LONDON TRIP- SKETCH

I cant tell you how long I have wanted to visit Sketch for! I finally got the chance to go as a birthday treat this week and it definitely lived up to its expectations! The pink interior and quirky artwork were amazing. It is definitely me in a room!

David Shrigley is the artist responsible for the funny sketches surrounding the room and the designs of the table-wear. The cups and plates definitely reminded me of the mad hatters tea party! I love how nothing was perfect and the plates were all different and bumpy, it gave it a unique difference compared to all of the perfect table-wear we usually see in restaurants. 

I'm not usually a big tea or coffee fan but I decided to try some tea out anyway, you can't not when you go for afternoon tea can you? I had vanilla bean tea which I actually really enjoyed! It was much sweeter than normal tea which was probably why I enjoyed it so much. I loved how I could read 'forget about it' in the bottom of my teacup when I was drinking it too! For a starter we were given a quails egg which I believe was cooked at fifty degrees giving it a weird but wonderful consistency, we had cheesy bread sticks to dip in like soldiers and caviar on the side. This was probably my favourite thing we tried! I loved how there was a tea lady, a champagne lady and a caviar man! They all had amazing outfits on too.

After that we were given our afternoon tea, some scones and then more cake! We were stuffed when we left but it was all worth it! I loved how it was all refillable, giving us the chance to re-taste out favourite sandwiches and cakes! I don't think I disliked anything I tried! It really did taste as good as it looked.

I couldn't not mention the toilets in this post as they were so different and crazy to anything I have seen before! They were all little individual egg pods! The ceiling contrasted against the white interiors and gave it a pop of colour. There was a permanent maid in there.. I must say, she looked very bored! She was cleaning clean floor haha.

I hope you enjoyed this little photo series of Sketch, I 100% recommend you go if you ever get the chance! 

Thankyou for reading, 

Love from Georgia

xxx

photo credit: my own images.

MAKEUP REVIEW: MAKEUP OBSESSION MAKEUP PALLETS

I recently noticed a new makeup brand in boots called Makeup Obsession. They provide a variety of different sized and coloured empty pallets which you can then fill with the makeup products. They have eyeshadows, lipsticks, blushers, bronzers, contouring powders and creams, highlighters, concealers, powders and strobe balms all in the large circular pans which fit into the pallets nicely. I recently picked out six different products, four strobe balms, a highlighter and a powder. They are all so reasonably priced with the products ranging from 2-3 pounds each and the empty pallets ranging from 6-8 pounds, what a bargain! I cant believe I hadn't heard about this brand before. And just to confirm, yes they are very good quality! I have provided images and swatches of my pallet so far to give you an idea of what they are like, I of course opted for the rose gold packaging!

Top row, left-right: strobe balm in precious, strobe balm in gilded, highlight in moon.
Bottom row, left-right: strobe balm in radiance, strobe balm in chrome, contour powder in fair.

Top-bottom: strobe balm in precious, strobe balm in gilded, highlight in moon, strobe balm in radiance, strobe balm in chrome, contour powder in fair.

So as you can see, my pallet is not yet complete so I cannot wait to go back and fill it with even more products. I wanted to however talk about the products I have used so far as I think they are all amazing for the price. I have been using the strobe balms as cream eyeshadows and to enhance my highlighter on my cheek bones, I wouldn't however use the darker strobes (radiance and chrome) for highlighter! I find using them for cream eyeshadows makes the shadows last longer, it gives them an underlying shimmer and can provide a tacky base if I wanted to use pigments or glitter so I feel like these are a must have in my makeup collection! The contour powder in fair is a lovely creamy consistency and isn't chalky at all, I use this to highlight under my eyes so I look more awake in the mornings! It also prevents my concealer from rubbing off or creasing. I realised after looking on the website that they also provide concealers and banana powders so I cannot wait to get my hands on some of them and see how good they are. Last but not least is my favourite product. The highlighter in moon is a pinky, purply shade which really stands out on the face. Before my Anastasia glow kit in sweets (which contains sassy grape), I had been searching for a highlighter just like this, I really liked the pop of subtle colour and the pinky warm tones it gives your face. It looks amazing on its own or with a highlighting cream underneath such as Nars 'coppablanca' (another must have). I think this is the perfect dupe for sassy grape and is an amazing product.

I think pallets like this are perfect for travelling as well as you can customise it how you like and take exactly what you need with you when going away, they are cheap so you don't have to worry about spending loads on replacing them if they get broken and the pallets are very thin and compact and would be easy to slide into the side of your bag! They also provide smaller sizes (I just opted for the bigger size so I could go back for more haha). What do you think about these pallets?

Thankyou for reading

Love from Georgia,

xxx

Photo credit: My own images.

LOUIS VUITTON'S COLLECTION WITH JEFF KOONS

One new collaboration that has really caught my eye recently has been the Jeff Koons and Louis Vuitton bags with the familiar paintings printed onto the bags such as the Mona Lisa which is probably my favourite as it is a painting I have seen in real life when I was younger. Obviously Louis Vuitton bags have been and always be desirable, popular bags that everyone seems to love! They seem to be almost timeless and loved by all ages. Jeff Koons is an artist known for turning kitsch images and objects into art, he looks into the past and brings back brilliant things from there which he loves, such as these paintings used on the bags. I find this collaboration very interesting and fun.

I think in a way this will also increase museum and gallery visits with fine art and old paintings being seen as cool and trendy again. People will now hopefully see them as luxurious and high end, they will be more desirable to the younger generations who usually wouldn't be bothered with them. I personally don't think I wouldn't want to own one as it is not my usual style and I much prefer classic timeless pieces and accessories I can match with a variety of outfits, these bags would be difficult to style and I find them a little bit tacky. What do you think about them?

Thankyou for reading, 

Love from Georgia 

xxx

photo credit: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/luxury/womens-style/louis-vuitton-announces-jeff-koons-collaboration/

CHANEL SS17 HAUTE COUTURE COLLECTION

If you haven't already guessed, I am pretty much obsessed with anything sparkly or pink so when I first caught a glimpse of Chanel's spring summer haute couture collection I was straight away obsessed.

The setting and theme seemed minimal with clear, clean mirrored circular runways which I loved! They went really well with the sparkle, feathers and blush pink (my favourite aspects to the collection of course). The evening gowns and garments were more glamorous and different which was why they were my favourites. Of course I couldn't ignore the fact that Lily Rose Depp obviously made an appearance, why didn't I look like that when I was 17? I didn't realise until now that Karl Lagerfeld is an old family friend, where's my fabulously talented, rich designer family friend when I need one please? I thought the metallic sparkly dresses were very modern in comparison to Chanel's usual style and the fabric shocked me a little bit! I definitely need some of that blush toned feathered fur in my life, let me know what you thought about these gowns.

'I wanted something impeccable, clean. I wanted the girls to look like walking fashion drawings' 'And I must say, I love feathers!'

-Karl Lagerfeld

Thankyou for reading,

Love from Georgia

xxx

Photo credit: http://www.chanel.com/en_GB/fashion/haute-couture.html

MAKEUP REVIEW: HUDA TEXTURED SHADOWS PALETTE- ROSE GOLD EDITION

I would probably say I am a makeup addict and my main weakness is eyeshadow. I cannot help myself when a new sparkly, shimmery pallet comes out and I have to take the plunge and buy them! So when I saw that the new  Huda Beauty, ROSE GOLD, textured eyeshadow pallet came back in stock on the Cult Beauty website I couldn't not purchase it! At fifty-six pounds it really wasn't the cheapest pallet I could have chosen but it was all so worth it! I was a little skeptical before purchasing because of the price and the not so amazing reviews it was having online with people describing it as a little chalky and not as creamy as similar pallets such as the Anastasia Beverly Hills modern renaissance pallet (future review on this one too!), however Huda did make the eyeshadows talc free to stop chalky fallout and weak pigmentation. People also said how they didn't like having to use their fingers with the chunky, textured eyeshadows and they didn't work well with brushes. In my opinion using your fingers or a wet brush with glittery, chunky eyeshadows is the normal way to use them which also gives off a better, stronger pigmentation, if you use a normal brush you will get fallout or a bad colour payoff.  I don't think there is a pallet out there at the moment which uses textured eyeshadows so it makes this one quite unique.

I have been using this pallet for a week weeks now and want to tell you all what I really think about it. I am going to show the pallet and swatches of the eyeshadows to show the true colours and pigmentation. I only did one swipe of each colour to make it a fair example.

I have to admit, I do find the packaging slightly disappointing. It doesn't feel very luxurious which it should do for the price and when you remove the sleeve with the eyes and text you only have a clear lid and cardboard packaging. That being said, I definitely want to focus more on the product than packaging.

From top row, left-right: DUBAI, FLING, 24K, ROSE GOLD, TRUST FUND, ANGELIC.

Middle row, left-right: #BLESSED, BOSSY, FLAMINGO, SHY, BAE, MOON DUST,.

Bottom row, left-right: BLACK TRUFFLE, SUEDE, COCO, MANEATER, HENNA, SANDALWOOD.

Left-right: DUBAI, FLING, 24K, ROSE GOLD, TRUST FUND, ANGELIC, #BLESSED, BOSSY, FLAMINGO, SHY, BAE, MOONDUST, BLACK TRUFFLE, SUEDE, COCO, MANEATER, HENNA, SANDALWOOD.

So as you can see, from just one swipe, each eyeshadow is very pigmented. My personal favourites have been ANGELIC because of the shimmery, iridescent, gold flecks running throughout it, this is just lovely even on its own for a simple swipe across the lid if you don't have much time in the mornings but still want to look your best! This particular eyeshadow is also very creamy and lovely to apply. I really like all of the textured eyeshadows but will admit they are difficult to apply. By using a wet brush it makes them more creamy and less likely to produce fallout, my personal favourite textured eyeshadows are ROSE GOLD and TRUST FUND as I find the others all a bit too dark for glitters on my skin tone, I would still like to continue experimenting with these though. 24K is slightly too yellow for a gold in my opinion so I also find this a little difficult to use with my pale skin, however in the summer with a tan it will look amazing so I cannot wait! SHY and FLAMINGO have been used a lot by me and the pigmentation for these is unreal! I like to mix them sometimes with BAE to tone them down slightly and make them blend together nicely. I usually find matte eyeshadows difficult to use but they blend together really well. I haven't reached for BLACK TRUFFLE or COCO as I tend to use lighter eyeshadows and find these slightly too dark. I add these on top of my eyeliner to make the colour stronger or under my waterline if I am going for a smokey eye.

I have definitely found myself reaching for this pallet more than some of my others and have enjoyed using the variety of different colours. I really like the warmer shades. You can really tell how passionate Huda is about her pallet, she described it as a piece of her heart, I recommend people watch her video with her introducing, describing and showing some different looks with the pallet on her YouTube.

Thankyou for reading,

Love from Georgia

xxx

MAKEUP REVIEW: SILICONE MAKEUP BLENDER

I have recently tested out a silicone beauty blender after seeing a lot of people recommend them. Instead of wasting a lot more money by going for the Violet Voss one (priced at ten pounds) or Kady Mcdermot's one (priced at fifteen pounds) I decided to try out a much cheaper one found on eBay as I thought there wouldn't be much difference in them. I payed around three pounds for the silicone beauty blender and was very excited to try it out. I tested it out for over week using different foundations making it a fair test. I used Maybeline's FIT me foundation, Mac's studio sculpt and Nars' sheer glow foundation. 

I have to say overall yes it did its job and blended my makeup but I did find it took more time than my sponge beauty blender and makeup brushes would have. I thought it almost just moved the product around my face and was more difficult to blend. Although it definitely doesn't absorb any of the product and doesn't waste any, I thought I was pumping more product on to the blender and I felt like I used more foundation than I normally would have, I didn't feel like I had an even, flawless coverage. I personally don't think I will continue using the silicone beauty blenders and don't think I will splurge to purchase a more expensive one. I am slightly disappointed overall as I thought it looked like the perfect way to waste less product and achieve a quick flawless base for my makeup! Let me know what your thoughts on the silicone blenders are.

Thankyou for reading

Love from Georgia,

xxx

EDWARD ENNINFUL- THE NEW EDITOR IN CHIEF OF BRITISH VOGUE

I'm sure you've all heard about Edward Enninful taking over as the editor in chief of British vogue after Alexandra Shulman's 25 years of success (she is doing a lecture at my university soon! eee). Although he has previously worked with Italian and American Vogue, he will be the first male editor of British Vogue which is something new and exciting, I like the idea of having a male as the editor as I think another female would be compared to Shulman too much. A male take on the magazine will also be interesting! Enninful is currently working at W magazine as the fashion and creative director, however from the 1st August he will be working for British Vogue!

I must say, I am very excited to see what Enninful will do and if and how British Vogue may change. I'm not the biggest fan of change personally and i'm sure Shulman and her amazing work will be missed but this new chapter is very exciting to say the least! He is very well respected in the fashion industry and some of the top names in fashion have worked with him, including Christian Dior, Giorgio Armani, Dolce and Gabbana, Mulberry, Valentino, Gucci, Calvin Klein, Missoni, Fendi and Hugo Boss. I cant wait to see what great work he does to one of my favourite magazines!

'I grew up reading British Vogue- I am so honoured and humbled to be taking up the mantle of editor'. 'I realise I am stepping into the shoes of a hugely respected editor in the shape of Alexandra Shulman, someone who has chosen to leave at the top of their game with a legacy of 25 years of success'.

Thankyou for reading,

Love from Georgia 

xxx

CALM

Whilst researching into broader ideas to gain new insights for my perfume brief at university I came across a book called calm. This book is originally for people who suffer with stress, anxiety, depression and mental health as a whole (a very taboo subject usually). My friend owns this book because of her anxiety and she said it really helped her. I found it a very interesting book, it was very visual and very interactive and focused on calming you down and distracting the mind from whatever is bothering you at the time

Main aspects to the book were nature with the whole idea of using natural ingredients and scents that could calm and relax you (very useful for my fragrance project!). It also focused on meditation and improving sleep as a lot of people suffer with insomnia too. Instead of counting sheep it gave you different ways to help and actually be able to fall asleep easier. There was tasks to do in the book like 'what has made you happy today' as well as including a lot of art therapy (a great way to distract the mind).

Whilst researching into this book more I realised they also have a website that is equally as useful. Whilst clicking on different links and tabs on it it made noises for rain and wind (etc) which are seen as very relaxing. I recommend this book, website and app for anyone who suffers with stress or lack of sleep in particular.

Thankyou for reading,

Love from Georgia 

xxx