Hollywood Glamour: MAC Marilyn Monroe Collection

MAC have just launched a new collection commemorating one of the most recognised, female icons of all time; Marilyn Monroe.
The collection consists of various eye shadows, false lashes, blushes and much, much more.
Famous for her fairly minimal make up look, MAC have reflected this in the focus on bright lip shades, dark eye products and perfectly groomed brows.

The Lipsticks

There are five lipsticks in the collection; an array of pink and red tones.

(From left to right)
Pure Zen – a frosted warm nude, Scarlet Ibis – a bright orange red, Love Goddess – a midtone pink red, Charmed I’m Sure – dark true red, Deeply Adored – true scarlet.



(images sourced from MAC)

(This gorgeous range of lipsticks can be bought at www.maccosmetics.co.uk for £15.50 each)

The Dazzleglasses

There are only two dazzleglasses in the collection which I’m slightly disappointed about as they are one of my favourite products from MAC, however, they don’t look set to disappoint.

(From left to right)
Little Rock – soft, sheer white with pearl, Phiff – sheer, yellow peach.



(These can be bought at www.maccosmetics.co.uk for £18.50 each)

Lip Pencils

There are three shades of lip pencil in this collection.

(From left to right)
Redd – clearly red, Cherry- vivid bright bluish-red, Beet - vivid reddish-pink



The lip pencils, I think, are what you would expect from the collection after having seen the lipsticks.

(These can be bought at www.maccosmetics.co.uk for £12.50 each)

The Eyes Have It

There are four eye shadow shades in the collection These shadows are a whopping 3g each! So they’re twice the size of the standard MAC eye shadows which is a bonus.
(From left to right)
How to Marry – soft white , Preferred Blonde – pale champagne beige, Silver Screen – true silver, and Showgirl – dark blue grey.



These shades all complement each other and I think some of these blended together would make perfect dramatic eye look for a night out. How to Marry and Preferred Blonde would be ideal for a neutral everyday eye with a touch of glamour.

(These can be bought at www.maccosmetics.co.uk for £16.50 each)


The Marilyn lashes (35 lash) are dramatic and full and just what you’d expect of the great lady herself.

Marilyn false lashes extreme black mascara promises to give thickness, volume and curl to your lashes and can be bought at www.maccosmetics.co.uk for £18.00)

The set also boasts a penultimate eyeliner (£16.00) Penultimate Brow (£15.00) Eye Kohl (£14.00) and the Marilyn Monroe Brow Finisher (£12.50) to finish of the dramatic and defined look of Marilyn.

Face Facts

There’s also a beauty powder, Forever Marilyn - a sheer pearl peach powder, which looks set to be a gorgeous highlight colour (£23.50) and two blushes, Legendary – a soft, pale coral and The Perfect Cheek – a neutral pinky beige (£19.00 each).




Nail Lacquer

MAC have not disappointed in the nail lacquer department! They’ve released 5 gorgeous shades.

(From left to right)


Rich, Rich, Rich – glittery gold, Kid Orange - coral, Flaming Rose – true red , Stage Red – dark berry red, Vintage Vamp – rich, deep, retro wine.

(These can be bought at www.maccosmetics.co.uk for £11.00 each)

Just as a word of warning, the Marilyn Collection is selling out everywhere! It’s all limited, so I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you that you manage to get what you want from the set.
Which items are you hoping to haul? Comment below if you’ve already bought something from this collection, and let us all know what you think.

Please like, comment and subscribe :)

Hugs, Loves and Flawless Kisses

xoxoxox

(Above images sourced from mac cosmetics)

Quote of the Week - 17th October 2012

"Beauty is about perception, not about make-up. I think the beginning of all beauty is knowing and liking oneself. You can't put on make-up, or dress yourself, or do you hair with any sort of fun or joy if you're doing it from a position of correction" – Kevyn Aucoin

I love the depth and message of this quote and I thought you guys would like it too.
It’s important to remember the products we use, applications we follow and the way in which we express ourselves should always be an enhancement of what we are as individuals and should not be used as a mask to hide our true selves or to make us all look the same.

Click to subscribe and comment below. It'd be great to know your thoughts on this.

Oh, and remember to love your ‘individualness’

Hugs, Loves and Flawless Kisses
xoxoxox

Awareness Article: Breast Cancer Awareness Month October 2012

Once a month flawless kisses is going to be moving away from hair, beauty and the general light heartedness of the blog, to focus on raising awareness on specific issues that most probably will have affected some of you guys, either through personal experience or the experience of friends and family. I’ll be looking at an issue that affects a lot of us, be it directly or indirectly, and I’m hoping to raise awareness, inform and inspire you.
(Please feel free to email me at flawlesskisses@live.co.uk if there is a certain topic you would like me to address in the awareness articles in upcoming months)
This month, as its Breast Cancer Awareness, I’m going to be discussing the topic of breast cancer; how to examine yourself regularly, what to do if you have any concerns regarding your body, and how to support the charity itself.
Breast Cancer still remains the most common form of cancer in the UK.
A staggering 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime and more than one thousand women a month still die from breast cancer.
These statistics are undoubtedly appalling and it becomes apparent how many people are affected by this and how affected friends and relatives of cancer patients are.
Looking at these figures, you can see how important it is that you check yourself regularly, as the early cancer is detected the more likely it can be treated successfully.

Examining You Breasts
It’s vital to examine yourself regularly and familiarise yourself with your breasts in order to recognise any changes or abnormalities.
What you need to look for:
• Lumps or thickening of the breast tissue
• Continuous pain in your breast or armpit
• One breast becoming significantly larger or lower than the other one
• Puckering or dimpling of the skin
• Swelling under the armpit or around the collarbone
• Developing a rash around your nipple area or producing discharge
• Nipples changing shape or position or becoming inverted
It’s important to note that not all lumps are cancerous and could be cysts or tissue overgrowth, but it’s still vital that you convey any concerns to your GP without any delay.
There are many ways to support this charity, either by making a monetary donation to Breast Cancer UK or by buying items that have been released for sale whereby the profits (or a percentage of the profits) will go the charity.
Various companies have partnered with Breast Cancer UK to produce such products. Below is a selection of things you can treat yourself to and help raise money for the charity at the same time.

These Ugg boots are gorgeous and a wonderful addition to any Ugg fanatics collection. They are £165 and can be bought from uggaustralia.co.uk

Gorgeous Bra & Brief set from Marks and Spencer’s £7.50

GHD have released their new Pink Cherry Blossom Limited Edition Styler. This can be bought at www.ghdhair.com for £129 and £5 from each styler will be donated to Breakthrough Breast Cancer.

This pin can be bought from Avon for £1.50 with 100% of the proceeds going to Breast Cancer Awareness.

This glitzy nail polish trio is available from orlybeauty.co.uk for £10.80 with 20% of proceeds going to support breast cancer research.

Alternatively to find out other ways to donate and support the charity please click this link below.
http://www.breastcancercampaign.org/support-us/donate
Please post comments below on your thoughts, what you’re doing to raise money, or any items you’ve bought where proceeds go to breast cancer charities, and don’t forget to check yourself regularly and take your health seriously.
If you haven’t already supported the charity in some way, please do as it’s such a good cause. Even a donation as small as £1, will make a big difference and help us to fight this dreadful disease together.
Hugs, Loves and Flawless Kisses
Xoxoxox
Disclaimer: none of the above images are ownedby myself

Fab Finds: 40% off at E.L.F Cosmetics!

Hi guys. Just a quick post to tell you about on offer at Eyes Lips Face.

Between 16/10/12-18/10/12 you can get 40% off any of their products between 5.30pm and 10.30am, by entering the code: SPOOKTACULAR when you checkout.

Visit the website below and get shopping!!

www.eyeslipsface.co.uk

Comment below if you buy anything to let us know what you think of the products and please subscribe!

Hugs, Loves and Flawless Kisses

xoxoxox

Giveaway: Moroccan Oil Glimmer Spray

Hi guys, just a short post for some exciting news, so I’ll get straight to it.
I have a gorgeous Moroccan Oil Glimmer Spray for one of you flawless beauties to get your mitts on.

This amazing product is part of the extensive range by Moroccan Oil. The Glimmer Spray prevents frizz, static and gives a gleaming shine, so it’s a great product to finish any style with.
What have we got to do to win? I hear you cry? Just subscribe! Yeah, really it’s that simple.
When flawless kisses gets 20 subscribers, 1 subscriber will be chosen at random to win!
So get subscribing, cross those fingers and keep your eyes peeled for the post announcing the winner.
Hugs, Loves and Flawless Kisses

xoxoxox




HyperSmash

HD Eyebrows Review

(image source: HD Brows)
I didn’t fully appreciate how important eyebrows are to your appearance until after I’d had the HD Eyebrow Treatment.
I mean, I knew they made a difference but I didn’t realise how they totally alter the shape of your face.
I’d always tweezed my eyebrows myself (over-tweezed in some cases) and I’d had the occasional eyebrow wax and threading done, but nothing made as drastic difference as the HD treatment.
I’ve been having this treatment done since January 2012 and have religiously gone back every 3-4 weeks as I love the look of my eyebrows perfectly groomed and defined, and I couldn’t not have them done now!
The HD Treatment consists of 7 steps to achieve the finished look. The steps are:

1) Consultation/Assessment – This is where the beautician will determine what shape brow will best suit your face shape, the shade that will suit your hair/skin colour best and ascertain what sort of look you’re hoping to get (e.g. dramatic, natural etc.)

2) Tinting – After the initial consultation, the beautician will then apply the tint to your brows.

3) Waxing – This step gets rid of the majority of unwanted hair.

4) Trimming – This is only necessary of you have longer eyebrows, and the beautician will just trim them slightly to make them appear neater.

5) Threading – This gives the sharp definition associated with HD Brows and I personally think one of the most vital steps in the treatment. (I personally think this hurts a bit – but it’s so worth it!)

6) Tweezing – This step is just to remove any of the unwanted hairs that the waxing and threading didn’t remove.

7) Completion – Finally they can be filled in with makeup and combed/set into place

The treatment itself takes between 45 minutes to an hour dependent upon the amount of work required on the brows.
My treatments tend to take about 45 minutes now that I’m going back every few weeks and I can honestly say that my eyebrows get better with each treatment I have.
Because my brows were initially shaped and any areas that were sparse were filled in with makeup, my eyebrow hair has grown into the shape the beautician has created.
They definitely create a more flattering frame for my face and really open up your eyes.
Unfortunately, I didn’t take a ‘before shot’ before my first treatment so I can’t do a before and after comparison. 
So, you’re going to have to take my word for it that my eyebrows were quite a few shades lighter than my hair colour, sparse in some places, no definition and they didn’t match! Yes, I know! Wonky brows – the shame! They both had a completely different shape and thickness to them and they weren’t quite level!
I can laugh about this now as they look much better but take my advice; don’t try to tackle your brows yourself, go to a professional.
Anyway here’s a shot of my brows after HD Brow treatment

Although it’s more expensive than a standard wax or tint (usually costs around £30 a treatment) you get so much more from the HD brow treatment that I think, once you try it, you won’t go back to a standard eyebrow wax.
You can also by eyebrow palettes from HD Brows, to maintain the look at home, as obviously the tint will fade after a few weeks and you may want to go over them with the powder to keep them looking dark.
There are 3 palettes to choose from; Foxy, Vamp and Bombshell, depending on what colour hair you have. They cost £19.96 each and you can check these out here: http://shop.nouveaubeautygroup.com/eye-brow-palette-1/

Just as a side note, I was told not to tweeze my brows in between appointments as you could interfere with the shape the beautician is trying to get your brows to grow into, so since I’ve been having HD treatments, my tweezerman has been out of bounds!
To be honest, I haven’t needed to tweeze anything anyway as they’ve stayed pretty much perfect looking until the next time I go!
Have any of you guys had the treatment or want the treatment? Comment below and let us guys know your thoughts

Hugs, Love and Flawless Kisses
xoxoxox

You’re Hairs New Best Friend! : Moroccan Oil Review

Dry, Frizzy, Straight, Curly, Blonde or Brunette; your hair’s prayers have been answered!
I’ve been using products from the Moroccan Oil Line now for the past two years and in recent months it seems everyone’s going mad for hair oils! All the top hair care brands have jumped on the oil bandwagon and have released new, improved, better-than-the-next-brand, hair oil.
So is it the latest way for the hair industry to con more of our precious pennies out of us or could these products, for once, do what they say on the tin?
Carry on reading to find out!
So like I said, I’ve been using Moroccan oil for a couple of years now which is why I’ve chosen to do the review on this brand. I have used other hair oils (various brands, various prices) but this one has been a long-standing, trusted resident on my dressing table so I feel I can give an honest, in depth review.
Moroccan Oil initially released the original oil, and following growing popularity and success, have gone on to release pretty much every other form of hair care product you could possibly need (or not, in some cases)

The first product I used from the line was the Moroccan Oil Original Treatment (100ml)
I was recommended this by a hair extension technician when I first got my micro-ring extensions fitted. She warned me about how extensions are prone to dryness and damage from straightening etc and this little beauty would banish it all.
I thought, here we go, another sales ploy. Haven’t you had enough money off me already for the extensions?!? In the end I thought what the hell; I’ve spent a lot on the extensions I might as well pay to look after them properly. Boy am I glad I did!
I think this was the first oil I had ever used on my hair at the time. Firstly, because they hadn’t really been all the rage before this one so I hadn’t heard of them and mainly because my natural hair without the extensions is very fine, and in my simple mind, fine hair + oil = greaseball.
Anyhow, to cut a long story short it was love at first treatment. As soon as I used it I knew it was unlike anything I’d ever used before.
My hair was super sleek, straight and soft after one use and it just kept getting better the more I used it!
My hair couldn’t get enough of the oil. As anyone with extremely thick hair or human hair extensions knows, your hair just soaks this up like no-one’s business.
I knew that on my natural hair it wouldn’t have absorbed that well. I could just picture it smothered on my hair, looking like greasy rats tails…..
But seeing as I had uber thick extensions I didn’t have to worry about that.
You can imagine how excited I was when the Moroccan oil guys added various items to the range; shampoo, conditioner, masks etc
I’ve tried most of the products in the range now and have reviewed each product separately below:

MOROCCANOIL®MOISTURE REPAIR SHAMPOO & CONDITIONER
What it claims to do: "soothe dry, damaged hair leaving it soft, manageable and noticeably smoother. The creamy lather helps repair chemically treated hair, leaving it soft, shiny and full of body"
So by know, you’re all hyped up over the original oil treatment, right? I’m going to go and spoil it and bring you back down to earth with a bump.
Don’t get me wrong, the shampoo and conditioner didn’t do anything disastrous to my hair I was just left feeling a little underwhelmed by them. I suppose I’d been spoilt with the amazing transformation of my hair using the oil and expected the same from this.
The shampoo did lather up nicely and my hair was shiny, it just wasn’t full of body like it claimed on the bottle and there was no dramatic difference in the condition of my hair either.
Not much result for the price, so as you can guess, I haven’t repurchased since.
(Can be bought at www.feelunique.com for £15.85 for the shampoo and £16.55 for the conditioner)

MOROCCANOIL®INTENSE HYDRATING MASK
Ok, so on to bigger and better things.
The claim: “A rich, creamy treatment, designed to hydrate and repair damaged hair. With continued use, this highly effective mask revitalizes hair, restoring shine and manageability.”
This little bad boy definitely lived up to the high standards of the original oil and is a product I wouldn’t be without now. I leave it on for about 5-10 minutes after shampooing and rinse it out. It’s a luxuriously thick mask, conditions really well and my hair is always smooth, soft and shiny after using it so it definitely does what it claims. What’s not love I hear you ask? The only downside for me is the cost as it’s a tad pricey at but defiantly worth it as it lasts ages.
(Can be bought at www.feelunique.com for £23.85)

MOROCCANOIL® HYDRATING STYLING CREAM
The Claim: “Moroccan oil Hydrating Styling Cream eliminates frizz and adds definition and shine, while providing soft hold, resulting in the texture necessary for styling”
Ok so I’m going to try and keep this one short and sweet. I’ve not really got anything good to say about this one. My hair and this cream had a major bust up! I’m talking serious clash! Whatever I did with this I couldn’t get on with it. It made my hair like a frizzy birds nest. However, it may not have reacted well with my extensions or added to much texture to it so it could be great on someone else’s hair; just not mine 
(Can be bought at www.feelunique.com for £22.85)

MOROCCANOIL®LUMINOUS HAIR SPRAY
Claim: “With the luminous and unique shine of argan oil, Moroccan Oil Luminous Hairspray is the ultimate spray to style your hair and ideal to maintain any hairdo. With a reflective shield to help guard against humidity and frizz, this weightless spray brushes out easily and won't leave behind a sticky residue.”
Love this hairspray. Not that I’m a hairspray connoisseur (far from it) but I loved that his didn’t make my hair all gross and sticky, (pet hate) it brushes out well, it smells nice and makes your hair shiny. Don’t think it’s one for serious hold myself, but for a light/medium hold its great. Bit pricey again I suppose but a nice little unnecessary luxury all the same.
(Can be bought at www.feelunique.com for £16.65)

MOROCCANOIL®CERAMIC BRUSHES
Ok so this brush isn’t something I’d usually buy because I use natural or boar bristle hairbrushes because of my extensions. However, a generous friend of mine (hair stylist) had a Moroccan oil bag with all the goodies in (don’t quote me but I think they weren’t for general sale just for stylists) which found its way to me and the ceramic paddle brush was in there.
Again, can’t really comment on the brush as I’ve not really used it seems ok. A standard brush nothing obviously special about it just something else to sell of the back of the success of the original oil in my humble opinion.
(Can be bought at www.feelunique.com for £13.85)

They also do the following:
Extra Volume Shampoo & Conditioner, the original oil treatment and hair mask in a light version, a curl defining cream, a curl control mousse, and intense curl cream and a travel kit.
I haven’t tried these products. The shampoo and conditioner I haven’t bought because I wasn’t blown away with the other ones and the various mousses and creams for curly hair don’t appeal to me as my hair’s poker straight the majority of the time but for you curly girlies out there I’m sure they won’t disappoint. The light original oil and the mask I would defiantly try when I’m ‘extensionless’ as I think they’d be perfect for my naturally fine hair. And the travel kits a cute idea for a gift or handy for going on holiday.
All in all, a mixed bag really. I don’t think any of the styling creams, sprays, etc have surpassed the success of the original. The one that comes closest for me is the mask which I would definitely recommend to anyone.
What are your thoughts on the extended range? Comment below if you’ve tried anyone of the products I haven’t used. I’d love to know what you think of them.
Hugs, Loves and Flawless Kisses
xoxoxox

OPI: Skyfall Collection

The gorgeous people at OPI have released this stunning set of nail polishes to commemorate 50 years since the iconic, James Bond, was created. It’s also in line with the new 007 film, Skyfall, to be released on 26th October, here in the UK.

(image source: OPI)

The collection consists of glossy red hues, deep plums, and rich purples, all finished off with a splash of silver, gold and sparkles.
This collection screams Autumn/Winter with its moody and mysterious deep shades, a shot of metallic to liven things up and it’s ‘shaken but not stirred’ glitter tones.
A fun set for the season and some definite contenders for Christmas and New Year’s Eve Looks.
What shades are you most looking forward to trying?

Hugs, Loves and Flawless Kisses
xoxoxox