my cream cheese icing together for several minutes to make sure it's extremely light and creamy.

As a cupcake, this recipe is extremely light where as it's a little denser as a loaf.  The cake is filled with  sultanas and walnuts, giving the cake texture however, you could easily omit either of these according to your tastes.  Also, for the cupcakes, I decorated them with a walnut and a sprinkling of cinnamon.  

There are lots of new recipes I want to try from Baking Mad - their chocolate brownie recipe looks delicious!

Lots of Love

Nic

xx

Review: Sleep-In Rollers

One of the best discoveries I've made since starting blogging is velcro rollers.  I absolutely love big, voluminous hair (You can read more in this old post) and to date, the best  I have tried are the 'Sleep-In Rollers'.

'Sleep-In Rollers' are by far the easiest to apply, the comfiest to wear and most secure rollers I've tried.  As you can see above, the rollers are extremely flexible and filled with sponge, which supposedly helps you sleep in them.  I haven't personally tried this and I'm not sure I  ever will as I'm such a fussy sleeper, but they are so comfortable to wear during the day and don't tug at my hair.  

In preparation for a night out, I normally apply the 'Sleep-In Rollers' in the morning and get on with my day (at home, I'm not as brave as others to brave it outside with my rollers in).  I've cleaned my whole house wearing these and not once has a roller fell out.  With other velcro rollers, I spend the whole day trying not move my head in fear of them all falling out.  'Sleep-In Rollers' are so light to wear that I pretty much forget that I have them in.  After leaving my rollers in all day, I'm truly left with huge hair that I can mould into any voluminous hair style I wish.  They work especially well with the Glitz and Glam hair piece I blogged about last month.

However, I particularly love 'Sleep-In Rollers' for when I have plans mid week after work.  As my hair is quite fine, by the end of the day it can look a little flat and lifeless.  All I have to do is pop the rollers in for an hour or so while getting ready and when I take them out my hair looks bouncy and freshly washed - it's a hair care miracle! I've found that adding a little 'Dust It' into the roots of my hair and fringe before applying the rollers really helps and keeps the volume in my hair all night.

In this photo, I let my hair air dry 80% and then blow dried it to help with frizz.  I then sprinkled some 'Dust It' at the roots, popped the 'Sleep-In Rollers' in for about an hour and was left with big, bouncy hair without using a lot of heat.

Lastly, how amazingly CUTE is this cat ear hairband from River Island?  Allowing me to bring a little Halloween spirit to my wardrobe without walking about in full fancy dress .

Lots of Love

Nic

xx

Benefit Stay Flawless 15 Hour Primer

A good primer has been a staple in my make up bag for the last couple of years. Some of my favourites include Laura Mercier's Oil Free Primer, Arbonne's silicone based make up primer and Smashbox 'Photo Finish'.  Until recently I had yet to try any of Benefit's primer products, despite reading so many rave reviews.  I'm not as concerned with the appearance of my pores as I am with the longevity of my make up, which led me to try their newest offering: 'Stay Flawless'.

'Stay Flawless' is a stick primer that is applied directly onto the face before applying foundation.  Benefit recommend applying foundation immediately after the primer, blending the two together as this helps the primer act as a 'magnet' for your base products.  I've found that it's easier to work in sections as the primer dries down quite quickly.

When applied to the skin, the primer feels extremely soft and silky and my foundation applies smoothly and evenly.  Benefit claim that 'Stay Flawless' will help 'lock on your foundation for 15 fresh and flawless hours'.  However with an oilier skin type, my foundation began to wear by about 1 o'clock in the afternoon: 6 hours after I first applied it and as I left work at 5 the foundation I had applied on my chin and forehead had completely disappeared.  I tried again the next day and set my make up with Urban Decay's 'De-Slick' which held up a little better.  However, on it's own, 'Stay Flawless' was not suited to my skin type - it would work more effectively on someone with a normal to drier skin type as it did improve the appearance and application of my foundation.

Overall, I really liked the innovative packaging and application of 'Stay Flawless' with the twist up stick and I loved how it made my foundation first apply and look. Sadly, I just don't think it's suited to those  with an oilier skin type.

Have you tried 'Stay Flawless'? What is your favourite primer?

Love Nic

xx

The Perfect Nude Lip: Autograph 'Nude Pink'

I mentioned recently that my local Marks and Spencer have opened an amazing new beauty hall and every time I pass through I can't help but have a wander around. Nestled amongst amazing brands such as Murad, Nuxe and Ren is one of Marks own make up brands, Autograph.  I decided to try one of the Moisture Colour Lipsticks in 'Nude Pink' and it is one of the most opaque yet flattering nude lipsticks I've tried.

'Nude Pink' looks a lot more peach/nude on my lips than it does in the bullet, but has just enough pink to still make the shade flattering without washing me out.  The formula is very creamy and extremely opaque.  Although the formula isn't drying, due its high coverage and satin finish 'Nude Pink' can  accentuate any dry patches or lines - as long as I prep my lips beforehand I've not found this to be too much of problem.

The packaging is very similar to Chanel's Rouge Allure lipsticks - you press the bottom of the bullet and the lipstick just pops out!  One problem I always find with nude lipsticks is their lasting power, however 'Nude Pink' is one of the longest lasting nude shades I've tried! 

The Autograph Moisture Colour lipsticks are priced at £8.50.  There are so many other beautiful shades I want to try including lots of darker berry colours for autumn/winter - 'Berry' and 'Sugar Berry' are right up my street! 

Have you tried any of the Marks and Spencer beauty lines?

Love Nicola

xx

Sanctuary Sleep '4 in 1 Restoring Body Elixir'

The majority of my beauty shopping occurs when I'm killing time while on my lunch break and on a recent boredom induced Boots trip, I stumbled across the Sleep range from Sanctuary.  As soon as I smelled the range I knew I had to buy one of the products to try, I decided to pick up the '4 in 1 Restoring Sleep Elixir.   To me, the whole Sleep range smells extremely similar to Tom Ford's 'Black Orchid', if a little more subtle (and a lot less expensive!). 

The packaging might look like deodorant for men, but the oil itself is beautiful.  It contains Ylang Ylang to help relieve tension, Frankincense to help clarify and calm the mind and Patchouli to help reduce anxiety (I think it's the Ylang Ylang and Patchouli that remind me of Black Orchid so much!).  

I haven't tried many other body oils in comparison but I love that they are multipurpose products.  You can use this particular oil on your pulse points, as a massage oil, as a bath oil or as a hair conditioner.  I mainly use the 'Restoring Body Elixir' in my bath and as a moisturiser - I've yet to use it in my hair.  As a moisturiser, it sinks in really quickly without leaving an oily residue.  I normally apply this after I've had a shower or bath to really help lock in moisture.  It's also lovely used as a bath oil and leaves my skin feeling smooth and moisturised.  

I'm going to Portugal in three weeks and think this will be a perfect product to take with me to keep my skin in tip top condition.  I love that the packaging comes with two caps, one being a screw top - no annoying leaks when travelling!

Although marketed as part of the sleep range, I haven't noticed any difference in the quality of my sleep however it does help relax me in the evening and is the perfect addition to my evening beauty routine.  You can buy the Sanctuary Sleep 4 in 1 Restoring Body Elixir for £8.25 - an affordable slice of luxury!

Love Nicola

xx