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Review: Collection Mardi Grass Nail Polish

Collection Mardi Grass Nail Polish in White Out, and Canary Yellow*
It seems like forever ago that I reviewed a nail polish, which makes me a little sad. I am a self confessed nail polish addict with a massive collection. I love themed collections and this Mardi Gras range from Collection cosmetics arrived at the perfect time to coincide with the gorgeous weather we’re having here. The limited edition range was released alongside the World Cup in Brazil, hence “Mardi Gras” – a carnival celebrated across the country. The collection only consists of three colours (white out, canary yellow and green with envy), but that’s more than enough to get you into the party spirit.
Pros:
+ Bright and bold colours
+ Cute packaging
+ Good price point

Cons:
– 2-3 coats needed 

Notes:
Collection nail polishes are nothing new to me but I hadn’t tried such bold colours from them before. I’ve always been on the fence when it comes to white and yellow polishes, so I was eager to try something out of my comfort zone. Both polishes are vibrant, and that colour translates well onto nails. The application isn’t too bad, but unfortunately it does take 2-3 coats to get a good opaque look. As for chipping, I tested the polish with a top coat and without. The polish without a top coat did wear off slightly but I didn’t notice much chipping in the first few days. The nails with a top coat lasted longer, as you’d expect. Overall I’m quite impressed with this polish, and the price makes me very happy too. £1.99 is perfectly on point for those who want to pick up a new shade of polish to add to their collection. 
You can purchase Collection’s Mardi Gras nail polish range at Boots and Superdrug.
bloomzy /

A Masterclass in Burlesque at Cafe de Paris

Last Friday I headed into the depths of the Cafe de Paris. When I arrived the impeccably dressed staff were hurriedly preparing everything for the night’s show. Obulent chandeliers hung from the ceiling, whilst glasses lined the tables, sparkling like crystal. A well dressed man led me to a dark room beneath the dance floor, as I stared at my surroundings in wonder. It almost felt as if I’d walked into London’s own Moulin Rouge.

This was all thanks to Sarah (of The Prosecco Diaries) who had arranged a burlesque evening for a select group of bloggers. I was greeted by Sarah herself with a delicious vodka drink from Pinky, and a lovely smile. It was obvious that everyone was eager to take part in the festivities of the evening as I’m usually one of the first to arrive, but this time round everyone was there before me! Cupcakes and macarons littered the room – a bloggers best friend. We all got to know each other as we nibbled on snacks and sipped our drinks (through adorable straws might I add). As the atmosphere built we were asked to move to the dance floor. Yes, our private room had it’s own dance floor, and boudoir…but that’s a tale for another time. You might be curious at this point as to why we needed a dance floor. Well that’s because we were in for a mini masterclass in burlesque from Zoe from The Cheek Of It School of Burlesque & Cabaret – a very sophisticated and classy lady. I am a very big fan of burlesque and have attended more than my fair share of cabarets. I’ve often left after a show and professed my desire to be a burlesque dancer to anyone who will listen. I find it such a beautiful, sexy and empowering form of art. So you can imagine just how excited I was to have this opportunity. It’s safe to say I shimmied and I shook, like there was no tomorrow! Luckily for me, my eagerness and effort paid off because Zoe chose me as one of the students of the night, alongside the lovely George. Our prize? A sparkly bottle of Prosecco (pimped out by Sparkle Up Your Life), fit for any queen of burlesque. After the class we headed back to the main area of the club to watch the cabaret show, where we sat high above the floor overdosing on fabulous drinks and sweet treats.

The show at Cafe de Paris was wonderful, which was made by the lovely ladies I got to share it with. Although our compère for the night was equal parts fabulous and fierce, I have to say that the burlesque class was my favourite part of the evening. I am hoping I can save up for Zoe’s Showtime Beginners Course because I’ve caught the burlesque bug, and everyone knows that once you’ve started shimmying that booty, you can’t stop (when you have an arse like mine anyway).

Thank you so much to Sarah for hosting another fabulous event, and for all of the goodie bag sponsors. I’ll be uploading the contents of my goodie bag and linking to the brands on my Instagram and Twitter.

Photos: Thanks to Sarah

bloomzy /

OOTD: I’m Torn

Top – Topshop | Jeans* – Oasap | Sandals – Primark | Sunglasses* – Oasap | Necklace – Marc by Marc Jacobs | Bracelets – Zara

Sometimes I just need a few days to chill out, and when I do, my clothing choices tend to reflect that. However I’m not about to do an outfit post consisting purely of loungewear…although it’s tempting. Instead I donned my new torn mum jeans, some chunky sandals, a loose tee and a ton of accessories. The perfect attire for a day wandering around Shoreditch. 
Unfortunately the jeans are ridiculously large, and by “ridiculously large” I mean about 2 sizes too big. This is my main reason for disliking online shopping, especially when the item is coming from across the other side of the world. Luckily I had a few belts on hand which helped with the problem…slightly. My only other complaint would be that this package took around a month to arrive, because my full address wasn’t on the package. This seems a bit odd after Oasap have been sending packages to the same address for over a year, and they’ve usually arrived within a week or two. Now that they’re charging for postage, this is a bit odd, and a little unsatisfying. I’m hoping that this was just a one-off human error. I don’t like to be a downer, and the only reason I mentioned it is because I have been working with Oasap and mentioning them on the blog for a long time.
bloomzy /

Luna & Curious AW Christmas 2014

I stopped by Luna & Curious this week to check out their Christmas offerings. Yes, it’s that time of year again, when Christmas comes early for the press, and we have to put up with carols and sparkles. Thankfully Luna & Curious weren’t playing Christmas music, but there were plenty of sparkles.
Luna and Curious is my favourite lifestyle store in Shoreditch. The items they carry are high quality, delightful and unique. Of course their AW 14 collection didn’t let me down. Beautifully intricate jewellery, stand out accessories, and winter warmers were just a few of the items that stood out. I was particularly happy to see Floss Gloss nail polishes – L&C are one of only two stockists in the UK. Their polishes are wonderful and I’m so glad to see a store stocking a different brand. Henriette Loftstrom‘s jewellery shone brightly and certainly caught my eye. The Dog Days Plates have been a personal favourite for a while – I need to add Sophia to my collection. However I think the item that epitomised the elegance and quality of the AW collection was the Belle Rose fleece-lined jacket. The lining was incredibly soft and warm, whilst the outer was smart and chic. 
It may be sweltering outside, but I can’t wait for the colder months to come and for the Christmas spirit to hit again. I already have my eye on a few items from L&C for family and friends (and myself), and I know they won’t be disappointed. 

You can shop these items and more at Luna & Curious.

bloomzy /

Review: A-Derma Light Hydrating Cream UV

A-Derma Light Hydrating Cream UV*
A-Derma is another French pharmacy brand (and sister brand to Avéne) that has caught my eye recently. The brand’s products cater to sensitive skin, dry skin and those with eczema. I had previously tried A-Derma’s Rich Hydrating Cream but found that it was a bit too full-on for my skin. So as Summer came round I turned to A-Derma Light Hydrating Cream UV. The cream claims to offer “immediate and long-lasting hydration that protects from climatic stress”. Perfect for somebody living in a city like London.
Pros:
+ Soothing
+ Applies easily
+ Hydrating
+ UV protection/SPF20
+ Absorbs quickly
 
Cons:
– Thin formula
– Small tube
 
Notes:
I usually know from the first application whether I will like a moisturiser, and I was pleasantly surprised with this one. The thin formula confused me slightly as it seemed quite watery for a cream, however I found that this worked to my advantage. The thin formula means it is easy to apply and absorbs quickly. I also noticed that once I had applied the cream my skin felt very soothed. Combined with the UV protection (and SPF20), this is a lovely cream to be wearing alone or under make-up during the Summer. It’s very light and sits on the skin well. I would definitely purchase it, and the price point isn’t ridiculously high either, at £14.50. Although I do wish there was more product in the tube.
You can purchase A-Derma’s Light Hydrating Cream UV at Boots.
bloomzy /

Discuss: Test Drive Your Clothes, Before You Buy

Japanese clothing brand GU (a Uniqlo sister brand) have released a new concept into their new Shibuya Parco store (Tokyo) this month. The concept behind the store has been labelled “GU Fitting” and claims to be the first of it’s kind in the world. 

So what is ‘GU Fitting’ and how does it work? Essentially it’s a service that allows you to test drive an item, or items, of clothing before you purchase it. It may sound a little crazy, and you’re probably wondering how it could work, or why it’s even a thing. Well GU want you to be able to really get to grips with their items, so they’re willing to loan you the items for the day. Say you walk into GU’s new store and your eyes fall on a cute dress, but you’re not sure how it will fit or feel. All you need to do is visit the GU Fitting Counter (they take 30 requests a day) with your item/s (3 max) and put in a request to ‘test drive’ them. You can meet up with friends at a cafe, do some window shopping, or maybe even sit around at home. All you have to do is return them by the end of the day. You can then decide whether you want to purchase them or not. 
But won’t people steal the items? This part has a lot to do with the culture, in my opinion. GU are trusting their customers with the items and are only asking for a name and telephone number, no ID or deposit etc. This is because they have trust in their customers. If you lose your wallet in Japan, chances are someone will return it or give it in to the police. It’s because of this that a lot of Japanese people have a very trusting mentality and it translates well into schemes like this. As for the items on sale – most are priced around 2,000円 (around £11.50) or less, so this is purely fast fashion, nothing high-end. 
GU have certainly come up with a unique way to sell their clothing, and with a large selection of on-trend quality items I can see this becoming a big hit with the brand. GU are already considering expanding the project if it is successful, and as a fan of the brand I would love to try the idea out. Will it catch on? I really don’t see it working outside of Japan, without a few changes. I could see it working in the UK if the customer left their card details/with a deposit scheme, however I’m not too sure the idea would catch on. It does seem like something that would only work in Japan, for now anyway. The store will be open until the end of June, so you still have some time to check it out if you’re in the neighbourhood. 

What do you think? 
Would it work in your country?
Would you ‘test drive’ an outfit/item of clothing? 
Source: 1, 2, 3